Enjoy!
Thank you so much for the reviews, please continue because they make me smile :D
I also do not own the Outsiders, but I think that's a given.
3 Rainbowsh3rb3rt
Even though my foot hurt, I went to work anyway. Sandy had been great and all, but she started to suffocate me. "Is there anything I can get you? You look tired, how about you rest. How is your foot feeling? Are you okay? Would you like another ice pack? You look thirsty, can I get you a drink?." I appreciated that she cared and all, but it was getting to become too much. I was fine, it was just a bruise. I would go back to work and in the morning, everything will be fine.
The day was cooler than it has been recently, but it was still hotter than I wanted it to be. I yawned before climbing up the ladder to start roofing this new house. Today was going to be a hard one to get through, but I knew I had to do it. If I didn't than I couldn't afford to bring Soda to a doctor or continue to buy gauze for Ponyboy. If I didn't have work to bring money to my brothers than the social workers would come and put my brothers in a boys home.
I started working, being careful not to drop a hammer on my foot again. No matter how hard I try to focus on my work, I can't stop thinking about my brothers. First I would think about Soda, shaking regardless of the heat. The look on his face when he was in the hospital, and how even though he was exhausted and in pain, he did his best to comfort Ponyboy. Ponyboy. He didn't seem to get a break. He gets jumped, then runs out on us and gets in a fight with a Soc at the movies. Did they realize how difficult it was trying to take care of them, especially now? All they did was disagree with me and tell me they were fine. I don't care if they thought they were fine, they weren't and they needed rest to make sure that they were alright. But they didn't listen to me and look what happened!
I stepped onto the ladder, heading back down to get more roofing. My body was covered in sweat, I had been working for quite a while, mindlessly hammering roofing shingles onto the roof below me. I heard someone yelling at me, it was the other man working on the roof with me, Chuck. I heard his yells but hadn't heard what he was saying. I climbed down another step but missed it. I felt the feeling in my stomach, the one when you fall from a high place. There was no pain when I hit the ground, only the muffled sounds of the people around me who saw what had happened. I tried to speak, but it felt like I had just been hit by the largest guy on the other team back when I was playing football: All of the wind was knocked out of me.
"Can you hear me?" I heard from a distance. I didn't know the voice, but I assumed it was the lady who owned the house I was roofing. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I blinked, and the darkness started to engulf me.
XxxxX
I was tired and everything hurt. There was a rhythmic beeping sound behind me and I could hear the mumbled sounds of people talking around me. I stirred as best as I could and opened my eyes: I was in a hospital bed, there was a tube under my nose, and something sticky was on my chest.
"Oh, he's coming to!" a light, girlish voice said. It was an older nurse who was saying it, she had light hair, I couldn't tell if it was blond or if it was graying. She walked towards me, asking me questions but I wasn't ready for any of them.
"Virginia, he just woke up. Give the lad a break." Said a deep voice from the other side of the room. The doctor was tall, with black hair that was combed back neatly. He spoke again, but this time it was directed for me. "How are you feeling?"
"Er, yea. I suppose." He must have realized that I was confused, because he asked Virginia to get some water and sat down in the chair next to my bed.
"Do you know what happened, son?" It was the first time anyone had called me son since Mom and Dad died, it felt strange. I tried to remember what had happened, all I could remember was the feeling that I was falling. "You fell off of the roof you were working on. You've been out cold for the past three hours." I fell off a roof? Was I okay? Where were my brothers? Are they okay? I did the best I could to sit up, but everything hurt and I couldn't get much farther than propping my head up.
"Are they okay?" I said, but it wasn't until after I said it that I realized I wasn't specific about who 'they' were, so I tried to clarify. "My brothers..."
"Better than you are at the moment." He smiled a little bit, but I didn't see what was so funny about it. His smile quickly faded. "You have an entire fan club here for you. One of your brothers had to leave an hour or so ago, his girlfriend went with him." Soda, Soda had to leave. I hope he was okay. I knew Sandy would be there for him, which helped calm my nerves a little, but not completely.
"Can I see them?" I asked. Even if I couldn't see both my brothers, the gang would ease my nerves. The doctor checked his clipboard, followed by his watch and stood up.
"It's nearly seven, but for the next hour I don't see an issue with it."
XxxxX
The gang came in shortly after the doctor and I talked. Two-Bit came in first, with a big smile on his face. Steve was also there, which surprised me, I thought he would want to be with Soda considering they have been best buddies for as long as I can remember. Johnny came in, holding Ponyboy by the small of his back. Ponyboy was pale, and looked like he could barely walk. Dally was behind the two of them, looking ridiculously tired. His eyes were red and he would look of into the distance for a little bit before snapping back into reality. Johnny and Dally sat Ponyboy down at the chair closest to me.
"Hey, little buddy." I said, my voice came out a little more hoarse than I thought it would. I didn't think that it was that hoarse when I was talking with the doctor, but seeing Ponyboy kind of woke me up. He gulped, trying to find words to say, he eventually choked out a little.
"Hey Darry" I looked at him, he had a very similar look on his face that he did the day Soda was in the Hospital. I didn't know what to say, how to help him. I didn't even know what was wrong with me, I didn't know how to comfort him. Two-Bit, who had been sitting on the nightstand, jumped down and leaned over Pony.
"Pony, be happy. He's okay!" But Pony didn't say anything, just looked away towards the wall.
