LOVE THAT NEVER FADES
Chapter Twenty-Nine

The sun crept into their room, bringing a new day to Jack and Rose’s life. It was the eleventh of June, and the two lovers were still sound asleep, snuggled in each other’s arms. The first to awaken was Rose, whose eyes fluttered when the sunshine landed on her face. She placed a hand over her eyes to shield them from the bright sunlight. She tried to lie on her back, but found that it was impossible to do so, since Jack’s arm was around her waist, preventing her from moving. Smiling, Rose took his hand and kissed his knuckles, then put his hand at his side, uncovering herself and getting out of bed. She went over to the chair where her robe lay and slipped it on, tying the sash around herself. She heard Jack groan and shift to a more comfortable position. Rose turned and found Jack’s arms and legs spread out, the sheets only covering part of his legs. A snore escaped his mouth, his chest rising and falling as he took shallow breaths. Shaking her head, Rose walked over to the door and opened it, leaving the bedroom and closing the door quietly.

When she did so, Rose walked in the direction of the kitchen and went towards the icebox, where she took out a few items to prepare a hot breakfast for Jack and herself. As she was preparing their breakfast, Rose heard a door open. Rose looked up and smiled, hearing footsteps. Rose turned her attention back to her cooking, the smile still on her face.

"Well, good morning, sleepyhead," Rose said, looking up. Her smile faded and she gasped. The egg that she was holding suddenly dropped to the floor, leaving a mess, but Rose didn’t care. Her eyes went wide at the man that she saw standing in the doorway.

Rose had never expected to see this man again—the man who stood in the doorway—looking at her with a warm smile upon his face. Jack had been grieving for this man for the past two months, thinking that he had died on that ill-fated ship. Rose couldn’t find her voice, nor could she unglue herself from the spot that she stood in, for she was too shocked to do so. The man that stood in the doorway began to walk towards her, the smile still on his face. He put his hands on her shoulders and gazed into her eyes.

"Tu è molto bella," Fabrizio said, smiling at her. "Jack is one lucky man."

"Fabrizio?" Rose managed to utter, despite her shock at finding him alive. "You’re alive!"

"Sì, la bella Rosa, I’m alive," Fabrizio said.

"How?" Rose asked. "Jack thought you were dead all this time. He’s been miserable—blaming himself for your death—how?"

"I hit my head on deck rail when smokestack fall down," Fabrizio said. "I was in hospital per due mese—just got out ieri." Fabrizio’s warm brown eyes locked with hers. "I’m ‘a sorry if I startled you—I just wanted to see how beautiful you are—see if Jack has found his angel from heaven. And now I see he has."

Rose smiled, hearing him speak. Tears moistened her eyes when she put a hand on his cheek. "You are a good man, Fabrizio. Any woman who has you as a husband will be very lucky." Fabrizio gave her one of his smiles.

"Grazie," Fabrizio said. His eyes lowered, his smile fading and showing a hint of sadness.

"Fabrizio, what’s wrong?" Rose asked, looking at him in concern and worry.

"Helga—" Fabrizio muttered. "I don’t know what happened to her. I did love her—just like Jack loves you—only I never got the chance to say it to her."

"Oh, Fabrizio, I’m so sorry," Rose said, looking at him. Rose wondered who Helga was and when had they been together. Her eyes suddenly went wide at the realization that Helga was the blonde-haired woman that she had seen fall into the deadly water—the one she had seen dancing with Fabrizio below deck at the steerage party. "I wish I could’ve helped her…" Rose muttered, bowing her head.

"Che?" Fabrizio asked, looking at her. Rose looked up, her eyes filling with tears.

"I should’ve helped her, Fabrizio," Rose said. "I was at the back of the ship with Jack, and—she was hanging onto the railing for dear life—but…she slipped and fell…I’m so, so sorry, Fabrizio. I didn’t mean to kill her…"

"No, no," Fabrizio said. "You did not kill her, la bella Rosa, no. Nobody killed her. It was an accident."

"But—" Rose began.

"Rosa," Fabrizio said. "You no did anything wrong. You are ‘a innocent." Rose looked down, but Fabrizio lifted her face. "You know what I say?"

"What?" Rose asked, her voice choked.

"I say God took her to be one of His angels," Fabrizio said. "Lei è una bella angela…or in English, she is a beautiful angel, just like you are a beautiful woman." Rose blushed, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Thank you," Rose said.

