Les Miserables

Gavroche stood in the snow outside of the café. He longingly stared inside at the fire roaring and the men with full bellies laughing and dancing. True, these men were his friends but he still envied them. Each of them have never spent a single night on the street during a fierce winter storm such as this one. A painful cough racked his body and he fell to the ground. Looking at his hand a streak of red covered the palm. Wiping it onto his pants he gathered himself. Little did he know that his friends inside were watching him with worried eyes. At the sight of Gavroche falling to the ground many got up to go see if he was alright but Marius waved them away saying,

"Let us see if he rises. If he does not then you may go and assist him."

All the men sat back down and watched as Gavroche stood and stumbled off into the distance still coughing intensely.

"You see lads; Gavroche doesn't like to be treated like a child. If he needs help he will come to us."

The men nodded knowing Marius spoke the truth. But still each man vowed to keep an eye out for him.

Slowly it grew closer to Christmas time and no one had seen Gavroche running around town singing catchy toons to lighten people's spirits for days. Growing worried all the men, Marius included, went out to search for him as the snow began to fall harder creating a blanket of white that gently covered the city. Walking slowly through the streets they saw a small pile of snow move.

"Don't worry lads, it is just an animal." one man chimed in.

"Let us check just to be sure." stated Marius.

Brushing away the snow, everyone gasped. There lay Gavroche in nothing except a thin rag as a shirt and a pair of torn pants. He seemed dead but when Marius found a pulse Gavroche started to yell.

"NO! DON'T WHIP ME I PROMISE I'LL BE GOOD PAPA!"

He then screamed as if someone were peeling his skin right off of his tiny body. Again he went limp.

"Quickly, to my flat." said Marius.

Each of the twenty men watched as Marius laid Gavroche down on his bed.

"Will one of you men help me support him?"

Joly sat behind the young boy holding onto his shoulders as Marius removed his soaking wet frozen shirt. Everyone gasped as Gavroche's scars and ribs were revealed. Long scars covered his back and shoulders and his ribs could be clearly seen.

"How had we not known he was this thin? And what are these scars from?"

"I think you and I both know where those scars are from." said Marius pulling a clean but oversized shirt over the child's head.

"Get me a towel so I can cover him!"

Marius slid the boy's tattered pants down his legs and used the towel to cover his privates. He knew that if Gavroche every found out that any living being had every helped dress him, he would make each of their lives a living hell. Looking at the child's legs he showed a sign of worry. The boy's legs were as thin as twigs and looked as though they would snap at the slightest pressure. Putting his spare trousers on Gavroche, he pulled the quilt over the unconscious child.

"Send for the physician immediately."

"He has pneumonia gentlemen and a very severe case of it as well. Unfortunately I don't know if he will make it through the next few days. Due to his size and lack of nutrition, his body hasn't developed the immune system to fight off this disease. I'm sorry…"

Every eye turned to Gavroche who always sang his songs, who was always cheerful when in reality he should be the most miserable out of them all. An hour later all twenty men were gathered around his bed. Marius held his hand and watched his chest rise and fall.

"He will pull through won't he Marius?"

"I hope so, he is a strong boy."

Right after those words left his mouth he felt the slightest squeeze on his hand. He clutched the boys hand with both of his a stared at the child's face. Slowly his eyes fluttered open.

"-arius?" he muttered.

Becoming frightened Gavroche began to sit up and get out of bed until he felt twenty me gently pushing him back down.

"Shhh 'roche. You are ill." Said Enjolas

"Are you hungry? When was the last time you ate?" asked Marius

"Last week on Friday."

"But that was five days ago! Why didn't you ask us for food?"

"I'm just a street urchin remember? An orphan. I would get beaten by an officer if they knew I asked you for food."

"Here take some hot broth."

Marius slid his hand under the tiny boy's head and brought a ladal to his lips and watched as he hungrily slirped it down. This continued for quite some time before Gavroche's eye began to close.

"Rest easy 'roch. May God watch over you while you rest." Muttered Joly.

Marius lowered his head back onto the pillow and brushed his sweaty bangs off his burning forhead.

"It's times like these wen I remember how young Gavroche really is. What is he now? Ten? Eleven?"

"His birthday is on the fifth of January. He will be eleven"

"We should celebrate!" someone yelled.

"If he is well…"

Gavroche sat bolt upright in the bed.

"I don't feel good…"

Quickly handing him the bucket, Gavroche retched into it again and again. Losing the little broth he had in him.

"Oh 'roche…"

After fifteen minutes he collapsed into Marius's strong arms.

"Shhh it's okay. You're okay." He cooed to a sobbing Gavroche.

"Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone anymore." He cried

"I'm not leaving, no one is ever going to leave you again."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Good…" he mumbled as he fell back asleep

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHOULD I KEEP WRITING? FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED AND I LOVE HEARING IDEAS ANYONE MAY HAVE FOR FUTURE FICS!

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