Timeless: Through Time - Garcy

The Unsinkable Ship (8)

Revolutions coming, no time for lies and games
The State's inspiring hate, something I conspire tae break

Here by the way it'd be nice if nob'dy had tae die the day

- Stanley Odd, It's All Gone to Fuck

It wasn't easy to watch the Titanic sink down inch by inch. Watching the last of the lifeboats get lowered was even worse, somehow. It was the knowing how many would die and the knowing there was nothing she could do to save them once those boats were all in the water that made her heart ache like nothing she'd ever felt before.

She'd tried. She'd had so much hope. It hadn't been enough. And she'd have to live with that.
But at least the boats were full. At least Flynn was perched on the edge of the lifeboat beside her. It wasn't the safest or most comfortable of situations, and you could forget about ever feeling like you would be warm again, but they were alive.

The women whose husbands had been too late for the intervention of Lucy and Flynn glared at him with mutinous eyes, but her presence beside him formed a barrier. They couldn't say anything when there was someone there who needed him so much they'd forced hundreds into lifeboats just to ensure he was one of them.

She leaned her head on Flynn's shoulder, though her hands stayed firmly stuffed under her layers of skirts for warmth. Lucy was so cold she was fairly certain little icicles would be forming on her nose any second now.
It was only silence save for the distant ruckus and steady thud of the oars rowing the boat as far away as the shipman in charge could get them. He'd refused Flynn's help, stupidly, and was already slowing with fatigue. She had a nasty feeling Flynn would end up taking the brunt of that once he finally swallowed his pride and accepted the offer.

But for now, she closed her eyes, feeling Flynn's head rest atop hers. She wished she could just sleep.

But then that piercing wailing started up again - Bertram cried with all the strength he had left in his little lungs. Which was, contrary to his miniature size, apparently a whole lot of strength. That set off the baby, which set off everyone muttering grumpily and resulted in half-hearted attempts from those sitting around Etta to calm them down. One woman relieved her of Millvena, cooing and muttering assurances in her ear that everything was going to be okay.

Lucy pulled a funny face from across the boat, sticking out her tongue and crossing her eyes over to appease the toddler.

Uh oh. Wrong thing to do. Bertram locked on her, screaming and kicking his tiny feet as if she was directly responsible for his hissy fit. He was right next to her, and tugged on her skirts hard enough to make her lose her balance and rock dangerously on the edge.

"Stop that," Etta warned firmly, pulling him away - but Bertram wouldn't hear of it. He shot back like he was on a mechanism and barrelled right into her. It was enough to make her lose her balance completely.

"No! No-"

It was all Lucy could do to free her hands at the last second and shove the toddler safely into the boat before she lost her balance and toppled from the boat, plunging into the icy water. Her body went into shock and her lungs dragged in as much air as they could before her head joined the rest of her in the water.
Every sound turned muffled, yells from the boat mere gargles, and all her brain could scream over and over again was -

I'm going to die.

I'm going to sink, and drown, and die.

Suddenly, Lucy was back in her car. She was pleasantly cozy, blasting John Denver as loud as the speakers would go. Her fingers tapped to the beat on the steering wheel.