(Steve)
"Hey kid," Soda murmured, rubbing his brother's arm. Pony opened his eyes and stared at us over the oxygen mask but didn't even try to grin. He looked old. Like an old man waiting to die. Not at all like the smiling but shy fourteen year old we'd known before all this.
"He's stable," the doctor had told the group of us, "but he doesn't have long. A week or two, maybe."
"But it was supposed to be a month..." Soda'd faltered and clenched his jaw tightly.
The doctor just sighed and shook his head. "We'll discuss it later," he'd called as he headed down the hall. "You can see him now."
Cherry shifted uncomfortably. "I'm gonna head home," she'd said softly. Darry must have forgotten about her; he spun around as if startled.
"Oh, I'm sorry..thank you. Thanks so much. Really, we...just thanks."
Cherry just stared at the ground and nervously twirled a lock of her hair. "If you need anything.."
"We'll be in touch."
Cherry nodded, but we could all see that she was on the verge of tears.
"Hey....this wasn't your fault, okay?" Soda suddenly said. "The state shouldn't have barged in like that, and you had to open the door. Don't worry, please? We really appreciate you stayin' and cleanin' and all that. We really do."
She'd smiled at him before leaving; Two-bit had gone with her. We all knew he couldn't deal. I'd wanted to leave too, but Soda'd caught my eye; I'd just nodded and stayed put, although as we approached Pony's bed I'd wished that I was anywhere but here. This wasn't my brother; I didn't know what I'd do if it was.
Darry wordlessly slipped Soda's old DX cap over Ponyboy's head, but the boy didn't react. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
"I recommend that he stay here," the doctor said, startling all of us as he swept in from the hallway and shut the door behind him. "He doesn't have much time, and this way we can keep him comfortable. He'll be having pains, if he hasn't already."
"But he has two weeks," Darry insisted, "why can't he spend them at home?"
"Because he needs oxygen. He can survive without it, but you run the risk of another episode like tonight's." He turned his attention to Ponyboy, who looked up at him blankly. "You over did yourself," he said simply. "I don't know what you were so worked up about, but you ought not to be."
I saw Pony's hand start to tremble; so did Soda, who slid his own over his brother's to try to hide the shaking from us.
"Do you understand what I said, Pony?" the doctor said slowly. The youngest Curtis nodded weakly. "All right. I'll get the admittance paperwork going..."
But Pony shook his head. "Darry," he rasped, reaching for his oldest brother's shirt, "I don't..want to..not here...die at home."
"What?" Darry murmured.
"I want..to die at...home."
Soda and Darry exchanged worried glances. The doctor sighed.
"I don't recommend.."
"Please," Pony begged, turning to stare at Soda, knowing all too well that his brother would side with him, "not here, I don't want....to die here."
"We'll see, buddy," Soda murmured. "We'll try, okay?"
"I'll come back," the doctor said, glancing at his watch. "But you know my recommendation."
Sure, we knew it; he wanted him to rot away here, I thought bitterly, lighting a cigarette although I knew I shouldn't. "What about the state?" I asked when he left.
The Curtis' looked at each other; they must have forgotten during the panic. Pony's eyes filled, Soda squeezed his hand, and Darry just sighed.
"Ponyboy," Darry murmured, almost pleading, "I never tried to get you taken away. I had to ask them for money. That's all."
Pony turned and stared at his oldest brother, but I couldn't read his expression.
"Darry..." he started, but he didn't get to finish because the social worker cleared his throat; none of us had noticed him slip in.
"I've been informed that he only has a week left," the man said softly from the doorway.
Pony whimpered suddenly and clutched tightly at Soda's hand. Soda shushed him and rubbed his arm again, but Darry just stared the man straight in the yes when he answered: "Yes, sir."
"I assume you'll be staying home, Mr. Curtis?" We all caught the hint there, the touch of hope that maybe this guy would do what he should have done from the start and just butt out.
"Absolutely."
The man nodded slowly. "Then I suppose...seeing you, and the situation's turn...I will change my recommendation."
So they're human after all, I thought, relieved. Darry nodded and thanked him almost as sincerely as he had Cherry.
"Hear that?" Soda asked, grinning at Pony. "You can come home, if you want."
Pony nodded, but his eyes were still filled. I thought of how happy Soda had said he was to come home after Windrixville. But it wasn't like that now. Before, Pony was coming home to become a true part of his family; now, he was coming home to die.
I never got that home crap anyway, I thought, fumbling for my cigarettes again. But then, my home didn't have what the Curtis' did; theirs had love.
A/N: Ugh, I don't know guys. What do you think?
