HEARTS WILL GO ON
Chapter Twenty-One
Jo Dawson
January 2, 1933
Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia
It was hard to open my eyes. My
head felt like I’d been run over by a car. I couldn’t remember what had happened
before I’d fallen asleep. The last thing I remembered was my fight with Jack
and Jonathan proposing.
"M-Ma?" I groaned,
blinking in the morning sun.
"She’s asleep," the
exhausted male voice answered, and I turned my head to see the man who was my father
sitting there. Ma was across the room, curled up in an armchair asleep.
"Where am I?" I
muttered, rubbing my eyes.
"You’re in the hospital.
Hypothermia. You fell through the ice, kid," he replied quietly. Suddenly,
I remembered what had happened. Edwards had gotten to me and we both fell
through. He’d hit his head on the way in and was knocked unconscious.
"Did you pull me out?"
I asked, unsure of the little I did remember.
"Of course," he
replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "You know, I
once told your mother, ‘You jump, I jump.’ It’s goes the same for you…" Damn
it all to hell. I began to cry again.
"Why?" I asked, and he
tilted his head, looking at me.
"Because I’m your father.
It’s what we do. Look, Jo…" he said, running a hand through his hair,
which was wild again. "You were right…I’ve been running for too long. It’s
about time I am who I am." Cracking his knuckles, he said, "Before
Christmas, when I left, I went to Boston to reclaim the company. I didn’t want
you throwing your life away on my behalf. You’re still welcome to run it with
me if you’d like, but I don’t think you really want it."
"How would you know?" I
retorted. "You don’t even know me," I said, though it was lame.
"Yes, I do," he said.
"I know you very well. I know your favorite color is green and your
favorite food is turkey." He paused. "I think, Jo, that it is you who
doesn’t know me, and that’s my fault. So here goes. My name is Jackson Andrew
Dawson, Jr. I lived in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin until I was seven, when we
moved to Boston. We went back to Chippewa Falls often. When I was fifteen my
parents were killed. I ran away to Europe and stayed there until I was your
age. I won a ticket on that ship and met your mother. Whereupon…you were
conceived. The rest, you know." He stopped.
"How did you survive? My
mother swears you were dead," I said.
"Honestly? I don’t know.
Apparently, we hadn’t been there as long as we’d thought…the cold had made us a
bit loopy. I woke up a week later in a hospital. I lost feeling in my right
foot and part of my left hand. I was in the hospital for six months, fighting
pneumonia, hypothermia, and other complications. The nurses told me I also
suffered from night terrors, but I never remembered them." I fought hard
to keep myself indifferent.
"Did you love my
mother?" He glanced at her and nodded.
"Yes," he whispered.
"I still do."
"Good. Because if you hurt
her, I’ll kill you," I said. He laughed finally.
"I wouldn’t dream of it…but
who’s to say she’d even have me after all I’ve done?"
"Because she loves you,
too." I looked at my hands. "She said you never told her." He
nodded.
"I didn’t because I wanted
her to be able to move on if I didn’t make it. I never dreamed she would become
pregnant."
"Are you sorry she
did?" I asked. I had to. I wanted to know.
"Never, Jo, never."
"The first time I ever saw
your picture, I knew…you’re so like her," he said. I looked at her. She
was breathing evenly.
"But I’m like you,
too," I said. A smile came to his lips.
"So I’ve heard. From
everyone," he said. A groan from Mom diverted our attention.
"What time is it?" she
muttered, sounding irritated.
"It’s 10:30," I
answered. "She hates mornings," I explained.
"Jo?" she asked,
getting up.
"Yeah…I made it," I said,
and before I could say anything else, she was smothering me with her maternal
nonsense. It was nice.
"Where are the boys?" I
asked when she let me breathe again.
"They’re here. Dave took
them for something to eat." I tried to sit up, but couldn’t.
"Dave? Dave is all right?
What about Gloria?" I asked, and Mom put her hand up warningly to silence
me.
"They’re fine. They’re
married now. They got married yesterday. They called from the train station,
and when they found out what happened, they came back to Olivia’s. Jonathan and
I were their witnesses," she said as I remembered Johnny.
"Where is Jonathan?" I
asked, remembering that I’d sort of promised to marry him. She smiled and
looked toward the door.
"Sleeping in the chair
outside the room, I’d imagine, though I would hate to wake him. He hasn’t slept
much since your accident."
"How long have I been
out?" she asked Jack. He looked at the clock.
"About three hours," he
replied with a yawn.
"Haven’t you slept at
all?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"Nope. I hate
hospitals," he said.
"Wonderful…" she
muttered. "Hungry?" she asked and he nodded.
When she looked to me, I said,
"I haven’t eaten in two days. What do you think?" She laughed and
left the room. I heard her talking to Johnny outside the room before I heard
him scrambling to get up. It was actually a nurse, however, who was the first
to come in. She sighed. Loudly.