"Prego." Fabrizio smiled. Rose looked at him, putting her arms around his neck and bringing him into a friendly hug. Fabrizio, surprised at first, brought his arms around her, pulling her close to him and breathing in her scent. Rose pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"Are you hungry?" Rose asked. "Would you like to have breakfast?"

"Sì," Fabrizio said. "I’m starving."

Rose smiled at him. "Well, why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll prepare you a nice, hot meal?" Fabrizio obeyed and took a seat in one of the chairs that was beside the kitchen table, while Rose crouched down to clean up the mess on the floor. Having disposed of the egg that she had dropped, Rose continued to prepare the meal.

*****

Jack turned, his hand falling upon the spot where Rose should have been. Feeling the warmth of the sheet that his hand lay upon, his eyes opened and he yawned. Getting out of bed, Jack walked over to the chair and took his pants, which he quickly slipped on. Scratching his head, he opened the bedroom door and went towards the kitchen. When he neared the kitchen, he found Fabrizio and Rose eating breakfast together and talking.

"Jack tells me you are having un bambino," Fabrizio said. "…a baby."

"Well, yes, I am," Rose said, setting her fork down. "Two months along."

"Congratulations," Fabrizio said, smiling at her.

"Thank you," Rose said.

At that moment, Jack stepped into the kitchen.

"Well, good morning, you two," Jack said, going towards the stove to serve himself some breakfast.

"Good morning, Jack," Rose said, looking at him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Sure did," Jack said, serving himself some of the scrambled eggs that Rose had prepared.

"Seems so, since you wouldn’t let me go," Rose said, a laugh escaping her lips. Jack chuckled.

"Well, I couldn’t help myself," Jack said, smiling at her. Rose gave him one of her smiles and continued eating.

"You know, that’s a nice coiffeur you have, Jack," Rose said, looking at him and finding his blonde hair in a tangled mess. Jack’s eyes went upward.

"Well, thank you," Jack said, smiling. "I worked very hard on it."

"I’m sure you did." Rose smiled, finishing up the rest of her breakfast.

Within minutes, the three had finished their breakfasts and Rose began gathering up the dishes. Jack stretched and gave a quiet yawn, scratching the back of his head. Shaking his head to wake himself up, he glanced over at Fabrizio, who was wiping his mouth with a napkin. The bandage was still wrapped around his head, his dark hair falling over his eyes. He heard Rose turn on the faucet, washing the dirty dishes. Getting up, Jack pushed the chair in, and watched as Fabrizio got up as well.

"That was ‘a delizioso, la bella Rosa," Fabrizio commented. Rose looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"Thank you," Rose said, continuing to wash the dishes.

"Why don’t we go into the parlor and catch up on what has happened to us over the past two months?" Jack asked, his eyes gazing into his best friend’s.

"Va bene," Fabrizio said, heading towards the parlor.

"I’ll be right there, Fabri," Jack said, watching Fabrizio sitting on the couch and looking through Jack’s drawings that were atop the coffee table.

Jack walked towards Rose, wrapping his arms around her and standing behind her. Rose stopped what she was doing and shut off the running water, leaning back against him and closing her eyes, feeling relaxed and loved when Jack put his chin atop her shoulder. She turned and put her hands on his bare arms, looking at him and finding that his eyes were shining with love. His blonde hair hung over his eyes, his lips curving into a smile. Smiling back, Rose rested her head on Jack’s chest, closing her eyes and sighing, hearing the heartbeat of her husband. Jack lifted her chin with his index finger and smiled at her. Rose gave him a loving smile as he moved his head closer to hers, their lips meeting in a loving kiss.

Rose’s hands went up behind his neck, her fingers running through Jack’s shaggy blonde hair, while Jack’s hand went to her lower back, pulling her closer. Moments later, their kiss ended, and the two gazed into each other’s eyes. Jack gently caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes and smiled gently. In that moment, a wave of nausea swept through her body, causing Rose to put a hand over her mouth and scurry towards the bathroom, where she hunched over the toilet and met up with her breakfast. When she was finished, she flushed the toilet and got up, washing her mouth out with cold water. Jack reached the bathroom when Rose was wiping her mouth off.

"Rose, are you okay?" Jack asked, concern and worry shining in his blue eyes. Rose just smiled and nodded.

