A/N: Hi again! I'm so so sorry for the long wait. Between school and sports, I've been really busy and I had a short spout of writer's block so that really didn't help. But anyway, again, I'm really sorry for the long wait. Thank you for reading and please review!

Warnings: Minor cursing

Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any of its characters

After Spot left, I went inside to check on race and found him passed out on my bed. He was lying on his back with one of his arms over his eyes like he always slept. His breathing was still ragged, but at least he was resting. He almost looked peaceful, but I knew it wouldn't last.

Grabbing a pillow and blanket, I laid down on the floor beside my bed, shivering slightly when realized how cold it was. Putting down my pillow and wrapping up in the blanket, I closed my eyes, thankful for the rest.

I don't even remember falling asleep but it couldn't have been even 30 minutes before I was woken up. At first, I could barely hear it. It sounded like someone was talking outside, so I ignored it. But it gradually kept getting louder until it sounded like someone was screaming. Bolting up from where I was on the ground, I looked to where race was and saw what I had been dreading. He was already having a nightmare. He was curled up in a ball and his face was pinched tight. He kept yelling over and over again, "Leave me alone!"

Cursing myself for not waking up sooner, I grabbed his shoulders and shook him slightly, saying "Race, wake up its just a dream." All he did was curl in on himself even more. Shaking him a little more forcefully, I said louder, "Race, wake up!"

His eyes snapped open and he sat up with a choked gasp, grabbing at the bandages wound tightly around his stomach.

"Woah, woah, calm down kid. It's okay", I said softly, placing my hands on his shoulders to steady him. It only took me a second to realize that was a mistake. He immediately shed away from me, yelling, "Don't touch me!"

"Race, its okay. It's just me, Jack", I said slowly, slightly flustered at his outburst. His eyes darted everywhere, never staying in one place for a second.

"Race, its okay", I said again, hating the way he flinched when I spoke. "I ain't gonna hurt ya."

After a few seconds, he finally looked up at me. I was meet with a bruised and tear-stained face. His normally curly hair was matted down with sweat, giving it a greasy appearance. The look on his face was one of a scared little kid.

"Race, your okay", I said, making him look me in the eyes. He shakily nodded, dropping his eyes to the floor, sniffing lightly. "Ya want ta talk about it?", I said, though I already knew what his response was going to be.

He bit his lip, holding back unshed tears before he shook his head no. He was already clamming up on me, though I knew it wouldn't last long.

Sighing, I said, "Race, look at me. It's alright ta cry, I's ain't gonna make fun of ya."

He looked up at me, staring at me for a while. At first, all he did was sniffle a few times, trying to hold back tears. But then, he finally let the dame break. His face started to crumble and he let out a small sob. All at once, he threw his arms around me, clinging to me like I was going to disappear.

"It's okay kid, I got ya", I said, running a hand through his greasy hair. At this point, I knew he wasn't going to let go anytime soon, so I decided I might as well get comfortable. I went to shift so that I was leaning my back against the headboard, but as soon as I moved an inch race cried frantically, "Don't leave!" Synder most of really done a number on him for him to act like this. Race always kept his emotions in check, even after close run-ins with the bulls.

"Race, Its alright, I ain't gonna leave ya", I said, patting his back lightly. He must have not believed me because, if anything, his grip tightened even more.

"I ain't leavin race, its okay", I said once again. All I got in reply was another small sob.

We sat there for probably an hour until he finally calmed down enough to let go of me. His eyes were beet red and wouldn't look up from the floor.

"You good?", I finally asked. I don't know why I asked, I already knew what his answer was going to be.

He gave a small nod, hastily wiping at his eyes. It was so strange to see him like this. He was normally always smiling and couldn't keep his mouth shut for 5 minutes. It unsettled me to see him like this.

"Race look at me", I finally said. His eyes darted up to meet mine before they went back down to the floor. He turned slightly so that he was facing away from me.

Sighing, I said, "Race I just want's ta know if you's okay."

He must have gotten tired of my pestering because as soon as the words left my mouth he turned back and snapped, "How the hell do you think I am? I was just in the refuge for crying out loud. How would you feel?" I had to admit, that stung a little, he knew the refuge was a touchy subject for me.

"Well, I'm sorry I was worried about ya. I was just tryin ta make sure ya were alright", I snapped back. He rolled his eyes before moving to stand up.

"Oh no ya don't", I said catching one of his arms.

"Let go of me!", he shouted, eyes flashing a brief look of panic.

"Race ya ain't goin nowhere, your hurt", I said, though I let go of his arm. Apparently touching him was not a good idea right now.

He ignored me, standing up on his good foot and hobbling over to his nightstand, clutching his stomach.

"What did I just say? You's gonna hurt yourself even more", I said standing up and blocking him from going any further.

"I's need a cigar, haven't had one in weeks", he said, sounding irritated and a bit out of breath. He was already looking paler.

Gently taking him by the arm, I said, "Now is not the time for a smoke, ya need ta be resting."

He must have been too tired to argue because he let me lead him back to the bed. He sat down with a slight huff, still clutching his stomach. His face had one of discomfort and it took him a while to catch his breath. After he could finally breathe properly, he looked up at me and said, "I really hate ya sometimes." Rolling my eyes, I stood up and picked up one of the disgarded blankets from the floor, shaking it out before placing it over race.

"What are ya doin?", race asked, staring at me as I grabbed two more blankets and did the same.

"If you ain't gonna talk, then you's gonna rest", I said ignoring his question.

He gave me a blank stare, before taking one of the blankets and trying to throw it at me.

"Lay down", I said, catching the blanket and laying it back on the bed. He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off with, "Night Racer."

Walking back to the other side of the bed, I sat down and fluffed my pillow before laying down. I heard him huff to himself before he slowly laid down, pulling the blankets tightly around himself.

I barely got any sleep that night. The whole night, I kept waking up, listening to make sure he wasn't having a nightmare. Every now and then, he would start mumbling to himself, but he always calmed down after a few minutes. I didn't even realize I was asleep until someone was shaking me awake.

"What is it?", I slurred, sitting up and looking at the figure in front of me. It was Specs.

"Time ta sell", he said, moving to wake up the other boys.

Groaning, I rubbed my eyes and looked to my side. Race was lying on his back, breathing softly. He actually looked peaceful.

Standing up, I stretched, wincing when my back popped in several different places. I was getting too old for this.

Specs walked up to me, tucking in his shirt. "Ya want me ta stay here with him?", he said nodding towards race.

Holding back a yawn, I shook my head, saying, "I'll stay with him today. I's can clean the place up a bit."

Specs shook his head at me, chuckling. "You? Clean? Yeah right, I'd love ta see that."

Shoving him teasingly, I said, "Will ya leave already? Those papes ain't gonna sell themselves."

"Yeah yeah, whatever", he said rolling his eyes. He turned to walk away, but instead he glanced back at race's sleeping form.

"It's good ta have him back. I didn't realize we needed him so much until he was gone", he said quietly, looking back at me. I smiled softly, before saying "Yeah, well trust me, he ain't gonna leave my sight for a long time." He shook his head, chuckling, before walking away.

Within a few minutes, all the boys were gone, leaving just me and race. Deciding that I might as well get some sleep before I started cleaning, I laid down on the bed beside mine. Even though I felt like I hadn't slept in a week, it took me a long time to fall asleep. I kept glancing over at race, making sure that he wasn't gone. After about 30 minutes of this, I finally gave in, closing my eyes. And as soon as I did, I was out like a light.