1 Slashed Tires Chapter 27
A/N: I lied. This is so not the last chapter. In fact, there will be at least 2 or three more. I think it's a relapse of writer's block because all of a sudden, the chapters are short again. Sorry y'all.
~
Darry pulled up at the hospital entrance, the Ford careening into a browning bush. "Go!" he ordered, shoving Sodapop out the door. His foot slammed down on the gas pedal and the car took off again, tires squealing. He parked it across three spaces and scrambled out of it. Darry rushed through the parking lot his mind set on seeing Ponyboy that very instant. He dashed into the hospital and up the stairs, breathing heavily. He caught up with Soda on the second staircase and then passed him, the younger boy panting and straining to keep up with his athletic brother.
"Darry!" He gasped, leaning against the fifth floor railing. Darry paused, mid staircase and looked down impatiently at Soda. "This is the floor!" Darry dashed back down the stairs and the two brothers ripped open the door to the fourth floor waiting room. The few waiting people barely acknowledged their sudden intrusion, but the nurse behind the desk looked up at them, frowning.
"Can I help you?" she asked, her brow creasing as she studied the gasping boys in front of her.
"P-Ponyboy C-Curtis," Soda stammered, leaning heavily against the wall. "We're his brothers."
"Ah yes," the nurse smiled. "One of the young heroes." Darry and Soda stared at her.
"What are you talking about?" Darry blurted out. The nurse raised one over- plucked eyebrow.
"You don't know?" she asked plainly, studying her nails.
"I wouldn't have asked if I did!" Darry snapped. The nurse's eyes narrowed.
"Well," she said snippily, "you can ask your brother about it. I'm sure he'll be happy to tell you." Soda hefted himself off the wall.
"What room?" he asked wearily. The nurse gave him a look.
"Right now? The lobby waiting room," she said slowly. "On the first floor."
~
By the time they had made it back to the lobby, Darry's excitement had taken a backseat to his nervousness. He'd imagined finding his brother, and throwing his arms around him in a classic, happy reunion. Now, all sort of scenarios were running through his brain, getting less and less pleasant the more he thought about it.
Ponyboy swearing at him, a glare pasted on his face…Ponyboy refusing to see him…Ponyboy shoving him away, shouting that he didn't want Darry as a brother anymore…
Darry was close to being sick when the brothers finally entered the first floor waiting room. His eyes scanned the room, finally spotting a doctor.
"Hey doc, you got a Ponyboy Curtis around here?" Soda asked, hailing the doctor. The man looked him up and down, then frowned in disapproval.
"I don't think-" he began, but was cut off by a portly man.
"Yeah, we got a Ponyboy Curtis here," the man said. He had a cheerful round face, and spoke kindly. "You all related to him?" Darry nodded, feeling stiff. "I'm Jerry Wood. Pleased to meet you." Soda shook his hand, feeling impatient. He hopped from one foot to the other craning his neck, trying to spot his brother. The man smiled and made a clucking noise and motioned for them to follow. He led them through the large waiting room through a glass door to a short hall, just at the back, close to a door. Ponyboy was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, a cigarette dangling from his fingers.
"Hey kid," Jerry Wood said to Ponyboy. "You got some people here to see you. Claim to be your brothers…" Ponyboy's eyes flew open. He leapt to his feet, his eyes radiant, and tore across the short expanse to where Sodapop was standing. Soda grabbed his younger brother, clutching him tightly to his chest. He stroked Pony's hair, listening to his brother's soft voice, muffled by Soda's shoulder. He paused, and really looked at the hair he was touching. It was bright yellow. He slowly moved back from the boy, wondering now if this was actually Ponyboy. His younger brother grinned back, his familiar face now framed by the worst haircut he'd ever had.
"Oh Ponyboy, your hair…your tuff, tuff hair…" Soda said softly. Ponyboy grinned ruefully, and his gaze shifted to over Sodapop's shoulder. Darry stared back, his fists in his pocket, silently begging the boy for forgiveness.
