212 reviews now! I feel like updating again! For a while, I thought I was running out of ideas, but not anymore.
Pony's POV
A few days later, I was feeling much better, and Soda was too. Darry still didn't want us up and around too much. He said that I could go back to school in a week when my antibiotic was gone, and we knew the strep throat had cleared up. I was glad that no one else had caught it. Even after I talked to Soda, I still had a large amount of guilt. It was like I had two voices in my head talking to me. One was saying that none of this was my fault, but the other one was saying that I had caused all the pain and all the worry. It was frustrating, but talking to Soda had made me feel better. I was in the living room, and I could hear my brothers talking in the kitchen. Soda had just brought the mail in the house, and it sounded like that was what they were talking about.
"Darry, how are we going to pay all these? Even if we can, more are still going to come." Soda said.
"Don't worry, little buddy. That's my job. I'm sure we can set up a payment plan with the hospital that will work with our income." Darry answered.
Hospital bills? There was something else for me to feel bad about. This could put us in serious debt. They would just keep coming over the next couple of years too. The amount we owed would keep getting bigger.
"Doesn't insurance cover anything?" Soda asked.
"It runs out eventually. Cancer treatments and hospital stays are extremely expensive." Darry said.
I went into the kitchen and looked over Soda's shoulder to see the paper he was holding.
"What came in the mail?" I asked even though I already knew.
"Nothing, Pony. Just the usual bills." Soda said as he put the paper back in the envelope.
"I already know they are hospital bills. I heard you talking." I said.
I wished there was something I could do about this. My illness had already caused enough pain and suffering. It didn't need to cost money we didn't even have too.
"Listen, Pony. Don't worry about any of this. I'll take care of it." Darry said.
"Isn't there something I can do to help?" I asked.
"You really want to help?"
"Of course."
"Then, what you can do is take care of yourself. Another thing you can do is to stop blaming yourself. I know that's what you're thinking."
"I don't know if I can do that. If I had never gotten cancer, none of you guys would have had to suffer anymore, and there wouldn't be any bills that we don't have the money to pay. You wouldn't have had to miss work or take me back and forth to the hospital or spend days away from home." I cried.
"Stop looking at all the bad things, little buddy. Some good things have happened too. We wouldn't be as close as we are now if this hadn't happened. You and Steve wouldn't be real friends, and Twobit would have never stopped drinking." Darry said.
I had never thought of it that way. Darry was right. Good had come out of a horrible situation.
"The best part is that you are now a true miracle, Pony. You beat all the odds." Darry said.
"Yeah, you're a walking miracle." Soda put in.
I smiled at that. What else could I do? It was the truth.
"You guys are right. I'm going to do my best to put all the guilt behind me, but you have to help me." I said.
"We'll do anything we can for you. If you need to talk, we're here. Don't ever hesitate to come to us." Darry said.
"That's what we're here for." Soda said.
"Thanks for helping me get through this." I said.
"You're our baby brother. We'll help you through anything." Darry said.
I felt even better than I did after I talked to Soda the day before. I would be okay now. I just needed my brothers to stick by me, and I knew they always would.
Steve's POV
I walked in the front door of the Curtis house with Twobit right behind me. We found Darry, Soda, and Pony talking in the kitchen.
"Hey, Curtises!" Twobit yelled as he raided the refrigerator.
"Now, what makes you think you can just barge in here and eat all our food?" Darry asked smiling.
"The door was unlocked, and I always barge in and eat your food. I don't eat it all though." Twobit said as he ate a piece of cake.
"Yeah, he leaves a little, and then comes back to eat it the next day." Soda said.
We laughed, and I was reminded of how good it felt to have everyone happy again. These last few days had not been fun with the possibility of Pony relapsing, and both him and Soda being sick with something that was contagious.
"Soda, when are you coming back to work?" I asked.
"Tomorrow." He said.
"Are you sure you're well enough?" Darry asked.
"I'm fine, Darry."
He needed to come back. It wasn't easy trying to handle everything there on my own. Besides, I think the girls that hang around the DX missed him.
"Anybody want to play cards?" Twobit asked.
"I do." Soda said.
They started a game of poker, and I realized that Pony had not said a word since we got there.
"Are you okay, Pony?" I asked him.
"Yeah. I just need to clear my head." He said.
"How are you going to do that?"
"Reading should help."
