Chapter 82: "I Can Save Her…"
"How… How…" Emma squeaks in utter sadness. "How could he?"
Molly, Ruth, Holly, Carl, Peter, and Emma, with Sybil sleeping in her arms, all sit in the family room together. Well, five out of the six are sitting, Emma paces back and forth in front of the fireplace with her sister sleeping on her shoulder. Holly and Carl were dressed in their night clothes and looked especially confused to come downstairs to see Emma was in tears and Peter looking very flustered. Two cups of tea lay on the kitchen table, now very cold as the two older women were trying to soothe their frazzled nerves, Molly offering much comfort to a distraught Ruth.
Considering it was just becoming morning outside and Sybil was technically one today, the elder sister wanted to be the first person the toddler saw when she awoke. Shower the little one with kisses and birthday wishes. Additionally, the back and forth rhythm that Emma was making was soothing for the sleeping birthday girl.
Despite what a happy occasion this should be, worry, anger, and confusion gripped all their minds. The cloak of darkness holding them all in its grasp, a darkness in which Jack Dawson had vanished, likely in pursuit of Caledon Hockley and to rescue Rose DeWitt Bukater. A cold chilly wind pushes at the dimly lit windows and a fire is slowly dying as rosy morning light peeks into the home.
"Emma, darling you're going to wear a hole in the floor," Molly Brown says firmly. "And get your sister motion sick."
"I can't help it!" the girl snaps angrily. She only stops once to say this and then goes back to pacing.
"Emma, you need to calm down," Holly says.
"Calm down! Jack has basically just made himself look guiltier than ever before! There's no way in hell that he's going to be able to see his child's birth now."
"Emma, such language," Ruth snaps. The elderly woman was not thrilled that this seemingly strong and level-headed girl was acting so childish.
"You have no right to criticize me! Why didn't you try and stop him?!" she snaps.
Peter turns to the four people who were present for Jack's apparent run for the hills. Holly and Carl had been basically staying over at the house to help with the search, Thomas sleeping on a cot in their guest room. They had been upstairs sleeping the whole time, while Ruth and Molly were still awake as they were most night, waiting for any kind of news about Rose.
A lump appears in Ruth's throat and fresh tears form in her eyes. She does her best to remain composed, having had much practice in high-class society, but the sheer stress of the past week causes her to begin to cry. Carl offers the frail woman a handkerchief and Molly shifts unhappily, continuing to glare at the fierce young girl.
"Y-You don't think I tried?"
"Obviously, you didn't do a very good job!" Emma barks.
Sybil begins to stir in her arms, and Emma, not wanting to disturb her sister any further hands the one-year-old to Holly.
"Please take her upstairs," the older sister growls.
Holly, wanting to try and keep the peace in the home and make a very upset Emma happy, does so without question. Once they are out of earshot, the young woman turns back to Ruth.
"The man is as stubborn as my daughter. Nothing we could've said would have made a difference."
"And he's basically sentenced himself to more jail time."
"Well you weren't exactly doing a good job of bailing him out," Ruth snaps. "Molly could've paid the bail and this would've been all over, but no, you had to prove that you were a capable lawyer by dragging this out. If you had spent your time helping with the searches, Rose would've been found by now!"
Emma's hands clench into fists. Her nostrils flare up and she glares very angrily at Ruth DeWitt Bukater.
"HOW DARE YOU! I LOVE YOUR DAUGHTER MORE THAN YOU LOVE HER. SHE'S MY BEST FRIEND, MY SISTER AND YOU DON'T THINK I WANT HER FOUND. I AM DOING THE BEST I CAN GOD DAMMIT!"
Ruth is very angry too and fires back. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE YOUR CHILD GO MISSING!"
"DON'T I? I SEEM TO RECALL THE MAN YOU WANTED ROSE TO MARRY ABDUCTED MY BABY SISTER WHILE WE WERE ON A SINKING SHIP AND HE THREATENED TO KILL HER UNLESS ROSE WENT WITH HIM!"
Emma's voice is hoarse now. She can't take it anymore, she turns away before this gets any worse. She finds the need to smash something, she grabs something, a picture frame from the mantle of the fireplace and chucks it across the room. It smashes on the floor. At that moment, Peter puts his foot down, he gets up and tries to grab Emma's arms.
She fights him. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screams.
"STOP IT EMMA!" Peter yells back, wrestling her arms to her side.
Emma is so full of anger that she's about to burst. The pressure in her head feels like it's going to burst. Tears stream down her face as she continues to fight her "husband." It's like an immature tantrum and impassioned one…
"Emma stop it!" Peter snarls. He hates having to manhandle her like this, but her emotions are getting the best of her. This was not the woman he knew and loved, she was now buried under an angry and grieving façade. She wasn't the sweet, loving woman he cared for… well, she was, and it was because of this fierce love and devotion that she was so angry. She loved Jack and Rose so much, it was tearing her apart that she couldn't help them.
