Author's Note: This is just a quick little one shot that I wrote on a whim. I know it's a little quick, I didn't want to spend too much time on it since I behind with one of my other stories, but I still needed to get the idea out of my system. I hope you like it though! Please be forewarned that this story does contain some intense violence, though no gore. Please remember to review and let me know what you think!

They Weren't Built to Lose

It was a rare night when the entire gang went out together. Even Darry had joined the group even though he had to work in the morning. Ever since the sudden deaths of Dally and Johnny what was left of the gang made an extra effort to spend time together whenever they could. Life was just too short as they kept on being reminded. It was important to spend time with the ones that you care about while you can.

Darry, Pony, Soda, Two-Bit and Steve had all gone to a diner on the other side of town. They had a rowdy dinner together, throwing food and harassing the waitresses until they were finally asked to leave by a manager. It didn't dampen their spirits though as they walked down the side of the road, shoving each other and horsing around as they made a general ruckus and simply enjoyed being with each other.

Darry was the first one to notice the red Mustang. It passed by once and then not even five minutes later it passed by again, going slower. The other four were too busy carrying on to take any notice. They were in Greaser territory, but not so far into it that it was terribly unusual to see Socs around, though they always traveled in packs and they were always looking for trouble on this side of town.

As they walked along Darry kept glancing over his shoulder, feeling fidgety. When he spotted the Mustang coming up the street behind them for a third pass there was a Corvette following closely behind.

"Hey," Darry called to the others. The all turned to look at him as he discreetly jerked his head backwards toward the slowing cars.

All laughter quickly dissipated in an instant as they took in the situation. They immediately hunched their shoulders in an attempt to look tough as they walked along. A minute later the Mustang pulled in front of them, cutting them off, while the Corvette pulled behind them.

Darry was already thinking strategically as the Socs began stumbling out of the two cars. Four…. five… seven… nine… ten. Ten Socs against five Greasers. They were outnumbered two to one. Not good odds. Darry didn't like it at all. He placed a hand on Pony's shoulder, discreetly pulling his youngest brother in closer to him. Pony had been doing better lately, but he still wasn't in great shape and that really concerned Darry.

"You stay close to me, kiddo," Darry said under his breath.

"You're outta your territory," Steve snarled as the Socs approached, stumbling a bit as the circled around the Greasers from two sides. They had all clearly been drinking, probably for a few hours at least.

"You're outta your number," one tall Soc slurred unintelligently.

Two-Bit snorted. "Someone can't handle their alcohol," he said coolly. "You best watch yourselves."

"You better watch it, Greasers!" another shouted. "We can go wherever we like. You Greasers can be shot in the street and no one even gives a damn."

The obvious shot at Dally was too much. Steve gave an animalistic yell as he lunged forward, tackling the Soc hard, Soda close on his heels. As they wrestled one Soc to the ground, throwing punches, the rest of the Socs surged forward and the fight was on.

Darry took a couple of hard hits as he took on three at once, but he barely felt them through the adrenaline. He was careful to keep an eye on Pony and was impressed to find that he was holding up well all things considered. He almost got pinned once, but luckily Soda was also keeping an eye on him and was able to pull the Soc off of him and Pony was up once again, holding his own.

Despite their superior fighting skills, the number of Socs were quickly beginning to overwhelm the Greasers. Darry took a hard elbow to the jaw, stunning him for a moment as he stumbled. Taking advantage of his lack of footing, two of the larger Socs were able to get yank him down to his knees as a third pushed a blade up against his throat while his arms were pinned behind his back.

"SODA!"

Darry whipped his head around, looking around wildly. The pure terror in Ponyboy's voice as he had screamed his brother's name had been unmistakable. It took Darry a moment to comprehend the scene in front of him. Pony, Steve and Two-Bit, all swearing loudly and fighting hard, were being held at bay by four of the Socs. The remaining three were circled around Soda, who was lying sprawled on ground on his back, eyes closed, not moving. One Soc had Soda by a fistful of his hair and to Darry's absolute horror he lifted Soda's head a few inches off the ground and then smashed it onto the pavement. There was a dull thud as Soda's head bounced slightly off the ground. The most terrifying part of this was that Soda made no reaction at all to this vicious act as he lay limp.

Fueled by pure fury, Darry wrestled out of the grasp of the three Socs that held him. He was hardly aware of what happened to them, though somewhere in the back of his mind he thought that he had knocked at least one of them out cold. A moment later he was on Soda's attackers yanking one away from him and pounding him with a sledgehammer blow.

By now Steve had also managed to break free and was taking out his anger on another one to the Socs that had ganged up on Soda. Before they could get to the third though he had brought his foot up and defiantly stomped down hard on Soda's chest. Still no reaction from Soda, but it fueled the fire in the rest of the Greasers. Two-Bit broke away and managed to tackle Soda's final attacker hard and pounding on him with a fury that no one had ever seen from light-hearted Two-Bit before. They could have taken on an army in the state they were in.

