Eliza Hamilton Meets Newsies || Fanfiction

Chapter 11 - Crutchie is a Bean (Even When Sick) and Eliza is His Mother Now

Warnings: Sickness
...okay, but Andy's face lol
Third Person POV

Things quickly went downhill when Crutchie and Henry got sick.

They were quarantined in a room that they had solely for when Newsies got sick.

Only Eliza, Jack, Elmer, and Buttons ever really went in there to see them.

(The room was technically a room for if Jack (since he was the leader) wanted to sleep alone, but Jack preferred to sleep either on the rooftop with Crutchie, and sometimes Race, or in a bunk room.)

They couldn't risk anyone else getting sick.

Eliza have Crutchie the medicine, helping him take it while Elmer and the other boys were out selling.

"Mrs. Eliza," Henry starts.

Eliza hums, closing the cap of the bottle.

"Don't pass out." He tells her. "It's not fun. Your head gets all dizzy and hurts, and it's not fun when you fall." He informs her.

Eliza's eyes widen.

She places the bottle down, going over to his bunk.

"Henry," She starts, softly. "Did you try to walk?"

Henry looks up at her, smiling innocently. "I didn't get very hurt." He informs her. "I consider that a win."

Eliza chuckles weakly. "You need to stay laying down. It won't help you to get better if you get hurt and ignore that you feel sick." She tells him.

Henry frowns a bit. "Okay..." he trails off. "Can I go sell though?" He asks her.

Eliza smiles, softly. "Honey, I just told you that you can't. You need to stay here so I can help you get better." She answers.

Henry purses his lips. "But... Buttons misses me."

Eliza chuckles, pulling a blanket over him. "I know he does. I know all of them do, but that doesn't change that you're sick and need to stay here." She tells him. "Buttons will be worried, along with the others, if you sell while you're sick."

She presses a kiss to his forehead. "It won't be long till you're up and selling again, okay?"

Henry nods slowly.

He closes his eyes, and a few minutes asleep, he was asleep again.

Eliza walks over to Crutchie, sitting down on his bunk next to him.

He sat with his back against the wall, his knees pulled to his chest, tears streaming down his face.

"It- hurts." He chokes out.

Eliza frowns, pulling his head onto her chest. "It's okay, honey. The medicine will help in a few minutes." She whispers. "Just try to fall asleep."

Crutchie whimpers a bit, trying to move his leg.

Eliza helps him softly move it so that it wasn't uncomfortably hanging off the bed.

Eliza presses a kiss to his forehead.

"Thanks." Crutchie whispers softly. "Ma."

Eliza was caught off guard by him calling her mom, but ended up just smiling and playing with his hair.

Crutchie fell asleep a few minutes later.

Eliza slowly got up, as if to not disturb the two boys, and left the room, closing the door behind her.

She smiles in the hallway. Ma...

She walked down to the kitchen, checking the time.

She saw that the other boys would be getting back soon, so she decided to make soup for them and the two sick boys upstairs.

She looked in the cabinet, her eyebrows furrowing. I guess Medda and I are going to have to go for a girls shopping trip tomorrow.

Eliza took what she had to make the soup, and started making it.

About thirty minutes later, the door opened.

"Hey, Mrs. Ham-" Jack stops. "What's that smell?" He asks.

Jack had started calling her Mrs. Ham since he didn't like calling her by her first name, so they came up with a compromise.

Eliza chuckles. "Does it smell bad?" She asks, stirring it.

"No, no!" Jack tries to reiterate. "I just- haven't smelled anything like that in a while."

Eliza smiles. "Well, come try it." She states.

Jack looks at her, confused. "Me?" He points to himself.

Eliza chuckles. "No, Jack. The Jack in Brooklyn."

Jack's eyebrows furrow. "There's a Jack in Brooklyn?" He asks.

Eliza chuckles. "It's sarcasm, Jack. Pure sarcasm." She informs him.

Jack's mouth forms an 'o' shape.

Eliza chuckles. And I just watched a debate on whether or not sarcasm was annoying or funny.

Eliza gives Jack a spoonful of the soup.

Jack's jaw drops after he tries it.

Eliza looks up at him, noticing the tears in his eyes. "Jack!" She exclaims. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing." Jack chuckles a bit. "It's- it's really good, Mrs. Ham."

Eliza smiles. "Will the other boys like it? I'm afraid they won't." She admits.

Jack smiles. "They definitely will. They'll take anything as long as it isn't the moldy Refuge food."

Eliza chuckles.

"By the way," Jack starts. "Our Bronx friends, Sniper and Smalls, who are both girls and dating, are coming over today. They missed Boots, and maybe the others." He chuckles lightly.

Eliza smiles. "Well, it's a good thing I made extra." She states. "I'm going to have Davey take some home to his family, and can one of you take some to Katherine?" She asks.

Jack nods. "I can get Finch and Tommy boy to do that."

Eliza smiles. "Thanks Jack."

"Oh," Eliza starts, smiling softly as she turned to face Jack.

Jack looks at her, stopping in the doorway, as he was going to check up on the other boys.

"Crutchie called me 'Ma'."

Jack smiles.

914 Words
Yes, all of the boys and few girls liked the soup.