Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed or read my story so far. I know I keep saying 3-4 more chapters...and honestly I'm not sure how many more there will be. I have a rough outline in my head, but no solid plans. Sorry! I hope you continue to enjoy the story until the end. :)

Figuring It Out

He fell asleep in my arms and I was glad. He'd been exhausted before the interview I hadn't even wanted him doing yet. I mean, I was glad it was over, but the toll it had taken on my little brother had been painful to watch. Even Officer Charlton had trouble keeping his composure through some of it. Then, after he'd left, my little brother had broken apart, and I'd done my best, feeling more inadequate than I had since getting custody. I mean, it had been terrifying from the beginning...raising two teenagers when we'd all just lost our parents. But how was I supposed to help Ponyboy get through this when I could barely stand to listen to what he'd gone through.

He'd wanted Richard to kill him. Richard had tried to rape my brother. He'd been worried about his grades because he thought I would be mad. They didn't feed him or the other kids in that house. He'd wanted it to be over…my little brother had wanted to die. The thought had made me sick…literally sick. I'd thought I was going to throw up right then and there when Pony had blurted it out between sobs, his head burrowed in my chest, sweat soaking his hair. But I couldn't…it hadn't mattered how I had felt about it…I had to be there for Pony until he was okay again. So I'd waited until he'd fallen asleep, rubbing his back and telling him it was okay again and again until I was absolutely sure he was asleep.

Then I'd thrown up as quietly as I could in our bathroom, making sure to flush the toilet and brush my teeth. As I was putting my toothbrush back in the cup and washing my mouth out, the phone rang again, and I raced to pick it up, not wanting it to wake Ponyboy. He'd seemed pretty out of it, but he needed rest and I didn't want to risk waking him. Picking up the phone, I spoke quietly, dropping into my recliner. "Hey Darrel." Tim greeted me. "What's going on?"

"A cop was here earlier. Wanted to talk to Ponyboy about everything."

"Yeah?"

"He gave his statement and the cop's got a meeting with the State sometime tomorrow I think. He's gonna recommend I get custody."

"Good. How's the kid?"

"He'll be fine." Tim and Pony weren't close, not like him and the guys, who I planned to tell most of it. He was a good friend to have, especially over the last few months, and I wasn't sure what we would have done without him. Only Sodapop, though, would get the whole story. The guys would get a condensed version from me and Ponyboy could tell them whatever else he wanted to. Tim, on the other hand, would get next to nothing. It wasn't my story to tell and Tim didn't need to know. Pony wouldn't want him to know. "He's pretty tired and he needs to eat more, but he'll be alright."

"Yeah? Good. He's a tough kid…how 'bout the Cade kid?"

"Fine as far as I know." He hummed, and I felt bad. I hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Johnny about any of it...all of my focus had been on my little brother. But Johnny had risked a lot to look after Ponyboy, and I appreciated it more than I'd been able to tell him.

"Since that asshole's in jail, we're probably gonna stick close to our side of town for a while. But you guys just holler if you need help."

"You got it. Thanks, Tim…for everything. If you guys hadn't been around…"

"Don't worry about it." He brushed me off. "Take care of those kids, man. And say hi to Dally for me." And with that, he hung up, leaving me in the silence once more.

I flipped on the TV, leaving it on the news while I looked around the kitchen again. I needed to go to the grocery, but I wasn't about to leave Ponyboy alone, so I threw in a load of laundry and made my bed. That was about all there was to do around the house, so I checked on Ponyboy again, peeking in and finding him curled up in a ball, sound asleep. He didn't even stir when I went over to him, pulling the covers up to his shoulders and pushing his hair back.

Before Officer Charlton had left, he'd told me that Ponyboy would most likely need to be checked out by a doctor to make sure there were no lasting effects of his stay with Richard. I'd known that Richard and his wife hadn't fed him much and that he'd knocked him around, but after hearing Pony's side of it, and I was sure there was stuff he wasn't telling us, I was worried, especially about the beating that had left him unable to stand upright for days. I wished once more I'd pressed Tim…that I'd fought harder to find him. I'd just wanted to keep us out of trouble up until the hearing, but I'd let him down. While I'd been waiting around, my baby brother had been losing hope.

