The next morning was rough. Crutchie was sore all over, not only from the fights with Snyder and his father, but also from sleeping on the floor all night. He whipped his head to the side and cracked his stiff neck, then bent back over to the floor he was scrubbing. He had hardly gotten a chance to eat his breakfast (cold leftovers) before he was ordered to bring Snyder his breakfast. Crutchie spit in it again. Instead of making Crutchie watch him eat, Snyder had instead ordered him to clean every inch of his office.
"I want this floor so clean that I can see my face in it, boy!" he had barked at Crutchie, throwing him a bucket with a scrub brush, soap, a rag, and floor polish. On his way to fill the bucket with water, Crutchie had encountered Charlie and Bull again. He kept his head down, hoping they wouldn't recognize him, but it was hard to miss the kid with the crutch.
They did nothing when he passed the first time and Crutchie breathed a sigh of relief as he reached the bathroom, turning on the faucet and filling the bucket. But on the way back, he had let his guard down and didn't notice Bull stick his leg out. Crutchie fell forward, the water splashing all over him and the guard that had had his back turned until that second.
"You clumsy idiot," he yelled, kicking the bucket back at Crutchie. "Look what ya did! Clean this up, now!" Bull and Charlie snickered behind him.
Now, Crutchie coughed as he inhaled yet another dust ball. The only thing keeping Crutchie going was knowing that at lunchtime, he could go to the kitchen and speak with Bird. He had a small knot in his stomach, knowing that Bird would have much more information than before, meaning that he could have found out about someone getting hurt. Or arrested. Or he could have heard bad news, like the newsies giving up or no one else joining. But Crutchie took a calming breath, careful not to inhale more dust, and reasoned that it was better to know what was going on, even if it was bad news, than to know nothing at all.
He was relieved when Snyder barked at him to quickly go eat his lunch and then bring back his tray. Crutchie slowly left the room, careful not to show his eagerness, and then ran down to the kitchen, hopping quickly on his good leg. He walked in and saw Bird sitting with the other boys, who were already eating.
"Crutch! Just in time!" Rat said cheerfully. He handed the out of breath Crutchie a bowl of cold mush and made room for him to sit on the counter.
"What'd ya find out?" Crutchie asked, taking a bite of his food. He almost spit it back out but forced it down into his stomach.
"Oh it's real good news," Bird said, absentmindedly combing his hair with his fingers. His long hair was much cleaner than it was the previous night. He had also washed the dirt off his face and his shirt and vest were completely buttoned up. He had taken Rover's advice to clean up and look like a real delivery boy.
"Real good news," Bird said again. "Practically everyone's in on the strike now. Somethin happened wit Brooklyn last night and they changed their minds. Said they'd help wit the strike and everythin. Then all the otha boroughs joined in."
"It does look betta if Spot Conlon is in on it," Jersey said. "He ain't one to do somethin if he knew it wasn't goin no where."
"That's what I was thinkin," Rat said, scraping his bowl. "Do ya know what made him do it?"
"Don't know the details," Bird said, playing with a button on his shirt. "I ovaheard some of the newsies outside the circulation center that's round the corna." Crutchie nearly choked on his food.
"That's them!" he exclaimed. "Those is my friends! Was they all ok? Did anyone look hurt? How many were there? What was they doin?"
"They was real excited about somethin. They was all laughin and shoutin," he said. Crutchie snorted. Laughing and shouting. That was definitely them. "And then all of sudden they walked off in different directions. I grabbed one kid to ask what was goin on. That's when he told me 'bout Brooklyn joinin and everythin. I went with them for a while to get more news."
"But did he say why Brooklyn alla sudden joined in?" Rat asked, dying to know the answer.
"Can't rememba exactly," Bird said. "I think he said they sent someone to Brooklyn late last night. Yeah, that was it. Someone went to smooth talk Conlon." Crutchie's stomach dropped and it had nothing to do with the slop he was eating.
"Do you know who went?" Crutchie asked. He had sent his father to Brooklyn last night. But there was a slim chance Dollface had been the one to go. She hated Brooklyn. She hated Conlon. That was why Crutchie had been so sure she would be safely far away from Brooklyn
"Like I said, I can't rememba exactly what everyone was sayin," Bird said. "But whoeva went definitely convinced Conlon. Ain't it great! The strike might actually go somewheres now." Crutchie swallowed down the last of his food, a nervous lump now in his stomach. It couldn't have been Dollface who had gone. The newsies wouldn't have made her go by herself at night. It was probably Racetrack or Mush or Boots.
"What about Jack Kelly? What's he doin?" Patrick said eagerly. Patrick idolized Jack. Whenever Crutchie had talked to him, all he asked about was Jack. Crutchie didn't have the heart to tell him that Jack might not be working with the strike anymore.
"I ain't heard much 'bout Kelly," Bird admitted, slightly downcast. "Tried to ask but no one really knew what he was up to." Bird noticed Patrick frown.
"But I'm sure whateva he's doin," he said quickly, "He's comin up wit somethin real good for the strike. You bet that's what he's doin. He's real smart. And slick. He's the strike's secret weapon." Secret weapon. Crutchie then remembered Jack talking that night at Tibby's about how Spot had a thing for Dollface. He remembered Racetrack muttering beside him that she could be their secret weapon.
