Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders. Why do I have to keep writing this? Of course I don't own them. The great S.E. Hinton does!
Thank you to all reviewers, especially the ones who keep reviewing all the chapters. That makes me want to keep going! There's going to be more of Twobit and Steve in this chapter because I noticed that I mostly left them out of the last few. In fact, Twobit's POV hasn't been here since chapter. 8. What else is going to happen? I have to think of something else angsty and dramatic! (Maybe not for this chapter though.)
Twobit's POV
I walked into the Curtis house; slamming the door on my way in.
"Anybody home?" I called as I went down the hall.
I stopped when I looked in Soda and Pony's room. Darry and Soda were there crying in each other's arms. What happened now? I thought.
"Hey, you guys okay?" I asked.
"What? Oh. Yeah, Twobit, we're fine." Darry said looking up and letting go of Soda.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Look, I'll tell you what happened later. I don't really want to talk about it right now."
"I was going to the Dingo to get something to eat or maybe just hang out awhile. Do you want to come with me?"
"I'll go." Darry said as he walked out of the room.
Soda stayed silent. He didn't smile or act at all like himself. Since this whole thing started, he hadn't really been himself, but now he didn't look worried and sad. He looked downright shocked.
"You coming, Soda?" I asked.
He just shook his head.
"Why not?"
"I'm going back to the hospital. My brother needs me." He said as he left.
"Okay, buddy. See you later."
******************
Darry and me were at the Dingo, and he had just told me what happened between him and Soda. I didn't know what to say, and that's unusual for me.
"I hope he forgives me." Darry said.
"I'm sure he does. Pony did." I said.
"I just don't understand why I can't control my anger well enough not to hurt my brothers. I can't see why both of them don't hate me."
"Dar, you take care of Soda and Pony. You love them, and they know it. Sometimes I think you forget that you are brothers, and brothers fight. Everyone makes mistakes. They know that."
Glory, listen to me! I was giving advice to Darry.
"Yeah, but Soda apologized to me, like it was his fault."
"What did you say to him?"
"I told him there was never a good reason for me to hit him, and I would never let it happen again."
"That was the right thing to say."
"I know. I just don't want Soda to blame himself. No, he shouldn't have been talking the way he was but..."
"You had a fight, Darry. It's okay."
"I feel like some kind of monster. I'm supposed to protect them."
"You do. You're always there for them. Even after you hit Soda, what did you do?"
"I told him I was sorry and hugged him. I cried with him."
"See? Now would a monster do that?" I asked smiling.
Darry laughed.
"No. Definitely not." He answered.
Steve's POV
I was in the hospital waiting room with Soda. He had told me what happened.
"It will be okay, buddy." I said putting my arm around him.
"I still can't believe it, and I don't want Darry to think I hate him or anything."
I could understand that. I'm not sure how I would feel if I was in Soda's situation. I mean Darry had hit him, but it wasn't the same as between my father and me. Obviously, Darry and Soda were brothers, so that was a big difference. Darry cared and apologized, and he said he would never do it again. He meant it too. My old man beat me up intentionally and kicked me out of the house.
"I'm sure he knows you don't." I said looking at him.
His cheek was swollen and a little bruised, but nothing major. It seemed like I should be mad at anyone who would hurt my best friend, but I wasn't mad at Darry. He was upset too. It wasn't like he was being cold hearted towards Soda now. Somehow I could understand both sides of this.
"I don't know how either one of us is going to tell Pony about this. I know he'll see my cheek and want to know what happened. It's not even just that part of it. I don't want to tell him what I was saying either." Soda said worriedly.
"Just tell..."
I was interrupted by a nurse coming up to us.
"You're Ponyboy Curtis's brother. Right?" She asked Soda.
"Yes."
"I needed to let you know that he has been moved to ICU again. He has almost no immune system and is fighting pneumonia. We are giving him massive doses of antibiotics"
"When did this happen? He was okay yesterday, and my brother saw him this morning."
"Early this afternoon. I went in to take vitals when he was sleeping, and he was burning up and having trouble breathing."
"Can I see him?"
"Of course."
The nurse left, and Soda looked like he was going to start crying again.
"I have to call Darry. Wait. I can't. He's at the Dingo with Twobit." He said.
"Calm down, buddy. I'll go get Darry. You just go see Pony." I said.
"Thanks, Steve." He yelled walking away.
I quickly ran out of the hospital to get Darry. I hope he's still at the Dingo. I thought. Why was this happening again? I didn't know the answer to that. I only knew that we had to stick together and Pony had to pull through.
