Infected Waters: A Titanic Disaster Read online

  Catching her father’s quick wink, Lillian properly took the arm her brother offered to escort her in the wake of their parent’s descent.

  ~~~~~~

  The carriage ride was tolerable only because Millie Jean fell asleep quickly and didn’t wake until their stop for breakfast at eight. Rising at such an early hour was not a time in which Millie Jean was accustomed to. She quickly fell asleep as the carriage’s motion lulled her into silence.

  Lillian drew in a relieved sigh as the need to be proper stopped when her mother started snoring.

  “Mother would be horrified if there were others traveling with us,” Lillian giggled into her hand.

  Samuel shot a look of distaste at her humor. “You are so childish.”

  “Now Sam, there is no reason to be mean to your sister. Let’s brush up on your studies so that you will be ready for the university’s exam when we arrive. Are you set in your decision to pursue law?”

  “Yes. I believe it will give me a more advantageous position than that of a pastor.” Samuel’s voice was laced with hatred.

  Having reached London at a tender age, when all the boys of wealth were in boarding and prep schools, Samuel had been forced to attend the local school where boys his age were already working in the factories before and after school. Being the odd one out between two sets of peers had left him crying to his mother, whose view of entitlement deepened the resentment of his father’s position.

  Yearning to return to America and attend a university where no one knew of his father’s lowly position, he picked up a volume on business law and held the book close to the swinging lantern in the carriage for better light.

  Frowning in thought, Richard was bothered that his son was no longer hiding his hatred of his life’s work. There had been no time to undue the hateful spirit his wife had grown in their son. Thankfully, he had Lillian, who seemed to have a good head on her shoulders.

  Smiling at her in reassurance, he asked, “So, Lilly. What do you plan to do when we arrive in America?”

  “Well, Papa, I don’t even know where to begin. Mother said, ‘The family will have a coming home ball and all eligible bachelors will be in attendance.’ I’m in no hurry to belong to some boy. I would rather be riding horses than dancing to make an impression.”

  “Angel, I know it can be hard growing up, but try to be a little enthusiastic for your mother’s sake. Coming out is a very important event in America, and your mother just wants the absolute best for you.” Richard always tried to encourage Lillian to bond with her mother.

  “I will promise to help you sneak away a few mornings to ride horses if you will make sure to at least try. Can you do that for me?”

  “Yes, Papa.” Lillian sighed as she watched the road grow dark as the lights of London faded.

  Six hours later, the carriage slowed as they approached the crowded wharf. Trying not to lean out the window, knowing her mother wouldn’t approve, Lillian tried to keep her excitement to herself.

  Her mother had never allowed her to be near the wharfs in London because it wasn’t a place for girls. Leaving England made Lillian realize how big the world truly was. This was going to be a wonderful adventure, no matter what her mother might say about the voyage.

  The abrupt stop of the carriage had the Lambert family clutching the seats to keep from landing in each other’s laps.

  Hand on the door to race out and see everything, Lillian stopped as her mother spoke. “Lillian, let your father go first and you can exit in an appropriate manner.”

  Smiling apologetically to Lillian, Richard opened the door and descended to mass confusion everywhere.

  “Richard, don’t encourage her. She needs manners to make it in society.” Placing her hand in his offered one, she exited the carriage, covering her eyes from the bright light with her gloved hand.

  Lillian waited impatiently while Samuel made his way out, not offering her a hand.

  Richard, noticing Samuel’s attempt to rile his sister, leaned in to help Lillian out.

  “Thank you, Papa.” Tears of frustration welled up in Lillian’s blue eyes.

  “Hey, now. None of that, my angel. It’s a day for being happy. Look at this amazing ship.” Richard couldn’t help admiring the first unsinkable ship.

  “Thank goodness. Can you imagine traveling third class and having to be inspected before being allowed on the boat?” Millie Jean’s loud comment turned several heads standing in line for that exact inspection.

  “Let’s not broadcast our status, my dear. After all, we are traveling in second class this time,” Richard was quick to point out, effectively silencing his wife.

  “This way.” Samuel began to lead them through the crowd.

  Richard turned back to tip the driver so that their luggage would make it onto the ship.

  Weaving between stacks of luggage and lines of people trying to board, they finally arrived at the second class ramp, allowing them immediate access to the ship.

