7

Three hours later, Jerry came to the house first while Garret and Choi was getting their ships straight. Jerry paled at seeing the blood everywhere and leading outside. He went another shade paler as he saw Pierre’s dagger on the ground by the back door. He heard Garret come through the door and rushed to meet him and Choi.

“Jerry, by god, what is it?”

“I don’t know what happened, captain. But you should know that she is pregnant.”

“Jerry, what are you talking about?”

Garret pushed passed him and stared in shock as he stared at the blood. He became overtaken with rage when he saw Pierre’s dagger. He turned to Bronn and Andy.

“I want Pierre and Sheila here now.”

They raced off and came back a few minutes later with shaken up Sheila.

“What happened?”

“My father wanted her. He found she was with child and stabbed her. I came through, looking for him and she managed to get him and take off to the jungle, but that was hours ago. They haven’t come back.”

“I’ll find them. Get her out of my sight.”

He let Sheila go, not knowing she was the reason Kiera now courted death. He went to where the dagger laid, and Bronn came through telling him there are two separate trails of blood leading to the jungle. Garret wasted no time following the trails. He came to the clearing and they all blanched when the saw Pierre’s mangled body. The jaguars had eaten him and now he cried thinking about what had become of Kiera. He forced himself to walk over to the cave and gave sigh of relief when he saw her sitting against the cave with Star at her side. He approached carefully and spoke low to Star.

“Star, she needs help. Right now, I need your help. I need to take her home.”

As if understanding, Star got up and allowed Garret to pick Kiera up and rush her back to the house. The doctor was called up and he said it was very close. She had lost a lot of blood and she slept for weeks. The doctor could say nothing on the condition on the baby due to it still being early in the pregnancy.

Five weeks later, Kiera woke with a splitting head and she ached all over. Star was on the floor next to her bed and Garret was on the chair next to her. His head was on the bed next to her hip and clutched her hand. She mustered all her strength and gently squeezed his hand. He popped up instantly and she smiled weakly. His eyes were red, and he had a full beard, telling her he hadn’t left her side. He kissed her hand and walked to the door. Andy was out in the hall and Garret told him to fetch the doctor. Garret came back to her side and pressed her palm to his covered cheek.

“I don’t like it. It doesn’t look like you.”

Garret laughed and cried at the same time as he brought her palm to his lips. He knew she was avoiding the question but wouldn’t press her further.

“I’ll shave as soon as I know you are going to be okay.”

“I’m alright. I woke up didn’t I?”

“After five weeks.”

“Five weeks?”

His heart hurt as her watched her hands go to her middle were there may or may not be a babe. She looked up at him with such sorrow and misery that he knelt next to the bed and took her hands in his. She began to cry and shake her head. She couldn’t handle the pain of losing another. The doctor came in and saw the scene.

“Worry not, my lady. You may still have it. It is too early for me to tell and we don’t have midwives here. Once you are on your feet again, I’m sure we will discover if a babe lay there or not.”

“How?”

“Knife missed your womb.”

She let out a breath of relief and the doctor ushered Garret out, so he could tend to her. The doctor said she was in good health considering what she had gone through. He told Garret she need to stay in bed for a few weeks to regain her strength and not to upset her in any way. If there was a baby still, any stress could cause her to lose it.

Over the next few weeks, Garret and the others tended to her every need. Star never left her side and Garret hardly ever did. She convinced him to finally shave and when he returned to her room, she was no longer in bed. While he was gone, Kiera had gotten up. She couldn’t stand being in that bed anymore. He shook his head at her stubbornness, but he noticed she was touching her stomach. He came to her and out his hands on her shoulders and he hurt when she didn’t look at him.

“I can’t feel anything.”

That was the atmosphere around her for the next couple weeks as she wondered the house. She was in the garden when she caught a glimpse of Sheila leaving the house. She stormed in and found Garret in his study.

“What the hell was Sheila doing here?”

“Came to ask how you were.”

“Like she cares.”

“Kiera she is the only reason I found you in time.”

“What are talking about?”

“We found the blood trials and the dagger, and the men brought her to me. She told me everything.”

“Everything?”

“How her father saw an opportunity when you were alone and insisted he have you for himself.”

