Such nice comments, messages, and reviews! Thank you :)
I'm glad some of you are enjoying this story. It's such a simple premise ... not sure how much further I should take it... let me know what you think? TG7
The day wore on and the boys continued their vigil by Dally's bedside. They had all been awake for a few hours now and although no one said much, they chatted back and forth every once in awhile to try to pass the time. Dally slept. The nurses knocked him unconscious every time he showed signs of coming to. Sure, he'd woken up swinging and looking for a fight earlier when he'd come out of recovery, but as far as the gang was concerned this had more to do with Dally being a greaser ... a hood.
They'd figured out who he was by now.
Dallas Winston - juvenile delinquent - troublemaker - danger to society.
He'd red flagged himself as a 'problem' before he'd even regained consciousness. The boys wondered if Tulsa would always be like this. The kind of town where a sick kid gets kept in a coma just in case he wakes up violent. If Dally were some Southside Soc, things would be different.
Darry went down to the cafeteria to get everyone some food and even though no one was hungry he insisted the boys try to eat. They sat there munching on chips and sandwiches as they waited, and other than the occasional comment or observation the room was fairly quiet.
The doctor had been by to examine Dally a couple of times and a nurse came in every half hour or so to check his vitals. They came and went with brisk proficiency only stopping to talk if one of the gang asked a question.
Their answers were the same every time...
"Mr. Winston is stable for now ... Mr. Winston is holding his own ... There's only so much we can do with an infectious condition like this one ... The medication is helping, but whether or not he gets better is up to Mr. Winston ... Mr. Winston needs to dig deep ... Only time will tell ..."
It seemed to the boys that it boiled down to this ...
If Dally fought for his life, he'd be ok.
If he gave up, they'd have a problem.
No one said it, but every one of them had prayed the same prayer.
"Lord, please don't let Dallas give up. Please remind him he's got something to live for. Please make sure he knows how much we need him, love him."
Pony noticed the sun casting shadows through the horizontal blinds on the window and he figured the sun would be setting soon. Hard to believe it had been less than 24 hours since their world had blown up on them. The minutes and hours had literally crept by and the boys felt like they might never see the end of this difficult day. Tough as it was they were still glad to be there, together. Everyone had skipped work and school; partly because they were exhausted from all the drama the night before and partly because they couldn't bear to not be there when Dally finally opened his eyes.
And it was gonna happen soon, they were sure of it. Dally had started to murmur in his sleep again and every so often he shifted in his bed. Darry kept a close eye on his friend, stroking the hair back and forth on his forehead to try to keep him calm. When the doctor came in the boys asked him if he could please let Dally's sedatives wear off this time and maybe could they hold off on giving him any more. Somehow they all felt like the situation would be less grim if they could just see Dally scowl up at them or listen to him complain or hear him say something sarcastic. This quiet, compliant version of Dally was eerie and it made everyone feel the gravity of the situation more heavily.
Doctor Sullivan was reluctant ...
"I hear what you're asking boys, but the hospital is responsible for considering everyone's safety and comfort. I'm afraid with a patient like Mr. Winston it might be best to just ... er... play it safe. You saw him when he woke up earlier; his behaviour was erratic and unpredictable. He frightened the nurses, and the last thing any of us need is another violent outburst. I think it's in everyone's best interests to just keep your friend sedated as he is now. You know how 'these things' work, I'm sure you boys can understand ..."
Surprisingly, it was Johnny who interrupted him.
"No sir, we don't understand how 'these things' work. Are you saying Dally isn't good enough to get treated the same as everyone else? With all due respect sir, I think you're wrong. You all keep coming in here telling us how Dal needs to fight to get better, but then you won't let him do it. I know Dally comes across scary and all when he yells and goes off half-cocked. I don't blame you for worrying about his safety and everyone else's safety too, but it seems to me that that's the exact kinda mindset Dally needs to be in to get through this. I mean, that's the 'fight' y'all have been talking 'bout right? I'm afraid if you keep him sedated like this Dally will just give up and slip away... and then we'll lose him ... and we can't lose him, sir ... we won't ..."
The room was silent hanging on Johnny's every word.
"Please. If you let Dally wake up, we'll make sure he doesn't hurt anyone. And we'll make sure he doesn't hurt himself either or cause any trouble."
To say the gang was proud of him would be an understatement. People just don't give Johnny enough credit. In his own quiet way, he can exude a practical confidence that's real reassuring, and in this case it had been enough to change Doctor Sullivan's mind.
He let out a defeated sigh then spoke...
"Alright boys, we'll try it your way. But if Mr. Winston becomes belligerent again or I think for one second he's putting himself or any of my staff in danger I'll induce another coma, and I won't be asking you for permission, is that clear?"
"Yes, sir. Perfectly clear. We'll make sure Dallas keeps calm. You have our word on it." Darry's reply was as confident as Johnny's speech. He just hoped they could put their money where their mouths were ...
(Review please :)
