Last Chapter!
(Ponyboy's POV)
Darry was released from the hospital two days after the trial. Dr. Downing didn't want to discharge Darry until he was confident that Darry's brain and lungs were okay, or at least okay enough to not require constant medical attention. Part of me thought Darry would've jumped for joy if it wasn't for his broken femur. Still, when he was told he didn't need to be stuck in a hospital bed anymore, my oldest brother practically leapt for his crutches.
Darry was told that his brain could be foggy and his memory could be permanently affected, so he might never be able to remember the crash, and while it frustrated Darry, I was secretly glad. I didn't want either of my brothers to remember the worst of what happened; they had dealt with enough already. I wish I didn't remember the crash either, but at least my memory allowed the man responsible to be caught.
The night Darry was discharged, I got my cast taken off. I was warned that my arm would be weak and not entirely healed, but I barely listened to my doctor's warnings; I was just happy to be free of the annoying arm cage.
Once both of us were done dealing with Dr. Downing, as politely as he could, the doctor said that he hoped to never see us again.
"Nothing against you, sir, but I hope we don't see you either," Darry said as he shook Dr. Downing's hand, keeping the crutches under his armpits.
Once the doctor left the room, there was an eerie silence filling Soda's hospital room. We all were thinking about it, but Two-Bit was the only one who spoke up. "Alright Soda, now we gotta figure out how to break you outta here."
I looked over at Soda, who was sitting in his bed, looking more exhausted than usual. He didn't say anything, but he nodded at Two-Bit before looking up at Darry, who was standing by the foot of the bed. "Why don't you go home and get some sleep, Dar? And take Pony with ya. You both look like crap."
Darry looked at him, and there was a hint of surprise in his facial expression. "I'm not going anywhere, Soda. Not until you're able to leave with me." Then Darry looked at me. "But he's right Pone, maybe you should go home-"
Soda interrupted him before I could. "Come on, Darry. You know it wouldn't be good for your leg to stay here. I'll be fine."
I got a real good look at Soda then, and just by looking at him, I knew he was glad Darry and I were able to leave, but I also knew how disappointed he was that he had to stay. Just don't give up, Soda.
"It's alright, Darry. I'll stay here," Steve said, drawing our attention from Soda and to him. He had been pretty quiet most of the day, so at times I forgot he was even there. "He's right. You both look like crap. You could use some rest, and maybe even a shower."
I couldn't help but chuckle, and Steve gave me a small grin before looking back at Darry. It was rare that Steve would even suggest what Darry should do, but since the crash, it had happened almost frequently. Still, even while using crutches to help him stand up, Darry was big and tough. Steve had to be pretty brave to talk to him like that.
Darry thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, alright. Thanks Steve." Then he looked at the jokester of the group. "Mind giving us a ride, Two-Bit? I can't drive, and we don't really have a truck anymore."
"Sure thing," Two-Bit said, jumping up to his feet. Then he slapped a hand on my shoulder. "What are the chances Superman makes us some of that chocolate cake when we get to your place? I haven't had any in weeks," he said in a fake whisper that was loud enough for anyone in the hallway to hear.
I rolled my eyes, but before I said anything sarcastic, I met Soda's eyes and thought something different. "We ain't gonna have cake until all of us are there."
Soda gave me the world's smallest smile and he nodded his head, as if to say count me in.
When Darry, Two-Bit, and I got to the house half an hour later, Two-Bit immediately laid down on the couch while Darry went to take a shower. I forgot how much the whole ordeal had taken out of Two-Bit, as well as Steve. It must've been exhausting going back and forth between school, the hospital, and our house every day, and Steve had to work on top of all of that. Once again, I was reminded how much I appreciated the guys, but before I could say anything about it, Two-Bit was fast asleep.
I sat at the kitchen table where the guys had been organizing our mail. The piles had been organized into piles of either unpaid bills, paid bills, or just general mail. I knew Steve had been using the money he earned from working overtime at the DX to pay some of the most important bills, but I didn't realize how much he had paid until I realized how much smaller the "unpaid" pile was compared to the "paid" pile. Along with the paid bills was Steve's handwriting on a piece of paper, and upon closer inspection, there were dates and dollar amounts written on it, so I knew Steve was keeping a close eye on everything for my brothers. I suspected that Two-Bit also chipped to help with the money that he always managed to come up with whenever we went to the movies or races or something. By not going out or doing anything fun for a few weeks, he probably came up with a few extra bucks.
Whenever we had found ourselves at the house, Steve and Two-Bit never let me look at the mail, which they probably did on behalf of Darry, even when he was in a coma. I was naïve, I knew there would be bills piling up, but they still said everything would be fine and to not worry about it. One day, Two-Bit went as far as telling me all I should think about was learning stuff in school and "staying smart." It was such an odd thing to hear from Two-Bit, that I was stunned into silence and I went into my room to do homework.
