How's everyone doing these days?
Blizzard has been a dramatic story, but here's a lighthearted scene that was fun to write. Thank you Indianagreaser for your input. Writing humor is not easy. Hope you guys enjoy…and review!
XX
Darry waited at least another 15 minutes again before he spoke up again, making sure Pony was in a deep sleep first.
"You think he's going to sleep through the night?" Soda asked.
"I don't know," Darry responded quietly, "He sure needs the rest."
"Yeah," Soda agreed.
It was silent again for a moment and then Darry spoke up.
"How you doing, Soda?" he asked, checking in on his brother.
"I'm alright," Soda answered, "You believe what Pony was saying, right Dar? That Pony saw Mom and Dad -"
"Believe what? That our parents came back in his dreams? That Dally and Johnny spoke to him from the grave?" Darry sounded skeptical, "I don't know what to believe. You know Pony has an overactive imagination," he paused, chewing on his words carefully, "Or it could have been a sign. How the hell do I know?" he said honestly.
"Yeah," Soda said, a faraway look in his eyes, "I don't get it either…"
"Look I meant what I said," Darry said, surprising even himself with his own outpouring of emotion. "If it was them telling him to come back to us - well then, I'm grateful."
Soda smiled at him. "Pony knows that," he said.
They sat silently for a few more minutes and Darry wondered for a brief moment if he should try to sleep. Then Soda spoke up.
"Boy, I'm starved. Can't wait until we get to eat some real food," he said.
"You and me both little buddy."
"Where did you go, Dar? When we woke up, you weren't here."
"I went to call in about work," Darry said. "Charlie said there's still too much snow, it's dangerous to get up on any roofs. But we really need the money. So I called the warehouse and asked them if they could use me. They told me to come in for a couple hours tomorrow afternoon."
"Tuff enough," Soda said.
"And you better call the DX and get on the schedule there, too, buddy," Darry said matter-of-factly.
"Who's going to be here with Pony then?" Soda asked, getting worried.
"We'll make sure he'll be taken care of," Darry said, but Soda looked unconvinced, "Look, I know you'd rather stay here with him - you and me both - but we're gonna have some serious medical bills to pay soon enough."
"I'll ask Steve," Soda replied, "Maybe he called already."
"Speaking of Steve - where are those two?" Darry wondered aloud, "It's been HOURS."
"I hope they're not stuck somewhere," Soda said.
His stomach grumbled and he wondered when was the last time he ate. And when were Steve and Two-Bit gonna be back with some grub.
He was in luck. Ten minutes later both Two-Bit and Steve loped through the door with the overpowering smell of burgers and fries. They were buried in thick jackets and hats and gloves and scarves and they looked cold and wet. Two-Bit held a large plastic bag filled to the brim with greasy food and Steve balanced a tray of drinks.
Soda brushed off some of the snow on the shoulder of Two-Bit's jacket, then immediately grabbed the bag from him and pulled out a burger from a brown paper bag inside. Without even sitting down, he unwrapped it halfway and took a huge bite.
"Wheyogethesboogers," he asked with his mouth full.
"You talk to your brother with that mouth?" Two-Bit joked, "I don't speak filth, Sodapop!"
"Sorry, I'm hungry," he mumbled, swallowing hard, "I asked where you got these burgers."
"Everything was still closed," Steve jumped in, "Except the Dingo. Would you believe it? They don't even do takeout but we got it from there. We convinced them. They wanted the business."
"Took us forever to find something open," Two-Bit added, "Shoot, we almost went to Buck's to beg for food," he slapped his own knee, apparently finding himself funny.
"Guys, quiet down," Darry said, looking over at his little brother who hadn't heard a thing, "I want Pony to sleep for as long as possible. The more sleep he gets the better."
"How's he doing?" Two-Bit asked, peering over at him, "He woke up while we were gone?"
"Well you were gone for hours," Soda quipped, grabbing a fry. "He had a nightmare. But he's alright now," he added quickly, whenTwo-Bit looked troubled.
"Apparently, he's had a bunch of them that we didn't know about," Darry muttered under his breath.
