Part 5
Part Four
All throughout the appointment, Pie Eater held Kay’s hand and not once left her side. The doctor performed the tests and examinations for nearly an hour, then made his assessment with a smile.
“You’re perfectly healthy, Mrs. Kendric.” He reported.
“And the baby?”
“Everything is going perfectly. He seems healthy too, and I think he’s going to make it.”
The doctor performed one more procedure before leaving. He drew out his stethoscope and pressed it to Kay’s stomach. He listened, and a smile crossed his face.
“Ya hear somethin’?” Pie Eater asked eagerly.
“Barely. I think it’s just the baby beginning to move.”
“I can’t feel it.” Kay said. “Why can’t I feel it?”
“It’s too soon. You won’t be able to feel the baby for at least another month.”
She sighed heavily. “That seems so long.”
“Can…cin I listen for a minute?” Pie Eater asked.
“Of course.”
With the piece still pressed against Kay’s stomach, the doctor removed the earpieces and handed them to Pie Eater. He listened, and a grin spread across his face.
“I hear ‘im! I really do.”
The doctor removed the stethoscope. “That does it for your examination today, Mrs. Kendric. But I’m afraid we can no longer give you examinations for free.”
“But…what if something goes wrong?” she wondered anxiously.
“I’ll direct you to another doctor. She’s used to working for free, and is beyond expertise with pregnancies. I’ll give you her name and address when I return. While I’m gone, you can change back into your clothing.”
He left, and Pie Eater helped Kay dress, then lifted her to the table as they waited. When the doctor returned, he gave them a slip of paper and told them to visit her in two days because of the approaching holiday.
“Tomorrow’s New Years, you know. She won’t be working then.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Kay said.
Pie Eater escorted her from the doctor’s office with her arm through his. As they walked the snowy streets, his eye caught another of his father’s rocking chairs. He sighed, catching Kay’s attention.
“Is something wrong?”
“Not really. I jus’…saw one ‘f my father’s rocking chairs.”
“You said he’s making money off of those. I’m glad to see it’s doing good.”
“Thanks. But what I din’t tell ya last night that I forgot about was that I saw my pa th’ other day.”
“Oh. Did you tell him?”
“Not exactly. He figured it out for himself, but jumped to the wrong conclusion.”
She sighed and placed a hand over her stomach. “I hope I don’t show until February. If I do, the newsies will come to the same conclusion.”
“Th’ doc said that everythin’ was gonna be fine. Why can’t we jus’ take ‘im at ‘is word?”
“Because I want to be sure. I want to be positive. I don’t want to lose the baby, but if it does happen, I’d rather that the newsies never knew.”
* * *
January came and was rushing by quickly. Before long, the twentieth rushed by, and Kay found herself in her fourth month. She was beginning to feel and acknowledge the affect of her pregnancy over her body, although she still couldn’t feel the baby. Often times, she found herself holding her stomach to let the baby know she was there.
February was closing in quickly, meaning that in less than a month, it would be safe to tell the newsies about her marriage and the baby. However, nervousness settled, and she couldn’t find any way to allay it. In hopes to calm herself, she toted a teakettle filled with water for a warm bath. Because there was only one bathtub on each floor, most newsies took at least one bath every week. This would be her second.
The bathroom was filled with a wooden tub with a pump behind it. In order to take a lukewarm bath, hot water needed to be toted over the stove, and then have the cold water pumped into it. This way, the water would be partially hot and last a while longer.
After her bath, Kay pulled on her pantalets and her camisole, but found that she couldn’t close the buttons. She had noticed that when she had removed it earlier, the buttons seemed to pop open for her when all she did was tug it apart carefully. Now she couldn’t even close it.
Shrugging, she buttoned her shirt over the camisole, then peeped out of the bathroom to find Fantasia. She was on the other side of the bunkroom, talking with Snicker and Psyche. Kay called to her a few times, and when she finally heard, she came.
“What’s up?” she wondered.
