8
It was a beautiful, sunny day. Jack and Rose are laughing as they play with their tiny son. They didn’t have a care in the world. They were you, in love, and most important of all, they were together.
"Jack," Rose squealed as he began to tickle her, forcing her to release the child she held, who instantly crawled away, spotting something interesting near the bushes. "Stop!"
"Take it back!" Jack laughed, not letting up for a minute. "Say I’m even more talented then he is!"
"Ok! Ok! You’re even more talented then Picasso! Happy?!"
Jack laughed as he stopped his tickling attack. "Ecstatic."
Unbeknownst to the two lovebirds, they and an observer. An observer that watched them with the greatest hatred. She knew exactly what she was going to do to enact revenge on Jack and his tramp. Spying her tiny visitor, she reached down and scooped the brat up into her arms. This was going to be easier then she had originally thought.
"Come on Robbie. You’re coming with me," she disappeared into the bushes, without even a backward glance. Time and speed was of the essence now. It was only a matter of time for the parents to realize the disappearance of their son and to get the police involved.
Done with their horseplay, Jack and Rose decide to pack up and head for home. It was starting to get cool out and didn’t want Robbie to get sick.
"Jack," Rose looked for her son. He must have crawled off somewhere. "Where’s Robbie?"
"Don’t you have him?" Jack asked, busy stuffing items into the basket they had brought.
"No. I had to let go of him when you began tickling me. And now I don’t see him anywhere."
Jack got up and looked around the park, but there was no Robbie in sight. "Robbie!" Jack called. He walked to the bushes and checked to find no baby, but the tow the baby had in in his hand when he was last seen. Trying not to panic, Jack called again. "Robbie!"
"Did you find him?" Rose came up behind him, her voice full of hope.
"No, but I found this," he handed her the baby’s toy.
Rose’s eyes widened, beginning to fill with fear. Robbie’s toy? With no Robbie? "Oh Jack…"
"Now Rose, don’t panic. He has
to be here somewhere. Babies just don’t disappear. Maybe he
crawled further away," Jack looked out beyond the bushes to
the busy street ahead. There was no way a small child like Robbie
could have gotten past that. "Or…we should go notify
the police."
"Jack…he’s so small. What if
something…," Rose’s voice cracked with tears.
"Nothing’s going to happen to him Rose. We’ll find him," Jack pulled her into his arms, wanting to comfort her and stop himself from falling into the throes of despair. "Look, there’s an officer now," Jack pointed. "Let’s go tell him about Robbie. Maybe he can help."
Rose could only nod, scenarios upon scenarios of what could be happening to their baby running through her head. She leaned on Jack for support as they approached the stern-looking police officer.
"Officer?" Jack asked, keeping a tight hold of Rose.
The policeman frowned as he looked at the couple. Just by looking at them, he could tell that something was very wrong. Both looked as if they had been hit by a train. "Yes?"
"We’d like to report a missing person. Our baby son is missing. We’ve looked everywhere, but all we found was his toy in those bushes," Jack explained, tightening his hold on Rose as she began to shake with sobs.
"What’s the child’s name and what does he look like?" The officer took out a pad of paper and a pen.
"Robert Jack Dawson," Rose
pulled herself together. Going into hysterics was not going to
bring her son back. "He’s four and a half months old.
Blue eyes, and strawberry blond hair."
"Ok, Mr. and Mrs. Dawson. Leave your address and number with
me and we’ll call you when we come up with something."
The officer patted Rose’s hand. "There, there Mrs. We’ll find your son. Not to worry."
"Thank you officer," Jack looked at Rose, who was now sobbing openly. He didn’t know how they were going to manage without their son. Tightening his grip on Rose’s shoulder, he led her back to the mansion, hoping that Robbie would be returned to them soon.
~*~
Two hours later…
Molly sat a hot cup of tea in front of Rose, who was setting in a chair, looking miserable; while Jack stood at a window, smoking a cigarette and staring out into the dark night. Molly sighed. She couldn’t help thinking about unfair it was. Rose had finally been happy. She had found perfect happiness it seemed. She had gotten Jack back and married him immediately. Together with their son, they had made a beautiful family. But now that happiness had been taken away, along with her precious son.
"Do you think Cal could have done this?" Rose looked up at Molly, grasping for ideas of who this kidnapper could be. "Or mother perhaps. Maybe somehow she found out that I had survived."
"I don’t think so darlin’," Molly shook her head. "Both Cal and Ruth are head on people. They wouldn’t stoop this low as picking on a poor defenseless child."
"Well who is it then? Who would hate us so much as to steal my baby?" Rose cried. Molly wrapped comfortting arms around Rose just as the phone rang.
"Jack darlin’, be a dear and answer that for me," Molly glanced at the somber young man at the window.
"Sure," he walked over and picked up the reciever. "Brown residence."
"Jack? Jack is that you?" a hurried voice asked.
Jack frowned. "Gina?"
"Oh thank god, I’ve reached you!"
"Gina what is it? Why did you call?"
"Jack…it’s Gloria. She was insane with anger and jealousy when she found out that you had left with Rose. Jack, she’s left for Denver. She may even be there now. Be careful Jack. There’s no telling what she could do."
Jack rubbed his face, trying not to let Rose know the bad news just yet. Let her be ignorant of this new development just a few moments longer. "I’ll do that. Thank you for calling."
"Hey, you’re my best friend. You’d do the same for me. Well, I have to go. Take care of yourself Jack."
"You do the same. Bye Gina," he closed his eyes as he hung up the reciever. This rally was horrible news. He now knew who had Robbie. The only question was what he had to do in order to get his son back.
"Jack?" Rose’s voice broke through his thoughts. "Was that Gina? What did she want?"
Jack looked at Rose, his heart breaking into pieces. She was so much better off without him. Before he had come back into her life, both her and Robbie were safe. "She…she said that Gloria was on her way to Denver. That she may be here already."
"It was her!" Rose’s eyes widened. "It was Gloria! She took our son! Molly, call the police, tell them that we now know who took our baby!"
"Mrs. Brown," a maid appeared in the doorway, a envelope tightly held in her hand. "This has arrived for Mrs. Dawson."
"Thank you Irene," Molly took the letter and held it out to Rose.
"You read it Molly. I…I can’t."
"Ok darlin’," Molly opened the letter and read, "Rose. You took my fiancee, so I took your son. I call it an even trade. If you want him back, you know what you’re going to have to do. I’ll be at the Colorado Inn if you want to rearrange this arrangement. Gloria."
"My god, she is deranged isn’t
she?" Rose shook her head. "Just as deranged as Cal
ever was. What are we going to do?"
Jack sighed. There was only one thing to do, as far as he could
see. There was not other choice. "We’re going to get
our son back. Stay here."
Not even looking back, Jack walked out of the Brown Mansion and as far as he was concerned out of Rose’s life. He was going to get Robbie back for her, by doing exactly what Gloria wanted. Rose had seen enough pain. She didn’t need anymore. Keeping his gaze straight ahead, Jack headed for the Colorado Inn to deal with Gloria once and for all.