Jack slid into bed, pulling the covers up over himself. He turned to look at Rose, who was lying as far away from him as possible, almost clinging to the opposite edge of the bed, her back to him. She hadn’t spoken to him since she had stalked off into the house hours earlier.
Rose had maintained her frosty silence throughout dinner, looking away and pretending great interest in something else every time Jack had spoken to her, even if it was something as simple as a request to pass the salt. After dinner, instead of watching television with the others, she had stayed in the kitchen, studying, though her thoughts were far from her notes. Later, she had gone to bed ahead of Jack, lying as far away from his side of the bed as possible. Had she had a choice, she would have slept elsewhere, but there wasn’t really any other place she could sleep. The one unoccupied bedroom contained only a crib, and the living room couch was really too hard and lumpy to sleep on. Besides, as far as she was concerned, if anyone should sleep on the couch, it was Jack. He was in the wrong here, not her.
She chose to sleep beside Jack, but she turned her back on him, still maintaining her silence. Her refusal to speak to him was as much a barrier as a locked door, shutting him out.
Jack lay looking at her for a moment before he spoke. "Rose."
She didn’t look at him. Sighing, he tried again, determined to resolve this argument before they fell asleep. When they had married, Kathleen Fleming had advised them to never go to bed angry, advice that he considered sound. However, Rose’s stubborn refusal to even look at him was sorely trying his patience.
"Rose," he began again.
"Shut up and leave me alone."
At least he had gotten her to speak to him. "Rose, would you please just listen to me?"
Silence.
"Look, Rose, what I implied earlier, about other men...I didn’t mean it. I was angry, and I said the wrong thing."
"Do tell." She moved farther away from him, nearly falling out of bed. Steadying herself, she finally glanced at him. "Whether you like it or not, I’m having a baby. Our baby. I didn’t plan it, and neither did you, but it still exists. Whatever you may think about it, I love this child already."
She turned away again, burying her face in her pillow, trying to hide the tears that were suddenly running down her face. Everything had been wonderful—they had survived all the trials and tribulations that life had thrown at them, had finally gotten married—and now, because of an unexpected pregnancy, things had suddenly fallen apart. She didn’t understand why it had happened, but maybe her mother had been right. Maybe marrying Jack had been a mistake. Maybe she should have gotten out while she could. They could divorce easily enough, but they would still be connected by the child.
"Rose, I’m not upset about the baby." Jack put a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened and pulled away, her face still buried in the pillow, but he could tell that she was crying. "I was just...surprised, is all. I didn’t expect us to become parents so soon."
"You have a damned funny way of showing surprise." Rose turned to face him, not caring that her face was red and streaked with tears.
"I wasn’t angry because I was surprised. I was angry because you were angry with me."
"I was mad at you because you were mad at me."
"I was angry with you? How so?"
"You were upset that I hadn’t thought to use a back-up form of contraceptive when I was taking the antibiotics, even though I didn’t know what they could do."
"I’m not angry about that, not now that I know that you didn’t know."
"Then what were you yelling for?"
"I was more than a little surprised by your news, and I’ll admit it, worried. You’d been so sick in the mornings, and then all of a sudden you tell me you’re fine, you’re just pregnant. I think I overreacted."
"I’ll say."
"Rose..." He paused. She wasn’t making this easy. "I don’t want to fight with you. And I’m not angry about the baby, either. It’s sooner than we expected, but that happens sometimes. My parents didn’t expect to have me, but they still did. Mom was a college student at the time, working on her Master’s degree. They were very surprised to learn that I was on the way, or so they once told me, but once they knew, they wanted me."
"I was a surprise, too," Rose admitted. "Mom and Dad weren’t getting along, and wanted to get a divorce, but then they found out that Mom was pregnant with me. They decided to stay together for my sake, though I think they would have been happier apart. But maybe it was better. Sometimes...sometimes I think that Mom didn’t really want to have me." Her eyes overflowed again.
"Is that why you were so upset by my reaction?"
"Partly," Rose sniffed, putting her head back down on her pillow. She stayed facing him. "It was also...well...it was stupid, what I was thinking."
"What were you thinking?"
"That you might react like Cal—get angry at me for causing such an inconvenience. I didn’t think you’d hit me or push me around, but..."
"But you were still worried about my reaction, and that helped blow things out of proportion."
"Yes. But it was also what you said, asking whether I was sure you were responsible for the baby. I never thought you’d think that of me. I do not sleep around. I’m not like Beatriz."
"Thank God for small favors." Rose glanced up at him. "Rose, I didn’t mean what I said. I just opened my mouth and said the first thing I thought of, and it was something really stupid, something that I knew full well wasn’t true. I don’t think you’d sleep around; I know you better than that. I was just being stupid."
"I agree."
"Rose...I’m trying to apologize here. Would you please listen to me?"
Rose sat up, looking at him. "I’m listening."
"I’m sorry I said that. I didn’t mean it, and I don’t think you sleep around. I’m not upset about the baby, either. Yes, it is unexpected, but I like kids, and believe it or not, I’m looking forward to our baby. Can you forgive me for being an idiot?"
Rose was crying again. Slowly, she reached out and put her arms around him. "I forgive you," she whispered, "if you can forgive me for taking things the wrong way and blowing them out of proportion. I don’t want to fight."
Jack held her close. "We both overreacted," he told her, as Rose put her head against his shoulder. "This was more of a surprise than either of us thought, but I think it’s a good kind of surprise." He moved his hand, splaying it across her still-flat abdomen. "Our baby. A son or a daughter who looks like you..."
"Or like you."
"Or like both of us. When are you due?"
"October first."
"Just in time for our first anniversary." Jack sighed softly as Rose pulled him closer. "I love you, Rose. And the little person inside you."
He kissed her, holding her close for several minutes. When they finally broke apart, Rose whispered back, "I love you, too, Jack."
To his surprise, she rolled over onto her back, pulling him atop her. "Rose! What are you doing?"
Rose silenced him with another kiss. Her hands moved to remove the sweats he wore to bed on cold winter nights. Forgetting his surprise, Jack kissed her back, pulling her with him as he turned off the lamp.