Chapter 6: To Brooklyn's (Lodge) House we Go!
Late that night, Mush and Racetrack had walked with Spot back to Brooklyn. They'd bundled up Sarah sufficiently, and switched off carrying her all the way to the lodging house in Brooklyn. The owner, who was rarely ever seen, was of course not there when they arrived. He was usually only there in the morning, and gone the rest of the time, allowing Spot to pretty much run the place. They walked right in, ignoring glances from curious Brooklyn newsies lounging about, and Mush passed the young girl into Spot's arms.
"You'se sure you don't want us to send someone over later tomorrow to check up on her?" Racetrack asked.
"I told you'se guys I could handle it. Besides, what good would it do, she don't know you any more than she knows me". Spot replied, speaking only by what he'd heard, which wasn't far from the truth.
"Alright then, we'll send Gabby over 'soon as he's able".
And with that, they left, and Spot carried Sarah up the stairs to the second floor, then up again to the third floor of the tall, yet drab and cramped little building. He shoved the door open to the room next to his own private one, and found two newsboys there. "OK, guys, move it out. This rooms taken". He said, and the two newsies looked at each other, confused. "But we just got here". One said.
"Then it won't be too difficult to move to another room, will it, seein' as how ya haven't quite settled in yet. There's an empty room two doors down, it's a little nicer than this one, actually". Spot said, trying to make it a little more pleasant for them. Naturally, he'd have just ordered them out and not given a hoot where they went, but he didn't need any hot tempers right now, whether they be his own or someone else's. The two newsies complied, gathered their few things, and headed out the door. After they'd gone, Spot hurried over to one of the beds and lay Sarah down carefully, then sighed. His arms ached slightly, but he ignored it as he set to work carefully making her comfortable, then he stood and turned to go, closing the door behind him.
*
Later that night, which was actually the wee hours of the morning, Spot awoke with a start. Someone was screaming! He knew immediately who it was and leapt from his bed, running out the door and into the other room, ignoring the few drowsy yet startled newsies who stood in the hallway with curiosity.
Sarah had crawled into the corner against the wall in the dark, and when she saw someone in the doorway, she screamed again. "Matthew!!"
Spot momentarily ignored what she said and ran to the bedside. "Hey, hey, ssshhhh!" He said. "I'm not gonna hurt you!"
"Who are you?" She asked, not making any move near him. "Spot Conlon, I'se take'n care of ya till Gabriel's feelin' better". Spot quickly explained, but Sarah looked confused. "G...Gabriel? Oh, Gabriel! What's wrong with him? Did he get hurt?"
"Nah, he's sick real bad, but he's gettin' better, then he'll come here to stay at the lodging house with ya". Spot explained, glad she had calmed somewhat. "W'll, where is he now?" She asked. "At the Lodging house in Manhattan, we're in Brooklyn".
"Oh...why?"
Spot repeated, with a little more detail, the reasons she was there, and she sort of understood him. She didn't ask anymore questions after that, only if she could go back to sleep. So he left her and shut the door behind him. On his way back to his own bed, he noted that one good things about her being pregnant was that he knew none of the boys would mess with her during the night.
Matthew? Spot thought then, climbing back into his bed. He disregarded it for now, figuring there were just more details he didn't know, or that Gabriel had purposely left out. He'd have to ask later.
*
Things continued like this for some time, Spot left every morning with the rest of the news boys to sell papers, but he came back to the lodge house every now and then to check on Sarah and make sure she was alright, like he'd promised to do. A hunch had told him that she wouldn't leave her room, and he was right. Every time he went back to the lodge house, she was in her room, usually sitting on the bed or laying, bundled up in the blankets and looking out the window. After a couple days, he began to bet that she was pretty bored most of the time, so one evening he dug through a small box in his room and pulled out two old books, one being a Bible. Both were pretty old and tattered, but he gave them to her to read during the day, figuring they'd keep her busy.
