Disclaimer: yes as always, all the characters belong to Disney or whoever
owns them… they're just wonderful enough to lend them out to us to share!
1 Stuck in the Middle
A Visit From the Enemy
"He gonna be alright Jack?" Mush asked for the tenth time in five minutes.
Jack in turn looked up at Kloppman who was huddled over the bleeding boy.
"Boots," the old man said as calmly as possible. "You run and get the doc quick you hear?"
The young newsie was out the door before the command was even fully given.
Mush began once again pacing up and down the room, cracking his knuckles nervously. "This is all my fault. Why didn't I stop em?" he kept mumbling to himself as he walked.
Within a matter of minutes, Boots had returned with the doctor who immediately shooed all of us out of the bunkroom and down the stairs. Reluctantly, we followed Jack into the lobby. When Kid was out of sight, the only thing that any of the newsies could think about was figuring out the party responsible and how they would strike back.
"Mush?" Jack said gently. "What happened?"
"I… Jack I…" Mush stammered before collapsing into a chair.
"Mush!" Jack said, a little louder this time, with a hint of irritation in his voice. "What happened?"
The newsie in question just cowered deeper into the chair, his eyes welling with tears.
"WHO DID THIS?" Jack yelled, taking his anger about the situation out on Mush, who just cringed.
I slowly walked toward Mush, stopping in front of Jack first. Gently, I placed my hand on his shoulder to calm him, the muscles tensing at my touch. I continued moving forward until I got to Mush's chair where I knelt next to him.
"Mush?" I whispered gently.
Slowly he raised his head, revealing tearstained cheeks. "I tried to help him, I really did. There were just too many of them."
"No one is blaming you Mush," I replied gently, placing my hand on his forearm. "Who did this to him?"
He turned his face away from me once more.
"It was the Midtown boys wasn't it?" He just nodded. "Was he there, Mush? Was my brother there?"
He turned his eyes to the floor. "He was the one with the knife, Hope."
The room erupted with taunts and threats. I got up and quickly backed away from Mush's chair. Once I reached the corner of the room, I turned to the wall.
"Damn it," I yelled punching the wall over and over. "Damn him!"
"Hope," Skittery moved behind me, grabbing my fist before it collided with the plaster once again. "That won't help anything."
Through my teary eyes, I could see blood oozing out of my knuckles, despite the numbness in my hand. I struggled free from his grasp and headed for the door.
"Where ya goin Hope?" Jack called after me.
"I'm going to find my brother," I replied in a sharp tone.
Skitts stood still for a moment, then followed me, grabbing my arm gently. "Oh no you're not. We need to get that hand of yours cleaned up. Come on."
He dragged me into the kitchen and sat me on the counter, then vanished. A few seconds later, he returned with a basin full of alcohol, a washrag and a few strips of cloth. He pulled up a stool in front of me and began to gently dab at my knuckled with the wet washrag.
"Ouch!"
Skitts smiled slightly. "This will sting a little."
"Thanks for telling me – ow."
"Sorry."
I cringed again. "That's alright – ow – it's my own fault."
"You have to be careful," Skitts said, wringing out the washrag. "You're more like your brother than you think. If you don't watch yourself, you'll end up doing something that you'll regret." He motioned to my hand. I smiled weakly at hi, but cringed once again when the alcohol touched my open wounds.
Skittery carefully wrapped the clean cloths around my fist, tying the ends gently. He then went to help me off the counter. "I don't want to see you get hurt Hope."
Suddenly I realized just how close we were. He leaned in, minimizing the space between us even more. Soon, I could feel his breath on my cheek. I had just closed my eyes, anticipating his lips on mine when Dutchy swung the door to open from the lobby.
"Hope, ya might want to come in here."
I had barely crossed through the doorframe when I heard an angry voice calling to me. "Shiner wants ya back in Midtown Hope. Tonight."
"Rascal," I snapped back at shiner's messenger. "You tell my brother that he can go to hell. I'm staying here."
Skittery grabbed my good hand and led me to a corner of the room. "Hope, you need to go with him-"
"What?" I stared back at him in disbelief. "You want me to leave?"
He pulled me into a tight hug. "Of course not, but if you stay here, things will only get worse for you. For all of us."
"I'm scared Skitts," I said in a low, shaky voice as tears collected in the corners of my eyes.
"Shh." He tightened his grip around my back. "I won't let him hurt you Hope. I promise."
Skittery dropped a soft kiss on my forehead. I lowered my head, allowing the tears to stream down my cheeks. Lifting my chin gently, Skittery wiped them away with his thumbs. He slowly placed a sweet kiss on my lips that, under normal circumstances, would have rustled up hoots and whistled from the others. That day though, the kiss went unnoticed.
Skittery and I walked back to the group that was, surprisingly enough, completely silent.
He walked up to Rascal who was standing confidently near the door. "You tell Shiner if he does anything to hurt her, I'll hunt him down and kill him."
