The story continues…let me know what you think!
Pony felt his throat tightening quickly and he shook his head to keep from having to speak. Then he began to blink his eyes rapidly to clear them, before finally putting his arm across his face.
He didn't realize his shoulders were even shaking until he felt a hand clamp down on one of them. Despite its calm, controlling presence, it felt oddly gentle.
Pony took his arm away from his face, blinking back tears. "What'd I do, Darry?" he whispered, his eyes bleak and stunned, "What'd I do?"
The hand, which belonged to his oldest brother, found itself on the back of Pony's neck, as Darry hovered, eventually sitting heavily in the vacant chair near the bed and leaning forward.
He put his hand around Pony and pulled him in close.
"Pony, you're hurtin'. I can see you're hurtin'," his voice less rough than usual, "Soda did a stupid thing just now bringing this up in front of you."
"Don't call him stupid," Pony sniffed like an insolent child.
"Well he sure ain't usin' his head," Darry mumbled as he came forward to hug his brother, "Let me get the nurse," he said.
When Soda had fled, Steve had followed him but Two-Bit had stayed behind. Pony saw him out of the corner of his eye, standing uncharacteristically in the shadows, his mouth turned down, sad, like the time they visited Johnny in the hospital after the church burned down.
"I'll get her," Two-Bit piped up, eyes serious. But Darry had already pressed the call button.
Feeling lightheaded, Pony lost his balance slightly, and gripped Darry's arm with his fingers. Surprisingly, he said looked up at his brother with pleading eyes and said, "Darry, don't get a nurse. I don't want a nurse. It's just my head. It hurts a little, that's all."
For someone as sick as he was, he had a fairly firm hold.
"I can see that," Darry responded, as he watched Pony put his fingers up to his forehead when he felt a sharp pain, "It looks like more than just a little, kiddo. She can get you something for it. Maybe something to help you sleep."
"I don't want to sleep," Pony's voice took on a bit of a whine. "I made a mistake. I shouldn't have kicked Soda out."
"Pony, Soda will understand. You're still recovering. There was too much stress going on in the room and things were getting out of hand."
"Steve helped me," Pony said, sounding so innocent that Darry felt like his heart would break in half, "He helped me a lot. But he ain't you and he sure ain't Soda." He sniffed and his face scrunched up again to keep tears from falling and Darry rubbed his back.
XXX
"Soda!" Steve called down the empty hallway as he ran after him, "Soda!"
He caught up to his friend as Sodapop slowed down.
"Soda!" Steve called out to the back of his friend's head as she came closer, "Soda! What the hell, man? What WAS that?"
As they reached the ICU waiting room, Soda suddenly turned around and Steve jerked back. Soda's eyes were red and bloodshot and his face had gone two shades whiter than Steve had remembered it being in the room. Tears spilled down his cheeks leaving track marks.
"What do you want?!" he snapped, "What do you want, Steve? Why are you following me? You came to tell me I was wrong?!"
"Naw, man...I just - came to see if you were ok."
"If I'M ok? You should've stayed with Pony. Since you two are pals now," Soda spat out sarcastically.
"Soda -" he started, "You know I was just lookin' out for the kid cause you asked me to…" He paused, trying to move the conversation in a different direction. "Glory, what the hell happened in there, Soda? You bargin' in and all." Steve bit his lip, knowing what the answer was anyway and wondering if he had said too much.
Soda paced the hall, his wet boots slapping against the shiny floor. It caught the attention of a couple of nurses who were coming out of another patient's room. They stared at the two greasers for a moment before moving on.
"Soda, we can't talk here," Steve said, his voice soft, but sharp. "We're causin' a scene."
Steve put the balls of his fingers lightly on Soda's back and guided him towards the end of the hall next to the elevators, and into the floor's waiting room. Surprisingly, Soda didn't put up much of a fight.
"I didn't mean it, Steve," Soda said suddenly, his voice full of emotion, as Steve led him away, "I swear, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry, man."
"Yeah, I know that, Soda," Steve responded, his voice low.
"I took it out on you…"
"I get it. I shoulda been there. You can say whatever you want. Blame me all you want. I was there when it mattered, though," Steve added under his breath, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.
