Andy sat on his bunk picking at the bandage on his hand. It was filthy and he knew it needed to be changed, but he didn't have anything to change it with, nor did he know how. He glanced around for someone to ask but everyone seemed busy with other things.
"Pup!" Snipes bellowed from across the room.
"What?!" he yelped. He didn't do anything wrong, he didn't think.
"Come here."
Biting his lip, he did as told.
"Let me see that hand."
He held out his hand.
"What did you do?"
"I burnt it on the stove...fixing breakfast for Sammy..."
"Sammy?"
"My little brother..."
"When was the last time this bandage was changed?"
He shrugged. "Since when I got here."
"You need to get it changed...or it will get infected and I'll have to take you to see Dr. Trent."
Andy's face went pale. "But.. I- I don't know how to..."
Snipes sighed. "Come on. Kloppman has some bandages and stuff downstairs."
He nodded and followed him down.
Snipes had him sit on the desk and he cut off the bandage. Andy winced. "Toughen up, kid. Skeeter's coming down the stairs."
He gritted his teeth.
"We're gonna be late," Skeeter said, stopping nearby.
"Late for what?"
"It's time to get our papes, dummy," she replied.
"Don't call me dummy!"
She stuck her tongue out at Andy.
Snipes gripped Andy's arm tightly. "Be still..."
"I thought you said you kick her out if she kept causing trouble," he grumbled.
"I'm the leader around here...I'll make the decisions..." he said, looking at Andy's hand. "I
really think Trent should look at this hand."
He whimpered. "Does he have to?"
"Are you scared of doctors kid?"
"No..."
"Then what's the problem?"
Andy squirmed uncomfortably. "He knows my mom and dad..."
"I see..."
He watched Snipes.
"If it isn't better in two days I'm taking you to Trent."
He nodded quickly.
Snipes put some cream on the burn and rebandaged the hand. "Alright, let's get moving."
With a nod, he hopped to his feet and followed them out.
Les met them at the distribution center. "I don't see the two of you holding hands..."
"Awww, do we hafta?" Skeeter whined.
"I can't," Andy said, showing Les his bandaged hand.
"You have another hand, Pup."
"But I have to hold my papers....
"Either way, you're holding her hand."
Andy huffed and kicked at the dirt.
"Hands please."
Sighing, Andy reached over and grabbed Skeeter's hand.
"Don't squeeze it so hard!" she shrilled.
"I didn't squeeze it!"
"Did so!" she argued.
"I can make the two of you do this tomorrow as well..." Les threatened.
They glared at each other and then huffed silent.
"Let's go kids."
They trudged after Les.
~*~
Rae shifted James in her arms and set her carpetbag on the ground to knock on the door of Trent's apartment, which was above his small clinic.
China opened the door and blinked in surprise. "Well hello Rae, what brings you here?"
"I need a place to stay for a few days..."
"Might I ask why?"
Rae sighed. "Andy ran away...I need to look for him."
"And you think he came to New York? Come on in." She stepped aside.
"He doesn't know anywhere else..."
"I see. Well come on, hurry up. I'll bet that child is cold, hungry, and tired."
Rae gave a slight smile. "Thank you, China."
"No problem."
"I need another favor..."
"I should have known." China smirked. "What is it?"
"Would you mind watching James for a while so that I can go look for Andy?"
She considered this and nodded. "I can do that."
Rae handed her son to China.
"Try the lodging house first."
Rae nodded. "I thought I would look here in Brooklyn first...maybe try Manhattan tomorrow...and if he's not there, then I'll go back home..."
China nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
Sighing deeply, Rae headed toward the Brooklyn lodging house. She hoped with all her heart he was there.
~*~
Skeeter gasped and dropped Andy's hand.
Les popped her on the head. "Hands."
"But Les...Jackson's coming this way..." she whined.
"Hands," he said again.
"Jackson who?" Andy asked.
"Jackson Wayne, 'Sippi's brother," Les explained.
"I gotta hide!"
"Why?" Skeeeter asked.
"'Cause he'll tell Uncle Sippi that I'm here..." Andy muttered.
"Ooooh." She grinned impishly.
"Please help me hide..." Andy said, pleading with Les.
"Eh..." Les sighed. "All right. Back there." He pointed to an alleyway nearby where crates were stacked. He forced Andy to sit on one of the crates. "Why are you wanting to hide from Sippi...."
"Because he'll tell Momma and Daddy... and then I'll have to go home."
"Level with me kid...Why are you hiding from your parents?"
He sighed. "'Cause Momma doesn't care about me... And she's just being awful lately 'cause two of the triplets were stolen. And I know she's upset, but she acts like she hates me!"
"I'm sure she doesn't hate you."
"She does!" he insisted. "She yelled at me for doing what she told me to do!"
"What did you do to your hand?"
"Burned it."
"How?"
"Making toast for my little brother... She told me to get him what he wanted... and he wouldn't take anything else I gave him..."
Les nodded. "I see...did you talk to your dad?"
"He was gone."
"Has a doctor looked at that hand?"
"No..."
"I'm taking you to Trent right now!"
"No!"
"You don't have a choice," Les said, hauling Andy to his feet.
"But- but!" he sputtered.
"No buts..." Les replied, dragging him from the alley.
