Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is a little late, it ended up being a very busy weekend. But on the bright side, today is actually S.E. Hinton's birthday! So I get to call this chapter a birthday tribute to a wonderful woman who is a huge inspiration to me. Happy Birthday S.E. Hinton! :)

Chapter Thirty-Six

So give me the drug, keep me alive
Give me what's left of my life
Don't let me go
Pull this plug, let me breathe
On my own, I'm finally free
Don't let me go

- Rise Against (Injection)

Soda woke up very suddenly to coughing and a sharp pain in his chest. He gasped in air to his deprived lungs, realizing only after a minute that he had an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. As he began to breathe easier and settle down from the attack he glanced around the room. Everyone was there – Darry, Pony, Two-Bit and Steve – and everyone was fast asleep in their chairs. Soda felt a pang of guilt as he looked at them. They all looked so exhausted and uncomfortable sleeping in chairs around his hospital bed.

As he lay there he took stock of how he was feeling. There was still a dull ache radiating in his chest even though he had stopped coughing, pinching every time he inhaled. His throat was scratched raw from coughing all night. His whole body felt like he had just come from the losing side of a rumble. His head hurt as well and as he looked around the room everything looked a bit fuzzy. He was also burning up. He shifted around a bit, carefully trying to push the blanket that was covering him off, taking care to try not to bother Pony who was asleep with his head on the edge of the bed.

Despite his efforts to be quiet somehow Darry seemed to sense the movement as he began to stir. Slowly his eyes blinked open, seeming to take a moment to begin to understand his surroundings. As his gaze fell on Soda he suddenly looked concerned, though Soda wasn't really sure why.

"Hey little buddy," Darry said gently, leaning forward. "You okay? You need anythin'?"

Soda hated asking for anything especially when Darry looked so worn out but his throat burned so painfully and he could hardly stand it. "Water," he mumbled through the clear oxygen mask. "Cold water." Just those few words burned in the back of his throat.

"Sure, hang on," Darry said, getting up. While he waited Soda shifted uncomfortably in bed, trying and failing to find a more comfortable position. Darry came back in a few minutes later holding a small glass with water. "The nurse said you can only have a little," he told him.

Soda nodded. He figured a little was better than none. With Darry's help he shifted up farther on his pillows so that he was in more of a sitting position. The movement caused Pony to stir and Soda felt bad as he watched his little brother lift his head and blink around sleepily. Carefully Soda pulled the oxygen mask away from his mouth, finding that the air around him seemed somehow thicker and harder to breathe without it. He gratefully took the glass that Darry offered him and took several small sips, sighing in relief as the cool water washed over his raw throat.

"Thanks," he said as he handed the glass back to Darry.

"Sure, little buddy," he said, placing the glass on the bedside table. Next to him Pony stretched and yawned. Darry watched as Soda carefully pulled the oxygen mask back over his face. "Do you know how long you've had that?" he asked slowly. Soda looked at him, confused. "The oxygen mask," he clarified.

"I dunno," Soda said. "Just woke up with it."

"They put that on maybe an hour ago," Pony spoke up, looking over at Darry. "He was gasping for breath in his sleep so Steve went and got a nurse. He started breathing a lot better with it on." Soda found it odd listening to all this when he didn't remember any of it.

"Did the doctor come back?" Darry asked.

Pony nodded. "His temperature had gone up a little when the doctor checked it, but it's come down a little last time I saw a nurse check it."

"I'm right here you know," Soda mumbled, feeling annoyed that his little brother was talking about him like he wasn't even there.

"Sorry," Pony said sheepishly.

"Did he say anythin' else?" Darry asked Pony.

Pony hesitated, sending an unsure glance over at Soda, which made him nervous. "Well… yeah. I guess it was gettin' harder to Soda to breathe because there was more fluid in his lungs. He said that if it gets worse they might have to drain it with a needle."

Soda felt his stomach twist uncomfortably at this news as he swallowed and winced. That thought didn't sound very pleasant. The anxiety must have been clear on his face because Darry shot him a sympathetic look and Pony suddenly looked like he wished he hadn't said anything. Soda took in a calming breath under his oxygen mask, but even with the mask it felt a bit like he was trying to suck the air in through a straw. He knew that that didn't bode well for him. And that made him nervous.

"It's gonna be okay," Darry said gently, reaching a hand out toward him.

Against his instincts he pulled away from Darry's touch. "You don't know that," he murmured, with more emotion in his voice than he realized that he was feeling.

Darry gave him a pained expression. Soda looked away, staring up at the ceiling. What would it be like, he wondered, to never leave this hospital? The thought was scary. But what scared him even more were those he'd leave behind. He could remember so vividly holding a sobbing, inconsolable Pony at their parents' funeral. He could remember how Darry hardened after mom and dad died. And what about Steve? He was the one who kept Steve out of trouble; they were as good as brothers. And then Two-Bit, he felt as much as the rest of them. Suddenly he could picture a gravestone… a coffin… his friends and family gathered around a six-foot hole in the ground…

"Soda." Darry's voice was steady and firm. "Sodapop Curtis, look at me." Soda reluctantly tore his gaze away from the ceiling and looked at his big brother. He realized that his eyes were full of tears as he tried to focus on him. "Either way, no matter what happens, I promise you it's gonna be okay."

