THE SHIP OF DREAMS
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The next four days seemed to drag
on. Jack had a bit of a relapse on the sixteenth, and spent the very last leg
of the trip sleeping as much as possible. Mac recovered from hypothermia rather
quickly, and spent most of the long afternoons exploring the new liner with
Anastasia and Michael. Unfortunately, there was no sign at all of Callista and
Sam.
"They can’t be dead,"
Anastasia told Michael as the trio leaned on the rail, gazing out at the clear
water. "They just can’t be!"
"If they were rescued,"
Michael told her, "no doubt they would have been brought up, then?"
He lowered his head. "I feel responsible for this," he told the
girls, and Mac turned so her back was leaning against the rail.
"You shouldn’t," she
said. "You did what you were supposed to."
Michael looked at her wearily.
"But if I had done what I was supposed to, Sam would never have been
arrested!"
"That has nothing to do with
their dying in the sinking!" Mac snapped. "They were trapped down
below with the rest of us in steerage! It’s the ship’s stupid crew that’s to
blame!"
"Besides," Anastasia
added, "you saved me. Doesn’t that mean anything?" Her eyes narrowed
curiously, and Michael managed a small smile.
"It means everything,"
he told her quietly, and she grinned.
"I wish my father would get
better." Mac sighed as they began walking down the deck again. "He
was doing pretty well for a bit there."
"Those illnesses are always
tricky like that," Michael said. "I just can’t believe he and Rose
are getting married! That’s amazing."
"Do you think he’s going to
tell her about me?" Anastasia whispered, and Mac nodded.
"It wouldn’t be very nice if
he didn’t," she replied. "You and your family were such a huge part
of both our lives. It wouldn’t be fair to shut Rose out of knowing that, you
know?"
"Imagine the look on Coddie
Anna’s face when she finds out I’m a real princess," Anastasia whispered
into Mac’s ear, and both of the girls giggled.
"What do you think of her
being your new stepsister, Mac?" Michael asked as they descended a small
flight of steps to the steerage gathering area. It was not nearly as crowded
here as it was when they were first rescued, but there were still a good number
of survivors standing or sitting around and talking. Some stood alone, gazing
off into space, too numb to interact with anybody.
"I suppose I’ll have to live
with it." Mac sighed. "She’ll be a terror."
"She’s so very rude!"
Anastasia shook her head.
"Well, unfortunately, she’s
in a bit of a spot now," Mac told her friends. "Her grandmother wants
nothing to do with her or Rose, and she’s lost Cal, too."
"She actually liked
him?" Anastasia gasped, and Mac nodded.
"It doesn’t surprise
me." She smirked, and Michael grinned.
"Well, I’m hungry," he
announced, glancing up at the clear blue sky. "How about we get something
to eat?"
The girls agreed, and they headed
in the direction of the dining area.
*****
When April 18, 1912 arrived, the
weather had changed from bright and clear to gray and miserable. It was pouring
when they entered New York’s crowded harbor, and, despite the weather and
Jack’s protests about their going outside in it, they dashed onto the deck and
to the rail anyway.
"Oh, look!" Anastasia
cried in delight, jumping up and down. "Isn’t it beautiful?"
Mac blinked as rain drops fell
into her eyes and she had to shield them. "We’re here," she breathed,
and Michael came to find them.
After fifteen minutes passed, a
voice spoke from behind them. "Your father’s going to have a fit if you
don’t come back inside," he told Mac, and the girls looked at him.
"Just look!" Anastasia
pulled Michael towards the rail.
"Wow," he replied.
"I think we’re
stopping," Anastasia breathed, and Mac nudged her arm.
"Let’s go in, then,"
she announced. "We’ll all be ready to go out together."
Anastasia followed Mac and
Michael back to the hospital wing, where Jack was not pleased to see Mac’s
sopping wet clothing.
"You’re going to make
yourself sick running around in the rain like that," he told her, wrapping
a spare blanket around her shoulders and rubbing her arms to warm her up.
"You’re already frozen." He was sitting on the edge of his bed.
Coddie Anna sighed from where she
stood by the door, holding Cal’s coat over one arm. She looked at Rose, who was
talking to the nurse, and, without a word, handed the coat over to Mac.
Anastasia’s mouth dropped, and Jack smiled weakly at Coddie Anna.