"I’m fine," Rose said, going towards him. "This is normal. The doctor said that I’d experience morning sickness for the next month or so. I’m fine, really. There’s nothing for you to worry about." Jack just smiled and pulled her closer.

"I just don’t want anything to happen to you," Jack said, caressing her curls. "You’re my wife, and it’s my duty to protect and love you. It would kill me if I found out that something had happened to you." Rose laughed.

"Well, something did happen to me, Jack," Rose said, a twinkle in her eye. "I’m married to you and pregnant with our first child. Surely you can’t protect me from having a baby, can you?"

"You’ve got a point there," Jack said, smiling at her. "But that won’t stop me from loving you."

"I sure hope it won’t," Rose said, a gracious smile appearing on her face. Jack smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"I’ll be in the parlor if you need me," Jack said.

"All right," Rose said. "I’ll go change, and then I’m going over to Annie’s for awhile."

"Okay," Jack said, looking at her.

Smiling, Rose headed towards their bedroom, removing her robe and placing it on the chair. She walked towards the closet, pulled out a pale green dress, and set it on the bed, taking off her nightgown and throwing it on her side of the bed. She donned the dress that she had chosen and headed towards the dresser, picking up her brush and running it through her fiery red curls. Looking at herself in the mirror, she found that she looked the same as she had when she had left her old life. Although she had been introduced to that life once again when Cal had given them the two million dollars, she didn’t quite act like a rich lady, nor did she purchase expensive clothing. Rose didn’t want to be a spoiled brat like she had been when she had been in high society—before the Titanic, and before she had met Jack—and just wanted to be an ordinary person, living her life with her husband. Setting her brush down, she got up from the chair, slipped on the shoes that matched the dress, and left the bedroom. When she reached the parlor, she found Fabrizio and Jack sitting on the couch, chatting with each other.

"Well, I’ll see you two later," Rose said, giving Jack a quick smile. and waved to Fabrizio before she opened the door and headed out into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind her. She headed towards the apartment that was across from theirs and gently knocked on the door, waiting patiently for Annie to answer.

*****

Annie was folding Rose’s dress, which she had borrowed the day before, when she heard the knock on the door. Looking up, she set the dress on the bed and headed towards the parlor, going to the door and answering it. There stood Rose, wearing a simple, pale green dress and matching shoes, her fiery red curls falling past her shoulders. Annie smiled and greeted her friend.

"Why, hello, Rose." Annie smiled. "Come on in." Annie stepped aside and allowed Rose to go inside her apartment.

"Good morning, Annie." Rose smiled, Annie closing the door behind her.

"And to you," Annie said. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, nothing, really," Rose said. "Jack reunited with one of his friends, so I decided to leave them alone and come here."

"Well, I’m glad you came," Annie said. Rose just smiled brightly. "Have a seat. Make yourself at home." Rose took a seat on the couch, Annie seated beside her. "Would you like anything to drink? Are you hungry?"

"Oh, no, thank you," Rose said. "I already ate my breakfast, and I’m not quite thirsty at the moment. Besides, I get sick if I eat in the morning." Annie gave her a confused expression.

Annie’s long brown hair was pulled back into a bun, some strands falling around her face. Her warm blue eyes shone with confusion and concern as she sat beside her friend. Annie wore a yellow dress with pink flowers printed on the fabric. Rose played with the two rings that sat upon her left ring finger. Her green-blue eyes looked at Annie as a broad smile came across her face.

"Well, Annie," Rose said, her voice soft yet showing a hint of happiness. "Yesterday, I went to the doctor, and—" Rose was cut off by Annie.

"Why? Is everything okay?" Annie asked, suddenly getting worried.

"My God," Rose said, glancing over at her friend, the smile still on her face. "You’re even worse than Jack is…everything’s fine, really. You didn’t let me finish." Annie nodded her head to continue. "Well, I seemed to have been late, so I went to the doctor, and he told me that I had something that I’m going to have to bear with for the next seven months of its development."

Annie gave Rose a confused expression, taking a moment or two to figure out what Rose was trying to tell her. Looking at Rose, she found that she had a twinkle in her eye and noticed that her hand was resting on her lower abdomen. Suddenly, Annie’s eyes went wide and a hand went to her mouth as she gasped.

"You mean, you’re…" Annie couldn’t finish the sentence. Rose just nodded her head.

