CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
Chapter Eight

Jack and Rose emerged back out onto the tilting deck. Jack pulled her to the rail just in time to see people jumping overboard, rushing the inevitable.

"We’re going to have to stay on the ship as long as possible!" Jack turned again, pulling Rose after him. It was even harder to run now that they were in the crowd of rushing people, but Jack was determined. They had to get to safety, and soon.

*****

Fabrizio screamed as he was almost sucked back into the ship, and sighed in relief as he grabbed onto the side to prevent himself from going in. He swam away and was right at the edge of the ship when there was a loud popping sound. Fabrizio looked up, just to see the giant smokestack falling down on top of him.

*****

Jack pulled Rose ahead of him on the crowded stairway. Both were now having a hard time walking.

"As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…" A man was praying.

"You want to hurry up through that valley there?" Jack pushed the slow-moving man out of the way.

They finally got to the upper deck and hung onto the railing as they moved.

"Jack, look!" Rose pointed out a priest, hanging onto a group of people as he hung onto some sort of structure on the deck, saying the Lord’s prayer. They didn’t have time to stop for long. They had to keep moving with the crowd.

"Come on." Jack grabbed her hand again and pulled her to the railing of the stern, where he grabbed on tightly to the rail, and she hung on tightly to him. He hugged her tightly to him with his free hand. "Hang on!"

Rose looked around her at the struggling and falling people. She looked down and saw Helga, Fabrizio’s girlfriend, hanging onto the railing, her feet dangling in midair. Rose had to wonder where Fabrizio and Tommy were now. Were they safe? She hoped so. For Jack’s sake, she hoped so. She looked around again at her surroundings and almost laughed at the irony.

"Jack!" Rose caught his attention. "This is where we first met!"

Jack looked down at her, his eyes full of love. Touched that she remembered. He kissed her forehead and hugged her tighter as the boat tilted some more.

Among the screams came a loud, booming, cracking sound. Rose looked behind her and stifled a scream as the ship broke in two, sucking a group of people into its opening chasm.

"Jack!" she screamed, as the stern went booming back down into the water.

"Hang on!" Jack tightened his grip on the railing and pressed against her so she didn’t fall.

"We’re saved!" a woman screamed out joyously, as it seemed that the stern was going to steady itself on the surface of the ocean. Rose looked at Jack with hope in her eyes, but he shook his head grimly. The ship was still full of water, with too much weight in it. Screams rang out again as the deck again tilted upward at a faster rate.

"We have to move!" Jack began to climb the rail. Once he was on the other side, he reached for Rose’s hand. "Come on, Rose! I’ll pull you over!"

"Jack…I can’t…" Rose cried, fear deepening in her heart.

"Yes, you can, Rose. Just grab my hand and climb. I won’t let go! I promise."

Rose nodded, grabbed his hand, and struggled to climb the rail.

"I got ya. I won’t let go." Jack pulled her up. "Come on. I got ya."

Rose sighed in relief as she was safely on the other side with Jack, but her fear again deepened when she noticed that the ship was now straight up in the air.

"What’s happening, Jack?"

"I don’t know. I don’t know," Jack answered. Fear was quite evident in his voice.

Rose looked down at Helga, who looked back up at her with fear. Rose tentatively reached her hand out to the frightened blond, but it was too late. Helga lost her grip on the rail and fell screaming into the churning water.

"No!" Rose began to cry. She turned to look at a man in a chef’s suit. He looked at her sadly, then turned away.

Rose gasped when the ship began its final descent into the ocean "Oh, God! Oh, God!" she cried, not even feeling Jack grasping her hand tightly. Her whole attention was on the frosty ocean below them.

"This is it, Rose!" Jack called to her. He noticed that she was not paying attention. Her eyes were full of fear and directed at the ocean.

"Rose! Rose, look at me!"

She turned her head to meet his eyes, and they again filled her world, the only thing that could take her mind off her fate.

"Listen to me, Rose. The ship is going to suck us down! Take a deep breath when I say! Kick for the surface and keep kicking! Do not let go of my hand!"

Rose nodded.

"We’re going to make it, Rose! Trust me!"

"I trust you!"

The rail was right upon the ocean now, and Rose shivered as she felt the wintry chill. She had never felt this cold before in her life.

"Ready? Now!" Jack yelled, as the ocean swallowed them up.

The ship fell away, but Jack and Rose’s hands remained linked together. Jack rose, kicking hard for the surface, holding tightly to Rose as he pulled her up. The surface was in a roiling chaos of screaming and thrashing people. Over a thousand people were now floating where the ship had once been. Some were stunned and gasping for breath. Others were crying, praying, moaning, shouting…and screaming. Jack and Rose barely had time to gasp for air before people who were driven insane by the water, four degrees below freezing, began clawing at them.

