It's been way too long but finally, here is the next chapter.
I just wanted to take a moment to thank all the guests that have commented on my story. The ones that have names and the ones that don't...the ones I can't write to and thank personally. Your reviews mean a lot and I'd love to chat with you so make an account!
As always thank you to Indianagreaser for her insight...
XX
When Soda returned to Pony's hospital room, his eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red.
He didn't give any clues as to what had happened downstairs on his "break" and Darry didn't ask. But it wasn't hard to notice the slight trembling, the drying track marks on his cheeks, the busted knuckles that were still prominent even as his hands were curled into fists at his sides.
Steve wasn't far behind. Darry knew Soda had used him to help blow off some steam - they were best buddies after all - but he would only find out later that Soda had, in fact, broken down one of the bathroom stalls on a different floor, punching walls one minute and clutching Steve's jacket the next.
Darry didn't blame him, of course. Soda's emotions burned hot and fast like the pavement when it was hit by expensive tires from one of those souped up muscle cars the boys liked to race down by the Ribbon. And Ponyboy was his life.
Darry looked at him when he came in, the tense silence punctuated by the monotonous beeping of Pony's heart monitor that was blessedly still going strong. Soda's pleading eyes looked like they were going flood again and the only thing running through Darry's mind at that moment was, What are you sorry for, Soda? It's ok to break down. Your brother almost died.
"You ok, Soda?" Darry asked carefully, moving away from Ponyboy to stand close to his middle brother. He put a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah," Soda said, his voice cracking, as Darry pulled him in for a small hug. Soda pulled away quickly, not wanting to make a big deal.
His throat constricted as he struggled to swallow down his pounding heart. But he had to know. "How is he?" he asked, motioning with his head towards the still figure on the bed.
"Hanging in there," Darry answered smoothly, "Just like you. Looks like you guys need each other."
Soda gave him a small smile, his eyes welling up again. He kept the tears at bay, though, as he went over to sit by Ponyboy. He was almost afraid to touch him for all the tubes, but his fingers immediately intertwined with his brother's.
"Pony," Soda said quietly, studying his lifeless brother and noticing for the first time that even though he was mostly still, his chest continued to rise and fall, the color was starting to come back into his cheeks and the swollen left eye wasn't as purple anymore, "Come back to us, kiddo," he said, "We're waiting for you."
There wasn't much talk in the room in the next hour. When Two-Bit realized his pacing was annoying everyone, he left the room for a long period of time, and came back later, only to leave again after a few minutes. Darry pulled Steve out into the hallway to talk about Soda and make sure everything was really ok. Soda continued to sit by Pony's bed, holding his hand, watching him breathe, and pushing his hair back once in a while.
The nurse came every half hour or so to check the bags of fluid that were connected to Pony's IVs. But she wasn't one for pleasantries and the mood in the room was somber.
More than an hour later, Ron appeared again. Darry and Soda were at Pony's bedside. Steve stood in a corner, arms crossed. Two-Bit was nowhere to be found. Again.
"How's it going fellas?" he asked casually, though there was nothing casual about the situation the Curtis brothers found themselves in.
"Hey Ron," Darry said, standing up to stretch his legs and nod at the doctor.
"I was on my way back from another consult in the ER, but I wanted to come check on Ponyboy," he said, picking up Ponyboy's chart at the foot of the bed. "And on you guys," he said looking up, "Anyway, they'll page me if they need me," he added.
Since the nurse hadn't been much for talking and no one had asked, Darry was glad that Ron was there to check on their brother, answer question, fill in gaps.
After looking at his chart, Ron moved up to the bed and looked down at the patient. He put his hand on Ponyboy's neck to feel his skin, checked thet fluid in the bags that were attached to him (the way they had seen the nurse do earlier), and glanced at the heart monitor.
Darry and Soda watched him as he moved around the bed. Ron could almost feel their eyes boring into him, but he didn't judge them for it. As a doctor, he was used to his patients expecting a lot from him and he was one of the friendlier doctors on the floor. One of the few who always made sure to give answers and keep spirits high.
He could tell that Soda was especially worried. The poor boy kept his hand over his mouth as he waited for news, and Ron thought he noticed him wipe his eyes once or twice.
When Ron was done, he looked up at them, and for whatever reason, the expression on his face made Darry sigh with relief. "Guys, he's doing better," he told them. "I'm not just saying that," he said specifically looking at Soda, who continued to look sad. "I don't know his blood pressure, but his color is coming back and I don't notice anything that should concern me," he said, offering them a smile.
There was a sound in the back of Soda's throat and Darry noticed that his demeanor seemed to change for the first time in hours.