"Yes, Annie," Rose said. "I’m pregnant."

A smile spread across Annie’s face as she shrieked.

"Congratulations!" Annie said happily, pulling Rose into a tightly, friendly embrace. Rose smiled and returned the hug.

"Thank you." Rose smiled when they broke from their friendly embrace. Rose gently stroked her lower abdomen and a twinkle shone in her eye, looking over at Annie.

"How far along are you?" Annie asked, the smile still lingering on her face.

"Two months," Rose said, her face beaming. Annie looked at her, her blue eyes shining with happiness.

"I’m so happy for you, Rose," Annie said. "I know you’ll make a wonderful mother." Rose had a gentle smile spread across her face. She remembered Annie’s date with Michael.

"So," Rose said. "How was the date?" Annie’s smile grew larger, looking into Rose’s eyes.

"It was wonderful," Annie said.

"Well, tell me all that happened," Rose said, wanting to know the details. Annie smiled and shifted herself into a more comfortable position.

"To start the night, he took me to a restaurant called La Bella Rosa, which is about ten blocks from here. We took a cab there. Now, let me tell you, the food was delicious. Michael and I had a romantic candlelight dinner with spaghetti and meatballs and a nice salad with Italian dressing on it. We talked about everything and nothing and he…well…he…um…" Annie said, a blush creeping over her face.

"Go on," Rose urged, a genuine smile across her face.

"He kissed me," Annie said. Rose gasped, her eyes shining with hope.

"He kissed you?" Rose asked, her voice soft yet hinting.

"Yes," Annie said, a broad smile across her face.

"Was it a tap kiss. or—" Rose began, before being cut off.

"It was the type of kiss that Jack always gives you," Annie said.

"Oh, Annie," Rose said, looking at her friend. "I really have hope for you and Mike."

"You really do?" Annie asked, looking into Rose’s green-blue eyes, which shone with happiness and hope.

Rose nodded her head. "I have faith in you, Annie. I believe that someday you’re going to share a love just as strong as my love for Jack. Just give it time. I knew from the minute I laid eyes on Jack that he was the one for me, and if you look at Mike and feel a warm, loving sensation go throughout your body, then he’s the one for you."

"That’s what I feel," Annie said. "I feel as if I’ve known him for years, and maybe even longer. I just hope that he feels the same about me."

"I’m sure he does," Rose said, smiling. "I mean, if he didn’t, would he have kissed you like that?"

"Well—" Annie said, looking down at her hands, then up at Rose.

"Annie," Rose said, looking into her eyes with a friendly gaze. "When Jack first kissed me, I knew that from that moment on we were going to be together forever, and I know that with your first kiss, it symbolizes something that can last for a lifetime, and maybe even beyond that. I’m sure that you and Mike might become more than friends, for I’m sure that friends don’t share kisses like that, unless they’re in an intimate relationship."

"You make it sound easy," Annie said. "As if it is easy to love somebody within a few days. How did you know that Jack was right for you? You’d only known him for...what? Three days? Then you fell in love with him? How could you have known he was the right one for you?"

Rose sighed, looking at her friend. "Annie, it’ll come to you. Trust me. As I said before, I knew Jack was the right one for me from his kisses and his…well…um…his…love for me," Rose said, a blush coming across her cheeks as she remembered the night in the car, which had resulted in her pregnancy. "He saved me in more ways than one, and after what we’ve been through, I know that I can’t be apart from him ever again. I love him, Annie. I know I do. My heart tells me so, and no matter what other people think, I’ll always love him. He’s my soulmate, my best friend, and most of all, my husband. There’s nobody I can imagine sharing my love with except Jack. He’s the only man that I can ever love, no matter how long we’ve known each other."

Annie gave Rose a smile that showed understanding and interest. "Sometimes it’s hard to believe that you two are so much in love, when in all reality you’ve only known each other for a matter of days. To tell you the truth, I have never met any couple that has such a strong love as you and Jack. I just hope that someday I might have that," Annie said, looking down at her hands, which played with each other. "And to think that you two were on the Titanic. You two act as if it never happened."