"He has a fever," Soda explained, "But he seems ok. Tired. Acting ok. Not in pain like before," he said.
Steve handed Darry a plastic cup and straw from his tray, and Two-Bit handed him a burger. "Thanks, guys," he said, "So what's happening? Where's our stuff?"
Two-Bit turned around and Darry suddenly noticed he was wearing Pony's school backpack, filled with so many things that the zipper barely closed. "Whee, look at meee I'm the perfect schoolboy! Why, I'm - Ponyboy Curtis!"
Steve almost choked on the burger he had started to eat, laughing and sputtering while somehow trying to keep quiet.
Soda came over and swatted Two-Bit on the back of the head, "Ow!" he cried out, "Hey! Soda! An apple a day keeps the doctor away, didn't you know?" Soda grabbed Two-Bit's head in a headlock and practically wrestled him to the floor. Two-Bit had on at least 10 extra pounds and couldn't do much.
"Soda! Hey!" Darry scolded, impressively keeping his voice low. "Stop it right now!"
They all froze when they heard the moan that came from Pony's bed. "Darry?" he called out and Darry glared at Two-Bit and Soda, who looked at him sheepishly before he whirled around and went to his brother.
"Yeah Pony?" he said, coming closer. Pony's eyes were barely open.
"I'm cold," he murmured, "Can you close the window?"
"Sure, kiddo," he said, and he motioned to Steve to shut it. Then he pulled the blanket up around his brother's shoulders. "Is that better?"
"Thanks," Pony mumbled, curling up in the blanket as Darry stroked his hair back. He was already falling asleep again and shifted a few times to make himself more comfortable. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Finally, when he was still, Darry went back to Two-Bit and Soda.
"You two are so lucky!" he reprimanded, pointing a finger at them.
Two-Bit slid the backpack off and put it on a chair, just as Darry grabbed the burger and sunk into another chair off to the side and motioned for Steve to sit down next to him. Steve grabbed one of the brown paper bags and sat down next to Darry with the greasy bag on his lap.
""So where have you guys been?" Darry asked, between bites of burger.
"We went to get the truck out first. The streets aren't great, but they're a whole lot better than they used to be. The Ford was really stuck in the snow though. Like deep. Deep snow on all sides. I wanted to make Mathews over there dig it out with his bare hands but you know, I'm a nice guy - "
Two-Bit made a face at him and then put a hand to his heart, "Aww Steve-o you're too kind."
Darry smiled.
"It wasn't too bad at all. Luckily, our boss's truck has a winch - you know those wire cables are lifesavers for this kind of thing," Steve explained, "Took a bit of time, but it was smooth. We returned the tow truck to the DX, Sam won't know the difference," he said referring to his and Soda's boss who was an overall nice guy but could be a real stick in the mud if he knew his employees had "borrowed" his tow truck after hours.
"Your truck is parked in the lot out front. I filled it up for your no charge," Steve said.
"Whadda I owe you?" Darry asked.
"Aw come on Darry, what do you take me for? You know me better than that," Darry had to grin at that. He knew he could always rely on his friends.
"Good thing we don't need chains anymore," Soda spoke up, "Remember when Dad
taught us how to tow with a chain? Hook it around the frame, pop the car that's stuck in neutral and pull!"
"He taught you Soda, not me," Darry answered. Darry knew a thing or two about cars but it was Soda that always shared their dad's love for them. "Man, you have anymore of those burgers? They're pretty darn good," Darry said as he polished off his first.
"I think you're just starving, Dar," Soda said, "You and me both."
Steve pulled out a carelessly wrapped burger, "Here, I got enough to feed an army. Got one for the kid, too," he said, his voice low. They all figured it was because Pony was sleeping, but Darry knew better and he smiled at him. "You think he'll actually eat?" Steve asked.
"I don't know," Darry said, "But we can try."
"He hasn't eaten in days, Dar!" Soda said worriedly.
"He's sick, probably has no appetite, poor kid," Darry said.
"No appetite?!" Two-Bit joked, "What's that like?"
