*SODAPOP'S POV*

We sat in the waiting room, Darry, Steve and me, waiting for news on how Pony was doing. We were almost the only ones sitting there in the early hour. After a few hours, a doctor came out.

Darry stood up, and Steve and I followed him.

"Are you all family?"

Darry started to say something but I interrupted.

"Yes." Nobody contradicted me.

"Your brother's condition is worse than we previously thought. He has acute bacterial pneumonia, a type of pneumonia that is rarely contracted. (A/N: LOL I have no idea what 'acute bacterial pneumonia is; I just made it up~) He was in intensive care before but we moved him into a normal room just now. We are giving him antibiotics right now. He is unconscious at the moment. He may wake and he might not. Tonight may determine whether he will survive."

Survive? He couldn't die!

"Can we see him?" Darry's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes. Room 125. It's the last one on the right of the corridor. You may stay for as long as you like. Call someone if he wakes."

I walked as if in a daze through the corridor. The door numbers swam in and out of my vision, and I had to focus to see them clearly.

"Soda, you've passed the room," came a voice near me. It was Steve. I jumped.

"What? Oh."

"Come on, little buddy," said Darry gently.

We walked in together.

Ponyboy had never seemed so small and pale. He was lying in a white bed in a white room surrounded by tubes and softly beeping machines. Seeing him there made me feel totally helpless. I just wanted to run to my baby brother and tell him I loved him and just beg him to wake up.

Darry and Steve took the chairs by Pony and I sat on the edge of his bed.

*STEVE'S POV*

I felt horrible. The kid really was sick. I mean, I never really thought of Pony as a kid. Sure, I thought of him as an annoying tagalong, but I never saw him like this, so vulnerable and young. All the mean things I had ever said to him came back to me. Was I such a terrible person?

Ignoring the questioning look of my best friend, I buried my head in my arms, unable to look at Pony like that anymore.

*DARRY'S POV*

I didn't know what to think. I just sat there, staring at my youngest brother, willing him to wake up. But he didn't.

We all sat there in silence, not moving, until Steve suddenly buried his head into his arms. Strange. I always thought, of all of the gang, Steve didn't like Pony the most. Still, I wanted to just bury my head somewhere where I didn't have to see my brother like this. But I couldn't. I had to remain strong. For Soda.

I don't know how long we waited. Normally I'm a very time-conscious person, but I just couldn't bring myself to check how many hours my brother had been laying there like that.

I was half-asleep when I heard a slight movement. My head snapped up. Ponyboy moaned softly.

"Come on Pony," I said quietly, not wanting to wake the other two. "Just open your eyes. You can do it."

*PONYBOY'S POV*

Pain. That was the first thing I knew. I hurt everywhere. It even hurt when I breathed. I tried to open my eyes, but it was harder said than done. My eyelids felt as if they were being held down by heavy weights. I moaned.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice near me.

"Come on Pony. Just open your eyes. You can do it."

I struggled harder, and finally my eyes opened. I found myself looking into Darry's blue-green eyes. They looked different, somehow. I used to think they seemed cold and detached. Now, they seemed warmer. Suddenly, I didn't feel as scared of him as I normally did.
I wanted information. Where was I? What was I doing here? I tried to say something, but even keeping my eyes open was draining me of the little energy I had.

Darry took my hand and gave me a small smile.

"You're in the hospital again, little buddy," he said, as if he could read my thoughts. "You're a little sick. Don't worry. We'll stay with you. Just get some sleep."

I was too exhausted to feel scared about being in the hospital again. Darry's hand made me feel safe. I wondered who else was in the room too. I tried opening my eyes again to see, but, before I knew it, I was fast asleep again.

*DARRY'S POV*

Ponyboy had woken up! That meant he was going to be okay. That HAD to mean he was going to be okay. I couldn't take it if he. . . well, if he didn't survive this.

Remembering the doctor's instructions to let a doctor know if Pony woke up, I quickly stood up and ran out of the room as quietly as I could, looking for one. I knew I should have gone while Pony was still awake, but I couldn't bring myself to leave him.

Almost immediately I spotted the doctor we had first met.

"Excuse me," I called. He turned around.

"My brother just woke up. Ponyboy Curtis? In room 125."

"Good. Is he still awake?" The doctor turned around and started walking toward Pony's room.

"No. He fell asleep again."

We arrived at the door. Soda and Steve woke up when the door creaked open.

"What's happening?" asked Soda.

"Pony just woke up," I told him.

"What? Really?" Soda jumped up and ran over to Pony's bed. The doctor stood at the other side of his bed. He took his temperature and gave him an injection.

"What's the injection for?" Soda asked.

"It's a painkiller," the doctor replied.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"There's more of a chance of it. He still has a pretty high temperature, but I think he'll be okay. But he's staying in hospital for at least a week."

Soda and I looked at each other.

"Can we bring him home instead?" I tried. "He has a sort of phobia with hospitals."

The doctor shook his head. "No chance of it. Sorry."

I sighed. "Okay. Thanks."

The doctor nodded to us and left the room.