Pony got up and went to his room. I hoped that whatever was bothering him wasn't a big deal.
Pony's POV
A few days later, I was feeling much better, and Soda was too. Darry still didn't want us up and around too much. He said that I could go back to school in a week when my antibiotic was gone, and we knew the strep throat had cleared up. I was glad that no one else had caught it. Even after I talked to Soda, I still had a large amount of guilt. It was like I had two voices in my head talking to me. One was saying that none of this was my fault, but the other one was saying that I had caused all the pain and all the worry. It was frustrating, but talking to Soda had made me feel better. I was in the living room, and I could hear my brothers talking in the kitchen. Soda had just brought the mail in the house, and it sounded like that was what they were talking about.
"Darry, how are we going to pay all these? Even if we can, more are still going to come." Soda said.
"Don't worry, little buddy. That's my job. I'm sure we can set up a payment plan with the hospital that will work with our income." Darry answered.
Hospital bills? There was something else for me to feel bad about. This could put us in serious debt. They would just keep coming over the next couple of years too. The amount we owed would keep getting bigger.
"Doesn't insurance cover anything?" Soda asked.
"It runs out eventually. Cancer treatments and hospital stays are extremely expensive." Darry said.
I went into the kitchen and looked over Soda's shoulder to see the paper he was holding.
"What came in the mail?" I asked even though I already knew.
"Nothing, Pony. Just the usual bills." Soda said as he put the paper back in the envelope.
"I already know they are hospital bills. I heard you talking." I said.
I wished there was something I could do about this. My illness had already caused enough pain and suffering. It didn't need to cost money we didn't even have too.
"Listen, Pony. Don't worry about any of this. I'll take care of it." Darry said.
"Isn't there something I can do to help?" I asked.
"You really want to help?"
"Of course."
"Then, what you can do is take care of yourself. Another thing you can do is to stop blaming yourself. I know that's what you're thinking."
"I don't know if I can do that. If I had never gotten cancer, none of you guys would have had to suffer anymore, and there wouldn't be any bills that we don't have the money to pay. You wouldn't have had to miss work or take me back and forth to the hospital or spend days away from home." I cried.
"Stop looking at all the bad things, little buddy. Some good things have happened too. We wouldn't be as close as we are now if this hadn't happened. You and Steve wouldn't be real friends, and Twobit would have never stopped drinking." Darry said.
I had never thought of it that way. Darry was right. Good had come out of a horrible situation.
"The best part is that you are now a true miracle, Pony. You beat all the odds." Darry said.
"Yeah, you're a walking miracle." Soda put in.
I smiled at that. What else could I do? It was the truth.
"You guys are right. I'm going to do my best to put all the guilt behind me, but you have to help me." I said.
"We'll do anything we can for you. If you need to talk, we're here. Don't ever hesitate to come to us." Darry said.
"That's what we're here for." Soda said.
"Thanks for helping me get through this." I said.
"You're our baby brother. We'll help you through anything." Darry said.
I felt even better than I did after I talked to Soda the day before. I would be okay now. I just needed my brothers to stick by me, and I knew they always would.
Steve's POV
I walked in the front door of the Curtis house with Twobit right behind me. We found Darry, Soda, and Pony talking in the kitchen.
"Hey, Curtises!" Twobit yelled as he raided the refrigerator.
"Now, what makes you think you can just barge in here and eat all our food?" Darry asked smiling.
"The door was unlocked, and I always barge in and eat your food. I don't eat it all though." Twobit said as he ate a piece of cake.
"Yeah, he leaves a little, and then comes back to eat it the next day." Soda said.
We laughed, and I was reminded of how good it felt to have everyone happy again. These last few days had not been fun with the possibility of Pony relapsing, and both him and Soda being sick with something that was contagious.
"Soda, when are you coming back to work?" I asked.
"Tomorrow." He said.
"Are you sure you're well enough?" Darry asked.
"I'm fine, Darry."
He needed to come back. It wasn't easy trying to handle everything there on my own. Besides, I think the girls that hang around the DX missed him.
"Anybody want to play cards?" Twobit asked.
"I do." Soda said.
They started a game of poker, and I realized that Pony had not said a word since we got there.
"Are you okay, Pony?" I asked him.
"Yeah. I just need to clear my head." He said.
"How are you going to do that?"
"Reading should help."
Pony got up and went to his room. I hoped that whatever was bothering him wasn't a big deal.