Jack quietly unlocked the front door and slipped in, seeing that the lights were still on. Closing the door behind him, he looked around, seeing Rose curled up on the couch asleep, her face tear-streaked.
Putting the keys in his pocket, Jack walked over to her, sitting down beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Rose," he whispered. "Rose, wake up."
She opened her eyes slowly, then sat up, throwing her arms around him. "Jack! I was getting so worried!"
He held her close. "I know. I’m sorry."
"I kept worrying that something had happened to you."
"I’m okay. I just got a speeding ticket, is all."
"A speeding ticket! Jack, how fast were you going?"
He hesitated. "About a hundred miles an hour in a sixty-five zone."
"And in the rain? Jack, don’t do that. You could get into an accident…"
"I know. That’s what the Highway Patrolman warned me about…that there are worse things than tickets. He thought I should slow down, too."
"Jack, please be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you." The last word ended with a sob.
Jack held his crying wife close. "I slowed down after that. I was just…I don’t know. Being reckless, I guess."
Rose moved to sit beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. "Jack…about what happened earlier…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those awful things to you."
"I’m sorry, too, Rose. I didn’t mean to upset you by taking that bottle out of your hand. I was trying to help."
"I know. It’s just…everything has been so tense. I blew it all out of proportion."
"I’m not trying to make us forget him, Rose. Really I’m not. Paul was our son…a part of our lives. We won’t ever forget him. I’ve been trying to make things easier, sort of, but I guess it just made things worse."
Rose hugged him. "I know. And there really isn’t any sense in keeping everything like he was about to use it. It’s…it’s hard to see everything go, though. All those things that reminded us of him…"
"I can bring them back, if you want."
Rose shook her head. "No…there’s no point in it, and it would only confuse Lizzy. We have…a few small things that were his, to remember him by, and we have pictures. We won’t forget him. I’m just having trouble letting him go."
"So am I, Rose. It’s hard to let someone you love go…especially when you know you’ll never see them again."
She nodded. "And…Jack, I wish we could talk about what happened, like we did right afterwards. It helps to talk about things sometimes, and I know that you miss him, too."
"I’ve been keeping you up at night, haven’t I?"
"Yes," Rose admitted, "but it was easier than sleeping and dreaming about him and the accident. I tried reaching out to you once…"
"I’ve been trying to be strong, to be stoic…like it’ll go away if I don’t think about it. It doesn’t work, though."
"No, it doesn’t. But you’ve got a lot of pride…even though we’ve been through so much together." She pulled his head down to her shoulder. "Jack, let’s try to be more open with each other. It’s always helped before."
"Sure." Jack sighed tiredly. "I’ll try."
The couple sat together for several minutes, not saying anything, but only holding each other close. Then a little voice broke the silence.
"Daddy? Mommy?"
They looked up as Lizzy came into the living room, clutching her Barbie doll. Jack took one arm from around Rose, inviting Lizzy to sit in his lap.
"Daddy, I was scared you wasn’t gonna come home."
"I’m here now, Lizzy. I just wanted to be by myself for a while."
Rose put an arm around her daughter and looked up at Jack. "Where did you go?"
"Up to Lake Hemet. It was so cold and dark, and snowy, that there weren’t many people there. I went for a walk and sat and thought about things for a while."
"Quite a while. It’s almost ten o’clock."
"Yeah…well…I wasn’t really paying attention to the time, and it’s a long drive. I stopped to get something to eat and tried to call, but I think I lost my cell phone up there. I’m home now, though."
“Your phone is on the bookcase over there. You forgot it.” Rose hugged him. “I’m just glad you’re home.”
Lizzy interrupted her. "Are you and Mommy still mad?" Lizzy looked from one to the other, clearly worried.
Rose hugged her. "No, Lizzy. Not anymore. We made up."
"I don’t like it when you fight."
"We don’t like it, either, Lizzy." Jack pulled both Rose and Lizzy into his embrace.
Lizzy snuggled into the arms of both of her parents, her eyes drooping sleepily. A few minutes later, Rose stood carefully, carrying the sleeping child toward her room. Jack walked with her, stroking the little girl’s head with his good hand, the other arm at Rose’s back.
Lizzy opened her eyes briefly as her mother laid her on the bed and pulled up the covers, but she closed them again when Jack sat down beside her, rubbing her shoulders. She fell asleep again, feeling safe in her father’s presence.
When Lizzy was asleep, Jack and Rose quietly left her room, leaving the door ajar. Walking into their own room, they sat down on the end of the bed, embracing again. Jack stroked Rose’s hair, pulling her close.
"I’m sorry I walked out on you," he told her, resting his forehead against hers as she looked up at him.
"It’s all right, Jack. I think you needed some time to yourself. I’m not angry…not anymore."
"I’ll try to be more open with you. Just…bear with me, okay? This is hard for all of us."
"I know." Rose sighed, pulling him closer. "It’s hard—really hard—but we’ll get through this somehow."
"Yes, somehow." He kissed her gently, putting a hand to her face. "I love you, Rose."
"I love you, too, Jack." Rose wiped the tears from her eyes. "Whatever happens, we’ll get through this together."