LOVERS LOST AND CHILDREN FOUND
Chapter Five
Jack finally found Rose on the
beach, letting the waves wash over her feet. Rose couldn’t believe that Jack
had a child. Suddenly awakened from her thoughts, she felt a tap on her
shoulder. She turned to see those eyes. They were so blue.
"Rose, I am so sorry. When I
thought you had died, I was miserable. I met this woman named Nicole Lilly. She
fell in love with me. When I told her I wasn’t ready to get married, she got
very upset. So I did it, knowing I’d never love her the same way I did you. I
really married her out of pity. I felt bad. What can I say? Then she left, and
I love my daughter and have taken care of her."
"Jack, how old is your
daughter?" Rose asked, not knowing what else to say.
"She is six years old, and
her name is Summer Rose Dawson." Jack wanted Rose to know he had
remembered her.
"Thank you, Jack, but one
more question…"
"Yes, Rose?"
"How did you survive the
Titanic?" Rose couldn’t believe what she was saying.
"When you dropped me, or
something, I was so cold I couldn’t feel it until the water went up my nose,
and I swam up and a lifeboat brought me to the Carpathia," Jack finally
got out.
"Jack, you know only one
lifeboat came back, so we were in the same lifeboat and on the Carpathia. How
we missed each other is beyond me." Rose, still embracing Jack, started
crying. Jack couldn’t help but cry, too.
"Rose?"
"Yes, Jack?"
"Why don’t I take you to
meet my daughter?"
Rose, who was still letting Jack
hold her, had butterflies in her stomach. "All right, Jack. Let’s
go."
Jack took Rose’s hand and led her
to Mrs. Winslet’s house.
*****
"Daddy! Daddy!" yelled
Summer, running towards Jack.
Jack motioned to Rose.
"Summer, this is Daddy’s old friend, Mrs. DeWitt Bukater."
"No, Jack. It’s not DeWitt
Bukater…it’s Dawson!" Jack smiled widely.
"Dawson? That’s my last
name!" the little girl cried.
"Honey, we need to go to
Mrs. Dawson’s house. Okay?" Jack asked his daughter.
"Sure, Daddy."
Jack, Rose, and Summer headed for
Rose’s house.
*****
Eva, who was on the porch, saw a
little family coming. She stood on the porch and put a hand over her eyes to
see if it was her father and mother…and what she guessed was Jack’s little
girl, her half-sister. Eva ran up to them.
"Hello, everyone!"
"Hello!" the family
said.
As Rose let go of Summer’s hand,
she asked Jack, "Would you and Summer like to come to dinner?" Rose
didn’t really know what Jack might say.
"Sure, Rose." Jack
smiled.
*****
Everyone except Rose, who was in
the kitchen making dinner, were in the parlor, acting as if they had been a
family for years.
"Jack! I can’t believe it!
You threw rotten eggs at the police chief of your town?"
"Yeah. It was pretty
hilarious! Eva, you can now call me Dad." Jack knew he would love having
two daughters.
"All right…Dad!" She
felt strange saying that.
Just then, Rose walked into the
parlor. "Dinner’s ready!" Everyone sat at the table, Rose across from
Jack and Eva across from Summer.
"Rose, you’ll never guess
who I saw at my job at the pier."
"Who? Who?" Rose asked
anxiously.
"Mr. Caledon Hockley."
Jack grinned.
Rose was most definitely taken
aback "Whoa…well, what did he say?"
Eva and Summer were lost as the
adults talked.
"He has two daughters and a
wife. They seemed pretty happy. He asked me where you were. Considering that I
thought you were dead, I said that you were. Oh, and he said that he was sorry
for my loss!"
Rose was smiling. "I guess
people do change."
"I guess they do!" Jack
smiled.
After that, they chatted about
the little things. They also finished their dinner.
"Children, go to Eva’s
room."
"All right, Mother,"
Eva said.
"Jack, please, sit
down." She motioned Jack towards the couch.
"Okay…so, Rose, we have no kids
here, and you sound serious," he said, holding Rose’s hand.
"Well, Jack, now that you’re
here…I don’t ever want you to leave!" Jack went to her lips, and they
kissed in a way they had never kissed before.
"Jack…" Rose said.
"I need you to take me to the stars all over again!"
Jack kissed her one more time,
then said, "The kids?"
They both laughed. "Oh, how
awful of us to forget. What shall we do?" Rose asked, Jack lying on top of
her and his face inches away from her face. "Jack, get off," Rose
said reluctantly.
Jack got off her, thoughts
running through his mind. "I know. We will tell the kids that we are
having a sleepover so you and I can talk more," he said, winking at her.
*****
Eva was playing dolls with
Summer. Just then, Jack and Rose walked in, holding hands.
"Eva and Summer, we are
going to have a sleepover so we can catch up, especially on old times!"
Rose said.
Jack walked over to Summer and
whispered in her ear. "This woman will be your new mommy, and believe me,
she will love you," Jack said. Summer giggled.
Rose and Eva just watched,
wondering what Jack had said.
"Eva, may Summer join you in
your room to sleep tonight?"
"Sure, Mother." Eva was
excited. She finally had a sister.
"Okay. You two have
fun," Jack said, smiling.
"All right. You two
also." Eva couldn’t help but grin as Jack and Rose looked at each other
and laughed.
*****
Rose led Jack into her bedroom
down the hall. When she shut the door behind them, Jack gestured to the lock.
"Oh, I forgot!" Rose
said, locking the door.
"You are very forgetful
these days, aren’t you?" Jack asked.
"I always am…especially
around you!"
Jack pulled her into his arms,
and they kissed. Jack said, smiling, "Welcome to the stars, Rose
Dawson."
Rose loved Jack saying her
name…his last name. Jack turned off the light.