Here you go, very short chapter, but I'll update soon. The next part is
longer, sorry. Summer vacation! Yay!
Christmas Morning dawned sunny as the newsies struggled to an extra five minutes of sleep before the little ones dragged them out of bed and pulled them downstairs to see what Father Christmas had brought this year.
Jack looked out the window into a world of white. The storm of last night had coated the city in a blanket of white pure snow. Not for the first time, he was glad there was no Christmas edition, though they would have to be out in that the next day. He sighed and made his way downstairs.
The others weren't up yet, but the old manager was used to seeing Jack up early on Christmas almost every year. He smiled at Jack and turned back to the stove where something delicious was stirring. Kloppman, for all his faults, genuinely loved his boys, and was a decent cook as well.
"Mornin' Cowboy." He said. Jack smiled and sat down at the table. "Hey, do you tink ya could run down ta da Jacobs's and fetch a few eggs?" Kloppman asked. Jack sighed and nodded, looking forward to seeing Sarah anyway.
"Surah ting, okay if I invite Davy and Les ta dinner?" Kloppman nodded and turned back to his stirring as Jack went upstairs to grab his coat. The others were waking up, and various Christmas greetings were shouted at him. Jack smiled and grabbed his coat, which someone had hung up on the peg beside Blink's bed, the one he always tried not to look at.
But he did, he looked at the empty bed, the sheets pulled back as if someone were just waiting to climb into them. He had refused to give it away, even though Race had left almost four months ago.
He sighed, had it been that long? Almost two months since he'd seen him on the street, almost four since they'd had that fight. He still had the watch, tucked away in his own pocket. he was keeping it safe, though for what, he didn't know.
He sighed and made his way downstairs, grinning at the little ones as they attacked the tree. Then he pulled open the door, wincing at the ice- cold air, and promptly fell over into the snow.
He picked his head up and spit out the snow, glaring over his shoulder at his friends who laughed. Then he saw what he had tripped over. A boy was sitting on the doorstep, his arms wrapped around his legs, his head covered by a black cabby hat, pulled low.
Jack frowned and moved to touch him. The boy's shoulder was like ice. He pushed back the boy's cap and jumped back, horrified at what he saw.
It was Race. Race with his face slightly bluish, his cheek bruised, his lips chapped and split from the dry icy air. Race with frost on his jacket, his light summer jacket, and the look of death in his cold frozen face.
Jack shook him and Race only fell limp, shivering still. The slight movement gave Jack hope and he pulled the boy to his feet, dragging him inside.
Inside, everyone looked up in horror as Jack dragged Race inside and instantly began stripping the frozen clothes off his friend. Kloppman moved forward and took the boy, instantly ordering the other boys into preparing to help their frozen friend.
"Mush, go and get all da blankets ya can find. Jack, get morah wood foah da fiah. Blink, hot wauda." The boys hurried off and the others crowded around as Kloppman finished what Jack had started.
Mush was back first and Race was instantly swathed in ten or twelve blankets. Jack was next and they laid Race next to the fire, building it high. Then came Blink, totting a bowl of hot water and a cloth, which Kloppman rubbed across Race's forehead, in an attempts to kill the fever that ravaged the boy's body.
Jack cradled him, rocking him slightly. Race didn't move, only shivering in the warm air, but soon, even that stopped. Jack sighed, he'd looked everywhere for Race and he had found him, as he lay dying on his doorstep.
The other boys gathered around, talking softly or only sitting in silence. No one said a word to Jack, and they knew he wouldn't hear them anyway.
Christmas Morning dawned sunny as the newsies struggled to an extra five minutes of sleep before the little ones dragged them out of bed and pulled them downstairs to see what Father Christmas had brought this year.
Jack looked out the window into a world of white. The storm of last night had coated the city in a blanket of white pure snow. Not for the first time, he was glad there was no Christmas edition, though they would have to be out in that the next day. He sighed and made his way downstairs.
The others weren't up yet, but the old manager was used to seeing Jack up early on Christmas almost every year. He smiled at Jack and turned back to the stove where something delicious was stirring. Kloppman, for all his faults, genuinely loved his boys, and was a decent cook as well.
"Mornin' Cowboy." He said. Jack smiled and sat down at the table. "Hey, do you tink ya could run down ta da Jacobs's and fetch a few eggs?" Kloppman asked. Jack sighed and nodded, looking forward to seeing Sarah anyway.
"Surah ting, okay if I invite Davy and Les ta dinner?" Kloppman nodded and turned back to his stirring as Jack went upstairs to grab his coat. The others were waking up, and various Christmas greetings were shouted at him. Jack smiled and grabbed his coat, which someone had hung up on the peg beside Blink's bed, the one he always tried not to look at.
But he did, he looked at the empty bed, the sheets pulled back as if someone were just waiting to climb into them. He had refused to give it away, even though Race had left almost four months ago.
He sighed, had it been that long? Almost two months since he'd seen him on the street, almost four since they'd had that fight. He still had the watch, tucked away in his own pocket. he was keeping it safe, though for what, he didn't know.
He sighed and made his way downstairs, grinning at the little ones as they attacked the tree. Then he pulled open the door, wincing at the ice- cold air, and promptly fell over into the snow.
He picked his head up and spit out the snow, glaring over his shoulder at his friends who laughed. Then he saw what he had tripped over. A boy was sitting on the doorstep, his arms wrapped around his legs, his head covered by a black cabby hat, pulled low.
Jack frowned and moved to touch him. The boy's shoulder was like ice. He pushed back the boy's cap and jumped back, horrified at what he saw.
It was Race. Race with his face slightly bluish, his cheek bruised, his lips chapped and split from the dry icy air. Race with frost on his jacket, his light summer jacket, and the look of death in his cold frozen face.
Jack shook him and Race only fell limp, shivering still. The slight movement gave Jack hope and he pulled the boy to his feet, dragging him inside.
Inside, everyone looked up in horror as Jack dragged Race inside and instantly began stripping the frozen clothes off his friend. Kloppman moved forward and took the boy, instantly ordering the other boys into preparing to help their frozen friend.
"Mush, go and get all da blankets ya can find. Jack, get morah wood foah da fiah. Blink, hot wauda." The boys hurried off and the others crowded around as Kloppman finished what Jack had started.
Mush was back first and Race was instantly swathed in ten or twelve blankets. Jack was next and they laid Race next to the fire, building it high. Then came Blink, totting a bowl of hot water and a cloth, which Kloppman rubbed across Race's forehead, in an attempts to kill the fever that ravaged the boy's body.
Jack cradled him, rocking him slightly. Race didn't move, only shivering in the warm air, but soon, even that stopped. Jack sighed, he'd looked everywhere for Race and he had found him, as he lay dying on his doorstep.
The other boys gathered around, talking softly or only sitting in silence. No one said a word to Jack, and they knew he wouldn't hear them anyway.