Disclaimer: It's all S.E. Hinton's.
A.N.: Dally's POV, and it takes place right before the rumble. I'm sorry if Dally's a bit out of character.
That damn nurse had the annoying ability to guess when I was up to something.
"Hey, Dallas Winston," she said, sticking her head in the door of my room. I quickly slumped back against my pillows. "You aren't going anywhere, you hear?"
"I ain't tryin' to go anywhere," I muttered sullenly, though I woulda been able to sneak out if that nurse wasn't on my back all the time.
"Well, your arm's still pretty bad." The nurse folded her arms and stared hard at me.
"No it ain't," I argued, realizing that playing innocent wouldn't do me no good. "My arm's fine. You gotta let me outta here."
I had to go to the rumble. I'd never hear the end of it from Tim if I didn't. Besides, I had to beat those Socs good--for Johnny.
"You're staying right where you are," the nurse told me sternly, making it all too clear that she'd be staying right where she was, too--in front of the door.
"Oh, yeah?" I slid my right hand under my pillow and pulled out Two-Bit's black-handled switch. "I don't think so."
"You wouldn't dare use that." The nurse's voice sounded cool and unconcerned, but her face had gone about three shades paler.
I flicked the blade out. "Wanna bet?"
The nurse watched me steadily for a second longer, then stepped aside, unblocking the door. "Out," she said, pointing at it.
I shot up instantly, grabbing my old T-shirt and jeans off a chair and heading into the tiny bathroom. I sure didn't intend to wear that damn hospital gown to the rumble.
When I came out, I pulled on my tennis shoes, which were floor near the chair, and ran for the door.
"You can have this," I said to the nurse, crumpling my hospital gown and throwing it at her.
"You're making a mistake," the nurse told me, catching the gown without even blinking.
"Trust me, lady, I ain't makin' any mistake." I pointed the switch at her to remind her of that and dashed out the door.
I paused for a moment in the hallway. I knew that there was an exit to the left, but I didn't go that way. I went right inside, moving quickly, almost running.
Finally, I stopped outside a door. I'd asked Tim the room number when he'd come to see me earlier. This was the room. I took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.
At first I thought I was too late, that Johnny was already dead. His eyes were shut tight, and his face was real pale. I clenched my hands into fists, chewing my bottom lip, praying to a god I didn't even believe in.
Finally, Johnny's eyes fluttered open, and I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. My heart skipped a beat at the way Johnny's eyes lit up when he saw me, and I realized then how much I loved that kid. He was like my little brother--not that I've ever had a little brother, but I knew how much Soda loved Pony.
"Hey, Dal," Johnny whispered.
"Hey, kid." I swallowed hard, shifting nervously from foot to foot, and quickly shoved the switchblade into my back pocket. "Hey, Johnnycake."
"Dally…" Johnny trailed off, looking down.
"Yeah?" I carefully studied the floor. There was an awfully interesting crack in the tile next to my left foot, and I focused on that, knowing Johnny was about to tell me something bad.
"The doctor, he--" Johnny broke off, coughing. He shut his eyes for a second, then opened them again and continued. "He came in to see me 'bout half an hour ago. He said he was sorry, but--"
"No," I interrupted, looking up and shaking my head frantically. "No, Johnny. No. You got that wrong. You ain't…you ain't gonna…"
"Yes," Johnny said quietly, not looking at me. His voice was too calm. He shouldn't have been calm. I wanted him to look at me. "Yes, Dally. I'm gonna…" He stopped and took a deep breath. "I'm gonna die."
I was still shaking my head, my breath coming in short bursts, my eyes stinging like crazy. Johnny wasn't going to die. He wasn't. He couldn't.
"No, Johnny," I insisted. "No, Johnnycake. You ain't gonna die."
I probably woulda run right then if Johnny hadn't looked at me the way he did.
"Dally…" He gave me a pleading look and held out his hand.
I walked toward him as if I was in a dream, unaware of everything except for one fact: Johnny couldn't die.
I took his hand, clutching it tightly in mine, not wanting to let him go. Johnny's hand was small, and colder than it should've been.
"Something else…I gotta tell you. It's…a poem." Johnny seemed to be getting worse, because talking was clearly harder for him. His voice had dropped until it was almost a whisper, his speech was halting, and he was breathing pretty heavily.
I wondered what he meant when he said he had to tell me a poem. Greasers don't read poetry. But I thought I should go along with it, so I waited silently for him to go on.
Johnny squeezed his eyes shut tight, then opened them again and recited the first poem I'd ever heard.
"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower,
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day,
Nothing--"
Johnny started coughing again, his grip on my hand tightening, his other hand moving to his chest.
Finally, he stopped coughing and whispered the last line of the poem: "Nothing gold can stay."
"Johnny--where'd you learn that?" I asked. I was kind of staring at him, I guess. I didn't know he like poetry.
"Pony--he taught it to me, when we were in Windrixville," Johnny answered. His voice was a little louder and stronger, and he seemed to be over his coughing fit. "Said he didn't quite know what it meant--but I think I do now."
"Yeah? What's it mean?" I was so glad Johnny seemed a little better--it meant that he'd live for sure and prove that doctor wrong.
"It means…that when you're a kid, you're like the first spring plants, like dawn." His voice was fading again. "You see the world…as if everything's new. Pony's still gold, and Dal, I think that's pretty tuff. So can you tell him that…for me? I wrote him…a letter, but I want someone to tell him…in person. And I may not…" Johnny took a deep breath and swallowed hard, and for the first time that day, I saw fear in his eyes. "May not ever see him again."
"Shut up!" I yelled at him, and his eyes widened. "You just shut up talkin' like that, Johnny Cade. You ain't gonna die--you can't, Johnny. You're still gold, too. You're gold, Johnnycake."
"Dally…" Johnny hesitated, then went on. "You were gold once, too, you know."
"Yeah, I know," I snapped, getting angry again. "But I ain't anymore, and you know what, Johnny? I'm glad. You can't survive on the East side bein' gold. That explains what happened to you--what's gonna happen to you.
Johnny flinched, like he'd been hit, and I knew that had hurt him real bad. But I couldn't stay any longer. I had to leave, had to get to the rumble.
"Look, Johnny, I gotta go." I pulled my hand away and started backing up, moving toward the door. "The big rumble's tonight. I gotta get to it."
Johnny looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't. Lying in that big hospital bed, he looked real small. His breathing was uneven, and even though he wasn't coughing now, he looked the worst he'd been since I'd come to see him.
"After…the rumble," Johnny managed to gasp, "bring Pony…"
"Right," I said, nodding quickly, backing up even more and bumping into the door. "I'll bring Ponyboy here. After the rumble."
Johnny looked at me, his eyes big and scared and pleading. "Dally…" he began.
I turned and ran out the door.