Quick Note: Kora You were right ;)
Katie sat looking at her hands. She was at Medda's not by choice but because she had been sent there when they had found out the truth. It had all be so nice but now it had come crashing down all because of those stupid Delanceys. She thought back to the week before, back when everything was still real.
Everyone had gotten use to the new kid in the bunkhouse. Stutters had been a great pal someone most felt they could trust with their lives. He was an okay poker player who had the same attitude whether he won or lost. Stutters also was a quite kid who hadn't even tried to get a girl, even though some girls had crushes on the boy with the black hair and dark eyes with their long eyelashes. He was teased at times for being too girly but that stopped when the offenders came away with a black eye or a bruised nose.
Katie loved her life as a newsie, the only dark spot was the fact that she had to go to Medda's. It wasn't that she disliked Medda, Medda was like a mother to her. It was that she hated sitting surrounded by the newsies who all had varying degrees of crushes on Medda. What Katie did like was that on days she got done selling early she could go to Medda's and have some girl time, dropping her accent and talk to Medda as herself not as Stutters. None of the newsies knew about her trips though and most figured that she loved going to Medda's as much as they did.
About a week before it all came crashing down Katie began to get very testy. The guys noticed it and teased Stutters about getting a temper. When Race mentioned it Katie hit him hard, giving him a bloody nose. She felt horrible after words, but didn't apologize to him saying that he deserved it for teasing her, she wasn't getting testy. The guys dropped their teasing after that, not wanting to risk a bloody nose of their own. For the next couple of days went by with out incident and most of the newsies forgot about it.
The Day came with little notice. Katie had woken with a bit of a stomachache, actually she was in serious pain but didn't want to stay inside. She dressed and was at the distribution office before any one else even the guys she roomed with. Her stomach was killing her when she went to get her papers. The Delanceys chose that day to pick on the newest newsie. They thought she was a boy, just like almost everyone else she had met since she had left the Refuge two months before.
She had just gotten done selling for the morning. Her stomach was killing and she decided to go back to the boarding house in hopes a nap would make her feel better. She wasn't watching where she was going because she was concentrating on not screaming from the pain. She suddenly found herself walking into a wall of human flesh. "Hey kid what's the big idea?"
Katie looked up, and the little color that was in her face left. She had the misfortune to have run into Oscar Delancey. "Kid me brudder asked youse a question." Morris called for her to answer.
Katie gluped, "I-I-It was an a-a-accident. I-I-Ise sorry." Her stutter was for real as her eyes darted around looking for an escape. She didn't see the first blow coming. Her ears rang and she saw stars.
"That ain't enough kid." Oscar said as he pulled back to punch her again. Katie didn't even try to fight back. Any pain the Delanceys inflicted would take her mind off the pain she had already been experiencing. A couple blows landed on her stomach, knocking the breath out of her. She mercifully passed out after the second or third punch to her head.
She woke up disoriented, this wasn't the alley where she had met the Delancey's. Some one walked in, "Hello there. I'm Doctor Martin. How are you feeling?"
Katie blinked trying to figure out where she was, "Ise been betta. Where am I?"
"You were brought here by some newsies, they said they found you in an alley bleeding. They insist you are a guy." The doctor looked at Katie strangely. "Why do they think you are a guy?"
"Cause they never asked." Katie managed to reply. "Youse haven't told them Ise a goil have youse?" Her eyes opened in panic.
"No but I might have to. They are worried because you are bleeding."
Katie looked at him, "Ise bleeding? Am I okay?"
The doctor looked a bit uncomfortable, "You will be fine. You haven't had your woman's time yet?" Kit gave him a questioning look. "I'll take that as a no. Do you have any female adults you can trust?"
"Medda Larkson? Why?"
"I think your friends should go get her." The doctor was definitely uncomfortable now. "You feel up to visitors?"
"Yeah Ise guess so. Ise ain't gonna bleed to death?"
"No you won't bleed to death. I'll let Ms Larkson explain it to you. You can have 2 friends at a time." The doctor tried to reassure her before going out to get the first of her friends.
Race and Mush came in first. "Hey Stutters, youse look like youse been run over by a cart." Race commented.
"Nah only the Delanceys." Katie didn't even try to stutter, it hurt too much.
"Wes gonna take care of those guys. They's not gonna bother youse any more." Mush promised.
