Sleep Ê Disclaimer: I only own the plot ANÉ..Be warned, much angst, or at least I think there will be. Ê Soda's POV Five days later Ê " Please wake up, Pony," I begged my little brother and stroked his arm. Pony didn't answer me. He hasnÕt been answering anyone for five days. Funny how some things make you look at time differently. A while ago, five days was nothing. Now it seems like an eternity. The worst thing is, Pony's eyes are opened. Just staring ahead blankly. I'm not even sure if he blinks. " Hannah!" Pony yelled ThatÕs all he'll ever say now. He cries out the name of a friend he couldn't have saved. " Shhh, shhh, it's ok," I said I know that was pointless. Pony was having a nightmare now, and we couldn't wake him up. " I wish you could just go to sleep," I told him. He shuddered from demons we couldn't see. " How is he?" Dally asked " Same," I said " I'm sorry Soda," he said That was the most sincerity I've ever seen from Dallas Winston. " I know, I wish he would get better," I said " We can blame the doctors in this place," he said "Maybe," I said sadly. " They keep injecting whatever that shit is into his arm, maybe if they stoppedÉ.." Dally trailed off. " At least he's not in that mental clinic," I said " Yeah, are they gonna make you move him?" he asked I sighed " Darry's been talking to the doctors about it for five days, they say its what's best for him, and he says a place where he can get actual medical attention is better for him," I said " What about you?" Dally asked me. " I don't know, or care really, I just want him to look at one of us and say something," I said " Yeah, I keep thinking that the kid's gonna snap out of it," he said Two Bit came over and joined us. " Any thing different?" he asked us " Same as yesterday, and the day before thatÉ." I said He nodded " He's not in a coma is he?" he asked " The doctors called it being cationic, I don't know what the hell it is," I said Two Bit looked at Pony. " He looks almost like he's sleeping with his eyes open," he said " Yeah, he does," Dally agreed " I think he is sleeping, in a way," I said " Too bad we can't throw cold water on him to wake him up," Two Bit joked half heartily " Or do something," I said " Where's Steve?" I asked I hadn't seen him today " He's out in the hall, muttering and cursing," Two Bit said "Why?" " Its Pony, Steve thinks he hates the kid, then this happens, and you're so upset and you're Steve's best friend, and a whole lot of other shit," Dally said " Maybe I should talk to him," I said " I tried that, he nearly bit my head off," Two Bit said Pony blinked his eyes. " Pony?" I asked He blinked again, but his eyes still had that far away look. " Come on Pony, come back," I pleaded "What's going on?" Two Bit asked " He blinked," I said " Blinked?" Dally echoed " Yeah, but I don't know if it means anything," I said Pony opened his mouth, and we all looked at him in anticipation. "Hannah!" he screamed I sighed. But something was different, this time Pony didn't stop yelling her name and he looked scared, really scared. " What's he doing?" Two Bit asked The rest of the gang rushed back into the room when they heard Pony's screaming " Can't you calm him down or something?" Steve asked " I can't even get him to look at me, how the hell am I supposed to get him to calm down?" I yelled " You're his brother, figure it out!" he yelled back. In the midst of all that yelling, a doctor walked into the room. Needle in hand, ready to be injected. " Is that all you can do?" Dally asked him when he saw the needle. " It will calm him down," the doctor said in a monotone " Calm him down? The kids cationic for gods sake," Dally said " I'm just following orders," he said " Bullshit," Dally muttered Dally seemed to be the one that was the most upset about the injections. Or at least the one that spoke of it the most. "Its what's best for him," the doctor said Like every other time, the fluid of whatever was in that needle was injected in Pony's arm before we could say anything. Pony screamed Hannah's name one more time then slumped over and closed his eyes. " Maybe you should have one too, you seem upset," the doctor said to Dally " Don't you come near me with that stuff," Dally said in a low warning tone. The doctor just shrugged. "Alright," he said and left " Is that all they know how to do?" Two Bit asked "Pony doesn't deserve to be treated like this," Johnny said " What do you mean Johnnycakes?" I asked him " The doctors in this place don't even treat him like a person anymore," he said " I know, and I'm not sure if they will