A SIMPLE SOLUTION
Chapter Thirteen

Only two or three hours later, at about six o'clock in the morning, Rose opened her eyes to find that the bed was empty. She sat up quickly, looking from one side of the room to the other. A smile came to her face immediately when she saw him sitting on the windowsill, looking out over the street, drinking something from a white mug.

"Good morning," she whispered softly and moved closer to the edge of the bed. He looked up at her, smiling lazily.

"Hey…beautiful," he said hoarsely, getting up from the hard and cold seat to lie down next to her. Her lips curled into a new smile at his words and her arms closed around his waist, like magnets attracting iron.

"What are we gonna do today?" Rose asked softly, her head resting on Jack's chest, his hand moving up and down over her back.

"Meet Molly for lunch I guess and I go to work soon…" He noticed the light of disappointment that shone in her eyes and quickly kissed her softly. "I have to, Rose. But tomorrow is Sunday, so I'm gonna stay at home the whole day. We can…plan the wedding."

Rose nodded, smiling again. "I just can't believe that I'm gonna be your wife…nothing seems more perfect, more wonderful…"

Jack squeezed her hand gently in response to that. She looked up at him, her smile still remaining beautiful and sincere.

"So, what are you gonna do today?"

She shrugged, moving her fingertips over Jack's stomach. "I have no idea. Stay here and…maybe clean this place up." He looked at her as she lifted her head and pretended to be offended at her playful insinuation.

"So, this isn't clean?" he laughed, tickling her as they rolled around on the bed until Rose sobered, looking into his eyes.

"I never want to be apart from you again, Jack," she whispered softly, her hands coming around his neck as she stared up into his blue eyes.

"Hey, you leave again and I'm gonna go mad and they'll put me in a mental institution," Jack replied, laughing at her shocked expression.

"I won't ever leave you," she promised solemnly, her eyes shining with love. "Ever. Ever…for as long as I live I'll never leave you."

"Good," he smiled as he brushed away the red curls from her eyes. "Last night was amazing," he breathed close to her face and she just laughed softly, pulling him closer so that he lay on top of her.

"Rose…come on, we can't to do this now. I have to go…I have to be there in half an hour." He laughed at her as she pouted, rolling over on her stomach in the bed, watching the sunrise through the window.

"What do you do?" she asked in an interested whisper as she looked up at him again.

He shrugged, not wanting to tell her that he was just stacking boxes in the harbor, that he was just a simple worker, not what she expected from a man, what she deserved from him…

"Nothing special, believe me," he said abruptly, getting up from the bed. He had his back turned to her as he approached the door, but suddenly he felt her hand on his shoulder and he turned slowly, looking into her eyes, so full of innocence and love, of unconditional love.

"Nothing you do can be anything less than wonderful," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist as she placed her head on his shoulder, smiling softly.

He let his arms find their way around her waist, breathing in the scent of her hair, of her presence in his arms. Maybe she was right. Maybe nothing he did could be less than wonderful, at least that was true for her.

"I…work in the harbor. You know, stacking things and loading the ships. Stuff like that. It doesn't pay that much, but I'll try to find a new job now, with the baby and all. I…"

Her hand came on top of his mouth gently and she smiled. "No. You don't have to. I'll get a job myself. Jack, I don't want you to think your job is worth nothing. And I don't want you to work, work, work and forget about drawing. That is what you're truly meant to do."

Jack stared at her, her soft body in his arms distracting him from thinking clearly. He took a deep breath, smiling at her.

"Well…I don't want that either. But I don't want you to work, Rose. You deserve more than this. More than I can give you, but…"

"Oh, be quiet. You can give me everything, Jack. Everything."

Her throaty whisper made him lean even closer and they lost themselves in a passionate kiss, before Jack finally stepped back, breathing hard.

"I have to go now." She laughed and kissed his mouth once more and then watched him leaving her, walking backwards towards the door, not wanting to leave her at all, even if only for a few hours. What if she wasn't here when he came back? He placed his hand on the door handle and was holding his hand there, looking at her, unwilling to move.

"You'll be here when I come back?"

She nodded, smiling as she walked up to him, taking his hand.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I? Now, go, or else you're gonna be late."

Sighing softly, Jack leaned his head on the door. "Wish I could stay," he whispered, leaning forwards slightly, his lips brushing hers. "I'll…be…back…around…twelve…" His words came between the kisses and she giggled softly. "And then we'll go to Molly's."

Jack groaned when she turned around, walking back to the bed seductively. She lay down, smiling up at him.