Soda swallowed painfully and then was struck by another coughing fit. He gasped for breath between coughs, but he felt like he was getting less and less air in. He started to panic. He looked over at Pony, who looked frightened, and reached for his hand.

"He okay?" Soda looked around and saw that both Steve and Two-Bit were sitting up, eyes open.

"I'm gonna get a nurse," Darry said, standing up. Soda sent him a panicked look, but he was already turning away and didn't see it. He wanted to tell him not to go but he couldn't find enough air to speak. Instead he just gripped Pony's hand for comfort.

Thankfully Darry was back a minute later, a nurse in tow. She began checking him over, a worried look on her face. She didn't stay long, saying that she needed to get the doctor. That didn't comfort Soda at all.

"Try and stay calm," Darry said, returning to his seat. His voice was calm but Soda could see panic bubbling just behind his eyes. "Take deep breaths, Soda."

Soda continued to struggled to get in air. It was getting more difficult instead of less. Finally Dr. Miller came hurrying in. Darry got up again and moved out of the way, circling to the other side of the bed where Steve and Two-Bit were. Pony stayed where he was but shifted down a little bit, still keeping a firm hold on his hand, which Soda was grateful for. Dr. Miller only took a few minutes to listen to his chest before he straightened up and focused on Darry.

"Like we feared, the fluid around his lungs has increased," he said. "Its causing a strain on his body and if we don't drain it now then his body isn't going to last."

Soda felt his stomach twist into a sickening knot. He squeezed Pony's hand.

"What can we do?" Darry asked tensely.

"We need to drain the fluid immediately," Dr. Miller said.

Soda let out a groan. Suddenly it was unbearably hot. He shifted uncomfortably. A moment later he felt a cool hand on his forehead.

"I think his fever is spiking." He heard Darry's voice but suddenly it sounded far away. He found it odd that the ceiling seemed to be spinning.

"His grip in weakening." Pony's voice sounded scared.

"We need to do it now." The doctor's voice was the last that Soda heard as suddenly everything went black.

XxXxX

Darry watched with edging panic as Soda's eyes suddenly rolled to show the whites as his eyelids slid closed in one fluid motion.

"Do it, do whatever you have to," Darry said quickly.

The doctors gave the nurse some orders and she hurried out of the room. The doctor was all business at that point. He reached up and took Soda's pulse. He pulled Soda's eyes open and shined a flashlight into them. He listened to his chest with his stethoscope. Then he pulled the top of Soda's hospital gown down just as the nurse was hurrying into the room with a tray of equipment.

"He's still stable," Dr. Miller explained quickly as he worked. "The loss of consciousness is most likely due to a spike in his fever. His breathing appears shallow but he is still getting enough air for now."

That seemed vaguely comforting, but Darry still couldn't take his eyes off his brother. The doctor quickly cleaned off part of his chest before taking a syringe off the tray the nurse had brought him. Darry watched as he carefully inserted the needle in between two of Soda's ribs before slowly pulling out of the plunger. The syringe started filling with a light yellowish-greenish liquid. Soda's face remained impassive throughout the whole thing and Darry found himself feeling a bit grateful that he had fallen unconscious so that he didn't have to feel the pain.

Darry was so focused on Soda that when he heard a crash he had no idea what had happened at first. Then he looked over, took in Pony's limp figure on the floor, and felt his panic regarding this entire situation finally break through.

"Ponyboy!" he practically shouted and he hurried around the bed and dropped to his youngest brother's side.

Two-Bit had been quicker to react than Darry had and was already crouched down next to Pony. Steve had half risen from his chair, frozen in place with his eyes wide at the sight. Completely forgetting that they were in a hospital with hospital staff only feet away, Darry took charge as he felt for Pony's pulse and checked him over for any injuries. Thankfully after just a minute or two Pony's eyes were already fluttering open again. He looked disoriented and felt cold and clammy to the touch.

"Guess watchin' goop gettin' sucked out of his brother's chest by a giant needle was a little too much for him," Two-Bit said lightly.

"This actually fairly common." Darry was a little startled when the nurse suddenly appeared at Pony's head, feeling his neck for injuries. "He's alright, but he needs to hydrate."

"Darry?" Pony mumbled, confused.

"It's okay, kiddo," Darry assured him gently. "You just passed out for a second. Can you sit up?"

Pony slowly pushed himself up off the floor. As Darry helped him to his feet Two-Bit brought a chair over for him, carefully angling it so that he wasn't looking at Soda when he sat in it. The nurse had returned with a glass of water and handed it to Pony, who still looked a little disoriented, like he wasn't quite sure what had happened. Darry shot Two-Bit a look and Two-Bit took his meaning as he moved closer to Pony, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder so that Darry could move away to talk to the doctor who had finished the procedure and was now standing over by the door.

