Hey everyone! I wanted to send an update earlier because, well, this story is called Blizzard and it was storming pretty heavily a couple days ago in New Jersey, my home state. My parents, who are still there, told me at least 8 inches fell - probably more by now.
If you are in the States, was it storming by you?
But alas, things came up and I'm only getting this out now. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.
Side note: This chapter is not specifically very blizzard-heavy, but hey, we all like quick updates don't we?
As always, I would love some reviews!
XX
Pony's eyes were open and they were blinking at him curiously.
"Soda, he's awake," Steve said in a low voice. Eyes heavy, he bolted up with a small scrape of his chair.
Soda whipped his head around and saw that Pony's was looking at them bewildered just as Steve leaned forward and carefully touched his shoulder. "Hey kid, you alright?" he asked, as Soda came up next to him.
"Heyyy Pony," Soda cooed, coming up to the bed so fast he practically skidded to a stop. "You ok? How do you feel?" he reached down and pressed his hand against Pony's forehead and on his cheek, noticing he was not as warm as before. Then he ran his hand through Pony's hair once before keeping it on one side of his head.
Pony's head hurt, and his neck hurt, too, as felt the pain of his face slightly drooping on one side and he wondered just how bad he looked, though his left eye was no longer tightly shut. There were shooting pains in his upper back that made him feel like he wanted to let out a wail. His stomach felt strange too. He felt stiff and achy and nauseous and weak and tired beyond words. Like he didn't want to move his body for fear that it would cause more pain.
Pony saw Steve and Soda looking at him for a few seconds, and then things got blurry again. Everything was awful fuzzy.
"Soda?"Pony asked, "I can't - see too good," he started.
Soda looked at Steve in distress and it was Steve who said, "Give it a few minutes, Pony, maybe things will clear up."
And they did.
As if someone up there was listening, the fog suddenly cleared and he could see the silhouette of his brother and his brother's best friend looking down at him. They looked worried.
"Pony..." Soda called out, his voice trailing, "Tell me what you see now."
"It's better now," Pony said. His eyes began to dart around the room, although the position he was in, half on his side, half on his stomach, against the pillow on the raised bed, made it hard to see much of anything.
"W-where am I?" he asked in the voice of a little boy, "What happened to me?" he asked, turning gingerly onto his back.
"You're in the hospital, kiddo," Soda said, pushing his kid brother's hair back, "Do you remember?" His voice suddenly full of emotion, he blurted out, "Glory Pony, you almost died...things were bad...the infection was out of control and we thought you were dying..."
Pony saw that Soda had tears swelling at the corners of his eyes. He stopped for a moment and pressed at them with his thumb and forefinger, like he was willing for them to go away but it seemed to make things worse.
The blood drained from Pony's face, watching his brother try to keep his tears at bay and not knowing exactly what had happened.
He only remembered bits and pieces of the last few days. Images flashed before him, like sparks of a dream in a mass of colors that made his stomach jump. The pictures spun like crazy and made him so dizzy that he wanted to tell Soda to make it all stop. And he couldn't pinpoint the time or place or where they came from.
Visions exploded at him in bursts. He remembered leaning against Darry in the truck for warmth and looking out at the crazy amount of snow, the way he screamed when Soda tried to lift him up out of the ice, a doctor rolling him onto his side and his brothers holding him down. The pressure in his back. He remembered the strange faces in medical masks and the pain in his head and neck. Two-Bit swatting at his hair, and then stealing him a Pepsi. There were those terrible times when his cheeks burned and he had flung himself into Soda's arms, Darry's worried eyes, and the strange images of his parents and Dally and Johnny. The way Steve stared at him and didn't say a word.
Steve mistook the moment of silence for pain.
"Kid, you hurtin'?
Pony swallowed hard. He shook his head slightly, but even that made it spin. "It's all a blur. Everything - I can't remember much," he said and the fact that it was all jumbled in his brain scared him, as if most of what happened in the last few days had been wiped clean from his memory.
