A LOVE REBORN IN THE STREETS
Chapter Six
Cal pounded his knife into the
word inscribed on the table. He had just carved ‘Jack’.
Bill saw his son full of anger.
"Cal, you should go have some fun."
"Father, I want to kill him
now, not later." Cal's rage had only made him more bitter, since he had
lost Rose.
"You wait, son. Fighting is
not just killing someone. He has to earn our respect before we do that. Killing
him for fun just makes you a murderer. Look, Cal, I know he has caused you
great pain, but remember, when it comes time to look into his eyes and push
that knife into his gut, you will thank me." Bill patted his son's head.
"Thanks for the lesson,
father." He stood up and patted his father's shoulder.
*****
Cal walked out with his gang, the
Natives, and saw Jack walking with his gang, the Dead Rabbits. They both stood
their ground.
"What's the matter, Hockley?
Scared?" Jack asked, with a sarcastic approach.
"Not as scared as you’re
gonna be when I come to finish you," Cal said, smirking, almost on the
verge of laughter.
"I am shaking. Come on,
boys." Jack saw Rose coming to him, her face full of joy.
"Jack, I have some good
news." Rose turned to the other gang behind her and saw Cal.
"Rose? You’re alive
too?" Cal could not take anymore. It was impossible that his two worst
nightmares had come true. First, Jack was alive. Then, Rose was alive and still
with Jack. The pressure was building up, and he couldn't take it anymore.
"Cal?" Rose turned and
saw him. He looked totally distraught.
"Why didn't you tell me she
was alive?" He grabbed Jack by the shoulders.
"You didn't deserve to know
after what you did." Jack remembered him shooting at them that night on
the Titanic.
"It's all right. This has
been a long time coming, Jack." She led him away from Jack and pushed him
back.
"You knew I was here?"
Cal asked her.
"I knew, Cal. Jack told me
last night." She held onto Jack's arm.
"You fucking him,
Rose?" he asked her.
She slapped him in the face.
"It's none of your business if I am."
"You fucked him that night
on the Titanic, didn't you?" he scolded her, grabbing her by the
shoulders.
"I did." She said it to
his face, with no regret.
"You little
slut-whore." He cussed at her.
Jack punched him in the stomach.
His boys and the other gang held back so Jack could have it out with Cal. They
toppled over, bleeding. Jack shoved his knife into Cal with a firm thrust. Cal
looked at him. "Never call her a whore again, you bastard. Tell my father
I will even the score." He twisted his knife. Cal fell dead on the ground.
Rose stood there, unable to
believe what had happened. Jack took Rose's hand and led her away from the
scene. Rose was feeling sick, so she went to vomit, letting go of Jack's hand.
"You all right?" He put
his knife in his pocket.
"Jack, why did you do
it?" She was beginning to think that Jack was turning from bad to worse.
"I couldn't let him call you
those names. Even though we aren't married, I will never let anyone call you a
whore, Rose." He didn't want to touch her, fearing that she might be
scared of him.
"I know this is all for
honor, Jack, but he didn't deserve it." She walked with him and tried not
to think about what he had done.
"He had it coming, Rose.
After he almost killed us on that ship, I finally ended it," Jack said,
feeling proud of his accomplishment.
"Jack, I don't know who you
are anymore. You used to be so kind, and now you’re killing people." Rose
looked at him with a serious stare.
"Are you angry at what I
did?" He felt like she had still been in love with Cal by the way she was
acting, but he knew that couldn't be possible.
"I don't know." Rose
just wanted to forget.
"Rose, if you don't want me
around, you just tell me to leave." He would leave her if he had to.
"I don't want you to leave.
Just promise not to hurt any more people unless your life depends on it."
She held his hand.
"I promise. So, what is this
news you had for me?" Jack asked, changing the subject.
"We are having a baby."
Rose smiled at him.
"A baby?" Jack's eyes
lit up.
"Yes." She was glad
that he was happy.
"Good gracious! This calls
for a celebration." Jack took her hand and kissed it.
