When I woke up I was on Pony and Soda's bed. I hurt like hell though. I tried to sit up but fell back down. My stomach was all bandaged up, probably the work of Darry considering it wasn't to bad. Just then the events of the last night ran through my mind.

It scared me to think of what would have happened, had Steve not saved me. Oh, man Steve and Dally. Dally and Steve. Okay now my head hurts I'm thinking too much, never a good sign.

"Hey sleepin beauty," Soda said coming through the door. He looked like he had been crying.

"Hey."

"You alright?"

"Well besides the fact that I can't sit up, I'd say I'm alright."

"You know Dally and Darry are blamin themselves for what happened to ya."

"Oh, no I shouldn't have walked home alone, it was all my fault not theirs, thanks Soda now you've made my head hurt even more." Soda lowered his head and looked ashamed of himself. I even thought I saw a few tears slide down his face.

"Oh, Soda I'm sorry, I'm just little grumpy after what happened last night, come here." He came over to the bed and buried his head gently on my stomach and started crying. I hugged him the best I could but he was on my stomach so I tried my best not to hurt myself. Man he really knows how to make a girl feel bad.

When Soda was done crying he just looked at me then left the room. Next came Ponyboy. He ran right up to me and jumped on the bed. He hugged me, being careful of stomach, and kept kissing my cheek. I held him close as I saw that frown that he had, had when he first entered the room disappear into a smile as he held me.

Johnny also came in while Pony was still with me. I let go of Pony to hug Johnny and Johnny also gave me a kiss on the cheek and forehead. All those times that Johnny would get thrown out and would be left to sleep in the lot, I would bring him back to our house and clean him up. I would nurse all of his wounds that he got from his parents and take care of him. I would let him take the couch and I would sleep on the floor. Johnny loved like the sister or mother he never had. He needed me to take care of him like his mother should have. Every time I would clean Johnny up he would say the same things, "If anything ever happened to you, I would kill myself," and, "If your ever hurt, come to me and I'll take care of you for everything you've done for me."

After Pony and Johnny left Dally came in. He looked ashamed and just said, "They better hope I go down into Soc territory to go lookin for them."

"Dal, it was my fault I shouldn't have been walkin alone."

"Hey, I should've been there, I mean cmon they wouldn't have gone near ya if I had been there."

"Oh, stop blamin yourself and come here." He came over to me and kissed me hard and we just kept kissin until we heard someone clear their voice. Darry.

"Out Dally, I want to talk to my little sister if you don't mind."

"Well I do mind, I mean we're kinda busy here."

"Out Dally."

"Fine," Dally said and gave me a kiss goodbye.

After Dally left Darry said, "Tell me that was just a I'm-glad-you're-still-alive kiss."

"Well, kinda."

"I'm gonna talk to ya bout that later but first what the hell were you thinking, Daniela Marie Curtis?" Darry exclaimed at me.

"Don't yell at me, I'm wounded. You should be takin care of me."

"Oh, no don't give me that, you knew that guy was out to get ya and ya still walked home alone."

"Darry there was no one there to walk with me."

"You coulda called one of us."

"Yeah Darry if I called you in the middle of work to come pick me up, you would have just jumped up and walked me home."

"No but you coulda called Steve."

"Whatever, can just go to bed in peace."

"Go ahead but this aint over."

"Yeah, yeah." I said and then drifted off to sleep.