For a while, they just sat there, waiting for what would come next. They would eventually dock and leave the Carpathia in New York, and then their lives would begin. Jack and Rose sat next to each other, just thinking about all the lost lives aboard the Titanic…especially those who they had known.
If only there had been enough lifeboats. But there weren't, not by half.
As they reached New York, they could see the Statue of Liberty. It symbolized to Jack and Rose what it had symbolized to all the others who had seen it. A new beginning. Rose stood up. With everything that had happened, she hadn't even realized that she was still wearing the coat that Cal had put on her. She put her hands in the pockets to warm them up when she felt something cold and hard in one of the pockets. She scrunched up her face a bit, not knowing what it was. As she took it out of the pocket, it gleamed in the dim lights.
The Heart of the Ocean.
She noticed that there was more in the other pocket and proceeded to take it out. There were a lot of bills. She became wide-eyed and looked at Jack. He looked at her and they both looked down at what was in her hands.
"Jack, we're really going to be all right!"
Jack laughed as he picked her up and twirled her around.
As the Carpathia docked, they kept their blankets around them so that no one would recognize them. When they left, they learned that hotels were allowing the Titanic’s survivors to stay free of charge. They took full advantage of this so they could rest and figure out what they would do.
They got into their room. Rose was a bit scared still, with everything that had happened. So much had changed in just a few days. But as soon as she looked at Jack, her fears melted away.
Jack smiled at her. "I do believe that we should probably get out of our wet clothes before we catch pneumonia," he told her.
Rose looked at him and smiled. She was a little nervous about Jack seeing her naked. Yes, Jack had already drawn her naked, and there was the time in the car…but Jack was the first man she had ever been with. And she knew that she wasn't Jack's first.
Jack must've noticed. "I think that we should wait before doing anything. I want this to be the start of our new lives and I want to do it right," Jack said to her.
"Oh, Jack, I truly do love you!"
Her nervousness was gone.
They took turns bathing. The hotel provided dry clothes for them. Rose didn't want to go to sleep, afraid of waking up and Jack not being there. Jack lay in bed and sighed. He looked at Rose, who was just standing there, not wanting to fall asleep.
"Rose, come lay down with me…you're gonna need your rest," he said to her as he patted the bed next to him.
"But, Jack, what if…"
"Shh. It'll be okay, Rose. I'm not going anywhere."
Rose finally gave in. She lay next to Jack. She didn't want to fall asleep, but there was no fighting it…especially with Jack's arms around her.
Rose didn't have any dreams that night. She was too exhausted.