HELLO EVERYONE! Miss me? I was planning to hold this chapter back for a little while more :) But I thought it would be a nice Christmas present to all of you! Thanks for all the support! Hope you all enjoy this chapter and I'll see you guys at the bottom of the chapter!
Just a friendly reminder, it is 15 April 1912! ( Well, technically it is, since it's in the morning of 15 April )
- Clara -
- 9.45 am -
She gasped and ran over to her friend who was seated on the floor, her back leaning against the bed. "Liz? Liz!" Clara lightly patted her cheek to wake her up. When they found her, Elizabeth's left wrist was bleeding profusely and all colour was drained from her face. A shard of glass was in her right hand. She must've been grasping it pretty hard since her palm too was bleeding.
"We have to get her to the doctor on board." Clara cried out to the two men. "Go get the doctor on board ready. I'll take her there. Also, please find someone to help clean up this mess." Harry instructed the reluctant steward who nodded eventually and left the room quickly. Clara immediately took off her apron and ripped it into two, passing one half to Harry. "We need to first stop the bleeding. Using the cloth, apply pressure onto the wound." She told Harry who followed her instructions, placing pressure on her wrist while Clara did the same to her bleeding palm.
"Good, now raise her hand up. It'll help stop the bleeding." Clara did not look up as she showed the perfect example. They were at it for at least ten minutes, after which the bleeding must've stopped. Clara looked around for a piece of cloth to tie around the wound and settled for two napkins on the end table beside the bed, folded neatly. Her nimble fingers hastily tied the cloth around the wound. The cut on Elizabeth's palm ceased to bleed while the one on her wrist still continued to bleed.
Harry picked Elizabeth up in his arms, making sure she was secure before he stood back up. Clara stood beside him and continued to apply pressure onto her wrist wound. The couple had a steward lead them to the doctor's office and they were there in less than fifteen minutes.
- Elizabeth -
- 11.30 am -
Slowly, Elizabeth opened her eyes. The source of blinding light was the circular window just above the left side of the bed which was pressed up against the wall. She instinctively lifted up her left arm weakly and almost physically flinched at the sight of the ugly stitches on her arm.
"Liz." She heard someone call her, and a warm hand grasped her right hand from under the blanket. She turned and saw a concerned Harry leaning over. "Thank God you're awake. Let me go get Clara." He gave her one last smile and a light squeeze on her hand before he left the little white room, leaving her to her own thoughts.
She didn't know what to do, except stare at her surroundings. The room wasn't very big, but apparently it was big enough to have a few other beds, separated by a white curtain. She could tell that there were other people in the room by the occasional coughs. She couldn't help but wonder what she would do after the ship docked in New York. With no relatives to rely on and no family business to fall back on, she could only depend on herself. Her train of thought was disrupted by the sound of a door opening. "Liz!" Clara rushed to her side and sat on the edge of the bed, holding Elizabeth's weak hand in both her gentle ones.
"How are you feeling?" She asked, smiling at her friend. "A little light-headed, but I'll live." Elizabeth said softly before looking at the window. "Why did you do what you did?" Clara asked, now frowning. "Why do you care?" She said bitterly, seeing how fortunate Clara was, as compared to her. "Because I'm your friend! I care about you!" Clara answered, obviously hurt by Elizabeth's question.
"You wouldn't understand the pain I'm in." Elizabeth said, her voice emotionless. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong!" A tear fell from Clara's eyes.
Silence. Elizabeth closed her eyes again, slowly drifting back to sleep. "Let me escort you back. You need some rest too, Clary." Harry helped Clara up and left the infirmary, leaving Elizabeth in the bed to rest for a while more. The doctor was nice enough to let her stay on the bed.
- Harry -
- 12.45 pm -
The journey back to the stateroom was fairly silent. Clara did not want to talk and Harry did not know what to say. "Get some rest. I'll come visit you again later." Harry made sure it was just the two of them in the hallway before he kissed her on the forehead and pulled her in for a warm embrace, after which she disappeared into the stateroom again.
Harry made it a point to get a steward to bring Clara some lunch. She must've been hungry.
He walked back out onto the deck, looking at the various survivors of the sinking as they sat on the wooden floor, melancholic. He walked over to a steward with a clipboard in his hands. "Can I make a few inquiries about a few passengers and crew members?" He asked politely. "Definitely, Mr..."
"Harold. Harold Godfrey Lowe. Fifth officer of the Titanic." Harry said slowly so that the steward could take down his name. "Right, ask away." Said steward looked up at the officer, ready to check the names. "Miss Augustine Barbour, first-class." He asked about Elizabeth's aunt first. "Yes, she is onboard."
