Part 7
Part Six
Joseph shut the door behind him and approached his son. As he observed the young woman in the bed, he found her to be the complete opposite of what he had expected. He had expected his son to have married a dark, strong yet beautiful woman, much like he had done. A woman who could endure the hardest of trials and still come out as triumphant. Someone like Margaret had been.
This girl, or so she looked like, was so much more different. She looked at least fifteen, although Pie Eater had mentioned she was eighteen, and was rather tiny. Perhaps only about five feet and four inches tall. By the size of her arm, he could discern that she must be pretty skinny as well. She had pale blonde hair that hung in damp tendrils and large, frightened green eyes. She was a rather plain sight, but the way Pie Eater looked at her, it was evident that she was the most beautiful girl in his eyes.
�Karen, this�s my pa.� Pie Eater introduced. �Pa, this�s Karen, my wife.�
�It�s a pleasure, dear.� Joseph nodded to her. �David says you�re expecting.�
�Yes, I am.� Her voice was rather low and trembling slightly. �I�m in my fifth month.�
�I see. Can you feel the baby?�
�Actually, he�s kicking right now.� She grimaced faintly with a smile on her face. �I already know he�s a fighter. He hasn�t rested since I�ve become sick.�
�That�s a common trait with Kendric men. When David�s mother was pregnant, she thought he would kick his way out of her stomach.�
When she laughed, Pie Eater blushed. And apparently, his father was having fun telling these stories of his son. To his relief, the door opened and Goosey peeped in.
�Hi.� She offered embarrassedly.
�Hey Goosey.� He said. �What�s on your mind?�
�Us girls, we wanna know if it�s safe for us to come in and talk to Kay. We�re all worried out here!�
�Uh, my pa�s-�
�David,� Joseph said warningly, �I�m your father. I�ll be around a long time. I can leave, I don�t mind.� He grinned at the young newsgirl in the doorway. �You bring your friends in here, okay?�
She nodded eagerly and whirled around to summon the girls. Before Joseph left, he smiled sweetly at his young daughter-in-law.
�I�m glad to have met you.� He said. �My son�s a very lucky man.�
She fought the redness in her face. �Thank you.�
The girls came filing in, and Joseph left. For the rest of the day, the girls stuck close to Kay�s side, asking questions about her baby and what it was like to be pregnant, as well as what she thought of what she would do with her future.
On two occasions, two girls left to bring Kay the food that she craved. She was so grateful, though she could not put it into words. Once it grew late, the girls began including Pie Eater into the questions as well.
�Where�d you have you honeymoon?� Psyche wondered.
�Actually,� Pie Eater replied, �th� minister who married us let us use �is house. We got t� use a guestroom.�
�And where were they all that time?� Balla wondered.
�Out �f town.�
�You mean a minister actually let two newsies spend�how many days was that?� Twilight wondered.
�Four days.�
�Four days in his house?�
�Yup! Made me a believer all over again.�
The girls began to giggle among themselves, and even Kay blushed at his answer.
�So, which�ve you gals is gettin� married next?� he continued. �That�s one �f th� reasons why we din�t tell anyone �bout us gettin� married. We knew other newsies would follow suit.�
�How �bout Skittery �n� me?� Aki offered. �Can�t you picture me in that wedding dress walking down the aisle?�
�I dunno,� Twilight said, �I�d lay even money of Seven �n� Bumlets.�
Seven laughed. �Who knows? Maybe we�ll tie some knots in the near future.�
�Yeah?� Aki challenged. �Betcha Skitt �n� me can have kids before you do!�
�You�re on!�
�I�ll put four bits on Seven.� Balla said. �But put Race down for Aki.�
�How �bout you �n� Jack, Autumn?� Pie Eater wondered. �You gonna be makin� any commitments anytime soon?�
�Gee, I�m not sure.� She replied softly. �We haven�t talked about it much.�
�At least you two live in the same borough.� Snicker muttered. �Spot lives over in Brooklyn, and it takes us each twenty minutes just so we can see each other!�
�Aw, don�t cry, Snicker!� Goosey slung an arm around her. �You�ve got the most sought-after newsboy in all of New York. You�re the envy of every girl this side of the Appalachians!�
�How about you and Itey, Goosey?� Psyche suggested. �You haven�t said anything about him.�
�Let�s just say we�ll have about eighteen kids someday.�
Psyche snorted. �Then I suggest you get married now. Eighteen kids takes some time!�
�I think Mush and you would have cute kids.� Aki said.
