(Darry's POV)

The four of us walked into the house. We had left all of the lights on, and the phone was ringing, but we all ignored it. Whether it was the cops or someone else calling, they could wait.

As Soda helped Johnny onto the couch, I immediately brought Ponyboy to his bedroom. Pony was still soaking wet, so I quickly got him changed into dry clothes and got him under the covers of the bed. He was out cold and very pale, so I piled as many blankets on him as possible. When I had done everything that I could to get Ponyboy warm, I pulled his desk chair close to the bed and sat next to him. I put the back of my hand on his cheek and then his forehead to check his temperature. He still felt cold, but I was hopeful that he would warm up quickly.

Suddenly, Soda appeared in the doorway. "How is he?"

I kept looking down at our younger brother, and I sighed. "He's still cold, but I think he'll be alright. Just needs to warm up." I looked up at Soda. "How's Johnny?"

"He's already sleeping. I'm not sure the last time he slept somewhere that he was warm and comfortable," Soda said sadly.

The phone started ringing again, and Soda turned to go answer it, but I stopped him. "I'll get it, Soda. Why don't you keep an eye on Pony? Make sure he warms up and gets some rest." I figured if it was the cops calling the house in the middle of the night to talk about the incident by the fountain, I should be the one to talk to them.

I got up, and as I passed Soda, he gave me a worried look before he went to sit next to Ponyboy.

I reached the phone and I took a deep breath before I answered it. "Hello?"

"It's about damn time!"

I sighed in relief. The cops weren't calling us. Instead, it was someone we knew quite well. "Why are you calling, Two-Bit? It's the middle of the night, and I know Ponyboy isn't at your place."

"Because I was worried and you hung up on me earlier! You said Ponyboy ran out of the house, but you didn't tell me what was goin' on. I've been tryin' to call you for the last thirty minutes!" Two-Bit paused. "Wait, how do you know he ain't here? You find him?" Apparently he was sobering up, because his mind seemed a bit sharper than before, and he wasn't slurring anymore.

"Yeah, we found him and Johnny. They ran into some Socs in the park," I explained.

"They okay?" Two-Bit asked.

I glanced at Johnny, who was sleeping on the couch. In the light, I could see more cuts and bruises on his skin that I hadn't noticed before. Turning my attention back to Two-Bit on the phone, I spoke quieter. "Johnny's a little beat up, but he's alright. But, Two-Bit… they tried to drown Pony." They did drown him. It was a miracle that he survived.

"They what?" Two-Bit gasped. "I'm coming over." Before I could say another word, Two-Bit hung up on me. I wanted to tell him everything was okay and that he should wait until the morning to come to our house, but I knew there was no point in calling Two-Bit back and trying to convince him.

I walked back to the bedroom, and Soda had laid on the bed and wrapped an arm around Ponyboy. His eyes were closed, so I guessed he was sleeping too. I smiled and sat back in the chair I previously occupied.

Soda opened one eye to look at me. "Who was it?" Soda whispered. "The cops?"

I shook my head. "Two-Bit."

"Two-Bit?" Soda whispered. "It's like three in the morning. What did he want?"

I grinned. "He was upset that I hung up on him earlier and he was worried. I told him we found Pony and Johnny getting mixed up with some Socs in the park. I guess he's on his way over here now."

Soda looked confused for a moment, then he quietly chuckled. "Course he is."

I reached forward and put the back of my hand on Ponyboy's forehead. "He's warming up. That's good."

Soda nodded. "Yeah, I think he'll be okay. He's a tough kid."

We remained silent and Soda closed his eye again. I focused on listening to Ponyboy's breathing, making sure it didn't stop. After a few minutes, Soda broke the silence. "I'm never going to take this for granted." He opened an eye and looked at me again. "You know, hearin' him breathe, just being with him… I'll never get sick of this."

I nodded. "I know what you mean." The idea of my brother's breathing stopping was my worst fear, and I wouldn't be surprised if it became an actual nightmare that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

I heard the front door slam, but thankfully, Two-Bit didn't shout and announce his presence like he usually did.

"Two-Bit's here. I'm going to go talk to him," I whispered. "You okay staying with Pony?"

Soda simply gave me a nod. I grinned and got up from the chair so I could stop Two-Bit from running into the bedroom and disturbing either of my brothers. When I walked towards the living room, I saw Two-Bit sitting on the couch, quietly talking with Johnny. Johnny was sitting with a blanket wrapped around him, and Two-Bit had an arm on Johnny's shoulders, probably trying to comfort him. I stopped just around the corner so I didn't disturb their conversation

"-rry and Soda came runnin'. Some of the Socs took off, but Soda fought two of them. I ain't ever seen Soda mad like that… he was scary," Johnny explained with wide eyes. He was shaking, and he was obviously still exhausted and scared. He reminded me of a cold and lost baby deer. "Darry pulled Pony out of the water… he wasn't breathin' but Darry saved him."