"What's this?" Darry asked right as I picked up an envelope. I looked up and saw him balancing on his crutches, wearing clean clothes, and his hair still wet. For the first time in weeks, he looked fully awake, clean, and not like he was knocking on death's door. I hadn't even realized he was growing facial hair in the hospital until that moment when he was clean shaven for the first time since the crash.
"Steve and Two-Bit organized the mail," I said. Darry sighed, and I had the sudden urge to reassure him by saying something that I knew he'd appreciate. "They wouldn't let me do it. Heck, this is the first time I've even seen it. They didn't let me so much as bring it into the house. They've been takin' care of it all."
Darry looked slightly relieved, then he hobbled his way over to the table, sat down across from me, and snatched the envelope from my hand. "I'm home now, Pone. I'll take care of this." That's when he really looked the piles, and when he spotted Steve's hand-written note, he picked it up and read it. "What the… no… no, they didn't-"
"Oh, but we did," Two-Bit said, suddenly appearing behind Darry. Both of us looked at Two-Bit, who was no longer sleeping. Was he even sleeping before? I'm not so sure anymore. "We couldn't cover everything, but we wanted to help you out."
Darry was stunned for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Two-Bit, this is too much. I-"
"Save it, Muscles. It's done." Two-Bit sounded stern, but the wild grin on his face showed that he enjoyed seeing Darry flustered. "Look… you've taken care of us for years, so let us help you out for a change." Darry opened and shut his mouth several times, apparently not able to find the words he was looking for. Pleased with the lack of reaction, Two-Bit's grin grew and he sat down next to me before he spoke again. "There's a few more things you should know now that you're better. Steve and I didn't wanna tell you until you were home."
That caught me by surprise. Sure, I knew the guys were helping out with some bills, but I had no idea what Two-Bit was talking about. Darry and I shared a look, and he must've seen the confusion on my face because he quickly turned his attention back to Two-Bit, as did I.
"What's goin' on Two-Bit?" I asked.
Two-Bit smiled, then he threw an arm around my shoulders. "I guess a lot of people like your big brothers, kid, because there's other people helpin' out too." I gave him a confused look, but he ignored me and looked at Darry instead. "Your boss and some coworkers got some money together to help you get by while you're outta work. Turns out, Mr. Harrison is a pretty cool guy. We talked a couple times when he came to the hospital. He wants you to heal and feel better before you even think about climbing a ladder. Soda's boss pitched in a little too, and he told us whenever Soda's ready, he still has a job too." He gave Darry a sly grin. "Some nurses chipped in, including your girl." Then Two-Bit let out a laugh. "Even that cop's helping out. Who would've thought a cop was helping out some greasers?"
I saw Darry's flabbergasted expression, and after my initial surprise wore off, I couldn't help but smile. "That cop's alright. He's helped us out almost as much as you and Steve have."
Two-Bit looked back at me. "Shoot kid, it's what we do. Don't act like you guys haven't helped us out before." Two-Bit stood up, walked to the drawer next to the fridge, and took out an envelope. Then he handed it to Darry with a smile on his face, probably waiting in anticipation.
Darry carefully opened the envelope, and when he looked at its contents, his eyes widened. From where I was sitting, I couldn't see the entirety of the contents, but I assumed by my brother's reaction that there was a lot of money in Darry's hands. After a short while, he was finally able to speak again. "Two-Bit, all of this… it's too much."
"Nah, if you ask me, it ain't enough," Two-Bit said. He kept the grin on his face and put a hand on Darry's shoulder. "I know you don't like askin' or acceptin' any help Darry, but just this once, take it. You and your brothers deserve it."
It was like a standoff or something. Darry and Two-Bit were looking at each other, but I saw that Darry was slowing being worn down. Finally, Darry sighed and nodded. "Alright. Thanks Two-Bit, for everything."
Two-Bit smiled. "Don't mention it, Superman."
I was again surprised that one of our friends managed to tell Darry what to do, but I was thankful for it. It gave me the confidence to try it. "You should get some sleep, Darry."
My older brother looked at me, and it only took a second for him to nod his head. "Yeah, you're probably right." He stood up and balanced on his crutches again. "You should get some sleep too, Pone. We'll go visit Soda in the morning." Then a look crossed his face. "Wait, what day is it? Do you have school tomorrow?"
Two-Bit and I laughed a little before I answered. "No, I don't have school tomorrow. We have a couple days off this week."
Darry looked at me skeptically, but he must've either believed that I was telling the truth or he didn't care, because he nodded and quickly moved past the subject of school. "Alright, good night. Two-Bit, you know where the extra blankets are." He didn't even wait for Two-Bit to respond before he started towards his room.
