LOVE THAT NEVER FADES
Chapter Two
A New Friend
It was evening when Rose awakened
from her dreamless slumber. When she awoke, she sat upright and rubbed her eyes
in an attempt to awaken them from her sleep. When her eyes were open, she
covered her mouth and yawned quietly. She turned and found that Jack was still
unconscious. He just lay there, still and motionless. The only movement made by
his body was his breathing, which caused his chest to rise and fall with every
breath he took. Rose sighed as she looked around, finding numerous survivors
sitting upright or lying motionless like Jack.
Rose still felt cold from the
previous night, but blankets wouldn’t solve the problem. The coldness would
stay with her until the day she left the earth. She had witnessed over fifteen
hundred people perish on that night. Fifteen hundred innocent people, who had
deserved to live long lives. Rose knew that she’d never forget the Titanic for
as long as she lived, and she knew it would haunt her for the next few days.
Rose saw the same nurse who had helped her with the bed arrive with a new hot
cup of tea in her hands.
"I saw you wake up, so I
thought that you might want to drink this," the nurse said, handing her
the cup. Rose gladly took it and took a few quiet sips before placing it on the
small table beside her. "My name is Annabelle Johnson. I’m a volunteer
nurse here." Rose gave her a small smile. Annabelle had brown hair, which
was as curly as her own, and she had dark blue eyes, which illuminated her
beauty. She was about her height, maybe an inch taller, and she had a nurse’s
uniform on with a small hat on top of her hair, which was pulled back in a
loose bun.
"I’m Rose," Rose said. Rose
what? You can’t say DeWitt Bukater. If you do, sure enough, Mother and Cal will
force you back to first class, Rose thought to herself. She turned back to
Jack’s motionless figure and a smile played across her lips. "Rose
Dawson." Rose smiled brightly for the first time since the Titanic had
sank.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss
Dawson," Annabelle said, smiling.
"Please, call me Rose,"
Rose insisted.
"Okay. As long as you call
me Annie," Annabelle said.
"Okay, Annie." Rose
smiled. I guess I’ve met a brand new friend. A friend for Rose Dawson. The
new and improved woman.
"We’ll dock in New York in a
few days," Annie announced. "If you have no place to stay whatsoever,
you may join me at my apartment." Rose smiled.
"I’d like that. Thank you
very much." Rose smiled happily, knowing that she had just made a good
friend. Annie smiled and turned to Jack. She checked up on him and added a few
more blankets. Rose just watched her work. She couldn’t help but notice how
pale Jack’s face looked at that moment. His face looked lifeless, as if he had
no life in his body. The only proof that he was alive was his breathing. Rose closed
her eyes and just sat there, her head against the wall, hoping that Jack would
live. That she would be able to see his blue eyes again and the bright smile on
his face. "H-how is he?" Rose asked. She watched as Annie
straightened up and turned to her.
"Well, seems to me that he
has a case of hypothermia," Annie said. "He should wake up by the
time we dock. In my opinion, he should be all right. I’m not really sure, since
I’m only a volunteer nurse. The doctor will be here shortly to check up on him
and the other survivors." As if on cue, Rose saw a man dressed in a
doctor’s coat arrive with a clipboard. He went towards Annabelle.
"Miss Johnson, what’s new
today?" the doctor asked, flipping through the medical charts.
"Well, there are a few
survivors who have hypothermia. Most of them are unconscious," Annabelle
said. "This gentleman here…I suppose he has hypothermia, but I’m not quite
sure. He hasn’t woken up yet, and his temperature is quite low." She
referred to Jack, who lay there, unconscious, with five blankets on top of him.
Rose just stared at the doctor, hoping that he would give her good news. Hoping
that he’d tell her that Jack would be alive and healthy. She watched as the
doctor examined Jack. Rose closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.
"Are you his loved
one?" the doctor asked. Rose opened her eyes and found that the doctor was
talking to her. She swallowed and nodded.
"I-is he going to be all
right?" Rose asked.
"We’ll find out when he
wakes up, dear," the doctor said. "Hopefully, it’ll be soon."
Rose sighed as she leaned back against the metal headboard of the bed. The
doctor moved on to the next survivor. Rose felt Annie take a seat on her bed,
holding her hand.
"Rose," Annie said. At
the mention of her name, Rose looked at Annie. "Your husband is going to
live. I’m sure of it." Rose smiled at the thought of Jack as her husband.
She hoped that someday she would be Mrs. Jack Dawson. That is, if Jack woke up
from his slumber.
"I sure hope so," Rose
said, taking a look at Jack. She sighed. "Mind if I go out on deck to get
some fresh air?" Rose really wanted to have some fresh air.
"Of course. But I have to
ask you to be back here in an hour. You’re still pale as a ghost, and I don’t
want you fainting out there," Annie said. Rose smiled and nodded.
Annie smiled back and watched as
Rose got up and slowly made her way towards the door. She opened it and went
out on deck for her fresh air. Annie sighed as she got up and went to care for
the other survivors who were awake.