AFTER TITANIC
Chapter Twelve
Rose sat in Abby’s bedroom,
staring sadly at an empty crib. She felt as if her heart was being been ripped
out and stepped on one hundred times every second. Meg had been notified of
Abby’s condition and rushed to the hospital to see the two. She helped fill out
all the forms, brought Abby’s favorite toy and blanket, and sat with Rose.
Finally, Meg convinced the worried mother to go home where she would be more
comfortable. Rose was taking time off work. Her nights were spent in her flat,
her days at the hospital. A whole week passed in this manner, with no sign of
improvement for the poor, sick baby. When Sunday came, Rose went to church with
the group from St. Martin’s School. She prayed for hours for little Abby’s
recovery. And when she got back to the hospital and looked at the baby, she saw
that the color was back in her face. A doctor took Rose aside and said that
they were seeing a noticeable improvement. Abby kicked and giggled like she
used to, and her fever was lower. And just when things seemed like they would
finally be good, the fever returned, and Abigail was left in an even worse
state than before. She was dying.
Day after day passed. The little
girl was suffering. It wasn’t fair to either of them. "Is there any hope
for my daughter?" Rose asked. The doctor hung his head and frowned.
"So you’re just giving up?" she asked flatly. "Why? She
hasn’t!" she said, referring to the child.
"We are doing everything we
can…" the doctor stammered. Rose looked back at her baby through the
window in the door. It had been over a week since she had last held her. She so
longed to see her. The baby started to cough again—badly. The doctor rushed in
and tried to soothe it. Tears gathered in Rose’s eyes and she covered her mouth
with her hand to keep from crying out. How did everything get this way?
Another doctor came over to Rose.
He told her, "There is another medication we can try."
"Try it," Rose said
quickly.
"It’s expensive," the
doctor said. "You can’t afford it, I think."
"Please," she said.
"I will find a way to pay you. It may take a little time, but I have a
good job. Please. If you don’t, she will die." The doctor nodded
sympathetically and left her alone. She collapsed, in an exhausted state. A tap
on her shoulder prompted her to turn around, amazed at what she saw. There, she
stood face to face with Miss Crawford, the headmistress of the school and her
boss.
"I will pay for it,"
said Miss Crawford.
"I could never ask you to do
that," Rose said.
"Nonsense. That child is the
delight of the school. We all love her and I care more about her life than I do
my own. I think we all do. Now, I want you to get some rest. I’m taking charge
here. They will listen to me. My father helped build this place," Crawford
said. Rose was stunned. She just nodded and sat down, and watched the
headmistress yell at some nurses and demand better treatment. She yelled things
like, "Do you have any idea who I am?" and "I will not be spoken
to in that manner. If I tell you to give that baby a more comfortable mattress,
then you will! Now move!" Rose was pretty sure that old lady Crawford--as
she was referred to by the girls at school--was scaring the hospital staff a
bit, but it worked. They listened to her and did as they were told.
Even so, Abby was still quite
ill. Her condition had not improved and not worsened. For three more days, the
baby hovered between life and death. Rose recalled her last few moments on
Titanic. As she and Jack clung to the rail, a middle-aged woman hugged her
six-year-old son close to her, trying to comfort him. "It will all be over
soon," the woman said. "It will all be over soon."
Please, let this all be over
soon, Rose thought. She
couldn’t take it much longer. That night, Abby coughed up blood and Rose
refused to go home. "If Abby is going to die, then it will be this night.
I’m not leaving her here alone," Rose said. She refused the offer of a bed
to sleep in. She sat in a chair outside her daughter’s room. Rose wished Meg
was here. She had been most days, but her sister had refused to watch her kids
another night, so Meg was forced to go home. Rose was alone.
Somehow, she drifted off to
sleep. She dreamt of Jack. Once again, he was garbed in white. He was holding
baby Abigail in his arms, and they were angels. Suddenly, Jack was in the
hospital next to Rose. He looked at the baby, then leaned down and gave Rose a
passionate kiss. He smiled and placed the baby in Rose’s arms. Then he turned
and walked away. Rose called after him, but he just kept walking and faded out,
leaving Rose with the child. "Jack!" Rose sat up. "It was just a
dream," she said to herself. She turned around and looked into Abby’s
room. She was awake! Ignoring the rules, Rose rushed into the room and stared
at the little one. The color was back in her face. Rose held a hand to her
forehead and smiled when she realized the fever was down. She rushed out of the
room and found a doctor and led him to Abby.
After examining her, the doctor
said, "I think it’s safe to say she’s going to be fine." Rose bowed
her head and wept for joy.