“The water was so cold, little crystals of ice immediately formed atop anything and everything that crested the surface. The sensations below weren’t any better, however. It was as if a thousand tiny pins were plunged into my flesh all at the same time. Even through my leather shoes, my coat. It didn’t matter; so I took them off. The entire Atlantic Ocean was already pulling me down. I didn’t need anything else hastening my journey to the abyss.”The man in the brown leather chair cleared his throat and adjusted his spectacles. “And then what do you remember next?”There was a long pause of consideration as thoughts fought to both spring to the surface and hide deep in the recesses of his mind. At last, a sentence was formulated. “I didn’t have a lot of time to decide what to do. There’d been plenty of chances, mind you, to climb into one of the lifeboats. I’d declined. Even though I’d been below d

April 18, 1912The silence was deafening. There had to be over a thousand people on the deck surrounding Meg as she peered off into the distance at New York City as it grew larger, but no one seemed to be saying a word. Only the gentle pitter patter of raindrops as they hit the metal railings and the sodden wooden planking broke the torturous sound of nothing ringing in her ears.She still wore the same white shirtwaist and plaid skirt the stewardess who had been so helpful when they’d first come aboard three days ago was able to find for her, but she wasn’t much worried about how she looked. Her hair was pinned up more to keep it out of her way, but she noticed it was starting to fall out, and she tried not to touch it for fear her hand would pull away a fresh clump.For three days, she and Jonathan had taken turns sitting alongside Charlie’s bed. He was lucid at times, very much aware of where he was, of who he was. Other times, he had no ide

Jonathan Lane made his way through the crowds to find a porter or an officer who looked like he might know what was going on. There was one in particular who had been a constant force of good information, and he knew if he was able to find Briggins he’d know precisely why Carpathia had passed the Cunard piers.He found the officer where he expected to, over near where the lifeboats from Titanic were being stored. He was giving directions as the lifeboats were being shifted about on the deck. The man saw Jonathan coming and offered a small smile of recognition. Jonathan was a master at finding out what he needed without troubling anyone or making his existence exhausting. “Briggins,” he called out as he approached. “Do you happen to know where we are headed?”“New York Harbor,” the older man said with a chuckle. He looked tired and the laugh was forced. The entire crew of Carpathia had been worked to t

Charlie felt his face flush. “No, thank you,” he replied, and since she’d asked, he did distinctly remember having had to use one of those recently, which wasn’t the most dignified experience of his life.“Well, Dr. Hunt examined you while you were sleeping, but I will let him know that you’re awake, and he’ll make his way in shortly.” She cut her eyes at the other woman. “You know you’ll have to go when the doctor comes in?”“Yes, I know,” the blonde woman replied, her voice indicating she didn’t need the reminder. She crossed her arms. “He’s hearing them again.”The nurse’s eyes went back to Charlie. “Are you hearing them now, Charlie? The screams?”Her face indicated that the wrong answer might land him in Belleview. “No, I don’t hear anything right now,” Charlie replied, ignoring the wails that seemed to whisper to

Meg was sitting in a small waiting area near Charlie’s private hospital room, attempting to take deep breaths and calm herself when she heard multiple sets of urgent footsteps and looked up to see Jonathan leading an older, well-dressed couple, followed by a younger, equally as nicely outfitted couple, and a few servants down the hall. She knew this must be Charlie’s family, and her anxiety over Charlie not remembering her morphed into nervousness at the thought of meeting them. She had no idea if they even knew who she was.As they drew closer, she realized the men had their arms around their wives, as if they wouldn’t believe Charlie was alive until they saw him for themselves, and she pushed her own selfish thoughts away. She was certain they had more important matters on their minds than who she was and why she was here.“How is he?” Jonathan asked as he stopped a few feet away. “Is the doctor in?”Meg stood, her leg