It was almost 5 P.M. Rose was sleeping as I laid beside her, watching her, and being so goddamn thankful that everything worked out okay, so far. I wanted to stay there with her, but I had to pick the kids up. Then I remembered that the kids were with someone Rose knew, I hated having to wake her up.
"Rose," I whispered.
"Mmm?" she replied her eyes still closed.
"I need to go pick up the kids."
Rose opened her eyes and stretched and said, "Okay, I'll go with you."
"Are you sure? You look so comfortable."
"You don't know where to go."
"I know, I know," she continued, "I shouldn't have overreacted and sent them to some lady I hardly know."
"Well I'm not worried about it," I said getting dressed.
"Jack," Rose said sitting up, "Can we move back to Santa Monica?"
I looked up at her and said, "Let's go pick up the kids first, and then we'll talk more about what we'll do, okay?"
Rose nodded before getting up to get dressed.
Rose directed me a few blocks north of town to pick up the kids. She left them with the lady who owned the popular bakery shop. She asked me to wait in the car while she went and got them. I couldn't help but watch Rose suspiciously as she walked up to the door, I don't know why, but I was; and I was happy she wanted to go back to Santa Monica, no matter what had happened. I figured that if Rose wanted to confront Cal, maybe I should try to find and confront my brother, maybe we would find out which insane person decided to leave someone or something's blood around the house, and why.
I don't think we would be able to live in that same house though. I'm not too sure, but I am sure that James and Lucy will be very happy to know we are returning.
Rose began to make dinner when we got back to the house. After the kids were done eating, they went to play in their room. Rose and I went into our room and sat on our bed across from each other. I looked down as I held her soft hands, our fingers entwined together.
We talked about moving back to Santa Monica, and about finding Cal. I told her about my brother. I told her I was sorry for letting everything get messed up, and that all I ever wanted was for her to be happy, to have what she deserves. I didn't want to see her the way I first saw her, a broken and lost girl, crumbling under the command of someone who gave no freedom whatsoever to her. I didn't want to picture that, I wanted to picture her smiling, her happy face, smiling at me, laughing at me, loving me the way I had always loved her. And I always would love her.
"I'm sorry," I said to her.
"Don't be sorry," she said shaking her head, "You've done more than enough! You saved me, Jack, and I don't think you realize that, if it wasn't for you, I might not be alive right now, and yeah, you're right, I probably wouldn't have..jumped..that night, but something would have happened if you weren't around. I know it would have."
"Well," I said looking up at her, "We'll go back to Santa Monica, and we will straighten everything out, even if it kills me."
"I won't let it kill you."
Rose put her hand on my cheek and kissed the other. I brought her closer to me and we held each other for a few more minutes before deciding to call James and Lucy with our good news.
After talking to James, we laid down in bed with the kids with us. They were excited about going back, but that meant another very long and boring road trip. As they snuggled between us, Rose turned to her side to face me and gave me a huge smile.
We were the lucky ones. If we were able to survive the disastrous sinking of the Titanic, why wouldn't we be able to survive anything else?
We decided to leave the day after tomorrow; and when we got there, James, Lucy, and Heather were there to greet us. It felt like home. A positive environment was what we were really in need of, and being around our best friends was sure to help give us what we needed, and even more.
We weren't able to stay in our old house, but it was okay because the house we move to was closer to James and Lucy's house. I was able to get my old job back, and Rose still insisted on finding herself her own job. I told her there was no need to, but she wanted to have something else to do, to help get her mind off of things. We agreed that she wouldn't go looking for any kind of job until after we straighten things out with Cal, and with my brother, and that might take a long time, or it might take a short time. I wasn't so sure at the moment, but I was sure glad to be back in Santa Monica.
As James told me about what had gone on around there while we were gone, I looked over at Lucy and Rose talking away, and Rose turned to me and gave me that big smile I've always loved seeing, and it took me back to when we were on the Titanic again, watching the sunset and talking about someday going to Santa Monica, and leaving the God forsaken lives we were leading at the time. Here we were, we were home; I smiled back at her and she turned away to watch the kids run around in the front yard with their arms stretched out like birds flying away into the sky. They were free; we were free.