A SIMPLE SOLUTION
Chapter Sixteen
Soft music was playing in the quiet
apartment. The victrola Molly had given them was Rose's favorite possession,
and right now, it was playing a melodic, slow song about smiles and roses.
It was evening, and the calm October night
was slowly coming. Rose lay on the bed, her eyes on the window and a serene
smile on her lips. Jack was working late in the harbor and Fabrizio was out for
the night, with Helga. He had taken her to a party, hosted by a friend of
theirs, Angela. A party with dancing, Rose thought, the smile on her
face deepening.
Dancing…how wonderful it would be to go
dancing again. But Jack worked almost every evening, and when he didn't, he was
too tired to go out. She sighed lightly, moving her hand across her abdomen. It
was because of the baby that he had to work so much.
A few weeks earlier, she had had to quit her
job, working as a waitress in a shabby coffee shop. Doctor's orders. She sighed
again, pulling up her legs closer to her stomach. When Rose hadn't been able to
sleep another few nights, had complained about headaches, and they got even
worse if she was up during the daytime, when the apartment was filled with
light, Jack had insisted that she go to a doctor and she had.
She could still remember how Jack had waited
nervously in the waiting room. How the doctor had called him in after examining
her, telling them both that even though she had been feeling great the first
months of the pregnancy, it was a dangerous and difficult one and that she had
to quit her job and get as much rest as she could. If she didn't, her life
could be in danger and she could lose the baby. Rose was a strong woman, both
physically and mentally, the doctor had realized, but the pregnancy was taking
a lot out of her and since it was her first, it was better to be safe.
If Jack minded working the long hours, it
wasn't something he would tell her. She felt bad anyway, and talked about
getting a part-time job, despite the doctor's orders.
Helga worked, Fabrizio worked, so she was
alone all day, mostly sleeping and reading something.
She closed her eyes, willing time to pass.
She longed for January, when the baby was born and she could stop feeling like
an invalid constantly.
Soon enough, she had fallen asleep. She was
shaken out of her pleasant dream by Helga's laughter. Drowsily, she looked up,
and smiled when she saw Fabrizio holding Helga in his arms. They were laughing
quietly, and would have remained oblivious to her if Helga hadn't cast a glance
in the bedroom.
"Rose! We didn't wake you, did we?"
she exclaimed, her blue eyes worried.
Rose shook her head, pushing herself into a
standing position.
"Did you have fun?" she asked,
rubbing her eyes to wake up as she leaned on the doorframe.
"The best," Helga replied, smiling
at Fabrizio as she wrapped her arm around his waist. "Fabri asked me to
marry him and I said yes."
Fabrizio blushed softly as he looked at Rose,
who just grinned happily.
"Oh, I'm so happy for you. I knew it was
only a question of time." She hugged Helga tightly and then reached over
for Fabrizio, giving him a soft hug. "I'm so glad happiness found you
again, Fabri," she whispered and he let her go gently, watching her with a
mixture of gratitude and worry.
"Thank you. I…I promised Jack I'd make
sure you stayed in bed," he said, feeling too embarrassed to let the
attention stay on him. Rose shrugged, walking over to the window.
"I'm fine. I'm just sleepy. What time is
it?" she asked, looking up at Helga. The other woman smiled softly.
"About ten in the evening. We wanted to be longer at the party, but
Angela's daughter wasn't feeling good, so we left early."
She looked into Fabrizio's eyes dreamily.
"The best part of the evening had already gone by anyway," she
whispered.
Rose watched them, feeling a twinge of
jealousy in her heart. Not long ago, she and Jack had been standing like that
and now…he was never there, always working, making money…for the baby. With a
sigh, she moved her hand over her bulging middle, loving the baby, but at the
same time feeling helpless. She wanted to give to the household in some way and
Jack went up the wall every time she tried to do something. He worried about
her, she knew that. She detested that, because it made him solemn and not
happy, not carefree, the Jack she wanted him to be.