"I'd like to report two other women from first-class who made it." Harry added. "Miss Elizabeth Law Barbour Andrews and Miss Clarissa Elsie Hayes." After the steward scribbled down their names, he gestured for Harry to continue asking. "As for the crew members, may I just see the list of officers? There are only eight of us." The steward nodded and flipped through a couple pieces of paper before passing the clipboard to Harry.
Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller
Third Officer Herbert John Pitman
Fourth Officer Joseph Groves Boxhall
Sixth Officer James Paul Moody
Fifth Officer Harold Godfrey Lowe
Harry's eyes did a double-take on the list. One name in particular caught his eye. Sixth Officer James Paul Moody. He couldn't believe it. Jim made it. Jim survived the sinking! He had to find him. "Do you know-" He was cut off by someone yelling his name. He turned.
"HARRY! Thank God you made it! Come on, the officers are having a meeting with the Carpathia officers and her captain!" Charles came over and quickly dragged him away. "Nice to see you too, Lights. Is Jim there?" Harry asked his friend. "Sadly, no. He's currently in the infirmary. I'll tell you the story along the way." Charles sighed.
- Elizabeth -
- 3.20 pm -
Elizabeth had been awake for at least fifteen minutes, unsure of what to do next. She was seated on the bed, pillows propped up behind her to make her more comfortable. "Are you by any chance a survivor of the sinking?" She said to the person on the other side of the curtain, her voice barely recognisable. She was having a very bad sore throat. The cold had been terribly unforgiving the night before.
"Hello? Is anyone there? On the other side of the curtain?" She asked again after there was no response. She was beginning to feel very lonely. "Y...Yes... Sorry, I didn't know you were talking to me. Are you?" A male voice responded. "Yes, I am." There was a silence that hung in the air for a while and Elizabeth spoke up again, to break the almost uncomfortable silence.
"I'm sorry if I'm intruding in your privacy but...did you...did you lose anyone in the sinking?" She asked, her mind immediately thinking back to Jim. "No, I was boarding the ship alone. How about you?" He replied.
"I lost two of the most important people in my life last night." Elizabeth swallowed back tears. "I...I'm so, so sorry." He said apologetically. She wished so badly that Jim would be there, to hold her in his arms again. She started to sob. "M...miss? Are you all right?" The voice asked her. "Not...not really." She managed to say through the tears. Her voice was muffled and hoarse. "But I'll live, eventually. Thank you for your concern, stranger. I'm...kind of tired now. Maybe we can chat some more later." Elizabeth wasn't tired at all, in fact she was bursting with energy after lying in bed for so long, but she couldn't bring herself to talk about what happened anymore so she turned to face the wall and cried silently.
- Clara -
- 6.10 pm -
It was evening, sometime around six, by the time she stopped reading the book she had brought along with her from the Titanic. Harry was still not back yet and neither was Elizabeth. She contemplated on going to find her, but given the way she had been reacting to the maid's comfort, she was convinced that Elizabeth did not want to see her.
It hurt her quite badly. They were as close as sisters just a few days before but Elizabeth was bitter that the one who meant the most to Clara survived whereas her own close ones died. Clara couldn't have prevented their deaths but she couldn't have felt guilty for it. It wasn't her fault. She leaned back in the soft, cushioned couch as she sighed aloud.
The door at the entrance opened to reveal Harry, whose weariness showed through the worry lines on his face. "Where were you?" She asked him casually. "I met up with the other officers and Captain Arthur Rostron, captain of the Carpathia. And...Jim survived the sinking." He told her. "That's...that's great! We have to tell Liz!" The officer nodded at her with a small smile. "But...I think you should rest first. You look exhausted." Clara felt bad. She was so excited at once she didn't notice how tired Harry was.
"Are you sure?" He asked her. "Yes, I am. We'll go get Liz from the infirmary and tell her the good news after you've gotten some rest." She smiled up at him as she put her hands on his chest. Harry leaned down to give her a kiss. "Thank you." He gave her another short, sweet kiss before he went to the bedroom and laid down on the bed, out like a light.
Clara saw that he still had his whole uniform on. She helped him to unbutton his coat and take off his visor cap, setting them aside so that they would not get crumpled. Harry did not stir in his sleep the whole time. After she was done, she leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek before she left the bedroom to most likely continue reading her book.
- Elizabeth -
- 7.45 pm -
Elizabeth looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. Personally, she was starving but she didn't want to find Clara and Harry to ask them for some food so she used her mostly uninjured right arm to sit herself on the bed. She rolled down the sleeves of her dress to hide her wounds. "Hey...You awake?" She asked the man from 'next door'. No response. She assumed he was sleeping so she quietly got out of bed and snuck out of the infirmary, unseen by anyone.
Elizabeth wandered the halls for quite a while. The Carpathia was nowhere near comparable in size to the Titanic but its hallways were long and big enough to allow the brunette to get lost. Suddenly, at the end of the hallway, she saw a familiar face.
