Sorry, this chapter is so short as the next is a flashback, hence the triple upload!
April 3rd 1920
Jack tossed and turned as he had the nightmare he had almost every time he closed his eyes…
He kicked and kicked to the surface when he somehow regained consciousness as he fell towards the bottom of the Atlantic. It took all his power and might to get to the surface, and really, when he saw Rose no where to be seen, he almost let himself sink again. Assuming she too had drowned, he saw no point in trying to live… he didn't think he could ever live without Rose.
The next thing he knew, he was in the infirmary on the Carpathia with no idea how he ended up there. He asked for Rose as soon as he woke up, but hearing there was no Rose DeWitt Bukater on the survivors list, the tiny bit of hope he had was gone. He was determined to find her, and got out of bed multiple times to try and search the ship, but would collapse each time. It wasn't until an hour before the ship docked that he was discharged from the Infirmary. He looked for Rose in that final hour, and waited at the dock to try and spot her, but he couldn't find her… he had to accept she was gone.
—
After the sinking, Jack settled in New York for a while, going from job to job before deciding it was time to return to Chippewa Falls. He thought returning to the place he grew up might help him deal with the loss of Rose, on the off chance that he would see familiar faces. He knew his parents house was still there and it was in his name, so at least he had somewhere warm and familiar to stay, even if it did come with the dreaded memories of his parents deaths.
—
Jack was brought out of his nightmare as his alarm clock woke him up for work. He groaned, hitting it to turn it off before climbing out of bed to get ready for the day.