Sam's POV
"Hurry up , Soda or you're gonna make us all late!" Darry hollered from the kitchen. "Pony get your shoes on quick or I'm leaving you here!"
I sat at the kitchen table calmly drinking my chocolate milk while the Curtis' all rushed around getting ready to leave. For some reason none of the alarms had gone off this morning so they'd all overslept. Not by much but since Darry had to drop everyone off and still get to work on time himself, they were panicking or at least Darry was.
As Two-Bit was sitting in the lounge room grinning at all the mayhem going on around him I figured it was his idea of a practical joke. I think Darry suspected it too but was in too much of a hurry at the moment to do anything about it.
Pony came into the kitchen, kissed my cheek, grabbed a slice of toast and joined Two-Bit in the lounge room to put his shoes on. He'd been asked to work an extra shift today and agreed since it meant more money.
"Soda!" Darry's patience was fast disappearing.
"I'm here. I didn't have time to shave so now I'm gonna be all scratchy!" he whined. I smiled and followed them to the door to say goodbye. Darry and Soda climbed into the truck but Pony stopped to give me another kiss.
"Have fun today, I'll see ya when I get home."
"Save the loving for another time, Pone, we gotta go!" I laughed and pushed him toward the truck.
"Go, I'll still be here when you get back, you can kiss me then." He grinned and ran to the truck, waving as Darry sped off down the street.
"That was mean Two-Bit." I said as I came in and he burst out laughing. "You know Darry's gonna kill you when he gets home right?"
"I'm sure he'll have forgotten about it by then."
"Don't bet on it." I muttered and went into the kitchen.
"What do you wanna do today?" he asked as I started cleaning up my breakfast dishes.
"Um, I dunno."
"You wanna go to the store? I'm running low on cigarettes."
"Sure, let me get dressed."
15 minutes later we were walking down the street.
"Steve still crabby about you and Ponyboy?" I rolled my eyes.
"Yes. I wish he'd just be happy for us and get over it, or at least pretend to."
"If it'll make Pony happy then Steve won't do it. Besides Pony's really enjoying rubbing this in Steve's face."
"Tell me about it. Maybe we can go to the DX later, Steve can't run from me at work and he might listen to me when Pony isn't around."
"Sure, but cigarettes first."
When we got to the store Two-Bit stood in line waiting to get his cigarettes while I roamed the store. I came around one shelf, looked up and froze. My heart seemed to stop completely in my chest and then start up super-fast again until all I could hear was the sound of it beating in my ears. My stomach plummeted and I suddenly had trouble breathing. Everything just stopped.
How could I have been so stupid? So unobservant? How could I not even realise! Why wasn't this one of the first things I thought about after that day? I don't know how I could have overlooked something so huge!
"Sam!" A hand came down on my shoulder and I jumped but it was only Two-Bit. "Are you okay? I've been calling your name." I couldn't say anything and he turned to see what I was looking at.
"I live with two women, if you need to buy your products don't let me stop you." I took one more look at the feminine products on the shelf and turned away.
"It's fine, Two-Bit, we can go. I don't need anything." That was the problem.
"Okay." He turned to go and I followed him, trying to do the calculations in my head. 2 weeks. It should have happened 2 weeks ago. How could I have been so stupid as to not have realised.
We walked down the street and I think Two-Bit was talking but my mind was racing too much to pay him any attention. Who could I go to? None of the guys, they'd blame Pony. Not Pony cause then I'd have to tell him the truth of that day.
I didn't have any other friends, maybe Angela but I didn't know her well enough to want to go to her with it. I didn't know what to do, should I keep it? Could I do the opposite? I didn't want anything to do with any of those creeps but could I destroy a human life?
It wasn't fair! I shouldn't have to worry about this! I shouldn't have to answer any of these questions! This shouldn't have happened to me, I didn't want to be responsible for this! I didn't know whether I wanted to curl up in a tight ball and cry, or scream and shout and lash out angrily at someone.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Two-Bit was looking at me with concern on his face and I knew until I figured this out I had to try and act normal. I forced a smile on my face.
"Yea, Two-Bit, I'm fine." When he still didn't look convinced I fought to make my voice cheery. "Come on I'll race ya!"
I took off running but I don't think Two-Bit was buying it. After a few seconds I heard him pick up his pace to catch up with me and I increased my speed a little. I was just about to tease him about how unfit he was when he called out.
"SAM!" Something in the tone of his voice scared me and I turned quickly. I caught a glimpse of absolute horror on his face and then everything went black.
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Two-Bit's POV
It all happened very quickly but at the same time it was all in slow motion. I called out her name and she turned to me but I knew I was too late. She never even saw the car.
Her body was like a ragdoll as she rolled over the hood of the car, off the side and onto the road where she lay still. I felt like I was running through pudding as I fought to get to her side.
"Sam! Sam, answer me! Please be okay!" I reached her and knelt next to her, slowly rolling her into my lap. Her head rolled back and blood poured from her head.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't even see her! She came out of nowhere!" It was the driver of the car and I glared at him over my shoulder.
"Call an ambulance! Now!" I turned back to Sam and lifted her head to cradle against my chest. I tilted my head down to hers and almost cried with relief when I felt the air against my cheek. She was still breathing. For now.
I wanted to get her off the road but I didn't know if I should move her. Instead I used the edge of my shirt to try and wipe the blood but it just kept coming so I pulled my shirt off and wrapped it firmly around her head.
