The Kennedys

Chapter Three - Mirrors

Winter, 1935, Palm Beach, Florida

Jack lays in bed, looking out the window, surrounded by books. He sits up and picks up a George Washington biography, and he throws it against the wall. Then he picks up a book about King Arthur and throws it against the wall. Soon he's throwing books left and right, screaming. His younger sister Kathleen runs into the room.

"Jack! Jack!" She makes it to his bed and grabs a hold of his hands. Suddenly they're in a struggle to gain control of his hand. As they fight, Kathleen is saying:

"Stop, please stop, Jack."

If Jack had been stronger, he probably would have won the stand off, but he was still too weak. Finally, he lets go of the books. He and Kathleen stare at one another, and he begins to choke up.

"I hate this."

Kathleen ruffles his hair with her hand.

"I know, Jack, I know, but you can't let it beat you like this."

"I know, I just want to be alone."

"Ja—"

"Just for a little while. I promise that I won't wreck the room."

They laugh, but Jack stops and sighs.

"I'm not strong enough."

Kathleen looks at her, her eyes filled with sadness. But Jack is looking out the window, and she leaves him be. Jack watches her leave out of the corner of her eye, and he thinks back to a little over a year ago.

June 1934, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

This time Jack is in the best hospital in the country, waiting for a diagnosis. His parents wait in the corner of the room, his mother moving her fingers over a rosary like it's her second nature. The doctors think that he has leukemia. He was barely able to finish his year at Choate, and he had taken a turn for the worse the day before Joe Jr. had left for Germany, who when told that Jack was being sent to Minnesota he hadn't even thought about staying.

A doctor enters the room and Jack's parents stand. For the first time in a long time, Joe Sr. is worried.

"Well? What is it?" He asks like he doesn't want to know the answer.

"Well, it isn't leukemia."

The family takes a collective sigh of relief, but the doctor isn't finished.

"What it is is colitis."

Rose looks confused, "Colitis? What is that?"

"Colitis is an inflammation of the colon. Sometimes it's short-lived, other times it's chronic."

Fear rushes into Jack and thoughts flood his head: Not another illness, not more hospital rooms, not more days of lying in bed.

"Well, is it chronic?"

The doctor sighs, "We don't know."

Joe Sr. has grown angry and it's evident that he no longer has the patience to deal with doctors. He slams his hands down on a nearby table.