Soda's POV
I did my homework before I went to bed that night. And by the time my head hit the pillow, I was sound asleep. It's tiring working full time, going to school and doing homework. Plus, spending time with Brianna. By the time I get to bed, I'm usually exhausted.
I don't know how long I was asleep, but I woke up to the sound of crying. At first, I thought that Pony had one those dreams. But then I realized that he was dead to the world next to me. After laying there for a minute, wondering if I was the one dreaming since I felt so tired, I realized that it was Brianna who was crying.
Yawning, I got out of bed and stumbled to her room only to find the door wide open instead of partially closed like it normally was at night.
"Brianna?" I whispered walking into the room. I looked inside her crib, but she wasn't there. "Brianna?"
I allowed every crazy idea enter my mind as to why she wasn't in her crib. And her crying didn't help, especially since I didn't know where she was. For all I knew, someone was taking her. After all, we do keep the front door unlocked if Two-Bit, Steve or sometimes even Tim Shepherd needs to spend the night.
"Brianna?" I called out softly, leaving the room and not wanting to wake up Pony or Darry. I noticed that the cries had stopped. I felt a surge of panic go through me. I don't like hearing her cry, but, at least I knew she was somewhere in the house. Now, I didn't hear her at all.
I walked to the living room, wide awake now.
"Looking for someone?"
Steve's POV
Soda stood in front of me, and I could tell he was trying to stay calm. After all, he didn't know that Brianna had climbed out of her crib and wandered into the living room.
"You have her?" Was all Soda could say as he took Brianna from me.
"She climbed out of her crib and came in here." I replied.
"Why was she crying?" He asked.
I shrugged, "I think she might have fell and it scared her. Her crying woke me up that's how I figured out that she climbed out of her crib."
Soda checked Brianna for any bumps or bruises from the fall. "Well, she seems okay. I thought something terrible was happening to her."
"Soda, I was here, do you think I'd let someone take her? They'd have to get through me, not to mention you and your two brothers before that happened." I said and I meant it.
Soda grinned. "Yeah, well I should put my little climber back to bed."
I nodded as I laid back down on the couch. I could hear Soda telling Brianna that her climbing out of her crib had scared him, but I doubt she understood.
Soda's POV
I put Brianna back to bed and waited until I knew she was asleep before I went back to bed myself. It never occurred to me that she could climb out of her crib, even though she was climbing on almost everything else in the house. I was glad Steve had been there and was willing to comfort her when she fell while I felt like crying myself and running to get Darry because I didn't know where she was.
The next morning, I entered the kitchen to eat breakfast, with Brianna walking in front of me, to the sound of Steve telling Pony and Darry what had happened.
"Hmm, maybe she's really Dally's kid." Pony said. "He was good at escaping things, too."
"Pony!" I cried.
"Relax Soda, I'm kidding. No one would confuse her to be someone else's kid. She looks too much like you." Pony said ducking as I swung at his head.
"You better hurry up and eat, little buddy." Darry said with a grin. "You don't want to be late for work.'
"Speaking of being late, I should get going." Pony said. He gave a quick wave before leaving for school. He usually leaves for school earlier during the spring, because he runs there to stay in shape for track. He does the same thing in the fall when he has cross country, too.
"Where's Mrs. Matthews?" I asked. "She's usually here by now."
Two-Bit's mom still watched Brianna during the day until someone got home. Usually it was Pony, but now since he had track, I was normally the first one home. Which gave me an hour or two to spend with her before I had to go to school.
"I told her she could have the day off." Darry replied.
"How come?" I asked, with a mouth full of scrambled eggs and grape jelly.
"Because my boss insisted that I take the day off today and there's no point of her being here if I am." Darry said.
I exchanged looks with Steve who knew as well as I did that Darry had never spent an entire day alone with Brianna.
"And I know what you're thinking, Soda. Brianna and I will be fine." Darry said. "So finish your breakfast. And Steve, you should go to school now."
Steve, unlike Pony, drives to school so he was able to stay a little longer.
"Sure, I'll see you both later." Steve said rubbing Brianna's hair before leaving. "I wonder if my hair would be that soft if I stopped putting grease in it?"
"Why don't you try it?" Darry yelled.
"No way! Then I'd look like a blasted pansy or something!" Came the reply followed by the sound of the front door closing.
A few minutes later, I was giving brianna a kiss and leaving myself. She started to cry like she normally did when I left, but I knew she'd be fine with Darry watching her. The question was, would Darry be fine?