Thursday, January 16th, 1912
Lilly walked over to Rose's house early in the morning to check up on her. For the past week, Jack had asked Lilly to come by while he was at work to make sure that Rose was doing alright and help her with anything she might need, since she was in the ninth month of her pregnancy and was due to give birth any day now. Jack hated the thought of Rose being by herself, in case she went into labor, so it was important to him that someone be there with her at all times, no matter how unnecessary Rose had said it was. Lilly was usually by herself when Charlie was at work, so she was happy to spend time with her friend. She agreed with Jack that Rose shouldn't be left alone in such a state, anyway.
Lilly would have simply walked in to the house so that Rose wouldn't have to walk to the door, but she knocked after finding that it was locked. That was no surprise, since Jack and Rose preferred to keep their doors locked after the run-in with Cal. Lilly patiently waited on the front porch until the door swung open, revealing Rose, still in her night dress.
"Oh, Lilly, I forgot you were coming over, or I would have gotten dressed! Here, come on in. Sorry that the door was locked, but Jack always worries that Cal could try to come by while I'm here by myself," Rose said as she led her friend inside.
"Rose, it's perfectly alright. I understand. Have you eaten yet?"
"No, I haven't. I just woke up, and I'm not really hungry.."
"You might be having the baby soon, then. I remember my older sister not being able to eat the day before she had my niece."
"Oh, goodness. I hope you're right, Lil. I'm ready to get this baby out of me!" Rose exclaimed. It was true, she was tired of being pregnant. She could barely walk, her feet were swollen, and she was constantly exhausted. Above all else, Rose was ready to meet her and Jack's baby. She couldn't wait to hold her son or daughter in her arms.
"Why don't we go get you something to eat? I know you aren't hungry, but you need to eat so you'll have the strength to go through labor," Lilly suggested as she led Rose into the kitchen. "Here, sit down. I'll cook you something."
"Lil, you really don't have to do that."
"No, but I want to. You're exhausted, Rose. Let me make you something to eat, then we will get you back upstairs and you can lay down."
Rose nodded, too exhausted to argue. Since she had been awake, she'd been having slight pains in her abdomen. She wasn't sure what it could be, but she just assumed that it was normal to have discomfort so late in her pregnancy. Lilly cooked up some eggs and sausage and put them on Rose's plate, encouraging her to eat. Rpse just stared at her plate, not having any appetite at all. In fact, just looking at the food repulsed her.
"Come on, sweetie. You need to eat," Lilly urged as she sat down with her own plate and started to shovel some eggs into her mouth. Pregnancy had made her appetite go through the roof.
"Okay, okay." Rose finally gave in and picked up a piece of sausage and put it in her mouth. She swallowed the food, proud of herself for getting it down. After taking a few more bites, she pushed her plate away, unable to eat anything else. "Sorry, Lil, but I don't think I can keep anything else down."
"I understand. I'll clean these dishes up and we'll get you back upstairs."
Rose nodded and let Lilly take her plate away.
"Lil, how hard do you think it will be to.. you know, have the baby?"
Lilly turned around from where she was washing dishes in the sink. "I don't know, Rose. To be honest.. it'll probably hurt quite a bit. But when you have your baby in your arms, it'll all be worth it."
"I hope you're right. I'm so scared."
Lilly put the dishes away that she had finished washing and walked to where Rose was sitting to give her a comforting hug. "Rose, it's normal to be scared, but I'm sure that everything will be alright. You're going to be a mother soon! That's so exciting."
Rose nodded. "I know. I can't wait to meet my son or daughter, cuddle him or her close and see who he or she looks like."
"You and Jack are going to make wonderful parents," Lilly said sincerely. It was definitely true - she hadn't met anyone with a kinder or more caring heart than Jack and Rose. They truly cared for others, and they were both so excited for the arrival of their baby. "Come on, Rose. Let's get you back in bed so you can rest."
Rose nodded and let Lilly help her up from her chair. As soon as Rose stood up, she felt a surge of water come out of her that completely soaked her dress. Too shocked and scared to speak, Rose just gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. "Lilly... Oh my.."
Lilly stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. She didn't want to leave Rose by herself now that she was in labor, but she had to get Jack and the doctor. "Rose, let's get you upstairs right now. I'm going to get Jack and Dr. Calvert and have them come here right away."
"Lilly, what's happening?" Rose asked nervously. She realized that she knew nothing about what was normal in terms of giving birth. She was completely sheltered growing up, and her mother had never explained such things.
"Your water broke, Rose. It's perfectly normal, but it means that you're in labor," Lilly explained as she slowly led Rose up the stairs. Once they got to Jack and Rose's bedroom, Lilly helped Rose lay down in bed and made sure that she was comfortable. "I guess it's a good thing you hadn't changed out of your nightdress." Rose let out a small laugh, which was soon interrupted by a sharp pain that erupted through Rose's entire body. She screamed, grabbing Lilly's hand for support. Once the contraction ended, Rose let go of Lilly's hand, which was now sore from being grabbed so hard. She didn't mind, though - she couldn't imagine how scared Rose must be.
"Rose, I have to go get Dr. Calvert and tell him you're in labor."
"Lilly, no!" Rose exclaimed as she grabbed her friend's hand again. She didn't want to be left alone. "I can't be here alone. What if the baby comes?"
"I think you have some time, Rose, since your water just broke. It'll be alright. I'll be back with Jack and the doctor as soon as I can."
Rose nodded, realizing that Lilly was only doing what she had to do. "Okay, Lilly. Hurry."
