Gav awoke early. She stretched and hopped quietly off her bunk,
carefully, not to wake Kat. She smiled at Spit Fire on the bunk next to
hers, still sound asleep after being out late with Patrick. She mentally
reminded herself to ask Spit Fire how that went. Last night had been an
early night for her: She and Blink had sat quietly on the roof watching
stars. Her eyes glanced up to see Columbia sleeping soundly. She pulled
on a clean shirt, and slid on Blink's old hat which she had taken to be her
own. She pulled her dirty blond hair back and tucked it under the cap.
She staggered to the bathroom where she stood in front of the mirror,
rubbing her eyes. She stretched again and washed her face. She gathered
some water in her hands to drink from before drying her hands on a towel.
Then, Gav walked over and woke up Spit Fire, Columbia and Kat. They'd get ready and as usual, Gav would buy all their papers and meet them back here when they were ready. As she walked to the distribution center she whistled and smiled at the people she passed. She ordered her 200 papers and walked back to the lodging house just in time to see Kat and Spit Fire coming down the stairs.
"Dere ya go," Gav said handing them their shares.
"T'anks" They all said, basically in unison.
"Heya guys, do ya mind if I'se sell wit Patrick taday?" Spit Fire asked.
"Nah, go ahead" Gav and Kat told her.
Columbia just yawned.
Fire smiled as she sat down and waited for Patrick to come out.
Kat, Columbia and Gav walked to their usual selling spot. They'd found a perfect spot where hundreds of people it seemed passed each day. Right in front of the old looking building the girls stood selling papers. Soon they got restless and started goofing around.
Gav smiled as she and Kat joked around about selling their last three papers of the day. Columbia started talking about all she had done the night before, and Gav stepped sideways a little from laughing so hard, and lost her balance and laughed even harder as she fell into the street. Her papers splayed all over and Gav picked them up piece by piece looking up just in time to see a cart speeding at her. She tried to pull herself up in time, but it was too late. Everything went black...
Gav opened her eyes to a wall of pain striking her body. They quickly shut again as she turned her head from the sun. Her neck felt immediate pain and her head and body throbbed. She took a quick breath, and started coughing as the dirt from the street stirred up.
"Gav!" Spit Fire said, with urgency in her voice.
Gav turned her head and opened her eyes. Spit Fire, Patrick, Columbia and Kid Blink had gathered around her. They were all scared but Spit Fire took charge. Fire had come running when she heard Kat's scream seeing Gav get struck down, and immediately sent Kat for help.
"Shhh," Spit Fire hushed, in effort to calm Gav. "It's okay, Gavvy. It's okay."
Columbia kneeled wide-eyed next to her.
Gav couldn't move. She tried to touch her face to see why it was hurting so much below her right eye and all the way down to her chin. She turned her head again, and from the corner of her eye she saw the blood. She inhaled quickly with fear, and swallowed.
Blink held her hand. She squeezed her fingers around his and let her eyes close. She bit her bottom lip and focused on Blink holding her hand. The sun shining on her face was hot, and as she turned her head again she saw people coming out of shops and restaurants watching her. Blink leaned down and kissed her left cheek and whispered in her ear.
"It's okay, you'se 'll be fine, sweety." He said.
Gav started panicking and tried to life her head. It was too hard to do. She let her head fall back to the ground, and lost consciousness.
Gav found herself opening her eyes again surrounded by people. Mush, Patrick and Race were all in the corner and Lacey, Columbia, Kat and Spit Fire surrounded her bed. Her jaw ached and clenched immediately, and embarrassment flooded over her. Her eyes watered at the soreness her body was feeling, but she swallowed and tried to smile at the girls. As she smiled her face ached and her hand reached up to feel the stitches on her cheek.
"Heya, Gav," Kat said. At the sound of the girls talking the boys immediately came over to see Gav.
"Whats a mattah wit me?" Gav asked quietly.
Lacey looked at her feet. "You'se got beat up pretty bad by a cart or sometin.' It lost control when a horse broke free from it," Lacey said, unable to look at the pained look on her friend's face.
Gav looked straight at the ceiling and focused on what she was feeling. She knew her right eye and cheek were pretty bad, and her right wrist was in pain too. Her back hurt, but not nearly as bad the pain in her ribs. She shifted positions and cringed.
Blink came running in with Jack in tow. Jack pushed his hair back and smiled uneasily.
Gav noticed everyone had fake smiles on. All of them were hiding something. She looked at each one carefully, making eye contact with each.
"What is it?" She asked.
Blink came forward slid his hand along her cheek. He reached out and held her left hand and squeezed it. Gav's chin moved slightly, as close to a nod as she could do. Her body got chills as Blink's other hand touched her leg. She saw him do it, but didn't feel it. She gasped. His arm kept moving, but she felt nothing.
