Hello everyone! This story is the sequel to another of my fictions called "The Right Side of Wrong"…I hope you enjoy it! It took me ages to decide its title, but I've finally made it! So on to the story…

Lost Without Each Other

1 - Three Years Later

Three A.M. A storm going on outside, just as powerful as an earthquake. I couldn't sleep. I had been awake for the past half an hour and I had been staring at Soda. He was sleeping like a child, he looked so innocent.

I couldn't keep my eyes off of him…when he suddenly started shaking and muttering.

"Soda, wake up…wake up!" I hit him lightly on his face. He finally opened his eyes, looking startled. "Sybil…"

"You were having one of those dreams again?" I didn't need his answer to realize it was like that indeed.

"Yeah…" Sodapop sat. He was sweating a lot. "It was so real…just like…always…" he sighed.

"I'll go get something to drink, alright?" I got up and headed toward the kitchen. It was the beginning of April and it was pretty hot already, even at night. I was sweating a bit, too, so I got two glasses of cold milk and got back in the bedroom. Soda came out of the bathroom with water still on his face, like he had tried to freshen up a bit, and I handed him the glass. "How do you feel?"

"Better…" he shivered, and I knew he was lying. He drank and then kissed me lightly on the lips. "Do you think Pony's awake, too? I hope I didn't wake him…"

"I don't know…"

We checked on Pony. He was still sleeping soundly in his bedroom.

"Do you want to stay up some more?" I asked Soda, as we retreated from Pony's room.

He shook his head. "Let's go back to sleep."

We lay on our bed and I rested my head on his chest. "I'm sorry I can't do anything for the dreams."

"It ain't your fault."

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Sodapop used to have nightmares about Vietnam. He had spent almost eight months there and he had seen things he couldn't forget. He had recovered well, but he still used to dream about that period of his life. Sometimes weeks would go by without him thinking about it, and then all of a sudden he'd have the most hideous dreams about those days. It hurt me that I couldn't help him.

Three years and a half had gone by since the day of our wedding and I had almost finished college. In fact, in less than a month I'd be getting my degree in English literature, while Ponyboy, Soda's younger brother, had almost ended his third year of college. He had come to live with Soda and me one year before, because Darry was offered a scholarship to attend some good college in Louisiana.

He didn't want to go at first, but Soda and I offered to take Ponyboy to live with us and Darry eventually changed his mind. Pony didn't want to come to live with us either, because he was sure he would be a nuisance to us, but Soda persuaded him and Ponyboy moved in the summer of the past year.

Soda loved having Pony with us and I liked it too, it made us feel less lonely, since my brother was probably in the other side of the US, for all I knew (I hadn't heard from him in a while, even if he usually sent me a letter every now and then), Darry could visit rarely and we both didn't have our parents anymore. My father had died not much after Soda and I's wedding and he had left me a good amount of money, enough to go through all four years of college and some more (dad had left me a letter saying I should sell our old house after his death, because part of the money would go to some bank and half would go to me). So, at the moment, Soda and I weren't stressing out too much over money. He still worked in the same horse farm and he loved it, he loved horses. He had always been very supportive of Ponyboy and I, when at times we thought college would drive us insane. I was looking forward to finishing, I really couldn't wait: I had enjoyed most of those years, but I felt like it was time to move on and find some job, face the real world.

"Soda…you still awake?" I whispered.

"Yeah…"

"What about that journey to Oklahoma City? When are you going?"

"I ain't sure…yet…"

Soda had to go to Oklahoma City a few times a year 'cause of some show the horses attended, to be sold. Well, it usually was OK City, but it could be Broken Arrow in Arizona or Austin in Texas. He usually stayed away no more than one week, but Ponyboy and I would always feel a bit insecure when he wasn't with us. I always checked twice doors and windows at night.

I was feeling kind of anxious, that night, because I had noticed in the last couple of weeks Soda's nightmares had increased. He said there was nothing to worry about, but how could I not worry?

It wasn't fair. It simply wasn't fair what had happened to him, being sent off to Vietnam. People in Tulsa, people all over the US, didn't even think much of the young people who had been there and had had the luck to come back, and that was what angered me the most.

I had written a long essay about the Vietnam War and the circumstances that had led to the conflict in my second year of college and I had gotten an A on that one. I had felt so guilty afterwards, though, and I didn't even know why. I hadn't even told Soda about the essay and the grade I had gotten.

"Sybil?" Soda murmured.

"Yes?"

"I'll probably come home later than usual tomorrow, I need to do some extra stuff so that I don't have to go to work on Saturday too…okay?"

"Yeah…" I hesitated before speaking again. "Soda, should I book an appointment with Dr. Williams…for you?"

"What for?"

"You know, your nightmares…"

"I doubt he can do much about them." He sounded really sceptical.

"It doesn't hurt to try, though…"

"I don't need no appointment, don't worry." He turned on the other side, his back now facing me. "G'night."

I knew I shouldn't insist. "Night."