Every few nights, though, Sarah would wake up screaming that same name, Matthew, and Spot would have to run into her room and calm her down and remind her where she was. It continued to puzzle him, though he had a good idea of what her nightmares contained. But still, that name made him think. He never found the time to make a trip to Manhattan and ask Jack or Gabriel about it, though, so he sent one of his boys out to tell Jack that he wanted to see him.
The very next evening, after the selling day was pretty much over, Jack appeared at the door, and Spot met him outside to talk.
"So what's the deal, Conlon? Ya get me out here in this blasted cold, it better be important". Jack said, turning the collar of his jacket up to block the cold. "Well, it is, Jacky. Listen, this girl's been wakin' up in the middle of the night sometimes, ya know, nightmares and stuff. I hear her screamin' this name, but it ain't Gabe's".
"Well, who's is it?"
"Matthew. None of my boys got that name that I know of, 'course she's never been here before. But she's never been at your lodging house either, other than sleeping, right?"
"Right".
"So who's this Matthew guy?"
"Beats me, ya want me to ask Gabby?" Jack offered, and Spot nodded. "Yeah, that'd be good. I don't wanna be nosy'er anything, but it's got me kinda wonderin' is all".
"Yeah, yeah, no problem. It's got me wonderin' now, too. I'll ask him about it, kay?"
"OK, thanks, Cowboy". Spot said as Jack made ready to turn and leave, but then he paused. "You sure she was sayin' Matthew?" He asked, and Spot nodded. "Whadda ya think I'm deaf'er somethin', I know what I heard".
"Alright, alright. Won't be too long before Gabe'll be comin' out so I'll probably see ya's in a couple'a days". Jack said, now turning and heading along the bridge. "Alright, see ya". Spot turned on his heel and walked back into the lodging house. He walked up both flights of stairs to the third floor, by now the walk didn't tire him as it had years before. He was young, he could handle it.
But he wasn't sure whether he could handle what came next.
He reached for the door handle to his room when he paused and gazed across the way at the door down the hall. He usually check on her every night before retiring, so he walked over to her door and knocked on it gently before entering. What he saw almost made him stumble walking through the door way. Sarah was by her bed, holding the underside of her stomach, looking as though she were trying to stand.
"Wh...What's wrong?" Stupid question, he thought immediately, he knew what was wrong. "I don't know, I think my baby's coming". She said, her voice slightly pained. "But...But isn't it early!" Spot exclaimed, feeling his shield of power and authority fading away as the reality of the situation hit him. "I don't know..." Sarah said, then sucked in a little gasp. "I don't think I can stop it". She said, and Spot could feel himself beginning to panic. "Oh boy..." He said, his mind racing.
Oh boy, oh boy...Snap out of it, Conlon! He scolded himself, and turned to face the hallway. He yelled for a couple of the newsboys down the hall, and when they came, he ordered one of them to run and catch Jack before he made it any further from the bridge. He told the other one to run and get a doctor as fast as he could, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be fast enough. Sarah suddenly moaned loudly, holding her stomach with a pained look on her face such as Spot couldn't remember ever seeing before. Oh boy, he thought, this baby wasn't going to wait for a doctor!
Spot hurried to her side and had her lay back down on the bed, silently praying in the back of his mind. For what, he wasn't sure, nor did he pray very often, but he did it then nonetheless.
Another cry, Spot grabbed her right hand with his left. "Just hold on, you'll be alright". He said, but couldn't get the worry out of his head. Is it supposed to happen this fast? He thought.
"It hurts so badly!" Sarah cried, tears beginning to brim in her eyes.
"The doctor'll be here soon, it'll be OK". Spot continued to tell her, he wished someone would hurry up and come!
As if on cue, Jack burst into the doorway, out of breath, one of the Brooklyn newsies behind him. Using the Lords name in vain rather loudly, Jack rushed to the bedside. "How long has she been like this?"
"Not long, twenty minutes maybe since I got here".
"Oh boy". Jack said, putting a hand to his temple, then suddenly his eyes snapped open and he whirled around to face the lone Brooklyn newsie. "Run to Manhattan and go strait to Medda's, tell her to get her cart and come to Spot's, now!!" The boy was already at the stairs and barreling down them in a flash. Jack turned back to Sarah, who was squeezing Spot's hand. "Ya gonna be alright, Sarah, OK?" Jack said, then both he ad Spot looked up when the other newsie rushed in. "Doc ain't there, Spot, no one is!". He said, and Spot scowled with frustration.