Rose barely had time to scream when a man pushed her under, trying to climb on top of her to get out of the water.

"Jack!"

"Get off of her! Get off of her!" Jack repeatedly punched the man until he floated unconscious on the ocean.

"Jack!"

"Swim, Rose! I need ya to swim!" Jack began swimming, grabbing hold of her lifebelt and pulling her along.

"It’s so cold!" Rose cried, trying her best to swim on her own to make it easier for Jack.

"Swim, Rose!" Jack said with determination, spotting some floating debris nearby. "Climb on it, Rose." Jack led her to the debris.

Rose nodded, grabbing onto the wood paneling and struggling on top of it. "Jack, come on!" Rose called. Jack tried to join her on the wooden debris, but it was not strong enough to hold two people, as it tried to tip Rose back over into the water, but Jack quickly slid back off, causing it to right itself again. He was going to have to remain in the water.

Rose was about to get off, too, but Jack grabbed her shoulders first. "Stay on it, Rose! Stay on it."

Rose nodded, not having enough strength to argue the point, and also just wanting to make him happy. "Jack."

"It’ll be all right now." Jack smiled reassuringly at her as he moved in front of her and took her hand in his. "It’ll be all right now."

"Return the boats!" A whistle sounded out just a few yards away from them. Jack looked to see an officer blowing a whistle and hollering for the lifeboats to come back.

"Return the boats!"

"The boats will be coming back for us, Rose. Just wait a little bit longer. They had to row away from the suction, and now they’ll be coming back." Jack smiled, with real hope and optimism in his voice. He truly believed they were going to be saved.

Rose just nodded, his optimism helping her she lay her head down, trying to forget about the biting cold and trying to stop her chattering teeth. She wondered if she’d ever be warm again.

*****

Molly stood up in the boat as she tried to rally the women together to collect some of the screaming people out on the ocean. She was getting frustrated. She glared at Ruth, who had her ears covered against all the wailing and screaming of the poor souls out there on the ocean.

"For goodness sake, Ruth!" Molly forced the woman’s hands from her ears. "That could be Rose out there! Don’t you want to go back for your own daughter?"

"I already told you, we can’t go back!" Quartermaster Hitchens glared at Molly. "They’ll pull us right down, I’m telling ya!"

"Aw…knock it off! Yer scarin’ me. Come on, girls, grab your oars. Let’s go."

No one moved. They just sat there, staring at Molly as if she’d lost her mind.

"Well, come on!" Molly urged, noticing how the women wouldn’t meet her eyes. "I don’t understand a one of ya. It’s your men out there! There’s plenty of room for more!"

"There’ll be one less in this boat if you don’t shut that hole in your face!" Hitchens yelled.

Molly, stunned at being talked to in such a manner, sat down. She looked over at Ruth, who still had her hands over her ears, shutting it all out. Molly closed her eyes and said a little prayer. "Please keep my niece safe. Whether it be here on earth or up there with you." Then Molly just stared out in space, lost in the memories of her niece.

*****

Jack and Rose drifted under the blazing stars. The water was so glassy that Rose could see the stars reflecting back at her in the dark water. She glanced at Jack and noticed how white his face was and that his lips were blue. Ice was forming in his hair. She shivered at the low moaning in the darkness around them.

"It’s getting quiet." Rose sighed. No sign of hope was in her voice. She was sure they were going to die out there.

"Just a few more minutes. It’ll take them a while to get the boats all organized."

Rose just stared off into space. She knew the truth. There were no boats coming back. They were going to die out here. Looking behind Jack, she saw that the officer with the whistle was now still, his eyes closed. She knew he wasn’t sleeping. He had died, and the same fate awaited her and Jack.

But Jack couldn’t give up hope. At least, not for Rose. She still had a good chance of survival. She wasn’t in the water for that long. She could still live a long and happy life. He was going to remain optimistic for her. He had to give her hope.

"I don’t know about you, but I intend to write a very strongly worded letter to the White Star Line about all this." Jack tried to laugh weakly, but the way it came out, it sounded like a gasp of fear. Rose looked up at him, love for him shining in her eyes.

"I love you, Jack."

Jack took her hand. "Don’t you do that. Don’t you start saying your good-byes. Not yet. Do you understand me?" His voice was strong and determined. He wasn’t going to let her give up.

"I’m so cold." Rose shivered.

"You’re going to get out of here…you’re going to go on, and have lots of babies, and watch them grow. You’re going to die an old, old lady. Warm in her bed. Not here…not like this…not this night. Do you understand me?"

"I can’t feel my body."

