The Kennedys

Chapter One - The Last Kennedy

Boston, Massachusetts - January 1932

Rose Kennedy sits up in bed, her baby bump looms in front of her. She looks over at her husband, who is still asleep next to her. She looks at the alarm clock on the bedside table, he isn't scheduled to wake up for another hour, but she's restless, and changes the alarm to break the silence now. Joe Sr. begins to stir at the sound of the alarm, and slowly rises. He sits up in bed and rubs his eyes.

"Jesus, there aren't enough hours in the night."

Joe Sr. looks over at his wife, who's looking down at her bump. He can tell she wasn't able to get much sleep, she has bags under her eyes.

"Restless night?" He asks, but he already knows the answer, and he doesn't really care.

"It wouldn't stop kicking all night. Oh Joe, I'm so bored of this. Being locked away in the house until the baby comes."

Joe rolls his eyes, they've had this conversation before, and it always ends the same way.

"You remember what the doctor said."

"That I wasn't a 'spring chicken' anymore. Oh, I remember. I don't like his nerve."

"Rose, you are almost 42 years old."

"Don't remind me."

"I'm only saying that you must rest. Women your age have trouble giving birth. Sometimes the baby comes out unhealthy or worse retar—"

Joe Sr. stops himself, but he realizes that he's already made the mistake. He reminds himself that Rosemary is just a bit slow, not retarded. There is a long silence, and finally Joe Sr. can't take it anymore.

"I think I should get dressed, I have a long day ahead of me."

Joe Sr. leaves the room, but the damage is already done, Rose has retreated to the place she goes when she's reminded of something sad or when she simply doesn't want to talk anymore.

Joe Sr. looks in the mirror in the bathroom, he touches his face. He seems older, and for one moment it feels like he's wasted his time. He looks at the clock, he has to go. Joe Sr. is almost at the door when he stops in his tracks and looks at the door that leads to the master bedroom. He decides to check in on Rose, tell her that he's leaving. He opens the door and finds Rose right where he left her. She's looking off into the distance as if she sees something, a bible rests on her baby bump.

"Darling?"

Rose turns from the focus of her stare to Joe Sr.

"I'm leaving now. I have that fundraiser for that Roosevelt chap."

"Alright."

She doesn't say it, but she's angry with him, and for once Joe Sr. understands why. He turns to leave, but stops and turns to look at her.

"I'm sorry, about earlier. I wasn't thinking."

Rose looks at him, her eyes with that same sharp and narrow gaze. Joe Sr. always felt sorry for whatever child might be at the receiving end of it, but he hated it when it was him.

"No, you weren't."

Joe Sr. sighs, "Sometimes I feel like I'm in a marriage with a paper doll. One wrong fold and I can't recover it."