Thanks for your reviews :)
I tried to correct my mistakes but still I'm not sure if there were all of them. So, if you still find any, please, please let me know, thanks :)
And sorry for my bad english! I'll try to improve it...
myhubbyisob: oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstood you.
I already guessed that this wasn't a flame. Thank you for your advice:)
I hope to make it better in the future :)
Mrs Heero Yuy: Thanks :)
I read the first chapter again and found many errors, too. Hope, I corrected them all...
Yeah, a beta reader will be helpful, but I haven't one :(
My friend, who read my other stories as beta reader, doesn't have much time at the moment...
Varinia: Thanks :)
I wrote this in word, but there's probably a problem with it, because it's the German version and I guess this isn't very well with the english grammar, I don't know:(
goldengreaser: Thanks :)
I'll make them talk like teens in future
sd: Thanks :)
But which parts don't make sense? So that I can correct them, too...
4. Bad news
"Tell me, I know you from somewhere, right?" the doctor looked at him interrogative. "Yes, of course. You were that boy, who rescued the children from the burning church with his both friends, weren't you? Your friend, the black haired boy, died here... uh, what was his name again?"
Ponyboy slowly nodded and said quietly, "Johnny..." With that he suppressed the tears that arose again with the thought of his best friend, and swallowed hard.
"Ah, yes, right! Now I remember again. How's the other boy, who was also here with you? Dallas or similar was his name, right?"
"He... he's dead too..." Pony said and avoided the look of the doctor.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know..." the doctor searched for words.
Ponyboy nodded. But he wasn't so sure, if the doctor really meant it serious. But in the end that didn't matter. Why should the doctor take care of a Greaser like him or even feel sorrow at the death of such one?
The doctor cleared his throat before he continued, "But tell me, what do you want here exactly? Do you visit a relative or a friend?"
Pony shook his head and explained, "Nope, I, well, actually I'm here, 'cause I've stomachache..."
"Ah, you want to let examine your stomach, won't you? Well, there you're on the wrong ward. For that you've to go to the ward of the interior medicine. Wait, I'll take you there."
"Thanks..." Pony murmured and followed the doctor.
There they arrived at the other ward. The doctor, who accompanied Pony, called at another doctor, who walked down the long corridor, "Hey, George, wait!"
The addressed doctor stopped and turned around.
When the both reached the waiting doctor, both doctors shook hands and the other doctor asked, "Yes, William, what's the matter?"
"Look, this boy here would like to see you. But he went astray on my ward, that's why I accompanied him here." the other doctor explained and with that he pointed at Pony, who nodded at the other doctor just tightly.
"So, I have to go on my own ward again. My patients are waiting. Goodbye, George, see you later at closing time." the other doctor said and left again.
"Ok, see you later, William. Demote the beer." the doctor called laughing after his colleague and turned now to Pony, "So, you wanted to see me, right? What's your name and what can I do for you?"
"Well, I'm Ponyboy and..." Pony began.
But he was interrupted by the doctor, "Listen, my boy! Do you think I'm stupid? Ponyboy? What kind of name is that? You tell me now on the spot your correct name or I call the police that they get out your name and take you to your parents again."
Ponyboy rolled his eyes and meant a bit angry, "That's my name! Ponyboy Michael. And if you don't wanna believe me, it ain't my fault! And if... ouch..."
Pony didn't come any further, because in this moment he got these stomachaches again. He held his belly with a distorted face and groaned.
"Oh my god, boy! What's the matter with you?" the doctor asked and rushed to him.
"My stomach..." Pony muttered.
"Come on!" the doctor said and supported Ponyboy. "Nurse!" the doctor shouted and after that a nurse rushed to them, who supported Ponyboy as well. "Put him on the bed and prepare everything for an ultrasound photo." the doctor ordered. The nurse nodded, placed Ponyboy on the bed and prepared everything.
Then the doctor examined Pony with the help of the ultrasound equipment. "Um..." the doctor made.
"Is there something wrong, doctor?" the nurse asked.
"Please prepare everything for a gastroscopy!" the man said serious.
"But..." the nurse started.
"Come along now!" the doctor commanded.
"What...?" Pony asked, who listened to the conversation, and wanted to sit up.
