Hi Everyone! First of all, thank you for all the positive feedback on the first chapter! I was not expecting it at all. Because of that, I am updating sooner than i originally planned.

Standard disclaimers apply ( I don't own newsies, if I did, i would be in toronto with the toursies)

Chapter 2

Davey was breathless,running up several flights of stairs as quickly as possible to get to Jack. Claire was always three steps ahead,having endless energy and adrenaline. When they finally arrived to the secluded room away from the buzz of worried newsboys, the pair discovered a very frightened Crutchie sitting by a seemingly unconscious form.

Crutchie breathed, "Oh thank god you're here Davey, we're worried sick. We found him spitting out blood and moaning in an alley by the docks. It looks pretty brutal, his back is all torn up,we could barely get his shirt off. Do you think he can di-" he cut himself off, voice filling with emotion as he looked at his brother.

Claire managed to maneuver her way to the young man. Leaning forward, she placed two fingers on his neck with pressure, while looking at her watch. "His pulse is a little slower than normal due to loss of blood, most likely, but he should be fine after I finish treating him."

"Wait a second, I apologize ma'am, I'm Crutchie, and while it is very nice what you are doing here, we simply don't have the money to pay for a doctor." He made his way over to the young woman, who was searching in her bag for materials.

"Don't you worry about it, sir. I could never ask for money anyway. Seeing how this man is clearly a brother to you and David, I will work free of charge." She smiled as Davey shook his head.

"Claire, that's very sweet of you but I can pay-"He was cut off as he rummaged through his pockets for as much loose change as he could find.

"Nonsense. I will not accept a payment of any form, David. Now please, someone please come and hold Jack's hand as this will sting very badly." Crutchie sat down and grasped Jack's hand as Claire wiped a disinfecting towel across his back. She evaluated the situation, then took out a suture and thread, unwinding the thread as Davey looked on with amazement.

"David, if you could please stop gawking and take a towel from my bag, soak it with cold water and wring it out, you would be of more use." She said slyly, positioning herself to begin inserting stitches into a particularly long slice of the leader's exposed back. Hearing this, Davey sprung into action, grabbing a towel as quickly as he could and exited the room, leaving Crutchie, Claire and an asleep Jack alone.

"Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking, but why do you use Davey's real name instead of Davey?" Crutchie questioned,looking at the beautiful stranger that had saved the day.

"Please, Call me Claire. I'm not old enough for this 'ma'am' stuff. And I call him David because that is how he introduced himself to me. But Davey is a cuter name, if I say so myself. Now how did you land yourself with a name like Crutchie? I'm assuming it isn't your real name." She laughed as the boy sighed, getting comfortable in his seat, preparing to tell the story.

"Well, when I was little, I had a really bad case of Polio. It actually took my mom's life. But for me, it just rendered this old leg useless." He said, motioning to the leg upon which the crutch lied. "When I couldn't walk normally anymore, my dad bailed. He said he couldn't handle a crippled son. But don't worry about me, I found Jack soon after that. He took me in and showed me around this place. And the name just stuck. Most of the fellas here are named from nicknames given to them over the years. You should hear Davey's nickname, that one is quite great."

"For my sake, Crutch, please don't tell her yet." Davey said, entering the room and handing the washcloth to Claire. "It's one of the worst of the bunch."

"Well, it's the most truthful, Mouth. And if it weren't for you, most of us would be letting Pulitzer treat us like we were nothing. You were the organizer, after all." Crutchie said with a smile, knowing Davey was not happy that he still told this new face his nickname.

"Davey, you never told me that! You just said you were a part of the strike,not the brains behind it!" The girl said with exasperation at the modest blushing boy.

"Hey,don't give him too much credit. I had the idea." A new hoarse voice said as Claire turned to find a pair of brown eyes looking with curiosity at the female. Jack tried to turn over and sit up, as Claire gently pushed him back down.

"I wouldn't sit up if I were you. from the sound of everything, you easily have one or two broken ribs. Unfortunately, I can't do much about those. I managed to stitch up the deep wounds in your back and get your heart rate towel is for your head, as you probably have a very bad headache after all of this." As Claire went into her doctor mode, the boys stared at her, impressed by all she knew by just a simple examination. Most male doctors weren't even of this use, much less a girl who could do it with ease. She reached into her bag, pulling out a bottle and pouring out a decent amount of pills.

"This will be for the pain and to make sure nothing gets infected. I'd recommend taking two a day for the next week, one in the morning and one at night. Now as the leader of this group, I know you will be hesitant to do this because of showing your disadvantages to the boys, but it is important to do this to keep your health." As she finished with a flourish, Jack glanced at Davey, begging for a translation.

"Jack, what she's saying is even though you will not want to take these to show a possible weakness, it is the only way to stay strong." The tall man said softly, making things easier to understand for Jack.

"Great, now we have two brains around here. Thanks, doc." Jack said laughing boldly, but then wincing in pain as he grasped at his side.

"My name is Claire, and it's great to meet you, Jack. I will be back to check up on everything though. I need to make sure that as the leader of the New York Newsboys, you and your boys stay healthy." she said, standing slowly from the chair by the bed Jack was lying on.

"Thank you so much, Doc. It's great that Davey found someone useful for us as well as for him." The boy ended with a blush as Claire and Davey both blushed.

"I'll walk you home, if you would like." Davey said, refusing to make eye contact as he became very interested on the floor.

"I'd like that a lot." The girl smiled at the red cheeked friend of hers. They said their goodbyes as the two walked into the main living quarters of the newsies.

"Woah, guys, would you look at that! The mouth is here with a girl! And we all thought it would never happen. You all owe me a dime." Race said as he smirked.

"She's pretty too! Are you sure you ain't lost ma'am? I can help you find a better man than the tall guy here." Romeo said walking over, leaning his elbow on the short girl's shoulder.

She shrugged off Romeo's approach and said. "I'm fine with this guy." as she tangled her fingers in Davey's. The group catcalled.

"All jokes aside, who are you? Did you come to help with Jack?" Specs asked from his spot where he was reading in a corner.

"Fellas, this is Claire, or as Jack has labeled her, Doc. She's a student studying to be a doctor at my school. We met today and were walking when Les came and to tell us the news." Davey said, beaming down at the pretty girl who had saved his friend without so much as a second thought.

"Oh, a Doctor, huh? That'd be pretty useful if you know, we could pay for one!" Buttons said, putting his cards down to join the conversation.

" I don't work for pay, especially for you boys who don't have a nickel to your name." Claire stated in her southern drawl, as there was a commotion from the boys, all stating that they did indeed have a nickel.

"Well then, Doc. if you won't work for pay, will you come and check out this cut, as it ain't looking so well." Race sheepishly admitted. As they all began revealing they all had injuries they wanted to make sure were okay.

Davey looked down at her, realizing he was still holding her hand, he let go, embarrassed and whispered "Are you okay with checking them out? They're just worried because they don't know when something is different than normal. I can see and tell them that they're fine if you need to go home."

Claire smiled. "Well, if I'm going to be called Doc, I better live up to the name." She walked to the center of the room and pulled up two chairs. Sitting in one of them, she looked at all the boys and said "Let's get started!"

And that is all for today! Hopefully you enjoyed this longer chapter. I wanted to let you guys know that I write most of these stories in one sitting without any editing, which could explain the grammar errors and everything. I hoped you guys liked this chapter, and reviews and ratings make my day! If you also have any ideas for this story, let me know as I could always use new ideas. Or for even a new newsies story! Let me know!

Happy Readings,

Anna