Thank you to all reviewers, especially the ones who keep reviewing all the chapters. That makes me want to keep going! There's going to be more of Twobit and Steve in this chapter because I noticed that I mostly left them out of the last few. In fact, Twobit's POV hasn't been here since chapter. 8. What else is going to happen? I have to think of something else angsty and dramatic! (Maybe not for this chapter though.)
Twobit's POV
I walked into the Curtis house; slamming the door on my way in.
"Anybody home?" I called as I went down the hall.
I stopped when I looked in Soda and Pony's room. Darry and Soda were there crying in each other's arms. What happened now? I thought.
"Hey, you guys okay?" I asked.
"What? Oh. Yeah, Twobit, we're fine." Darry said looking up and letting go of Soda.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Look, I'll tell you what happened later. I don't really want to talk about it right now."
"I was going to the Dingo to get something to eat or maybe just hang out awhile. Do you want to come with me?"
"I'll go." Darry said as he walked out of the room.
Soda stayed silent. He didn't smile or act at all like himself. Since this whole thing started, he hadn't really been himself, but now he didn't look worried and sad. He looked downright shocked.
"You coming, Soda?" I asked.
He just shook his head.
"Why not?"
"I'm going back to the hospital. My brother needs me." He said as he left.
"Okay, buddy. See you later."
******************
Darry and me were at the Dingo, and he had just told me what happened between him and Soda. I didn't know what to say, and that's unusual for me.
"I hope he forgives me." Darry said.
"I'm sure he does. Pony did." I said.
"I just don't understand why I can't control my anger well enough not to hurt my brothers. I can't see why both of them don't hate me."
"Dar, you take care of Soda and Pony. You love them, and they know it. Sometimes I think you forget that you are brothers, and brothers fight. Everyone makes mistakes. They know that."
Glory, listen to me! I was giving advice to Darry.
"Yeah, but Soda apologized to me, like it was his fault."
"What did you say to him?"
"I told him there was never a good reason for me to hit him, and I would never let it happen again."
"That was the right thing to say."
"I know. I just don't want Soda to blame himself. No, he shouldn't have been talking the way he was but..."
"You had a fight, Darry. It's okay."
"I feel like some kind of monster. I'm supposed to protect them."
"You do. You're always there for them. Even after you hit Soda, what did you do?"
"I told him I was sorry and hugged him. I cried with him."
"See? Now would a monster do that?" I asked smiling.
Darry laughed.
"No. Definitely not." He answered.
Steve's POV
I was in the hospital waiting room with Soda. He had told me what happened.
"It will be okay, buddy." I said putting my arm around him.
"I still can't believe it, and I don't want Darry to think I hate him or anything."
I could understand that. I'm not sure how I would feel if I was in Soda's situation. I mean Darry had hit him, but it wasn't the same as between my father and me. Obviously, Darry and Soda were brothers, so that was a big difference. Darry cared and apologized, and he said he would never do it again. He meant it too. My old man beat me up intentionally and kicked me out of the house.
"I'm sure he knows you don't." I said looking at him.
His cheek was swollen and a little bruised, but nothing major. It seemed like I should be mad at anyone who would hurt my best friend, but I wasn't mad at Darry. He was upset too. It wasn't like he was being cold hearted towards Soda now. Somehow I could understand both sides of this.
"I don't know how either one of us is going to tell Pony about this. I know he'll see my cheek and want to know what happened. It's not even just that part of it. I don't want to tell him what I was saying either." Soda said worriedly.
"Just tell..."
I was interrupted by a nurse coming up to us.
"You're Ponyboy Curtis's brother. Right?" She asked Soda.
"Yes."
"I needed to let you know that he has been moved to ICU again. He has almost no immune system and is fighting pneumonia. We are giving him massive doses of antibiotics"
"When did this happen? He was okay yesterday, and my brother saw him this morning."
"Early this afternoon. I went in to take vitals when he was sleeping, and he was burning up and having trouble breathing."
"Can I see him?"
"Of course."
The nurse left, and Soda looked like he was going to start crying again.
"I have to call Darry. Wait. I can't. He's at the Dingo with Twobit." He said.
"Calm down, buddy. I'll go get Darry. You just go see Pony." I said.
"Thanks, Steve." He yelled walking away.
I quickly ran out of the hospital to get Darry. I hope he's still at the Dingo. I thought. Why was this happening again? I didn't know the answer to that. I only knew that we had to stick together and Pony had to pull through.