Jack was dozing when Rose and Mr. Messner arrived, but he woke up when they came into the room. Rose looked at him closely, trying to see how he was doing. His eyes were a bit red, but he seemed to be doing all right, despite the news he had received that morning.
He was surprised that his boss had come to visit, and tried to sit up to greet him. He wasn’t quite strong enough, though, and after a moment he gave up, lying back and simply lifting a hand in greeting.
"Mr. Messner."
"Hello, Mr. Dawson. Your friend here came to speak to me on your behalf. She says you just came out of a coma last night."
"Yeah, something like that."
"I wanted to let you know that your job will be there for you when you get out of the hospital, so long as you recover enough to work, and as long as you don’t wind up in prison."
"Thanks." Jack was grateful to hear that his job would be there for him, although he hadn’t really been thinking about it before. He’d had too many other things on his mind to worry about work. Then Messner’s last words got through to him. "Prison?"
"I’m told you got arrested on Sunday night."
"Yeah, that’s right, I did. I was framed, though. I’ve stayed out of trouble all these years." He assumed, correctly, that Messner knew about his time in juvenile hall, but he also hadn’t been thinking about the legal trouble he was in. If Cal persisted in pressing charges against him for the theft of the ring, he could be in serious trouble, especially with his record. "How did you find out?"
"She told me."
Jack shot Rose a "thanks a lot" look. He would have preferred that the incident be quietly forgotten, although he realized that it wasn’t likely. Cal held a grudge against him, and since he had failed in his attempt to kill him, he was very likely to press charges. Jack dreaded the thought of being locked up again.
"She also told me that your accuser will probably drop the charges."
He was surprised at that, wondering how Rose could be so sure. Then, thinking back to what Rose had told him Cal had done her, he realized what she was going to do.
"Rose, no," he told her. "He’s in jail now. You shouldn’t let him get away with what he did."
Rose knew exactly what he was talking about. "There’s some things I don’t want the world to know about. It’s no harm."
Messner watched them curiously, wondering what they were talking about; wondering, too, at the pained expression that crossed Rose’s face when she said "some things."
Jack sighed. He felt strongly that Rose should press charges against Cal for beating and raping her, but it was her decision. He wouldn’t reveal what she had told him a few nights earlier, unless she wanted him to. And Rose found it so painful to talk about it herself that he seriously doubted she would want him talking about it. Besides, the charges already in place against Cal—attempted murder and embezzlement—might be enough to land him in prison for a long time. Still, he didn’t like the idea of Rose exchanging her silence for his freedom, and wished that he could stop her. But Rose was determined to see justice done for him, even at the cost of justice for herself.
"All right," he finally told her, knowing that she would do what she felt was best.
"How long do the doctors think you’ll be here, Mr. Dawson?" Messner spoke, breaking the tension. Jack glanced back at him.
"They think I’ll be out of the ICU in a few days, but I’ll probably be in the hospital for several weeks. My injuries are...pretty serious."
"So she said." Messner indicated Rose. "Well, I’m holding the job open for you. There’s been a slowdown since the earthquake, so we aren’t hurting without your help. As soon as you’re ready, just come in and I’ll put you to work."
"Thanks. I’ll be there as soon as I can."
"Just don’t push yourself too hard. If need be, you can work part time the first couple of weeks after you start, so that you can adjust."
Jack nodded, wincing a little as the motion jarred his head. "I’ll be there as soon as they let me out of here."
"If they want you to rest at home for a while first, you do that. You don’t need to overexert yourself. Three days in a coma is nothing to mess with, and I want you fully recovered and able to work. Just take as long as you need. I’ve worked with you before, so I doubt you’ll abuse the privilege." He stood. "Now, get some rest and recover." He gestured to Rose. "Are you coming, Miss DeWitt-Bukater?"
"I’ll be there in a minute."
Messner nodded and left the room. Rose squeezed Jack’s hand.
"How are you holding up?"
"I think I’m doing okay. I don’t think I’ll relapse or anything."
"I was worried, after what we told you this morning. Sometimes a shock like that can be too much for a person."
He was silent for a moment, thinking. "You’re right, it was a shock." He paused, his jaw working. "I’m going to miss them, especially Fabrizio. We went through so much together..."
"I know. I’m going to miss them, too. Trudy and I had been best friends since fourth grade. When Mom told me what had happened, I could hardly believe it."
"All of this feels a little unreal, but it really happened."
"I know. Who would have thought that everything could go to pieces like this?"
"It happens that way sometimes."
Rose nodded, remembering what Jack had told her about his parents’ deaths. This wasn’t the first time his world had come to pieces.
"Fabrizio’s funeral is tomorrow, down in Mexico. Helga and Tommy managed to have his body shipped back to his family, and we’re all going down there for the funeral. Sophie is coming, too."
"I wish I could be there, too. I’d like to say good-bye."
"I know you would. But for now you need to concentrate upon getting better. Maybe you can go down there later, after you’re better."
"Maybe." He looked at her. "When is Trudy’s funeral?"
"Saturday morning, in Masline. I talked to Sophie on the phone this morning, and she said that it’s basically just going to be a memorial service. Trudy’s parents decided to have her cremated, like a lot of the people who died. I read that about two thousand people died just in Masline. There’s going to be a memorial service for everyone who died on Sunday morning. They say it’s supposed to be on television, so maybe we can watch it here. Sometimes it helps, I guess."
"Yeah. Maybe." Jack looked away from her, blinking his eyes rapidly, and Rose realized that she had upset him. He wasn’t about to break down in front of her, though. There were some emotions he was reluctant to show in front of anyone, even her.
"I’d better get going," she told him. "I don’t want Mr. Messner to leave me behind. He’s my ride back to the dorm."
"Okay. I’ll see you later." His voice sounded a little choked up.
Rose gave him a quick kiss. "I love you, Jack. Remember, it’s okay to be sad. A lot of people feel that way right now."
"I know." He paused, struggling to keep his composure. "I love you too, Rose. I’ll see you later."
Rose gave his hand one last squeeze, then got up and quietly left the room. She wished that Jack would open up to her, but he had a great deal of pride, and he wasn’t going to break down and cry in front of her, even though she would have understood. She had lost friends, too, but they each had their own way of dealing with things, and each would eventually find their own closure.