"Ponyboy…"
'Please, Pony. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…' But Ponyboy only looked at him, an expression of half-wonder on his face. Darry licked his lips, startled to taste the salt of tears he hadn't shed in years. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned away, leaving behind the two people he cared most about it the world. And then…
"DARRY!" Ponyboy's arms were clasped around his waist, so tight that Darry could hardly breathe. Not caring, Darry hugged him back, relieved, as a fresh wave of tears washed his face.
"Oh Pony…I thought…I thought we'd lost you. Like we did Mom and Dad…" Darry gasped softly. He felt the tremor of the sobs as they shook his body, but gritting his teeth he kept them from surfacing; the Jerry Wood guy was still right there, looking carefully at the floor. But he held on tightly to Ponyboy, feeling, for the first time in what seemed like forever, a bond (tentative, weak, but there all the same) with his younger brother.
~
Johnny barely noticed when he woke up. He couldn't see and his entire body felt numb. It felt just like sleep. He was having the hardest time trying to form a complete thought. And it took what seemed like hours before he could hear a thing: a steady beep, beep, beep, of some machine, and his own harsh, irregular breathing.
"Hello?" His voice was weak, broken, and he sounded like he had a cold.
"Hello!" He tried to say it louder, and then a light was flicked on. Johnny flinched from the lights, closing his eyes against the glare. He heard murmuring voices. And a shh-click, shh-click sound that reminded him strangely of Dally's girlfriend. Slowly, his thoughts moving like a snail, he placed the sound: it was the noise that Sylvia's high heels had made when she walked on smooth floors. 'Sylvia always wears strange shoes,' he thought sleepily, and opened his eyes.
The graying face of a nurse stared down at him, her gray eyes stony, her gray skin wrinkled and folding over itself, her gray hair pulled back severely beneath a grayed nurse hat.
"He's stable." Even the nurse's voice was gray; 'at least, it was what gray would sound like, if gray had a voice,' Johnny reasoned.
"Put him out. Let him sleep for now." Johnny didn't see where this voice came from, but he didn't have time to look, because all of a sudden, he felt something in his arm, and then he was back to not feeling, not seeing, not hearing…just waiting.
A/N: I lied. This is so not the last chapter. In fact, there will be at least 2 or three more. I think it's a relapse of writer's block because all of a sudden, the chapters are short again. Sorry y'all.
~
Darry pulled up at the hospital entrance, the Ford careening into a browning bush. "Go!" he ordered, shoving Sodapop out the door. His foot slammed down on the gas pedal and the car took off again, tires squealing. He parked it across three spaces and scrambled out of it. Darry rushed through the parking lot his mind set on seeing Ponyboy that very instant. He dashed into the hospital and up the stairs, breathing heavily. He caught up with Soda on the second staircase and then passed him, the younger boy panting and straining to keep up with his athletic brother.
"Darry!" He gasped, leaning against the fifth floor railing. Darry paused, mid staircase and looked down impatiently at Soda. "This is the floor!" Darry dashed back down the stairs and the two brothers ripped open the door to the fourth floor waiting room. The few waiting people barely acknowledged their sudden intrusion, but the nurse behind the desk looked up at them, frowning.
"Can I help you?" she asked, her brow creasing as she studied the gasping boys in front of her.
"P-Ponyboy C-Curtis," Soda stammered, leaning heavily against the wall. "We're his brothers."
"Ah yes," the nurse smiled. "One of the young heroes." Darry and Soda stared at her.
"What are you talking about?" Darry blurted out. The nurse raised one over- plucked eyebrow.
"You don't know?" she asked plainly, studying her nails.
"I wouldn't have asked if I did!" Darry snapped. The nurse's eyes narrowed.
"Well," she said snippily, "you can ask your brother about it. I'm sure he'll be happy to tell you." Soda hefted himself off the wall.
"What room?" he asked wearily. The nurse gave him a look.
"Right now? The lobby waiting room," she said slowly. "On the first floor."
~
By the time they had made it back to the lobby, Darry's excitement had taken a backseat to his nervousness. He'd imagined finding his brother, and throwing his arms around him in a classic, happy reunion. Now, all sort of scenarios were running through his brain, getting less and less pleasant the more he thought about it.
