She's A Handsome Woman Ch. 4

"-who could've-"

"-when-"

"-why?"

Johnny stirs, and hears several gasps. He opens his eyes fully, feeling extremely groggy. All he sees is a white ceiling, and turns his head.

"Johnny!" he hears a voice exclaim, and sees Ponyboy and Sodapop appear out of nowhere. They are now talking fast, and Johnny can't comprehend the questions hurled at him from all sides. His head starts spinning, and he closes his eyes.

They finally stop asking questions, and he sighs.

"What's wrong with me?" Johnny asks them, and they exchange glances.

Ponyboy finally answers. "It's...it's your back."

Johnny's heart sinks. "What is it?" His breathing increases, and he just wants to be out of this hospital bed.

"Now, calm down," Soda says, holding up a hand. "It's not...that bad." He and Ponyboy exchange another glance, annoying Johnny.

"Can you guys just get to the point?" he asks impatiently. They look surprised at his outburst.

"Well..." Soda says. "You're gonna have to be in the chair for another month. Whoever messed you up did a pretty good job." He cringes at his phrasing.

Oh no, Johnny thinks, panicking, oh please no!

As if school isn't bad enough...school in a wheelchair is hell. People pushing you down halls at top speeds, stealing your lunch...and worst of all, Two-Bit hitching a ride down the ramp every day going ninety.

A tear slips down his cheek, and he's just broken the promise that he made after Dally's death: to never cry in front of the guys again.

That just causes more tears.

...

If there's any positive side to being in the hospital, Johnny thinks it must be Grace's visits. Not only is she upbeat (excluding the first visit, when she was bawling), she brings him books and reads to him.

He loves the sound of her voice as she reads to him, the way she uses slightly deeper voices for the men, and slightly higher for the women. He loves how she bursts into laughter at random points during a sentence-for no reason at all. But mostly, he realizes, he loves her company in general.

The only thing that interferes with his happiness (aside from the excruciating pain in his back) is the things he hears about Grace from Ponyboy.

One day, three days from his release, Ponyboy blurts, "Someone said Curly Shephard felt her up."

Johnny almost spits out the nasty hospital orange juice.

"What?"

"That's what I said. I told Darry about it..."

"You told Darry?" Johnny gasps. "Man, she is going to get it."

"I told Darry..." Ponyboy says. "But Darry says it's prolly just a rumor. So don't say anything, ya dig?"

Johnny nods. He doesn't really care that much, except for that she's his best friend's sister. He hasn't thought those weird things about Grace for the whole duration of his hospital stay-five days- and he intends on keeping it that way.

...

"WELCOME HOME, JOHNNY!"

Johnny is shocked by the room in front of him. There are streamers, balloons, and a banner that reads 'Welcome Back'.

Ponyboy wheels him over the threshold, and immediately the gang is by his side.

As they coo over him, he notices someone walking by out of the corner of his eye.

Grace.

He cocks his head curiously as she slips out of the screen door, wondering how no one notices.

They all eat together that night, except Grace. Darry has baked a chicken and fixed mashed potatoes, fried okra, and green beens.

It's the best meal Johnny's ever had.

It may be kind of short, and I know it moves fast. But it's kind of third person limited, and only so much goes on in a hospital.

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