Author's note: Thank you everybody for all those wonderful reviews, I really appreciate them!
Here's chapter 4, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the outsiders.

Chapter 4

An hour and almost a pack of cigarettes later, the doctor who had performed the surgery on Pony, finally came out from the double doors, having finished the surgery. The boys abruptly stood up when they saw Pony's surgeon. They all felt that they were tightly strung like a rubber band, ready to snap if it was being stretched any further.

The doctor walked up to them with a neutral look on his face so it was impossible to know how Pony was doing. And that only made the gang even more upset.

"So h-how is he doing" Darry asked with a slight stutter, nervous to hear the answer. He put a callused hand on Soda's shoulder as he was now stiff as a plank. He probably tried to look strong in front of the doctor and compose himself for what the doctor's going to say.

Johnny started to visibly shaking and felt as if his knees were going to buckle any second. He didn't think he could forgive himself if Pony hadn't survived the surgery. Dally noticed Johnny's shaking and carefully wrapped an arm around his shaking shoulders, he clearly knew what was going on in his head just by the look of his wide eyes.

"According to the x-rays, the bullet managed to tear through a lot of muscle tissue and get half buried in his collarbone. We managed to get it out without preventing further damage. You can visit him now but he probably won't be awake, and if he does wake up he will be to out of it to know what is going on. Our biggest concern right now is since he has lost a big amount of blood and have had received blood that it could develop sepsis which in itself is can be very dangerous"

"Sepsis?" Soda asked in a small voice.

"Blood poisoning" the doctor answered with a sad smile. "There's a very low risk for a healthy boy like him to develop sepsis, but it isn't excluded. We will have him transferred into his own room when we have made sure he's out of the risk. It will also take time for the damaged muscles to fully heal so he won't be able to use his shoulder or lift heavy things, for a couple weeks. Other than the shoulder he also had several bruised ribs, a minor concussion and several bruises. And I can see that he's not the only one who has been given bruises. I assume that it was the boys who shot him who did it?"

The boys nodded and enthusiastically. It wouldn't help them at all if he knew about the rumble that had found place only three hours earlier; as a matter of fact it would probably make the case a whole lot worse in their favor. After the doctor's words they had enough on their plates without having the state on their backs.

The doctor nodded and wrote something on his chart. "Now if you'll follow me"

The gang followed the doctor through the double doors and down the corridors. The atmosphere in the ICU was gloomy and melancholy as they dragged their tired feet forward, one in front of the other.

A few seconds later the doctor rounded a corner and walked, with the muddy teenagers in tow, into a room where numerous beds lay on either side, only shielded by curtains. Groans and cries of pain could be heard from the patients they bypassed. Soda got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach when he thought of his baby brother being one of these patients. Before he could think that thought through they came to a halt at Pony's bed side. The sight made Darry want to hurl.

On the bed lay his baby brother, a deathly shade of pale which attested to just how much blood he had lost, almost as white as the sheets he was laying on. You could barely see the bruises that had been way too noticeable only a few hours earlier. White gauze was taped to his injured shoulder and an IV ran from his both his hands to a bag of fluid hanging on a tripod along with a bag which contained a dark red fluid. It was obvious that the kid was sedated; normally he would rarely lay still when at sleep but now only the thing that indicated he was still alive was the small rise and fall of his chest, and the mist that clouded the oxygen mask that was covering his mouth and nose.

Dr. Scott moved to check on his IV's. "If something happens just press this button" he pointed at a red square button behind Pony's bed. "I'll be back in about thirty minutes; I've got other patients to attend" the doctor spoke before leaving the gang alone with Ponyboy.

When the doctor left, they all circled around the bed. Darry and Soda stood on either side, closest to their little brother. They both crouched down and took his hands in their own, careful not to disturb the IV tubes.

"Aw Pone" Darry sighed and reached up to card his fingers through his baby brother's hair. It was rare for him to show this kind of affection but it scared him to see his beloved baby brother lying so vulnerable on the bed. "You just rest kiddo. We will be here when you wake up"

Soda glanced at Darry in awe. He couldn't remember the last time Darry had shown affection like that toward their brother. Soda held his brothers hand gently in his while stroking the back of his hand, careful with the tube.

"Damn he doesn't look good" Two-bit muttered. He thought back to when he had offered the kid a ride; when he said he was fine even though he looked a bit shaky and cheeks slightly flushed. If his fever affected his current condition he doubted he could forgive himself for not revealing it.

Johnny looked at his best friend with sad eyes "Yea, he does"

He glanced at Dally who stood at his side. The grim look on his face and blazing eyes revealed the emotions he tried to hide. The dangerous look and clenched fists revealed his urge to get his hand on the socs. God help them if he ever did get his hands on them.

They all understood Dal's anger and felt the same urge to strangle every one of them, but they knew that there was nothing to do about it and an angry Dally was definitely not what they needed at the moment. All they could do was hope that those sons of bitches got locked up and the key thrown away, and that their youngest member would soon turn out ok after taking a bullet to his shoulder. The kid was tough after all.

They stood like that, not moving from the spot when a nurse came to check on Pony. She checked his temperature, the IV's and his pulse.

"Is something wrong?" Soda couldn't help but ask.

"He's doing as fine as it should be expected after what he had gone through. He has a slight temperature though probably due to all the damage his body had received over the past few hours. But if it climbs to dangerous levels, then there's a good reason to be concerned. I'll be back within another thirty minutes and if anything happens meanwhile, just press the call button" she added with a sweet smile, too sweet in
comparison of the place they were in. On the other side, without being able to smile under these circumstances the job might get too unbearable.

The nurse left and the boys resumed their protective position around the bed, not much space for a total six muscular teenagers, but none of them seemed to care.

It seemed like they had been standing there for hours when it had barely been an hour of anxious waiting for those blue green eyes to look at them again. The waiting almost got too much for Soda as it got harder and harder for him to hold back the salty tears than threatened to fall. Looking down on his and his brother's folded hands he tried to get a grip on himself. There was no way he was going to cry again in front of his friends. He was a greaser after all, but still, seeing the person he loved almost the most of all people had really affected him hard.

Before he knew of it, tears were once again leaking down his face, leaving wet passages.

"You have to get better kiddo, I just *sniff* can't stand seeing you like this" he brushed a thumb gently over his cheek, but without any indication that Pony had heard him.

None of them had anything to do or say to make Soda feel any better. They felt just as miserable and lost as him.

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A/N: Please review and tell me what you think