Okay, guys. I'm SO sorry about this. I completely forgot about a direction I was wanting to go with the last chapter. So, this isn't really new, but it has a lot of added things and it changed a lot. So sorry!
Two-Bit's POV
"Hey, Two-Bit! Look, it's your favorite!" Soda said as a Mickey Mouse commercial came on. I watched intently. I had to see what the next episode would be about.
"Where's Pony?" Johnny asked quietly.
I looked to Soda. He always knew everything about his little brother. They were real close.
"He was writing, but I figure he's gone to bed now. He didn't get much sleep last night." Soda said, his voice getting quieter at the end.
"Another nightmare?" I asked. We had all heard about it. The poor kid was still having them? I had once spent the night and had heard the screams coming from the kid. He sounded like he was being murdered. I shivered just at the remembrance.
"Yeah." Soda said quietly. It really tore him up when Pony had those nightmares. Those brothers sure loved each other a lot.
Darry came in and sat down. We all seemed surprised because he was joining us. Usually, he'd be in bed around now.
"Something wrong?" Soda asked him.
"Hmm? No, nothing." There did appear to be something wrong with Darry. He looked even more stressed than usual. I wondered what was going on.
Soda still eyed him with concern, but he let it go after a while.
"Hey, ya'll." Dallas said as he came through the door with Steve falling in behind him.
"Hey, Dally." I called out.
Dallas came and flopped down on the floor, holding a beer bottle in his hand.
"Not too much, man." Darry said, gesturing to the bottle.
"Shit, man, I ain't gonna get drunk." Dallas argued.
"Okay." Darry said.
We sat there and watched Gunsmoke for an hour.
"I'm gonna go to bed." Soda said, groggily getting up.
"Night, little buddy." Darry said.
"Night." I said absently. I was too busy watching the show.
"Night, ya'll." Soda said before he went in his bedroom with Pony. But he was back in less than a minute.
"Darry!" He yelled. Darry jumped to his feet.
"What? What's wrong?" He said, panicking.
"Ponyboy's gone!"
Pony's POV
I ran through the dark, silently cursing myself for forgetting to hide the note I got from the Socs. What if Darry or Soda found it? Then they'd know where I'm going! I had to face this alone. I can't keep letting them fight my fights. I was scared to death, but the thought of the Socs and how they hurt Soda gave me strength and courage.
I was getting close, and it was scaring me. In ways, I was hoping to get there first. I wondered if they'd even show.
I got to the park and squinted to read my watch. I wished I had brought a flash light, but all I thought to bring was a blade.
It was 11:40. I still had plenty of time. I looking around and found the play area and decided to stay behind the slide until the Socs showed up. I didn't want to be in plain sight, incase I decided to chicken out. But I wasn't planning on running away. Not this time.
"God, what did I get myself in to?" I breathed. I wish I had told Soda or Darry where I went, but in ways I didn't. What if they came after me and then they got hurt? I'd never be able to live with myself. But, then, what if they killed me?
I heard the car before I saw it. The Socs' mustang came up the parking lot, stopping conveniently close to the slide.
"You think the Greaser will show up?" One of them said, his voice slurred from his drunken state.
"I don't know. The little bitch will probably chicken out. Or at least go get his big brothers to come save him." Another said.
"Hey!" I called as I stepped out from behind the slide. I couldn't take them talking about me. The four Socs turned to me. One of them smiled devilishly.
"Well, well, well. The baby showed up after all." The first one said.
One of the Socs looked a little nervous or something. He didn't seem like the rest, and I hoped I could have him on my side. There was a softness to his eyes, and I figured he didn't really want to be here either.
"Yeah. I'm here." I said, sounding braver than I really was.
"Well, let's get this over with." The guy I thought looked nicer than the others said.
"What's the rush, Randy?" The drunken one said.
"Any last words?" One said.
"Yeah. First off, I'm sorry." I said.
One of them looked taken aback.
"Sorry? For what?" Randy said.
"I'm sorry for what I did to Bob. I'm sorry I was smarter than him. I'm sorry I rubbed it in his face. I'm sorry my friend shot and killed him, but he had it coming. And I'm sure as hell sorry that because I was being a smart aleck you decided to torture me and my friends." I said. There, my speech was over.
Randy, the nice one, looked confused.
"What are you talking about?" He said, clearly not understanding what I was talking about. I remembered him as Bob's best friend. He didn't have any classes with me, but he followed Bob around like some puppy dog or something.
"That's why you've been attacking us. Because of that day when I knew the answer and Bob didn't. I was smarting off to him after that and I talked to his girlfriend."
