Disclaimer Note: The characters are that of SE Hinton the story is that of mine, as I would have seen it.

A/n. What I have done is taken the role of Dally and changed the ending to where Johnny is still alive, Pony was the one in the hospital. The rest you will see as it goes along

Chapter One

"Funny Thing Happened on My Way to The Park"

I dropped the phone and took off holding my side, not believing that I was shot. I mean me; Dallas Winston shot come on get real. I was trying to make it to the park where the rest of the gang would meet me when I saw the vette slow up beside me.

"Come on get in." A voice said I stopped and looked to confirm that my ears wasn't playing tricks on me, and sure enough there she was Cherry the redhead from the Drive-in.

The door opened and I heard her add. "I promise this isn't a trap." For some reason I didn't think it was as I leaned forward grabbing a hold of the roof and she saw it, the blood coming from around my hand.

"I'm taking you to the doctor." I heard her say and before I could argue she added. "Don't worry. There won't be any questions asked."

For some reason I trusted her and started to get in the car only I collapsed and everything went black.

I awoke to the feel of someone holding my hand and then I heard a female voice ask. "How are you feeling?" I opened my eyes and at first thought it was my old lady there and then my eyes focused and I saw her, Cherry Valance and she was smiling. "The doctor took care of you and patched it up." I heard her say and then she added.

"I had to get you hid though so I drove us up here." I looked around and as it registered on my face I heard her add. "Yeah this is a church." I saw her smile. "When I asked you if there was a place you wanted to go this was where you said. I was hoping that you wasn't telling me a lie."

My throat was dry and I wanted a cigarette but I still couldn't speak so I just nodded to my jacket that she had on. I looked down and saw that a quilt was on top of me and I felt something soft underneath me also. I saw her take a cigarette from my pack and light it up before holding it over to my lips.

"You were saying something about this place before the doc put you under the last time so that I could move you out of his office." With her other hand she wiped my brow with a wet cloth saying. "The doc gave me something to give you for the pain."
I needed it then only I didn't want to admit it. "What? Why?" Was all I could say and then I saw her smile as she put my cigarette in her mouth and took a drag.

"What do you remember?"
"I remember calling Darry and telling him to have everyone meet at the park, and then I remember you pulling up beside me."

"Let's just say I was in the right place at the right time." I heard her say then as she held the cigarette once again to my lips and then I heard her add. "I called Darry while the doc was taking care of you so don't worry."

She took one final drag on my cigarette before stubbing it out on the concrete as she asked. "How did you know about this place anyway?"

In a hoarse voice I told her that I had a cousin that used to live nearby. "Oh," I heard her say then and she tried to smile as I heard her add. "Here I was thinking you had been out here already." I saw her push herself up then as she said. "I got some stuff from a little store on the way up here. "Do you feel like trying to eat?" I was getting ready to say something then only I went out.

I came to and saw her on the ledge next to me with her back to the wall hunched up, holding her knees to her chest. I awoke again to sunlight coming in through the slits of wood that was over the windows of the church and I saw her still there the light catching her hair in the right way to highlight the redness.

I started to try and push myself up off the floor only my hand slipped and she came to then catching me as I fell back. My head was cradled in her arms softening the fall and there we were face to face only inches apart. She hesitated only for a minute or was that my mind playing tricks on me before she let me go and said.

"Rest for now, later on we'll see what we can do about getting you up and moving." I saw her look at her watch then. "It's time for me to change the dressing and clean it though."

I saw her pull the cover back off of me then and I noticed that I was shirtless with a bandage covering my whole right side. "The doc gave me plenty of bandages and tape so don't worry." She took the old bandage off and I saw where the stitches were as she added. "The doc said that it was a clean wound."

I felt the sting then as she put a cloth soaked in alcohol over it and I grimaced against the pain. "I hope you don't mind but I've been smoking your cigarettes." I heard her say after she had the new bandage on and had replaced the cover over me

I saw her lean back against the wall and then smile. "You know a month ago I would have never thought I would even be seen with a cigarette in my hand, and yet I met you and well things have been changing."