"I thought you were leaving?"

He laughed, opened the door and then disappeared, running down the stairs. He wouldn't have been able to leave at all if he had walked.

Rose sighed happily, listening to his footsteps, disappearing down to the street. Just when silence had replaced Jack's breathing, Jack's footsteps and Jack's voice, she sat up slowly. The usual feeling of nausea had washed over her and she swallowed hard. Her hand caressed her stomach softly and she spoke in a quiet voice to the baby, telling him or her that everything was all right now.

Her hands grasped the edge of the bed tightly as she pursed her lips, refusing to throw up. She had important things to do and didn't have time to be sick. Willing the sickness away seemed to work and a few minutes later she got up, got dressed quickly and with determination, she started cleaning up, making the small apartment with two rooms and a kitchen look more like home and less like a place where you slept after work.

The months living at Molly's hadn't been a total waste. Molly had taught her how to clean, cook, and wash clothes and everything else she would need to know in the real world. The world where no maids and servants picked up after you and cleaned your clothes. Rose smiled to herself as she washed the sheets from the two beds and then hung them out to dry on the small balcony overlooking the street. She cleaned the floors and made the kitchen shine.

All the while, she was singing happily. The song that had jumped into her head was one that the little girl Jack had danced with that night in steerage, Cora had been singing with one of her friends when they had been waiting to leave the ship, just after she had left Jack. The two girls had been dancing together, laughing as they sang the words. Rose smiled at the memory.

I love you and you love me
Pretty little Silver Heels!
I'll build you a big teepee,
If you will come and cook my meals.
Young Chief's blue and all for you,
Plenty heap he love sick feels.
Don't be missing, heap much kissing,
Silver Heels!

"There, I'll leave the rest for later," she smiled, looking at Fabrizio's clean and tidy room and then she turned back to Jack's room, her room now, too and sank down on the bed, her legs and arms tired from all the work.

As she leaned back on the bed, her eyes caught sight of something on the windowsill, the only place she hadn't gone near yet. It seemed to be a piece of paper and carefully, she pulled it out from under the stack of dusty books, probably books that had been in the apartment when they had moved in, as they were very old and didn't seem to be the kind Jack would read.

The paper was soft in her hands and she let her fingers follow the forms on it. It was a drawing, more beautiful than any other she had seen. Not even Jack's drawing of her in the cabin that night was as beautiful and soulful as this one. It was a hand, curved slightly as it rested over a striped shirt. The shirt she had slept in. Rose's other hand covered her mouth quickly as she stared at it. It was her hand, she was probably asleep and she was lying on her side, her hand resting on her stomach lightly.

Jack had scribbled something next to the image. The date, June 29, 1912 and his own initials. Then there was something at the very bottom of the drawing and Rose smiled from ear to ear when she saw what it said in Jack's familiar handwriting.

Beautiful hands.

Rose grinned, touching the text softly. He had drawn this that same morning, before she had woken up. How wonderful wasn't it to be Jack's girl, Rose sighed. Jack's fiancée, Jack's wife. His inspiration. And never again would they be apart. Never. Rose's young and naive heart pounded hard at that.

She sat down again, still studying the drawing. Suddenly another piece of paper fell to the floor from her grasp and she picked up a new drawing, one that had been hidden by the first one. Hidden with good reason. Tears of sadness filled her eyes when she looked at it.

It was she again. Only her back was visible, but she was carefully looking back at him, tears shining in her big eyes. There was no real date, just the year, 1912, and Jack's signature was just Jack, written quickly and then tossed to the ground, Rose imagined sadly. He must have drawn this the night she had left. She hadn't wanted to. He had wanted her to. To keep her safe, but this showed her that it had hurt him just as much as it had hurt her.

"Oh Jack," she whispered. "We should have known that love conquers all. Safety before love is not an option." With another sigh, she lay down on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

After what felt like only a few minutes, she was awakened by a knock on the door. She shook her head to return from dreamland, where Jack and she had just arrived in Santa Monica and were riding in the surf. Who could that be? She wondered, but since the door didn't have a peephole, she had to open it. Only a crack though, only a crack to see who it was. This neighborhood was better than the one where Tommy had been stabbed, but it was still not safe.

It was a girl standing there. Her brown hair hung in her eyes and she looked very puzzled at seeing Rose.

"Hi…um…is Jack here?" she asked softly, nervously wringing her hands.

"No," Rose replied curtly, her green-blue eyes watching the girl sharply. Who was she? And what did she want with Jack? Had Jack…? No. He couldn't have. He loved her. But who was she? She's beautiful, Rose thought with a sinking heart.

