NOBODY SAID LOVE WAS GONNA BE EASY
Chapter Twelve
The Next Morning
They were moving Jack to a hospital in
Madison. Rose wanted desperately to go with him. She followed them to the car
when Christina grabbed her shoulders lightly.
"Rose, you need to stay here. Jack will
be fine. I promise."
"You c-can’t promise me anything, Christina.
Can’t he come home with me? I can take care of us," Rose said, sobbing. Christina
held her tightly. Robert looked in their direction. Rose had been through so much
in the past sixteen days.
"No, he can’t come home with you, Rose.
You have been through enough these past sixteen days. Jack is going to stay at
the hospital where they can look after him. Stay here, and I’ll go and get
transportation back to our house. Okay?"
"No! I want Jack to stay with me. I
can’t lose him, too."
"The doctors will take care of him,
Rose. They know what they’re doing." Christina led Rose over to a nearby
bench so she could get off her feet. She was cold, scared, crying, and shaking.
Christina did her best to comfort her. A few moments later, Robert pulled up
with a small carriage to take them back to the house.
*****
When the trio reached the house, Christina
and Rose got out while Robert went to return the carriage. When he returned to
the house, he saw Rose and Christina on the couch. He motioned Christina into
the other room.
"How is she?"
"How do you think she is, Robert? All
she’s done is cry and want to see Jack."
"Hopefully everything will turn out
okay. Have you told her about the baby?"
"No. I don’t want her to get
upset."
"She most likely won’t. After all, she’s
still pregnant with one child."
"Yeah, but…"
"But what, Christina? She still has
something to keep her going right now, and she needs to know that. Jack’s in a
coma, Christina…and he might not wake up, either. Go and tell her she hasn’t
lost the other baby." Robert nudged Christina, and she went in and sat by
Rose on the couch again.
"Rose…there’s something you need to
know. I know you’re still hurting and everything, but you need to know that
somebody needs you to help it survive in there."
"What are you talking about, Christina?
I’m not understanding you," Rose said, perplexed at her friend’s use of
words.
"I’m saying that you’re still pregnant.
The doctor said you must have been carrying twins and only lost one." Christina
looked at Rose, wondering what she was going to say. Rose’s eyes started to
tear up. She started to sob gently. She was saddened by the loss of one of her
children, but the fact that a part of her and Jack had still survived gave her
some hope. There was doubt in her mind, though. What if Jack didn’t want this
baby?
"Are you okay, Rose?"
"Yes. Thank you, Christina…thank you so
much for telling me. It means a lot to know I still have a baby."
"You’re welcome, Rose. Everything is
gonna be fine," Christina said, comforting her friend.
*****
Two and a half months passed, and there had
been no change in Jack’s condition at the hospital. Rose moped around the house
a lot. She only ate because she was pregnant. Every other weekend they went
into Madison to visit Jack in the hospital.
*****
"Rose, are you ready?"
"Yes. I’m coming." Rose walked out
the door, where Christina was stepping into the horse drawn carriage. Robert
tapped the whip over the horse’s back and they started trotting down the rocky
path. It would be dawn when they would arrive in Madison. Christina looked at
Rose to see how she was…she was doing fine, but Christina noticed something
different, and did a double take.
"Rose! You’re beginning to show!"
Rose smiled at Christina and nodded. Rose was now four and a half months
pregnant. She was happy that she was showing evidence of the surviving baby.
She rubbed her belly, feeling the baby inside her. Rose was silent on their way
there. When they reached the hospital, the doctor told them they could go right
in. Robert and Christina thought Rose should go in by herself this time. Rose
entered the room and sat in a chair next to Jack’s bed.
"Jack, please, wake up. I need you. We
need you," Rose pleaded as she put his hand on her belly. The baby kicked.
Jack felt this and squeezed his hand in response to it. Rose felt him do that
and looked at his face as he started to wake. Rose became instantly
enthusiastic and went to go get the doctor, but when she came back with the
doctor, his eyes were closed again.
"I’m sorry, Mrs. Dawson, but sometimes
coma patients have false alarms and open their eyes for a few seconds."
Rose looked at him and sighed.
"Do you think he’ll ever wake up?"
"Honestly, I don’t know. Some coma patients
don’t and some do. It depends on the person," he said, walking out of the
room and leaving Rose to sit next to Jack. A few hours later, they had to
leave. They arrived back at the house around ten, and all went to bed.