“I need you to do me a favor.” she said lowly.
“Okay. Whaddaya need?”
“Go downstairs, and ask Pie Eater for one of his undershirts.”
Fantasia raised a confused eyebrow. “What for?”
She sighed. “I can’t button my camisole.”
“Oh! I’ll get to it right away!”
When Kay closed the door, Fantasia rushed downstairs to the boys’ bunkroom to find Pie Eater. She found him chatting with Dutchy and Swifty and tapped on his shoulder.
“Hey Fantasia.” He said. “What’s up?”
“I need to talk to you.” She glanced at the other two newsies. “In private.”
“Alright.” He turned to Dutchy and Swifty. “Be right back, fellahs.”
Fantasia dragged him to the washroom so they wouldn’t be overheard. Then she began to speak in a low voice.
“Kay told me she needs to borrow something from you.”
“What’d she need to borrow?” he wondered confusedly.
“An undershirt.”
His eyebrows raised. “What for?”
“She can’t button hers anymore. It won’t button over…” her voice softened even more. “It won’t button over her stomach.”
She had no need to say anything more, for Pie Eater was already at his bunk, grabbing the extra undershirt that had for emergencies. He handed it to Fantasia, and she hid it in her coat.
“You tell ‘er that if she needs anythin’ else, she cin borrow anythin’ ‘f mine.”
“I will.”
Fantasia left the bunkroom and raced up the stairs when she heard a voice calling after her. She froze when she identified the voice as Blink’s.
“Hey, Fantasia!” he called. “What’s on yer mind, runnin’ int’ th’ room without sayin’ hi t’ me?”
To prevent any suspicion, she played coolly. “I’m sorry Blink, I wasn’t thinking right. You see, one of the girls upstairs had a sudden emergency and I needed to get something for her.”
“Is she okay?”
“I think she will be. I’ll come back in just a minute after I take care of this, okay?”
He grinned and nodded. “Okay.”
When he returned to the bunkroom, Fantasia continued on her way. She rushed through the washroom to the bathroom and knocked on the door. When there was no reply, she grew fearful.
“Kay? Are you all right in there?”
“Fantasia?”
“It’s me. Is everything all right?”
“Get in here.”
She entered in cautiously, and found Kay sitting on a stool, shoulders hunched, head bowed and her hands over her stomach. Fantasia’s first impulse was that something was terribly wrong.
“Kay, are you okay?” she asked frantically. “You’re not having a miscarriage, are you?”
Kay shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
“Is there anything wrong with the baby?”
“No.”
“Then what’s going on?”
“He’s moving. The baby…he’s moving! I can feel him!”
Fantasia’s knees became faint. A huge grin spread across her face, and she hugged her friend carefully.
“Oh Kay, this is so wonderful!”
Kay nodded and brushed tears from her eyes. “I need to tell Pie Eater. Did you get the undershirt?”
She drew it out from inside her coat. “Here it is. Blink followed me, but I told him there was an emergency and I’d be back down to be with him.” she glanced at Kay’s stomach. “You don’t look like you’re showing.”
“What does that mean?”
“Your stomach. It doesn’t look like your stomach’s grown at all.”
She shrugged. “It’s not just my stomach that’s growing.”
At first, Fantasia didn’t understand. Then, when she saw the uneasy look on Kay’s face, she understood. She grimaced.
“Oh dear.” She murmured. “I’ll get out so you can put that undershirt on. Want me to get Pie Eater?”
She nodded. “Yes. Tell him I’ll meet him at the top of the stairs.”
Fantasia left again, and rushed back downstairs. She told Pie Eater to go to the top of the stairs, then went to Blink to prevent suspicions from gathering. Pie Eater rushed to the top of the stairs and found Kay sitting there. Her hands were on her stomach.
As Fantasia had, he feared the worst. He embraced her gently and rocked her.
“Tell me that the baby’s okay.” He begged.
