Ally's Story: A Newsie's OC

The Refuge

Later that night, Jack, Ally, and David walk to the refuge. Jack with some rope in his hands.

"So here it is. The Refuge. My home, sweet home." Jack says jokingly.

"How can you be sure they sent him here?" Ally asks, a little skeptical that out of all the places Crutchy could be, Jack is confident that he's here.

"So how come you brought the rope?" David asks.

All of a sudden, the gates of the refuge open and a carriage rolls out. The trio hides in the shadows. They sneak in as the guard talks to the nuns driving the carriage.

Once on the roof, Jack ties the rope around his own waist, then cuts it and ties the second piece around Ally's.

"We might need two people down there. Ya never know." he states.

He hands both ends of the makeshift harnesses to David. Who lowers them down to the height of the window.

"Steady, Steady Dave. That's good." Jack says as they reach the window.

Jack knocks on the window, and a boy, around Les' age, opens it.

"Hey. Cowboy. You miss the joint?" the boy laughs.

"What do ya say, Ten Pin. You got a new guy in here. Crutchy." Jack asks

"The gimp? I'll get him for ya." the boy, Ten Pin, responds, walking into the room to retrieve Crutchy.

"Hey Crutchy" Ally smiles as soon as her friend comes into view. He is leaning on another boy for support as he limps to the window.

"I don't believe it. What are you guys hanging around here for?" Crutchy asks in disbelief.

"What do you mean what are we hangin' around here for? You know who's on the roof?" Jack asks him.

"Who?" Crutchy asks.

"Davey" Ally smiles, just thinking about him gives her butterflies.

"Is that Dave? Heya Dave! How ya doin'?" Crutchy yells rather loudly. David shushes him.

"Listen, Crutchy, go get your stuff. We're gonna get you outta here." Jack says, attempting to get the bars off of the window.

"Well, actually, I ain't walking so good. Oscar and Morris kindda worked me over a little bit, you know?" Crutchy admits, looking down.

"They hurt you?" Ally asks. Crutchy nods in response.

"Don't worry about it. Jack and Dave, they can carry you outta here." she says, trying to persuade him.

"I don't want nobody carrying me, you hear?" Ally nods. Tears in her eyes at the thought of having to leave her friend in such an awful place.

Crutchy, noticing her tears, decides to try to lighten the mood a bit before they leave.

"Hey, Dave! You know, they still talk about how Jack rode outta here on that coach." he says.

"Oh, yeah. Teddy Roosevelt's, right?" David rolls his eyes, not really believing the story.

"You already heard the story." Crutchy makes a horse noise, causing Ally to laugh, well it was more of a half laugh half cry, but the effort was made.

"You mean it's true?" David asks in disbelief.

Suddenly, they hear a boy shout that Snyder, the warden, was coming.

"Hey! Cheese it!" Crutchy says to them.

Ally and Jack immediately swing to opposite sides of the window. Out of sight.

Snyder walks in. Inspecting the room because of all the noise he heard. He walks towards the window and is just about to look out of it, but Crutchy grabs his arm and distracts him long enough for David to pull up Jack and Ally and for them to leave.