Author Note: In the last chapter I forgot to say to lady rose 05 that I did get the DVD

And I love it. I love all the extra scenes. The Soda stuff is so sweet and then the scene when Ponyboy and Johnny hug and all. That was one of my favorite part in the book and I was so happy when it was in the DVD. The music is kind of annoying though, it takes away from the movie. The original score was way better. Anyway, also thanx to oOoRikkuforEveroOo for reviewing. Hope everyone likes this chapter.

Disclaimer: The story is my own, but the characters all belong to S.E. Hinton. Also, parts of the book are quoted, so that completely belongs to S.E. Hinton. Those parts are in italics. I always forget to do a disclaimer for the chapters, so if I do, that goes for always!

Ponyboy's POV

I must have fallen asleep in Darry's room because I woke up lying in his bed with Soda's arm across me. I didn't see Darry though. I laid in bed for a while staring at the ceiling. There was a noise in the kitchen and I figured Darry was already awake. He always got up early. Today was Saturday and his only day off, but still he got up. He thought that you should only sleep for as long as you needed to and shouldn't waste time sleeping if you didn't need it. But, I wasn't Darry and I laid there for a while just staring and thinking about yesterday. It had a fantasy like feel. It almost seemed like a dream. I finally decided to get up. I wiggled out from under Soda's arm. He made a soft noise and moved slightly. I was afraid he was going to wake up, but he didn't. I went into the kitchen.

"Hey," I said to Darry, who was standing over the stove scrambling some eggs. He turned around when he saw me. "We didn't take up to much room last night did we? I guess me and Soda just fell asleep in there."

"That's ok. You went t sleep pretty fast, you seemed exhausted and I didn't want to wake you up. Is Soda still asleep?"

"Yep."

"That's good. He was pretty upset last night. I was afraid he wouldn't get any sleep."

"Well, you know Soda. Reality hits him hard when it does." I felt bad. I couldn't believe I just fell asleep with my brother so upset.

Of course, Soda didn't stay asleep for long. He came galloping through the door. If Darry hadn't told me he hadn't had much sleep I wouldn't have known.

"Hey guys, what's up? Everyone ok now?"

"If you are," I told him.

"Yeah, I'm ok."

"That's good, Little Buddy," Darry said.

"I'm goin' to work today," Soda informed, "but when I get home how's about we all go see one of those movies Pony likes so much huh?" We all agreed and decided to meet at the Nightly double around eight when Soda would be off work. Neither of my brothers really liked movies. Soda thought they were boring and usually could never sit still and Darry didn't seem to find interest in inspecting other people's lives. I guess they just did dig what I liked about movies, but they knew that since Johnny died no one really wanted to see movies with me anymore, so they always offered to go. I couldn't tell them that I actually preferred watching movies alone because I really did appreciate all the effort they put in and everything.

Soda scrambled to get dressed while eating chocolate cake and eggs, but finally managed to be ready by the time Steve got there. They left and it was just me and Darry. Two-Bit was hanging out with his new girlfriend, a blonde, of course, Kate, I think.

Darry didn't want to waste his day off doing nothing. I noticed that about him. He was always working, even on his day off. He basically thought that if he was enjoying himself he wasn't being productive and that bothered him. So, he worked on taxes, paid bills, and stuff like that. I was glad I wasn't the oldest. I hated messing with that kind of stuff. I never really put a lot of thought into how much Darry had to worry about. I started thinking about it though. I mean, he had to take care of house payments, car payments, insurance and all that stuff. He also mostly took care of buying the groceries and doing the laundry and other stuff like that. Soda was too lazy and carefree to worry about that stuff and I never used my head enough to think about it. Of course, there was also Darry's job. Man, he sure did have a lot of worries. I decided not to think about this anymore. I was starting to feel kinda bad for Darry. I mean, sometimes I feel like it's my fault he has to do all this. I mean he does it for me. Well, and Soda of course, for Soda and me. I decided that I would see if he needed any help.

"Hey Darry," I said as I walked from the living room toward the kitchen table, where he was sitting. He looked up.

"Yeah?"

"You need any help with anything?" He looked shocked; I guess I don't offer my help much, at least not with this stuff. He was paying some bill or something.

"Pony," he said with a goofy smile, "do you even know what I'm doing?"

"Hey," I said giving him a friendly punch, "I was just tryin' to be helpful, so don't get all high and mighty, just cause some of us don't know the first thing about payin' bills." He laughed and it was good to hear him laugh, even if he was kinda laughing at my lack of common sense.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I can manage and hey at least you knew I was paying a bill."

"Oh ha, ha," I said sarcastically.

It was finally time to meet Soda at the Nightly Double. Darry and I decided just to walk. Darry thought that walking would be good exercise and I like to walk because for some reason I could think about things when I walked. The only problem was that it was freezing. I actually didn't forget my jacket, like I usually do. I don't think anyone could forget a jacket when it's winter in Tulsa. It can get pretty cold and I thought maybe it was stupid to even walk, but I didn't mind much and it wasn't as bad as it usually is.

We left the house. I had a strange feeling when we were walking. It was the same feeling I had after Two-Bit and I had visited Johnny in the hospital. It was really starting to bug me. I guess I don't hide my emotions well, cause Darry noticed.

"Something wrong, Pony?"

"I have a bad feeling."

"Was it something you ate?"

"No, not like that." Sometimes Darry just didn't get it. I mean. He cared and everything, but he looked at things so…..so logically.

