A New Beginning

Chapter 42: Safe

Chapter 42: Safe

"What do we do now?" Rose asks as all four of them climb back into the car. "I can't go back to the hotel, that's the first place Cal will look for me."

"You're not going back to him are you?" Jack asks.

Rose leans forward and kisses Jack.

"Not ever again, but I do need to go for some of my things, like my maternity dresses and my money."

"Your money?" Jack asks in confusion as Emma pulls onto the road.

"I pawned off most of my jewelry to save some money for myself. I was going to leave very soon. After the disaster, I knew I couldn't stay in this life, so I pretended to be the lady my mother wanted me to be and secretly I was planning my escape. It got more desperate and urgent when I found out I was pregnant."

"Well, you guys can't go anywhere until Rose's ankle heals," Emma says. "So you're welcome to stay at our place."

"Really?" Jack says in shock.

"Really," Emma smiles. "There is plenty of room for everyone, plus you guys can see how much Sybil has grown. She's really close to crawling."

Rose smiles, despite how much her ankle hurt. She finally felt safe, glad that she was almost free of Cal and first class society and she and Jack could start a life together, do what they pleased, explore the world.

Jack suddenly remembers something important.

"Wait, Emma, take a left here, I need to go get a few things."

"O-Okay," Emma says confused. She does as Jack asks, following his directions until they pull up to a church.

"What are we doing here?" Peter asks.

"I've been working here, restoring the paintings and statues inside. I've also been living here."

"Oh Jack," Rose says sympathetically. She hadn't thought about how Jack basically had no one to help him and he was trying to get his life on track, all on his own.

"It's okay, I was inspired to paint those paintings and I was able to heal, plus I saw Molly again."

"Molly?" Rose gasps.

"She came here to ask for sponsorship from the church and found me. She was going to tell me where you were when she got the message that her cousin had a heart attack, I haven't seen her since."

"Me neither," Rose says. She calculated that Molly must've met Jack after she had been in Philadelphia, otherwise the woman would've told Rose of Jack's survival.

"I just have a few things to get and to say goodbye to someone who has given me a lot of guidance."

"Okay," Emma says. "We'll wait here."

Jack kisses Rose before going up the steps of the church. He walks through the darkened church, giving off a more sinister vibe than ever before. He finds his way to his room and begins packing what few things he had, to begin with. He gathers everything in his arms and takes one last look at the tiny room. It definitely wasn't perfect, but it had kept him safe and warm for over a month. He would always be grateful to this church for helping him heal and allowed him to express his passion. He took one last look at the golden ceiling before going behind the altar to find Father Bill.

To Jack's surprise, there was a light in the pastor's office, as if the man had been waiting for someone.

Jack knocks on the pastor's office door.

"Come in,"

Jack opens the door. Father Bill looks up with a smile and takes off his glasses.

"I was wondering when you would come back to say good-bye," Father Bill grins.