DUST IN THE WIND
Chapter Twenty-Four
Six months had passed since Rose
received news of Jack’s capture. She tried keeping herself busy, but her
thoughts constantly returned to Jack. She would wonder if he was in pain, or
even alive. Nightmares plagued her constantly. Jack’s dead body, battered and
bruised…reaching out for her. Jack in pain, his eyes begging for mercy. But the
worse one was when he was singing Come Josephine to her, seemingly his
voice happy and alive and full of sunshine. And then everything went dark and
his singing turned into screams of pain and terror.
Well, at least Sam was happy.
George had been returned to her after being shot in the leg. Rose would often
feel jealous and cheated, thinking that it should be Jack coming home. She
should be the one walking through the house on cloud nine right now, her
husband back at her side. She had never revealed her jealousy, but everyone
knew it was there. Jack’s absence and situation were eating away at her soul.
It was Monday morning. Rose sat
outside, her daughter asleep in her arms. She was trying to find some joy in
the new day. She was so tired of crying and longing for things to be different
when they weren’t. She had to pick herself up…for Josephine’s sake, if nothing
else. She closed her eyes, trying to imagine Jack next to her, drawing her in
the sunrise.
"Ahem." A voice
interrupted her daydream. Rose opened her eyes to find another young officer on
the porch.
"I am her," she replied
before he could ask. There was no longer any need to question who the notice
was for. She was the only one left with her husband still overseas.
"Good day, ma’am." The
officer tipped his hat as he handed Rose the envelope. He was gone as soon as
the letter was in her hand.
Rose just stared at the envelope,
dreading to read what it said, but having no choice. "Josephine, go get
your cousins, please. Tell them that I need them."
The little girl looked at her
with Jack’s big blue eyes. So full of happiness and love. Reminding Rose of
when she had first realized that she loved Jack. On the bow of Titanic,
receiving their first kiss. "Yes, Mommy." The little girl hopped off
her lap and ran inside. Soon, George and Sam were there, looking down at Rose
in concern.
"Rose." Samantha sat
next to her, looking at the white envelope, not liking the look of things. That
envelope looked all too familiar.
Rose looked at her with
tear-filled eyes. "He’s dead. I know that’s what the letter’s going to
say. Jack’s gone."
"Oh, Rose, you don’t know
that for sure…do you want George to read it for you?"
Rose looked at the envelope and
then at George. Could she really ask him to do that? They both must think that
she was the biggest coward.
"Here." George gently
took the letter. "I don’t mind. Really."
"Okay." Rose sniffed,
wrapping her now empty hands around her shoulders, not looking at either of
them.
Dear Mrs. Jack Dawson,
The government of the United
States of America is ecstatic to inform you that we have recovered your
husband, Private Jack Dawson. He should be returning home by train in another
week. We will keep you informed.
Rose looked up, blinking in
disbelief. Did it say what she had thought it said? Was Jack really coming
home? He was alive after all? "He’s alive?"
George nodded, happiness and
worry in his eyes. "It says here that you should set up an appointment
with the military psychiatrist. That he’ll inform you of Jack’s mental health.
You know…I wonder what Jack’s mental health is in…you know, an experience like
that has got to be mind-altering."
"Oh, who cares. The
important thing is that he’s alive and coming home." Samantha hugged Rose
happily. In another week, everything would be back to normal.
Really, Rose wasn’t listening to
either of them. Jack was coming home. That was all she could think about. Her
Jack was coming home and she was never going to let him leave her side again.
*****
In a French hospital, Jack lay
awake in the dark room. He looked up at the ceiling, listening to the silence.
He wasn’t the same person he had been when he had left Rose at the train
station all those months ago. What was it now? Over a year? He had changed, but
how much? Would Rose still love him? God, he hoped so. He didn’t know how he
had gotten along without her for this long.
Closing his eyes, he tried to
forget. Forget about the war, forget about the captivity, and forget about the
coming reunion with his family and their reactions to him. All he wanted now
was peace.