Blind Eyes That See
Disclaimer: No, silly, I never have nor will I ever own The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders. *sighs* :( I simply borrow them for my own creative enjoyment purposes.
Summary: After a vicious attack that left his best friend dead, Pony is left to suffer, without a single memory to guide him. Unable to remember the face of his attacker, or anything, Pony is in far greater danger than anyone could anticipate. On a search to reveal the face of his and Johnny's attacker, Ponyboy realizes he might have made more mistakes in the life he can't remember than he realized. Secrets that just may have gotten his best friend killed. Will he get his memories back and identify Johnny's killer, or will he be forced to continue living his life blind?
~ Mid-February, 1967 ~
Ponyboy
A steady beeping sound blared in my ear, pulling me out of my comfortable slumber. I tried to block it out, but it continued, eventually annoying me awake. As I became more aware of my senses, I could feel a throbbing pain in my head, and a burning sensation in my stomach. What happened to me?
Confused, I forced my heavy eyelids open and found myself in an unfamiliar place. White walls surrounded me, white sheets were strewn over me, tangled in my feet, and various white and grey machines were hooked up to me. There were needles stuck in my skin, and something black attached to my finger.
I tried to call out for help, but no sound came out, only a dry cough. As I coughed, the light burning pain that was in my stomach erupted into a full-blown fire. I hissed from the pain, biting down so hard on my tongue that I tasted blood. Great, now my tongue and my stomach hurt, I thought bitterly.
Someone dressed in more white stepped into the room as I managed to get a hold of my breathing. He was tall and older, with a kind smile, but as I searched his face he didn't seem familiar.
"Hello, Ponyboy. Your brothers are going to be relieved you're awake, they've been worried about you," he said in a kind voice. "They're eating in the cafeteria right now, but I have a nurse informing them that you're awake. They'll be up in just a few minutes."
I furrowed my eyebrows as he continued. What was he talking about? What brothers?
"I-I have... brothers?" I asked, finally able to get my vocal chords to cooperate. The doctored mirrored my confused look.
"Of course you do. Darrel and Sodapop? Don't you remember them?"
What kind of name was Sodapop? And didn't he say something earlier about a horse? Ponyman or something...was that my name?
"I don't remember them at all," I replied honestly. I couldn't even remember my name. Ponyman didn't seem familiar at all, if that was even my actual name. Maybe it was a nickname or something? Did I like horses?
"Do you know what school you go to, Ponyboy?"
I searched, hard, but my mind was completely blank. What was going on with me?
"No...I don't."
The doctor paused, looking down at his charts. "Alright, Ponyboy. You were brought in here suffering from a gunshot wound to the stomach and a nasty concussion. You've been out for two days. I think you might be suffering from retrograde amnesia, which is why you can't remember anything. I want to talk to your brothers, and then I want to run some tests to see how severe your head trauma is. Is that okay?"
I didn't seem to have much of a choice, so I simply nodded. Everything felt weird. My mind was just empty, like someone had just taken everything that was in it and wiped it clean. I had brothers, a family that I didn't remember. I had friends and family and a school and hobbies that were all a mystery to me. My useless, blank mind swirled with the concept of everything I couldn't remember. It was exhausting.
"Ponyboy?"
Two strange men stood in the doorway. One had a wide frame and broad shoulders with visible muscles underneath his T-shirt, and medium brown hair that fell messily against his forehead, obviously slept on. The other was thinner and lankier, with more rounded features. He had honey-golden hair that was slicked back behind his ears with grease, and chestnut eyes that wouldn't break eye contact with me. I shrunk back, unnerved at being in the same room as such imposing strangers.
"You-you don't remember us, Ponyboy?" The larger one stuttered, sounding so unsure for a guy so large.
I searched my brain for anything, a memory, maybe even just some sort of recognition, just a feeling of calm being in their presence, but I felt as empty as I did when I first woke up and talked to the doctor.
"No, I really don't. I'm sorry," I responded, my voice sounding as emotionless and empty as I felt. The blond's shoulders sagged, and I suddenly noticed how tired the two looked. The silence was deafening. Why couldn't the doctor just hurry it up? The room was filled with tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife, and finally I had to break the silence.
"So...you're my brothers? How old are y'all?" I questioned.
"I'm 21, and Sodapop's seventeen," the large one answered. I nodded lamely. It's not like there was a guidebook on how to act around family you don't remember. And even if there was, I couldn't remember it's contents.
"Are you ready for some tests, Ponyboy?" The doctor asked as he stuck his head into my room. Even if it meant being poked and prodded with needles and various other torture items, it was better than suffocating in that hospital room with Darrel and Sodapop, grasping for straws, only to come up empty.
A/N: So I actually don't have much of this story planned out. So this should be exciting. It's not much yet, but I hope you guys think it's worrying continuing...?
I know this is really, really short, but other chapters will be much longer. I just felt like this was a good stopping place. Please review! More to come soon, I hope. Maybe Sunday or Monday?
Stay Gold,
~ Alee XxX