Hello everyone! I am so thankful that everyone is reviewing so kindly and also for all the alerts and favourites, I am truly grateful!
Anywho, I do realise that this chapter is meant to be the sinking of the ship but I don't want to do it that way. There will be a few moments in this chapter where you see some moments of the sinking but not all of it. And there's going to be major angst; just warning you now. Prepare the tissues. XD But please enjoy!
Sixteen: The Unsinkable Ship Part 3.
April 14th 23.56pm
Emily had felt the massive shudder that rippled through the ship and so wasn't entirely surprised when a crew member asked her and Francis to join the captain and his officers in the bridge. When they arrived, they were greeted with an unfamiliar sight- the officers were talking lowly to each other and running off in different directions and the captain looked dazed and confused, like he was in a dream that was turning into a nightmare.
Emily spotted her brother and Alfred so with Francis, she walked over to them.
"What's happened?"
Arthur shrugged slightly, frowning, "I don't know. We were asked to come here and now we're waiting on Mr Andrews to show up."
Right on cue, a very tired and extremely distressed Thomas Andrews entered the room, holding a large map of the ship. He was followed by an anxious Bruce Ismay and quickly Andrews sprawled the map onto a large table and inclined for the captain to stand closer.
"Water... fourteen feet above the keel in ten minutes. In the forepeak, in all three holds and in the boiler room six."
"When can we get underway, damn it?" cried Ismay.
Arthur, Alfred, Francis and Emily all looked at each other. Water?
"That's five compartments!" stated Andrews. "She can stay afloat with the first four compartments breached, but not five. Not five." He repeated to the captain. "As she goes down by the head, the water will spill over the tops of the bulkheads at E deck from one to the next. Back to back. There's no stopping it."
"The pumps!" cried the captain at once. "If we opened the doors-"
"The pumps buy you time, but minutes only," interrupted Mr Andrews. "From this moment, no matter what we do, Titanic will founder." He finished gravely.
At his words, Emily looked to her brother in alarm.
"But this ship cannot sink!" exclaimed Ismay incredulously.
"She's made of iron, sir." Mr Andrews replied. "I assure you, she can...and she will. It is a mathematical certainty."
The captain turned to Officer Murdoch.
"And how many on board Mr Murdoch?" He whispered.
"Twenty-two hundred souls on board sir." He replied, his voice cracking.
Emily moved slowly forward.
"This isn't possible." Her eyes suddenly widened as she remembered her conversation with Andrews about the lifeboats, "Mr Andrews…half of the people on this ship will…"
He couldn't bear to look at her but gave her a heartfelt hug.
"You and your friends must get to a boat Miss Kirkland. Immediately."
And with that he rushed out, away to help prepare with the evacuation.
It was the last time the four companions ever saw Thomas Andrews again.
The woman sat at the windowsill in the chair that had been made especially for her and she looked out, staring beyond the vast fields of green that lay in front of the building she was in and onto…where? She could not remember the last time she had left the place. Not like she could, even if she wanted.
She tried to reach for her tea, sitting on the table right beside her and couldn't even manage that. A nurse walked up quickly and helped her but she swatted the kind woman away. She wanted to be alone. On today of all days.
The nurse frowned slightly before walking out into the hallway where the nurse's office was.
"Miss Kirkland seems even more moody today than usual, don't you think?"
The other nurse, no older than thirty frowned at the younger.
"Do be easy on her Kate. It's 80 years to the day that she was on the Titanic."
The nurse, Kate, gasped.
"She was on that?"
"Her company made the damn thing. She blames herself completely. You can't imagine the amount of times we have saved her before she…" The nurse looked away, "She lost someone extremely invaluable to her that day. I'm not too sure who, but he or she was important."
Kate looked back into the sitting area where the old woman was sitting. God, I wonder how she must be feeling…
"Get on the boat, Emily. I'll get on one later!"
"There's no way in hell I'm leaving you. I'm staying right here."
It was the eyes.
"Please. If you love me, you'll do this. Please."
It was the embrace.
"Don't you dare miss a boat."
It was the smile.
"I'll be seeing you. And I'll look after your brother and Alfred. I promise."
"I love you."
It was the kiss.
"I love you."
It was the love.
"I promise I'll see you again."
It was the lie.
Emily brought her hand slowly to her lips and felt the ghost of that kiss. The last kiss she had ever given someone. There was no one else. There couldn't be. And usually she did not allow herself to think of him. Of all of them. But today was the only day she allowed herself to think. To remember.
A long-lost memory popped into her mind and she suddenly wondered what he was doing right now. Where would he be? Who was he with?
Then almost as though the Gods wanted Emily's question answered, the nurse appeared by her side again.
"Miss Kirkland, you have visitor. He travelled a very long way to see you."
She turned ever so slowly in her chair and when she saw the person standing in the doorway, for the first time that day, she wept.
15th April 02.40am
The water has unbearable. Alfred wondered absently if dying would be more of a comfort. But he wanted to remain strong. He had something to live for. Three things to live for. One was safely away and that he was immensely grateful of Francis for convincing her to go. The other two things were floating opposite him, staring back at him, frozen. One of them, the one he knew he had fallen for, was looking at him like for the last time. He refused to acknowledge the look and so stammered out,
"We just have to wait a small while for the boats to be organised. They'll be back for us."
It was getting quieter now. There were only a few dull yells from nearby but looking around, it was like a watery tomb. There were fixed looks of pure terror on people's faces as they had finally succumbed to the hypothermia. But not Alfred. He would stay alive.
Looking around him, he spotted a large piece of wood and motioned to the other two to follow him. His limbs were stiff and heavy and he felt very tired like he wanted to shut his eyes. Making his way over to the plank, the three of them clambered onto the wood and lay down, shivering. They sat there in silence until Francis spoke.
