the kennedy's daughter

daddy

August 3, 1964

Georgetown Memorial Hospital

7:30 p.m.

Jack's eyes opened to see his mother clearly asleep on his arm. Everything started to make since to him, he collapsed, on the floor, in his office.

'Kate?' He thought to himself as he jolted up-right in bed waking up his mom

"Jack lay back down please, calm down Jack!"

"Where's Kate, she needs me!, I'm her daddy I'm all she has!, I probably scared her to death!, mom I need to see Kate!" Jack yelled at his mother

"Okay, okay, Jack, if I go get Kate will you calm down?"

"Yes I will, just get me my daughter!"

"Alright but Bobby is coming in to sit with so I know you won't do anything while I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay" Jack said as Rose closed the door behind her

After about an hour of just kinda chatting with Bobby, Jack started to become tired and Bobby could tell.

"Hey you can go to sleep, we know right now your body is pretty weak, you need rest, I'll wake you up when Kate gets here"

It was like Jack was just waiting for "clearance", because once Bobby stopped talking Jack was fast asleep.

- -

"Jack, hey mom just texted she's bringing up Kate"

Jack's eyes where once again, wide open the minute he heard "Kate".

He had dreamed of when she would get there, her running in, yelling for da-ddy, and then cuddling until she fell asleep, kissing her on the forehead on her way out.

That was not how it all went down

Rose arrived with Kate clinging to her hip. Jack thought

'She's just tired, she looks tired, it is past her bedtime' trying to reassure himself that his daughter would warm up to him

"Kate do you wanna get down and see daddy?" Rose asked almost putting Kate in bed next to Jack

"NO! Gramma-a NO!"

"Kate it's just daddy see" she said pointing to Jack, who had his arms out ready to pick her up even though he wasn't supposed to

Rose began to lean into Jack and once again Kate began to scream.

"Oh here we go again, it took hours last time to calm her down" she whispered as she walked out of the room, anger in her voice

Bobby began to follow her, turning back to Jack

"I can usually at least get her to stop screaming"
"Still crying, but not screaming"

"Yea, right, um, go ahead"

He started walking down the hall

"Hey wait, Bobby!"

"Yea Jack?" He said peeking his head back into Jack's room

"Show her pictures of me or Jackie, that helps sometimes, talk to her about the picture"

"Ok"

"Oh and give her her elephant and her purple Kennedy blanket, her comfort items"

"Ok thanks Jack"

"No problem go, go she's upset be with her for me"

As Bobby closed the door when he left the room, Jack could feel the tears coming into his eyes.

'Great' he thought
'Now I've scared my daughter for life'

He turned the lights to his room off and just stared at the picture of him and Kate, crying himself to sleep.