"Hey kid," Soda murmured, rubbing his brother's arm. Pony opened his eyes and stared at us over the oxygen mask but didn't even try to grin. He looked old. Like an old man waiting to die. Not at all like the smiling but shy fourteen year old we'd known before all this.
"He's stable," the doctor had told the group of us, "but he doesn't have long. A week or two, maybe."
"But it was supposed to be a month..." Soda'd faltered and clenched his jaw tightly.
The doctor just sighed and shook his head. "We'll discuss it later," he'd called as he headed down the hall. "You can see him now."
Cherry shifted uncomfortably. "I'm gonna head home," she'd said softly. Darry must have forgotten about her; he spun around as if startled.
"Oh, I'm sorry..thank you. Thanks so much. Really, we...just thanks."
Cherry just stared at the ground and nervously twirled a lock of her hair. "If you need anything.."
"We'll be in touch."
Cherry nodded, but we could all see that she was on the verge of tears.
"Hey....this wasn't your fault, okay?" Soda suddenly said. "The state shouldn't have barged in like that, and you had to open the door. Don't worry, please? We really appreciate you stayin' and cleanin' and all that. We really do."
She'd smiled at him before leaving; Two-bit had gone with her. We all knew he couldn't deal. I'd wanted to leave too, but Soda'd caught my eye; I'd just nodded and stayed put, although as we approached Pony's bed I'd wished that I was anywhere but here. This wasn't my brother; I didn't know what I'd do if it was.
Darry wordlessly slipped Soda's old DX cap over Ponyboy's head, but the boy didn't react. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
"I recommend that he stay here," the doctor said, startling all of us as he swept in from the hallway and shut the door behind him. "He doesn't have much time, and this way we can keep him comfortable. He'll be having pains, if he hasn't already."
"But he has two weeks," Darry insisted, "why can't he spend them at home?"
"Because he needs oxygen. He can survive without it, but you run the risk of another episode like tonight's." He turned his attention to Ponyboy, who looked up at him blankly. "You over did yourself," he said simply. "I don't know what you were so worked up about, but you ought not to be."
I saw Pony's hand start to tremble; so did Soda, who slid his own over his brother's to try to hide the shaking from us.
"Do you understand what I said, Pony?" the doctor said slowly. The youngest Curtis nodded weakly. "All right. I'll get the admittance paperwork going..."
But Pony shook his head. "Darry," he rasped, reaching for his oldest brother's shirt, "I don't..want to..not here...die at home."
"What?" Darry murmured.
"I want..to die at...home."
Soda and Darry exchanged worried glances. The doctor sighed.
"I don't recommend.."
"Please," Pony begged, turning to stare at Soda, knowing all too well that his brother would side with him, "not here, I don't want....to die here."
"We'll see, buddy," Soda murmured. "We'll try, okay?"
"I'll come back," the doctor said, glancing at his watch. "But you know my recommendation."
Sure, we knew it; he wanted him to rot away here, I thought bitterly, lighting a cigarette although I knew I shouldn't. "What about the state?" I asked when he left.
The Curtis' looked at each other; they must have forgotten during the panic. Pony's eyes filled, Soda squeezed his hand, and Darry just sighed.
"Ponyboy," Darry murmured, almost pleading, "I never tried to get you taken away. I had to ask them for money. That's all."
Pony turned and stared at his oldest brother, but I couldn't read his expression.
"Darry..." he started, but he didn't get to finish because the social worker cleared his throat; none of us had noticed him slip in.
"I've been informed that he only has a week left," the man said softly from the doorway.
Pony whimpered suddenly and clutched tightly at Soda's hand. Soda shushed him and rubbed his arm again, but Darry just stared the man straight in the yes when he answered: "Yes, sir."
"I assume you'll be staying home, Mr. Curtis?" We all caught the hint there, the touch of hope that maybe this guy would do what he should have done from the start and just butt out.
"Absolutely."
The man nodded slowly. "Then I suppose...seeing you, and the situation's turn...I will change my recommendation."
So they're human after all, I thought, relieved. Darry nodded and thanked him almost as sincerely as he had Cherry.
"Hear that?" Soda asked, grinning at Pony. "You can come home, if you want."
Pony nodded, but his eyes were still filled. I thought of how happy Soda had said he was to come home after Windrixville. But it wasn't like that now. Before, Pony was coming home to become a true part of his family; now, he was coming home to die.
I never got that home crap anyway, I thought, fumbling for my cigarettes again. But then, my home didn't have what the Curtis' did; theirs had love.
A/N: Ugh, I don't know guys. What do you think?