A New Beginning

Chapter 74: Broken but Not Shattered

Chapter 74: Broken but Not Shattered

Emma and Peter trudge wearily up the path of their home, the lights still ablaze inside. Both are worn out and very exhausted. Peter has removed his tie from around his neck, his shirt has several buttons open to cool down his chest and his corsage is drooping and upside down. Emma has removed her heels and walks barefoot across the cool concrete. She looks down at her mother's dress; it's now stained and wrinkled; the beads, diamonds, and flowers she'd embroidered into it are askew or have lost their shine. She has her veil in her hand, her hair is a complete mess and she wipes away another layer of makeup. Neither can believe what they've been through in the past couple of hours. The one day that was supposed to be a dream come true for all of them instantly turned into a complete nightmare with Jack in jail and Rose missing.

Emma wipes a few tears from her eyes and bites her lip. Once they get to the front door, she collapses on the stoop of their home and weeps very hard into her hands. Pete is instantly at her side, rubbing his hand up her back and then pulling her into his arms. He does his best not to cry himself, he knew that both had the weight of the world on their shoulders. This shouldn't be happening, they should be dancing the night away at the local community hall after cutting their homemade wedding cake and then returning home for a proper wedding night. Everything they'd been through; the death of her parents, the kidnapping, the sinking of the ship, the separation, the reunion, and the planning, was supposed to be rewarded on this one day where everything was perfect and beautiful.

"It's okay..." Peter says very quietly.

"No, it's not okay..." she weeps, clinging to his shirt tightly in distress. "Why does everything happen to us? Why does God seem to hate us so much? Why can't we have that one day where we feel normal?"

"I... don't really know..." he answers honestly. "Maybe because we're not normal."

Emma sniffles, knowing that this was true. Not one part of their lives was considered normal and yet... "Well, I wish this one day that we were."

"I know..." he says. His heart is breaking for her, he kisses the top of her head gently and puts his chin over her head. He knows that he must be the strong one, but he too is almost at the end of his rope, close to a similar breakdown. Usually, Emma is stronger than him, not afraid to stand up for what is right and willing to do anything to protect her loved ones, but now, she was a vulnerable mess. He is frustrated and very weak in spirit, he just wants that happily ever after with the woman he loves and he wants it for their friends too. And yet... life... their lives especially never seemed to go as planned.

The couple sits out on the porch for a long time, just holding each other, both trying to be strong, but slowly breaking inside. The cool autumn wind blows around them, lifting the folds of Emma's wedding dress and rustling Peter's hair. They keep each other warm, wanting this entire day to be erased from their memory, to reset the day and have the happiness they all deserved.

They hear noises behind them and Holly opens the door, still in her bridesmaid dress. The couple can see that she too has been crying, she no longer looks like a delicate flower, in a flowing gown, but a worried mother and a concerned sister to both of them.

She doesn't say anything to the two of them for a long time, they just stare at one another, looking at the tear stains on their cheeks, the women with their makeup smudged against their worrisome faces.

"You'd better come inside, it's getting really cold..." she says quietly.

Without any more words spoken, Emma and Peter stand up and go into their home.

They go into the living room to see a large group of people gathered around the coffee table and fireplace, which has a small fire emitting a warm glow. It would be a comfortable scene, right out of a painting or storybook if it wasn't for the feeling of dread and worry hanging over everyone.

Molly Brown sits on the corner of the room in a rocking chair and she has young Thomas sleeping in her arms. Obviously, the instinct of mothering had not left the heiress as the four-year-old clings to the woman's fur shawl like it's a teddy bear and she doesn't seem to mind in the least. She rocks back and forth in a slow motion to keep the young one content and asleep. Nearby is Wendy and Tommy, both holding hands and sitting on the couch, the look of apprehension on their faces. Peter's parents immediately get up and embrace the couple tightly. They offer words of comfort and keep the two in their arms for a long time. In the kitchen, Mr. Jamieson sits with a cup of coffee in his hands; his daughters Daisy and Mildred sitting across from him, their lovely church hats placed on the table. Mrs. Jamieson quietly mills about the kitchen, distracting herself and making tea for all the guests. Carl sits in Emma's father's old chair, he sips a glass of what appears to be rum and stares at the floor for what seems like ages. Halley, Holly's twin sister sits with her fiancé on the staircase, looking confused about everything that has occurred since they've been down in Texas. Finally, Mr. Calvert sits next to Ruth on an adjacent couch, Rose's mother cradling young Sybil. Ruth appears to have also been crying and the lines on her brow indicate worry of the worst kind. Sybil sleeps contently, despite the unfamiliar arms in which she lay. Emma gazes over at her infant sister, a few more tears slipping from her eyes. She goes over to Ruth and without much more than a word, she takes her sister into her arms. She then proceeds to go upstairs to the nursery to put her down for the night.

Emma can barely contain the pain anymore and sniffles a few times as she walks up the stairs in a slow rhythmic motion. She can feel her sister's soft breathing against her shoulder, wondering what the little one might be dreaming about. She envied Sybil, being completely oblivious and naïve to everything happening around her; to be able to sleep in peace without a million things filling her mind. She takes Sybil into her room and does not turn on the light for fear of disturbing the child. She only has the light of the moon to guide her to the changing table. Emma removes Sybil's tiny dress, pantyhose, and shoes, deciding to simply let her sleep in a diaper, which is also changed. Ruth may have improved as a mother over the past few months, but she is far from being able to change babies properly.

Once Sybil is clean, Emma lifts her up again and brings the baby to her crib. She kisses the little one several times before laying her down in bed. She places a small soft pink blanket on top, the one that was once hers, one that kept her safe and warm on cold nights.

Tired and very weak, Emma simply stands still for a long while, watching Sybil sleep. She continues to cry quietly, so broken and so scared. She wishes beyond all measure that life had a reset button and she could somehow go back to her sister's birth and somehow save her parents from dying. Then maybe... just maybe, none of this would've happened. She would have her loving parents by her side, she and Peter would be happily married by now, maybe expecting a child of their own... living a simple, quiet life. Then again, if her parents hadn't passed, then she never would've met Jack and Rose and let them become apart of her family. The two meant as much to her as Peter, Sybil, and her parents combined, but now... Now Jack was in prison, and Rose was gone, Caledon Hockley likely had something to do with both of these events.

She grips the side of the crib in anger. This man should not have this kind of power over them, he may be rich, but he didn't run the whole world... he's not better than those men she took the classes at the college with. They all assumed that she was just a weak female and didn't deserve the recognition she should be given. They also interfered with her life and left her feeling insignificant...

But Emma knew better. She wasn't going to let society stand in the way of her promises. The promises she made to her mother about taking care of Sybil, giving her the best life possible and the promises to her father about making him proud and running his law firm properly. It didn't matter what other people thought about her or her family. She wasn't meant to be a helpless housewife with no future. Even though it may have been like the whole world was against her a lot of the time, she was a fighter and always had been. And maybe that's why it seemed so difficult all the time... She wasn't a normal person and her life was anything but... so there would be obstacles and even when she was broken down, she came back even stronger it felt. It made the eighteen-year-old wise beyond her years and someone her baby sister could look up.

It may have felt like she didn't have a lot of fight left in her, but it was still there. Like the fire in Rose, the passion for Jack and the love in Peter, she would fight on.

"I will make things right Sybil, I promise... and just in time for your birthday..."

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