"Two-Bit, I know what you're trying to cheer him up, but let him be" Dally said, moving in closer to where Ponyboy was sitting. Two-Bit rolled his eyes and moved back to his seat on the nightstand.
"So you're alright! Gave us quite a scare for a moment!" Two-Bit was talking to me.
"What happened?" I asked. The doctor hadn't told me what happened, just that I fell off a roof. Johnny sat down next to Ponyboy, who was now sandwiched between Johnny and Dally. Two-Bit started talking.
"Shoot, Dare. You fell off a roof!" Ponyboy started to shake a little bit, it was obvious that he was scared out of his wits. I took my right arm and tried to extend it towards Pony, but it didn't get very far. Something was stopping it. "Don't move your arm, don't you know you dislocated that shoulder? and that's lucky! You hit your head, got yourself a concussion. Two broken ribs, while we're at its. I wouldn't try to walk either, hurt your leg pretty bad. But you're going to survive." That's it? I was going to be alright! But what about Ponyboy, what about Soda? They weren't alright. We were never going to be able to survive, neither Soda or I would be alright to work for a little while. If we couldn't keep working, then Soda and Pony would be taken from me and I couldn't have that happen. I closed my eyes, so much was going on in my head. I needed time to process this.
"How's Soda? Heard he had to leave..." it was all I could think to ask. Nobody answered me at first, Two-Bit was looking at Ponyboy, who had his head in his hands.
"He shouldn't have come" Pony said. I was surprised that he was the one to be talking. He looked as if he was about to pass out. His face was white and he was shaking, you could see his eyes were red, not in a tired way like Dally's, but like he had been crying. "He was in no condition to come, shaking all the time and then falling asleep. He was half crazy when we got the call. We tried to tell him not to go, that if he was feeling better in the morning then we would bring him, but he wouldn't have it."
"Is he okay?" Steve looked up at me, the look in his eyes was telling me that he wasn't. Pony stopped talking and Dally took over.
"He was. He would go through chills and then sleep and then crazy, like he had been all day long. He woke up from one of his naps, asking for Sandy. Sweat was rolling down his face, looked like he just got out of the shower. He whispered something crazy to her, I don't know what, but she said he needed to go home."
"I drove them" Two-Bit added, with a cheerful tone in his voice. He was surprisingly cheery. Two-Bit was always somewhat happy and upbeat, but he was acting like everything was fine. It was almost as if he was in a plastic bubble that deflected any emotion that wasn't upbeat and overly happy.
"Mathews, why are you so up-beat?" He started giggling a little bit before Johnny spoke up.
"He found a stash of candy while trying to find the bathroom. Ate nearly the entire bag in half an hour. He's been off the walls ever since." it made me smile, thinking about how he must have been in the waiting room. I looked at the clock, it was almost seven thirty. 30 more minutes and the doctors would come in, kicking the gang out and forcing me to get some rest.
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I was half awake when the gang came home. Sandy was at my side, pressing a wet washcloth on my head. I was laying on the couch, shaking uncontrollably, as I had done so many times today. Sandy had a very concerned look on her face, I hated to see her upset.
"Maybe we should have stayed at the hospital" she said in a quiet and calm voice. "That way we could have gotten you medicine, you could get better"
"N-no. No hospitals" I hadn't been able to say much all day, I know that made everyone scared, but you try talking while your teeth are chattering all the time. She pushed back a bit of hair that had gotten in my face, but didn't say anything like I thought she would.
The door opened at half past eight, it was Dally and Two-Bit, Johnny and Ponyboy. Steve must have gone home in his car, because he wasn't anywhere to be found. Two-Bit came in hollering with glee.
"Wooooopee!" I cringed a little bit, I had been dealing with headaches on and off since I got back from the hospital.
"Y'all keep it down!" Sandy said, a little angry at the gang. They listened to her a little bit after they realized she was still there, and by my pathetic side. Two-Bit came over to me, waving his hand in front of my face.
"Woah there, Soda. You look like hell!"
"Th-thanks." Pony and Johnny sat down on the two-seat sofa while Dally went to find something to eat in the kitchen. Pony looked better than when I had last seen him, he had a little more color, but he still looked scared. Johnny had taken out a pack of cigarettes and gave one to Pony. This is what everyone in the gang did when Pony looked scared, they knew a cigarette would make things a little bit better for him. "How-how's Superman?" I asked.
"Superman is right. Only Darry can fall off a roof and survive without a broken back!" Two-Bit said, taking a fork and piece of cake from Dally, who had just arrived from the kitchen. Dally spoke next.
"He does have a broken ankle, and two ribs." Two-Bit replied, cake falling out of his mouth.
"Buth heb's goinb to ge pine!" I didn't understand what he said, but Sandy turned around to me, putting the cloth against my head again.
"See, Soda? He's going to be fine! Now will you calm down and get some rest?" I closed my eyes and smiled.
"Mhmmm" I said dreamily. Darry was okay, which is all I needed to hear right now. I yawned, I was awfully tired. Even though I tried my hardest to sleep, I couldn't. I stayed on the couch, with my eyes closed listening to every word they said. The dreams I finally had that night sure were strange.
Sorry again about the ending...this is how things go down when it's almost 2 in the morning and you have school tomorrow xD
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have a super fantastic day, y'all!
