ESCAPE
Chapter Twenty-Seven
"What are you going to do?" Cal’s
manservant, Gerrings, asked him in his hotel room.
"What can I do? Rose has, weighed down
with all her belongings and two small children, managed to escape across the
country and through the fingertips of a hundred and twenty trained men. The
girl broke out of a guarded asylum, for God’s sake! What choice do I have? I
guess I have to go see Dawson."
*****
"You shouldn’t have looked down on him
so much on the phone," Rose teasingly reprimanded Jack.
"Why not? He deserved it."
"I know, but what if he has something up
his sleeve?"
Jack pulled her to him and wrapped his arms
around her slim figure. "Look, I don’t care if he shows up on that
doorstep with the president of the United States and a grenade in his hand.
With a gun aimed at my head. I’m not about to let you go. And, what’s more, I’m
gonna get you two a divorce if it’s the last thing I do. Trust me on
this."
*****
The president of the United States didn’t
show up with Cal. And there was no grenade. Neither was there a gun. Cal was
only accompanied by his chauffeur, who drove off once Cal was in the front
door, and would return an hour later, just as he had been asked to.
So it was just Cal who was led through the
ornate white doors of a room by the butler. And it was only Cal who took in the
light, airy breeze of the house. In the room sat Jack on an overstuffed white
couch. Rose, prettier than ever, sat beside him. It was a large room, and on
the other side there was a large window overlooking the backyard, and through
it Cal could see Jacob and Jayvelin playing a game of sorts. Never had he seen
them this happy.
"Have a seat." Cal’s head snapped
back to Jack and Rose as he sat down in a comfy beige chair facing them both.
"Well, I’ve come."
"Yes." Jack smiled. "And it
really is a shame that I was lying. Surprised, huh? No, you aren’t getting your
family back, though why you care so much I’ll never know."
"Jack!" Rose scolded him before
turning her attention back to the culprit. "Cal, for about three years
now, you have made my life a living hell. Whether it was in my own house,
locked in a cell, or traveling hundreds and hundreds of miles just to get away
from it all, never have you shown me any mercy. So it really is your lucky day,
because I won’t be as cruel. Reporters would have a field day if I told them my
story, and no amount of your bribery would keep them from printing the
truth.
"You have worked hard to keep your
reputation spotless. You’ve ruined a girl’s life by getting her pregnant and
refusing responsibility. You’ve made up crimes that almost led to death just so
you might get your way. You locked up your own wife, the mother of your
child, for refusing to take anymore of your shit, Goddammit! Do you know
what would happen if these things were put out in the open? So, as even you can
see, I could ruin your life with a slip of my tongue. Do you really think your
precious daddy would leave anything to a son like you?
"But it’s really your choice if you want
all this to come out. That’s right. I’m willing to make a little bargain with
you. In exchange for my silence, I want a divorce."
"And how exactly will that help my
reputation any?" Cal asked, after a long beat. "Do you think Nathan
Hockley looks kindly on divorced sons, either?"
"I realize that. And if you would just
think a little, it’s really quite simple. You found your poor, crazy wife. But
after all your kind, loving care, she has shown no signs of improvement. The
doctors say that it would be better if she were unattached from family, so a
divorce is necessary. Then, crazy, free-spirited Dawson marries her."
"Okay. That seems fair enough to
me."
"Oh, that’s not all."
"No?"
"There’s just that little matter of the
children."
"But if my poor, crazy wife needs to be
unattached from family, then it only makes sense for me to keep the
children."
"Not so. They’re the only joy in her
life, and Jack is willing to take care of then. There will be doubts from many,
but in the end, her loving children lead to a full recovery soon after the
marriage."
"You’re blackmailing me out of my own
children?" It wasn’t asked in anger; just sadness. It was in that instant
that Rose realized how lonely Cal had been this whole time; how sad and lonely.
She leaned in affectionately and kindly said,
"Cal, for just a moment forget about your reputation and your inheritance
money, and really think about the kids. Jayvelin’s lived her whole life without
a father. Don’t you owe her something? And even when he’s so little, I know
that Jacob could never thrive in the lifestyle you’ll give him. Please, for
their sake, make the right decision."
There was a long, hopeful pause. Finally, Cal
spoke. "All right. But you have to understand, Jacob is still my son, and
there’s no denying that. I want to be able to visit him often."
"Sure. That can be arranged."
"So we have a deal, then?" Jack
spoke.
"Not quite. Rose, there’s something I
should tell you."
"Yes?"
"The last time you saw your mother was
at our wedding, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, now you know what it’s like to go
a long period of time without seeing your children, and she’s in town next
weekend, and..."
"I’ll be sure to see her."
"Okay. We have a deal, then." Cal
shook hands with them both as his chauffeur pulled up in front of the house.