Chapter 15
Once they were off the ship the men carrying Harold helped get him into a wheelchair which Harlean then took charge of pushing it. As they tried to get through the crowd she realized that the dream she had, had just a few nights before had come true.
XX
"I had a dream with you in it last night," Harlean said as they walked down the deck.
"Really? Was I setting the Messaging Room on fire?" he asked.
Harlean laughed, "No…I'm serious. This was…so weird…yet real," she answered.
"What happened?"
"Well it was a bit hard to see, but you and I were stepping foot onto a dock," she began.
"So it was the Titanic docking?"
"No…we were not on the Titanic."
"What ship was it?" he inquired.
"I have no idea; I have never seen it before. I couldn't catch the name of it either," she answered.
"Well maybe we will meet again on another ship," Harold suggested.
She smiled, "Maybe that's what it is. Although I have to say…we both looked absolutely exhausted and drained. I looked well…a way you would never see me in Public looking," she answered.
XX
"Harlean! Harold! Give us an account! Is it true that the Captain went down with the ship?!" Some of the reporters shouted.
Harlean continued to push the wheelchair through the crowd, ignoring any questions.
"Did he really shoot himself?" One shouted.
She stopped and looked at the reporter that had asked her the question, "My Uncle went down with the ship, just like any Captain would. He never shot himself now leave me alone."
Harlean ignored the rest of the questions, despite the fact she felt like collapsing and crying.
A moment later they saw a man coming out of car waving to Harold, "Uncle?" he called.
The man ran over to them, "Harold you're alright! I received word that you were safe and knew I had to be here to pick you up," he said.
Harold sighed happily then looked to Harlean who was slightly confused, "Uncle Walter this is Harlean Carpenter. The Captain's niece, she and I became very close on the ship and she is going to be staying with me until she can get on a ship home to London," he said.
"Very nice to meet you Miss Carpenter, so sorry about your loss," Walter said as he shook Harlean's hand and nodded at Holly.
They helped Harold into the car, put the wheelchair in and then Harlean and Holly went in, followed by Walter. Then they drove to the man's home on West Ninety-Second Street.
As Harlean was settling into a spare bedroom with Holly, Harold knocked on the door and came in the room, "They wish for me to testify at the trial the day after tomorrow," he said, handing her the message.
"That was a bit quick," Harlean commented as she glanced over it.
"Well it's probably best that I be there, I have some of that money still that the reporter gave me. If you want you can go out tomorrow and buy a new dress, I'm sure you're tired of that thing," Harold said.
"I can't do that. I'll be fine until I get home," She answered.
"Harlean that's not going to be for what…another week or so? You are going to need a new outfit," he replied.
"Alright, but the minute I get home I will get the money back to you," she said.
XX
The next night Harlean was in her room, she was wearing her new dress as Holly had sent the other dress off to be cleaned. She was sitting on her bed emptying the pockets from her coats. She had almost forgotten about the jewelry she had saved from her room.
Just then there was a knock on her door, "Come in," she called.
The door opened and Harold rolled in, his legs had been feeling a little bit better but he still couldn't walk on them.
"How was the trial?" she asked.
He had gone just for the first day to get a feel of how things would go down, "They were fine…a lot of people were there," he answered.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Harlean asked.
Harold shook his head, "I think I'll be fine," he answered.
"Oh the paper with your interview came this morning," she said.
Harlean stood up and went over to a coffee table; she picked it up and handed it to Harold.
He scanned over it, "I see the reporter still mentioned you."
"I'm mentioned in quite a few newspapers today. That reporter who claims my Uncle shot himself mentioned me. There were a few others too, one of my picture right under a photo of my Uncle," she said holding up another paper.
"There were all sorts of rumors circulating. Someone said that Will Murdoch shot himself and someone else said it was James Moody who shot himself, no one knows. There was another report that someone had seen the Captain swimming towards our boat no less with a child. Which he handed off and when someone went to help him onto the boat he was gone. That didn't happen, there wasn't a child on Boat B," Harold explained.
Harlean sighed as she sat back down, "They are sending out some boats in a few days to go back to the site to recover bodies," she said.
Harold rolled over to her; he looked around and saw Holly must have been off running an errand. "Harlean…I need to ask you a question," he said.
"What is it?" she asked.
Harold took her hand, "Harlean…since the first moment I saw you I knew I loved you. We've survived this terrible thing together and I have to believe that there was a reason we were brought together and kept together. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to give you everything you could ever want or need," he paused a pulled a box out of his pocket. He opened it and inside was an engagement band, "Harlean…would you marry me?"
She was speechless but then a moment later her head nodded in yes. Harold's face broke into a huge grin, he slid the ring onto Harlean's finger and she fell into an embrace in his arms.
"Miss Harlean?"
Harlean pulled out of Harold's embrace and looked at Holly, "Yes?"
"Just making sure everything is alright, I wasn't expecting Mr Bride to be back so soon. Or else I wouldn't have left," Holly said slowly, eying the couple.
"Oh it's alright, Harold has just proposed," Harlean said, smiling.
Holly dropped the bundle in her arm and came over to look at the ring on Harlean's finger, "Oh Miss Harlean, its lovely!"
XX
Two days later Harlean left on a ship to London. Harold had to stay behind for a few extra days but there were already rumors of a hearing to be held in London and he would have to testify at that as well.
She had been able to get a message to her family that she was coming home and they had wired some money to her so she could make it home.
A week and a half later the ship arrived, Harold's ship not too far behind.
Harlean got off the ship and there at the docks was her family's car, her brothers inside.
She ran to them, Holly close behind and a man with their small suitcase.
Harlean began to sob when she was in Micah's arms. It was the first time she had cried since the disaster. The siblings climbed into the car and Holly sat next to the driver in the front.
On the way home Harlean learned about everything that had been happening at home and about the fact that their Aunt was going to have a ceremony to honor Captain Smith's memory but they waited until Harlean returned home.
The car parked outside the house a moment later and the cook came running out where she embraced Holly. The two had always been close and ever since Holly had come to work for the Carpenters the cook had taken Holly under her wing to watch after her.
Harlean felt like she might begin to cry when she saw her Uncle's car parked as well. That meant her aunt and cousin were there, slowly she walked up the stairs of the house, followed by her brothers.
Once inside she was attacked by her cousin, who began to sob as she hugged Harlean, then her aunt appeared and then her parents. All of them were crying and a moment later when Harlean was in her parent's embrace she was crying as well.
After several minutes Harlean managed to compose herself, she was hugged tightly by her father who kissed her on the top of her head and her Aunt Eleanor came over and cried into her niece's arms.
"Harlean my love…will you tell me about the last time you saw him? Please…" her Aunt asked as they all walked into the parlor.
"I…I do not know if I can do that Aunt Eleanor," she said softly.
Her Aunt bowed her head, "Of course dear, I understand."
After a while Harlean went up to her room. Holly unpacked their few things; just her one dress and jewelry and then Harlean went to sleep.
Nightmares from the sinking plagued her dreams but she managed to survive the night. Now it was just a matter of getting through the next days, and figuring out how she was going to tell her parents that she was engaged to be married…
XX
A/N- Ack…I dunno how I feel about that chapter…I'm quite glad I did some more looking into the history for this because I didn't know Harold went to stay with his Aunt and Uncle. So there was that bit of information…review and let me know what you think!! Lots of love!!
Beccs! ^_^