JACK AND ROSE: TOGETHER FOREVER
Chapter Forty-Eight

August 30, 1914

Rose watched Jack walk down the front walk. She waved at him one last time before he started down the street on his way to the gallery. They had been home for over a week now and Rose had finally convinced Jack that he needed to go see what was going on at the gallery since they had been gone. Jack had agreed and left just a minute ago. It was all part of Rose's plan to get Jack out of the house so she could sneak off to the doctor's. Rose smiled and turned to go back into the house. Once inside, she closed the door behind her and walked into the kitchen. She grabbed her shoes off the floor and slipped them on before grabbing a piece of paper. Taking a pen off the counter, she started to write a note to Jack in case he got back before she did. The note said simply that she had gone out for a walk and would be back soon. Rose nodded and set the note on the counter where Jack would definitely see it. She grabbed her purse and house key and started for the front door. The late August heat was scorching and Rose felt warm even in her light summer dress. Walking past the house down the street, she saw Dianna and Meaghan outside on the front lawn. Dianna had a glass of lemonade in hand and was sitting out in the cool grass, watching Meaghan crawl around. Rose waved to her and ran over.

"Hi," Dianna said getting up and coming over, Meaghan in her arms.

"Hi," Rose said back taking Meaghan out of Dianna's arms and looking at the little girl.

"Where are you off to?" Dianna asked as she brushed some dirt off her summer skirt.

"Just into town. I need to run a few errands," Rose explained as she set Meaghan on her hip. "She's getting big," she remarked. Meaghan laughed and nodded her head when she heard her name.

Dianna smiled, "Yes, she is. So where was Jack going, I saw him leave as soon as I came out."

"Oh, he was going down to the gallery. Scott was meeting him there and they were going to go over some stuff," Rose said and handed Meaghan back over to Dianna. Dianna put Meaghan down and she crawled off. Rose laughed as Meaghan found some mud and started pushing her hand into it.

Dianna rolled her eyes, "That girl is going to be a wild one."

Rose smiled, "Well, let me know if I can ever take her for you."

Dianna laughed, "Rose, you have been saying that since she was born." Rose just smiled and waved at Meaghan who was now looking at them curiously.

"I'd better go," she said reaching over and hugging Dianna.

Dianna smiled at her, "Okay. Let us know when you get your pictures back from France."

"Oh I will," Rose promised as she waved to Meaghan one last time.

"Bye," Dianna called as she watched Rose walk away. Rose turned and waved at her friend before disappearing around the corner.

***************

Rose sat patiently in the waiting room of Dr. Lennox's office. Dr. Lennox was the only woman doctor in Santa Monica, and had come very recommended. This was Rose's first time seeing her and she felt a bit nervous. In just a few minutes she would find out if all her suspicions were right and she and Jack did have a child on the way. Sighing, she put the magazine she had been flipping through back on the little table and looked around. Up on the walls were different paintings and drawings, and even a framed diploma that Rose assumed was Dr. Lennox's. One of the drawings caught Rose's eyes. It was a charcoal drawing of the Santa Monica Pier on a cold day. There was one lone person standing at the end of the pier looking out at the ocean. Rose looked closer and realized she had seen this drawing before. Then it hit her; it was Jack's drawing! Rose let out a little laugh and got up to look closer at the framed picture. Yep, the initials JD were at the bottom of the paper. Dr. Lennox must have gotten it from the gallery.

"Mrs. Dawson?" a voice asked behind her. Rose turned and saw a woman with dark hair and green eyes, dressed in a white lab coat, waiting in the doorway of a room off the side. Rose smiled and grabbed her purse off the chair. She followed the woman into the room and sat down on the examining table.

"Hello Mrs. Dawson, I am Dr. Lennox, but you may call me Callie," the woman said looking at Rose.

Rose extended her hand and shook Dr. Lennox's hand before saying, "Hello, thank you for seeing me today."

Dr. Lennox smiled, revealing white, slightly crooked teeth. "It's no trouble Mrs. Dawson, now what seams to be the problem?"

Rose cleared her throat and looked down. "I think, well, I think I might be pregnant," she said after a minute.

Dr. Lennox smiled, "Do you? Well, that's always exciting. Now, you're married right?"

Rose nodded, "Yes I am."

"Okay, that's a good thing. You wouldn't believe how many unwed women are coming in asking if they are pregnant or not. Now, I am going to have to ask you a few questions, then do a few tests. Now, some of these questions may be a little personal, but I want you to answer them truthfully, all right?"

