Chapter Twelve

The Next Morning

They were moving Jack to a hospital in Madison. Rose wanted desperately to go with him. She followed them to the car when Chris grabbed her shoulder lightly.

"Rose, you need to stay here. Jack will be fine. I promise."

"You c-can't promise me anything, Chris. Can't he come home with me? I can take care of us," Rose said, sobbing. Chris held her tightly. Robert looked in their direction. Rose had been through so much in the past sixteen days.

"No, he can't come home with you, Rose. You have been through enough these past sixteen days. Jack is going to stay at the hospital where they can look after him. Stay here, and I'll go and get transportation back to our house. Okay?"

"No! I want Jack to stay with me. I can't lose him, too."

"The doctors will take care of him, Rose. They know what they're doing." Chris led Rose over to a nearby bench so she could get off her feet. She was cold, scared, crying, and shaking. Chris did his best to comfort her. A few moments later, Robert pulled up with a small carriage to take them back to the house.

XXXXX

When the trio reached the house, Chris and Rose got out while Robert went to return the carriage. When he returned to the house, he saw Rose and Chris on the couch. He motioned Chris into the other room.

"How is she?"

"How do you think she is, Rob? All she's done is cry and want to see Jack."

"Hopefully everything will turn out okay. Have you told her about the baby?"

"No. I don't want her to get upset."

"She most likely won't. After all, she's still pregnant with one child."

"Yeah, but…"

"But what, Chris? She still has something to keep her going right now, and she needs to know that. Jack's in a coma, Chris…and he might not wake up, either. Go and tell her she hasn't lost the other baby." Robert nudged Chris, and she went in and sat by Rose on the couch again.

"Rose…there's something you need to know. I know you're still hurting and everything, but you need to know that somebody needs you to help it survive in there."

"What are you talking about, Chris? I'm not exactly understanding you," Rose said, perplexed at her friend's use of words.

"I'm saying that you're still pregnant. The doctor said you must have been carrying twins and only lost one." Chris looked at Rose, wondering what she was going to say. Rose's eyes started to tear up. She started to sob gently. She was saddened by the loss of one of her children, but the fact that a part of her and Jack had still survived gave her some hope, but there was doubt in her mind. What if Jack didn't want this baby?

"Are you okay, Rose?"

"Yes. Thank you, Chris…thank you so much for telling me. It means a lot to know I still have a baby."

"You're welcome, Rose. Everything is gonna be fine," Chris said, comforting her friend.

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Two and a half months passed by, and there had been no change in Jack's condition at the hospital. Rose moped around the house a lot. She only ate because she was pregnant with the baby. Every other weekend they went into Madison to visit Jack in the hospital.

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"Rose, are you ready?"

"Yes. I'm coming." Rose walked out the door where Chris was stepping into the horse-drawn carriage. Robert tapped the whip over the horse's back, and they started trotting down the rocky path. It would be dawn when they would arrive in Madison. Chris looked at Rose to see how she was…she was doing fine, but Chris noticed something different, and did a double take.

"Rose! You're beginning to show!" Rose smiled at Chris and nodded. Rose was now four and a half months pregnant. She was happy that she was showing evidence of the surviving baby. She rubbed her belly, feeling the baby inside her. Rose was silent on their way there. When they reached the hospital, the doctor told them they could go right in. Robert and Chris thought Rose should go in by herself this time. Rose entered the room and sat in a chair next to Jack's bed.

"Jack, please wake up. I need you. We need you," Rose pleaded as she put his hand on her belly. The baby kicked. Jack felt this and squeezed his hand in response to it. Rose felt him do that and looked at his face as he started to wake. Rose became instantly enthusiastic and went to go get the doctor, but when she came back with the doctor, his eyes were closed again.

"Sorry, Mrs. Dawson, but sometimes coma patents have false alarms and open their eyes for a few seconds." Rose looked at him and sighed.

"Do you think he'll ever wake up?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Some coma patients don't and some do. It depends on the person," he said, walking out of the room and leaving Rose to sit next to Jack. A few minutes later, they had to leave. They arrived back at the house around ten, and all went to bed.