Blurred Horizons

It took some time, but eventually a good majority of the crew managed to wake up. Others weren't so lucky. For some, it seemed whoever they had seen on the other side had convinced them to join the spirit world. In their sleepwalking state, they put bullets in their own brains, or jumped off the end of the ship before anyone could forcibly stop them. The Silver Spirit lost seven men this way.

As everyone woke, word of Scarlett's pregnancy spread like wildfire. She refused to come out of her cabin, having Ben bring her food when everyone else was eating, but they still caught glimpses of her every now and then. Scarlett heard that they were even going as far as to place wagers. Some put money that the baby would be born before they arrived in Trinidad, while others were confident that they wouldn't get there in time.

The only ones allowed inside was Doc, to monitor the pregnancy, and Cook, who would bring her food when Ben had his hands full. Not just that, but Cook happened to be the only other woman on the ship, and she herself had raised four children. Despite usually being afraid of what Cook had to say (since it usually happened to be about how much weight Scarlett tended to gain at once), it was nice to hear about how she'd be faring as a mother from someone who really was a mother. As wonderful as Doc and Ben were, they would never understand what it's really like to be a woman.

Scarlett sat back and allowed Doc to check her over, making sure she was perfectly healthy as she neared the ends of the pregnancy. She watched him as he worked in silence, sitting on the little bench in front of the room's bay window and glancing out at the sea every now and then, sighing softly.

"Do you think we'll make it to Trinidad first?" she asked him.

"Absolutely not," Doc said. "But don't tell Ben that."

Scarlett gave him a look, but smiled and nodded. She always appreciated how blunt and honest Doc was. He never sugar coated things.

"It'll be any day now, Scarlett," Doc said. "Are you ready?"

"Absolutely not," Scarlett sighed, closing her eyes. "How painful is it?"

"Painful."

"How long will it take before I can have my body back?" she asked.

"It'll take a week at the very least to, you know, deflate," Doc told her. "But you can cheat after that. Just lace up one of those God-awful corsets and no one will know the difference."

"Have you ever delivered a baby?"

"No."

Scarlett's head snapped up suddenly, brow furrowing as she looked at Doc.

"What do you mean you've never delivered a baby?" she demanded.

"I'm not a midwife," he smirked. "I know what I'm doing, I promise you that. I just... never did it before. You'll be fine, probably. Most likely. I know what to do."

"Doc?"

"Yes?"

"What's your real name? The one your mother gave you."

He seemed hesitant to answer, almost like he was debating lying, but changed his mind and told the truth. "Adrian Harley."

"Adrian? I like that name," Scarlett said, smiling at him. "Now come closer, I need to tell you something."

Doc hesitantly did as she asked, inching closer to her. Her sweet smile then twisted into a glare as grabbed a fist full of his brown hair and yanked hard, making him yelp out in pain.

"What do you mean, you've never delivered a baby?" she repeated, a lot harsher this time.

"Listen, sweetheart, it's either me or the beauties of an all-natural birth," he said through clenched teeth. "No help whatsoever. Just you, that little human coming out of you, and all the pains that come with it. And it'll take longer. How does that sound?"

Scarlett released him and let him stumble back, glaring at him and pointing to the door.

"If something goes wrong," she warned, "I will ruin you."

"I'm a professional. Nothing is going to go wrong," he muttered, rubbing his head where his hair had been pulled. "Good day to you."

He left the room as soon as Ben entered, looking confused about why Doc looked like he was in pain. He looked to Scarlett for an explanation, but she just shrugged innocently. He shook his head and sat down beside her by the window, leaning in to give her a quick kiss.

"Everything good?" he asked.

"Everything good."

Scarlett placed her hands gently on her stomach, looking back out the window at the open sea behind the ship, while Ben watched her. She then felt the little bump against her hand, raising an eyebrow and moving her hand towards it as she felt it again. She then took Ben's hand, placing it on her stomach. He seemed confused until he felt the kick too, breaking out into a wide grin.

"She's really in there, isn't she?" he said breathlessly.

"She. Or he," Scarlett reminded him. "We don't know yet."

Ben smirked, leaning in to kiss Scarlett deeply with his hands still on her stomach, seemingly waiting for the baby to move again.

"We'll know soon enough."

They sat in silence for a few moments until Scarlett looked back at the amulet and frowned. Ever since they'd woken up, the amulet's glow had been strange. Most of the time it was dim and barely there, but sometimes, the glow would become almost blinding for a few seconds before going back to its dim state. She didn't know what it meant, but it terrified her. Especially after Ben's injury.

"Do you think it'll get worse after the baby is born?" she asked quietly.

"No," Ben said, shaking his head confidently. "They're not connected, like you said from the start."

"Well, now I'm not so sure," she sighed. "What if we don't find answers in Trinidad?"

"Then we'll find another way. Like we always do," Ben promised her, giving her one last kiss before standing. "I have to go, but I promise I won't be long. I'll be right back with you, alright?"

Scarlett nodded, watching him go and seeing a couple crew members try and sneak a peek at her before Ben closed the door behind him. She felt like a circus freak, sometimes. She sighed and looked down at her swollen stomach again as she felt the baby move once more.

"You have such a wonderful father," she said softly. "I just hope you know that no matter what, I'm going to try my best to be the mother you deserve. And the wife your father deserves."



As promised, Ben had managed to spend less time on deck and more time inside with Scarlett. She tended to move less and less, her back hurting her with all of the extra weight she had in front. It took a bit of convincing for Ben to get Scarlett up and walking around the room at the very least, though he insisted that she should try going out for some fresh air.

"I'm not going out there," she grumbled. "I know they make fun of me."

"They wouldn't dare," Ben told her.

She rolled her eyes, but stopped in her tracks rather suddenly as she felt a sharp pain. She leaned on Ben and dug her nails into his arm as he looked at her in concern. It wasn't until she felt something liquid that she suddenly realized what was happening.

"Ben? Get Doc. Now."