AN: I post every other day. If I don't school work gets in the way…but it doesn't happened often.
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Sodapop was placing the gas nozzle back on the gas pump when the phone rang.
"I'll get it!" Steve called as he finished the check up of the car under the hood. "Looks okay from here Sir." He said and shut the metallic blue hood of the 1965 model Camaro. And he ran into the office to answer the phone.
"Well, she's filled up and ready to go!" He gave his bright one-of-a-kind smile to the middle age man in the driver seat.
"Thanks son." He man gave him the money with a little extra as tip and started the engine.
"Thank you for choosing DX and come back again!" Soda tipped his hat and the man nodded and drove off.
He then, while whistling "Do Your Ears Hang Low-", went inside the DX to put the money into the cash register.
"..Aright. I'll tell him." Steve placed down the phone and slowly turned to Soda. "Buddy?"
He got no reply.
"Soda, there was an accident at the school…Pony he-" He wasn't able to finish since Soda was out of the gas station and at the truck before Steve had realized.
"Shit." He curse then he went after his friend who was already starting out the drive.
~*~*~
Daryl walked through the doors of the roofing company building . He went into the lounge area where he started to pour himself a cup of coffee when his boss came in.
"Daryl, I need to speak to you in my office. Please?"
Darry stood there for awhile, the face of his boss was serious and concerned. "Sure." He then followed his boss out.
Inside the small office, Darry had a strange feeling that he had to sit down.
"Darry…the school called a few minutes before you walked in. Your youngest brother was taken to the hospital. They didn't tell me why…your other brother has already left. Please take as much time as you need. You can even borrow one of the truck if you'd like-"
Darry didn't even say thank you, he was out of the office in a heart beat, and towards the garage.
"Ponyboy! Be okay, please." He prayed silently.
~*~*~
He intercom crackled and a voice broke through the thoughts of the few people in the waiting room "Doctor Cera Turner you're needed in OR. Doctor Cera Turner to OR."
N
Two-Bit stood, and stomped to the door of the waiting room looking around "Damn iit!" He cursed and punched the wall, "Where are they? And why haven't the doctors or someone-"
"Two-Bit calm down!" Cherry looked at him "We're all worried about Ponyboy." She said gently.
He turned to her and blinked a few times. "When did you get here Cherry?" He asked sitting beside her still confussed
She gave a small smile, "Right after you. Cheerleading practice was over so…when I saw…I…" She couldn't finish. She couldn't believe that the sweet little boy she had met at the Drive-In had done such a thing to himself. "H..he's going to be alright isn't he?"
"I hope so…he's just a kid and a strong one, he can't die." He looked away. Just as he did his collar was grabbed and he was lifted out of the chair.
"What the hell happened to my brother!"
Two-Bits confused and frightened eyes met Darry's hard ones.
"I-I don't know Darry."
"Put him down." Soda touched his older brothers arm. "Two-Bit what happened?"
Two-Bit straightened out his collar, "I-I don't know the whole story man,…I just saw them load him into the ambulance." He looked away again, this time he wasn't grabbed.
*
"Personal call for Doctor L. Shepard. Personal call Doctor L. Shepard."
Besides the walking of doctors and nurses, tingling of elevators, and voices on the intercom, everything was silent between the group…for two hours.
Two-Bit sat staring at the ceiling, his lips moving silently as he counted the dots on the wall from the plaster.
Steve was picking dirt from under his finger nails, or would go outside for a smoke and come back in and continue to pick at his finger nails
Soda, was still. His breathing was his only movement. His eyes were red and puffy from worrying and crying.
Darry was pacing back and forth, angry since he was getting no word of his little brother.
He stopped when a doctor came in, followed by a nurse.
"Family of Ponyboy Curtis?" The doctor looked around her eyes searching the people in the waiting room.
"Here." Darry said and Soda came to stand next to him. "We're Ponyboy's brothers."
She nodded, "I'm Dr. Cera Turner. Please follow me."
Darry and Soda looked back towards their friends who just waved them on.
They and the nurse followed the doctor out into the gray and bleach white corridor.
"What happened to him?" Darry snapped, not waiting for the doctor to begin. "No one has told us anything since we've been here!"
"Mr. Curtis please calm down. I'm sorry for your wait and worry. But to answer your question your brother attempted suicide at his school. He cut both arteries of his arm wide open resulting in massive loss in blood." She paused waiting to see if they had anything to say. "We just brought him out of surgery. We managed to rebuild and close both veins and gave him a blood transfusion. Right now he is in ICU We won't know how he is doing until the wakes up, but you may see him if you want."
With that said, she left.
"Follow me, if you will." The nurse said with a kind smile.
Slowly and silently they followed the nurse to the wide double doors down the hallway marked with the letters, I-C-U.
Inside there was a large room, with curtain cubicles going around it and in the middle was the nurses station.
They followed her past several cubicles of curtains . "Here we are." She said cheerily.
Soda gave her who-could-you-be-so-happy-with-my-brother-in-the-hospital?- look. She opened the curtain and stepped aside to let them in, once they were in she closed it behind them.
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Soda's POV
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Once I had stepped in, my hands started to get all clammy and stuff…like I was going on my fist date or somethin'.
I stood there for like eternity looking at my little brother. He looked so small in that big hospital bed. His face was colorless, the most color anywhere in the "room" was the mask that was covering Pony's face, it was a soft blue color…
Darry made the first move, he stepped forward and immediately took Pony's hand. "Hey baby." He said so softly, at first I couldn't believe it was Darry talking!
"I know you can hear me." He took one hand and stroked the part of Ponyboy's cheek that wasn't covered what the mask. His only answer was the light beep of the heart monitor and a sigh from, what I guess, the breathing machine. "Sodapop's here." He nodded his head towards the bed, summoning me over.
Slowly my feet took control and I walked over to the bed grabbing Pony's other hand. The one that had an IV stuck in it. "Hi Pony." I sat in a chair that was on my side, my thumb stroking Pony's fingers. "I take it you like the hospital huh? You're gonna be okay you hear me?" I looked at his bandaged arm, Darry was doing the same.
"Soda and I need you Pony. You're what's keeping us together." Darry said, he was obviously fighting tears.
"Yeah Ponyboy, you gotta wake up to see Darry cry." My eyes widened and I turned to see Steve and Two-Bit inside the small cubicle.
"How did you guys get back here? Its only two at a time." I hissed lowly.
"We'll one they weren't gonna let us back here. But, Two-Bit said we're your cousins and that we'd be leaving soon and needed to see Pony right away." Steve said.
I had to admit I was still mad at the boy, but he's been my best friend for a long time. I couldn't stop thinking either,….Steve wouldn't even been here if he really HATED Ponyboy would he?
"Two-Bit you're something else." Darry mumbled, and sad smirk on his face.
All my attention went back to Ponyboy when he jerked both his hands away from me and Darry.
"M-my fault…Jo-Jonny. Da-lly." He brow winkled up in fear.
"Gods, he's having a nightmare…" I grabbed Pony's hand again. "C'mon baby, fight it."
"So..sorry, so sorry…" He whimpered. "…voice tell me to do it…voices…"
There was nothing I could do, I felt so helpless all I could do was watch my baby brother fight whatever demons were hunting him in his dream.
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This isn't all, there another part to this…like another 'side story' its Ponyboy's dream. I'll post it today." Did you like it or hate it…I didn't like the beginning….let me know what you think.