"You can't make me!"
"Yes I can!" Les yelled for Skeeter to follow them. Andy dug his heels into the ground, trying to stop the movement. Frustrated, Les picked the boy up and threw him over his shoulder.
"PUT ME DOWN!" he bellowed.
"Andy?" Jackson asked, catching sight of his friend. "What are you doing here?"
"Fighting Les,... LET ME DOWN!"
"Spot told Beau that you ran away..."
"Spot!" Skeeter shrieked.
He flopped still as he glanced at Jackson curiously. "Beau?"
"My brother," Jackson answered.
He blinked. "Sippi?"
"Yes."
"Wow... he has a normal name?" Andy grinned.
"You know Spot Conlon?" Skeeter asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Yeah. He's my dad."
"WHAT?!" she shrieked.
"Hey!" Andy clamped his hands over his ears. "Not so loud!" He thrashed about on Les' shoulder. "And I'll go to Trent's then, just put me down!"
Les put him down, but kept a firm grip on his arm.
"I hate you!" Skeeter yelled, running down the street.
He blinked. "Well I don't like you either!"
Les turned to Jackson. "Make sure he gets to Trent's. I'm going to find Skeeter."
"What was that all about?" Andy asked Jackson.
"What are you talking about?"
"Why'd she throw a fit? I mean... I already know she doesn't like me..."
Jackson shrugged. "She's just weird."
"Do you know her?"
"She stayed at our house for a couple of nights...Then Beau brought her over here."
"That's all?"
"I think she saw something bad...and Beau has to hide her...it has something to do with his new job..."
"What's he do?"
"He works for the Pinkerton Agency...secret stuff..."
"Never heard of the Pinkerton Agency... what's that?"
"A bunch of detectives."
"Ooh, really!?" Andy asked excitedly. Now THAT was something he'd like to do! It sounded so neat!
Jackson shrugged. "I'm not supposed to talk about it."
Andy sighed. How not fun was that!?
"Why does Les want you to see Trent?" Jackson asked.
Andy growled in frustration. "For the last time...I burnt my hand!"
"Well I didn't know that, so don't yell at me!"
"How much farther?"
"Another block, I think."
Andy nodded and began to pick at the bandage on his hand again.
"Why are ya pickin' at that?"
"It feels funny."
"Well, stop it."
Andy made a face. "Isn't that Trent's office?"
"Yeah... why?"
"Maybe he can make it feel better..."
"Well yeah... that's why we're taking you to see him."
Andy huffed and walked into the clinic. He glanced around and then heard Trent's voice in the back, so he sat down and waited.
A few minutes later Trent walked into the front. "ANDY! What are you doing here?"
"I uh.. burnt my hand."
"Rae is out looking for you!"
He snorted.
"She's worried sick..."
"She doesn't even like me anymore!"
"Then why would she come all this way to find you?"
He shrugged. "Maybe Daddy made her..."
Trent sighed, knowing that arguing with the boy was as pointless as trying to argue with Spot or Rae.
Andy held out his hand. "Anyway... Les said ya gotta look at my hand..."
Trent nodded. "Come on back and I'll take a look."
Hopping to his feet, he followed Trent back, looking around the office curiously as he went. He climbed up on the table and let Trent take the bandage off his hand. "Trent?" he asked as the doctor worked.
"Hmm?"
"Do you know Skeeter?"
He nodded, smoothing a salve over the burn.
"Jackson said she's hiding from someone...cause she saw something bad..."
Trent nodded. "Yes. She saw someone murder her parents."
His eyes widened. "Really?" he whispered.
Trent nodded again.
"When I told her about Spot... she got all mad... why?"
Trent sighed. "She was working in the factory with Spot..."
He nodded attentively.
"Her family didn't have much money...so she started working at the factory when she was four...she couldn't do much...but she could carry messages...She and her parents just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time..."
Again, he nodded, wincing a bit when Trent touched a particularly sore part on the burn.
Rae burst into the room. "Andy?"
Andy frowned and looked down.
"I've been so worried..." she said, rushing to his side.
He didn't look up.
She tilted his head up so that he was looking at her. "I'm sorry, Andy."
He sniffled and after a moment flung his arms around her neck.
She held him close. "I love you, little man."
"I love you too, Momma..."
Rae looked at Trent. "Can I take my son home now?"
He smiled. "Yes."
"Momma..." Andy whispered.
"Hmm?" She looked down at him.
"Can Skeeter come stay with us?"
"Who's Skeeter?"
"She was in the factory with Daddy....an' she saw somethin' real bad...an' Sippi's gotta hide her...an' she can hide real good at our house..."
Rae frowned thoughtfully for a moment and then slowly nodded. "All right... She can come with us for now."
"We gotta go find her..."
"Where is she?"
"Manhattan....Snipes is the leader..."
Rae grinned. "Little Snipes?" she asked, looking at Trent.
Trent laughed. "He's not so little anymore."
"I guess not."
Andy hopped to his feet. "Let's go..."
"Can we take James with us?" she asked. "That way we can go straight to the train station without having to come all the way back here..."
"If China will let you," Trent said with a smile.
Rae put her arm around Andy's shoulder. "Come on, let's go home."
With a nod, he followed her.