The next few hours were a blur to Sam. Tommy was whisked to the Carpathia's sick bay despite his protests that he was "Fit as a fiddle."Jack went to a separate doctor to be treated for frostbite. Sam and the others were also checked over to be sure that they were okay.
After a fairly thorough checkup, Sam was allowed to visit Tommy, who was fast asleep. She put her raven hair back in a braid and intertwined her hand with that of her sleeping boyfriend. Tommy stirred from his slumber and woke. "Hey, lass."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. How's your wound healing up?" she asked. "Dr. Thornton said it just missed me heart. But thanks to you, I won't be joining my father," he told her. "You saved my life."
"I've lost so many already. I didn't want you to be one of them," she said. Tommy sat up a bit too quickly and winced at the pain. "Easy. They told me they had to stitch you up, and we don't want the stitches to open up," Sam cautioned him.
"Do you know how many made it off the ship?" he asked. "I asked the captain of Carpathia about that. He said that his officers counted twelve hundred of us. That's good, because the first time the ship sank only seven hundred made it off the ship, and another five were rescued from the sea," said Sam.
"What about all our friends?" Tommy inquired. "They're all fine. Jack is being treated for frostbite as we speak, and the Gundersons, the Dahls and Fabrizio are in the ballroom. As for Cora, she made friends with another little girl about her age and they're playing with her doll now."
"Samantha." It was the first time Tommy had ever used her full first name since they'd met. "Sing for me."
"I can't sing to save my life, Tommy," she protested. "Please," Tommy begged. So Samantha had no choice but to oblige. She began to sing one of the Gaelic songs she thought had been lost to her memory forever. She began to sing an old Irish love song. She knew Tommy would like that.
"Siuil, siuil siuil a ruin
Siuil go sochair agus siuil go ciuin
Siuil go doras agus ealaigh lion
Siuil, siuil, siul a run,
Siuil go sochair agus siuil go ciuin
Siuil go doras agus ealaigh lion
Is go dte tu mo mhuirnin slan
I wish I was on yonder hill
'Tis there I'd sit and cry my fill,
And every tear would turn a mill,
I'll sell my rod, I'll sell my reel,
I'll sell my only spinning wheel,
To buy my love a sword of steel.
Siuil, siuil, siul a run,
Siuil go sochair agus siuil go ciuin
Siuil go doras agus ealaigh lion
Is go dte tu mo mhuirnin slan
I'll dye my petticoats, I'll dye them red,
And 'round the world I'll beg my bread,
Until my parents shall wish me dead,
Siuil, siuil, siul a run,
Siuil go sochair agus siuil go ciuin
Siuil go doras agus ealaigh lion
Is go dte tu mo mhuirnin slan
Siuil, siuil, siul a run,
Siuil go sochair agus siuil go ciuin
Siuil go doras agus ealaigh lion
Siuil, siuil, siul a run,
Siuil go sochair agus siuil go ciuin
Siuil go doras agus ealaigh lion
Is go dte tu mhuirnine slawn."
"Tommy...he will be all right?" said a familiar Italian voice. "Hi, Fabrizio," said Sam. "The doctors said he'll be fine. He's sleeping now. The bullet barely missed his heart. But he will be all right," said the American woman.
"I'a want to thank you. For saving us all. How did you know that theship would sink?" he asked. "I will tell you and the others one day. But not today," said Sam. "But I did know Olaf wouldn't let Helga or her mother go on to the lifeboats with us if they didn't understand that we were trying to warn them. That's why I called Bjorn on the scene."
"I know you cannot tell me how you knew the ship would sink. But thank you. Had it not'a been for you, we would all be dead, amico mio," said Fabrizio, embracing her. She didn't miss the Italian endearment. "Go, be with your Helga, ragazzo mio. She needs you. She's pretty shaken up. We all are."
"Actually, I will stay with Tommy. You get some rest," said Fabrizio, giving Sam another hug. "Thanks. You're right, I do need sleep. I look as though I could play the lead in Night of the Living Dead," she pointed out. Seeing Fabri's confused expression, she shrugged. "Never mind. Let me know when he wakes, will you?"
After acquiring Fabri's assurance that, yes, he would, she went to the ballroom to be with her friends. She lay down and slept...and slept...and slept as though she hadn't slept in years. She awoke to Rose gently shaking her awake.
"What is it? How long was I out?" Samantha asked. "All day. Come see, we're in New York," said Rose. "Jack and the others are by the rail."
Samantha rose up and went to the rail. Before her was the glorious Statue of Liberty. "Is beautiful, no?" Fabrizio pointed out. "Yes, it is," said Tommy, holding his great love close. She didn't bug him about being out of bed. Tommy was like her: stubborn and insistent. If he wanted to see the Statue, then goddamn it, she wasn't going to stand in his way.
"I saw it once as a child. It amazed me then and it amazes me now," said Samantha. "Sa pen," agreed Helga. "Aunt Sam, can I ask you something?" said little Cora. "Of course," said Sam. "Why did you tell the officer man I was your sister?" asked Cora.
"Well, I think there are two reasons for that, the first being that over the last couple of days, you have become something of a sister to me. But I made it official because I knew that if we told him who you really are, that your parents didn't make it,"-at this the little girl's eyes filled with fresh tears, and Sam hugged her new sister close-"they'd send you to an orphanage. If they send you to an orphanage we may never see you again and we don't want that."
"So where do we all go from here?" asked Tommy. "I don't know. I suppose we try to forget and move on with our lives," said Sam.
But was that even possible?