(Darry's POV)
I had the windows down as I sped to the hospital so I could hear how Ponyboy was doing. Between Johnny's encouragements and Soda's pleading, I knew things weren't looking good for my youngest brother. My heart was pounding and I was breathing rapidly the entire way to the hospital, but I willed myself to remain in control of my emotions. If I started to panic while driving, all of us would need medical attention.
I pulled the truck up to the doors labeled "EMERGENCY ROOM," threw it into park, and I jumped out. I was going to run to find a doctor, but before I could even step towards the doors, two doctors were running towards us. While the doctor with grey hair went straight to the back of the truck, the dark-haired one approached me in a calm, yet intense, manner. "What happened?"
"I don't know... he was gone for a while, but we found him unconscious on the porch... I think he got stabbed," I said, the words burning like acid as they left my mouth. Someone stabbed my baby brother.
He nodded, glanced in Pony's direction before looking back at the doors he ran from, and he whistled. Within seconds, a few more people ran out with a stretcher. While the medical staff exchanged information to each other, Johnny hopped out of the bed of the truck, and I looked at Pony again. I felt the calm demeanor that I tried to maintain start to fade.
Ponyboy somehow looked worse than before. Maybe it was because the bright light coming from the hospital doors flooded the scene, but Pony not only looked pale, he looked like he was just an inch from death. The amount of blood covering the jacket that Soda was still pressing into Pony's abdomen was alarming, but the look on Soda's face was even more so.
Soda's eyes were red and watery, but his expression looked like his mind was in some distant land. He kept his sights on Pony while his body was frozen in place, his hands covered in our brother's blood. When the medical staff started to move Pony away from Soda and onto the stretcher, Soda glared at them, his body shaking from his emotions. I knew he was about to say or do something, so I quickly put a stop to it before it happened.
"They're going to help him, Soda," I said as I put a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tight enough to keep him in place. "You have to let them take him."
Soda glanced up at me, eyes hard and stern, but they eased a little. He nodded, and I saw a tear fall down his cheek.
Once Pony was on the stretcher, the medical staff quickly ran him through the doors and my little brother disappeared. The dark-haired doctor stayed back and approached me again. "We're going to do everything we can for him. Is he your friend?"
"He's our brother," Soda spat as he jumped onto the ground next to me. He sounded mad, almost like he was accusing the doctor of something. "He's our kid brother."
The doctor nodded, and he didn't seem offended, which was a relief to me. The last thing we needed was the doctors that were trying to save Pony hate us, or worse, kick us out for any reason. Not that I'd let someone stand between me and either of my brothers.
"What's his name?" the doctor asked.
"Ponyboy. Ponyboy Curtis," I said before Soda had the chance to respond. I was surprised that the doctor barely reacted to the unique name; he just raised an eyebrow and nodded again. "I'm Darrel. I'm his oldest brother and legal guardian."
The doctor extended his hand towards me, and I shook it. "I'm Doctor Olson. I wish we met under better circumstances Darrel, but it's nice to meet you. We'll do everything we can for Ponyboy."
"Thank you," I responded, then Dr. Olson quickly ran back into the hospital, hopefully to save my little brother.
With all the commotion over, it was suddenly very quiet outside, and all of the adrenaline that had been rushing through me seemed to disappear within seconds. I felt cold, tired, and completely drained. Even so, I still had responsibilities.
I looked at Johnny, who seemed to somehow be holding up better than Soda. Sure, he looked worried, but he wasn't shaking like a leaf. "You two go get settled in the waiting room, I'm going to move the truck. I'll be there in a minute."
Johnny nodded and started to head towards the double doors, but Soda was stuck in place, staring at the doors. I put an arm around his shoulders and squeezed a little. I knew how he was feeling because I felt the same way: devastated, worried, like my entire world was being flipped upside-down again. While the doctors took care of Pony, I had to take care of my other kid brother.
"The doctors are with him, Soda," I said softly. "They're working on him right now. They'll take good care of him."
Suddenly, he turned and wrapped his arms around me, and I immediately returned the tight embrace. I heard him crying, even though he was probably trying to hide it. "He looked so bad, Darry. He was cold an' bleeding…" Soda choked out a sob, then he asked a question that was impossible for me to answer. "Is Pony gonna make it?"
I couldn't force myself to lie to Soda. I couldn't tell him Ponyboy would survive because I didn't know, and if he didn't…
"He's tough. He's gonna make it," Johnny muttered nearby. I looked at him, more stunned than anything. Then Johnny's voice got even quieter than normal. "He has to."