Jack also scowled, he'd hoped it wouldn't come to this. Regretfully, he turned to the newsie in the doorway. "Go downstairs and boil some water, get someone to bring up some clean rags or towels or somethin'!" The newsie ran to do as he'd been told, and Jack turned to Sarah, gently pulling her socks off. "What are you doing?" Spot asked, confused and hoping that Jack wasn't doing what it seemed like he was about to do.
"I've seen Medda do it before, I even helped her once..."
"But Jack-..."
"Listen, this kid ain't waitin' for nobody, I never seen contractions this close before..."
"Contractions?" Spot was completely confused, Jack didn't expect him to know much about childbirth. He was surprised he was fortunate enough to know what little he did.
"She's givin' birth now, we can't wait!" Jack said quickly, carefully sliding off Sarah's pants, which were wet from her water braking, and tossing them on the floor. They were actually Gabriel's pants which he had given to her to where, along with a shirt and such, but she already had them unbuttoned to fit her stomach. "Oh boy". Spot said to himself, trying to keep a good hold on his tense mind. Sarah let out another pain filled cry, squeezing Spot's hand tighter than he thought a person of her size could, especially a girl! "Just hold tight, Sarah, OK? We're gonna get this kid outta you real soon". Jack said, trying to sound calm, but his shaking hands betrayed him. Just then, the newsie came back upstairs with a pile of towels. "The waters heatin' up now". He said, handing the towels to Jack and trying not to stare at the sight before him.
"Thanks". Jack muttered, just as Sarah cried out again, this time louder. "You sure you know what you're doin'?" Spot asked skeptically, not willing to go with any second guesses as he watched Jack work.
"More than you do". Jack muttered, trying to focus on what he was doing.
Sarah was beginning to sweat profusely, panting hard. By now a small crowd had gathered outside the door, watching, and Spot told one of them to "make themselves useful" and grab something to tie Sarah's hair back with so that it was not sticking to the sides of her face. Two or three ran to get something, and Spot was given a small leather string, which he promptly tied around her hair to pull it back.
She screamed again, and this time Jack jumped back slightly. "Holy cow, this baby's comin'!" He exclaimed. "Uh, Spot I think I'm gonna need your help over here!"
Spot hurried to Jack's side, but to his surprise, Jack got up and hurried to where Spot had been beside Sarah. "Well, what am I supposed to do!?" He exclaimed as Jack took hold of Sarah's hand. "Just catch it when it comes out. One'a you guys find a pair of scissors!" A few newsies left the doorway to find some, and Jack turned to Sarah.
"Alright Sarah, listen carefully. When I say so, I need you to push really hard, as hard as you can, OK?"
Sarah nodded shakily, and Jack placed his hand on her forehead. "You're gonna be alright, ya hear me?" He said, and she nodded again.
"You ready Spot?" Jack asked, and Spot nodded, though not quite sure.
"Alright...push!"
Sarah's face scrunched up with pain as she held her breath and pushed with all her might until she could push no more, then stopped and began to cry more. "It hurts!" She cried out, just as a Brooklyn newsie walked up to the door, saw what was happening, and immediately began shoving all the boys away from the door. "Alright, move it out! Nothin' to see here, give the girl some privacy!!" He pushed the arguing newsies back and shut the door, leaving the three alone in the room.
"OK, you ready?" Jack asked, and Sarah shook her head quickly. "Well, too bad, ya gotta push again if ya want the pain to stop. Ready...now!"
Sarah pushed again as hard as possible, and like before she couldn't only go a few seconds before letting a breath out and crying out in pain.
"I see it!" Spot yelled, his eyes wide.
"What is it?" Jack immediately asked.
"A baby, genius!" Spot snapped, and Jack rolled his eyes. "OK Sarah...push now!" Again, the young girl pushed as hard as possible.
