Eternal Destiny
Prologue
The rain made a light pitter pattering noise against the glass window as Rose Dawson gazed outside from her hospital bed. She watched as a passerby bought a newspaper from a vendor across the street. Even after nearly a month since the sinking, headlines of nearly every newspaper in New York still read of Titanic. She sighed deeply to herself and turned around in the bed as if to shut out the memories that were brought back every time she saw something Titanic.
"Why Miss Rose, what on earth are you lookin' so gloomy for?" An old, plump nurse walked in with a stack of clean linens. She had a light Irish accent as she spoke and a cheerful disposition that made anyone smile with her presence. Rose really liked the nurse, but she didn't let on because she was so disgusted with the world in general, that she felt she didn't want to warm up to anyone just yet. "I brought you some warm tea to sooth your soul."
Rose just stared at the nurse blankly. "How can I be anything but gloomy on a day like this?"
"Aye, but the weather will lighten up. We're well into the month of May. No doubt you'll be seein' sunshine within the next couple of days." The nurse said while she set the stack of linens on a small table. "Would you like anything to eat miss?"
Rose was a little disgusted. "No I do not want anything to eat and that's not what I meant." The nurse poured some tea for Rose, who simply shoved it away. Being a little frustrated with Rose's stubbornness, the nurse sighed to herself and forced Rose to take the cup of tea.
"Now Miss Rose, you're going to have to drink this tea to keep warm and you're going to have to eat something sooner or later. You haven't eaten in days!"
Rose crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't feel like eating."
"Well, you'll just have to force something down then. Heaven knows it's not good for the baby."
Rose's head immediately turned towards the nurse. "Who told you about the baby?"
Being a little agitated, the nurse quickly replied, "The doctor of course! I am your nurse. I think I deserve to know a little bit about my patient. Now I'm going to go get you some nice hot soup, that is if you don't tell me you would like something else."
Rose gave in and slumped her shoulders. Her voice was defeated and hushed as she spoke. "No…soup will be fine."
The nurse smiled and nodded. "Very well then. You just drink that tea and I'll be back with your soup shortly." She turned and started through the door, but suddenly stopped. "Oh, I almost forgot! You'll have a new doctor from now on miss. His names Calvert…Dr. Michael Calvert. He should be here any minute to examine you." Rose just nodded her head solemnly and returned her attention back to the window.
Why Jack? Why? Why did you have to leave me? Rose looked down at her still flat stomach. I'm having your baby and you'll never even know it…
***
Two blocks away, Jack Dawson sat huddled in the corner of a small café, trying to get warm with a cup of hot coffee. His clothes were the same as he wore on Titanic, with the exception of a new overcoat that had been given to him at the hospital.
He didn't remember anything about how he got onto a lifeboat and eventually to New York. The last thing that he faintly remembered was being in the freezing water with Rose. After that…he didn't know. He guessed it was blackness because that was the only thing he saw when he tried to remember what happened.
But a couple weeks after the fact, he found himself in a hospital bed. The doctors all said that he had lost consciousness and had been knocked out for about two weeks now. They said he had a severe case of hypothermia and that he would need to stay in the hospital for another two weeks at least. So that's what he did and that's where he was today- just discharged from St. Mary's Hospital.
The first and foremost thing that he had done after his discharge was look for his precious Rose. He didn't even know if she had made it out alive. So he started by going down to the offices of the White Star Line. But no one in the office knew of a Rose Dewitt Bukator. She was never found on the list of survivors. He found it quite curious though that his own name was not on the list. But then he remembered how he had been sent to the hospital without anyone knowing who he was or where he was from. It didn't matter now anyway. The only person who would be looking for him was Rose and she was gone.
He got up from his little table in the café, carefully placing some change on the table for his payment. He slowly slipped his coat back on and walked out of the café and down the sidewalk, past St. Mary's Hospital only two blocks away and down to the train station. He knew he couldn't stay in New York any longer. It was time for Jack Dawson to head out for the horizon once more…
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