The girl in the bed next to Tay had another coughing fit. The nurse crossed the room in twenty-six steps. Tay counted each cough, each step, anything that would keep her mind occupied. She lay with her back toward the rest of the room and tried not to think of anything but stupid numbers. It was easiest that way. She heard a chair scrape along the floor next and closed her eyes, willing herself to deal with another interrogation by some goody two-shoes nurse.

"Tay." She looked back over her shoulder and saw Spot sitting next to the bed. With a groan she pulled the sheet up over her head even as she realized he actually looked concerned.

"Go away. Please," she pleaded quietly from beneath the bedcovers.

"'Fraid I can't do that, doll," Spot answered matter-of-factly. "What kind of brother would I be if I left my sister alone in the hospital?"

Tay yanked the blanket down and saw the brief look of concern had been replaced by Spot's usual smirk. Her stomach tied itself in knots as she tried to ignore the effect he had on her.

"This isn't how it works," Tay told him. "Don't act like you care."

"Tell me it was an accident," Spot answered with a significant look. Tay shifted uncomfortably as she understood what he was saying. What she had done was illegal and having survived meant taking the chance of being led before a judge and then tossed in jail or worse, a mental ward.

She smiled bitterly. "Upset you didn't get to do it yourself? I guess you would have finished the job properly."

Spot just barely flinched at the poisonous tone of her voice. Tay turned her face away from him as she lied, "It was an accident."

They both knew she was lying. He'd been the one to find her after all. But it was obvious both wanted to avoid the subject and so lying was the easiest choice. She couldn't explain to him what had happened. All she knew was that he'd still won somehow. She had tried hard to keep her secret and failed miserably. The fact that it had been her own fault, his telling her that she had brought this upon herself was what had driven her to such a drastic step. But Tay knew that Spot wouldn't care, it had probably been part of his plan all along. After all, she wasn't worth anything to him.

"Why couldn't you just leave me?"

He grinned wickedly. "Guess I just care too much."

Tay frowned at him. "You're a riot."

"I knew you was in there somewhere," he answered. Spot picked her hand up off the bed and began rubbing her fingertips gently. It was an old habit and Tay felt a familiar heat running from her chest, through her hand, and back again. His grip tightened reflexively as she tried to pull her hand back and regain control.

"You won't change," Tay said, more to herself than to Spot. He didn't answer as Tay closed her eyes and tried not to think about what would come next. There was always the inevitable sting of pain and rejection that would come after she'd been lured back into his trap. But instead of fighting him she left her hand laying in his and ignored the small voice inside that warned her about the price she would have to pay.

"Tay." She looked at him, startled by the tone of his voice. It was almost gentle. He kept his eyes on the bandage covering much of her left arm and if Tay didn't know better she would have said he looked scared. But Spot Conlon did not get scared. Not of anything.

Tay waited expectantly but Spot shook himself slightly and she saw the familiar coldness return. He set her hand back down on the bed and stood to leave. As Tay watched him leave she wondered how much longer she could survive on his few moments of caring in-between the overwhelming moments of cruelty.

Author's Note: I do not own Newsies. But I do own Tay so there's that. Anyway, if you've stuck with me this far or if you're new to this story I want to say thank you and hope that I haven't made you too crazy or enraged with all the changes. I blame it on being a Libra whose scales are always out of balance ;-) This story is dark, it is raw, and it deals with some rather morbid topics so if you gave it even a tiny chance I owe you many, many thanks! And as always, reviews are welcome and appreciated :-)