ROMANOV AUTUMN
Chapter Nineteen

The morning of the sailing day dawned bright and warm; something Jack wasn’t quite used to for mid-November. He met with the rest of the second class crew members--Mr. Heillerman, of course, as well as Joseph, the cook, Elias, the assistant cook, and Timothy, the waiter.

Mr. Heillerman explained the basic protocol for the day; it was 7:30 when they gathered, and the passengers would be boarding at ten o’clock. Jack bustled about with the other stewards, making absolutely certain that the staterooms were neat and tidy. He straightened the bed sheets, filled the bathrooms, stacked writing paper with the Oaysis logo on the desks, etc. He was exhausted by the time the passengers began to board.

Jack remembered the last time he aided someone with their luggage…at the hotel he worked for in Wisconsin. A terrible asthma attack ripped through his body, causing his manager to send him home much earlier than he’d intended.

But if I mention this to anybody, they might not want to keep me, he thought, smiling as pleasantly as he could when the passengers asked for his assistance. He tried to take it as easy as possible, only lifting when absolutely necessary, and anytime he felt his breathing become labored, he called Billy or Allen for help.

"You look pretty pale, Jack," Allen clucked when they were able to take a half hour break. The ship was buzzing with activity as people tried to find their rooms or were taking a tour of the vessel. The captain even made a point of coming and introducing himself, and went to inspect his crew.

"I’ll be fine," Jack insisted, though his chest was starting to ache with every breath.

"Do you need anything from your stuff?" Billy asked, not liking the way his friend appeared at all, and Mr. Heillerman came to see them at that very moment. He entered the crew quarters just in time to hear Jack give a harsh cough, and raised an eyebrow with concern.

"All right, Dawson?" he asked, and Jack tried to answer, but found the stabbing pain in his lungs unbearable.

"Jack?" Billy shook him. "What the hell’s the matter with you?"

Jack shook his head frantically, and Mr. Heillerman suddenly caught on.

"Do you have asthma, Jack? That’s what it sounds like to me."

Jack stared at his manager, feeling a hot blush creep into his cheeks. He had no choice but to nod, for he felt too terrible to do anything else.

"What do we do?" Allen asked, looking rather frightened, and Billy looked at his brother seriously.

"You know where Jack’s cabin is…go and see if he has any medication in his bag. I’ll stay here."

Allen bolted off, trying not to run into a middle-aged woman carrying a child. "Excuse me," she said irritably, and gave him a rather apparent scowl. Jack felt tears coming to his eyes as he gripped the edge of the table, trying to steady his body enough to take a breath.

"Do you know anybody who has asthma, Mr. Heillerman?" Billy asked. "He really can’t breathe, can he?" The heavy wheezing coming from his friend was too awful; he hadn’t seen anything like this before.

Mr. Heillerman took Jack by the shoulders and encouraged the younger boy to look directly into his eyes. "Take it easy, all right? Try and breathe through your nose."

Jack felt faint from the lack of oxygen and started to slide off of the chair. Billy caught him just before he fell, and began tapping his cheeks.

"Jack!" he exclaimed, and Jack’s eyes fluttered open, though he wasn’t remotely coherent. Allen soon came back with a small case and began fumbling through the different medications. He found the one that was a prescription for the asthma and encouraged Jack to take it down.

"Can he even swallow it?" Billy asked. "I mean, if he’s having this much trouble breathing, he might choke…"

Allen sighed and lowered the pill bottle, turning to Mr. Heillerman. "What else does he have in there?" he asked, and Billy held up a small container of green leaves. "Eucalyptus…that was very smart to put it in there, Jack," he added, and tore off a couple of leaves. He asked Jack to breathe them in, and everyone held their breath as Jack continued to struggle for a few moments, looking very blue.

"Dammit," Allen cursed under his breath, and a couple of passengers paused on their way to the deck to see if everything was all right. Eventually, Jack managed to take a gulp of air, and his body slowly relaxed. The three of them sighed with relief, and Mr. Heillerman tapped Jack’s cheek again.

"Are you all right? Can you hear me, Jack?"

