Seven rolled over on her bed. She was in dry, clean clothes and she saw her wet ones hanging on a line on the other side of the room. She also saw Tweetheart sitting on her bed.
�Devin?�
Tweetheart heard her and smiled. �Oh good, you�re awake. How�re you feeling?�
�Fine, I�m just still a little shaken up from what happened last night. Where�s Derek?�
�Derek? Oh, Derek. Well, he�s�uh�well, he�s��
�Where is he? Didn�t he bring me home last night?�
�He did. It�s just that he�s��
Seven had the feeling that something bad happened to him. She got out of bed and rushed out of the bunkroom. Most of the newsies had already gone to get their newspapers, but the ones that were still there were puzzled at Seven�s behavior.
Seven stampeded down the stairs and when she reached the bottom she found Jack and Kloppman standing by the spare room. She jumped the last few stairs and peered into the room. She saw Swifty on the bed, shaking violently while a doctor was trying to determine what was wrong with him.
�Derek!� she shouted.
Jack heard her and grabbed her before she could run into the room. Seven struggled, but it was useless. A minute later, the doctor came out of the room.
�How is he?� Kloppman asked.
�I�d be lying if I said he was in a good condition.� The doctor answered. �His body temperature has gone down and a fever has settled in. What happened?�
�He was out in the snow without a coat on.� Jack answered.
Seven couldn�t believe it. He had a coat on before she passed out. Then, it occurred to her that he had given it to her.
The doctor sighed. �There isn�t much I can do except give him some medicine which might help. The best thing to do is have any family members come here. Is he a runaway?�
�No.� said Seven. �His father died before he was born, his mother died four years ago. The only person he has is someone who�s not his family, and that�s me.�
�What is your relationship with him?�
�I�I used to be his girl, but we just met up a couple weeks ago. Please, I�m the only person he has left.�
Jack and Kloppman looked at Seven in surprise. They had seen how she had treated him, and her sudden change in behavior was puzzling.
�All right, young lady, you can stay with him.� The doctor turned to Kloppman. �I will need to stop by twice a day to check on him.�
Seven went into the room and sat down next to Swifty. His shaking was only making her worried. She took his hand and squeezed it.
�I�m right here, Derek. Everything�s gonna be okay.�
Swifty didn�t stop shaking and his head didn�t stop twitching. A minute later, the doctor came in. He reached into his bag and pulled out a needle. Seven felt cold when she watched him inject the medicine into Swifty�s bloodstream. A few seconds later, his shaking stopped and his head stopped twitching.
The doctor put the needle back in his bag and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a pocket watch and he took Swifty�s other hand and placed his fingers on his wrist. He watched the clock and sighed. Seven could tell that the situation was far worse than she had expected. The doctor checked Swifty a little more, then he packed his things and left.
Seven looked at Swifty�s face. He was pale, and his hands felt icy. Just seeing him there reminded her of what Tony had looked like before he died. Wiping a tear from her eye, she tried to get that thought out of her head.
God, please don�t let him die, she prayed. I love him, and I can�t live without him.
You said the same about Tony.
Seven froze. She had said the same about Tony, but Swifty wasn�t Tony. He was nowhere near as handsome as Tony was, but Seven believed that he was more understanding than Tony was. She continued praying for him and didn�t leave his side all day.
* * *
Sorrow rang throughout New York as the newsies heard of Tony�s death. The ones that took it the hardest were the girls. Girls all over loved Tony, and they didn�t notice Spot Conlon when he came along. Tweetheart took it pretty hard too because he was her sister�s boyfriend, and now her sister was in the spare room by Swifty�s side.
Kloppman would stop by every few hours and give Seven a cup of tea. Swifty had been unconscious for six days, and Seven still hadn�t left his side. On that day, the doctor came and asked her to leave because he needed his space when he ran his tests.
