Pony's POV

It was awful. I hated waiting. Why hadn't anyone come to find us and tell us anything yet? What if it was really bad? What if she was already dead? I'd seen the amount of blood on Two-Bit's shirt and was almost sick. Darry came and sat down on my other side then as another doctor went and spoke to Two-Bit, who didn't say anything just got up and followed the doctor.

"What's wrong with Two-Bit? Where's he going?" I asked Darry.

"The doctor's going to check him over, he might be in shock. What he saw Pony..." he couldn't finish.

"She told me this morning she'd be waiting for me at home when I finished work, she said I could kiss her then." I leant forward and rested my head in my hands. Soda and Darry each draped an arm over my shoulder. What was I supposed to do if something happened to her? As corny as it sounded she was like my other half.

"Think positive, Pone, everything will turn out alright. I bet she's in a room back there somewhere just waiting for you to come see her. Hell she's probably even more worried than we are!"

"Yeah," Darry put in. "She'll be worrying about making us worry." I knew what they were trying to do but I wasn't buying it. Before I could say anything the doctor who took Two-Bit away came up to us.

"Hello there, my name is Dr. Abrams. I understand you're inquiring after the young girl who was hit by a car?" he looked through some papers he was holding, "Sam, I believe her name is." We all stood up.

"Is she okay?"

"I'm afraid I'll need to know your relationship with her first."

"She's my girlfriend!" I practically shouted and felt Darry's hand on my shoulder.

"And I'm his guardian." The doctor looked at us both, nodded and gestured for us to follow him. Soda and Steve sat back down. We followed the doctor to a private corner of the waiting room. My heart was thumping in my chest as I waited for him to say something, anything.

"I'd like to start by saying your friend, Keith Matthews, is fine. He was in shock so I've given him a mild sedative, he'll be sleeping for a while but when he wakes he should be perfectly fine to be discharged." We both nodded at his words and he continued. "Now with Sam, the car struck her on her left side. She has 3 broken ribs and a fractured wrist. The cut on her head was quite deep and required 17 stitches and she may have a concussion when she wakes. She's extremely lucky, her injuries were relatively minor."

I wanted to strangle him! Sam gets hit by a car, has broken bones, may have a concussion and he's calling her lucky?! Is he fucking with me! I was about to say something but Darry cut in.

"Why has it taken so long for someone to come and tell us this if her injuries were 'relatively minor'?"

"We had some complications."

"What complications?" the doctor sighed and looked at Darry before turning his full attention to me.

"You say you're her boyfriend?" I nodded. "I'm sorry to tell you this but Sam was pregnant. We tried our hardest but there was nothing we could do. I'm afraid she miscarried."

What? Pregnant? My mouth fell open and I turned to Darry shaking my head. He stood looking at me like he'd never seen me before. He looked like I felt, like someone had taken a baseball bat and knocked him over the head with it.

"Why don't I give you a few minutes alone." I ignored the doctor, too busy trying to figure this all out.

"Wait Dr Abrams! How far along was she?" Darry asked.

"Hard to tell exactly but it would have been early." Darry turned his stare back to me but it suddenly became a glare. I backed up a few paces unsure of what to say.

"You told me not four weeks ago that you hadn't slept together!" he growled. I couldn't find the words to explain it to him. To tell him it wasn't mine. Because that meant admitting the fact that Sam had cheated on me.

"What's going on? Is she alright?" Soda came up and looked from me to Darry.

"Ponyboy lied!" Darry hissed and Soda looked at him confused.

"No I didn't." I whispered and Darry laughed harshly.

"How do you explain the fact that she was pregnant then, Ponyboy!"

"What?! Sam was pregnant?!" Soda's mouth dropped open and he looked at me incredulously.

"How could you lie to my face about something like this, Ponyboy Curtis! And how could you have been so stupid as to not use protection!" he turned away from me and I looked at Soda, at his face filled with disappointment and finally found my words.

"It wasn't me." I said quietly and understanding came to Soda's face. It was then I remembered that Sandy had done the same to him. Darry didn't understand though.

"Of course not, she's the new Virgin Mary!" Darry snarled and Soda turned to him.

"Darry, don't"

"No! Don't you dare try and stick up for him, not this time! All of the times he's screwed up this is the worst!" he pointed an accusing finger at me and I snapped.

"It's not mine! I told you we never slept together and I meant it! I don't know whose kid that was but it definitely wasn't mine!" As I turned to go Soda tried to grab my arm but I shrugged him off. "Leave me alone!"

I ran. Past Steve with his judgmental eyes, past other people staring at the scene I'd caused, just ran out the doors and down the street, I ran away from them all. I was done.

XXXX

Darry's POV

Soda turned to me with anger in his eyes "Why did you say that Dar? Why couldn't you just hear him out for once before jumping to conclusions."

I sighed but couldn't bring myself to say anything. I glanced at Soda "I'm going to go after him" I didn't give Soda a chance to respond before leaving.

I found Pony an hour later at the park on the swings and sat down next to him.

"Come to remind me of all the other times I've screwed up in my life." I winced and ran a hand through my hair.

"Pone...I shouldn't have said that. I had no right."

"No, Darry, you had every right. It's only true isn't it? I'm just one big screw up. I bet you couldn't name one thing I've done right in the past 3 years." I was silent. Not because I couldn't think of anything to say, I had a million good things to say to him, but I felt he needed to get this off his chest. "Hell maybe that's why shit like this always seems to happen to me. The universe thinks 'Hey this guy's already so fucked up, let's see what else we can throw at him!'"

