Hey guys! We all know baby Jatherine is coming soon so I'd love to hear if you think its a boy or a girl and what you'd want the name to be!
It's been about three weeks since Jack saved me from the Refuge and everything has gone back to some form of a routine. Albert explained that I was in there for almost six weeks. Katherine is now five months along and getting bigger every day, the boys are placing bets on what they think the baby will be. So far most of them think it is going to be a girl, Elmer is still betting on twins with one of each. The boys walk me to the theater every morning and one of them walks me to and from the Deli for lunch. Then they will walk me back to the Lodging House at night. This morning I wasn't feeling that great.
"Are you sure you don't want someone to stay with you?" Albert asks for the millionth time while stroking my hair. He is always afraid to leave me alone. He won't say it to me but I think he blames himself for us getting caught by Snyder that night. That's why he enforces the idea that the group walks me to and from the theater. I would protest but I know it's pointless, Race may be in command but Albert is his second and he has just as much authority.
"Albert I'll be fine, I probably just ate some bad food last night it's nothin to worry about. I'll be better by tomorrow I just need some rest." I smile to give him some reassurance. I'm doing my best to keep my eyes open just talking to him. I yawn and my head dips for a second before I wake myself up again.
"You are always tired Fox, maybe you should see" I cut him off.
"Doctors cost money Albert, and we just don't have enough right now. I promise I'm fine go carry the banner and sell a few extras for me," I wink and Race pats Albert on the back and nods to the door, they need to get going soon. Albert kisses my forehead and Race all but throws Al out the door.
I feel it coming and run to the bathroom to empty my stomach. Just great, I really need to get back to the theater, I've got at least four costumes I need to finish making and about seven that I need to repair. Medda loved my peacock costume so much she has made me head costume designer, "between Jack's backdrops and your costumes, we'll make millions!" I think were her exact words. I lie in the bathroom and fall asleep on the floor. The nightmares are starting to subside enough that I can sleep a little better. Of course, the guys have never complained when I woke up crying and they all offer their beds to sleep in if I need a brother to cuddle with, but I still feel bad about it.
When I wake up I'm feeling a little better, so I decide to go to the theater. I put on one of Albert's shirts and the coat that Miss Medda got for me and make the cold trek. When I get to the theater they are in the middle of rehearsal so I try to sneak off to the costume room, but Medda catches me and gives the girls a five-minute break.
"Fox! Albert said you were sick," I've asked her to not call me Elizabeth anymore as it just brings back the memories of being in the Refuge, she agreed that I needed a new name because I was a new person, so Fox it is. She gives me a concerned look. Everyone gives me that look now, like I'm going to break down at any moment. I wave her off.
"I'm sure it was just something I ate last night, no big deal. I'm just going to work on those costumes," I walk away before she has a chance to protest. The Manhattan Newsies mean well walking me everywhere and making sure I'm always taken care of but they are driving me crazy. The costume room is the only place I'm alone and I revel in it. No one bothers me and I can do what I please without someone breathing down my neck. I work on the costumes that only need mending first since they won't take me nearly as long. I finish the fourth costume when Miss Medda stops by to check on me.
"Everything going okay in here?" That's strange she never checks on me, Albert must have made this sickness sound worse than it is. I feel completely fine now, but I know how much he worries.
"I'm fine Miss Medda, and I'm about half way finished with the costumes that only needed to be mended." I smile and give her a thumbs up.
"Alright just don't work yourself too hard if you aren't feeling great, and let someone know if you need anything." She gives my shoulder a squeeze and I just nod. After I finish mending all the costumes, it's about time for lunch, I know the guys will get mad if I walk by myself but I am hungry. Weighing the pros and cons, my stomach wins and I grab my coat and start towards the Deli.
The guys don't notice me when I first walk in and I sit next to Crutchie. He smiles and offers me the other half of his sandwich I take it and immediately bite into it. The moment the start to chew I get sick. I run to the bathroom as fast as I can, after I clean myself up I'm greeted at the door by Race, Crutchie, and Albert.
"I thought you were going to stay in bed?" Albert asks with his arms folded on his chest.
"I was feeling better and I was hungry what's the big deal?" I cross my arms matching Al not masking my pissed off expression.
"The big deal is you are sick and you don't need to be walking around in this weather, and you especially don't need to be walking alone. I was going to bring you some lunch before I went back to selling." I walk back towards the table with the boys right on my heels. Davey brings me a glass of water and I ask for a peanut butter sandwich.
"I'm fine, I think my stomach just didn't agree with Crutchie's sandwich." Crutchie gives me a weird look as he sits back in his chair. "Fox it's a turkey sandwich with mustard and pickle, our favorite." Davey comes back with my sandwich and there's a large pickle spear on the plate, I can smell it before it hits the table.