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Morning came soon and when I woke up I felt miserable, because I hadn't gotten much sleep. I could hear Soda getting ready to go to work, while I lay in bed, too tired to get up. I didn't have classes that very day, luckily.

"Sybil, I'm leaving!"

"Right…" I muttered back.

"Are you staying in bed?"

"Yeah…"

"What about Julie? Weren't you supposed to babysit her for a couple of hours this morning?"

I immediately got up. "I had totally forgotten! What time is it?"

"Almost eight."

"I promised I'd be there at 8.30! Thank goodness you reminded me!" I said, frantic, looking around for my bathrobe, to put it on my nightgown.

Soda grinned and handed me the bathrobe. "You see, you couldn't do anything without me."

Before I could reply, Ponyboy came barging in: "Soda! Why didn't you wake me up?"

"What?" Soda stared at him looking totally clueless.

"I was supposed to be at college by eight! I have a project I'm working on with some other guys! You said you would wake me up!"

"I forgot, Pony, sorry…get dressed, I'll drive you to school!"

Ponyboy rushed to get dressed properly and in the meantime I made a sandwich for him. "Here!" I handed him the sandwich as he and Soda got out the front door.

"Thanks, Sybil! See you later!"

I sighed. What a confusing morning. I finished preparing, then I headed to Steve and Evie's house. Steve was Soda's best buddy and he had married Evie almost three years before: I thought it was really romantic that they were getting married just a year after Soda and me, but not much after the wedding ceremony Soda told me Steve kinda had to marry Evie, because he had knocked her up. In fact, not even six months after the marriage, they had a baby girl that they named Julie: she looked a lot like Evie, but she had Steve's eyes and she was a bit stubborn, like he was. Since Steve worked full time and Evie part time, I lent a hand whenever I could and babysat her, since I only had some classes everyday, from Monday to Friday, and I didn't work.

"Hi, Steve!" I smiled at him, when he had opened the door.

"Hi. Julie's upstairs…"

"How are y'all doing?" I asked, following him. Since Soda and I's wedding, Steve had changed his attitude towards me: we got along just fine now.

"Okay. You and Soda?"

"We're fine! Pony, too."

We entered Julie's bedroom. She was sitting on her bed, holding a doll. "Hi, Julie!" I greeted her.

"Hi." She sounded upset.

"Julie, I'm gonna go to work, Evie'll be back for lunch, okay?" Steve asked.

"Okay."

"Later. Bye, Sybil."

I waved at him and sat next to Julie. "So, how are you, sweetie?"

"Don't know."

"You don't know? You can tell me." I looked at her brown curls falling around her face. She looked adorable.

"Evie and Steve fought last night." The weird thing about Julie was that she called her parents by their first names and they didn't really bother telling her otherwise. It always felt strange to me, though. It was like she wasn't really familiar to them.

"Well, it happens to everyone, but it doesn't mean anything. Sometimes people are just tired or nervous and they say things they don't mean, you dig?"

She nodded.

"So, do you wanna do anything-"

I was cut off by a male voice: "Uncle's here!"

"Hi!" Julie said, a little more happily this time. I laughed. "Hi, Two-Bit."

"Hey, Sybil! Haven't seen you in a while, how's it going?"

"I'm doing great, but we saw each other last night. You had dinner with Soda, Pony and me."

"I know! I just wanted to check if you remembered. What's up, Julie?"

"I'm hungry!"

"Did you have breakfast?" I asked. She shook her head. "I wasn't hungry before."

"Let's go get some ice-cream then!" Two-Bit suggested.

"Now? It's…nine in the morning…" I said.

"If I can have beer for breakfast, she can have ice-cream. Right, Julie?"

"What's beer?"

We laughed. "I guess some ice-cream won't hurt."

We left the Randles' house and after we had bought Julie some ice-cream, we decided to sit on some bench in the park. Julie quickly finished eating and went looking for four leaf clovers, so Two-Bit and I started chatting about meaningless stuff. But I needed to ask him something serious. "Two-Bit…I don't mean to sound noisy or anything, but I was wondering if…you dream about…'Nam."

Two-Bit didn't get all serious when he answered, but he didn't even look his usual self: "Sometimes. It's just like, the more time goes by, the more it all improves…I'm sure it'll never stop anyway. Why you askin' me? Soda's havin' nightmares?"

I nodded. "I feel helpless…I want to help him so bad, but I perfectly know I can't do anything and Soda won't even listen to me when I suggest he sees a doctor or something…" I paused. "I'm really afraid things get worse…Soda's suffering enough already." I pondered about what I had just said and added: "You're both suffering too much."

Two-Bit kind of smiled and replied: "Aw, I'm tough. Soda's tough, too, but since you're afraid things get outta control, you should just convince him to see a doctor or somethin'. I guess that's the only way you stop worrying."

"But he doesn't want to see one…"

"If there's someone who can make him change his mind, it's you, I'm sure!"

I smiled. I wasn't so sure about that, but Two-Bit's words made me feel better. "Thank you."