Immediately out of breath, everyone remained silent. She tried to move her legs, but nothing happened. She wiggled her toes, and twisted her ankles around in her mind, but no one in the room saw any motion.
Her lips started shivering and Kat pulled a blanket up around her. Her whole body quivered and Blink broke. He couldn't see her like this, and he quietly turned and left. Gav wasn't mad though. She had done the same thing when her mother was hurt bad like this. It's not something you can watch.
Her tears ran freely now, stinging the scrapes on her face. A nurse finally came in and softly ushered the newsies out of the room. She gave Gav a pill to take, and Gav drifted off to sleep.
Back at the lodging house things were typical. Bumlets and Skittery were a little confused on why none of the newsies were back yet from selling, but didn't think much of it. Newsies clustered in their usually groups throughout the lodging house and on the porch.
Jack led the group into the house. Immediately things got quiet. Whenever Jack led a group of people like that, it meant that something had happened, or was about to. Blink had drifted towards the back, while Kat tried to get closer to him to console him. Spit Fire stayed close to Patrick, and the two of them walked with their arms around each other. Each of the guys had been happy that none of their girls had gotten hurt.
Kat led Blink up to his bunk, and Jack and the rest stayed to tell everyone else what was going on. Les's eyes widened as he realized one of his favorite people to practice fencing with may never walk again. Kat, Columbia and Spit Fire sat down on a couch in the lobby. Spit Fire curled up in a ball, hugging her knees to her chin, as Kat sat trying to clear her head. Columbia sat there shaking, not from being cold, but hearing Gav's scream over and over in her head. All she saw over and over was Gav getting hit. Kloppman came over to the girls with glasses of water for each. They each drank slowly and calmed down. Slowly, the afternoon faded to night and the newsies headed to bed.
Early the next morning Blink got to the hospital to visit Gav. No one had discussed how they were going to pay for this yet, but they knew Gav needed to be there. Gav was sitting straight up in her legs out in front of her. She sat straight so her ribs didn't hurt, but it was so uncomfortable. A nurse had brought a wheel chair into the room, and when Gav was ready she could try sitting in it and using it. She hardly noticed that her wrist was bandaged, but all she knew was things were ruined. Why didn't I just think, Gav asked herself for the hundredth time that morning. Her head glanced up as it usually did when she felt exasperated, but its ripple effect of pain it caused made her immediately straighten up.
The knock on the door startled Gav, but she was overjoyed to see Blink. He leaned in and kissed her cheek and sat down on the side of her bed. He held both of her hands and just stared into her eyes. He had cried the night before, but vowed to not cry in front of Gav again. He was afraid to upset her, knowing how sudden this all was.
"Sleep well?" He asked, trying to act like nothing was wrong.
Gav smiled. It hurt, but it made her feel good. "Ah, been beddah'" She said, sighing.
The two chatted for an hour or so until he was asked to leave. He kissed each of her fingers as he left, something that he'd continue to do each day he saw her.
After the fifth day of Gav being in the hospital, she decided she could move again. Everything still hurt, but she figured it wouldn't stop anytime soon and she needed to stop feeling sorry for herself. When Blink and Patrick visited her that afternoon, she asked them to help her into the chair. Blink lifted her and Patrick steadied the chair, and Gav sat in it. It didn't feel right. But how was it supposed to feel? She smiled and acted as though it was fine and she was happy to be mobile, when all she really wanted to do was curl up in bed and throw the coves over her head.
She turned the wheels slowly and with the boys behind her she pushed out into the hall. She got a few feet before her arms became too tired. She knew she was strong enough to turn the wheels of the chair, but she didn't want to. And if she didn't want to do something, then she never did it well.
On her eighth day Gav decided it was time to leave. Her room was on the second floor, so when Jack carried the new chair down the stairs, Gav wrapped her arms around Blink's neck and he carried her down. Her head found the perfect resting spot on his neck and she felt secure. Once downstairs, she was seated in the chair. Blink pushed her through the streets and up to the lodging house. Once inside the lobby, Gav seated herself down on the couch. Blink sat down next to her and she cuddled closely to him. Over the few days she was in the hospital she gave all of her thought to her future. Her biggest fear was to have to leave the newsies. What is she had to go be with strangers? She couldn't imagine what she could do once she was so disabled. She couldn't sell anymore, or do anything that would require too much motion and stairs. Finally she thought of an idea: she could work at the lodging house. She could do the writing and numbers and give Kloppman a break. She was scared out of her mind to ask though.
Racetrack came into the room and seemed to read her mind. He had visited her a few times in the hospital, as everyone had, and so it no longer seemed necessary to be extra sensitive.
"Whaddaya gonna do now?" Race asked, meaning her future.
