Some say it's harder to write humor than it is to write drama. Well, I tried my hand at humor in the next chapter, and, well, I hope you like. Please review!
XX
Who's bright idea was this? Two-Bit thought as he pulled the scarf that was supposed to be around his neck, tighter around his mouth. He had thrown on the thickest jacket he could find - one with a hood no less - gloves, boots, layers of clothes, the WORKS - and he was STILL cold. Head down, he trudged aimlessly through the snow that had grown what looked like two feet since had gone inside last night.
It was high - and the flakes were still falling lightly. And what wasn't actual snow was quickly turning into ice.
The wind slashed at his face much of the time and the temperature felt like it was at least 30 below. It cut deep, at one point he even felt tears start to prick his eyes when the wind whipped his cheeks.
"You're doing this for Pony...you're doing this for Pony…" he mumbled to himself. "Where's a beer when you need one?"
That would sure warm me up, he thought. But something was nagging at him that he had to be sober when he got to the hospital. Drinks could come later.
It was early morning, so the roads were not plowed just yet. The heaviness of his footing as pressed through the snow made it difficult to maneuver the paths. As he went up a small hill, he cursed himself for not finding an easier way, one that didn't require plodding through thick mounds of icy sludge.
He knew the way to the hospital but snow covered everything, making it really hard to see. The only good thing about the weather was that there were no cars on the road, not even a truck or a tractor in site. Two-Bit could walk wherever he saw fit.
To try to keep himself from getting bogged down by the cold, Two-Bit thought about Ponyboy. Just how bad was his situation? Poor kid couldn't even walk straight last he saw him and now Steve said he was worse. Much worse. Brain surgery? As gruff as Steve's voice was when talking about anyone except Soda, something in his tone made Two-Bit's stomach sink. It made the hair on the back of his neck stick up.
Two-Bit was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the vroom of an engine roar as it came up behind him. He didn't feel the rush of air as a car bumped its way through thick slush and snow. He didn't hear the squeal of tires that screeched down the road as the driver of the vehicle pressed hard on his brakes, slipping and sliding on the ice as it noticed Two-Bit's dark shadow.
Two-Bit tried to jump out of the way of the oncoming vehicle as it sped towards him, but his foot got stuck and he hit the ground, his stiff bones cushioned by the deep white snowdrift.
Then he threw hands over his head, waiting for the crush of metal against his body.
XX
It never came. Instead, whoever was in that vehicle slammed on the brakes and the car came to a halt in the nick of time.
Realizing he hadn't been hit and that he was freezing his nose off, Two-Bit tentatively lifted his head. Then, he quickly sat up and wiped the snow from his eyes so he could tell off the driver that he had almost run him over.
You can't spook Two-Bit Mathews easily, but in that next minute, he sure was spooked. The vehicle that had almost run him over was a police car!
"Hey!" Two-Bit screamed at the driver who had yet to leave his vehicle, "You nearly killed me!"
The driver quickly jumped out of the vehicle. "Are you alright?" he asked, the shock evident in his voice.
It was indeed a Tulsa police officer - clad in full uniform. But not just any Tulsa police officer.
Two-Bit groaned loudly. It was Officer Franks.
It wasn't like Two-Bit to pal around with police officers, and Officer Rick Franks wasn't his pal. But he had been a friend of his father's before his father split town. Two-Bit himself ignored and he didn't want much to do with him anyway - until the halfwit started coming around flirting with his old lady. Franks would do anything to take her out on a date. And that was when Two-Bit decided he didn't like him.
His mom had warmed up to Officer Franks, but she would never agree to a night on the town - thank the Lord. Two-Bit couldn't imagine having a police officer in the family, even though Officer Franks wasn't a bad guy.
"Jesus, I'm sorry. Are you alright son?" Officer Franks asked, stepping out of the vehicle with a look of shock on his face. And then he saw who it was and he grimaced.
"Well, look who we have here," he said, peering down at Two-Bit who had yet to get off the mound he was sitting on. "Keith Mathews, what are you doing walking out here in the Arctic? Does your sweet momma even know you're gone?"
