Thanks to all reviewers!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders
Darry's POV
As soon as I got off work, I went up to the hospital where Steve told me that Pony was in ICU. All kinds of terrible things were running through my mind. I went to go see him, and I had to put on a gown and a mask. I went into the cubicle that had my baby brother in it, and he was sleeping peacefully. When I sat on the edge of the bed, he woke up.
"Darry?" Pony said.
"Yeah, It's me. How are you feeling?"
"Nice outfit." He said grinning.
I grinned at that too. At least he still had a sense of humor.
"I'm feeling okay. I'm just really tired. I was running a fever, so they put me in here." Pony continued.
"How high was your fever?"
"103. The nurse said my immune system was destroyed by the chemo, so they need to keep a close eye on me, and I'm on IV antibiotics." He held up him arm that had the IV in it.
"It sounds like you only have a fever, and this is just a precaution." I said.
"Yeah. I hope the antibiotics work. I can't fight anything with no immune system."
"I have to go. Soda should be here by now, and he probably wants to see you."
"Okay."
"Just rest some more. I'll see you later, little buddy." I said as I left.
I discarded the gown and mask, and went to find Soda. I ran into him at the double doors leading to ICU.
"Darry, is Pony okay?" He asked with fear all over his face.
"Yes, Pony's okay. He has a fever, so they put him on IV antibiotics and moved him to ICU. You can go see him. Just put on one of those gowns and a mask. And Soda, calm down."
He nodded and went to go see Pony.
Soda's POV
As soon as I got into Pony's cubicle, I rushed over to the side of the bed and held his hand. He actually looked all right considering that he still had cancer and was in ICU. I hoped he would get out of there soon. His birthday was in three days. It was bad enough for him to have to spend it in the hospital, but we sure didn't want him to be in ICU. Pony slept the whole time I was there with him, but I didn't mind. I just wanted to see him and make sure he was okay. Then I wondered, what is okay? How could Pony have cancer and be on chemo and be okay? That wasn't really okay. He was just doing well with treatment, but I guess that was important if there was any hope of ever taking him home.
Steve's POV
Later that evening, after all of us had gone into ICU to see Pony, we were sitting in the hospital cafeteria talking about his birthday.
"I sure hope he is out of ICU by then." Soda said.
"I think he will be. This birthday has to be special for him, the best he will ever have." Darry said sadly.
"Yeah, it sure does." Twobit said.
I knew what they were thinking. Darry was saying that this could be Pony's last birthday. We didn't want to think about that possibility, but it was reality. Soda must have known what we were all thinking too.
"I know what you guys are thinking, but don't even say it. That is not going to happen. Pony is going to make it! He is going to beat this disease! He's too young to die." Soda yelled and ran out of the cafeteria. Darry ran out after him. I looked at Twobit, and he looked at me.
"Do you really think this is going to be his last birthday, Steve?" He asked.
"I don't know. I hope not, and Pony's strong. Doctors aren't always right." I said.
"We have to be realistic, but I guess that doesn't mean we can't have hope. Right?"
"Right. Definitely right."
Darry's POV
I wasn't sure where Soda had gone, but I had a pretty good idea. I went to ICU, and there he was standing outside Pony's cubicle. Pony was sleeping, so he didn't see Soda standing there crying.
"Soda, come with me. I need to talk to you." I said softly. He nodded, and we walked out of ICU together. We went outside and into the hospital courtyard.
"What do we need to talk about?" Soda asked.
"I'm worried about you, little buddy."
"I'm only worried about Pony."
"I know."
"How could you talk like that? I know you were trying to say this could be Pony's last birthday!"
Soda said angrily, but there were tears streaming down his face.
"I'm sorry, Soda. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I wasn't trying to upset you, but we all know that could be true. I still have hope for him. I'm not giving up." I said trying to stay calm.
"No! It's not true. Pony can't die. He can't leave us, Darry. He won't leave us. I wish I could have the cancer instead of him."
I closed my eyes as I felt tears starting to come. I couldn't break down again, but seeing Soda like this was hard. I thought he was in denial. If he was hopeful, I didn't think he would get so angry and say he wished he could take Pony's place. That wasn't hope. That was fear and denial.
"Please don't say that." I said.
"But it's true. Why Pony? Why not me? I'm the one who should be sick. Pony doesn't deserve this."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Did Soda really believe it would be better for him to be sick?
"You don't either. No one does. Is that what's bothering you? Do you think you should be the one to have this disease?"
"Yeah. I mean I'm just a Greaser with no dreams who will never get anywhere in this world. Pony has so many things he wants to do, and this stupid cancer is in the way!"
"Sodapop Patrick Curtis, stop talking that way! You're not 'just a Greaser.' I shouldn't have said what I did, but there seems to be more on your mind than that." I said louder and more harshly than I had wanted to.
Soda looked at me with pleading eyes. I hadn't meant to yell at him, but I couldn't believe what he was saying. I took him by the shoulders and looked straight in his eyes.
"You're more than a Greaser. We couldn't live without you either. You're a friend and a brother. Don't ever forget that."
"I'm sorry, Darry. I didn't mean to make you mad." Soda said with his voice quavering.
"It's okay. I'm not mad. I didn't mean to yell at you. I just want you to understand that you can't keep thinking like that. It won't do any of us any good. Pony is strong, but he needs us to be strong too."
"I know. I'm trying to be, but it's hard when we don't know what's going to happen."
"Come on. Let's go back inside. Do you feel better now?"
"I guess so. Thanks for putting up with me." He said grinning for the first time that day.
"No problem, little buddy. I love you. Don't you forget that either." I said hugging him.
"I love you too. Don't you forget that either." He said laughing trying to mock me.
