THE SHIP OF DREAMS
Chapter Twenty-One
The girls hurried down the steps
to steerage, panting and clutching at stitches in their sides by the time they
reached their cabin. Luckily for them, it was empty…Fabrizio must have been at the
saloon still, so they quickly dashed inside and shut the door after them. Both
of them leaned against it, and for a moment the two of them merely panted and
said nothing. "I wonder where they’ve gone," Anastasia said to Mac as
they eventually sat down on the edge of Jack’s bunk.
"I’m not sure," Mac
replied, hugging her arms around herself. "I hope Rose is taking care of
him, wherever they went."
Anastasia hopped to her feet and
went to look through the porthole window, climbing up onto the desk chair so
she could get a better view. It was getting dark now, and the first stars were
making their appearance in the once orangey-pink sky.
*****
Jack and Rose, meanwhile, were
playing the parts of escaped convicts as they ran about the lower part of the
ship, trying to lose Lovejoy, who kept a pretty close tail on them. They flew
through one set of double doors, resting against them and glancing at each
other with flushed and sweaty faces. "Pretty tough for a valet, this
fellow." Jack snorted, feeling as though someone were squeezing his lungs
and making it difficult to breathe again. "Seems more like a cop." He
watched as Rose peeped through the little windows on the doors and grinned.
"I think he was."
"Oh…shit!" Jack backed
away, and with Rose’s yelp of "Go!" the two of them were off again.
They stumbled down another flight of steps to D deck, and Jack felt suddenly a
wave of blackness cloud his vision. This caused him to stumble, and just as he
came to, he found he was crashing into a steward who was pushing a tray of
silver to one of the dining rooms. Rose pulled him away, laughing, once he
apologized to the man, and he cringed at the pain shooting through his back and
arms.
As Jack glanced over his
shoulder, he could see Lovejoy clambering down the steps with a gun in his
hand, and the two of them made their way to the elevator. "Down!"
they began begging the engineer, who stared at them in surprise. He at last
opened the doors and shut them, just as Lovejoy slammed his angry fists against
the bars. Rose merely gave him the middle finger and a wave, causing Jack to
snort with laughter, and she quickly buried her face against his shoulder. Once
the elevator landed, they hurried out and made their way to the closest door
that was not a cabin. Amazingly enough, Lovejoy soon caught up to them and they
picked a door hidden slightly around a bend, shoving each other inside of it.
Jack immediately slammed the door
shut and turned the lock, covering his ears at the roaring rumble coming from
below. He moved towards a metal ladder and noticed a dark orange and reddish
glow protruding from the square-shaped hole, figuring they had reached the
boiler room. "Now what?" Rose called over the din, and he turned,
noticing that she had her hands over her ears as well.
"What?" he called back,
and she laughed, shaking her head and pointing to the ladder. He nodded and
began the climb down first so he could be at the bottom when she arrived. The
heavy scent of fumes from the boilers, which men covered in soot were tossing
large quantities of coal into, caused Jack to begin hacking horribly. His lungs
screamed in protest with each gulp of air he took, and the only thing he could
be thankful for at the moment was the fact that Rose was coughing also.
"Oy!" One of the men
hollered after giving instructions to one of his co-workers. "What are you
two doin’ down ‘ere? You shouldn’t be down here! It could be dangerous!"
But before he could say another word, Jack gathered enough strength to continue
jogging after Rose through the smoke and haze. Had he been here alone, he
surely would have fainted right then, but Rose’s encouraging voice kept him
moving.
They ran until they reached yet
another door--the ship seemed to be filled with so many of them--and Jack
gripped the handle and pulled it down. He pulled the door open, and found that
they had now reached the enormous cargo hold. Grateful to be out of the smoke,
the two of them stumbled inside, gasping for air and wiping sweat away from
their faces. It was chillier down here than it was on the other parts of the
ship, mainly to keep the foodstuffs and other items fresh. Jack could barely
smell anything, but Rose could detect the strong scent of fish as they walked
further into the place. She rubbed her arms and shivered a bit, gripping Jack’s
hand as he led her over to a shiny new car.
"Wow," he breathed,
fingering the fine material and the leather seats. "Look what we have
here, huh?" He started to climb inside when Rose cleared her throat,
causing him to notice her standing before the back door. He chuckled, hopping
back down, and opened it, allowing her to take his hand as she stepped up and
sat down.
"Thank you," she said,
in a forced British accent, and she pulled the dividing window down as Jack
climbed in next. He sneezed suddenly, pulling his handkerchief out of his
trouser pocket.
"Bless you," she
whispered in his ear. "Are you all right?" she added when it happened
again, and he nodded, though blowing his nose only made him more clogged. He
cleared his throat after putting the hanky away, and sighed.
"I breathed in a bit too
much of that smoke back there," he croaked, clearing his throat again, for
he was starting to lose his voice a little.
"Mmm." She leaned on
her arms over the top of the front seat and watched as Jack fingered the black
horn in front of him, laughing when he beeped it. She wrapped her arms around
him as he took the part of the driver, asking her, "Where to, miss?"
