The Ocean On Their Shoulders

Chapter 28

The day was finally here. The project was finally ready to be set into motion with a grand opening ceremony to accompany it. It was also the first time she'd been out in public with Fontaine after her incredibly spontaneous lie of their engagement. As if the speech she had to give at the ceremony wasn't nerve-wracking enough. Wait until they'd get to Fort Frolic later that evening to celebrate her success. Downing wine glass after wine glass, her nerves weren't nearly ready yet to face this new life she'd be diving headfirst into. But, Rapture waits for no one, it's either sink or swim. And she'd be damned if she sunk after all the hard work she's put into this project, no less her life. The alcohol? Just a temporary coping mechanism, at least for the night.

Too bad she'd be too out of it to notice Stanley stalking around with a camera in hand and one goal on his mind.

~*~

The next inhale rattled every bone in her body, upsetting the butterflies to have taken up residency in her stomach. Wiping clammy palms along the waist of her dress, shaking fingers went back and forth with adjusting the skirt, smoothing out any creases she might have unintentionally made.

Her heart had been hammering ever since she slipped into the small utility room, a woman waiting for her - one of Ryan's employees - to do her hair and makeup before the ceremony. The woman was chatty, a nice distraction from the increasing murmur on the other side of the door, complimenting her hair and saying she had the perfect face for television. Jane held her lips in a thin smile, wanting to beg to differ but was rather grateful for the woman's kind words.

Not too soon after the woman was done with her final touches, fixing a curl or two from her updo, she left with a 'good luck' and a soft smile. The room fell eerily silent after, save for the distant clanking and hissing of the core around her - deep in the belly of Hephaestus.

Jane had been pacing around the room, heels clacking against the tiled floor as she repeated to herself the speech she was going to give with the occasional glance at the clock hanging above the door. It was about 10 minutes until the start of the ceremony, Ryan coming to get her any moment now and the thought filled her ears with cotton. She had to steady herself against a desk situated in the utility room, focusing on taking deep breaths until the dark brown spots disappeared from the corners of her vision.

God, where was Frank? If anything he'd be here reassuring her everything was going to be fine. Soft words spoken with a sharp edge to force her to see she was going to be ok.

She was going to be ok. On the other side of that door, the next chapter of her career awaited her. Years of schooling, years of working to prove herself and her capabilities, her intelligence, months of research, experimenting, and doubt. Everything accumulated into this project that was finally ready to be implemented in the city, a chance to get her name in the spotlight; and recognized, finally, for her hard work. She deserved it anyway, feeling as if she was no longer leashed to her humble nature.

Still, the limitless potential was there, the promise of success. And yet, there was the ever-present looming dread of failure hanging over her head on a slowly fraying rope. Today was make or break.

Jane didn't notice then that she had been chewing on her nails with each thought bombarding her. She swore under her breath at the habit her mother forced her to rid of at a young age. Yet, Jane found her nerves were sometimes far stronger than her conscious will. A few minutes later, the door's hinges suddenly squeaking startled her for a second as a sliver of light crept into the small space. Ryan peered his head around the door with a large grin.

"Are you ready, my dear?"

Taking a steady breath, having learned to brush aside Ryan's cycled monikers for her, she gave a nod of confirmation. She was honestly as ready as she'd ever be.