Before the girls could chatter any longer, the door opened and Evelyn stepped in. She was smiling faintly, but was going to break up the party.
�Girls,� she said, �it�s getting late, and there�s a group of lonely suitors waiting at the door, wondering where their girls are. I think it�s time for you to head home.�
�We probably should.� Twilight said. �I haven�t seen Specs all day!�
One by one, the newsgirls said goodbye to Kay and Pie Eater, then left the room. The last to leave was Fantasia, who was surprisingly quiet throughout most of the day.
�Thanks for telling them.� Kay murmured. �I�m glad they took it right.�
�Aw, it�s okay.� She grinned. �You should�ve seen the looks on their faces. If I had a camera, I could probably win a photograph of the year award!�
�Probly could.� Pie Eater agreed.
�I promise, I�ll be back tomorrow. But I�d better leave now cuz Blink�s probably wondering where I am.�
�Yeah, don�t keep �im waiting. We�ll see ya t�morrah.�
�See ya!�
She left the room just as Evelyn entered again. She had a glass of water in her hands, and a small smile across her mouth.
�How are you feeling, Karen?� she inquired as she handed her the glass.
�I�m very tired.� She replied, drinking the water completely.
�Well, you should sleep now. Remember, you�re not out of the woods yet. But I think you�ll do it. You survived last night, you can do it again tonight.�
�Doc,� Pie Eater spoke up, �can I stay �ere t�night?�
Evelyn shrugged. �I�m not sure. If her sickness is viral, you can-�
�I should stay �ere with my wife. I wanna stay here.�
Her sight drifted to their entwined hands. His hand was clamped so tightly to hers that it was plain to see that he was going to stay at her side. She finally consented.
�Alright. But there�s still the risk that you can get the sickness too.�
�I�ll be fine.� he promised.
�I hope you will be. But make sure she goes right to sleep.�
�I will.�
She said goodnight, then closed the door. As Kay shifted onto her side, Pie Eater slipped his shoes off and climbed beneath the blankets next to her. Yet when he enclosed his arms around her, he could feel her body trembling fiercely. He could feel the coldness of her skin through the gown Evelyn had given her.
�Yer shakin� like a leaf.� He said.
�I�m so cold.� She whispered in reply. �Hold me, please.�
�Wait, jus� a minute.�
He sat up and unbuttoned his shirt, then yanked the undershirt off over his head and tossed it aside. Then he cuddled close to Kay and wrapped his arms around her again.
�That better?� he wondered.
�Yes, but�you�ll freeze tonight!�
�Ah, I�ll be okay. I ain�t the one havin� a baby, remember?�
�Okay. Goodnight.�
He nuzzled the back of her neck. �Goodnight.�
She shut her eyes, remembering that this had been the first time since the night on the roof that they had been this close together. Since she revealed her pregnancy to him, he had abstained from her in every way. And tonight, she felt safer than she had ever felt in so long.
Sighing, she snuggled into his warmth and absorbed his body heat. Her strength was renewed, and she knew she would recover. The baby moved. Reaching down, she held her stomach with one hand. Everything was going to be just fine.
* * *
Kay�s recovery was substantial, and nothing short of a miracle. She began to eat again, but nearly twice as much as before so to gain back weight and provide food to her baby. However, Pie Eater could not be there with her.
As he had told her earlier, he had landed a job loading and unloading ships at the wharf. He had missed his first day when Kay became ill, and needed to show up so to prove that he would be a good worker. He had returned with a very sore back, neck and muscles, but appeared to be fine. He told her that his working days would be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for at least six hours of the day.
�How much money will you be making?� she wondered.
�Two bucks a week.�
�Two bucks? That�s great! We�ll be out of the lodging house in no time!�
�That�s �nother thing. I talked t� Kloppman �n� th� newsies today.�
�What�d they have to say?�
�Well, since we�ve been married a long time �n� they never knew, they talked Kloppman int� lettin� us have th� downstairs room all t� ourselves till we make �nough t� get �n apartment!�
�That�s�that�s wonderful!� she grimaced and set her hand on her stomach. �The baby seems excited too.�
�Yeah, I�ll bet.� He placed his hands over hers to feel the baby. �Ya think ya know what it is now?�
She shook her head. �I don�t think we�ll know for sure until the baby comes.�
Her cheeks flamed at the truth she had left out. Although she wasn�t completely sure, she had right to believe that their baby was a boy. Deep down inside, she knew that they would have a son, especially since Joseph had revealed that kicking was common in Kendric men. Still, she kept her mouth shut and would rather see Pie Eater�s look of surprise when she delivered the baby.
