Hey guys I'm back with another one-shot. Sorry I haven't written a lot but my family has gone through two loses in less than a month so there hasn't exactly been time to write, but now I am compelled to start again. So with out anymore delay here is your one shot. :)
P.S Johnny and Dally haven't died yet
Disclaimer: I don't own the outsiders unfortunately or any if the characters besides Clara.
"Pone, it's time to leave the imaginary world and come to." Sodas voice was distant to Ponyboy , who had been sleeping deeply and quite comfortably until he was woke.
" How about we stay home today." Pony grumbled from under his blanket.
"Come on baby boy you gotta head to school in a little."
Pony threw the blanket off and rolled off the bed while Soda left him to dress. In the bathroom there were curlers still sitting on the sink and an open lipstick container next to the curlers, he found the cap next to the toothpaste and struggled to fit it back onto the lipstick without wetting himself.
He followed Soda into the kitchen and sat at the table along with the gang while Soda greeted his girl.
"Hey buttercup." He said to her giving Clara a quick peck on the cheek.
"Hey, can't you get a room." Dally walked through the front door and headed towards the kitchen also.
Pony noticed that Darry was sitting at the table with them instead of cooking breakfast. Oh no that meant Clara was cooking today. Burnt pancakes again. The gang was beginning to get used to them though and Pony got into the habit of leaving earlier on these days so he could stop by the diner to pick up a quick bagel.
"This is just my way of thanking you guys for letting me stay here for a while. No one else would have let me." She smiled and sat the platter of pancakes down on the table.
"Hey Pone." Two-Bit whispered to Pony "hand me the syrup would ya I can't afford a dentist right now, this stuff is like eating rocks." Pony handed him the syrup and whispered back "How will the syrup help?"
"I figure that if I put enough syrup on it, it might soften them a bit."
"Good idea, save some for me."
The whole gang knew to eat at least half of a pancake, even Dally sat and ate part of one. Soda had just begun shoveling the crunchy breakfast food into his mouth when he looked up to see Clara leaning up against the counter, not eating.
"Hey baby you gonna eat?" He was concerned, usually she was the first one to grab any food. She was a girl but who said she couldn't eat.
"No, I'm good."
"Here you can take my seat and eat mine." Soda started to get up from his chair but Clara stopped him.
"No sweetie it's fine you need to eat I just got up not feeling to great this morning."
"Clara? You okay?" Darry popped his head up from his newspaper
"I'm fine. Seriously I'm okay."
But Darry didn't believe her and got up to feel her forehead.
"You don't have a fever. Maybe you should go lay down on the couch" By now the whole gang was in on the conversation, wanting to do what they could for Clara. She simply nodded and walked to the couch. On the couch Darry covered her with a blanket and turned the channel on the Tv to Mickey. Darry was like her big brother too.
Just as Darry sat back down and lifted his newspaper the sound of the bathroom door slammed shut and from the kitchen the boys could hear Clara vomiting. Darry threw his head back and his paper down, got up and the rest of the gang followed him with the exception of Soda who filled a glass of water, they left behind their rockcakes.
Outside the bathroom door they heard Clara sniffling. Darry tapped gently on the door.
"Hey, Clara can I come in? Soad brought water."
"I don't want him to see me like this. Is it only you?"
Darry glanced behind him, silently signaling to the gang to be extra quiet. Soda was shocked at his girlfriend's words though. Did she think that he would stop loving her if he saw her sick? "Yeah honey only me" he responded
The sound of the lock clicked on the door and Darry, glass of water in hand, lid swiftly through the slightly cracked door. They were in there for almost a half hour and Clara got sick once or twice more. The boys were all sitting outside the door now on the floor. Pone glanced at the clock and realized that he only had fifteen minutes till school started.
"Hey, Two-Bit do you think you could drive me to school in the truck? I would ask Soda but he seems a bit preoccupied." And with a quick couple of good-byes poney left with Two-Bit.
Not long later Darry emerged and Clara ran out after him going into Soda and Pony's room to lay down without a word.
"I don't understand what it could be. I took her temperature and everything, she does not have a fever."
Soda then thought he knew. Deep inside he knew what it was making this happen. He just didn't have the courage to tell Darry. And it seemed Clara didn't have the courage to tell Soda. The boys just left it at that though. Soda set off for The DX with Steve but only after making sure Clara was okay with him leaving and Darry went to work. Dally and Johnny both went their separate ways and Clara was alone for the day.
Throughout the day Clara heard Two-Bit come and go, raiding their fridge and he even brought her a glass of water once and asked how she was.
When everyone was back home Clara had cleaned the whole house top to bottom, something that Darry told her not to do because she already had a job she work five days of the week where she cleaned.
"I see you're feeling better" Soda said when he did his normal "Honey I'm home" routine. He gave her a quick kiss and when she hugged him we winced like he was in pain.
"Soda, are you hurt?"
"Clara I'm fine just a little bruise from the shop that's all."
But without warning she lifted the side of his shirt about belly button height to find a gruesome cut and bruising.
"Soda! What did you do?!" Darry and Pony ran into the living room and Dally and Johnny stood up to get a better view.
"OK I got jumped on the way home."
"Didn't you take the truck?!"
"No Pony needed it to get to school on time this morning."
"Oh my gosh. You weren't going to tell us about this. They could have killed you! Easily. What did they do this with? A switch because that's what it looks like!" And just like that Clara went on a rampage. Lecturing Soda on what she would do if she didn't have him and what could have happened and saying that Steve should have walked with him even after being told multiple times that Steve was working overtime.
"My god woman! Calm down." Dally said to her. It was a big mistake though because she turned to him and started to yell. Which no one understood. She was kind of over reacting. Like a mom.
"You want me to calm down? Well you know what Dally? If Soda were dead right now my child would have no father!"
Then everything was silent. They just stared at each other. That is until Darry broke the silence. He broke it like someone throwing a stone through a window. It was a quick and simple break.
"When we're you going to tell us this?"
"I don't know. I wanted to tell Soda first but I didn't know how." Clara was staring at the floor obviously ashamed.
"Do you know how irresponsible this is?"
"I know, I know and I was going to tell you Darry because I thought you might understand. Do you remember how it felt to suddenly be told you had to take car of, of a person? Do you remember how scared you were?" Now Darry was looking at the ground. "Well that's how I feel right now. And it would be really nice if right now you could just try to support Soda and I."
"Your right." Darry responded. "But you." he pointed to Soda "you and I are going to talk sometime. Because even though I support you guys I also have to be the dad in this case not just the good big brother." Sodas eyes widened.
"I swear Darry I will start working two shifts at the DX."
"And I was actually going to get a job at the drive in." Clara chipped in.
"Clara the last thing you need is to have even more stress with job. I'm going to start doing double shifts at the DX too." Steve stepped in towards Soda and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You guys are so so great I don't know where I would be without you. Soda sweetie your jaw, it's still dropped. Are you okay?" Clara wrapped her arms around him.
"Yeah I just. . . It's just so crazy. I didn't see this happening."
"Wait Clara how long have you been hiding this from us?" Finally Dally decided to say something.
"Um well I am about three months along-"
"So you should know the fender now right?" Darry got excited.
"Yeah umm all those times I said I was working late I was actually at the doctors and I hid the bills that came in the mail. But the gender I know. It is a . . . "
Hi guys for okay so I know this is a cliff hanger but I have an idea for this to be a story so if you like this and think I should make it more than a one shot please review and tell me. Maybe even leave some ideas. Thank you for reading :)