As much as she wanted to stay, she had to leave. She ran up the stairs to her room, threw herself on her bed and sobbed. She cried because Tony and Felix were dead, and Swifty was dying. She still loved Tony, even though he was dead. She continued to cry until she felt Tweetheart gently touch her.
�Chase, I think we need to talk.�
Seven sat up and hugged her pillow. �I watched Tony die. He died in my arms.�
�I know how upsetting this is for you, Chase, but he�s gone now. You hafta live with that.�
�Have you ever lost the man you love?�
�I thought you loved Derek.�
�I do, but I loved Tony even more, and Felix took that away from me all because of me. How would you like it if something like that happened to Jack?�
Tweetheart didn�t answer. She just sighed and looked at the ground. Seven hid her face in her pillow and cried again.
�Why can�t I stay with only one guy?� she asked herself. �Why is it that every guy I�m with I lose?�
�Chase,� Tweetheart said gently, �I think you should go to the church I�ve been going to.�
Chase thought about that. She hadn�t gone to church since before she left Tony almost a month ago.
�Why?� she asked.
�Because Reverend Fisher is one of the best guys to talk to. I talk to him about my problems, and he�s helped me out a lot.�
Seven nodded. �Okay, I�ll go.�
Tweetheart smiled and helped her sister up. Together, they walked out of the lodging house toward the church. It was cold outside, and the snow was piling higher each day.
Seven felt a little nervous when she neared the church, but once they entered, there was no turning back. Candles were lit all over the church, and a lot of pews were lined up toward the stage. There was a large organ, and a tall, lanky man with a reddish-brown beard strode toward them.
�Hello Reverend.� Tweetheart said. �This is my sister, Chase.�
Rev. Fisher held his hand out to her. �How do you do?�
Seven shook his hand but didn�t answer. She felt her sister squeeze her hand when the Reverend smiled at them.
�Reverend,� Tweetheart said calmly, �My sister really needs some help now because two of her special friends are dead, and another one is dying.�
Rev. Fisher sat down on a pew. Tweetheart told Seven to sit down. The sat down in the pew behind the Reverend�s.
�Can you tell me how this happened?� he asked Seven.
Seven sniffled. �I got into a fight with Tony, my boyfriend. I used to be an East Side newsie, so I left East Side, but Felix, my special friend, didn�t want me to go. When I arrived here in Manhattan I met up with Derek, my ex-boyfriend. Tony went crazy when I disappeared, and he had his newsies come in to get me every other day. Several days ago Felix came to tell me what Tony was doing to himself and I decided that I would go see him the next day. Then, Derek came and told me why he had left me two years ago. When he was finished, I went back to East Side to tell Tony that I was back for good. He kissed me, then Felix came out and shot him. He died in my arms, and when he died I ran to Felix and threatened to kill him. Derek came along and stopped me before I could shoot him. He calmed me down, but I passed out. When I woke up, I found out that he gave me his coat when it started to snow and he got sick. Now, he�s in bed, dying, and it�s all my fault!�
Seven dropped to her knees, hid her face in her hands and cried. Tweetheart got down next to her and tried to calm her down.
�It�s not your fault, Chase!� Tweetheart coaxed.
Rev. Fisher kneeled down next to them. �Chase, it�s not your fault. I have to know, do you still love Tony?�
Seven nodded. �Yes I do.�
�Then you need to let go of your love for him.�
�Why?�
�Well, from you�ve told me, it sounds like you�re in love with Derek. The only problem is you can�t love Derek and still love Tony at the same time. Either you can love Derek, or you can still love Tony. You need to let go of your love for him if you want to love Derek.�
�But I don�t know how.� Seven whispered.
�It�s really quite simple. Just pray about it, and pray for Derek.�
Seven sniffled and nodded. �Thank you.�
Rev. Fisher smiled. �You�re welcome.�
Tweetheart helped Seven up, and they left the church. As they walked back, Seven began to think about what the Reverend had said about her praying about letting her love for Tony go. She wanted to get back soon so she could find out. When they arrived at the lodging house, the doctor wasn�t there.
