I thought I'd make this chapter really long because I want to finish this story asap.

Since Charlie died, I felt like Darry was really making the effort to get to know me. He came into my room while I was doing my homework a few days after the incident and said "Pony, you want to go to the Nightly Double? I hear they're playing 'Gone with the Wind' by popular demand"

I was surprised. He didn't like going to the movies. They were too boring for him. Not only that but he never went out anywhere, he was always too busy.

"Sure" I said. I hadn't finished my work but I thought that if he was making an effort, then so will I.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We actually had fun- just the two of us. Darry was acting like his old self back before mom and dad died. In the end he enjoyed the movie as much as I did.

On the drive home we were laughing and talking about when we were kids. He was telling me things I didn't remember.

"I swear to God, you just walked over, grabbed the cockroach off the floor and stuck it in your mouth!" he started laughing again

"ewww yuck!" I couldn't help laughing myself.

"Mom started screaming and opened your mouth to get it out. But by then, you had half off it down."

We couldn't stop laughing the whole way home.

When we got in the house, Darry sat down on the couch and told me to sit next to him.

"Pony, you know, your teacher came around the other day. He showed me that theme you wrote a while back, after Johnny and Dally died" he looked at the floor.

I froze. "Did you read it?" I asked slowly. I couldn't remember exactly what I wrote about Darry in the theme but it wasn't all good.

"Yeah I did. I loved it. Your teacher thinks that maybe you should get it published and I do too"

"I've always wanted to be a writer" I said smiling. It was a dream come true.

"Good" he said as he stood up and walked into the kitchen, "coz I already sent it to the publishers"

I was surprised he had that much confidence in me so I didn't say anything. I was beginning to like the new relax Darry.

We hung out more often after that. We went shopping together and he helped me train for track. If we were took lazy to go anywhere, we would just sit together in front of the TV with Soda, Steve and Two-Bit. I was really having the time of my life. It seemed like when Darry was relaxed and happy, the whole world seemed to light up. I was glad I got to see that side of him.

During that time, I never really saw Mark very much at all. I heard from Terry that the Texans who killed Charlie were caught and that Mark and Bryon had to testify in court but that was all I knew. He didn't come around to the drug store anymore and he stopped calling me. I figured he needed some space to cool off, to get over his jealous of Cathy. That was another thing too. I stopped thinking about Cathy. I had all I wanted right here with me and I didn't need anything else.

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I came home from work one day and found Darry hanging over the toilet bowl in the bathroom, puking his guts out. It was the first time I've ever seen him sick and it wasn't pretty.

"Are you ok? Do you want me to get you anything?" I said bending down next to him. He looked like he was going to pass out.

"Na Pony, I think I've got the flu or something" he pulled himself up by holding onto the sink and started washing his mouth and face, "I'll be alright"

He staggered back to his bedroom and chucked himself on his bed.

I followed him there and covered him with a blanket because he was shivering.

"Pony" he whispered gesturing for me to come closer so I can hear. I thought he had fallen asleep because he had his eyes shut.

"Wake me up at 6 ok. I have to work early"

"Ok" I said and walked out, turning the light off and shutting the door behind me.

An hour later Soda came home.

"Don't you think Darry's been acting strange lately?" I asked him over dinner. Darry hadn't cooked anything so we had to eat leftovers.

Darry had been forgetting things lately. He was always in-control and wrote down appointments, remembered dates but lately everything seemed t escape his mind.

"No, why?" Soda answered through a mouthful of food.

"I don't know. He's sick, he's got the flu" I said. Suddenly I didn't feel hungry anymore at the thought of Darry puking in the bathroom.

"Darry sick? Are you kidding?" Soda said, food spitting out of his mouth left right and centre.

"I aint kidding" I must've looked pretty spooked because he put down his spoon and said, "Don't worry Pony. He'll be alright".