Our front door slammed and I rolled my eyes, leaving Pony in the room alone and shutting the door quietly behind me. The overhead fan was on, which I hoped would be enough noise to keep him from waking up. Two-Bit was grinning at me from the living room, and I was glad he was in a better mood. I knew he'd missed Pony a lot…those two palled around plenty despite the age difference. Two looked out for my little brother and I think he was glad for the company when he was wandering around town. His grin dropped a little at my serious look though. "What's up? He okay?" Two-Bit demanded, glancing back at the room. "He sick?"

"Officer Charlton came by and Pony gave his statement…it was pretty hard on him. He's asleep now" Two-Bit swore under his breath, shaking his head. "I wanted him to wait, but he wanted to go ahead and get it over with. I'm gonna take him to the doctor this week…I'll have to wait until I get custody or the state says it's okay though. He told the cop that Richard beat him so bad once that he couldn't even stand up for a few days." I couldn't stop talking...for some reason, my mouth was still moving and Two-Bit went kind of white, running a thumb down his sideburns. "I don't think there's any permanent damage, and the burns on his arms are mostly healed. He just needs to get checked out."

Two-Bit grunted, opening our fridge and grabbing a beer, then seemed to think better of it and grabbed a soda instead, popping the lid off and downing it in a few gulps. "You see his arms?"

"Yeah, for a minute. The cop asked if he could see he Pony said no. He let me and Soda, though, so that's something."

"If that asshole weren't already in jail…" Two-Bit trailed off, throwing the bottle away. "Rita went to stay with a friend, and Susie's at the library…I promised to pick her up in two hours."

"She could've come over."

"I know. She said she wanted to get some more books. Kid's turning into your brother with all the reading. She's gonna stay at a girlfriend's house tonight, so I ain't gotta worry about her being home alone." He glanced at the bedroom door. "Think Pony'll wake up anytime soon?" I knew he wanted to talk to Pony about everything, but my brother needed to rest.

"No…he really needs to sleep. After telling the cop everything…I think he needs some time." For a moment I was quiet, staring at the floor. "He told me he wanted Richard to just go ahead and kill him…so it would all be over." Two-Bit swore again, rubbing at his eyes. "I just...I don't know what to do, man." I admitted in a whisper.

"You're his big brother. All you gotta do is be there." He told me quietly, patting me on the shoulder as he rummaged through our cabinets. "Also, go to the grocery. I'm starving." I snorted. Leave it to Two-Bit to lighten the mood.

"I didn't want to leave him." He shrugged, closing the cabinet and leaning on the counter.

"I'll stay with the kid. You ain't leaving him alone." For a second, I wanted to say no…that I wasn't leaving him at all, but he was right. Two-Bit could take care of Ponyboy and I could get the shopping done by the time he woke up. So, thanking Two and grabbing my wallet, I headed out, jumping in the truck.

I stopped at the DX, heading inside and finding Sodapop at the counter. When he saw me walk in, his face drained of blood, eyes going huge and scared as he tried to look around me, and it took me a minute to realize that he took Pony's absence as a sign that he was gone…taken away again. "He's at home, Pepsi-cola." I assured him, leaning on the counter and patting his shoulder. "He's just asleep." Soda let out a huge breath, slumping against the cash register. "Two-Bit's staying with him so I can go to the store."

"Yeah? Good…he okay?"

"Officer Charlton came by…and Pony gave his statement."

"He had to do it today?" Soda asked, incredulous.

"No…I think Pony just wanted it over with." I wasn't about to tell him that Pony hadn't wanted him there. Whatever reasons Ponyboy had for wanting it to just be me and him, I'd keep that information to myself until Pony wanted to bring it up. "It was pretty bad, Sodapop…he broke down after the cop left. He's been sleeping since."

Soda ran a hand through his hair, looking scared. "How bad?" He asked. I glanced around, glad the store was empty.

"Real bad. They didn't let the kids eat with them, just gave 'em leftovers. Pony said when he kept him from hurting Lianne, Richard beat him so bad he thought he was gonna kill him. Said he couldn't even get up for a couple of days, and couldn't stand upright for even longer. I need to take him to the doctor sometime this week, but I want to know about custody before I do…if he doesn't wake up in a few hours, I'll call the cop and ask if I can take Pony to the doctor before the hearing…make sure he's okay."

"What else?" Soda asked, his eyes wet, but he wasn't crying. "What else did he say?"

I'd already resolved to tell him everything, but it was hard to look Soda in the eye and say the words. "Pony said he'd wanted Richard to kill him…so it would be over." He clenched his jaw, shaking his head like he could make it go away. I supposed I might as well tell him the worst of it. "He also said that Richard…that he tried to…" My stomach twisted as I tried to say it but Sodapop understood immediately, going pale again.

