MEMORIES
Chapter Five
Jake Dawson
The next picture Rose picked up
was of herself holding a tiny baby…the son she had had with Jack. Another
memory that was as clear in her mind as if it had happened yesterday.
*****
It was a dreary and cold day…a
day that reminded Rose Dawson of the Titanic. She couldn’t believe that it had
been just nine months ago that she had met the love of her life and lost him,
all in such a short period of time. But at least she had his baby and his
spirit here to keep his memory alive.
Sighing deeply, Rose stood up to
head for her room when it happened…her water broke. She couldn’t believe it was
happening so fast. Sure, she had been suffering from a terrible backache all
day, but she had never thought it was labor. Quickly slipping on her raincoat
and grabbing the suitcase she had packed for the stay in the hospital, she was
heading for the door when there was a knock.
"Who can that be?" Rose
breathed, trying to keep herself calm. She opened the door to see a kindly
young man with blonde hair and blue eyes smiling at her. He almost looked like
Jack, but he was more brawny, and his hair was curly, not straight.
"Excuse me, ma‘am. I hate to
interrupt you here on such a rainy night, but I’m new to this building and I
was wondering if you can tell me where room 358 is located," he politely
said.
"Do you have a car or a
carriage or something?" Rose gasped as a sharp pain gripped her abdomen.
The baby was wanting to make its entrance soon, and she didn’t have much time
for niceties.
"Excuse me?" The man
blinked in confusion.
"Car. Do you have a car? If
you haven’t noticed, I’m going to have a baby any minute now, and I need to get
to the hospital!" Rose breathed.
"Oh. A car! Yes, right this
way." The man grabbed her arm and led her downstairs and outside to, ironically,
a Renault. Rose had to laugh at that. The car model where this baby had been
conceived was the same model as the one that was going to get her to the
hospital to deliver it.
"Ma’am?" the man asked,
wondering why she was laughing.
"I’m all right. Just
drive," Rose directed.
*****
Five minutes later, Rose was in
stirrups, screaming and pushing. A couple of times, she looked to the side and
could have sworn she saw Jack standing next to her, a concerned smile on his
face, but she was sure it was her imagination. Besides, with the way she was
feeling right now, it was best that Jack was dead or she’d be ready to kill him
herself for putting her in this situation.
"Come on, now, Mrs. Dawson.
Push!" the doctor ordered.
"I can’t!" Rose cried.
"I can’t do it anymore!"
That was when she heard the soft
whisper. "Never let go, Rose. No matter how hopeless…never let go."
Gathering up the strength she had
left, Rose pushed, and a little cry rang out in the room.
"It’s a boy! You have a
beautiful baby boy!" the doctor exclaimed triumphantly.
Rose laughed in happiness. A boy.
Just what she wanted. She smiled as the baby was put in her arms and sighed
happily as she noticed the blonde fuzz on top of his head and the bright blue
of his eyes. The baby looked so much like his father.
"What’s his name?" One
of the nurses came up next to Rose.
Again a soft voice spoke in her
ear. "Jake."
Rose smiled. "Jake. His name
is Jake Fabrizio Dawson."
The nurse nodded and held up a
camera. "Do you mind?"
"Oh, of course not. Go
ahead." Rose smiled, holding the baby so he could be fully seen in the
photograph. She could have sworn that she felt a hand on her shoulder as the
picture was taken.
Present Day
Rose grinned at the picture of
her firstborn son, Jake. He was such a good boy…so much like his father. Rose
again peered closely at the picture and spotted what she was looking for. Jack.
He was there, of course, sitting beside her, a hand on her shoulder, looking
down at his son with pride and love shining in his eyes. Rose wished Jack had
been able to be there physically for Jake, but she knew that he had been there
the best way he knew how, and that was what mattered.