Author's Note: Hey guys! Thank so much for all your support with this story! It's really awesome. This chapter is a little slower than some of the others, I've got to get some filler stuff in, but things are going to pick up again soon, I promise! Stick with me! :)

Chapter Twenty-Five

And all at once the crowd begins to sing
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same

- The Fray (All at Once)

The next day Darry went into work early so that he could take a longer lunch break in order to get Soda to his doctor's appointment and not lose out with his paycheck. Pony wanted to come along too, but Darry didn't want him missing any more school since he already missed a day that week and thankfully Soda agreed with him.

As Darry walked into the house he found that Soda was fast asleep on the couch, covered with a blanket and with the TV tuned to a channel with cartoons. It reminded Darry so much of when Soda would get sick when he was younger. Way back when Darry wasn't the one in charge. He walked over to the TV and snapped it off before moving over to the couch and kneeling down next to it.

"Hey, Soda," Darry said, gently shaking Soda's shoulder. "C'mon, time to get up."

Soda moaned lightly and swatted weakly at Darry's hand. "Five more minutes," he mumbled.

"C'mon, you got a doctor's appointment, remember?" Darry prompted.

Soda slowly blinked his eyes open and looked up at him blearily. Darry was really concerned about how tired Soda still seemed and he wondered if this was normal. He helped Soda slowly sit up and then gave him a minute to get his bearings. He brought him his shoes and socks and helped him pulled them on since he couldn't really lean over enough to reach his feet. Then he helped Soda to his feet. He swayed a bit unsteadily and hung onto Darry for support as they made their way out of the house. The porch steps were a little tricky and then Soda struggled a bit with getting up into the truck. Finally they were on their way back to the hospital.

Soda seemed steadier after he got out of the truck and was able to walk mostly on his own into the hospital. The hospital was still uncomfortably familiar and almost without thinking Darry moved a bit closer to Soda as they walked, trying to remind himself that Soda would be leaving here with him. It was still painfully fresh how close they had come to losing Soda in this very building.

Darry left Soda in a chair in the waiting room as he went to check him in. When he went back to sit with him he noticed that Soda seemed a little fidgety and was looking around nervously. As he sat next to him Darry put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Soda," he said in a low voice. "It's just a quick checkup."

Soda nodded. "Yeah, I know," he said. "It's just weird. I hardly even remember being here for a week and a half. It's kinda creepy not remembering…"

Darry nodded. He could understand that. They waited quietly until a nurse finally called Soda's name. They followed her back to an exam room where she took Soda's weight, blood pressure and temperature. She made no comments as he scribbled the information down on Soda's chart and then said that the doctor would be with them shortly before leaving. Soda sat back on the exam table so that he was leaning back against the wall behind him and he swung his legs lightly while Darry sat in a chair, trying not to look at his watch too often. Finally there was a knock at the door and Dr. Evans walked in.

"Hello Darrel," Dr. Evans said. Darry nodded a greeting as the doctor looked over at Soda. "How are you feeling, Sodapop?"

"Better," Soda said.

"He had a small fever earlier this week," Darry spoke up, not satisfied by Soda's short answer. "He's also been awfully tired still."

"How high was the fever?" Dr. Evans asked.

"It got up to almost 101 at one point," Darry said. "It was already dropping back down by the morning though."

The doctor nodded as he made a note on his chart. "That's not unusual," he said. "It was probably a very minor infection. Had Sodapop been perfectly healthy he probably wouldn't have even noticed it. It is a good sign that his immune system responded at all though. As for the lack of energy, that is to be expected at this point. He probably won't be feeling somewhat normal for several more weeks."

Darry nodded, accepting this answer. He watched as the doctor began checking Soda over. He listened to his heart and lungs, had him twist his abdomen this way and that and Darry didn't miss the way Soda winced at the motion. He peeled back Soda's bandages to check his wounds, asking how often they had changed them over the past week and seeming satisfied with the answer. When he re-bandaged Soda's wounds he used smaller bandages that would be a lot easier to change. He also drew some blood to test. As Darry watched he was just thankful that Soda was awake and aware while all this was going on. It had been difficult to watch Soda go through these kinds of exams while he had been unconscious when he had been sick. Even after he had started getting better he had seemed so groggy that he seemed to barely understand what was happening. It was another sign of Soda's improvement which gave Darry hope that eventually things would get back to normal.

"Well, everything looks as good as we could hope for, given the circumstances," the doctor finally announced. "You seem to be healing up nicely, Sodapop."

Soda nodded, smiling lightly. "So does that mean I can go back to work soon?" he asked.

Darry was startled by this question. He hadn't even considered Soda going back to work anytime soon. He couldn't even seem to stay awake through the day, let alone get through a full shift.

Dr. Evans paused at his question as he thought it over, leafing through Soda's chart again. "If you feel up to it, I can clear you to work next week," he said slowly, clearly thinking it over carefully. "But you should stay away from any physical labor and you shouldn't be on your feet too long. You should also at least start off just doing part time to see how your body can handle it." Soda nodded and Darry was a bit surprised by this answer. It seemed awfully soon for Soda to be going back to work. "That's it for today. I'd like to see you again in a week to make sure everything is still going well. You can set up an appointment at the reception desk."