"We got a head, here!" Spot yelled, and Jack abandoned asking if it was a boy or a girl yet. "OK, just once more...now!"
Sarah gave as hard a push as she could manage, crying out horribly. Spot had his hands ready to catch the baby when it came out, and the sound they heard stood out above all the crying and shouting in the world.
Spot was too in shock to think of anything sarcastic to say about something so small making so much noise; he was frozen in place, his hands and arms carefully supporting what he thought was the most fragile thing he'd ever held in his life. He stared down at the baby in wonder, his eyes partially wide, as the child wriggled slightly in his hold.
Just then, a Brooklyn newsie burst in with a pair of scissors, and Jack rushed from Sarah's side to get them. Spot didn't think to ask what they were for as Jack came over to him and the baby, and cut the umbilical chord which Spot had failed to even notice. He also didn't think to ask what it was even for, since he hadn't the slightest idea.
He trusted Jack's knowledge about child birth now.
Jack reached for one of the remaining clean towels and took the baby carefully from Spot, who almost argued, but said nothing as Jack wiped the baby's and body off carefully, then wrapped it in another clean towel and went over to Sarah.
At first he wasn't sure what to say as he gently handed the baby to Sarah, who struggled to sit up and take the child in her arms. The baby was still crying; so was Sarah.
"It's...uh...it's a boy". Jack stammered slightly with his words as Sarah gazed down at the tiny baby boy in her arms.
Spot remained where he was, taking a moment to regain his composure, then turned and saw the lone newsie standing in the corner, watching with a slight smile. Spot quickly wiped away the mess on the bed, pulling away the messy towels, and pulled a blanket over the girl. Then he turned back to the newsie and glared at him. "Beat it".
Just then the door swung open and in rushed Medda, followed by the newsie who'd run to get her. The scene before her caught her off guard for a moment, and then she smiled. "Oh you blessed boys". She said, smiling, then came to Sarah's side. "Are you alright, honey?" She asked, and Sarah looked up at her, tears in her eyes. "It was worth it". She said, turning back to her baby. "It was all worth it".
Late that night, Mush and Racetrack had walked with Spot back to Brooklyn. They'd bundled up Sarah sufficiently, and switched off carrying her all the way to the lodging house in Brooklyn. The owner, who was rarely ever seen, was of course not there when they arrived. He was usually only there in the morning, and gone the rest of the time, allowing Spot to pretty much run the place. They walked right in, ignoring glances from curious Brooklyn newsies lounging about, and Mush passed the young girl into Spot's arms.
"You'se sure you don't want us to send someone over later tomorrow to check up on her?" Racetrack asked.
"I told you'se guys I could handle it. Besides, what good would it do, she don't know you any more than she knows me". Spot replied, speaking only by what he'd heard, which wasn't far from the truth.
"Alright then, we'll send Gabby over 'soon as he's able".
And with that, they left, and Spot carried Sarah up the stairs to the second floor, then up again to the third floor of the tall, yet drab and cramped little building. He shoved the door open to the room next to his own private one, and found two newsboys there. "OK, guys, move it out. This rooms taken". He said, and the two newsies looked at each other, confused. "But we just got here". One said.
"Then it won't be too difficult to move to another room, will it, seein' as how ya haven't quite settled in yet. There's an empty room two doors down, it's a little nicer than this one, actually". Spot said, trying to make it a little more pleasant for them. Naturally, he'd have just ordered them out and not given a hoot where they went, but he didn't need any hot tempers right now, whether they be his own or someone else's. The two newsies complied, gathered their few things, and headed out the door. After they'd gone, Spot hurried over to one of the beds and lay Sarah down carefully, then sighed. His arms ached slightly, but he ignored it as he set to work carefully making her comfortable, then he stood and turned to go, closing the door behind him.
*
Later that night, which was actually the wee hours of the morning, Spot awoke with a start. Someone was screaming! He knew immediately who it was and leapt from his bed, running out the door and into the other room, ignoring the few drowsy yet startled newsies who stood in the hallway with curiosity.
