AFTER TITANIC
Chapter Fifty

Two Weeks Later

Rose was sitting in the sitting room, braiding Lindsey's hair, when the telephone call came. Not knowing who was on the other end, Rose stopped braiding Lindsey’s hair and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Rose asked.

"Is this Mrs. Jack Dawson?"

"Yes, it is. How may I help you?" Rose asked.

"Yes. This is Albert Linningston...one of the richest men in New York City. Have you ever heard of me, Mrs. Dawson?"

Rose was confused. Now, why would one of the richest men in New York City call her? "Yes, I have, Mr. Linningston. Hasn't everyone?"

"Why, yes. Everyone has heard of me. I believe you've made the acquaintance of my daughter, Mrs. Dawson. She lived in Los Angeles, California for a while before her unfortunate death."

"Excuse me, sir...I don't know who you're talking about."

"Oh, she was probably going by that gutter trash's name. The last name was Simmons. Does that ring a bell?"

Rose gasped in surprise and looked over at Lindsey, who was innocently brushing the hair of a doll Jack had brought for her. "Y-yes, sir. It does."

"Well, it came to my attention that my daughter has been deceased for quite a while now and her little girl has been staying with you. And then again it comes to my attention that you and your husband intend to adopt her."

"Yes, sir. In fact, adoption proceedings have just gotten underway." Rose forced herself to speak, and glanced up as Kathy came into the room, followed by Sylvia, her favorite maid.

"In fact, Mrs. Dawson, they have been halted. I have no intention of letting you adopt my granddaughter. In fact, I've just applied for custody and expect an answer back tomorrow morning. I just found it fair to call and warn you."

"Now, wait a minute. You can't do that. Stacy had left it in her will that..."

"You have guardianship, Mrs. Dawson? I understand that. But Stacy had neglected to put down her next of kin so they could be considered. Now, if you excuse me, I must hang up now. I have a ton of papers on my desk to sign. Good day, Mrs. Dawson." And with that, he hung up, leaving Rose looking into space, a stunned expression on her face.

"Mommy?" Lindsey came up to her. "Mommy, what's wrong?"

"Rose?" Katherine came up to her. "Hey, who was that on the phone?"

"Kathy...will you tell Sylvia to take Lindsey outside in the garden to play? It's so pretty out, and she should enjoy the fresh air."

"Sylvia..." Kathy turned to her maid.

"Yes, ma'am." The maid readily nodded, taking the little girl's hand and leading her out into the garden.

"Rose, who was that on the phone that's gotten you so spooked?"

"Lindsey's grandfather." Rose's voice began to tremble. "He called to let me know that there's no way he'll let us adopt Lindsey. In fact, he's applying for full custody!"

"What? Lindsey's grandfather? Who is he?"

"Albert Linningston. The richest man in New York City. He did business with my father years ago and he was at one of Cal's galas a year before we sailed on Titanic." Rose began to sob. "Oh, Kathy, what are we going to do? There's no way we'll be able to keep her."

"You're forgetting that you're rich again, Rose. You can fight this." Kathy attempted to comfort Rose by rubbing her back.

"No, Kathy. You don't understand. This man...he's more than filthy rich. He's worth more than the Hockleys and Astors put together. He'll swoop in here, take Lindsey, and if we try to fight him...he'll probably take everything we've got, too." Rose sobbed. "And poor Lindsey. She'll grow up like I did. In a cold, uncaring home, frightened to death of doing the wrong thing. She won't know the love and support and freedom we could give her."

"Rose...I don't know what to say except for to wait until Jack comes home and then think on the situation. Maybe he can come up with something."

Rose just looked at Kathy, tears streaming from her eyes. "We can't lose her, Kathy. I love her so much...she was what helped me heal from Mother's death...she's what brought me back to Jack. They can't take her away from us now. They can't."

"Oh, Rose." Kathy pulled Rose into a hug and let her cry on her shoulder, all the while telling her it'd be all right. Kathy knew that what Rose needed now was Jack's arms around her...and despite Cameron's wrath at being interrupted in a board meeting or whatever, Kathy was going to take her to see Jack. This, of course, was a family emergency. "Rose, get your coat on. I'll tell Sylvia to watch the children."

"Where are we going?" Rose asked, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

"To see Jack, of course. He needs to know what's going on."

One Hour Later
Dawson Supplies

Jack was sitting in another board meeting, trying not to be bored to tears. He really did hate these things. Right now, he would rather be at home with Rose and the kids and drawing them in the garden. Rose would, of course, have made a crown of roses and stuck them on her head, looking like a fairy princess, as Lindsey once called her when she had done that.

"So, Jack, what do you think?" Cameron turned to him, snapping him out of the daydream.

"Of what?" Jack asked, his cheeks growing red.

"Jack, I know you're not used to this setup, but you're going to have to pay attention to what's said if you're going to make it here," Cameron lectured impatiently. "We were talking about the pay. I say lower it, and James over there says bring it up a little. What do you think?"

"I say give the raises based on merit. If the worker deserves the raise, give it to them. And if they don't...keep it the same. But don't lower it."

"Good idea, Jack." James grinned happily at his cousin. It might not look like it, but Jack was definitely catching on.

Suddenly, Kathy poked her head into the room and motioned for Jack.

"Kathy, what do you want now?" Cameron angrily stood from his seat. This wasn't the first time she had interrupted a meeting to talk with Jack, and mostly it was about nothing.

