Chapter Twenty Three

My heart sank. I knew it didn't matter, but I really did hope that I was the father. Seeing a baby that was the result of the love that Rose and I shared rather than a baby made from a horrible and abusive relationship would be a beautiful thing.

Rose took my hand and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "Don't be," I smiled. It wasn't a fake smile, either. "I'll still be the father in all the ways that matter. It'll still be my baby."

Rose wrapped her arms around me and pulled me closer. She kissed my cheek and hugged me tightly. She brought her lips close to my ears. "I lied to you," she whispered.

I pulled away. "What?"

Rose smiled, her hands still on my cheek and my neck. "The baby's yours."

I wrapped my arms tightly around her. "Oh, I'm so glad."

"Me too," Rose cried.

I wrapped my arms around her and held her in my arms. We stayed this way for quite a while. "I can't wait to meet that baby of ours."

"Me too," she smiled. She buried her head into the crook of my neck and rubbed her growing belly. "But this little one needs to cook for a little longer."

"I know," I kissed her ear and put my cheek against her hair. "Hopefully at least three more months."

"I'm getting bigger," Rose smiled, looking down at her belly.

"We can get you some maternity clothes," I told her.

"I've been mostly just wearing your shirts. I won't need any until I can leave the apartment," Rose said quietly.

"Well, you've got a doctor's appointment in a few days," I reminded her. "You can shop for them online, have them sent here."

"How do I know what size I need if I can't go to the store and try it on?"

"You can order a bunch of sizes and return what you don't want to keep."

"Okay," Rose said quietly. I could tell she was starting to fall asleep.

"I'll let you take a nap," I whispered. I kissed the top of her head and eased her onto the pillow.

"No, don't go," she whispered. "Stay. Please."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her. "Okay," I whispered, kissing her. "Sleep well."

At the risk of sounding creepy, I never got tired of watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful, worry-free. She gripped my shirt and pulled herself closer against my chest. "Jack," she whispered. I smiled; she was obviously dreaming about me. I loved listening to her say my name. "Jack, there's a boat."

My heart sank as I realized what she was dreaming about. I hoped she would snap out of that dream, but she didn't. She started to stir, and she tugged on my shirt even harder. "Jack, wake up. There's a boat." She started to cry while I deliberated waking her up. "Wake up!"

I decided to wake her. "Rose, wake up. You're having a bad dream. Wake up, sweetheart."

Rose opened her eyes and looked at me. "You're okay?" She asked.

I nodded. "We're both safe," I whispered. "The sinking is over. We're in our home. Everything's okay."

She hugged me tightly. "Thank god you're okay."

"I am, I promise," I kissed her curls. "I'm going to go make dinner."

"Okay, don't go too far," Rose smiled. "I'll miss you."

I chuckled and gave her a long, lingering kiss. "I'll miss you too."

I walked outside and started to cook some dinner. I thought about how Titanic ended. I obviously knew that the ship would sink, and even so, I couldn't have possibly been prepared for that trauma. But Rose had no idea it was coming. It was no surprise that she had a nightmare. To be honest, I'm surprised it took so long for it to happen.

My cell phone ringing interrupted my thoughts. It was Fabrizio. We hadn't talked as much recently, partly because I was too preoccupied taking care of Rose, and he was still coping with Helga's death. I was actually rather impressed by how well he was handling Helga's death. If Rose had died… I hated to even think about how awful that would be.

I picked up the phone and put it on speaker so I could multitask. "Hello?"

"Jack, hi," Fabrizio sounded off. He sounded… giddy? "What are you doing right now?"

"Cooking." I left out that it was for Rose. I didn't need to rub it in that I had a wife and baby on the way; he already knew all of that. "What's going on?"

"We need to talk in person," he said.

"I would love to, but I can't leave Rose alone." I wished there was a way I could be there for him, for whatever was going on. "But you can come here if you'd like."

"Okay, I'll be there soon." Fabrizio hung up the phone, leaving me confused.

I slowly walked into our bedroom to find Rose sitting in bed with a book. "Hey," I sat down next to her. "Here's your dinner."

"Thanks," she smiled. She put it down on the night table, and I had a feeling she wouldn't eat any of it once I left.

"Please have a few bites," I begged.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I will. I promise."

"Thank you," I smiled. "So, Fabrizio said he needs to talk to me about something in person."

"Okay," Rose smiled. "Did he way what he wanted to talk to you about?"

I shook my head. "He was being really cryptic on the phone."

"How's he doing?" Rose asked.

"He seems to be doing okay," I shrugged. "We haven't talked a lot recently."

"Then it'll be nice to catch up," Rose smiled.

I kissed Rose softly. "We'll be right outside. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Okay," she whispered.

I went outside and as soon as I did, there was a knock at the door. I went to open it. "Hey," I smiled at him, exchanging a bro shake.

"Hi," Fabrizio said. "I didn't want to ring the doorbell in case she's asleep."

"Thanks." We sat down on the couches in my living room. "So what's up?"

Fabrizio smiled. I honestly felt like I was delusional. He was smiling? "I've been working on a project lately."

"Really? What?" I asked.

"Replicating the time ship," Fabrizio said nervously. "And I finished it."

My eyes widened. "No way."

Fabrizio nodded. "It works, I tested it out."

"So you're going back to Titanic?" I asked, just trying to get all the facts.

"Well, that's where you come in," Fabrizio said nervously. "I can't do it alone. I need your help." He told me his whole plan, from beginning to end. "So what do you say?"

I hesitated. I couldn't possibly do it. Rose needed me, the baby needed me. Sure, I wouldn't be gone for any time at all, but what if something happened? "I have a few conditions."

"Let's hear em," Fabrizio said.

"Number one, I have to talk to Rose. I'm not committing to anything yet." I began. "Number two, I won't be on Titanic. I'll be in the time ship."

"Fine," Fabrizio nodded.

"Number three, if anything happens, you come back and fix it so that I live," I said. "Is that clear?"

"Yes," Fabrizio said.

"And if you absolutely can't save me…" I hesitated, hating the thought. "You take care of Rose and the baby."

"Of course." Fabrizio stood up. "Talk to Rose, give me a call when you decide."

I nodded. "Okay."