Sarah had crawled into the corner against the wall in the dark, and when she saw someone in the doorway, she screamed again. "Matthew!!"
Spot momentarily ignored what she said and ran to the bedside. "Hey, hey, ssshhhh!" He said. "I'm not gonna hurt you!"
"Who are you?" She asked, not making any move near him. "Spot Conlon, I'se take'n care of ya till Gabriel's feelin' better". Spot quickly explained, but Sarah looked confused. "G...Gabriel? Oh, Gabriel! What's wrong with him? Did he get hurt?"
"Nah, he's sick real bad, but he's gettin' better, then he'll come here to stay at the lodging house with ya". Spot explained, glad she had calmed somewhat. "W'll, where is he now?" She asked. "At the Lodging house in Manhattan, we're in Brooklyn".
"Oh...why?"
Spot repeated, with a little more detail, the reasons she was there, and she sort of understood him. She didn't ask anymore questions after that, only if she could go back to sleep. So he left her and shut the door behind him. On his way back to his own bed, he noted that one good things about her being pregnant was that he knew none of the boys would mess with her during the night.
Matthew? Spot thought then, climbing back into his bed. He disregarded it for now, figuring there were just more details he didn't know, or that Gabriel had purposely left out. He'd have to ask later.
*
Things continued like this for some time, Spot left every morning with the rest of the news boys to sell papers, but he came back to the lodge house every now and then to check on Sarah and make sure she was alright, like he'd promised to do. A hunch had told him that she wouldn't leave her room, and he was right. Every time he went back to the lodge house, she was in her room, usually sitting on the bed or laying, bundled up in the blankets and looking out the window. After a couple days, he began to bet that she was pretty bored most of the time, so one evening he dug through a small box in his room and pulled out two old books, one being a Bible. Both were pretty old and tattered, but he gave them to her to read during the day, figuring they'd keep her busy.
Every few nights, though, Sarah would wake up screaming that same name, Matthew, and Spot would have to run into her room and calm her down and remind her where she was. It continued to puzzle him, though he had a good idea of what her nightmares contained. But still, that name made him think. He never found the time to make a trip to Manhattan and ask Jack or Gabriel about it, though, so he sent one of his boys out to tell Jack that he wanted to see him.
The very next evening, after the selling day was pretty much over, Jack appeared at the door, and Spot met him outside to talk.
"So what's the deal, Conlon? Ya get me out here in this blasted cold, it better be important". Jack said, turning the collar of his jacket up to block the cold. "Well, it is, Jacky. Listen, this girl's been wakin' up in the middle of the night sometimes, ya know, nightmares and stuff. I hear her screamin' this name, but it ain't Gabe's".
"Well, who's is it?"
"Matthew. None of my boys got that name that I know of, 'course she's never been here before. But she's never been at your lodging house either, other than sleeping, right?"
"Right".
"So who's this Matthew guy?"
"Beats me, ya want me to ask Gabby?" Jack offered, and Spot nodded. "Yeah, that'd be good. I don't wanna be nosy'er anything, but it's got me kinda wonderin' is all".
"Yeah, yeah, no problem. It's got me wonderin' now, too. I'll ask him about it, kay?"
"OK, thanks, Cowboy". Spot said as Jack made ready to turn and leave, but then he paused. "You sure she was sayin' Matthew?" He asked, and Spot nodded. "Whadda ya think I'm deaf'er somethin', I know what I heard".
"Alright, alright. Won't be too long before Gabe'll be comin' out so I'll probably see ya's in a couple'a days". Jack said, now turning and heading along the bridge. "Alright, see ya". Spot turned on his heel and walked back into the lodging house. He walked up both flights of stairs to the third floor, by now the walk didn't tire him as it had years before. He was young, he could handle it.
But he wasn't sure whether he could handle what came next.
He reached for the door handle to his room when he paused and gazed across the way at the door down the hall. He usually check on her every night before retiring, so he walked over to her door and knocked on it gently before entering. What he saw almost made him stumble walking through the door way. Sarah was by her bed, holding the underside of her stomach, looking as though she were trying to stand.
