AN ADVENTURE TO REMEMBER AND A MEMORY TO FORGET
Chapter Nineteen
Victoria’s POV
The doctor finally came to
release me from his care. I took Shannon, and together we found our stateroom.
Rose had arranged for us to stay in the same room with her and another young
lady who was already a passenger on board the Carpathia. Rose was already
getting settled in, had changed into another dress, and was just finishing
putting on her other shoe when she saw us come in.
"Shannon, Victoria."
She got up from the chair she was sitting in to greet us. She gave Shannon and
me a hug. Rose gestured towards the lady in the room. "May I introduce
Elizabeth Wilson? She’s been kind enough to allow us to room with her until the
Carpathia docks in New York later on." Elizabeth started to walk to
Shannon. She backed up and hid behind me, unsure of what was going on.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you
both." Elizabeth extended her hand, and I shook it.
"Mrs. Wilson, I do
appreciate what you are doing for all of us." I looked around her
stateroom. It was smaller than my room onboard the Titanic, but it was the same
color. The windows were smaller, the bed was in a different position, and the
items inside the room were a step down from the grand items inside the Titanic.
I motioned to Shannon, who was hiding behind me. "This is my sister,
Shannon. She’s a little upset about what is going on, so if she’s not too
outgoing, please forgive her."
"Please, call me Elizabeth.
Mrs. Wilson was my mother." She smiled a warm smile, and I couldn’t help
but feel right at home. She moved to the side of me so she could get a clear
look at my sister. "I bet you are what, ten?" Shannon slowly nodded.
"I’ve got a niece about your age. She lives in New York. I’m sailing home
to see my family. I haven’t seen them in ages. I’ve been attending school in
England. My parents only wanted the best for me." She looked both Shannon
and me up and down. "My goodness. Where are my manners?" She made a
move towards her closet. She selected a dress off one of the hangers and handed
it to me. "That should fit you. It may be a bit big, but it will have to
do. You and your friend are about the same size." She motioned to Rose,
who was looking at herself in the mirror. She looked at Shannon. "And as
for you, we’ll have to find you something. I’m afraid nothing I have will fit
you." Elizabeth held out her hand. Shannon looked up at me. I motioned for
her that it was all right for her to go with Elizabeth, and together they
walked out the door. "We’ll be looking for a new dress for her. Let me
know if you need anything. They are serving lunch in the eating area. You two
can go eat. I’ll watch the young one."
I nodded my head, and called out,
"My father is staying down the hall. I believe he’s in room B-86. If
Shannon gets too out of hand, he should be in there." With that, Elizabeth
nodded, and Rose and I took off to go eat. I wanted to find Harry, though I had
no idea where to look.
Rose interrupted my thoughts.
"He’s probably with the other officers onboard. I sent Jack to go look for
him."
"You read my mind. Where is
Jack staying?"
Rose pointed down the hall in the
opposite direction from where our door was. "Down that way somewhere. He
said he’d let me know later. I arranged for you and Shannon to stay with me.
Elizabeth’s sister, Mary, is traveling with her and was glad to swap rooms with
the lady next door so we could all room together. In the meanwhile, shall we go
find your fiancé?"
I smiled at the thought of that
word. "My fiancé? I never really thought of him that way. He hasn’t given
me a ring or anything, but he did save my life, so I guess that trumps a ring."
Rose led me towards the boat
deck. Jack was talking to a couple of the officers who were onboard from the
Titanic. He kissed Rose as she walked up and hugged me when he got done.
"I’m glad to see you are
okay." Jack looked me over.
"I’m still a little weak,
but the doctor said that was going to happen until I got my strength built back
up."
Jack looked over Rose’s shoulder.
He didn’t say a word, but instead broke out in a smile as I felt a pair of
hands touch me slightly on my shoulders. I turned around, and there was Harry.
I leapt into his arms, and he hugged me tightly.
"Harry! We were just coming
up here to look for you. Rose said Jack was trying to…" I was cut off when
he kissed me.
"Looks like you found me
just fine." He had that award-winning smile. "I hear the doctor
released you from his care. I was going to bring you lunch, but he said he had
let you go to your room. I was headed to go find another porter to find out
where you were staying."
We began to walk to the dining
area. Harry was holding my arm through his as we walked. Jack and Rose were in
their own world, talking. I looked up at Harry. "Thank you."
He looked down at me, quite
puzzled. "For what?"
I sighed. "For everything.
For helping me, for helping Rose and Jack, for keeping me alive, for saving my
life." I stopped and looked up at him. "I don’t know what I would
have done if you weren’t there with me."
"Jack, Rose, why don’t you
two go and get us a table? I need to speak with Victoria for a moment."
Harry watched as Jack nodded, and he and Rose went inside the dining area. He
moved me out of the main walkway and leaned out over a railing to watch the
water below us. "Victoria, I did what I had to do because it was my job.
It was my job to help any passenger in need. How I wish to God you would have
gotten in that damned lifeboat like I told you to, but there is no reason to
dwell on that." Harry stopped to look at me. He put one of his hands
gently on my cheek. I closed my eyes and relaxed into him. "I just don’t
know what I would have done without you. Or what I would have done if I
couldn’t have gotten to you in time." I opened my eyes when he moved his
hand around behind my neck and pulled me in close to him. "You mean the
world to me. You’re my everything."
At that moment, everything around
us stopped. Nothing mattered. I was where I was supposed to be.