Rascal, now visibly shaken, nodded and turned to me. "Let's go."
1 Stuck in the Middle
A Visit From the Enemy
"He gonna be alright Jack?" Mush asked for the tenth time in five minutes.
Jack in turn looked up at Kloppman who was huddled over the bleeding boy.
"Boots," the old man said as calmly as possible. "You run and get the doc quick you hear?"
The young newsie was out the door before the command was even fully given.
Mush began once again pacing up and down the room, cracking his knuckles nervously. "This is all my fault. Why didn't I stop em?" he kept mumbling to himself as he walked.
Within a matter of minutes, Boots had returned with the doctor who immediately shooed all of us out of the bunkroom and down the stairs. Reluctantly, we followed Jack into the lobby. When Kid was out of sight, the only thing that any of the newsies could think about was figuring out the party responsible and how they would strike back.
"Mush?" Jack said gently. "What happened?"
"I… Jack I…" Mush stammered before collapsing into a chair.
"Mush!" Jack said, a little louder this time, with a hint of irritation in his voice. "What happened?"
The newsie in question just cowered deeper into the chair, his eyes welling with tears.
"WHO DID THIS?" Jack yelled, taking his anger about the situation out on Mush, who just cringed.
I slowly walked toward Mush, stopping in front of Jack first. Gently, I placed my hand on his shoulder to calm him, the muscles tensing at my touch. I continued moving forward until I got to Mush's chair where I knelt next to him.
"Mush?" I whispered gently.
Slowly he raised his head, revealing tearstained cheeks. "I tried to help him, I really did. There were just too many of them."
"No one is blaming you Mush," I replied gently, placing my hand on his forearm. "Who did this to him?"
He turned his face away from me once more.
"It was the Midtown boys wasn't it?" He just nodded. "Was he there, Mush? Was my brother there?"
He turned his eyes to the floor. "He was the one with the knife, Hope."
The room erupted with taunts and threats. I got up and quickly backed away from Mush's chair. Once I reached the corner of the room, I turned to the wall.
"Damn it," I yelled punching the wall over and over. "Damn him!"
"Hope," Skittery moved behind me, grabbing my fist before it collided with the plaster once again. "That won't help anything."
Through my teary eyes, I could see blood oozing out of my knuckles, despite the numbness in my hand. I struggled free from his grasp and headed for the door.
"Where ya goin Hope?" Jack called after me.
"I'm going to find my brother," I replied in a sharp tone.
Skitts stood still for a moment, then followed me, grabbing my arm gently. "Oh no you're not. We need to get that hand of yours cleaned up. Come on."
He dragged me into the kitchen and sat me on the counter, then vanished. A few seconds later, he returned with a basin full of alcohol, a washrag and a few strips of cloth. He pulled up a stool in front of me and began to gently dab at my knuckled with the wet washrag.
"Ouch!"
Skitts smiled slightly. "This will sting a little."
"Thanks for telling me – ow."
"Sorry."
I cringed again. "That's alright – ow – it's my own fault."
"You have to be careful," Skitts said, wringing out the washrag. "You're more like your brother than you think. If you don't watch yourself, you'll end up doing something that you'll regret." He motioned to my hand. I smiled weakly at hi, but cringed once again when the alcohol touched my open wounds.
Skittery carefully wrapped the clean cloths around my fist, tying the ends gently. He then went to help me off the counter. "I don't want to see you get hurt Hope."
Suddenly I realized just how close we were. He leaned in, minimizing the space between us even more. Soon, I could feel his breath on my cheek. I had just closed my eyes, anticipating his lips on mine when Dutchy swung the door to open from the lobby.
"Hope, ya might want to come in here."
I had barely crossed through the doorframe when I heard an angry voice calling to me. "Shiner wants ya back in Midtown Hope. Tonight."
"Rascal," I snapped back at shiner's messenger. "You tell my brother that he can go to hell. I'm staying here."
Skittery grabbed my good hand and led me to a corner of the room. "Hope, you need to go with him-"
"What?" I stared back at him in disbelief. "You want me to leave?"
He pulled me into a tight hug. "Of course not, but if you stay here, things will only get worse for you. For all of us."
"I'm scared Skitts," I said in a low, shaky voice as tears collected in the corners of my eyes.
"Shh." He tightened his grip around my back. "I won't let him hurt you Hope. I promise."
Skittery dropped a soft kiss on my forehead. I lowered my head, allowing the tears to stream down my cheeks. Lifting my chin gently, Skittery wiped them away with his thumbs. He slowly placed a sweet kiss on my lips that, under normal circumstances, would have rustled up hoots and whistled from the others. That day though, the kiss went unnoticed.
Skittery and I walked back to the group that was, surprisingly enough, completely silent.
He walked up to Rascal who was standing confidently near the door. "You tell Shiner if he does anything to hurt her, I'll hunt him down and kill him."
Rascal, now visibly shaken, nodded and turned to me. "Let's go."