Confusion
I did wake up at some point, though I barely remember a thing. I know Dally was there, and Soda, and Steve, too. They were talking, their voices sounding different somehow. Low, shaky. Dally's tone actually contained fear, an emotion I didn't know he even had. Somebody lifted me off the pavement and moved me to a car. I blacked out again after that, before waking up in a stiff bed, with foreign sheets covering my body.
"Soda." I managed to whisper, my lips feeling dry as chalk. I licked them, surprised to feel the metallic taste of dried blood.
"Shh, go back to sleep, baby." Soda's familiar voice comforted me like no one else's could.
I realized at that moment, I couldn't open my eyes. It was as if heavy weights were keeping my eyelids from lifting. I panicked.
"Soda.Soda, I'm scared," I murmured.
"Shh, baby, I'm here, don't be scared." I felt his warm hand around mine. The heat from his hand seemed to cancel out the Arctic chill that ran through my own.
"Soda.where am I?" I wondered aloud, my voice fading although I fought to make it louder.
"You're in the hospital, sweetie. Now go back to sleep, all right?"
"Is somebody sick? Why are we in the hospital? Is Darry sick? Is Ponyboy.?"
"No, Robs, they're all fine." Soda's voice sounded odd. It sounded like when he had done a reading at our parents' funeral and started crying right in the middle. Was he crying now? Someone really must be sick. I wondered who it could be.
I heard footsteps approaching us, and I immediately recognized that they belonged to Darry. It was impossible not to identify the way he walked- hard yet soft at the same time. Sort of like him.
"Hey, Soda, how's she doin'?" he asked wearily, his Southern drawl thick.
"She doesn't even know where she is," Soda replied, his voice shaky and full of misery.
Darry sighed. "The doctor said the concussion was bad.it'll be okay, Pepsi-Cola, all right?" There was a pause. "Listen, the boys are in the waitin' room, so if you want a break, somebody'll take your place."
"No, I'm not leavin'," Soda said firmly, squeezing my hand softly.
"Come on, Sodapop, just take a little break. You're gonna wind up sick yourself if you stay in this place too long."
"Soda." I choked out, wondering if he was leaving. Maybe he was sick, that's why he couldn't be here. That must be it.
"Hey, hon," Darry said, realizing I was awake. I felt his hand brush against my arm. "How ya doin'?"
"Is everybody okay, Dar?" I asked. I couldn't comprehend why everyone was in the hospital. Something must have happened.
Darry didn't answer for a moment. He whispered something to Soda, something I couldn't hear. "Why don't ya go to sleep, all right, Rob? It's time to go to sleep."
"Okay." I responded obediently before drifting off to sleep again.
The next time I woke up, my head was throbbing (nothing new), but my mind was slightly less foggy. A nice change, considering the degree of my confusion the last time I awoke.
"Soda.you here?" I asked, forcing my eyes open. It was as though I was opening a one hundred-year-old vault or something. I must have slept for quite awhile.
"Hey, Robin, it's Steve.how ya doin'?"
I blinked. Oh, yeah, it was Steve. "I'm fine. Why?"
He paused, his face showing pure bewilderment. "Uh.you know you're in the hospital, huh?"
"Well, yeah, but I'm fine. Just a little tired."
Steve just looked at me strangely. He looked tired, too, maybe that's why he was staring at me like that. He certainly didn't look like Steve, though; the Steve I knew always had something to say, yet he was oddly quiet now. I couldn't figure out what was going on, but I knew it must be bad.
Just as I was about to ask Steve what was up, there was a swift rap on the door, and a doctor stepped in. He had a pair of Soc-like khakis, which brought a small grin to Steve's previously distraught expression.
"Robin Curtis?"
"Yeah?" I replied. I hated doctors, despised them. Ever since Mom and Dad's deaths, I guess I sort of starting blaming every person in the medical field, since they obviously didn't know what they were doing. After all, they couldn't save my parents, so why the hell should I like them? It's not like they've done a whole hell of a lot for me.
