The sun was rising when Elizabeth's fever broke; suddenly much too warm, she threw the covers off and started shifting about. The four bells to mark 6:00 AM penetrated her unconscious mind, and she blinked her eyes open. She stretched, starting to roll onto her side. A calloused hand stopped her.
"Careful, love. Don't want to squash young Jake. Here, let me just—"
"What?" Elizabeth tried to say, but her throat felt thick and raspy and she couldn't get the word out. Was that Jack's voice? Jack's hands?
She felt those calloused hands fumbling around near her breasts, and she slapped them out of the way.
"Easy, darling, let me just move the baby, all right?"
Elizabeth waited until Jack had picked up the baby and got out of the bed to put him into—was that a dresser drawer? While he was out of the bed, she rolled over and pulled the covers up to her chin, and glared at him.
Jack turned back to her, ignoring her glare. He plunked himself down on the edge of the bed and reached out towards her face again. She whipped her hand out and grabbed his wrist, glaring at him.
"I'm checking to make sure your fever is down, love. Relax," he said. Grudgingly she let him feel her forehead.
She started to speak, but her throat was too dry. "Oh, here," Jack said, handing her a flask. To her grateful surprise, it was full of water. She drained it thirstily.
"Yeah, Cotton told me you would be thirsty when you woke," Jack observed. "How you feeling now?"
Elizabeth's eyes sparked with anger. "Furious. I could kill you! Jack, you want to tell me exactly what I am doing on your ship, in your bed, with you in it, touching me?" She groped around under the bed for her dagger.
He noticed what she was doing, and all the concern and good humor drained from Jack's face. The spark left his eyes as he started pulling on his boots. "When you put it like that, no, I really don't." He stood up and started strapping on his sash, belts, and sword with sharp, angry movements. "And there's no need to go reaching for the dagger, because I'll stop troubling you with my turpitude straight away," he went on in a growl, pulling on his coat. "Not to mention that a kiss and a kraken are a lot more effective." He got up and stalked toward the door. "Mr. Gibbs!" he yelled.
The first mate hurried over. "Aye, Captain?"
"Mrs. Turner is finally awake, and therefore I find I have a prodigious desire to be elsewhere. Take over here. I'll find Cotton and send him in."
"Aye, Captain," Gibbs said, coming in. Jack came back long enough to pick up his hat and shoot Elizabeth a black glare, before he headed out the door.
"Good morning to you, Mrs. Turner," Gibbs said with a smile. "Glad to see you and the wee one are doing so much better."
"Where is Jacob?" Elizabeth asked.
Gibbs bent and picked him up from the drawer, bouncing him a little. "Here he is, ma'am, and looking very bonnie for a child what was so ill and all," he said.
Elizabeth tried to take the baby, but couldn't hold him up. She handed him back. "Mr. Gibbs, what am I doing here?"
"Well, when Jack got that message in Tortuga 'bout you being ill, we sailed for Flimwell soon as we could. Found you and the baby nearly gone, so we did. We got you out of that house, cleaned you both up a bit, and brought you one board the Pearl, where you'd have people to help tend you and Cotton to look after you. He's had some doctor's trainin'."
"Midwife's too, apparently. What about my house?"
"Oh, Miss 'Lizabeth—pardon me, Mrs. Turner—you know we can't stay there longer than a night or so. And beggin' your pardon, but your house weren't fit for human habitation."
"What's wrong with my house?"
"To try and put it delicately, Mrs. Turner—it was pretty obvious that no one had been to tend you during your illness for more'n a week." His nose wrinkled at the memory.
"Oh." Elizabeth colored at the implication.
"So would you like to get some more sleep, now that you don't need warm bodies with you anymore? Or shall I bring you some nice hot broth?"
"What do you mean 'warm bodies'? What, exactly, was Jack doing in bed with me?" Her anger rose again.
"Aye, I did wonder about that meself when I came in to check on you in the night—especially after Jack had us string up a hammock for him and everything. But he said Cotton told him to do it, 'cause you couldn't get warm. So he took one side o' you, and he put little Jake on the other side, to help warm you up, and so's if he got hungry you'd be right there handy—if you'll pardon my mentioning it."
"He was keeping me warm?" Elizabeth asked, heart sinking.
