Rose cried out as another contraction gripped her, nearly cutting off the ability to breathe. She gritted her teeth as her eyes desperately darted around the room, looking for the one calming influence in her life. She couldn't get through this without him, she knew she couldn't.
"Relax, Rose. You need to relax and let your body do the work it was made to do," Gretchen, who had arrived five minutes after Rose's water broke squeezed her hand in support.
"Jack...want...Jack and…," She squeezed her eyes shut and groaned as another intense contraction gripped her. Once it was pass, she looked at Gretchen with tear-filled eyes. "I want my mother."
Rose couldn't believe that those words had left her mouth, but on a simple, psychological level, where the most basic instincts resided, that was the truth of what she was feeling. She wanted her husband and she wanted her mother, she didn't matter how cold or warm the woman was.
Gretchen looked at Laura, who stood in the doorway, nervously watching the scene unfold. "Is her mother here? Can you get her?"
"Yes...but what about Jack? He wants to come to be with her. I know it's unheard of for the father to be present but... she seems to really need him," Laura chewed on her bottom lip, feeling bad for her cousin. Childbirth looked to be so frightening and painful, it really made her rethink her own plans to have a child someday.
"Well...he'll have to come now before the doctor and midwife get here. If he tries to come in afterward, they'll throw him out," Gretchen winced as Rose's hand again tightened around hers. "And what of her mother?"
"I'll get them both," Laura disappeared out the door, not wanting to waste another moment.
Laura didn't have to look far for Jack. William was wheeling him in her direction as she stepped out of the doorway leading into the room.
"Is Rose okay?" Jack asked, not giving the girl time to say anything.
"She's in a lot of pain, of course, poor dear," Laura sighed. "She's asking for you and Aunt Ruth."
Jack simply nodded. "William, take me to Rose."
"I don't see the point. They'll just make you leave," William began to protest.
"Too bad for them. Rose needs me and I'm going to be in there with her. I don't care what anyone says. Take me to her or I'll just walk in there myself."
"Jack, we don't know if you can or..."
"Well, then you better wheel me in. I'm not taking no for an answer!"
"Bloody hell," William shook his head, thinking that Jack was being unreasonable. He didn't understand it. What man would want to see what was surely going on inside that room? He sure didn't. Of course, it wasn't his Gretchen in pain, so he shouldn't be so judgemental.
While Laura went in search of Ruth, William wheeled Jack into the room and straight to where Rose laid groaning in pain.
"Rose! I'm here, Rose," Jack took Rose's hand, feeling awful. He hated seeing her in pain like this. He looked at Gretchen with pleading eyes. "Is there something I can do to make her more comfortable?"
"Sadly, no. In fact, you shouldn't even be in here, to be honest," Gretchen inwardly winced, hating societal norms. It shouldn't be so taboo for Jack to be at Rose's side for the birth of their child. He had a hand in making the child as well. He should be by her side.
"I'm not leaving her. She asked for me, she needs me here and here is where I'm going to be. You're not going to change my mind on that," Jack glared, daring Gretchen to tell him to leave.
"Hey, it won't be me trying to kick you out. In fact, I think it's good that you're here. She seems less tense with you in the room."
It was true. Sure, Rose was still in pain, but things seemed less dire now that Jack was in the room with her. She didn't feel scared anymore. In fact, she was feeling like things were going to be alright, just as long as Jack was there with her.
Suddenly Ruth entered the room and gasped in outrage to see Jack there holding Rose's hand. "What is he doing here? It is not proper for him to be here!"
"Oh, mother...shut up...I need him here," Rose gritted her teeth as another contraction gripped her.
"I'm not leaving," Jack simply stated, his eyes daring Ruth and everyone else to try to make him leave the room. They would find that they'd have a fight on their hands.
"You two will be the death of me," Ruth huffed, placing her hands on her hips in clear indignation. "Surely the doctor will have something to say about this!"
"The doctor is here!" Laura announced, stepping aside for the doctor and the midwife to enter. The woman tsked as she saw Jack there, holding Rose's hand, clear determination in his eyes.
"Sir, you can't be in here," the midwife, a short, slightly overweight woman with blond hair pulled back into a bun and dark eyes stated, moving to shoo Jack out of the room.
Jack has had enough. Instead of tending to his poor Rose, these people were concentrating on his presence! It was annoying! "Look, I'm saying this once and once only and then you are to help my wife! I am not going anywhere! I don't care what you deem appropriate! Rose and I are a packaged deal! I am going to be here for the birth of this and all of my children! Case closed! I don't care what anyone says! Got it?!"
"Well said, Jack," Gretchen nodded.
