Here's a new chapter. Enjoy folks! Thanks for all the reviews. I adore you all!

I am having such a HARD time deciding if I should end it soon or continue. If I continue, I have to throw in some other drama…and would it be too cheesy then? But if I end it, I prob won't write another fanfic…so…

The agony, the agony! Help me decide!

Review please!

Disclaimer: I don't own the song or the characters.

XXXX

"The only difference
That I see
Is you are exactly the same
As you used to be"

-The Wallflowers

XXXX

Soda's POV

"So, I guess it's back to the grind after this?" Two-Bit asked me while we were walking to Ponyboy's room. After five days of Ponyboy's complaining Doctor Phillip said today we could take him home.

"Yeah, Steve is covering for me. I have barely enough time to take Pony home and then get back to work. I'm gonna be pulling double shifts all this week," I sighed tiredly.

"At least he'll be at home though," Two-Bit said reassuringly. I saw him glance at me cautiously out of the corner of his eye.

"I know. I just wish I could be there."

"I can keep him company," he offered. I nodded. We rounded the corner and seeing an opportunity for trouble, I grabbed an empty wheelchair. "Hop in."

Two-Bit jumped in and I ran down the hall with him, wheeling him crazily. Reaching Ponyboy's door, I skidded to a halt dumping Two-Bit out.

"Thanks a lot." He laughed.

"Anytime," I said, helping him back up.

"So is sleeping beauty ready to come home?" Two-Bit hollered as we went into the room.

We stopped in our tracks. Ponyboy was standing with his arms folded defensively across his chest. Nurse Hendricks stood in front of him, smiling syrupy sweet. Pony looked at me exasperatedly.

"Are your brothers your only guardians?" she was asking my brother subtly.

"We're his legal guardians," I snapped. I crossed the room and grabbed his suitcase and began packing his belongings. There weren't many: a change of clothes, a few books, and some cards from classmates and teachers.

I wanted to get the hell out of here before I lost it.

"C'mere Kid." Protectively, Two-Bit motioned for Pony to come over to him, trying to get him un-cornered from the nurse. Pony just stood there.

I really wished Darry were here. He always had a way of seeming authoritative without losing his cool. Me, I just came across as a young punk.

"I don't care for this at all," Nurse Hendricks stated.

"What," I asked through gritted teeth, "don't you care for?"

"This situation," she hissed. Her eyes glittered devilishly at Pony. "Obviously this poor child has no parental supervision-"

"Obviously," Two-Bit butt in, "you like to meddle."

"-which," she continued, ignoring him, "has already been harmful to his health. And your boys' behavior these last few weeks does not seem to demonstrate a suitable living situation." The nurse gave Pony a sympathetic look and patted his arm.

He jerked her off. "Just leave me alone," he said morosely and turned away. I saw him look out the window and cover his eyes quick. When his hand came away, they were dry.

"You don't know when to stop do you," I said snatching up the suitcase. Anger flashed across her face, as it did mine. "Ponyboy, we're ready. Come on."

I threw an arm around him as if I could shield him from Nurse Hendricks, as I guided him out of the room.

"If this child is in need of supervision, I will look into it," she snarled, wanting to have the last word.

"I bet you will, you frigid-"

"Two-Bit, just let her go," Pony stopped Two-Bit from finishing his sentence.

"Sure kid," Two-Bit said gently. "Want a ride?" he asked, gesturing to the wheelchair.

Ponyboy smirked at it, then laughed. "Naw, it feels good to walk."

As they walked down the hall together, I twisted around to the nurse, enraged. "If I…if we hear from you again, you'll be needing the use of that hospital bed."

XXXX

A violent scream woke me up. Ponyboy was sitting up, bathed in sweat. His eyes were shut and he was trembling. But he was awake.

"Pony, I'm here." I gingerly touched his cheek, which was burning up. I fought the urge to panic. He was just warm from sleep, I told myself, not a fever.

"Soda?" he squeaked, opening one eye to look at me. "Glory. Guess I'm back to this again," he laughed weakly.

"It's alright, I kinda missed it," I said semi-seriously. Then, "do you feel ok Pone?"

I should have expected it but Ponyboy hadn't been acting like himself in the week since he had been home. Ponyboy seemed detached, lost in thought.

Darry didn't even have to get on his case about his missed homework. The second day home we had caught him huddled over some math problems.

"Um, Pone," Darry had said uneasily. "Don't you think you ought to wait a while and rest up before you get back to that?" I looked at Darry concerned.

"No," Ponyboy had answered, still trying to work out an algebra equation. "I can get it done. I need to catch up."

I could tell Darry had been on the verge of ripping the math book out from under his hands, but he relented.

He hadn't been eating either. He hadn't regained any of the weight he had lost from his hospital stay. In fact, as I looked at him shuddering from his nightmare it looked like he had lost more.

"I feel fine Soda." Pony said. He smeared a hand through his hair. The sweat made it stick out in peaks and waves. Suddenly he rolled out of bed and started putting on his jeans.

"Where you going?" I frowned. I could tell he was debating between lying to me or telling me the truth.

"I was gonna take a walk, clear my head." He said innocently. "It would let you get some sleep."

"Sleep is the least of my concerns right now, Pony." I looked at his drawn face and then outside at the darkness. My stomach did a little flip.

"No," I said resolutely. "You're not going to walk around at two in the morning."

"Soda…" he started, then dropped off after seeing me tense.

For a second I thought he was going to argue with me, try and get his way. Well, I wouldn't back down as usual.

I had made myself a promise: I wasn't going to let anything happen to him ever again.

XXXX

Ok, this was kinda a filler chapter. But I wanted to put Soda's POV in there and how he's going to be a little overprotective now.

Review please! Thanks!