Rose nodded, "Okay, I will."

Dr. Lennox smiled, "Okay then, let's get started." She took a notepad off the counter and wrote "Rose Dawson" on the top, followed by the date. "Now, Mrs. Dawson--"

"Please, call me Rose," Rose said interrupting her.

"Okay then, Rose, first thing I need to know is when your last period was."

"Around the 15th of July," Rose answered finally looking up.

"And how often do you usually get your period?"

"Ah, about every 3 and a half weeks."

"Okay," Dr. Lennox said making some marks on her paper. "Next question…"

About ten minutes later, Dr. Lennox had finished her questions. Some had been so personal that Rose had blushed. But Dr. Lennox had assured Rose that all of this information was between her and Rose only. After a few short tests and a quick "I'll be back in a minute," from Dr. Lennox, Rose was left alone in the room. She tried to breath and calm herself down, but it wasn't working. She was too anxious to find out what was going on. Suddenly, Dr. Lennox came back into the room and sat down across from Rose in a little metal chair. She smiled at Rose.

"Rose, I'm afraid I have some wonderful news for you," she said.

Rose's heart began to beat faster. "Am I…?" she said quietly. Dr. Lennox smiled even bigger.

"You are pregnant my dear."

Rose gasped and her eyes became wide. "Really?" she asked breathlessly as her eyes filled with excited tears.

Dr. Lennox nodded, "Yes you are. Just over a month along."

Rose smiled and bit her lip to keep from crying. She was too excited to say anything.

"Now, I suppose this is your first child," Dr. Lennox said after a minute.

"Yes," Rose said nodded her head excitedly.

"Okay, well, I am going to tell you a little of what to expect. You may feel sick from time to time, but that's normal and that feeling should go away in a few months. Being moody, having headaches, and being tired are also all normal. Your hands, breasts, and feet may swell up, but that's normal too. You probably won't start showing until about month four or five. The baby should is due around the end of April, probably somewhere in-between the 22nd and the 28th. And I would like to see you about once a month to make sure everything is going fine. But first of all I would like to see you in about three weeks. Bring your husband along and we'll talk about some other things, like what will happen when your time comes that sort of thing. Now, be sure to eat good healthy foods, and stay away from alcohol and drugs as much as you can." Dr. Lennox stopped talking and looked at Rose. "Any questions?" she asked.

"No, thank you Dr. Len--Callie, you've been really helpful. Thank you so much," Rose said smiling brightly.

"You're welcome Rose. And please, come back if you have any questions or need anything."

"I will, thank you," Rose said grabbing her purse and getting up.

"Okay, well I'll see you in about three weeks then," Dr. Lennox said taking her notes and putting them in a folder.

"Okay, thank you," Rose said. She followed Dr. Lennox out of the room and into the waiting room.

"Goodbye Rose. Congratulations!" Dr. Lennox said before disappearing down a darkened hall. Rose waved and then approached the reception desk. "I need to make an appointment for three weeks from now," she told the young lady behind the counter. The girl pulled out a booklet and flipped three weeks worth of pages.

"Okay," she said in a bored tone, "we're looking at the 20th of September."

"That's fine," Rose said.

"Okay, we have a nine and a three o'clock open."

"Why don't we go with the three o'clock," Rose suggested.

The girl took a pen out of a mug that was sitting on the counter and asked, "Name?"

"Ah, Rose Dawson," Rose answered.

"Address?"

"17 Pacific Avenue," Rose said getting annoyed at this girl's attitude.

"Santa Monica?" Rose nodded. "Have you ever been this office before?" the girl asked, still using the bored tone.

"No, no, this is my first time," Rose answered.

"Okay, we'll put you on record then," the girl said taking a little card out of a drawer and writing something on it. "Here," she said handing it to Rose, "this is a reminder of your appointment."

"Thank you," Rose said taking it from her and putting it in her purse.

"Have a nice day," the girl said dryly going back to looking at a magazine.

"Oh I will," Rose said under her breath as she started to leave, "when I get away from you." Once she was outside, Rose started to feel better. Joy raced through her body as she started home. She was going to have a baby. Her and Jack's child. Something they made out of love for each other. Boy, wasn't Jack going to be surprised. They had been planning to start a family for months, it had just happened a little sooner then they thought. Rose felt so happy and excited that she thought she could skip home, but she didn't. She somehow managed to make it home and inside the house before squealing with delight and skipping. She made her way into the living room and plopped down onto the couch. Jack wasn't home yet so she still had some time to think about how to tell him. She decided the best way was to just come right out and tell him. Rose sighed happily and closed her eyes. Images of children running around the house and yelling filled her mind.