Peter pulls her into his arms and holds her tightly. She resists at first, continuing to cry, but he relents. She breaks down into tears of sorrow and guilt. Her body feels broken, that it's finally the end, she's done being strong and now she just wants to cry. She's been through so much, trying to save her friend, trying to free another, trying to prove that the innocent were guilty, showing the world that she was a good lawyer, being a good mother to her sister, wanting to be married, waiting for all of this to be over.
She weeps very hard and Peter does the same, holding her and feeling all his strength drain out of him. He hated to see her like this, but Emma thought that she had to protect everyone and then she had to do everything, but it seems that she'd forgotten that he was there, that she wasn't alone and that he could help her. She had a support system, a family that wanted to be there for her, it's just not the one she was used to.
The couple stands at the fireplace for a long time, the rest of room in quiet contemplation as well. The sun begins to rise behind the houses across the street as a new day broke… a day meant to be one of celebration and joy, but Emma knew deep down, within another month would be the anniversary of her mother's death and six months after that her father's and then a month after that, the near-death experience on a sinking ship. Why was her life so complicated and seemingly filled with death? Why couldn't she be like other girls her age, happy, free, in love…? All the things that felt normal.
Once the angry seas have calmed, the couple breaks from their embrace and Emma turns to Ruth.
"I'm so sorry for yelling at you Ruth, I'm just so upset."
"I know child I know, I can understand this must be as hard for you as it is for me."
"I just wish Jack didn't make it worse by doing this."
"I see that you are angry with Jack for escaping and taking matters into his own hands," Holly says gently.
"Yes, of course," Emma sighs heavily.
Holly nods gently. Carl looks at the couple for a long moment then replies, "I would have done the same thing,"
The others look at him and he nods. "If it were Holly or Thomas in the hands of a madman, not even an exploding bomb or a solid brick wall could have gotten in my way…."
Molly swallows a bit. "Maybe he made the right choice," a tiny smile forming on her face.
"Who knows what Mr. Hockley is doing to Rose right now. Jack could be saving her just in time. From what you've said about him, this is a man who knows how to fight," Holly says with some confidence, trying to stay optimistic.
"If so, he's taking an incredible chance with his life," Carl says.
"If so, it's the best chance we have right now," Molly says. "The police are doing nothing.
"Oh, really?", Emma says irritation rising in her voice again. "Well, Jack has no right to risk his life."
"His fiancé's being held captive", Carl interjects.
She drew in a deep breath. "I understand but I just pray he knows what's he doing..."
"His name will be cleared, if he pulls it off," Molly says.
"Or perhaps, he will make himself look even more like a criminal", Emma puts in flatly. She rubs her temples and sits down on the couch, Peter joining her and wrapping his arms around her.
"How did it even happen?" he asks, wanting more context.
Ruth and Molly look at each other for a long moment.
…
Flashback, what happened two hours earlier...
"What type of tea do you want Ruth?" Molly asks. She searches the cupboards for two fresh cups.
"Just Earl Grey please," the tired mother says with a deep sigh.
Ruth felt as if someone had ripped out her heart and stomped on it. Her mind would not let her sleep as she worried day and night about her daughter. It had been like this when Rose had run off the first time, she barely slept or ate, questions of all kinds swirled in her head and the worst-case scenarios of prostitution or death haunted her every waking moment. She blamed others, she blamed Cal, she blamed herself, but at least once her daughter had written that letter to reassure her, while there were still many questions, Rose had done it of her own free will. And she was also unaware of Cal's true anger and what he was capable of… now she feared for her daughter and unborn grandchild's life. No doubt Mr. Hockley had no moral compass and would do anything to lash out at Jack Dawson.
Now, the poor man that she was expecting to become her son-in-law was behind bars, for crimes he did not commit. Ruth desperately wished that the couple had least been able to kiss. She could not believe that she once hated the man and looked down on him, but since the time on the ship, seeing many innocent people perish, living amongst the working class, seeing what real love looked like and finding new love herself, that perspective had changed drastically. But now it felt that she was back where she started, fearing for her daughter's safety.
The kettle on the stove begins to whistle and Molly goes about pouring the water when she hears something… She stops and puts it down.
It sounds like thumping. At first, she thinks it might be little Thomas wandering to the lavatory or Carl getting a glass of water, but it was different. Very different.
"Did you hear that?"
Ruth remains silent and listens. Sure enough, the sound seemed to have been coming from the back room.
Thinking there might be an intruder, Molly grabs a nearby frying pan and Ruth arms herself with a fork. The two women slowly go down the hallway, hearing as the sounds get louder and louder as they get closer and closer. Both of their hearts are pounding loudly, neither had ever confronted a prowler or a burglar before, but with Carl upstairs asleep and young children in the house, they knew they had to protect the home.
Molly signals for Ruth to stay behind her as she reaches the back room, one that led out into where the laundry was done. Her hand goes to the door, which was slightly ajar, the light from the staircase casting sharp shadows around them. The heiress pushes the door open slowly and finds the light switch, illuminating the room.
"God almighty Jack Dawson!" Molly gasps, not completely able to believe her eyes.
Ruth peers around her friend's shoulder to see a dirty and very thin Jack Dawson, dressed in prison clothing climbing through the back window.