"Oh. I remember that." Randy replied. It was just me and him talking now. The others looked confused.
"Wait. That wasn't why you were beating up on me?" I asked.
"No. We just saw you there in the lot that day and we wanted to stir up trouble. It's nothing personal, just that you're younger than most and we knew about your brothers. After that it just got out of hand." Randy said, looking down to the ground.
"Shut up, Randy. Let's just get this over with." The drunken one yelled, running toward me.
I ducked as he swung his fist at me, but one of the other Socs got me in the stomach. I could barely breathe, but I couldn't afford to double up.
I was grabbed by the arm and it was twisted behind my back. I swung my elbow, hitting one of the Socs hard in the stomach. But the others had me by the arm and one was hitting me in the stomach. I was loosing my breath too fast and I thought I'd be passing out soon. Then, the Soc who was hitting me in the stomach got punched in the face. Darry?
"What the hell, Randy?" The one with the bloody nose exclaimed. I smiled in spite of the pain. I had someone on my side after all.
Darry's POV
Cold fear went through my body. What happened to Pony?
Two-Bit tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around to face him.
"You may want to read this." He said.
Dear Darry and Soda,
I hate doing this to you, but I have to. I'll be gone for a while. Try your best not to worry. If I'm not home in a few hours, you know who did it. I love you both and don't want to see you suffer any more on my behalf. I'm going to try and fix this. Don't stay up for me and don't come looking for me. I may not be back.
Love,
Ponyboy
Fear clutched at my heart and I couldn't breathe. I sank onto Pony's bed and I felt myself begin to shake.
"You okay?" Two-Bit asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"No." I said quietly.
Soda looked over at me, breaking out of his scared state.
"What is it? What does it say?" He asked, snatching Pony's letter from my hands.
He silently read it and then looked up at me, those tears making another appearance.
"What does he mean, "I may not come back?" What does he mean, Darry?" He pleaded, looking to me for the answer.
"I don't know." I said.
Soda sank down on the bed beside me. He stared ahead in disbelief for a few moments. Then he turned and buried his face in my shoulder and sobbed.
The rest of the gang was in the bedroom with us. They looked as lost and concerned as we were. I just wish there was some clue as to where he was!
A piece of paper on the floor caught my eye. I gently pushed Soda off my shoulder and got up and went to pick it up.
A shiver ran through me when I read those words. But that was all I needed. We'd find Pony now.
"Let's go." I said, motioning toward the door.
"Where?" Soda asked, a note of hope in his voice.
"Indian Hill Park." I replied.
"Why?" Soda asked.
"That's where Pony is."
"Thank God!" He exclaimed.
"Two-Bit, call the police for me."
"What? Why?" Two-Bit asked, clearly confused.
"Just tell them we know where the men are who kept attacking Pony and those who were involved in the shooting at our house." I looked over at Dallas, thankful that he had been okay. I couldn't imagine what another death would do to Pony.
"Okay." Two-Bit said and ran to the phone.
"Let's go." I said when Two-Bit came back. And so we ran out to the truck.
Pony's POV
I thought I was ready to die. I had to fight so hard just to keep from getting myself killed. There was no time to catch my breath. No time to prepare for what was coming next.
Pain went through my body, but by sheer determination, I continued to fight. All the pain, anger, sorrow, I poured into that fight. And, with a little help from Randy, we kept up pretty good.
The Socs didn't even pull blades out or anything. I was relieved, but I still considered taking line out a few times.
I punched the drunken Soc in the face, and then kicked him in the shins. The only reason he was still up was because he was drunk, making him numb to the pain.
Exhaustion began to sink in, and I fell to my knees. I was kicked hard in the stomach, and I sank to the ground, laying flat on my back.
I looked up into the eyes of a Soc. He looked mean, cold. He wasn't the drunken one; Randy was fighting him. The other one was on the ground, knocked out cold. Then there was this guy. The one above me.
"This is the end of the line for you, Greaser." He snarled. I gulped, as I feared what he'd think to do to me.
He reached for something in his pocket, and I knew it'd be a blade or a gun. I acted quickly, reached into my back pocket and withdrew my blade. We stabbed at each other, but mine was a better mark.
The Soc gasped with pain. I had stabbed him in the leg. He got a slice through my thigh, but it wasn't anywhere near as deep as how I had cut him.
The Soc backed away, scared and in pain. I fell back down to the ground, taking in the coolness of the concrete.
I heard a siren sound, and I wondered what was going on now. There was always something going on, and most of the time, I knew who was involved.