Evelyn entered the room. She had a small, tight smile on her face that in a way was rather sad.
�How are you feeling, Karen?� she inquired.
�A lot better, thanks.� She replied. �When can I go home?�
�Well, seeing as how you�ve been here for two weeks, I can understand why you�d like to go home. But I think you should stay another two days, just to be on the safe side.�
Shrugging, Kay agreed to take every precaution so to protect her baby. When Fantasia came to visit her later into the day, she told her of her extended stay with Dr. Bauer.
�Gee.� Fantasia muttered. �I never thought having a baby would be this tough.�
�Neither did I. But don�t forget that I hadn�t planned on having a baby in the first place.�
Fantasia snickered. �Yeah, I remember. But you�re gonna love it when you come home.�
�Why?�
�Well, us girls have set up a system where one girl stays at the lodging house to help you out whenever Pie Eater�s gone. He told us about his work schedule, and we�d love to help.�
�Oh, you didn�t need to do that.�
�Hey, this is the newsies you�re talking about! If we don�t work together to help a friend in need, then we�re nothing!�
�I�m not too much in need. Yet.�
�Yet. That�s the key word. Seven�s already gone to the library and found some books on pregnancy. She�s getting us ready to know what�s gonna be coming.�
�I don�t even know what�s coming besides delivering the kid. You can bet how shocked I was when my body started changing since I didn�t know it was coming.�
�Aw, don�t worry. You�ll be perfectly taken care of when you get home!�
* * *
Kay was more than happy to be going home for the first time in over two weeks, but part of her had wished to stay with Evelyn. The night before, she had told her of her own pregnancy and how her decision was the opposite of Kay and Pie Eater�s. She sympathized with her, and hoped that she would someday learn to forgive herself for her choice.
When the time came for her to leave, Pie Eater had come with some of her clothes and helped her dress right for going outside. Because she had gained volume since falling ill, her pants couldn�t fit around her waist anymore and had to borrow a skirt from Evelyn.
Afterward, Pie Eater took a hairbrush and brushed her hair. It was knotted and tangled from not having been combed in days, and it felt nice to have hair that looked normal again. Then he helped her put her shoes on since she couldn�t bend forward like she used to, and tied the shoelaces. She was ready to go.
A cab drove them to the lodging house where the newsies were all gathered in wait for her. Once she was ushered inside, the newsies welcomed her back and congratulated her and Pie Eater for the baby on the way.
After the congratulations, Kloppman took the stand. He had a certain matter to discuss before Pie Eater and Kay settled in completely.
�First off,� he voiced, �just because these two are married now doesn�t mean my rules don�t apply anymore. Though they don�t apply to them, they still apply to all of you.�
�Aww!� Jack groaned.
�Especially you, young man! You�re supposed to be their leader!�
Moans groans and complaints were voiced, particularly from the boys, but they dissipated after a few minutes. Then the girls followed Kay into the bedroom, and excited helped her settle in.
�First off,� Fantasia said, �we�ve got the schedule for helping you out. On Tuesday, it�s gonna be Aki, on Wednesday, it�s gonna be Autumn, and on Thursday, it�s gonna be Balla. We�ve set up a schedule after that that�s gonna rotate till the baby comes.�
�Oh, that�s not necessary at all.� Kay said.
�Yes it is!� Snicker interrupted. �Kloppman said that you�re in a situation that requires someone to be around to help at all times. He says he knows from experience.�
�And don�t forget,� Seven added, �you�re almost into your sixth month. You�re gonna be huge! No offense, but that�s what�s gonna happen.�
�Does that mean you�ve had experience too?� Pie Eater joshed.
�No! I�ve just been reading up on this stuff. Kay�s gonna need a lot of help.�
�Sheesh.� Kay plopped onto the bed. �I feel like everyone knows more about this than I do.�
�We can let you borrow some of the books we�ve got.� Twilight suggested. �That may help out.�
�I�d like that.�
�Could I get one too?� Pie Eater asked. �I�d kinda like t� know what�s gonna be goin� on that I don�t know �bout now.�
�I don�t think we should.� Aki said smugly.
