The following few hours are crazy and chaotic. People are frightened. The staff is trying their hardest to calm everyone and keep everything in order, but as time goes by, it’s becoming more and more hectic as people become desperate to survive.
After helping a few people, we head back to our cabin. Once inside, we sit on the bed. Bailey is shaking from fear. “Nate, what are we going to do?”
Shaking my head, I quietly reply, “I’m not sure, Bai. But whatever we decide, we will do it together.” We sit in silence for a few moments, and then I say, “We need to get to the boats and get to safety. I have a really bad feeling, Bai, and if we sit here moping, it won’t do us any good.”
After making our decision, we grab our life vests and head up to the lifeboats. On our way up, we pass Mr. Andrews in the corridor; he looks broken, defeated almost. Bailey and I had gotten to know him quite well over the last four days. He sees us and when he realises that it’s Bailey and me, he races over to us. “Bailey, my dear, you need to get off this ship. The Titanic will sink,” he sadly says.
“But...but they said it’s unsinkable,” I state.
“I thought so too but I was wrong, so very wrong,” he quietly says. “Bailey, I’m sorry that I didn’t build you an unsinkable ship.” He hugs Bailey, shakes my hand, and walks away from us towards the first class smoking room. That was the last we, or anyone, ever saw of him.
Tugging on Bailey’s arm, I hurriedly say, “We have to go, Bai.”
Bailey sadly glances to Mr. Andrews before looking at me and nods. “Let’s go,” she says, squeezing my hand, and we head towards the doors leading to the deck outside.
Bailey and I step out onto the upper deck and the scene before us is chaotic: women are screaming, children are crying, the staff is bellowing orders to get the women and children into the lifeboats and off to safety. We make our way over to one, but when Bailey realises that I cannot go with her, she refuses to get in. She storms away, leaving me standing there alone. Catching up to her, I pull her aside, grip her cheeks, and I kiss her passionately. I kiss her like this is our last kiss. Pulling back, I look lovingly into her eyes. “Please, Bailey, get into one of the rafts,” I plead.
“Not without you, Nate.” She grips my hands that are cupping her cheeks. “You and me, now and forever,” she quietly adds.
I smile at this, placing a gentle kiss on the tip of her button nose. I say back to her, “You and me, now and forever,” before I pull her in for a hug.
We are shoved aside by someone making their way to the boats. In the few moments we are lost in one another, complete and utter chaos has erupted. I decide in that moment that we need to get off this ship...and now. Looking around, the doors inside catch my eye and I have an idea. Grabbing Bailey’s hand, I walk us over to the edge and look to the cold dark water below. I look up and down the corridor and realise that in a few minutes this ship will be sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, and I refuse to go down with her; sorry captain. “Bailey, we need to jump and get as far away from this ship as possible, otherwise the current will pull us under with it. I have an idea.” Letting go of her hand, I walk over to the doors leading to the bar and I rip one off its hinges.
“You can’t do that! That’s property of White Star Lines!” a steward shouts at me.
“Was,” I smartassly reply before I throw the door overboard. Turning back, I take Bailey’s hand in mine and we stare over the railing, down to the black ominous ocean below. “On the count of three, you and I are going to jump overboard, swim to the door, and climb on. We will then row ourselves to safety and wait for the rescue boats to pick us up.”
“I...I can’t Nate,” she stammers.
“Yes, you can, Bailey. This is just another one of our adventures,” I reassure her, squeezing her hand in encouragement. She looks up at me; her eyes are filled with fear but she smiles. She turns towards me, grips my cheeks, and kisses me. “I love you, Nate. Let’s do this before fear takes over.”
“That’s my girl,” I proudly say, before I take a deep breath and lift her over the railing. Once she steadies herself, I climb over next to her. Looking towards her, gripping her hand tightly, I say, “On three.” I don’t give her a chance to reply before I begin the countdown. “One. Two. Three.” We both leap on three and we free fall into the ocean below.
With a splash, we land in the ocean. The water is colder than I expected. It pierces my skin like a thousand pins all at one time. Once in the water, Bailey and I are separated but as soon as I resurface, I call out for her. “Bailey! Bailey!” I shout over and over.
Eventually, I hear her yell, “Over here!” Looking around, I finally see her, hanging onto the door I threw overboard. Quickly I swim over to her. Gripping her cheeks I kiss her desperately, both of us chattering from the chilly water. “Nate, it’s soooo cold,” she stutters.
“Get up on the door, that will help.” Together we both manage to climb onto the door. We lie close to one another, her back to my front. Wrapping my arms around her, we huddle together and float away from the ship that was taking us to a new life.
Soon after Bailey and I jumped overboard, the Titanic broke apart and she sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, taking all those still on board with her.
The air is now eerily quiet.
The water is dead calm.
It’s getting colder and colder.
Bailey and I huddle together and cling to one another for warmth and security. We are frozen to our core, and even though we both know that we are highly unlikely to make it, we are together and that’s all that matters.
Wrapped in each other’s arms, just before dawn, Bailey and I take our last breaths and death envelops us. We float on the door until the rescue boats from RMS Carpathia discover us. As stories of survival and heroism emerge, Bailey and I are dubbed the “Romeo and Juliet of the Titanic.” Our love story is as romantic and heartbreaking as it was for the famed Shakespearean couple.
...With a jolt, I wake up; tears are flowing down my cheeks. I’m frozen to the core, just like Nate and Bailey were, but most of all, my heart breaks for the couple. It’s not breaking from remembering the dream. It breaks from the memory of physically experiencing it over one hundred years go.
Holy shit, I’m Nathaniel “Nate” Winters!
9
Nate
For the next week, the dream/memory plagues me every time I close my eyes. Some nights I dream from start to finish, others it’s just bits and pieces all jumbled together. Each time it’s more and more vivid, and when I’m awake, all I can think about are Bailey and Nathaniel—well, Bailey and me, I guess.
* * *
It’s Friday night and Jason and I are heading to a booze cruise. I don’t really want to go, but with my ticket, it’s open bar and the money raised goes to charity so it’s a win-win of sorts. After boarding, Jason finds a table and I’m on drink duty, so I head to the bar. It’s pretty busy, it takes a few moments before I get served but there’s no rush so it doesn’t bother me. I’m staring at the bar top in my own world when I hear an angelic voice that I vaguely recognise. “What can I get for you?” My heads snaps up and I’m met with the most amazing hazel eyes and an electric smile. A feeling of déjà vu washes over me. “Have we met before?” I ask.