"Let me get some light goin here," Spot said. He stooped down next to the fireplace and picked up a candle. He pulled a match out of pocket, struck it against the brick and lit the candle. He walked back to Dollface, sitting down next to her and setting the candle on the ground.
"Hey, can one of you's get a fire goin?" Spot asked, turning around to some of the other newsies, who were still taking in the Brooklyn newsies' "home." "There's some wood ova in the corna, we gathered that before the first storm of winter hit, and there should be a few matches lyin next to 'em." Racetrack and Mush walked over to the woodpile and set to work.
"Ok," Spot said, turning his attention back to Dollface. She could see it in his face that he had no clue what to do. "How ya feelin?"
"Like sunshine," she said through her teeth. Even through her pain, she still found enough strength to slip in a snide remark. Spot looked up at Davey, Jack, and Crutchie, trying to ask for help without actually saying it. Davey took the hint and crouched down next to Dollface's other side.
"Well we need to get your clothes off," he said, carefully. Crutchie gave him a protective look so Davey explained further. "We need to see what your arm looks like. It might not be as bad as we think."
"Oh trust me," Dollface said, moving to unbutton her coat. "It's as bad as we think." Spot helped her sit up as Davey slowly and carefully helped her to remove her coat. Dollface bit her lip, trying not to cry out in pain but as they moved onto her next layer, she couldn't help but groan. She looked down at the remaining layers of clothing and suddenly wished she hadn't worn so many shirts.
When they finally pulled off her last shirt, Dollface was down to the piece of fabric she used to cover her breasts. If she hadn't been in so much pain, she might have been embarrassed at being in such a vulnerable position in front of the boys, especially Spot. Even though they'd all seen her with her shirt off, either when changing or swimming, it was much different when she was lying on the floor, clearly in a lot of pain. Davey looked down at her arm and grimaced. Her arm was hanging loosely from her body, as if disconnected, and it looked like a bone was almost protruding from her wrist. Her shoulder was swollen and red while her wrist was a sickly black and purple.
"Whatchu thinkin docta?" Jack asked Davey but he didn't need to ask. They all saw how bad it really was, much worse than they'd thought.
"I think her shoulder's dislocated," he said biting the corner of his lip. He looked worried. "Her wrist is definitely broken. It looks like the bone almost popped out. Don't know how that could have happened. Even from two stories up, I don't think a fall like that could have done this much damage."
"She broke it back when we was twelve," Crutchie chimed in. "Maybe it's just weak and ain't healed exactly right." Davey nodded taking this in and thinking about what to do next.
"So what's we gonna do?" Crutchie asked after Davey had been silent for a while. He took one last look at her shoulder before looking at Dollface. He took a heavy breath before speaking.
"You're not going to like this, but we need to pop your shoulder back in," he told her. Dollface nodded, knowing they would have to eventually but not looking forward to it any more. Davey nodded too and looked up at the newsies who weren't working on the fire.
"Kid Blink, go outside and get a big scoop of snow. We're gonna try and relax the muscles in her shoulder before I pop it back in," he told Kid Blink, who nodded and ran outside. Davey then turned to Spot. "Are there anymore candles? I'm gonna need more light."
"Look along next to the door," Spot said to the Manhattan newsies. "Light 'em usin this candle, don't wanna waste the few matches we got." They followed Spot's directions and walked towards the door. Les was approached Davey, eager to help.
"What can I do?" he asked his brother.
"Spot, mind if we rip up one of your old sheets? We can bring you one from our house to replace it if you want," Davey asked him. Spot nodded, clearly not caring. "Ok, Les, go find an old sheet that's lying around. Rip it up into some long strips and then into a piece big enough to use as a sling, alright?" Les nodded and ran off, happy to finally be of use. Kid Blink had returned with his cap full of snow. He placed it next to Davey, who thanked him, and stepped out of the way. Davey took a small handful and placed it on Dollface's shoulder.
She winced at the cold but also felt immense relief. Davey took another handful and placed it on her wrist, soothing Dollface more. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, tryin to calm herself down.
"Ok, ya ready, Dollface?" Davey asked. She nodded and he brushed the snow off her shoulder. He put one hand on her elbow and another just above her shoulder.
"Wait!" Crutchie shouted nervously. Davey stopped and seemed slightly relieved someone had stopped him. "I don't want this to get any worse than it is now. How do ya know how to do this, Dave? I ain't so sure we should be doin this."