  Lillian would have been lost if not for the fact her father was following close behind her to keep her on track as she was bumped and jostled around while craning her neck to see everything around her.

  Lifting her head high as she walked along the second class ramp, Mille Jean tried to hurry her family along so that they wouldn’t be seen boarding the boat.

  The steward, whose name tag read Jonathan, was helping oncoming passengers find their accommodations, pointing them toward the inner corridor where their adjoining rooms were located.

  Richard and Samuel took the first one. As Millie Jean and Lillian were approaching their door, it opened. A cleaning steward came out quickly, throwing dirty linens in a cart.

  “Excuse me, young man. What are you doing cleaning our room? I thought these accommodations were brand new?” Millie Jean demanded an explanation from the steward.

  “I’m unsure what happened, ma’am. The head steward said it needed new sheets, so that is what I am doing.” With that he turned and hurried away before she could pull any gossip surrounding the room from him.

  “Well, I won’t have it. We will have to switch until you discover the meaning of this, Richard. I won’t have a moment’s peace.” Lillian swept past them and seated herself on the settee in the boy’s room.

  Richard muttered under his breath, “No one will be able to rest is what you really mean.” Aloud, he tried to ease the situation. “I’ll take Lillian with me and we will go to find the steward. I’m sure it’s perfectly explainable, dear. Nothing for you to worry about, surely.”

  Closing the door on his wife’s growing panic, Richard held his arm out to Lillian.

  “Up for a stroll, angel?”

  “Papa, aren’t you worried? What if something serious happened in our room?” Lillian asked with a furrowed brow.

  “We are going to walk around, and if we happen to hear anything of importance, then we will tell your mother. That is if it won’t hurt her sensibilities. We will tell her the best version possible.” Richard tried to keep the peace whenever he could.

  “Isn’t that lying?” Lillian asked in amazement. Her papa, the preacher, wouldn’t lie to his wife.

  “No, darling. We are going to tell her the truth, but depending on the sordid details, we can leave those out so she can sleep at night.” Preacher or not, his wife did not need to know everything.

  Leaning on the railing as the crowds on the wharf continued to make their way onto the ship, Lillian and Richard watched a large crane lift a car up into the air to be loaded onto the boat.

  “Papa, look! It’s our luggage. It has the pink scarf mother put on it.” Lillian’s mother had insisted it would keep their luggage from becoming lost.

  “Why don’t you stay here and keep an eye on it while I talk to the steward.” Richard motioned to Jonathan, who was still providing people with directions to their rooms.

  “Okay, Papa. It’s so exciting out here.” Lillian’s enthusiasm was contagious.

  “Excuse me, sir. We need some
information about an incident in our rooms,” Richard spoke, grabbing Jonathan’s attention in the midst of the chaos.

  “Yes. What seems to be the problem?” Jonathan stepped to the side of the oncoming flood of passengers.

  “A young man was exciting our room with soiled linens and my wife is extremely concerned that she won’t be the first one sleeping in the new beds.” Richard shrugged apologetically.

  “Oh, no worries, sir. There was a bucket of cleaning product that was spilled, so they sent out for all new things for your rooms. They wanted them to be absolutely perfect for your stay.” Jonathan spoke with a straight face, in no way revealing the reason for the bucket spill.

  “Ah, wonderful. She will be able to rest soundly tonight. Thank you, my good sir,” Richard replied, slipping Jonathan a small coin for the information.

  Slightly worried that there was something wrong, Richard knew the steward hadn’t given him the all the information about the incident. It must have been serious for the crew to keep it from the passengers.

  Joining Lillian at the railing, they watched as the crowds became more frantic as the hour approached for the ship to leave the dock.

  The Titanic was supposed to set new records for the fastest trip across the Atlantic Ocean. If the frenzied loading of people and luggage was any indication, the ship would make that a reality.

  Chapter 3

  Nora smoothed her gray nurse’s uniform and looked at her short, curvy figure in the mirror.

  Well, it’s not flattering, but neither is the one I’ve been wearing at the hospital.

  Adjusting her cap on top of her golden blonde hair, she placed a coat on her small frame. With a last look in the mirror, she squared her shoulders and walked out the door, and into her future.

  The short ride to the wharf didn’t give Nora a chance to settle her nerves.

  Nora gasped as she peeked out the window at the enormous ship looming over her. The RMS Titanic was by far the biggest ship she had ever seen.

  “Miss?” The driver tapped her shoulder. “I need to know where we are to take your things.”

  “Oh, yes. Let’s see…the gentleman over there at the ramp might be able to help us.” Taking charge, Nora walked over to get the steward’s attention.