"Aye. He said it was either him or Cotton, as I had me duties and there wasn't anyone else he'd trust alone with you. He figured you'd wake up a bit less startled if it was him than Cotton—at least Jack is someone ye know and trust."
Elizabeth's heart sank. "Apparently not as well as I ought," she said to herself.
There was a knock at the door.
"That'll be Cotton," Gibbs said. He opened it. "C'mon in, mate. She's awake."
Mr. Cotton came in and nodded at Elizabeth. He shivered and pointed at her with his eyebrows raised.
"No, I'm not cold now," she said.
He came nearer and pulled up a chair near Jack's bed. He leaned forward and felt her forehead and cheeks. He used his hands to mime opening his mouth, (sparing her the sight of his maimed tongue, for which she was grateful). Elizabeth opened hers and put out her tongue.
Cotton shook his head. He reached under the bed and pulled out the chamber pot. It was empty. He looked at her.
"I—I think I do need to," she answered, red-faced.
"I'll just step out a moment, shall I?" Gives murmured.
Elizabeth try to sit up too fast; her head spun, and she collapsed back down in the bed, blinking at the black spots in her vision. Cotton made an "easy, now" gesture and help her sit up slowly. He placed the pot on the chair he had been sitting in, and helped her place herself on it. When she was finished, she needed his help to stand up and pivot back into the bed. Once there, she flopped back down and lay there trembling, sweating and pale from the effort of getting out of bed for less than a minute. She was vaguely aware of Cotton's opening the stern window and emptying the pot. She felt completely, utterly spent, just from sitting up long enough to use the chamber pot.
Just how sick was she, anyway?
Cotton went and got the baby, dandling him on his knee while he examined him. He was thorough, even rolling up some parchment into a tube to listen to the baby's heartbeat and lungs. He shook his head and sighed. Elizabeth thought that if he'd had a tongue, he would be clucking it.
He came and put the baby on the bed next to her, where she lay pale and drained. He made an apologetic gesture and then opened the top of her nightgown and started to palpate her breasts.
"This had better be medical," she warned, "because if not, I'm going to kill you when I get well—ouch!" He had hit a tender spot. He gave her an amused look.
"Ouch! Ow! Ow!" He hit several tender spots. He lifted up the blankets and examined the skin on her thighs and lower back. He took the rolled-up parchment and pressed it against her chest, listening. He rolled her over easily and listened to her lungs in several places. Still frowning in thought, he helped her roll back. Then he went over to Jack's desk and started writing. When he was finished, he brought the parchment to her but although she noted that his penmanship was lovely, she couldn't keep her eyes open long enough to read it. Cotton chuckled and went back to writing while Elizabeth drifted back to sleep.
When Gibbs came back in, Cotton asked him in gestures where the captain was. Gibbs said he was at the helm, so Cotton nodded, gathered a couple of parchment, and went up to talk to the captain. Gibbs took a seat in the cabin, took out his knife, and started to clean his nails.
Cotton climbed up to talk to the captain. He nodded to him and handed him the parchments, taking the wheel at the captain's order. Jack read the first one.
For the mother
For nutrition: broth, milk, water, as much as possible, for at least three days. On fourth day, may add some bread to broth. Add some soft fruit and meat after at least five days, assuming mother is doing well so far.
For lactation: cabbage leaves for swelling and inflammation. Also, mother must nurse child as often as possible.
For bed-sores and skin afflictions: must turn over in bed as often as possible; also must bathe or soak in clean seawater at least twice per day until sores heal.
For general health: must have sunlight and fresh air as much as possible. Very weak; cannot be left alone for at least a week. Illness has exhausted reserves of energy; should not attempt to care for self & baby unassisted for at least six weeks. Better eight.
For the baby
For nutrition: must nurse as often as possible
For skin afflictions: seawater baths or soaking; remove nappy whenever possible to let the area air
For general health: sunlight and fresh air
Baby ought to be sitting up and awake most of the day by now; however, illness has weakened it severely. Expect rapid improvement once it recovers from starvation.
"Cabbage leaves for swelling?" Jack asked. Cotton pointed toward his own nipples. Jack got it. "Huh. Never heard of that one." He read on. "Six to eight weeks?" he muttered.
