LIFE AFTER JACK
Chapter Twenty
It had been two weeks since Rose
had sent the letter to Paula about Caitlin. Rose still had not heard from
Paula. This was worrying her. She was thinking that maybe Caitlin had found the
letter and had killed Paula. Rose tried to keep that thought out of her head.
Jack walked outside and checked
the mail. It was Christmas Eve, 1915, and it was snowing outside. As Jack went
outside to check the mail, Rose lay down by the fireplace. Jack walked back
into the house a few minutes later, shivering from the bitter cold.
"Rose, we got a letter from
Paula," Jack said.
"Well, open it!"
Dear Rose and Jack,
Thank you for warning us about
Caitlin. It all makes sense now. About two days before we received your letter,
Andy died. She must have poisoned him. The doctor said that it was probably a
heart attack. I did not think that it could have been a heart attack. Andy was
very young, and he was strong and healthy. But why would she have killed Andy?
Unless Caitlin found another man, I just can’t understand why she would have
killed Andy. Andy was a very nice and handsome man. I have to admit I was even
a little sweet on him.
That is enough about Andy and
Caitlin. I want to know how you are doing. Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?
When are you expected to have the baby?
Rose stopped reading right there.
Her water had broken.
"Jack!" Rose called.
Jack rushed into the room where
Rose was and asked what was wrong.
"Jack, my water broke."
Jack, panicking, rushed to the
closet to get Rose’s bag with her clothes in it. He rushed out the door,
forgetting all about Rose. He got in the car and started driving off. It took
Jack about twenty seconds to realize that Rose was not with him. He quickly
turned the car around and went back to the house. Rose was standing out on the
front porch, waiting for Jack. She was laughing so hard she could not breathe.
Jack rushed up onto the porch and helped Rose get to the car. Jack rushed Rose
to the nearest hospital, which was Memorial Hospital on Willow Street. Jack and
Rose walked into the hospital.
"I’m having a baby,"
Jack said, out of breath.
"Sir, do you mean she is
having a baby?" the nurse at the desk asked Jack.
"Of course that’s what I
mean," Jack replied.
The nurse quickly got a
wheelchair for Rose to sit in. The nurse got all of the information that she
needed and wheeled Rose back into a room. Jack asked if he could come, and the
nurse told him that he was not allowed back there. Jack walked down the hall
and found a map of the hospital. He looked for the lunchroom. He was getting
very hungry, but then decided that he was too excited to eat. Jack walked back
out into the waiting room and took a seat. He heard some screams and wondered
what they were doing to someone to make them scream like that. Jack sat there
for about six hours, sweating and nervous. His legs were shaking. He thought
about all he and his son or daughter would do together. Shortly after that, a
nurse came out and told Jack to come with her. Jack followed the nurse and she
took him to a room. Jack could see about fifteen babies.
"Which is my baby?"
Jack asked.
"Baby? Mr. Dawson…"
"Yes, my baby," Jack
replied.
"That one right there in the
pink," the nurse said.
"A girl! I have a little
girl!" Jack exclaimed.
"Oh, and the one in the
blue," the nurse said to Jack, smiling.
"Twins! I have a boy and a
girl!" Jack jumped up.
"Yes, Mr. Dawson, you have
twins," replied the nurse.