"Several people yelled at us, I think because we were pretty racked-up looking, but Dally had nothing on his mind except Johnny, and I was too mixed up to know anything but that I had to follow Dally. When we finally got to Johnny's room, the doctor stopped us. 'I'm sorry, boys, but he's dying.'
Johnny's eyes glowed. Dally was proud of him. That was all Johnny had ever wanted.
"Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold..." The pillow seemed to sink a little, and Johnny died. Dally swallowed and reached over to push Johnny's hair back. 'Never could keep that hair back... that's what you get for tryin' to help people, you little punk, that's what you get...'
'Damnit, Johnny...' he begged, slamming one fist against the wall, hammering it to make it obey his will. 'Oh, damnit, Johnny, don't die, please don't die...' He suddenly bolted through the door and down the hall."
-
dallas could hear their voices over the quiet beeping of the machine by him.
beep
"he should be waking up soon, boys."
beep
they must've been talking about johnny. all that was probably a dream and dally was just in the hospital because he got hurt pretty bad at the rumble.
beep
yeah that was it.
beep
johnny wasn't dead.
he couldn't be.
beep
"that was scary, man."
steves voice.
"i thought he was gonna die."
twobits.
"he'll be alright."
sodapops.
"he might just be a little shaken up from johnny.."
darrys.
"seeing dally break was kinda... scary."
ponyboys.
beep
dallys chest ached and those blue blazing eyes that were coated with hatred for the world and everything in it opened slowly.
he was in the hospital.
again.
god he hated this hospital. well, then again dallas seemed to hate everything. he was connected to those IV things, and he could see the machine making the beeping noises. and surrounding him was his gang, minus one.
johnny.
"hey dally how ya feelin?" steve asked the blonde headed greaser.
"like i just got hit in the chest with a hundred bricks, man- what the f*ck happened?" dallas groaned, sitting up a little and flinching at the stabs of pain in his chest.
"well- after johnny died you kinda lost it and you called for us to meet you at the park because you were being chased by the cops, and when we got there you pulled your heater and the cops shot ya." twobit explained, playing with his switchblade in his pocket.
"you're lucky you're alive there, dallas." darry added, crossing his arms.
so.. it wasn't a dream.
johnny was dead.
and dally wanted to be dead now too.
—
"now, he will probably be pretty unstable when he wakes up, boys. he doesn't exactly have a clear mental health history and losing someone he was this close to.. it won't be good." the doctor explained to the gang as they were crowding around dallas' bed, he even looked angry in his unconscious state.
"what do you mean he doesn't have a clear mental health history?" sodapop asked, brushing his sandy hair out of his face.
"pretty mild depression, lots of ptsd, anger issues.." the doctor stated and the gang looked in awe. dallas was really never someone you would think to have mental issues when you first thought about him. but if you looked and picked apart how dally acted on a daily, you could see he's been through a lot. thats why he was like this. angry, bitter, and underneath it all-
scared.