Lilly nodded and ran downstairs, out the front door. Worried about leaving Rose alone, she decided to stop by Anna and Paul's house on the way to Dr. Calvert's office. When she got to the house, she ran as fast as she could down the walkway and up the stairs to the front porch. Lilly banged on the door, completely out of breath from running.
Anna, hearing the constant knocking, hurried to the door. When she opened it, she gasped. What was Lilly doing here so early, and completely out of breath? "Lilly! What's going on?"
Lilly tried to speak, but she was so out of breath from running that it was difficult to get the words out. "Rose... is in labor. I have to get the doctor.. can you go stay with her? I don't want her to be alone."
"Oh my goodness! She's having the baby? Of course I'll go stay with her," Anna grabbed her coat and hurried out the door with Lilly. Suddenly, she had an idea. "Lilly, how about you go stay with Rose? You're pregnant and shouldn't be running around in the cold. I'll go get Jack and Dr. Calvert."
Lilly nodded, relieved to not have to run anymore. She had only ran down the road a little, and she was already exhausted. She began to walk back to the Dawson residence, too tired to run anymore.
Meanwhile, Anna ran down the street to the factory where Jack worked. She had already stopped by Dr. Calvert's office and told him about Rose. He had immediately set off for the Dawson residence, which made Anna feel much better about the situation. At least the doctor would be there soon to help Rose.
Anna ran into the front office of the factory, where she saw Mr. Miller working at his desk. "Mr. Miller, I need to see Jack Dawson immediately. His wife is in labor."
"Dawson's wife is having her baby?" Mr. Miller smiled, glad to hear that one of his best worker's was about to be blessed with a child. He had heard Jack talk endlessly about Rose and their future child, and he knew Jack was going to make a great father. "I'll go get him. You wait here. It's dangerous inside the factory."
Anna nodded and sat down in a chair while waiting for Mr. Miller to return with Jack. She was exhausted from running all over Chippewa Falls. She didn't mind, of course. She would do anything to help her friend, and she knew Jack would want to be there to see Rose. Rose would definitely need Jack's support.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Jack came running into the front office. "Anna! How's Rose?"
"She's fine, I think. Lilly is with her, and the doctor should be there by now."
"Well, let's go!" Jack exclaimed, worried about his wife. This was their first child, and he wanted to be there for it's arrival. He knew Rose was scared to give birth, and he wanted to be there to comfort and support her. He couldn't imagine what she was going through right now, being in labor without him there. What if something went wrong? He tried to shake his worried thoughts from his head as he and Anna made their way to the Dawson residence.
Jack ran inside his house, Anna close behind him. "Rose! Rose, where are you?" Jack shouted through the house.
"In the bedroom, Jack!" He heard Lilly yell from upstairs.
Jack ran upstairs as fast as he could, sprinting into his and Rose's bedroom. "Rose!" Jack exclaimed, rushing to her side. Lilly gave up the chair she was in to Jack, knowing that Rose needed him more than she needed her. Rose was laying on her back, wincing at the pain that she was in. She was covered in sweat, and her red curls were stuck to her face. Jack wanted to cry at the sight of his wife in so much pain. He wished that he could take her place and give birth for her so that she didn't have to go through all of the pain. Rose was strong, though, and he knew that she would be able to do it. "Jack!" She exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck, thankful that her husband was finally by her side. She pulled away as a contraction started to rip through her body and immediately grabbed Jack's hand. "Jack… it hurts…"
Jack tried not to wince at how hard Rose was clenching his hand. He knew that whatever pain he was in was nothing compared to what Rose was going through, and if he needed to give up his hand for her at the moment, he would gladly do so. "I know, sweetheart. It's okay, I'm here now."
Just then, Dr. Calvert came through the bedroom door. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Dawson. So we're having a baby, are we?"
"Looks that way, doesn't it?" Rose asked sarcastically, immediately regretting how rude she sounded. Dr. Calvert didn't seem phased, though. He must have been used to women snapping at people when they were in labor.
"Alright, Rose, let's see how far along you are," Dr. Calvert said, immediately checking Rose's condition. After doing so, he spoke again. "Alright, I'm going to need everyone to leave the room so that we can move along with the birthing process."
Anna and Lilly nodded and started to leave. "It'll be alright, Rose," Lilly soothed as she came over and moved some of the sweaty curls out of Rose's face.
"Thanks for being here, Lil," Rose whispered. Lilly nodded and left, knowing that she was going to be in this very situation in a few months. She shuddered at the thought. Having seen the pain Rose was in didn't make her very excited about giving birth.
Dr. Calvert noticed that Jack didn't move at his last comment about everyone needing to leave. "Mr. Dawson, that includes you."
Rose immediately clenched Jack's hand and stared at Dr. Calvert, anger in her eyes. "No! He is staying!"
Dr. Calvert sighed. The Dawsons weren't the first family to insist that the father stay for a birth, and they wouldn't be the last. However, the fact was that fathers simply did not belong at births. It wasn't something that was appropriate for them to see. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Dawson, but your husband can't stay. Fathers don't belong at births."
"Don't belong?! This baby is half Jack's! He deserves to see it born. Either he stays, or you leave and I'll give birth without your help."
Jack nodded, holding Rose's hand lovingly. "Dr. Calvert, I respect your traditions and your desire to uphold them. But Rose and I are different. She needs me to be here with her, and I want to be here with her to see our child born."
Dr. Calvert sighed again. He got the feeling that this couple was different and that they weren't going to budge. "Alright, Mr. Dawson, you can stay. As long as it's okay with your wife, of course." Rose nodded. "Okay, that settles it. Now, let's get on with things."
A/N: Ooh, a little bit of a cliffy here. I'll update soon! Please review!