I was surprised when the siren came closer and even more so when it pulled up in the parking lot.
"Drop your weapons!" A cop ordered.
The fighting stopped, and all you could hear were the quiet gasps of the Soc I had stabbed.
"You're under arrest." I heard one say, and they took all the Socs by their arms and cuffed them. Luckily, they had brought more than one car.
"Wait!" I cried hoarsely when I saw them take Randy in.
"It's okay, Pony." He said before he was shoved in the car.
Soda's POV
We all ran as hard as we could after we parked the truck along the edge of the Soc's territory. We had to get to Indian Hill, and fast. If Pony was supposed to meet them at midnight, he'd have already been there almost an hour.
When we came upon the park, our speed increased. Darry and I pulled ahead, fear and love making us faster. The cops had made it. I saw a bunch of them hovering over a body, and I recognized it as Pony.
"Pony!" I screamed as I pushed myself to run faster.
"Let us through!" Darry barked as we came up behind them. They parted and we found ourselves by Pony, who was bleeding onto the concrete ground.
"I got 'em good, didn't I?" He said.
I smiled sadly. "Yeah, baby. You got 'em good."
I brushed Pony's hair back.
The gang encircled us, along with the cops, all looking down at Pony.
"Are you gonna be okay?" I asked hoarsely.
"I don't..." A wave of pain ran across his face, and he lost all consciousness.
Steve's POV
"We'd better take him to the hospital, boys." One of the cops stated. Soda looked across at Darry, fear showing plainly on his face.
Darry nodded, and they put Pony in one of the cars, and Darry and Soda followed.
"Steve, drive them to the hospital, would you?" Darry said as he tossed me the keys.
"We'll be right behind you." I said as we ran off to go to the truck.
I got into the truck and sped off to the hospital. Dallas and Johnny were in front, with Two-Bit rolling around in the back.
I hoped the kid would be all right. I was proud of him for holding his own so well.
Darry's POV
We drove on to the hospital, the siren going full blast. Pony's face was scrunched in a way that showed the noise was bothering him. He was still unconscious, and every now and then he'd mumble something about the Socs, or call out mine or Soda's name.
"Is he going be okay?" Soda asked me, not taking his eyes off Pony.
"He'll be fine." I reassured him, though I was concerned myself.
We pulled up to the hospital and Soda and I got out. I carried Pony inside, and called out for a doctor.
A few nurses came by, one pushing a bed. I laid Pony down on it, and they pushed him away. A doctor came by and followed the nurses. Soda and I tried to join them, but a nurse pushed us back and told us we weren't allowed to come with them.
Was it that serious? Was he too badly hurt?
"Hey, ya'll." Two-Bit said from behind me.
I turned around to face him, but I couldn't say anything. What if there was something really wrong with Pony? What would we do?
I looked down at my shirt, and saw the redness covering my t-shirt.
I began to shake. How much blood had he lost?
I needed to sit down, but I couldn't bring myself to move. My legs turned to jelly and I reached out to keep myself upright.
As though he sensed my predicament, Dallas came up beside me, and led me to a chair. I grabbed on to his arm to keep me from falling.
I sat down and Soda came over to sit by me. He looked worried about me, but I wish he wouldn't. Pony was the one worth worrying over.
Johnny's POV
"Did you guys hear anything?" Steve asked.
"No." Soda said quietly. The worry showed on Soda and Darry's face, but I knew better than them. Pony was tough enough. He'd make it through it all.
Two-Bit sat down on a chair and fell asleep in no time. We were all exhausted. We'd been awake for a long time, but worry kept Darry and Soda awake.
I sat down, too. Dallas paced the length of the waiting room, and soon we were greeted by a doctor, who looked familiar.
"Hello, again." The doctor said, and I realized he was that Dr. Stevenson guy. The one who threatened to call the state if Pony came back within a month.
Darry and Soda got to their feet. I shook Two-Bit so he'd be awake to hear the news.
"Pony's doing just fine. He hasn't been awake much. But we figured he's probably worn out. It is pretty late. He had to have stitches in his thigh, and some in his back from where it looked like a cut had just reopened." He turned to Darry. "I'd like to speak to you in private, please."
I looked over at Dallas and saw the anger burn in his eyes. None of us liked that guy. Damn him if he tried to separate them.
Darry's POV
I walked to the side to talk with Dr. Stevenson. Fear grabbed me, and I shook.
"I know what I said last time was pretty harsh. And I had planned to keep my threat valid."
Wait! He said "had."