Seven entered Swifty�s room when Kloppman said it was okay for her to go in. Swifty was still unconscious, and his skin was even paler than it was before. She sat down next to him and took his hand in hers.
God, she prayed, what did Reverend Fisher mean about letting my love for Tony go?
You need to stop loving him. He�s in heaven now, but you can�t love someone who�s dead.
But how do I let go?
It�s easy. Just stop loving him.
It�s not as easy. How can I stop loving someone when he meant everything in the world to me?
I can do it if you let me.
Seven thought for a while. She knew that God knew everything she was thinking, but she thought to herself, what if I don�t wanna let go? She did, but then again, she didn�t.
Oh God, I�m so confused.
It�s your choice, Mariah. Either you choose to love him, or you don�t.
Seven had to think again. Finally, she knew what she had to do.
How do I stop loving him?
Just ask and I�ll take care of it.
Will you do it?
Of course I will.
Seven closed her eyes. She had only just begun to change her life. For the first time in a long time, she felt really good about herself. It was getting late, and she hadn�t eaten or slept since Swifty got sick. That night, she couldn�t keep her eyes open, and she fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
The night was long for everyone, except Seven. She was so tired that the night seemed short to her. That morning, when everyone was asleep, Swifty�s arm moved. His eyes were still closed, but his hand moved across his body as if he were looking for someone.
His hand ran across the mattress until it touched some hair. His hand moved up her hair until it reached the top of Seven�s head. His hand kept going until it reached her forehead. Then, he guided his hand down her face to see if it was her. Finally, he was convinced it was Seven.
�Chase.� He said, his voice quiet and hoarse.
Seven opened her eyes. She felt something gently touching the side of her face. She touched it and saw that it was Swifty�s hand.
�DEREK!� she shouted.
Swifty�s eyelids fluttered. Seven jumped up and put her hand on the side of his face.
�Derek! Derek, wake up!�
Swifty�s eyes opened slowly, and he smiled when he saw the figure standing above him.
�Chase.� He said, quiet and hoarse yet happy.
�I�m here, Derek. How�re you feeling?�
�Terrible. How long have I been asleep?�
�Seven days.�
�Well, seven�s my lucky number since it�s what you go by.�
Seven smiled. �But you�ve never called my Seven. You�ve always called me Chase.�
�Is that your real name?�
Seven shook her head. �No. It�s my middle name. I�ve always gone by it because I liked it more than my real name.�
�Will you tell me what your real name is?�
�Well, I�ve never told anyone, not even Tony.�
�Please?� Swifty pleaded.
Seven sighed. �Oh all right. It�s Mariah.�
�That�s real pretty, Mariah. Why would you change a name like that?�
�Because I preferred Chase. But you know what?�
�What?�
�I also learned something. You�re my very best friend in the whole wide world, and I love you.�
She leaned down and kissed him. While they were kissing, the door opened and Kloppman and Jack looked in. Seven stopped kissing Swifty and looked at Kloppman and Jack harshly.
�Do you mind? We�ve got a guy recuperating in here!�
Kloppman�s eyes jumped and Jack shrugged, but they turned around and shut the door. Swifty smiled at Seven, then his smile faded.
�Wait! What happened to Tony?�
Seven let out a short chuckle and shook her head. �He�s gone, Derek. I loved him, but he wasn�t the right one for me. I thought he was, but he wasn�t. Now that he�s gone, I can�t love him anymore. I learned that I can�t love someone who�s dead and love someone who�s living. I�ve got to go on with my life.� She put her hand on her heart. �Tony and I loved each other, but we can�t anymore. My memories of him are safe in my heart, and my heart has to go on. My heart will go on.�
Swifty smiled weakly at her. �Can you kiss me again?�
�You bet.�
Seven leaned down and kissed him again. She was right about what she said about her heart going on, and she praised God that Swifty was alive.
