Darry hadn't thought the week could get any worse. He couldn't have imagined that either he or Soda could have been any more miserable than they were that first morning Pony was gone. But now it had been three days since Soda had talked to Sandy for the last time, and he was dragging himself around the house, looking like nothing could ever make him smile again. Darry tried everything he could think of, but every night, he'd go into Soda and Pony's room to find his little brother crying himself to sleep. It had become almost a ritual for Darry to sit with him until he fell asleep. They both seemed to need the comfort of each other's presence because one thing seemed very clear to both of them. As of right now… they were all they had.
And then one night, just as they were getting ready to go to bed, the phone rang. They had stopped jumping for it a few days earlier, and Darry reached for it dully, not expecting anything… until he heard the voice on the other end. Soda heard him gasp and looked up sharply, the first quick movement he'd made in days. He stared at Darry as the blood drained from his face, and by the time he hung up, Soda was kneeling on the floor in front of him.
"What is it?" he asked urgently, knowing it had to have something to do with Pony, and in a shaking voice, Darry said,
"That was the hospital. They have Pony, Johnny and Dally. There was a fire. They … they wouldn't tell me anymore." His hands were shaking, and Soda got up and started rushing around the room, finding his shoes and his sweatshirt. He was halfway out the door when he realized Darry was still sitting there, staring at him.
"Darry, come on," Soda demanded impatiently, but then he took a closer look at his older brother's face and walked back over to him. "Darry?" he asked hesitantly. He could've sworn there were tears in his eyes, but he hadn't seen him cry since the beginning of the week, and he couldn't imagine why he'd be starting again now. Pony had been FOUND. Why wasn't he jumping for joy?
"What if…" Darry started, and then he had to swallow hard and start again. "What if he's hurt? What if… Soda… what if he doesn't want to see ME?" He stared at his little brother and blinked hard. Soda stared at him.
"Darry, if he's hurt, then we should already be in the car. And if he isn't and doesn't get you by now… well, we'll just make him. I know Pony," he said with more confidence than he'd had all week. "And I know that he loves you too. Come on."
Sighing, Darry stood up and followed Soda out to the car. They drove to the hospital in silence, but Darry did realize one thing. Soda at least seemed to have forgotten about Sandy for the time being.
Once he parked the car, Soda rushed ahead of him into the waiting room and was standing anxiously in front of the desk, waiting for Darry. It took the nurse a minute to look up Pony's name and inform them that he was in the waiting room in the burn unit and seemed to be doing ok. Letting out huge sighs of relief, they quickly headed toward their little brother. After their parents' car accident, neither Darry nor Soda had ever wanted to set foot in this hospital again. They never actually thought they could be happy to be there. They didn't know then that they never would be again…