"It's ok, kiddo," Soda said, pressing a hand on Pony's shoulder. "You have sepsis," he started slowly. He had dark circles under his eyes that made Pony cringe."On top of your infection. Your body is fighting itself and trying to get over this whole mess. You went into septic shock. Your body was shutting down. The doctor had to call for help. There were so many people in the room...We thought...I thought...we were gonna lose you,"
It was hard for Soda to get the words out.
Pony stared at him, willing himself to remember moments that just couldn't find a place in his head. He felt bad about the gaps and looked confused and frightened.
"Soda, calm down," Steve said in a low voice to his friend, "You're scarin' him, man."
In a surprise move, Steve reached out and put a hand on Pony's upper arm without saying anything. It was like he wanted to say, "It's ok, kid. It's ok if you can't remember."
Frowning, Pony laid back against the pillow. The movement was small, but it still hurt and it was so exhausting, he had to close his eyes for a minute. Everything was so uncomfortable.
He opened his eyes again and blinked at Steve and Soda, who were standing on the side watching him.
"Pony, you look tired, maybe you should rest some more," Soda said.
Pony didn't look at him but he said, "YOU look tired, Soda. How much sleep did you get in the last few days?"
Steve chuckled at the hint of old Ponyboy. "He probably feels better than you do, kid. Am I right?"
Pony suddenly realized, horrified, that he remembered even more from the past few days. He remembered that he had met Dally, and Johnny, and his parents. He missed them terribly, and wanted to be back with them again. But were they even real? What would Soda and Steve say if he mentioned that he had met them in his dreams?
He looked up at the ceiling, his stomach tying up in knots. He didn't know what had happened exactly, but he had almost died in this room - and he knew he had scared Soda something awful - he could see it in his eyes.
But he had also reunited with his parents and friends. It had been so good to see them - so comforting and calming and normal, even though it wasn't normal in the slightest. The wink from his father, the compassionate hug from his mother, consoling words from Johnny, and Dally's sharp retorts back - they had been what he'd been missing. But what could he tell anybody about it? How would they understand? They'd chalk it up to infection. Delirium.
He was exhausted and the tears came suddenly, before he could stop them. He didn't know whether he wanted to be here with his brothers or there with his parents and the guilt ate away at him. He was so weak from sickness, he couldn't even reach up and wipe them away with his hands. They left embarrassing track marks on his cheeks. He cried because he was humiliated and he was humiliated because he cried.
"Heyy," Soda murmured,his face going pale, as he stroked Pony's hair, "Hey Pony, don't cry. Honey, don't cry. You're ok now," he said, thinking he had caused Pony's tears talking about what had happened to him. "Everything's ok. The doctors saved you. They're taking good care of you here. You're going to get better."
Soda had no idea the tears were caused by something else entirely - and Pony wasn't going to tell him just yet. The whole thing had scared him bad. Little did he know how bad it had scared Soda.
The sobs continued, although Pony was trying to keep them quiet. Soda blamed himself, Pony could tell, and it wasn't what he wanted. But he didn't want to start talking about his dead parents yet either.
It didn't help that Pony's head was throbbing and his throat was aching. He needed something to drink.
There wasn't a lot of space, but Soda pulled the bar down and sat next to his brother on the bed at his right side. He wrapped his arm around his baby brother's shoulders gently and squeezed, careful because he knew it probably hurt.
Pony shook his head, willing himself to stop. He leaned against his brother's chest.
"Pony," he said comfortingly, "Come on, Pony. Relax, buddy. Everything's fine now."
Air caught in Pony's throat with the sobs, but he tried to focus on his breath in order to calm down. He felt Soda stroking at his hair and forehead gently and then rubbing his back, which was going to put him to sleep if he kept it up. But Pony didn't want to go back to sleep. Not just yet..
He dozed anyway and Soda let him, shifting on the bed so he could rest. About 10 minutes passed and both Soda and Steve assumed he had gone back to sleep until suddenly Pony's eyes popped open. Startled, he sat up and instantly regretted it for the pain in his neck.
He realized Soda was behind him and looked at him scowling.
