Chapter 4
A/N: With Chloe being from Scotland, her accent is thick and some words may not fully make sense to you. If you have questions about what she says and what it means, please let me know. I would be happy to translate for you.
Disclaimer: Don't own Newsies, wish I did. I do own Chloe. All original characters are owned by their respective owners. Angelstar is owned by her creator. Thanks for allowing her to appear in this ff.
********
After running, for what seemed like hours, Jack finally slowed down. He was clutching at his side, grimacing in pain. Chloe had heard his ribs crack when they were fighting. They were standing at the edge of Central Park.
"Are ye alright Jack?" she asked puffing, bent over at the waist, hands on her thighs. She had the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She ran her tongue along the inside of her split bottom lip. There was a large patch of raw flesh that had caught on her tooth when she'd been slammed in the mouth. She touched it gingerly from the outside with her fingers. It was swollen and bloody. How attractive She thought rolling her eyes to herself. Skin on her cheek was taught from swelling, her fingers trailing up to feel the hot growing bruise under her left eye. She'd been in New York less than a day and she had made friends with a very cute boy, been in a fight and had a black eye and a fat lip. At this rate I'll be dead or married by sunset. She choked back a giggle.
"Yeah, I'll live." Jack huffed. "Nice shine-ah". He observed, and sounded almost jealous but cracked a half smile. "Wese should clean ya up." He untied the red bandana from his neck, flipped it so it unfurled into a large square. He found the cleanest spot and refolded the bandana to reveal a soft square. Jack gingerly touched the cut on her lip, dabbing at the bloody mess, cleaning it up best he could.
Chloe smiled back, well, at least she tried to but it came off as a sneer with her quickly swelling face. Jack laughed. Immediately regretting it, when he started coughing fiercely, gasping in waves of air burning his lungs. "Ya need ta sit down, Jack."
"Nah.... I'se.... fine...." He coughed and sputtered. "Ah wasnae askin." Chloe stated, looking around for a private place top take a look at his side. "C'mon." she flung an arm around his waist to help support him, and led him to a small outcropping of trees.
Her Father had been a surgeon, one of the best in Edinburgh, before they crossed the pond to live in Chicago, where he'd started a lucrative private practice. He'd taken her to work in his clinic, and taught her many things. While her father taught her the more scientific aspects of medicine, her mother, a mid-wife, taught her about the natural healing abilities in plants. Her dreams of being a doctor were shattered when her father was murdered, and her mother died in childbirth three months later.
They sat on a wooden bench, not far from where he had first found her that morning. "Right, lemme see yer side." she ordered. Jack, still having no clue she was a girl, shrugged off his vest and suspenders, and untucked the grey linen shirt from his trousers. Jack hiked the shirttail and undershirt up so Chloe could inspect his side. She was greeted with an angry red area that was swollen and quickly turning a rainbow of colors. She pressed and poked, gently, to see how many ribs were broken. He was well built, lean and quite toned. Her fingers tingled with foreign sensations as she touched him. "You've at least three broken ribs Jack." Her accent still thick, and sounding funny from the interference of the fat lip.. "Ye'll be needin yer bed for a few days."
"Well, well. What da we have here?" boomed a voice from behind her. "Youse goin an gettin yerself in trouble already Cowboy?" Chloe turned slightly to see a boy with sandy blonde hair and the biggest blue eyes she'd ever seen. He had a mennacing scowell on his face and held a black walking stick, loosely in his right hand, as if it were a sword. "Usually, youse waits till noon to get da snot beat outta ya."
Chloe jumped to her feet facing him. She didn't want to fight anymore, but Jack was in no shape to, and whoever this kid was he looked mean as hell. She was ready if she had to protect them, scared to death, but ready.
Spot eyed her, sizing up the boy he thought she was. "Who's dis Jackyboy? Did youse hire a bodyguard?" he snickered.
"Shuddup Spot." Jack grumbled.
Spot cracked a smile that light up his face, showing dimples in his cheeks. And making his clear blue eyes dance. "Aw, don't be like dat Cowboy. I'se gotta present foah ya."
Spot stepped to the side, a dark haired girl, stood behind him gently rolling a baby carriage back and forth. She wasn't very old, close to Chloe's age, she guessed, but shorter, maybe 5'5". "Angelstar!" Jack whooped from behind her, jumped to his feet and rushed to Angelstar, grabbing her around the waist and swinging her around in a hug.
"Jack dinnae do....that!" Chloe's protests were lost on the light breeze. She could see the huge grin on his face as the girl with caramel colored eyes, pounded playfully on his shoulders for him to let her down, laughing and squealing with delight. Jack must have taken a deep breath or hit his ribs, because he turned sickly white and nearly dropped her as he put her down and dropped to one knee.
Angelstar stopped laughing when she realized he was gasping. She looked to Spot, what's he done? Spot shrugged.
