Survivors
Chapter 1
Rose felt such a mix of emotions as she was pulled from the water. Relief, shame and regret. She had a promise to keep, and she would. Once she was in the lifeboat, someone covered her gently with a blanket. In moments Rose was asleep.
When the lifeboat was being raised to the deck of the Carpathia, Rose woke up. Her first thought was of Jack and how she'd had to leave him behind in the deep of the ocean. Slowly Rose sat up, tears she didn't even feel falling down her cheeks. It was nearly painful to stand and step out of the lifeboat onto the deck. None of the other survivors seemed to mind that she moved slower than they did. Very few words were exchanged between anyone. The shock was still too much for them all.
When Jack sank far enough into the ocean water, he suddenly roused. Though his body felt like lead, he forced himself to get moving upward to the water's surface. Once there, he looked around quickly. In the dark, and as cold as he was, it was nearly impossible to concentrate. Jack's eyes could not focus for long seconds. When he could see more clearly, all he saw around him were other people that were obviously frozen to death. Then, he suddenly noticed the whistle resting on the driftwood nearby, next to one of the bodies. Moving as as fast as he could, Jack got to the whistle and began blowing it with what little breath he had. He didn't know how much later the lifeboat appeared like a miracle. He was lifted aboard, and before anyone could even ask his name, Jack lost consciousness.
Upon regaining consciousness, Jack found himself in a warm bed. He was heaped with blankets. Quickly he looked around, and found there was a stranger near the bed, a woman who was sitting reading a book. She didn't realize Jack was awake until he spoke.
"Where am I? How did I get here?" Jack began to sit up. The woman rose from her chair, speaking quickly.
"You just rest now, sir. You're on a ship called the Carpathia. You were rescued and brought here in a lifeboat." Jack had a flash of memory of the sinking, and simply nodded. Neither of them spoke the name 'Titanic.' It would be a long time before Jack said that name aloud again.
Rose found a place among other third class passengers almost from the moment she was brought aboard the Carpathia. It was necessary to give her a better chance of avoiding any of the first class passengers she knew. Also, it seemed appropriate, more respectful to Jack's memory. Cal had nearly spotted her once, but there had been no trouble since.
The quarters all passengers were required to share were even more cramped than usual because of the increased passenger load. However, everyone was very kind and accommodating under the extraordinary circumstances. At present, Rose sat sipping tea in one of the common areas set up for the survivors. Some people were getting checked by the ship's medical staff, but Rose didn't feel the need. Suddenly, Rose noticed a familiar face in the small crowd. Slowly, she stood and walked closer, speaking hesitantly once she was within a few steps.
"Cora? Do you remember me?"
The child looked up, and recognition showed in her eyes, but she didn't smile. "Rose, it's you! I'm happy to see you." Cora looked past Rose, as if she expected someone else to be with her. She asked no questions, saying instead, "I lost my Daddy." A tear slipped down Cora's cheek as she leaned against Rose's side.
"I'm sorry, Cora." Rose's voice was a choked whisper. The child's next words made Rose start to cry.
"Isn't Jack with you?" Through her tears, Rose could only shake her head. Cora began to cry as well, and Rose reached down to lift the little girl into her arms. Cora immediately put her head down on Rose's shoulder.
"Where is this ship taking us? Where will we go?"
Rose wanted to say something comforting, something that would help. She felt just as lost and alone as the little girl. "I don't know." She stroked Cora's hair a moment or two, then set her back on her feet. "When we dock, do you want to stay with me? It will be nice to have company. I can't leave you all alone."
Cora smiled very briefly. "Yes, I'll feel safe with you. Thanks."
"You're welcome. Are you feeling okay, do you need to see the doctor?"
Cora shook her head. "I'm okay. Daddy put me in the little boat, but he stayed behind. I begged him to come." With a shuddering breath, Cora began to cry harder. Rose knelt and hugged her tight. They stayed like that for long minutes until Cora spoke again. "Can we go somewhere else? I don't like all the people, Rosie."
No one had called her by that nickname since Rose was a child, and she couldn't hold back a small smile. "Sure, let's go. I'm sharing a room with some people. There's room for both of us." Cora hesitantly slipped her hand into Rose's as they walked off to go to the third class cabin.
Jack spent almost the entirety of the three-day voyage aboard the Carpathia in bed. When the ship docked on April 18th, he still wasn't feeling well, but had at least regained some of his strength. He tossed back his blankets and put on his shoes, wondering how soon he'd be able to get off the ship. He was more than ready to stand on solid ground again.
The young couple whose room Jack had been sharing entered in a rush, grabbing suitcases and packing things. Jack felt awkward. He had nothing to pack. "Can I help?" At the sound of jack's voice, the wife, Alice, turned to him and smiled.
"No, we'll manage, thank you. We should be able to disembark soon. I'm sure you're glad to be home."
"Yeah, sure," Jack answered softly without enthusiasm. A sudden shiver passed through him, which Alice noticed.
"Feeling any better? I can't imagineā¦"
Jack waved away her concern. Even when awake over the last few days, he had spoken very little. He felt like he was rejecting his benefactors' warmth and kindness, but he had no energy to spare for talking.
"I'm okay. I'm sure you're ready to get going. Thanks for the help."
"You're so welcome." This came from Alice's husband, Charles, who came back to the main room carrying his shaving case. "It's the least we could do. I know my clothes won't really fit you, but you're welcome to one of my suits, at least."
Jack tried to smile in thanks and failed. "Nah, I'm okay."
"Oh come now." The concern was clear in Alice's voice. "You can't go on your way with nothing. Please."
Jack relented with only a nod. Charles' face brightened at this. He crossed the room, fetching a medium sized leather satchel from the wardrobe. He held it out to Jack, who stepped forward and took it silently. Charles continued. "There is a full change of clothes in there, and one of my overcoats, and some money. I hope it will be enough."
"it'll be fine, thanks." Jack made no move to open the bag, taking the other man at his word. Jack began walking to the door of the cabin, finally feeling ready to get off the ship and get on with his life. Whatever that meant.
"Wait, please," Alice spoke up anxiously. Don't you want to change? You'll be so much more comfortable, I'm sure."
Jack doubted he could ever feel more comfortable in someone else's clothes rather than his own, but gave in when he saw the worry in the couple's eyes. "All right. I'll be quick. It's gotta be almost time for us to go."
The couple stepped out to the hall for some minutes to leave Jack to change in privacy. Once he had the new clothes on and folded his own inside the satchel, he called out to them. They headed off together to find the exact spot where they could disembark and go on their way.
