LOVE THAT NEVER FADES
Chapter One
The Survival
Rose was lying on the floating
debris, clutching Jack’s hand as she stared up at the sky, which contained
millions of twinkling stars. A short while ago, she had made a promise to Jack.
She promised him that she’d survive and move on with her life, no matter what
happened. Rose’s mind replayed the events that had happened a few hours before.
Was it only hours ago that the Titanic had struck an iceberg and sank? Was it
only hours ago that she had told Jack she’d get off the ship with him?
Rose lay there, beginning to sing
a familiar song. A song that Jack had sung to her earlier on the bow, where
they had shared their first kiss. Rose’s voice was hoarse, but could still be
heard as she sang the words to their song.
"Come Josephine…in my
flying…machine…and it’s up she goes…up she goes…come Josephine…in my…flying
machine…" A light hit her face. At first, Rose thought she was dreaming,
but the light shone brighter on her face. Slowly, Rose turned her head, and
there, she saw a boat. A boat to bring herself and Jack to safety. Rose smiled
weakly as she slowly turned to awaken Jack.
"Jack…" Rose said,
shaking his arm in hopes of awakening him. No response. "Jack…Jack…"
Rose said, moving her hand down to his, giving it a more firm shake.
"There’s a boat!" Rose announced. Still no response.
"Jack…Jack…" Rose said, shaking his hand a little harder. "Jack?
Jack!" Suddenly, the reality hit her. No! He can’t be dead! He told me
that he was a survivor! He has to live! He just has to! Please, God, don’t take
him away from me! A single tear slid down her cheek as she shook his hand
once more. "There’s a boat, Jack!" Rose cried. Jack, please wake
up! Don’t leave me now! Don’t leave me like this! "Jack?"
Suddenly, she felt a light
squeeze from his hand, and she gave a sigh of relief. She smiled weakly as she
kissed his cold hand.
"Oh, thank God!" Rose
said, smiling.
"Is there anyone alive out
there?" Rose heard someone call. "Can anyone hear me?" Rose
turned in the direction of the sound and saw that the boat was further away. She
turned back to Jack. She saw him open his eyes. His blue eyes, which always
made Rose weak in the knees. Desperately, Rose looked around to find something
to attract the lifeboat’s attention. Sure enough, she found a deceased officer
floating a few yards away with a whistle in his mouth.
"Can you swim?" Rose
asked, hoping to get to the whistle in time for the rescuers to hear. She saw
him nod slightly. Slowly and carefully, Rose slid off of the driftwood and
shakily swam towards the deceased officer, taking the whistle out of his mouth.
She placed the whistle in her mouth, blowing as hard as her lungs allowed her
to. She saw the light hit her face yet again, and before she knew it, the
lifeboat began making its way towards them. She kept on blowing the whistle
until Fifth Officer Harold Godfrey Lowe had removed the whistle from her mouth.
All Rose remembered seeing was the officer’s face. Then, everything went black.
*****
A bright light was shining down
her face as she slept. Rose stirred and opened her eyes. At first, she did not
remember where she was, or how she got there. It took her a couple of seconds
to remember where she was. She saw that a blanket was wrapped around her and a
hand was clutching hers tightly. Perplexed, Rose stared at the person whose
hand was holding hers, and caressed it. Rose remembered to whom the hand
belonged. Jack. Rose looked up, and there she found a sleeping Jack. She saw
his chest rising up and down as he took a breath. His hair fell in his closed
eyes and his mouth was partly open. Rose kissed his hand and lay back down as
she waited for the lifeboat to reach the rescue ship--the Carpathia. Ten
minutes later, their lifeboat reached the rescue ship and the survivors were
loaded onto the ship. Jack was still unconscious, so they had to put him in a
sling, in which they lifted him up, and took him to the ship’s infirmary. Rose
was able to climb up to the ship, and with the help of an officer, she made it
onto the deck.
Rose saw them take Jack to the
infirmary, and she followed. She saw them put him on a bed, where they covered
him with multiple blankets to keep him warm. Quickly, Rose went to his side and
held his hand, kissing it softly.
"Oh, Jack. Please wake up.
Please be alive," Rose whispered, before she was interrupted.
"I assume you know this
gentleman?" a nurse who looked to be in her early twenties asked. Rose
looked up at her.
"Yes, I know him," Rose
said, looking back at Jack.
The nurse saw the connection that
the lady had with the man. She smiled and saw the lady look at the man as she
held his hand.
"Would you like to lay
beside him?" the nurse asked. Rose looked up at her and smiled slightly.
"I would really like that.
Thank you," Rose said. She saw the nurse prepare the bed beside Jack. Rose
kissed Jack’s hand, getting up, and lay on the bed as the nurse covered her
with blankets.
"Would you like some hot
tea?" the nurse asked.
"Yes, please," Rose
said, holding the blankets close to her. A few minutes later, the nurse arrived
with the tea. Rose sat upright and took the tea after she thanked her. She took
a small sip before setting it down. She lay back down and fell fast asleep.