“That’s not it. She lied to you and you believed her.”

“Why would she lie?”

“To save her ass. You want to know what happened? Weeks had gone by when I discovered I was carrying your child. I opened the door to see her in the hall. I confronted her, and she said since we discarded each other, she would finally get her chance. I told her she would never get it and she asked me how I could be so sure, so I told her I was pregnant. She got angry and stormed off. Jerry saw her and insisted that he stay with me, but I told him I was fine. He left to see if you were back yet. I walked back to the stairs and saw her in front of our room. She locked Star in there. I turned to see Pierre. She had brought him. We struggled for some time until he got me up against the wall. He pressed the dagger to midsection and you know what he told me. He said ‘I will not kill you, but I will keep you. I will need to rid of this. My Sheila will finally get your pirate and he will be devoted to her, especially after he discovers you have abandoned him.’ I told him you would never believe that, and he said that you didn’t know about the baby. I told him Jerry did and he would tell you. He turned and looked at Sheila and saw an opportunity. I pressed the dagger into my side to get away and I stabbed him and ran. Star jumped out the balcony window and helped down the trial. After Star was out, Sheila took off. Pierre came after me. Star brought me to that cave and before I passed out, I remember Pierre pointing a pistol and too many cats pouncing on him and then there was black. None of this would have happened if it were not for her. She keeps coming by here hoping that I have died, and she can comfort you.”

Before he could say anything, she was gone; too furious to even look at him. He thought that it did make sense. He gathered some of his men and told them that they would be advancing on Pierre’s house. No doubt that the men had her well-guarded. Garret told Choi the plan and asked him to watch Kiera.

Kiera was on the beach when Choi’s first mate approached her. Choi’s first mate was a woman. They sat and talked for some time.

“Barb, do you think you can get me off this island and take me home?”

“Of course. After what happened, I think you need time away from here.”

“I need to bring Dominic with me. Can you rally the crew under your command? I can’t trust Choi to take me and not tell Garret.”

“I can. Be ready by morning. All though, I don’t know how you are going to keep Choi at the house.”

“Leave that to me.”

The two had their plan and Barb went to inform the crew. They were told they would be paid handsomely for helping her get home and knowing who her father was, they bought it. They found Dominic and put him in the captain’s cabin. They all waited for Kiera. Kiera was saying good-bye to Star. She instructed Star to say outside of Choi’s room and not let him out. She kissed her and left.

Garret had already left with is crew to deal with Sheila. Choi woke and went to check on Kiera, but found Star, spitting and hissing and he slammed the door. He looked out his window and saw his sails fading from view. Choi sat for many hours until Garret had returned. He went upstairs to see Star sitting outside Choi’s room. Upon seeing him, Star jumped out the nearest window and disappeared into the jungle. Finding it strange, he opened Choi’s room to see him still staring out the window.

“Choi?”

“The wind favors them.”

Garret approached the window and noticed that Choi’s ship was no longer there.

“What happened?”

“Mutiny. I went to check on Kiera this morning and Star wouldn’t let me leave my room.”

“She just disappeared into the jungle.”

“Kiera’s gone then.”

“Why?”

“Hurt by your trust in Sheila.”

“Sheila and Pierre’s crew are dead.”

“She doesn’t know that. Her and Barb have gotten close. I bet she asked her to.”

“Your men?”

“Pardon offered for her return, no doubt.”

“I could still catch them.”

“You could, but she took Dominic with her.”

“What?”

Choi nodded his head and Garret stormed out and went to where Dominic was being held. The guards were dead, and Dominic was gone. Garret ran to the house and gathered his crew and gave chase.

Kiera was sitting with Dominic in the cabin and made sure that their deal still held. He nodded his head and assured her she would get her divorce, but not until after the baby born. The day after she left, she had felt it stir again. She nodded in agreement and the rest of the way was silent.

Two weeks later, Garret had caught up with them. But he wasn’t the only one. He recognized Jared’s ship. Her brother had come. He held back and he Choi watched as Choi’s ship sat in the water and Jared’s ship faded away. Garret sailed like a madman to the ship. Once on board, Choi was informed that the crew was paid for her return and that Barb had left with them.