Of Heartbeats and Stardust

The Sinking

Sunday night, approximately 11:45 p.m., April 14th aboard the RMS Titanic

A slight bump woke Winnei from a light sleep. She was beginning to get tired of being woken up in the middle of the night.

She tried to sit up but was stopped by an arm circled around her waist. She squinted over at Harry who was fast asleep beside her in peaceful content. She laughed as she shimmied her way out of his arms; it was better to let him sleep.

She stood up and stretched, looking at the clock. It was 11:46 now. She was already awake so it was no use trying to go back to sleep. She decided she might as well do something to keep her busy until the morning, or at least until Harry woke up.

She put on a spare pair of Harry's pajamas and a long robe. She hoped not many people were out; she could stand looking unacceptable if she was by herself but not if it could affect Harry's reputation as well.

She brought along Oliver Twist, though unsure if she could read it without a lamp of some kind, and slipped out of the room. She walked forward and came upon the entrance to the wheel house, where she observed closely.

The Captain and who she assumed to be one of the senior officers were speaking together, their backs to her. She refrained from going closer in fear of someone seeing her, and yet.

"Can I help you with anything?" a voice said from behind her.

Winnie whipped around to be faced with a fairly tall man with dark hair and grey eyes. He looked down at her with an eyebrow raised but his eyes were friendly. Winnie decided he would've been intimidating if not for the fact that he only had his nighties on.

"Oh!" Winnie said. She found it hard to think of a lie when she was looking someone in the eye. "I was just looking for...a ladies room. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to go in the officer's bathroom since...you're all men."

The man nodded, not seeming to be all the way convinced though. "But you shouldn't be in the officer's quarters at all," he said, giving her a mixed look. "Who exactly are you?"

"I'm Winifred...Lowe. Harold's wife," Winnie answered, hoping that the name drop could get her out of the conversation.

The man's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh! Harold's wife! Of course." He became aware that he was in his nighties and smiled lamely. "You're free to use the officer's bathroom, but if you do feel uncomfortable, I can call a steward to escort you to the 1st class lavatories."

Winnie, seeing he would no longer be a problem, smiled back. "Oh, it's fine. I was just wondering about that bump I felt. It wasn't much but this is a boat. Is it something to worry about?"

"Probably nothing, sir," a voice piped up. Another man, a bit shorter with darker hair and eyes, walked up to them, giving a respectful nod to the man and Winnie. "I'm Officer Pitman," he said, shaking Winnie's hand. "And you're likely Mrs. Lowe. Nice to finally meet you. I've been meaning to ask Harold about you but we're not on shift together."

"And I'm Second Officer Lightroller," the other man added, also shaking Winnie's hand.

"Nice to meet you both," Winnie said. She glanced back to the bridge where the captain and officer were still talking. "Are we sure it's nothing?"

"Yes, it's probably just ice," Lightroller answered. He gave her a smile. "It's late, Mrs. Lowe. You should head back to bed."

Winnie nodded, giving one last wave before heading back to her room. Harry was still fast asleep as she opened the door, slipping in and trying to find her way around in the dark. Although she believed the impact was probably nothing much, she couldn't help but remember the ship from 1906; a merchant vessel headed to Russia.