Jack looked at him and nodded. "Yes," he croaked, and Billy sunk to the ground with relief. He accepted his pill once he was able to sit up straight and swallowed it with a glass of water. "Thanks," he said quietly, and Mr. Heillerman nodded.

"You should have told us about this, Jack," he said, and Jack lowered his head.

"I didn’t think you’d feel I was worthy if I did," he muttered, and Mr. Heillerman raised an eyebrow.

"Not everyone is perfect, Jack," he replied. "In fact, I can’t even think of a single soul who is. So you can’t pick up the luggage…there are plenty of other ways you can assist passengers on the ship."

Jack frowned; he saw the twins staring at him and wanted to sink through a hole in the ground. Mr. Heillerman ordered him off to bed for a short rest, and when he felt better, told him to ask passengers if they needed help that did not involve heavy lifting of any kind.

"Thanks," Jack muttered, going down below to his cabin.

"Don’t sweat it, Jack," Billy insisted, and Jack glanced over his shoulder, nodding. Once he got in, he was grateful to have a chance to rest up. His chest still ached from lack of oxygen, but he wasn’t wheezing nearly as badly as before. He climbed into his hammock after removing his shoes and closed his eyes.

He slept for at least two hours before Allen came to wake him, grinning when he saw that his friend was feeling a lot better.

Jack was ordered to take it easy when he was assigned to wander the halls and wait for passengers to come to him for aid, and Jack nodded.

"Yes, sir," he agreed, and Mr. Heillerman watched as he disappeared around a corner.

Throughout the afternoon, Jack brought food to the different rooms and gave people directions to different parts of the ship. He was exhausted by lunchtime and joined his friends in the crew’s dining quarters--naturally, they didn’t eat with the passengers.

"Feeling better?" Billy asked hopefully, and Jack nodded.

"Yeah…for the most part." He smiled, still a little faint, but had a fairly good appetite.

"Hey…" Allen leaned forward. "Did you see Mr. Rockefeller yet?"

Jack shook his head. "No," he admitted. "Not that I know of."

"I think I did," Billy whispered. "It’s hard not to miss his face when he’s in a crowd."

Jack smirked. "He’s not a king or anything," he teased, and Allen leaned back in his chair, blowing out his breath.

"No, but he might as well be," he replied.

Jack finished lunch and went for a leisurely walk on the deck while he still had a bit of a break. The salt breeze blew through his hair, and he peered over the railing. The Oaysis moved smoothly through the water, creating white waves of foam on either side.

"Hello, Jack."

Jack whirled around to see Eliza coming towards him, wearing her usual black wool skirt, white blouse, and a white apron. Her brown hair was up in its usual bun, and she smiled when she approached.

"Hey," Jack greeted.

"Enjoying your new position?" she asked cheerfully. "I’m just on my way to the laundry room."

Jack nodded in understanding. "It’s okay so far," he replied, not wanting to reiterate the asthma story.

"Good." Eliza fixed a strand of hair that had come loose and flashed another smile at him. "Well…see you!" She bustled off, and Jack made his way back into the ship.

*****

The rest of the evening passed without incident. He slept for three hours and took over the late night shift, and fortunately, nothing came up that needed immediate attention. He wandered the hallways, half-hoping no one would be awake at this time of the night.

Midnight approached, and the ship was still, except for the sound of the engines rumbling. He dozed, leaning against the wall, and only woke if he heard a thump or a creak.

The next morning dawned gray and miserable, causing all of the passengers to remain indoors. Jack wandered through the general rooms, taking orders for food and drink. He barely got a chance to sit down, but he would rather be busy than bored.

The afternoon was going smoothly until he heard a cry of distress come from one of the second class staterooms. The yell was from a man, much to his surprise, and not a woman.

"Thief! Thief!" A crash followed, and Jack took off after the sound. He saw an older man wrestling with a younger one, and was clearly losing the fight.

"Help!" the victim begged, and Jack looked around, hoping for something to use as a weapon of sorts. "Don’t just stand there, boy! Do something!"

Jack blinked, realizing the older man was talking to him. He knew he didn’t have time to run and fetch security; the old man might be killed before that. He took a deep breath, suddenly leaping on the intruder with all of his might. The thief collapsed to the ground under his weight and lay gaping at the scrawny boy glaring at him.