I realized after a few moments that I'd been off in my own thoughts, a fact the doctor was readily jotting down in his manila folder. By the look on Steve's face, I could tell I'd screwed up.
"What?" I hissed.
"He's been sayin' your name for the past two minutes," Steve replied in the same low tone. "He thinks you got a concussion or somethin'."
I rolled my eyes. "I was just thinkin'. Jesus, if that constitutes a concussion, Ponyboy would have had one every day of his life!"
Steve didn't smile. Oh, God, was I dying or something? Steve never missed an opportunity to rag on my little brother.
"Well, Robin, just follow this light with your eyes, and we'll see about this concussion."
I immediately hated this guy. Seriously. But I obeyed, just to prove that I was problem-free. Concussion? I'd never felt better in my life! What were they thinking?
After the doctor's little light test, I sat back, happily awaiting my test scores (which I was positive would come back perfect), watching as Dr. Soc scribbled on the charts he held in position with one arm. I winked at Steve, who responded with a stony expression.
"What's up your ass?" I whispered.
"Supersoc is probably gonna keep ya here a couple days, Rob.you failed that worse than I've failed any biology test. That's pretty damn impressive."
"Failed?"
"Yep."
I refused to believe it. Even when Dr. Soc presented me with the news of my concussion - "and a severe one at that" he'd said - I didn't believe it. What was going on? I couldn't understand, nothing had happened.I didn't remember a thing. I'd gone to the movies with Dallas, and Johnny, and Pony, then went home to bed. When did I get all these bruises and cuts? Come to think of it, this dull ache on my brain wasn't really like the other migraines I'd had before.
Needless to say, I wanted an explanation.and soon.
A/N: Not my best work, this chapter, but I had to get it out there for ya'll.sorry I couldn't update yesterday, but I'm really trying to do it daily! Please keep reading and reviewing, you guys are truly the reason I've kept with this! You're so sweet, and I love reading all your comments. You guys are the best!!
Much love, Ash
I did wake up at some point, though I barely remember a thing. I know Dally was there, and Soda, and Steve, too. They were talking, their voices sounding different somehow. Low, shaky. Dally's tone actually contained fear, an emotion I didn't know he even had. Somebody lifted me off the pavement and moved me to a car. I blacked out again after that, before waking up in a stiff bed, with foreign sheets covering my body.
"Soda." I managed to whisper, my lips feeling dry as chalk. I licked them, surprised to feel the metallic taste of dried blood.
"Shh, go back to sleep, baby." Soda's familiar voice comforted me like no one else's could.
I realized at that moment, I couldn't open my eyes. It was as if heavy weights were keeping my eyelids from lifting. I panicked.
"Soda.Soda, I'm scared," I murmured.
"Shh, baby, I'm here, don't be scared." I felt his warm hand around mine. The heat from his hand seemed to cancel out the Arctic chill that ran through my own.
"Soda.where am I?" I wondered aloud, my voice fading although I fought to make it louder.
"You're in the hospital, sweetie. Now go back to sleep, all right?"
"Is somebody sick? Why are we in the hospital? Is Darry sick? Is Ponyboy.?"
"No, Robs, they're all fine." Soda's voice sounded odd. It sounded like when he had done a reading at our parents' funeral and started crying right in the middle. Was he crying now? Someone really must be sick. I wondered who it could be.
I heard footsteps approaching us, and I immediately recognized that they belonged to Darry. It was impossible not to identify the way he walked- hard yet soft at the same time. Sort of like him.
"Hey, Soda, how's she doin'?" he asked wearily, his Southern drawl thick.
"She doesn't even know where she is," Soda replied, his voice shaky and full of misery.
Darry sighed. "The doctor said the concussion was bad.it'll be okay, Pepsi-Cola, all right?" There was a pause. "Listen, the boys are in the waitin' room, so if you want a break, somebody'll take your place."
"No, I'm not leavin'," Soda said firmly, squeezing my hand softly.
