A LIFE SO CHANGED
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jack is going anything to get the handcuffs
off. As he’s trying, his face turning red.
"Help! Can anybody hear me? Hello? Help
me!" he shouted. Outside the corridor is deserted. Jack’s voice comes
faintly through the door, but there is no one to hear it. "Help me! Can
anybody hear me?"
Rose is running through the stateroom halls.
"Mr. Andrews!"
Thomas Andrews is opening stateroom doors,
checking that people are out. He went to a steward. "Steward, check the
starboard corridor."
"Yes, Mr. Andrews."
Andrews goes to a woman, who is standing
outside her room. "Madame, please. Put on a life belt, and get up to the
lifeboats immediately." He walks away, and catches a maid. "Lucy, for
God’s sake, put on your life belt. Set a good example."
She nods her head.
"Anyone in here?" he asked through
room door.
"Mr. Andrews!" shouted Rose, as she
almost passed him, and caught up to him. "Mr. Andrews! Thank God! Where
would the Master-at-Arms take someone under arrest?"
"What? You have to get to a boat right
away, my dear." Taking her arm.
"No! I’m doing this with or without your
help, sir. But without will take longer." As she stops him.
He sighs. "Take the elevator to the very
bottom, go to the left, down the crewman’s passage, then go right, then left
again at the stairs. You’ll come to a long corridor." With a beat.
Jack pulls on the pipe with all his strength
again. It’s not budging.
"This is going to be bad."
He hears a gurgling sound. Water pours under
the door, spreading rapidly across the floor.
"Oh shit. Oh shit." He gets up on
the rail, sliding the handcuffs up and tries to pull his hands out of the cuffs,
working until the skin is raw. No good.
Rose runs through the crowd. "Excuse me.
Thank you." She runs up as the last elevator is closing up his lift to
leave. He was trying to tell a lady that the lifts are closed, but when Rose
tries to go in. He stops her.
"I’m sorry, miss. But the lifts are
closed."
Without thinking, she grabs him and shoves
him back into the lift. "I’m through being told, goddamn it! Now take me
down!"
The operator fumbles to close the gate. Rose
helps him and he starts the lift.
"E Deck," she said.