Hey fellow Outsiders fans, long time no update, sorry! I hope you'll check this out anyway :) and let me know what you think!

Lyrics in the beginning belong to Simon&Garfunkel. Soda belongs to S.E. Hinton (Lucky lady!)

But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity

Like emptiness in harmony I need someone to comfort me

Homeward bound, I wish I was

Homeward bound

12 days. That was how much time Soda had left in Vietnam. He was steadily improving and regaining his strength, so much that he really didn't need crutches anymore but every single nurse insisted that as long as they didn't clear him he needed to go around using them. Of course, whenever they were too busy, he would ignore them, only to get reprimanded if one spotted him.

Sophia was the only one who didn't get on his case. If she saw him, she would pretend not to notice or she'd simply tease him with a good natured laugh. She looked more and more tired every day, though, and he found himself thinking that he wanted to do something for her, to help her out in some way. But he could do nothing, really.

"What's with everybody today? They keep coming and going in a rush," Mark commented as he and Soda stood beside an open window to smoke together. They'd been there ten minutes and at least four nurses had run back and forth during that time.

"I heard they're going out tonight, well, some of them. They change shifts every now and then, y'know? So that they can go somewhere and unwind for a night." Soda quietly told him. He didn't really like smoking, but there wasn't much to do and he didn't want to be a spoilsport.

"Hmm. I wonder who's going to stay behind."

Truthfully, Soda was a bit jealous. Since he was feeling better he wished he could go out, for a change of scenery, and forget about everything for a while. He wouldn't drink - he hated drinking - but he would love to dance. And he knew who he'd ask to dance with him. The girl with the prettiest green eyes…

"Hey, Soda, you should go too. I bet Sophia would like to get some quality time with you."

Mark's voice shook him out of his thoughts. "Cool it, man." For some reason it really bothered him when Mark talked about her. "Wanna play poker?" he immediately added. Anything to distract himself and the other.

His friend nodded and they headed back to their room. Soda couldn't help but think that he wanted to ask Sophia if she'd really donated her blood to him and why - he was just another soldier to her and he doubted he'd even looked handsome at all when he'd been found, so she couldn't have been attracted to him like many other girls before her. Besides, he doubted she'd give him her blood for such a shallow reason.

"I'm so bored. How could everybody leave us without nothing to do?"

Soda ignored Mark's complaints. He was bored, too, but it wasn't the doctors' and the nurses' job to keep them entertained. He was so much grateful they'd saved his life, he couldn't ask for more.

"Soda, wanna raid the kitchen?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I think I'll go for a walk. Nobody's around so I don't need to pretend I'm using crutches." He grinned, and Mark threw a pillow at him. With the cast on his leg he couldn't exactly avoid that. "Hey, I'll try to nick some cigarettes." He promised, hoping to improve the other's mood.

When he started walking around the small hospital, though, he didn't like the feeling. Everything was too quiet. There were a few other soldiers admitted there, but if they weren't sleeping they must be seriously wounded or very calm, because he couldn't make out any voices. And there wasn't a single nurse around.

I wonder what Sophia's doing now. I wonder if she likes drinking. She doesn't look the type, but…

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

Someone had bumped into him. The green-eyed girl he couldn't stop thinking about. "I thought you were out?" He guessed, puzzled. Sophia was still wearing her nurse's uniform, but no hat. Her long hair wasn't tied back, for once, and it cascaded down her back. It was shiny and pretty, and probably very soft.

"No, someone had to stay here and another couple of girls and I didn't feel like going out. We're dead tired." She smiled. "Don't worry, a doctor stayed behind as well. You're all in good hands."

"I wasn't worried…"

He knew everything could happen at any given time, even if the hospital was located in a supposedly safe zone there was no guarantee they wouldn't get attacked. The chance was low, but still there.

"I see you're walking around without crutches, yet again." She crossed her arms and pretended to be annoyed. "Private Curtis, what are we gonna do with you?"

"Huh… forgive me because I have a great fashion sense?" He joked. He was wearing the standard hospital t-shirt and trousers.

Sophia finally let out a small laugh. "I guess. I was going to have some cool tea, want some?"

"Sure, why not." Soda hated tea with a passion, but if he got to spend time with her he'd even down pure whisky.

He winced as he sat on a stool - he still felt a bit of pain at times - and looked curiously at the record player in the corner of the small room, which was something between an office and a kitchen. "Hey, can we play some music?" His eyes lit up. He hadn't had the chance to listen to music in such a long time…

"Sure, if we keep it down. We don't have many records here. What about… Simon&Garfunkel?" She asked, as she put on a record. The lyrics of Homeward Bound filled the room and Soda made a face. "This song is sad."

"Well, it's hopeful, I think. But I should've guessed- you're more a Rolling Stones kind of guy, right?" She handed him the cup of tea and sat in front of him, sipping on her own.

"Hmm, well, I like 'em better than The Beatles for sure."

Time seemed to fly as they started talking about their favorite music, their tastes and everything else that came to mind. "Sophia?" Finally, he dared to ask. "Is it true that… did you really give me your blood when I was brought here?"

Sophia stilled and looked nervous, all of a sudden. "How do you know?"

"I overheard a conversation. I didn't mean it… and I swear I won't tell nobody, I just wanted to ask… why?"

She looked up. A few strands of hair framed her beautiful face, her green orbs stared into his brown ones, as her hands fidgeted in her lap and for a moment Soda saw right through her, he saw the young, scared girl, he saw her insecurities and her strengths, and the way she looked like pure sunshine right then.

He'd never seen anybody that way before. So he leant closer and kissed her.

It wasn't a long, passionate kiss. It was more of a peck on the lips, but to Soda it felt so good. He felt alive again.

When he parted from Sophia, he gently placed his hands on her face, keeping her close. He said nothing. They just stared at each other for a while, until she told him the reason he'd needed to hear. "I couldn't stand to see another die. I wanted to save you. I was this close to losing my mind…" She held her thumb and index finger very close together. "…I needed something to keep me going. I decided nobody would die that day. I was the only one with the same blood type as yours, as far as I know anyway, and I offered. We'd run out of B+ blood…"

Soda cut her off with another kiss. He hoped he would be able to convey how grateful he was.