Courage

Chapter 18

Crutchie, Davey and Les stood outside the Refuge, looking up at the large building that they had just escaped from, but that Jack was still trapped inside. They exchanged glances, and Les was the first one to speak.

"We're not leaving him." He looked up at Davey. "We're not leaving him in there, right Davey? We're gonna get him out."

Davey sighed. "Les..."

The boy could tell that his brother wasn't going to give him the answer he wanted, so he cut him off. "No! We can't leave him in there Davey, they're gonna hurt him even more, we can't let them - "

"Les." Crutchie stopped him. "If we don't get outta here now, Snyder's gonna come out and take us back in there, and that ain't gonna do Jack any good, and it ain't gonna do us any good either."

"But - "

"So here's what we's gonna do, I'm gonna go back to the Lodging House and see what's going on, and you and Davey are gonna go back to your place and let your folks know you's okay. Then we'll meet up later and figure out what to do about Jack."

Davey stared at Crutchie, marveling at how strong and firm he was being, despite everything. "Crutchie, why don't you come back to our place with us? Our mom can fix you up, as much as she can, anyway."

The other boy shook his head at the offer. "Thanks Davey, but most of what I got is just gonna have to heal itself, and  me or one of the other boys can deal with anything that needs to be taken care of."

Davey would normally insist, but Crutchie's voice was lined with hints of stress and fatigue, and it was obvious that he was desperate to get to the place that felt like home to him. So he nodded, though reluctantly.

"Okay. We'll see you back there tomorrow, then?"

Crutchie smiled weakly. "Sure."

They parted ways then, Crutchie turning and going one way, and Davey picking up his weakly protesting brother before going the other.

oOo

By the time they got back to the Jacobs' apartment, Davey's arms ached from carrying his brother, who, from what he could tell, was now asleep due to pure exhaustion, and Davey's ribs were rubbing uncomfortably against Les's stomach as they walked, but he didn't complain. He could now confidently say that he'd been through worse.

Davey stopped in front of their door, finding it odd to be looking at something so familiar. He didn't know how long they'd been in the Refuge, but it felt like he hadn't been home in ages. He took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

His mother answered the door, and she stared at him with wide eyes. "David." She breathed, and within seconds he was being wrapped in an embrace so tight that it hurt. She pulled away quicker than he'd expected however, wanting to get a good look at him.

"You look horrible." She muttered, and he let out a good-natured sigh.

"Thanks, Ma."

"You're back now? For Good?"

"Yeah. They let us out."

His mother started crying. "Praise God." Her gaze drifted to her younger son in Davey's arms, who was still asleep. "Les, what did they do to him?"

"Nothing..." He started to say, but realized that wasn't true. "They... I mean, he's just sleeping right now."

Mrs. Jacobs gave him a look that he knew meant to pass Les over to her, which he immediately did, and the boy shifted, resting his head on his mother's shoulder, and she gripped him tightly, narrowing her eyes at David.

"They hurt you?"

"Ma - "

"Did they hurt you?"

"Yeah, Ma, they did."

"Come on, then." She turned and started in the direction of their washroom, and David closed the door behind him before following after her.

"Your father's at a doctors appointment about his leg, he should be home soon. I'm going to need your help fixing up your brother first, and then I'll take him to his bed, and then I'll get to work on you."

His mother said all of this in a matter of fact manner that he hadn't realized he'd missed. But now he realized how lucky he was. He had two parents who loved him, and a roof over their head. It was a refreshing welcome change after the Refuge, and for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel scared.