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."