Chapter Eleven

"Oh, that dress is beautiful!" Monica said as she and Rose passed another store window.

"You'd look great in that, Monica. Why don't you go in and try it on?" Rose asked.

"Are you nuts? Fred would kill me if I bought a dress like that. We don't have that kind of money..."

"There's Jack and Fred," Rose said as she pointed across the street.

Rose and Monica walked across the street over to their husbands.

"Hi, honey," Rose said as she approached Jack.

"Rose, hi. Having fun shopping?" Jack asked as he gave her a hug and kissed her on top of her head.

"Yeah, are you heading back home?"

"No, we're going out to lunch. Want to come along?" Jack asked as he looked at Monica and then back to Rose.

Rose looked over at Monica. "Sure. We just finished shopping," Rose said.

"I still have a list of things to get," Monica said as she looked at the list again. "But, I'll get the rest tomorrow."

"Now, there goes Monica with one of her little lists. I'll tell you, Jack, ever since we've been married she insists on making a list for everything..." Fred said.

"Oh, shut up, Fred," Monica said in a playful tone.

"I'm just kidding, Monica. I love you."

Monica smiled. "I love you, too."

They all walked to a small Italian restaurant. The wives sat by their husbands.

After they ordered their food, Monica said, "I saw your cartoon in this morning's paper, Jack. It was good."

"Thanks, Monica," Jack said as he smiled at her.

"Oh, my God..." Rose said as she watched someone enter the door.

"What, Rose?" Jack asked. He followed Rose's eyes and saw what she was looking at.

"Shit!" Jack said.

"Who is that?" Fred asked.

"No other than Caledon Hockley, my ex-fiancé."

Cal spotted them and Jack cursed again. Cal smiled at Rose when he saw her.

"Hello, sweetpea," Cal said. "I see you made quite a life for yourself."

"What do you want, Cal?" Jack asked.

"Nothing from you, gutter rat."

Jack started to get angry and stood up.

"Dawson, I don't want to start anything with you. I just wanted to say hi to my fiancée."

"I'm not your fiancée!" Rose said.

Cal just smiled at her. "Poor Rose, always making bad decisions..."

"Are you done now?" Jack asked.

"I suppose, but not for good," Cal said as he walked away.

"Good thing that didn't cause a scene," Monica said. "I mean, I'm sorry..." She didn't know quite what to say.

"That's okay, Monica," Rose said.

After the food arrived they ate fast and they walked home. It was a very dark night. Jack put his arm around Rose.

"I love you, Rosie," Jack said.

"I love you more," Rose replied.

"Impossible..."

Rose smiled up at Jack. Then she saw Cal standing in front of all of them. He took a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at Jack.

"This is for all you've done..." Cal said.

Right before he pulled the trigger Rose jumped in front of Jack, taking the bullet.

"Rose!" Jack said as Rose fell into his arms. "Rose!"

Cal stood there in shock. "Rose..." he said. Then he ran, and Fred ran after him.

"Rose! Rose!" Jack picked her up.

"We need a carriage to take us to the hospital..." Jack said.

One was coming this way. It stopped and Monica told the driver what happened and they rushed Rose to the hospital, Rose unconscious the whole time.

After they got there, Jack and Monica waited in the waiting room. Then, Fred came in.

"Fred!" Monica said as she ran to her husband. "What happened?"

"Don't worry about Cal. The cops got him. How's Rose?"

"We don't know yet..." Jack said. He looked as if he was going to cry, but he didn't.

The doctor came into the room. "Mr. Dawson?"

Jack stood up. "That's me."

"Your wife is in very critical condition. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but there is about a twenty percent chance she will live," the nurse said.

Jack's head fell. "Shit," he whispered. Then he started to cry, hysterically.

Fred and Monica sat next to him and tried to comfort him.

Jack slept in the waiting room that night, praying for a miracle. Rose couldn't die. He thought about how she saved his life. He couldn't lose her now. He just couldn't.