Cotton nodded decisively.
"I did think it would take a while to rebuild her strength," Jack said. "Eight weeks, though. Have to think about that one." He sighed. "If we must, we must. I really don't fancy the Flying Dutchman turning up and me having to explain to her captain why we let his wife die, do you?"
Cotton blanched and shook his head violently.
"All right, Mr Cotton. I'll see to this, and I'll have Gibbs rearrange the duty roster so's you can help tend them. Go relieve Gibbs and tell him to get some sleep. I'll come at lunchtime to relieve you, and I'll bring some broth and milk for her."
Cotton nodded and went back below. Jack hollered for the cabin boy.
The boy ran up. "Sir?"
"Have the cook make up some good broth, and tell Ragetti to milk the goat."
Elizabeth never heard Cotton come back in, nor Gibbs leave yawning. She slept straight through until lunch, when the sound of the door opening and closing woke her. She recognized Jack's step and kept her eyes closed.
"How is she?" She heard Jack asked someone. There was no reply, so she concluded that Cotton must be there.
"Still sleeping? What about the baby?" There was a pause, during which Cotton must have pointed to where little Jacob had been nursing while she was asleep. "Lunchtime all round, eh?" She could hear the smile in his voice. He went on. "Is she going to be able to talk soon? We have to decide what to do. (pause) Gibbs was at the helm all night, stood my watch as well as his, so we'll let him sleep a while longer. (pause) Will she be all right to sleep alone tonight, do you think? (pause) Oh, no, mate, I've me hammock over there. She just wasn't too pleased to wake up with me in her bed. Not sure she would have found you much of an improvement, though." His voice hardened as he continued, "And I'm here to tell you that her death threats are no mere empty promises. Go on up to the helm, now. I left Pintel up there, and I'm not sure as he can tell the difference between a wave and a rock."
Jack came over to the bed and touched her head again, to feel for fever. Elizabeth kept her eyes closed. "Hey, Master Jake," Jack greeted the suckling babe quietly. Jacob detached himself and began to roll over. "Whoa, now," Jack said. "Careful, you almost fell off the bed." Elizabeth felt him lift the baby off the bed and pulled the sheet up to cover her again. "There, now. Can't have your mum waking up and trying to kill me again, now, can we? 'S a bad habit we must try to break her of, mustn't we? I'm sure it isn't good for her."
Elizabeth heard him moving around the room, and she heard the rustle of cloth. "Wet," Jack complained playfully. "Wet again!" When he finished changing the baby, he went to the door and opened it. "Send Marty here," she heard him say. Marty apparently came running, and she heard Jack order him to "Take the baby out on deck for an airing."
Then she heard Jack approach again. He gave her shoulder a firm shake. "Wake up, Mrs Turner," he said coldly.
She opened her eyes and blinked up at him. "Jack."
"Lunch. Broth. Can you drink it?"
"I think so, if I can sit up."
He watched her struggle for a moment-every time she tried to sit up, she got lightheaded, and the muscles in her back and abdomen didn't seem to want to work-and finally grabbed her hand and pulled her upright. He handed her the cup of hot broth and braced a pillow behind her to help her stay upright. Then he withdrew behind his desk and sat down.
"Mr Gibbs came in and explained to me about this morning, Jack," she told him. "What I was doing here, why you were sleeping with me-that it was for the body heat. I guess I shouldn't have been so angry with you."
"Think nothing of it, Mrs Turner. No harm done." His voice was distant.
"I suppose not," Elizabeth said slowly, with a frown.
Jack busied himself with his charts for a few minutes. "Cotton says you ought to be well enough to go home in a couple of days," he said without looking at her. "As long as you have someone to look after you. Maybe hire a couple of girls from the village."
"Can't wait to get rid of me, eh?" She tried to joke.
The joke fell flat. Jack just gave her another dark look. "Vice versa, I should think," he muttered to himself. Finally he finished what he was doing at the desk and stood up. "Marty will be in here this afternoon, and Cotton is going to be staying in here with you tonight," he said. "If you need anything, let them know." He left before she could say a word.
Elizabeth lay back and dozed until Marty came in with little Jacob. He was looking sleepy after all that fresh air, and Marty put him back into the drawer. "Need anything, Mrs Turner?" Marty asked.
