Rose was pacing the floor and wringing her hands when Molly and Ruth returned. Molly's expression wasn't one that gave Rose much hope. It was grim and worried. Ruth's on the other hand was bright and smiling. It was an expression that the woman didn't wear often and Rose had a feeling that the woman known as her mother rarely wore that expression at all.
It was Ruth she decided to address first. Get what seemed to be pleasant news first. "How did things go?"
Ruth beamed. "You have a gorgeous daughter! Her name is Cora and she is just an angel! A beautiful angel, Rose! I must say, I'm surprised that you were able to forget her. She is one child that you can never forget. That smile...didn't it just light up a room, Molly?"
"It sure did. I told you she was a looker," Molly sadly smiled. "She looks like you Rose. She has your eye shape and features."
"And her curls! Oh her hair is blond, but those curls are all Rose!"
"Ruth, you are going to be a doting grandmother!" Molly couldn't help but laugh and be pleased how accepting of the situation Ruth seemed. Of course, she didn't have any choice, but still, it did her heart good to see that the woman had more emotions other than anger and snootiness.
Rose smiled and swallowed down her nervousness, knowing that Molly's part of the news probably wasn't all that good. "So you saw him...Jack?"
Molly's smile faded a little and nod. Jack's reaction to the news of Rose's mental issues was not what she had been expecting. She should have been...but a part of her had hoped that maybe he still had that naive hope about him that he had on Titanic before that dinner party. The naive hope that everything would be okay, despite not having a suit. Back then, all that had mattered was seeing the pretty red head again. Now it was different.
"Yes, I saw Jack. He didn't turn Ruth away, he accepted her into Cora's life...which is good. That means that he's into giving second chances," she may be reaching, but she had to look for some kind of hope. She couldn't be all doom and gloom.
"What did he say about...my condition?"
"He was shocked...blamed himself, saying he shouldn't have left you alone, and he was confused. He is going to need time to process all the information..."
Rose frowned. She didn't like the sound of that. It sounded like there was a chance that he wouldn't at least come see her...give her a chance. "He doesn't want to see me..."
"It's not that he doesn't want to see you, Rose. I can look at him and tell that he still loves you a lot, but he was also hurt...hurt more than anything and had lived two years with a broken heart. He was just to the point where he could move on. He doesn't know what to think, or what to trust. We have to give him time," Molly placed a hand on her shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, I doubt he'll turn his back on you completely. You are still Cora's mother and I'm sure that he'll want you to be in her life, if not with him."
Ruth sat down and looked at her daughter curiously, wondering what was going on in her head. She acted like she was remembering Jack Dawson in some way. "Do you remember Jack at all? Has anything come back to you?"
Rose shook her head. "No I don't remember him...or our daughter. I just feel like it's important that I see him. Maybe...maybe it'll spark my memory. Maybe something will come back. I...I've been living in what's felt like limbo for the past two years, not knowing where I belong. For once, I feel like I've got a direction. I just don't want to lose it."
"You won't lose it. Jack's a good man. Even if he doesn't want to resume the marriage, he'll at least help you with your memories. He won't abandon you entirely," of at least that much Molly was sure. She saw the look of love and devotion mixed with reluctance and mistrust in Jack's eyes. He'll wrestle with that reluctance and mistrust, but she was sure that the love he still felt for the girl would win. Love always did.
"He'd have every right to abandon me after what I had done to him and our daughter. I'll never understand why. Why did I forget them? What memories were so bad that it was best to forget the family I was building rather than deal with whatever had happened?"
Ruth and Molly looked each other, wondering if maybe they should tell her about Titanic. Maybe then, she'll at least have a clue. But then again, what if they did tell her and the knowledge sat her back somehow? Perhaps it was best to leave that part for Jack to explain. After all, they had gone through the sinking together. Only he could give details of the experience that Molly and Ruth hadn't been privy to.