"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." – Robert Frost
It was late one night when Steve wrapped a thick blanket around Kit's thin frame, his eyes tracing over the sunken frame of his once fiercely strong friend, his eyes lingering on her pale, angelic face. Over the last two weeks, he had all but quit school to be there for Kit every day, helping her slowly regain strength and making sure she was eating as much as he dared to force her to stomach. At first, she was furious at him, but over time, she seemed to trust him more and more and lean into him for stability and strength. It was late, but watching her sleep, he could lose track of time for hours.
"How was she today?" Brooklyn asked as she collected the loose dishes from dinner from their various spots across the house. "Did she eat?"
"Yeah, she seems to be getting better," Steve said gently. He made sure the blanket was secure before joining who was still awake in the kitchen. Darry was going over the bills, Ponyboy was finishing his homework and Soda was whisking up a cake for the next day. Two-Bit was either out getting blitz or at his own house for a change and Brooklyn was taking it upon herself to tidy up. Both Greaser and Knick-Knack, who had been lovingly nicknamed Kiack, were both lying by the stove, their tails thumping softly against the tile floor.
"You really love her, don't you?" Soda chided, giving his best friend a soft smile. "Never saw you this soft, Stevie," he added.
"She needs someone," he said softly, blushing slightly. "She won't let no one else help her."
"You know, she loves you, right?" Brooklyn offered gently. "Kit talks about you in her sleep all the time. I think she really digs you."
"Yeah?" Steve scratched the back of his neck, not liking being put on the spot like that.
"Mom used to joke that she'd marry Darry one day, 'cause they were so close in age," Ponyboy laughed. "I think mom just wanted a daughter."
"She's really fond of you, Steve. You're a lucky guy to have her heart," Darry said with a thin smile. He was happy for his friends. Kit was such a loving woman and she'd make a great wife one day. While Darry would never admit it, he always had a thing for the fiery girl with fierce eyes. Despite that, he also knew Kit always had a soft spot for Dallas and Steve. Dally because she could keep up with his attitude and knew how to avoid his bad side and Steve because the angry, bitter boy always seemed to find a way to get into her head. Darry knew Steve was the perfect match for her. He was softer and calmer now that he had her to lean into. He wondered if the two would ever make anything of the bond they now shared.
Steve glanced back into the living room, his eyes once more tracing over his friend. Her dark hair was frizzy and knotted, a huge difference from how she used to keep it. He knew her icy eyes were dull from exhaustion. He smiled in spite of himself, remembering how her eyes would light up when she talked about things she loved. When Greaser curled up in her lap, Kit stirred slightly, reaching for something that wasn't there. In her sleep, her face seemed to change into one of panic. Steve hurried to her side and slid his hand into hers, rubbing gentle circles into the back of her hand. Immediately she relaxed, a soft smile playing on her lips.
"I love you," she murmured in her sleep. Steve sucked in a shaky breath, unsure if those words were intended for him or not. "I love you." She squeezed his hand. "Never leave. Everyone leaves."
"I'm not goin' no where," Steve said gently, nudging the pup so he could sit next to Kit, his hand never leaving hers. "I swear."
Kit had always been stubborn, almost as stubborn as Dally was. She wasn't good at slowing down or listening to reason. But seeing her once strong body quickly fail her made even the toughest of the gang feel helpless.
It had been roughly three weeks since the doctor checked her out and there hadn't been any great improvements. It seemed like every time they thought they were getting somewhere; she took two steps back. She barely slept. She spent her time mending the boys' clothes or helping Ponyboy with his homework or scribbling in her notebook. Steve was the only person who could get her to eat a few bites of food at every meal, normally after arguing with her for a whole hour beforehand.
"C'mon, the doctor said you need to try to bare some weight," Soda said gently early one Saturday morning. "He said it'd be easier if you just started trusting yourself." Steve was at work and Darry was off working his second job. Ponyboy was still asleep. "Just a little while." Soda knew Brooklyn wouldn't be home for a couple more hours. She was working her ass off to help with the bills and pay her dues. She wasn't a freeloader and she constantly made that fact known. She even managed to save up for a cheap car that Steve helped her fix up.