"We try not to think about it much," Rose said. "It was hard enough to share it with some of Jack’s friends, and it’s still hard to talk about it. To reminisce about the dreadful night when Jack and I could’ve lost our lives, I…" Tears began pouring into her eyes, and Rose covered her face with her hands. "I’m sorry. It’s just hard. It’s painful to know that many innocent people lost their lives, and—" Her voice choked up. Tears blurred her vision, looking into her friend’s eyes. "I just can’t seem to erase those screams from my mind. Those dreadful screams for help. I still feel the cold water against my body, and it scares me. I’m just scared. I’m scared that I’ll lose Jack, and—"

"Oh, don’t cry," Annie said, pulling Rose into a comforting hug, giving Rose’s back a gentle, comforting pat, Rose’s head resting on her shoulder, tears cascading down her cheeks and falling onto Annie’s sleeve. "I didn’t mean to put you in such a gloomy mood. Sometimes I don’t think when I speak. I do apologize, Rose. Please don’t cry. You’re going to make me cry." Tears began to moisten her blue eyes. She pulled Rose into a friendly embrace, rocking her back and forth, as if she were a child who needed comforting.

Rose sniffed and took a deep breath, pulling away from the comforting embrace and wiping away her fallen tears with her fingers. Her eyes now held a gloomy look. Her tears still welled up, but didn’t run over. She took a shaky breath, looking at Annie and trying her best to smile, but finding it hard to.

"You must think that I’m too sensitive now," Rose said, her voice shaking a bit from her tears.

"No," Annie said, reaching her hand out and taking Rose’s hand in her own. "I don’t think that at all, Rose. You’ve been through something that nobody else has ever been through, besides those other victims and survivors. Rose, you have shown me what life and love are all about. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have gone this far with Michael." Annie looked into Rose’s eyes and gave her a friendly smile. "Rose, you are the bravest person I’ve ever met. I could never imagine myself being in your shoes. I would have probably died right then and there, but you didn’t give up. I’m glad you’re my friend, and most of all, I’m glad you’re alive."

Rose looked into Annie’s eyes and smiled, finding that her eyes were shining with happiness and thankfulness. Rose took a relaxing breath, drying the remaining tears in her eyes. Rose closed her eyes for a brief moment to stop the tears that were threatening to fall, and once she felt that her tears were in control, she opened her eyes and looked into Annie’s eyes, trying her best to give her a bright smile.

"Oh," Annie said, getting up from her seat. "I have your dress in my room. I’ll go get it."

Rose nodded her head, watching Annie scurry towards her bedroom to retrieve the lavender dress Rose had let her borrow for her date with Mike. She looked down at her left ring finger and caught a glimpse of her wedding ring. Carefully removing her engagement ring, she looked at the engraved words inside the ring. The words written were Make it Count along with the letters J and R intertwined. Although the ring hadn't been as expensive as Cal’s engagement ring, she loved it, for it symbolized Jack’s love for her. Slipping on her engagement ring, she looked at her wedding band, a smile coming across her face as she read the words inscribed into it. Funny thing was, she had never noticed it, nor had Jack even told her he had had it engraved. The three words that Jack had uttered to her, minutes before the lifeboat had come to their rescue. The words that Rose had made a promise of. The three words that were engraved into her wedding band were the words Never Let Go. Something that made Rose realize that Jack’s love meant everything to her, that he was the only one for her, and that she had given up her money and her riches to be with the man who she had grown to love. Staring down at her wedding ring, she felt tears of joy, love, happiness, fear...tears of every emotion that was locked up in her heart. She clutched the ring that had brought them together, that symbolized Jack’s love for her and was proof of their marriage and proof of their love, no matter how long they had known each other. At this moment, Rose felt love, pride, and hope for the man who she shared her love with. With a quiet sob, her tears began pouring out once again. She slowly replaced the wedding band over her engagement ring, pressing her lips against the two rings that occupied her left ring finger.

Annie stood in the doorway that separated the parlor from her bedroom and felt tears come to her eyes, seeing Rose examine her wedding band. Never before had she seen someone so much in love with a person that she sometimes thought that she was dreaming when she saw Jack and Rose together, love shining in their eyes. She looked down at the neatly folded dress that sat in her hands. The beautiful lavender dress that Rose had let her borrow for her date with Michael. After admiring the beauty of the dress, her eyes lifted and looked at Rose, who was wiping her tears with her fingers and sniffing, looking down at her left hand as if she were trying to decide if the rings that were on her finger were real or just imaginary. Annie just stood there for a couple more minutes, admiring the way Rose’s eyes shone with love and happiness. Annie stepped into the parlor and quietly made her way towards Rose, the dress in hand.