She leaned her cheek against his,
and replied, "To the stars."
He swallowed nervously, glancing
at her, and gasped as she gripped both of his arms and pulled him over the back
of the front seat to join her in the back. He hit the seat with a small thud,
smiling softly as she wrapped her arms around his sweat-soaked body.
"Rose, do you think we should be doing this?" he whispered as she
caressed his forehead with her fingertips. She kissed his lips gently, resting
her head against his chest.
"Jack, if you don’t want to,
you can just tell me…I’ll understand." She started to pull away from him,
but he pulled her back, kissing the top of her head.
"If you are ready, I
am," he told her, lowering his eyes as she began to gently unbutton his
shirt, feeling his rather smooth chest. After a moment, she gazed into his
eyes, which were full of love and compassion. Jack hadn’t seen someone look at
him that way since he was married to Alyiah, and he felt his throat choke up
with tears. He kept them at bay, however, and it was only when she said,
"Put your hands on me Jack," that he allowed himself to open up for
the first time in nearly four years.
*****
Meanwhile, Callista and Sam were
busy in their cabin, kissing passionately up against the far wall. Michael had
gone to get something to drink at the saloon, so the two of them used this
opportunity to explore their newfound affection for one another. Sam breathed
in her sweet scent, allowing her to move her hands down his back and up his
stomach. He even allowed her to begin the process of removing his shirt, and
she allowed him to untie the back of her dress. Only part of the way, he
told himself, revealing just her upper body. The last thing we want Michael
to walk in on is us completely undone.
When the two of them parted
slightly, she rested her head on his strong shoulder, shuddering a little as he
smoothed over her corset-covered breasts. Her eyes were closed, and she
listened to his gentle humming, savoring every touch, almost as though it were
to be her last. The Tsar would never have permitted this at the palace,
never…he did not believe in this sort of relationship between his ranks.
However, they were far away from him and were only under God’s close eye. And
he would want us to be happy if we had true feelings for each other, she
thought as he lowered her backwards onto the bed.
"Sam?" Callista asked
as Sam lowered his kisses to her stomach. "Can’t we lock the door?"
He looked at her, breathing a bit
more quickly than usual due to nerves, and he nodded. "I did not think you
wanted this," he replied.
"We can’t keep holding back,
Sam, if we love each other." She touched both of his cheeks, pressing his
forehead against hers.
"And I do love you with all
of my heart," he insisted, and she squeezed his hand.
"Then lock the door. If
Michael comes and calls, we will stop." She lay her head against the soft pillows,
watching as he slid off of the bed and turned the key. Then she sat up and
turned, allowing him to untie her corset strings, sighing with relief as the
pain from the whalebone decreased with each loosening. "Are you
nervous?" he asked, once he’d removed his trousers and lowered himself
against her. She shook her head, gazing into his eyes.
"No," she replied, and
their first serious life-changing moment began.
*****
An hour later, Jack and Rose lay
in each other’s arms, completely naked and covered with sweat. Between the
sweating and cold air in the cargo hold, Jack shivered violently, his breath
coming in great heaves. Rose reached up, slapping the palm of her hand against
the steamy window, and left a mark against the condensation. Then she gazed at
Jack, frowning at his exhausted expression, and allowed him to rest his head
against her breast. "You’re trembling," she whispered, stroking his
damp hair and planting a kiss there.
Jack swallowed past his sore
throat, managing a faint smile. "Don’t worry," he replied, moving up
to kiss her again. "I’ll be all right."
Rose bit her lip, looking at the
ceiling of the car, and sighed. "We should dress and leave as soon as
possible…we can’t risk anyone finding us in here. I wouldn’t be surprised if
someone had already reported our whereabouts…" She and Jack sat up,
beginning to put their clothing back on, Jack giving Rose a hand with her
corset and buttoning up the back of her dress. He had to pause, coughing hard,
and received a concerned look from Rose as she slipped on her shoes. She
started to say something, but thought better of it, and opened the door to the
car once Jack had his pants and shirt on. She peeped out of it, listening for
any suspicious noises, and then motioned for him to follow her out of the car.
He stumbled, nausea welling up suddenly, but he fought to keep it down as he
hurried after Rose through the cargo hold door and up the steps.
They reached the door that led to
the upper deck and burst through it, suddenly filled with laughter as the icy
night air immediately soothed their flushed cheeks. At the same time, another
door opened and another couple flew out, though they did not notice this.
Callista gasped as Sam spun her around, sliding a bit on the slippery wood. He
wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his lips to hers, making her close
her eyes and sigh with contentment. The breeze ruffled her natural blonde
waves, which she’d finally allowed to hang perfectly loose, and she grunted
slightly as he pressed her against one of the far walls. "They would never
allow this, you know…" Callista gasped, and he barely gave up kissing her
as he replied, "I know…and at this point I really don’t…shit!" He
heard Jack and Rose’s voices not far away, and peered cautiously over his
shoulder. Sure enough, the two of them were by the rail, embarking in a similar
situation. Callista lay her head back against the wall, groaning inwardly.