"What are you doing here?" Molly demands angrily.
Jack sighs heavily. He knows that neither women would understand nor excuse what he had done, but Rose needed him, now more than ever. He doesn't say anything and just keeps his eyes downcast.
"How did you…" Ruth began.
Both of their eyes go wide with the realization. Jack takes their moment of hesitation to push past the women and go upstairs. He had to get out of this clothing, it was heavy, ugly, and itched. He knows he needs to hurry. He finds his and Rose's room and dumps the content of a drawer on the untouched bed. His mind fills with the happy quiet moments that he and Rose shared here. The time's he'd sing to the baby, how he'd hold Rose every morning and the times she would read, and he would draw by the light of the lamp. His heart pounds in his ears and his mind filled with rage again, thinking about Cal had done and was likely doing to her. His thoughts cloud over with angry ones as he changes quickly and then goes downstairs.
Ruth and Molly catch him in the front hall.
"Where in the hell do you think you're going?" Molly snaps.
Jack doesn't answer, is searching the draw by the door for Peter and Emma's keys to the car.
Fed up Molly forces him to turn around.
"Jack Dawson, you tell us what happened, why you are here and what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Jack looks at Molly for a long moment and then at Ruth. It had been awhile since he'd seen them, but he was happy to catch a glimpse. He knew he couldn't talk to them because of what they'd say.
"I'm going to find Rose," he says simply.
"LIKE HELL YOU ARE!" Molly snaps, she attempts to grab the boy's arm, but Jack remains out of reach. He's too fast, he is out the door before anything else can happen.
"If you really did…" Ruth begins.
"Jack this is a death sentence!" Molly shouts, running after him. "You're just making it worse by going after Hockley!"
Jack snaps out of his angry mood. His mind clears only briefly, thinking of the consequences of what he'd done and what he was going to do. But his mind keeps going back to that letter and he thinks of Rose and their child, she was at the madman's mercy.
"Jack, please let the police handle this," Molly begs.
"The police have done nothing but accuse me of all this horse shit!" he hisses.
"Cal will just hurt Rose if you even get near him."
"I DON'T CARE!" Jack snaps back. His eyes are filled with tears with his hand is on the door of the car, but Molly is more than ready to bash his head with the frying pan to knock some sense into him. However, a gentle hand reaches out to stop the heiress.
"Ruth…" she protests.
"He's right Margret," the DeWitt Bukater woman murmurs.
"But the police…"
"I'll accept the consequences," Jack says quietly. "I know what I'm doing Molly. I've handled Cal before and he's not going to stop. Whether I'm in jail or not, he's just going to keep going. Even if the evidence is found and given to the police, who knows what Cal will do with Rose? It will be probably too late."
Molly opens her mouth to speak, but she closes it again.
Jack takes in another deep breath says in a quiet but determined voice, "I can save Rose before it's too late. I can do this."
Ruth looks into the man's blue eyes and sees the determination and love that she saw in Rose's eyes when she ran away from the lifeboat to rescue him. Obviously, her quest had not been in vain and… now he was returning the favour. She sighs and says in a moving and accepting voice, "You're right"
Jack turns and goes over to Ruth and hugs her tightly. The older woman embraces the intimate moment, knowing with much confidence that Jack was the right man for Rose and no matter what happened, he would fight to his very last breath to save her.
Molly wants to do something, anything that didn't make this scene look like a crime novel, but she knew Jack and she knew he'd do anything to save Rose. If anyone can make things right, it was him. He was a good man, and she knew nothing she could say would change his mind.
Jack fights back tears as he hugs Molly and then turns back to the car. "Tell Emma and Peter I'm sorry. And tell them not to give up and follow after me before the police catch up first."
"We will," Ruth says.
Jack climbs behind the wheel of the car and starts it up. He takes one last look at the place he and Rose called home before pulling out of the driveway and down the street.
…
"And he was gone," Ruth finishes with a saddened sigh.
Emma and Peter look at one another, wishing beyond all measure that they could've been there, even if it was just to help Jack save Rose or just to say goodbye. They knew they couldn't give up on their friends, but how could they tell the police about this, especially since Ruth and Molly and deliberately let Jack, a fugitive, go? Fear and dread filled their bodies.
Everyone sits in quiet silence as the morning light shines through the windows. Pretty soon the youngest ones would be awake and blissfully unaware of what had happened. Something they all envied.
Eventually, Emma gets up and goes upstairs to her sister's room. She hears the happy gurgles of the birthday girl. She forces herself to smile and then leans into the crib to scoop up her sister.
Sybil squeals in delight and her big sister's smile becomes more natural. Emma gives Sybil a million kisses, wanting the world to just stop, that all the evil could vanish, so her sister could have a good birthday, one filled with joy and love.
"Happy Birthday Sybbie."
A/N: Thanks to Sam Fraser and Acroterion for helping me with this chapter. To answer Far-No's question, I'd rather not take your challenge because I'd like the story to end on my terms. Thank you, everyone, for the reviews, they really make my day.