Thanks to all reviewers! You guys really make me want to write more!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders.
Darry's POV
The hospital finally called later that day. Everyone looked at me anxiously as I talked on the phone.
"Yes, this is Darryl Curtis."
I listened intently and let out a sigh of relief after I heard the good news. The cells were not leukemia. We still had to find out what Pony had though, and I needed to take him back today. I smiled as I hung up and sat down on the couch.
"It's not cancer." I said.
My brothers and friends relaxed and stopped looking so nervous. We all felt like a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders. Pony suddenly came over and put his arms around me. I hugged him back.
"I was so scared, Darry." He said.
"I know. It's okay now, but we still need to find out what's wrong. You have to go back today, so they can figure this out." I said.
"I don't want to go back."
"I know, little buddy. You'll be fine. I promise."
Of course Pony didn't want to go back to the hospital. I didn't want to either, but we had to get to the bottom of this. At least now we knew it was more than likely just something simple.
"Are you feeling okay, Pony?" I asked as I felt his forehead. He didn't look too good at all.
I didn't wait for an answer. He was hot, so I went and got the thermometer. Just as I suspected, his temperature was 102.
Soda's POV
We sat in the hospital as the doctor Pony was seeing asked questions about his symptoms. This was much easier to deal with now that we knew it wasn't cancer. Pony told him about his sore throat and fever. We knew that the bruising and paleness was because of what chemo was doing to his blood counts, but what else was going on? The doctor checked his ears and listened to his heart. It wasn't until he looked down his throat that he realized what this might be. He said he was going to swab Pony's throat to check for strep throat. That didn't sound good to me. After he did the test, which almost made my brother choke, he left the room. Pony sat down on the chair next to me and put his head in my lap.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"All right. I guess. That test is nothing compared to the others." He answered.
"This should give us some sure answers. It has been a long day." Darry said.
About twenty minutes later, the doctor came back. He said the test was positive. Pony had strep throat. He would need an antibiotic and plenty of rest.
"If either of you get a sore throat, you need to come get checked out. He's contagious now and will be up until 24 hours after the antibiotic starts." The doctor said.
This wasn't exactly good news, but now we knew what to do. It was nothing serious. I just hoped no one else got sick.
"Will this affect whether or not he gets chemo next week?" Darry asked.
"Yes. He shouldn't get any until the medicine is gone, and we know for sure that it worked. We have to get rid of this infection first."
I looked down at Pony and saw him smile when the doctor said he couldn't get chemo until the strep throat was gone. Well, I guess he saw that as a fringe benefit.
The next morning, I woke up with chills, and my throat was sore. I knew I needed to get up, but I just didn't feel like it. Pony was still asleep next to me. He would probably be in bed most of the day.
"Soda, you need to get up and go to work." Darry said as he walked into our room.
I groaned and buried my face in my pillow.
"What's wrong, little buddy?" He asked.
"I don't feel good. My throat's sore, and I think I'm running a fever." I said.
"Not you too."
Darry went and got the thermometer. My temperature was 101. I knew I would wind up at the doctor today.
"All right. Go back to sleep. I'll call you in sick." Darry said.
I drifted back to sleep, and I didn't wake up until a few hours later. When I opened my eyes, Pony was staring at me.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I'm sick too." I said.
"Sore throat?"
"Yeah and a fever too. I bet I've got strep throat."
"I'm sorry, Soda."
It took me a minute to figure out what he meant by that. Why would he apologize? Then, I realized what he was talking about. Strep throat was contagious, and I had gotten it from him.
"Listen to me, Pony. It's not your fault you're sick, and it's not your fault I'm sick." I said.
I hated how he blamed himself for things that obviously were not his fault. Darry had told me that the day Pony was admitted to the hospital, he had apologized to him because he was sick. He didn't do anything wrong, then or now. He had no reason to feel guilty. Pony just shrugged his shoulders and sighed.
"I just feel bad because of everything that has happened lately. My cancer has caused a lot of problems. I wish I could've stopped it. Now, I gave you strep throat too." He said sadly.
"I wish I could've stopped it too, little buddy. None of us could. You did not 'give' me strep throat either. That was beyond our control too." I said.