"I didn't fall asleep right?" he asked, his voice garbled.
"Maybe just a little, Soda said, smiling. Steve, who was still next to the bed, laughed.
Pony frowned so Soda turned serious. "Only for like 10 minutes, Pone, nothing serious. You need the rest." He paused, studying his brother. "You still feelin' bad, kiddo?" Soda asked, "You need me to get a nurse in here?"
"No," Pony hiccuped, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry I got you all worked up," Soda said.
Pony didn't want Soda to blame himself. "It- it wasn't you," Pony said, sucking in a breath, "I just - don't feel so hot," he said aloud.
Steve looked at him hard. "You want some water, kid?" he asked.
Ponyboy looked at him in surprise and then nodded.
Steve, who had sort of been staring and feeling out of place, sprung into action, taking the pitcher at the bedside table and pouring water into a cup. He stuck in a straw and before Soda could take it from him, he put the cup up to Pony's lips himself. Pony was still shocked by Steve's effort, but he was so thirsty…
"Thanks Steve," he said. Sagging back against the pillow, his tears had subsided and he sighed heavily. "I just want this to be over," he told Soda, "I want to go home."
Soda stroked his hair.
"We all do," he said.
"You guys have been here the whole time?"Pony asked innocently.
"Yep," Soda answered. Pony wanted to ask more, but his eyes were fluttering closed with Soda' hand on his head.
Steve sat back down in the chair he had been dozing in.
Soda had actually assumed Ponyboy had fallen asleep again when Pony suddenly called out, "Soda?"
"Yeah kiddo," Soda replied.
"What are you wearing?" he opened his eyes and looked up at his brother, a smile playing up on his lips.
Ponyboy sounded so young that Soda grinned in spite of himself as he looked down at the scrubs that Ron had given him after the shower.
"Ahh these old things?" he asked, pulling at the clothes. "Didn't you know? While you were sleeping, I got my medical degree," he said.
"Nahh," Steve jumped in, "That's just his way of impressin' the nurses. He likes to play doctor," he quipped.
Pony was no innocent. He knew what Steve meant and the comment made his ears get hot.
"Aww, don't believe everything Stevie boy here says," Soda replied, a smile in his voice, "Remember Ron? Dr. Reed's son, who works here? He let me and Darry use the shower meant for doctors and nurses because we've been stuck here for a while and we were starting to stink."
"Stuck here?" Pony asked, chewing on the words.
"Not stuck because we didn't want to be here, Pone," Soda added quickly, "Stuck because there was a blizzard."
"How long have y'all been here?" Pony asked softly, but what he really meant to ask was, "How long have I been out?"
"Should we tell him he's 24?" Steve joked. Pony laughed, but deep down he was anxious about how long it had actually been and what they weren't telling him.
"You've only been here a few days, Pone," Soda explained, "But you've been really sick and out of it. Plus, the storm basically kept everyone from driving...there's no way we would have left anyway," Soda said, under his breath, a distressed look on his face.
"What's wrong Soda?" Pony asked. He could tell that there was more that his brother wasn't telling him.
"You just had us scared to death, kiddo. You know that?" he tried to grin but his eyes were bright with unshed tears. Pony made a mental note to ask him about what exactly had happened when they were alone.
"When you feel well enough, I'll take you to see the snow," Soda said, glancing back at the window, "It's really something."
"I saw it," Pony trailed off.
"Yeah I know," Soda said almost too gleefully, "But you didn't see it with me!"
Pony tried to smile at Soda's silly comment, but truthfully, he wasn't feeling so hot.
"You want some more water, Pone?" Soda asked, already getting up to pour him more before he could answer. He held the cup and straw up to Pony's lips and he sipped gratefully. Pony tried to hold it himself but Soda kept a firm grip when he noticed that Pony's hands shook.
"Soda," Pony said looking over his brother's shoulder, "Where's Darry? Is he at work?"
"No, the snow is still too heavy for anyone to go to work," he explained, "We've been here about three days," he added.
"That's no good," Pony said, his voice small and worried, "What about all the medical bills?"