"He's doing well," Dr. Miller told him, indicating Soda. He spoke in a slight undertone probably to keep from being overheard by Pony, who clearly didn't need any more stress right now. Darry glanced over at Soda to see that he appeared to be resting a lot more peacefully and his breathing seemed less labored under the oxygen mask. "Taking out that fluid has taken a lot of the strain off his body. It also gives his system a window of opportunity to fight this infection. We should know a lot in these next few hours. If the fluid builds up again we may need to place a chest tube in order to continually drain it. For now we will just continue to keep a close eye on him."

Darry nodded. "Thank you." As the doctor left he turned back into the room, returning to Pony's side. "How're you feelin', Pony?"

"Better," Pony said. The color was starting to come back in his face. He looked down at the cup he held in his hands, clearly embarrassed as he started to understand what had happened. "Sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay," Darry assured him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault, you got nothin' to be sorry for."

"Hey Darry," Two-Bit spoke up. He moved over to him and led him a few steps away, speaking softly. "You know you gotta go soon if you wanna get to work." Darry sighed heavily. He had almost forgotten about work. But he didn't know how he could leave now with everything that had just happened in the past ten minutes. The reluctance must have been clear on his face. "I know there's a lot goin' on right now, but me an' Steve will handle it. We'll call you if anything happens." Darry still hesitated. "The doc said that we won't know anythin' definite about Soda's condition for a few more hours anyway."

"Yeah, okay," Darry finally relented, running a hand through his hair. He moved back over to Pony. "I gotta get to work, kiddo," he said, his tone flat. "You gonna be okay here with Steve and Two-Bit."

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Pony told him, though clearly he still looked a bit shook up from the ordeal.

He gave him a grateful smile before turning and walking over to Soda. Even though he was still unconscious he placed a gentle hand on his arm. "I'll be back, little buddy," he said.

"We'll keep an eye on him," Steve reiterated.

Darry nodded, knowing that they would do exactly that. And with a heavy heart he turned and walked out the door.

XxXxX

As the morning went on things were pretty quiet and it was much less eventful than the early morning had been. Soda continued to rest and though he was still coughing his breathing at least remained less labored. Pony also calmed down and was able to move his chair back beside Soda's bed after a while. Two-Bit stayed next to him just in case and nurses kept on bringing in glasses of water for him.

Everyone in the room was exhausted and they would each periodically drift off in their chairs, only to jerk back awake a short time later. They hardly left their chairs. Two-Bit took Pony outside at one point to smoke and brought back breakfast but other than that they all stayed planted where they were, wondering which way this day was going to go.

It was a little after lunchtime but no one had the appetite for it. Steve glanced around the room. Pony's eyelids were drooping, though he was fighting hard against them. Two-Bit yawned loudly, probably mostly just to break up some of the silence in the room. Steve rolled his aching shoulder back, feeling stiff from sitting in this chair for so long. He was supposed to be working later that day, but he was still debating whether or not he was actually going to show up. He knew that the money would sure come in handy, but it was just so difficult to think about leaving Soda's side right now. Though he supposed he probably should be following Darry's lead.

He was right in the middle of this train of thought when he looked at Soda and gave a start. For the first time since the procedure this morning his eyes were open, though they weren't focused on anything as he stared straight ahead at the ceiling about him.

"Soda?" Steve said carefully.

This caused both Two-Bit and Pony to sit up, looking more alert as they looked over at Soda. Soda slowly turned his head at the sound of Steve's voice and to Steve's surprise he could see a light smile forming under the oxygen mask.

"Hey," Soda murmured quietly so that it was barely audible through the mask over his nose and mouth.

Steve reached over and placed a hand on Soda's forehead. He couldn't help but smile. "I think his fever's breakin'."

"I'll get the nurse," Two-Bit said, jumping up and hurrying from the room.

"How're you feelin'?" Pony asked hopefully.

"Tired," Soda sighed.

"Yeah, well, you need that beauty rest," Steve joked lightly, a bit giddy with the relief of seeing Soda so coherent.

Soda coughed a small laugh at that. Just then Two-Bit came back into the room with a nurse following behind him. She immediately checked Soda's temperature, smiling at what she saw.

"102.2," she reported. "His fever is breaking." She listened to his chest with her stethoscope. "His chest still sounds clear as well. This is all really good news. I'll let the doctor know right away, he'll want to do another chest x-ray to confirm."

"You hear that, Soda?" Two-Bit said with a grin. "Seems like that immune system of yours finally stopped slackin' off."

"'Bout time," Soda said with a laugh.

And even as Soda began drifting off to sleep again there was an amazing amount of relief in the room. Suddenly it seemed like everything was going to be okay. Somehow Soda had defied odds once again and come through a life-threatening situation. At this point the group was feeling indestructible. At this point they were finally feeling like everything was going to be okay. Clearly Soda's immune system was finally bouncing back from his original infection. The doctor had said that he would continue to improve. It really looked like they were going to come through whole ordeal this with all of the members of their gang intact.