I knew Soda would be okay then. He was smiling and laughing again.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders
Darry's POV
As soon as I got off work, I went up to the hospital where Steve told me that Pony was in ICU. All kinds of terrible things were running through my mind. I went to go see him, and I had to put on a gown and a mask. I went into the cubicle that had my baby brother in it, and he was sleeping peacefully. When I sat on the edge of the bed, he woke up.
"Darry?" Pony said.
"Yeah, It's me. How are you feeling?"
"Nice outfit." He said grinning.
I grinned at that too. At least he still had a sense of humor.
"I'm feeling okay. I'm just really tired. I was running a fever, so they put me in here." Pony continued.
"How high was your fever?"
"103. The nurse said my immune system was destroyed by the chemo, so they need to keep a close eye on me, and I'm on IV antibiotics." He held up him arm that had the IV in it.
"It sounds like you only have a fever, and this is just a precaution." I said.
"Yeah. I hope the antibiotics work. I can't fight anything with no immune system."
"I have to go. Soda should be here by now, and he probably wants to see you."
"Okay."
"Just rest some more. I'll see you later, little buddy." I said as I left.
I discarded the gown and mask, and went to find Soda. I ran into him at the double doors leading to ICU.
"Darry, is Pony okay?" He asked with fear all over his face.
"Yes, Pony's okay. He has a fever, so they put him on IV antibiotics and moved him to ICU. You can go see him. Just put on one of those gowns and a mask. And Soda, calm down."
He nodded and went to go see Pony.
Soda's POV
As soon as I got into Pony's cubicle, I rushed over to the side of the bed and held his hand. He actually looked all right considering that he still had cancer and was in ICU. I hoped he would get out of there soon. His birthday was in three days. It was bad enough for him to have to spend it in the hospital, but we sure didn't want him to be in ICU. Pony slept the whole time I was there with him, but I didn't mind. I just wanted to see him and make sure he was okay. Then I wondered, what is okay? How could Pony have cancer and be on chemo and be okay? That wasn't really okay. He was just doing well with treatment, but I guess that was important if there was any hope of ever taking him home.
Steve's POV
Later that evening, after all of us had gone into ICU to see Pony, we were sitting in the hospital cafeteria talking about his birthday.
"I sure hope he is out of ICU by then." Soda said.
"I think he will be. This birthday has to be special for him, the best he will ever have." Darry said sadly.
"Yeah, it sure does." Twobit said.
I knew what they were thinking. Darry was saying that this could be Pony's last birthday. We didn't want to think about that possibility, but it was reality. Soda must have known what we were all thinking too.
"I know what you guys are thinking, but don't even say it. That is not going to happen. Pony is going to make it! He is going to beat this disease! He's too young to die." Soda yelled and ran out of the cafeteria. Darry ran out after him. I looked at Twobit, and he looked at me.
"Do you really think this is going to be his last birthday, Steve?" He asked.
"I don't know. I hope not, and Pony's strong. Doctors aren't always right." I said.
"We have to be realistic, but I guess that doesn't mean we can't have hope. Right?"
"Right. Definitely right."
Darry's POV
I wasn't sure where Soda had gone, but I had a pretty good idea. I went to ICU, and there he was standing outside Pony's cubicle. Pony was sleeping, so he didn't see Soda standing there crying.
"Soda, come with me. I need to talk to you." I said softly. He nodded, and we walked out of ICU together. We went outside and into the hospital courtyard.
"What do we need to talk about?" Soda asked.
"I'm worried about you, little buddy."
"I'm only worried about Pony."
"I know."
"How could you talk like that? I know you were trying to say this could be Pony's last birthday!"
Soda said angrily, but there were tears streaming down his face.
"I'm sorry, Soda. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I wasn't trying to upset you, but we all know that could be true. I still have hope for him. I'm not giving up." I said trying to stay calm.
"No! It's not true. Pony can't die. He can't leave us, Darry. He won't leave us. I wish I could have the cancer instead of him."
I closed my eyes as I felt tears starting to come. I couldn't break down again, but seeing Soda like this was hard. I thought he was in denial. If he was hopeful, I didn't think he would get so angry and say he wished he could take Pony's place. That wasn't hope. That was fear and denial.
"Please don't say that." I said.
"But it's true. Why Pony? Why not me? I'm the one who should be sick. Pony doesn't deserve this."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Did Soda really believe it would be better for him to be sick?
"You don't either. No one does. Is that what's bothering you? Do you think you should be the one to have this disease?"
"Yeah. I mean I'm just a Greaser with no dreams who will never get anywhere in this world. Pony has so many things he wants to do, and this stupid cancer is in the way!"
"Sodapop Patrick Curtis, stop talking that way! You're not 'just a Greaser.' I shouldn't have said what I did, but there seems to be more on your mind than that." I said louder and more harshly than I had wanted to.
Soda looked at me with pleading eyes. I hadn't meant to yell at him, but I couldn't believe what he was saying. I took him by the shoulders and looked straight in his eyes.
"You're more than a Greaser. We couldn't live without you either. You're a friend and a brother. Don't ever forget that."
"I'm sorry, Darry. I didn't mean to make you mad." Soda said with his voice quavering.
"It's okay. I'm not mad. I didn't mean to yell at you. I just want you to understand that you can't keep thinking like that. It won't do any of us any good. Pony is strong, but he needs us to be strong too."
"I know. I'm trying to be, but it's hard when we don't know what's going to happen."
"Come on. Let's go back inside. Do you feel better now?"
"I guess so. Thanks for putting up with me." He said grinning for the first time that day.
"No problem, little buddy. I love you. Don't you forget that either." I said hugging him.
"I love you too. Don't you forget that either." He said laughing trying to mock me.
I knew Soda would be okay then. He was smiling and laughing again.