"But the police called in and told us what happened. I understand now what was going on. I should have known that you and your brother are good to Pony. I could see the pain written on your faces." He smiled at me and I smiled back.
"Your brother will be fine. You can stop worrying, son. You can see him now. He's in room 213." He said as he placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Thank you, sir." I said as he walked away.
He turned back and I wondered what was going on now.
"Oh, and this one's on us." He said, smiling even wider.
I sank to the ground and sobbed with relief.
Soda's POV
I ran up to Darry when I saw the doctor walk away. When Darry broke down on the floor, I assumed he was going to call the state.
"What'd he say? Is he going to call the state?" I asked, panic and anger taking over. I began to cry, just out of the fear of us getting separated.
"No, Soda. He's not calling the state." Darry said, trying to smile.
"Then what is it?" I asked.
"They're going to pay for the hospital bills. We're not going to be separated. And Pony's going to be okay." Darry said, and he managed a smile.
"Can we go see him?" I asked, hopeful.
"Yes, Soda." He said, gathering himself up off the floor. When he stood, he hugged me close to him, and I wrapped my arms around him. I never did get to be as tall as him.
Dallas' POV
I saw how Darry broke down, and I knew they'd be separated. I was ready to go kill that doctor when Soda and Darry came back with smiles on their faces.
"We can go see Pony now." Soda said.
"Is that guy going to call the state?" I asked.
"No." Darry said, grinning widely.
"All right!" Two-Bit said, getting up and showing more enthusiasm than he had before.
"Let's go see Pony." Johnny said, and so we followed Darry and Soda into Pony's room.
The kid was still asleep, and I could understand why. He'd been through one hell of a night, and he must be exhausted.
"Hey, Pony." Darry said as he came to sit by Pony. Soda joined him, and the rest of us just stood by and watched Pony. He looked better than I thought he would, and I could tell he'd be all right. It relieved me, not that I gave a shit what happened to him...well, maybe I did.
Darry's POV
I sat up with Pony all night. The gang went home after a while. It had been late, and most of them looked really tired. Soda had finally fallen asleep around 2:30. Pony hadn't stirred lately, and it worried me.
I almost nodded off when I heard someone say my name.
I looked over at Pony, whose eyes were fixed on me.
"Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?" I asked quietly.
"Like I got run over by a bus." He said, chuckling without much humor.
"I know, baby."
"My arm hurts." He said, holding his wrist.
"It's okay. The doctors wrapped it up for you." I said.
"Oh."
"Can I get you anything?"
"A Pepsi." He said, licking his lips.
"I'll be right back." I said. I ran down the hall and found a pop machine and got him a Pepsi. He always had been a Pepsi fiend.
I was surprised at what I found when I came back. Pony was sobbing into his pillow and shaking all over.
"Pony! Are you all right?" I exclaimed, the panic seeping into my voice.
"No." He shook his head.
I gathered him in my arms and held him close to me. I stroked his hair and said soothing words to him, trying to calm his sobs.
Soda woke up, and seeing us, he started.
"What happened?" He asked.
I shrugged my shoulders, continuing to rock Pony back and forth.
"Pony, baby, what's wrong?" Soda asked, patting him lightly on the shoulder.
Another cry escaped Pony's lips and I tightened my hold around him.
The three of us sat there for a long time and then Pony pushed away from me. He wiped at his tears with his good arm, and then he spoke.
"I was just thinking, about how it would have been so different if this hadn't happened to me. If it happened to Darry, the Socs would have been gone after the first time. If it happened to Soda, Steve, Dallas, or Two Bit, then you'd use your heads and fight them off as best you could. And they wouldn't know you'd be afraid. But if it happened to Johnny, it'd kill him. He's been through so much in his life. His parents are abusive, and he's already quiet. If that happened to him, he'd be afraid of his own shadow. But it happened to me. . .and I'm glad."
Soda and I looked shocked. Why would he be glad?
"I know you don't understand why I'm glad, but I am. It showed me who I am, and how I can handle these situations. Those Socs won't be bothering us again, because I used my head and fought back. Well, and because you guys called the police." He smiled sheepishly. "They threatened to hurt you two, instead of me. And instead of letting you two take care of it, I took the pain. Because I love you. Nothing could ever change that. And I'm proud that I made that choice."
Tears filled my eyes as I thought of how Pony had been beaten so badly, just to keep me and Soda safe.
Soda and I hugged Pony.
"You're the best brothers." I whispered, holding Pony close against me with one arm, and Soda with my other arm.
"Tough enough." Soda clarified.
