Ponyboy was laying on the couch when I got up to go to work Monday morning. Not wanting to disturb him, I quietly walked around the room, wrote him a note, and left for work. I hated to leave without telling him goodbye, but I knew he had been having trouble sleeping.

Pony was still having trouble opening up to me, but he was getting much better. I was glad. No matter how much we missed him, Soda wasn't coming back. And without him, we only had each other to confide in.

It was halfway through the day when I started feeling sick to my stomach. It got to the point where I was hurting too bad to work anymore. I told Matt, one of the guys working with me, that I had to go home.

"Please do, man. You don't look too good. You think you can get home okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Sorry to leave you."

"No big deal. You've done the same thing for me before. Go home. Say hi to your brother for me."

"Okay." I said and headed to the truck.

Matt was one of my best friends. He wasn't just a work friend, but a real friend. I could always count on him. He didn't know Pony well, but he knew to say hi to him.

By the time I pulled up to the house, I was in excruciating pain. I got in the house as fast as I could. I fell into the arm chair and the pain eased a little.

"Darry?" I heard Pony call from his room.

"Yeah. I'm home!" I called back.

Soon Pony walked out of his room and into the living room.

"You're home early. What's up?" He said.

"I didn't feel too well. I have a pain in my stomach."

"Did you get shot, too?" Pony said, grinning; it reminded me of Soda.

"Very funny. You're getting-" My words were cut off when another pain shot in my stomach.

I started having a coughing fit. When I thought they'd never stop, I passed out cold on the living room floor.

Pony's POV

"Darry!" I yelled. He fell to the floor like a ton of bricks. I turned him over, since he landed face first. When I saw the blood coming out of his mouth, I panicked. Knowing Darry wouldn't want to go to the hospital, I called an ambulance. That way he wouldn't be the one driving. Besides, I didn't think I could move him by myself.

I quickly called 9-1-1. By the time I hung up, Darry still hadn't regained consciousness. I ran back to the phone and called Two-Bit.

"Hello?" I heard Two-Bit's voice over the phone.

"Two-Bit. This is Pony. Look, Darry passed out on the floor and he has blood coming from his house. I called an ambulance. Could you meet us at the hospital? I don't want to be alone."

"Sure, buddy. I'll be there probably before you are."

"Okay. Thanks. Bye."

I hung up the phone and ran to Darry's side. He was starting to mumble, but he wasn't conscious yet. Soon I heard the ambulance's siren and they were at our house.

"Where is he?" One of the medics asked.

"He's over here." I said, ushering them through the door.

Two medics leaned over Darry and inspected him. Soon they had him lifted on a stretcher, that was too small for him, and then we were in the ambulance.

I looked worriedly at Darry's gray face. He looked so sick. What was wrong with him?

For the first time, I knew the fear that Darry was experiencing when I was sick. And it was the worst feeling in the world.

We arrived at the hospital in no time. I grabbed Darry's hand and ran along the stretcher. When we got inside, Two-Bit was sitting in the waiting room. When he saw us, he got up and ran over to the stretcher.

"What's going on? Is he okay?" He asked.

"I don't know." I said.

"He'll be all right." One of the medics said, but I wasn't so sure.

When we got to the doors of the ICU(that sounds right, but I don't know), they told me I had to leave.

"I can't leave him. He needs me!" I pleaded.

"You'll have to leave. It's better he go on alone from here."

"No! Please! Let me go with him!" I screamed. Two-Bit grabbed me around the waist while they pulled my brother away from me.

"No! Darry!"

Two-Bit led me to the chairs of the waiting room. I didn't want to be here. I wanted to be with Darry.

How come he hadn't regained consciousness? He'd been out for at least twenty minutes. And the blood. What was going on inside of him?

I leaned my head back on the chair, feeling the warm tears flow down my face. Two-Bit was watching me with concern, but I couldn't reassure him that I was okay. Because I wasn't.

After what seemed like years, one of the doctors came out. I stood up quickly, wanting to hear about my brother.

"Are you Pony?" The doctor asked.

"Yes sir." I said.

"I'm Dr. Clark. Your brother's doing fine now. He has a gastric ulcer. Apparently, it opened up, and was bleeding. That's why there was blood in your brother's mouth. We've put him on some medication, which will help heal the ulcer. But ulcers never really go away."

"Can I go see him?" I asked.

"Yes. He's in room 150."

When the doctor pointed down a hallway, I hurried to get to Darry. Two-Bit stayed behind, understanding that we needed to be alone.

I finally got to Darry's door. I flung the door open and ran inside.

Darry was laying on a hospital bed. His face was pale, but he looked better than before. When he heard me come in, he turned to look at me and he gave me a weak smile.

I went to his side, and took his hand. I cried once again, but this time it was because I was so happy.

"You had me so worried." I said through the sobs.

"I know. I'm sorry, baby." Darry said.

"It's not your fault."

"Yes it is." Darry looked at me, and I saw the seriousness in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly.

"You've been telling me not to worry, but I do it anyway. And this is where it led me." He looked down at his hands, ashamed.

"No, Darry. It's okay. You didn't mean for this to happen. Like you said, you'd die if you didn't get to worry."

"Well, I guess I can die from worrying."

"Stop it, Darry. It's just an ulcer. You'll be fine."

"I know. But what if I wasn't?" He looked up from his hands at me.

"You're fine. Nothing will ever happen to you. You're superman." I smiled at him.

He smiled back. He looked lost in thought for a few minutes, but then he turned to me.

"Pony, something's been bothering me lately."

I sat down. "What is it?"

"How come you were able to forgive those Socs that beat you up?" He said plainly, not beating around the bush.

I thought for a minute. How was I able to? They had done so many horrible things to me.

"Well, because. . . they turned that guy in. They're human too. They made a mistake. And they paid for it. They were able to do the right thing, so I should too. . .Why? Haven't you forgiven them?"

Darry looked upset.

"Of course not! Damn it, Pony, they nearly killed you! How am I supposed to forgive someone who tried to kill me and my brother just because we were behind our troops?"

"The same way I did."

"Maybe you can, but I can't. Pony, they were trying to kill you! There's no doubt in my mind that they would have, too. They said they didn't know that guy had a gun, but they were going to kill us without a gun. I saw something in their eyes that I'd never seen in anyone else's. It was a hatred. A rage. I don't know how to explain it. But when I looked in their eyes, I knew I'd die. They were ready to kill me. And it scared me because I didn't want you to be alone in the world."

"Darry, that didn't happen. They didn't kill us. They ran away before they could. Remember? Once the guy shot me, they ran. If they wanted to kill us that bad, they would have let him shoot you too. Not just me. And they could have beaten me so I would survive the shot. So many things could have happened, but they didn't. And since they didn't, it's easy to forgive."

Darry shook his head. "I don't get it. How could you forgive someone like them?"

"Because they're not so different from us. Sure, they have money. They're spoiled. They get whatever they want. But deep down, we're all human, we're all the same. And we all have our own troubles. Because things are rough all over."

Darry thought for a minute, then sighed, as though giving up.

"I still don't see how you could forgive them so easily. And I don't know how I will. But I'll try."

I smiled at him. "Well, it's a start."

Darry smiled at me, then rested his head against the pillow.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him.

"A little better. I think the medicine is finally kicking in." He looked exhausted.

"Why don't you go to sleep." I suggested.

"Okay." He said, already close to sleep.

I pulled the cover up under his chin.

"I'll be here when you wake up." I said quietly.