Chapter 28
Nellie
Somewhere in the Atlantic
April 14-15, 1912

A loud screeching, like the sound of metal being twisted against metal, woke Nellie from her sleep. At first, she wasn't sure where she was, blinking in the dark as she tried to get a sense of her surroundings. It wasn't until she heard gentle snoring beside her that she remembered she was in Tommy's room in steerage. She pressed up against the small of his back, as they had both fallen asleep in his narrow bunk after their lovemaking. The whole room seemed to shake with the strange sound, and then it was gone. Somehow, Tommy managed to sleep through the whole thing.

Nellie hadn't meant to stay this long. At first, she wasn't even sure what had enticed her into this room. Her emotions had run wild when she had kissed him on deck. This man was strong, kind, and seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say and think. Callen Sr. had been a good husband, but as she had fallen asleep in Tommy's arms just a few hours before, she stopped telling herself the lie that she had loved her late husband. She cared for him and missed him dreadfully now that he was gone, but it was time she stopped trying to fool herself and everyone around her.

She sat up in bed despite Tommy's large frame. She ran her fingers through his curly hair, smiling softly. What did it mean now that she found herself in this man's bed? Did Tommy have plans of marriage now that he was about to begin his new life? Was she really going to return to Dumfries to run her late husband's hotel without any experience and be close to her father and unbearable stepmother? Or was this all just a romantic fling, meant to end as soon as they docked in New York?

As she sat in the darkness, she realized it was terribly cold. She acknowledged she wasn't wearing any clothes, but she hadn't remembered it being this cold earlier. And not only was it cold, but it was deathly still. Had the Titanic stopped? She couldn't hear the engines of the ship anymore and there was a strange sound coming from the corner of the room.

Her dress and shawl were at the foot of their bunk and dressed herself in the bed, careful to not wake Tommy. As much as she wanted to stay, she needed to get back to her room in case Isla woke up. Her breasts ached from not having nursed for several hours and Leana was still ill. Her shoes and stockings were on the other side of the room on a small table pushed against the wall. She climbed over top of Tommy, kissing him gently before sliding out of the bed.

Her feet plunged into icy cold water, nearly up to her ankles. She cried out in shock, falling backwards onto the bed. Tommy grunted, catching her as she nearly hit the wall.

"What's the matter?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"There's water all over the floor!" she exclaimed.

Her feet felt like they had been pricked with needles all over, even though they were no longer submerged. Tommy quickly dressed and flicked on the lights. They both stared in horror.

The carpet in Tommy's room was completely submerged and Nellie noticed that the water was rising with each second they continued to stare at it. Tommy pushed Nellie out of the way as he climbed out of bed, grabbing her stockings and shoes and throwing them in her direction.

"I knew this ship was too good to be true," he said, gathering as many things as he could and putting them into a small suitcase. "It would only be my lock that it;s my room that's sprung a leak."

"You don't think the ship's sinking?"

Nellie stared at him wide-eyed from his bed. She remembered the screeching that had woken her in the first place, the stillness surrounding them as the engines had stopped. Something felt horribly wrong.

"I need to get back to my room to check on Isla and Callen," she said. "Why don't you come with me? You can stay with Jock and Callen for the night."

Tommy nodded. "Let's wait to put our shoes on until we find someplace dry. I'll have to find a steward before we head upstairs to let them know what's going on."

Just as they were about to leave, Nellie saw Tommy grab his pocket watch from his nightstand and tuck it into his shirt. The time read shortly after midnight.

Fear instantly gripped Nellie's heart when they went into the hallway. There was a commotion of people running past them, suitcases clutched in one hand, carrying their children in the other. There were a handful of stewards at the end of the hallway barking orders into open cabin doors. Many passengers stumbled into the hallway, still dressed in their nightclothes and blinking into the harsh fluorescent light.

Tommy grabbed her arm, pulling her forward. "We've got to find Jack and Fabrizio and tell them what's happened before we go up," he said. As he nearly dragged her down the hallway, she quickly glanced behind them. Water had begun creeping up the hallway, the door of Tommy's cabin already halfway submerged. Nellie did her best to calm herself and was grateful for Tommy's guiding hand.

A door flew open a few feet away and out stepped Fabrizio, blinking in the bright light.

"C'mon, let's get the hell out of here!" Tommy said, letting go of Nellie's arm as they approached his cabin. "C'mon, hurry up!"

Fabrizio went back into his room, putting on a pair of pants before leaving, holding his shoes and socks in one hand just as Nellie and Tommy had done.

"Where's Jack?" Tommy asked.

"He's probably with that ragazza from first class," Fabrizio said as they raced down the hallway. "I haven't seen him all night."

"He's probably better off in first class," Tomy said. They had finally reached dry carpet and all three put on their shoes, doing their best to avoid the people running past.

"Where are they all going?" Nellie asked. All she could think about were Isla, Callen, and Jock. Were they safe? Did they know what had happened? She followed Tommy and Fabrizio in a trancelike state as they led her through the maze of hallways on G-Deck. She could tell they were approaching the stairs leading to the upper decks as the hallways became more and more crowded. Stewards were shouting above the passengers, holding out lifebelts for people to take. Tommy grabbed two, offering one to Nellie. She looked warily at Fabrizio.

"Don't worry about me," Fabrizio said. "I'll get one when we get out of here."

When they rounded the corner, Nellie was horrified to see that a great black gate was barricading the stop of the stairs. People were yelling at a steward standing behind it, men banging against the barrier while women comforted their frightened children. Above the commotion, the steward was saying, "It isn't time to go up to the boats yet!"

Tommy was staring up at the steward, his eyes slightly narrowed. After a moment, he wordlessly ascended the stairs, leaving Fabrizio and Nellie staring after him as he gently made his way through the crowd of people. Nellie couldn't help but throw one of her arms around Fabrizio, holding him close as she trembled with fear and rage. There was a mother with two small children standing behind them, the mother reassuring her children that when the first class people were finished boarding the boats that they would begin with steerage. Fabrizio wrapped an arm around her as well, his own expression solemn as he stared after Tommy who was now trying to reason with the steward.

How would she ever forgive herself if she couldn't get to Callen and Isla?