1 Chapter Thirteen
"Hey, it's Spot! Hey everybody, it's Spot!" The newsies loudly and cheerfully greeted their returned leader.
"Heya fellas! Sorry I was gone fer so long, but Singah and me got held up in Manhattan- and she's pregnant. So I need yer help- where's Bacon?" His announcements were met with hoots and laughter. They weren't surprised he had knocked her up, and they were sure that Bacon would be hiding once he heard Spot himself was after him.
"He's hiding out in Harlem still- he's letting the goons do the work for him!" The newsie who spoke spit on the ground, showing his contempt for the leader who couldn't even show his face in the territory he was trying to take over.
"Well then I'll just have to let him know I'm calling him out. This is gonna end. Get one of the boys to take a message to Bacon- no, wait- give it to a goon. He'll take it. I'm gonna meet him at 8 pm on the Bridge. Just him and me. Got it? Now go find a goon and give it to him." Satisfied, Spot looked around. God, it was good to be back. He noticed a girl in the back of the room. "Hey, who's she?"
"Oh, this is Fastdancr. She got here right after you left- she's a newsie."
"That's great. Is she any good? And why's she here now? I'd a figured she'd leave."
"Excuse me, but I'm here? And I can talk for myself! I'm here cause that's where I am. I'm from Philly, and this is the first lodging house I saw. I'm looking for my brother. Once I find him, I'll leave if you don't want me. But if you're gonna talk about me, don't do it in front of me. I can hear you." Fastdancr was indignant- she'd heard Spot Conlon was tough, and blunt- but this was beyond those. He annoyed her, and nothing annoyed her.
"Jesus, sorry! Guys, I think I know who would like her… Jacky-boy." Spot laughed- yeah, she'd be perfect for Jack. She obviously had nothing against newsies, and she had spunk. "Well, then, when I go back, you'll come. Besides, Singah'll like you too."
"Sure thing, but now don't you have to get ready to fight Bacon? I don't wanna se my new leader die the first time I see him fight."
"God, you got a mouth on you, don't you. Yeah, Jack is gonna love you. But yer right- I gotta get ready for the fight. Hey, Creamer- go get Trolley back from Manhattan- and get Jack too. But don't let Singah know why, aight? I don't want her worrying."
"Sure- I'm gone!" Creamer dashed off.
"And the rest of you- go get a place ready. I got things to do." With that, he turned and left. Behind him, Fastdancr called, "Hey Speck! What should I do?"
"Go stay outta trouble- find yer brother! And the name is Spot!"
***
Singah was in a happy daze- something was going on with Spot, and it had to do with marriage- why else would Jack have tensed up like that if it didn't? She sighed. Spot. Where was he and why wasn't he back yet. –I'll go ask Jack. He knows, and if he won't tell me I'll just tell him I know Spot's gonna ask me to marry him, see what he does, and then get him to tell me where he is! This'll be great!- She got up to go find Jack.
Suddenly, her belly was awash with pain. Groaning, she fell forward, grabbing onto the nearest bunk to keep from crashing to the floor. Startled, the girls around flocked around her.
"Singah! What's the matter?" Fidget asked. "What's wrong?"
"The baby- I think I'm losing the baby!" Her stomach was clenching and unclenching. All of a sudden, she got up and raced to the washroom, stumbling from pain. Fidget looked at the other girls, and followed her. Looking back, she said, "Hey Inky- go get Jack- tell him she's losing the baby!" Inky ran off to find Jack.
"Singah- you all right?" Fidget was worried about her- she was going to be so depressed.
"Yeah. Go away! I wanna be alone!" Singah was crying. She was losing Spot's baby- how was she gonna tell him? "Just leave me alone!"
"Fine. But Jack's coming, and someone's gonna go find Spot." Fidget was yelling through the door. "And Jack isn't just gonna go away!" Just as she was saying that, he burst through the door to the girls' room.
"How is she?" He asked breathlessly. "What happened?"
