Disclaimer: cqofegypt does not own Titanic
Chapter 3: Rose's Rescuer
Rose sighed as she finished scrubbing the poop-deck, the last chore of the night.
How daft these rich folk are, not picking up after their dogs...tis blarney! she thought.
Rose brought the pail over to the bough of the ship, hoisting most of the waste over the side.
She made a face at the putrid stench. Yuk! she thought, squinting up her nose.
Putting the bucket down, Rose covered herself more with her coat.
"Brrr...it's cold out tonight" she murmured. Suddenly, the Irish girl saw something out of the corner of her eye. It was big, black, and it was moving. Rose was fascinated.
Perhaps if I just get on the rail a wee bit to see... Rose hoisted herself on three rungs of the rail, which was a bit slippery, due to the condensation of the sea.
Rose smiled as she looked out at the dark inky blackness, and the foggy sky. It was then she thought of the hymn her father had taught her long ago: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.
After all of these years, even after the death of her father, Rose and Ruth both had learned to count their blessings.
Rose smiled and began to sing.
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the Mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy Redeeming love.
Leaning over the rail to see the propellers, Rose didn't notice a young man come up behind her.
"Don't do it!" Rose whipped her head around, and noticed a young man, about her age, sneaking up slowly behind her.
Rose's sense of alarm heightened. She tightened her grip on the handle of the bucket; she hadn't gotten rid of all the waste.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" Rose shouted. She blinked. The wind was so cold, it brought tears to her eyes.
The boy, Jack Dawson, only saw the bucket in her hand, and her scrunched up face in the dim light.
"Take my hand, I'll help you back down!"
Rose shook her head adamantly. "No! Now stay back, I mean it, or I'll hurl it!"
Jack stopped in his tracks. "No!" he said. Rose looked at him, annoyed.
"What do you mean, no? Don't tell me what I can and cannot do...you don't know me!"
Jack smiled slightly. "You would have hurled the bucket already. Now come on, give me the bucket, and let me help you down from there."
Rose was confused. Holding onto the bucket, she tried wiping off more of the condensation that was building on the top rail.
Looking at the boy nervously she said: "I'm trying to finish my chores. You're distracting me...go away!"
Jack shook his head. "I can't" he said. "I'm in this now. If you don't give me that bucket, and come down, I'll have to find another way of doing things"
Rose scoffed. "Don't be daft! You'll be covered in filth!"
Jack took a step toward her. "I'll take a bath" he said, taking another step toward her.
Rose snickered and squinted up her nose. "The stench alone would make you hurl"
Jack smiled. "It would stink, I'm not saying it wouldn't. Truth is, I'm a lot more worried about that water being so cold."
Rose looked down and gulped. Falling in the cold, black water didn't sound very appealing.
Rose looked back at the boy. "How cold is it?" she asked.
Jack took a couple more steps toward her. Man oh man...where's Mr. Andrews when I need 'im? he thought.
"It's freezing" Jack said. "Maybe a couple degrees below that." he took another step closer.
Changing the subject, Jack decided on a new topic. "You ever been to Wisconsin?" he asked.
Rose shook her head. "No" she answered.
Jack smiled as if remembering something from his past, in truth, he was.
"Well they have some of the coldest winters around, and I grew up there, near Chippewa Falls. Once when I was a kid me and my father were ice-fishing out on Lake Wissota... ice-fishing's where you chop a hole in the-"
Rose shut her eyes, thinking of the times when she was a wee girl, and how she and her parents would go ice fishing as a family every winter. It had been one of their favorite things to do, until Charles' death when Rose was but ten years old.
"I know what ice fishing is!" she cried hoarsely. Honestly she wished this boy would go, and leave her alone.
Jack winced at her tone.
"Sorry. Just... you look like a forest girl. Anyway, I went through some thin ice and I'm tellin' ya, water that cold... like that right down there... it hits you like a thousand knives all over your body. You can't breath, you can't think... least not about anything but the pain."
He took off his jacket.
"Which is why I'm not looking forward to jumping in after you. But like I said, I don't see a choice. I guess I'm kinda hoping you'll come off the rail and get me off the hook here."
Rose wanted to ask who he was working for, but didn't. "You're nuts!" she said.
Jack looked at her in detail. She looked like one of those people who needed love, guidance, and protection. She looked lost without someone to guide her.
Jack shook his head. He'd always had a knack for seeing people. That was one of the reasons he'd become an artist.
He smiled at her. "That's what everybody keeps telling me. But with all due respect, I'm not the one leaning over the back of a ship.
Jack slid one step closer, like moving up to a frightened animal. "Come on, You don't want to slip and fall in. Give me the bucket."
Jack stepped next to her, touching the small of her back. Rose glared at him.
"Why are you so concerned? Ye don't even know what's in the bucket."
Jack grinned. "I know it stinks to high Heaven" Rose smiled slightly.