They went to a small chapel, and
he married her. Rose was glad to become a Dawson, finally. This had been a long
time in coming, and they had finally taken the plunge together as man and wife.
*****
Jack stayed away from his gang
for quite a while, until one day, he found a note on his door with a knife
attached to it. He opened it up. It read:
Someday.
B.
Jack knew what this meant.
"Rose, I am gonna go out for a while."
"All right, Jack. When will
you be coming back?" She lay in bed, thinking of their unborn child.
"I don't know. I have some
people to talk to." Jack wanted to find out if the time was coming for the
big battle.
"All right. See you tonight,
then." She kissed him good-bye, and he rubbed her belly.
Jack found his way, and met up
with Johnny. "Johnny, what's going on?"
"It's all over town, Jack.
Bill wants revenge on you for killing his son," Johnny said, looking
around.
"Do you know when?"
Jack took out a cigarette and lit up.
"I don't. There hasn't been
any word." Johnny wondered to himself if he was safe traveling on the
street with Jack.
"Will you keep me
posted?" Jack looked over at him.
"I will. What have you been
up to lately?" Johnny asked, pushing the hair off of his face.
"I got married. Rose is
pregnant. I have been doing some drawing lately, earning a good enough salary
to buy a nice place." Jack was really proud that he had made an honest
woman of Rose.
"Good going." Johnny
patted him on the back.
"How are you?" Jack
asked.
"Not so good. Jean found out
that I was cheating and left me. She married some fellow and left with my
child." Johnny knew it was better that Jean and his child were off of the
streets.
"Are you okay about
that?" Jack couldn't live a day without Rose. He could never let her marry
someone else.
"Yeah. I wasn't doing right
by her. She deserved more than I could give her," Johnny said, not
regretting it.
"Well, I guess it's all for
the best. I will meet with you soon." Jack got a strange feeling all of a
sudden.
"All right, Jack. Talk to
you later," Johnny said, and they went their separate ways.
Jack went back to the house, and
for some reason, he felt strange again. Something was happening. He could feel
it. He raced home, and found Rose in a corner, clutching her stomach.
"Rose, what's wrong?"
He pulled her to her feet.
"The baby, Jack. I think
it's time, but this is not feeling right. Something's wrong." She just
knew it.
"I will get the
doctor." Jack got up, but Rose pulled him down.
"It's too late for that. You
have to do this now!" She was sweating and in pain.
"Lay down," he ordered
her.
He looked at her, and he saw the
baby feet first.
"Honey, the baby is
backwards." He was nervous. He didn't know what to do.
"Breach. Push it back, Jack.
Turn it around," she said, knowing that the pain would be ten times worse.
Jack pushed the baby back. Rose
was screaming. He did it in a hurry and turned it around somehow. Then, he
pulled it out. It was lifeless and a little blue. Jack had no idea what to do.
His little girl wasn't going to die on him. He started to massage the heart, as
if by instinct. He pulled all the sac away from the baby's face. She started
crying, with a choking sound.
"There's my little princess.
Rose, she's beautiful." He smiled at Rose.
Rose lay down, feeling weak after
seeing her daughter. She ended up falling asleep on the floor after the
traumatic delivery.
Jack cleaned the baby, then put
her into a crib, cleaned up the mess, picked up Rose, and put her in bed with
the baby by her side. He had to turn Rose to her side so the baby could nurse.
Rose awoke. Something was pulling
and tugging at her nipple. "Jack?"
"I am here, Rose." He
lay next to her with the baby between them.
She looked to see the baby
nursing from her breast. "She's the prettiest thing I ever saw."
"She is indeed." Jack
smiled.
Rose got up, trying not to
separate herself from the baby. She held her in her arms with tears in her
eyes. "Welcome to earth, Jenny Everdeane Dawson Vallon."
"You want to call her Jenny
Everdeane?" Jack wondered about the strange name.
"Yes. My friend's last name
was Everdeane. I want to use it." Rose wouldn't feel right if she named
her little girl anything else.
"All right. Little
Jenny." He patted the baby on the head.
Rose smiled at their creation.
She couldn't imagine being any happier than this.