I wondered if this guilt he was feeling was a normal part of childhood cancer. That is, if anything could be considered normal about it. Pony had felt guilty about stuff before, like with Johnny and Dally. I understood that, but I couldn't understand this. Things like this just happened, and they couldn't be stopped.
"Pony, you trust me. Right?" I said.
"Of course." He said.
"Then, you have to believe me when I say that I don't blame you for any of this. I promise it wasn't your fault. You didn't cause the cancer or the strep throat. Darry, Twobit, and Steve would say the same thing. Please don't blame yourself, and don't feel guilty."
He must have been feeling like this for a long time and just never showed it until now or maybe we hadn't really noticed.
"Soda, I know it's not really my fault, but I can't help feeling guilty. You guys have had to go through too much because of what happened to me." Pony said as he started to cry.
"Come here." I said and pulled him into hug. "Pony, you could not have stopped the cancer. It came to you. We all went through a lot, but it's because we care about you. You made it, and that's makes everything worth it." I said.
After a few minutes, Pony pulled away and looked at me.
"Thanks for listening to me. You really made me feel better, Soda. I don't know what I would do without you." He said.
"I don't know what you would do without me either." I said thoughtfully.
Pony laughed, and I was so glad to hear that.
Pony's POV
Darry came home from work at about 6:00, and he took Soda to the doctor. I went and lied down on the couch in the living room, where Steve and Twobit were.
"Hey, Pony!" Twobit said cheerfully.
I couldn't help smiling at him.
"You feeling better?" He asked.
"A little. The good thing about this is that I can't have any chemo until the strep throat is gone." I said.
"I bet you're happy about that." Steve said.
"Definitely." I answered.
About an hour later, Darry and Soda came in. Soda did have strep throat and would be getting the same medicine I was. Instead of going back to bed, he lied down on the floor next to the couch.
"Why don't you go to bed?" Darry asked Soda.
"I want to stay in here with you guys." He said.
I hoped we would both be feeling better in a few days, so Soda could go back to work, and I wouldn't just lay around the house all day. I didn't know when I was going back to school. I wanted to, but at the same time, I was afraid. What would people say? Would they make fun of me?
Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders.
Darry's POV
The hospital finally called later that day. Everyone looked at me anxiously as I talked on the phone.
"Yes, this is Darryl Curtis."
I listened intently and let out a sigh of relief after I heard the good news. The cells were not leukemia. We still had to find out what Pony had though, and I needed to take him back today. I smiled as I hung up and sat down on the couch.
"It's not cancer." I said.
My brothers and friends relaxed and stopped looking so nervous. We all felt like a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders. Pony suddenly came over and put his arms around me. I hugged him back.
"I was so scared, Darry." He said.
"I know. It's okay now, but we still need to find out what's wrong. You have to go back today, so they can figure this out." I said.
"I don't want to go back."
"I know, little buddy. You'll be fine. I promise."
Of course Pony didn't want to go back to the hospital. I didn't want to either, but we had to get to the bottom of this. At least now we knew it was more than likely just something simple.
"Are you feeling okay, Pony?" I asked as I felt his forehead. He didn't look too good at all.
I didn't wait for an answer. He was hot, so I went and got the thermometer. Just as I suspected, his temperature was 102.
Soda's POV
We sat in the hospital as the doctor Pony was seeing asked questions about his symptoms. This was much easier to deal with now that we knew it wasn't cancer. Pony told him about his sore throat and fever. We knew that the bruising and paleness was because of what chemo was doing to his blood counts, but what else was going on? The doctor checked his ears and listened to his heart. It wasn't until he looked down his throat that he realized what this might be. He said he was going to swab Pony's throat to check for strep throat. That didn't sound good to me. After he did the test, which almost made my brother choke, he left the room. Pony sat down on the chair next to me and put his head in my lap.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"All right. I guess. That test is nothing compared to the others." He answered.
"This should give us some sure answers. It has been a long day." Darry said.
About twenty minutes later, the doctor came back. He said the test was positive. Pony had strep throat. He would need an antibiotic and plenty of rest.
"If either of you get a sore throat, you need to come get checked out. He's contagious now and will be up until 24 hours after the antibiotic starts." The doctor said.