Chloe rushed to his side, kneeling next to him. "I tell ya tae tak' ta yer bed, an' instead ya try ta kill yersel'!" She chastized. "Blockhead!"
Jack just nodded breathlessly, clutching his ribs. He was NOT about to make that mistake again. He had thought he could just shrug it off like he always did when he was injured in a fight, which wasn't often, not badly injured anyway. This time, well, this time was different.
"Help me get 'im up. Spot, is it?" Chloe asked.
Spot nodded and helped haul Jack to his feet and they led him back to the bench. Angelstar pushed the carriage close to them and reached in to grab the now squeaking baby girl from the layers of blankets.
Jack smiled, through his gasping and pasty complection, at the tiny baby. She immediately quieted and cooed for him, reaching for him to hold her. She had a broad dimpled smile exactly like Spot's, their eyes were the same brilliant blue. Once Jack felt he could hold her and not drop her on her head, he accepted the child to his lap. Cradling and cooing to her in a silly voice.
Chloe stared at the baby, lost in her own world, thinking of her own baby sister that would have been about that age, had she lived. The remaining kids were split up and taken to the orphanages in Chicago. Chloe was so deep in her own thoughts she only caught the end of a conversation....
"...'es a right fierce scrappah." Jack was crowing to Spot. "Ain'tcha kid?"
"Youse really broke Oscar's nose?" Angelstar was looking at Chloe, amazed that someone had actually given the Delancey brothers what they all wanted to, pain.
"Aye." She answered shyly. Not sure if she should be proud, scared, or disappointed in herself, for beating up the thug. Then she remembered the boys the Delancey's were bashing, and all doubt about having done the right thing was erased.
"They actually looks woise than wese do." Jack smiled painfully.
"Good on ya kid." Spot had a huge grin and, maybe even a little admiration in his eyes. "Whot's yer name?"
"Chris." Chloe answered. She hated to lie to everyone but really didn't see any other options at the moment. She couldn't risk one of her Uncle's goons finding her or worse.
"Not no moah." Spot chimed in. "Youse one-ah us now. A Newsie. So youse gotta have a Newsie name."
"True kid." Jack nodded.
"An' since youse survived a fight wit' dem Delancey boys, yer name will be 'Scrappah'." Spot announced.
******* end chap 4 ******* No shout outs this time. Sorry goils! I just wanna get workin on the next part of the story. You don't mind do you? Haha, didn't think so.
Thanks for readin, please leave a review about what you thought and check for more real soon.
CTB4evah! -Sagey-
A/N: With Chloe being from Scotland, her accent is thick and some words may not fully make sense to you. If you have questions about what she says and what it means, please let me know. I would be happy to translate for you.
Disclaimer: Don't own Newsies, wish I did. I do own Chloe. All original characters are owned by their respective owners. Angelstar is owned by her creator. Thanks for allowing her to appear in this ff.
********
After running, for what seemed like hours, Jack finally slowed down. He was clutching at his side, grimacing in pain. Chloe had heard his ribs crack when they were fighting. They were standing at the edge of Central Park.
"Are ye alright Jack?" she asked puffing, bent over at the waist, hands on her thighs. She had the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She ran her tongue along the inside of her split bottom lip. There was a large patch of raw flesh that had caught on her tooth when she'd been slammed in the mouth. She touched it gingerly from the outside with her fingers. It was swollen and bloody. How attractive She thought rolling her eyes to herself. Skin on her cheek was taught from swelling, her fingers trailing up to feel the hot growing bruise under her left eye. She'd been in New York less than a day and she had made friends with a very cute boy, been in a fight and had a black eye and a fat lip. At this rate I'll be dead or married by sunset. She choked back a giggle.
"Yeah, I'll live." Jack huffed. "Nice shine-ah". He observed, and sounded almost jealous but cracked a half smile. "Wese should clean ya up." He untied the red bandana from his neck, flipped it so it unfurled into a large square. He found the cleanest spot and refolded the bandana to reveal a soft square. Jack gingerly touched the cut on her lip, dabbing at the bloody mess, cleaning it up best he could.
Chloe smiled back, well, at least she tried to but it came off as a sneer with her quickly swelling face. Jack laughed. Immediately regretting it, when he started coughing fiercely, gasping in waves of air burning his lungs. "Ya need ta sit down, Jack."
"Nah.... I'se.... fine...." He coughed and sputtered. "Ah wasnae askin." Chloe stated, looking around for a private place top take a look at his side. "C'mon." she flung an arm around his waist to help support him, and led him to a small outcropping of trees.
Her Father had been a surgeon, one of the best in Edinburgh, before they crossed the pond to live in Chicago, where he'd started a lucrative private practice. He'd taken her to work in his clinic, and taught her many things. While her father taught her the more scientific aspects of medicine, her mother, a mid-wife, taught her about the natural healing abilities in plants. Her dreams of being a doctor were shattered when her father was murdered, and her mother died in childbirth three months later.
