Chapter: 10

Sodapop POV

I couldn't believe it when Ponyboy went limp. At first I thought he had died, and my heart jumped, but then I noticed something; his chest was rising and

down with each breath he took. We had raced out to the truck and started racing to town. Me holding Pony against me and Darry driving like the devil

himself was chasing us. We reached the hospital in no time, and I couldn't be more thankful to see a nurse walking in.

"Ma'am!" Darry called out, getting out and taking Pony from my arms. "Hey we need help." The girl looked at us confused, but when she saw the bloody

kid in our possession she ran into the building. Just as we were about to enter the doors, a doctor, with a rolling bed and the girl met us. Darry laid Pony

down on the bed as the young nurse put a breathing mask over his nose and mouth.

"Is he allergic to anything?" she asked as they started pushing the bed.

"No, he's not." Darry was following them, with me trailing behind. The bed pushed through some double swinging doors, and the nurse stopped as the

doctor continued with our brother.

"I'm sorry but you can't go in there, sir." She said putting a hand on either of our chest. "Will you please wait in the waiting room? It's down the hall to

your right. You're also going to have to fill out some paper work, so if you want to do that now instead of later."

Slowly Darry nodded and turned to me. "Let's go Pepsi-cola." He said and put a hand on my shoulder as we stared down the hall to the waiting room.

Everything in there was a fake cheerfulness with light green wallpaper, and a few chairs with a table next to the ones on the ends piled with magazines.

Slowly I took a seat my hands folded together between my legs.

"I'll be right back soda." Darry said. "I'm going to go call the house and see if anyone's there, if there's not I'm going to call Two-Bit's. Then I'm going to

go fill out the paperwork for Pony…" I nodded and watched him leave, sighing. I was glad we had found Ponyboy but I was still worried about him. Only

when he was at home, safe and sound, would I relax. Not before I was sure he was going to be okay. Before long Darry had come back and he sat next

to me.

"I got a hold of the Steve and Two-Bit and they're going to come meet us here." Nodding I slouched down, and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I told you we'd find him."

"Yeah I know you did, little buddy…. I know you did."

The clicking of shoes echoed in the polished floor as the nurse came out with her hands behind her back. She walked towards us, and Darry and I stood

up as she started to speak. "That kid you guy's brought in— well he's pretty bang up— but doc's getting him stitched up and fixing that broken arm of

his. Lucky for you he had no internal bleeding, but he's going to be sore for quite some time."

"He's okay then?" I asked. She nodded

"Yeah he's going to be fine, eventually. Let him heal up and he should be as good as new."

"Okay thanks." Darry said with a smile.

"You should be able to see him real soon, the doc's almost done." Once again she walked away, disappearing around a corner.

"He's going to be okay." Darry grinned.

"He's gonna be okay!" yelling I jumped up then hooked an arm around his neck in a half hug, and he put his arms around my shoulders.

"You two look happy." Steve's voice came from my left and I looked over to see him and Two-Bit.

"Ponyboy's gonna be okay!" letting go of Darry I ran over and jumped on Steve's back.

"Yahoo!" Two-Bit yelled.

"So he's really going to be ok?" Steve asked, looking at Darry as he pulled me off his back and put me in a head lock.

"Yes he is going to be just fine." Darry answered.

"Can we see him yet?" Two-Bit asked andbwalked past me and Steve.

"Not yet, but we'll be able to soon. Soda, Steve knock it off you two." Steve had got me on the floor, where we were wrestling.

Ponyboy's POV

When I had blacked out in the basement I figured I was dying, but I found my eyes opening again. This time to a light colored room of a hospital. I

looked around and saw a bunch of machines and monitors that I was hooked up to. My arm which had been broken itched and was rapped on a cast,

and the other was rigged up to an IV. The door to my room, which had been shut. Slowly opened and a lady peeked in. "Oh good you're awake." She

smiled and came all the way in. she was dressed in a nurses uniform, but she didn't look any older then Sodapop. Checking the monitors she wrote

some stuff down on a clipboard, then turned to me. "How are you feeling, tough guy?" she asked.

"I feel kinda numb…" I replied.

"Well that's normal. The morphine doesthat, but its better then the pain right?" she grinned I nodded, and instantly regretted it, as my head felt like it

was swimming. "You had some people worried about you." She continued."When I saw them coming with you in the big guys arms I thought surly you

were dead. You were alive, barely. Those two guys were waiting in the waiting room for some time then two others came and joined them. Quiet a

bunch of people who care about you if I do say so myself. They want to see you, if you're up to it, I can go get them."

"Um… yeah I'd like to see them." I said a little confused about who it was. I was pretty sure it was my brothers. There was no one else it could be. The

nurse smiled, then walked out to get my visitors. It wasn't more than three minutes before Soda burst through the door and raced to me jumping on the

bed. "Pony!" he yelled wrapping me in a hug. I wrapped the arm without a cast around him and grinned. It was so good to see him again. Eventually he

let go, sitting on his heels and I saw Darry. He bent over me and gave me a hug then messed up my hair when he let go. Two-Bit was next and gave me

a playful punch on the shoulder and handed me a sparkling pink bear that said "pretty princess" on it. I grinned and chucked it at him as he dodged it.

Even Steve, who normally didn't like me, grinned and told me he was glad I was okay.

I had to stay in the hospital for awhile so they could watch me and make sure I was going to recover fully before letting me go, so I was stuck there for

a week, but that didn't bother me. I had all my friends and family, around me, and I was out of danger for the first time in awhile. Sadly I knew that

wouldn't last. After what happened, not only to me, but to my parents, Johnny, and others I didn't believe in safety anymore. In my world there was no

such thing as safe. Things always happen in life that makes us face dangers, but they test you. They make you who you are, and I knew I would have

more challenges. But right now I was okay. My brothers, and the remainder of the gang where around me, we were still all together, and as long as we

ended together it didn't matter what we went through, or how long we were separated. As long as someday we were together again things would be

okay. Maybe someday we'll even see Johnny, Dally and Mom, and Dad again. Sometime after death I hope we will all be together with all of them again,

but for now, I have the people in the room with me, and they have me. Together we'll be ok, even if one or two or all of us die. Love doesn't end with

death, and neither does friendship. Those will never die, they live on and on till the end of time and with them so do the memory of those who know

them…