"Mr. Dawson, you need to
take this medicine. You have a cold!" He raised an eyebrow at her and took
the medicine, wincing as he swallowed it. She left in a huff as Jonathan shyly
came into the room.
"Hi," he said, and I
smiled.
"How are you?" I asked.
Jack got up.
"Well…I’m going to go help
your…mom…with the food and stuff," he said, clearly feeling a bit awkward,
but understanding that I needed to speak with Johnny.
"Thanks…" I trailed
off, not sure what to call him. I nearly said Tom, but he wasn’t Tom at all. He
was Jack…and more importantly, he was my father. I couldn’t bring myself to say
Dad, though. It almost felt like I would betray James Calvert’s memory by
saying it. I knew James wouldn’t agree, but it was still strange.
"I thought you’d never wake
up," Jonathan said, sitting on the edge of my bed. I swallowed.
"I’m glad I did," I
said with a yawn.
"I am, too," he agreed.
"Could I…?" He stopped and frowned.
"What?" I asked,
He whispered, looking around,
"Could I kiss you?" I laughed, even though my body was sore.
"Of course…if you still want
to marry me, that is…"
"Oh, yes…" he said, and
kissed me lightly, but we both jerked back when someone walked into the room.
"I don’t believe
it…Josephine Dawson…back from the dead!"
"Shut up, Dave…" I
muttered as he threw himself at me.
"I thought we’d lost you,
Jojo…" he said as I hugged him weakly.
"I heard you got
married," I said, noticing Gloria standing shyly behind him. She stepped
forward.
"I’m so sorry that my
father…" she said, biting her lip. I patted her hand.
"It’s okay. I’m sorry about
your loss," I said. After all, the girl had still lost her father.
"That’s all right. At least Mom
and I are okay now. David and I are moving to New York, and she’s coming with
us."
"That’s great!" I said,
sitting up with Johnny’s help. Dave nodded.
"Your dad wants me to help
head up the company in the city."
"My dad? Oh, you mean
Jack." I laughed nervously. "I don’t think I’ll ever get used to
that."
"Now that we know the
truth…it’s so obvious," he replied. "I mean, you do remind me a lot
of him. The way you guys talk and your weird habits…"
"Thanks a lot, Dave," I
said dryly.
"You know what I mean,"
he said.
"So, how was your
wedding?" I asked.
Gloria thought a moment before
saying, "Short." We all laughed.
"It was in the hospital
chapel," Dave said, putting an arm around her.
"It was crowded,"
Jonathan agreed. "And there were only four of us there!" Another
round of laughter.
Mom walked in a minute later,
arguing with Jack. The boys were close behind them.
"Really, I am perfectly
capable of carrying food myself, if you would have just…"
"Rose?" he replied,
setting the food down.
"What?" she asked, her
eyes blazing.
"Just hush up. For two
seconds…okay?" I hid my smirk and rolled my eyes.
"Get a room…you’re making us
all sick," I interjected, and Mom turned to give me a look of death.
"Yeah, Mom…shut up already!
He’s just helping," Jamie said. This time, my mother’s look of death was
for Jack.
"Nice," she said, her
voice dripping with sarcasm. "You…are so annoying!" she shot at him.
"Yes…we covered that
point…about twenty years ago," he retorted. That did it. She broke, and I
noticed her start to smile before stopping herself.
"I like him, Mom…he’s
funny," Jamie said, and Luke agreed.
"Me, too!" he cried,
which set Jamie off.
"Copycat!" he said.
Before they could start fighting
again, I interjected, "Would everyone stop fighting for two minutes? I
have not eaten since New Year’s Eve!" The room became silent as Mom
dropped a bowl of hot cereal in my lap.
"Here," she said. I
made a face. I hated hot cereal.
"It’s that or nothing,
Josephine, so I suggest you eat." I spooned some into my mouth and tried
not to wince. There was no flavor.
"And by the way, Jack
Dawson…you were annoying then, and you’re annoying now!" she said,
crossing her arms. He remained cool.
"You weren’t complaining
then," he replied smoothly, and I cringed.
"Too much information, thank
you."
"And another thing!"
she went on, obviously looking for a fight. "I still haven’t forgiven
you!"
"I hadn’t expected you, too,
Rose…you’re too proud. And I don’t blame you if you never forgive me…" he
said, just as calm as ever.
"Fine! I forgive you!"
she said. Jamie leaned over to me.
"What is wrong with
her?" he asked. I shrugged.
"She’s a loon…" I
whispered. He giggled.
"What?" she asked
testily, and I raised one eyebrow at her.
"Oh, I was just wondering
when you two were going to kiss, because you’re driving us all nuts."