  “Excuse me. I’m to be the nurse on this ship, and I need to know where to take my things.” Smiling, she placed a hand on his arm, hoping a little flirtation would work to speed things up.

  “Oh, absolutely. Sir, if you will bring her things over, I will personally see that her luggage is delivered to her lodgings.”

  “Aren’t you just wonderful?” Nora praised sweetly.

  Waving to a porter, Jonathan motioned to the luggage the driver was piling in front of him.

  “Nurse?” Jonathan questioned her.

  “Nurse Ryan. Nora for such a great helper,” she added with a wink.

  Having someone on board that would be willing to help her navigate the unknown was always a good idea.

  “Nurse Nora, may I escort you to your berth?”

  Jonathan held out his arm to lead the way and she accepted.

  After countless hallways with many twists and turns, Nora turned to Jonathan as she realized that the porter wasn’t following them anymore.

  “Are you taking me on the long way around?” she asked, pinning him with her best nurse’s stare.

  “I was trying to give you the best tour possible before everyone arrived.” Jonathan smiled sheepishly. “Also, you’re gorgeous, and I wanted to bask in your presence as long as I could. Does that upset you?” Jonathan inquired, trying to gauge her reaction.

  “That you think I’m gorgeous? Of course not. I just don’t want to have a work romance while I’m here. It could cause problems later on.” Nora had had men fall for the uniform before, but this time she wanted to make sure it was more than her profession that he was attracted to.

  Straightening, Jonathan took on his steward persona and stiffly delivered Nora to her door. Nora felt terrible, and tried to explain further.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. My job requires a lot of my time. I just wanted to be up front so neither one of us gets hurt. I’m sure you understand?” Nora asked hopefully.

  “Yes, Miss. This is your room, and the infirmary is around the corner for your convenience. It is equipped with everything you will need, and the doctor should be boarding shortly. I believe there is another nurse who will be sharing your room, as well as two more next door so that you will have a rotating shift. Is there anything else you require?” Jonathan asked guardedly.

  “No. Thank you for escorting me. I would like to get ready and check out the infirmary before it’s needed.” Nora held the door open, waiting for Jonathan to leave before she entered.

  “I will return to my duties then.” Offering her a clipped salute, Jonathan turned on his heel, leaving Nora alone.

  “Men!” Nora fumed out loud, closing the door with a slight slam.

  “One minute they’re all over you, and the next they’re as cold as an iceberg.”

  Nora turned, startled to have someone agree with her.

  “Don’t mind me. I’m your roomie, Judith Stevens,” announced the woman lounging on the bed, looking over the top of a dime novel, popping her gum.

  “Judith, are you part of the nursing staff?” Nora asked quizzically, hoping the answer was no as she took in Judith’s curly, fiery red hair.

  “Yeah. They sent me straight over from the nursing program. Honestly, though, I got to graduate early on account of my wonderful figure. The doctors didn’t mind giving me a few extra points for helping them instead of changing all those bedpans like the other nurses.” Judith winked conspiratorially.

  “Well, then. I believe I’ll go and check out our working conditions to make sure everything is ready for departure. I’m sure there will be a few cases of seasickness that will have to be taken care of after we leave the port.” Nora hung her coat up in the wardrobe, hoping her roommate wouldn’t try to follow her.

  “There’s no need to worry. The doctor is supposed to do that kind of stuff. We just need to show up and hold his hand while he fixes things.” Judith popped her gum again, making her point.

  Sighing heavily, Nora quickly left, almost running into the porter with her trunks.

  Holding the door open for him, she pointed to a spot along the wall that would allow him to place the trunks out of the way.

  “I’ll be back in a bit to collect your empties for you, Miss, and store them for you until we reach America.” The porter tipped his hat in her direction.

  Nora held out a few coins for his thoughtfulness and started to close the door upon his exit, but he stopped to ask, “Are you going to the infirmary, Miss? I can show you. It’s on my way back to the dock.”

  “Why, thank you. I could certainly get lost quickly around here.” Nora began to follow him as he led the way.

  “It’s been known to happen. Just make sure you follow the letters—A’s on the left side, and B’s on the right.” Stopping at door or with glass in it, he opened it and stepped aside.

  “This would be you, Miss. Good Luck!” He quickly turned and took off, leaving Nora to stare at the disaster of an infirmary.

  “Oh, this won’t do. Didn’t anyone think to unpack the supplies?” Shaking her head in disbelief, Nora rolled up her sleeves and got to work.