"Come on, Sodapop, just take a little break. You're gonna wind up sick yourself if you stay in this place too long."
"Soda." I choked out, wondering if he was leaving. Maybe he was sick, that's why he couldn't be here. That must be it.
"Hey, hon," Darry said, realizing I was awake. I felt his hand brush against my arm. "How ya doin'?"
"Is everybody okay, Dar?" I asked. I couldn't comprehend why everyone was in the hospital. Something must have happened.
Darry didn't answer for a moment. He whispered something to Soda, something I couldn't hear. "Why don't ya go to sleep, all right, Rob? It's time to go to sleep."
"Okay." I responded obediently before drifting off to sleep again.
The next time I woke up, my head was throbbing (nothing new), but my mind was slightly less foggy. A nice change, considering the degree of my confusion the last time I awoke.
"Soda.you here?" I asked, forcing my eyes open. It was as though I was opening a one hundred-year-old vault or something. I must have slept for quite awhile.
"Hey, Robin, it's Steve.how ya doin'?"
I blinked. Oh, yeah, it was Steve. "I'm fine. Why?"
He paused, his face showing pure bewilderment. "Uh.you know you're in the hospital, huh?"
"Well, yeah, but I'm fine. Just a little tired."
Steve just looked at me strangely. He looked tired, too, maybe that's why he was staring at me like that. He certainly didn't look like Steve, though; the Steve I knew always had something to say, yet he was oddly quiet now. I couldn't figure out what was going on, but I knew it must be bad.
Just as I was about to ask Steve what was up, there was a swift rap on the door, and a doctor stepped in. He had a pair of Soc-like khakis, which brought a small grin to Steve's previously distraught expression.
"Robin Curtis?"
"Yeah?" I replied. I hated doctors, despised them. Ever since Mom and Dad's deaths, I guess I sort of starting blaming every person in the medical field, since they obviously didn't know what they were doing. After all, they couldn't save my parents, so why the hell should I like them? It's not like they've done a whole hell of a lot for me.
I realized after a few moments that I'd been off in my own thoughts, a fact the doctor was readily jotting down in his manila folder. By the look on Steve's face, I could tell I'd screwed up.
"What?" I hissed.
"He's been sayin' your name for the past two minutes," Steve replied in the same low tone. "He thinks you got a concussion or somethin'."
I rolled my eyes. "I was just thinkin'. Jesus, if that constitutes a concussion, Ponyboy would have had one every day of his life!"
Steve didn't smile. Oh, God, was I dying or something? Steve never missed an opportunity to rag on my little brother.
"Well, Robin, just follow this light with your eyes, and we'll see about this concussion."
I immediately hated this guy. Seriously. But I obeyed, just to prove that I was problem-free. Concussion? I'd never felt better in my life! What were they thinking?
After the doctor's little light test, I sat back, happily awaiting my test scores (which I was positive would come back perfect), watching as Dr. Soc scribbled on the charts he held in position with one arm. I winked at Steve, who responded with a stony expression.
"What's up your ass?" I whispered.
"Supersoc is probably gonna keep ya here a couple days, Rob.you failed that worse than I've failed any biology test. That's pretty damn impressive."
"Failed?"
"Yep."
I refused to believe it. Even when Dr. Soc presented me with the news of my concussion - "and a severe one at that" he'd said - I didn't believe it. What was going on? I couldn't understand, nothing had happened.I didn't remember a thing. I'd gone to the movies with Dallas, and Johnny, and Pony, then went home to bed. When did I get all these bruises and cuts? Come to think of it, this dull ache on my brain wasn't really like the other migraines I'd had before.
Needless to say, I wanted an explanation.and soon.
A/N: Not my best work, this chapter, but I had to get it out there for ya'll.sorry I couldn't update yesterday, but I'm really trying to do it daily! Please keep reading and reviewing, you guys are truly the reason I've kept with this! You're so sweet, and I love reading all your comments. You guys are the best!!
Much love, Ash