Disclaimer: All Titanic characters belong to their respective owners and to history. I make no claims to them. All non-Titanic characters are mine and made by me. I make no money off this work of fiction. It is written for entertainment purposes only.
The words stung my ears.
Titanic was sinking! How was that possible?
I knew about the iceberg striking the beautiful ship but—damnit!—she was supposed to be unsinkable!
My breath hitched in my chest. Over half the people on this ship were going to die and I was helpless to stop it.
My hands went numb as I frantically worked at unhitching the lifeboats. Under normal circumstances I would've joked I could hit my hand against the wall and it would shatter but even the thought of joking made my stomach sink.
"Where are the Marconi operators?" I asked the first White Star Line employee that came across me.
It was a steward and I had no idea if he would even understand me over the hiss of the steam and the racket around us.
"The Cap'n is havin' 'em send out CQD!" The steward shrieked at me.
Or at least that's what I thought he said. He could've cursed me for several hundred years and I wouldn't have been any wiser.
I knew the law of the sea.
Women and children first. That was the beginning and end of it all.
And yet I couldn't help but worry if my friends would survive this disaster.
Jack Phillips, Jack couldn't tell a clean joke if his life depended on it. He could shut down any conversation with just one joke. Maybe two if he was having a bad day.
Harold Bride was another friend. The man couldn't hold his liquor but Jack and I remember how proud he looked when he first was able to don his Marconi uniform. We teased him mercilessly saying that we would have to hide him because all the girls would come flocking to him.
That fiancée of his, her, I did and would not miss.
Lightoller rushed past me quickly giving out orders. I saw him frown suddenly and clamp his hand over his pocket to keep whatever was inside there from annoying him. I had heard the officers had been issued revolvers though I hadn't seen one and certainly hadn't been issued one.
Finally the boat was free!
I could start helping the women and children into it.
Much to my annoyance many of the passengers were reluctant to board. I felt like shouting at them or even shoving them into the boat myself.
"How do you...?" A woman tentatively asked.
"Quit talking and get into the boat!" I shouted. My arm shot out to point at the still many vacant seats.
My brief shout must have worked as a woman carefully stepped in. A crewmember and myself carefully helped her inside followed by another.
The moment I released her I felt a tug on my long coat.
Looking down I saw a small girl holding onto my coat with one arm while holding a rag doll tightly to her chest with the other. Large amber eyes stared up at me as I felt my heart stop.
Where were her parents? Who the hell left their child unattended?
Not knowing what else to do I bent down to pick her up.
"Into the boat, little lass," I said and deposited her inside.
She made no effort to speak. She only stared at me with those large eyes.
"I need more women and children!" I pleaded.