"I don't want you thinking about that, Pone," Soda said firmly, "Darry would tell you the same thing. We'll worry about that. You worry about getting better."
It was too late. Pony felt guilty and you could see it on his face. Soda changed the subject quickly.
"Darry went to go take a shower," he said, "He should be back any sec-"
Soda was cut off when the door opened and Darry stepped in hair slicked back and biceps bulging out of scrubs that were just a little too tight-fitting.
He cut an intimidating figure, but you would never know it for the way his ice blue eyes melted with relief when he saw his little brother awake.
"Hey Pony," he said smiling broadly, "How are you, little buddy?"
Pony smiled when he saw Darry, but he was too weak by then to really sit up or do much else. Soda shifted, carefully letting Pony sink against the pillows as he climbed out of the bed.
"I'm ok," Pony said, though Darry could see he was really worn out by then.
"Shoot, Superman, you need to take a shower more often if it's gonna make you so happy," Steve said, coming over to him. He did an exaggerated mock sniff in the air. "And he smells good too!"
Darry swiped at him as Soda chuckled, " I'm allowed to be happy," he said, "My little brother's awake."
He came over and sat down in the chair that had been vacated by Steve next to where Soda was standing. "Hey Darry," Pony said,and Darry couldn't help but notice the way his shoulders bowed and his body drooped.
"Hey Pony," Darry said, "You feelin' alright? I can see you're tired."
Pony squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again in an effort to stay awake.
"Yeah," Pony replied, feeling like the air was starting to whoosh out of him, "But that' s ok," he swallowed thickly, "I want to be awake."
"You should sleep if you're tired," Darry said, but then he added, "I'm just glad I caught you before you nodded off again," Darry said, putting his hand over Pony's listless right hand which lay palm down on the bed.
"I'm not going to sleep," Pony said, but his body was heavy and his eyes were closing.
Not for long. Nobody had heard the click of the door handle, but suddenly the heavy hospital door banged shut as a figure stood there carrying a plate in his hands.
Pony's eyes snapped open.
"Hey y'all, I come bearing - Ponyboy Curtis! Is that you? Glory, it's good to see you awake! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were ready to walk on outta here!"
"Sure Two-Bit," Pony said, laughing, "Sign me up for the next track meet,"
"Kid, just remind me to sneak you out when Darry's not watching us like a hawk," he said as an aside, his hand up at his mouth like he was being sneaky.
"Two-Bit..." Darry yelped, but he wasn't mad. Two-Bit responded with a mock salute.
"Whatcha got there, Two-Bit?" Soda asked, peering over Darry's head from his corner next to Pony's bed.
Steve came over, eyeing up the dish and swiped a bit with his fingers, stuffing it into his mouth.
"It's chocolate cake," he answered himself with a full mouth.
"Hey, hey hey!" Two-Bit said, pulling away the plate before Steve could grab more. "Get your sticky fingers off my cake. This here's for the invalid, not for you."
"The invalid…" Darry muttered under his breath.
"For me?" Pony squeaked from the bed.
Two-Bit loped over to Ponyboy, holding the plate in one hand like a waiter and almost dropping it in the process, "Yea, for you. At your service, sir. I,uh, acquired it from the dessert cart in the cafeteria downstairs."
"You mean you stole it," Darry said matter-of-factly.
"I'd like to think of it as a business transaction," Two-Bit answered smoothly, "You got my friend holed up in your establishment? I get to take your chocolate cake."
"Two-Bit, they're taking care of him here," Soda said, shaking his head with a grin.
Two-Bit looked at Pony with a sheepish grin, "I actually thought you might still be sleeping, kid. I was going to leave it next to your bed so you could waft in the aroma and it would bring you back to the land of the living."
"Oh sure, Two-Bit, that would do it," Darry said, rolling his eyes. "Why don't you just give him a cigarette and kill him while you're at it?"
"Chocolate cake is the most important meal of the day. Like breakfast."
Soda threw his hands up in the air.
"Thanks, Two-Bit," Pony said, eyeing up the cake, "But I, uh, I'm not really up to eating right now."
