Chapter 33

June 1, 1921

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Life had mostly settled down over the last few months, and we all had a stability that we didn't have in the past. Jack still went to work, I stayed home with Mia, and we would spend every night and weekend together.

Mia and I mostly stayed home, since I spent most of the day resting. I was starting to get more and more tired as my pregnancy went on, and Jack wanted me to take it easy as much as possible. Mia didn't mind that we spent more time at home now; she loved to pretend to be my mommy and take care of me, bringing me water or a book if I needed it. She would sit next to me in bed and play with a doll or toy while I read my book.

"Mommy?" At her voice, I put down my book and looked at Mia, who was playing with her stuffed bunny. "Can we do something today?"

"Sure," I smiled, touching her cheek. "What do you want to do?"

Mia shrugged. "Can we go visit Daddy at work?" We sometimes visited Jack while he worked, either to bring him his lunch or just to say hello.

"That's a great idea," I smiled, slowly starting to stand up. "Let's go visit Daddy." Mia went to start getting herself ready (she had become a lot more independent in the last few months), while I tried to find a dress for myself to wear. I pulled out one dress, a looser, light gray dress, and put it on. It hung off my body in some places; I purposely bought bigger clothing so that I didn't have to buy new clothing as often. I put on my shoes, something that was becoming increasingly challenging, and went to check on Mia.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked, standing in Mia's doorway. She was wearing a little red dress, her auburn hair down but not brushed. "Do you want me to brush your hair?"

Mia nodded and brought me her hairbrush, sitting on her bed. I sat down right behind her, brushing through her soft curls. "I wanted to thank you for being so amazing the last few months," I said quietly. "A lot has happened: leaving Pittsburgh, moving here, me going back, the wedding, and the baby." I ran my fingers through her hair. "I'm just so proud of how strong you have been- how strong you are."

Mia leaned back against me, smiling up at me. I smiled back, holding her close. "You're welcome." She grabbed my hand as she jumped off the bed. "Come on, let's go!"

We stepped outside, the sun hitting us immediately. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" I took her hand as we started walking down the cobblestone path leading up to the house, and began walking to Jack. I thought about the day that Jack and I would walk to the town square: Jack holding Mia's hand while I pushed the baby carriage.

We walked through the town, and I noticed just how many eyes were on me. It seemed like every corner I turned brought new stares and whispers. "Mia, come here," I put out my hand to her, and she took it. I knew I was always a topic of discussion in Pittsburgh, but Mia was hardly with me when I heard the gossip. Even here in Chippewa Falls, when Mia and I first emerged from the house, the whole town was buzzing about Jack's "new girl - his wife - and her daughter".

I wanted to protect Mia from it all as much as I could. I knew she understood a lot of what took place around her, but I wanted her to feel safe in her new home. I didn't want her to be nervous or upset because the nosy townspeople talked about us.

We finally arrived at the store, where I found Jack at the counter. He was writing something down - an order, I guessed - but finally looked up at us and his face instantly brightened with a smile. "Well isn't this a surprise!"

Mia released my hand, running towards Jack. "Daddy!" She exclaimed. Jack lifted her off the ground and placed her on the counter. He touched her cheek, then turned away from her and towards me.

"Hi," he smiled, leaning closer to me until his lips touched mine in a quick kiss. Even once we had separated, I kept one of my arms wrapped around him. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Well, Mia wanted to get out of the house, and she suggested that we visit you." My arm tightened around his torso. "And I missed you, of course."

Jack wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "Do you feel alright?" He asked, placing his hand on my stomach. Jack asked me a million times a day if I was feeling well, and it never got less wonderful to hear. He cared, he really did. No one had cared about me so deeply before, and it meant the world to me.

"I'm fine," I smiled. "I feel huge, but fine."

"Good," he whispered, kissing my temple. He turned back to Mia, who was kicking her legs back and forth. "Are you hungry?" He asked. "I can get you a snack."

Mia nodded. "Yes please. I'm starving. I didn't eat at all today!"

"I fed you before we left!" I exclaimed.

"It's alright," Jack laughed. "I'll go get you something." He kissed the top of Mia's head, then my cheek, before disappearing in the back. I moved closer to Mia, about to say something, when I heard…

"I don't know who she thinks she is, bringing some bastard child into this town and convincing Jack to take them both in."