"Thanks guys, can youse wait till Ise better. Ise wanna deliver a couple punches me self." Katie cracked a small smile but stopped when it hurt.
"So when does the doc say youse can leave?" Race asked.
"He says Ise can leave tomorrow, but Ise gotta talk to Medda first." Katie answered trying not to make a big deal out of it.
"Youse gotta talk to Medda? What ever for?" Mush sounded surprise.
"Ise got no clue but he says it's important." Katie said as she tried to sit up. Race went over to put a pillow behind her head but when he went to put his arm across her chest he pulled back.
He looked her up and down. "Youse...Youse...Youse a-a-a." He didn't finish the sentence but stared at Katie in shock.
"What's a matter Race?" Mush looked confused.
"Stutters youse...youse..." Race still stopped before he could finish the sentence.
"What about Stutters?" Mush tried to get his friend to finish his sentence.
"He's a GOIL!" Race finally got it out.
Katie lost all of her color, she had been found out. Mush looked at Race like he had grown another head. "Stutters not a goil."
"Yes he is!" Race started backing up from the side of Katie's bed as if afraid she would have something to contaminate him.
"Stutters what is this jerk going on about?" Mush looked from Katie to Race in total confusion.
"He's right. Ise a goil." Katie tried not to meet Mush's eyes.
Mush looked at her in shock. "Youse became a goil?"
"No Ise a goil. Ise been on for fifteen years."
The look of betrayal in Mush's eyes was too much and Katie began to cry. Neither boy said anything as they left. No one else came in after they left which made Katie cry harder. Medda came by later that day and signed her out.
Medda brought her back to Irving Hall and gave her a room to stay in. After Katie had finished crying, Medda explained to her the facts of life. Katie wanted to scream, cry and just sleep. She settled on crying herself to sleep wishing for someone to visit her.
That had been three days ago, her only visitors since were Medda and Bryon. Bryon tried to comfort her, which brought back the friendship that had been there when they were younger. She poured out her entire story to Medda, who listened with a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on. Katie refused to see anyone besides her cousin and Medda. She figured that none of the newsies would want to see her anyway, but refusing to see them meant she could put off the inevitable until she was ready to explain it all to them.
Katie sat looking at her hands. She was at Medda's not by choice but because she had been sent there when they had found out the truth. It had all be so nice but now it had come crashing down all because of those stupid Delanceys. She thought back to the week before, back when everything was still real.
Everyone had gotten use to the new kid in the bunkhouse. Stutters had been a great pal someone most felt they could trust with their lives. He was an okay poker player who had the same attitude whether he won or lost. Stutters also was a quite kid who hadn't even tried to get a girl, even though some girls had crushes on the boy with the black hair and dark eyes with their long eyelashes. He was teased at times for being too girly but that stopped when the offenders came away with a black eye or a bruised nose.
Katie loved her life as a newsie, the only dark spot was the fact that she had to go to Medda's. It wasn't that she disliked Medda, Medda was like a mother to her. It was that she hated sitting surrounded by the newsies who all had varying degrees of crushes on Medda. What Katie did like was that on days she got done selling early she could go to Medda's and have some girl time, dropping her accent and talk to Medda as herself not as Stutters. None of the newsies knew about her trips though and most figured that she loved going to Medda's as much as they did.
About a week before it all came crashing down Katie began to get very testy. The guys noticed it and teased Stutters about getting a temper. When Race mentioned it Katie hit him hard, giving him a bloody nose. She felt horrible after words, but didn't apologize to him saying that he deserved it for teasing her, she wasn't getting testy. The guys dropped their teasing after that, not wanting to risk a bloody nose of their own. For the next couple of days went by with out incident and most of the newsies forgot about it.
The Day came with little notice. Katie had woken with a bit of a stomachache, actually she was in serious pain but didn't want to stay inside. She dressed and was at the distribution office before any one else even the guys she roomed with. Her stomach was killing her when she went to get her papers. The Delanceys chose that day to pick on the newest newsie. They thought she was a boy, just like almost everyone else she had met since she had left the Refuge two months before.
She had just gotten done selling for the morning. Her stomach was killing and she decided to go back to the boarding house in hopes a nap would make her feel better. She wasn't watching where she was going because she was concentrating on not screaming from the pain. She suddenly found herself walking into a wall of human flesh. "Hey kid what's the big idea?"