“He is.” she said. “And he’s moving.”
He drew away, flabbergasted. “Ya…ya mean you cin feel ‘im now?”
She grinned and nodded vigorously. “Yes! I can!”
His hands covered her stomach, and he could barely feel the tiniest movement that he had almost not detected. He could feel tears of his own forming, but he forced them away. He wasn’t going to cry now.
“Oh Karen,” he said softly, “this is so great. An’ I got some news for ya. I think I might got a job!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! Down at th’ wharf, they need guys t’ load ‘n’ unload ships. An’ it pays good too! We’ll be outa th’ lodgin’ house in no time, an’ we cin tell th’ newsies everything!”
She threw her arms around him and allowed more tears to flow. Everything was working out so wonderfully for the both of them. In no time, they wouldn’t have any worries of problems at all.
Then again, they had never noticed Kloppman standing around the corner.
* * *
Evelyn Bauer was accustomed to dealing with pregnancies, but this couple was so young. The husband was at least twenty, while the wife appeared to be at least fifteen. When she asked her age, she said eighteen. Her heart sank in the remembrance of her late husband.
To accustom herself with this expecting couple, she asked them questions of how far along the woman was, her diet, and how her pregnancy was progressing. She answered each of the questions positively, and Evelyn nodded. Everything was going fine.
She was always happy to work with expecting mothers, but with each new woman who came into her care, that cruel memory always came back to haunt her. And each time, the pain was worse. Nearly unbearable.
When the husband mentioned that his last name was Kendric, her ears perked. She had once known Joseph Kendric before she attended nursing school, but the last time she had seen him, things were not faring well for him and Margaret, the woman he was courting at the time. That was nearly twenty-one years ago, could this young man be Joseph and Margaret’s son?
Under those circumstances, she could believe it. She knew, as did everyone in the small town at the time, of the situation with Joseph and Margaret. Margaret’s father was ready to disown her when she had left. Now that she looked at this young man, she could see that he looked just like Joseph. But she decided not to bring it up.
“I believe you have nothing to worry about, Mrs. Kendric.” Evelyn reported.
“So everythin’s goin’ as planned?” Pie Eater wondered nervously.
“Yes.”
“Is there any way ya cin find out what th’ baby is?”
“I’m afraid not. Only when the child is born will you know.”
“Another four and a half months.” Kay muttered. “Why does this take so long?”
“For development reasons. A baby is a fragile thing, Mrs. Kendric. They require quite a bit of developing before they’re ready to take a step into the real world.”
Now that the examination was over, she sent them on their way and told them that she was here if there were any complications. Yet as she watched them leave, the old pain resurfaced.
‘Oh Jim,’ she thought, ‘I would have survived. Why did you have to push me into it?’
* * *
When they returned to the lodging house, they found Kloppman leaning against his desk with his arms folded across his chest. They greeted him cheerfully and discarded their wet clothing when he approached them.
“I’d like to see you two. Alone.” He said sternly.
Instantly, Kay went pale. And when Kloppman entered the spare room, her panic overflowed.
“Do you think he knows?” she asked anxiously.
“I don’t know.” Pie Eater replied solemnly. “But if he does, we’re in big trouble.”
Slipping her hand into his, he led her to the spare room from where Kloppman was waiting. He shut the door behind him and confronted the two.
“I heard you two talking on the stairwell the other night.” He reported. “Kay, I have reason to believe that you’re concealing a pregnancy.”
Kay began to tremble violently and clutched Pie Eater’s hand so tightly that she nearly cut off his circulation. He too froze, not knowing what to say.
“I’ve noticed some odd behavior between you two within the last few months.” Kloppman continued. “You two are constantly together. You’ve been sneaking off to be alone. And you, Kay, you’ve been crying too much and you’ve always got your hands on your stomach. Are my accusations true?”
She glanced at Pie Eater, then lowered her head. “Yes.”
“But Kloppman,” Pie Eater defended, “there’s somethin’ real important ya gotta know.”