"Who knows what he's thinking… I can't imagine what his parents would say about this if they saw him now. Jack even married this woman, and they're having a baby. "

"I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't even his child. She came here with one bastard child, who says she's not bringing another? They got married only three months ago, and she's clearly a lot more pregnant than that. She's clearly a slut…"

Mia must have noticed my smile fade to a frown. "Are they talking about us, Mommy?" She asked, her eyes so large and innocent.

I avoided her question. "Come on, Mia," I whispered suddenly, putting out my hand for her to take. She didn't move; she didn't understand why we were suddenly leaving, especially when Jack wouldn't know where we had gone. "Now, please."

Once I took a serious tone with her, she knew I meant it. She climbed off the counter and took my hand, and we left the store together. As we walked home, Mia didn't ask a single question. She just held my hand and kept up with my brisk pace, until we arrived at home.

I opened the door and let her in, and immediately the questions started. "Why did we leave?" She asked. "Why didn't we stay with Daddy?" And the most difficult of all: "Why were those people talking about us?"

I knelt down to her but ended up sitting on the floor. "Because people are… People sometimes make assumptions, assumptions that are neither true nor kind. And they often don't know what they're talking about," I explained. "I love your daddy so much, Mia, and you and I did nothing wrong, alright? Those people are wrong."

"But-"

"Listen to me, sweetie. None of what they said is true, and none of it matters," I explained. "We left because I didn't want to listen to it anymore, and I didn't want you to either. That's all." Her questions ended after that. She nodded, then leaned over and kissed my cheek before running off to play.

Just as she left the room, the front door swung open. Jack entered, a frightened look on his face as he scanned the room. His eyes settled on me after a moment. "Rose, what happened?" He asked, then noticed that I was on the floor. "Did you fall?"

"No, I sat down… but I don't think I can get up," I laughed, and I put out my arms for him. He took them, carefully helping me stand. "I'm sorry I ran off, you must have been so worried."

We walked over to the couch and sat facing each other. Jack shook his head. "That's alright. I was worried that something had happened… something Cal related..."

"No," I sighed, looking at my hands. Jack and I had discussed the gossipping happening in town, but that was before it had gotten this bad. In the past, it was more of a general curiosity of where I had come from and how I met Jack. It was never such judgemental and hateful assumptions before.

As I filled him in on the conversation, I watched as his face grew both sad and angry. "And Mia heard?" He asked, and all I could do was nod. "I'm so sorry, Rose. It's all ridiculous, of course. None of it is true."

"I know," I answered. "Mia's at an impressionable age right now, and I don't want her hearing such things. I don't want her to think there's anything wrong with her, or us as parents, or the way we're raising her." I leaned over and took his hand, holding it in mine. "I think we should leave Chippewa Falls for a little while."

Jack knit his eyebrows. "Because of the gossipping?" He asked. "I understand wanting to run from it, Rose, and under normal circumstances, I wouldn't object… but you're supposed to be resting, you're having the baby soon, Mia just got used to life here… we can't just leave now."

"We won't be gone for long," I answered. "Molly invited us to visit her in Colorado. We can go there for a few weeks and come back with plenty of time before the baby comes, I can rest while we're there… and I need to see Molly and thank her. She almost took Mia for me so that she wouldn't be with Cal. If not for her, I would've never had you in the first place, and I would've never found you again."

Jack sighed and nodded. "It's impossible to argue with you, you know that?" He stood up and kissed my cheek. He started pacing around the room. "Rose… these problems won't go away. People will always wonder where you and Mia came from, and those rumors will just continue until we give them an explanation."

"So what do we do?" I asked.

For the first time since this conversation began, Jack smiled at me. "I do have an idea," he began as he sat back down on the couch. "We met years ago, got married, got separated in a terrible accident while you were pregnant, and we found each other again. We were already married when this baby was conceived, and the wedding a few weeks ago was just renewing our vows."

I looked down at our hands, which had melted into each other in the most wonderful way. "Jack, that's not us. I don't want to lie about the way we met or the way we fell in love," I murmured. I looked up at him then. " I'm not ashamed of any of it. I have no regrets."

Jack shook his head. "Of course not. Neither do I," he grazed my cheek with the side of his index finger. "I just don't know how else for us to put the rumors and whispers to rest."

"I think we just tell Mia the truth, that we love each other and her, that the whispers are just rumors…" I trailed off. "We don't owe anyone else an explanation. And we certainly don't need to bury ourselves in a web of lies because society has certain ideas of how love needs to exist."