He wouldn't want Soda to think he actually cared what happened to the kid. Maybe he did a little.
"I couldn't understand how it happened is all," Soda answered, sounding like the fight was knocked clear out of him," Pony falling out of bed - and I tried so hard to get back to him as soon as work was over. And then he goes and kicks me out…"
"Soda you were yellin'," Steve said matter-of-factly, "You just went on in - you didn't wait for Pony to say something, to see if he was ok. I don't think he can handle all that stress right now."
Soda gaped at him, wondering how his best buddy - the guy who always thought Pony was some tagalong kid - was suddenly defending him to his protective older brother. Instead of getting angry, though, he just looked down at his shoes.
"I know...I know, man. I was on edge. Being late and all. I wanted to make sure Pony wasn't hurt -" he looked up at Steve, brows furrowed and arms crossed over his chest, "Since when do you know my brother so well?!"
Steve shrugged, then crossed his arms around himself. "You know," he said, reaching up and smoothing back a piece of hair that was already perfectly combed, "Kid's sick. I just figured - well, no one should be in the hospital."
Steve sighed, "Anyway, I was supposed to be watching him. We all see how well that went."
"Can it, Steve," Soda said, "Shoot, I'm the one he kicked out…"
"Come on, Soda, you know he didn't mean it. You were worried about him. Pony knows that. It was just bad timing. The kid needs to rest, that's all. He wasn't feelin' good."
Steve watched Soda, waiting for his reaction. Soda suddenly seemed to be more interested in playing with some piece of lint on his flannel than looking at Steve.
"He just needs some peace and quiet," Steve added, "Kid was practically falling asleep in the middle of a sentence before you got here. Don't think he's had a chance to sleep properly yet."
Soda was frozen to his spot, but he looked up at Steve and narrowed his eyes. Steve took it as his cue to come closer.
"Soda," he started, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Pony's been asking for you all afternoon. Kid worships the ground you walk on. Just let him chill out for a bit. You know he won't stay mad at you."
"Yeah," Soda answered, rubbing at his eyes, "I could have been more calm. I went ballistic without knowing all the facts. Just seems so odd for him to do something like that. Just fall out of the bed? When you weren't around?"
Soda tightened his lips and raised his eyebrows. Steve could immediately tell he was still suspicious.
"I don't know, something doesn't add up," Soda continued, echoing what Darry had said earlier. "Steve…"
Steve averted his eyes.
"Steve, maybe you should tell me what REALLY happened."
Steve took a deep breath. Maybe it was time to tell him the truth.
XXX
The same nurse that had re-inserted Ponyboy's IV came back in after Darry had pressed the call button. Two-Bit, for his part, didn't want to be in the way and stayed out in the hall.
Ponyboy tried to wipe his eyes quickly when she arrived, but she still saw him smoothing away his tears with his hand. She first wondered if she had missed something previously, but kept her features neutral so as not to show it.
"Ponyboy, are you alright?" she asked immediately, with just the right amount of concern.
"I have a headache," he squeaked out.
"Yes, well I don't blame you," she replied, "You've had quite the day."
"He was woken up in the middle of his sleep," Darry told the nurse, without going into detail, "He's been holding his head."
The nurse was examining the bags of fluids that were going into Pony's IV. "Dizziness? Nausea" she asked, "How bad is the headache on a scale of 1-10?"
"7," Ponyboy said. Even though the number wasn't so high, he had answered so immediately that it shocked both her and Darry. Especially because both of them knew that Pony was not one to complain of pain.
"Well," she said, turning back to the bed, "Let's try some more Toradol and a small dose of Valium. That's usually what Dr. Williams prefers to do. I'll just have to sign off with him."
"Will it put him to sleep?" Darry asked.
"It might," the nurse said, "But it might not. You should make sure to get some rest anyway, Ponyboy," she said, looking down at her patient knowingly. Pony was already squashing down into his pillows with a frown. "Are you nauseous, too?" she asked.
"A little," he replied.
"Ok, we'll add some Zofran," she said, "Let me go check with the doctor."
The nurse left, passing Two-Bit in the hall.
Pony held part of his head in his hands and Darry was trying to gently pry off his fingers.