Jack forced the words out, as he was beginning to have trouble breathing. "Rose, listen to me. Winning that ticket was the best thing that ever happened to me. It brought me to you. And I’m thankful, Rose. I’m thankful." His voice began to tremble with the cold that was making its way to his heart, but his eyes were unwavering. He was determined that she survive. "You must do me this honor…promise me that you will survive…that you won’t give up…no matter what happens…no matter how hopeless…promise me now, Rose…and never let go of that promise."

"I promise."

"Never let go."

"I promise. I will never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go."

Jack smiled happily at her, and he tightened his grip as he closed his eyes. He needed to rest. He’d just close his eyes for a little while. Just for a little while.

Rose stared up at the stars and grasped Jack’s cold hand in hers as she lay on her back, singing what she now considered to be their song. "Come Josephine in my flying machine…and it’s up she goes…up she goes…"

Rose turned her head at the glare of a light. Her eyes widened with joy and hope for the first time in hours as a deep voice called out.

"Hello! Is there anyone alive out there? Hello!"

She came to full attention to see the silhouette of a boat moving along the still bodies. It was a boat! They were saved!

"Jack!" She turned and shook his pale hand. "There’s a boat, Jack!"

Jack wasn’t responding. Why wasn’t he responding? "Jack! There’s a boat!" She tried a little louder and harder. "Jack! There’s a boat."

She stared in disbelief at his frost-rimmed face. He looked so peaceful…as if he were sleeping. But she knew better. Hot tears streamed from her eyes. This couldn’t be happening to them! Not now! Not after all they’d been through. How could life be so unkind to her? She’d finally found the love of her life, just to lose him not two days later.

"Jack…there’s a boat, Jack!" she cried in vain, leaning her cheek upon his cold hand. That was when she thought she felt it…she thought she felt his hand move, but when she looked back up, his eyes were still closed, and he was motionless. It was wishful thinking. But it made her realize that she still had a promise to keep.

"Come back! Come back!" Rose called for the boat, but her voice was too weak, and the officer didn’t hear her. Not even realizing that she was still holding Jack’s hand, Rose slipped off the board and swam over to the dead officer with the whistle. She didn’t even flinch at the thought as she jerked the whistle out of the officer’s mouth and blew on it with all her might to catch the officer’s attention.

"Come about!" the officer yelled, shining the light on Rose. She fell into unconsciousness just when the boat reached her.

One of the crewmen noticed the unconscious young man she was holding onto and pulled him into the boat.

"He still has a pulse." The crewman felt his neck.

"Well, don’t just stand there! Wrap him up quickly! Get him warm!" the officer yelled.

*****

It was dawn, and the survivors had boarded the rescue ship, Carpathia. Caroline was standing at the rail, looking down on the last remaining lifeboat, which contained the officer, some crewmen, and two unconscious people she instantly recognized. Rose and Jack. She rushed to the officer as he got on board.

"We need a doctor right away!" Officer Lowe hollered. "Especially for the young man! He needs medical attention right away!"

"Jack! Jack!" Caroline pushed her way through the crowd. She took his ice-cold hand and gasped when she noticed how pale he was.

"You know him, ma’am?" the officer asked.

"Of course I know him. He’s my fiancé." Caroline glared at the officer, daring him to challenge her claim.

"Do you know her as well? They were together," the officer questioned.

Caroline looked at the unconscious Rose. She could almost laugh. Rose thought she had stolen Jack away from her…but she was wrong. She was going to make sure that Rose never saw Jack again.

"I never saw her before in my life." Caroline shook her head. "But, please, can we get him moved to the infirmary right now? He’s awfully cold."

"Yes, ma’am." The officer nodded, getting Jack on the stretcher. Caroline grinned evilly as she followed the men carrying Jack to the infirmary, leaving Rose behind with another officer, waiting for someone to take her to the infirmary.

*****

It was Molly, who was passing by, who recognized a pale Rose, being prepped to be moved to the infirmary.

"Oh, my lord. Rose!" Molly collapsed on to her knees as she reached her niece.

"You know this girl, ma’am?" the officer asked the well-dressed lady.

"Yes, sir. She’s my niece. How bad is she?" Molly asked.

"Not bad. She’s been drifting in and out of consciousness and calls for someone named Jack. But she’s well enough to be cared for by a family member if you want to take her to your room," the officer explained.

"Yes, sir. Will you carry her, and I’ll lead the way?"

"Yes, ma’am." The officer nodded, picking Rose up in his arms.

"I love you, Jack," Rose whispered in her sleep, snuggling into the officer’s arms.

"Poor darling." Molly placed a warm hand on her forehead. "Well, come on. Let’s get her to our room."

Chapter Nine
Stories