Chapter 11
Shaken
"Pittman, I know you are angry but you have got to calm down. "
"Lowe, I swear if something happens to her at his hands, I will throw the bastard over the side of the ship myself."
Pittman was pacing back and forth in the Lowe's quarters. He had gone straight to the quarters to find someone to tell about what had happened. Much to Lowe's dismay, he had answered the door and allowed his fellow officer to enter and that was where they had been for the last fifteen minutes.
"Herbert I get how you feel. I understand that you are upset and I will personally help you to get rid of the guy, but there is nothing you can do about it at eleven-twenty at night, okay? Just go to sleep and we will check on her in the morning."
Herbert stared at Lowe for a moment and then finally nodded, "Okay."
Lowe patted Herbert on the shoulder as the older man walked out of the room. Within seconds, the hallway was quiet, the off duty officers were in bed and completely asleep.
–
Clara was tossing and turning, thoughts chased each other in her mind as she slept. The dreams were coming back of Benjamin being taken away from her. She shot up in the bed and looked around. The room was completely dark and not a sound was to be heard from the entire suite. She got out of the bed and carefully tip toed around the room, Clara reached for her dressing gown, which she slipped into, and left her room. Her hands grasped around the door handle to her sons room and when she looked inside, she was relieved to see the child fast asleep in the bed.
Clara closed the door behind her and sat down on the side of the bed. Her eyes scanned the sweet face of her little boy, his long eye lashes, the curl of his hair around the side of his face, and the way the moon was shining through the small port window, his skin was practically glowing. Her gentle hand came up to push one of his curls away, which caused the child to stir, yawn, and turn over onto his back. Benjamin's eyes fluttered open and he looked at his mother through his heavy eyes, "Mummy?" he asked.
"Hello little love, I am sorry that I woke you up."
Benjamin yawned, "Is it morning yet?"
"Not yet my darling. It will be soon and in another day or two we will be in New York!" Clara pressed her lips to her sons forehead. She was just pulling away from her son when the room around them began to shake. Clara's eyes searched around the room and a small vase fell off the dressing table. It crashed to the ground and shattered into a million pieces. The shaking was over before Clara had been given a chance to even think about it.
"Mummy, what happened?" Benjamin asked.
Clara got to her feet and tried to reach up to the port window, but it was too high for her to see out of the small space. She turned back to Benjamin and frowned, "Stay here darling. I will return."
Clara opened the bedroom door and exited out into the main room of the suite to find Esther standing there in her dressing gown, looking equally confused.
"Ma'am are you alright?"
Clara nodded, "Yes Esther, did you see what happened?"
"I was on the promenade deck," Esther began, "It was an iceberg, like the kind you read about in books or the paper."
"An iceberg?" Clara frowned, "That is odd. I wonder if it caused any sort of damage."
"Oh not to worry miss," Esther smiled, "I am sure everything will be fine. Titanic is a strong ship."
"All the same," Clara sighed, "I would like to speak to someone who works on the ship."
"Would you like to head up to the deck and inquire?" Esther asked.
"I think it would be best." Clara frowned, "Help me to dress."
Herbert shot up out of the bed when he heard a loud scraping sound and felt the room around him shaking. He frowned and eyed is watch, it had only been about fifteen minutes since he had tried to get some sleep and he had been in that state of in between sleep and being awake; which left him feeling even crankier than before. But there was something about that sound and the way the ship shook, that he was just struck down in confusion by the situation.
"Better check on it," he mumbled, "God forbid Ismay or someone accuses me of being incompetent." Herbert crossed the small space to the trunk in the corner of the room; the lid was still sitting open from where he had changed just a few minutes before, and so he decided to put on his already worn clothing
He was just fastening the button on the waistband of his pants when his bedroom door swung open and Boxhall rushed in, "Oh good, you are awake!"
"What the hell man?!" Herbert threw a pillow at him, "Have you never learned how to knock on a damn door first?"
"No time for that. We have struck ice and we are taking on water. All officers are to report to the bridge at once," Joseph threw the pillow back, "Hurry up."
Before Herbert could protest or ask a question, Joseph was gone and he heard the fourth officer entering into Lowe's room, also without knocking.
He shook his head and pulled his coat on, just as a million and one thoughts began to race through his head. Ice? Herbert Pitman had spent enough years at sea to know that things like these were not supposed to happen. Precautions were supposed to be taken to avoid ice fields in this part of the world. Joseph had mentioned that they were taking on water and that sounded serious enough, he figured the life boats would wind up getting uncovered, even if it was just to save face. But there was something about the look on his friends face, something that seemed spooked and a little nervous.
He was grateful to reach the bridge and the wheel room, but everyone seemed tensed, and stressed out; the Captain and Murdoch especially.
"So what happened exactly?"
"We've struck ice," Murdoch's voice was shaking, "I tried to avoid it but I just could not and-"
"That is enough Officer Murdoch," the captain's voice was calm and steady, but even the usual twinkle in his eye and smile on his face when he spoke was gone, "I have been informed by Mr. Andrews that we are going down by the head. You are to uncover the lifeboats, the stewards are getting the passengers, and we are to load as many as possible into them."
The officers all looked around the room at each other and each of them shared the same look of shock, each except for Murdoch who still seemed shaken from the entire event.