"Well, when's he coming home? I have to talk to him. He's got to help me with something. He's got to." The girl started to move into the apartment, but Rose stood her ground and didn't open the door.

"I'll give him a message that you need to talk to him when he comes home," she said coldly, crossing her arms on her chest as she tried to figure out who this girl was.

"Oh…all right. I'm Tina. Jack's girlfriend."

Tina smiled at the shock that entered Rose's angry eyes and then turned around, hurrying downstairs. That girl had to have been Jack's lost love, the first-class girl who had dumped him, Fabrizio had told her all about that. Well, she wouldn't stay with Jack forever now. Not when she knew that Jack hadn't exactly been sitting at home crying. Tina smiled to herself.

Rose just stared at the empty space where Tina had been, her eyes blank. Her hands shook as she grasped the door, pulling it shut, her movements awkward and forced.

"No," she breathed, sinking down on the floor, her back to the door as she wrapped her arms around her legs.

"Jack wouldn't…he wouldn't…" She kept repeating that as she grabbed hold of the couch, pulling herself up from the cold floor. He loves me. Me. No one else. But I left him. No, I didn't. He told me to. He wanted me to. Oh God, what am I going to do? I'll leave. I'll leave again and go to Molly's and then I'll go away forever, leave all this.

The two drawings still lay on the floor beside the bed, mocking her, telling her that she had been a fool, a fool to think that he would continue loving her. He just proposed to me because of the baby. Because of the baby. Nothing more. I can't…

Two tense hands closed around her stomach as she sank down on the bed, still not sure what to do. She needed him. The baby needed him. But you couldn't base a relationship on needs and security. She tightened her jaw, anger shining in her eyes. How could he do this to me? How could he? I'm going to show him. I'll show him. I'll leave and never come back and he'll never see his baby and he can sit in bars with Tina, the little slut, whore…

She gulped down air violently, closing her eyes. She was going to get some writing paper to write him a letter, saying that it was over, not like she had in the last letter, told him about the baby nervously, still loving him. No, this letter had to show him that she no longer loved him and never would again. When…the door was swung open. Fabrizio stood there, looking at her with questioning eyes.

"Rose? Something wrong?" he asked with concern. Her face was deathly pale and she was biting her lower lip tightly.

"Yeah, something is wrong all right. I'm leaving. Jack has some little slut of a girlfriend here, so I'm gone. If he turns up here, tell him I don't…love…him…" Her hard, cold and metallic voice was about to say anymore, when sobs overtook her body and she buried her face in her hands.

Fabrizio walked up to her cautiously. "Don't cry," he said in a small voice and when she looked up, he was sitting next to her, touching her shoulders softly.

"You shouldn't be upset," he whispered, pulling her into his arms.

"But…I can't help it. Do you know about Jack's girlfriend, Tina?" Rose spit out the words as if they were venom, killing Tina and Jack and everyone who had ever hurt her.

"Rose, please calm down. Wait for Jack. Let him explain." Fabrizio's heart sank at the mentioning of Tina. This was another thing that was his fault. He had told Tina about Rose and said that Rose wasn't the one for Jack. Tina must have been here and put horrible ideas in Rose's head.

"I will not calm down!" Rose yelled, getting up from the bed and she started pacing the room angrily, her breathing short and vehement.

Just when she had stopped pacing for a moment, leaning on the bedpost, the door opened once more. Jack stood there, his face slowly turning pale and his mouth half-open, as if he wanted to say something.

Rose looked at him sadly and then felt her body give in. Fabrizio quickly pulled her down on the bed and she sat there, staring at Jack with such anger and hatred that Jack felt like he was being shot. Shot with bullets made of love and hatred. The strongest ones you could find.

"Care to tell me about little Miss Tina?" Rose asked, her tone dripping with contempt.

Betrayed. By Jack…? Jack has…Jack? Jack who was so worried about me last night? Jack who was so nervous when he asked me to marry him? That same Jack?

Her eyes narrowed in confusion and she took a step towards Jack. "Please tell me what's going on," she begged, this time softly.

Jack closed the door, not saying anything, his blue eyes filled with worry and regret. He looked at her upset face, her trembling hands that seemed to want to strangle him.

"Jack? Tell me." Her voice was quivering now as she prayed that Tina had been lying, that he didn't know her at all. It was all some cruel trick. But Jack's eyes told her it wasn't so.

"Jack?"

Chapter Fourteen
Stories