"Did he…"

"No. Pony just said he got away…wouldn't say anything else about it. Wouldn't let the cop see his arms either."

"He tried to rape our brother." The words made me flinch, but his tone was worse than the words. "If he wasn't in jail…"

"I know." I reached out, squeezing his shoulder, hoping he realized how serious I was. Sodapop could be impulsive...reckless. We didn't need that right now. "He is, though, and Ponyboy needs you to be here Soda. He's gonna need you…as much as I want to kill that guy, I want Ponyboy to be okay more." That seemed to knock the wind out of his sails and he nodded, crossing his arms. "He fell apart after he told the cop everything…after he left. Cried for almost an hour…I didn't think he was gonna be able to stop. He really needs to sleep."

"We'll be quiet when we come home…I wanna come when you take him to the doctor. I'll take off or something."

"Sure." I nodded, not about to fight him on this. "I'll let you know when I figure it out. Maybe tomorrow." The bell over the door chimed and I stood upright, stepping away from the counter. "I'm gonna head out. I'll see you at home later."

"See you, Darry." He called, then greeted his customer as I left.

At the store, I filled my basket up with food, trying to hurry as I checked out, then almost running out to the truck, loading up the groceries, then driving home too quickly. Back at home, Two-Bit was watching TV, the volume on low. When I stepped inside, propping the front door open so that I could carry the groceries in, he stood up to help me, taking the bags I was holding and carrying them to the kitchen.

He helped me put the groceries away while I checked on Pony, feeling my heart sink a little when he hadn't even moved. I pushed his hair back again, resting the back of my hand on his forehead. He felt cool, almost clammy, and I pulled the covers up a little more. I was worried, but he didn't have a fever, so that was something. Since our parents had died, neither him nor Sodapop had really been sick, and the only time I'd had to take either one of them to the doctor had been when Ponyboy had been having those nightmares.

"He okay?" Two-Bit asked, leaning against the kitchen doorway, and I shrugged.

"He doesn't have a fever…hasn't moved since this morning though."

"You wanna try and wake him?" I didn't know. I was twenty-one years old and I had to take care of my traumatized, maybe sick fifteen-year-old little brother and he was sleeping a lot but I didn't know if that was right. Was I supposed to try and get him to eat something? Or should I let him rest? I didn't know. Every time one of my brothers was in any kind of trouble I felt like it might all falll apart...like the State would finally realize that I had no idea what I was doing and take them away. But Two-Bit was looking at me and Pony was relying on me so I nodded.

"Yeah…I'm gonna try and get him to drink something." That was right...it had to be. He needed to at least drink something. Otherwise, he might get sick.

I went into the kitchen, pouring some water into a glass, and then stepped back into his bedroom. Two-Bit hovered in the doorway as I knelt beside Ponyboy. He didn't move when I shook his shoulder a little. "Pony? Kiddo? Can you wake up for a second?" He was silent and I felt my stomach start to sink. What if he was sick? What if something was wrong? He was sleeping like he was dead, the only way I was sure he was alive was his chest rising and falling. "Honey, wake up." I shook him again, talking a little louder, and I heard Two-Bit shift behind me, feeling his nervousness combining with my own. "Ponyboy?" I shook him just a little harder and he finally started to stir, humming under his breath. "Hey, kiddo. You ready to get up?"

"Nu-uh." He muttered, trying to huddle back under the covers, and I smiled, thinking that it was just like when I was trying to get him up for school. Him and Soda were harder to get up in the morning than I had ever been, I was sure of it. I pushed his hair back, shaking him a little.

"Here. Take a drink, okay?" I held the glass to his lips, and he reluctantly opened his mouth, drinking, then dropping back on the pillow, his eye never opening. Putting the covers back over him, I ran a hand through his hair and left the room, shutting the door behind me.

Two and I were quiet as I dropping into my recliner once more, my hands clasped in my lap. "I'm gonna go ahead and get Susie…take her to her friend's house. You gonna be alright?" He asked me quietly, looking too serious.

"Yeah...I'll see you later, Two-Bit. Thanks for staying with him." He patted me on the shoulder as he left, glancing back at the bedroom door as he left.

