"Family of Dallas Winston?" a nurse calls softly a moment later. I smile at my friends before standing, my back aching slightly from sitting in the cold, plastic chair.
"I'm his cousin," I said. I wasn't sure why I was being honest. I could have very well passed as his sister. We looked alike.
"Dallas is going to be just fine," she assured me. "His arm is badly burned from when he pulled the other boy," she looked at the file and confirm, "Johnny from the fire. A few weeks rest and he'll be good as new."
"Thanks," I nodded. "Can I see him?"
"Soon. Right now, we have his sedated to ease the pain. A nurse will come by to let you know when he's awake," she said brightly.
"Thank you," I said. I sighed and turned back towards the trio. Darry was hugging Pony for dear life. I'd never seen him look so scared and so relieved at the same time before. I walked towards them slowly, before pulling Ponyboy into a hug myself. I needed to feel close to someone. That week had just been too long.
"Ever play a stunt like that again, and Darry'll look like a kitten compared to what I'll do to ya," I hissed in his ear as I ruffled his now bleached blonde hair. He grinned up at me, knowing that my threat was good.
"You followed us in," he reminded me.
"Well what? Did you really think I was about to let you three get your damn asses killed?" I muttered. "I can't lose no one else."
"None of us can," Darry said sincerely. "Thanks."
"For what?" I asked, confused.
"For lookin' after my kid brother. You knew where he was all along, didn't you?" he asked softly.
"No," I said honestly, shaking my head. "I didn't know until King dragged me over to the tracks that day I went to work with you," I explained. "King went crazy, and some guy told me the train passes through Windrixville. I put two and two together."
"Dally didn't tell you where we were?" Ponyboy asked in amazement. "I thought you two were close?"
"Dally's fiercely loyal," I shrugged. "It comes with the territory. Besides, we had a rule back home – unless it's a life or death situation, let matters lay as long as possible."
"Still…" Ponyboy said. "You coulda told Soda."
"Trust me, kid, I wanted to," I laughed softly. "But then I'd be puttin' Dally on the spot. We're like a tag team sometimes." I looked over towards the nurse's station, my heart in my throat. I was worried about Johnny. I was worried about Dally. It was hard to put my troubles aside.
We sat down in the waiting room, while Ponyboy explained everything to Darry, Soda and I. I was only half listening, because half way through his explanation, a group of reporters came in with cameras and microphones.
They bombarded poor Ponyboy with so many questions, even I was getting dizzy listening to them. Eventually, Darry and I ganged up on them, and well, Darry's a big guy. They backed off only after I offered up a little information about the fire.
"The guys are heroes," I said strongly. "They risked their lives today."
"What do you think about the whole situation? Surely, you were frightened when you heard about Johnny Cade killing that boy in the park," the man asked me.
My stomach turned. I hadn't been expecting that question.
"No comment," I breathed, pulling away from him, moving carefully back towards the group. Darry threw me a glance and I simply shook my head.
"What about your cousin's involvement?" the man pressed.
"No. Comment," I spat. I was tired and sore and just wanted to go home and get a few hours of sleep. I noticed that Ponyboy wasn't looking too hot, so when Soda got to his feet and kept the reporters on their toes, I was grateful.
He grabbed one guy's press had and another's camera and was walking around interviewing the nurses and mocking the reporters. He even tried to lift a cop's gun and when he was caught, his grin was so huge, the cop grinned too. Soda has a knack for making anyone smile. Ponyboy managed to get his hands on some hair grease, so his hair didn't look too bad now. The bright flashes of the cameras were making me sick, so I wandered outside for some fresh air a while later, letting the cool night's air knock some of the tension out of my bones.
"You got family in there?" a man asked as I was smoking a cigarette.
"A cousin," I nodded, only half aware of his presence.
"That sucks. What's he in for?" he asked.
"Burned his arm up," I shrugged. I was too tired for all the questions.
"Wait, you're that kid's cousin? Johnny Cade?" he man asked. I looked up, my eyes blazing with anger.
"Dally," I corrected. "What's with all the questions?"
"I'm a reporter with-," I cut him off quickly.
"What the hell is it with you people? Stop with the god damned questions already!" I spat, turning on my heel and storming through the front door, irritated and tired.
I got back to the trio just as Darry was getting news on Johnny. I came up to his side, listening closely as the doctor explained Johnny's condition. He was in critical condition. His back was broken and he was in severe shock and had real bad burns all over his body. He was in a lot of pain but the doctors were doing all they could to ease it. Since his back was broken, he couldn't feel anything below his waist.
"Wait…" I whispered, my stomach churning. "Are you saying…" I couldn't utter the question. The doctor caught my drift and nodded slightly.
"If he lives, he'll never walk again," the doctor said dully.
If. If he lived. If. There was no freaking way I could handle that. I turned and walked away from my friends. I didn't stop when Darry called out my name. I didn't stop until I was in the parking lot, slowly making my way to the truck. I slammed my fist against the cold metal hood, my heart racing in my chest. If. If. If. If he lived. If!
"Joy," Soda's gentle voice broke through my thoughts. I turned just as he put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in for a half hug as Ponyboy climbed into the truck. I couldn't stop shaking, even after we were all piled in the cab of the truck, squeezed together like sardines. I couldn't get the sick, icy cold feeling out of my bones.
When we reached the house, Ponyboy was sound asleep. I nudged him softly, because he was awkwardly leaning against my arm and it hurt.
"Wake up kid, we're home," I said gently, shaking him.
"Mmm," he muttered.
"C'mon Pony, we're tired too," Soda pleaded. Soda had gotten out of the truck, but I didn't want to move and risk Pony falling over.
"C'mon kid, you're killin' my arm," I begged. My broken wrist throbbed like crazy and the burns across my arm and left side stung.
"Mmm," he mumbled again.
Darry must have realized it was hopeless, because he scooped Ponyboy into his arms, sending a chill up my spine as I slowly moved out of the truck.
"He's getting mighty big to be carried," Soda remarked as he held the door open for Darry.
"He's sure lost a lot of weight," Darry sighed softly. After Ponyboy was tucked safely in bed, I walked into the kitchen, nearly being knocked over by King, who eagerly jumped up at me, his front paws knocking one of the burns.
"God, dog, stop!" I snapped, swatting at him. "Not tonight," I begged. He whined and tucked his tail, looking up at me with dark, chocolate eyes.
I grabbed him by his scruff and pushed him out the back door, knowing for sure that the best place for him was outside. I took a can of pepsi out of the ice box and drank it quickly before laying down on the couch. The second my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.