October came, bringing Jack’s twenty-second birthday and also the birth of his first son, William James Dawson.
The tiny, blond-haired baby wailed for his mother from the small crib in the corner of the room. Rose lay exhausted in their bed. She had been in labor for two days with her firstborn and had never felt such exhaustion and pain as she had in the last few days, but as she pushed for the final time and heard the loud wails of her son, she had been filled with nothing but love.
Jack quickly ran to the crib to his hungry son and cradled him in his arms. His cries seemed to subside a little as Jack laid the infant on his mother’s chest and she offered a breast to him. He suckled away, content. Jack stroked his soft head and cheeks, not believing the child was actually his.
“He’s a hungry little boy.” Rose smiled, feeding her son for the third time that day. Jack kissed her forehead.
“He is. Hopefully, he’ll grow up to be a fine young man.”
“Oh, he will.” Rose laughed through her yawns. She still felt tired and sore, but the excitement of giving birth was just too strong to sleep at the moment.
“How are you feeling?”
“Just tired and sore.” Rose tightened her grip on her son as she readjusted how she was sitting. Jack rearranged the pillows so that his wife could sit upright more comfortably.
“Maybe you should sleep when William settles down,” Jack suggested, concerned about his wife. She had barely slept since their son arrived the evening before.
“I will try to, darling, but when I settle down, I can’t help but worry about Will.”
Jack was in awe of his wife. She was the perfect mother already and had taken to motherhood naturally, just like he had known she would. Making the decision to have a child was the best decision they had ever made. They might be young at just twenty and twenty-two, but they were so happy it was unbelievable.
“Don’t worry. When he needs a feed, I will wake you, but I can take care of our son. I just want you to rest, darling.”
Rose yawned, feeling just how tired she really was. William stopped feeding and Rose gently rubbed his back in an attempt to burp him. His little blue eyes widened as he burped a little, causing both Jack and Rose to laugh. He looked around the room in wonder, all of the surroundings new to the infant.
Jack touched his son’s tiny fingers, feeling the sharpness of his nails. He wrapped his tiny fingers around Jack’s thumb and squeezed tightly. The small gesture brought tears to his eyes. Feeling the reality of becoming a father sank in. Jack took William from Rose’s arms before lowering him to allow Rose to kiss his head.
“Come on now, darling. I want you to sleep a little while before this little one grows hungry again.”
Rose flattened her pillows and lay her body down, feeling tiredness come over her like never before. “Wake me if you need me,” she murmured, half-asleep. Jack said nothing, but simply kissed her forehead, hoping that she would sleep for a while. She needed to regain her strength.
Dear Mother,
I am writing to inform you that on Thursday, October eighteenth, at six PM, your first grandson, William James Dawson came into the world. He is so perfect, and Jack and I are so happy. We would like for you to come see him one of these days. How are things in Philadelphia? Good, I hope. Have you read the papers about the war in Europe? It sounds horrendous, and I do hope that America doesn’t become involved. A war isn’t what we need right now. Give my love to Trudy. Write back when you can.
Love,
Your Daughter,
Rose
Rose folded the letter, putting it in an envelope before scribbling her mother’s address on the back of it. Sighing, she looked over the envelope quickly before sealing it. Standing, she put the letter on the mantelpiece to remind herself to mail it later.
A gurgle came from the crib and Rose looked over at her baby son, seeing his tiny body. He kicked his feet in the air, his fist in his mouth covered in his own saliva. So far, he was a good baby. He rarely cried unless he was hungry or tired. She and Jack had taken well to parenthood, and William was the greatest thing to happen to either of them.
The front door opened and Jack came in, dressed neatly in a suit, his dark blond hair flopping into his face and making him appear more youthful than ever.
“What are you doing home so early?” Rose wasn’t expecting him home for another few hours yet. She picked up her son from the crib and felt him wriggle in her grip.