Ron turned to the boys. "And you guys? How are you holding up?" He chose not to focus on Pony's state although the guys probably had questions.
"We're ok," Darry answered for the both of them, "It's just been a long morning, you know?"
Ron nodded. "Have you guys gone home at all?" he asked. He gritted his teeth, already knowing what the answer would be.
"Too much going on here," Darry answered.
"We won't leave him," Soda spoke up immediately.
"And the weather...well I haven't gone home myself. But they accomodate the doctors who need to stay overnight at the hospital. Wish they did that for the patients," Ron said as an aside. "This is, what, the third day you guys are here?" he asked.
"Something like that," Darry responded.
"Are you trying to kick us out?" Soda blurted out as if to challenge the doctor. His eyes were suddenly dark and stormy.
"Soda!" Darry warned and Soda looked down in shame, rubbing Pony's right arm from where he sat by the bed, mostly because it was something to do.
"No, no, no definitely not," Ron said putting his arms up in defense, "I definitely don't think you should leave your brother. It's just that, the doctor and nurses who work nights here have a shower available where they can go to change clothes after long shifts," he said.
Darry stared at him in silence from his standing position. What are you getting at here, Ron?
"I was thinking," Ron quickly explained, "You and Soda have been here for three days. Barely any sleep. Probably haven't thought of yourselves in the slightest. I wanted to offer you guys the use of the shower by my office," When Darry looked surprised, he went on, "Not just anyone can use it. But not just anyone is stuck here with a very sick brother, during a blizzard."
Soda looked up, his eyes bleak. But he was more stunned than anything else and for once, his usual charm was gone as he fumbled for words. "R-really? T-that's so...nice," he finished softly.
Still, he didn't think either of the brothers would actually use it.
Darry thought differently. "Thanks a lot, Ron," he said, grinning at his friend.
There was a pause in the room as Ron looked between the brothers.
"You should take him up on his offer, Soda," Darry spoke up suddenly.
"Are you telling me I smell?" Soda quipped, a glimmer of his true self.
"That's debatable," Darry answered, smiling. "Look, we've all had a rough few days. And we could all use a shower right now. You should go, Soda."
"I don't want to leave him," Soda said quietly, looking down at his brother who hadnt so much as moved a muscle.
Ron jumped in, "Look it doesn't have to be a long. Just a few minutes. You'll feel better. And you'll be in better shape to take care of Pony. I should know...I'm a doctor," he joked and Soda cracked a smile, remembering why he liked this doctor.
Washing off the griminess of grief did feel like a good idea right about now.
But Soda immediately felt guilty for actually considering it.
"Come on, Soda, you heard what Ron said. Go use the shower," Darry said pointedly.
"Darry -"
"I know you wanna be with him, Soda, but it'll be quick, right? Pony's just sleeping right now, anyway, and he's probably going to be like that for a while, right Ron?" Darry said, willing Ron to agree with him.
"I don't foresee him waking up anytime soon," Ron said.
"Well...alright," Soda conceded, getting up and pushing the chair back.
"That goes for you, too, Darry," Soda heard Ron tell his older brother, as he looked down at Pony for a moment, pushing his hair back. "You deserve a break, too. And a chance to get clean. Remember that."
Darry sighed as his middle brother followed Ron out of the room.
XX
The wind was still howling. Darry looked over his shoulder at the window, worried for a moment that it was actually open. It wasn't, of course, but the wind roared like it was connecting with the earth.
He wondered what the situation was like outside. Since Pony had entered the hospital three days ago, Darry had barely thought about the snow - let alone set foot in it. He wasn't a smoker like Two-Bit or Steve or even a social smoker like Soda, so there was no reason for him to really take a break. Not that he really wanted to anyway. And he had no idea how he had been able to convince Soda, when he couldn't convince himself. He was too worried about Ponyboy.
Steve had suggested earlier that he and Two-Bit go later to pick up some clothes for them and see what the situation was with the truck, and Darry was grateful for that. Lord knows when he would have time to do that all himself.
But that would happen only after Pony woke up - whenever that would be.
In the meantime, Steve and Two-Bit were taking one of their million smoke breaks and Soda was on the other end of the floor using a shower because Ron had been nice enough to offer it to them. Although it had been hard to push him out the door and away from his little brother, Darry was happy that Soda was taking another break - he needed it. Being cooped up and stressed all the time was getting to them - but especially to Soda, who could never sit still for too long. Not to mention, of course, that Pony had almost had organ failure just a couple hours ago.
The room suddenly felt very cold like a strong gust of air had blown through. Darry checked the window again, afraid by some stroke of bad luck that it had actually been open this whole time. It hadn't. Still, he looked over at his baby brother, lying fairly calm against the pillow beneath him and gathered up the blanket that was pooled around his lap, pulling it to his chest.
