AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY
Chapter Fourteen

Rose frantically ran through the corridors of the first class, desperately looking for anyone who could tell her where Jack was. She had to find him! When she spotted Thomas Andrews, she ran over to him, relieved.

"Mr. Andrews? Can you tell me where the Master-at-Arms took someone under arrest?" she asked in a rush. She was out of breath from running.

"Rose, what are you doing? You need to get up on deck and into a lifeboat," he said, ignoring her question.

But she was determined. No one would stop her from finding Jack. "I'm doing this with or without your help, but without will take longer."

Mr. Andrews sighed before giving her instructions on where to go.

Now she ran toward the lift. The lift attendant wouldn’t let her on. "The lifts are closed, Miss."

Rose didn’t care; all that mattered was getting to Jack. "I'm through being polite, dammit! Now take me down…E Deck." She spoke with such forcefulness that he didn’t argue with her.

Her heart jumped into her throat as the lift went down into the water. When she reached E Deck it was up to her knees. She found the crew passage that Mr. Andrews had told her to find.

"Jack?" she called out. A few moments later, she heard him answer.

"Rose! I'm in here."

She followed his voice until she found him. He was handcuffed to a pipe.

"Oh, Jack. I'm so sorry," she said before going up to him and kissing him. She was so grateful to have found him.

"Rose, you’re going to have to find a spare key. Check over there in the cabinet. It’s a little silver key."

She looked through the keys, her whole body shivering. The water was so cold, even though it was only up to her knees. "These are all brass ones," she said, once again facing Jack. He told her to check in the desk.

"Rose, how did you find out I didn’t do it?" he asked, referring to the theft of the diamond.

She looked at him, momentarily pausing her search in the desk. "I didn’t. I just realized that I already knew."

He smiled at her before she continued her search. Once again, she wasn’t able to find the key that would free Jack.

"It’s okay, Rose. You’ll have to go get help."

She kissed him before leaving the room. By now the water was getting a little higher. She ran down the hall, still shivering. Running up some stairs, she escaped the freezing water. She ran through the corridors, desperately searching for anyone that would help her. She knew that Jack would die if she didn’t act fast.

After being ignored by one frantic man and dragged in the wrong direction by a steward who insisted that everything would be all right, she stood in a hallway, alone and scared. But when the lights flickered out for a moment, she thought she would have a heart attack. Then she noticed an ax. It wasn’t the help that she had hoped for, but it would have to do.

She grabbed the ax, then ran back the way she had come. What greeted her at the bottom of the stairs made her want to run the other way. The water had risen considerably higher. But there was no turning back; she had to free Jack! After removing her coat, she plunged into the water, crying out in pain as the cold hit her. The water now reached to her chest. Still holding the ax, she made her way slowly down the hall.

When she reached him once again, she found him sitting on the desk, trying to escape the water. "Will this do?" she asked, holding up the ax.

He nodded, then instructed her to try a couple of practice swings. She tried to hit the same spot twice, but failed miserably. He didn’t care; the water was rising higher with each passing moment. She had to get him free and she had to do it fast! After instructing her on how to hold the ax, he closed his eyes, stretching his wrists as far apart as they would go.

"I trust you, Rose."

A moment later, the ax met with the chain that had kept his wrists connected. He was freed with a loud bang! He stared in amazement at his freed wrists. She did it! He hugged her before jumping into the water.

"Shit, this is cold! Shit!" he exclaimed.

When they got into the corridor, she couldn’t believe what she saw. Rushing water was blocking their exit. "This is the way out!" she cried.

He took her hand in his, then ran in the opposite direction. "We’re going to have to find another way out."

They ran through the water, desperately trying to find an exit. The water was rising very fast. They soon made their way to the main stairwell of the third class.

Rose didn’t understand why there were so many people standing on the stairs. Why aren't they up on the boat deck? she wondered. Her question was soon answered. She looked up and saw that there was a gate keeping the third class people locked down there with the rising water. She was completely disgusted. She couldn’t believe that people were treated this way.