“Are you married?”
“Yeah! An’ we was even b’fore we found out we was gonna have a baby.”
Kloppman seemed to calm a bit. “I’m very relieved to hear that. But the newsies don’t know, do they?”
“Fantasia does.” Kay replied.
“Were you planning on telling them?”
“In two weeks. We promised we’d tell the newsies when I was five months along.”
“I see. Now, young man, how are you planning to care for this young woman?”
“I got me a new job.” He answered. “Loadin’ an’ unloadin’ ships.”
“And a place to live?”
“Gonna buy one as soon as I got th’ money.”
“Good. I’m asking because only once have I ever had two newsies get married while still living here. Now you’re welcome to stay here, but don’t expect to carry out marriage traditions in this house. Rules are rules.” He paused. “Did you break any rules besides that time I found you asleep down here?”
“Not really.”
“Not really?”
“Okay, no.”
Kloppman scowled. “Are you telling the truth?”
“We are.” Kay supported. “I promise, we never did anything inappropriate in this lodging house.”
“Alright. Now you two can go, but only if you promise that you will tell the newsies in two weeks.”
“We promise.”
“You can go now.”
The two left the room and climbed the stairs. Then, in a low voice, Pie Eater leaned to Kay’s ear.
“How’d ya come up with that front? I thought we was dead!”
“You said it yourself! On that night on the roof, you said Kloppman didn’t want anything to happen in his lodging house. We weren’t in the house, we were on the house.”
He threw his head back and laughed loudly. Kay joined in, then they parted for their bunkrooms to rest.
* * *
Two weeks seemed rather slow for Pie Eater, especially since he had noticed the change in Kay’s body. When he held her, he could feel her stomach press against him more and more each time. He had also noticed that she had seemed a little pale recently.
At first, he thought it was nothing. Then Kay complained of headaches and chest pains and of not being able to breathe very well. When he asked her of it, she told him that it was only the pregnancy and nothing to worry about.
When the day finally came to them to tell the newsies, Kay was more weak than ever. She was so pale and her breathing so ragged that he was worried. Not only that, but her pregnancy had started rumors among the girls who were catching on to her. Now was the time to tell.
He turned to Kay and found her asleep with her head resting against the wall. Pie Eater shook her gently to awaken her, and she came to. However, her eyes were bloodshot and dim, and she did not look well at all. His heart quivered at the thought of her being ill.
“Kay, are you feeling all right?” he asked.
“Not really.” She answered hoarsely. “Should we tell the newsies now?”
“I think now’s th’ right time.”
She nodded slowly. “Okay. And after this, take me to Dr. Bauer.”
“I will.” He looped an arm around her waist and helped her to her feet. Clearing his throat, he readied for the speech he’d had planned for two months now.
“‘Scuse me,” he said, “but I got somethin’ important t’ say.”
He released Kay, and she suddenly dropped to the floor. This caught the attention of all the newsies, especially when Pie Eater and Fantasia were the first to see to her. Something wasn’t right.
As Pie Eater continued to shake Kay, he found that she wasn’t waking up. She felt so cold and her hands so limp that fear attacked him with full force. It wasn’t long before other newsies began coming to her side as well, mainly the girls. When she wouldn’t wake up at all, Spot was the first to react. He turned to his younger sister, Lady Luck, and told her to go for a doctor.
At first, a doctor sounded like the right move. Then Pie Eater remembered Dr. Bauer, and that he had not had the chance to tell the newsies about the baby. Quickly, he stopped Lady Luck before she could rush out the door.
“Don’t call a doctor,” he shouted, “call a cab!”
“Why a cab?” Jack wondered.
“Kay’s got a special doctor she’s gotta see. I know the way!”
“Alright, I’ll get a cab.” Lady Luck called.
“I’m coming with you.” Fantasia said firmly.
“So am I.” Seven said.
“We’re all coming!” Aki spoke for the rest of the girls.