Although, he had done it quietly and as gently as possible, but the once motionless figure on the bed began to stir. Eyes closed, he moved his lips like he was trying to suck in air, and then they trembled like he wanted to say something and the words wouldn't come.
"Darry?" Pony called out, his voice hoarse and his expression slightly pained. In shock, Darry looked down at his fingers closed around the blanket, wondering if his rough roofer's hands had given him away.
"Pony…" he said, the relief evident in his voice, "Yeah, baby, I'm here." To show him, Darry ran a hand lightly through his hair. "Are you ok?"
Darry could see that it was taking a lot of effort for Pony to open his eyes. He blinked a few times and when he finally did look at Darry, his lids were heavy and his pupils unfocused.
"I'm...tired…" he sighed.
"Maybe you should go back to sleep then, kiddo," Darry answered, battling inwardly because he was thrilled that Pony was awake but concerned that he wasn't resting enough.
"I don't want to sleep anymore," Pony grumbled.
"You need it," Darry said, "Your body has been fighting this infection and - well it got pretty bad. Your blood pressure dropped -"
Pony looked at him hard, like he was trying to understand what his brother was saying. But he was too exhausted to focus. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain between his shoulder blades. He cried out and his left hand flew up as if to swat it away. Thankfully, the IV stayed in place.
"Pony! What's going on?" Darry asked, his eyes huge.
"My neck…" he whimpered and his face crumbled.
Darry wasn't on that side of the bed, but he leaned over and gently took Pony's stiff hand in his fingertips, maneuvering it down delicately like a robot's arm.
"Easy, Pony," he said, "Are you hurting? I'll get the nurse.." he started to get up to do so but felt Pony's fingers weakly on his arm.
"Darry - don't. Don't leave," his voice cracked.
Darry sat back down. "Alright, Pony, I'm right here. Just relax."
Pony laid back against the pillows, and as soon as he did, any strength he had in his limbs left his body. There were so many questions he wanted to ask...where was Soda? How long had he been in the hospital? What had happened to him? But he was felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. And boy, was he tired.
Darry smoothed his thumb against Pony's brow and watched his eyes gloss over, as he fought to stay awake.
"Darry," he said thickly, "I can't keep my eyes open."
"You don't have to, baby," Darry responded, "Go to sleep and we'll be here when you wake up."
Pony shifted to his right side, easing the pain that radiated from his upper back as Darry curled his fingers over his little brother's shaky hand, letting him know everything would be ok. His eyes closed heavily and he was out within seconds.
XX
Two-Bit and Steve came back to the room less than 10 minutes later. Darry wasn't surprised when they made lots of noise as they entered the room, even without saying a word, and he had to put a finger to his lips to shush them. Two-Bit immediately realized that Pony had been up.
"He was awake?!" he said incredulously, his voice a loud whisper.
Darry nodded, "Not for long. He was really tired. And hurting," he said, "But he knew it was me." He talked like a proud father whose son had just brought home straight As on his report card.
"Man, Soda's gonna be pissed when he hears Pony was awake and he wasn't here," Steve said.
"Ain't that the truth," Two-Bit said, "Boy, howdy, he could actually beat this thing!" he was practically throwing his jacket up in the air and whooping. Darry looked at him, shaking his head.
"What, you thought he wouldn't?" Darry asked gruffly.
Two-Bit realized what he had just said and how it sounded. He punched Darry's bicep lightly. "I didn't mean it like that, big guy. I meant-" he chewed on what he wanted to say for a moment. "I was a little worried there for a while."
Darry relented and nodded in agreement. "We all were," he said under his breath.
An ICU nurse came in then, as one had been every 30 minutes or so.
"How is he?" she asked the group absent-mindedly, looking at Pony's chart.
"He woke up about 10 minutes ago," Darry told her, "It wasn't for long but he was coherent."
She looked up and smiled warmly, "That's great to hear," she said. While this nurse hadn't been in the room during Pony's septic shock episode, she knew all about his current status.
"He complained of his neck hurting," Darry said, "I guess that's normal right? He went back to sleep fairly quickly."
"Yes, I can see that it's time for his next dose of Toradol," she said. "That could be why."
The nurse went over to the bags of fluid hung high above Pony's bed and checked each one by one. Then she produced a vial of Toradol and a syringe and added the medicine directly to Pony's IV.
As if by magic, the nurse unveiled a thermometer from her pocket and proceeded to gently lift Pony's arm and place it under his left armpit. Pony, in all his weary exhaustion, didn't wake through any of it.