"Oh, like one of those feelings you get when you think something bad's going to happen?" I nodded, "Pony, I think it's all in your head."

"Yeah, I guess," I said with a sigh. I didn't really think it was but I didn't feel like talking about it anymore. Besides, I knew Darry wouldn't understand what I meant. We just kept walking, mostly in silence. The feeling seemed to be getting worse. We passed the DX where Soda worked and we figure that he had already left. We'd either see him at The Nightly Double or maybe catch up with him on the way.

We were getting close to The Nightly Double when I saw about six guys quickly get into a mustang and drive off. They must be socs. No greaser could afford wheels like that. I knew that socs being around could only mean one thing, trouble. I shivered. I watched the car drive off, and then began walking again, but not for long. I froze suddenly. I saw that where the socs had been, there was a dark motionless hump on the sidewalk. My heart fell into my stomach and my inside went numb. I nearly fell over. I was freezing and still sweating. I remembered the night Johnny got beat up by Bob and Randy, the night he got his scar. I saw the same hump in the sidewalk and I nearly threw up. Darry noticed I had stopped.

"Hey Pony, what's up?" I couldn't talk. At that point I wasn't sure if I could even breathe. I just pointed. Darry looked ahead squinting and saw what I was talking about. We paused……………….. We must have both realized at the same time because we took off in a dead run. Soda was walking this direction. Soda was walking this direction all alone. Soda was walking this direction, all alone, and without a blade. Oh God I thought, please don't let it be Soda. Please let it be anyone, but Soda, Please. I approached the body and it was Soda. I felt my heart pound. My whole body was shaking, but I seemed detached from it. I felt like I wasn't even there, but just watching this, like a dream, or more of a nightmare. Darry came up behind me. He knelt down beside Soda. I could feel myself shivering uncontrollably, and not from the cold either.

"Little Buddy?" No answer. Soda didn't even move. His eyes were shut tight. I could hardly stand to look at him. I had never seen him beat up like this before, never. His head was swelled up to a size I didn't even think possible. They must have pushed him on the ground and his head must have taken a bad hit. On his face there were cuts and bruises all over. There was a gash across his forehead and there was dark, red blood running down the side of his cheek. You could hardly even recognize him. On his other cheek there was a bruise that covered half of his face. They had pulled a knife on him. There was a wide and pretty deep gash in his side. I wondered what they could have been thinking. I wondered what those stupid, idiots could have been thinking. How could they beat up somebody this bad? I mean I had seen a lot of fights and no one was ever this bad off. He was worse than Johnny had been.

"I'm going to go call an ambulance," Darry said in a shaking voice. I could tell he was fighting back tears. I didn't bother trying. I was bawling about as hard as a person can bawl.

"But Darry, it's not that serious, is it?" I asked between sobs, trying unsuccessfully to keep them under control.

"Pony, I don't know," He said forcefully, his voice was rising and I started shivering real bad, "I need you to stay with him Pony, ok, I'll go across the street to the pay phone and call an ambulance. You need to stay here, ok?"

"Darry, I'm scared……..he won't," I was sobbing too hard to get the word out, but I think Darry knew what I wanted to say. He didn't answer. He just told me to stay there and then ran across the street to call an ambulance. I finally got the courage to fully look at Soda. I knelt down beside him. He didn't move a muscle. Was he unconscious? I wasn't sure, but then an awful thought dawned on me. Oh God, he couldn't already be dead. I saw his eyes open a little and I felt relief. He was alive.

"Soda?"

"Pony……" he groaned and then he passed out. My heart broke at that moment. When he groaned I could tell he as in a lot of pain. I couldn't stand that he was in pain and I wished it was me. I just didn't ever want to see him like that. I didn't ever want him to feel pain.

"Soda," I whispered quietly through tears. He didn't answer. He was unconscious. But still, I talked to him. "Soda," I said loudly, my voice was rising and I was trying to stay calm, "Soda, please, please don't die." I took his unconscious body and lifted him in my lap. I held him against me and rocked him gently. "Oh God, Please don't die Soda. Come on Soda, please don't die. Just hang on a little longer. Please, just a little longer." Darry came back. And found me sobbing like a baby, holding Soda in my arms. He knelt down beside me.

"An ambulance is on the way." He sounded s calm and I wanted to smack him. How could he sound so calm? I mean, I was shivering and crying. But, not Darry he was cool and calm as always.

The ambulance got there pretty fast. I held Soda the whole time we were waiting. I didn't want to let go of him and it took a while to get him into the ambulance.

"Pony, let go of him."

"Shut up," I shouted at Darry.

"Ponyboy, if you never let him get in the ambulance, than he's never going to get better." I finally let the doctors take him. They carried him on a stretcher into the ambulance and Darry and I were told to follow in our car.

The whole way there I sobbed uncontrollably. Darry and I never said a word. There was nothing we could say. Nothing we could say or do. I didn't think I was ever going to stop crying. I kept thinking of first seeing Soda lying there and then of seeing his face and then, that brief instant he woke up. He had said my name and I wondered if I would never hear it from him again. That was not a good thought to think. I mean, I was already crying, but that made me bawl even harder.

Soda was taken to the emergency room and Darry and I were left to sit and wait. I started praying. I did that sometimes. I hadn't been to church since once when Johnny and I took Two-Bit, Steve, and Soda. Well, they caused quite a racket and I never went back again, but I still prayed. I prayed that Soda wouldn't die. That he wouldn't feel any pain and that he would never suffer, ever. But I wondered if one little prayer did any good.