AFTER TITANIC
BOOK ONE
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ruth Dewitt Bukater and Molly
Brown arrived the next evening. It was dinnertime and Jack and
Rose had just sat down to eat when there's a loud banging on the
door.
"Now who can that be?" Jack asked, getting up to answer
the door.
"Hi ya Jack," Molly grinned while Rose just barges in,
pushing Jack aside.
"Where's my daughter, where's Rose? The telegram said she
needed me," Ruth said, looking around the room.
"Hello Molly and Ruth. Come on in," Jack motions for
Molly to join Ruth.
"Mother?" Rose appears in the kitchen doorway.
"What are you doing here?"
"I got a telegram this morning saying that you needed me. I
came right away of course," Ruth runs to her daughter and
hugs her tightly.
"Is everything alright here?" Molly turns to Jack.
"Everything's fine now. Rose was just upset last night and
asked for her mother. So I sent for her," Jack explained.
"I didn't mean to cause a panic."
"Oh Rose, my darling. Are you ok? What happened?" Ruth
caresses her daughter's face.
"I just had a scare, that's all." Rose explained.
"I'm sorry to have brought you both out here for
nothing."
"That's perfectly alright Rosie," Molly replied.
"We had nothing better to do anyway. I'm just glad you
called us when you needed to."
"So Jack's taking good care of you?"
"Of course he is mother," Rose replied. "He's
taking very good care of me."
"Oh how rude of us. We were just sitting down to dinner.
Would you two like to join us?" Jack asked.
Both women eagerly nod. Neither of them had had a decent meal all
day.
After dinner Rose and Molly goes out on the porch while Jack
showed Ruth to the guest rooms.
"It's so beautiful out here isn't it?" Rose sighed,
staring up at the stars.
"It sure is. Haven't seen a night like this since April.
Clear enough to see all the planets," Molly nods then turns
to Rose. "Rosie...I didn't want to start anything in front
of Ruth. But I know there's a reason for you sending for both of
us and I'd like to know what that reason for you sending for both
of us and I'd like to know what that reason is."
Rose looked at Molly, her eyes are sad and frightened. Molly
wonders what's scaring Rose so much she'd need her mother.
"The house is haunted Molly. By Emma Dawson...Jack's mother.
I saw her twice and I felt and heard her twice as well."
"Rose...Are you sure? I mean I'm not saying I don't believe
you, because I do. I've believed in ghosts since my grandma died
and I saw her at the foot of my bed smiling at me. But are you
sure it's Jack's mother?"
"Positive. She said she was his mother, plus she looks just
like him. Who else can she be except Emma Dawson?"
"A restless spirit," Molly whispers to herself.
"She has unfinished businees. Did she say anything to you
Rose? Did she say what she wanted?"
"That she wanted Jack to forgive himself for the fire. She
didn't want to see him torturing himself over it anymore."
"Oh I see. A mother's love for her son and assurance of his
happiness. That's a good enough reason to stick around if I do
say so myself. Did you tell Jack this?"
"I told him about the place being haunted, but he doesn't
believe me. I didn't tell him about his mother. That's a sore
subject for him and I don't know how to approach it," Rose
looks down at her hands. "Oh Molly. What am I going to
do?"
"You my dear Rose are not going to do anything. Let me
handle it. He'll listen to me. I'll get him to forgive himself,
make him see that the fire that took his folks lives was not his
fault."
"How are you going to do that?" Rose asked, uncertainty
in her eyes.
"I have my ways. Don't you worry Rose. I'll get him to open
up and forgive himself."
"Is everything alright in here?" Jack and Ruth come out
of the house.
"Everything's fine. Rose, why don't you go show Ruth the
rest of the town. I'm sure she'd love to see it," Molly
suggests.
"Uh...sure Molly," Ruth nods. "Come along mother.
I'd like to s how you the lake. It's so beautiful, especially at
night."
Molly waits until rose and Ruth have disappeared completely down
the trail that leads down to the lake before speaking. "So
Rose tells me you have a ghost." Jack looks at Molly in
surprise. He's surprised Rose would tell anyone about her
suspicious. "That's what she thinks."
"...Jack...what if this house was haunted. Who would be
haunting this house? Anyone you know?"
Jack looks at Molly and examines her face. He doesn't get what
she was trying to do. "Probably my parents. They died way
too soon. If only I was there...it wouldn't have happened."
"What do you mean?" Molly asked, scooting closer to
Jack, who's now staring at the ground. She can tell that this
wasn't easy for him. "Take your time Jack. There's no
hurry."
"I wasn't home when it happened. I was off in the woods with
a friend...someone my mother didn't exactly approve of,"
Jack sighed. "If I had listened to my mother and stayed at
home...I could have done something Molly. I know I could
have."
"Oh Jack..."
"They didn't have to die if I wasn't so selfish."
"Selfish? You? The man who put his own life on the line to
save a upper-class girl he had only known for two days?"