I stared at the TV for a while, thinking about picking up a book or something, but I couldn't get myself to focus on much. I had to work the next day, but even though Soda was off, I was probably gonna take off too. We needed the money, but I wasn't ready to leave him yet. Picking up the phone, I went ahead and called my boss, giving him a brief rundown of what had happened and asking for the next day off. He was pretty understanding, and when I was done with that conversation, I called Officer Charlton once more, hoping he wasn't sick of talking to me yet.

"This is Charlton." He answered.

"Officer Charlton, it's Darrel Curtis."

"Hello Darrel. Everything alright?"

"Yeah…Pony's been asleep since you left. I think he's just tired but…I want to take him to the doctor, just to make sure he's okay. But I don't have custody yet and I didn't know…"

"I understand. Just let me call the social services office and have a talk with them. The woman I spoke to this morning, who will probably be your new social worker, was very understanding about your situation. I can ask her if you will be able to take him to the doctor or if a member of social services will need to accompany you. I can call now and get back to you in an hour or so if that sounds alright."

"That would be great. Thank you so much, Officer."

"Not a problem, Darrel." I put the phone down, closing my eyes and feeling once more that it was all too easy…that it should be harder. I was grateful, but every moment I felt like it was all going to come crashing down.

It wasn't five minutes later that the phone rang again, and I picked it up, feeling my stomach drop when the voice on the phone spoke. "Is Ponyboy or Johnny there?"

"Who's this?" I demanded, glancing around the room as though someone was about to pop up. I didn't recognize the voice, and I didn't know who'd be calling here asking for Pony or Johnny right now. If it was one of Richard's pals, they were gonna have to go through me to get to those two.

"Is this Ponyboy's brother?"

"Yeah. Who is this?" I snapped.

"This is Mr. Williams. They worked at my store for a couple of months over the summer." The man told me. "I asked them for a number where I could reach them to make sure they got home okay." I felt the air rush out of me in gust and I dropped back against the back of my recliner, eyes closing in relief. It wasn't Richard or one of his friends…no one was coming after my little brother or trying to harass us.

"Mr. Williams…you were their boss."

"Yes sir." He sounded somewhat amused and I smiled.

"I'm sorry. Things around here have been…well, kind of rough. But Ponyboy and Johnny got here last night. They're okay." I told him. I hadn't known that Pony had given him our phone number, or that he would bother calling. It seemed that Pony had made plenty of friends in New York.

"Good. I was worried about those two…never got a straight answer about what exactly was going on down there, but they were good workers and your little brother saved my daughter. He's a good kid, Ponyboy."

"Saved your daughter?" I asked, blinking in confusion. Ponyboy hadn't mentioned that. Then again, he hadn't mentioned much at all about his life in New York.

"Twice, actually. His first day here, apparently, or close to it, some boy had her cornered in an alley and he stepped in. He came to our church and she recognized him, then he came in to apply for a job with Johnny. A lot of people at our church thought he was going to cause trouble…a couple of white boys came to our church a few months ago and set off firecrackers during the service. But your little brother just sat through the service. Seemed to like it." I had to smile.

"Yeah. We used to go with our parents, and after they died, Ponyboy kept going for a while."

"The second time he saved her was in the store." He told me quietly, his voice turning real serious. "A couple of those same white boys came into the store and were trying to cause trouble. Your brother beat the crap out of one of them…if it hadn't been for his friend stopping him, I think he might have killed him. He was pretty out of it…went home in a daze."

That didn't sound like my little brother…Ponyboy didn't do stuff like that…didn't lose his temper and beat people half to death. Heck, usually I had to help him out in rumbles. "Was he…was he okay later?" I asked, a pit in my stomach. If he was losing it like that…beating the crap out of people and then not seeming to remember any of it…something could be wrong with him.

"He seemed okay the next day. Of course, after that, those boys were after your brother and Johnny and jumped them a couple of times." I closed my eyes, running a hand over my face. "I suppose he didn't tell you this." Mr. Williams asked quietly.

"We haven't gotten much of a chance to talk."

"He's a good kid, both of them…not a lot of white boys around here would work for a black man and go to a black church. It sure didn't make them popular, but to tell you the truth, they didn't even seem to notice. My nephew and some of his friends were looking after them there at the end…anyway, I didn't mean to keep you on the phone. I just wanted to make sure those two got home okay. I can call back some other time if that's alright…I'd like to talk to them."