"Well, this room is too crowded. Someone has to go," the midwife pursed her lips, this time determined to be listened to.
"I'll go. I'll be outside with William," Gretchen volunteered, getting to her feet. She patted Rose's shoulder in a show of support. "It'll be okay, Rose. Jack is with you. Soon you both will have your baby in your arms and all the pain will be worth it."
"Thank you, Gretchen," Jack nodded at his friend, grateful for all she has done for Rose so far. He turned his attention back to Rose, ignoring the ache in his own legs that seemed to be returning to life after weeks of nonmovement. There was no time to contemplate on his legs at the moment. Right now, all he could think about was Rose.
Once Gretchen was gone, Jack squeezed Rose's hand and placed a gentle hand on her sweaty cheek. "I'm here, Rose. I'm right here. You jump, I jump."
Rose looked through a haze of pain and found her center in a pool of blue. "It hurts Jack...I don't think...I can do this...I feel...so weak..."
"You can do this, Rose. I know that right now you feel like you can't. That the pain has drained you, but it hasn't. You have a lot more strength than you realize. Right now, just know that I'm right by your side. I won't leave you. Your mother is here too, Rose. Just like you asked. We'll help you through this."
"I'm scared," Rose sobbed as another pain ripped through her.
"There's no reason to be scared, Rose. I went through this when I had you and as you can see, we both came through just fine. Just follow what the doctor and your body tell you, Rose. That's all you have to do," Ruth directed, pressing a cool rag to her daughter's sweaty forehead.
"You hear that, Rose? Who better to know what this is like than your own mother. You're going to be fine! Soon, we'll have our perfect little Rosebud in our arms, just like your parents had you. We're gonna be a family Rose! Just think about that!" Jack grinned, thankful to Ruth for her words of encouragement. In a way, he was surprised that Ruth would be so...encouraging towards Rose, but he was grateful for her words. Hopefully, they'll give Rose the strength she needed to get through this.
"I see the head!" The doctor exclaimed.
"You'll feel the urge to push, but don't! Not yet!" the midwife directed as she knelt next to the doctor, who was now guiding the baby's head out into the world.
"You hear that Rose? They see the head! It's going to be over soon! Just hold my hand, Rose! I've got ya!"
"I have to push, Jack," Rose groaned, feeling the urge overtake her.
"I know, but don't. Remember, you have to wait. Just keep holding my hand, Rose! I'm right here! You jump, I jump."
"Ok, now push!" The doctor ordered, not looking up from what he was doing.
"I can't!" Rose cried, truly feeling like she had no strength left in her at all! She'll just have to remain like this forever!
"You can Rose! You can do it, I know you can! Just squeeze my hand as hard as you can and push!" Jack gripped her hand tightly. "You jump, I jump! We're in this together! One...two...three...push!"
Feeling a final burst of energy flowed into her, Rose screamed as she forced her muscles to push one last time. She cried as she felt something leave her body and the pain she was in fade into a dull ache as a baby's cry filled the room.
"You did it, Rose! You did it! I love you so much, you did it!" Jack grinned, kissing Rose's hand as the doctor tended to the squirming baby that had just slid out into the world.
"It's a girl!" The midwife happily announced as Rose slumped down in bed, totally exhausted.
…..
The healthy baby's cry alerted everyone standing out in the hallway that a new Dawson has finally entered the world. They all looked at each other in a state of excitement. This was the moment they had all been waiting for!
"Do you hear that? The baby's here!" Gretchen grinned, excited for her friends. "I wonder if it's a boy or a girl! What did they name it?"
"I bet Jack is grinning ear from ear!" William chuckled.
Donald and Laura silently stood together, curious about the baby, but reluctant to intrude on the happy couple inside the room. Edith had left hours ago, giving her son one last look of betrayal, and Donald found himself wondering if he had made a wise choice. Glancing over at Laura, who had eager eyes on the closed bedroom door, he felt that perhaps he had.
The door finally opened after ten minutes of silence from inside. The midwife rolled Jack, whose eyes were glued to the pink bundle in his arms, out into the hallway. He looked up with tear-filled blue eyes and a wide, bright Jack Dawson grin lit up his face. It was a grin that no one had seen since the accident. It was agreed that it was good to see it once again.
"Let me introduce Josephine Irene Dawson," Jack grinned, moving the blanket away so they could see the baby girl with Jack's blond hair and blue eyes and Rose's heart-face shape and smile. "Isn't she perfect?"
Smiling, everyone in that hallway agreed that perfection sure had found it's way to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. A beloved family was just beginning to reform and everyone was beyond happy to see it.