"I did this once for my father," Davey said, removing his hands from Dollface and wiping them on his pants legs. "My mom couldn't stand to do it so he walked me through it. Said I did it just fine." Skittery and Bumlets walked over, carrying four candles, and set them near Davey. Under the light, they could see her arm much better and saw it was even worse than what they thought before. Crutchie frowned and furrowed his eyebrows.
"Just do it then," he said quietly. Davey placed his hand on her arm again and was just about to pop it in when Jack burst out. He pulled from his pocket his scarf that they had just been using as a flag. That seemed like such a long time ago. He balled it up and handed it to Dollface, who took it with her good arm.
"Bite on it," he explained. "This ain't gonna feel good."
"No kiddin," she mumbled, putting the scarf in between her teeth. Davey placed his hands on her arm again and this time no one interrupted him.
"Ok, on the count of three," he said, looking at her. "One. Two." Spot grabbed her free hand.
"Three!" Davey shoved her arm upward at an angle and Dollface yelled out, her shout muffled by the fabric that she was sure she had bitten through. She felt it go back into place but it gave painful throbs for another minute or so. She squeezed Spot's hand hard. Davey placed more snow on her now corrected shoulder and she relaxed her grip on his hand. She spit out the fabric and took slow breaths, trying to breath through the pain that was slowly fading away. Davey looked at her shoulder again, pressing his hands on either side of it to make sure it was surely back in its socket. Dollface winced.
"Sorry, Doll," he said apologetically. He pulled his hands away and sat back. "I think it's ok right now."
"Yeah but what about her wrist?" Crutchie asked. In the few minutes they had spent there, the condition of her wrist worsened. Not only did it look more bruised but it was also swollen to twice the size of her good wrist.
"That's what I'm worried about," Davey said. "It looks like the bone isn't in place at all. Wrapping it in bandages wouldn't do much except set the bone in an incorrect position."
"Say Dave, you's pretty good at this stuff," Jack said. "Where'd ya learn it?"
"My grandfather was a doctor," he explained, moving his eyes from Dollface's wrist to Jack. "He used to have a big library of medical books that I would read as a kid. Sometimes he'd have me help him with patients too."
"Look, that's great and all," Dollface said, interrupting their conversation, "But it feels like someone stabbed my wrist with ten knives or something." Davey called over Les, who brought with him the fabric he had just ripped up. Davey carefully took Dollface's wrist in his hand, making her wince.
"I think we have to push this bone back in," Davey told her. Spot suddenly stood up, slightly jittery.
"I'm sorry, just a little uh... jumpy," he said anxiously. "This kinda stuff freaks me out a little. I need to uh... get some air. I'll be back." They watched as he walked away and out the door, surprised that there was something Spot Conlon, leader of the Brooklyn newsies, couldn't handle. Dollface swallowed a lump in her dry throat and closed her eyes.
"Just do it, don't count down or nothin. That makes it worse," she said. She took in deep breaths, waiting for the sharp pain she knew was coming. Davey took his thumbs and pressed down on the bone, hard, and it moved slightly. Dollface screamed, not having anything to bite on. She heard Cructhie move and sit down next to her.
"Worst parts ova," he told her, grabbing her good hand. She kept her eyes closed and let Crutchie comfort her. He took his other hand and brushed his fingers through her hair. "Davey's wrapping it up now in a buncha bandages. It's ok."
She felt as Davey carefully but methodically wrapped her arm, from her elbow up to her fingers, in the small pieces of fabric that Les made.
"Ok, I need you to sit up," Davey said when he had finished, and Crutchie helped her into a sitting position. Davey then started wrapping her shoulder to hold it in place. These bandages were more awkward, crossing in front if her chest, under her other arm, and across her back.
"I think that'll do it," Davey said, tying the bandage off. He handed Dollface her first layer of shirts that Crutchie helped her to put on. It was almost as painful to put her clothing back on as it was to take off but she was relieved to finally have her coat back on, as she had started to shiver from the cold. Davey tied her arm into a sling so her shoulder and wrist wouldn't worsen.
"Now I have to tell you," he said, looking at them as he finished tying the sling behind Dollface's neck, "I really wouldn't count on what I've done. You should really see a doctor or at least talk to Kloppman. I know you might get in trouble but he does care a lot about you guys." Jack, Crutchie, and Jack all nodded, agreeing with what he said. They knew Kloppman cared about them. He treated each of them as one of his own children, though he had none of his own. But Dollface didn't want to disappoint him by telling him they hadn't listened. She swore to herself she would not tell him about her injury unless she absolutely needed to.
