"Are you sure your ready for this?" Race asked asked me as we stood outside the Brooklyn newsies boarding house.

"Yeah."

We were there to visit Spot after what had happened the day before. Spot had begun to fight Steel and he would have won if Steel hadn't pulled out a blade and cut him with it. It caught Spot by surprise and gave Steel an advantage. Spot had been soaked to the point of it hurting to move or at least thats what I'd been told. Jack managed to pull Steel off him but the damage had been done. He'd been cut a few times and some had even said he was stabbed. My chest felt tight from thinking about it. Race and I walked inside. Most of the Brooklyn newsies where crowded around Spot's room. West managed to notice us and walked over.

"Hey you can step in but he's sleeping so be quiet." West said.

I walked through the crowd and into the room. Race had decided it was personal and didn't want to intrude. I saw Spot laying there on his bed in a bloody shirt. I walked over to him. I stared at him. He was battered and bruised. The places where he'd been cut were tied up with some sort of cloth. I put my hand on his cheek. Spots eyes fluttered open. He looked at at me and a smile spread across his face.

"Hi." He said so weakly it was nearly a whisper.

"Hi."

He tried to sit up but cringed in pain.

"Spot just lay down." I said.

"No I'm fine."

He managed to sit up.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Hurt..." He mumbled.

I kissed his cheek.

"I'm sorry. I know I promised-" He started.

"No it's okay, you couldn't have known."

He stared into my eyes.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too."

He kissed me slowly.

"I'm going to be okay, I'll heal." He said.

I slowly wrapped my arms around him, trying not to hold him to tight. I knew while being bruised like this it could hurt to be held tight (from experience). I felt him holding me. Than tears came down my cheeks.

"It's alright don't cry. Please don't" Spot said drying my eyes.

I buried my face in his shirt. He stroked my back.

"It's fine. I'm fine." He said.

"I'm sorry you got hurt."

"Oh I'm okay. What did they tell you?"

"Everything..."

He kissed my lips. "I'm going to be fine really!"

He took my hands. He was so bruised. I looked at his the cloth covering a cut on his right arm.

"Is it deep?" I asked.

He paused.

"Not to deep... It's not too bad." He told me.

"Are any of them?"

"I don't think so. Maybe a little..."

I looked at him for a moment. He brushed my cheek and took a deep breath.

"Faith." Racetrack said popping his head through the door. "We have to get going soon."

"Thanks Race." I said.

"Hey Race." Spot said.

"Hey Spot. How you feeling?"

"Alright." Spot said.

Race closed the door.

"I guess I should get going." I said as I stood up.

"Yeah... I love you." He said.

I felt myself blush.

"I love you too."

I kissed Spot goodbye. I walked out of the room just taking one glance back at Spot. Race and I left the boarding house.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Spot..." Race said.

"It's ok it's not like it's your fault."

Race looked down at his shoes.

"Well... I feel like it was."

"He was stabbed by Steel you couldn't have stopped it."

"Not that. You remember how I had my friend Runner?" He asked finely looking up at me.

"Yeah."

"Well he wasn't a factory boy. He was a Bronx newsie who wanted me to spill the plan."

I looked at him in shock.

"You told him?"

"Well I got really drunk, you saw me! I had a lot on my mind I had to talk to someone! I can barley remember much from that night." He said.

"So thats why all of the Queens newsies were there."

Race nodded.

"I didn't mean to, I really didn't know..." He mumbled.

I put a hand on his back.

"Its alright. I understand." I said.

"You can't tell anybody. Especially not Jack."

"Don't worry I won't. It's all going to be fine."

He took a deep breath.

"Thanks, I really had to tell someone. The guilt has been killing me"

"You know you could tell me anything."

Race smiled a bit. We walked back to Manhattan and to the boarding house. Some of the boys had been hurt the other day, but none as bad as Spot. Mush had bruises all over him, Boots was limping, Crutchy was a bit more dependent on his crutch and Kid Blink was bruised worse than Mush (and Mush was really bad so thats saying a lot). The lucky ones like Jack, Specs, Bumlets, Pie Eater and others were taking care of the newsies that were hurt. They all told me what happened to them during the battle.

"I was going soaking this Queens newsies," Boots told me " when out of nowhere some other newsie comes and grabs me from the back! Specs tore him off me and I finished off that dumb ass."

"I didn't even see him coming!" Crutchy said "The guy grabbed my crutch and I fell to the ground. He was soaking me when I got hold of my crutch and hit him over the head!"

I was happy not to hear any about Spot. But of corse the moment I realized nobody had said anything about him Jack started talking.

"I got a story for you." He said.

All heads turned Jacks way. The room went silent.

"It was during the fight when a good friend of mine got hurt pretty bad. You all know who I'm talking about." He continued.

Whispers went through the room saying "Spot" or " It's Spot". I felt my stomach churn. I didn't want to hear it! But I didn't really have any choice...

"Rumors have been going around about how Spot got hurt and I have to set record straight. Spot was soaking Steel when Steel pulled out a knife. Spot didn't see it coming and he was slit across his arm." Jack demonstrated with his finger. "Spot didn't know what to do when Steel kept cutting him. So he tried to fight back, but he failed. He was getting tired from blood loss. Steel that started punching him and kicking him. I tore Steel off him and got the blade out of his hand. Spot was taken back to Brooklyn for help."

Jack made eye contact with me for a second and I felt everyones gaze go from Jack to me in a matter of seconds.

"How is Spot?" Someone asked.

I knew that they were all expecting me to tell. They all wanted me to tell them how bloody he was and how much pain he was in. How could I explain?

"Spot's not doing well. But you already know that. Spot is in a lot of pain right now and he needs his rest. It hurts him to move in some ways. He doesn't really act like it's that bad though... He said his cuts were kind of deep. But he'll be alright..." I told them.

The crowd rung with questions.

"Can he walk?" I heard.

"Does he want revenge?"

"Did you see his cuts?"

"Alright guys I think thats enough!" Racetrack said.

He walked over to me.

"You ok?" Race whispered.

"Yeah... Thanks for that."

"No problem."

I sighed. I couldn't help but feel bad for Spot. I wished that I could just hold him. I felt Races hand on my shoulder.

"It's all going to be alright." Race said.

"Thats what they all say."