"Two-Bit you need enough food to feed a family of elephants," Steve quipped.
"He's getting nutrients through his IV. We'll get him to eat soon enough, little buddy," Darry told Soda.
Soda finished his burger, slurped up his drink and went over to Pony's backpack, carelessly strewn over the chair.
"What'd you guys bring?" Soda asked aloud, to no one in particular, as he began to pull out things from the bag.
"Don't look at me, Two-Bit packed the bag," Steve said.
"Should we be worried?" Darry said, crossing his arms and looking at Two.
Soda began taking things out of the bag and draping them over the backpack. Darry's jeans, his DX shirt, a flannel.
"A coupla toothbrushes, lonhair grease, a comb…" Soda went on. He pulled out one of Pony's t-shirts, a pack of cards, the copy of To Kill A Mockingbird, and another book that Soda didn't recognize by some guy named Albert Camus.
"Two-Bit!" Soda chided, "I think this belongs to you!" He pulled out a flask.
"How'd that get in there?" Two-Bit feigned innocence but his eyes were laughing. It was empty so Soda chucked it at him as Darry cringed, afraid it would fall on the fall and make a loud clatter. Luckily, Two-Bit caught it on the first try.
"What's this?" Soda asked, pulling out a plastic bottle filled with brown liquid. "Is this apple juice? You know that's Pony's favorite. That's nice of you to bring it for him,"
Even as he was saying this, Sodapop was unscrewing the cap of the bottle to try it himself. Apple juice was his favorite, too.
Two-Bit chimed in, "Uh, Soda, I wouldn't -"
Soda practically spit out the drink, scrunching up his face like he had just had some bad milk. He churned it in his mouth for a second before gulping the liquid down.
"Two-Bit! Did you put whiskey in here?!"
"What, Soda, you never had a hot toddy before? That's what my mom always made me when I was sick," Two-Bit asked.
Steve grabbed the plastic bottle and smelled it as Soda made faces, not having been prepared to drink whiskey, even if it was mixed with juice.
"Two-Bit you idiot! The kid can't have alcohol," Steve said, "'Sides, this isn't a hot toddy. A hot toddy is honey, lemon and cinnamon."
"Glory Two-Bit, we're trying to make him better, not worse. That's all he needs is a hangover," Soda said in an exasperated tone. But the corners of his mouth were twitching though, like he was trying to hold in the laughter.
Steve passed the drink to Two-Bit who actually had the nerve to take a swig.
Pony shifted in his sleep for a few minutes, but luckily didn't wake.
"Pipe down, guys," Darry scolded, looking over at his brother, "Two-Bit, you get drunk in this room, I'm gonna boot you out!"
The guys quieted down and not long after, a nurse they didn't recognize came in to check Pony's IVs and take his blood pressure. Pony moaned when she did it but he didn't wake up and Darry considered it a win when she also managed to take his temperature without him opening his eyes.
"101," she said aloud, looking at the thermometer, "Not bad. Still has a fever, but down one degree."
She looked over at Soda who had taken his place at Pony's bedside. He was slurping down his Pepsi from the Dingo.
"You're not planning to give him a soft drink, are you?" she asked, her voice stern.
Soda was surprised and took the straw out of his mouth to answer. "No, ma'am," he said.
"Good," she responded, "Meningitis patients should avoid caffeinated drinks," she responded, without explaining why.
She turned to Two-Bit and stared at him for a moment. "And you? What is that you are drinking?"
The other guys in the room had to keep from bursting into laughter. Besides knowing what was in the bottle, they remembered that Two-Bit had swiped a Pepsi for Pony a couple days earlier and had wanted him to try it. Luckily, Pony had realized he couldn't hold down any soda.
"This is apple juice," he said, before taking another swig and making a face as it burned going down too fast. "Yep, just apple juice."
The nurse whirled her head around to the other side of the room and Darry, Steve, and Soda immediately went serious. "Are you all planning to stay here tonight?" she asked.
Steve gave her a funny look. "Actually, some of us were thinking about going home," he quipped.