"Was it the same guys we ran into earlier?" Two-Bit asked quietly.

Johnny nodded. "Yeah, and the guy that drowned Ponyboy had a bunch of rings… he was the same guy that got me."

I was filled with rage, and by the look on Two-Bit's face, he was furious too. Two-Bit squeezed his arm around Johnny's shoulders to pull him closer. "We'll deal with them, kid. Don't you worry."

I decided that was the time to walk into the living room. As soon as Two-Bit saw me, he shot up to his feet. "Darry, how's Ponyboy? Is he alright?"

I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. "I think he'll be okay. He passed out on the way back here. We're trying to warm him up in his bed while he gets some rest. Soda's with him right now." I sat in my chair and looked at Johnny. "How are you, Johnny?"

"I'm alright, Darry. I got a few minutes of sleep before Two-Bit came runnin' in," he said with a small smirk.

Two-Bit looked back at Johnny with a grin. We always liked it when Johnny could joke around with us, which was rare these days. "It ain't my fault. First, Darry calls me sayin' Ponyboy was missin', then he ignores my calls, then he said you guys ran into some Socs. I had to make sure everything was alright."

"Sorry for keeping you out of the loop, Two-Bit," I said dryly. "There was a lot going on."

Two-Bit sat back down on the couch and put an arm around Johnny's shoulders again. "Don't worry, Johnny filled me in, so now I know everything," he said. He gave me a strangely serious look, and I immediately knew that Johnny had told him why Ponyboy had ran out of the house in the first place.

I felt my heart sink into my stomach. He knows. He knows I hit Pony.

Johnny excused himself to go use the bathroom, and once he was out of the room, Two-Bit leaned forward and spoke quietly. "Did you really hit Ponyboy?"

At that moment, I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. I nodded. "Yeah, I did."

I was expecting Two-Bit to yell or even shake his head in disappointment, but I was surprised that he remained expressionless. "What happened?"

I took a breath and tried to remain calm. "It was two o'clock in the morning and Pony wasn't home yet. Soda and I were so worried. I was almost panicking, and I'm sure Soda was too. I couldn't call the cops, so I didn't know what to do. Then when he walked in, he said he and Johnny fell asleep in the lot. I was relieved that he was home, but he didn't seem to care that he was late or that his brothers were concerned. The three of us started arguing, and after he yelled at me, I guess I snapped." I started shaking my head and I looked down to the floor. "I didn't mean to. Our parents never laid a hand on us, and I never thought I would do that. I can't believe that I did that."

Two-Bit took a moment to reply, and surprisingly, he kept his voice low and steady. "Sorry to break it to ya, Superman… but you're human." He gave me a small grin. "I know you didn't mean to do it, and I ain't gonna say it's okay, but I understand. Mistakes happen. You're always the guy that keeps his head, but when you're worried about your brothers, you tend to lose your cool."

It was quiet for a moment as I took in Two-Bit's words, but before either of us spoke again, Johnny's quiet voice broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Darry." Two-Bit and I both looked at our small, quiet friend walking back into the room. "We were talking in the lot and just fell asleep. And the Socs-"

I put my hand up to stop him. "It's okay, Johnny. I'm not mad at you or Pony." I'm mad at myself.

When Johnny took his spot on the couch, Two-Bit sat on the floor with a wild grin on his face. "Mind if I spend the night too?"

"Not at all. Make yourself comfortable," I said as I stood up. "I'm going to check on Pony and Soda. You know where the extra blankets and pillows are, so help yourself."

"No need, I'm good here," Two-Bit as he laid down on the floor and put his hands behind his head.

I rolled my eyes. I went to Soda's old bedroom, grabbed a pillow and a blanket, and went back to the living room to toss them on top of Two-Bit.

"Thanks Superman," Two-Bit said from the floor.

Once Johnny and Two-Bit were settled, I turned the light off and went back to sit by my brothers' side.

When I walked into the dark bedroom, the moon shining through the window shown on my brothers' faces. I sat down in the desk chair again, and once I made sure both of their chests were rising and falling, I let out a tense breath. As tired as I was, I figured that I wasn't going to be able to sleep that night. Instead, I watched over both of my sleeping brothers, making sure there were safe.