Elizabeth was still feeling sleepy too. "No, thank you, Marty."
When she awoke, the sun was setting. Cotton was there and Marty was gone. Cotton had brought her some more milk and broth. The broth was rich and meaty, and the goat's milk was warm but fresh, and she drank them down thirstily. Cotton helped her use the chamber pot again, and shrugged off her apology for his having to clean her up afterwards. He brought her the baby, who was just waking up hungry. While she nursed Jacob, Cotton carried in a bucket of seawater and used a rag to dab at the sores she had been developing. When the baby was finished eating, Cotton stripped him off and plunked him right into the bucket. After a few seconds of fussing, Jacob started splashing and laughing.
"Is that for his rash?" Elizabeth asked. "The seawater?"
Cotton nodded. He brought over the baby-in-a-bucket so Elizabeth could play with him for a few minutes, then noticed her eyelids getting heavy. He tucked her in and with a peremptory gesture, ordered her to go to sleep. She was vaguely aware of his drying off the baby and walking around with him for a few minutes before she fell asleep again.
In the morning, Cotton examined them both again, thoroughly, and nodded his head.
"Jack tells me we'll be able to go home soon?" she asked him.
He made a moue of disapproval, and shook his head. He gave her to understand that she would have to ask the captain about that. Elizabeth stifled her laugh at his spot-on imitation of Jack.
"Talk to the captain? Love to. He doesn't seem to want to talk to me, though."
Cotton shrugged, collected his bucket, and left. Marty came in soon after, with more broth. Elizabeth was starting to get sick of broth.
She didn't see Jack at all the rest of the day. She slept for much of it, waking only to drink more broth and milk, and to feed her son. Gibbs came in at the end of his watch and greeted her. He took off his boots and reclined in the hammock. "You be sure and wake me if you need anything, Mrs Turner," he said. "Good night."
"Good night, Mr Gibbs."
Gibbs fell asleep instantly and snored loudly. Elizabeth couldn't fall asleep. At some point during the night, Jacob woke up and started crying. Gibbs didn't stir. The baby cried harder. Elizabeth threw back the covers and tried to get her feet untangled from them. Finally she got them on the floor and tried to stand. Her head spun and her legs refused to hold her up, and she fell with a cry as the room spun around her and started to darken around the edges.
Suddenly Jack was there, lifting her off the floor and back onto the bed. "Lie down," he ordered.
She curled up on her side while Jack got the baby and brought him over to her. He placed the baby on the bed next to her and scowled when she struggled to sit up.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"I need to feed my child, Jack!" Elizabeth had always sat up to nurse him, and had never tried to do it lying down.
Jack apparently had other ideas. He pushed her back down and indicated the ties at the front of her nightgown. "Think you can manage those on your own, Mrs. Turner, or shall I call someone else in to help you? Pintel, perhaps? It's either that or I have to be in the bed with you, to hold the baby, and we already know how much you hate that!"
"What?" Sleepy and confused, Elizabeth fumbled with the ties. Pintel? What on earth was he talking about?
Jack watched for a moment and then with a very put-upon sigh, before she could even react, he untied the gown and spread it wide open, uncovering her breasts completely.
She gasped in shock and covered herself up. Jack picked up the child and brought him to her. "Move 'em," he ordered. Elizabeth slowly moved her hands, uncovering her breasts again. Jack put the baby down next to her, rolling her over to face him and making sure the baby was suckling before he moved away. His hand brushed her breast—by accident, she was sure—and she flinched.
He straightened up immediately. "You know me, Mrs. Turner, always taking advantage of women." His tone was sarcastic and he did not look at her, but went back over to his desk. He glared at Gibbs, still asleep and snoring in Jack's hammock. "Bloody useless oaf," he muttered. He sat down in his chair and leaned back, apparently dozing off.
Elizabeth did not know what to say. She had never seen Jack upset like this before and was quite taken aback.
He woke up when Jacob had finished nursing, changed him, and put him back in his little drawer. Then he turned around and stalked out, only stopping to give Gibbs a kick on the way out.
Gibbs woke up. "Need anything, Miss Elizabeth?" he asked.
She smiled sadly. "No, thank you, Mr. Gibbs."