Once Darry left, I looked at Two-Bit seriously for a moment. He was the biggest jokester I knew, but since the crash, he and Steve had taken it upon themselves to make sure my brothers and I would be okay. He noticed I was looking at him because he raised his eyebrows at me. "Why are you lookin' at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"
"No, it's just, I was thinkin'… you and Steve have done a lot for me and my brothers. I don't really know how to thank you except just to say 'thank you,'" I said. For being such an avid writer, I really suck at coming up with a decent vocabulary when I'm talking to someone.
Two-Bit waved his hand, brushing me off like taking care of me and helping my brothers was nothing more than a simple favor. "It ain't nothin', don't worry about it." I gave him a pointed look, to which he replied in a more serious tone. "We weren't gonna let anything happen to you while your brothers were stuck in the hospital, and we weren't about to let them come home to more than they could handle. That ain't how we do things."
I nodded. "I know, but I just want to thank you for everything. I really don't know what we would've done without you two, and now Darry and Soda don't have to worry as much about the bills. You two really helped us out a lot."
"Aw shucks kid, you're gonna make my eyes start waterin'," Two-Bit said, dramatically wiping fake tears from his eyes. I rolled my eyes at him, and he started laughing. "Go on to bed, Ponyboy. You heard your big brother: we're gonna go visit Soda in the morning. You should look well-rested and presentable at least once this week."
"Look who's talkin'," I replied as I stood up from my chair.
Sleep really did sound good, and with one of brothers finally home, I could rest a little easier. Still, I wouldn't be able to relax until Soda could come home too.
Over the course of the following weeks, I continued going to school, but dividing the rest of my time between visiting Soda at the hospital and being at the house. In the minimal amount of time I spent at home, I did my best to keep up with the chores that Darry wasn't able to do. He appreciated the help, especially since it meant he really only had to be at the house to shower and sometimes sleep. Neither of us felt comfortable with the fact Soda was still in the hospital, but the only thing we could do was be there for him while he recovered.
Even though I was never really admitted into the hospital after the crash, once in a while, Darry would ask me how I was feeling and if anything hurt. I figured it was because he and Soda had such major injuries that he was constantly reminded of, so it was natural for him to keep checking up on me. I told him I was completely fine, and that the lingering headache I had largely ignored had slowly disappeared, so I had high hopes for being completely healthy for the spring track season. Darry seemed happy to hear that.
Soda had some good and bad days at the hospital after Darry was discharged. I wasn't surprised that he was frustrated, so especially when he was having a rough day, I did my best to keep his mind occupied on something else other than being stuck in a hospital. We played cards, I tried to teach him how to draw horses, and we even bet on what Two-Bit would swipe next from the hospital giftshop. Nurse Carrie would also bring us extra Jello and stay and chat whenever she could, which seemed to happen most frequently when Darry was around. It was pretty obvious Carrie and Darry liked each other, so after the guys and I wore him down, Darry left Soda's room to ask Carrie out. When he came back with a smile on his face, we knew that she said agreed to go out with him.
Most of Soda's occupational therapy appointments were during the day, so Darry was usually the only one around to see Soda's progress. When we were away from Soda, Darry would give me little details about how our brother was doing. It seemed like he was making slow progress. About a week after Darry was discharged, Soda was able to swing his legs around to the side of the bed and lower his feet to the ground. A week after that, he could stand up for a few minutes, putting most of his weight on one leg, with the support of a pair of crutches. Two weeks later, he could slowly move around his room with the crutches.
By the time Soda was able to comfortably crutch from his bed, to the bathroom, to the nurse's station in the hallway, and then back to his bed, Soda's doctor finally decided he could go home the following day. Darry, who walked with a limp but no longer needed crutches, talked with Dr. Wright about Soda's limitations.
"He needs to continue his therapy, and he can't push himself too hard. He's made great progress, and we don't want to take any steps backwards. We can't be totally sure, but given his progress and everything I have seen, I think he could make a full recovery, but don't be surprised if there were minor lingering symptoms, such as residual pain or stiffness," Dr. Wright said to Darry. "If he still has symptoms or anything in six months, I want him to come see me, and we'll see if there's anything else we can do." Darry nodded, and I knew he would keep an eye on Soda and make sure that he followed the doctor's orders.
That night, Darry and I went home to make chocolate for Soda's return home the following day. Two-Bit tagged along with us while Steve said he would spend one more night in the hospital since he didn't want to go home anyway. Darry and I made sure not to let Two-Bit cut into the cake after it came out of the oven, even though he claimed that he needed to taste-test it.
After the cake was put away and Darry went to take a shower, Two-Bit gave me a wild look. "Wait until you see what Steve's got in store for tomorrow."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, utterly confused. Soda's coming home tomorrow. What could Steve possibly have planned?
"Just wait and see," Two-Bit said before collapsing on the couch to fall asleep.
