A/N: Hey guys, as always, thanks for the reviews/follows/favorites. I'd like to put a request out there for any ideas for what should happen next. This chapter took a really long time for me to come up with and it's not even that good. I'm running out of fuel. Thanks again for the support!

Soda looked at the ground. I didn't want to be the first one to say anything so I just waited for him to speak up. He cleared his throat and glanced up at me through his eyelashes. His eyes were on the brink of spilling over as he took a couple of steps toward me.

"Bean. I- I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone, especially thinking you'd get home from Dally. That was just dumb. I shoulda known that he would pull a stupid stunt like that! He doesn't know what's good for 'im. 'Cuz if he did, you would be at home safe and sound... Well at least not broken and battered. Me 'n Steve just feel real bad about leavin' ya there and all..." I waited patiently for him to finish, because I knew he wanted to get it all off his chest.

He looked me in the eye when he was done talking. "You done?" I asked just to make sure. He nodded. "Good. Listen, Soda. You didn't do anything wrong. I was the dumb one that thought I could trust Dally to get me home! You and Steve shouldn't blame yourselves for what happened! In any case, something good came out of it in the end..." I grinned.

"What do you mean?" He grinned back.

"I guess almost killing a girl rides pretty hard on your conscience, because I think Dally and I are finally together."

"That's great, Bean! You need to straighten him out." He laughed softly.

"No one can do that, Soda. I think I'm just gonna try to keep him from exploding."

He laughed again and patted my knee, "I'm happy for ya, just be careful with him. You know how he is and none of us want ya gettin' hurt."

"Got it, Soda." I smiled at him.

"Hey! I think they're gonna let you come home tonight! Want me to go ask about it?" I nodded enthusiastically and he went out to the nurse's station. He came back in after a few minutes and told me that I would be able to go home after the doctor gave me one last look.

XX

Darry signed me out and I was home before 5 that evening. He, Soda and Pony got me all settled back into my room and let me rest for a couple of hours. I woke up from the sound of glass breaking in the kitchen. I shoved myself off of my bed and grabbed my crutch. Boy, was this going to get old real quick. I hobbled out toward the living room and saw Darry with a broom looking angry. I took a couple more steps towards the kitchen and saw Steve picking up pieces of a broken plate.

"I'm real sorry, Darry." He sounded sincere.

"It's fine, really." Darry's voice was tense. I wondered why he was so torn up about a broken plate. Stuff broke all the time, there was eight teen-agers that almost all lived here, what did he expect? Steve looked up from his place on the floor and saw me struggling to get closer.

"Stay out there, Jill. The last thing you need is to get a piece of glass in your foot." He said. I rolled my eyes but followed his directions. Darry gave me a look that told me to get the hell out of there. I lugged my broken body over to the couch to wear Pony was sitting. Moving around was not an easy task with both a leg and an arm in casts and my ribs and head in bandages. I had one crutch to help me get around, but it was still pretty hard. I flopped down and looked over at Pony.

"What crawled up Darry's butt and died?" I asked.

"From what I heard him telling Soda, we're pretty hard on money right now. And it's getting worse with all your hospital bills and everything." He flipped through a book.

I huffed. This was all my fault. "Great," I replied sarcastically.

The front door opened and snapped back shut. Dally and Johnny walked in and Two-Bit trailed them by a couple seconds. My face lit up when I saw Dally and I could tell Ponyboy was looking at me weird. Dally shot me a wink and went to the kitchen doorway. Johnny sat down next to me, careful not to touch my broken bones.

"Why were you lookin' at him all googly eyed? He was the one that almost killed you, remember?" Pony looked at me accusingly.

"He was also the one who saved me, so can it!" I snapped at him.

He threw his hands up in surrender. "Geez, don't bust my head open with your cast! I was just asking a question."

"Well, then to answer your question, you know damn well why I was making googly eyes at him. The same reason that I have been for over 5 years!" He just laughed and went back to the book he was flipping through. I let out a sigh and looked down at my arm. The little black heart made me smile every time I saw it. I couldn't tell anybody who put it there, but I knew and that was all that mattered.

"How ya feelin'?" Johnny asked from the other side of me.

"Eh. I've been better. What about you?"

"I'm good, a little jealous though." He admitted.

"What could you possibly be jealous about?" I asked.

He held up my arm and pointed to the heart. "I'm jealous that I wasn't the first one to sign this thing!" His ears turned a little red when he said it.

"Well, you can be the second person! Let me go get a marker." I moved to get up but Johnny stopped me.

"You stay here, I'll go get it!" I smiled as he walked away. He could be such a goof sometimes. I heard him asking the guys in the kitchen where the markers were.

"Whatcha need a marker for?" Soda asked.

"I gotta sign Jilly's cast! I wanted to be the first, but someone beat me to the punch." He explained.

"Hey, that's a really good idea. All of us should write her a little message or somethin'!" Two-Bit agreed.

Pretty quick, they were all coming out and crowding around me waiting for their turns with the marker. I looked at all of them standing in a semi-circle around me. This seemed to be a pretty common sight nowadays. It was weird. Johnny pulled his hand away and I looked down to see what he'd written. Get well soon. Your pal, Johnnycakes. I smiled at him as the next person took the marker. By the time they were all through, I had some pretty interesting messages:

The guys around town better back off because you're looking pretty good in all this plaster, Steve.

You're stuck with me as a cartoon buddy. Two-Bit

Don't worry me like this again. I mean it, Darry.

You're a trooper, Sodapop Curtis.

You should go around hitting your cast on things and pretending to be the Hulk. Pony.

And the most important.

I'll protect ya next time, Dal.

"Wait, what's that?" Two-Bit pointed at the heart.

"That's a heart. One of the basic shapes you learn in elementary school." I answered.

"I know that! But who's it from?" I panicked. I looked around at all the guys and they all had the same wondering stare. I locked eyes with Dally he gave me the look that said not to spill about him being all gushy.

"Uhm- It's from my friend. Marilyn." I hadn't talked to her in a while, but I figured the guys would believe me.

"When did you see her?" Darry asked quickly.

"And who's Marilyn?" Steve added.

"Marilyn is my friend, Steve! Marilyn Montgomery. She came and visited me in the hospital."

"Whoa! You never told us you were friends with her! She's real tuff. I'd like to get my hands on that. Hey, Jill, how 'bout hooking a guy up?" Steve asked.

"Sorry, Stevie. No can do, Darry practically drools every time she's around. You'll have to fight him for her." Steve gave Darry an appraising glance, trying to figure out if he could take him. He must have decided he couldn't because he shook his head and looked at the ground in defeat.

"I do not drool!" Darry argued.

"Yeah, sure. Tell me that next time I have to mop up after you." I laughed.

"Whatever." He mumbled, the tops of his ears were turning red.

I looked back to Dally after I swiftly changed the subject, he gave me a small grin and a wink. My heart fluttered. Boy, was I in trouble.