This wasn't exactly good news, but now we knew what to do. It was nothing serious. I just hoped no one else got sick.
"Will this affect whether or not he gets chemo next week?" Darry asked.
"Yes. He shouldn't get any until the medicine is gone, and we know for sure that it worked. We have to get rid of this infection first."
I looked down at Pony and saw him smile when the doctor said he couldn't get chemo until the strep throat was gone. Well, I guess he saw that as a fringe benefit.
The next morning, I woke up with chills, and my throat was sore. I knew I needed to get up, but I just didn't feel like it. Pony was still asleep next to me. He would probably be in bed most of the day.
"Soda, you need to get up and go to work." Darry said as he walked into our room.
I groaned and buried my face in my pillow.
"What's wrong, little buddy?" He asked.
"I don't feel good. My throat's sore, and I think I'm running a fever." I said.
"Not you too."
Darry went and got the thermometer. My temperature was 101. I knew I would wind up at the doctor today.
"All right. Go back to sleep. I'll call you in sick." Darry said.
I drifted back to sleep, and I didn't wake up until a few hours later. When I opened my eyes, Pony was staring at me.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I'm sick too." I said.
"Sore throat?"
"Yeah and a fever too. I bet I've got strep throat."
"I'm sorry, Soda."
It took me a minute to figure out what he meant by that. Why would he apologize? Then, I realized what he was talking about. Strep throat was contagious, and I had gotten it from him.
"Listen to me, Pony. It's not your fault you're sick, and it's not your fault I'm sick." I said.
I hated how he blamed himself for things that obviously were not his fault. Darry had told me that the day Pony was admitted to the hospital, he had apologized to him because he was sick. He didn't do anything wrong, then or now. He had no reason to feel guilty. Pony just shrugged his shoulders and sighed.
"I just feel bad because of everything that has happened lately. My cancer has caused a lot of problems. I wish I could've stopped it. Now, I gave you strep throat too." He said sadly.
"I wish I could've stopped it too, little buddy. None of us could. You did not 'give' me strep throat either. That was beyond our control too." I said.
I wondered if this guilt he was feeling was a normal part of childhood cancer. That is, if anything could be considered normal about it. Pony had felt guilty about stuff before, like with Johnny and Dally. I understood that, but I couldn't understand this. Things like this just happened, and they couldn't be stopped.
"Pony, you trust me. Right?" I said.
"Of course." He said.
"Then, you have to believe me when I say that I don't blame you for any of this. I promise it wasn't your fault. You didn't cause the cancer or the strep throat. Darry, Twobit, and Steve would say the same thing. Please don't blame yourself, and don't feel guilty."
He must have been feeling like this for a long time and just never showed it until now or maybe we hadn't really noticed.
"Soda, I know it's not really my fault, but I can't help feeling guilty. You guys have had to go through too much because of what happened to me." Pony said as he started to cry.
"Come here." I said and pulled him into hug. "Pony, you could not have stopped the cancer. It came to you. We all went through a lot, but it's because we care about you. You made it, and that's makes everything worth it." I said.
After a few minutes, Pony pulled away and looked at me.
"Thanks for listening to me. You really made me feel better, Soda. I don't know what I would do without you." He said.
"I don't know what you would do without me either." I said thoughtfully.
Pony laughed, and I was so glad to hear that.
Pony's POV
Darry came home from work at about 6:00, and he took Soda to the doctor. I went and lied down on the couch in the living room, where Steve and Twobit were.
"Hey, Pony!" Twobit said cheerfully.
I couldn't help smiling at him.
"You feeling better?" He asked.
"A little. The good thing about this is that I can't have any chemo until the strep throat is gone." I said.
"I bet you're happy about that." Steve said.
"Definitely." I answered.
About an hour later, Darry and Soda came in. Soda did have strep throat and would be getting the same medicine I was. Instead of going back to bed, he lied down on the floor next to the couch.
"Why don't you go to bed?" Darry asked Soda.
"I want to stay in here with you guys." He said.
I hoped we would both be feeling better in a few days, so Soda could go back to work, and I wouldn't just lay around the house all day. I didn't know when I was going back to school. I wanted to, but at the same time, I was afraid. What would people say? Would they make fun of me?