Chapter One;
It had been thirteen years since the Titanic sank. Rose had spent those years working as a Secretary and raising her daughter, Joseline. She tried to move on from Jack, but couldn't. Everytime she looked at her daughter, she was reminded of him. Joseline was the spitting image of him, she didn't inherit any of Rose's looks. She liked many things, but despised art. She hated art class in school and refused to participate in the lessons. Rose was at the school once a week talking with the art teacher about Joseline's refusal to do her work.
"I am not going to do this." Joseline huffed as she sat at the table staring at her homework. Her long blonde hair hanging in her face.
Rose sat down in front of her and looked her in the eyes "You have to stop refusing to do your class work and homework."
She tucked her bangs behind her ears and looked at Rose "I just hate art. I love all the other classes."
"I have had enough of this!" Rose said harshly as she stood up "You are to do your work from now on. Quit using the word hate! Do you even know what that word means?"
Joseline looked up at her mom and sighed "I do know what hate means, mom. And I hate art!" She knew that she was being a brat, but her mother had to understand that she really hated art.
Rose shook her head and walked over to the counter "You are such a stubborn child." Remembering that her mother called her a stubborn child. She grimaced "I just want you to do the work, please."
"No! You've always told me that I should never be made do something that I don't like."
Rose gasped "That isn't what I was referring to and you know it, Joseline Renee! This is your school work, your future and I work my butt off to pay for you to attend the school."
Joseline stood up and knocked the work onto the floor "I don't care, Mom! I didn't tell you to pay for this stupid school I hate it. I.. I hate you sometimes too.!" she stormed off upstairs to her room and slammed the door.
Rose stood there staring after her, trying to process what her daughter just said to her. She walked back over to the table and sat in the chair. "She's acting just like me when I was her age." She said to herself. She bent over and picked up the stuff that Joseline had knocked in the floor. "Jack im so sorry." she wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes. She laid the stuff down neatly on the table and stood up. She headed up the stairs, stopping outside Joseline's door.
"I love you." She said through the door.
"Go away!" Joseline yelled.
Rose sighed and laid her hand upon the door "I love you, no matter how you feel about me."
She went to her room and closed the door. She sat on her bed and glanced over to the picture of Jack that sat on her night stand. She found an artist on the streets in New York who drew the picture, from the description she gave him of Jack. She was skeptical at first and didn't want to get to excited. When he finished he showed her the picture and she gasped at how it looked identical to Jack.
"I miss you so much." She picked up the picture and ran her finger over his face "I need you so much right now." She sat the picture back down and walked over to the window. She looked out at the night sky and whispered "I love you, Jack, goodnight."
She sat on the edge of her bed, Joseline's words playing over and over in her head. "Where did I go wrong? Why does my daughter hate me?" she asked herself. She shook her head and laid down. She found herself thinking about the day Joseline was born.
January 5, 1913; After hours of pushing, Joseline Renee Dawson was born.
"It's a girl!" The doctor shouted as she laid her on Rose's chest.
"A girl.." Rose smiled as she looked down at her, counting her fingers and toes. "You have your daddys hands and feet." she said smiling. She placed a finger on Joseline's palm, and she wrapped her little finger around it. Her hair had a red tint to it and her eyes were as blue, if not bluer, than Jack's. She was the most beautiful being that Rose had ever laid her eyes upon. "I wish your daddy could be here to see you." she said, not bothering to wipe the tears from her eyes.
What she wouldn't have gave for Jack to be there at that moment. She couldn't help but wonder what he would think of her. Each time she looked at her, she couldn't help but smile. Her heart was filling with joy, happiness and love, but also breaking at the same time. She hurt for Jack not being here, but she loved the beautiful little girl that they had created. She could feel the love radiating from this tiny little being, who had only been born a few minutes ago.
After an hour or so, a knock sounded on the bedroom door. Rose was to occupied with her new bundle of joy, to even notice
"I'll get that." the doctor said.
"How is she and the baby?" the person at the door questioned.
"Fantastic. As a matter of fact, things couldn't have went any better."
"Whew! That is great news. Can I come in?"
"I'll be right back" the doctor said as she closed the door and walked over to Rose "Someone is here to see you, are you feeling up to it?"
Rose nodded her head, not looking away from the baby. She was perfect in everyway and now she had a living piece of Jack. A piece of him that will not only live in her heart and memories, but a piece of him she would get to spend every day with. She finally felt the pieces of her shattered heart, start to mend.
Rose drifted off to sleep, hugging her pillow tight.