  ~~~~~~

  Hours later, as the passengers were finally boarding the ship, the doctor showed up to inspect his work area.

  “I apologize for the mess. We haven’t had a chance to get everything in place. I’ll send a couple of porters when we set sail to help you get this taken care of properly.”

  “Why, this will work perfectly.” Nora heard him speak to the builder, Mr. Andrews. “What mess are you talking about, my man?”

  Nora decided to pop her head out at that point. “Afternoon, Doctor. Mr. Andrews was correct, it was a mess in here, but I’ve taken care of it and made s
ure we have the supplies ready for those who get sick as we make our way out onto the ocean.”

  “Ah, Nurse Ryan. What a pleasure to meet you again.” Mr. Andrews took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “Well, it seems as if everything is ready for you, Doctor. I’ll be on my way, as I’ve got to get this ship ready for departure.” Tilting his head in their direction, Mr. Andrews left the infirmary.

  An awkward silence filled the room as the doctor cleared his throat.

  “Hello, sir. Is there anything you would like to see to make sure it is up to your requirements?” Nora had worked with many doctors at several hospitals in London, and had learned each doctor had his own method.

  “No, I don’t think that will be necessary. I am the only doctor on board, and thus will only be available when it is absolutely necessary. I am making you the head nurse since you seem to be quite efficient. When the other nurses arrive, let me know and I will tell them the same thing.”

  He turned to leave, but Nora interrupted his quick departure.

  “Sir, what do you prefer to be called?”

  “Oh, yes. Doctor Hughes will be fine. Is there anything else nurse?” he asked impatiently.

  “No, sir. I’ll let you know when everyone has arrived.”

  “Good. See that you do.” Rubbing his graying hair absently, he left, leaving Nora bewildered as to the type of medical care the ship’s builders thought would be needed on this voyage.

  Before the door could close, someone ran down the hall, screaming, “We need a doctor. Help!”

  The doctor emerged from his room across the hall as Nora opened the door to see what was the matter.

  “There is a sick man in one of the rooms, and when we tried to shake him, he just moaned. The first steward said to come and get you.” The poor steward was beside himself, trying to get it all out. “Hurry, please.”

  Seeing Nora holding the doctor’s traveling bag, he began to run back down the hallway.

  Nora took off after him, glancing back at the doctor’s slow pace. Pulling on the steward’s hand, she requested, “Hold on. Show me which way and I’ll go help. You stay with the doctor and make sure he finds gets there.”