"Pony...come on...I know it hurts. Maybe laying down will help you feel better," Darry said, and he pressed a button to make the head of the bed flatter so that Ponyboy could lay down properly.
Darry wasn't Soda, and he was feeling helpless. Pony was obviously still in pain and the nurse wasn't coming back nearly fast enough.
XXX
Pony closed his eyes, but he couldn't fall asleep. Darry tried to rub his arm to comfort him as he lay on his right side, sometimes looking up at his big brother. But that didn't help much either. The nurse came back within 5 minutes with her supplies. She told them the doctor had signed off on the Valium and the Zofran and proceeded to add liquids to Pony's IV.
"You should try to get some sleep, Ponyboy," she repeated before she left, and Darry agreed. Pony still looked anxious but once the medicine started to kick in, his body sort of relaxed involuntarily. His jaw unclenched, his breathing became steadier and slower. Even the hand that had been laying across his head had gone limp..
Despite loosening up, Darry couldn't help but notice that Pony still looked sad. His face was still drawn and his mouth was turned down in a grimace.
"Hey Pony," Darry said gently, leaning in and brushing at the hair that had fallen over a forehead that still had a few worry lines. "How about we turn off the light, kiddo?"
"Ok," Pony answered drowsily and Darry went to flick off the light switch. The room wasn't pitch black - there was still some light streaming through the blinds and the bathroom light was still on, - but it helped. Pony waited for the headache to go away.
The headache eased to a dull ache, but sleep wouldn't come. Too many thoughts scurried through his mind.
He had been so wrapped up in his pain that he had actually kicked Soda out. Soda was worried about him - he knew that - and he realized his second-oldest brother had probably been running on instinct and emotion. He wasn't one to think things through, like Darry.
Deep down, Pony knew Soda hadn't really wanted to go to work. But he had gone - both of his brothers had - and they had left without saying a word. Left him to depend on Steve, who Pony knew hadn't really wanted to be there either.
Then they'd both been late getting back. Sure it had given Pony time to wash up and work on his story - thanks to Steve - but it had also reinforced the idea that Pony was really recovering from this illness alone.
He couldn't tell his brothers how alone he felt. Not really. They had to work and there was nothing he could do about it.
Pony wondered vaguely what Soda had been doing since he had kicked him out? Was he upset? Had he gone to eat? To smoke? Had he gone home? And where was Steve?
Were they off fighting again? Was Soda giving Steve a piece of his mind?
It was rare that Steve and Soda fought, but the last time they had, two hot headed kids had ended up with bruises, a bloody nose, and fourteen stitches between them, all because Soda had vilified Steve's parents. Sure, they had abandoned him again, but only Steve was allowed to say bad things about his own flesh and blood.
Less than an hour later, Pony had watched in shock and awe as his brother and his best pal were doing their secret handshake again. They were acting like nothing had happened.
What was going on with them now?
Pony felt more tranquil but the headache was still there and he couldn't sleep. He needed one of Soda's back rubs. He needed Soda not to be angry with him. He needed Soda to feel safe to fall asleep.
He needed Soda.
The guilt was holing up in his chest and it wouldn't let him pass out until Soda came back so he could apologize.
"Darry?" Pony called out sleepily. He looked at his big brother who had sank down into the uncomfortable chair and was staring up at the ceiling like he was willing himself not to fall asleep, too. Like a soldier answering to his sergeant, Darry immediately came to attention.
"Pone?" Darry answered, his voice more concerned than friendly, "I thought you were sleeping, little buddy."
Pony looked up at that, surprised his brother had actually used a nickname typically meant for Soda,
But his head was spinning too much to focus on it. "I can't sleep," he moaned, looking up at his oldest brother.
"Does your head still hurt, kiddo?" was Darry's first question as he looked at Pony and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Kinda," Pony replied, with a sigh, "Not so much." He paused for a moment, still looking distressed, then spoke up, "Darry? Did Soda go home?"
Darry suddenly understood.
"No, I think he's still here," he said, "Maybe Two-Bit knows where he went," Darry glanced at the open door, wondering if Two-Bit was still out in the hall.
"I can't believe I kicked him out -" Pony started.
"Listen, Pony, you had every right," Darry said, protectively and sternly all at once, "You were in pain - Soda came in yelling, woke you up…"
Darry could see Pony's shoulders slump in shame.