"101," she told the group after she took it out. "Well, it's still a fever. But at least it's going down. It will probably be up and down for a while." she told the group. "I'll be in to visit in about another half hour or so, but do let me know if he's in any pain or you notice any other worrying symptoms."
"Thank you," Darry said.
The nurse almost ran into Soda on the way out. She did a double take but then smiled and hurried from the room.
"I think she thought I was a doctor for a second," Soda grinned as he lumbered in wearing blue scrubs - a pair of lightweight blue pants and a blue short sleeve top that Ron had procured for him post-shower. His hair was washed and slicked back. He looked clean and smelled good.
"What's the prognosis, doc?" Two-Bit quipped, "Should I scrub in? Get it? Scrub-"
"Hardy har har," Sodapop responded. "This is the only thing Ron had to give me. Hey, it's not too bad. Feels like pajamas!"
"At least they're clean," Darry said. "Better than wearing the same clothes for three days."
"You know what they say," Steve joked, coming up to Soda and pinching the sleeve of his top. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
Soda snickered at Steve, but then maneuvered his head to look around him, to where Pony was conked out on the bed.
"How is he?" Soda asked, "How's Pony doing?"
For a moment Darry debated to even tell him he had been awake. "He woke up for a bit," he finally said, and you could hear the relief in Darry's voice.
"What?"
"Yea, he woke up about 15 minutes ago," Darry said and when Soda's face fell he instantly regretted saying anything at all. "He wasn't up for very long Soda...he was exhausted. Had some neck pain. But he knew who I was at least."
Darry paused. "You didn't miss much, little buddy so don't be upset. He couldn't say much of anything except how tired he was," Darry told him. "I'm sure he was wondering where you were."
"Yeah, I know," Soda sighed, the disappointment in his eyes. "I was just hoping to see him awake and making some sense."
"If it happened once, it's gonna happen again," Two-Bit said.
Soda put a hand through his slick hair and tried to grin. "Don't I know it."
"How do you feel now?" Darry asked him.
"Pretty good," Soda said.
"You sure smell better," Steve joked, wrinkling his nose.
"Thanks a lot, pal," Soda said, throwing an arm across Steve's shoulders.
"Well, now it's my turn to get clean," Darry said. "Keep an eye on him, Soda," Darry told him sternly.
"I ain't goin anywhere, Darry," Soda replied.
"Call the nurse if he's in pain," Darry said.
"I will,"
Darry left and Soda moved over to Pony's bedside, where he watched his brother's chest rise and fall fairly evenly for a couple seconds before reaching out and stroking his hairline with his thumb, at the part that stuck out from under the bandage. Ponyboy was still laying on his right side, eyes closed, tubes snaking out of his nose and arms.
He turned around to look at Two-Bit and Steve. "Were you guys here when Pony woke up?" he asked suddenly.
"Naw, man, we came back right after he zonked out again," Steve told him.
He didn't know what they would have told him had they been here anyway.
Two-Bit muttered some excuse about going down to the gift shop and left not long after - probably to call his mom.
Soda got up and went to stand by the window, looking out at the snow-covered parking lot with a faraway look in his eyes. It was chilly in the room and he hugged his bare arms around himself. Sure, the scrubs were better than nothing, but they were thin, too, and the cold just ran through them.
"Soda, ain't you about to freeze to death?" Steve asked him and he started to go get Soda's jacket, which was draped over one of the chairs.
"I'm fine, Steve," he said. "I don't need a coat," he said, knowing what Steve was going to do.
"Well, it won't be too good for Pony if you catch pneumonia neither," Steve said.
Soda grinned. He knew Steve cared more for his brother then he let on.
He turned back around and looked out the window at the grand expanse of blinding white snow.
"You and Two-Bit gonna try to dig out Darry's truck?" he asked Steve.
"Yeah," Steve sighed as he sat down heavily in the chair by Pony's bed, vacated by Darry, "It shouldn't be too hard if the snow cleared up some. The problem is those plows push it towards the cars instead of getting it off the road," Steve grumbled.
"Doesn't look like the snow has cleared up too much from here," Soda said.
"Nah, the roads are different, Soda," Steve said, "You know that."
For Steve, the exhaustion hit him then, although he felt guilty for it, as he had definitely slept more than Darry and Soda. Trying to sleep in a chair, though, or on the floor, or on a hard mattress, that wasn't at home, was hard no matter how much sleep you got.
Even with the relentless beeping of that damn heart monitor ringing in his ears, he sunk down in the chair, leaning his head back a bit, and let Soda's silence allow him to doze off a bit. Then he closed his eyes.
He didn't know how long he had been reclining there, but suddenly Steve had the strange feeling that someone was watching him. He opened his eyes.
Pony's eyes were open and they were blinking at him curiously.
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~ Simona