She looked down at her legs. "I was hoping I could work heah, fer Kloppman. Ya know, do da numbers and stuff." Once she said it out loud she immediately thought the idea was stupid. Blink and Race smiled at her, and told her they'd work it all out. She was happy then to see how caring they were. She'd seen it all along, but suddenly, it was overwhelming. When the boys returned she hugged each of them and thanked them. They told her the job would work, but it might be hard. She nodded and agreed, and knew that things might get back to the way they were before, at least slightly. She knew she wouldn't have to leave the newsies.
Then, Gav walked over and woke up Spit Fire, Columbia and Kat. They'd get ready and as usual, Gav would buy all their papers and meet them back here when they were ready. As she walked to the distribution center she whistled and smiled at the people she passed. She ordered her 200 papers and walked back to the lodging house just in time to see Kat and Spit Fire coming down the stairs.
"Dere ya go," Gav said handing them their shares.
"T'anks" They all said, basically in unison.
"Heya guys, do ya mind if I'se sell wit Patrick taday?" Spit Fire asked.
"Nah, go ahead" Gav and Kat told her.
Columbia just yawned.
Fire smiled as she sat down and waited for Patrick to come out.
Kat, Columbia and Gav walked to their usual selling spot. They'd found a perfect spot where hundreds of people it seemed passed each day. Right in front of the old looking building the girls stood selling papers. Soon they got restless and started goofing around.
Gav smiled as she and Kat joked around about selling their last three papers of the day. Columbia started talking about all she had done the night before, and Gav stepped sideways a little from laughing so hard, and lost her balance and laughed even harder as she fell into the street. Her papers splayed all over and Gav picked them up piece by piece looking up just in time to see a cart speeding at her. She tried to pull herself up in time, but it was too late. Everything went black...
Gav opened her eyes to a wall of pain striking her body. They quickly shut again as she turned her head from the sun. Her neck felt immediate pain and her head and body throbbed. She took a quick breath, and started coughing as the dirt from the street stirred up.
"Gav!" Spit Fire said, with urgency in her voice.
Gav turned her head and opened her eyes. Spit Fire, Patrick, Columbia and Kid Blink had gathered around her. They were all scared but Spit Fire took charge. Fire had come running when she heard Kat's scream seeing Gav get struck down, and immediately sent Kat for help.
"Shhh," Spit Fire hushed, in effort to calm Gav. "It's okay, Gavvy. It's okay."
Columbia kneeled wide-eyed next to her.
Gav couldn't move. She tried to touch her face to see why it was hurting so much below her right eye and all the way down to her chin. She turned her head again, and from the corner of her eye she saw the blood. She inhaled quickly with fear, and swallowed.
Blink held her hand. She squeezed her fingers around his and let her eyes close. She bit her bottom lip and focused on Blink holding her hand. The sun shining on her face was hot, and as she turned her head again she saw people coming out of shops and restaurants watching her. Blink leaned down and kissed her left cheek and whispered in her ear.
"It's okay, you'se 'll be fine, sweety." He said.
Gav started panicking and tried to life her head. It was too hard to do. She let her head fall back to the ground, and lost consciousness.
Gav found herself opening her eyes again surrounded by people. Mush, Patrick and Race were all in the corner and Lacey, Columbia, Kat and Spit Fire surrounded her bed. Her jaw ached and clenched immediately, and embarrassment flooded over her. Her eyes watered at the soreness her body was feeling, but she swallowed and tried to smile at the girls. As she smiled her face ached and her hand reached up to feel the stitches on her cheek.
"Heya, Gav," Kat said. At the sound of the girls talking the boys immediately came over to see Gav.
"Whats a mattah wit me?" Gav asked quietly.
Lacey looked at her feet. "You'se got beat up pretty bad by a cart or sometin.' It lost control when a horse broke free from it," Lacey said, unable to look at the pained look on her friend's face.
Gav looked straight at the ceiling and focused on what she was feeling. She knew her right eye and cheek were pretty bad, and her right wrist was in pain too. Her back hurt, but not nearly as bad the pain in her ribs. She shifted positions and cringed.
Blink came running in with Jack in tow. Jack pushed his hair back and smiled uneasily.
Gav noticed everyone had fake smiles on. All of them were hiding something. She looked at each one carefully, making eye contact with each.
"What is it?" She asked.
Blink came forward slid his hand along her cheek. He reached out and held her left hand and squeezed it. Gav's chin moved slightly, as close to a nod as she could do. Her body got chills as Blink's other hand touched her leg. She saw him do it, but didn't feel it. She gasped. His arm kept moving, but she felt nothing.
Immediately out of breath, everyone remained silent. She tried to move her legs, but nothing happened. She wiggled her toes, and twisted her ankles around in her mind, but no one in the room saw any motion.
Her lips started shivering and Kat pulled a blanket up around her. Her whole body quivered and Blink broke. He couldn't see her like this, and he quietly turned and left. Gav wasn't mad though. She had done the same thing when her mother was hurt bad like this. It's not something you can watch.