Jack removed his shoes at the door before stepping towards his wife cradling their son. He felt his stomach lift, seeing her beauty. She still made his knees weak with just one look and even now, after their first child had been born, he still found it hard to put into words how much he loved her.
“I left Fabrizio in charge for a while. I wanted to come home and see you both.” Jack touched his son’s soft head, feeling the small tuft of hair and watching as his large blue eyes curiously looked at his father. “I actually missed you.” He gently pulled his wife towards him and kissed her forehead. He had only been at work for a few hours, but now that they had a child, it was almost unbearable for him to be parted from them.
“I missed you, too.”
“How has he been today?”
Jack took his son from Rose as she started towards the small kitchen to put the kettle on the stove. He watched as she walked. The floral dress she was wearing made her appear stunning. The design was a change from her usual dresses, but since giving birth, she had gained a little weight and had had to buy a new wardrobe. Jack thought her new curves were stunning.
“He’s been all right. Just cried once for his feeding, then slept right until just before you came in,” Rose told him, waiting for the kettle to boil. “I wrote to my mother to tell her about William’s birth. I have asked her to come visit one day, but I don’t know whether she will or not.”
“I hope so. It would be nice for William to have his grandmother in his life.”
Rose sighed, remembering how her mother had once acted. How selfish, cruel, and unkind she had been to her as a child. Now that she was a mother herself, she couldn’t ever imagine acting that way towards Will or any other children she might have.
“It would, but my mother can be difficult, and I don’t want to instill any negativity into our son.”
Jack looked down at the innocent baby who lay in his arms. “Rose, you won’t. You are a brilliant mother, so natural.”
Rose knew that she wasn’t anything like her own mother. She could feel her heart soar every time she saw their son, his beautiful face, and she couldn’t help but think how blessed she was.
Jack held out his empty arm and indicated to Rose to come to him. She did, and he kissed her hair as he pulled her into a hug.
Rose moved the blanket away from her son’s face and kissed his soft hair. “He really is perfect.” Rose could feel her eyes stinging as tears threatened to fall. Her hormones were still raging, due to giving birth just weeks before.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more, Rose. I really was the luckiest man in the world the day I met you.” Jack watched his wife with their son. She could feel how much he loved them and how proud he was of them. “I think it was all meant to be.”
Rose laughed slightly. “You always say that.” She remembered the many times Jack had told her he believed that it was destiny they had found each other.
“I do. But my mother taught me from the day I was born that whatever happened in my life, from that day until the day I die, is destiny.”
Rose turned to Jack, now understanding his reason for believing in fate. “That’s lovely.”
“It was destiny that my mother and father died when I was so young. You and I are the same, Rose. We found each other young. Neither of us had parents. Your mother was difficult, so there we were, in a strange country, when we fell in love. Now we have a child of our own, and we’re going to be there to see him grow into a fine young man.”
Rose thought for a second. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was destiny.
“You’re right.” She felt him kiss her hair. “I hope my mother does decide to come visit. It would be nice to see her again, this time under better circumstances.”
“I would like Will to get to know his grandmother. He will only have one grandparent. We are pretty much his only family, though of course he will have siblings one day.”
Rose raised her eyebrows. “Siblings? I only gave birth to Will four weeks ago.” She laughed and he laughed with her, both knowing that one day they would like a brother or sister for baby William. Both Jack and Rose were only children and had had lonely childhoods at times.
Dear Rose,
I am sorry for not writing back sooner. I myself have been busy. Two weeks before you wrote, I married Nathan Hockley, a decision which I had been contemplating for some time. He and I fell in love after Caledon’s death, and I realized the love you feel for Jack. I am delighted to hear you are well after the birth of your son. I would so like to meet him. I want to invite you and Jack to my new mansion here in Philadelphia. where you can stay for as long as you like. I would like you to meet my new husband again, and for him to also see William. This may come as quite a shock to you, but if you could come and stay with us, I would be delighted.
Love,
Your Mother,
Ruth