Jack smiled and kissed me. "I just want you to be happy," he whispered.

I took his face in my hands, stroking his cheek with my thumb. "Of course I'm happy. I've never been this happy in my entire life." I touched his bottom lip. "I hope you know that."

"I do," Jack whispered.

•••

"Why are we going away now?" Mia asked. I was packing some of her things for our trip to Colorado. She was sitting on her bed, holding her stuffed animal, watching me pack. "Are you leaving me there?"

I stopped immediately and looked up at her. "What?"

I could see the pain and sadness in her eyes as she looked away from me and down at her bunny. "The last time you said we were going to Colorado, you told me you were gonna leave me there."

"No," I dropped the dress I was folding and sat down next to her. "We're not leaving you there. This is just a family trip. We're going to visit one of our old friends, spend some time in Colorado, and then we'll come home. That's it."

"Okay," she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me as best as she could. "Is this because of the people at the store? The people talking about us?"

I sighed, pulling her close. I couldn't really hold her on my lap anymore, but I had one arm wrapped around her, holding her close to me. "Well, we've been here for a while now, and even though this is our home… I think it would be a good time to take a little trip." I smiled down at her. "It'll be fun."

•••

June 5, 1921

Denver, Colorado

We stepped off of the train, the bright afternoon sun hitting us immediately. I squinted, shielding my face from the sun as I looked around. Jack stood next to me, holding our bags. I had offered to carry one, but he refused.

Mia held my hand tightly, overwhelmed by the new city we were standing in. I squeezed her hand and told her it was alright, and she nodded slowly. "Excuse me," said a man walking over to us. He was standing in a suit, one that a housekeeper or valet would wear. "Are you Mr. and Mrs. Dawson?"

I smiled. Mr. and Mrs. Dawson. I was Mrs. Rose Dawson now, and no matter how many times I had heard that, it never got old. "Yes," Jack said, wrapping his free arm around me. "We are."

"Wonderful, I have specific instructions from Mrs. Margaret Brown to collect you from the train and escort you to her estate." He put out his hand for the bags. "May I take the bags from you, sir?"

Jack paused for a second, not familiar with the ways of upper class. "Oh, uh, sure." He handed over the bags, then took my hand. "This is odd," he whispered. "I've never experienced anything like this before. I don't know how to act."

"Don't worry so much," I whispered back, shocked to be saying such a thing. In the past I worried about everything, and now I was suddenly calm? It was strange. "Just act normal. This is Molly. She doesn't care what class you're from, you know that."

"She is special in that regard, isn't she?" Jack said quietly as we climbed into the car Molly had sent for us. "You are too, of course. You never cared either."

I smiled. "No, I never did care, as long as they were as kind and handsome as you are," I joked, touching his cheek. "Honestly, Jack. You have nothing to worry about."

"Except for you," he whispered, trying not to alarm Mia. "We've been traveling all day. Once we arrive at Molly's, I want you to rest. I mean it, Rose."

I placed my hand against his cheek. "You're sweet, Jack, but I'm fine. I feel fine."

"Do you remember the first time you told me you were 'fine'?" He asked. "We were standing in the gymnasium on Titanic, and you told me that you were fine, that you would be fine. Clearly you weren't fine."

I smiled and realized it was no use to argue. "Alright, fine. I'll rest." I leaned closer to him and put my head on his shoulder. "I'm glad we took this trip. Thank you."

"Of course," Jack whispered. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. "Besides, it's a lot easier to travel now than when we have a baby."

Mia moved in closer to Jack and curled her legs up, leaning against him. "Are we almost there?"

Jack chuckled. "We've only just got in the car, but we'll be there soon enough."

Satisfied, Mia nodded and cuddled closer to him, her eyes growing heavy. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep and we sat in a comfortable silence until arriving at Molly's estate. I stood to get out of the car, but Jack stopped me. "Hold on, let me get her out and then I'll help you out."

I nodded with a smile, Jack was always so protective of Mia and I, but in the sweetest way, never possessive. Jack gently scooped Mia up in his arms, careful not to wake her as he rested her head on his shoulder and climbed out of the car. I stood and Jack took my hand, helping me out of the car. "Thank you," I smiled, placing a hand on my stomach.