Darry didn't get up for work the next day. He was too tired so I called up his work and told them he wouldn't be in. He didn't want to eat anything and every time he did, he'd throw it all up all over the bed. He slept all day and night. The only time he was awake was when he wanted to go to the john. Both me and Soda had to help him with that. Two-Bit and Steve stayed away from our house when they heard that Darry had a bad flu.

"I got a date. I can't get sick" Two-Bit said. He came around and dropped off some food for us but left it on the porch so he wouldn't have to come inside. Steve was too busy with work and school. He sent Darry some flowers with Two-Bit.

After 3 days of this, I called our family doctor, Dr. James, to our house. I was really starting to get worried. If it was just a normal flu, he would've started to get better by now, I thought. The whole time Soda and I couldn't sleep incase anything happened to him. We sat by his bedside all day. I couldn't go to school and leave him like that so I got someone to pick up my homework for me instead.

When Dr. James came he told us to leave the room while he examined Darry.

Soda and me stayed outside impatiently walking around the living room.

"He's going to be ok. I'm telling you Pony" Soda said but I could tell he was trying to convince himself more than me.

"How are we going to pay for all this?" I said a little too loud. I didn't mean for Soda to hear me.

"I don't know" he said. For the 3 days that Darry was sick, we both didn't go to work, so all our sources of income were gone.

After an hour the doctor came out.

"He has some swelling of the neck and underarm" he said with an expressionless look.

I hadn't noticed that but I took his word for it.

"If he's like that tomorrow I want you boys to bring him to the hospital"

I gulped and looked at Soda who nodded at the doctor. It was more serious that we thought.

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I didn't go to school the next day. Soda and me just sat around Darry's bed waiting for him to wake up. He kept coming in and out of consciousness.

"Ponyboy?" he mumbled and I jumped to his side. He sounded like he was drunk. Nothing like his in-control self.

"Yeah Darry, what is it?" I whisper gently in his ear.

"Were you playing with my bike again? I told you not to come near it and now it's scratched" he nodded off to sleep again.

I looked at Soda in confusion.

"That happened when you were 5" he said with tears in his eyes, "what's happening to his brain Pony? I'm scared". He burst out crying.

 "I think we should take him now" I said.

I pulled the covers off Darry. They were soaked in sweat. I grabbed one arm and Soda grabbed the other. We carried him to the car and got in. Soda sat at the back with Darry.

 "Ponyboy?" Darry said again. He looked so sick that I was almost going to cry for him. "Did you hear anything from the publishers?" he whispered. Now Soda looked at me in confusion. I leaned over Darry and said "yeah, they're going to publish it". I hate lying but I thought this one was necessary. I hadn't heard anything from the publishers but my teacher had said it takes a while for them to get back to you.

We got to the hospital and the nurse contacted Dr. James who came down immediately. Darry was put on a stretcher and taken away.

"I'm going to take him in for some tests" was all Dr. James said, leaving us in the waiting room.

We sat around. The wait was torture. It reminded me of when mom and dad were in hospital after the auto wreck. We were waiting in the same waiting room. But I didn't want to think about the painful memories of that day.

I dropped to my knees and silently prayed for Darry.

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"Pony, wake up" Soda said shaking me.

I looked around. We were still at the hospital.

"How long have we been asleep for?" I asked rubbing my eyes

"About 14 hours, Pony. The doctor still hasn't come to talk to us" he said looking around.

Just then, a man walked in and sat next to us. He was a doctor but he was young, he looked no older than 25.

"Are you Darrel Curtis's brothers?" he said.

"Yes sir" Soda answered. He was starting to shake again.

"I wanted to tell you boys that thanks to your concern for your brother, we were able to diagnose him early which means there's a greater chance of…"

"Wait a minute" Soda interrupted. His voice was shaking and his eyes were going wild. "What do you mean diagnose him? Diagnose him with that?"

"Didn't Dr. James come in and tell you?" he asked in disbelief. We both shook our heads.

He took a deep breath and said "Your brother has cancer".