"Sure…that's fine." I told him, struggling to process everything. "I…I really appreciate everything you did for them, Mr. Williams. If you hadn't hired them…I don't know how they would have gotten by." The words weren't good enough. He'd been kind to two kids off the street who'd asked him for jobs with no experience. He'd looked out for them and let them come to church with him and his family. "Thank you. For all of it. For looking after my little brother."

"You're doing a good job with him." He told me softly. "He went through a lot from what little they told me…I saw his arms. But he still tried to protect a girl he didn't even know."

"Thank you." I murmured, rubbing at my eyes. "I'll let them know you called…he's asleep right now, but as soon as he wakes up I'll tell him. Johnny too." I hung up the phone, running a hand through my hair and leaning back in the recliner. So that was their boss…I felt like I hadn't said enough…hadn't thanked him enough. But I couldn't get myself to focus on that…not yet. Not until Ponyboy was okay and I got him checked out by a doctor and got custody. Then I could figure out how to thank Mr. Williams and James too.

Officer Charlton called me back after about two hours, letting me know that I would be able to take Ponyboy to the doctor even though I didn't have custody considering our circumstances. He also told me that a member of social services would be coming by sometime this week. I would need to tell Pony...I'd need to tell him a lot of things. Glory, we had a lot to talk about. Sodapop would need to be there for that conversation too. He gave me the number of the social worker and told me to call sometime the next day. I needed to start making to-do lists.

Sodapop got home around six, checking on Pony first thing, then drilled me on everything that had happened. With Steve there, I left out some of it, but Steve would find out most of it eventually. Besides, he was one of the gang, and even though him and Pony didn't always get along, the two of them were like family, same as the rest of us. Steve hung around for about an hour, then headed home, telling us he hoped 'the kid feels better soon.'

At around 8:30 I made burgers for a late dinner, and when I was done, Sodapop finally woke Ponyboy up, not able to take it anymore. We were both real worried since he'd been asleep for most of the day, and when he came stumbling out of the bathroom, rubbing his eyes and dressed in pajamas with wet hair, I grinned, throwing my arm around his shoulder. "Hey there, kiddo. How do you feel?"

"Alright…kind of weird." He admitted, blinking around the room. "I didn't dream or nothing…it's like I closed my eyes and all of a sudden it was nighttime."

"Think you'll be able to sleep tonight?" I asked, leading him toward the kitchen table where he sat in his usual spot.

"Yeah. I'm still tired." I pushed a burger toward him and Soda started eating almost before he sat down. Grinning, I passed him a napkin I was relieved when Pony ate all the food we put in front of him, hoping he was starting to get his appetite back. I took a bite of my burger, then sat it down, turning to face Ponyboy.

"Someone called for you while you were asleep." I told him. He put his food down, looking up at me with wide, almost scared eyes.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Yeah. A Mr. Williams." The fear left his eyes, leaving just surprised.

"Oh…oh. Really? I mean…he asked for my number. To make sure me and Johnny got home okay."

"That's what he said. Sounds like a nice guy."

"Yeah. He was great…should have fired me, probably, with all the work I missed." He gave a rueful grin, looking back down at his food.

"Sounds nicer than my boss." Soda told him, punching him in the shoulder. Ponyboy chuckled, rubbing his arm and taking another bite of his burger. "Maybe he'll call back tomorrow and you can talk to him."

"Yeah, maybe." Pony turned to me. "You work tomorrow?" He asked with the air of someone expecting the answer to be 'yes.' I shook my head.

"Nope. I'm off." He lifted his eyebrows but didn't comment. Soda looked like he was about to say something but let it go when I gave him a look.

"Me too." He said instead. "What did the cop say about all this? When's the hearing?"

"We're not sure yet. In the meantime, Pony, we need to take you to the doctor. Get you checked out to make sure everything's okay." My little brother didn't look thrilled with the idea, but he didn't seem to want to argue either. "Officer Charlton called and gave me the go-ahead to take you." He just nodded, staring down at his empty plate, looking kind of sick all of a sudden. I wanted to reach out and comfort him, but Soda got there first, throwing an arm around our brother.

"It's gonna be fine, Pone. Just a quick checkup, in and out." I didn't know if that was true, but our brother looked cheered by it, so I just nodded when he glanced at me. I hoped it was true. I didn't think Ponyboy could take any surprises at the moment, and neither could I. As for the meeting with the social worker, I'd leave that until tomorrow.

Thank you for reading and Merry Christmas everyone! :)