She picked up her dress and brisk walked over to the man who had not yet seen her.
"Jasper? Jasper!" Elizabeth called out. Her throat, which was still not feeling very well, caused her voice to go no louder than a whisper. "Elizabeth? What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting. Would you like me to get your friends for you?" He asked, concerned. "I couldn't stand lying around doing nothing anymore. Also, there's no need to call them. In fact, if you see them, tell them you haven't seen me. But I am pretty hungry. Do you know where I might be able to get some food?"
"Well...the mess hall is quite a few decks below. How about you wait up on deck and I'll bring you some food to eat?" He offered kindly. "That sounds really nice." Elizabeth smiled at him. As Jasper was about to leave, she put a hand on his bicep which made him turn to look at her again. "Thank you so much, Jasper." She said sincerely. The steward smiled back and nodded politely before disappearing down the halls again.
Elizabeth wrapped the blanket she had snagged from the infirmary earlier tightly around her as she walked out onto the deck. The icy winds bit at her exposed skin which sent shivers down her spine. Nonetheless, she would not go back to that room to get a coat or anything like that. She didn't feel like seeing Harry and Clara. In fact, she just did not want to see the maid. Harry had lost a good friend so he could understand a little bit of her pain but Clara had everything.
She took a seat on one of the benches and stared up at the night sky. It was rather quiet. The passengers were likely having dinner inside the warmth of the ship while the survivors were probably grieving in a corner, not disturbing anyone. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the breeze when suddenly she heard footsteps. Thinking it was Jasper, she opened her eyes again but it was not.
"Elizabeth? Is that you?" A lady said. Elizabeth recognised her and the blonde man next to her almost immediately. "Hello Rose, Jack." She patted the seats next to her on the bench as she was in the middle. They each took a side. "How have you been? I'm so sorry about Mr. Andrews." Rose said, her voice sympathetic. "Thank you. Did you two lose anyone?" Elizabeth asked, accepting the thanks.
"I lost my best pal Fabrizio. Met him a few years back and he's stuck with me through thick and thin." Jack spoke up, giving Elizabeth a small smile. "I lost my maid, Trudy. Before Jack...and you and Mr. Andrews, she was the only person who ever cared for me, for me and not my money. She was very dear to me, that girl." Rose smiled to herself, probably re-living a happy memory of Trudy's company.
"I'm so sorry for your losses." Elizabeth looked down at her fingers. "It's quite all right Elizabeth. Anyway, Jack and I are at this stateroom. You can come find us anytime." Rose scribbled something down on a paper with a pen, both of which she found in her coat before passing it to her. The three of them stood up. Rose gave Elizabeth a warm hug. Jack awkwardly shook hands with her. A second later, Jack pulled Elizabeth in for a friendly hug.
Elizabeth sat back down on the bench as she watched the unlikely couple walk down the deck, hand in hand. The sight made a tear fall from her eye. She missed Jim more than ever. How wonderful it would be if the two of them could walk on deck, like Jack and Rose, hand in hand.
"Elizabeth, are you all right?" She heard Jasper called her. She turned to see him standing beside her, worry evident in his eyes as he carried a silver tray in his hands, food on it. "Yes." Elizabeth smiled at him, wiping away the tear with the back of her hand.
"It's nothing fancy but I brought you some sandwiches and warm tea. I do hope it's enough. It's all the cook would let me steal." Jasper sighed. "It's perfect." She pat the seat next to her. He looked around to make sure they were alone before he sat, sliding the tray onto her lap.
Jasper watched as she ate her sandwiches, one by one. "Do you want one? You look hungry." Elizabeth frowned at him. "It's okay, Elizabeth. I can wait." He half-smiled. "Nonsense. Just take one!" She shoved one in his hands. She could tell he was famished as he quickly ate it.
"I know this is a bad time to ask but...how are you? Since the sinking." Jasper asked cautiously. "Not so fine. I lost my dad and the man I loved. He was an officer." She said, her smile faded. "Who...who was the officer?" He asked again. "Sixth Officer James Moody." She bit her lip, refraining from crying. "You can cry on my shoulder if you want." Jasper offered.
Elizabeth leaned her head on his shoulder and sniffled as she started to cry. It didn't take much effort. All she needed to do was to think of Jim and her dad and the tears came naturally. "That...that wasn't even the worst part. He wrote me a note, telling me that he...he didn't want to leave." She leaned into him even more. Jasper wrapped his arm around the vulnerable girl.
"He shouldn't have left you." Jasper muttered. "I really wish he didn't." Elizabeth whispered sadly.
- Clara -
- 9.25 pm -
"Clary? Dear?" Harry said softly, shaking the blonde's shoulder gently. "Mmm..." Clara slowly awoke from her sleep. "Hello. Have a good sleep?" He smiled widely at her. She couldn't help but smile back because his grin was so adorable. She nodded her head. "What time is it?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. "Close to half past 9 at night. You really slept for a long time..." He sat down next to her.