"Thanks, honey, but you’ll
need something to keep warm with, too."
Mac nodded politely as Coddie
Anna put it back on, and soon they were ushered out of the hospital to prepare
to disembark. Jack held onto Rose, still feeling extremely exhausted and weak.
"The nurse was telling me
that there’s a possibility you may not be able to leave Ellis Island for a day
or so," Rose told him as they edged their way towards the rail. The crowd
preparing to get off the ship was so large that Mac was starting to feel
claustrophobic.
"They won’t send him back,
will they?" she asked, and Jack touched her head gently.
"No," Rose replied,
smiling. "They just want to make sure he’ll be all right. You still have a
bit of a fever," she added, and Jack kissed her cheek.
"I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’ll
just be grateful to be on solid ground." He chuckled, and she squeezed his
hand tightly.
"Where are you two gonna get
married?" Anastasia asked, shivering a little in the rain.
"I would like to get married
in the church my parents got married in," Jack replied. "But that’s
in Wisconsin. We don’t have enough money to get there yet, so we’ll probably
use one of the small local churches around here."
Mac felt her heart swell.
"What are we going to do until then?" she asked, and Coddie Anna, at
that moment, decided to put her hands in her coat pockets. Her eyes widened,
and she felt around, pulling out a fistful of bills.
"Oh…my," she gasped as
they were about to walk down the ramp. Rose looked at Coddie Anna and did a
double take.
"Where did you find
that?" she asked, and Coddie Anna pointed to her pocket. "There…there
must be…five hundred dollars in here!" she breathed, and Jack looked at
Rose.
"I’m not sure how I feel
about using your ex-fiancé’s money, Rose," he told her softly, and Coddie
Anna quickly tucked the money away when an officer came to them.
"May I take your names,
please?" he asked, holding a clipboard and a pen.
Everyone ticked off their names
one by one, and when he got to Rose, she said, "Dawson. Rose Dawson."
Coddie Anna cringed a little and
tried to ignore the satisfied winks Anastasia and Mac gave to each other. Rose
explained to the officer about Jack’s current condition, and, after promising
that he was not contagious, the officer told them it was not necessary to stay
on the island.
"He might want to go to a
doctor just to be on the safe side, Ma’am."
Jack coughed. "I’ll be fine,
I think. Thank you for everything," he said, and the officer nodded.
"You’re quite welcome, sir.
Good night."
When they made their way onto the
docks and towards the streets, Rose looked at Jack. "I’m not feeling the
least bit guilty about using Cal’s money, Jack," she said. "What were
we planning to do if we didn’t have it?"
Jack looked at her. "I don’t
know." He sighed, and Mac tugged his sleeve.
"Please, Papa, we need
it," she said softly, and Anastasia bit her lip.
"You deserve to have it,
Rose," she added. "After the way he’s treated you."
Coddie Anna growled under her
breath. "Well, let’s get out of this blasted rain before we all end up
catching cold," Rose announced. "We’ll find a hotel and stay there
for a couple of days until we figure out what to do. You’re not strong enough to
find work just yet, Jack, so I suppose I’ll find a waitressing position. Five
hundred dollars is not going to hold us over for very long…not with five
people."
"I’ll tell you what,"
Jack spoke. "We’ll spend a night or two in one of the cheaper hotels, and
then we’ll get train tickets for Chippewa Falls."
"Where would we stay in
Chippewa Falls?" Coddie Anna asked. "I thought you said you were from
Russia!"
"I did come from
Russia," Jack told her calmly, "but I was born and raised in
Wisconsin. I left when I was fifteen, after my parents died in a barn fire. My
family’s house is still intact, and I think it will be perfectly suitable for
us to live in. Plenty of room."
"That sounds like a plan,
Jack," Rose told him with a smile. "We’ll let you continue resting
for a couple of days, and then we’ll take a train to Wisconsin. When we get
there, we can marry at your parent’s church as you wanted to."
After a plan of action was
decided, the group made their way down the muddy sidewalk and found a rather
inexpensive hotel to spend a couple of nights in. Once everyone was properly
warmed up, Rose helped Jack into bed. When they were settled and calm,
Anastasia asked to speak with Jack in private. Rose told Mac, Coddie Anna, and
Michael to go into the main sitting room, and Anastasia sat down on the edge of
Jack’s bed.
"What is it,
sweetheart?" Jack asked, and she bit her lip.