Softly, she moved the drapes to the side,
watching the empty, dark street. Where was he? Shouldn't he have been home by
now? Sure, he had come home at midnight sometimes, never waking her up, but she
had been awake anyway. Somehow, she couldn't fall asleep. She felt too
nauseous, too wound up to sleep. The only way she fell asleep was in the day,
when she was alone.
Where was he? She sighed and wondered if he
had gone to have a beer somewhere, maybe see some woman…maybe Tina. She
swallowed hard. She couldn't think such thoughts, she reminded herself. Jack
loves you. Nothing will ever change that.
"Rose?"
She looked up into Fabrizio's worried face.
"I kind of did promise Jack I'd take
care of you. We met him in the harbor and he said he'd have to stay a while
longer."
Rose drew a sigh of relief, relief that he
was working, not that she had really doubted that, but it was good to know
anyway.
"I'm fine. I'm just a bit worried about
him. He's working way too much." She turned back to the window, knowing
that they would leave her alone now. Helga said good night softly and then she
heard the door closing. Rose looked back at where they had been standing, her
beautiful face wrinkled with anxiety.
The baby tumbled about and she bit her lip
determinedly, willing the nausea and discomfort to pass. I can't worry like
this. It's not good for the baby. But…I just wish he were here. I hate it when
he's away working like this. It's late, dark…what if something happens to him?
She pictured him walking alone along the street, not seeing the men behind him,
not seeing as they fired a gun at him…
A pang of pain seized her stomach and she
grabbed the window frame quickly, her hands shaky with fear. Slowly, she sank
down on the chair behind her and breathed in a few times, deeply as the pain
subsided.
"It's not time, yet, sweetheart. Wait a
few months and we'll meet then. I promise you that."
Her whispering voice was breathless and she
still sensed fractions of pain drifting through her body. Sweat beads were
breaking out on her forehead and she brought a tired hand up to her face to
wipe them away. "Not yet. Your daddy has to be here and you have to be
bigger. Forget about what I wished, that you're born already. Forget it."
She looked up in a startled frenzy when the
front door opened, wiping away more pearls of sweat and the small tears the
pain had caused her.
"Hey," she whispered.
Jack had just tossed his coat to the floor
and was leaning down to the floor, his face in his hands as he sighed, his
figure shining with exhaustion and at her tiny voice, he looked up, surprise
clear in his eyes.
"What are you doing up?" he asked
slowly, walking over to her. His blue eyes showed concern when he felt her
sweaty forehead and his arm snaked around her waist, as if to wrap her up in a
safe cloud, where nothing could harm her.
"I…was waiting for you," she
whispered, getting up from the chair awkwardly, grimacing as she lost contact
with the window frame and nearly lost her balance. "I was worried…it's
getting darker and colder and you're out there…"
A soft hand was pressed to her mouth and she
smiled. "Shh…none of that. I'm fine, Rose and I would feel a lot better if
I knew you were sleeping instead of waiting for me like this." He looked
at her in contemplation for a while. "Maybe it would be best if the doctor
came to see you tomorrow. You look a bit pale…" He ran a hand over her
slightly damp hair and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "They didn't wake
you when they came home, did they?" he asked, looking into her eyes.
"They did…sort of. They didn't mean to,
but…"
"They did." He sighed, pulling her
closer into his arms. "Rose…you know what the doctor said, you have to
relax, you can't worry like this. I'm fine. I've been on my own since I was
fifteen and I've managed to survive a few gang fights already." She smiled
slightly, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"I know. But I…I just wish I had a job,
that I had something to do. I sleep all day and then I can't sleep at night and
I…I get these pains, I can't…I just wish it were January already so that I feel
like myself again."
Jack's grip around her tightened and he
kissed her forehead, fear shining in his eyes.
"It's gonna be okay, Rose. I know it
will. Now, come on, let's go to bed. If you can't sleep, you can read me a
story or something, because I'm pooped."
Rose giggled, leaning her body on his as he
led her to the bedroom, helping her to sit down gently.
She leaned back, moving her hands over her
stomach as she watched him take his pants off, then the shirt. He turned,
looking at her with a grin.
"Like what you see?"
"Love it," she replied in a soft
tone.
