Witch or Bloom by Kennedy Sutton

The captain and crew of the beloved brig Sneaky Lass may have escaped victorious but are not unscathed, and the mood is hardly celebratory.
Michael Mason, surgeon for the enemy ship Three Queens, faces an uphill battle as he holds the precariously balanced life of Sneaky Lass captain, Bennett Holt, in his hands. He finds his vow to save lives is in direct conflict with his personal feelings about the surly captain and the secrets Bennett asks Michael to keep.
Bennett mourns the loss of his health, but more so chokes on the damage to his pride. Having not completed his mission to destroy Captain Gates, he fears appearing weak in the eyes of the Sneaky Lass crew. Worse still, each day, infection draws on his strength.
Jane’s tenacity is what pulls Bennett to her, like a sailor drawn to whiskey. If he doesn’t die but doesn’t recover, can he live with tying Jane to the half-man he will become?
Leaving the safe shores of Alouett aboard Sneaky Lass, Bennett, Jane, and the crew hope to catch full sails as they make haste in search of a mythical bloom somewhere to the south. A bloom that could save Bennett from the infection ravaging his body and mind.
Will their efforts be enough in the face of cruel gods and wicked fates, or will the casualty list grow longer still?
CW: Graphic descriptions of wounds, wound care, and illness. Mentions of a history of SA. Mentions of suicide. Reference to Child Loss. Grief.