"I also know that a pretty girl like you shouldn't be swabbing the decks like this..." By now, Jack's hand had made it to Rose's torso, ready to help her down, when he felt a pain on his right cheek.
"Ow!" he yelped in surprise. "Hey! What's-?" Adding insult to injury, the girl also splashed the remaining contents of the bucket onto her would-be 'rescuer'.
"Hey!" Jack took his hand away from her abdomen, accidentally knocking over the bucket, making it fall into the ocean.
Rose reached down for it, only to slip and fall over the rail. She plunged, letting out a blood-curdling scream.
Jack rolled his eyes, then realized that Thomas Edmund Andrews was VERY capable of throwing HIM overboard should he dare let anything happen to any of the passengers...including this girl.
Jack grabbed Rose's hand, but was jerked quickly to the rail. There were five rungs from the top down, Rose was on rung number three, barely hanging on.
Rose barely had time to grab on to the next rail as she let out another blood-curdling scream.
Jack winced. Did she have to scream so loud? Looking into her fiery blue eyes, he realized...Yes!
Quartermaster Rowe, followed by Thomas Andrews, Captain Smith, Bruce Ismay, Spicer Lovejoy and several others rushed out of the dining hall on deck find out what was wrong.
Andrews leaped down the stairs, looking in both directions across deck, when down near the fantail, he saw a young man down by the railing doing-something.
Walking over, Andrews noticed the young man was Jack Dawson. Jack took his gaze off of Rose for a second and saw Mr. Andrews.
"Mr. Andrews! Thank God! I'm gonna need your help!" was panting, and closing his eyes in pain. His arm was getting tired.
"Augh!" Jack hissed. Andrews leaned over the rail, and looked down. Someone was dangling off the edge of the ship!
"Merciful Heavens!" Andrews cried. Kneeling down next to Jack, Andrews noticed that the figure was that of the young woman, a very familiar young woman...in fact, it looked like-
"Rose!" Thomas Andrews cried, reaching down for her hand. How on Earth had she fallen like this?
Rose looked up. Mr. Andrews! "Rose! Reach up and grab my hand, quickly!" Rose nodded and willed herself to reach for his hand with her other one.
Suddenly, Jack let go of Rose. Rose let out a shriek of terror. Andrews' heart sank. If she fell into that water...but there was no time to think about that
He gripped her hand tighter and grabbed her other one. Doing this caused him to lean over the railing. He grunted. "Rose! I'm going to pull you up as quickly as I can! Do not attempt to gain any footing until I say, alright?"
Praying for strength, Andrews prepared himself to lift her up.
Rose was crying. "I'll fall!" she cried. Surprised, Andrews looked down at her, and shook his head firmly. He had just gained her trust and friendship, he was not going to lose her now, not this way!
"Rose Margaret DeWitter, you will not fall! Do you understand?" Rose nodded. Andrews gently and firmly grabbed both hands.
He lifted her up: One...two...three...
"Now, Rose, put your feet on the deck." Obediently, Rose put her feet on the deck, one right after the other. Holding her hands firmly around Mr. Andrews' neck, she climbed the railing posts until he grabbed her waist and pulled her back up over the rail.
Once she was safely on deck, everyone cheered and rushed to Rose. Andrews let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
While the others milled around Rose, Andrews turned to Jack and clapped him on the shoulder. "I want to thank you, Jack... if it weren't for you, Rose wouldn't be here now."
Jack looked down at the floorboards of the deck. "Thanks, but I almost dropped her...you're the one who really saved her."
Andrews smiled kindly. Jack was too modest for his own good, it was sadly ironic. "What matters is that she's here now"
Jack nodded. "Thanks, Mr. Andrews" Andrews smiled again. "You're welcome, lad. Now, if you want a bit of advice, a tub of scalding water and a clump of lye helps to get rid of the odor"
Andrews grinned at Jack's blush...he'd understood perfectly. "Yes, sir" he mumbled.
Mr. Andrews turned his attention to Rose, who'd been led away from Caledon Hockley, and had been standing next to Mr. Lovejoy for the past five minutes.
"You and I are going to have a nice long chat tomorrow, my dear" Andrews whispered in Rose's ear. Rose looked up and nodded at him ruefully.
She turned to Jack. "Thank you" she said quietly. Jack smiled at her. "You're welcome...what was your name again?" he asked.
"Rose DeWitter" she answered, feeling safe and secure with Mr. Andrews beside her. Andrews noticed her shivering, and immediately draped his jacket around her.
Jack noticed this. Hmmm he thought with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Rose. I'm Jack Dawson" Rose smiled kindly and shook his offered hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Daw-" no sooner had she said that, she fainted with exhaustion. Andrews scooped her up effortlessly and gently in his strong arms. Jack grinned at this.
"More socializing tomorrow" Andrews said quietly, carrying Rose to her stateroom.
Jack smiled as he watched Mr. Andrews walk away with the unconscious girl.
Rose.