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Chapter 1
Ellis Island, NY
April 16, 1912
Rose burrows deeper into Jack’s side, as the boat beats against the port. It’s early morning and though the Carpathia ported two hours ago, they’ve yet to allow passengers off of the ship. Jack holds Rose close and rubs her arm in order to maintain body heat. They’ve been given new, dry clothes, but their bones still feel frozen.
They wait for the steward to come for their names and as they do, a bundle of blankets in the corner catches Jack’s eyes. He nudges Rose gently and she lifts her head from his shoulder. He nods in the direction of the blankets and when Rose follows his gaze, she watches as Cora’s head pops up.
There are tear tracks on the girl’s dirty face and she’s in the same clothes she wore on the Titanic. Rose frowns at the realization that no one has taken care of her. She shares a look at Jack and he nods. He helps her stand from the floor and they make their way over to the little girl.
Cora sees them coming towards her, but she’s experienced so much tragedy in the last forty-eight hours that she becomes frightened. She backs against the wall and begins to hide under her blankets, but Jack’s voice stops her.
“Cora, it’s Uncle Jack.” His voice is quiet and soft. “Do you remember me?” He asks her. It takes her a moment, but she lowers her blankets and nods. Jack kneels on the floor in front of her and Rose does the same; using Jack’s shoulder to help her down. Cora’s eyes drift over to Rose and Rose smiles at her. “Hi, Cora. I’m Rose. You may not remember me, but I’m Uncle Jack’s friend.” She keeps her voice soft and sweet.
Cora slowly moves away from the wall and reaches out a small hand. She holds one of Rose’s red curls in her grasp softly. “Pretty.” She whispers. “I remember you. Uncle Jack called you pretty.” Rose smiles and Cora drops her hand to her lap. She looks back to Jack and new tears fall across her cheeks. “My Mommy and Daddy aren’t here. They went to heaven.” Her voice is choked with sadness and she reaches her arms out to Jack. He takes her in his arms willingly and rests her on his lap. Her tears soak his shirt and he rocks her gently, as Rose runs smooth circles across her back.
“It’s alright, Cora.” Jack reassures her. He looks to Rose and sees tears in her eyes, as well. He can also see that Rose is thinking and wanting the same thing he is. “Cora, would you like to stay with me and Rose?” He asks her. Cora pulls away and looks at his face closely with wide eyes. “Stay with you. I can live with you?” Her voice is so quiet that they can hardly hear her question.
“Yes. We would like that very much.” Rose tells her. Cora appears to think very seriously for a moment. “Yes. I would like that, too.” She says. Jack places a kiss on her hair and grabs hold of Rose’s hand. “Well, that’s settled. When we get off of this boat, we get off together.” Jack tells them proudly. “Not a boat, Uncle Jack. It’s a ship.” Cora reminds him. Jack and Rose laugh. Rose runs a hand over Cora’s tangled chestnut curls. “You’re very right, Miss Cora.” She agrees with her. “Why don’t we see if we can get you a change of clothes?” She asks her. Cora bites her thumb and nestles into Jack’s chest. “I like these clothes. These are my clothes.” She mumbles. Rose frowns and before she can counter, Jack steps in to help. “We can keep them, but it would make you much warmer if we got you into new clothes. Aunt Rose can help you, so you’re not alone.” Jack tries to convince her. Cora nods and reaches over for Rose.
Rose takes her into her arms and Cora buries her face into Rose’s neck. Rose holds her close, as Jack helps her to stand. They go in search of new clothes and Rose helps Cora get changed into a new, warm outfit. When the steward finally makes his way down to the third class holding place, he asks for their names. “Dawson. Rose and Jack Dawson.” Rose tells him. Jack is awestruck by her answer. “What about the little one?” The steward asks, taking a look at the little girl in Rose’s arms. “This is Cora.” She answers him, hoping that will be enough. It isn’t a lie, but Rose hopes the man does not ask for Cora’s last name. If he knew Cora wasn’t a Dawson, he might try and take her away. He just nods once and writes on his clipboard, before moving to the next passengers.
Rose and Jack share a sigh of relief and make their way off of the ship together as a new family.