"I didn't mean to...I just didn't feel good. I wasn't myself," he agreed.
"Kiddo, Soda is probably more worried about you than anything else. He doesn't know exactly what happened here and neither do I," Darry said, giving Pony a look. But he wouldn't get into the whole thing now. Pony's sallow eyes were telling him now wasn't the time.
"Can you find him and bring him back here?" Pony pleaded.
"You sure that's a good idea, kiddo? Why not get some sleep first and I'll make sure Soda's here when you wake up..."
"I won't be able to fall asleep until I talk to him. Please, Darry,"
Darry would have found more excuses if it wasn't for those pleading, glassy eyes.
He sighed heavily, "Alright, alright. But promise me you're gonna get some rest after you talk to him?" Darry rubbed his thumb lightly against his sick brother's cheek - as if that would make him feel better.
Pony nodded eagerly, his face already brighter.
"Are you going to go find him?" he asked hopefully.
"You're not gonna get into any trouble if I do, are you kiddo?" Pony knew exactly what he meant with his tight smile and his pointed finger. He was asking Pony if he was going to get up and out of bed.
Pony breathed out a sort of uneasy sigh. "You don't have to worry," he told Darry honestly, "I'm too tired anyway,"
Darry looked at him, feeling uneasy. But then he let out a breath. "Well, alright. You stay right where you are, kiddo. Close your eyes if you want to. I'll be back in a minute."
"Thanks Darry," Pony replied, his eyes already slipping closed. Darry actually wondered if he was going to fall asleep before he got back to the bed.
When Darry walked out the door, he almost missed Two-Bit, who was standing off to the side leaning against the wall. It was odd - he looked like he was deep in thought - a pastime Two-Bit Mathews wasn't particularly known for.
"Hey Darry," Two-Bit called out and nodded at him when he turned around startled, "Kid ok?"
"Yeah, he's ok," Darry said, "What are you doing standing out here, Two-Bit?"
Two-Bit just looked at him, his voice serious for once. "Oh, uh, I just figured the kid didn' t need any more noise for now. Maybe I was wrong?" he hedged, with a small smile, "I could go in and tell some knock knock jokes."
"Don't even think about it," Darry said, but he was laughing, "The nurse just put him on some meds. But he won't fall asleep. He wants Soda," he grinned knowingly, "You see where Sodapop went, Two-Bit?"
Two-Bit nodded again. "I saw him going down the hall. Don't think he went far. Steve went after him,"
"Think they're done arguing by now?" Darry wondered out loud.
"$10 says they're already bettin' on who can skip the fastest to McCoy," Two-Bit quipped, referring to the street that ran parallel to Tulsa General.
"Two-Bit," Darry warned gruffly.
"No worries, Superman, I"ll go find 'em. You stay with the kid."
Darry rolled his eyes.
Two-Bit held his hands up in mock surrender. "I'm going…I'm going…" he said.
XXX
Soda and Steve stared at each other.
"What really happened is…" Steve swallowed hard. "Well, he didn't fall exactly…"
"I knew it!" Soda blurted out, his hand in a fist, "I knew something wasn't adding up. He's not hurt right?"
"No, he's not hurt," Steve responded, thinking carefully over what he wanted to say, "But I should have been there to stop him. It happened while I was on the phone with you at the nurse's station."
Soda looked at him, hands crossed over his chest. He couldn't help feeling guilty, like maybe this wasn't Steve's fault after all. Maybe it was all his.
"What happened?" Soda asked again.
Steve hesitated. He wanted to spill the beans, but didn't want to incriminate anyone.
"Maybe you should go talk to Pony about what really happened," he said quickly, "I don't want to get involved."
"Steve, WHAT. HAPPENED?"
Steve stared at Soda and suddenly saw him pale. He whipped his head around when Soda called out, "Two-Bit?"
"Hey," Two-Bit said, his hands in his pockets, his expression uncharacteristically serious.
"What's goin on? Pony ok?" Soda asked cautiously, immediately thinking the worst
"He's alright. Can't sleep. Darry says he's asking for you," Two-Bit said.
"Me?" Soda questioned, his voice hinting at genuine disbelief.