"Wh...What's wrong?" Stupid question, he thought immediately, he knew what was wrong. "I don't know, I think my baby's coming". She said, her voice slightly pained. "But...But isn't it early!" Spot exclaimed, feeling his shield of power and authority fading away as the reality of the situation hit him. "I don't know..." Sarah said, then sucked in a little gasp. "I don't think I can stop it". She said, and Spot could feel himself beginning to panic. "Oh boy..." He said, his mind racing.
Oh boy, oh boy...Snap out of it, Conlon! He scolded himself, and turned to face the hallway. He yelled for a couple of the newsboys down the hall, and when they came, he ordered one of them to run and catch Jack before he made it any further from the bridge. He told the other one to run and get a doctor as fast as he could, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be fast enough. Sarah suddenly moaned loudly, holding her stomach with a pained look on her face such as Spot couldn't remember ever seeing before. Oh boy, he thought, this baby wasn't going to wait for a doctor!
Spot hurried to her side and had her lay back down on the bed, silently praying in the back of his mind. For what, he wasn't sure, nor did he pray very often, but he did it then nonetheless.
Another cry, Spot grabbed her right hand with his left. "Just hold on, you'll be alright". He said, but couldn't get the worry out of his head. Is it supposed to happen this fast? He thought.
"It hurts so badly!" Sarah cried, tears beginning to brim in her eyes.
"The doctor'll be here soon, it'll be OK". Spot continued to tell her, he wished someone would hurry up and come!
As if on cue, Jack burst into the doorway, out of breath, one of the Brooklyn newsies behind him. Using the Lords name in vain rather loudly, Jack rushed to the bedside. "How long has she been like this?"
"Not long, twenty minutes maybe since I got here".
"Oh boy". Jack said, putting a hand to his temple, then suddenly his eyes snapped open and he whirled around to face the lone Brooklyn newsie. "Run to Manhattan and go strait to Medda's, tell her to get her cart and come to Spot's, now!!" The boy was already at the stairs and barreling down them in a flash. Jack turned back to Sarah, who was squeezing Spot's hand. "Ya gonna be alright, Sarah, OK?" Jack said, then both he ad Spot looked up when the other newsie rushed in. "Doc ain't there, Spot, no one is!". He said, and Spot scowled with frustration.
Jack also scowled, he'd hoped it wouldn't come to this. Regretfully, he turned to the newsie in the doorway. "Go downstairs and boil some water, get someone to bring up some clean rags or towels or somethin'!" The newsie ran to do as he'd been told, and Jack turned to Sarah, gently pulling her socks off. "What are you doing?" Spot asked, confused and hoping that Jack wasn't doing what it seemed like he was about to do.
"I've seen Medda do it before, I even helped her once..."
"But Jack-..."
"Listen, this kid ain't waitin' for nobody, I never seen contractions this close before..."
"Contractions?" Spot was completely confused, Jack didn't expect him to know much about childbirth. He was surprised he was fortunate enough to know what little he did.
"She's givin' birth now, we can't wait!" Jack said quickly, carefully sliding off Sarah's pants, which were wet from her water braking, and tossing them on the floor. They were actually Gabriel's pants which he had given to her to where, along with a shirt and such, but she already had them unbuttoned to fit her stomach. "Oh boy". Spot said to himself, trying to keep a good hold on his tense mind. Sarah let out another pain filled cry, squeezing Spot's hand tighter than he thought a person of her size could, especially a girl! "Just hold tight, Sarah, OK? We're gonna get this kid outta you real soon". Jack said, trying to sound calm, but his shaking hands betrayed him. Just then, the newsie came back upstairs with a pile of towels. "The waters heatin' up now". He said, handing the towels to Jack and trying not to stare at the sight before him.
"Thanks". Jack muttered, just as Sarah cried out again, this time louder. "You sure you know what you're doin'?" Spot asked skeptically, not willing to go with any second guesses as he watched Jack work.
"More than you do". Jack muttered, trying to focus on what he was doing.