"Rose needs to talk to Jack. It's very important," Kathy answered. "It's about the adoption proceedings."

Jack was confused. His lawyer had assured him that morning that everything was going well, that within another week Lindsey would be theirs.

"Hurry, Jack. She's really upset," Kathy urged.

"If you'll excuse me." Jack excused himself from the table.

"Okay, Kathy, where's Rose?" Jack asked, once he was outside.

"She's in your office. I thought you two could have more privacy there," Kathy said. "She'll explain everything to you. Tell her I'll be waiting just outside when you two are done."

"Sure." Jack nodded, watching Kathy leave, before entering his office. As he entered, he was surprised to find Rose standing by the window overlooking a pond, gazing at the picture he had had taken a week ago of him, her, the twins, and Lindsey.

"Rose? What's wrong? Kat said something about the adoption proceedings."

Rose looked at him, fresh tears in her eyes. Something was definitely wrong.

"Oh, Jack." She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. "It's awful. Albert Linningston called and said that he was Lindsey's grandfather and that he had no intention of letting us adopt her. He said that he had the adoption proceedings halted and was applying for full custody himself. What are we going to do?"

"Wait a minute. Who's Albert Linningston?" Jack asked, confused.

"The richest man in New York City. He's richer than the Hockleys and the Astors put together. Oh, Jack, there's no way we could win a custody battle...not against him."

"Now, Rose, I thought we were going to be more optimistic." Jack stroked her hair. "Just because the old man is rich doesn't mean he can better care for Lindsey than we can. I mean, he's a lonely old man and we're a young couple with children of our own. Believe me, we're the better choice."

"But the judge may not see it that way, Jack. The judge will probably see all that money and decide that Lindsey's better off with her grandfather." Rose sobbed.

"Rose, come over here and sit down." Jack led her to the chair behind his desk. "Look at me, Rose. We are not going to let that old man take Lindsey without a fight. Do you hear me?"

"But there's no winning against him, Jack."

"How do you know that if you don't try?" Jack smiled, his eyes lighting up. "Rose...do you want Lindsey to grow up the way you did? In a cold, stiff house?"

"Of course not."

"Would you fight to keep that from happening to her?"

Rose nodded. "Of course I would."

"Well, then, let's fight to keep that from happening to her, then. Believe it or not, Rose, we do have a good chance of winning. I'll just call the lawyer right now and see if we can halt that custody thing. Then we'll see where to go from there," Jack smiled, gently touching Rose's cheek. "It'll be all right, Rose. I promise."

Rose just smiled at him and stared into his eyes, so bright and blue with optimism. He truly did believe they had a chance to win Lindsey, and that made her want to believe, too. "Okay, Jack." She fell into his arms.

"Is everything okay in here?" Cameron stuck his head through the door.

"Everything's fine now. I just have to make an important phone call and I'll be right back with you." Jack pulled away from the hug and got to his feet.

"Jack, shall I escort Rose to the front door while you make that phone call?" Cameron offered, smiling over at Rose. Perfect chance to work on that icy exterior of hers.

"Sure. Thanks," Jack said, his voice a bit unsure. "Is that okay with you, Rose?"

"I guess." Rose shrugged, disappointment in her voice. She was looking forward to the walk up front with Jack, but she guessed that wasn't going to happen today.

"Okay, honey. I'll see you when I get home. And remember, Lindsey's our daughter. No matter what that Mr. Linningston says." Jack hugged her tightly.

"I'll remember." Rose smiled. "See you tonight."

Fifteen Minutes Later

Jack had just gotten off the phone and the news wasn't good. The chances of keeping Lindsey were slim. This Albert Linningston was a very powerful man and had many strings he could pull. The lawyer said that it was best to just turn the little girl over and save both Rose and himself a whole lot of misery. But what about Lindsey? She'd be miserable in that type of lifestyle. He couldn't just turn her over like that...but what was he going to tell Rose when he got home? Should he tell her what the lawyer said, or should he just pretend that everything was okay? That the fight to get Lindsey wouldn't be a dirty one...that they'd end up with Lindsey after all?

Jack sighed forlornly and laid his head on his desk when a slight knock sounded on the door. He looked up to see a pretty redhead enter. Her eyes and lips looked sort of familiar. Who was this girl?

"May I help you?" Jack asked, sitting up.

"Am I interrupting anything here?" the girl asked uncertainly.

"No. No, you're not. May I help you?"

"Well...I was looking for a job. I can type well and I make excellent coffee..."

"Listen...now isn't a good time for me to hire people. Can you come back tomorrow morning around this time? I'll interview you then." Jack stood.

"Sure. That'll be fine. I'm sorry to interrupt you." The girl smiled again before ducking out the door.

Strange. That girl reminded him of Rose. But that was impossible. Rose was one of a kind. Sighing deeply, Jack got up and headed back to the boardroom, ready to continue on with the meeting.

Dawson Mansion

"Well, Jack? What did the lawyer say?" Rose asked, hope shining in her eyes. Jack looked at her and knew he couldn't lie to her. He had to tell her the truth.

"Well...he said the chances of winning were slim." Jack sighed.

"Oh, Jack..."

"But there's still a chance we can win, Rose. Even a slim chance is a good one." Jack immediately went to her and took her in his arms. "We're going to fight this, Rose. We're going to make Linningston regret ever calling here."

"But what if we don't win, Jack? What if we lose Lindsey?"

"We won't, Rose. We won't."

Chapter Fifty-One
Stories