UNTIL I FOUND YOU
1
Rose walked along the steerage deck of the Carpathia, her mind lost in the past couple of days. The last couple of days with Jack. Closing her eyes she could almost hear his voice, feel his touch, smell the ocean scent of his blond hair. She thought of how unfair it was. God had given her Jack just to take him away from her. A few short moments of happiness was all she had and all too soon it was ripped from her.
Meanwhile, while Rose was drowning herself in self-pity, in the carpathia infirmary laid Jack Dawson. He was deathly pale and if one was just passing by, you would think he was dead. But thankfully, thanks to the dedication of the nurses and one Molly Brown he was just asleep, exhausted from the effects the hypothermia had caused to his system. It was a long fight, but it seemed that he was finally winning. If only he could stop wondering about Rose. Where she was, whether she was still alive or not. What if Cal had her? Or she was still out there dead. Somehow the kind officer had overlooked her and left her out there to freeze to death. No! Rose! Rose!
"Rose!" he bolted awake, looking wildly around the room in search of his beloved. "Rose!"
"Shhh Jack. Shhh. Lay back and rest. You still need to get your strength back," Molly Brown rushed back into the room and gently pushed Jack back down onto the cot.
"Molly…Rose…I have to find her. I have to know that she made it," Jack tried to get back up, but Molly was persistent. "I have to find Rose."
"Shhh Jack. All this isn’t good on your already depleated system," Molly noticed how he was beginning to weaken again. If Jack didn’t calm down he was going to have a relapse and he may not survive.
"Rose…"
"Shhh. I’ll find her for you Jack and bring her here. Just lay back and stay calm. You want to be at your best when I bring her."
"Promise me Molly that you’ll find her."
"I promise. Now lay back and go back to sleep," Molly nodded, staying until the young man drifted back off into a restless slumber. She shook her head. Poor dear. He was so distraught and the doctor said it was so bad he doubted the young man will survive. But she couldn’t give up on Jack yet. Not the strong vibrant young man that reminded her so much of her own son. What Jack needed was a motivation to pull through and Molly hoped that the motivation still survived. He needed Rose and by golly Molly will find her. Rose was too much of a fighter to just lay back and die.
*
Rose stood at the deck, looking out towards the endless ocean. A ocean as blue as her Jack’s eyes had once been. Sighing she got up and walked along the deck. Everything reminded her of Jack now. He was everywhere. In the air, the sky, the ocean…in a child’s laughter and a woman’s tears. She couldn’t get him out of her mind nor her heart.
"Why bless the lord above there she is!" a all familiar voice boomed from across the crowded deck. "Rose! Rose!"
Molly pushed her way across deck to a Rose who was frozen in place, sure that Molly was going to drag her back to her mother and Cal. Her great escape was now ruined.
"Rose there you are! I knew you made it! I knew it! Come with me! There’s someone who’s dying to see you," Molly began to pull Rose from her spot and was surprised to feel the girl pull back.
"No Molly no. I can’t go back. Mother will make me marry Cal and I’ll die if I do that. I promised Jack that I’d survive and I’ll be going back on that promise if I go back to first class."
Molly shook her head in amusement. The girl thought she was dragging her back to Ruth and Cal. "Oh Rosie…listen just follow me. I promise, it’s not as bad as you’re assuming it is."
"Molly…"
"Now Rose, I’m not taking no for a answer. Now come on," Molly yanked on her arm and pulled her along the deck.
All of Rose’s spirit and hope faded as Molly pulled her along, certain that she was going back to her old way of life. She had failed Jack and herself. Now she was going to be made into a trophy wife. Rose was so depressed that she didn’t notice that they had never went up to first class. Instead they were going deeper into the steerage section of the ship and just five short minutes later, they’re standing at the door of the infirmary.
"Come along Rosie. No time to waste," Molly pulled the reluctant girl into the brightly lit room.
Rose’s eyes widen with surprise, shock, and fear as they enter the large room full of pale shivering, and sleeping people. They had quite a ways to walk still.
"Now Rose, tell me what happened to you on that ship?"
"What?" Rose snapped back to attention.
"Titanic Rose. What happened after you walked away from the lifeboat?" Molly spoke a little louder.
"Oh. I found Jack and we went through the sinking together. We rode the stern down into the water. We were holding hands and somehow…I don’t know how," Rose began to sob, remembering her loss. "Somehow we got separated. I looked and looked and called for him, but I couldn’t find him. So I found this board and got on all the while looking for Jack…but I never found him Molly. I must have blacked out because I don’t remember being rescued or anything…just looking and calling for Jack. He’s gone Molly! In know he is!" Rose bursted into renewed tears.
"Oh Rose. Shhh don’t cry. Listen just follow me. You’ll see that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Come on," Molly again forced Rose to follow her.
"Molly what are we doing here in the infirmary? Where are we going and why?"
"You’ll see darlin. Just follow me," Molly nodded.
"Mrs. Brown!" A nurse ran up to them, her brown eyes frantic.
"What is it now?"
"Your young man is worsening. He won’t wake back up! The doctor said he’s gone into a coma and he doubted he’ll wake back up!"
"Oh my heavens no! Come on Rosie! There’s no time to waste!" Molly pulled Rose along again, this time quickening her pace.
"Molly! Who are we going to see? Why won’t you tell me? Who is this man the nurse was talking about?"
Just then Rose got her answer as Molly pulled her into a room labeled the critically injured and found Jack laying on his back, his face deathly pale. His closed eyelids a slightly bluish color. His blond hair laid limply against the pillow and he was as still as death.
"Oh Jack…no…," Rose gasped in horror then fainted.