Finally the Socs seemed to collectively decide to cut their losses as they all began to retreat back to their cars. Pony, Two-Bit and Steve were still chucking rocks at them as they sped away. Darry could only watch, feeling numb. He knew he had to deal with what he had just witnessed, but somehow he was having a hard time convincing himself to go to his injured brother's side. He was afraid of what he might find.

It was Pony who went to Soda first. He was trembling with tears in his eyes as he slowly knelt down next to his brother. His hands hovered over Soda's still form, clearly afraid to touch him. He looked up at Darry as a tear slipped down his cheek, begging in his eyes.

"D-Darry," he stuttered. "What do we do?"

Darry finally snapped himself out of his stupor, reminding himself that he was in charge. He walked forward and sunk to his knees next to Soda. As gently as he could he put two fingers up against Soda's throat as he held his breath in an attempt to keep himself steady.

"He's got a pulse," he said softly, almost to himself as he felt relief wash over him. Soda was still alive. He glanced over at Steve and Two-Bit who were standing a few steps away, mirrored expressions of concern of their faces. "Go get help. We need an ambulance. Now."

As Steve and Two-Bit hurried away, Pony turned to look up at Darry. "He… he's gonna be okay… right?" he asked timidly.

Darry looked down at his youngest brother, finding that he had no words. He had no idea if Soda was going to be okay. He knew a little about head injuries from playing football for so many years. For all they knew Soda could be bleeding out as they just sat beside him, helpless. But he knew that wasn't what Pony needed to hear right now.

"I hope so," Darry said quietly. He turned to look back down at Soda. "Did you see what happened?"

"He… he was trying to help me," Pony said, his voice trembling more than ever. "He didn't see the Soc come up behind him. The Soc hit him hard and he stumbled and fell. He still had his eyes open but he was dazed. The Socs were kicking him… none of us could get to him… then they picked up his head and… smashed it to the ground. Twice."

Darry nodded. He must have only seen the second time. He turned back to Soda and gently cupped his face in his hands, careful not to move his head at all. "C'mon Soda," he begged quietly. "Can you hear me, little buddy?"

Soda was perfectly still.

"Soda?" Pony tried. Slowly he reached out and gently took Soda's hand. "Wake up… please wake up…"

Still no movement. Darry felt his stomach sinking. He carefully brushed Soda's hair off his forehead, his carefully greased style messed from when the Soc had grabbed a handful of it.

"C'mon, Soda," Darry tried again. "C'mon please… don't do this… don't do this to us…"

The silence rang out. Darry closed his eyes, willing himself to keep some sort of composure for Pony's sake.

"He moved!"

Darry's eyes snapped open as he looked at his youngest brother. Pony was looking down at his hand that was clasped around Soda's. Soda fingers were deliberately wound around Pony's hand, seeming aware of the presence.

"Soda?" Darry said hopefully, running a hand over Soda's cheek. Soda's eyes fluttered ever so slightly as he head shifted just a little bit. Darry put his hands firmly on either side of Soda's head to hold it still, afraid of a possible neck injury. "That's it Soda, c'mon, wake up. Open your eyes, little buddy."

As he looked Soda over for other injuries he was surprised to see a significant amount of blood on his t-shirt. He hadn't noticed that before and he felt panicked, wondering what kind of injury the blood was coming from.

"Darry?" Pony said slowly. "Darry… you're bleeding."

Darry stared at him blankly, hardly comprehending the statement. Slowly he was starting to become aware of a pain in his shoulder. He reached up a hand and placed it on his shoulder, feeling that it was wet. The blade must have caught him as he was wrestling away from the Socs.

He didn't have time to dwell on his own injury though. As he looked back down at Soda he saw that his eyelids were fluttering again and Darry quickly replaced his hand on the side of his face to keep it steady, not concerned about the blood that now stained his fingertips.

"C'mon, open your eyes, little buddy," Darry urged. Finally Soda eyes slowly opened as a low groan escaped the back of his throat. His eyes wandered around confused as Darry kept his head in place. "You gotta stay still, okay Soda? Help is on the way. How do you feel, what hurts?"

Soda stared back blankly.

"Soda?" Pony said worriedly.

Suddenly Soda's features scrunched up in pain and he cried out as he muscles suddenly tensed, lifting his back and shoulders off the ground at an unnatural angle. Just as suddenly his muscles relaxed but a moment later the tensed up again.

"What's happening?" Pony asked, panic in his voice as he looked at Darry.

"Convulsions," Darry said shortly.

This painful display went on for several minutes while all Darry and Pony could do was watch. As Darry glanced over at Pony he could see that it looked like he might be sick. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity the episode seemed to pass. Soda lay still, gasping for breath as tears streaked down his cheeks.

"It's okay, Soda, it's okay," Darry tried, even though he knew everything was far from okay. "It's over, it's okay now."

They were interrupted by the sounds of pounding footsteps on the pavement. Darry tensed up until he recognized Steve and Two-Bit sprinting up to them, both winded. Darry wondered how far they had to go to find a phone. He knew there weren't any working payphones close by.

"The ambulance should be here soon," Two-Bit panted.

"How's he doin'?" Steve asked carefully.

"He came back around, but he ain't responding to us yet," Darry said. He didn't want to tell him about the convulsions. He focused back down at his thankfully still brother. "Soda?"