We walked hand in hand through the entryway, where Molly was waiting. "Well well well, look who's here!" She opened her arms and hugged Jack and I. "It's been too long!"

"It's so good to see you, Molly," I smiled. "Thank you for inviting us."

"Of course, darlin'. Anything to help out you, Jack, and your little angel." Molly looked at the sleeping Mia with a wink.

I let out a light laugh. "You're too kind, really."

"There's no such thing, Rosie. Now, I'm sure you want to get this little one to sleep." Molly called over a staff member to show Jack to our rooms.

Jack squeezed my hand one more time and his gaze met mine with a look asking if I'll be alright. I nodded with a smile. "Go on, get Mia to bed. I'll be up soon to rest, I promise."

Jack nodded then said to Molly, "It was nice to see you again. Thank you for all of this."

Jack followed the staff away and Molly turned to me, her expression serious. "So, how have things been?"

I sighed. "Well, I can't say they're bad. I have Jack, Mia, and this baby and we're all safe. What more could I ask for?"

Molly raised an eyebrow. "But?"

"But rumors always spread and the gossip never stops. Right now Mia and I have been the center of most every rumor. I mean, a mysterious woman with a child shows up out of nowhere and now she's pregnant with another man's child. Jack's child. They've called me all sorts of things, and Mia too. What hurts me most… what hurts most is that Mia heard them. Things in Chippewa Falls… we just had to get away for a little."

Molly nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Rosie. None of you deserve that and you're the most legitimate and true family I've ever met, forget the legalities."

I chuckled. "I guess. I just hope things will be better when we return."

"I'm sure they will. No one who knows you could keep such an opinion of you."

"I hope so." I looked off into the mountains in the distance. They were beautiful in the evening sunlight and it was enough to make a smile appear on my face.

Molly chuckled at my reaction to a sight I was sure she saw every day. "Come on, darlin'. Let's get you inside to Jack and Mia." Molly began to walk towards the estate entrance and I followed her inside.

•••

Colorado was as wonderful as I hoped it would be. Jack and Mia ran around doing anything and everything, while I stayed in the house mostly resting. Today, for example, Jack and Mia went to some museum in Denver, while I stayed at home to read.

"How's it goin', Rosie?" Molly asked. No one had called me that before; it didn't bother me, but it was just a bit strange for anyone to use such an endearing nickname. Anyone other than Jack, of course.

I closed my book and smiled. "Oh, not too bad," I joked. Things were better than "not too bad", and Molly knew that. "Things are great, Molly. Thank you for everything."

Molly waved away my thanks. "Oh, please, all I did was offer you to come visit me for a while."

I arched my brow. "You and I both know that's not true, Molly. You supported Jack and I on the ship when no one else did, you offered to take in my daughter when she was in danger, you sent us adoption papers for Jack and Mia. I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that Jack, Mia, and I wouldn't be together now if it weren't for you."

"I think you're giving me too much credit," Molly smiled. "You're the one who saved yourself and your daughter from that Hockley bastard, you found Jack, you escaped from Hockley again… I don't think you really needed anyone. You could've done that all on your own."

I smiled and placed my hand on my stomach. The baby had been moving around all day, though it still hadn't kicked yet. The movements were small, only noticeable to me. Jack had placed his hand against my stomach and wasn't able to feel anything yet. "Everything has come together in the most perfect way. Jack and I are married now, Mia is happy and has two loving parents, we're having a baby… It's hard to believe how much has changed in just a few months."

"I'm so glad you kids are happy," Molly smiled. "You deserve to be happy, you both do. And that daughter of yours is just a darling. She's just like you, both in looks and personality."

"Mia… she saved my life, Molly," I admitted. "I never would've survived there if not for her. I certainly wouldn't have tried to escape. I probably would have stayed there until I died…"

"But things are better now?" She asked. "Things are good with Jack?"

"They're all good," I smiled. "Everything is so perfect, so simple. I don't know how to explain it. Everything just… fits." My smile grew as I continued to speak. "He's the person I'm meant to be with. I know it."

xXx

I woke up a little later, completely disoriented. The mattress I was laying on was different… far more comfortable than the one I was used to waking up on. I rolled over and saw Jack sitting next to me. He was staring down at his portfolio, but he looked at me once he saw that I was awake. I realized that we were at Molly's, that we weren't at home in Chippewa Falls. "Hey," he smiled.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"About an hour," he replied. "I'm glad you rested. You probably needed it." He touched my cheek and smiled. "Mia's downstairs playing with Molly. I think Mia likes her better than us," he joked.