"Are you…" She bit her
lip. "Are you going to tell Rose and Coddie Anna about me?" she
asked, and he smiled.
"Would you like me to?"
he asked, and she nodded.
"Do you think they’ll
believe it?" she asked, and he chuckled.
"Go and fetch them, then,
love," he said, and Anastasia dashed into the main room, where everyone
looked at her.
"Jack wants to tell you and
Coddie Anna something," she said, noticing Mac’s wide eyes.
"Is everything all
right?" Rose asked, looking concerned, and Anastasia nodded.
"Oh, yes," she
promised, and Mac gulped.
"Do you want us to come in,
too?" she asked, and Anastasia shook her head.
"No. You two stay in
here," she said, and led Rose and Coddie Anna into the bedroom. Jack was
sitting up against the headboard, and Anastasia stood straight and tall, trying
to make herself appear important.
"What’s wrong, Jack?"
Rose asked, coming to stand beside him.
"Rose, do you remember when
you asked me who the people in my drawings were? And I told you I wasn’t able
to say at the time?"
Rose nodded in understanding.
"I do, Jack."
"Well, I think you and
Coddie Anna both have the right to know."
"Why do I have to
know?" Coddie Anna asked, and Anastasia stepped forward.
"Because my name isn’t
really Ana Dawson," she said, and Coddie Anna blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Rose asked, and Jack made a motion with his hand to tell her.
"I am actually the Grand
Duchess Anastasia Romanov, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of
Russia."
Both Rose and Coddie Anna were
silent; Jack could tell the blood had drained completely from Coddie Anna’s
face.
"You’re lying!" she
cried. "That’s not true! How can you be royalty?"
"Oh, my God," Rose
breathed.
"Didn’t you wonder how Jack
was able to get the tuxedo to come to the first class dinner that one
night?" Anastasia asked. "Or how Mac and I were able to dress so
nicely to sneak into first class to visit Jack when he was sick?"
"I did find that rather
strange," Rose said softly. "I don’t believe it."
Anastasia walked over to Rose.
"Please don’t treat me any different because you know the truth about
me," she said quietly. "Just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean I’m
a different person altogether."
"Jack…how….did she…"
"He was an imperial
guard," Anastasia explained simply. "He took care of my
brother."
Coddie Anna let out a small
squeak and sat down on one of the chairs. "Why didn’t you tell me this,
Jack?" Rose cried. "Oh, Jack, you could have spared yourself so much
trouble!"
Jack lowered his head. "It
wasn’t meant to be an insult to you at all, Rose," he said. "The Tsar
specifically asked me not to reveal Anastasia’s identity on the ship. By the
time we decided we were going to come to America, all he was able to get for us
were third class tickets. He didn’t want to put Anastasia’s real name on the
ticket for fear that she might be recognized and trouble would start up. It was
merely for safety reasons."
Rose gulped. "I can’t
believe you’re royalty," she gasped, and he laughed.
"I’m not," he insisted.
"I worked for them until I got really sick with pneumonia in November.
Yeah," he added, when Rose opened her mouth to respond. "I did have
it before. It was taking a really long time for me to recover, and I wasn’t
able to work as I had when I first arrived. Plus, things aren’t turning out so
well in Russia right now, so the Tsar wanted to get Mac and I out before any
real trouble started."
"Are you all right, Coddie
Anna?" Anastasia asked, noticing that Coddie Anna’s mouth still hung open,
and she appeared to be trembling.
"I…" Coddie Anna
swallowed. "Don’t know what…to…to say," she stuttered, and Rose
hugged Jack, kissing him on the forehead.
"Thank you for telling me,
Jack," she said. "Anastasia…may I call you that now that I know?"
she asked, and Anastasia grinned.
"Yes," she replied, and
Rose nodded.
"Anastasia, it’s truly an
honor."
Anastasia snorted. "Please.
I’m not bothered at all by it. And don’t you dare start calling me Your
Highness," she warned Coddie Anna, and Jack laughed. Mac and Michael both
peered into the room, looking nervous.
"Come in," Rose
encouraged, and they stepped through.
"You told them, then?"
Mac asked, and Jack nodded.
"Then I guess I’ll reveal
myself, too," Michael announced, and Coddie Anna pointed at him.
"You’re not a prince, are
you?" she cried, and Michael smirked.