�Why not?�
�Cuz I think it�d be funnier if all this stuff happened without you knowing it!�
�It might be funnier, but I won�t be too happy �bout that.�
�Alright, alright. Just read with Kay if ya gotta.�
�You�d better believe that I�m gonna!�
* * *
�This is nice.� Kay mumbled. �We�re finally alone together, and everyone knows and is okay with this. Oh!� she flinched. �Did you feel that?�
Pie Eater rubbed his ear. �I think th� kid just punched my ear.�
�He�s gonna be a feisty one.�
�Or she.�
Kay propped herself onto her elbows. �She? You mean you want a girl?�
�I ain�t sure what I want yet.� He rested her ear on her stomach again. �But I know Race wants a boy.�
�Is he starting bets already?�
�Yup. Got four bits sayin� that it�s gonna be a boy. Jake�s bettin� against him.�
Kay shook her head and giggled softly. �That�s so funny.�
The baby moved again, and each time, she could see Pie Eater grin with fascination. They said nothing a long time, but enjoyed their time with their child. After nearly twenty minutes, he finally moved and stretched across the bed and sighed.
�I can�t b�lieve it.� he murmured.
�Believe what?�
�That I�m gonna be a daddy. I jus� feel so�so��
�So what?�
�So powerful! I�m gonna have a kid of my own!�
�It is a great feeling.� She ran her fingers over her stomach. �I never would�ve thought that the one hour we spent on the roof would�ve resulted in this.�
�Me neither.�
There was a still silence between the two. Then Kay broke the silence, knowing why both could not say what they wanted to.
�I know what you�re thinking.� She said.
�Alright. What�m I thinkin� about?�
�How the baby was conceived. That was the last time we had made love like that since our honeymoon.�
He sighed. �I know. I was kinda hopin� that would be th� idea for th� bed �n� breakfast, but since ya told me that you was gonna have a baby, I din�t think that�d be best for ya.�
�Best for me?�
�Jus� doesn�t seem real smart t� do it while yer pregnant.�
She smiled, then rolled onto her side and touched his face. �I don�t think it�s a problem.�
His eyebrows raised. �Whaddaya mean by that?�
�I don�t think it�ll have any affect on the baby. When I was sick, all I wanted was for us to be like the way we were after we got married because I was so scared. Now I�m not scared anymore.�
He smiled faintly. �Ya sure ya�ll be okay?�
�I�ll be fine. So will the baby.�
She had halfway expected him to embrace her barely a second afterward, but he didn�t. Instead, he frowned thoughtfully and withdrew from her.
�What�s wrong?� she wondered.
�Keep your voice down.� He whispered softly.
�What for?� she asked lowly.
�Did you ever have th� feelin� you was bein� watched?�
She thought a minute, then paused. He was right, something strange was going on. She glanced up at him for an explanation.
�Be very, very quiet!� he warned.
Carefully, he lifted himself from the bed and tiptoed to the door. He slowly gripped the doorknob, and back into the corner. With his other hand, he pressed a finger to his lips.
She wanted to ask what was going on, but he raised his hand to silence her. Then he held up three fingers. He then bent one finger, then another till one finger was still raised. And once he lowered the last finger, he quickly flung the door open, and six newsies toppled into the bedroom.
Kay nearly jumped out of her skin when the newsies tumbled in. They each shrieked as they landed on top of each other, and as Pie Eater began to laugh at them. Altogether, Jack, Mush, Blink, Jake, Snitch and Swifty had been up against the door, listening to every word they had exchanged.
�You stinkers!� Kay screeched. �What were you thinking?�
�Aw, we didn�t mean no harm!� Jake whined. �We jus� wanted t� hear what was goin� on in �ere.�
�Well, there�s nothin� goin� on.� Pie Eater said firmly. �We got our own room now, so we got a right t� privacy. An� that means that we don�t want no one listn�in� in on us!�
�Alright, alright!� Jack groaned. �C�mon guys, let�s go.�
He herded the other five newsies away from the bedroom. Pie Eater watched them until they were upstairs and in the bunkroom. Then he shut the door and returned to Kay.
�Th� nerve of those guys.� He muttered.
�So, now that we�re alone�� Kay suggested.
�Now we�re alone. But be on th� listen for other snoopers!�
* * *