"She's losing the baby! I think from getting kicked in the stomach!" Jack looked horrified, then violent.
"I'm gonna kill Blink! He did this to her!" He began pacing in front of the door. "Singah, you all right?"
"I'm not alright! Go away!" They heard her sobbing through the thin door.
"Fidg, go send one of the boys to find Spot. He's in Brooklyn. Go!" Fidget turned and ran, crying herself. Once she was gone, Jack moved closer to the door. "Singah? Can I talk to you?"
"Yeah. Don't leave me Jack, I'm scared! I don't want this to happen! And why did Spot really go to Brooklyn?" Even through her pain and suffering, she still wanted to know.
He still didn't want to tell her- he had promised Spot he wouldn't, but Jack decided that it was more important for her to know than for him to keep the secret. "He went to get his ring. He's gonna ask you to marry him." With that, Singah began to cry harder.
"Jack, what if… what if he's only doing it cause of the baby? What if he won't now that it's gone? What if… what if…"
"Singah, he ain't gonna do that! He loves you, and he would have asked you to marry him anyway. Come on, let's get you out of there."
"I ain't done yet- and my clothes are all wet. I ain't coming out yet."
"Lashes- go get her some dry clothes! She doesn't need to get sick, too. Listen, Singah, one of the boys is gonna get Spot for you, and then he'll make you feel better. And then I'm gonna kill Blink- if Spot doesn't first! So come out…" Lashes came back with her clothes "… I've got clothes for you right here!"
"Give them to me." Jack opened the door and without looking, handed them through to her. A minute later, she stepped out with her old clothes in her hand, and wiping her face with her other. He took the clothes from her and handed them to Lashes, who took them away to be cleaned as best as possible. "Feeling better?" She shook her head. "Course not. Stupid question. Look, Spot should be here soon. Then you'll feel better. For now, go to sleep." He led her over to the nearest bunk and sat her down. She lay back and closed her eyes. Soon, she was fast asleep.
"Hey, it's Spot! Hey everybody, it's Spot!" The newsies loudly and cheerfully greeted their returned leader.
"Heya fellas! Sorry I was gone fer so long, but Singah and me got held up in Manhattan- and she's pregnant. So I need yer help- where's Bacon?" His announcements were met with hoots and laughter. They weren't surprised he had knocked her up, and they were sure that Bacon would be hiding once he heard Spot himself was after him.
"He's hiding out in Harlem still- he's letting the goons do the work for him!" The newsie who spoke spit on the ground, showing his contempt for the leader who couldn't even show his face in the territory he was trying to take over.
"Well then I'll just have to let him know I'm calling him out. This is gonna end. Get one of the boys to take a message to Bacon- no, wait- give it to a goon. He'll take it. I'm gonna meet him at 8 pm on the Bridge. Just him and me. Got it? Now go find a goon and give it to him." Satisfied, Spot looked around. God, it was good to be back. He noticed a girl in the back of the room. "Hey, who's she?"
"Oh, this is Fastdancr. She got here right after you left- she's a newsie."
"That's great. Is she any good? And why's she here now? I'd a figured she'd leave."
"Excuse me, but I'm here? And I can talk for myself! I'm here cause that's where I am. I'm from Philly, and this is the first lodging house I saw. I'm looking for my brother. Once I find him, I'll leave if you don't want me. But if you're gonna talk about me, don't do it in front of me. I can hear you." Fastdancr was indignant- she'd heard Spot Conlon was tough, and blunt- but this was beyond those. He annoyed her, and nothing annoyed her.
"Jesus, sorry! Guys, I think I know who would like her… Jacky-boy." Spot laughed- yeah, she'd be perfect for Jack. She obviously had nothing against newsies, and she had spunk. "Well, then, when I go back, you'll come. Besides, Singah'll like you too."
"Sure thing, but now don't you have to get ready to fight Bacon? I don't wanna se my new leader die the first time I see him fight."