"D-Darry," Soda whispered. Darry gave a sigh of relief. It was a good sign that he had finally responded. "It… it hurts."

"I know, little buddy," Darry soothed. "Just hang in there, help is on the way." Finally at long last they heard sirens in the distance. Darry gave a sigh of relief. "Hear that, Soda? They're almost here. It's gonna be okay."

The ambulance screeched to a halt near them and at that moment everything was a blur. The EMTs swarmed around Soda, forcing Darry and Pony to move away from him. Darry tried to explain what happened to one of the paramedics but he was having a hard time concentrating. As the paramedics carefully loaded Soda onto a stretcher, securing his head and neck with a brace, the paramedic explained that one person could ride in the ambulance with him.

"Pony, you go," Darry said. "I'll grab the truck and follow."

"Darry, maybe you should go," Two-Bit suggested quickly. "You're bleeding pretty good… we'll get Pony to the hospital."

Darry had almost forgotten about his own injury. Maybe that was why he wasn't concentrating well.

"It looks like you might need stitches," the paramedic said, eyeing the gash on his shoulder.

Darry nodded. He glanced over to see that Soda was being loaded into the back of the ambulance. "Okay," he allowed. "I'll see you guys there."

Darry went over and climbed into the ambulance after Soda. He situated himself into a seat along the wall as the doors slammed shut and the ambulance took off. One of the paramedics quickly wrapped up his shoulder in order to stem the bleeding.

"W-where's my brothers?" came Soda's soft voice.

Darry immediately leaned forward to be in Soda's line of vision. "I'm right here, Pepsi-Cola," he assured him.

"What's goin' on?" he said, sounding scared.

"You got hurt, Soda," Darry said gently. He reached out and carefully took Soda's hand. "We're goin' to the hospital to get you checked out."

Soda still didn't seem to quite understand but thankfully at that point they had made it to the hospital. Darry carefully kept a hold of Soda's hand as they unloaded him from the ambulance and rushed him into the ER. Darry stayed at his side for as long as possible, but all too soon they were telling him that he couldn't go any further.

"No," Soda moaned, tightening his grip on Darry's hand.

Darry glanced at the nurses and paramedics. "Just give me a minute," he said, a hint of pleading in his voice. He focused on Soda. "Don't be scared, okay, little buddy," he said, leaning in close. "It's gonna be okay. They're just gonna check you out and I'll be right here waiting for you." He ran a hand carefully through Soda's hair before reluctantly stepped back and allowing them to wheel his brother away from him.

Darry was led away to another room where he got six stitches in his shoulder. He was hardly aware of anything at that point, his mind still on Soda. After he was finished he went out to the waiting room where he quickly found Pony, Steve and Two-Bit all sitting together in the far corner.

"How was he?" Pony asked immediately.

Darry sat down heavily next to his youngest brother. "He seemed okay," he said. "He was awake and talkin' and everythin'."

"Is he gonna be okay?" Pony asked slowly.

Darry looked down at his youngest brother, seeing how pale and shaken he looked. He put an arm around him and pulled him in close. "Yeah… he'll get through this," Darry said, trying to convince himself as well as his brother.

The four Greasers sat quietly together, leaving each other to their own thoughts. Pony, Two-Bit and Steve all smoked heavily as they waited impatiently. It was another hour before they finally heard any news.

"Family of Sodapop Curtis?"

Darry was immediately on his feet and the doctor walked over to him.

"I'm Dr. Jenkins," the doctor introduced himself.

"Darry Curtis," Darry said, shaking his hand. "I'm Soda's legal guardian."

"Sodapop appears to have been very lucky," the doctor said, causing a collective sigh of relief to go through the group. "He has a fractured skull and a severe concussion, but there doesn't appear to be any significant damage to his brain. He also has a few other minor injuries, some severe bruising and three broken ribs. We'd like to keep him for a day or two for observation before releasing him."

Darry nodded. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"Now he needs to get some rest," the doctor went on. "So I don't want to many visitors in his room just yet. But he is asking for his brothers."

Pony immediately stood. Darry glanced back at Two-Bit and Steve. "We'll get you back to see him as soon as we can," he promised.

Darry and Pony followed the doctor back through the halls. At last they finally made it to Soda's room. As the two entered they found that Soda was laying still on the hospital bed. He had bandages wrapped around his head as well as a few bandages on his chest. His eyes were closed but when he heard the footsteps he opened them.

"Hey, little buddy," Darry said gently. "How are you feelin'?"

"My head hurts," Soda mumbled.

"Yeah, I know," Darry said. "You'll start feelin' better soon though, I promise."

Soda seemed to relax more now that his brothers were there with him. It was getting very late and Pony ended up carefully crawling onto the hospital bed with Soda as they both fell asleep. Darry pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and settled himself in, vigilantly watching over his little brothers. He would never admit this, but the moment he had seen that Soc bounce Soda's head off of the pavement with no reaction whatsoever from Soda, he had been convinced that he had just seen his brother die. Somehow they had managed some kind of miracle. And tonight, for that, they could be grateful.