Jack sighed again before getting up and walking over to the edge
of the porch, his arms crossed at his chest. "Yes Molly. I
was selfish. My mother had asked me to stay home that day. But
all I cared about was being with Eliza. So I disobeyed and snuck
out and met her in the woods. By time I smelt the smoke and made
it back here...it was too late. My parents were dead."
"Oh Jack."
"I tried to stay here after it happened, living off the
kindness of others. But I couldn't do it. Plus...I kind of blamed
Eliza as well. Everytime I was with her...I thought about the
fire and couldn't take it anymore. So I told her good-bye and
left. Hoping that putting distance between this town and myself
would make the pain and memories go away. But it didn't."
"Oh Jack. How awful for you to have felt that way for all
that time and not sharing it with no one...not even Rose,"
Molly places a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I can't tell her Molly. I can't let her know that she
married someone who was no different than her ex-fiancee."
"Now Jack you know better than that. You are nothing like
Caledon Hockley. You are a kind and generous man with enough love
in his heart to fill the universe. Now you listen to me. That
fire was a accident. It wasn't your fault. If you were there that
night, you may have parished along with your parents, then where
would Rose be today? Not having known you?"
Jack doesn't answer. He just keeps looking at the ground. Molly
places her hands on his face and makes him look at her.
"Listen to me Jack. That fire was not your fault. You are
innocent of any wrongdoing. You have to stop blaming yourself for
it. For Rose's sake as well as your own."
"Molly...I don't
know."
"Well then sleep on what I've just said. At least promise me
that."
Jack just nods. "Ok. I'll sleep on it."
Molly smiles in reply. "That's my boy."
That night Jack lays beside Rose, his eyes wide open, thinking
about the conversation he had with Molly. He still couldn't
believe that he told her about the fire. It felt so good just to
talk about it. But no matter what Molly said, nothing can make up
for the fact that it was his fault.
Feeling a slight chill in the room, Jack gets up to close the
window. When he turns around, he finds the bed, with Rose still
sleeping in it, engulfed in flames.
"Rose!" Jack yelled, trying to get to her, but blocked
by the flames. "Rose!"
"She can't hear you Jack," a soft familiar voice speaks
from behind him. Jack whirls around to face his mother.
"M-Ma?" Jack asked, his face turning a deathly pale.
"Yes Jack. It's me."
"How?"
"That doesn't matter. What matters is the safety of your
family. Only you can save them," Emma Dawson said, looking
over at the still burning bed.
"But how? The flames..." Jack stammered, his blue eyes
shining with fear. "I can't get close to her."
"The only way you can save Rose is if you forgive yourself
for the fire that took our lives. If you can't do that...then she
dies...just like us."
"No!"
"Yes Jack. Jack listen to me. Your father and I love you
very much and we're very proud of you. Especially with how you've
taken care of Rose. Our deaths were not your fault. You wouldn't
have been able to save us if you tried. But you can save Rose.
All you have to do is truly forgive yourself."
"Then Rose is safe again?" Jack asked.
His mother nods, a serene smile on her face. "Don't let her
join us Jack. Save her. Forgive yourself."
Then it happens. All the guilt and shame Jack had carried around
with him for more than five years suddenly lifts. It was like a
weight being lifted off his shoulders. Jack forgave himself. He
accepted the fact that he couldn't save his parents...but he
could save Rose and that's exactly what he was going to do.
"You're right," Jack looks her straight in the eye, his
eyes showing the conviction of what he was saying. "You're
absolutely right. It wasn't my fault. I didn't set the fire and
there's a good chance that I couldn't do anything to save you
anyway. I might have died myself if I was here."
"Exactly Jack. That's why I was glad you were with Eliza
then, because it meant that you were safe and out of harms
way."
Jack simply nodded and smiled. "...I love you ma...you and
dad. I never got to tell you that."
"Oh Jack, we know. We've always known. And we love you twice
as much and we miss you as well," Emma floats over to him
and touches his cheek. "Good-bye my son. You won't see us
again for a while. Tell Rose I'm sorry for giving her such a
fright. It was the only way to get my message across to
you."
"Poor Rose. She must be thinking she's losing it. I'll tell
her," Jack nods, giving his mother a hug.
"Good-bye Jack. We love you," Then Emma Dawson
disappears, leaving Jack and Rose alone in the house once again.
"Good-bye," Jack said, before turning back to the bed.
The flames that had engulfed the bed were now gone. It was as if
they were never there and Rose was still asleep, undisturbed by
the event. Did he imagine it all?
"Jack?" Rose asked, opening her eyes to find his place
empty.
"It's okay Rose. I'm right here," Jack sets back down
on the bed. "Everything is fine now."
"You forgave yourself?"
Jack smiles and nods before Rose gives him a tight hug, showing
her love and support of him. Both knew that the haunting of the
old Dawson place was over and that life could quickly return to
normal.