I'll Always Look Out For You

6 | A Leg For A Life | 3 Years Old

Here we are, right where we left off. It's wild. A nickname is earned. I won't keep you waiting any longer! Enjoy! :)

"NO!"

Charlie acts upon pure instinct. There's no real time to think.

Everyone around him is stressing out. They're all paralyzed from consternation and shock.

All he can focus on is one thing: Antonio is out there in the street and the carriage is right there.

He pushes past Ray and Jack.

And now Charlie is running out onto the street. He's seven, but he's a fast runner. But that doesn't matter. He just has to be faster than Antonio, the horses, and the carriage all at once. He doesn't have that much time.

He bolts out even faster.

He lunges out and grabs Antonio and yanks him back. Antonio is now out of the path of the carriage. Jack swoops in and whisks him away.

But then Charlie slips. 

Frantically, he tries to stand up, but falls down again, and now instead of his head being dangerously close to the panicking horses, it's his legs.

And now something horrifying and terrible happens that none of the newsies will never, ever forget.

The horses try to get out of his path. And for the most part it works, until a horse hoof accidentally slams on his ankle.

Then the carriage swerves...

...and at angle, a wheel rolls over one of his bent-at-an-angle legs. 

"CHARLIE!" Jack cries out.

Now several newsies are rushing into the street.

The people around them stand there, stunned at what they are seeing, and all the commotion to go with it. Some try to help.

Ray rushes to help Charlie, while others make sure Jack and Antonio are safe.

The carriage has stopped moving, and the people get out, trying to fix the situation.

Ray gets on his knees next to Charlie, who is crying out in pain. And whispering gently, Ray says, "hey Charlie, it's me, okay? You're gonna be okay. Shh, shh, shh..."

It's obviously not alright. Everyone knows.

Ray, with the help of one of the passengers, stands Charlie up. But something's wrong. Charlie doubles over.

"My leg...I can't..."

Ray helps him stand again, supporting him more this time.

"Here," a woman who was in the carriage says to Ray. "Let me take him to a hospital. It's the least we can do. He needs help."

Ray brings Charlie closer to him. He wants to trust her, but there's just so much he doesn't know and there's too much going on at the moment.

"It's going to be okay," she tells him. Then she holds out her hand. "Here. Come with me."

Ray looks down at Charlie. He knows that there is something severely wrong with Charlie's leg, something that they won't be able to fix on their own. Then, he looks back at the woman. He's really low on options. Reluctantly, he takes her hand.

And then they start heading to the nearest hospital they can find.

The newsies who stayed behind at the lodging house are conflicted. Do they go on selling like they normally would? Or do they wait for Ray and Charlie to come back? They aren't sure. None of them can stand still. No one is really saying much either.