"But I think the way to solve the Brooklyn issue is for you to go down there and meet with Spot alone," Jack had said.
"Bird, please, try and rememba," Crutchie said, now panicked. "Who went to Brooklyn? Was it a girl? Was it Dollface?" The mention of the name jogged Bird's memory.
"Yeah! That was it!" he said, everything coming back to him. "The kid told me that the girl, Dollface, had gone down to talk to Conlon. Then he started laughin a lot and couldn't keep up wit the story." Crutchie jumped down from the counter.
"Shit!" he said, freaking out. "No. No. No!"
"What? What's wrong?" Rat asked, concerned.
"No," Crutchie said, nervously pacing. "I can't believe she went to Brooklyn. Alone for crying out loud! And of all night's she went last night. Fuck!"
"Crutchie, what the hell's the matta?" Jersey asked.
"My fatha came by yestaday," Crutchie said, hoping to explain quickly. "We ran away when we was little cuz he beat us, almost killed us most times. And then he heard I got caught and came to see it himself. He was hopin to get my sista too. Tried beatin it out of me and then almost slit my throat so I had to lie. I had to say something. So I sent him to Brooklyn. Dollface neva goes to Brooklyn, she hates it there. God! What if he found her? He coulda killed her. She could be dead right now. Or he coulda done somethin else. He mighta-" Crutchie cut himself off, trying not to think of all the things he could have done to her.
"Hey, it's alright," Bird said. "I think she was ok. I think I saw a girl there with 'em." Crutchie stopped pacing and turned around.
"You think?" he asked. "Are you sure there was a girl?"
"Look, I don't rememba every detail," Bird said quickly. "All I rememba is someone was talkin and then there was lots of laughin and then they left. I think it was the girl who was talkin."
"Bird, you don't undastand," Crutchie said desperately. "If my fatha found her last night, she would be dead right now. He woulda killed her. Strangled her. Slit her throat. Hell, he mighta found a gun and shot her. I have to know if she's ok." The room was silent, all eyes on Crutchie now. They had never seen him like this before. He had felt this emotion many times before, this brotherly protectiveness, but never this strongly. He was desperate.
"Ok, Crutch," Bird said, nodding. "I'll go find out if she's ok, I swear. I'll go to the refuge soon as I pick up my brotha from the factory. I'll report back to Rova tonight. Same time, same place." Crutchie stood there, trying to take in what Bird said, but couldn't say anything in response. Soon Bird left and everyone got back to work but Crutchie stood there, frozen in fear.
The last time he was this afraid for Dollface was when they were twelve. It was their first day as newsies and their father attacked them. He remembered being so angry as she sent him to get help. As she sent him away while he groped her, attacked her. He had dropped his crutch all together and ran, his leg throbbing painfully the whole time, to Tibby's to get the older boys. He remembered bursting through the door, spotting Sneak sitting with Shoots and Kid Blink and shouting for help. He ran back to the alley, not able to find the words to explain the situation.
But now, he felt an entirely new kind of fear. His best friend. His sister. His only family and she could be dead. Because of him. A wave of guilt washed over him as he realized that if she had been killed, it would be his fault. He had sent the drunk to Brooklyn. Had he really been so selfish to even risk her life for his? He should have just taken the beating. He should have let his father cut him with the glass, even slice his throat, if it meant Dollface would still be safe.
"Kid!" Crutchie was drawn from his thoughts and looked up. There was a guard in the door.
"Mr. Snyder's real mad at you," he said. "Says you was supposed to be back ten minutes ago. Get goin!" Crutchie forced himself to move but his head wasn't there. He felt his body slowly walk over to Snyder's tray. He felt his arms move to pick it up. He felt the weight in his arms. He saw Rat pick up his crutch and hand it to him. He would have to wait almost twelve hours to find out if his sister was alive or not. He didn't think he could make it.
Crutchie couldn't find the energy to force down his dinner that night. He sat with the rest of the boys in the bunk room and merely sipped on his tin cup of water. Everyone was talking cheerfully but Crutchie couldn't pay attention. All he could do was sit and count down the hours until the lights went out and he could speak to Bird. He broke into a nervous sweat and pulled off his hot shirt. Rover had tried to reassure him that everything was ok, that if Dollface had in fact been killed, Snyder would have heard something about it. After all, he had been chasing her for nearly four years. If one of his top runaways was suddenly dead, he would probably be giddy. As horrible as it was, Crutchie knew Rover was right.
But Crutchie wouldn't be able to breath until he heard for sure if Dollface was ok. He tried to focus on the boys around him. All the older boys, Rover, William, Fingers, and Crutchie, sat off to the side and watched the younger boys play funny games. Dart became bored after one round and came to sit with them. The boys laughed as they watched the kids chasing each other and having fun but Crutchie hardly noticed.
"So what did Bird tell ya 'bout comin back tonight?" Rover asked Crutchie, trying to distract him slightly.
