Chapter Ten
Rose awakes on the Santa Monica Beach. She smiles as she spots her husband Jack and their little girl Josephine playing in the ocean. She sighs and leans back on her blanket and looks up at the baby blue sky. She could never imagine such a perfect day.
"Mommy! Look what daddy drew me!" Josephine runs up with a picture clutched in her hand. Rose smiles as the little girl showed her a sketch of her and Josephine together setting on the horse with both legs on each side.
"This is beautiful," Rose smiled. She looks up and sees Jack further down on the beach, arguing with someone, by the build, Rose can tell it’s a woman. Rose gets up and head down there, dread building in her heart. She had a feeling that if she didn’t hurry that she would lose Jack forever then her and Josephine would be alone. "Jack!"
Jack turns to her, and Rose gasps. Instead of being full of happiness and optimism his eyes are now full of resignation and grief. Like he’s mourning someone he had loved very much and standing next to him, grasping his hand tightly was Caroline dressed in a bridal gown.
"Jack?" Rose asked, tightly grasping Josephine’s hand. "What’s going on?"
"It’s over Rose," Caroline smiles evilly at her. "I win."
"No. We’re married…we’re meant to be together…Jack?" Rose turns to him, but he’s gone…he’s not there. She turns back and glares at Caroline. "Where is he! What did you do with him!"
Caroline laughs evilly. "I win Rose! I win!" then she too disappears, leaving Rose and Josephine alone.
"Jack! Jack!" Rose calls out. She keeps calling until she hears a baby’s cry. She looks down to see that her little girl was now a screaming newborn baby. "Oh Josephine," Rose begins to cry herself, picking up her little girl and holding her close. What was going on? Suddenly it begins to rain. She looks down at Josephine and tries to cover her as best she could. She looks back up to see her father walking towards her. Rose is now very confused. Her father’s been dead for three years now.
"Daddy?" Rose asked.
"Rosie darlin, take care of my granddaughter," her father gently touches Josephine’s head which is now bald with a little patch of blond fuzz. "She’s beautiful Rose. You did a good job."
"Daddy where’s Jack?"
"Rose have you ever been to Chippewa Falls? They have some of the coldest winters around," Ralph Dewitt Bukater grins, backing away from Rose.
"Daddy? Daddy where are you going? Where’s Jack!"
Her father just waves and disappears, waving good-bye to Rose.
"Daddy wait! Where’s Jack! Where’s Jack!" Rose calls out over the baby’s cries. "Daddy! Daddy!"
Rose bolts upright in her bed and sighs a sigh of relief. It’s been the same dream she’s been having for the past six weeks. The six weeks that’s pasted since the sinking…since the loss of Jack.
"What’s happening to me?" She buries her head in her hand, hot tears coursing down her face. "Why do I keep dreaming about Jack, our would be child, Caroline, and my father? And why does Chippewa Falls have anything to do with it?"
"Rose darlin, are you okay?" Molly appears in her bedroom door. "I heard you calling for Jack again. Is it the same dream?"
Rose nods and looks down at her hands. "Why do I keep having the same dream Molly? What is it trying to tell me?"
"I don’t know darlin. I don’t know," Molly comes over and puts a supportive arm around her shoulders.
"And you know, each time I have it, I get this strange sense of urgency. Like if I don’t do something soon, something awful will happen. It gets stronger and stronger each time."
"Oh Rose…do you think it’s trying to tell ya something?"
"I don’t know. I mean, what can it be telling me? I mean, it can’t be telling me that Jack’s alive because he’s dead. He died holding my hand. I don’t know what it can be telling me that can be so urgent?"
"I don’t know Rose. I don’t know."
Suddenly Rose begins to feel nauseous. She places her hand over her mouth and runs to the restroom where she loses her meal from the night before into the toilet.
"Rose?" Molly appears behind her. "I think it’s time to call the doctor. Don’t you?"
Rose looks up at Molly and nods. She’ll be leaving Denver in three more days and she wanted to leave healthy. It wouldn’t do to travel while she’s ill.
The doctor exits Rose’s room, his face blank of emotion. Molly runs up to him, deep concern in her voice. "How is she doc?"
"She’s fine. She’s perfectly healthy. She’ll just be a little out of it for the next eight and a half months."
"Eight and a half…what are you talking about?"
"Mrs. Dawson is with Child madam. I suggest you tell the father right away," The doctor just looks at Molly like she’s lost her mind and then leaves.
"Oh Rose," Molly places her hand over her mouth as she enters the room and sees her niece sobbing uncontrollably. "Darlin it’s okay."
"No it’s not Molly. I’m pregnant and the father’s dead. Jack will never get to know his son or daughter."
"Oh Rose…"
"And my baby will never know it’s father. It’ll never know what a wonderful man he was."
"Shhh Rose don’t cry. Of course it’ll know how wonderful its father was because you’ll tell him or her. You’ll tell her who her father was and what a wonderful man he was. She’ll know Rose. She’ll know."
"Oh my god Molly. That’s the dream! That’s what the dream was all about. It was telling me that I was pregnant with Jack’s child!"
"You think so?"
"I know so Molly. That has to be it! Jack was trying to tell me that I’m having his daughter! Oh Molly she’s going to be so beautiful! She’ll have my curls and eyes and have Jack’s blond hair and smile! She’s going to be so beautiful!"
Six months later…
Rose clutches her train tickets in her hands as she hugs her aunt good-bye. "I’m going to miss you Aunt molly. Thank you. Thank you for being such a rock for me in these past months. I don’t know what I would have done with out you."
"You would have gotten through it Rose. I know you would have. But I’m glad I could be there for you. Now take care of yourself and take care of that baby. And if you come across that Caroline…I don’t know…just don’t push her while you’re still carrying this child. Do you hear me?"
"Don’t worry Aunt Molly. I’m going to stay out of her way. The last thing I need is for her to blame me for Jack’s death," Rose shrugged. "But it would be fun to point out that I’m having his baby and she’s not."
"Rose…"
"Don’t worry. I won’t rub it in," Rose laughed as the last whistle for boarding passengers sounded. "Well that’s me. I better go."
"Wait Rose! There’s something I want to give ya! Take this!" Molly hands Rose a leather box. "Go ahead, open it."
Rose gasps when she opens the box to her mother’s precious necklace…the heart of the ocean. "Molly how?"
"Oh I snuck it out of that old coat she was wearing. This necklace was your grandma’s pride and joy just like you were. She wanted you to have it you know. But Ruth saw it and claimed it for herself. I’m just glad that I’m able to give it to the rightful owner," Molly smiled.
"Oh Aunt Molly thank you! This means so much to me," Rose cried hugging her aunt. She wipes her tears as she pulls away. "I better get going. I don’t want to miss that train."
"Write me!"
"I will," Rose waved as she boarded the train to Chippewa Falls Wisconsin, Jack’s hometown. She’s determined to learn more about Jack so that when the time comes she can share the stories with her daughter.