Death stood watching and waiting. He stood there, silently standing by the young boy's head. The boy was young. Younger than most of the people he's taken. Sure he's taken babies' lives and young infants, he's taken kids that were happy and loved life... it was just their time. The thing was that it wasn't this boys time, not yet. He stood there waiting, waiting for the boy to make up his mind because only then could he take the young man's soul.

He was wandering the earth when he got a sudden pull, a pull that led him to Tulsa, Oklahoma. He's been there before, plenty of times in fact, taking the lives of so called JD's, hoods, and greasers. Now normally, Fate, she would give him a week's notice when someone was about to die but this one was sudden.

Nobody saw it coming.

He watched as the Socs left and a few moments later two young boys walked down the street laughing and horsing around. One boy glanced down the alleyway, froze, and then out-right sprinted to the boy laying by Death's feet.

~/~

"Holy shit," Soda cursed, dropping down onto his knees as he shakily moved his hands towards Pony's neck.

A silver handle glinted against the snow.

"Soda!" Steve said urgently, "Don't move him, he's got a fucking blade sticking out of his side!"

Steve looked over Pony's body, silently cursing when he found more blood pooling around his leg. At closer examination Steve noticed a gash, the size of Manhattan, jaggedly cut across from his thigh to his kneecap.

He let out another low curse.

"He's got a pulse. It's thin, but there."

Slowly Soda got up, "He needs an ambulance...I'm gonna go call for one."

Steve was left alone not knowing what to do. He wasn't about to let Ponyboy bleed to death in an alleyway and yet he had never before handled so much blood. He gave an aggravated sigh and began to work.

He hurriedly took off his jacket and ripped it into shreds. He bent down, focusing on Pony's leg and then started to tie them around it. He winced as Pony's blood immediately soaked through the bandages. As he got closer to the knife wound, Steve couldn't figure out if he should take it out or leave it in.

He left it in.

Steve examined Pony's head and didn't think it was very good to have a gash under your eyebrow. He put his fingers on Ponyboy's neck, noticing the thin pulse.

"Come on Soda, hurry your ass up," he whispered.

Steve sat there, having one hand keeping pressure on Pony's leg and the other making sure there was a pulse. He prayed to God that this wasn't it for the kid. Just as he was about to get an ambulance himself Sodapop came running down the street.

"Sorry, couldn't find a phone," he said,out of breath, "How's he doing?"

"Not so good, if the ambulance doesn't come soon I swear to God-"

Sirens filled the street.

"Finally."

~/~

The hospital was like ice. Not in the sense that everything was cold and slippery, but in the sense that everything was sterile and it gave you a chill. The walls were pale white and the floor spotless. But Soda knew that if these walls could talk there would be some horrid stories.

The nurses were no help, always shooing them off muttering "hoods" under their breath. The chairs where hard and the waiting room was uncomfortable. Nobody wanted to talk. Nobody wanted to be there.

"You think we should call Darry?" Steve questioned breaking the silence. He was currently slouching in one of the hospital chairs, watching Soda pace the room. They had been waiting at the hospital for over an hour and things were getting tense.

"No I don't think we should call Darry, I know we should call Darry." Soda snapped.

"So then why haven't you yet?" Steve questioned, lighting up a cigarette. He needed to pass the time.

"Because-because- you know Darry he'll get all uhh, you know?"

Steve chuckled while leaning back farther in the chair. The nurse at the desk gave him a disapproving look. Steve just smirked.

Soda reluctantly went to the pay phone, putting in ten cents for the call.

The phone rang.

"Tom's roofing company, how can I help you?" a gruff voice grumbled.

"Yeah uh-," Soda cleared his throat, "Is Darry there?"

"You mean Darrel, Darrel Curtis." the man asked, shuffling papers on the other side.

"Yep that's him." Soda rung his hands against the phone cord.

"Yeah, I'll see if I can get him," the man said.

Soda rubbed his hair nervously. He didn't want to call Darry because then Darry would miss work and then the bills wouldn't get to be paid. If the bills weren't paid then Darry worked overtime and if Darry worked overtime then he turned from a twenty year old man into a forty year old man. If he turned into a forty year old man then th-

"Hello?" Darry questioned, wondering who would be calling him.

"Hey Darry. Its Soda,"

Darry sighed, "What do you want, Soda? I'm busy."

"Well, see, me and Steve are kinda at the hospital," Soda stated, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the phone booth.

"What happened?" Darry demanded, already searching for his boss so he could tell him he had to leave.

"It's not me or Steve, its Pony. He, uh, kinda got beat up really bad."

Darry sighed. "Alright, I'll be right there."

Darry hung up the phone.

Soda slowly hung up the phone as well and sat down next to Steve, putting his head in his hands.

"So, Darry's coming?" Steve questioned, putting his chairs legs back down on all fours.

Soda shook his head. "Yeah, Darry's coming."

So, how was it? You can yell at me all you want but I really am sorry for the delay. I have currently started track and its keeping me busy. Thank you to my WONDERFUL Beta-reader and PLEASE REVIEW!