A/N: I don't own The Outsiders, and any of the language in this chapter from the novel has been properly cited.

A few days later, they found out just how miserable they could be. Pony was home. Everyone was getting along. Things were better. They'd even beaten the Soc's in the rumble. They'd won. They were supposed to celebrate. But then Pony stumbled into the room with the news about Johnny and all of a sudden the phone was ringing. No one had even had the time to process what had happened to Johnny when they all found themselves running for the lot, hoping against hope that Dally was calling because he really did want their help. And then they got to the lot and saw Dally very consciously make the last decision of his life.

Soda's eyes were dry… Soda, who had been crying for a week straight, had his arms around Steve and was holding onto him tightly so he wouldn't fall. He felt Steve's shoulders jerking with unaccustomed sobs, but he felt nothing. He watched with numb detachment while Dally was covered with a sheet.

Two-Bit sat down hard on the cold ground. He wasn't sure what he was thinking or even if he were thinking anything at all. He knew he should still feel sore from the rumble, but he suddenly found himself completely unaware of his injuries. He stared at Dally's still form, and all of a sudden, Pony's words came back to him from just moments earlier, and the reality of Johnny's death hit him all over again. He closed his eyes and felt an unfamiliar lump in his throat. Clenching his teeth, all he could chant to himself was, "keep it together until the cops are gone. Just keep it together until we're back at the Curtises."

Darry stood apart from the others and gazed at the scene unfolding before him. It seemed to him as though everything were moving underwater, and he was just staring into space when he heard someone yell out. The note of panic didn't catch his attention. It was someone referring to "the kid" that caused him to whirl around in fear, and he turned in time to see his little brother hit the ground.

Darry collapsed to his knees next to Pony, and all of the feelings he'd been avoiding rushed back. He didn't look up, but he knew that the others were gathering around him too. Soda lifted Pony's head gently so he could put it on his own lap, and he smoothed his hair, whispering tearfully, "just hang on, Pony. We're going to get you to the hospital." He looked up, yelling hysterically, "my brother's sick! We need an ambulance!"

One of the more sympathetic police officers walked over and looked down at this broken group of friends. "The ambulance is on the way for Winston," he said although his tone implied that he knew it was too late for Dally. "I'm sure they'll take your brother, though."

Just then the siren's wail pierced the night, and the ambulance screeched up to the curb. Two paramedics jumped out, but before they could get anywhere near Dally, Soda yelled, "We need help over here!" They turned, startled, but the police officer still standing with the boys nodded slightly, so they rushed over, and before any of the greasers realized what was happening, they had Pony on a stretcher and were loading him into the ambulance. Before they could close the door, though, Soda and Darry had jumped in with Pony. One of the paramedics, whose nametag read Bill, started to say something when Darry interrupted.

"We're his brothers; I'm his legal guardian, and we're goin' with him." His tone made it clear that neither he nor Soda were leaving, and no one who took one look at Darry ever felt much like arguing with him anyway.

"Ok," Bill said, "but you need to be sitting down back there, so get comfortable."

They nodded, but before the door closed, Darry yelled to Steve and Two-Bit, "we'll be back soon if you want to wait for us."

Bill glanced at his partner as he slammed the door shut on the three brothers.

"Back soon?" he muttered. "Did you take a look at that kid? He'll be lucky if he makes it out of the hospital at all."

Neither of them realized that the other two boys had heard him. They tore off as another ambulance pulled up to get Dally, and Steve and Two-Bit stared at each other in disbelief.

"Pony too?" Steve managed to say, but Two-Bit just shook his head. Now he really didn't know what to say, so he said the first thing that came to mind.

"I can't believe the police took my blade."

"That switchblade? That's all you can think about now?" Steve snapped.

"No," Two-Bit said with a quivering sigh, "but that's what I'm wishing was all that's bothering me" (Hinton 154).

A/N: The last line is directly from the novel and obviously belongs to S.E. Hinton.