Katie looked up, and the little color that was in her face left. She had the misfortune to have run into Oscar Delancey. "Kid me brudder asked youse a question." Morris called for her to answer.
Katie gluped, "I-I-It was an a-a-accident. I-I-Ise sorry." Her stutter was for real as her eyes darted around looking for an escape. She didn't see the first blow coming. Her ears rang and she saw stars.
"That ain't enough kid." Oscar said as he pulled back to punch her again. Katie didn't even try to fight back. Any pain the Delanceys inflicted would take her mind off the pain she had already been experiencing. A couple blows landed on her stomach, knocking the breath out of her. She mercifully passed out after the second or third punch to her head.
She woke up disoriented, this wasn't the alley where she had met the Delancey's. Some one walked in, "Hello there. I'm Doctor Martin. How are you feeling?"
Katie blinked trying to figure out where she was, "Ise been betta. Where am I?"
"You were brought here by some newsies, they said they found you in an alley bleeding. They insist you are a guy." The doctor looked at Katie strangely. "Why do they think you are a guy?"
"Cause they never asked." Katie managed to reply. "Youse haven't told them Ise a goil have youse?" Her eyes opened in panic.
"No but I might have to. They are worried because you are bleeding."
Katie looked at him, "Ise bleeding? Am I okay?"
The doctor looked a bit uncomfortable, "You will be fine. You haven't had your woman's time yet?" Kit gave him a questioning look. "I'll take that as a no. Do you have any female adults you can trust?"
"Medda Larkson? Why?"
"I think your friends should go get her." The doctor was definitely uncomfortable now. "You feel up to visitors?"
"Yeah Ise guess so. Ise ain't gonna bleed to death?"
"No you won't bleed to death. I'll let Ms Larkson explain it to you. You can have 2 friends at a time." The doctor tried to reassure her before going out to get the first of her friends.
Race and Mush came in first. "Hey Stutters, youse look like youse been run over by a cart." Race commented.
"Nah only the Delanceys." Katie didn't even try to stutter, it hurt too much.
"Wes gonna take care of those guys. They's not gonna bother youse any more." Mush promised.
"Thanks guys, can youse wait till Ise better. Ise wanna deliver a couple punches me self." Katie cracked a small smile but stopped when it hurt.
"So when does the doc say youse can leave?" Race asked.
"He says Ise can leave tomorrow, but Ise gotta talk to Medda first." Katie answered trying not to make a big deal out of it.
"Youse gotta talk to Medda? What ever for?" Mush sounded surprise.
"Ise got no clue but he says it's important." Katie said as she tried to sit up. Race went over to put a pillow behind her head but when he went to put his arm across her chest he pulled back.
He looked her up and down. "Youse...Youse...Youse a-a-a." He didn't finish the sentence but stared at Katie in shock.
"What's a matter Race?" Mush looked confused.
"Stutters youse...youse..." Race still stopped before he could finish the sentence.
"What about Stutters?" Mush tried to get his friend to finish his sentence.
"He's a GOIL!" Race finally got it out.
Katie lost all of her color, she had been found out. Mush looked at Race like he had grown another head. "Stutters not a goil."
"Yes he is!" Race started backing up from the side of Katie's bed as if afraid she would have something to contaminate him.
"Stutters what is this jerk going on about?" Mush looked from Katie to Race in total confusion.
"He's right. Ise a goil." Katie tried not to meet Mush's eyes.
Mush looked at her in shock. "Youse became a goil?"
"No Ise a goil. Ise been on for fifteen years."
The look of betrayal in Mush's eyes was too much and Katie began to cry. Neither boy said anything as they left. No one else came in after they left which made Katie cry harder. Medda came by later that day and signed her out.
Medda brought her back to Irving Hall and gave her a room to stay in. After Katie had finished crying, Medda explained to her the facts of life. Katie wanted to scream, cry and just sleep. She settled on crying herself to sleep wishing for someone to visit her.
That had been three days ago, her only visitors since were Medda and Bryon. Bryon tried to comfort her, which brought back the friendship that had been there when they were younger. She poured out her entire story to Medda, who listened with a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on. Katie refused to see anyone besides her cousin and Medda. She figured that none of the newsies would want to see her anyway, but refusing to see them meant she could put off the inevitable until she was ready to explain it all to them.