A/N: here it is (now that the school year is over I can write more hopefully) please tell me how I'm doing by reviewing. There is no song of the chapter because no song captures it's essence and I do not own Newsies. Enjoy!
Chapter 14
Early autumn now graces New York with open arms. The leaves are changing, children going back to school, David and Les included. They are only seen for a few hours or less on weekends.
Chava yearns to join them in studying but has to do so alone in the comfort of her own home.
She doesn't mind though, she sometimes down right enjoys it. Going at her fast pace, no distractions other than whenever her mother's voice calls out for her.
On this day, Chava wakes up to her own advices. With her parents in Austria on "business" she sent the entire staff home for the most part. Violette comes to visit but as a friend not a maid. The two converse on everything from clothes to politics. Sometimes they even have these conversations in French.
Chava is glad she was able to convince her parents to leave her alone. She doesn't want to go back to the horrid place and besides she doesn't wish to leave Skittery.
She scans through her new selection of clothes. Without anyone to help her put on her corset, much to her enjoyment, she doesn't fit into any of her dresses. Her mother pulls it to the maximum. So she bought new dresses a size bigger. Much simpler and less extravagant.
She picks up a dark forest green one with elbow length sleeves and subtle lace designs around the edges. She puts it on before tying up her wavy hair in a bun. She throws on a cardigan and heads out.
She walks directly to Skittery's selling spot only to discover he isn't there. She peaks around for him watching out for his pink long johns or walking stick. Yet he isn't there to be found. She even begins to gently call out for him. She fears if she's too loud then people will stare and she hates that.
She walks around in search of him but she can't find him. By late afternoon she has circled the entire park and block within a one mile radius but not one newsie in sight. The worry is rising in her chest.
She begins to trek back to the Lodging House when she spots Specs. She hurries over to him and asks him if he has seen Skittery.
"No I've been looking for him for hours. He didn't come home last night." Specs answers with the worry evident in his voice.
"Where have you searched?" asks Chava.
Specs begins to list off the numerous places he has been in the last fourteen hours but Chava hasn't even heard of some of them.
"A couple newsies went to separate boroughs but when we grouped ain't nobody seen him. I sold all my papes so I'm starting up the search again."
Chava understands this, how will them be jobless and broke help them find Skittery.
"Oh god. I'll check down Broadway, you go down Steinway." Chava says, "We'll find him." but it's more directed to herself than him.
The two depart and Chava checks thoroughly for Skittery. A thousand different scenarios are playing in her head and all she can hope for is that he hasn't been murdered. It seems like hours but what only could've been twenty minutes later does she hear a groan. Something about the voice that produced it seems familiar to her.
She cautiously crosses into the alley in which the groan originated from. It could be any kind of sick psycho. It isn't until the sunlight hits the figure just right where she can make out his pink long johns.
She rushes over to him and holds his face in her hands.
"Skittery!" she calls him over and over again. "Cecil, please." she begins to use his real name.
His eyes open a creak and he smiles at her.
"Hey." he says softly.
Chava's being is filled with relief. "Hey, don't worry I'm going to help you through this, okay?" says she.
Skittery nods in response.
She won't be able to make it to the Lodging House while carrying him but she can manage to her flat which is considerably closer.
She throws his arms over her shoulders and walks down the block half dragging him and half carrying him.
Skittery tries to walk but he is too weak and the pain is too strong. After ten minutes, Chava makes it up to her apartment.
She places a clean sheet over her couch before setting Skittery there. She quickly grabs her hidden first aid kit. She bought it after she read numerous books on advanced first aid.
She begins to unbutton his shirt to which he smiles and says, "Trying to take advantage of me?"
Chava doesn't respond while she runs her hands over his rib cage searching for breaks. She tries to be as gentle as possible as she makes contact with the extremely bruised skin. She deduces his ribs aren't broken just badly bruised.
She then gets to work with his shoulder that's dangling unnaturally. He realizes that it's dislocated and that snapping it back into place is painful. She grabs a belt and places it in his mouth.
As quickly as possible she yanks his arm out and places it back into the socket. She runs and grabs ice for his shoulder and ribs before taking a calming breath. The worst of his wounds is over. She gives him painkillers and begins washing out his cuts.
Skittery, now more lucid, stares at Chava's worried expression.
