It's amazing how sounds you don't notice during the day echo endlessly during the night. The drip from the IV, the heart monitor, even his breathing, all cut through the silence of the small room.
Darry was sitting in a chair next to his father's bed in the hospital, reading a magazine. He had bad moments in his life before, but nothing had been as bad as this. It had now been three and a half weeks that his dad had been in a coma, which was not a good sign.
After he got done with the magazine, Darry placed it down and took the letter he had received which told him he had been accepted into college out his pocket and read it again. After he got finished he could only shake his head.
How could he possibly think about going to college now? Just leave his family behind and go off like everything was fine. Leave his mom all alone to worry about money for bills and food and taking care of two boys alone while her husband was in the hospital.
He sighed and leaned back against the wall, resting his head. He began to think about the day his parents left to celebrate their anniversary and what his dad had told him before they left.
"You're the man of the house. Take care of things for me."
Darry smiled as his dad stuck out his hand.
"I will," he promised as he shook his dad's hand.
Darry took a deep breath before he got up out his chair and looked down at his father, eyes closed, looking like he was sleeping peacefully.
"You taught me everything I know. I promise…I'll take care of them."
As Darry finished up visiting with his dad, back at the Curtis house Sodapop was waking up in his room. He rolled over and glanced over at his brother lying in the bed next to his and grinned.
"Ponyboy, Pony wake up!"
Ponyboy groaned and rolled over, glaring at his brother.
"Leave me alone."
Soda chuckled.
"Pony, you need to get up."
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
He opened his eyes and saw Soda grinning at him. A grin that told him he was up to something.
"It's Sunday, go back to sleep," Pony responded while rolling back over and burying his face into his pillow. After he did that Soda got out of his bed, grabbing his pillow and walked over to Pony's bed.
"Last chance, Pony."
Silence.
"Okay, don't say I didn't warn you."
WHAM!
Pony jumped and rolled over, falling out his bed. He got up and rubbed the spot on his head where he'd just been whacked with the pillow.
"Soda!"
"I warned you buddy," Soda grinned.
Ponyboy didn't answer, instead grabbed his pillow and nailed Soda in the head with it.
"Ouch! Now you're gonna get it!"
Soda ran at his brother with the pillow but Ponyboy tripped him and began beating him with his pillow.
"That's cheating, Pony!" Soda exclaimed as he tried to shield himself from the assault.
"No it's not." Pony grinned maliciously. "There are no rules in pillow fights. And besides," he added as he whacked Soda in the shoulder, "You never play by the rules anyway."
"I do so!" Soda retorted, aiming a blow at Ponyboy stomach.
Before long, the pillow fight became an all out war and feathers were lying everywhere. That's when finally their mother walked in.
"Sodapop! Ponyboy! What in the world is going on in here?!"
The two of them looked at each other before looking back at her and Soda answered.
"Um…pillow fight."
Linda shook her head.
"Just get this mess cleaned up."
Pony and Soda glanced around the room at the feathers and began cracking up as their mom left.
Linda walked back to her room, hearing Pony and Soda laughing. She couldn't help but smile too as she took out a comb and started brushing her hair. At least the two of them had gone back to acting like they use to.
She wished she could say the same thing about her oldest son. Ever since the accident Darry was quiet, more withdrawn. Going to school and work, that's all he did now. He never hung out with his friends or his girlfriend anymore. Linda was really starting to worry about him.
Meanwhile after Sodapop and Ponyboy got done cleaning up their room, they left the house and met up with Johnny, Steve, Two-Bit, and Karen in the park. It was a nice spring Sunday morning. The sun was shining brightly and they were all trying to decide what to do for the day.
"So, what do you guys want to do?" Soda asked.
"Movies?" Johnny suggested.
"Na, how about football?" Two-Bit said.
The rest of them looked at each other and before anyone said yes or no, Ponyboy came up with a different idea.
"You guys want to go to church today?"
Steve looked at Ponyboy like he was crazy.
"Church?"
"Yeah."
"Why do you want to do that Pony?" Soda asked. Their family hadn't been to church in years. "Church is boring, there's nothing to do."
"I was just thinking…it might be a nice thing to do. You know…for dad."
They were all silent after that. The whole gang knew of the condition of Mr. Curtis, and they all understood why Pony wanted to go. Karen was the first to speak up.
"I'll go with you Pony," she said.
"We'll all go." Soda said and the rest of them nodded. "We can play football anytime."
"Anyone seen Dally?" Johnny asked.
"Yeah, he's sleeping off a hangover on my couch," Two-Bit responded as they all headed to Steve's place for his car. "And I seriously doubt he would go with us anyway."
As the gang continued walking, Darry arrived back home to change for work. For several weeks he had now been working full time on weekends at his job and barely had time for anything else. Just as he walked in the door, his mom was coming down the stairs, no doubt heading off to work herself.
"Oh, Darry," Linda said when she saw him. "Rebecca called last night, she wanted to know if you were going to the prom next Sunday."
"No, I have to work that night."
Linda sighed.
"Darry, I really need to talk to you."
"Quick, I need to head off to work too."
"I know the last few weeks have been hard for you. You've been working an awful lot..."
"I'm just trying to help out you out with money," Darry explained. "Dad would have expecting nothing less of me."
"And I really appreciate it, but I think you might be pushing yourself to hard."
"I have been pushing myself too hard," he agreed.
"So why don't you just take that night off? If you don't go, you'll regret it. And I guarantee you, things might not be the same between you and Rebecca."
Darry sighed.
"Alright, I'll go."
"Good," Linda smiled. "I see you later," she said and headed out the door.
Just after Linda and Darry went off to work, the gang had arrived at the church and when they walked inside they saw that the sermon had already started. Most of the people there were dressed nicely and were intently listening to the priest. The six of them slid into the pew that was the farthest back, because Ponyboy knew their clothes weren't as nice as everyone else, but nobody seemed to mind or even notice they were there.
"And please take a moment to pray for whatever else you'd like to ask of our heavenly father." The priest said.
"I want new shoes," Two-Bit whispered to himself and Steve glanced at him.
"Shut up you idiot," he snapped and smacked him on the head.
Two-Bit hoped up and began chasing Steve around the pew. Pony sighed as the priest ignored them and continued on. Soon, Two-Bit gave him trying to catch Steve and began ripping out pieces of paper from the hymn book and threw them at Steve.
Not only that, Sodapop seemed to be getting bored quickly and began humming to himself. He started getting louder, and Johnny and Karen glanced at each other while Pony felt his ears starting to turn red.
"Soda, stop humming," he snapped as the people in front of them seemed like they were getting annoyed and turned around to glare at them. Ponyboy didn't blame them.
BANG!
Everyone in the church turned around after the loud bang to see Two-Bit trying to hold in laughter as he dropped the hymn book. By this time, Ponyboy felt his whole face burning as he sunk lower into the pew, and Johnny and Karen soon did the same.
Two-Bit grinned when he realized everyone was staring at him. Instead of being embarrassed, he simply waved at them.
"Hi everybody."
Soda busted out laughing after he said that while the other people shook their heads in irritation. Ponyboy was one of them, vowing never to bring up the idea of church to the gang ever again.
