a hungry baby.
There were several unidentified babies already in the dining saloon, waiting for mothers to claim them. One woman in number twelve spoke of catching a baby that had been thrown to her, but she had no idea by whom, and she thought it might have been by a woman from steerage who had made her way to the Boat Deck and then gave her child to anyone who would take it off the ship. The baby was inside, crying now, along with several others.
The scene in the dining saloon was both touching and chaotic. Women sat together in small clusters, crying softly for their men, being questioned by the stewardesses, the nurses, and the doctors, and a handful of men were there too, but pitifully few, thanks to Second Officer Lightoller, who would not let most of them into the lifeboats. Still, several had survived in spite of it, due to less stringent rules on the starboard side, and ingenuity in some events. Still others had died in the water, attempting to scramble into lifeboats. But most of those who had jumped from the ship had been left in the water to die by those who were too afraid to pick them up, for fear that they might capsize the lifeboats. Theyhad made a piteous din at first, until at last there was only the terrible silence.
Edwina saw Jack Thayer enter the room then, and a moment later heard his mother scream as she discovered him too, and she rushed toward him, crying, and then Edwina heard her ask him, “Where’s Daddy?” He saw Edwina then, and nodded, and finally she walked slowly over to him, afraid of what he might say, yet still hopeful that he might have good news, but he shook his head sadly as he saw her coming.
“Was anyone from my family in your lifeboat?”
“I’m afraid not, Miss Winfield. Your brother was at first, but he slipped out when a wave hit, and I don’t know if he was picked up by another lifeboat. Mr. Fitzgerald jumped about the same time I did, but I never saw him again. And your parents were still on the deck the last time I saw them.” And he didn’t tell her that he had the impression that they were determined to stay together and go down with the ship, if they had to. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened to them.” He choked on the words as someone handed him a glass of brandy. “I’m very sorry.” She nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. She seemed to cry all the time now.
“Thank you.” She didn’t want it to be true. It couldn’t be. She wanted him to tell her that they were alive, that they were safe, that they were in the next room. Not that they had drowned, or he didn’t know. Not Phillip and Charles and Alexis and her parents. It couldn’t be … she wouldn’t let it. And one of the nurses came to her then. The doctor wanted to see her about little Teddy. And when she went to him, he was lying listless, still wrapped in a blanket, his eyes huge, his hands cold, his little body trembling as he looked at her. She picked him up and held him as the doctor told her that the next several hours would be crucial. “No!” she said out loud, her hands and body shaking more than the child’s. “No!He’s alright … he’s fine….” She couldn’t let anything happen to him, not now, not if … no! She couldn’t bear it. Everything had been so perfect for them. They had all loved each other so much, and now suddenly they were all gone, or most of them, and the doctor had told her that Teddy might not survive the exposure. She held him close to her now, willing her own body heat into him, and trying to make him drink the hot bouillon he refused to swallow. He just shook his head back and forth, and clung to Edwina.
“Will he be okay?” George was staring up at her with huge eyes, as she clung to their little brother, and there were tears running down her cheeks now, and George’s, as he began to absorb the implications of all that had happened in the past few hours. “Will he, Edwina, will he be okay?”
“Oh, please, God … I hope
There were several unidentified babies already in the dining saloon, waiting for mothers to claim them. One woman in number twelve spoke of catching a baby that had been thrown to her, but she had no idea by whom, and she thought it might have been by a woman from steerage who had made her way to the Boat Deck and then gave her child to anyone who would take it off the ship. The baby was inside, crying now, along with several others.
The scene in the dining saloon was both touching and chaotic. Women sat together in small clusters, crying softly for their men, being questioned by the stewardesses, the nurses, and the doctors, and a handful of men were there too, but pitifully few, thanks to Second Officer Lightoller, who would not let most of them into the lifeboats. Still, several had survived in spite of it, due to less stringent rules on the starboard side, and ingenuity in some events. Still others had died in the water, attempting to scramble into lifeboats. But most of those who had jumped from the ship had been left in the water to die by those who were too afraid to pick them up, for fear that they might capsize the lifeboats. Theyhad made a piteous din at first, until at last there was only the terrible silence.
Edwina saw Jack Thayer enter the room then, and a moment later heard his mother scream as she discovered him too, and she rushed toward him, crying, and then Edwina heard her ask him, “Where’s Daddy?” He saw Edwina then, and nodded, and finally she walked slowly over to him, afraid of what he might say, yet still hopeful that he might have good news, but he shook his head sadly as he saw her coming.
“Was anyone from my family in your lifeboat?”
“I’m afraid not, Miss Winfield. Your brother was at first, but he slipped out when a wave hit, and I don’t know if he was picked up by another lifeboat. Mr. Fitzgerald jumped about the same time I did, but I never saw him again. And your parents were still on the deck the last time I saw them.” And he didn’t tell her that he had the impression that they were determined to stay together and go down with the ship, if they had to. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened to them.” He choked on the words as someone handed him a glass of brandy. “I’m very sorry.” She nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. She seemed to cry all the time now.
“Thank you.” She didn’t want it to be true. It couldn’t be. She wanted him to tell her that they were alive, that they were safe, that they were in the next room. Not that they had drowned, or he didn’t know. Not Phillip and Charles and Alexis and her parents. It couldn’t be … she wouldn’t let it. And one of the nurses came to her then. The doctor wanted to see her about little Teddy. And when she went to him, he was lying listless, still wrapped in a blanket, his eyes huge, his hands cold, his little body trembling as he looked at her. She picked him up and held him as the doctor told her that the next several hours would be crucial. “No!” she said out loud, her hands and body shaking more than the child’s. “No!He’s alright … he’s fine….” She couldn’t let anything happen to him, not now, not if … no! She couldn’t bear it. Everything had been so perfect for them. They had all loved each other so much, and now suddenly they were all gone, or most of them, and the doctor had told her that Teddy might not survive the exposure. She held him close to her now, willing her own body heat into him, and trying to make him drink the hot bouillon he refused to swallow. He just shook his head back and forth, and clung to Edwina.
“Will he be okay?” George was staring up at her with huge eyes, as she clung to their little brother, and there were tears running down her cheeks now, and George’s, as he began to absorb the implications of all that had happened in the past few hours. “Will he, Edwina, will he be okay?”
“Oh, please, God … I hope
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