The Newsies
Chapter 21
Jerry sniffed and huffed, trying all he could not to cry out in pain. He looked down the alleyway to see someone standing there. He hoped for it to be one of the Newsies to come help him as the figure began to run hurriedly towards Jack and Jerry. Very soon, the figure reached them and pushed Jack off Jerry. Spot looked up into the boys eyes. It was Kid Blink. He had an angry expression. Jerry smiled happily and very relieved.
"Aww, thanks buddy! You--" He began but Kid Blink had his fist clenched around Jerry's collar.
"NO MORE LIES!" He exclaimed. "Now I don't know exactly what you're trying to do here, but I want it to stop! Why did you join the Smugglers?!" Kid Blink shouted. Spot flinched and winced. Very soon all Kid Blink's anger faded when he saw that Jerry's eyes were filled with tears. "W-What happened, Spot?" He asked. Spot sniffed and said pointing at Jack,
"He tried to kill me!" Jack jerked his head towards both of them and snarled. He got up and ran as fast as he could towards them. Kid Blink turned around and grabbed the lid of a barrel. As soon as Jack reached him, Blink smashed the lid into his face. Jack's head spun. He felt woozy and odd. He shook his head once and squeezed his eyes before falling face first on the ground, knocked out.
"C'mon, Spot. We'd better hurry up! Or we'll miss our train." Kid blink said, reaching down and throwing one of Jack's arms over his shoulder. Spot did the same and they began to drag him over to the hospital, quickly but carefully.
They soon arrived at the Hospital where they threw Jack on one of the beds and waited for him to awake. After maybe four or five hours of waiting they both gave up. It was getting late and the police still hadn't caught the Smugglers. Spot made his way to the window and peered out. He saw Mush wearing a Sheriff's clothes and holding a gun steadily in his hand. Spot chuckled. Mush wasn't really the bright kind of kid, but he always seemed to find a way to help. Spot moved his sight away from Mush and to Boots, who was sneaking under the tall men and taking their weapons secretively. Jerry looked a little ways and saw Snipeshooter, Davey and Les all working together to get a group of Smugglers out of their way. Davey looked over at the window just in time to see Spot smiling. Davey stretched a sweet and adorable smile across his own face and nodded to Spot. Spot's eyes widened at the gesture made. He never thought someone could forgive someone so fast as to not even have talked with them. He shook his head and heard a noise coming from Jack's room. He ran to the door where Kid Blink was standing as well.
"Uh, Blink.... Let me talk to him foist, kay?" Spot said, smiling. Kid Blink nodded and backed away. Jerry reached his hand to the knob and opened it to see Jack propped up on both elbows staring right back at him. "Hey, Jack." Spot whispered walking over to the chair by the bed. He sat down and put his hands together. Looking over at him he said, "I really am sorry, Jacky-boy... I didn't mean for it to go dat far...." His voice sounded sweetly subtle. Jack nodded.
"Spot, its fine... But I wanna know someting I neva asked before." Jack said, laying back down and turning his head to look at Jerry.
"Yeah?" Jerry said, looking back at him.
"I wanna know whatchya been trew! You always say, 'You don't know what I've been trew' and now I wanna know...So, what is it?" Jack said. Jerry never had anybody care about anything that happened to himself that he gasped out loud to Jack's remark. He nodded and began a long story.
"Well, when I was six, my parents were still alive. It was on my birthday and my father just came home. He brought me home a big delicious chocolate cake. My mother placed the candles on it and lit them. Everyone was so happy. We all laughed and joked until I had to make a wish on the candles. So, I made my lips in an "o" shape and blew as hard as I could, blowing the small flames out." Spot stopped and looked down at the ground. "Um... And then my dad brought out my present. It was big and green. My mom said to open it so.... I did. Inside was the slingshot I always shoot with. It had the letters "J.C." carved on the side. I got so excited and happy. I loved it.. and.. still do." "I hugged both my parents and thanked them when suddenly something crashed through the window and a big man hopped through. He was smiling. He introduced himself mockingly as Francis Sullivan." Jack stopped him and looked down, depressingly.
"My father...." He exclaimed. Spot nodded.
"Right..." He wiped away some tears and began again. "He turned to my father and said, 'I know that someway, somehow, you found out where my hiding spot is.' My father didn't want to tell him. But I knew as well as he did that he found their spot. My mother exclaimed to not speak but my Father told her to grab me and run. She told him she wasn't leaving and for that--" Spot huffed and sniffed out a tear or two. He wiped them away and started up once more. "For that... Your father shot her. Her hand was still clenching mine when she fell. My father turned to her and yelled her name... Josephine... But he could do nothing.. Because the smuggler already pulled the trigger on him too." Jerry looked away. His voice was hoarse and scratchy. "Francis looked at me and said, 'I'll leave you alive... It is worse to see the experience than to experience it...' and he left. I ran to my father and grabbed his hand. The last words he said were, 'Keep Brooklyn safe, son.' He smiled and stopped moving. I quickly rushed to my mother sobbing. I grabbed her hand as well. She said to me, 'Son, while I am gone, be good. Do good things and be kind. But be strong. Never give up.' She nodded at me and kissed me with her cold lips. That was the last thing she ever did. I sobbed and moved both their hands towards each other's so they'd be holding hands. And then.... A smuggler threw a flaming bottle at my house and it caught fire. I grabbed my slingshot and hat and ran from the house not looking back and not shedding any more tears...."