The next day was quite eventful.
Two-Bit drove us to the hospital that morning. When we got to Soda's room, we all mentioned that Steve looked like he barely slept, so Darry told him to go to our house and get some rest before we got there. Steve nodded his head and told Soda he'd see him later.
Before Soda could leave, Dr. Wright looked him over one more time, filled out some paperwork, and wished him well. Before we could leave, several nurses stopped by Soda's room to wish him a speedy recovery. Apparently, he had been very charming while in the hospital because a couple of the nurses seemed like they were a little sad to see him leave. Soda didn't seem to mind the attention, and Two-Bit was glad to entertain the pretty visitors. Once the nurses left, we were finally free to leave.
Since Darry was still a little unsteady on his own two feet, Two-Bit carried Soda's crutches and I pushed the wheelchair Soda sat in all the way to the front doors of the hospital. Before we went through the doors, however, Soda spoke up. "Stop."
Confused, I obeyed my brother, and all of us stopped just a few feet in front of the doors.
"You alright, Soda?" Darry asked.
"I'm walkin' outta here," Soda said in a determined voice. He immediately grabbed the crutches in Two-Bit's hands and started to stand up. All of us were ready to help in case Soda stumbled, but he didn't. Once he was up on his feet, he spoke again. "Alright, let's go home." We were all smiling as we walked out of the hospital for the last time.
The drive home was pretty uneventful, except for Soda wincing a little whenever we hit a pothole in the road. I knew he was trying to hide it, so I didn't say anything. Several weeks before, he could barely move in a hospital bed, so I told myself that even though Soda was in pain, it was still a huge improvement. When we arrived, I noticed Steve's car wasn't there like I was anticipating. Instead, our truck was parked in front of our house.
Our truck!
When Two-Bit parked his car, he looked at all of our stunned faces. "I see you all have spotted Steve's surprise."
I had completely forgotten that Steve went to go see our truck, but even if I had remembered, I wouldn't have thought Steve would be able to repair it. It was crumpled, demolished even, but somehow Steve worked his magic and fixed it. Not only was it fixed, but there was a fresh coat of paint on it. It looked like a new truck, but the license plate, tires, and the dent in the side of the bed that came from a football years before gave away its true identify.
All of us climbed out of Two-Bit's car, but we didn't take our eyes off of the truck. "But, it was such a bad crash… how did he…" Darry trailed off once he was standing, obviously at a loss for words.
Darry and I helped Soda get steady with his crutches before any of us took a step towards the truck. The moment Soda was standing steady, the door to our house opened, and Steve walked out with a grin on his face. "What do you guys think?"
"How did you fix it?" I asked him incredulously. My brothers didn't remember the entire crash, let alone what the truck looked like afterwards, but I certainly did, and I didn't think there was any hope to restore it. "Half of it looked like crumpled tin foil."
Steve raised an eyebrow at me. "You underestimate me, kid."
"Steve, I don't even know what to say other than thank you," Darry stammered. "You have no idea what this means to us."
"Don't mention it. You know, with Soda not at the DX, I needed something to do so I didn't get bored. The other guys there don't know nothin' about cars, and talking to them is almost painful," Steve said, rolling his eyes a bit. Then he looked at Soda, putting a hand on his shoulder and smiling at his best friend. "Nice to finally see you outta the hospital, Soda."
Soda smiled, and it was like after weeks of dark and cloudy skies, the sun was finally shining. My brother was finally back home, and everything would be okay. "It's good to be home." Then he nodded his head towards the truck. "Thanks for doin' that Steve. You're probably the only one that would even think to try an' fix it."
"He was," Two-Bit chimed it. Then he threw an arm around Steve's shoulder. "Even the cool cop thought he was crazy, but ol' Stevie here is a good mechanic. Best one in all of Tulsa." Steve rolled his eyes again, but I could see the small smile he was trying to hide.
"Alright, I don't know about you guys, but I want some chocolate cake," Soda said. We all agreed and walked with him back into our house.
We spent the next few hours like we normally would before the crash had thrown another wrench in our lives. We ate cake, laughed played cards, and occasionally called each other out for cheating. Even when the sun went down and I knew my brothers were tired, we continued to hang out and have a good time with our extended family.
It would be a couple months before my brothers were both completely healed, but they both overcame their injuries. Darry was reluctant to go back to work while Soda was still healing at home, but Soda practically shoved him out the door as he told Darry that he was fine. Once Soda was able to walk without crutches, he went back to work too, which relieved Steve. By the time Spring Break came around, everything was back to normal. My brothers and I were all pain-free, but the scars we wore on our skin, along with the slight limp that Soda sometimes had, showed what we all overcame.
Thank you all for sticking with me until the end- this story ended up being longer than I anticipated. Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, follows, etc.