A LADY NAMED ROSE
Chapter Three
"Jack!"
With a cry of astonishment and pure joy, Rose
ran to him.
For one blissful moment, their bodies
collided; her hands caressed his face, and her lips brushed his...
And she jumped back in shock.
"You're so--so cold," she
whispered.
He looked just the way he did in life, that
day he walked her around the deck of the ship. But he was no longer smiling,
and his eyes had suddenly lost that mischievous twinkle they'd held. Undaunted,
Rose reached for him again; she would cling to him and not let go this time.
Jack, however, only retreated, and shook his head.
"No, Rose," he cautioned sadly.
"We can't. Not yet."
Her eyes teared and began to spill over. How
could she not touch him, feel him, know he was real?
"Jack, I've missed you. I miss you so
much. I want to stay with you. Please! I can't make it on my own."
He took a step towards her, then another, and
another until their faces were mere inches apart. Rose had buried hers in her
cupped hands. It was an illusion, another dream that, no matter how wonderfully
it began, would soon turn to a nightmare.
"Rose, look at me," he demanded.
She refused.
"You're not dreaming."
Startled, Rose lowered her hands and forced
herself to meet his eyes. And to her delight, his expression was not one of
disappointment as she expected, but one of happiness. Happiness, she realized,
at seeing her.
"Now look around you," Jack
instructed.
Rose's jaw dropped. The sterile hospital
corridor had disappeared altogether--and been replaced by the bow of the
Titanic!
Instead of tile she felt wooden planks
beneath her bare feet. Her eyes darted around and she could tell that--though
mostly hidden in dense fog--all was intact, clean and shiny as on the day the
ship set sail. A spectacular sunset illuminated the horizon, and the calm ocean
was the color of Jack's eyes.
For an instant, she could see the two of them
at the railing, Jack supporting her around the waist, her arms outstretched.
She could feel the gentle swaying motion of the ship as she clasped his hands
and let his mouth find hers...
He was speaking to her, urgently now.
"Remember, Rose? Remember how it was for
us those two days. This is what you should take with you."
"But--"
"Don't cry for me," he insisted,
his voice softening. "I'm fine. I'm with my friends, and my parents. And
don't cry for yourself, either. You have a promise to keep."
Rose nodded. "I didn't forget,
Jack."
"I know." Jack carefully slipped
the diamond necklace into the coat pocket and gave it to her. For the briefest
of seconds, their hands brushed against each other; his flesh was like ice. It
was all Rose could do to keep from recoiling from him again. But it was Jack
who began backing away.
"I have to go now," he told her.
The mist had begun to envelop him again. Rose stared into his face, unblinking.
She wanted the image burned into her memory.
His eyes were filled with love.
"You're the strongest, most alive woman
I have ever known, Rose. You'll have the life you've always wanted."
"Not without you," she said.
*****
"Miss Dawson? Rose?"
It was Meg, finally returned to Rose's
bedside. "I have great news! Bridie--my sister--says you can come live
with her 'till you find yerself a job."
She seemed overjoyed, at least much more
excited than Rose, who was still trying to recall where she was. When it dawned
on her, all the wonder and delight she'd felt during her encounter with Jack
dissipated and she was left empty. It was just a dream after all. Just another--
"What's this?" Meg interrupted her
thoughts with a high-pitched squeal. "How did you get this???" The
nurse lifted Cal's overcoat from the chair alongside the bed. "I am
certain the cloakroom was locked. My, this is cold! Rose? Rose, are you all
right?"
"Rose????"