(A/N: YAAAAASSSSSS. I FOUND OUT THAT I HAD SAVED A FILE OF THE DELETED CHAPTER ON MY IPAD SO HERE YOU ARE, THE ORIGINAL FULL CHAPTER IN LESS THAN A DAY)

After probably hours of crying she must have fallen asleep, because she opened her eyes and the room was flooded with sunlight. The little girls were awake but still lying in bed, and Y/N examined the room to see if anyone was still there. Judging from the light, it was late morning. All the boys must be gone selling newspapers.

Y/N sat up, her back aching from sleeping in such a rough position on the floor. She reached out to stroke Beth's forehead and pulled her hand away in surprise. Her skin was scalding hot! After checking both of the girls' temperatures, she nervously wrung her hands. Both of them were down with high fevers. How was she going to take care of two very sick sisters when she had basically no money?

After finding a pitcher of water, she wet one of her blouses and draped across both of their foreheads. Searching through her bag, she found a nickel and went out to see what she could buy with that. Y/N returned to the lodging house with the biggest, shiniest apple she could find for two cents and did her best to divide it without a knife. She handed her sister's each a fairly big piece and ate the rest. Pulling out the book she was reading, The Iliad, and tried to distract herself from the severe amounts of grief and anxiety that were invading her mind. Y/N succeeded to comprehend at least three pages when she heard someone come in.

She looked up to see the boy with the crutch, who greeted her with a kind smile. "How are yous feelin' today?" Y/N tried to smile back, which kind of just failed in a sad way.

"I'm...okay," she looked up at the approaching boy and continued, "I-I'm Y/N, by the way." "Nice to meet ya, Y/N. I'm Crutchie," he sat down on the bed opposite her. The friendly look on his face somehow just made her trust him, and suddenly she found herself pouring out her story.

"By way the, um, my mother died a few days ago, and, uh, I ran away from home with m-my sisters to get away from my horrid uncle. That's when Jack found us and now here we are, penniless, orphans, and my little sisters dangerously sick," she said sourly, tears streaming to her eyes. "Sorry about th-that," she mumbled, looking down at her hands she has folded in her lap.

Crutchie slid off the bed and sat next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder in an act of consolation. "Thanks fo' tellin' me. I'm sorry," he said sympathetically. Y/N nodded, biting her lip and soaking in all of the silent comfort he offered.

After a few minutes, Crutchie pulled himself to his feet and leaned on his crutch. "I'se gotta go, but I'll see ya later Y/N," he said gently, giving one last smile before hobbling away.

She looked down at her book and continued to read. Y/N didn't realize it at the time, but she really needed the comfort she received from Crutchie. Finally, her mind a little clearer, she was able to focus on her book, getting lost in the epic story of the warring cities and powerful heroes.

When the sunlight shining on her page turned to a rosy gold, she looked up and around her. The sun was starting to set, and she was surprised to see that some of the boys were already back. Y/N was so absorbed in her book she didn't notice. She watched them warily, then turned around to check on her sisters.

Their temperatures had not gone down, and Y/N bit her lip anxiously. The two little girls were both tossing and turning restlessly, so Y/N stroked their foreheads until she was sure they were both sound asleep. Standing up and turning around, she let out a little squeak of surprise when she saw Jack standing behind her.

She was surprised to see that the cocky, smug look in his face was wiped off to reveal a genuinely empathetic expression. Before she even had to ask, he explained, "Crutchie told me everythin'. I'm so sorry to hear that. I know what it feels like to lose a parent..." he said softly.

To her dismay, Y/N felt the lump in her throat return and tears started to cloud her vision. She looked to down hide her crying, but nodded her head to let him know she was listening. "And if you need any help, buying food or somethin', just let me know."

Y/N hesitated, not wanting to take advantage of this person showing sincere kindness. "Well..." she looked down at her sisters and winced. "I need to b-buy medicine for my sisters, and, um, I don't really have enough, but I meanyoureallydonothavetobecauseit'salotand-" she rushed through her words.

Jack held up his hand to stop her and said, "Enough said. C'mon, I know a place." Y/N glanced at her little sisters nervously, and Jack seemed to read her mind. "They'll be fine. Trust me." She nodded and then followed Jack out onto the street.

She followed him for a few blocks in total silence until he broke the ice and said, "Now, I think it's only fair that if you know my name, I getta know yours." "Oh, I'm Y/N," she said, glancing up at him.

After a few more moments of silence, Jack softy said, "Listen, Y/N, I'm sorry about ya mother. My father died a few years ago, so I understand." Y/N felt like she was gonna cry again, so she just bit her lip and looked down at the ground. "But it's gonna be alright, kid," he continued, "You can stay at the Lodging House howeve' long ya want, and all the boys already like you. It's gonna be alright."

After another few minutes of quiet between the two, they finally reached a building. A little bell jingled from the door when they walked in, and an older man stood at the counter with a white apron on. "Can I help you?" he asked.

His gaze shifted to the girl who had just entered to the person behind her and he heartily laughed. "Well, if it isn't the famous Jack Kelly. What do you need today, cowboy? Something more for that kid you're always with?" Jack took his hat off and walked up to the counter. "Nothing for Crutchie today, Doc, but my friend here has two sick sisters at home."

"Can you describe their symptoms to me?" the doctor asked Y/N. "They both have sore throats with lots of coughing, and they say they're cold but have super high fevers," she said, anxiety dripping from her voice.

The doctor snapped his fingers and said, "I know exactly what you need!" He disappeared under the counter for a few seconds and returned with a small translucent bottle. "This should soothe their throats, thus reducing the coughing, and help them sleep. They should each take a teaspoon every four hours."

Y/N nodded and asked, "How much is it?" "One dollar." "A dollar! I only have 70 cents! Can you go any lower?" she asked nervously.

"I'm sorry, but I already gave you the lowest price I got. I want your sisters to get better, but I still need to feed your family," he responded sympathetically. She placed her few coins down on the counter and was about to try to desperately bargain when Jack cut her off. "Here," he said, sliding twenty cents back to her and handing the doctor the fifty left. She looked up at him and said, "No, Jack, you don't have to-" "Nah, I want to, and I don't want ya little sisters gettin' my newsies sick," he smirked.

Jack put his hat back on and grabbed the bottle of medicine, and after saying, "Thanks, doc," he walked outside. This forced Y/N to grab the extra change on the counter and hurry after him. "Jack! Jack, please just take this twenty cents! You shouldn't have to give your money away for me." He shook his head and asked, "Tell me, Y/N, do you and ya sisters have to eat?" She nodded, so he said, "Then keep the money and don't starve to death. Dead bodies lying around in the Lodging House ain't that fun either. Besides, I wanna help. You're welcome."