Ponyboy swearing at him, a glare pasted on his face…Ponyboy refusing to see him…Ponyboy shoving him away, shouting that he didn't want Darry as a brother anymore…
Darry was close to being sick when the brothers finally entered the first floor waiting room. His eyes scanned the room, finally spotting a doctor.
"Hey doc, you got a Ponyboy Curtis around here?" Soda asked, hailing the doctor. The man looked him up and down, then frowned in disapproval.
"I don't think-" he began, but was cut off by a portly man.
"Yeah, we got a Ponyboy Curtis here," the man said. He had a cheerful round face, and spoke kindly. "You all related to him?" Darry nodded, feeling stiff. "I'm Jerry Wood. Pleased to meet you." Soda shook his hand, feeling impatient. He hopped from one foot to the other craning his neck, trying to spot his brother. The man smiled and made a clucking noise and motioned for them to follow. He led them through the large waiting room through a glass door to a short hall, just at the back, close to a door. Ponyboy was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, a cigarette dangling from his fingers.
"Hey kid," Jerry Wood said to Ponyboy. "You got some people here to see you. Claim to be your brothers…" Ponyboy's eyes flew open. He leapt to his feet, his eyes radiant, and tore across the short expanse to where Sodapop was standing. Soda grabbed his younger brother, clutching him tightly to his chest. He stroked Pony's hair, listening to his brother's soft voice, muffled by Soda's shoulder. He paused, and really looked at the hair he was touching. It was bright yellow. He slowly moved back from the boy, wondering now if this was actually Ponyboy. His younger brother grinned back, his familiar face now framed by the worst haircut he'd ever had.
"Oh Ponyboy, your hair…your tuff, tuff hair…" Soda said softly. Ponyboy grinned ruefully, and his gaze shifted to over Sodapop's shoulder. Darry stared back, his fists in his pocket, silently begging the boy for forgiveness.
"Ponyboy…"
'Please, Pony. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…' But Ponyboy only looked at him, an expression of half-wonder on his face. Darry licked his lips, startled to taste the salt of tears he hadn't shed in years. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned away, leaving behind the two people he cared most about it the world. And then…
"DARRY!" Ponyboy's arms were clasped around his waist, so tight that Darry could hardly breathe. Not caring, Darry hugged him back, relieved, as a fresh wave of tears washed his face.
"Oh Pony…I thought…I thought we'd lost you. Like we did Mom and Dad…" Darry gasped softly. He felt the tremor of the sobs as they shook his body, but gritting his teeth he kept them from surfacing; the Jerry Wood guy was still right there, looking carefully at the floor. But he held on tightly to Ponyboy, feeling, for the first time in what seemed like forever, a bond (tentative, weak, but there all the same) with his younger brother.
~
Johnny barely noticed when he woke up. He couldn't see and his entire body felt numb. It felt just like sleep. He was having the hardest time trying to form a complete thought. And it took what seemed like hours before he could hear a thing: a steady beep, beep, beep, of some machine, and his own harsh, irregular breathing.
"Hello?" His voice was weak, broken, and he sounded like he had a cold.
"Hello!" He tried to say it louder, and then a light was flicked on. Johnny flinched from the lights, closing his eyes against the glare. He heard murmuring voices. And a shh-click, shh-click sound that reminded him strangely of Dally's girlfriend. Slowly, his thoughts moving like a snail, he placed the sound: it was the noise that Sylvia's high heels had made when she walked on smooth floors. 'Sylvia always wears strange shoes,' he thought sleepily, and opened his eyes.
The graying face of a nurse stared down at him, her gray eyes stony, her gray skin wrinkled and folding over itself, her gray hair pulled back severely beneath a grayed nurse hat.
"He's stable." Even the nurse's voice was gray; 'at least, it was what gray would sound like, if gray had a voice,' Johnny reasoned.
"Put him out. Let him sleep for now." Johnny didn't see where this voice came from, but he didn't have time to look, because all of a sudden, he felt something in his arm, and then he was back to not feeling, not seeing, not hearing…just waiting.