Fic: The Quickening - An OT3 for kseenaa - (3/3)
When the time came for the end of Elizabeth’s confinement, the first order of the day was chaos. Neither man knew a thing about birthing babies. Undead pirates, eldritch creatures, cursed treasure, no problem. Screaming woman in labor, and they were reduced to masses of quivering jelly.
When the contractions had started coming about five minutes apart, Will had dashed up the street to fetch the midwife, leaving Jack to watch over his wife.
Elizabeth was NOT coping. Jack Sparrow, master of all absurd situations was at a loss when it came to this one. He was getting desperate. What was keeping Will?
He glanced over at Elizabeth, eyes screwed shut and clutching the bedcovers. Her thrashing around was unnerving him to the point where he decided rum was the solution. At least for him. Not sure what to do about Elizabeth. She was panting now, obviously in pain and he could not help her
He decided he needed a breath of fresh air. Grabbing a bottle of rum he went outside, and began anxiously scanning the street for Will.
“JACK SPARROW!!! You get your sorry ass, liver bellied carcass in here!”
Jack cringed. Elizabeth had a set of lungs when she wanted to. He hurried back inside and held her hand as another contraction gripped her.
“AUGGGHHHHH!!!!” she screamed.
“AUGGGGHHHH!!!!” Jack’s brain screamed back. He quickly swallowed some more rum and tried to extract his hand from hers. She had a death grip on it though and his fingers were quickly losing all feeling. With an extra hard pull he managed to free his hand only to fall backwards from the effort into a heap on the floor.
Will, along with Ruth, the local midwife, strode into the room at that moment. Will sized up the situation in one glance and went over and kicked Jack hard with the toe of his boot.
“Don’t think I deserved that!” he said from his spot on the floor.
“You’re were supposed to be taking care of Elizabeth!”
“Will!“ Jack exclaimed with heartfelt relief, scrambling to his feet. “I was. Am.” Jack grimaced, feeling terrible for having to deliver such gruesome news, and pulled Will aside, despite his objections. “Look, William…” Hovering in front of Will so that he couldn’t get a good look at Elizabeth, Jack grabbed his arms and forced him to look him in the eye. “Darling, I… I don’t know how to tell you this, but, “ Jack leaned closer, lowering his already desperate voice, “I think she might be possessed.”
Gently extracting Jack’s arms from around his waist where he had clutched onto like his life depended on it, Will frowned in disbelief, and turned his gaze to Elizabeth, who was lying on the bed breathing between contractions.
Sweat beading on her face, she had another really strong one twisting her face in screaming agony. “William!” Will instantly pushed Jack aside with a disconcerted glare, and rushed over to her taking her hand.
The midwife went over to the bed and sat down. “How close are they?” she asked. Elizabeth was panting, sweat rolling down her face. She opened her eyes and tried to smile, but another contraction gripped her and she moaned and gritted her teeth until it passed.
“Keep breathing, Elizabeth, you know how to do it, focus…” the midwife said. She doused a small towel in the water and gestured to Jack who just stood still with his palms pressed together, an alarmed look on his face. “Don’t just stand there! Here, take this and wipe her face.”
Seeing the petrified expression on Will’s face and worried look in his eyes, the midwife pulled him aside. “Will, you have to relax. She will be fine. This is a natural thing, birth. She needs you to be strong and encourage her. Remember one thing though. No matter what she says to you, she loves you.”
Jack carefully shuffled closer, slightly pacified with the midwifes reassurances, just when another strong contraction came over Elizabeth and she became even angrier. “Will bloody Turner!” Her whole body arched with the pain, her eyes flaring with sheer wrath. “I. Cannot. Bear it any longer!…GET…THIS… BABY out of me!” she bellowed. Elizabeth pushed Jack’s hand away as he tried to wipe the perspiration off her brow. “Get your grimy hands OFF ME!” she screamed.
“Here, turn her on her side,” the midwife said casually between contractions, while Elizabeth laid momentarily flaccid, trying to breath. “You, get back here!” she said whistling at Jack and pointing to the bed. “She needs to be calmed down, come make yourself useful and rub her back.”
Obeying the orders instantly, Jack rushed to the other side of the bed, stroking soothing circles to Elizabeth’s skin, and was rewarded with a grateful, beautiful smile - until another contraction gripped her, an enraged snarl escaping through her tightly bitten teeth, ”This is all your fault, Sparrow… hnnnngghhh! I’ll get you for this.”
Looking up at Will, who’s hand was squeezed so that his fingers were white, and meeting his eyes, Jack shrugged, and mouthed, ”I tried to warn you.”
****
Obviously not confident in the two men’s ability to help, Ruth went to fetch the household maid for assistance. Will wanted to do something, anything, to assist, but he was about as hopeless as Jack when it came to birthing babies. He paced the floor between contractions, while Jack, warily, yet his heart with every stroke, rubbed Elizabeth’s back.
