The Titanic: A New Life

Chapter 9

I hummed a soft, sweet lullaby until Emily was snoring softly as the night carried on. I made sure I was awake to protect her from anything that came our way.
Soon after, another little girl, crying uncontrollably, was brought to me in the arms of the woman who had caught me.
The little one seemed to be about three years old, and several people turned to stare at me. It seemed for the first time they noticed the panicked child sleeping on my legs, which were starting to lose feeling along with the rest of my body. Wonder filled their once vacant eyes as they continued to watch Emily.
But now it seemed I would have another child to focus on.
"This girl's name is Hazel," the woman explained to me sadly. "She lost her mother and father on the ark. I know you have one child to deal with now already, and I understand if you don't want this one, but no one knows how to get her to stop crying. Could you take her?"
I stared at the child with her sandy blonde hair and green eyes, in a little yellow dress with a small white petticoat, before my eyes flicked back up to the woman's face. This child deserved as much of a chance at life as Emily or any other child.
I stretched out my open arm to take her.
The lady smiled warmly as the child was transferred from her arms to mine.
"Shh," I soothed, the child's cries growing fainter and fainter. "I'm here now. Mommy's going to take care of you."
How old I felt at the age of thirteen, already with two children of my own. But there was no one there to help me raise them. However, I had learned enough about parenting from Marilynn and taking care of Michael to look after two children on a life raft. They would find better homes when we got to the rescue boat.
The lady who watched me quiet the child gaped at my abilities with children as I shifted my gaze to her, cradling Hazel in my arm and pulling part of the decently sized blanket over her sleeping figure. I moved Hazel gently into my lap next to Emily's head until I was sure she was secure. I was sure that woman wasn't the only one impressed with my ability as more passengers started to watch my every movement.
"My name is Jillian, by the way," the woman notified me with a small curtsy. "And I'm impressed with your ability with children. I hope that those boats get here soon so you can get home."
She was more of a mother to me than my real one had been in the past few days before she died, even though the amount of things she had done was small. She hurried better coats to me that no one was using, she gave us information about where we were and what time it was, and she even constantly asked us if we were comfortable. She remained by us throughout the boat ride, standing by us as if we were her own. And the sad thing was, we had just met her.
I knew I would take better care of these children than my old mother ever had. They would be mine if they couldn't find their biological parents. I wanted them to have the best lives they could and, if it wasn't with me, so be it. I didn't care if they weren't mine, I still wanted them to be happy. Everyone deserved to be happy in life.
But I had a feeling they would love me. I knew they already did. And I hoped it would stay that way.