Darry and I walked in silence back to the house, our minds focused on Ponyboy. Steve and Two-Bit were behind us; neither of them spoke, but the crunch of dead leaves under their shoes told me they were still there.
Pony lay limp in Darry's arms, he hadn't stirred once since he'd passed out. Absentmindedly, I grabbed onto his shoe, just so I could be touching him. I looked over at his beat up face. One eye was dark, and his head was still bleeding. The rest of his face was ghostly white; If I hadn't of known any better, I would of thought he was dead.
The short trek from the vacant lot back to the house seemed long enough, but I knew the night would be a lot longer. Carefully, I opened the door and held it for Darry as he took Pony back to the bedroom he and I shared. Two-Bit and Steve walked in soon after, and sat down on the couch. I quickly ran to the bedroom.
Darry laid Pony down, and started stripping the muddy, blood-stained clothes from his beaten body. Still, Ponyboy made no movement. Darry pressed Pony's discarded shirt to the side of Pony's head, hoping to stop the bleeding. Sweat ran down Pony's face. I reached to wipe it, and that's when I felt the heat radiating off his skin. I laid the back of my hand on his cheek.
"He's burnin' up," I said quietly. Darry reached down and felt for himself.
"I'll be back," he said, then left the room. I stroked Pony's hair, it was so damp. I pushed it back from his forehead. I looked over to the window on the other side of the bed. I walked over and lifted it slightly, hoping the chilly night air might bring down the fever.
Pony shivered slightly, and I grabbed a red fleece blanket off the floor, covering him with it. Darry walked back in while I tucked the blanket around Pony's shoulders. I heard Darry sigh behind me.
"Pull the blanket down, we have to take his temperature."
I looked up at Darry. The lights were off, but the light of the moon was bright enough for me to see his face clearly. It was etched with worry and exhaustion. Reluctantly, I pulled back the blankets. Pony violently shivered, and I hoped this wouldn't take long. The fever needed to come down.
Darry flipped on the small lamp on the table by the bed. He took Pony's arm and laid it across his stomach, then stuck the thermometer under his arm. While we waited, I stroked Pony's hair. His forehead creased, then smoothed again. Sweat continued to run down his temple.
While Darry read the thermometer, I covered Pony back up. His shivering calmed.
"We're goin' to the hospital."
I looked back to my older brother, not sure I'd heard right.
"What? Why?"
"His fever is 101.3, that's why. Come on Soda, let's go." He grabbed a T-Shirt and a pair of sweatpants from the dresser, and dressed Pony. Then he gathered our baby brother in his arms, and walked out the door. I followed, grabbing the keys off the coffee table. Steve looked up at us from the couch.
"We're goin' to the hospital," I said. I knew it'd hurt for him to talk, 'cause of those cracked ribs. "We'll call you when we find out anything. Can y'all watch the house for us?"
Steve nodded. Two-Bit was asleep in the armchair.
I walked out of the house and out to the driveway, where Darry was waiting. Unlocking the door, I slid in the front seat, and took Ponyboy from Darry's arms. I handed him the keys, and he shut the door. I held Pony close to me, so nothing would happen to him. He was shivering. I shrugged off my black jacket and covered him with it.
The drive to the hospital only took five minutes, but it felt like five hours. I held onto Ponyboy tightly, rocking him back and forth, begging him to wake up.
"Soda?" It was muttered softly, so soft I almost didn't catch it. I looked down at Ponyboy.
His lips moved slightly again, and he mumbled, "Darry.."
Darry reached over and laid his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it.
Darry took Pony from me when we got to the hospital, but I took him back once I was out of the truck. I wanted to carry him inside. I'd only had him back for less than a day, I needed to know he was still here.
Pony continued shivering as we made our way into the ER. Paramedics and nurses rushed to us, trying to take Pony away from me. I only held him tighter.
"Soda, give him to them," Darry said, his hand gripping my shoulder.
"He'll be okay," one of the paramedics said. A tear slid down my cheek as I reluctantly let go of my baby brother. "He'll be okay." I repeated back, in a daze. Another tear fell, and I watched as Pony was taken away on a stretcher, taken away from Darry and I.
Darry went over to the nurse's station, to get all the necessary paperwork to fill out. I made my way to the row of plastic chairs lined up against the wall, and sat down. It was definitely going to be a long night. What time was it now? It had to be way past midnight. My eyes burned with exhaustion, but I would not go to sleep. Not until I knew Pony was okay.