"Alright, move out and set tasks among yourselves," Wilde began, "Keep people calm and get them off this ship."
–
"God, where is he?" Clara mumbled aloud as she made her way up to the deck.
Esther had ensured her mistress was properly bundled in a heavy coat, hats, scarf, and gloves, and the result had left Clara in a difficult situation to move. The hallways had a few people scattered here and there when Clara left and although a steward tried to stop her from "going out into the cold night air," she had no problem getting outside. But once there, Clara found officers and crew members running every which way. She watched as an officer, one who had to of been younger than Pittman, and even younger than her, began to unravel a huge roll of rope which would be involved in hooking up a lifeboat.
She stepped out towards the boats and watched as one of the newly painted, white life boats were hung to davits and swung out.
"Best watch out miss!" a voice called and before Clara could speak, an arm had pushed her out of the way of a man with a large mound of rope thrown over his shoulder.
"Oh I do apologize for being in the way," Clara bit her lip, "Could you please tell me where Officer Pittman is?"
"Herbert?" the man who had pushed her out of the way asked, "Yes ma'am, he is over on the starboard side, trying to get people into a life boat."
"Thank you sir," Clara said and like a lightning bolt, she had taken off to the other side of the ship.
She looked up and down both sides of the deck and eventually spotted Lowe, Murdoch, and Pittman talking to each other. Clara quickly walked over to them and waited quietly as they talked. Herbert had his back to Clara and as he was walking he noticed Murdoch and Lowe had stopped paying attention and their gaze was behind him at the woman. Herbert spun around and his face broke into one of complete relief, "Oh God Clara," he pulled her to him and held her tightly, "I have been very worried about you."
"I am fine Bertie," she whispered, and her own arms went around him, not caring in that moment who saw her, "But what is going on?" she pulled away from him and looked around at the crew that were hurrying around.
Pitman gave his fellow officers a look who took the hint, but not before Murdoch said, "Two minutes, we do not have time for this."
Pitman nodded and after Murdoch and Lowe walked off to oversee another boat. He looked back at Clara and took his hat off, "We have struck ice," he began, "The Captain gave the orders for the boats to be filled and lowered away."
"Ice? Boats?" Clara shook her head, trying to understand it all, "Do you really think it is that serious?"
He shrugged, "I really do not know Clara, but Murdoch and Boxhall seem really shaken. Boxhall has seen the water in the mail holds and Murdoch was in the wheel room when we struck. He saw it all." Pitman sighed, "They say we are sinking."
Clara had hundreds of images begin to run through her head, the black and icy water that they were floating on, coming up over the ship and swallowing them up. She closed her eyes, "Bertie, what should I do?"
"Get Benjamin and make sure he is dressed warmly, then get up to the deck and find me again. I am going to get you two away from this ship, just in case."
Clara nodded, "I better go and get him," she sighed and looked around, "Do you really think the ship is going to sink?"
"I just do not know," he shrugged, "Just get ready in case."
"Okay," Clara pulled away from him, "I will be right back."
He grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to it before letting Clara go. She was just turning to leave when Mr. Ismay was arriving, "Excuse me, Mr. Ismay," she said quietly before continuing to walk.
Ismay eyed her warily and then looked to Pitman, "You need to start filling these boats with women and children!" he ordered.
Pitman frowned, "I await my orders from the captain, not you." He gave Ismay a wary eye and then he took off to find out how exactly the captain wanted the boats filled.
–
When Clara reached her room again, more people were in the hallways, some in their coats and some dressed as if they were only about to go to a party. She sighed and pushed her way through and finally got into the room. David, Esther, and Benjamin were all sitting in the living room waiting for her.
"Hello Mrs. Moore, nice of you to join us," David took a sip from his glass of brandy.
"David, thank God," she walked over to him, "Did you feel that shaking earlier?"
"Yes I did," he stood up, "What of it?"
"We have to get up on the deck, the captain wants all of the passengers up there now to be loaded into the lifeboats."
"What are you babbling about?" David frowned.
"That shaking was-" Clara saw her son watching his parents with wide eyes, "Esther, please dress Benjamin and get a blanket from the wardrobe for him."
"Yes ma'am," Esther picked Benjamin up and carried him into his room.
Clara looked back to David, "The ship has struck an ice berg and the Captain said that we are sinking."
David frowned, "We can not be sinking, this ship can not sink."
"David, the Captain said so himself," Clara took a step forward, "I know we have had our differences, on this trip especially, but I need you to listen to me. We both trust the Captain and his word. We need to get our son off of the Titanic."
David continued to eye Clara with some level of suspicion, but eventually he gave in, "Fine, I will go up onto the deck and go along with this, but I am sure by morning we will all be back on the ship."
"I do hope so," Clara said and she turned to disappear into her room.
Xxx
A/N- Right I am SO sorry it took me so long to update. I got home from work on Tuesday and I went to call a friend who I work with and we found out her mom had died suddenly. Fast forward to; we wound up taking all four of her kids for the weekend so she could go to Ohio for the funeral. So they've been here since Wednesday and it has been a time...I also had to work for five days so I was just exhausted every day from taking care of these kids and I just was never getting online until 1 or 2 in the morning...
So here is my update, I tried to make it long to make up for my silence. I love y'all! :)