"God, you got a mouth on you, don't you. Yeah, Jack is gonna love you. But yer right- I gotta get ready for the fight. Hey, Creamer- go get Trolley back from Manhattan- and get Jack too. But don't let Singah know why, aight? I don't want her worrying."
"Sure- I'm gone!" Creamer dashed off.
"And the rest of you- go get a place ready. I got things to do." With that, he turned and left. Behind him, Fastdancr called, "Hey Speck! What should I do?"
"Go stay outta trouble- find yer brother! And the name is Spot!"
***
Singah was in a happy daze- something was going on with Spot, and it had to do with marriage- why else would Jack have tensed up like that if it didn't? She sighed. Spot. Where was he and why wasn't he back yet. –I'll go ask Jack. He knows, and if he won't tell me I'll just tell him I know Spot's gonna ask me to marry him, see what he does, and then get him to tell me where he is! This'll be great!- She got up to go find Jack.
Suddenly, her belly was awash with pain. Groaning, she fell forward, grabbing onto the nearest bunk to keep from crashing to the floor. Startled, the girls around flocked around her.
"Singah! What's the matter?" Fidget asked. "What's wrong?"
"The baby- I think I'm losing the baby!" Her stomach was clenching and unclenching. All of a sudden, she got up and raced to the washroom, stumbling from pain. Fidget looked at the other girls, and followed her. Looking back, she said, "Hey Inky- go get Jack- tell him she's losing the baby!" Inky ran off to find Jack.
"Singah- you all right?" Fidget was worried about her- she was going to be so depressed.
"Yeah. Go away! I wanna be alone!" Singah was crying. She was losing Spot's baby- how was she gonna tell him? "Just leave me alone!"
"Fine. But Jack's coming, and someone's gonna go find Spot." Fidget was yelling through the door. "And Jack isn't just gonna go away!" Just as she was saying that, he burst through the door to the girls' room.
"How is she?" He asked breathlessly. "What happened?"
"She's losing the baby! I think from getting kicked in the stomach!" Jack looked horrified, then violent.
"I'm gonna kill Blink! He did this to her!" He began pacing in front of the door. "Singah, you all right?"
"I'm not alright! Go away!" They heard her sobbing through the thin door.
"Fidg, go send one of the boys to find Spot. He's in Brooklyn. Go!" Fidget turned and ran, crying herself. Once she was gone, Jack moved closer to the door. "Singah? Can I talk to you?"
"Yeah. Don't leave me Jack, I'm scared! I don't want this to happen! And why did Spot really go to Brooklyn?" Even through her pain and suffering, she still wanted to know.
He still didn't want to tell her- he had promised Spot he wouldn't, but Jack decided that it was more important for her to know than for him to keep the secret. "He went to get his ring. He's gonna ask you to marry him." With that, Singah began to cry harder.
"Jack, what if… what if he's only doing it cause of the baby? What if he won't now that it's gone? What if… what if…"
"Singah, he ain't gonna do that! He loves you, and he would have asked you to marry him anyway. Come on, let's get you out of there."
"I ain't done yet- and my clothes are all wet. I ain't coming out yet."
"Lashes- go get her some dry clothes! She doesn't need to get sick, too. Listen, Singah, one of the boys is gonna get Spot for you, and then he'll make you feel better. And then I'm gonna kill Blink- if Spot doesn't first! So come out…" Lashes came back with her clothes "… I've got clothes for you right here!"
"Give them to me." Jack opened the door and without looking, handed them through to her. A minute later, she stepped out with her old clothes in her hand, and wiping her face with her other. He took the clothes from her and handed them to Lashes, who took them away to be cleaned as best as possible. "Feeling better?" She shook her head. "Course not. Stupid question. Look, Spot should be here soon. Then you'll feel better. For now, go to sleep." He led her over to the nearest bunk and sat her down. She lay back and closed her eyes. Soon, she was fast asleep.