"Why? You think I should ask her to sign a permission slip for me?" Two-Bit retorted, the sarcasm dripping. He started to stand, brushing the snow off his jeans. "You nearly ran me over!"
"I- I'm sorry about that," Officer Franks stuttered and he seemed genuinely apologetic. "I didn't think anyone would be on the roads…"
Officer Franks came over to try to help him up, but Two-Bit wouldn't have it.
"Where are you going, anyhow?" The officer asked.
"None of your damn business!" Two-Bit smarted. And then he had an idea. "Well, if you must know...I'm going to the hospital.
"Everything alright? It's not your mom is i-"
"No, it ain't my mom. She's fine. I have a friend who's there right now. So I need to get there as fast as possible. Not even getting run over by a cop car can stop me. And neither can a blizzard," Two-Bit said.
"I didn't run you over," Office Franks said coolly.
"You practically did," Two-Bit shot back. "You almost kept me from seeing my friend, and he just had brain surgery…"
"Brain surgery!" Officer Franks exclaimed, though he wasn't actually sure he believed what Two-Bit was saying.
"Yeah, brain surgery. They cracked open his head and you almost kept me from seeing him after the fact - by running me over."
"I didn't run you over, KEITH," Officer Franks said, gritting his teeth, his hands on his hips.
"You sure about that?" Keith asked. "Well, there is a way you can make it up to me." he offered.
"Oh yeah? And what's that?"
"I need a ride. There's a blizzard going on and Tulsa General ain't exactly around the corner," Two-Bit said.
"What makes you think I can give you a ride?" Officer Franks asked, raising his eyebrows. "What makes you think I don't have important police business to attend to?"
"YOU OWE ME," Two-Bit glared at him coolly.
"Is that right?" Officer Franks said. There was a long pause as the two glared at each other. And then Officer Franks let out a long sigh.
"Well hop on in then," he said out of nowhere.
Two-Bit couldn't believe his luck. It worked, it had actually worked.
"Well, alright," he said, walking over to the passenger side of the vehicle. He looked over at Officer Franks who was on the other side. "Maybe you should turn on the siren for good measure," he suggested, "It's an emergency."
Officer Franks gave him a look. "It's not an emergency," he said, "It's a favor. Anyway, it doesn't look like we'll get stuck behind any other cars on the road,"he said.
Well, I tried, Two-Bit thought. They opened their doors and got in at the same time. Officer Franks turned the key in the ignition - he had never taken it out - and they sped off towards the hospital.
"Your momma still working over at O'Malley's Pub over on 12th St?"
Two-Bit rolled his eyes. Glory, he thought, you better be sick as a dog, Ponyboy Curtis.
XX
It had been more than an hour since the doctor had taken the breathing tube out and at least half an hour since Soda had felt Ponyboy's squeezing his fingers. Since then, there hadn't been so much as a peep or a hand grip or an eye flutter in sight. Soda and Darry had both tried to talk to Pony, coaxing him to open his eyes - Soda had continued to hold his hand - but there was no sign of consciousness and his brothers wondered if maybe the doctor had been wrong, that Pony was still too sick to be awake.
Feeling anxious and a little bored in the room, Steve had gone out for another cigarette.
Soda looked over at his big brother
"Darry," he said, "You look beat."
"Yea, well, the last 24 hours haven't exactly been a walk in the park, Soda." Darry scowled. Then he heavily lifted himself out of his chair to go splash cold water on his face, trying not to bump into the heart monitor and the other machines in the room along the way. He stopped for a minute to adjust the scratchy blanket that lay over his motionless brother on the bed before heading to the tiny bathroom.
Soda listened to the tap tap of his shoes as they hit the cold, institutional tile floor. He was still holding Pony's hand in his when he suddenly noticed soft fingers brushing against his palm.
Soda did a double take as he heard a moan come from the bed.