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Chippewa Falls, WI
May 12, 1912
Rose wakes with the same churning nausea that has woken her for the past week. She rolls over onto her left side in attempts to settle her stomach and curl into Jack’s embrace. His arms go around her automatically in his sleep and she takes a fistful of his sleep shirt. She breathes in his scent, which has seemed to be one of the only smells that doesn’t cause her to feel more ill.
Unfortunately, this morning, it doesn't seem to work. Rose pulls away from Jack’s arms quickly and runs to the toilet across the hall. Her knees hit the cold, hard tile and she thinks of how they’ll bruise later. After a few moments of fighting the intense nausea, she finally becomes sick. The sounds coming from the bathroom wake Jack and she finds solace in his footsteps coming across the splintered wood floor. She hears the door creak open and then feels his warm hand on her back.
“Rose…Rosebud, are you alright?” His voice is quiet and gentle. He knows she hasn’t been feeling well this last week, so he doesn’t want to speak too loudly. She’s finished being sick and turns her head to rest on her arm on the toilet seat. Jack brushes a stray hair from her face and tucks it behind her ear. She leans into his touch, relishing the warmth of his hand against her cheek. “I’m alright.” She tells him. He goes to argue, but quick, tiny footsteps are heard down the hall. They look over to see Cora standing in the doorway. “Aunt Rose, are you sick?” She asks, timidly. Rose gathers strength to lift her head and give Cora a small smile. “Just a little, darling. I don’t have a fever, so I don’t think I could get you or Uncle Jack sick.” Rose explains to her, trying to ease any fears she might have.
Jack looks at Rose with knitted brows. “You don’t have a fever?” He raises his hand to check her forehead. “No, I guess you don’t.” He lowers his hand to rest on her shoulder, then looks back to Cora. “Cora, sweetie, could you go down to the kitchen and get Aunt Rose a glass of water?” Cora is happy to oblige to her Uncle Jack’s request and hurries off to the kitchen.
Jack helps Rose from the bathroom floor and stays within arms reach should she need him while brushing her teeth. Once her teeth are brushed, Jack helps her back into bed. “You really don’t need to do this Jack. I’m fine.” She admonishes him. He sits on the bed at her hip and tucks the blankets around her. “Rosie, you’ve felt bad all week and now you’re really sick. You’re not fine, sweetie.” His concern shines through his words.
Cora comes into the room with a glass of water and hands it to Rose with both hands. “Thank you, sweet girl.” Rose thanks her. “You’re welcome.” It seems as if Cora wants to say more, but she sways awkwardly between Jack and Rose. “What is it, honey?” Jack asks her. Cora bites her lip and then responds quietly. “Can I lay with Aunt Rose? I want to make her feel better.” Jack and Rose smile at her words. Jack looks to Rose to see if it’s alright and she answers him with a small nod.
Jack lifts Cora from the floor and she instantly crawls over Rose’s legs to cuddle into her side. “Just try not to move the bed too much, alright?” Jack asks her. “Okay, Uncle Jack.” Cora answers with a yawn. Jack takes a look at the clock on the bedside table and sees that it’s only four in the morning, so he too climbs into bed beside his best girls.
Once Cora is asleep, Jack gets the courage to talk with Rose. “Rose, are you awake?” He asks in a whisper. She hums in response. “You’re sick, but you don’t have a fever. I was thinking…maybe it was something you ate, but it wouldn’t last this long and we’ve all eaten the same things.” He reasons. “What do you think it could be?” He asks her. She’s quiet for a long time. So long that Jack thinks she must not have heard him or that she’s fallen back to sleep.
“I think…” Her voice is so quiet, but it startles him in the silence and he strains to hear. “I think I might be pregnant.” She confesses. All of the air leaves Jack’s lungs for a moment. In the early morning light that spills through their bedroom window, Jack’s eyes meet Rose’s. She’s exhausted from her spell on the bathroom floor. He watches as sleep overtakes her, but he doesn’t sleep. He’s too…he doesn’t know the right word to describe how he feels, but he does know he’d rather stay awake and watch over his family rather than sleep.
They’re going to have a baby. A little human that’s a part of Rose and a part of him. A baby with big blue eyes and curly red hair or big green eyes and blonde hair. Any combination of him and Rose; he doesn’t care as long as they’re healthy. Cora is going to be a big sister figure to this baby.
Jack wraps his whole world in his arms and burrows deeper into the blankets. He is warm and he is happy and he is at peace.