The Only Girl Newsie

Chapter 14: I Don't Break Promises

A few days pass before I get woken up early in the morning by one of the boys. "Hey, someone is here ta see ya," he tells me quietly. I nod and grab the crappy crutch I have to use to walk. I get up and go over to the window to see an old friend of mine hanging.

"Wow, what did they do ta ya?" He asked me, looking over my injuries through the barred, open window.

"Nothing concerning you," I say back quietly. "And you shouldn't be here."

"C'mon, we're getting you and Crutchie outta this place." He says to me, placing his hands on the bars, ready to pull them loose.

"Jack, I don't think so," Crutchie says as he comes over to us.

"What do ya mean?" Jack asks, stopping his plan.

"Dey messed my leg up, ain't no way I'm walkin outta here," Crutchie tells Jack, surprising me a little.

"We can carry ya then," Jack answers, not liking Crutchie's response.

"No, no one is carrying me out. But Madie could make it," Crutchie says, turning his attention to me.

"What? No, I can't. This crutch isn't doing me any good," I say.

"You can use mine. We'll switch," Crutchie suggests, already handing me his.

"I can't leave you here," I tell him, looking at him seriously.

"Madie, you can't stay here, Crutchie can handle himself, but your father will slowly kill you if you don't come with us," Jack tells me, finally seeing how Crutchie is thinking.

"And there's no way Jack can get us both out of here right now anyway," Crutchie adds.

"But," I start to argue, but I get cut off by Crutchie switching crutches with a few of the boys coming over ready to help me outta the window and me.

Jack pulls the bars off the window, leaving it completely open. "Come on, Madie, you're coming with me," Jack says as he wraps his arms around me through the window. He secures me and yells something up to the people above us.

Whoever is above starts pulling Jack and me up to the roof with the rope wrapped around Jack's waist. We get to the top, and Spot pulls me up from Jack's arms. 

"Spot?" I ask, confused about why he's here.

"I told ya, I'm not letting you go back there, and I don't break promises," he tells me as he picks me up, ready to carry me out.

Jack grabs my, well, Crutchie's crutch and starts working on getting us out of here. Jack leads with Davey behind him, Spot carrying me, then a few more of the boys behind us. Jack slowly and carefully got us out of the refuge and far away from where I used to call home.