Longing
By: StormyOne
It was cold as I walked into the Lodging House, in hopes of seeing my boyfriend, Racetrack. I had gotten worried when he hadn't met me at Tibby's, in fact, Tibby's was practically empty compared to its usual amount of people.
The first thing I saw when I walked inside was Spot, pacing the floors. I looked behind him only to see that he was the only one inside, which was odd considering it was curfew. He stopped pacing as he noticed I was standing in the doorway.
"I'se gotta talk to ya…" He said, getting right to the point. I sighed, I didn't have time to play his games, I wanted to find Race.
"Yea?" I asked him impatiently.
"See, one of da Newsies got sick…and, we thought it best if I told ya, instead of ya findin out on yer own…" His voice trailed off as he tried to find the right words. *And what was he talking about?* I thought *one of the newsies getting sick…?*
"Well…he's at da hospital…and…we'se didn't want ya ta freak out, er get worried er nuttin…" He spoke softly, as if not wanting to believe what was coming out of his own mouth.
"Who's sick?" I asked him urgently, it made sense to me now. Race didn't meet me at Tibby's, he wasn't here now, and Spot was telling me what was happening.
"Race…" He said.
I gasped. I knew it was true but at the same time I couldn't believe it. I tried to choke down tears.
"What…is it?" I lowered my head to the ground, as if asking the question meant that it was true that he really was sick.
"Scarlet Fever…" I looked up at him and tried to meet his eyes, but he was looking down. I ran as fast as I could to the hospital, I heard Spots footsteps right behind me.
As I walked inside the hospital and Blink was waiting for me.
"Where is he?" I asked, I couldn't tell if my face was wet from the rain, or from my tears.
"Follow me." Blink said, more to the ground than to me, but none the less he walked swiftly to a hospital room.
At first, I hadn't noticed anyone, and I had looked strait into the window to look at Race. Then turning around I noticed all of the Manhattan Newsies were outside in the hall waiting. I went toward the door and started to push it open.
"No, you can't go in their ma'am, young Patrick Higgins is very contagious." A nurse told me.
"Patrick…? No one calls him Patrick, just let me in!" I said, trying to shove past her.
"I'm sorry, if you go in there you will got Scarlet Fever as well." She said forcefully.
I glared at her and ran up to the window crying. I felt a hand on my shoulder and realized it was Spot.
"Look, I'se sorry…" He began.
"Don't bother…" I said cutting him off. I didn't want pity I wanted Race. I walked up to the same nurse who had kept me from going into the room.
"How long does he have to live?" I asked her.
"Only one night…it's a very rare case you understand, we have no treatment for it." She added, her voice getting softer. I showed no emotion on my face but walked back to the window.
Soon, it was getting late and most of the Newsies had gone back to the Lodging House, all except me, and Spot, who I hadn't seen sitting in a chair across the hall.
I pushed the door to his room open slightly, just enough to crawl through. I walked over to his bed and cried. I lied down beside him, knowing that if he was going to die, that's all I wanted, was to die with him. I fell asleep with my arms around him, and tears flooding from my eyes.
"I love you…" I whispered into his ear. Kissing him lightly on the cheek.
I woke up in the morning and opened my eyes to see Race beside me. He was pale, I knew he had died. Tears silently fell from my eyes as I pulled up closer to him to kiss his cold cheek that was once a flushed pink.
"Good, your up, we didn't want to wake you, but we need to get rid of the body." A doctor told me forcefully.
"No! No…" I cried, I held him tighter.
The doctor pried me away from Race and was pulling me out into the hallway.
"WHY DIDN'T I DIE?" I screamed. I had went inside the room, breathed the same air he did, and I wasn't dead. By this time I was in the hallway, on my knees in tears. I felt someone lift me up. I struggled at first until I was looking into those electric blue eyes. Spot pulled me into a hug.
"Its ok, its all right, everything's gonna be ok." He said, stroking my hair with his hand. I pulled away from him.
"No it's not! I was in there Spot! I didn't die!" I said, breaking our eye contact. "Why not?" I added lightly. He put his arm around my shoulder and led me back to the Lodging House.
"Ey Stormy…" I heard Jack say, as if being acknowledged would help the pain go away. I walked right by him and onto the roof. I thought about what I needed to do, that I needed him…and there was only one way to get him back. Just as I heard footsteps coming onto the roof I had scampered down the fire escape and onto the streets, making my way to Brooklyn.
It was pouring now, as I stepped onto the Bridge and held my arms out. I had to let myself fall. Strong hands suddenly whipped me around and turned me so I was face to face with and angry and concerned Spot.
"Let me GO!" I said struggling. He only held onto me tighter.
"And do what? Let you kill yourself? NO!" He spoke defiantly and it aggravated me. I stopped struggling and looked into his eyes.
"I want him…" He looked at me with concern and lightened his grasp. "I want to be with him more than anything Spot, I love him, and I want him back." His grip was so loose that I had time to shove him down and jump back onto the roof. I spread out my arms and let myself fall, smiling. Knowing that soon enough I would be with him again.
Spot looked startled but quickly dove off of the bridge after me. We both hit the water, and he dragged my lifeless body to shore. He held me in his arms until finally, he buried me next to Race. My longing was over.