No one would have believed that earlier this morning, the icy waters of the Atlantic had claimed 1500 souls in little more than 2 hours, if it had not been for the icebergs. Hundreds had been sighted. Of course, that was typical for this time of year, but now they posed a fatal threat to any vessel that dared cross the ocean. One did. A lone fishing boat had been sent to score the area for any bodies that the search team may have over-looked. So far, they had seen nothing except the rolling waves of the ocean below.
The two friends who owned the boat were leaning against the railing, sipping hot drinks and talking about how they wished they were anywhere but here. " So I said to him, I says, John this is madness! Your seriously gonna send us to the most unpredictable weather place in the world? Just to search for unidentified bodies. They've probably sunk to the bottom by now. Not to seem selfish of course, but I've got better things to do with my time," Mackenzie snorted. James stared out to sea unblinkingly. His best friend had been lost and James couldn't help feeling uncomfortable with the fact that this was the very spot in which it had happened. He could almost feel the presence of the souls who had foundered that night, could hear their screams of agony as they slowly froze to death. However, he was brought back to earth by a loud crash. Looking down, James found Mac kneeling on the deck, swearing, and picking up the broken china that he had dropped. James went on his hands and knees to help his friend pick up the sharp-edged glass.
As he was about to stand back up, James looked over the railing, and that's when he saw him. He was hardly more than a boy, clinging to the back of a deck chair that was being pushed along by the waves. Something about him suggested that he was an inch from death, but refusing to let go of life. " Mac, for cryin' out loud, shut-up for a minute and look, will you?" Mac's gaze turned in the direction that James was pointing. " Well I'll be god damned," Mac whispered.
One Day Later…James sat at the side of the small cot in the cabin of the fishing boat. Every now and then he would lift a cup of tea to the young man's lips. The boy had only stirred once since they had plucked him out of the ocean. It had not been easy. James had climbed down the bottom –most rung of the ladder and grabbed a hold of the deck chair. Mac had then hauled both of them up to the deck. Now they sat by a roaring firebox, with extra blankets they had found in storage. The young man had no ID on him, so the only way they would know for sure who he was, would be when he woke. His feet had mild frostbite and would need tending, but his thick leather shoes had protected him against the worst case. By the look of his clothes, he was an immigrant. James guessed that he had been aboard Titanic, bound for new life in the big city, when it had gone down. It was a full 3 ½ days to the nearest shore, and if the boy did not wake in that time, they would give him up for dead.
Chapter 2: Along came Jack.
It was the second day they had had him on board, when he finally woke. James had been changing the bandages on the man's feet when James noticed that his eyelids were fluttering. " There now, it's alright lad. Your in safe hands now," James consoled him, taking a wet cloth and laying across the man's brow. Slowly, the eyes opened and stared at James. Such brilliant green eyes, like the sea on which they sailed. " What's your name son?" James inquired. At first, the man looked confused. In a dazed voice, he answered " Dawson. Jack Dawson." James ran to the door, flung it open and yelled " Mac, his name's Dawson!" Mac came sprinting to the door, a piece of paper in his hand. He pulled up a second chair to the cot side. " Hello lad. I see you've met young James already. I'm Mackenzie, but you can call me just Mac." Mackenzie took a pencil from his shirt pocket and checked something off on the paper. Jack raised an eyebrow. " Titanic's passenger list," Mac replied, seeing the look. " I recon we'll receive a generous amount for finding him. Mrs. Dawson offered a great deal of reward money if we returned him." This was directed at James, but it was Jack who answered, slowly at first. " Mrs. Dawson? There is no …." Jack trailed off, for he had remembered Rose Dewitt Bukater.
" Rose," he whispered softly. "Sorry? Didn't quite catch that." Mac said. Jack did not answer, but stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. " Why don't you tell us about how you cam to be in the ocean, lad," James took the cloth and turned it over so the cool side was down. Jack's gaze turned to James. " All you need to know," he started, " Is that I did everything for love. And it was worth every minute of pain, because we both made it out all right. I'm a survivor, through and through." And with that, Jack turned his back on them and drifted into the best sleep he'd had since the Titanic.
The fishing boat bumped against the docks of New York harbor as James and Mac tied her down. Then they lowered a wooden plank and disappeared insides. When they re-emerged, they were guiding Jack down the ramp and along the docks. Jack winced a little as he put weight on his feet. They were still minorly swollen, but the fishermen had done a good job. Jack's mind reeled with provocative thoughts of how he must look, in an old canvass shirt that belonged to Mac, worn trousers that had seen better days, and a weather-beaten jacket that smelled of salt. Rose, Mac had told him, was staying in a hotel near the docks. How she could afford it, Jack had absolutely no idea. They would go to room 215 and collect their money, while Jack would be safe and sound once more. As they entered the lobby, Jack read the entrance sign captioned " The Captain's Inn." The walls were decorated with seashells and the windows looked like brass portholes. The 3 men walked up 2 flights of stairs to the 3rd floor and found number 215 on the left-hand side at the very end of the corridor. Jack's heart pounded in his chest and he feared it would burst with anticipation. He watched Mac's hand curl into a fist and knock once, twice, three times as if in slow motion.
It seemed an eternity to Jack before the door started to open. And all of a sudden, there she was, her frame filling his mind. Jack's eyes swam with tears as he laid eyes on the goddess that had captured him that day which seemed so long ago, as he sit on the decks with his friend Fabrizio. He had lost so much that night, and yet, here was the one that mattered the most. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as he could, not daring to let go of her again. He could feel her heart beating next to his, could hear her breathing a murmur of thanks in his ear, and could smell the sweet perfume she always wore. He had thought she would have returned to her mother, for there she had money, company, and anything she needed. He had to admit he was a little surprised to find her in a 3 ½ star hotel dressed in what looked like deck blankets. Her hair, once shining with diamonds and decorations, lay limp across her shoulders. But it was that fire in her that had not dimmed, that had kept her from going back. The fire that he loved so much about her.
This moment was perfect; everything was perfect. " hmmm, hmmm" Mac coughed. " Right, of course, your reward money!" Rose pulled a silver chain from her pocket. Slowly, a deep blue diamond emerged, attached to the fine chain. Rose carefully set it in Mac's left hand and gingerly closed his fingers around it. " I've been meaning to dispose of it for a few days now, and I think it best to give to those who can do some good with the money. Now off with you, be rid of it." James embraced Jack and handed him a business card. " In case you want to stay in touch." He then tipped his hat in farewell, and dragged the speechless Mac down the hall.
Rose's gaze slid back to the man in her doorway. : But how did you … what happened," Jack gaped at her. Rose laughed, " When I peeled you off of the paneling, I swam over to the officer with the whistle and used it to get the lifeboats attention.5th Officer Lowe helped me aboard and kept me warm until the Carpathia arrived at dawn." Jack looked astounded, but pleased all at once. " I grabbed a deck chair when you set me loose. I wrestled it from the man who kept pushing you under when the ship went down. I was unconscious for about 7 hours. That's when Mac and James found me. I don't know how I stayed alive that long." Rose's red lips formed a smile, " Because you're a survivor, Jack Dawson. Come in, we have a little catching up of our own to do." Jack followed her inside room 215, then leaned in and met her lips which seemed as if to be beckoning him onward. She tasted of sweet promises and stolen hours of the night. He begged her to open up to him. With a little teasing, she finally gave in and parted her lips. As they relived what they had played out so many days ago, Rose lifted her arm and pushed the door closed. They were home.
(Please read and review. This is only my second story, so I would appreciate positive feedback. Thank You.)