***************

Later that afternoon Jack pushed open the front door and stepped inside the house. He took off his dress coat and hung it on the coat hanger that was in the entryway. He had almost died from heat in his dress coat and pants, but he had to wear them to the gallery because Mr. Adams was there and he liked it when his employees came in dressed up. And technically Jack worked for him. He walked into the kitchen and found Rose staring dreamily out the window.

"Hi Rose," he said.

Rose jumped and turned around. "Jack, I'm so glad you are home," she yelled running into his arms and giving him a passionate kiss.

"Wow, what's going on?" Jack asked, laughing, as he and Rose pulled away from each other.

"I know something you don't know," Rose said in a singsong voice.

"Oh, do you?" Jack asked as he pulled Rose closer in his arms. "Does it involve me?"

"Oh yeah," Rose said smiling.

"Will I be surprised?" Jack asked.

"Oh yes, hopefully," Rose said nodding. "You want to sit down," she asked pointing to the couch.

"No, I want you tell me what is going on," Jack said shaking his head.

"You sure?" Rose asked.

Jack nodded, "I'm sure."

Rose smiled, "Jack!"

"Yes," Jack said urging Rose to go on.

Rose took a deep breath, "I went to the doctor today."

"Rose, is anything wrong?" Jack asked, immediately worried.

"No," Rose said, "nothing is wrong."

"Well, then what is it?" Jack asked.

"Jack," Rose said excitedly, "Jack, I, we're going to have a baby."

Jack's face when white and his mouth dropped open. "W-what?"

"We're going to have a baby, we are going to have a child," Rose said as a bright smile formed on her face.

"You're serious?" Jack asked a huge smile forming on his face.

"Yes, that's why I haven't been feeling well," Rose explained excitedly.

"Oh my God!" Jack exclaimed.

Rose laughed, "I know! Oh my God, I have been so excited since I found out for sure."

Jack started laughing and a huge smile formed on his face. He picked Rose up by her waist and spun her around. Rose started laughing and put her arms out. When Jack finally put her down, Rose saw that he had tears running down his face. Rose had never seen Jack cry, just occasionally get tears in his eyes. Now he was actually crying, but not from sadness.

"Oh Jack," Rose whispered wiping his face free from tears.

Jack laughed, "I know, I know. I'm just so happy and excited."

Rose too got tears in her eyes when she heard Jack. "I love you so much Jack," she whispered.

"And I love you more then anything. Well, on second thought," Jack said putting his hand on Rose's stomach, "you might actually have some competition now Rosie." Rose giggled before kissing Jack on the nose. "Hey, what kind of kiss is that when I've just heard some of the best news of my life," Jack whispered before pulling Rose into a more passionate kiss. After the kiss he let out a huge yahoo and started spinning Rose around, both of them shouting and screaming with excitement.

************

Rose lay in bed with Jack, her bra and skirt on only, wrapped up in his arms. Jack has had his hand on Rose's bare stomach and Rose had her hand over his.

"So when is the baby due?" Jack asked in a whisper.

"Late April," Rose answered.

"So it happened in July?" Jack asked.

"When we were up in the mountains," Rose said before laughing.

Jack laughed, "I guess this kid is going to like the outdoors."

Rose laughed, "Yep."

"I can't believe there is a baby in there," Jack said as he looked at Rose's stomach.

"Well in about 4 months you'll be able to believe it," Rose whispered. "I am so excited."

"Hmm me too," Jack whispered kissing Rose's hair.

"So when are we going tell the Fosters and Langstons?" Rose asked.

"In a few days," Jack suggested, "we need some time to celebrate by ourselves."

Rose nodded, "Yeah, I like that idea."

Jack smiled, "Okay then. Sunday we'll have them over to dinner and break the news then."

Rose bit her lip, "Jack?"

"Hmm, yeah Rose?"

"Will you promise me that you'll be there when the baby comes?" Rose asked.

Jack turned Rose around so that she was almost lying on top of him, her eyes locked on his. "I promise Rose. I will be there for everything. Every single step of the way," he promised as he caressed her cheek.

"I love you Jack," Rose whispered laying her head down on Jack's chest.

"I love you too," Jack whispered into her hair.

Chapter Forty-Nine
Stories