"I'm sorry, Pony, you're not a screw up. I know you're hurting but we can figure this out. We'll all talk and-"

"No, Darry." he cut me off. "I'm done. I'm done with her. We don't need to talk at all. I don't care, in fact I'm already over it. I'm gonna go home." He got up and started walking.

"Pony!" He didn't even look back, just kept on walking. As I watched his retreating back I couldn't help but think about what a big screw up I was. When he started talking I thought he'd let it all out, talk about it, hopefully even cry about it! But instead he'd just added another chink in the armor he wore, another brick in the wall he was putting up around his heart.

I should have known to cut him off before he got started. Now I'd left him doubting himself. I hadn't meant to say those things to him. Most people don't want to tangle with Dally when he's mad because he's dangerous, but I think I'm much more dangerous when I get mad. I say things I don't mean like calling my little brother a screw up, or do things I don't mean, like hitting that same brother and ultimately starting a chain of events in the process that results in the death of one of our best friends.

Maybe I'm more dangerous because I'm a screw up. I know I've royally screwed up being a parent, I always seem to do the wrong thing when it comes to Pony. How was I going to help him overcome this latest obstacle and renew his faith when I couldn't seem to have a simple conversation with him?

I sighed and got up from the swing, slowly trailing behind Pony as we made our way home, two screwed up brothers in a screwed up world.

XXXX

Sam's POV

I couldn't open my eyes. I felt groggy and heavy with something more sinister than sleep and tried to fight it off.

"Hello?" I shouted. Well at least I tried to anyway. In reality I just feebly moved my mouth a bit. What was going on? Where was I? And what about Two-Bit? I was supposed to be with him wasn't I?

I opened my eyes as I struggled to piece together what I last remembered. I was walking with Two-Bit...and then I ran ahead...I heard him call out my name...and when I turned around he was reaching out to me and the look on his face...he had a look of utmost torture on his face. Then...black.

That's all I could remember. I rubbed my eyes and noticed for the first time a cast on my left wrist. I tried to sit up but it hurt, everything hurt. As I lay there and took in my surroundings I realised I was in a hospital bed, no other place in the world is as white as a hospital. I looked at the empty chair next to the bed, if I was in hospital where was Pony? Surely he should be here watching over me right? Oh god, did he even know I was in here? How long had I been out? But surely Two-Bit would have told him and the rest of the guys.

I started panicking and one of the monitors started beeping faster to signify my accelerated heartbeat. Just as I was about to try and get up again a nurse walked in.

"Hey there, sweetie, you're awake. Don't try and sit up. Calm down and I'll get you some water." I did as she asked, more out of weakness than actually wanting to obey her. I just wanted answers. She came back with a small cup and helped me sit up a bit to drink. It was gone too quickly.

"Only 100mL I'm afraid, Dr Abrams orders." I wanted to beg her to sneak me some water, and tell me what was going on and to go get the doctor so I could get some answers but I didn't have the strength.

"What happened?" I managed to croak out after she settled me back down.

"I'll go get Dr Abrams for you."

As she left the room I tried again not to panic. Why couldn't she tell me herself? Was it that bad? Oh god was I dying? Was that why no-one was here? They didn't want to have to say goodbye to me and watch me wither away? Or maybe it was just policy, maybe only the doctor could give out information, I'm sure that's what it was. I was probably going to be just fine. It was probably just protocol that prevented her from telling me herself. Believe it or not, these ridiculous ideas managed to keep me somewhat calm.

A few minutes passed before the nurse came back in followed by a middle aged man with thick blonde hair and glasses.

"Hello there, Sam, my name is Dr Abrams, how are you feeling?

"Sore." I whispered. He smiled at me and took a seat in the chair Pony should have been in.

"That's understandable given the circumstances." he took a little light out and shone it in my right eye. "Tell me, what do you remember?"

"Nothing." I answered as he moved to my left eye.

"Slight amnesia is a normal side effect of a concussion." he clicked the light off, put it in his pocket and looked up at me. "You were hit by a car." Wow talk about getting straight to the point! He gave me a look, I guess to see if I could handle anything more or not, and continued on.

"Today is Sunday 20th of July, the accident happened on Thursday 17th July, 3 days ago." 3 days?! I had been out for 3 days?! Then where was Pony or Two-Bit or Soda or any of the gang, surely at least one of them would be here in case I woke up. "The car hit your left side, you have 3 broken ribs and a fractured wrist. The car had slammed on its brakes but you still went over the bonnet and onto the road, which is the cause of the laceration on your head." I brought my hand up and felt a bandage running around my head.

"Sam, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you were pregnant and we couldn't save the baby." I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to shut down. Just lay there and die. I wasn't sure what I was feeling. Anger? Sadness? Relief? Guilt? I didn't know and I didn't want to know, I didn't want to feel anything right now but despite how hard I wished that were true a few tears escaped my eyes.

"Sam? Sam, if you would like to talk to someone we have qualified counselors here at the hospital. Would you like me to schedule you an appointment with one of them?" I kept my eyes and mouth closed tight but shook my head violently no. I heard him leave and was glad as I could feel myself shaking, going to pieces and I didn't want to do it in front of a stranger. He must have told the nurse because I heard her come back in and within a few seconds I was drifting into unconsciousness.