Rose has had Cora with her for a whole two days now and she had loved every single moment of it. It had been two days of pure heaven of taking care of her small daughter, from preparing her meals, brushing her hair, to reading her bedtime stories. Taking care of Cora kept Rose from dwelling too much on her returning memories and from dwelling on the situation with Jack. It had all been about Cora.
Cora seemed to be happy to be with Rose as well. She hardly cried and spent most of the time smiling and having fun. It was obvious that the child adored being with Rose, but by the third day, Cora was grumpy. She kept asking for her daddy and stating that she didn't feel good. Which caused Rose to worry and even think that the child was running a fever.
It was noon and Rose again pressed a hand against Cora's forehead with a worried frown as the child sipped some apple juice. "I swear that she has a fever. Plus she keeps asking for Jack and she is acting like she's not feeling well. I really do think I should take her home if not call for a doctor."
Ruth sighed and rolled her eyes, again feeling impatient with her daughter. She was not ready to return Cora back to her father just yet, plus she was sure that this "sickness" was all in Rose's head. She was being overly cautious.
"Really, Rose. All the child needs is a cool bath and she'll be as good as new. She'll be fine. There's no need to return her to her father just yet. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. I don't know how many times you had asked for your daddy at that age," Ruth tsked.
"That's because daddy was the loving parent, obviously," Rose glared at her mother. All of the memories of her relationship with her mother had returned and it was a chore to not tear into the woman, especially at times such as now, where Ruth was being critical.
"Now you two, there is no need to argue. It'll only upset little Cora here," Molly quickly stepped in, feeling exhausted from playing referee between Rose and Ruth. "Rose, if you really feel like you should take Cora to Jack and maybe get his opinion do so. I am sure that he would be a better judge on if the child is sick or not."
"I think I'll do that, Molly. It's the best I can do for her and even if I am overreacting, it's best to overreact than do nothing," Rose picked the little girl up into her arms.
"I'll come with you," Ruth moved to grab her purse.
"That will not be necessary mother. Cora and I can make it to Jack's on our own. I'll get in contact if it's anything serious."
Ruth frowned as she watched Rose get Cora and her own coat and leave without another word.
"I was only trying to help," Ruth sighed, shaking her head.
"I think right now it's best that you give Rose her space, Ruth. She's wrestling with a lot right now, including how you had tried to make her marry that horrible Hockley."
"Yes, I know. I have a lot of trust to regain, but still..."
"It takes time Ruth and right now, that's all you really have," Molly shook her head and returned to her own room, leaving Ruth to her own devices.
….
Jack stared at the picture that he had just sketched of Rose. It was the first time he had ever set eyes on her on Titanic. The memory of that moment was so clear, it was almost like it had happened yesterday. She had been so beautiful and so untouchable. He had never dreamed that he would end up married to her and have a child. Shaking his head, he turned the page to a recent picture he had drawn of Hannah. She was smiling and was holding a flower out to Cora, who was not in the picture. It had been a moment that he had captured on paper. The love for a child that wasn't hers was clear in her eyes and she looked like a loving angel, there to put back together what had been broken.
Two women. Both were beautiful, but there was only one he could choose. Yet he was no closer to making that choice than he was two days ago.
A hurried knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. He frowned, wondering who the visitor could be. No one had been expecting any company and he wasn't expecting a visit from either woman anytime soon. Closing the portfolio, he got up and opened the door to Rose and Cora. Cora's small head rested against Rose's shoulder and she seemed pale and void of energy, which was unusual for the two-year-old, and Rose...she had tears in her eyes as she hugged the little girl close.
"Rose? Cora?" Jack frowned, not liking what he was seeing. "What happened?"
"Cora's sick. At least I think she's sick. Mother thinks that I'm overreacting, but she has no energy, she keeps crying for you, and...Jack I think she's running a fever. She feels warm to me, but mother said that's normal, but...I don't know Jack. I'm scared and...I brought her home. I figured you would know if this was normal or not," Rose was on the brink of panic now. What if this was her fault? What if she had done something wrong?
Hearing the fear and self-blame in Rose's voice, Jack gently took Cora into his arms and kept his voice calm. "Hey, it's alright. We'll take her inside and send for a doctor. It's normal for children this age to catch a bug or two. Come on in," Jack lead the way into the house, just as Lisa was coming down the stairs.
"Cora's back?" Lisa stared, surprised to see the little girl back so soon.
"She may be sick. Will you please go fetch the doctor. Tell him that it's an emergency," Jack replied, before entering the nursery and placing Cora in bed. Rose stood behind him, hugging her shoulders and fighting her own tears. "Has she eaten anything?"
"She had some toast and apple juice. She didn't seem like she wanted to eat anything. I'm sorry, Jack. I don't know how this happened. I thought I was doing a good job, but this morning..."
Jack turned around and placed a hand on her shoulder. He knew the fear and guilt Rose was feeling all too well. He had felt it a million times before himself in the past two years. "Hey, it's okay. There's no reason for you to be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. You've done everything right so far. You knew she wasn't acting normally and that she felt warm and you brought her home. Even if this was all an overreaction, and I don't think it was, you did good, Rose. So stop blaming yourself and stop feeling guilty. Children fall ill sometimes. It's no one's fault. We just have to make sure that we do right by them by noticing their symptoms and getting the doctor. You've done that."