"I'll be fine, I just need to sleep this off." he says.
"No, Skittery, this is very serious I-I-" but Chava cannot finish the thought. Skittery strokes her face with his thumb and Chava quickly grasps it. She suppresses her tears and Skittery notices.
"Hey, don't cry. Shhh, I got you."
"Who did this to you?" Chava breathes.
Skittery doesn't answer. He guides her head to his chest and kisses her forehead. The two are silent for awhile. Chava is glad Skittery's alive and Skittery's glad Chava's still alive.
Last night, Skittery knew who his attackers were. The Lords. His past is catching up with him. The two low-levels taunted him as they beat him. They claimed to have been watching him and that they were going for his girl next. But Skittery called their bluff and when the two thugs couldn't even give her name they beat him harder. They tortured him with words as they hit him. They said they killed his sister and explained the gruesome way she bit it. They told him of the dirty and hurtful things they would do to everyone he cares for. The verbal abuse hurt more than the bruises and cuts. Whenthey started threatening everyone he cares about, Skittery fought harder than he ever had before. He was only defeated by an unknown third assailant. He was knocked in unconscious.
Chava picks her head up and looks at the clock. It's past eleven, she's surprised. That's when she realized the newsies have no idea Skittery is here or that he's even alive.
"You stay here, don't worry, my parents aren't coming home anytime soon." Chava says.
"Where're you going? It's too late it's dangerous out there." Skittery says getting worried.
"Relax I won't be gone thirty minutes."
"That's thirty minutes too long." He has once seen them kidnap someone in under two minutes. He struggles to get up but Chava races to him a guides him back down.
"Okay, it's okay I'm not going anywhere." Chava lies. She will wait until he falls asleep to go.
"Thank you." says Skittery.
"You never answered my question. Who did this to you?" Chava asks.
"Don't worry about that."
"That's why I worry. You don't tell me things. God, when Specs told me you were missing, the worst case scenarios were going through my head. I don't what I would've done if, if, you had died."
"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I'm gonna stick around and be a huge pain in the neck, okay?"
Chava nods with a slight smile. Skittery eyes close as sleep tugs him under. He fights it but only manages an "I love you" before he falls asleep.
Chava quickly but quietly gets up and puts a sweater on as she heads out the door. She jogs to the Lodging House where the older newsies were devising a plan to search for him.
"I found him." Chava announces.
The newsies all stare at her. "Where is he?" asks Dutchy.
"He's at my flat, it was closer to carry him from where he was lying. He's been beaten, he won't tell me whom did it. His had ribs that were bruised, a dislocated shoulder-which I fixed-and some cuts. He should be fine in two weeks tops."
"You take care of him, we'll see you tomorrow after we sell our papes. Especially Tumblr, I know he'll sleep tonight knowing Skittery is safe." says Snoddy.
Chava nods, says her goodbyes, and leaves. She hurries back inside her flat. She was gone only twenty five minutes but Skittery had already woken up. He holds onto the doorframe of the hallway holding his ribs.
"Skittery!" Chava exclaims as she helps him back onto the couch. "You have to rest two weeks."
"You were gone," Skittery says with little breath. "I couldn't find you, what if something happened? You can't-"
Chava cuts him off with a soft kiss.
"I'll shut up now." He says once they pull away.
"I'm not going anywhere else tonight, you took care of me, now it's my turn to take care of you." Chava says as she holds his hand.
"What about your parents?"
"They won't be home anytime soon."
"Why not?"
"They're going to be in Austria... for another three to four months..." Chava says in a quiet voice.
"How long have they been away?" Skittery asks worriedly.
"A week so far. It's okay I'm not stupid, I double lock all the doors and windows. I close the curtains and I have weapons all over. Depending on what you classify a weapon as." Chava states as she reaches under the couch to pull out a crowbar.
Skittery relaxes even The Lords will have trouble getting through all that. They might not succeed. "Now you'll have me to protect you."
"Rest up and then we'll discuss that." Chava says as she kisses him goodnight and heads to bed.
She doesn't sleep much. She wakes up every hour on the hour to check up on Skittery. Even when she does sleep, her mind is plagued with nightmares for Skittery getting beaten. In one dream, he even died.
She can't let that happen, she won't.