Tommy and Fabrizio spotted them. "They won’t unlock the gates," Tommy said.

Jack looked down the corridor, hoping to see some sign of an exit. "Have you checked down that way?" Jack asked his friends.

"There is nothing that way," Fabrizio said.

Jack started to walk in the other direction. "Come on. Follow me."

The four of them finally made it up to the boat deck after breaking through one of the gates in third class. Rose had never seen Jack so angry before, but in the end his anger had saved them. He had found a bench, and finding strength that could only come from anger, he had helped rip it from the floor. They were able to break down the gate that separated them from the rest of the ship. Now, Jack and Rose stood next to a lifeboat. Fabrizio and Tommy had gone off to look for more boats on the other side of the ship. Someone had handed Rose a blanket; it was now wrapped around her tightly.

"Women and children only!" she heard one of the officers call out. She looked at Jack worriedly.

"I'm not leaving without you, Jack," she stated determinedly.

He looked at her, seeing the stubbornness in her eyes. He realized that it wasn’t going to be easy getting her into a boat, but he had to! No matter how much it hurt him to see her leave, he had to make sure she was safe.

"No, Rose. You have to go," he argued.

She kept shaking her head. She couldn’t bear to leave him.

"Get into the boat, Rose," he said again.

She kept shaking her head stubbornly. "No, Jack. I'm not leaving you."

He sighed in desperation. "Get into the boat, Rose!" he tried again, this time a little more forceful.

"Yes, Rose. Get into the boat."

It was Cal. He had appeared.

Rose looked at him. He just never gives up, does he?

"Gosh, look at you! You look a fright. Here, put this on," he said, before throwing the blanket that was wrapped around her at Jack. He put his coat on her.

She stepped away from him just as Jack stepped up to her, blocking Cal.

"You have to get on a boat, Rose," Jack was pleading with her.

She had tears in her eyes. "Not without you!"

Cal watched this scene in disgust. But he knew that he had to get her on a boat. A plan came to him.

"I have an arrangement with an officer on the other side. Jack can get off safely," Cal said.

Rose looked at him, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. She wanted to believe that Jack would be saved. Before she knew what was happening, an officer pulled her to a boat. She held onto Jack’s hand tightly as she stepped in.

Her heart constricted in pain as she let go off his hand. She was being lowered away from him. He looked down at her, unable to hide the pain in his eyes any longer. She couldn’t believe what was happening. There were children crying and rockets going off in the air. Titanic was dying.

"You’re a good liar," Cal said, as he gazed down at Rose. It infuriated him that she was staring up at Jack and not him.

"You’re not a bad liar yourself. There’s no arrangement, is there?" Jack looked at Cal. He already knew that there wasn’t.

"Oh, there’s an arrangement. Not that you’ll benefit much from it. I always win Jack, one way or another," he said as he looked at Jack.

Jack looked back down at Rose. Her eyes held his. There was such sadness in them. He wondered what would become of her. Would she find a way to break free of Cal? He hoped that he could find a way to survive. She needed him just as much as he needed her.

Rose felt like sobbing. She remembered their passion in the Renault, only a while ago. How could she leave him? If he’s going to die, then I want to die with him.

Just then, the lifeboat was passing the promenade deck. She saw her chance and wasn’t about to pass it up. She leapt out of the lifeboat and onto the deck, barely making it. She could hear Jack’s voice above.

"Rose! No! What are you doing?"

She also heard Cal’s, but she blocked out his words. All that mattered was getting back into Jack’s arms. She ran toward the grand staircase entrance, bumping into people as she ran. When she went inside, she saw Jack running toward her from the opposite direction. They ran into each other, embracing tightly.

"Oh, Jack. I couldn’t leave you!"

He kissed her over and over, tears running down his face. "You’re so stupid, Rose! Why did you do that? Why?" He held her tightly.

"You jump I jump, right?" she said, as she looked into his eyes.

He smiled at her words. "Right," he said as he held her closer to him. He never wanted to let go.

Chapter Fifteen
Stories