"Um…here," Annie said, extending the dress. "Thank you again for letting me borrow the dress. I really appreciate it."

Rose took the dress in her hands, looking at the simplicity, yet it also held elegance and beauty. Rose looked at Annie and smiled.

"You’re welcome," Rose said, her voice hoarse from her sudden tears. "I’m glad you liked it."

A gentle smile played on Annie’s face, looking into Rose’s eyes.

"Would you like something to drink. Rose?" Annie asked. "Maybe that would ease your nerves and calm you down a bit."

"Sure," Rose said. "I’d like that."

"All right. then," Annie said, getting up. "Anything specific that you would like to drink?"

"Anything will be fine," Rose said, watching Annie nod her head and disappear into the kitchen. Rose sighed, looking down at the dress that she now held in her hands. The dress hadn't been as expensive as the ones that she had purchased before sailing on the Titanic, and that had been what had made her fall in love with this dress. One, it was lavender, her favorite color, and two, it had a simplicity to it, with a hint of elegance when it was worn. Rose adored this dress, and she knew that not one dress that had been made for those debutantes would ever come close to the dress she held in her hands. Within minutes, Annie returned to the parlor with a glass filled with something that looked to be white wine.

"Here," Annie said, handing Rose the glass. "I put water into the wine so it wouldn’t be as strong, since you’re expecting."

Rose smiled and took the glass from Annie. "Thank you," Rose said, watching Annie take a seat beside her, holding a glass of wine for herself. Annie just nodded her head and smiled. Rose took a short sip from her glass and felt the liquid relax her nerves. Although the wine wasn’t as strong, since half of the glass was filled with water, she could still taste the sweetness of it. However, the gloomy expression still took over her once happy eyes.

"Rose," Annie said, her voice soft. "You’re still down. Are you sure you’re okay?" Annie had a concerned, worried look across her face, which made Rose take a deep, relaxing breath.

"I-I’m fine, Annie," Rose said, trying to get her voice to sound as cheerful as she could make it, to convince Annie that she was all right. "I’m fine…really." Rose remembered when she had said almost exactly the same words to Jack—when Jack had been concerned that her fire would burn out. She closed her eyes, as if to block the world from her vision and remove the burden that stayed on her shoulders. When she opened her eyes, she looked down at her drink and felt her hands get cold. Annie still had the worried expression on her face, making Rose sit there, totally helpless. She couldn’t hold it in any longer. The pain and the hurt that had lived inside her for the past two months came pouring out in her tears. Rose brought a hand towards her face in an attempt to hide her tears from Annie. She felt Annie take the glass from her and set it on the small table beside them. She felt Annie’s arms go around her, bringing her face to her chest and allowing her to cry.

"Shh. It’s okay, Rose," Annie said, rocking back and forth, as if comforting a small child. "Let it all out, Rose. Everything will be okay. Just cry it all out, and you’ll feel better."

Annie’s soothing voice caused Rose to cling to her dress, tears cascading down her cheeks and her face wrinkling in anguish and hurt.

"Why did it have to happen?" Rose whimpered, her voice barely audible. "Why did the ship have to sink? Why?" Rose’s voice cracked, saying the last word. "I-I try not to think about it…to think about how close I came to losing Jack, but every time I try, it comes back and haunts me." Rose’s body shook with sobs, clutching Annie for dear life. "I still have nightmares about that night. Why can’t it just leave me alone?"

Annie pulled back to look into Rose’s eyes, which were red from her tears of agony.

"Rose," Annie said. "No matter how hard you try to forget about that night, it will always stay with you…and with Jack."

Rose looked at her, her breath shaking as more tears fell from her eyes.

"I’m just scared, Annie," Rose admitted, her voice hoarse. "I’m scared that I’m going to lose Jack…that something is going to go wrong with the baby, that my mother might go back to her old self…I’m just scared, I need Jack…I want Jack!" Rose cried, covering her face as more tears fell from her eyes.

"You want me to go get him?" Annie asked, putting a gentle, caring hand on her shoulder. Rose looked at Annie, tears blurring her vision. She couldn’t even find her voice anymore, but with a slight nod of her head, she gave Annie the answer that she wanted. "I’ll be right back." Annie got up from her seat and headed towards the door. She looked over her shoulder, looking at Rose. "If you want to freshen up, the bathroom is down that hall." Rose just nodded her head, Annie disappearing into the hallway.

