There's a Story Behind the Story || Newsies

Chapter 74 - Sickness With the Fitzgerald Brothers

- Chapter 74 - Warning: this chapter is terrible lol -
Warnings: sickness, protective brothers, worry, everything else that comes with being sick
Third Person POV

"Mr. Miller?"

Quentin Miller looked up when he heard someone say his name.

Samuel Johnson looked up as well.

Instantly, the two men got concerned.

Declan stood in front of them, his eyes looking red and his face almost having a green tint to it as if he was sick.

"Declan, are you alright?" Quentin asked him, putting his clipboard down.

Declan shook his head a bit, looking dizzy and sick. "I- I-" he tried to get words out, anything, but nothing would come out.

"Sit down," Samuel told him, grabbing a chair they had off to the side and putting it next to Declan.

Declan sat down in the chair. Though, it was less like he sat down in it, and more like he collapsed into the chair.

"I'm going to call his mother," Quentin told Samuel.

Samuel nodded.

Quentin quickly left them and went to his office.

Samuel bent down in front of Declan, concerned.

Declan was leaning forward, his head in his hands. His mouth was open, as if he were either going to speak or throw up.

"Breathe, Declan," Samuel told him calmly, trying not to let him hear how worried he was. "Quen-" he paused, "Mr. Miller is calling your mother."

Declan's eyes welled up with tears due to him being sick and tired. "Drew- he left halfway through the day," he mumbled, staring off into space. "He- I- I thought I could... could make it through..."

Samuel frowned. He knew Andrew wasn't at rehearsal, but he wasn't aware he'd gone home halfway through the day.

If Andrew had gone home, and Declan was here, looking half like death, it was easy to figure out that sickness was definitely spreading through the Fitzgerald household.

Samuel didn't know how badly sickness affected either of the Fitzgerald (technically Dawson, due to that being Andrew's legal last name) boys, but if this is what Declan looked like, Samuel didn't want to see Andrew.

Samuel noticed Declan starting to shake violently.

Declan cringed, trying to shake his head.

Samuel knew this reaction. "Hold on." He quickly got up and left the wings, going back to the main stage area, where the rest of the cast was. "Newsies of Midtown, New York!" he shouted, using anything that would get their attention. His hands were cupped over his mouth.

Everyone looked up when he shouted that, going quiet instantly. Some kids looked shocked, and Samuel was instantly grateful that both Jesse and Emilio were in a practice room backstage.

"Does anyone have water?!" Samuel asked, making sure they could all hear him. "We need some, now!"

Multiple people in the cast looked to Josh, who grabbed a plastic water bottle from his open bag and quickly brought it to Samuel.

"Thank you." Samuel took the water from him.

Josh nodded, not saying anything as he watched Samuel run back to the wings.

Samuel bent down next to Declan when he got back to the wings. He opened the water bottle and held it out for him. "Here, this may help if you feel nauseous and dizzy," he told him.