"Aww, thanks buddy! You--" He began but Kid Blink had his fist clenched around Jerry's collar.
"NO MORE LIES!" He exclaimed. "Now I don't know exactly what you're trying to do here, but I want it to stop! Why did you join the Smugglers?!" Kid Blink shouted. Spot flinched and winced. Very soon all Kid Blink's anger faded when he saw that Jerry's eyes were filled with tears. "W-What happened, Spot?" He asked. Spot sniffed and said pointing at Jack,
"He tried to kill me!" Jack jerked his head towards both of them and snarled. He got up and ran as fast as he could towards them. Kid Blink turned around and grabbed the lid of a barrel. As soon as Jack reached him, Blink smashed the lid into his face. Jack's head spun. He felt woozy and odd. He shook his head once and squeezed his eyes before falling face first on the ground, knocked out.
"C'mon, Spot. We'd better hurry up! Or we'll miss our train." Kid blink said, reaching down and throwing one of Jack's arms over his shoulder. Spot did the same and they began to drag him over to the hospital, quickly but carefully.
They soon arrived at the Hospital where they threw Jack on one of the beds and waited for him to awake. After maybe four or five hours of waiting they both gave up. It was getting late and the police still hadn't caught the Smugglers. Spot made his way to the window and peered out. He saw Mush wearing a Sheriff's clothes and holding a gun steadily in his hand. Spot chuckled. Mush wasn't really the bright kind of kid, but he always seemed to find a way to help. Spot moved his sight away from Mush and to Boots, who was sneaking under the tall men and taking their weapons secretively. Jerry looked a little ways and saw Snipeshooter, Davey and Les all working together to get a group of Smugglers out of their way. Davey looked over at the window just in time to see Spot smiling. Davey stretched a sweet and adorable smile across his own face and nodded to Spot. Spot's eyes widened at the gesture made. He never thought someone could forgive someone so fast as to not even have talked with them. He shook his head and heard a noise coming from Jack's room. He ran to the door where Kid Blink was standing as well.
"Uh, Blink.... Let me talk to him foist, kay?" Spot said, smiling. Kid Blink nodded and backed away. Jerry reached his hand to the knob and opened it to see Jack propped up on both elbows staring right back at him. "Hey, Jack." Spot whispered walking over to the chair by the bed. He sat down and put his hands together. Looking over at him he said, "I really am sorry, Jacky-boy... I didn't mean for it to go dat far...." His voice sounded sweetly subtle. Jack nodded.
"Spot, its fine... But I wanna know someting I neva asked before." Jack said, laying back down and turning his head to look at Jerry.
"Yeah?" Jerry said, looking back at him.
"I wanna know whatchya been trew! You always say, 'You don't know what I've been trew' and now I wanna know...So, what is it?" Jack said. Jerry never had anybody care about anything that happened to himself that he gasped out loud to Jack's remark. He nodded and began a long story.
"Well, when I was six, my parents were still alive. It was on my birthday and my father just came home. He brought me home a big delicious chocolate cake. My mother placed the candles on it and lit them. Everyone was so happy. We all laughed and joked until I had to make a wish on the candles. So, I made my lips in an "o" shape and blew as hard as I could, blowing the small flames out." Spot stopped and looked down at the ground. "Um... And then my dad brought out my present. It was big and green. My mom said to open it so.... I did. Inside was the slingshot I always shoot with. It had the letters "J.C." carved on the side. I got so excited and happy. I loved it.. and.. still do." "I hugged both my parents and thanked them when suddenly something crashed through the window and a big man hopped through. He was smiling. He introduced himself mockingly as Francis Sullivan." Jack stopped him and looked down, depressingly.
"My father...." He exclaimed. Spot nodded.
"Right..." He wiped away some tears and began again. "He turned to my father and said, 'I know that someway, somehow, you found out where my hiding spot is.' My father didn't want to tell him. But I knew as well as he did that he found their spot. My mother exclaimed to not speak but my Father told her to grab me and run. She told him she wasn't leaving and for that--" Spot huffed and sniffed out a tear or two. He wiped them away and started up once more. "For that... Your father shot her. Her hand was still clenching mine when she fell. My father turned to her and yelled her name... Josephine... But he could do nothing.. Because the smuggler already pulled the trigger on him too." Jerry looked away. His voice was hoarse and scratchy. "Francis looked at me and said, 'I'll leave you alive... It is worse to see the experience than to experience it...' and he left. I ran to my father and grabbed his hand. The last words he said were, 'Keep Brooklyn safe, son.' He smiled and stopped moving. I quickly rushed to my mother sobbing. I grabbed her hand as well. She said to me, 'Son, while I am gone, be good. Do good things and be kind. But be strong. Never give up.' She nodded at me and kissed me with her cold lips. That was the last thing she ever did. I sobbed and moved both their hands towards each other's so they'd be holding hands. And then.... A smuggler threw a flaming bottle at my house and it caught fire. I grabbed my slingshot and hat and ran from the house not looking back and not shedding any more tears...."