“Not right now,” Fantasia said, assuming command. “We’ll go on ahead in the cab, you guys catch up, okay?”
Pie Eater slid his arms beneath Kay. He could feel the increased amount of weight she had gained over the past two months, but he could hold her. Lady Luck returned at said that there was a cab waiting outside. As he and Fantasia headed for the door, Blink asked to tag along. Thankfully, Fantasia told him to stay behind and come with the girls.
They exited the restaurant and climbed into the carriage. The driver was about to take off when Psyche came bursting out.
“Pie Eater!” she called. “Where’re you taking her?”
“137 Maydress Street, th’ big apartment complex with th’ lion on th’ door. Know where that is?”
“Yes.”
“We’re in apartment 8 E. Meet us there later!”
The driver, hearing the destination, snapped the reigns and the horses began to trot. As Pie Eater cradled Kay against him, he could feel the coldness of her skin and began to panic. If she was sick, what was going to happen to the baby?
“Driver, speed up!” he ordered.
“I can’t, it’s too dangerous!”
“Listen bub, this’s a pregnant woman back ‘ere! If she’s sick, she-”
The carriage sped up. Within several minutes, they arrived at the designated place and Fantasia paid the driver as Pie Eater carefully rushed Kay to apartment 8 E.
Evelyn was reading at the time when she heard the urgent knocking at her door. She removed her spectacles and hurried to answer. When she opened the door, Pie Eater came barreling in with an unconscious Kay in his arms. She saw how pale the girl was and knew something was wrong.
She instructed him to put her on the nearby couch and went to gather her things when she was reminded of that one night over ten years ago. She shook her head. Now was not the time for grieving, especially when her patient was in the exact same position she had been in then.
“What happened?” she demanded as she threw on her stethoscope and listened for Kay’s heartbeat.
“I…I was gonna tell th’ newsies ‘bout th’ baby an’ she jus’ collapsed!” he replied frantically. “Is she okay? Is she gonna be okay? Is th’ baby in danger?”
“It’s too soon to tell.” She slid the stethoscope to another place. “Give me time and space, and I’ll tell you what’s wrong.”
Fantasia appeared afterward. When she entered, she found Evelyn removing Kay’s outer clothing used to protect her from the cold so to work easier. She found Pie Eater off to the side, pacing fretfully and wringing his hands. When she went to him, she set a reassuring hand on his shoulder and told him to sit down.
“Everything’s gonna be okay.” She assured hopefully.
It was another ten minutes before Evelyn made the heartbreaking diagnosis. She could feel her own heart tear in making it. Now, the memory swarmed her head completely. This young woman was in the exact same position she had been in ten years prior. Only this girl was not as strong as she had been. She would have to come to the same fate.
As she approached Pie Eater, she could identify the front that Joseph had used when he didn’t want anyone to know what he was truly feeling. He must be Joseph’s son. ‘They said that they were married, but is this pregnancy under the same circumstances?’
“Is Karen okay?” Pie Eater asked apprehensively. “Is the baby gonna be okay?”
Evelyn shook her head. “Things aren’t looking good for either right now. Your wife has been sick for days. You should have brought her in the moment she said she felt sick.”
“She never said anythin’. I din’t notice anythin’ till today.” He paused. “What’s gonna happen?”
She shrugged. “I’m afraid there’s only one way to ensure the safety of your wife.”
‘Oh God. I’m using the same words the doctor used with Jim and me.’
“What’s that mean?” he wondered.
‘How can I do this, having gone through the same thing? I could, and this is necessary because she’s too weak. She wasn’t as strong as I was. I can do this.’
“Your wife is five months pregnant, am I right?”
He nodded.
“Here’s what I suggest. It may sound heartless, but it’s the only way to ensure your wife’s recovery.”
He tensed. Something about what she was going to say was already causing his stomach to churn.
“What’s that?”
“I’m afraid the only way is to terminate the pregnancy.”