Pony's eyes fluttered open and darted around the room, but he couldn't focus on anything. The pain in his head was severe and he was attached to all these wires, including two strange plastic prongs that blew air into his nose. He felt dizzy and disoriented and he couldn't understand where he was. Hit with anxiety, his eyes continued to wander not stopping on any one thing. He felt scared.
"Pony?" a familiar voice called out to him and Ponyboy turned his head, forcing the blurry site of his brother to come into focus.
"S-soda?" he whispered, feeling his brother's hand on his hair. It was oddly comforting despite the pain. "What happened? Where am I?" Pony asked, scanning the sparse and lifeless room with bland cream-colored walls. An old tv set hung from the ceiling. In the corner two chairs stood, frayed with wear and tear. There was a window off to the side.
Pony noticed the machines near the bed, a heart monitor which is beeping monotonous tones and some other contraptions he couldn't recognize. His eyes followed a pole that loomed over him with a bag of liquid hanging from the top. It connected to a tube that snaked its way into his left arm.
Before Soda could respond, a sharp pain radiated in Pony's head causing him to hiss and close his eyes for a moment.
"Pony?" Soda's voice was startled, concern etched on his features as he looked at his brother sharply , "Are you hurting?"
Pony blinked his eyes open. They were heavy. "I-I...don't feel so good," he stuttered.
"Yeah, you're pretty sick, buddy," Soda said, stroking Pony's cheek with the back of his hand.
Pony was still pretty mixed up "I woke up in the car alone," he rasped out, "Darry wasn't there - Where's Darry?" he asked, growing worried, as he couldn't locate Darry in the room.
Pony shifted on the bed, sitting up more and getting more agitated, which caused more pain. "Where's Darry?" he asked again louder and more panicky.
Soda half stood, springing into action to try to calm his brother down without messing up the tubes or hurting him further. "Pony...Pony. Relax, buddy," He said as he leaned over, placing his hands gently on Pony's upper arms, getting close. "Darry's in the bathroom, Pony. He's right here…" To show him he wasn't lying, Soda called out, "Darry!"
Hearing Soda's anxious voice from the tiny bathroom, Darry raced out of the room. He was relieved to see that Pony's eyes were open and he immediately rushed over to the bed. "Pony, you're awake!" he exclaimed.
"I - I," Pony whimpered. " I don't understand what ha-" he stuttered. Realizing his brothers were both there with him made him feel less scared though and he sank back into the bed, winded like he'd just run a marathon.
"Shh...shh…" Soda continued to stroke his cheek. "Calm down, kiddo. Do you remember leaving the truck?" he asked, but didn't wait for an answer."Steve and I took a tow truck, we found Darry trying to get help and then we came back for you and you had left the truck...we found you in the snow and brought you to the hospital."
Ponyboy titled his head, looking at Soda quzzically. "I don't - I don't remember," he stuttered and Soda felt sad that his brother looked so bewildered and confused.
Darry suddenly noticed there was a pitcher of water and a glass with a straw next to Pony's bed. The nurses had left it there. He poured water into the glass and held the straw up to Pony's lips, urging him to drink.
Pony was dizzy, but he sipped a little, exhausted from the effort."I woke up in the truck and you weren't there, Darry," he said in between gulps, "I didn't know where you were. I wanted to go find you…"
"Pony, I told you I was going to find help," Darry replied, "You were really sick. I guess you don't remember,"he sighed heavily, shaking his head "I shouldn't have left you."
"M'sorry, Darry…" Pony responded, sounding weary, like the conversation was taking a lot out of him.
"Shhh, Pony, don't get yourself all worked up. How 'bout you let us do the talking, huh kiddo? You rest," Darry said. He came around the bed to Pony's left side, moving the IV a little. Darry traced his fingers along Pony's forehead, careful of the bandage.
"What's wrong with me?" Pony asked, looking down at all the wires.
"The doctor says you have something called meningitis," Soda said.
"It's an infection that causes fluid buildup in your back and your brain," Darry added. "You had a seizure in the emergency room." He swallowed hard, trying to figure out how he should tell Pony he had brain surgery. "You had some pressure in your brain," he said, "They had to go in and relieve itt..."