"Thanks," Darry said as he stood up.

"You're very welcome," Dr. Evans said with a nod as he left the room.

Darry moved over to the exam table and helped Soda climb down. They headed out into the hallway with Soda walking on his own again, stopping at the reception desk to schedule another appointment. As they headed back out toward the parking lot Darry noticed that Soda was shuffling his feet a little more, seeming tired out from the trip. It had been the most he had moved around since coming home a week ago and clearly he was worn out from it.

"Soda, I don't want you goin' back to work too soon," Darry finally spoke up as they crossed the parking lot.

Soda looked up at him. "The doc said it was alright to go back next week," he pointed out. "Honestly, Darry, I'm feelin' better. I'm sure by next week I'll be a lot better."

Darry sighed lightly. "Well, let's just play it by ear, okay?" he allowed reluctantly as they approached the truck.

"Darry, I gotta get back to work," Soda said as he walked around to the passenger's side. "The bills are gonna be tight enough as it is."

"Steve and Two-Bit are both pitchin' in," Darry said as he dug around in his pocket for his keys. "We'll make it work."

Darry fumbled a bit to unlock the truck as Soda went to tug on the door to open it, finding it still locked. The jerking motion caused him to suddenly hiss in pain and double over slightly as he grabbed his chest.

"Soda?" Darry said sharply as he hurried around the truck. "Soda, you okay?" Soda was hanging onto the door handle tightly and let out a light groan in response, holding very still with his eyes squeezed shut. "Soda, talk to me," Darry implored, feeling worried. He reached out and put a gentle hand on Soda's shoulder, ready to catch Soda in case he fell.

Soda slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Darry. "Ow…" he said quietly.

"Are you okay?" he asked again, looking at Soda with concern. He glanced back at the hospital behind them. "We could go back in and find the doctor…"

Soda shook his head, even as he still clung to the door handle, reaching out his other hand slowly to grab onto Darry's arm. "No… no, just give me a minute," he breathed.

"Okay, take your time," Darry said.

Soda remained still, taking a few deep breaths. Finally he slowly straightened up. "Sorry about that," he mumbled.

"It's okay," Darry assured him. Keeping one hand on Soda he reached out and unlocked the truck. He pulled the door open for Soda before carefully helping him climb up into the seat, noting how he winced. "You sure you're okay?" he asked skeptically.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Soda said as he leaned back heavily against the seat.

Darry nodded as the slammed the door closed. He circled around to the driver's side and climbed in. He glanced over at Soda as he started up the truck, seeing how tired he looked.

"Soda, I don't think you're gonna be ready to go back to work next week," he said again.

Soda looked over him tiredly. "It'll be fine," he said. "I ain't gonna work on any cars or nothin'. I'll just sit behind the counter."

Darry sighed. He was surprised that Soda seemed determined about this, and he wasn't quite sure why. He decided that the best thing to do was let the subject drop for now. They still had another week until it really became relevant anyway. Darry carefully pulled out of the parking lot and started driving back toward home. They had a quiet ride and as Darry glanced over at Soda he saw that he was already dozing off. It had been a big day for him, after spending most of his time over the past two and a half weeks in the same place all day.

Darry carefully pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. "Hey, Soda," he said, gently shaking Soda's shoulder. "We're home."

Soda blinked sleepily, looking around. Darry got out of the truck and walked around to help Soda climb out. He leaned heavily on him as they made their way up the walk, clearly exhausted. As they entered the house Darry helped him back over to the couch where he lay asleep only an hour ago. Soda already seemed to be drifting off again as he lay back down and Darry pulled the blanket back over him.

"Soda, the phone's right here," Darry said as he reached over and shifted the phone on the end table next to the couch even closer to him. "The phone number for my job site is right next to it. You call me if you need anythin'."

"Mmm," Soda hummed, clearly only half awake.

Even though it was later than he was hoping to get back to work, Darry still hesitated, looking down at his little brother as he drifted off to sleep. Suddenly he felt unsure. Was it really okay to just leave Soda here like this? What if something happened and he couldn't make it to the phone? Was the social worker right? Would it be better for Soda to be in a place where he wouldn't be left on his own all day in his current condition?

Darry sighed to himself. He hated that he was questioning himself so much. Ever since their parents had passed away Darry had always been so sure that he should take care of his little brothers, he felt so sure that that's what their parents would have wanted. Suddenly that was the most important thing in his life: taking care of his brothers. They had always been such a close family. But was he really enough for them? Especially with their current situation?

Stubbornly, Darry pushed the thoughts away. He knew that Pony and Soda would be devastated if they were taken away, especially now after everything they had been through. Darry just couldn't put them through that. As he looked at Soda's sleeping form he decided right then that if the state wanted to take his brothers away from him they would have to fight him every step of the way. Maybe this wasn't the best situation ever, but at least they still had each other and that's what was keeping all of them going. He wasn't going to be the one to tear what's left of this family apart.