"You feelin' ok, Pony?" Darry asked, wrinkling his brow. Concerned as usual, he had to ask to be sure.
"Yeah, just not really hungry," he said. Soda squeezed his shoulder from where he stood.
"Sorry, Two-Bit." Pony's face fell at the thought of disappointing his friend.
Two-Bit wasn't phased. "Hey, that's alright. Stevie boy here'll wolf it down. He eats EVERYTHiNG," Steve rolled his eyes back so far Pony thought they might roll back into his head, "Or I'll keep it here on the side for you. Shoot, kid, at least your eyes are open," he said.
"Not for long," Soda whispered under his breath, smirking as he quietly observed his brother who was blinking wearily, "Scoot over, Pony. He sat down again on the bed - this time not all the way, but with one foot hanging off the edge. Two-Bit handed the plate to Darry who put it on the bedside table.
"Darry, can I talk to you for a second?" Steve asked, as Two-Bit grabbed another chair from the other side of the room and pushed it over to the right side of Pony's bed. Pony turned on to his left side so he was facing Two-Bit and trying to pay attention to him, but Soda rubbing his back in slow circles was putting him to sleep.
Two-Bit leaned in close. "So what are we gonna tell people about this scar on that hard head of yours," he asked, "Foiled a bank robbery? Knife fight with Tim Shepard's outfit?" he cocked an eyebrow as Pony laughed, "Run over by a rogue lawnmower?"
"You decide," Pony said softly, a smile playing on his lips as he started to drift.
Darry and Steve stood in a corner of the room, chuckling at the conversation. Darry crossed his arms.
"Darry," Steve began, clearing his throat, "Before you got back, the kid - he was upset. I don't think he remembers much of what's been happening the last few days and - it's scaring him,"
Darry gave Steve a suspicious look, not used to hearing him raise concern over Ponyboy.
"Well, uh, I'm just telling you so that - well maybe you can talk to him when you guys are alone. I think he might need it," Steve swallowed thickly, scrubbing the back of his own head. He wasn't used to talking this way either. It was awkard. "I mean, maybe when Two-Bit and I ain't here…" Darry nodded.
"Thanks Steve," he said, and they dropped the subject, "You guys feel ok to drive in this weather?" Darry asked.
"Yeah, no sweat. They've probably cleared up most of the roads by now," Steve explained, "We'll go back to your house and pick up a few things. Clothes for you guys, and for Pony. Maybe a book. Anything else you need?"
"Sure could use a toothbrush," Darry grinned, "Maybe some hair grease and a comb. Have Two-Bit give a look around Soda and Pony's room," Darry said, "He'll know what to get."
Steve nodded. "And about your truck. Should be easy enough. We'll pull it out with the tow truck and then fill it up at the DX," he said.
There was a pause and they looked over at Pony's bed where the kid was drifting off. "I wouldn't drive it right away if I were you though," Steve spoke up, "I do this kind of thing a lot with the job, but...well if I were you I'd wait till the roads clear up a bit more," he said. "You think they're gonna ask you back to work soon?"
Darry scratched his chin, "Well, I don't see how anyone could want a roof in this weather, but yeah. I need to go soon. We need the money," he said quietly, his face hard. "Maybe someone needs a roof fixed."
"Darry," Steve said, "I told Soda this and I'm sure as hell gonna tell you too. You already got one brother in the hospital. You don't need another one there."
"Yeah, I know," Darry sighed heavily, "I'll call the warehouse, see if they could use me for a couple hours during the day. I don't know what my boss is gonna say about the roofs anyway."
"And me and Two-Bit, we'll help you out with the medical bills - " Steve said.
"And just how in the hell are you gonna do that?" Darry snarled, but he wasn't angry, only resigned.
"Maybe it's about time I get a job," Two-Bit quipped, walking over to join the conversation. Sodapop had also slid off the hospital bed and was joining them.
Steve rolled his eyes. Darry looked over at Ponyboy, who was sleeping soundly, his head now back against the pillows.
