What woke me up…
Chapter 1: As pale as the sheets
A/N: Just for info peeps, no slash. Anyway, the stuff about that night will be in flashbacks and stuff.
If anyone really cares, which you don't have to, here are some realistic notes:
Talking facts: Okay, so not everything in this story is that realistic. I'm no coma intellect myself but theoretically a coma usually only lasts for 2-4 weeks. For six month Pony he'd probably only be there if he was in a persistent vegetable state or severely brain damaged. I don't want to go there so I'm going to wing it because there are always exceptions in science! If you guys really want to know my theory, here it is. Pony was on the boarder line of consciousness but his body has went into an unspecified standby until his wounds heal, which at this rate aren't feeling that fast—i.e. six months. The only severe brain damage he sustained if you will was a concussion which would also effectively also turn his body off into standby. Either way, to wake up from such a thing he would need stimulus. You probably don't even need to know any of that.
The reason Ponyboy talks in this scene is not only to add to the drama it just goes along with the thing about brain damage, and the talking suggests that he doesn't have any. Stuff like concussions though, one can chat right through.
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After maybe half an hour of waiting the doctor came up.
"I'm here about Ponyboy Curtis." I said even though he must have already known.
I visited him almost more than his brothers did—they couldn't stand seeing him this way. I remembered when I had to tell them…that night.
"No change." The doctor said glancing at his clip board just to humor me. He gave me that look I've been getting from everyone in this hospital.
After he was brought in it was this same doctor that told me there was a slim chance of him ever waking up. But there was a chance, I owed it to him…I could have helped him that night. I really could have but I was too afraid and now my best friend was in a coma holding on to life. If only they didn't dump him in the fountain he'd have been fine… Well, just beaten up like me but anything was better than this.
"Can I see him?" I asked and the doctor just nodded while passing me.
I walked down to his room, no one stopped me and I knew the way by heart. I felt real guilty 'bout what happened to him, so much I couldn't think about it anymore without wantin' to kill myself or somethin'.
Ponyboy was unconscious on the bed same as always. It has been months, but the bruises on his arms, ribs, and face are still visible. The doctor said that when he went into a coma the body automatically went into standby to sustain life while gradually healing his injuries. He had one black eye and a few cuts on his cheeks that stood out more than anything else.
There was a bunch of machines hooked up to him, I wasn't even sure what half of them were.
He looked like he was sleepin' but his breathing was shallow. I sat down at a chair next to his bed and stared at the ground for a minute.
Everyone wanted to get the guys back for this, but I couldn't tell 'em. It's not that I didn't want to get even. It was...what the Socs said would happen if I told. I believed 'em too!
I peered over at Pony and knew everything they said was completely enforceable. So I lied to the gang about how it all happened.
The only person I'd ever confess to is Pony, and he wouldn't even wake up.
I didn't bother trying to talk to him, I knew he couldn't hear me. Soda had tried to talk to him before, when it first happened. He was a little hysterical- aw more than just that.
That night it happened, after Pony stopped moving I'd run into the road and nearly got hit by a car driven by old Tim Shepard. He only stopped to cuss me out but I barely made out a plea for help with the word "Socs" in it, and "seriously hurt". Tim was all in for a jumping but by the time we got there there was no one there…but Pony.
He looked dead, he really did. It wasn't just the bruises, but he was bleeding where the blade musta slipped. Tim didn't care much for us but even he said we couldn't move him so he went off to call an ambulance and get Darry and Soda. I did my best to warm Ponyboy up, his lips were tinted blue and I wasn't even sure if he was still breathing.
"Pony," I shook him lightly after awhile. I needed to hear him respond, I needed to to know if he was still with us.
Ponyboy did reply eventually, but that was about the last time anyone heard his voice for months on end.
Soda and Darry had arrived after what seemed like hours. I was still trying to get Ponyboy to talk. When Soda arrived he immediately fell to his knees and came to Pony's side. Darry stood in the background shocked I guess. If I felt guilty, Darry must have felt something real bad. Soda scooped Ponyboy up and held him like he did for me that day in the lot and rocked him begging him to wake up.
"Come on Ponyboy, you can't die on us or nothin', wake up now." He would have probably cried if the situation had sunk in more so.
"Sodapop?" Ponyboy's voice was real weak I had to guess on what he said. He was bleeding inside his mouth—the Socs must have knocked a tooth loose or cut up his lip.
A small hate was unraveling in me for the Socs no matter how much they'd scared me. I set my teeth doing my best to focus on the situation at hand.
"Yeah, honey, are you all right?" Soda took on a tone I'd never heard before.
Ponyboy leaned back into him, and I wanted to beg him not to go to sleep again. Darry had set down next to me muttering something about an ambulance coming.
"I hurt something awful Soda." He did half a laugh but got cut off by a cough.
Soda kissed his forehead and muttered that he'd be fine, they'd get him help.
"It's really cold too. Freezing." Pony said never once opening his eyes.
He lost consciousness again seconds before the ambulance arrived. That was the last thing I ever heard him say. Only Darry was allowed on the ambulance with him so Sodapop and I got a ride with Steve. Sodapop was quiet, he was scared for Pony—I mean we all were but he was really.
When we arrived and Pony had gone into a coma Soda just broke down and cried. I've never seen Soda cry. Steve went off to call Dally and Two-Bit, and I just sat there staring at the ground pretending like I wasn't there like I always do.
The doctor told us that Ponyboy went into a coma, that they weren't even sure he'd make it through the night. He said a bunch of medical stuff about underlying brain activity I didn't understand but he also told us that they wouldn't be able to determine if there was any severe brain damage until after he woke up. Soda and Darry stayed with him for awhile but he wasn't showing any signs of improving, but not getting' worse either.
It was a real hard time, and Soda lost that girl he liked and all and quit going to work and wouldn't leave Pony's side. That is why I come after school, just so Soda doesn't worry.
Plus, I guess I owe it to him.
I glanced at Ponyboy. He looked as pale as the sheets. I expected today to be just like the others, but I was wrong. Today, after six months of this, Ponyboy would wake up.
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Random, and short. Just a quick write up. By the way, thanks for the people that old me what a'woofin means. Everytime I read that I've always wondered.
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