"He said he'd go to the boardin house when he picked up his brotha from the factory," Crutchie said, remembering the words he had been saying in his head over and over all day. "He said he would go to the boardin house and ask if Dollface was there. He was gonna ask if she was ok. Then he'll come back here, afta lights out. The first floor fire escape. He'll be there." Suddenly there was a noise at the door. Keys unlocking it. Everyone immediately stopped talking, laughing and running around.
The door opened and Snyder entered. The five boys jumped up from the floor and stood respectfully, looking away from him. He slowly walked in the room and looked around.
"There better not be playing in this room," he said sternly. "There better not be any laughing or smiling. There is no fun and games at this refuge. You were sent here because you can not obey the rules of the city. If I hear one more sound out of the room, you are all going without food for a week." With that said, he swiftly turned on his heel and left the room. Everyone moved again when the door closed, though they stopped the games and talked quietly. Suddenly there was a rapping on the window at the other end of the room, startling the boys nearby.
"Hey Rova! It's Bird!" a small boy cried out, pointing to the window. Crutchie followed Rover as they walked over to the window, confused as to why Bird had appeared hours earlier than originally planned. When they reached the window, they saw Bird waving happily at them.
"What the hell?" Rover said, once he had shoved open the window. "You's gonna get in trouble, the sun ain't even down yet."
"I know, but I couldn't come tonight," he explained briefly. "Don't worry, no one saw me. Just get out here and I'll explain."
"You fellas don't gotta come out here," Crutchie said to the others. "Just keep an eye on the little kids, make sure they don't make no more noise." Rover nodded as Crutchie joined Bird on the fire escape.
"Well? Is she ok?" he asked anxiously.
"She's fine," he said and Crutchie let out a breath, half laughing from relief. "She wasn't there when I went but everyone said she was fine. The strike's doin real good too." Crutchie, relieved Dollface was safe, was now eager to hear more about the strike.
"What are they doin?" Crutchie asked. Bird sat down on the fire escape and leaned up against the brick of the building. Crutchie did the same, having a feeling Bird would have a lot to say. Goosebumps went down his spine as his bare back pressed against the cool brick.
"Well like I said earlier today, they got all the boroughs to join," he said, unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt and loosening his tie. "Once they was sure about that, they decided to make signs and banners and stuff. They's gonna have a big meetin tomorrow wit Conlon and some of his boys to make a list of demands. Then they's gonna go storm the gates of their circulation center and the rest of the boroughs is gonna meet 'em there hopefully."
"What about Jack? Any news on him?"
"Actually yeah," Bird said rather optimistically. "Some of ya friends talked sense into him. He was gonna run off to some place. Mexico or-"
"Santa Fe," Crutchie said, rolling his eyes. "He's always wantin to go there."
"Yeah so they talked to him," he continued. "He said he was gonna go and talk to Pulitzer himself today. No one heard anythin back yet but he said he's goin. So that's somethin. Then at the rally tomorrow, Jack's gonna talk and everythin. They's gonna get everyone real mad but excited 'bout it all. Then they'll go outside of Pulitzer's office. They's thinkin he can't ignore that many kids."
"So Dollface is ok?" Crutchie reiterated. Bird nodded. "She's at the boardin house and she's safe. Boy that's a load off my mind. And Jack's back in the game too. He's goin to see Pulitzer!"
"It's great ain't it?" Bird said, standing up. "I'll go to the rally tomorrow and report back around the same time in the aftanoon."
"So why couldn't you come tonight?" he asked. "Why did ya hafta come now?" Bird's optimistic smile faded.
"I picked up my brotha from the factory," he said, frowning. "He got hurt. Something got caught on fire and his hand got burned. I gotta take care of him."
"That's horrible," Crutchie said, his heart sinking at the bad news. "Is he ok? How bad is it?"
"It don't look too bad but it's still nasty lookin," he explained. "I gotta watch it close to make sure it don't get infected. I told him I had to come here tonight but he didn't want me to leave him. He fell asleep so I came here fast as I could."
"You go get back to him before he wakes up," Crutchie said, sending Bird on his way.
"Hey, Bird," Crutchie shouted once Bird reached the ground, causing him to look up. "Thanks a lot."
"I know what you's feelin like," Bird said. "I felt the same way when I was in here. My brotha was only 'bout eight and then I went and got caught stealin some food for him. I was terrified. I tried to see him as much as I could. I snuck out a few nights. Nearly got caught a bunch. But I knew he wasn't gonna be safe unless I was wit him."
"I'm her brotha," Crutchie said, his heart once again aching as he thought of Dollface. "I gotta look afta her."
"It's our job," Bird said, understandingly.
"Hey Bird," Crutchie called after him. "I hope you ain't missin shifts at the factory for this."
"I am but strictly speakin this is more fun," he said, a smile on his face. "I feel like a reporta. Plus I can tell the newsies 'bout workin in factories. Just as bad, if not worse."
"Night, Bird," Crutchie said, watching him run out of sight. Crutchie breathed a huge sigh of relief. Dollface and his friends were safe. Jack was back as leader. The strike was getting attention. He smiled, stretching his back. He would sleep better knowing much more about the strike, even if it was on the hard floor.