At home in New York.

Chapter 22

Hello my lovely readers another chapter for you hope you enjoy it still waiting for any reviews comments improvements and messages from you guys still excited for the newsies reunion!!!!! Anyways please enjoy, Britishfansie24601xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sun came pouring through creating a striped pattern on the floor, I laid there staring at it my eyes tired after barely sleeping yet again mostly due to the pain in my stomach. I eventually sat up from the bed my stomach screaming in pain I clutched it tightly and shuffled off the bed and into the bathroom.

Looking in the mirror, lifting up the blouse I was wearing, I saw a large purple bruise sitting prominently on my stomach clearly not belonging with the rest of my clean white skin. I found a spare slip and rolled it up and soaked it in cold water pressing it to my stomach hoping it would provide me some pain relief.

I then washed as I would normally in the morning then put on some new clothes from the wardrobe, finding a red blouse and brown skirt I sat back down on the bed pressing the slip firmly to my stomach desperately trying to get rid of the pain that refused to go away.

Soon the locked clicked and I waited,

I was surprised as Morris walked in with a book and paper bag in his hand, I didn't have much time to look at him as he quickly turned around and locking the door,

"I bought you to breakfast." He said walking over to me handing me the bag, I looked inside to see a croissant he must have got from one of the nicer bakeries back in Manhattan. I began to eat it slowly, when I had finished I noticed he was still holding the book,

"What is it?" I asked quietly as I threw the paper bag into the waste basket next to my bed, my stomach now feeling better after I had eaten.

"Little Women," he said handing the book, "it's the one you got at the library right."

"Yes." I answered shoving the book to the other side of bed with my left hand, the slip in my left under my blouse.

"What are you doing?"he asked coming closer to me, I pulled the slip from my blouse not wanting to seem fragile to him, this was a big mistake as my stomach hurled and I gasped in pain.

Morris immediately came over to me lifting my shirt enough to see the bruise,

"Did Splits no this?" he asked his face filled with anger.

I nodded in pain.

He stood up striding towards the door,

"No Morris!" I yelled at him struggling to stand, "please don't".

He reluctantly came back over to me helping me sit down,

"I'm sorry Laura."

I looked at him looking for sincerity.

"I should have never agreed to bring you here." He said his voice full of regret.

"Then why did you?" I snapped remembering that he still did bring me here, it was his fault I was in so much pain.

"I owed it to Splits."

I scoffed silently turning away from him,

"I used to be a newsie with him,"

"You used to be a newsie?" I asked in shock.

"Yes me and Oscar used to be newsies till our father died then when I was like 15 we moved in with uncle Wiesel and started distributing papers and they didn't want to know us anymore then when Oscar started getting involved with all the other stuff they made it even worse for us. Splits was the only one who didn't try and hurt us showed me there was something more to just handing out papers."

I listened to his story, yes feeling sympathetic but now knowing if he was really involved with splits he had done plenty wrong,

"So am I something more than just handing out papers." I asked now looking at him directly.

"I never meant for you to get hurt." He said now sincere.

"But I am Morris." I said now becoming more and more angry.

"You know I would never purposely hurt you, I care about you Laura " His voice calm as he repeated himself.

"Morris.."

"No you knew I cared about you but you didn't care about me you just carried on going to see Race you didn't even care that I kissed you and you ran out on the streets with an injured foot to get away from me. You're just the same as Race you don't care about me."

"I was Races' first." I shouted at him, "you may think that violence and force will make me choose you but it doesn't you don't care about me Morris. If you think bringing me here and bringing me books and croissants will make you care about me you're dead wrong." My voice now harsg.

"Race doesn't deserve you, don't you get that you know he isn't perfect right he's done bad things too why do you think we beat him that night." He said his voice increasing.

"You were one of those who nearly killed him?" I said in shock my anger towards him now beyond what I could even think about.

"Yes." He said his voice confident, I couldn't stand being near him I threw myself off the bed and began to storm to the bathroom, but of course he stood up too standing defiantly in my way.

"Leave me alone." I said through gritted teeth tears threatening to slip from my eyes as I remembered Race that night.

As he refused to move, I used all my strength ignoring the burning pain in my stomach and shoved him out of my way so I could walk past him, within second he had hold of my wrist twisting me around to face him

"Laura..."

I refused to listen to him, I grabbed the book from the bed and threw it at him, it scraped the side of his face leaving a small gash on his forehead, we both stood there in shock for a few seconds guilt waved over me as I saw his head bleeding standing there I couldn't quite believe I had hurt someone, I had never laid a hand on anyone all my life.

I refused to look at him any longer knowing he could move towards me again and spun around rushing into the bathroom firmly locking the door behind me my head full of anger, guilt, sadness and fear causing heartfelt tears to begin pouring as I laid on the floor still in pain the slip I had used for pain relief now on the other side of the door with Morris.