Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies
It was a cold night in the middle of December and Christmas was around the corner, barely a week away. This was good for Jack, as people gave more generous tips around this time, and seemed a little bit kinder to the poor newsboys of New York. After selling his papers early and having some extra money in his pocket, Jack decided to get something nice for his girlfriend Katherine.
He passed by a flower shop on the way to her apartment. Looking at all the prices, it seemed that he couldn't afford a full bouquet as he had hoped. But there was still a beautiful rose he knew she would love.
He pushed open the door to the building, walking up the stairs to her room. He knocked on the door, waiting for Katherine to appear. She usually arrived after six, and it was well after seven. Surely she would be home by now. But no one answered.
Then he saw her, walking up the stairs as well. Her red hair was damp with the melting snow and her cheeks were pink with cold. She seemed kind of tired, and barely even noticed his presence.
"Oh, hi." She took the keys out of her coat pocket and unlocked the door, letting them both inside.
"Why are you so late?" he asked.
"Work ran longer than expected," she explained, throwing the keys on the table. "So what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to surprise my favorite lady," Jack began. "With this," the rose was hidden behind his back and he presented it to her with a flourish of his hand.
"It's lovely, thank you." She set it on the dining table and hung up her jacket on the chair. She usually put it in the closet. It wasn't like Katherine to leave clothes lying around. Not that Jack cared. "I'm going to bed," she announced heading down the hall. Jack just nodded. He could tell it had been a long day for her. "Sorry I couldn't spend any time with you." She felt so guilty. The poor boy had gone through all this trouble to get to her apartment and waited who knows how long for her. Not to mention, he had spent his hard-earned money on a flower. But she simply did not have the energy, and was begging for rest for hours.
"Not a big deal," he assured her. He had had his share of hard days of work as well. Staring out the window, he saw a blizzard of falling snowflakes. "Can I, uh, sleep here tonight?" He didn't want to brave the storm to get home, and it wasn't the first time he had spent the night there (on the couch).
"Sure. Help yourself to some food if you want," she called out as she slipped inside the bedroom.
Jack hadn't had supper and was kind of hungry. He hadn't eaten since breakfast. Looking in the kitchen, he saw a variety of different options. He took butter from the fridge and spread it on a bagel. He poured himself a glass of milk and sat at the dining table eating, glad he got some free food.
As Jack Kelly had his little feast, Katherine got ready for bed. She peeled off her clothes and threw on a thick nightgown, the one she wore during the winter. She shivered and closed the window. It was dreadfully cold out. She normally brushed her hair at night, but was just too tired and went into her bed right away.
Despite being completely exhausted, Katherine just couldn't fall asleep. Her heavy blanket, usually good at keeping her warm, didn't do it's job, and she was still shaking, even under the covers. She wrapped them tightly around her, wondering how she could be so cold. She felt like the room was made of ice. Her muscles and head ached, and her throat was sore and scratchy, and she couldn't breathe through her nose, making it even harder to go to sleep. In general, she was miserable.
At some point, she did fall asleep. Perhaps for an hour or two. Then the sun rose on the horizon, and it was time to start the day. Katherine groaned. The bed was comfy, and she just wanted to go back to sleep. (But didn't. She knew that she had to get up for work.) After the strike, she had become more acclaimed in the Sun. She had worked for years to get to where she was, and was now closer to the top. She did not want to throw away everything she had worked so long for. And the idea of losing her status terrified her. She dutifully forced her eyes open, swung her legs over the bed, and stood up, steadying herself.
She planned on being quiet while making breakfast, but upon entering the room, gave a loud sneeze and woke up Jack.
He started to stir and gradually sat up. He yawned and ruffled his hair. "Good morning." Katherine gave a slight wave and coughed into her elbow. Ignoring that, she proceeded to enter the kitchen.
As she walked past him, Jack looked at her worried. Her skin was pale and her cheeks were flushed. There were dark bags under her eyes, and she was shaking slightly. She looked even more worn-out than last night. He followed her. "Are you all right?" he asked concerned.
"I'm fine," she calmly stated turning around to get the eggs and pans.
Despite her protest, Jack wasn't fully convinced, and placed the back of his hand to her forehead. "You're burning up."
"I'm fine," she declared firmly, not wanting to press on the issue. She continued making pancakes, ignoring him.
"You're sick," he tried again. Katherine still refused to give in. She was very stubborn when she wanted to be, especially about work.
"I'm," She was about to repeat her former statement, but sneezed instead. "Fine." She finished. "I'm fine." Jack was getting tired of that phrase. Especially since he knew it wasn't true.
"You're sick, and you should be in bed. Just miss a day of work. It won't kill you to,"
He had more to say, but Katherine cut him off. "Yes, it will kill me to miss work. I can't go to bed," she growled. "Everyone's falling behind, and I'm trying to fix it, so I stay late, and I'm helping organize the paper. Not to mention I have my own articles to worry about, and there's extra work because of the holidays, I have just about a million stories to cover, my boss is really on my case and," She was speaking a thousand miles a minute and gave herself time to breathe before continuing. "Look, I can't afford to 'miss a day of work.' Not with everything going on." She rested her head on his shoulder.
Jack took all of it in. He didn't consider it that way. Nobody relied on him. The boys could spot him some coins and sell papes to his regular customers. He didn't have to worry like she did. But despite her valid arguments for going to work, Jack knew that she couldn't afford to drain out her energy even more and get sicker. In one fluid motion, he scooped her up in his arms.
"Jack put me down!" she screamed.
"Nah, I'm good." He began walking to the bedroom. "You know this is good practice for when we get married." Katherine gave an annoyed huff and he put her down on the bed.
Katherine wanted to argue, but before she could, Jack left. She heard him open the closet. Now that she was alone, she could easily get up and get ready for work. But the pillow was soft and the blanket was warm, and she was tired. Oh so tired. Her eyes grew heavier with each passing second, and, finally, she gave in and fell asleep.