"Why? Why did you have to do this to me, Caps? Why..." Caps looked at his long-time girlfriend, Lavender. He looked at the hole in her dress stained with blood. In horror, he looked down at the knife in his hand, gleaming in the light. He watched his hand open and the knife fall to the floor. All of a sudden, something in side him snapped as the clang sounded throughout the room. He climbed up to the roof on top of the two-story abandoned warehouse that the newsies sometimes took their girls to when they wanted to be alone together. He ran towards the edge of the building, closed his eyes, and jumped. He never felt his body hit the ground.
********
"Race, come 'er, I tink he's wakin' up," Kid Blink, a Manhattan newsie said to his friend who was in the room with him. Caps was moving around. He felt like there were thousand of bricks pressing down on his body. He tried to move, and found he couldn't. He slowly started to open his eyes, surprised at how bright and glaring the light was. "Run! Go get Kloppman!" Kid Blink yelled. Kloppman was the manager of the lodging house that Kid Blink, Racetrack, Caps, and many other newsies in their group lived in. Since there wasn't enough money to send Caps to a hospital, they had to take him there and see what Kloppman could do for him. Groans were now coming from Caps' mouth. "It's okay buddy, Kloppmans comin'," Kid said to his friend.
"Is 'e finally up now?" Kloppman asked, coming into the room.
"Yeah, I tink 'e is. E's groaning and 'is eyes are kinda open."
"Dat's good. Very good indeed. It means dere's a chance fer 'im to live. Blink, go get me s'more water and anudda towel. Race, go tell da guys ta get some food fer him from Tilly's. Sumthin soft!" Both Race and Blink left, eager to do their jobs if it meant Caps could be better.
"Ahhhh...it's good you're wakin up, ya know. You really gave us all a scare dere, Caps. Lucky Jack found ya dere on da ground in front of dat buildin'. If 'e hadn't come along, you'se be dead. Now you'se just gotta get better so you can tell the bulls who pushed you off and who k- never mind. Let's just wait until you're a little better."
Caps tried to speak, but couldn't make any sounds that even remotely sounded like words. "Ugg me Landuh..."
"Quiet, now, ya don't want ta wear yourself out." Blink came in with the towel and water and Kloppman started cleaning up Caps' cuts and scrapes and changing bandages.
"Ya know, Caps," he said. "You'se gots a really nice shinah dere. Looks like you'se got in a fight with da bulls." Someone knocked on the door.
"Can I come in?" Jack poked his head into the room. "I heard dat he's awake."
"He is," Kloppman said, "but don't' push 'im ta do anything. 'E's still weak, and 'e can't talk yet."
"Okay." Jack turned his attention to his friend, who was quickly slipping back into his unconscious state to escape from the pain. "Hey, Caps! Ya know, I'se bin fighting away people from your sellin' spot since I found ya. Don't worry, it'll still be dere. Everyone was worried about you'se dying or sumthin', but I told them..." Caps slipped away from the real world and back to his memories.
********
"Race, come 'er, I tink he's wakin' up," Kid Blink, a Manhattan newsie said to his friend who was in the room with him. Caps was moving around. He felt like there were thousand of bricks pressing down on his body. He tried to move, and found he couldn't. He slowly started to open his eyes, surprised at how bright and glaring the light was. "Run! Go get Kloppman!" Kid Blink yelled. Kloppman was the manager of the lodging house that Kid Blink, Racetrack, Caps, and many other newsies in their group lived in. Since there wasn't enough money to send Caps to a hospital, they had to take him there and see what Kloppman could do for him. Groans were now coming from Caps' mouth. "It's okay buddy, Kloppmans comin'," Kid said to his friend.
"Is 'e finally up now?" Kloppman asked, coming into the room.
"Yeah, I tink 'e is. E's groaning and 'is eyes are kinda open."
"Dat's good. Very good indeed. It means dere's a chance fer 'im to live. Blink, go get me s'more water and anudda towel. Race, go tell da guys ta get some food fer him from Tilly's. Sumthin soft!" Both Race and Blink left, eager to do their jobs if it meant Caps could be better.
"Ahhhh...it's good you're wakin up, ya know. You really gave us all a scare dere, Caps. Lucky Jack found ya dere on da ground in front of dat buildin'. If 'e hadn't come along, you'se be dead. Now you'se just gotta get better so you can tell the bulls who pushed you off and who k- never mind. Let's just wait until you're a little better."
Caps tried to speak, but couldn't make any sounds that even remotely sounded like words. "Ugg me Landuh..."
"Quiet, now, ya don't want ta wear yourself out." Blink came in with the towel and water and Kloppman started cleaning up Caps' cuts and scrapes and changing bandages.
"Ya know, Caps," he said. "You'se gots a really nice shinah dere. Looks like you'se got in a fight with da bulls." Someone knocked on the door.
"Can I come in?" Jack poked his head into the room. "I heard dat he's awake."
"He is," Kloppman said, "but don't' push 'im ta do anything. 'E's still weak, and 'e can't talk yet."
"Okay." Jack turned his attention to his friend, who was quickly slipping back into his unconscious state to escape from the pain. "Hey, Caps! Ya know, I'se bin fighting away people from your sellin' spot since I found ya. Don't worry, it'll still be dere. Everyone was worried about you'se dying or sumthin', but I told them..." Caps slipped away from the real world and back to his memories.