November 22, 1927
“I mopped the floor!” Charlie shouted, a mop in one hand and a lollipop in the other.
“I helped!” Olivia grinned, attempting to grab the mop from her brother.
“Not much, though. I did all of the kitchen,” Charlie piped in.
“Good, good.” Jack smiled, taking the mop from Charlie before he and Olivia got themselves into a quarrel over who mopped what. “Now, go get Lilly some milk, and don't spill it this time, Charlie,” Jack warned, knowing his son’s clumsiness.
“What is all the fuss about in here?” Rose strolled into the kitchen in her nightdress. The children's loud voices had awakened her troubled sleep despite Jack shushing them.
Immediately, Jack pulled up a chair at the dining table for Rose and she sat. Bending over her, he kissed her cheek tenderly and she smiled through her pain. He walked to the stove and began to pour water into the kettle to make some coffee. “Sorry about all of the noise, darling. Charlie and Olivia were fighting over mopping the floor.”
“Where have they gone?” Rose asked, finding the room noticeably quieter without the pair.
“I sent them to find Lizzy and Lilly. They were supposed to take some milk.” Jack shook his head.
Rose laughed before wincing with pain. Jack immediately came to Rose's side. “What's wrong?” he asked, his voice showing his concern.
Sitting forward, Rose touched her back. “It’s pain all down here,” she indicated.
Jack began to massage her shoulders gently and Rose settled down a little before the kettle began to whistle loudly. Jack ran to make himself and Rose some coffee before the door burst open and Lizzy walked in wearing Jack's coat. Rose stifled a giggle.
“Lilly found the rosebush and pricked her finger. It’s bleeding,” she said breathlessly. The weather outside was warm for mid-November, but still Jack had made the children wrap up heavily, not wishing for them to catch anything.
Jack finished pouring coffee into a cup for Rose before going outside to tend to Lilly and her cut. Rose laughed. He was rushing about after the children, but not once did he complain about the hectic life they led. Removing Jack's coat, Lizzy hung it over the hook in the passageway before taking a seat at the table with her mother. Lizzy's curls were disheveled from the rain and the moisture in the air outside, but she never once seemed to care, and Rose felt it was how a child should be, not having to look prim and proper all of the time, which was how Rose had been brought up by her mother, never to be seen if one curl was out of place. Stroking her eldest daughter’s face, Rose smiled at her, but moments later felt slight pain in her lower back again and winced.
“Mom? Are you all right?” Lizzy asked, obviously concerned, but Rose didn't want to worry her daughter so much.
“I'm fine, darling. Just a backache. I've had it for a while. Don't worry so much.” Rose smiled, but Lizzy didn't seem so sure.
Jack entered the house with Lilly, her gray dress covered in grass stains. She cried quietly. Jack sat her at the table and kissed her left index finger, blood visible on her finger.
“You shouldn't play in the rose bushes, darling. They have nasty thorns and they hurt.” Jack shook his head at his daughter before glancing up at Rose affectionately. Rose could feel her heart pang slightly for the child. She would grow up with no mother. It wasn't Rose's place to be a mother to her, but she would help raise her the best she could. She was just like her father, but a shy child just like Olivia at that age, and she reminded Rose so much of Olivia when she was two. At first, having a toddler around the house again was unfamiliar to Rose. It was a few years since she had been around a child so young, since Charlie was a baby, and he was now eight.
Later that night, Jack and Rose lay in their king size bed. It was freezing outside, and inside, the temperatures weren't much warmer. They had tucked the children in with extra blankets and Lilly had climbed into bed with Olivia, crying that she was cold. The day had been a hectic one, organizing the house before all the children were off school. The children were noisy and always making some kind of mischief. As they lay together, their fingers entwined, they spoke of their wedding, which would be taking place sometime during December. The day couldn't come soon enough for either of them. All they wanted was to finally belong to each other. Since Rose had returned to England, she had settled into a life with Jack, and it felt as though this was where she belonged. Jack pulled Rose's body closer to him as they lay side-by-side in their bed. Light from the gas lamps outside cast shadows on the walls of the bedroom. There was just enough light in the room for them to see each other’s faces. Jack pulled the heavy blankets further around Rose before touching her cheeks delicately, but she flinched slightly at his icy cold hands.
“Sorry,” Jack whispered. Rose simply took his hand and rubbed it gently in an attempt to warm it. The nights were the worst and hard to adjust to. Jack took Rose's left hand in his and smiled. He ran his fingers over her ring finger. “Maybe it’s time we got you a ring,” he teased.
“I don't need a ring, Jack.”
“But I'd like to. Something to show you how much I love you.”
“Jack, I don't need a ring. I have you already. We have children and a house together. We're sharing our life together. A ring is nothing compared to that.”
Raising his eyebrows, Jack found himself just watching Rose, still captivated by her. Even now, it was hard to believe she was here with him after so many years of dreaming and wishing for her, of crying tears he thought would never end for her, and now, here they were. “I cannot wait to marry you.”
“And I cannot wait to marry you.” She grinned. “We can be a proper family at last.” Rose closed her eyes for a moment before thinking. She knew there was something she had to ask him before it was too late. “Jack…there is one thing I want to know.”
“What is it, Rose?”
“Do you want to have more children?” she asked, and he simply smiled at her. It was a reaction she didn't expect. She actually expected him to say a straight no.
“Rose, I want what you want.” He squeezed her hand tightly. “If you want more children, then so do I, but if not, we have our children already and I am happy with that.”
Rose sat upright in bed for a moment, still holding Jack's hand. He sensed that something was wrong. He, too, sat upright, feeling the chill from the room, which was shielded when he was beneath the blankets. Rose shivered slightly, feeling the chill. “Jack, there's something you need to know. I wanted to wait, but I don't want to any longer. I'm…pregnant.”
Jack thought he had misheard her. But his heart beat so fast he wanted to scream out with joy, but knew he couldn't. “You're…you’re sure?” he asked. But she still seemed glum. “Rose?”
A silent tear fell down Rose's cheek and Jack wiped it away gently. She shivered at his touch and smiled slightly. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you before.”
“How long have you known?”
“Since I was in Los Angeles.” Rose bent her head down before pushing her curls away from her face. “I haven't had my period since I was in London, and that was four months ago.”
Jack was stunned. “Why didn't you tell me when you wrote?”
“I didn't want to tell you in a letter. I wanted to make sure it was what we both wanted before we thought of having another child.”
Taking both of Rose's hands in his, he lifted her chin to face him and their eyes met. “Rose, I do want this baby. I want us to raise a child that we created together. That's what I want, Rose.”
“What about the wedding?”
“It will just mean we'll have to put it off until the baby is born. But at least the baby can see us marry then, and Lilly will be older, too, so she can walk down the aisle with us.”
Rose felt happiness within her. She was stupid to even doubt Jack wanting this child. Finally, they would be able to raise a child of their own together.
“I want to take care of you, Rose. While you get bigger, I want to help you. I want to be there to see our child born. I want it all.”
Laying back down in bed, they wrapped themselves in the blankets. Rose felt content now, knowing their future would be a happy one. “I'm so happy, Jack,” she murmured as she closed her eyes.
Jack gently stroked her hair until she fell asleep. Knowing their child was within Rose made Jack happy. A single tear fell onto the pillow, but a tear of happiness. “I love you,” he whispered, gently kissing Rose's cheek before closing his own eyes.
Jonathon Patrick Dawson was born on March 3, 1928.