Chapter 6

For the rest of the night, as Mia slept, I considered every possible way I could get her away from Cal. My first thought was to just grab her and bolt. Move away, go to some small town where no one would ever find us. We would be poor but free. That was the dream, wasn't it?

It wouldn't work, I soon realized. I had been in too many newspapers recently, so I'd be recognized wherever I went. It was inevitable. Even if there was some way I could go somewhere far enough where they wouldn't know who I was, it was too risky. Cal would definitely search for us, and it would only be a matter of time before Cal found us and dragged us back to Pittsburgh.

What other options did we have? I could send her to some finishing school, somewhere far away from here. But thinking about little Mia in a finishing school like the one I went to, where everyone is cruel and unkind, gave me goosebumps. I couldn't send her there. That could be just as bad as the current situation. Not to mention, the Hockleys insisted on raising the daughters according to a certain plan, where they stayed home until thirteen years old, at which point they could go to finishing school.

The only option I could think of, the only option that could possibly work, is sending Mia somewhere without Cal's permission. I could find someone to take care of her and take her there, then return to the Hockley prison. It wouldn't be easy to pull off, it wouldn't be easy to escape Pittsburgh, it wouldn't be easy to find someone to take Mia, and it wouldn't be easy to deal with Cal's anger afterwards, but I could handle whatever he gave me. I could take his beatings and screaming if I knew Mia was safe.

Who could I take her to? No one I knew would be willing to take a five year old that wasn't theirs for the rest of her childhood. I could take her to an orphanage, I suppose. One where I made sure that she would be treated properly. But there was no way to be sure, I suppose.

I didn't know what to do, and there was no one I could consult to figure out a plan. Except for possibly one person, who I hadn't seen in years: Molly Brown. She was worldly, smart, kind, and I knew she would never tell anyone about my plan. I needed to call her.

It broke my heart to think about losing Mia. I couldn't bear to think about having to say goodbye, having to just leave her. It would be hard for her to lose me, to move out of her home and to move somewhere else. I told myself that one day I would find her again, that I would explain everything and she would understand. But in the meantime, she was far too young to understand how complicated all of this was.

I felt Mia move around in my arms, and suddenly she rolled over and looked at me. "Why aren't you sleeping?" She asked innocently. She of course had no idea what my mind was going through, trying to figure out how to save her, even if it meant hurting myself in the process. "Aren't you tired?"

I shook my head, smiling sadly. I couldn't tell her about this, not until I figured everything out. I needed to come up with a solid plan and tell her at the latest possible time, just in case she somehow let it leak to Cal. "No, I'm not," I whispered.

Mia rolled over and turned on the lamp, sitting up. "Why not?" She asked. She put her hands on my cheeks, almost analyzing me. I would miss having her there to always make me feel better, to make me laugh. "Do you want me to sing to you, the way you sing to me?"

I laughed and wrapped my arms around her. "Come here," I whispered, holding her in my arms. I kissed her cheek and smiled. "I'm sorry about what happened with your father." I really was sorry. I knew that this all happened because I fought with Cal. I knew that Cal hurt Mia to get back at me somehow, and I did regret that. But I had to defend Mia to him. And I also knew that Cal would've hurt Mia sooner or later, if he did it now it would've happened eventually.

"Why are you sorry?" Mia asked, looking at me. "You didn't do anything." She leaned against me, making me feel warm and safe. "You take care of me." She said. She hugged me, then looked at me again. "It must be hard to be a mommy. You have to do everything by yourself."

Not if you have a helpful and loving husband, I thought to myself. I wasn't supposed to have to do everything by myself. I was supposed to have a husband who took care of her with me, or at least supported me while I took care of her. I snapped out of my thoughts and kissed her cheek. "I don't mind doing everything myself," I told her. "You know how much I love you."

•••

It was the next day, around three o'clock. Mia and I had spent the whole morning together, and now it was time for her nap. She was taking a nap in my large bed, and I was in the sitting room, preparing for my call with Molly. The glass folding doors separating the bedroom and the sitting room were shut so that I wouldn't wake Mia, and she wouldn't hear my conversation.

Neither of us had seen Cal since last night. He had left early that morning to go to work, as he often did. I still didn't leave Mia alone, just in case Cal made a sudden reappearance. I also couldn't bare to be away from her after the scare. I hadn't seen Mia cry like that since she was a baby, and I hadn't gotten over that yet. I could still hear the ringing of her sobs in my head, and it was somehow making me more willing to pick up the phone and make the call.

I took a deep breath and picked up the phone, balancing it on my shoulder and dialing. The phone rang a few times before someone on the other line answered. "Brown Residence," it was obviously a maid. "How may I help you?"

I paused for a minute, gathering the strength for what I was about to do. "Hello, my name is Rose Hockley," once again I cringed at that terrible name. Maybe I should've introduced myself as Rose Dewitt Bukater, since that was my name when I had known her. "I was hoping to speak to Molly Brown."

"Please hold," said the maid. She put down the phone, going to find Molly. My heart beat faster and faster as I heard someone pick up the phone and shuffle it around, sending static noise to my handset. "Here is Mrs. Brown."

