February 1908
I woke from a light sleep to a loud knocking on the front door. Both Nathaniel and I had a rough night. Nate had fallen prey to the theater plague, an awful flu that had taken him down. I couldn't sleep due to the fact that I was now an uncomfortable eight months pregnant and the size of a barge. It must have been around seven in the morning, faint sunlight seeping in through the cracks in the curtains. I groaned loudly, but the knocking had yet to cease. Turning my head I found Nate sound asleep. "I'll get the door then." I whispered. Though it was very awkward, I made it out of bed and grabbed my robe. I wandered through the apartment, maneuvering around the moving boxes. Nate and I were moving into a bigger place next week to fit the new additions that were to be here soon. I reached the front door, unlocked, and pulled it open. Jack and Davey were outside. "Oh, good morning! How ar-?" I paused noticing their expressions. "What is it?"
"May we come in?" Davey asked. I nodded and stepped back to let them through. I shut the door behind them and lead the men to the sofa. We sat down in an awkward silence. Jack cleared his throat.
"Where's Nate?" he asked.
"Asleep. He was ill last night. Do you fellas want some coffee?" Both shook their head. "All right, enough of the looks! What happened?" Jack handed me a paper that he had stuffed under his arm. I unfolded it, and the headline immediately screamed out at me.
PRISON BREAK AT THE HALLS OF JUSTICE
I went on to read the story silently. When I reached a particular string of sentences, I felt like I was going to be sick.
One of the four escapees, an Andrew Tyler, seems to be the inciter of the break. Tyler was the most dangerous criminal being held in the jail, having been found guilty in three murder cases. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
"When did this happen?" I asked, handing the paper back to Jack. I couldn't bear to look at it anymore.
"Last night." Davey said sympathetically.
"He's coming after me." Jack started to explain that it wasn't possible, but I wouldn't listen. "He is, Jack! I was the one that got him arrested and then the police tied him to those murders from when he was down south. He has a lot to be angry for, and I am the cause."
"Celia, we won't let him hurt you." Jack said sternly. I rolled my eyes.
"How? Everyone is working now, and I'm supposed to do nothing because of the babies."
"We've started to put a schedule in place so that you will never be alone." I sighed, shaking my head. Jack moved to sit beside me. He put his arm around me. "Everything will be okay, Celia. You and the babies will be perfectly safe. We got this."
Two weeks later, Nate was helping me up the stairs into the Lodgehouse. Since Race was on schedule tonight, I had to be at the Lodgehouse. The streets had been quiet as have the headlines. Andrew still hadn't been spotted. Nate seemed more nervous then I was. "You'll call me if you go into labor, right?" I laughed,.
"Yes!" I smiled. Nate kissed me, causing a groan from a few of the newsboys.
"I love you. See you in the morning."
"I love you too." Nate passed me off to Race and left. Race grabbed my overnight bag and lead me to his room.
"You can sleep in 'ere!" he exclaimed. The room was small. A simple full bed pushed into one corner and a tiny window with the sunset's light fading in.
"Race, this is your bedroom. I can't possibly-" I tried to reason, but Race waved his finger.
"Nuh uh. You're the star guest, and the star guest gets the best bed." Race said trying to sound stern. I laughed. "I'll leave ya to freshen up. I'll be right outside if you need me." The rest of the night flew by fast, and I found myself easily falling asleep, something that hadn't happened since this all began. It only lasted for a few hours until the loud sound of a gunshot brought me back into reality.