Wishing I was uploading more :( Something short for y'all! Please rate and review so I have some motivation to keep at it!
Chapter 9:
"Calm down! Calm down," Alley exclaimed, grasping Boots by the shoulders. "Who are they asking for?"
"Everyone," Boots answered, wide-eyed and frightened.
Alley sighed and shook her head, confused. "Where's Kelly," she demanded.
"He's coming," Boots said and stepped away, just in time as Kelly came crashing through the door and scooping Alley up in his arms.
"You're here," Jack exclaimed. Realizing what he had done, he set her down awkwardly, keeping his eyes on Snoddy and clearing his throat. "Looks like the Delancey bruddahs finally spoke. Da Bulls are down stairs and asking for everyone who stays here."
"So, what's the plan," Alley asked, sitting down on her bunk next to a very quiet Snoddy. "Snoddy can't go down there."
"Da plan is that Snoddy will stay up here, in the bunk, wrapped in blankets and facing away from the door and coughing. Alley, you'll stay here too. We'll call each of you different names and tell the Bulls you're hired help who comes in to do laundry and cut our hair and take care of the sick boys, got it?"
"Got it," Alley said with a nod. Jack ushered Boots out of the room and, just as he was leaving himself, Alley stood up and leaned out of the doorframe to whisper in his ear, "You never let me down, Jack Kelly."
There was a brief moment after she whispered to him that seemed to stretch forever. Jack Kelly turned back to her, with the saddest smile she'd ever seen on his lips, and whispered back, "Things would be different if you didn't belong to Snoddy."
Alley had already known this. She knew Jack avoided her for good reason and she knew of the way he spoke about her behind closed doors. "You made me his responsibility," she reminded him, quietly as she could so Snoddy wouldn't hear her.
His smile turned even sadder. "And don't I regret it," he said somewhat bitterly before turning away from her and marching down the stairs, all business, all leader, all Jack Kelly.
Alley gave herself just one fleeting second to watch Jack Kelly, all lengthy six feet of him, head down the stairs to the lobby, where she knew he would gather his composure and do what he could to come through for her and Snoddy. That moment was short lived and she quickly returned back to the sick room, where Snoddy had already resumed his role of facing the window and pretending to be asleep. So, Alley settled into the seat next to him and began chewing her nails while studying the back of Snoddy. His fresh haircut, dirty neck and manly ears were so familiar to her- she'd spent so many nights falling asleep to them. And she knew the spot in her heart Jack wanted to fill was already occupied.