They all then moved closer to the fire that was now roaring thanks to Racetrack and Mush. They were once again in good spirits now that Dollface was doing better. Her arm still throbbed painfully every now and then but it wasn't anything she couldn't bare. They took turns telling their stories from the game of capture the flag that had been interrupted. They laughed when Les talked about smacking one of the Brooklyn newsies in the face to free Jack, Racetrack, and the others who had been put in jail.
Suddenly, they heard the doors open and saw Spot walk in, followed by the some of the other Brooklyn newsies. They burst in cheering loudly and all carrying bundles. It wasn't until they came into the light of the fire that they saw they were carrying food.
"In celebration of our wonderful day off and the miracle healing of Dollface," Spot declared happily, setting down the pile of bread in his arms. The boys swarmed around the different foods the Brooklyn newsies had brought; there was bread, apples, and a few assorted vegetables. Spot took a seat next to Dollface, handing her some bread and a tomato. She gladly accepted it, her stomach now growling now that her arm wasn't in as much pain, but gave him a curious look.
"Where exactly did you get all this?" she asked, biting into the bread.
"Let's just say I have my sources," he said, taking a crisp bite from his apple. He continued when Dollface raised her eyebrow at him. "Everything was closed so we broke into the bakery and produce stores. Nothing special."
The newsies ate and laughed and kept each other company. They explained that they came to find this abandoned building one day a few years ago. It used to be storage for cargo from ships but was closed down because a storm left a hole in the ceiling and the cargo was ruined. The boys used to hole to somehow create a makeshift chimney and fireplace. Though they actually preferred to sleep in the alleys and docks most of the time, they only used the building to escape from harsh weather.
After a while, the room's loud conversations and stories died down to individual chatter. No longer in much as pain, Dollface was thinking a little more clearly and turned to Spot, something on her mind.
"What?" he asked, seeing this.
"Nothin, it's fine," she said. "I just... can I ask you why ya ran outta here earlier? When Davey was fixin my wrist..."
"Oh that," Spot said quietly and looked down at his fingers in his lap. "I just got uncomfortable with the bones and bruises and stuff."
"That's a lie and I know it," Dollface said. "You Brooklyns deal with that stuff all the time. I've come down here before and found ya stitchin up ya own leg."
"I didn't like seein you like that," he finally admitted. His face, already red from the cold, reddened more as he blushed with embarrassment. "It was hard enough watchin you when he popped ya shoulder back in, that was awful. So when he said he had to do that to ya wrist too I had to get outta there."
"But I was fine," she said, trying to catch his eye. "Sure it hurt a little, well more like a lot, but I'm betta now. What's the problem?"
"Didn't want nobody to think the Brooklyn leada was loosin his marbes," he mumbled. "Not to mention all the crap I get from the otha boys about you... about us. Even though we don't let them see anythin, they all know."
"Hey, there ain't nothin to be embarrassed ova," she said, grabbing his face and turning it towards her. "You think Jack's all high and mighty all the time? Just the otha day he stubbed his toe and nearly cried. And he and Katherine are togetha. Don't make him any weaka just cuz he loves someone. Loving someone ain't a weakness, Spot."
Then she blushed, realizing that neither of them had actually said "I love you" yet. She felt like she had made a big mistake and that Spot would shy away even more than usual but instead he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It was the most they had ever (purposely) done in front of the other boys. But when they pulled apart, no one really seemed to notice. No one whistled or made jokes or laughed. Dollface smiled, relieved that perhaps the other boys weren't as immature as they both thought.
It was then that Jack glanced at Davey's watch.
"Oh shit! It's almost five," he said, standing up. "Guys, we gotta go. Kloppman's gonna be suspicious if we stay out much longa." The Manhattan newsies all stood up, saying goodbye to the Brooklyn newsies, and began bundling back up for the long walk back to the boarding house in the snow. Spot helped Dollface to her feet and pulled her close to his body.
"Hey, I know this day went kinda downhill for you," he said so quietly only she could hear it, "But it was pretty good for me. Maybe next time you visit though, you won't break ya arm." She smiled as he kissed her cheek. The other boys called after her and she ran off, waving goodbye to the remaining newsies. She still felt the warmth of Spot's lips on her cheek as they braced themselves for the cold of winter once again.