Sarah was beginning to sweat profusely, panting hard. By now a small crowd had gathered outside the door, watching, and Spot told one of them to "make themselves useful" and grab something to tie Sarah's hair back with so that it was not sticking to the sides of her face. Two or three ran to get something, and Spot was given a small leather string, which he promptly tied around her hair to pull it back.
She screamed again, and this time Jack jumped back slightly. "Holy cow, this baby's comin'!" He exclaimed. "Uh, Spot I think I'm gonna need your help over here!"
Spot hurried to Jack's side, but to his surprise, Jack got up and hurried to where Spot had been beside Sarah. "Well, what am I supposed to do!?" He exclaimed as Jack took hold of Sarah's hand. "Just catch it when it comes out. One'a you guys find a pair of scissors!" A few newsies left the doorway to find some, and Jack turned to Sarah.
"Alright Sarah, listen carefully. When I say so, I need you to push really hard, as hard as you can, OK?"
Sarah nodded shakily, and Jack placed his hand on her forehead. "You're gonna be alright, ya hear me?" He said, and she nodded again.
"You ready Spot?" Jack asked, and Spot nodded, though not quite sure.
"Alright...push!"
Sarah's face scrunched up with pain as she held her breath and pushed with all her might until she could push no more, then stopped and began to cry more. "It hurts!" She cried out, just as a Brooklyn newsie walked up to the door, saw what was happening, and immediately began shoving all the boys away from the door. "Alright, move it out! Nothin' to see here, give the girl some privacy!!" He pushed the arguing newsies back and shut the door, leaving the three alone in the room.
"OK, you ready?" Jack asked, and Sarah shook her head quickly. "Well, too bad, ya gotta push again if ya want the pain to stop. Ready...now!"
Sarah pushed again as hard as possible, and like before she couldn't only go a few seconds before letting a breath out and crying out in pain.
"I see it!" Spot yelled, his eyes wide.
"What is it?" Jack immediately asked.
"A baby, genius!" Spot snapped, and Jack rolled his eyes. "OK Sarah...push now!" Again, the young girl pushed as hard as possible.
"We got a head, here!" Spot yelled, and Jack abandoned asking if it was a boy or a girl yet. "OK, just once more...now!"
Sarah gave as hard a push as she could manage, crying out horribly. Spot had his hands ready to catch the baby when it came out, and the sound they heard stood out above all the crying and shouting in the world.
Spot was too in shock to think of anything sarcastic to say about something so small making so much noise; he was frozen in place, his hands and arms carefully supporting what he thought was the most fragile thing he'd ever held in his life. He stared down at the baby in wonder, his eyes partially wide, as the child wriggled slightly in his hold.
Just then, a Brooklyn newsie burst in with a pair of scissors, and Jack rushed from Sarah's side to get them. Spot didn't think to ask what they were for as Jack came over to him and the baby, and cut the umbilical chord which Spot had failed to even notice. He also didn't think to ask what it was even for, since he hadn't the slightest idea.
He trusted Jack's knowledge about child birth now.
Jack reached for one of the remaining clean towels and took the baby carefully from Spot, who almost argued, but said nothing as Jack wiped the baby's and body off carefully, then wrapped it in another clean towel and went over to Sarah.
At first he wasn't sure what to say as he gently handed the baby to Sarah, who struggled to sit up and take the child in her arms. The baby was still crying; so was Sarah.
"It's...uh...it's a boy". Jack stammered slightly with his words as Sarah gazed down at the tiny baby boy in her arms.
Spot remained where he was, taking a moment to regain his composure, then turned and saw the lone newsie standing in the corner, watching with a slight smile. Spot quickly wiped away the mess on the bed, pulling away the messy towels, and pulled a blanket over the girl. Then he turned back to the newsie and glared at him. "Beat it".
Just then the door swung open and in rushed Medda, followed by the newsie who'd run to get her. The scene before her caught her off guard for a moment, and then she smiled. "Oh you blessed boys". She said, smiling, then came to Sarah's side. "Are you alright, honey?" She asked, and Sarah looked up at her, tears in her eyes. "It was worth it". She said, turning back to her baby. "It was all worth it".