"Good," she said, again, "Better to have less guests in the room. Helps the patient sleep better."
"Actually, he'd probably sleep better with us in the room," Soda muttered under his breath and Steve heard him, but luckily the nurse didn't.
Darry didn't like this nurse. She seemed judgemental. He hoped they wouldn't need her tonight.
"The doctor will be in to check on the patient in the morning. Page me if you need anything," she said and flitted out of the room.
She didn't bother to say she'd be in to check on him in a few hours, as most of the other nurses had done.
"His name is Ponyboy!" Sodapop yelled after she left.
"Soda, ignore her," Darry chimed in.
Steve got up to stretch. "Welp, it's been fun, boys, but I'm heading out. I've had enough hospital for one night," he said, though it was more like enough hospital for a lifetime. "I'll be back in the morning. Soda, I'm calling Sam tomorrow before I come in to figure out what's happening with work. Should I ask him about you, also?"
"Yeah, definitely," Soda said, looking at Darry, thought he felt half-hearted about the whole thing.
"Steve, you're welcome to crash at our place," Darry said. He knew he would feel better if someone was at the house and besides, he wanted to repay his friend for everything he had done so far. "You can take the truck."
"Alright," Steve nodded, obviously understanding that it would mean something to Darry if he stayed at their place. "Not sure what my old man's situation is anyway. Don't really feel like being around him. Two-Bit, you comin'?"
"Huh? What?" Two-Bit was in the middle of stealing another sip of the "hot toddy."
"I think you better go with him, Keith," Darry said, annoyed that Two-Bit was still drinking in the room and using his real name for effect. "And take your apple juice with you," he added.
He wasn't really mad, but the nurse was right. No reason to have so many people in the room. Pony needed his rest.
"Darry, call your house if you need me to bring something new tomorrow," Steve said.
"I will, thanks Steve,"
And the guys left.
XX
After Steve and Two-Bit left, Soda and Darry decided they would try to get comfortable. Or at least as comfortable as they possibly could in a cold and numbing hospital room. Soda decided he would pull up a chair next to Ponyboy who had turned onto his right side on the bed, in case he needed anything if he woke up.
Since one of the nurses had pulled the cot out of the room earlier, there was nowhere comfortable for Darry to sleep either. So he took one of the chairs and pushed it into a corner, leaning his head back against the wall when he sat down. It was not as close to the bed, but he welcomed the sleep that came pretty quickly. Soda, on the other hand, didn't fall asleep so fast. He flipped through magazines, played a lonely man's Solitaire with the pack of cards, and stared out the window - though by then he could see hardly anything at all. It was night, after all.
He finally collapsed into his chair next to Pony's bed around 11pm and quickly fell asleep.
Before Pony was even fully awake he had a sense that something was off. Besides the burning sensation on his face and head, he was aware of the chills - he was shivering profusely before he even opened his eyes.
He could barely open his eyes, for that matter. They felt like they were stuck to their sockets. And when he finally did, he couldn't lift his head. It was too heavy and he was too tired. The room was spinning and everything took a minute to come into focus. That was when he saw Sodapop leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, head tilted to the side, snoring lightly.
Pony felt sick and his limbs were heavy, but somehow he managed to reach his hand out and grab Soda's knee, gripping it gently with weak fingers.
"Soda?" he whimpered, his voice high-pitched, child-like, and on the verge of tears.
Soda jerked awake immediately, his body used to being called to attention when Pony asked for him by now.
He was momentarily startled by the ugly protruding scar on Pony's head that stared back at him, but he immediately put it out of his mind.
"Hey...Pony, you ok?" he asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Pony had barely moved a muscle, but Soda could feel that he was shaking.
"Not so good…" his voice cracked.
"What's the matter?" Soda asked, surveying the scene.
"Don't feel so good…" Pony lifted his head only to bring it back down a second later to squeeze his eyes shut.
Soda leaned forward in a flash, sensing the urgency of the situation. He pressed his hand on Pony's forehead and practically jumped out of his own skin.
"Pony, you're on fire!" he gasped.
Not again…