"Why is it that we can never
have intimacy alone? First Michael bursts in on us…I should have known he’d
been taught how to pick locks, Sam! And now we can’t even get time to ourselves
on deck! It is for certain now that we’re not to be together…"
Sam cocked his head to one side.
"It only makes it more of a challenge, and I’m always ready for one of
those." His eyes sparkled mischievously as he pulled her behind the row of
lifeboats. "Get down," he added, and the two of them squatted,
continuing their passion in a sitting position.
"This is ridiculous,"
Callista snorted, but she gave in anyway.
Meanwhile, Rose had her own arms
around Jack’s waist, gazing into his eyes. Her smile could have stretched to
New York, if given the opportunity, as she spoke. "When the ship
docks," she told him, "I’m getting off with you." She took a
deep breath, feeling her heart racing. He was so perfect in every possible way,
and at this point, Jack Dawson was the only man she wanted to spend the rest of
her life with. Jack stared at her, astonished.
"This is crazy," he
whispered, barely able to speak now due to his swollen throat.
"I know." She touched
his face, suddenly frowning as she reached up to feel his forehead. It was then
that she officially realized. "Oh, God, Jack…you’re burning up…Jack, why
didn’t you tell…" Before she could finish her sentence, he let out a small
sigh, his eyes rolling back into his head as he suddenly collapsed to the
ground. "Jack!" Rose cried in alarm, falling to her knees beside him.
His arms and legs were sprawled out and his face, deathly pale, lolled from
side to side as she shook him frantically. "Jack! Oh, Jesus…Jack, wake
up!" He didn’t respond, and she felt her breath quickening in fear. He’d
been fine barely an hour ago! How could I have been so selfish as not to see
through it? she thought angrily to herself, not noticing Callista and Sam,
who had dashed out from their hiding spot after hearing the thud and her yelp.
"Ma’am…" Callista
joined her on the deck, smoothing Jack’s forehead, biting her lip at the fever
raging inside of him. Jack’s eyes suddenly snapped open, and he turned his
head, throwing up what little he’d managed to eat that day. Sam touched
Callista’s shoulder as she helped clean the spot, wrapping Jack in her shawl.
"Shh. It’s all right, now…it’s all right."
"I’m going to get
help," Sam told her, giving Rose a confident look.
"Rose…I…I…" Jack
managed to croak, but she shook her head as she eased him into a sitting
position before allowing him to use her lap as a pillow for the time being.
"Shh…don’t try to talk.
You’re very sick," she added, wanting to kick herself again for holding
back when she could have dragged him to the see the ship’s doctor. If she’d
gone with her first instinct, this probably wouldn’t have happened. Soon, Sam
returned with two of the Titanic’s main officers…Moody and Lowe, who’d been
nearby.
"He needs a doctor immediately…we’ll
bring him down to the steerage medical facility."
Rose stared at them.
"No!" she exclaimed. "He won’t get the best treatment down
there…he should come up to the first class hospital. I insist, Officer."
Moody shook his head. "I’m
sorry, Mum, but he’s a steerage passenger, judging by his clothing, and they
won’t allow it."
"Rose!" Jack cried out
through a fever-driven haze as they struggled to lift him. "Rose,
help!" She covered her mouth with her hand, feeling hot tears well up in
her eyes. She couldn’t let them take him below, where the instruments were
probably not properly cleaned and an extremely limited supply of medicines were
available.
"Hockley," she suddenly
spoke up, causing the officers to stop walking.
"I beg your pardon?"
Lowe looked at her.
"Caledon Hockley is
my…" She paused, realizing the last thing she wanted to tell them was that
he was her fiancé. Jack struggled in the arms that held him, fighting to get
back to Rose. Beads of sweat continued to pour down his cheeks as he thrashed
about, and Rose came to him, taking his free hand and squeezing it. He calmed
slightly, but another bout of coughing took over, and that alone exhausted him
to the point of unconsciousness again. Rose watched as Callista came up beside
her and looked at the officers. "He’s a good friend of ours, and he would
insist Mr. Dawson be given the best care possible. I assure you, I will inform
him of this."
Moody and Lowe glanced at each
other, and finally nodded. "Very well, we’ll see what we can do."
Rose turned to Callista and Sam, thanking them for their help as she followed
the officers in the direction of the first class hospital wing. The two guards
watched her leave, stepping back a pace to try and take in what had just
happened.
"Mac," Callista breathed.
"We have to tell Mac. No, you run and tell the girls, and I’ll keep an eye
on the situation from here."
"Callista, they won’t let
you in," Sam told her. "It was hard enough to get Mr. Dawson leave,
let alone a perfectly healthy steerage woman."
Callista scowled at him.
"Damn secrecy," she hissed. "Christ, Sam…it happened so
fast!"
"I know." He nodded in
agreement. "But it supposedly happened this quick at the palace the last
time it happened, from what I’ve heard. He was perfectly fine, then…" He
snapped his fingers. "Out."
Callista shook her head. "I
feel terrible for him," she breathed. "He’s been looking ill for
days." She took Sam’s hand and straightened up. "Let us go and break
the news…Mac will be devastated, I’m sure." She led him back inside.