"I'm glad I got to tell Emily that I loved her."
Arthur, with as much conviction as he could possibly muster, snapped, "Don't you dare talk like that! You are going to see her again. You will survive this, frog."
Hearing a faint chuckle from the Frenchman seemed enough for Arthur as he turned his gaze on Alfred. The American could clearly see the fear in his eyes.
"I've only known you for four days," He swallowed thickly, "and I think I'm already in love with you. And I'm glad. Glad I met you Alfred."
"You just barked at Francis for saying his goodbyes and now you're doing just that. Stop it Arthur. We were all going to survive this. We'll make it through."
Arthur gave him a watery smile and pulled him closer, putting a frozen arm around Alfred and closed his eyes.
"I'll always love you."
15th April 03.30am
Staring up at the endless blue sky, somehow passed the time and it seemed they had stopped talking to save energy. Alfred didn't mind that much. He was so unbelievably cold but he would persevere and wait.
Moments later, he felt a bright light shining into his face and he looked to his right to see a boat floating beside him and a man extending his hand. Alfred grabbed it and was hauled into the lifeboat. A blanket was thrown over him and it felt like heaven and he managed a small smile. He saw the man extend his hand again to the others but no one took it. The smile immediately fell from his face. He leaned over the side of the boat.
"Arthur, Francis, take the good man's han-"
He stopped dead in his tracks.
No.
No.
"Come on son, don't look, just lie down-"
The sailor pulled Alfred from the side of the boat and sat him in the middle. He simply shook his head sadly at the officer and then began to go forward.
Immediately the night was pierced by the anguish screams of Alfred Jones.
She looked at him and him back at her. For the longest time, they just sat there staring. Emily broke the silence.
"How are you?" She croaked, her voice tried and used, as it would be after 97 years.
"Living." He said simply and he didn't elaborate. He didn't have to. Every day was getting tougher and tougher, a thing Emily was extremely aware of.
"It must have been difficult getting over here." She tried, thinking of conversation. The man, who was one year older than her, frowned, his grey eyebrows furrowing.
"I didn't come to make idle chit-chat Emily. I came to express my farewells." He paused. "And Francis's."
Emily's head began spinning.
"What are you talking about?" She choked out, her breath coming up short and raspy.
"I do not believe I will live another year and I am not sad about that. I have lived my life to the fullest, for one person and words cannot describe how I am looking forward to seeing him again." He drew a breath, "I never told you because you locked yourself away from everything that reminded you of Titanic- of him and your brother- but now, now that so many years of passed, we are able to sit opposite each other and remember."
Emily cracked a bittersweet smile.
"While we lay there on the plank of wood, Francis told us that he was happy that he said he loved you. I think he was truly happy you were safe. He died a happy man, Emily."
Water leaked from the 97-year-old's eyes and she dabbed at them softly with her tissue.
"Arthur was also grateful you were safe. He told me on the boat, that you were his best friend, the one person he could rely on for everything. You were his rock."
"Alfred, please, stop, you don't have to do this." Emily begged.
"I do. I want you to be free from all the pain and suffering. I want you to know that because you were safe, they were happy. They died happy. They loved you. You and Arthur and Francis were my best friends. The day I met you was the best day of my life. I do not regret getting on that boat. Because of it, I met you three."
Emily lunged forward, with all her strength and encased her long-lost friend in a tearful hug.
After that they sat there by the windowsill and talked for hours, telling each other all about their lives, their hopes, their dreams.
That night, Alfred was given a spare room in the nursing home but he insisted that he sleep on an armchair in Emily's room. Both of them fell asleep, almost straight away, feeling peaceful and content.
Emily felt the morning sun blaring down on her from her window and grumpily wondered why the nurse hadn't shut the curtains. She stretched her limbs and froze as she felt absolutely no pain when she did so. She cracked open her eyes and looking to the armchair, she let out a scream.
Alfred jumped awake, falling off the chair and immediately sprung up. He froze then also as he thought about what he just did, where they were and what Emily looked like.
"We're…young?"
Emily sprung out of bed and began jumping around the room with Alfred. She quickly surveyed her surroundings. She knew exactly where they were. In her first-class bedroom aboard the RMS Titanic.
Emily and Alfred continued to jump around until they had a quiet chuckle from the doorway and looking up, they saw two men standing in the doorway, looking exactly like the last time they saw them.
80 years ago.
Both Emily and Alfred walked ever so slowly to the doorway, looking at the two men in wonder.
The one of the left, took the young girl's hand and kissed it softly.
"I kept my promise, ma Cheri. I promised we would see each other again."
"Francis…" Emily whispered, tracing her hands around his face, not quite believing what she was seeing.
It was the love.
The one of the right, threw Alfred a small smirk and said quietly,
"Trust you to come up with all that crap to my sister."
Alfred just smiled and pulled the man close.
"It's not crap, it's the truth."
The smirk on Arthur's face was replaced with a small smile.
"Thank-you." He said simply and Alfred sighed.
"I never told you that I love you, did I?"
Arthur laughed, "No not quite."
"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love-"
"Okay! Okay! I understand!" Arthur barked, rolling his eyes at the American.
"I love you too…I suppose…"
Alfred laughed and quickly closed the space between them and for the first time in 80 years, kissed the man he was in love with.
After a tearful reunion between Emily and Arthur and Alfred and Francis, everything seemed perfect.
The four companions, arm in arm stepped out onto the deck of the beautiful ship and smiling, they all looked up, taking in the dazzling sunlight. For the first time in 80 years, they all smiled together.
D'awwwwwhhhh! So angsty but ended happy! They're all in heaven XD Hope you enjoyed! PLEASE REVIEW! I really wanna know what people thought of this arc! Cheers, LucyMoon1992 x