"It hurts," she whispered. She looked so pale, it scared Soda. He had never seen anyone fight so hard and still get nowhere. While she was doing the stretches the doctor had recommended and tried to eat as much as she could stomach, even if it was only a few small bites, she still wasn't as strong as everyone had hoped she'd be after so many weeks of recovery.
"Just try, c'mon," he urged. His dark eyes danced with that happy-go-lucky look that could make anyone smile. "I won't let ya fall, promise."
Kit sighed but slowly, very slowly, pushed herself off the couch. That was when Soda got a good look at just how much weight she had lost. Her once tight fitting tank top hung loosely around her thin frame. Her good leg trembled as she gingerly allowed her bad leg to bare the slightest bit of weight. It seemed like a lifetime before she finally took a shaky step forward. Then another. And another. Soda stayed close to her side, ready to catch her if she fell. He watched as her face twisted in pain, but said nothing as she slowly made her way into the kitchen, her entire body trembling by the time she reached the table. She placed her hand on it, holding herself up, her eyes glassy with tears, her breath coming out in panicked gasps.
"You did it!" Soda cheered, hugging her carefully. "Kitten, you did it!"
"I did, didn't I?" she said sheepishly. "T'wasn't too bad," she said, but her voice betrayed her. Soda helped her sit down before rushing to the cupboard for her bottle of pills. He shook one out and grabbed a cup of water, bringing both to her quickly. She stared at the pill in her hand before she shook her head, a slight smile forming on her lips.
"I don't need it," she said softly. Soda gave her a quizzical look but before he could say anything, Greaser, the bigger of the two pups, padded into the kitchen and leaned against Kit's good leg, his tail wagging as he licked her fingers. "Hey boy," Kit said with a smile playing on her lips. "What're you and that brother of yours up to?" Greaser let out a soft bark and before Kit had a chance to react, Kiack running into the kitchen, quickly jumping up on her, his smaller frame completely smothering her. She giggled as she shoved the pup to the floor, patting his head happily.
"You know, Greaser could probably help get you walkin' in no time," Soda said with a sly grin. "He's smart you know."
"He's getting big," she noted, rubbing his ear. She was about to say something else when a jolt of pain caused her to gasp.
"What's wrong?" Soda quickly knelt down in front of her, searching her eyes for any sign of what he could do to help.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," she hissed, her eyes glossing over for a moment, before her breathing steadied. "It's okay." Kit massaged the pain out of her thigh, her fingers carefully tracing over the deep, ugly scar that could be felt under the thin pajama pants she wore. After a few minutes of rubbing, the deep muscle pain subsided.
"I want to try again," she said, looking up at Soda with doe-eyes. "Please?"
"Yeah, okay!" Soda said, trying his best to contain his excitement. This was the most Kit walked in ages.
"I want to get outside," she said, her eyes dancing at the thought. "Just for a little while. I wanna see the pups run around."
"Okay," Soda nodded. He was helping her to her feet when Ponyboy wandered into the kitchen, Knick-Knack now at his side.
"You're walking?" Pony said excitedly. "How'd you do it? Steve's been trying for the last week!"
"All he had to do was flash that smile of 'is," Kit said with a soft laugh. "Can't no one say no to Sodapop Curtis!"
That got a good laugh out of the two younger Curtis boys.
Ponyboy hurried to let the dogs out so they wouldn't trip Kit, as she slowly, very slowly, made her way onto the back steps, carefully lowering herself, one step at a time. It was chilly out, but the icy air seemed to ease the tension that was growing between her eyes. Each step was insanely painful, but she was determined to heal. She was tired of being a burden and Soda was right; if she never got up and started trusting herself again, she'd never recover. The deeply embedded muscle damage in her leg may never fully heal, but she could regain use if she stayed consistent.
She managed to reach the bottom step with only minimal help from Soda, before the pain was just too much. Soda, who had been watching her like a hawk, gently helped her sit down, a huge smile on his face.
