2
Rose awoke to find Molly standing over her looking down at her in concern.
"Rosie darlin. Are you ok? I know that must have been a terrible fright for you seeing Jack like that. But believe me darling, he’s alive. He just needs you to talk to him. Let him know you’re waiting for him to wake up so you two can go on with your lives together."
"So it’s not a dream? Jack’s alive?" Rose asked incredulously.
Molly just laughed and nodded. "For now anyway," Molly’s eyes grew serious again. "But his condition has taken a turn for the worse darlin. You may be the only person that can pull him through this time. He’ll come back for you. I know he will. Come on. There’s no time to waste," Molly pulled Rose off the bed and led her to Jack, who was still deep in the coma he had fallen into just a half hour ago.
"A pity. He seemed to have been doing so well," The nurse sadly shook her head. "Then he just closed his eyes and never opened them."
"Don’t worry darlin. His angel is here and she’ll bring him back," Molly reassured the nurse.
Rose took two tentative steps towards Jack’s bed. Unsure of what to say that will make him wake up. She could beg and plead and declare her undying love…but would that work? Would it bring him back to her? It didn’t her father…but Jack wasn’t her father. He was so much different than that. He was her lifeline.
"Go on darlin. Say something. Let him know you’re here," Molly urged, taking a step back to wait with the attending nurse.
Taking a deep breath, Rose knelt down to the bed and took Jack’s limp white hand in hers, inwardly wincing at how cold it felt. She fought the tears as she looked at him. Her bright vibrant Jack, reduced to a lifeless doll.
"Jack…I don’t know if you can hear me. I mean…Molly thinks you can and I hope you can but I don’t know if this will reach you. But I’m going to talk anyway. Just in case you do hear you’ll know how much I need you to wake up," Rose became choked up and had to stop. Taking another deep breath she continued. "In case you’re wondering it’s me, Rose. I survived Jack. I got on this board floating in the water and somehow I was rescued. You know I looked for you. I kept calling you but I couldn’t find you anywhere. I thought you were dead. You know, this may sound redundant…but I was planing to throw myself off the back of the ship tonight just to be with you. But seeing that you’re here alive…barely but still alive…that’s no longer necessary. Besides…I probably would have chickened out. You were right the first time. I wouldn’t have jumped.
"You have to come back to me Jack. You have to open those beautiful eyes of yours and smile at me. I can’t go through this life without you. I don’t know how I did before. But now…you’re like breathing for me Jack. I need you to live. I need you to take me to Santa Monica like we talked about and teach me to ride like a man. I want to ride the roller coaster and drink cheap beer. But I can only do those things with you Jack. Please…wake up. Come back to me," Rose began to sob and pressed Jack’s hand to her cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut against the heaviness in her chest. She can now only hope that Jack heard her and would wake up.
"That was beautiful Rose," Molly layed a comforting hand on the young woman’s shoulder.
"I hope your young man wakes up," a older woman patted Rose’s head as she passed.
"Come Rose. We’ll go back to my stateroom…"
"No Molly. I’m going to stay right here. Just in case he wakes up. I don’t want him to think it was his imagination…or to find himself alone…I’m all he has now."
Molly nodded in understanding. "Alright darling. But I’ll be back to check on you every now and then to make sure you’re ok. What do you want me to tell your ma and Cal?"
Rose shrugged. "Don’t tell them you saw me or Jack. I want to remain dead to them."
Molly nodded her understanding. "Ok Rosie. I’ll see you later darling."
Rose only nodded and went back to watching over Jack, who had yet to open his eyes.