They sat on a wooden bench, not far from where he had first found her that morning. "Right, lemme see yer side." she ordered. Jack, still having no clue she was a girl, shrugged off his vest and suspenders, and untucked the grey linen shirt from his trousers. Jack hiked the shirttail and undershirt up so Chloe could inspect his side. She was greeted with an angry red area that was swollen and quickly turning a rainbow of colors. She pressed and poked, gently, to see how many ribs were broken. He was well built, lean and quite toned. Her fingers tingled with foreign sensations as she touched him. "You've at least three broken ribs Jack." Her accent still thick, and sounding funny from the interference of the fat lip.. "Ye'll be needin yer bed for a few days."
"Well, well. What da we have here?" boomed a voice from behind her. "Youse goin an gettin yerself in trouble already Cowboy?" Chloe turned slightly to see a boy with sandy blonde hair and the biggest blue eyes she'd ever seen. He had a mennacing scowell on his face and held a black walking stick, loosely in his right hand, as if it were a sword. "Usually, youse waits till noon to get da snot beat outta ya."
Chloe jumped to her feet facing him. She didn't want to fight anymore, but Jack was in no shape to, and whoever this kid was he looked mean as hell. She was ready if she had to protect them, scared to death, but ready.
Spot eyed her, sizing up the boy he thought she was. "Who's dis Jackyboy? Did youse hire a bodyguard?" he snickered.
"Shuddup Spot." Jack grumbled.
Spot cracked a smile that light up his face, showing dimples in his cheeks. And making his clear blue eyes dance. "Aw, don't be like dat Cowboy. I'se gotta present foah ya."
Spot stepped to the side, a dark haired girl, stood behind him gently rolling a baby carriage back and forth. She wasn't very old, close to Chloe's age, she guessed, but shorter, maybe 5'5". "Angelstar!" Jack whooped from behind her, jumped to his feet and rushed to Angelstar, grabbing her around the waist and swinging her around in a hug.
"Jack dinnae do....that!" Chloe's protests were lost on the light breeze. She could see the huge grin on his face as the girl with caramel colored eyes, pounded playfully on his shoulders for him to let her down, laughing and squealing with delight. Jack must have taken a deep breath or hit his ribs, because he turned sickly white and nearly dropped her as he put her down and dropped to one knee.
Angelstar stopped laughing when she realized he was gasping. She looked to Spot, what's he done? Spot shrugged.
Chloe rushed to his side, kneeling next to him. "I tell ya tae tak' ta yer bed, an' instead ya try ta kill yersel'!" She chastized. "Blockhead!"
Jack just nodded breathlessly, clutching his ribs. He was NOT about to make that mistake again. He had thought he could just shrug it off like he always did when he was injured in a fight, which wasn't often, not badly injured anyway. This time, well, this time was different.
"Help me get 'im up. Spot, is it?" Chloe asked.
Spot nodded and helped haul Jack to his feet and they led him back to the bench. Angelstar pushed the carriage close to them and reached in to grab the now squeaking baby girl from the layers of blankets.
Jack smiled, through his gasping and pasty complection, at the tiny baby. She immediately quieted and cooed for him, reaching for him to hold her. She had a broad dimpled smile exactly like Spot's, their eyes were the same brilliant blue. Once Jack felt he could hold her and not drop her on her head, he accepted the child to his lap. Cradling and cooing to her in a silly voice.
Chloe stared at the baby, lost in her own world, thinking of her own baby sister that would have been about that age, had she lived. The remaining kids were split up and taken to the orphanages in Chicago. Chloe was so deep in her own thoughts she only caught the end of a conversation....
"...'es a right fierce scrappah." Jack was crowing to Spot. "Ain'tcha kid?"
"Youse really broke Oscar's nose?" Angelstar was looking at Chloe, amazed that someone had actually given the Delancey brothers what they all wanted to, pain.
"Aye." She answered shyly. Not sure if she should be proud, scared, or disappointed in herself, for beating up the thug. Then she remembered the boys the Delancey's were bashing, and all doubt about having done the right thing was erased.
"They actually looks woise than wese do." Jack smiled painfully.
"Good on ya kid." Spot had a huge grin and, maybe even a little admiration in his eyes. "Whot's yer name?"
"Chris." Chloe answered. She hated to lie to everyone but really didn't see any other options at the moment. She couldn't risk one of her Uncle's goons finding her or worse.
"Not no moah." Spot chimed in. "Youse one-ah us now. A Newsie. So youse gotta have a Newsie name."
"True kid." Jack nodded.
"An' since youse survived a fight wit' dem Delancey boys, yer name will be 'Scrappah'." Spot announced.
******* end chap 4 ******* No shout outs this time. Sorry goils! I just wanna get workin on the next part of the story. You don't mind do you? Haha, didn't think so.
Thanks for readin, please leave a review about what you thought and check for more real soon.
CTB4evah! -Sagey-