Chapter 15
Jesse and his friends try to fight their way through the unruly crowds and crowded corridors to get to the stern section. Jesse had known of a much better way to get back to the upper decks, since his normal routes were cordoned off by stewards and angry crowds, and earlier they had had passed by a fight brewing between two third-class passengers as they fought over whomever their belongings went to, before the other person was punched and fell down the stairs. Before Jesse continues he then remembered the laws of the sea; women and children were to be the first under these circumstances while the ship is in distress.
They managed to find a few women and children who were willing to be rescued, and they followed the trio up to the upper decks, to their salvation. They ran through a maze of corridors, as Jesse slowly remembers where he came down before the party. They came to a gate, surprised that was still wide open. Jesse shushed the people as he looked around, as he remembered he closed it. Then, knowing the coast is clear, they bolted for it. They ran through the second-class smoke room; the same room Jesse ran down a few days prior, and knew they were in C deck. From there they went down a little hallway, then a door, where it led them to a large first-class dining room that had been set up, as if they were waiting for people to come sit down and eat. The third-class women looked around, with awe.
"First-class." one of the women says, as Jesse had already run through the vast dining room, and waving to his friends. Soon, there was a loud creaking, followed by groaning of the woodwork around them, sending a few plates, cutlery, and even some glasses and metal dishes crashing in the distance. Eric and Karl see a nearby cart move, indicating the ship was sinking faster now.
"Come on! We need to move!" Eric says, as Karl tugs at one of the women's shirt, and speaking to her in Finnish. Soon, they followed where Jesse had ran earlier.
They ran through the smoke room, then to the Aft Staircase. There they ran up the stairs leading up to boat deck. There they make it outside, as the bitterly cold air hit them, making them much colder than the surrounding air, even worse is they were sweating from the running they endured. Despite the frigid temperature Jesse could see bright flashes as the rocket explodes. He now knew the ship might not make it, much less trying to save all these people who are still on Titanic.
…
On the Carpathia, Rostron orders his crew to turn off non-essential items, for he needed the extra steam, to quickly reach the stricken Titanic.
"Cut your heating and hot water! Cut it if you like. I got to have every ounce of steam you can give me." Rostron ordered.
"Aye, aye, sir." The Carpathia's engineer says, then heads below. Rostron then turns his attention to Dean.
"Get all hands on deck. Prepare to receive survivors. Knock off all routine work. Get your boats ready and swing them out. Rig electric lights down the side of the ship. Open all gangway doors. Have you got that?"
"Aye, aye, sir." Dean says, then Rostron turns to his quartermaster.
"Telephone the doctor, and the chief steward. Ask them to come see me on the bridge now." The quartermaster obliges, while Rostron looks ahead, anxious if his ship will reach Titanic in time.
On the Californian, Stone and Gibson watch on, completely oblivious to what is happening in front of them. Gibson had been keeping track of how many rockets the Titanic had been firing.
"That's six rockets she's fired, sir."
"Yes. Maybe I'll tell the captain." Stone responds, then proceeds to wake the captain.
"What is it?" he groggily asked.
Stone responds. "That big steamer, sir. She's firing rockets. Six up till now."
"Well, perhaps they're company signals or some kind. Call her up with the Morse lamp and ask her." the captain says.
"Right, sir." Stone says, getting the Morse lamp to signal the Titanic. "The captain thinks she must be signalling to another ship about the ice."
"Looks a bit queer, doesn't she?" Gibson asks, looking into the binoculars.
"I'll try signalling her again." Stone flashes the Morse lamp at Titanic.
"It's if she's listing," Gibson says.
"That's because of the angle she's at to us." Stone continually flashes the light.
…
Down below decks, Jack tries frantically to escape his makeshift prison, after he watches the water overtake the porthole, with Lovejoy being his only warden. He seemed to enjoy Jack hurting himself, who was trying to wriggle his hands out of the cuffs, as much as the couple during their chase. With the ship now tilting, Lovejoy rolls his bullet on the sloping desk.
