LET’S LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND
Chapter One
"Come, Josephine, in my
flying machine, and it's up she goes. Up she goes," Rose sang to
herself, staring up at the stars, trying to forget the freezing cold that was
biting away at her. "Oh, Jack! Look! A shooting star!" she murmured,
and shivered some more as she remembered Jack's father's theory about shooting
stars. There ought to be a lot of them tonight.
"Hello!" A voice rang
out through the darkness. "Is anyone alive out there? Hello!"
What was that? Another call for
the boats to return? Rose forced herself to turn back onto her stomach and look
out towards the horizon. Her eyes widened with joy as she saw the silhouette of
a lifeboat moving around the lifeless bodies. They were saved!
She glanced at Jack, whose eyes
were closed, frost framing his face. Fear struck her heart at how peaceful he
seemed. She remembered her teacher discussing the dangers of hypothermia. Never
go to sleep. It was fatal to sleep when you were so cold.
"Jack, no!" Rose gasped
in fear. She felt so stupid. Why hadn't she been paying more attention to him?
Why had she let him fall asleep? She should have forced him to stay awake
against the cold, no matter how tired he was! "Jack!" she cried,
forgetting about the boat.
"Rose?" The whisper was
hoarse, but it was there, a sign that Jack wasn't lost after all.
"Jack?" Rose again felt
stupid for giving up so easily. She should have known that if he could survive
all that had happened so far, he could survive the below freezing temperature
of the water. "You're alive."
"Of course I'm alive."
Jack tried to laugh but failed. He was having even more trouble getting air
into his lungs than before. He knew that he wouldn't be able to make it for
much longer…he would have remained asleep and died that way, but he had wanted
to let Rose know how he felt about her first. "I love you, Rose." His
voice grew more strained with each word.
Rose frowned, the meaning of
those three words sinking into her already frozen mind. He was saying good-bye.
But he couldn't. Not yet! There was a boat! They were just moments away from
being saved. He couldn't let go now! He couldn't.
"Jack, listen to me."
She caught his already wavering gaze. "A boat has come back to rescue us,
but we're too far away. I'm going to try to get their attention. Just hang on.
All right? Promise me you'll hang on. That you won't let go."
"Rose…"
Rose became angry. "Jack
Dawson! You made me promise. Now it's your turn! Promise me that you'll hang in
there! Promise me now, Jack!"
"Okay. I promise." Jack
sighed, looking away from her.
Rose nodded in satisfaction. She
knew Jack. He always kept his promises. She looked over at the boat and her
heart sank. They were further away now. In her weakening condition, there was
no way they would be able to hear her. She looked around at all the dead
bodies, her hope beginning to fade. She felt like such a fool for waiting so
long and then letting the boat get away. Now both she and Jack were going to
die because of her carelessness. Swallowing, she looked over at a dead officer,
a whistle still in his mouth, and that small flame of hope flared back up again
as an idea struck her.
"Jack…can you swim?"
She squeezed his hand to get his attention.
His voice was now a raspy
whisper. "I can barely move. I don't think I can swim."
"Well, can you hold
on?"
"I can try."
"All right. Just hold on and
follow me." Rose slipped off the board and began moving towards the
officer, all the while clinging to Jack's hand, never letting go. "Hang
on, Jack. I'm almost there."
After what seemed like an
eternity, she reached the officer with the whistle. She snatched the whistle
from the officer's lips and blew with what was left of her strength.
"Come about!" A bright
light shone on her face just as she blacked out, praying that Jack was still
alive and that they'd survive to see New York together.