"I wish!" he replied.
"No, but I am a member of the secret police for the Tsar. I was with two
others to look after Anastasia while she was on the Titanic."
"We think they died in the
sinking," Mac said softly, and Jack looked at Michael.
"I’m sorry to hear
that," he said, and Michael shrugged.
"Well, we don’t know for
sure," he admitted, "but it would be a stretch to say they were still
alive."
"They helped me when you
passed out on the deck for the first time that one night!" Rose exclaimed.
"A blonde woman and a man with dark hair came up and asked me what they
could do to help."
Michael nodded. "Yes, that
was them. Their names are…or…er…were, rather…Callista Leeann Kyp Solo and Sam
Reise."
Rose let out a small laugh.
"Well," she said, "this is certainly a surprise."
Mac and Anastasia exchanged
looks, trying not to laugh. "So, how long are we going to stay in New
York, Jack?" Anastasia asked, climbing onto the bed with him. Mac joined
her, and so did Rose. Coddie Anna remained where she sat on the chair, not
wanting to give herself any reason to like Jack. In fact, she preferred to give
him the silent treatment.
"Not sure," Jack
replied. "Hopefully not more than a couple of days."
Mac snuggled against him.
"We should all get some rest," Rose said softly. "Though I’m
sure we’re all starving, too. Jack, maybe I’ll take Coddie Anna to pick up
something small for dinner?"
"I’ll go," Michael
offered. "I don’t think it’s safe for you two to be walking around in the
rain by yourselves."
Jack narrowed his eyes a little,
and Mac stepped in. "Michael can do it," she promised, and Rose
smiled.
"Are you sure?" she
asked, and he nodded eagerly.
"Yep. I won’t be long at
all." He gave a small bow and dashed out of the room. They could hear his
feet as they hurried down the steps, and Jack glanced at Rose.
"Papa…you…you are going to
let Michael live with us, aren’t you?" Mac asked, knowing how awkward her
father felt around him.
"He has nowhere else to
go," Rose replied.
"He has the palace,"
Jack broke in, and Mac folded her arms.
"You know he can’t afford to
go back there."
"And how does he plan on
doing so, honey?" Jack asked.
"He’ll live with us and work
his way there. He told me that he won’t intrude on your hospitality very long
at all," Anastasia continued.
"Jack," Rose spoke,
"I insist you let him live with us. He’s just a boy, and is perfectly
harmless. I allowed he and Mac to go to the first class ball that one night,
and I assure you, there is nothing more than a friendship between them."
Jack blanched. "You went to
a dance with a boy?" he cried, and Mac felt her cheeks burning.
"Well, yes," she said
quietly. "Nothing happened, Papa. We just danced and had supper. He’s very
respectable, you know."
Jack scowled. "Mac, you know
how I feel about that." He sighed, and Rose touched his shoulder.
"I said it was all right,
Jack. Calm down." She kissed him.
"Well," Jack replied.
"We’ll decide what’s going to happen after I start feeling better. But for
now, I think I do want to get some sleep."
Rose shooed the girls out of the
bedroom and tucked Jack in. She climbed into the bed next to him, and pulled
him close. "Everything’s going to be fine," she whispered into his
ear. "Trust me."
He closed his eyes, smiling
softly. "I trust you," he croaked.
*****
In the main room, Mac and
Anastasia sat by the window, watching as the rain splashed against it. Coddie
Anna sat with her back to them, staring blankly into space. The silhouettes of
their figures was what Michael saw when he was coming back down the street,
carrying packages containing their dinner, and he managed a smile.
Mac was the first to spot him,
and she pulled the window open a bit, shouting. "Come on! Hurry up!"
she hollered, and Anastasia was waving. He grinned, waving back, and made a
quick dash for the door as lightening flashed through the cloudy sky. Even in
the dark aftermath of the Titanic’s demise—even after the tragic deaths of
fifteen hundred souls in the dark, cold North Atlantic—there was still reason
to move on, still a reason to feel optimistic. Michael, for the first time in
his life, felt as though he belonged somewhere. When he arrived in their hotel
room, he was greeted by a great hug and kiss from Mac, and she took some of his
packages.
"Well," he said, wiping
his sopping bangs away from his eyes, "I guess I really am home, aren’t
I?" he asked, and judging by the warm, tender smiles the others gave him,
he really was.