Hesitantly, Rose walked up to stand next to him and looked down at her now sleeping daughter. "She's so much more relaxed now that she's at home with her daddy."
"Yeah. She'll be comfortable here in her own bed," Jack gently stroked his daughter's soft curls, his heart aching to see her even a little bit ill. "Thank you for bringing her to me. I don't like being away from her when she's sick."
"I wish that I had never been away from her. I can't believe how easy it is to love someone so deeply. I'd do anything for her."
"She's a part of you. Of course, you'll love her deeply. All mothers feel that way about their children I bet."
Rose couldn't help but snort derisively. "Not all mothers. Take my mother for example. If she loves me like I love Cora, she has a funny way of showing it."
"Is she giving you a hard time again?" Jack frowned. Was he going to have to ban Ruth after all?
"No, not really. It's just that...my memories are returning and I remember why I faked my death. She was horrible to me. All she cared about was money. She didn't care how I felt. She just didn't want to become a seamstress...and then what she said about the lifeboats not being crowded...she's a horrible woman, Jack."
Jack's frown deepened. "Wait...you're having Titanic memories?"
Rose winced, realizing her slip. She hadn't meant to let Jack know that she was remembering some things from Titanic. "Yes. I know, you said you'd help me, but you have so much on your plate already."
"Maybe, but I still want to be of some help to you, Rose."
"Well, maybe you can't be. Not all the time," Rose looked away, feeling horrible when she saw the flash of hurt in his eyes. She hadn't meant to hurt him. "But I am thankful that you want to help, Jack. I am, don't think that I'm not. I just know that it must be hard on you too. I want to spare you as much pain as possible."
"Just remember that you can come to me if you want. I'll never turn you away."
Rose simply smiled, touched that he still wanted to help her, despite the confusion that she had injected into his life, but she was determined not to lean on him too much, for her own sake as well as his.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence for about thirty minutes before the doctor returned, with both Lisa and Hannah behind him, much to Rose's surprise.
"Lisa said that Cora's sick?" Hannah entered, not surprised to see Rose there.
"Yes, she's running a fever and the poor thing has no energy," Jack gently stroked the child's cheek, wanting her to know that her daddy was there. "Rose said she managed to get her to eat some toast and apple juice, but she's still sick."
"Oh, poor thing. Not to worry, I am sure daddy can fix her," Hannah stood behind the worried parents as the doctor, her father, stood on Jack's other side and began to examine the child.
Fifteen minutes later, the doctor had his diagnosis. "She has a cold. It's in the early stages and since she's healthy, it should clear up. Just give her plenty of liquids and give her a cool bath to keep the fever down."
"So she'll be alright?" Rose worriedly wrung her hands.
"She should be back to the healthy child she normally is in no time at all. But if it'll make you feel better, I'll have my daughter Hannah here stay and keep an eye on things. That way, if something unexpected pops up, she can come to fetch me," The doctor closed the bag that he carried his instruments in. "If that is okay with Mr. Dawson here."
"Of course it's okay. Jack and Hannah are to be married, after all," Lisa chuckled, also relieved and perhaps also thinking that it'd give Hannah a chance to convince Jack that she was a better choice than Rose.
"I guess I can stay...if it's alright with Jack...and Rose of course," Hannah stammered, taken off guard by Lisa's statement. Did she even know what was going on with the three of them? Would it even be appropriate for her to stay, with Jack still undecided?
"It's alright. This way, I can stay with Cora and don't have to bother Lisa if something comes up," Jack nodded.
"Okay. Well, that is that. Hannah, you will be rooming with Lisa, of course," the doctor gave his daughter a pointed look. His daughter and the young man may be practically engaged, but there were still social rules to follow and he wanted to make sure that there was no scandal to be had.
"Of course she'll be rooming with me! It'll be like a slumber party," Lisa laughed, causing Jack to roll his eyes.
"Lisa, why don't you two see the good doctor to the door?" Jack turned to face his cousin, feeling a little better now that there was a diagnosis.
"Sure," Lisa lead the doctor and Hannah out of the room, leaving Jack alone with Rose.
"See, She's going to be okay," Jack grinned, turning back to his daughter.
"Thank god. I was so scared," Rose rubbed her eyes, not surprised to find that there were still tears there. "I guess I still am. It's going to be so hard to leave her tonight."
Jack paused at Rose's words. Of course she wouldn't want to leave Cora's side. She shouldn't have to. Not when there was plenty of room. "You don't have to leave her tonight. You can stay here with her, if you want. There's room."
"Really? I won't be intruding?"
Jack chuckled and shook his head. "Of course not. You're her mother. You have as much right as I do to stay by her side when she's sick. Plus, I think it'd ease your mind to be here with her. You go back to that boarding house and you'll be up all night worrying about her."
"I'll still worry, Jack."
"Yeah, but at least you'll be here to see for yourself that she's okay."
"You have a point there. Alright. I'll stay. Thank you. I really appreciate this."
"There's no need to thank me. I'll just go send Lisa to tell Molly and your mother you'll be here overnight and then prepare the spare guestroom for you since Hannah will be sleeping in Lisa's room.".
"Okay."
Rose watched him go before she turned back to Cora and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. Normally, she'd be over the moon at Jack's offer to stay. But not only was Hannah going to be there too, but really all Rose could think about was Cora and giving her child the love and care she needed. Everything else could wait.