"You know, I do believe this ship may sink." he says, putting his feet down from the desk. Jack glares at Lovejoy, breathing hard. He continues, "Since the ship is sinking, I give to you the token of affection from Caledon Hockley." He loads the gun with that last bullet, then gets up from his chair to give a good swing at Jack's stomach.
"Might I suggest you to consult Mr. Hockley before you go running off with his fiancé?" he says, while Jack doubled over in pain. This gives Lovejoy the opportunity to pocket the keys before leaving Jack, who was still doubling over, and closes the door behind him. Lovejoy soon makes his way to the staircase, climbing nonchalantly as he pockets the gun in his coat, then disappearing among the confusion.
The pain now subsiding, Jack knew he was in precarious situation. He tries to yell for help, even using his handcuffs to bang against the metal pipe he was tied to, trying desperately to call attention to anyone.
"HELLO! ANYONE, PLEASE! HELP!" he tried his best to yell at the top of his lungs, which wore him out eventually. He looks down, as if defeated, and knew he might meet his fate soon. Then he hears a trickle of water pouring through the vents of the door. He looks, eyes wide with horror, then gasps, "Oh sh-! Oh sh-!" He continues clanging his cuffs as hard as he can, trying to get attention.
"Jesse! Jesse!" Despite the ruckus the crowds were making on the boat deck, he could hear his name being called, but where was it coming from? He sees people now carrying deck chairs and throwing them overboard, while he sees one man trying desperately to tie his multiple deck chairs to make his own personal makeshift life raft. He knew that voice sounded familiar.
"JESSE!" Rose screams at the top of her lungs. Meanwhile Jesse sees a boat being loaded, albeit having less people, and only two men were on board.
"Let's go over there." he says, then motions everyone to follow him. Rose eventually catches up to Jesse, grabbing his arm, and swings him around.
"Rose!" he gasps, a surprised look on his face. They embraced, then Jesse calmly takes Rose's chin and looks at her face with concern.
"What happened there…?" he began, then he knew. He knew of Cal's sudden outbursts, then she finally manages to escape his clutches, only to be shocked when she needed his help in rescuing Jack in a nearly submerging ship. Despite all this, Jesse knew Rose and Jack were truly meant for each other, then he thinks it over, hard. He decided to help Rose, this time rescuing her true love.
"Help me get these people to a boat!" he says. They made it over to a lifeboat just before it was being lowered.
"Wait! We got some women and children for the boats." Jesse says, nearly out of breath. Officer Murdoch hesitantly looked at them at first, due to their appearance, before finally changing his mind.
"Alright. Bring them in." Soon, they were being helped on board by the officers and a man, whom Jesse assumed would be rowing. The young teen turned back for the final time, to give Jesse a final awkward, but long and tearful embrace. He soon realized this is the same girl they had met back at the galley days before, before she finally stepped into the boat, with assistance from the officers, and sitting next to her mother.
"We'll need a few more men for the oars." Murdoch called, just as Jesse slowly raised his hand, but he knew he will be regretting it later. Eric climbs in, without a moment of hesitating even before the officer motions him in, as he was gladly relieved he was getting off the sinking ship, and to also be taking part in something, while Karl hesitantly gets in the boat, before Murdoch gently nudges him in, and Eric also helps him to board.
"Careful now. Watch your step son." Murdoch turns his attention back to the ship once more.
"Anymore crew members?" he yelled, then turned his attention to Jesse, wanting to pull him into the lifeboat, mainly because he looked sort of androgynous, and could easily pass for a female with almost no effort, even with his dark shirt, pants, boots, and his short hair that always hung over one of his eyes, and of course Rose, but they remained too far from the boats for him to reach and grab. Karl, with eyes wide, begins to sob as he saw Jesse staying behind.
"Odottaa*! Jesse!" Karl sobs, holding out his hand. "You're insane, Jess! Wait! Jess!" he managed to yell between sobs, as Jesse and Rose still kept their distance from the boat.