But what if he doesn't? Glory, I can't go through this again, my heart will literally break. And Soda… I don't think he'd be able to take it.
Even though I had several thoughts that were less than optimistic, Johnny's words seemed to calm Soda, so I remained silent. My brother took a couple deep breaths and stepped away from me to look at Johnny. "You're right, Johnny. He'll be okay."
I gave Johnny a small nod, then I gently pushed Soda towards Johnny. "Go inside. I'll be there soon."
Soda and Johnny went into the waiting room while I parked the truck. Once the engine was off, I felt myself losing control of my emotions, and since I was alone, I let myself cry.
Ponyboy's in the hospital, bleeding like a stuck pig. Someone stabbed him, and he's barely hanging on to life. How could I let this happen? I'm supposed to protect my brothers at all costs. Hell, if I could trade places with him, I would. What's going to happen to him? He can't die, I'll lose my mind if he does, and so will Soda. No, Johnny's right… he has to make it.
I let myself sob for a couple minutes, after which I collected myself and took a couple deep breaths. Then I did something I hadn't done for a long time; I prayed. I prayed for Ponyboy to not only live, but I pleaded with the deity that our mom always talked about for Ponyboy to recover quickly.
I hoped that once I was done expressing my emotions, I could return to acting calm, cool, and collected in front of everyone, so even though I still felt like a mess of emotions, I tried to settle down and put on my best poker face. I got out of the car and made my way to the set of double doors that I had a feeling would haunt me in my nightmares. As soon as I walked in, I spotted Soda and Johnny talking with two women. As I approached them, I could hear Soda's shaky voice.
"I'm fine. This ain't my blood," Soda said, motioning to his shirt with his blood-covered hands. When he saw me, his eyes widened a little, then he motioned in my direction. "You can ask him, he's my brother. Darry, tell them that I'm fine." He's a long way away from fine.
Both of the women looked at me, one of them wearing hospital attire. I had to assure them that it wasn't Soda's blood all over him. It's Pony's. "He's not hurt, that's from… that's from the person we brought here. Our younger brother is the one that's hurt."
The older woman, the one who wasn't wearing hospital attire, nodded and walked towards the desk on the side of the room. The younger women took a step away from Soda, but kept looking at him closely. "You sure you're alright?"
"As fine as I can be given the circumstances," Soda said, monotone.
The older woman came back and handed me a clipboard with some papers on it. "I saw your brother come in. I'm sorry to have to do this when you have a lot of other things to worry about, but we need these filled out." She really did seem apologetic, so I couldn't be irritated with her.
"Right, thank you," I said simply as I took the clipboard.
The older woman gave me a sad smile before she led the younger woman, who I assumed was a nurse, away from us. Once we were alone, I looked at Soda and Johnny. Both of them looked drained, but we had to be strong.
I reached in my pocket and took all the change out of my wallet. When I handed the coins to Johnny, he looked at me with a confused expression. "Call the guys, let them know what's going on."
I meant to say "please" or maybe even sound nicer to one of our own buddies, but Johnny didn't seem too upset by my tone or lack of manners. "Sure thing, Darry." Then he turned and left, leaving me to comfort one of my brothers while we both worried about Ponyboy.
I put an arm across Soda's shoulders and guided him to sit in a chair next to me. He was still shaking and looking down at his hands. A few seconds later, I realized his breathing was uneven, and I was suddenly worried that Soda would end up being admitted to the hospital too. "Breathe, Soda. You need to breathe." He nodded his head slightly, but he kept looking down. "We've done everything we can, little buddy. The doctors are working-"
"What the hell happened to him, Darry?" Soda suddenly asked, turning his head so fast that I thought his neck would snap. He looked into my eyes with his watery ones. "Why would someone do this? He didn't do nothin' to nobody. He's a good kid! Why would someone hurt him?"
I wrapped my arms around him and gave him another tight hug. He immediately returned the embrace and sobbed. "I don't know, Sodapop. I just don't know."
We stayed like that for a few minutes before Soda's tears dried up. Once he pulled away from me, he wiped his eyes and looked at me. "You were cryin' too." So much for keeping it from him.
I couldn't lie to him; I could lie to anyone else, but not my brother. Instead, I just nodded and silently filled out the paperwork that I was given while I waited to see if my little brother would survive the night.