No Freedom

Chapter 2

"Mommy! Katie coughing red stuff!" He yelled.

"Katie, time to take a break," Momma sighed, rushing me up to my room.

"Momma, I'm fine!" I hissed, trying to push passed her.

"No! I'm not letting you work any more today," she growled.

"Just let me finish taking care of the boys and I'll come back up and take a nap," I promised.

"Fine," she sighed, allowing me to pass.

I ran back out into the bakery part of the building, "would you like me to take these?" I asked, pointing at the plates.

"Um, yeah. Thanks! How much do we owe ya?" The older boy asked.

"The cakes are five cents each, water is free, and the crepes are on the house. In total, that'll be twenty cents," I answered, glancing at Momma.

"Alright, fellas, split it?" The older boy asked the others.

"Sure, Jack," the ginger grinned, pulling five pennies from his pocket.

"Elmer, Romeo, cover yer costs," Jack stated.

They both pulled their share of pennies from their pockets. "Lemme introduce ya to the fellas," Jack grinned. "This is Elmer, Albert, and Romeo." He pointed to the black-haired boy, the ginger, and the younger boy all in order. "And I'm Jack."

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Katie," I curtseyed slightly.

"It's nice to meet such a lovely lady as well," Jack winked, tapping the table before leaving with the others.

Elmer pulled me to the side before leaving, "you okay?" He asked, eyeing the blood spots on my apron.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I waved him off. "You should go catch up with the others."

"Okay," he said skeptically, running off.

Later That Day

I slipped out of bed, yawning as I took in my darker surroundings. I slipped into a pair of black flats and pulled a sweater over my head, running down to the second story of the building. The building consists of three stories, the first being the bakery, the second is the section for my family, and the third is bedrooms and office space.

"Hi, Momma and Dad. Hi, Pat," I grinned, sitting at the table and reading the clock over the door.

6:38

I slept a while, apparently. Momma placed a few bowls of soup on the table as the rest of us sat down. We said a prayer before digging in.

"Doctor Callaway is coming over during hours to check on you," Dad sighed, placing a spoonful of soup in his mouth.

"Oh, okay," I sighed, swirling my spoon around in the warm liquid. "But I'm fine."

"It's been a month since your last check-up, it's time for another one," Momma explained.

"Doctor Callaway looks like the old science guy," Pat giggled.

I chuckled, "he does, doesn't he?"

The Next Morning

I sat up, groaning as my eyes adjusted to the sunlight. I quickly slipped into a red dress and black flats, tying my hair back into a ponytail and heading downstairs. Momma had made peanut butter and banana pancakes. I shoveled the food into my mouth, clearing the table and washing dishes after everyone had finished.

"Doctor Callaway is gonna be over around noon," Momma started, cleaning up the pancake mess. "You can work until then or until you have a coughing fit."

"Thanks, Momma," I grinned, pulling one of my many aprons from the closet and heading down to the bakery to open. I wrote the day's special on the chalkboard, unlocked the door, and flipped the sign to say 'open'. Once those tasks were finished, I set to rolling out pie dough I had prepared the night before.

I noticed Elmer and Albert handing out newspapers just outside of the bakery. "Momma?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the boys. "Is it okay if I go get a newspaper?"

"Alright, but take your jacket," she decided. I nodded, throwing my black jacket on, grabbing a dime, and heading outside.

"Hey," I grinned, greeting the boys.

"Hi!" Elmer smiled.

"Sup," Albert said, collecting a coin from a taller man and handing said man a paper.

"I didn't realize y'all are Newsboys," I sighed, looking them over.

"Newsies," Albert turned back to me.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"We're Newsies. Newsboys is too formal," Elmer clarified.

"Oh, alright. Anyway, I'd like a paper," I grinned, handing them both a dime.

"Why both of us?" Elmer asked, meeting my gaze.

"Because it ain't fair if I give it to only one of you," I chuckled.

"Oh, okay, thanks," both boys smiled, handing me a paper each.

"Thanks!" I grinned, starting to walk away. Something inside me clicked, causing me to turn back around. "You both probably have all the friends you need, but I don't have any. I was wondering if you guys could..."

"Sure," they both said in unison.

"Really?" I squealed, voice getting a bit higher pitched than usual.

"Sure," Elmer shrugged. I scurried back inside, just in time to take the order from a man that had walked in. Business was slow today, so I didn't have much to do. Doctor Callaway came in around noon and we showed him to the second story.

He gave me the usual check-up, and of course, my nose started bleeding. "This is gonna happen more as it gets colder. And don't be surprised if she starts coughing more in the next few months." He decided. "Otherwise, she looks to be doing as well as she can with the cancer."

"Thank you, Doctor," Dad sighed, rubbing my knuckles with his thumb.

"Thanks," I hissed under my breath. The doctor left and I went back to working as I was given permission. The Newsies came in around three, more of them this time. Patrick was talking with them the whole time and I was subtly observing them, Elmer moreso than the others. I shook my head as the timer beeped, pulling an apple pie from the oven and delivering it to the table of Newsies. "Enjoy!"

They all stayed for a while, leaving around dusk. Momma pulled Albert aside, chatting with him before she and Dad left us alone. "What'd they say?" I sighed, rubbing my neck.

"Um...do-do you have cancer?" He stammered.

I sighed, "that's what they told you. Yes, I do."

"Oh, um. What's it like?" He asked, sitting. I set to explaining it the best I could, sometimes unable to find the words to describe the fact that I'm basically dying. Momma and Dad came back around ten.

"I trust you took care of her?" Momma hissed, raising a brow.

"Yes, Ma'am," Albert affirmed, heading toward the door.

"Albert!" I called, running over. He turned, sending me a questioning look. "You can't tell anyone about the cancer, not even Jack or Elmer," I sighed.

"Alright," and with that, he left.