She smiled as he sat down next to her,
wearing only a pair of softer pants. His chest was bare, and her hands were
automatically drawn to it.
"Jack?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you happy with me…like this…?"
she whispered softly, her heart pounding hard.
"Are you kidding me? I couldn't be
happier if I tried. I mean…sure it's hard work and I'm worried about you
constantly and you can't be having fun, all day alone, but…I love you, Rose,
and I know things will get better for us."
She smiled, relief surging through her.
"Thank you."
"For what?" he asked, touching her
hair softly as he looked at her with wonder.
"For being here. For loving me. Even
though I look like a pale…huge…ugly…"
She couldn't go on, his lips had stopped her
words, and he kissed her deeply, but in a tender way, knowing that she was
tired.
"You're not. You're beautiful."
She sighed happily and seconds later, they
fell asleep, her head on his chest and his hands over her stomach protectively.
*****
Thinking back, Jack realized that it had all
started when Fabrizio got sick. The path that had led to destruction, death and
pain, it had all started with Fabrizio's horrible cold.
One day, after work, he staggered in to see
Rose sitting by the window, writing something in a book.
"Hey, I'm not feeling good, so I'm gonna
lie down for a while."
Rose got up and started collecting things
that could help him feel better. She made him some hot tea and found three
blankets to help him stay warm.
"How long have you had this fever?"
she asked softly, touching his forehead lightly. He shrugged, closing his eyes.
"Since…noon…I don't know. Rose, please,
go rest. I'm fine. Jack…he'd kill me if he knew you were working like
this."
His voice was determined, but Rose just
smiled at him. "I'm fine. The only thing that's really dangerous for me
and the baby is if I worry too much and that's precisely what I'll do if I
don't help you. Now come on, drink this."
When Helga got back from her job, she
practically ordered Rose to leave, that she could handle things now. Rose sank
down on her own bed, feeling the unease spread through her. She had a vague
feeling that this cold was no cold and it was making her scared.
"Hello? Anyone home?"
Smiling a bit, she pushed herself off the bed
and hurried to the living room.
"Hey," Jack grinned at her, but his
smile faded when he saw how tired she was and heard the low murmurs from
Fabrizio's room.
"What's wrong?" he asked, walking
over to the room.
She followed him, but stopped in the doorway.
"Fabri's sick, Jack," Helga
whispered, getting up from the bed. "It could be a cold or the beginning
of the influenza, but I don't…I think it's something else. I worked sometimes
as a nurse back in Norway, so I know. I think we need a doctor."
Jack looked at Fabrizio's closed eyes
worriedly. "Is he gonna be okay?" he asked.
"Sure," Helga smiled, but Rose saw
the undertone in it and swallowed hard. Jack would be devastated if his friend
died.
But instead of moving closer to his friend,
Jack whirled around, pushing Rose out the door. He looked at her wildly,
holding his hands on her shoulders.
"Did you take care of him before Helga
came?" he asked desperately, wishing that she would say that Helga and
Fabrizio had come together.
Rose nodded slowly, tears forming in her eyes
as the meaning of his words rang through.
"Oh God," he whispered.
"I…think I know what it is. Angela's little girl…I met Angela today and
she told me…that the girl has measles. It's not too bad, but when a grown-up
gets it…it can be fatal."
Rose swallowed again, wishing she could turn
back time. She stepped back a bit, not wanting him to see her upset. This on
top of everything. She could lose the baby any day even without this. What had
she been thinking? That I wanted to help him…help him feel better.
"It…I'm sure it'll be okay, Jack,"
she whispered, starting for the kitchen, mumbling something about making
dinner.
"I'll do that, Rose. You…sit down and
rest." He hugged her gently, feeling nervousness seep into his soul when
he felt her wince. He shouldn't have told her about it. She shouldn't be upset.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded painfully, pressing one hand to
her stomach. "It's just…the usual pain. I'm fine. Go…make dinner and…we'll
talk later."
She sank down on the couch, listening to
Fabrizio coughing and Helga whispering softly to him. What Rose didn't know was
what they were talking about. And…the secret that Helga was carrying.