"Are you hungry?" Harry asked again after there was silence. Clara was about to open her mouth to say no when her stomach started to grumble. She blushed as he chuckled. "I figured. Come on, let's head to the mess hall. I explored the ship a little while you were asleep. Apparently there's a separate mess hall for the survivors that the captain kindly arranged for." Harry stood up and offered a hand to help Clara up, which she took. "We're finding Liz after dinner, right?" Clara asked.
"Absolutely." Harry grinned before he led her out of the room.
- Elizabeth -
- 11.15 pm -
"Well, it was fun talking to you. It's pretty late, I'm assuming, so...good night." Elizabeth gave Jasper a small smile. As she stood up, he followed. "Do you...do you want me to escort you back?" He asked her as she turned back to look at him. "No thank you. I'll be visiting someone. Have a good night, Jasper." She gave him a little kiss on the cheek before she walked off, leaving Jasper in a state of shock after the kiss.
Elizabeth took the piece of paper Rose had given her earlier out and made her way to the second-class stateroom. She knocked on the door and waited outside for a little less than a minute before Rose appeared at the door, pleasantly surprised to see her. "Elizabeth! Come in!" The redhead smiled and moved over to let her in.
Upon stepping into the room, she saw Jack look up at her as he sat on the bed. "Hey Liz." He smiled at her. She smiled back and Rose came and stood next to her. "Let's take a seat, shall we?" Rose grinned at Elizabeth who nodded, as the girls took a seat on the couch directly opposite the bed.
"I'm sorry I'm bothering you two so late at night." Elizabeth spoke up, biting her bottom lip nervously. "Come on, don't say that." Rose frowned, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah. We love your company." Jack added. "I just...don't feel like going back to my stateroom." Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "Well, Jack and I wouldn't mind if you stayed with us until the ship docked." Rose smiled at the brunette. Jack was a little disappointed that he and Rose couldn't have as much 'alone time' as he wanted but he understood that Elizabeth was going through a rough time so he sympathised with her and didn't blame her.
"Thank you so much. Also, I have a tiny request. If Harold Lowe, Titanic's fifth officer or my maid asks about me, you two don't know a thing." Elizabeth said seriously. A silence hung in the air until the blonde broke it.
"Well, it is pretty late now, so if you'll excuse me ladies." Jack stood in front of the two girls and made a gesture for them to move from the couch, which they did. Jack laid down on the couch and made himself comfortable. "You two can share the bed. I'll be right here." He smiled at them.
"I...I couldn't possibly...I'll take the couch." Elizabeth frowned. "It's all right. I'm kinda comfortable right now." He flashed her a reassuring grin. Elizabeth sighed. There was no way anyone would be comfortable in that position. Jack was obviously too tall for the couch, his legs hanging off one of the arm rests and his head barely resting on the other. Elizabeth was about to argue again when Rose put a hand on her shoulder. "Elizabeth, it's all right. I'll make up for it when we dock." Rose smirked at Jack who smiled back suggestively.
"Well, you two can stare at each other all night. I'm going to bed. Thank you two again for your hospitality." Elizabeth grinned at them before she laid in the bed, facing the wall as she slowly drifted to sleep.
- Clara -
- 10.45 pm -
Clara and Harry laughed at a lame joke he just told as they walked into the infirmary. They lowered their volume as the lights were switch off, so they assumed that it was lights out for the patients to rest. Clara led the way to the end of the room, where Elizabeth was. Or rather, where she was supposed to be.
"Liz?" Clara whispered. When there was no response, she went to the side of the bed and gasped when she found out that the bed was empty. "Harry! She's gone!" She said softly but urgently.
DUN DUN DUN ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! Haha, you guys must really hate me :)If you want the next chapter, REVIEW!
Now to thank those who left reviews! Thank you to May, the Guest, alexandriakailynxx, kate and rebeccajoleneaumanwilson for your reviews!
May : Your reviews never fail to make me cry :( You are seriously one of my best readers! Thank you so much for reading into all the hidden meanings in the story and for your never ending support and your wonderful reviews! Merry Christmas!
Guest : Aww! Thank you for that amazing compliment! Merry Christmas to you! :)
alexandriakailynxx : Thank you for your review! I was hoping that the readers would see how much pain and hurt she was going through so thank you for re-assuring me! Merry Christmas!
kate : Thank you for your review! And as for Jim...I have something in store for that :)
rebeccajoleneaumanwilson : Thanks for your tears xD You showed it to your college professor?! AND SHE LOVED IT?! WHAT!? OMG! Thank you for that honour and your reviews! Merry Christmas!
To everyone else, I hope you all are enjoying the story as well! Have a nice day and review if you liked the chapter! :D
Merry Christmas to all!