More static noise. I held the handset away from my ear, then heard Molly's voice. "Hello?" I didn't realize what hearing Molly's voice would do to me. A wave of emotions washed over me as I immediately started to cry. Memories of Jack filled my mind, and I couldn't bear it. "Rose, darlin'? Are you there?"

"Sorry, Molly," I fanned my face and took a deep breath. "I'm here."

"Well, I must say, it's a surprise to hear from you," Molly's voice was just as chipper as it always had been, almost like it had chuckle undertones. It was a warm voice, mostly because it belonged to the person who constantly offered support to the man I love. Loved. "And a surprise to hear that your last name is Hockley. I had seen your marriage announcement in the paper, but I was sure it was a lie." I realized then how preposterous it was that I married Cal in the first place. When someone does something as bad as what Cal did to me, you don't forgive them, you don't court them, and you certainly never marry them. It was all a mistake. "What can I do for ya?"

I took a deep breath before telling her everything. I told her how I ended up back with Cal, how I married him, how everything had changed, and now how I needed to get Mia out of this house. I realized then that aside from Mia and the occasional maid, Molly was the only one to give me her undivided attention and support. She really was an extraordinary woman, and it always appalled me that the "old money" people saw her as anything but.

"Wow, Rose," she began. I could tell she was at a loss for words. I couldn't blame her, of course, since I had just dumped all of my life's problems onto her shoulders, expecting her to give me some salvation. How could I expect such a thing? "You have a daughter?" She let out a laugh, then spoke again. "She must be beautiful! You must send me pictures. Does she look like you?"

I smiled, genuinely smiled. "I think she does. She has little red curls, blue eyes, the most adorable little smile." I turned my head and saw her facing me in the bed, her eyes shut. Good, she was still asleep. "I'll absolutely send you pictures."

"Good," she paused, and I knew she was about to address my conundrum. My heart beat faster in anticipation. "Now, Rose," she paused again. I could tell she was deep in thought, trying to figure out an answer. "I visit many orphanages out here, in Colorado. They're awfully run, underfunded, the owners are unsympathetic, just waiting for their paychecks. Plus… they don't allow any contact with the biological parents." My heart sank as my last option started to disappear. "Alright, here's what we're going to do." She had a solution! I knew she would. "You're gonna bring her to me, and I'll take care of her. When she's old enough, I'll send her back to you. I've been looking to foster a child for some time now, and if it means helping out an old friend…"

I gasped. This plan worked perfectly. Mia would be safe under Molly's care. Molly had enough money to provide for Mia, she would protect her against Cal, and she would care about her. "Molly… I can't possibly let you do that," I tried to argue back. "I can't ask you to take over my responsibilities."

"Ah, you've got it backwards," Molly said. "You're doing the most important one of your responsibilities. You're putting her above yourself, you're giving her up so she can have her best chance." I smiled as she said that. She was right, after all. I was trying to give her her best chance. "I would do the same thing for my boys. And of course you'd be able to talk to her whenever you want, or she wants, and you can visit anytime."

"I can't thank you enough, Molly," I wiped away a tear from my eye. "You've saved her, you really have. I can't thank you enough for this."

"No need for thanks," Molly chuckled. "Just keep in touch with me, let me know when you're planning on coming, and send some pictures!" She paused for a second. "I promise you, Rose, I'll take care of her. She'll be perfectly fine."

•••

Unbeknownst to me, Cal had a business trip scheduled. He and Nathan were leaving the next day for New York, and they'd be gone for a week. Once Cal left, I started my preparations to leave. In only one day, I had managed to secretly organize everything for our trip to Colorado. Train tickets were bought, bags were secretly packed, money was taken, and everything was ready. Now, it was the middle of the night, and we were about to leave.

Mia was asleep in her own bed, since Cal was gone and she would be safe. She still didn't know anything about this: she didn't know we were sneaking out, she didn't know we were going to Colorado, and she certainly didn't know that I was planning on leaving her there. And I had absolutely no idea what to do. How could I tell her this? How could I tell her in a way that didn't make her feel abandoned?

I paced around my room for hours, unable to sleep. It was only a few minutes before I had to wake Mia to leave. I was dressed in a gray dress, one that was easy to move around in. I had our bags stuffed in my closet: one larger bag, a small bag, and an even smaller one that Mia could carry. I took enough money to get us to Colorado, stopping somewhere in between. Getting all of the things we needed to fit was a challenge, but it was all I could carry all on my own.

It was time to leave, after all of my nervous pacing and nausea. I slowly left my room, feeling secure in knowing that no one would find me out there. Mother and Elizabeth's rooms were in another wing of the estate, but the nannies were nearby for Mia, and I couldn't wake them.

I quietly opened Mia's door, where she was asleep and completely oblivious to how much her life would be changing in the next five minutes. I walked over to her, stroking her cheek. "Mia," I whispered. "Wake up."

I watched as Mia slowly scrunched her nose and opened her eyes, looking at me. "What time is it?" She asked. The room was dark, but the moon did provide enough light for me to see her exhausted little face.

"It's early," I said, and it was the understatement of the year. It was four in the morning. "I need you to be very quiet, alright?" She nodded, so I continued. I took a deep breath before telling her what was going on. "We're leaving Pittsburgh. Forever."