"Please open your eyes, Sam, you gotta open your eyes. Don't die on me, please, not here, not like this in my arms, please, don't go, not by the side of the road in the gutter. You can't leave. You can't leave Pony, it'll destroy him. And Darry and Soda and Steve too, please, don't you go anywhere. Dal likes you too, really, he just can' admit it after Johnny. Oh God! Please don't be like Johnny, please don't leave us like Johnny did! You're strong, you gotta fight, for me, for Pony, for everyone. Please, Sam, stay with me!" I didn't know what I was saying but I thought if I kept talking maybe she'd hear me and fight.
I didn't hear the ambulance arrive until two EMT's came and pushed past me to get to her. I quickly shuffled back out of their way and watched as they stuck a needle in her and put a brace around her neck. One pulled my shirt off her head to replace it with a giant bandage and I held it as they loaded her onto a stretcher, I think I was crying and when I tried to follow they stopped me.
"I'm sorry, sir, there's not enough room. You'll have to find your own way." I stood clutching my bloody shirt and crying as they drove away with her, sirens blaring.
Darry. I had to find Darry. He'd know what to do. But where was he? I didn't know. Soda. The DX. Soda would call him. Soda would find him. Then Darry can fix it.
I pulled the bloody shirt over my head, not caring that it was now soaked in Sam's blood and ran down the street toward the DX. I think I started shouting for Soda as soon as it came into view. I didn't care. I shouted and ran as if my life depended on it. But it didn't, Sam's did. I saw Soda come to the door of the shop and he came out to meet me as I ran up to him.
"Two-Bit what's going on? Is that blood?!" His eyes widened when I got near and I doubled over panting.
"Yea-Darry-"
"Darry? That's Darry's blood?! Two-Bit what are you saying?!"
"NO! It's Sam-there was a car-she was running-you gotta find Darry-he'll fix it-he'll fix her!" I didn't realise I was shaking Soda by his upper arms until he gently pried me off and led me inside. I hadn't realized Steve had come out but suddenly he was there too, following us inside. Soda sat me down and got me a glass of water which I gulped down and then he leaned over to look in my eyes.
"Now take a deep breath, Two-Bit, and tell me what happened."
"Sam and I went to the store. I needed cigarettes. Then we decided to come here. So she could talk to Steve. She was acting funny. She starting running. She didn't even see it…it was too late…I tried but..." I rested my head in my hands and bounced my knee up and down.
"Two-Bit, keep it together okay? Talk to me, what happened next?" Soda gave me a slight shake and I sat up, wiped at tears I didn't even know where there.
"The car came and it hit her. Her body...she was so limp. But breathing, she was breathing. I tried to stop the bleeding with my shirt. She wouldn't wake up so I kept talking to her. The ambulance came and took her away. They said I couldn't go. So I came to find you. You have to find Darry." Soda straightened up and turned to Steve.
"Start locking up out back. I'll leave a note on the door for customers. We're going to the hospital." Soda started leaving but Steve stopped him.
"What about Darry? Should we call him?"
"I'll take care of it."
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Soda's POV
I pushed aside everything I was feeling to focus only on the now. I refused to panic as I sat down behind the counter and dialed the number for Darry's head office. I tried to stay calm, keeping an eye on Two-Bit as they got Darry on the phone.
"Hello, this is Darryl."
"Darry, it's Soda. Don't talk, just listen. There's been an accident, Sam was hit by a car. I didn't see but I know it's not good, they've taken her up to the hospital. We're gonna close up shop and head over right away."
"I'll meet you there as soon as I can." He hung up. I went out back to help Steve lock up the garage.
"Darry's gonna meet us at the hospital."
"How's Two-Bit?"
"I dunno, he's pretty messed up. I guess seeing what he saw would do that to someone." We didn't need to say any more.
The drive over to the hospital was quiet. I kept looking over my shoulder at Two-Bit. He hadn't said anything else since he told us what happened, just sat there staring out the window, chewing his thumbnail and bouncing his knee. We pulled up at the hospital but Two-Bit didn't move. I opened his door and he still just sat there.
"Two-Bit," he looked up at me. "don't think that way. It'll all be fine." He still didn't say anything but he got up and followed Steve and I inside.
"Excuse me?" I walked up to the desk and a young women turned to me.
"How can I help you, honey?"
"We're looking for our friend. She was brought in about a half hour ago. She got hit by a car."
"What's her name?" She was rifling through papers on her desk.
"Sam, but I don't know if she had any I.D. on her."
"Why don't you young men take a seat in the waiting room and I'll see what I can find out."
"Thanks."
We sat down in the uncomfortable chairs and waited. Two-Bit started up with the nail chewing and knee bouncing again. I wish I'd thought to get him a spare DX shirt. The sight of him covered in Sam's blood was unnerving. I was starting to worry about him, what if he was in shock?
"Soda!" I turned my head and cursed myself for my thoughtlessness. How could I have forgotten about Pony? "What happened? Darry said Sam was hurt!" Darry came up behind him.
"I didn't think it'd cross your mind to pick him up. Don't worry about it, tell us what happened."
So I told them all Two-Bit had told me. When Pony looked over at him his eyes widened.
"That's not all Sam's blood, is it Soda?" He looked so frightened I could only look helplessly at him. He turned pale and sat down but I moved closer to Darry.
"Darry I think we should get a doctor to look at Two-Bit. He hasn't said a word since he told us what happened, I think he might be in shock."
"Sit down, I'll take care of it."
I sighed and took a seat next to Pony. As selfish as it sounded I was glad Darry was here now to take over. I didn't much like being the responsible one in charge at times like this. Now there was nothing left to do but wait.