"He ok?" he asked out loud.
"Yeah," Soda answered, "Two-Bit knocked him out with some story about robbing a bank,"
Everyone laughed.
"Soda, Steve and Two-Bit offered to get us some stuff from the house," Darry said, "You need anything?"
"Sure could use a toothbrush," Soda replied with a smile.
"Yeah I know," Steve retorted, "I've been sitting next to you."
Soda grinned at him. "Hey, an uh, get Pony that book he's been reading. That one about the mockingbird."
"Mockingbird. Check," Two-Bit said.
"Bring us back some real food, will ya?" Soda suddenly spoke up, "I'm getting tired of this cafeteria crap."
"Sure thing, buddy," Steve said, clapping him on the shoulder.
"We'll see you guys later," Two-Bit said, as the two of them started to walk out the door.
"Hey, and uh, guys...thanks for being here," Darry said, the emotion evident on his face. It wasn't easy for 'ol Darry Curtis to show that he was grateful, but he was. "I mean it. Thanks."
XX
Steve and Two-Bit left and Darry and Sodapop watched Pony sleep for a while before Soda spoke up.
"Looks like he's doing better, huh, Darry?" Soda said, his eyes sparkling and hopeful.
"I hope so," Darry answered, running a hand through his still wet hair. "He had us scared for a while."
"Yeah," Sodapop echoed, making Darry look at him hard.
"And how are YOU doing, little buddy?" he asked, "You had us all worried for a little while, too."
"Just a little anxiety," Soda replied, swallowing down a sob.
Darry whistled low. "Sounds like it was more than a 'little anxiety,'" he said, "You panicked."
Soda bit his lip, afraid he would start bawling again. "I thought…well...he was in a bad situation for a while. Still might be."
"Anyway, I'll be fine," Soda added, giving his older brother one of his movie star grins. The kind that made everyone around him believe that everything was going to be fine.
Darry put a hand on his shoulder. "Yea, it's been a rough few nights," he said, "I hope things will start looking up." They sat for a few minutes in silence.
"Sure does feel nice to be clean," Soda spoke up.
Darry sighed, knowing what he would have to say next, "You know..I'm going to have to go back to work soon. There's no way we're gonna be able to manage if I don't."
"Yeah, I know. But can't you put it off for a few more days?" Soda asked his older brother. "I mean, we don't even know if we can drive in this weather...And Pony needs you."
"Soda," Darry said with an exasperated sigh, "You know I hate this just as much you do. But we really need the money," he emphasized the last few words, "We're not gonna survive without it."
"I'm just worried about leaving him alone, that's all," Soda said, looking down at his kid brother, who's face had gone soft and innocent against the pillow, his mouth slackened like a baby.
"Yeah, I know," Darry said, "Maybe we can take turns or something," he suggested, "Make sure we're never working the same shift."
Soda nodded. "Anyway," Darry added, "I still have to call my boss and see what he says. And you should call yours. Maybe they won't ask us to go back just yet. That's not necessarily a good thing, though."
More time passed as they talked and watched Ponyboy. Darry paced around the room, and Soda went to look out the window again.
"Maybe we should have told Two-Bit to bring us back a pack of cards," Soda said. He was getting antsy, but he didn't want to leave. Or go to sleep.
Then, "Darry?" the tiny voice from the bed called out weakly.
Darry immediately jumped up and leaned over the bed, while Soda dashed over. It had been less than 30 minutes since Two-Bit and Steve had left the room.
"I'm here, Pony," Darry said, his hands hovering.
"I can't sleep," Pony moaned, his eyes somewhat opening, "I hurt."
"What hurts, Pony?" Darry asked. He hated to see Ponyboy suffering like this.
"My head," he said, his mouth turning down, "I always have these headaches."
He leaned forward and dropped his head in his hands, sounding defeated.
"Come on, Pony," Soda said, trying to pry his fingers off. "Probably best not to touch your head."
As he did, Soda's fingers grazed Pony's forehead.
"Pony, you feel warm," he said, biting his lip and glancing at Darry. Not again!