The doctor pressed him gently down again and talked to him reassuring, "Calm down, boy. Everything's all right!"
Then the doctor made a gastroscopy. He watched the picture on the monitor for a long time, before he turned to the nurse, "Tell me, what do you see there?"
The nurse came to him and looked at the spot, which the doctor showed her. "Oh, but that is... it looks like..." she didn't come further.
The doctor nodded in agreement.
The nurse looked at Ponyboy compassionately.
This one noticed the depressed atmosphere and asked, "What's the matter? What's wrong with me?"
"My boy, don't get upset. We must do few further tests to find that out..." With these words he made a biopsy, so that he'll get a samplefor further tests.
"We must take a little bit of your stomach and send it into a laboratory. Then it will be examined thorough and then we'll know exactly what's wrong with you!" the doctor explained.
"But... can't ya tell me just now, what's up?"
"No, I'm sorry." the doctor answered, while he made the biopsy to took a bit from Pony's stomach.
"So, that's it. The finding will be ready even today. I'll see to it. Um, it would be better, when we would inform your parents and..."
"My parents are dead." Pony interrupted him.
"Yes, I see. Well, where do you live than, when your parents aren't alive any more?" the doctor asked now.
"I... I live in a home." Pony told a lie.
"Then we should the head office of the home inform about it..."
"Nope, it ain't necessary!" Pony said determined.
"But we must inform somebody as long as you're under age."
"They wanna know this even soon enough... By the way, they don't care very much about me. Would I come here otherwise all alone, without any duty person? Without a guardian? Probably not..." Pony growled and turned away.
The doctor sighed and proceed himself to hand over Pony's tests.
In the meantime a nurse cared about Ponyboy.
This one just tried to sit up. "Oh gosh, even these damned Socs haven't beaten me up so much..." he murmured under a groan.
"What did you say?" the nurse asked.
"Nothin'!" Pony hissed at her. "Can I even get something against these pains?"
"No, I'm sorry. As long as we don't know, what's wrong with you exactly, we're not allowed to give you any painkillers. That's an order from the doctor."
"To hell with him! I wanna have something and that's right now!" Pony swore.
"I... I could make you some tea, which..."
"Ugh, go 'way with this tea shit! Such stuff doesn't help at all!" Pony made a devalued gesture and searched his pockets for a cigarette.
After Johnny's and Dally's death he started to smoke more again, so that he nearly was like a chainsmoker. Darry caught him once, when he smoked one pack within a quarter of an hour and for that reason he gave him one of his usual lectures. Pony just let him talk without saying a word. And when Darry was gone, he sneaked away secretly to Curly Shepard, with that he did few things together again in the meantime when Pony wasn't away a lot by himself, and he could get hold of 3 cigarettes from Curly.
But there he couldn't find any more, he made a face and meant discontented, "If I didn't get any painkillers, I rather wanna cigarettes."
"No smoking in here! Besides, this is bad for your health and your present stomachache won't be better as well. And by the way, you're not allowed to smoke yet!"
Pony snorted contemptuous but he left it at that.
"Would you mind to wait outside until we have the results?" the nurse asked now friendly.
Pony murmured something unintelligible, rose up and went out in the corridor into the waiting room. There he sat down on a chair and stared grumpy.
How much he wished a cigarette now!
The time went by. Pony didn't know how long he was sitting there until the doctor came with a worried face and wanted to talk to him.
Pony followed him suspicious and sat down on the offered chair.
"My dear boy..." the doctor began.
"Don't call me like that, my name's Ponyboy!"
"Well, fine, Ponyboy. Just now we got your results of your stomach. It was examined thorough by few specialized doctors and all came to the same result."
"And? What did ya find out?" Pony asked.
"How old are you?"
"What?" Pony asked confused.
"I want to know how old you are..."
"Still 14, but in 2 months I'll be 15. But why you're askin' such a thing?" Pony looked at the doctor with pinched eyes.
"Well, it concerns the result of the tests... Is there really nobody that we could inform?"
"Listen, if there's someone, I would let ya know! And now don't talk around the holy shit and tell me what's going on. Damn it!" Pony swore.
"Um, I'm really sorry to tell you the truth. But unfortunately it looks like you suffer from stomach cancer."