Murdoch, another officer named Pitman and a stoker began pulling Karl back into the boat, with Eric holding onto him at his stomach, while he hung onto a rope with his other hand, as he himself was over a precarious situation; if he wasn't careful, he would take his plunge into the frigid Atlantic below, and possibly bringing Karl down with him, as there was only about a couple of feet of gap between Titanic and the lifeboat.
"Don't fight it, son," Pitman says, still pulling on Karl. Jesse motions the two officers, then embraces Karl, who is now sobbing hard. Rose can't help but feel the tears come, for she knew Jesse might not make it out, much less survive the night, but she still needed him.
"I can't leave, not without you," Karl says, between sobs, and squeezing Jesse as hard as he can, his body shaking with every sob he made against Jesse's svelte body. Jesse looks at him, tears in his own eyes now.
"I know, but I have to help her, just for a short time. You guys go on and take care of each other. I will make it out. I promise." he says, his voice cracking, as he knew that promise wouldn't hold up, as the next hour or so something might happen to him.
Eventually, he knew, somewhere, just maybe he might be able to score a seat in a lifeboat himself later on. The two friends embraced for the last time, just as a rocket fires from the deck, shoots into the air, and explodes, followed by falling pyrotechnics behind them, all the while the Californian continues to watch on, oblivious to what is really happening at this point, as it unfolds right in front of them. He slowly helps Karl get back into the boat, then looks at his friends.
He whispered, more to himself than to his friends. "I'll see you both soon. Take care of each other…"
"Alright, step back son," Officer Murdoch gently tells Jesse, while other officers yelled to the slowly gathering crowds that were beginning to gather to get back, before Murdoch faces back to the boat and yells to the men who were working the ropes.
"And...lower away!"
The lifeboat soon jolts, before beginning its descent to the ocean below, as it carried very little passengers on board. Murdoch turned back to Jesse once more, as if asking for the last time that if he wanted to take a seat, now is his last chance to take it, and even nodding his head to the boat, before turning back to the lifeboat, guiding it slowly as two men carefully worked the ropes in unison. Murdoch's voice soon becomes an echo as Jesse continues to fight his tears, while Rose held onto him, also crying, for she needed his help in rescuing Jack dearly, and to Jesse's tearful farewell to his friends.
"Easy! Lower away together! Steady now, lads! Keep that rope in check! Easy now! And lower away together now! Easy lads!"
Jesse and Karl lock eyes for what seemed like the last time they might see each other. The davits' pulleys creak and squeak as the lifeboat was being lowered to the water. Eric and the other men soon began untying the oars in preparation of rowing away, as another woman comforts Karl, who was still sobbing and shaking. A few crewmen coming up on deck sees what is happening, as they were too late in getting into that lifeboat.
"There's only about a dozen in there."
"That boat's supposed to take forty."
Just then a man came from behind, then remarked to his fellow crew mates, "If they're going to lower them, why didn't they put some people in them! Come on, mate!"
Karl watches on with tears in his eyes as Jesse looks on from above the deck, while Murdoch still shouts orders to the men lowering the boat. With the woman still comforting him, he slowly looks back up, as Jesse locked eyes with them for the final time, before looking straight again. He passes the promenade deck, where people were scrambling about, looking for any means of escape necessary, while a couple of men were ready to jump as the boat came their way. Eric and the man ready their oars, before gently touching down in the water. The two stokers and Eric helped release the boat away from the ropes, then they began to paddle away from the disabled vessel, while Karl and another stoker use their oars to push away from the ship, before finally rowing away into the darkness.
Jesse watches them leave the ship, then he took deep breath, swallowed in his sadness, wipes his eyes, then replaces it with courage and strength he needs for the daring rescue that would soon follow. Rose grabbed his hand, and together they entered back into the ship.
*Odottaa = Wait/Hold on
Finnish