I laughed. "Come on, let's go." We both stood up from the bed and walked out of the room we were given, down the long hallway and back into the main part of the house. Mia was sitting on the floor playing with a toy I didn't recognize, while Molly was sitting on the couch next to her. They were both laughing.

I smiled and hid behind a wall, holding Jack's hand tightly. "Molly's almost like the grandmother she never had," Jack whispered. "I wish my mother could've met Mia…"

"I wish my mother could've been a decent human being," I rolled my eyes. As we stood there and quietly watched them for a moment, I felt something in my stomach. It was a kick, I knew for sure. I gasped, one hand immediately held my stomach as the other reached for Jack. "Jack."

"What, what is it?" He asked concernedly. He analyzed me, looking up and down for signs of distress. "Are you alright?"

I smiled and nodded. "Jack, our baby just kicked." His jaw dropped, and his eyes glanced down at my stomach and back at me. "Here, feel." I took his hand and placed it against my stomach.

We waited for a moment, and I felt the baby move inside of me. I smiled, knowing a kick was coming. "Come on, baby, do it again," I whispered, and immediately the baby kicked. "Good job," I whispered.

I looked over at Jack and saw him smile. "Is this the first time?" He asked, and I nodded. "And this always happens? With any baby?"

I nodded. "Any healthy baby should kick eventually. I've felt movements, but none that you could feel with your hand. This was the first real kick." I placed my hand on top of his. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," he smiled.

•••

That night found all three of us with hands on my stomach, waiting for the baby to kick. Mia still hadn't felt it, and she was waiting excitedly to feel her baby brother or sister touch her for the first time. "When is the kick coming?" Mia whined.

"Soon," I whispered, touching her hair. "Be patient. It'll happen." I rubbed my stomach, waiting for it to happen. Finally, the baby kicked, and Mia gasped. "See? What did I tell you."

"That's amazing!" She exclaimed. "Do it again, do it again!"

"The baby is going to go to sleep," Jack whispered, touching Mia's cheek. "And guess who else is going to sleep? You." He lifted her into his arms, making her laugh. He carried her over to me. "Say goodnight to Mommy."

"Good night, Mommy." Jack dipped her down so that she could give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I hugged her back and whispered good night in her ear before Jack carried her off to bed.

The baby continued to kick as I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep. "My goodness," I whispered. "Come on, baby, please let me sleep. Please." I rubbed my stomach for a minute, hoping it would calm the baby down. Jack walked in a few minutes later. "The baby won't stop kicking."

Jack laid down next to me, placing his hand on my stomach. "What can I do?" He asked, and my heart immediately melted. I touched his cheek and smiled. "Actually, I know." He scooted down in the bed until his head was next to my stomach. "Hey little baby," Jack whispered, and I instantly smiled. "We're so excited to meet you. Mommy and I are getting ready for you, figuring out what to name you and everything. And your older sister Mia is so excited to meet you and be friends with you. And your mommy…" he looked at me and smiled. "Your mommy is taking such good care of you, and she loves you so much, as will I."

"Jack," I whispered, running my fingers through his hair. He looked at me and smiled.

He kissed my stomach then placed his hand against it. The baby kicked again, and my hand flew back to my stomach. "I guess that didn't work," he laughed. "Alright, I've got another idea." He cleared his throat, as I wondered what he was going to do. "Come Josephine in my flying machine going up she goes, up she goes."

I didn't even notice that tears had appeared in my eyes, as the sound of him singing that song brought the memories of Titanic right back. Jack looked at me, concerned. "Rose, are you alright?"

I nodded. "Yes," I wiped a tear that had fallen. "I just pushed all those memories away for so long. If I thought about the way it felt to sing as we walked down the deck, or to hear you singing softly in my ear as your arms wrapped around me… or the cold water running over the door as I held your hand and sang to myself, knowing that you were going to die." I started to cry, and Jack scooted back up and wrapped his arms around me. "That song is everything… I just haven't heard it in a while, and I haven't heard you sing it since Titanic."

"I'm so sorry, Rose," he whispered, holding me tight in his arms. "We're both alive and well, we're both together, and we will never get separated again. I promise."

"I know," I whispered, and I pulled him close enough for me to kiss him. "I love you, Jack."