FOREVER CHANGED

CHAPTER 19

LESSONS

It was Friday morning, Maggie got to the house at her usual, 6am. Darry smiled at her from his place on the couch, her usual cup of coffee sitting on the coffee table, waiting for her.

She wrapped her hands around the warm mug and snuggled next to him. "How'd he do last night?", she asked, referring to Johnny. Darry sighed heavily. "I heard him a few times", he answered. "Was he crying?", she asked quietly, Darry nodded. "..And when I went in there at two, to turn him, he was still wide awake….I think he's up all night, 'cause he sleeps all day", he stated.

Maggie slapped her knees and stood up. "Well that's not gonna happen today. I took the day off…that boy is getting outta bed. ", she said, marching straight into Johnny's room, but not before Darry kissed her goodbye and left for work.

"Johnny?", she sung sweetly, gently removing the oxygen mask from his nose. Maggie looked down at him, his face was peaceful and his breathing steady…she knew he was asleep, but she also knew she had a job to do. She started with his leg massage, pretty sure he'd just sleep through it anyway…he did. Once she got to the stretching and rotating, Johnny finally stirred.

"I was tryin' to sleep Maggie", he groaned, groggily. Maggie chuckled. "Sleeping is usually done at night, so you're just gonna have to get back on my schedule", she demanded. Maggie gave Johnny his morning medication then transferred him to take care of bathroom needs and washing.

Once that was done, she tended to his burns, bandaging only his torso area, to cover where his back brace sat. Next, she dressed and groomed him. "You could sure use a haircut, Johnny", Maggie chuckled, brushing the long, thick, black mop, on the top of his head.

"It just needs some greasin' ", he stated lightly. Maggie pointed her finger at him. "I said no hair grease, it'll irritate your sensitive skin", she playfully scolded, referring to the burned skin behind his ears and along his hairline. Johnny frowned.

Nearly two hours later, they were done getting ready and headed to the kitchen, for breakfast. Ponyboy passed them on his way out the door. "Johnny, you're up", Pony exclaimed, excitedly. "Yeah", Johnny replied quietly, his sad eyes studying the floor.

Maggie walked a disappointed Pony onto the front porch. "It's a start", she said hopefully, giving him a small hug and sending him off to school.

"We have a lot planned today, right after breakfast, I want you to start on your arm exercises.….since you missed the whole first week of therapy. At ten the tutor is coming…", Maggie started.

"Tutor?….I told you I didn't want to see anybody", he protested fiercely. "Johnny you need to keep up with your school work, you're already a year behind.…do you want to be like Keith and be the oldest kid in high school.…he was nineteen before he finally dropped out", Maggie pointed out. Johnny couldn't help it, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but it quickly faded.

"I don't want to be 'round people right now...I'm tired...I just wanna go back to bed", he stated, feeling overwhelmed. Panic started to consume Johnny, he wanted to get away, to hide. He pushed his palm against the edge of the table, to back away; but as soon as his hand made contact with the wood, Johnny screamed out in pain, as a sharp jolt ran down his arm.

Maggie rushed to his side. "Johnny...are you okay?", she asked, rubbing the upper part of his arm for comfort, as well as for the pain. "I-I can't Maggie...I can't do this. I'm not strong like Darry and Two-bit...or like Dally was. An' I'm not brave like Pony, Soda or Steve", he cried.

Maggie smiled, he was finally opening up. "Of course you are Johnny...don't you see? A person has to have great strength and bravery to go through, what you've gone through", she explained.

He humbly lowered his eyes as she continued. "What you lack in physical strength, you've made up for, in determination and tenacity. It's all right here", Maggie added, tapping her fingers against his chest, right over his heart.

"You are the bravest, most compassionate person I've ever met...and you have a house full of people who care about you very much...so I'm not going to stand here and let you wither away in self pity...your too important Johnny...to all of us", Maggie finished, getting a little choked up at the end.

She had seen what happens when patients give up, and she didn't want that to happen to Johnny...he deserved better.

Maggie's words hung over Johnny, he had never been praised before, or looked up to; he'd never been loved...until now.

She gave him a small squeeze from behind, then left to do the morning chores. Johnny sat, lost in his thoughts, until the doorbell rang; he knew that would be the tutor and he began to feel anxious again.

He could hear a male voice, and Maggie's, but from his angle, he couldn't see what the teacher looked like. Johnny's heart began to race, he was never comfortable around strangers and he just wasn't ready for that stranger to stare at his scars and pity him for his condition.

Johnny sat in the part of the house that used to be the old dinning room, it was still considered the 'dinning room' because they all ate there; but it was somewhat turned,open to the kitchen to the left and the new staircase to the right.

Johnnycould feel them behind him, Maggie's shoes clanking on the hard wood as they came closer. He closed his eyes and willed himself to be strong. "Let me move that for you", Johnny heard Maggie say. "Thanks", the younger-sounding man replied.

Johnny slowly opened his eyes as a breeze past him, he watched as the man, briefcase on lap, pulled up to the table. "I'm Mr. Phelps, but you can call me Wes...you must be Johnny", he stated cheerfully, holding his hand out and waiting patiently for Johnny to bring his hand over.

Johnny studied the man as he fumbled through his papers. Wes looked up and caught Johnny's stare. "You're curious about this, huh?", he asked, tapping his pencil against his wheelchair. Johnny didn't respond."Polio...age eleven...it'll be twenty years, next May", Wes explained.

"Says here, you broke your back in a fire...six months ago", Wes questioned in a statement. Johnny swallowed hard and closed his eyes, nodding very slightly. "That's tough", Wes acknowledged, but not pityingly. The corners of Johnny's mouth twitched up a little.

Wes sighed and looked at Johnny's schedule. "Well, since you already missed a day, we'll get right down to business. You have a friend in four classes that can help you with your schoolwork", he explained, looking over at Johnny's injured hands. "That's good. Okay then...let's start with geometry", he said, opening the text book.

Maggie was sitting in the kitchen, secretly watching the scene taking place. Johnny glanced over at Maggie, who blushed at being caught. She stood up and nodded to him, as if to ask if he was alright. He bit his lip and smiled a bit...then turned back to the lesson at hand.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter was a little lighter, I hope. The next chapters will feature more of the other characters, but the main focus will still be on Johnny and the Curtis's.

REVIEWERS: To: Kawaii-Chibi-Kai, ivy45663, Blondie 24-7(have a good time at camp), and Maddiecake...thanks a bunch!