Her tears ran freely now, stinging the scrapes on her face. A nurse finally came in and softly ushered the newsies out of the room. She gave Gav a pill to take, and Gav drifted off to sleep.
Back at the lodging house things were typical. Bumlets and Skittery were a little confused on why none of the newsies were back yet from selling, but didn't think much of it. Newsies clustered in their usually groups throughout the lodging house and on the porch.
Jack led the group into the house. Immediately things got quiet. Whenever Jack led a group of people like that, it meant that something had happened, or was about to. Blink had drifted towards the back, while Kat tried to get closer to him to console him. Spit Fire stayed close to Patrick, and the two of them walked with their arms around each other. Each of the guys had been happy that none of their girls had gotten hurt.
Kat led Blink up to his bunk, and Jack and the rest stayed to tell everyone else what was going on. Les's eyes widened as he realized one of his favorite people to practice fencing with may never walk again. Kat, Columbia and Spit Fire sat down on a couch in the lobby. Spit Fire curled up in a ball, hugging her knees to her chin, as Kat sat trying to clear her head. Columbia sat there shaking, not from being cold, but hearing Gav's scream over and over in her head. All she saw over and over was Gav getting hit. Kloppman came over to the girls with glasses of water for each. They each drank slowly and calmed down. Slowly, the afternoon faded to night and the newsies headed to bed.
Early the next morning Blink got to the hospital to visit Gav. No one had discussed how they were going to pay for this yet, but they knew Gav needed to be there. Gav was sitting straight up in her legs out in front of her. She sat straight so her ribs didn't hurt, but it was so uncomfortable. A nurse had brought a wheel chair into the room, and when Gav was ready she could try sitting in it and using it. She hardly noticed that her wrist was bandaged, but all she knew was things were ruined. Why didn't I just think, Gav asked herself for the hundredth time that morning. Her head glanced up as it usually did when she felt exasperated, but its ripple effect of pain it caused made her immediately straighten up.
The knock on the door startled Gav, but she was overjoyed to see Blink. He leaned in and kissed her cheek and sat down on the side of her bed. He held both of her hands and just stared into her eyes. He had cried the night before, but vowed to not cry in front of Gav again. He was afraid to upset her, knowing how sudden this all was.
"Sleep well?" He asked, trying to act like nothing was wrong.
Gav smiled. It hurt, but it made her feel good. "Ah, been beddah'" She said, sighing.
The two chatted for an hour or so until he was asked to leave. He kissed each of her fingers as he left, something that he'd continue to do each day he saw her.
After the fifth day of Gav being in the hospital, she decided she could move again. Everything still hurt, but she figured it wouldn't stop anytime soon and she needed to stop feeling sorry for herself. When Blink and Patrick visited her that afternoon, she asked them to help her into the chair. Blink lifted her and Patrick steadied the chair, and Gav sat in it. It didn't feel right. But how was it supposed to feel? She smiled and acted as though it was fine and she was happy to be mobile, when all she really wanted to do was curl up in bed and throw the coves over her head.
She turned the wheels slowly and with the boys behind her she pushed out into the hall. She got a few feet before her arms became too tired. She knew she was strong enough to turn the wheels of the chair, but she didn't want to. And if she didn't want to do something, then she never did it well.
On her eighth day Gav decided it was time to leave. Her room was on the second floor, so when Jack carried the new chair down the stairs, Gav wrapped her arms around Blink's neck and he carried her down. Her head found the perfect resting spot on his neck and she felt secure. Once downstairs, she was seated in the chair. Blink pushed her through the streets and up to the lodging house. Once inside the lobby, Gav seated herself down on the couch. Blink sat down next to her and she cuddled closely to him. Over the few days she was in the hospital she gave all of her thought to her future. Her biggest fear was to have to leave the newsies. What is she had to go be with strangers? She couldn't imagine what she could do once she was so disabled. She couldn't sell anymore, or do anything that would require too much motion and stairs. Finally she thought of an idea: she could work at the lodging house. She could do the writing and numbers and give Kloppman a break. She was scared out of her mind to ask though.
Racetrack came into the room and seemed to read her mind. He had visited her a few times in the hospital, as everyone had, and so it no longer seemed necessary to be extra sensitive.
"Whaddaya gonna do now?" Race asked, meaning her future.
She looked down at her legs. "I was hoping I could work heah, fer Kloppman. Ya know, do da numbers and stuff." Once she said it out loud she immediately thought the idea was stupid. Blink and Race smiled at her, and told her they'd work it all out. She was happy then to see how caring they were. She'd seen it all along, but suddenly, it was overwhelming. When the boys returned she hugged each of them and thanked them. They told her the job would work, but it might be hard. She nodded and agreed, and knew that things might get back to the way they were before, at least slightly. She knew she wouldn't have to leave the newsies.