The older man placed a hand over his throat, massaging it, and Jack struggled to keep the burglar on the ground. "Who the hell are you?" Jack snapped, and the thief narrowed his eyes, tightening his lips.

"I ain’t saying nothing!" the intruder snapped, and suddenly, whomp. Jack jumped when he saw a fire poker come down, whacking the thief over the head. The struggle Jack dealt with while trying desperately to keep the man pinned ended right then and there.

"You saved my life, boy," the owner of the suite said after an awkward silence passed between them. "He was trying to break into my safe, not realizing I was in the room…I happened to be getting a robe from the closet when I heard the noise."

Jack struggled to his feet, brushing the wrinkles out of his pants. "I ought to get security…he might wake up soon. He’s only knocked out."

The older man smiled. "Maybe I ought to go. If he wakes, you’re the stronger one." He hurried off, and Jack stood staring at the man he’d tackled. The strength he’d acquired for the attack shocked him, considering he’d nearly fainted carrying a couple of suitcases.

When the security guard arrived, Jack was astonished to discover the man he’d rescued was none other than John D. Rockefeller himself.

"This boy is a savior," Mr. Rockefeller praised. "What’s your name, lad?"

Jack felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment, especially when he noticed the skeptical expression the guard wore on his face. "Don’t let looks deceive you," Mr. Rockefeller continued, as the security guard dragged the still-unconscious thief away to the ship’s brig.

"My name is Jack Dawson, sir," Jack said, once he and the famous millionaire were alone.

Mr. Rockefeller held out his hand, which Jack shook firmly. "Mmm-hmm. I do believe I’ve found the man I was looking for." He encouraged Jack to take a seat in his room, and Jack did as he was told.

"I’m not sure I understand, sir," he admitted.

"I’ve been looking for a personal bodyguard for quite some time now, and you’ve definitely displayed admirable quality."

Jack started to stutter that he’d just gotten his job as a steward on the ship, how he didn’t want to let Mr. Heillerman down.

"Of course I don’t mean for you to act as my bodyguard on the ship." Mr. Rockefeller chuckled. "But when we dock in New York, I want to offer you the position, assuming I survive the rest of the voyage."

Jack tried to respond, but no words came out of his mouth on the first try.

"Th-thank you, sir," he began. "I would be honored to take the job." His heart was racing; was he really going to work for a millionaire?

"Good, good! You will live in my house--in the servant’s quarters, of course. However, the establishments are not nearly as bad as you think." He smirked, and Jack couldn’t stop smiling. "Your essential duties will be to shadow me anytime I leave the house. Even though I am retiring, I still keep an eye on my oil companies, and I attend church every Sunday."

Jack nodded. "That sounds fine," he replied, and Mr. Rockefeller shook hands with him again.

"You must come and see me for tea one of these days. Shall I let your employer know of your offer?"

Jack gulped. "Um…I’ll do it, sir," he replied. "Thank you very much." He gave a bow, and couldn’t exit the suite fast enough. He nearly ran into Billy, whose eyes were wide with shock.

"Did I hear what I think I heard?" he asked, once they were far enough out of earshot. "That you saved Mr. Rockefeller’s life just now?"

Jack laughed. "Not only that," he replied, "but he’s offered me the position of his personal bodyguard when we arrive in New York."

Billy’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, and he raised a fist. "This is cause for a celebration!" he exclaimed. "On our break, we’re treating you to a beer."

Jack frowned. "Is it allowed to drink on the job?" he asked, and Billy snorted.

"It’s fine, as long as you’re not in the middle of a shift. You do drink, right?" He searched his friend up and down, and Jack nodded.

"It’s been a while, but yeah, I have." He remembered his last experience with alcohol; he’d definitely overdone it. "Just make sure I don’t have more than one," he added, and Billy laughed.

"Got drunk before, eh?" he asked, and Jack groaned at the memory.

"Oh, yes," he replied, and Billy clasped a hand on his shoulder.

"We’ll look after you, Dawson. Come on. Let’s tell Allen the good news. And I’m sure Mr. Heillerman will want to hear about it, too."

Jack walked beside his friend, passing through the dining room and towards the kitchen.

Chapter Twenty
Stories