Elizabeth was panting and breathing shallow breathes, as she rode out another contraction. Jack bent down and kissed her gently, bravely ignoring the crushing his hand once again received. “Hang in there, darling. Ol’ Jack’ll see you though. ‘bout time that rascal made an appearance.” She smiled, tiredly, and pressed her cheek against Jack’s arm while placing her hand over Will’s that caressed her hip reassuringly. She needed their strength, hers was wearing down rapidly.
The women soon returned with pots of boiling water and clean rags. Ruth checked on Elizabeth’s progress in between contractions. She had Elizabeth’s legs spread and was feeling to see how far along she was when she looked up and said “William. Jack.” Gesturing, she said to them with a knowing smile, “Here, feel this,” as she placed Will’s hand so he could feel the head of his baby. Will looked positively shocked, then utter delight and amazement brightened his face as he reached down and felt his child for the first time, then beamed up at Jack. “Come here.” The whisper was filled with love.
“Oh!” Jack grinned ear to ear and dove down to get a closer look, his hand guided by Will for him to share the experience.
“This is it,” Ruth said suddenly, batting Jack aside. “Now Elizabeth, when you feel the next contraction I want you to start pushing. William, you get up there at her head and help her by supporting her back…yes that’s right, hold her up, and help her when she bears down.”
Will, who unlike Jack, did not want to watch, did as told and wrapped his arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders as the next contraction hit.
“Push!” Ruth yelled.
“AUGGGHHHH!!!” Elizabeth screamed, right in Will’s ear. He cringed mightily, but held on, not stopping the strong rubs to her back, not even flinching when her nails sank into his skin, babbling encouragements to deaf ears while Elizabeth struggled through another contraction. “You can do it! Go on, keep going. You’re doing great. That’s it, Elizabeth, push.”
Another contraction and the midwife said in excitement, “I can see her, come on, push Elizabeth, you can do it! A bit more, keep going.”
Elizabeth screamed out, “I can’t, oh God help me, I can’t!”
Jack returned to the head of the bed and kissed her as Will held her up as she bore down through another contraction. “Course you can, luv. You’re strong. And brave, and magnificent! Were here, luv, come on, just a bit more, you can do it.”
Jack repositioned himself at the foot of the bed as Elizabeth began the laborious task of bringing their baby into the world. After the third good push Jack said excitedly, “There he is!” as the head crowned.
Another scream and a good push and the baby’s head was free. One more, and Ruth was standing there holding a baby in all the squirming and slippery grace. She turned to Will and said, “Here, take him…er, her.” Will wrapped the baby in a clean towel as he looked down in wonder. The midwife quickly cut and tied the umbilical cord as Will wiped the baby off, smiling as he did.
Jack’s eyes grew wide and he rushed over only to smile as the baby gave a feeble cry, and then a more lusty one.
“She’s a tough one,” Will said smiling.
Jack frowned and looked at the tiny pink baby. “She?” He beamed as he took the tiny thing in his arms, so fragile and small. “She!” He brought her over to Elizabeth, exhausted and said once more, “She!”
Ruth shook her head as the men fussed over the baby. She helped as the afterbirth came and cleaned up Elizabeth as best she could. “Well done, lass.”
Elizabeth in turn smiled weakly and said simply, “Thank you.”
Jack and Will were beaming, beside themselves with excitement. Ruth watched them with a smile as they examined the infant, her tiny hands and face, insisting on unwrapping her to see her tiny toes.
Elizabeth was exhausted and dozed a bit as the infant was cleaned and swaddled. Jack glanced over at her and handing the baby he was holding to the midwife, went and sat down on the bed. “You were fantastic, luv.” He brushed a bit of hair off her face and gave her a sparkling grin, kissing her cheek.
She smiled and reached up and touched his face. “You were too…both of you.” She reached a hand for Will and drew him close as well. He bent down and kissed her, a long kiss full of want and need and unspeakable gratitude.
Ruth watched the three of them, the small bundle in her arms rooting for sustenance. She glanced down at the tiny wonder in her arms and carried her over to the bed.
“Someone is hungry I believe,” she said, handing the baby to Jack who in turn handed her to Will.
“Here, take your whelp, Will Turner. She needs her mother.”
Will smiled and gingerly took the tiny baby, no bigger than his hands and placed her on the bed next to Elizabeth, helping prop her up and situate the baby. After much rooting and juggling and propping and arranging, the infant were finally hungrily latched on to her breast.
Jack watched in wonder and perhaps envy. He touched a finger to the baby’s cheek, and smiled.
“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Turner, Mr. Sparrow.” Ruth said, cleaning up and getting ready to leave them, promising to return later that evening to check up on them.
“Congratulations mummy.” Will said, grinning ear to ear.
“Oh Will, Jack! Look at her! She is perfect.” Elizabeth said gazing at her now sleeping child.
“Of course she is!” Both men said in unison. “Look at her parents.” Will said, grinning widely.
Jack nodded. “Aye. All three of them.” He cupped her daughter’s head as if holding both his lovers’ hearts in his hand, eyes gleaming with pride and love he’d never felt before.
With a long, blissful sigh, he gazed at Elizabeth and Will tenderly, then grinned wildly, “No kohl, though.”
****