*****

Jack and Fabrizio had been talking for the past hour and Jack was laughing at Fabrizio’s last comment when suddenly he heard a knock on the door. Jack got up and went to pull open the door, revealing Annie, who had a worried expression on her face.

"Annie, what’s wrong?" Jack asked. "Is it Rose?"

"Well, it has to deal with her," Annie said. "Jack, she’s kind of gloomy lately. She can’t seem to stop crying, and she’s afraid of losing you. I don’t know what to do, Jack."

"I’ll be right there," Jack said, watching Annie nod her head slightly. With that, Jack went towards their bedroom, where he slipped on the shirt that was on the chair and pulled up his suspenders. As he did so, he made his way towards the parlor, where he found Fabrizio looking at him. "I’ll be right back, Fabri. It’s just that Rose needs me right now." Jack hoped that he understood.

"Va bene," Fabrizio said, nodding his head and watching Jack smile and disappear into the hallway.

When he reached Annie’s apartment, he saw Rose sitting on the couch, her eyes staring downward, a gloomy expression on her face. He suddenly felt his heart begin to weaken, seeing his wife in this state. He had hoped that he would never have to see her like this, all broken up and hurt. Stepping into the apartment, he slowly made his way towards her and crouched down in front of her, holding her hands in his and looking into her emerald-blue eyes.

"Rose?" Jack asked, his voice showing a hint of concern and worry. "Are you okay?"

Rose looked into his ocean blue eyes, finding them shining with worry and concern. Jack crouched in front of her. She felt as if she were a child, finding comfort from her husband. She had thought that she had gotten over the tragedy, but the more she thought about it, the more it haunted her, and the more it caused her heart to break with the mere thought of losing the man who was before her. She couldn’t seem to find her voice, for she was afraid that she would cry once more. Her eyes were red from crying, her face holding a gloomy appearance. She found her vision blurred, looking into Jack’s eyes and finding that tears were once again threatening to fall. She just sat there, totally helpless and scared. Her hands, held by both of Jack’s, were cold and shaking from her agony. Finally finding her voice, she opened her mouth.

"Oh, Jack!" Rose cried, feeling her tears sliding down her cheek. "I-I’m scared, Jack. I can’t get it out of my mind. It haunts me. The screams and the cold water…oh, Jack, please hold me!" Rose cried, burying her face in Jack’s shoulder, getting out of her seat, and crouching down in front of him, clutching his shirt for dear life.

Jack got up, bringing Rose to her feet and holding her close, wrapping his arms securely around her body and burying his face in her fiery red curls. He felt her body shaking with heartbreaking sobs as he whispered into her ear.

"I’m here, Rose," Jack whispered to her as she continued to shed tears. "I’m not going anywhere. Everything will be all right." Jack felt Rose lift her head, meeting with her emerald-blue eyes, which shone with tears of hurt and agony. He felt her tighten her grip on his shirt, looking at him.

"I love you," Rose said in a soft, hoarse voice. "I love you so much. I’m glad you’re here with me. I never want you to leave me. Please promise me that you won’t leave me, Jack…please!"

Jack just looked at her, seeing her eyes shining with hope, hurt, love, agony, and pleading. Jack couldn’t help but press his lips against hers, tasting the sweetness of her mouth and sharing a loving kiss, bringing both of his hands to her face. Breaking away from the kiss, he looked into her eyes with an intense gaze. A gaze of promise and love.

"I promise, Rose," Jack said with certainty and love. "I promise that I won’t ever leave you."

Giving him a smile, she buried her face in his chest and just cried, letting the rest of her tears fall, as Jack’s strong, loving embrace held her with comfort and love.

"I love you!" Rose cried once more, clutching Jack’s shirt, wrinkling it in her grip. "I love you more than words can ever say…"

"I love you, too, Rose," Jack said. "More than you can ever imagine…" Jack held her as close to him as he could. Nothing meant more to him than spending time with the woman that he loved. The woman that had stood by his side for the past two months and agreed to spend the rest of her life with him. That meant more to him than any jewel or money in the world. He was glad to have Rose by his side. To have his Rose—the woman he loved—by his side, forever—until death tore them apart.

Chapter Thirty
Stories