Chapter Nine
Night has fallen on the Calvert house. Having brushed her teeth, Leah heads for her room, which is right next to Jack’s room. She stops when she hears the moaning from Jack’s room. She goes and opens it a crack.
"Run…don’t let go…you must survive…" was the bits and pieces she heard. She furrows her brow ever more curious. Who was Jack talking about? What happened to him to make him so…haunted? What had changed him from the happy young man who had aspirations to be a world famous artist to this haunted man who wanted to crawl into a shell and stay there?
She turns to leave just as Jack sets up and yells. "Rose! Rose don’t go! Rose!" His voice was filled with tears. "I’m sorry Rose! I’m sorry!"
"Jack?" Leah goes in, his eyes were open but he was seeing nothing caught in his nightmare.
"Rose!"
"Jack, wake up!" She
goes into his room and shakes his shoulder. "Jack wake up
you’re dreaming! Wake up!"
Jack snapps awake. He’s at first confused by his
surroundings then he remembers where he’s at.
"Leah?"
"You were having a nightmare. You were shouting for someone named Rose." Leah pushes back her tinge of jealousy. She wondered who this Rose was to Jack.
Jack looks away from her, avoiding her eyes. "I’m sorry I woke you."
"Oh no, don’t be sorry. Anytime you need me just call ok? Jack…tell me…who’s Rose? She was obviously very important to you."
Jack looks at Leah, tears shining in his eyes. "She was very important to me. She…she was…my…girlfriend I guess that’s what you can call her…even though we kind of surpass that."
"Oh," Leah can’t
keep the disappointment out of her voice. What was she expecting
any way? For Jack to save himself for her? He never told her he
loved her in that way…never even implied it. "You loved
her."
"Very much," Jack nods, examining his hands. "She
didn’t deserve to…she should her promise but I guess
she couldn’t."
"What promise?"
Jack looks at her. It’s obvious that whatever happened to this Rose, and maybe even Fabrizio…it was tearing him apart inside. She had to get him to let it out somehow. But how she didn’t know. He was so closed off now.
"I can’t Leah. I’m sorry, but I just can’t talk about it now," Jack bows his head. "Go back to bed Leah. I’ll be fine. I had these dreams before and I’ll probably have them again. So just go to bed and forget I ever said anything about Rose."
"But jack…"
"Leah please…"
Leah sighed. "Ok. Fine. But just so you know, I’m here when you do feel like talking. Ok."
Jack smiles and nods.
"Ok. Night Jack."
"Night," Jack smiles, watching her leave the room. He then leans back and closes his eyes, going back to his dreams of Rose Dewitt Bukater…his soulmate…the love of his life. He didn’t know if he’d ever get over her. Maybe Leah was right. Maybe talking about her will help. Maybe it’ll make the nightmares go away. He sighs making up his mind. Tomorrow, when he gets her alone, he’ll share with his old friend everything that happened from winning the tickets on Titanic to the moment he woke up in the carpathia infirmary, no Rose in sight.
Drifting off to sleep he promised both Leah and himself that tomorrow he’ll begin the healing process of going on with his life.