ANOTHER PROMISE KEPT
Chapter Three
I wasn’t feeling all right. Ever
since we got to Denver, about two weeks before, I hadn’t been able to face food
without wanting to throw up. I had thought it was my way of dealing with grief,
but I was starting to get worried about it. I hadn’t told the Browns, though. I
knew they would be worried, and I didn’t want them to feel that they needed to
take care of me. Besides, the worst time was the morning, when I woke up.
"Rose, I have to say this.
You don’t look good. Have you been eating properly?" Molly asked me. I
felt a rush of nausea as soon as the maid presented me with food.
"I’m just fine, Molly,"
I replied.
"You sure? Because my room
shares a wall with your bathroom…"
"It’s nothing, Molly. Trust
me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to look for something in my room."
I stood up and ran to my
bathroom. I didn’t realized that Helen had followed me.
"If I didn’t know better,
I’d say that you’re pregnant," she said when I emerged.
"Helen, don’t be…" I
had thought it to be impossible, but then I started to think. I hadn’t had my
period since we were in Europe, and that was two months ago. In addition, there
was that night in the Renault. "Oh, dear God!" I exclaimed, sitting
down on the bed.
"Rose, are you all right? I
was just kidding!" my friend said to me.
I didn’t listen to her. I just
went downstairs to look for Molly. I found her near the door.
"I was going to take a walk.
Would you like to join me?" she asked.
"I need to talk to you. In
private."
She gave me a look that showed
her curiosity and guided me to J.J.’s study.
"I have a problem. Well, not
a problem, actually. It might be a problem to you, but not for me. It’s…it’s
the best thing that ever happened to me," I said, unable to stop smiling.
"Rose, what is it? Is
everything all right?"
"I’m pregnant. With Jack’s
child."
"Good Lord. Are you
sure?"
"Well, I didn’t have a
doctor confirm it, but I’m pretty sure. All the symptoms are there--the morning
sickness, the lack of my period…Molly, I’m having Jack’s child!"
"That’s terrific news, Rose.
I’m so happy to hear that. But you need to see a doctor, just in case, you
know. I’m so happy for you! I’m going to be a grandma."
I smiled. I couldn’t believe that
I was pregnant. It was as if God was giving me back a part of the things he
took away from me. Having this baby meant having Jack back, or at least a part
of him.
As I caressed my stomach, I
couldn’t stop a couple of tears from falling from my eyes. Molly noticed them
and stood by my side.
"Don’t worry, honey. This
baby will be the luckiest one. He or she will have a brave mother here and a
terrific father in heaven, looking after both of you."
"I know, I know. It’s just
that it doesn’t seem fair. Look at my case. My father was a horrible father. He
never paid much attention to me, and yet, he lived to see me grow. Jack would
have been such a great daddy! I can almost see him taking our child ice
fishing, teaching him or her how to draw…but he won’t be able to do any of
that. And this child will live all its life without knowing him. I think that’s
unfair, Molly."
The woman placed a comforting
hand on my back and tried to calm me down.
"This baby won’t even have
Jack’s last name!"
"Yes, Rose, it will. You are
Rose Dawson, remember?"
"No, Molly. As much as I
would love to be Mrs. Jack Dawson, I’m not."
"Yes, but this baby is
Jack’s son or daughter. He or she has the right to be called Dawson."
We stood there for a couple of
minutes, until I announced that I needed to clear my head, so I was going for a
walk. Molly offered to tell the rest of the family the big news. I appreciated
it, knowing that it would mean a lot of questions that I was not ready to
answer yet.
I was out of the house for a
couple of hours, and in that time I thought of Jack and our baby. We would have
been so happy, the three of us…
When I got back home, it was
nearly time to eat. I went upstairs to change my clothes before dinner, but
when I opened the door to my room, I was surprised to see Larry and Helen
waiting for me.
I guessed that Molly had already
told them about my pregnancy, and I feared that they would judge me.
"Do you have a moment?
There’s something we need to talk about," the man said. I told them that I
could talk, so the three of us sat down.
"Mom just told us about the
baby," Helen said. "About everything, I mean."
"Look, I know what you
think, but I really, really loved Jack, and I’m sure that we would have married
if the ship hadn’t sunk."
"We know. It’s not your
fault that that ship hit the iceberg. We just wanted you to know that we are
here to help you, whatever you need. Well, I’m not good with babies, but Helen
here loves them, so she’ll be more than glad to help you."
"It’s true, Rose. You just
have to ask."
I was touched by their gesture. I
couldn’t believe that I had been afraid of what they might say.
"Thank you. Thank you very
much. Really," I said, hugging each of them.