"Davey I'm sorry but could you please take away the pickle," I say in between gagging. All four of them look at each other confused but Davey takes the pickle, leaving the sandwich. I eat while the boys just sit there watching me not saying anything. Most of the other boys already left to get back to the street to try to sell on the freezing day. It's going to start snowing any day now and that's only going to make selling worse so they have to try to sell as much as they can now while people are still willing to buy.
After I finish Albert insists to walk me back to the Lodging House, we argue for a few blocks until I convince him to let me go back to the theater.
"Want to come upstairs and see my new costumes I've made?" Even though he makes me so mad I could spit I do miss him when we are apart. "I'll come see them when I pick you up tonight, I've got to sell these papes or I'm not going to have any money for Christmas."
"Albert Christmas is still a month away and you know you don't have to give the boys extravagant gifts, just spending time together is fine." He just smiles and kisses my forehead, pulling up his collar and walking back towards his spot. I shake my head watching him walk away. That boy is something else. I go back to the costume room and start on a new project. Kaitlyn and a few others are doing a dance routine to tell the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Kaitlyn will be the Queen of Hearts and her costume will be the most elaborate so I start with that. I begin with the bodice keeping it simple and tight. Yawning I try to keep my eyes open while sewing but they seem so heavy, maybe a five-minute nap wouldn't hurt. I pile up the fabric in the corner and lie inside covering with it like a blanket to take a little nap.
I wake up to the sound of a loud sigh, when I open my eyes Albert is standing over me. "I thought you had to go back to selling" I question him as I stretch out my arms and legs. He helps me to my feet.
"Fox I've already sold all my papes its eight o'clock and all the guys are waiting downstairs," eight o'clock dang it I didn't get hardly anything done. Oh well, I'll just get here early tomorrow and stay a little later. Albert helps me down the stairs, my leg never healed quite right so sometimes stairs can be tricky, but I get by. All of us huddle together to keep warm as we walk to the Lodging House. Romeo is telling about how he met this new girl.
"I think her name was Sarah or Susan or something that started with an S. I'm telling you Race she was a complete DOLL" I laugh and shake my head. He of course will start talking about how she is the one he'll marry.
"Race I'm serious I'm going to marry this girl."
"That's what you said about the girl at the ice cream parlor," I chime in.
"And the milkman's daughter," Mush pipes up.
"And Katherine's cousin," Finch says.
"Besides Romeo you can't even remember this one's name," Race puts Romeo in a headlock. Romeo struggles and breaks free.
"I don't have to know her name, I know her heart," the entire group groans and hits him with their hats or smacks him on the back of the head. We make it back to the Lodging House and go to the table to sit down and eat. It's not much but it's food. Potato stew. I eat and Albert looks at me cocking his head to the side.
"Is that my shirt?" I smile and nod. "I helped me feel better." He just laughs and continues to eat. We listening to Race talk about his great day at the races. Apparently, it's too cold for the actual races so the same people just go up there to play poker. Race sold almost fifty papes for those guys to use for a fire while they played. In return they let him play with no fuss and he made about fifteen dollars. The moment he said that all the boys were up and crowding around him to see that much money. Racetrack loves the attention but he did something I wasn't expecting.
"Here Jack I want you to have half of it. It'll help with rent and maybe have some for the baby." Jack has tears in his eyes. He and Katherine both jump up and hug Race thanking him. I whisper to Albert.
"Has money gotten tight around here?" Al looks at the group hug.
"When Jack and Katherine took over this place they stopped making us pay for our stay, with rent, trying to fix up the place, food, and now the baby things were getting pretty rough. The older ones try to give when we can if we make a little extra but with the snow about to start and Christmas coming up who knows when will be the next time we get any extra. Race was stupid for gambling a great payday, but thank God he's the best poker player in Manhattan."
After dinner, I stay behind to help wash dishes with Katherine. "So, the boys said something about you being sick this morning." Here we go again.
"It wasn't anything, I'm fine." I say as I continue to wash the plates and hand them to Katherine to dry.
"And Davey said something about you getting sick at the Deli," I throw down the plate in my hand into the sink.
"Why is everyone so concerned about my business, I'M FINE ALRIGHT!" I shout. I sigh "I'm sorry I didn't mean to get angry." Katherine continues to dry her plate not looking at me. After a minute, she sets the plate aside and takes my hand leading me to the table. She sits at the head of the table and I sit on her left.
"Fox, you were sick this morning, you are always tired, you got sick after eating pickles and you love pickles," Katherine gives me a look like all that should mean something to me.
"So?"
"Fox, when was your last period?"