"You did it!" Soda said followed by an excited whoop. "You did it Kitten!"
"I'm so proud of you, Kit!" Pony chimed in. He was holding a glass of chocolate milk in one hand, Kit's cane in the other. "But aren't you supposed to be using this?"
"Shhh," Kit said with a slight smile. "That thing isn't worth the trouble. Besides, I'm getting there. I'm gonna walk again, you'll see!"
"Hell yeah you are," Soda cheered. "You did good, real good."
They say in the backyard for a while, letting Kit soak up the cool air and watched as she tossed the ball around for the puppies to chase. She seemed genuinely happy for the first time since everything happened.
"Greaser's more like Darry," Ponyboy was explaining when Soda came back outside after excusing himself to use the bathroom and grab everyone sandwiches. "He's more calm and observant. Kiack is like Soda, wild and full of life and love. It's funny really."
While it was unseasonably warm that afternoon, it was still too cold to stay out much longer. Along with the food, Soda had grabbed the thick afghan off the sofa for Kit. She wrapped it around her quickly but made no more to touch the sandwich Soda offered her. It didn't help that the cheese was dyed bright blue.
"C'mon Soda, she barely eats as it is, couldn't you have at least given her something that looked normal?" Pony chided.
"Normal is boring," Kit and Soda said at the exact same time, earning them a playful swat from the younger boy. "Besides, I'm feelin' sort of worn out," Kit admitted, pulling the blanket tighter. "I want to lay down for a while."
"Want me to carry you?" Soda offered softly, setting the plates to one side, offering Kit his hand.
"No, I want to try to walk," she said stubbornly. She allowed Soda to help her stand, carefully pulling the blanket up so she couldn't trip. She carefully lifted her bad leg, holding onto the railing for dear life. Soda was ready to place his hand on her back, but she quickly shrugged him off, her face set, her eyes ablaze. She forced her leg to bare weight as she slowly pulled her good leg up next to it. Her face paled at the amount of work it took just to go up one step.
Ponyboy ushered the dogs inside, carefully making sure not to knock Kit over, but knowing that it would take her a while to get up the steps and the less people watching her, the less stubborn she would be. He quickly made her a normal look sandwich and sat in on the coffee table, knowing she probably wouldn't eat it, but also knowing Steve would kill him if he didn't try to get her to eat. He caught sight of the clock and was surprised to see it was already 3 in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Kit forced herself to take another painful step. Her entire body was trembling. Soda wanted to beg her to let him help, but he knew she wouldn't. His normally dancing eyes were filled with concern. Another step. Then another. This time, Kit's bad leg buckled and if Soda hadn't been there to break her fall, she would have smashed her face on the step.
"Okay, Jo-Anna, you know I'm proud of you for trying today, you kicked ass, you did so good, but you're gonna hurt yourself if you don't let me help," Soda pleaded. "You're shakin' like a drowned rat."
"I'm fine," she huffed. She wasn't at all happy with him using her given name, but when Soda wrapped his arm around her waist, she felt her muscles seize and reluctantly let him carry her the rest of the way. He set her gently on the couch and pulled the blanket around her as she sank into the well-worn fabric.
"Thanks," she said tiredly, her eyes fluttering shut as soon as her head hit the pillow. Ponyboy was standing in the doorway, watching with concerned eyes.
"Think maybe she over did it?" He asked softly.
"She needed to see for herself that she could," Soda said hesitantly. He wasn't entirely sure how much he believed that, but he had to. He would never forgive himself if his pressuring her set back her recovery.
"I'm okay guys," Kit said tiredly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I promise. Savvy?"
The boys nodded, though she couldn't see. Soon enough, her soft snores filled their ears and the pair tiptoed out of the living room to let the girl they had known most of their life get some rest.
A/N: I know it's been forever since I updated last, but life got in the way! I hope to keep this story going for as long as possible and I am always open to suggestions! Reviews keep me going, so let me know what you think!