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.

Epilogue
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