in that clinic either," Darry said " At least here, we know there's doctors nearby," he said "Yeah, Pony needs the best we can give him right now," I said I tried not to notice Steve staring angrily at me when I said that. Ê Three days later " Is Pony still asleep?" I asked Johnny "Yeah, since noon," he said "What time is it now?" I asked " It's four o'clock," Darry answered I leaned over Pony's bed. "At least he looks kind of peaceful now," I said "Yeah. Maybe he's having good dreams," Two Bit said " I hope so," I muttered I leaned brushed some hair back from his forehead. He was cold. " Pony," I whispered in a panicked voice. "What's wrong Sodapop?" Steve asked me " Pony, he's cold," I said Steve sighed and gave me a look of slight disgust. " He's sleeping, don't worry about it," " Yeah, alright," I really tried not to worry about it. But I couldn't help it. I looked closer at my brother. His chest was no longer moving up and down to indicate breathing. " Darry!" I said " Soda, he's asleep, just calm down," he said " He's notÉhe's notÉ." " Not what?" Dally asked me They all seemed so calm. " Breathing," I said "Are you sure?" Darry asked and jumped up to his feet. " He's not moving," I said " MaybeÉ." Two Bit trailed off Darry pressed his fingers into the side of Pony's neck. " No," I whispered He pressed again, then put his hand on Pony's chest. The next words he said were the worst words I've ever heard in my life. " I can't find a heartbeat," he said in a choked voice. "What? There has to be one!" I cried " I can't fine one," he said in that same choked voice. " You sure Darry?" Johnny asked him " Yes," he said Dally pressed his fingers against Pony's neck. " Neither can I," he said " How could that have happened? We've been with him the whole time!" I cried " I don't know," Darry said " Go find someone," I said No one had to get up. A doctor came into the room for routine checkups. " Is everything all right?" he asked us. " We can't find a pulse," Darry told her I was too numb to say anything. He didn't say a word. He went over to Pony and took his pulse, then waved a hand in front of his face. Finally the doctor opened his eyes and peered into them. " Time of death, 4:12 p.m.," he said " Liar!" I screamed " I'm very sorry," he said Why was it that whenever they said sorry, they didn't seem as though they meant it? Was it too much to ask for a little sincerity? Some sympathy? " I don't understand, how could he be dead, we've been here all day, or at least for most of it," Darry said "Some patients on this floor simply lose the will to live," the doctor explained No one said anything, " Or, as some people do, they die of a broken heart," he added There was a heavy silence. "Hannah," Johnny whispered through his tears. "Why didn't you even try to save him?" I asked the doctor and wiped my eyes. I was crying freely now. " There's nothing we could've done," he said " You didn't try," I accused. The doctor said nothing. "Pepsi," Darry started to say. " No! Dally was right, whatever that was that you kept injecting into his arm, that killed him!" I said "AgainÉ..I'm sorry," he said " No you're not, you're not sorry at all, this is just another day's work to you, you don't care that my little brother is lying there dead and you helped kill him!" I yelled " Maybe I should give you something, a sedative," the doctor said and looked at me. How could he be so damned calm? " Don't come ten feet near me with that stuff," I said " Maybe,É..you should take something, its not good for you to be this upset," Darry said " I think I can be as upset as I want to right now! My brother, our brother is dead!" I yelled I closed my eyes and started to sob. Because my eyes were closed I didn't see Darry hold his head in his hands, then nod at the doctor. I never saw the doctor take out a needle as if from nowhere, or Darry look at the rest of the gang in a way as to indicate they shouldn't stop it. I felt the swab on my arm and startledly opened my eyes. " That's the stuff that killed Pony! DonÕt'É." I never finished though because he plunged the needle into my arm. I could feel the liquid enter me and it was cold. " Darry," I whispered weakly. How could he do this to me? " Shhh, Pepsi Cola, just go to sleep," Darry said and looked away I stared at him with wide, accusing eyes. Then the darkness overtook me and I slept. Ê Ok, the next chapter is the last one. Yeah, I'm going to be killed for this aren't I? Please r/r Fyremoon. Ok.....I donÕt think IÕm going to write anymore....ever.....Its been an interesting journey though.