A/N: The only characters I own are Scattah, William and Benjamin and Doctor Jenson
My eye went wide. For one horrible moment, I stood dumbfounded in shock. I shook myself, now wasn't the time to freeze. David needed me. Hopefully, it wasn't too late. A quick glance showed the twisted form of my friend.
"Davey!" I sprang from the window, and out of the bunkroom. The Lodging House had never felt as large as it did that day as I tore down the steps hoping to find Kloppman at his desk. No such luck, the old man was still not to be found.
Only seconds later I was out of the building and a mere five feet away from David. His body was twisted, his leg jetting out at an angle that was certainly not natural. His eyes were closed and his curls were matted down with blood.
"Davey?" I took a step closer to him and reached out my hand. Time stood still as I forced myself to touch his chest. Thump. Thump. He was alive at least for now.
I had to get help. I had to leave David. I couldn't leave David. What was I supposed to do?
I thought for a moment and then sprinted a few short feet away so I could see the front of the building but still be able to watch Davey. The city that never sleeps seemed to be oddly deserted in the middle of the day.
"Help! Anyone help!" my voice carried louder than I had ever used it for selling papes.
I glanced at the other boy; blood was beginning to pool around him. He needed help now.
Off in the distance I heard a welcoming noise. The faintest of voices that grew as the person neared the building. Taking a deep breath, I screamed again.
"Someone help me! My friend will die without help!"
Finally, the voice was now accompanied by running feet. In a matter of seconds, Mush stood beside me, his face twisted in shock.
"Davey!" He turned to me. "What happened to him?"
"He fell from the window." I felt dead inside. David had to survive, he just had to! What would happen to his family if he died? I didn't want another death on my hands. Then again, David had said that Scattah's death wasn't my fault but his would definitely be.
To his credit, Mush didn't even ask how the other newsie had fallen; he had already crouched down beside him. "Help me pick him up. We need to keep him still." In a perfect world, we'd get one of those medical coaches but there wasn't enough time.
It took a lot of maneuvering but finally we had David settled safely between the two of us.
"The nuns aren't too far away. We should take him to them, they run that hospital." I was glad that Mush was taking charge. The boy didn't usually show authority but he had his moments. Without wasting any more precious moments, we set off for the nuns' wagon. It was far past breakfast but they'd still be there.
Ten long minutes later, we neared the nuns. To their credit, they noticed our plight right away. One exited the wagon and was to our sides with a speed that betrayed her appearance. "Place him in the wagon. We shall take him to Saint Mathew's Hospital."
We were careful not to jostle David as we slid him on the wagon, the other nuns shifted to give us space. I turned to Mush. It was my fault Mouth was hurt so I should go with him but the other guys needed to know what had happened. His family needed to be informed as well.
"Mush, I'll go with 'im. Go tell Jack and the others. Davey's family needs to know too." My best friend nodded before giving one last glance at the unconscious boy and took off running. Mush was fast, he'd find the others quick enough.
With a crack of a whip, the horses led the wagon onto a gallop. I sat lost staring at David, blood was still oozing from his head and his face was growing even paler than before. I must have sat there, lost in my thoughts for some time as I startled when a hand grazed my shoulder. I looked up and it was the same nun who had ran to meet us.
"He's in God's hands son. What is his name? We'll need to know for the hospital staff."
"His name's Davey…David Jacobs." It was true I called him by his given name some times but for the most part everyone had adapted to Davey or Mouth.
"And he is orphaned, yes?" She questioned.
Apparently she hadn't heard my hurried conversation with Mush. "No, he's got a family, Mush, the other newsie who brought him here, went to tell them."
She seemed to mull that over in her mind. "What's your name, son?" I think she was trying to distract me from worrying.
"I'm Blink. Kid Blink, ma'am. We sell The World."
A little less than five minutes later we arrived at the hospital. I hopped out of the wagon as one of the nuns hurried to the door. A brief moment later, a doctor ran full speed out of the building. He spared a very quick glance at me before ordering me to help Davey in the building. The boy was skinny but it would have been difficult to not upset his injuries further if one person had attempted to carry him.
We entered the hospital and the almost stench of sterile cleanliness assaulted my nose. I preferred the earthy smell of the outdoors mixed with money-earning ink on papers. We immediately turned left into a hall and the doctor motioned for an aid to open a door on the immediate right. A cot stood there in the middle of the small room and we eased David onto it.
"I'm Doctor Jenson, what is your name boy?" His voice was kind but rushed. I answered softly, still scared out of my mind.
Then the doctor asked me the question I knew was coming but had been dreading.
"How did…"he thought for a second seeming to recall something "David get hurt?"
"He was up in the Newsboy's Lodging House and somehow fell out of the window." I mumbled, staring at the ground.
"Has he shown any signs of being unhappy for an extended time period?" The doctor poised his pen onto a pad of paper. "Any sudden changes of mood or behavior?"
"No, he's been happy, seems to be happy about having friends-"I suddenly caught on to what the doctor meant. "He ain't suicidal or anything, he fell by accident!" The doctor made a tisking sound as if he didn't really believe me but dropped the issue.
"I'll need you to leave the room as I examine him." I nodded and walked slowly from the room. Mush had been fast, when I reached the dingy lobby I had barely noticed earlier, I was greeted by Jack, Racetrack, Specs and Crutchy.
Jack addressed me. "Mush is still trying to reach his folks. They weren't at home. Les is with Skittery and Tumbler."I nodded, sliding into a uncomfortable-looking chair beside the Manhattan leader. "Blink, how did this happen? Mush said Davey fell from the window in the dorm room."
"He…noticed I had gone to the window for some…fresh air and was a bit too far out. He was trying to rescue me and fell." I improved the truth; I was not going to tell the full truth, not then at least." The other boys gave me a look that clearly said they didn't really believe me but to their credit, didn't call me on it.
We sat there in silence for a solid five minutes before Racetrack broke the tension. "Guess what I saw at Sheepshead before lunch?" We all pretended to be interested for Race's sake.
"What did ya see?" Good old Crutchy, he even sounded like he cared about whatever it was.
"A lady pickin' up a horse."
"Ha. That's funny Race." Spec's dry voice answered as the rest of us rolled our eyes.
"And it's also true!" Racetrack defended himself.
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." Jack shook his head, his eyes never once having left the door he had seen me exit from.
We had been at the hospital for nearly an hour and Davey's family still wasn't there. Neither was Mush though, so I assumed he was still trying to find them. Slowly another hour passed and then another. The normally rowdy bunch of newsies was unnaturally silent as the minutes and hours ticked by.
Then the door opened and Doctor Jenson stepped out.