It took a few minutes to sink in and then Pony scrunched up his face like a little kid.
"They...went into my head?" he asked, "Brain...surgery…" he chewed on the words for a moment. The thought was difficult to comprehend.
"Yeah, you're pretty sick, kid," Soda breathed out.
Darry nodded. "The infection isn't gone, but you're on some strong meds, little buddy," he explained, "You're one tough kid," he said with a grin.
Pony didn't feel so tough. He felt worn out and weak.
Soda saw it and immediately understood in the way he always understood everything concerning his baby brother. He reached out to stroke the side of Pony's head, "It's ok if you don't feel like that, honey, but you are," he said proudly, "You'll be ok."
There was a voice from behind Soda. "Heyyyyy kid's awake!" it called out and Pony's eyes slid to Steve who had meandered in from the doorway. He felt a sharp pain in his head that hurt like hell and he realized, horrified, that it had brought tears to his eyes. The tears streaked down his cheeks as the pain continued, throbbing behind his eyes.
"Pony, what's the matter?" Soda asked, looking alarmed. He grabbed Pony's wrist gently to keep him from touching his head.
Steve also had a shocked look on his voice, afraid he had caused the pain.
"My head...my head hurts…" Pony whimpered, and his face crumpled.
Darry had a panicked look in his eyes, but tried to keep his cool. "I think we should get the nurse…" he said and he turned his head but thankfully, Steve was already out the door. Pony wasn't sobbing openly, but his tears betrayed him and his ears got hot as they became stronger.
"It's ok, Pony. Baby, it's ok," Soda soothed and he leaned forward wiping the tears from his brother's eyes with his thumb.
The nurse came into the room the next moment, followed by Steve and Ponyboy drew a quivering breath and quit crying in front of the. But it was too late.
"Ponyboy," she said gently and Darry had to move to give her some space, but Soda held onto his right hand. "It's good to see you awake. Do you know where you are?" she asked.
"H-hospital," Pony sniffled.
"Good," she said, "I can see you're in some pain. Can you tell me what hurts?"
"M-my head…" he said, "My head hurts. It hurts bad," he responded, and he saw Darry grimace out of the corner of his eye.
"You have a headache?" she asked and watched him nod.
The nurse turned back to look at Darry. "The doctor gave me a standing order to give him morphine, if he's in pain. It will probably just make him sleepy. He should rest anyway. I'm also going to bring back some ibuprofen," she said, talking as if Pony wasn't even there. "Try to get him to relax. I'll be back in a moment."
She left and both Soda and Darry came close again. Soda squeezed his brother's hand. "You hear that, Pone? You should get some rest…" Pony frowned.
"Don't leave me…" he said in a dejected tone.
"We're not going anywhere, Pone," Darry said squeezing his left shoulder, and then taking his hand. "We'll be right here."
The nurse came back with the morphine, which she quickly pushed into Pony's IV. Then she handed Pony a white pill, which his brothers made him swallow with the water sipped through a straw. He had barely choked it down before a warm feeling spread in his chest and through his body. This must be what it feels like to be drunk, Pony thought innocently, as he sunk back into the pillow again, a weird grin on his face.
His eyes fluttered and then turned into slits, but for some reason he couldn't fully close them. He wanted to say something, but his mouth wouldn't move. At least his head wasn't hurting…
"Glory," Pony could feel Steve peering over him, "He ain't supposed to sleep with his eyes open like that, is he?"
"As long as he ain't in pain, I don't care how he sleeps," That was Darry.
"Pony…" Soda called and Pony realized he could still hear bits and pieces of conversation even though everything was hazy. "We're here, Pony. Darry and I are right here. If you want to close your eyes, that's ok," he said and Pony felt Soda give his hand another squeeze.
Pony didn't even realize his eyes were open, but he took that as his cue - or maybe his body just realized how exhausted he was - as he couldn't stay awake any longer. His eyes fluttered closed and he was breathing lightly within minutes.