AN: Hm, maybe i'm spoiling you guys with my quick updates. Maybe it's unfair, because now you're going to want other authors to update this quickly. Maybe i don't care.

Chapter 10 (Back to Pony's POV)

I watch in horror as Soda runs out of the room. Then I berate myself for thinking anything different would happen. I've seen what I look like. I'm a monster. I look at them expectantly, waiting for them to leave me in disgust and comfort poor Soda, broken by the image of his deformed freak brother.

"I'm sorry" I whisper in shame. Steve leaves to go after Soda. Darry comes up to me slowly, as if I may bite. I flinch when his hand comes to my face, but he just holds my face tenderly.

"Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. He just…doesn't like seeing you hurt." I snap my head fearfully as the door opens, but it's only Soda and Steve coming back.

"I'm sorry I ran out, Pony." He tells me softly as he sits by my bed.

"It's ok, I know how I look." Soda strokes my hair and we sit in silence, nobody's sure exactly what to say. I let Soda turn his head as the door opens again, a doctor walking in. He has thinning gray hair and a paternal look of worry etched into him.

"Hello…Ponyboy, I'm Dr. Woodsworth, I've come to talk to you for a bit. The police just turned in the results from the interrogation and polygraph test with Mr. Lilc."

"He's mad at me, isn't he?" I ask fearfully. Dr. Woodsworth smiles comfortingly,

"You're safe right now, I promise you that. Now, I'm not going to make you recount any of it, but I'll read off the charges and you'll just nod if it's correct and add on if you feel the need later, alright?" I nod and he begins, "Charges of child abuse and torture in the forms of sleep and food deprivation." I nod my head. "Charges of verbal abuse." I nod again. "Charges of sexual assault and rape." I confirm, not daring to look at their faces. "Charges of child prostitution and allowing others to abuse charge for profit." I glue my eyes to the bed sheet as I once again confirm the charge. "Charges for attempted murder and repeated threatening to endanger the life of a minor." I nod and the file closes, the doctor examining my face cautiously,

"Is there anything you'd like to add?" Isn't that enough? I shake my head and the doctor stands to leave, saying comfortingly, "With any luck, you'll be out of here within the week." I fake a smile and he leaves, closing the door behind him. I keep my head down, not wanting to see their mortified faces as they storm out of the room, realizing I'm dirty and I don't deserve any of their love. When I don't hear the door close, I look up curiously. Soda's crying, some of the others look close to it. Except Dally, he never cries, no matter what. I revert my gaze down and Soda continues holding me as if it would hurt him just as much as it would hurt me to let go.

"Hush, Pony-baby, I've got you. Relax honey." I didn't realize how shook up that small discussion made me until he starts trying to calm me down.

It's early in the morning, so I can't send them home yet. I want them here, but by the looks on their faces I know they're uncomfortable. I don't want them feeling guilty about me. "When did it start, Ponyboy? When did he start hitting you?" Soda asks, and I know he wants me to tell him that it was after I saw him that time in the summer. I'm usually a good liar, but Soda's different, I can't lie to him.

"On the ride to the house he punched me." I admit, lowering my eyes before them. They would've done it different. They would've been smarter, stronger. They wouldn't have let it happen. They definitely wouldn't have gone to the point where they were sniveling cowards, obeying the every word of their masters. If he had told me to stop breathing, I would've died. I don't deserve their pity. I want to tell them this, but maybe they know how low I am already.

"Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell me?" Soda pleads, sounding heartbroken. I've made him sad, that's the last thing I ever wanted to do. Taking away Soda's smile should count as a criminal offense. I hang my head and whisper,

"I'm sorry, Soda. I thought…he said…I don't know!" I end in frustration, not knowing how to say it. Johnny knows what I mean and he repeats word I whispered to him throughout our childhood.

"You didn't deserve it and you're not weak for taking it." I look at him as he smiles wryly.

"Throw my words back in my face, huh? I see how it is." I snarl jokingly. He laughs,

"Do you believe me?" I think about it for a moment,

"I want to." Darry says in an authoritative voice, almost demanding me to believe him,

"None of what happened is your fault. Honey, I promise I'm not going to let anybody hurt you ever again."

"How are you going to do that?" Soda angrily bites back.

"Don't…don't fight…" I beg them, today has been going so nicely. They're quiet for a minute, then Darry says quietly,

"I'm going to get custody of you two. I'll take care of you."

"Darry…what about college, and…" I trail off in horror, then say, "and Soda's family's alright. I'll just…"

"You'll just what, kid?" Dally demands suddenly, "You'll just be a martyr and suffer alone? What do you think they're gonna do to you once you get out of this hospital? Huh? Let some magical dream family adopt you? That ain't how life works!" I almost glare at him, but I say in a hard voice.

"Nobody's going to adopt me. I'm damaged goods. They're gonna put me in some asylum 'til I turn eighteen." Soda looks at Darry,

"Do whatever you need to do, if you do actually plan on doing something, because I'm a minute from going home and telling my adoptive parents they're getting another child." Darry nods slightly and leaves the room,

"I'm going to take care of you two."

"Mr. Lilc's trial is in two weeks. They want me to testify." I shudder slightly at the thought of having to be in the same room as that man. Soda rubs my back comfortingly, forgetting about the bruising and cuts. I tense but I don't say a word. Habit. He withdraws his hand quickly,

"Sorry." He sounds embarrassed.

"That's alright. You didn't mean to." I tell him honestly. I turn to Johnny, who looks at my back angrily.

"You're just a kid. What did you ever do to anybody?" He demands. I smile lazily and say in an off-hand voice,

"Whatever you did, apparently."

"Shoot, the only sin you two ever committed was being born on the wrong side of town and having the wrong kind of luck." Two-Bit announces seriously, which is a rare occurrence indeed. I lay back tiredly and Soda whispers in my ear,

"It's alright, honey, go to sleep…" I happily comply.

AN: So, there you go. I think maybe the next chapter will be this same scene from all the gang's POV, so we can learn how they feel? What do you think? Should i just continue on with the story instead? Won't update until i get a consensus.