Steve glanced at Soda, a knowing smile forming on his lips.
"Come on, Soda, don't act so surprised. We all know the kid can't stay mad at you for long," Steve quipped.
More than anything, he was grateful he wouldn't have to be the one to tell Soda the whole story.
Steve threw his arm around his friend as the three of them loped back to the hospital room.
"You sure he's alright?" Soda asked, glancing at Two-Bit as they walked.
"He's alright," Two-Bit answered, pointing at them. "Glad you two kissed and made up."
Soda rolled his eyes and Two-Bit started with the kissing noises.
XXX
"He alright?" Soda asked tentatively, his voice soft as he stepped into the room. Darry got up to meet him halfway away from the bed. Steve and Two-Bit were waiting outside.
"Yea," Darry said, dropping his voice low to match Soda's. He gave him a small grin. "He's worried about you."
Soda was taken aback. "Worried about - me?"
"He feels bad for what he said," Darry shrugged. "The nurse put him on some meds," he explained, "A small dose, but don't overdo it, little buddy. He might still have a headache."
"He sleeping?" Soda asked as they moved forward towards the bed. Pony lay limply against the pillows, his face sallow and his eyes closed.
"Dozing maybe, but he hasn't been able to fall asleep." Darry explained, "I tried to get him not to worry about what happened but – he won't sleep until he sees his favorite brother," he raised his eyebrows and grinned at Soda.
Sodapop looked down at Ponyboy worriedly. Darry, who was standing next to the bed, lightly shook him. "Ponyboy…" he called and Pony blinked his eyes open. Neither brother knew if he had heard their conversation or not. "Soda's here," he squeezed his shoulder and then looked up at Soda. "Call me if you need anything, I'll be outside."
He glanced down at Ponyboy again and then left the room.
Ponyboy rubbed his eyes, and tried to shake the tiredness out of his body. He was exhausted but he knew he wouldn't feel right until he talked to Soda first.
Soda went over to the left side of the bed and carefully sat on the edge. He took Pony's right hand in his and squeezed it, rubbing the palm gently until their fingers intertwined.
"Hey Pony," he said cautiously.
"Soda," Pony started, his eyes glassy. He licked his dry lips. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to yell —"
"I know, honey. Don't apologize," Soda interrupted, "I'm the one who should be sayin' sorry - for barging in here and waking you up," he rubbed up and down his brother's arm lightly, "I don't know what I was thinking…"
"I'm just not myself," Pony explained, feeling guilty without reason, "I didn't feel good. My head was hurting —"
"Pony, stop it. You don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."
"I kicked my brother out of the room!" Pony replied, his voice cracking.
"Maybe I deserved it," Soda grinned, trying to cut the tension. Pony grinned back though his eyes had filled up. "Hell I know I did."
He pushed Pony's hair back.
"Listen, kiddo. I know I was late...I know I barged in here when I shouldn't have. I was worried, when Steve said you fell - how the whole thing happened."
Pony closed his eyes for a moment, trying to collect himself and choose his words carefully.
"You're not hurt, are you, Pony?" Soda asked, "Because if you were, you would tell me, right?"
"No, I'm not hurt," Pony said, opening his eyes again. "And it's not Steve's fault. Don't be mad at him. He helped me."
"Why don't you tell me what really happened then?" Soda offered
``What really happened?" Pony asked, wide eyed, like a doe.
Was he supposed to stick to the real story or not? Was he going to get Steve in trouble? Maybe it would be ok to tell Soda. Soda was the brother he told everything to anyway.
Soda gave him a soft smile.
"Yeah," he persisted, looking at Pony closely, "Some things just don't add up. I get the feeling you both haven't told us everything." Soda continued to rub the arm up and down, in a comforting manner. When Pony looked away, Soda knew he was right.
"Pony," Soda tried again, "You know you can always talk to me right? It ain't easy for me to understand what you're going through right now, but I'm with you. I know I started going back to work - I don't really have a choice. But if you need me, I'm here, kiddo. Savvy?"
"Yeah," Pony nodded. He really wasn't looking forward to scaring Soda by telling him the truth. Or having Soda tell Darry so that his brothers would start hovering again in the hospital. He would rather be home where he could move about as he pleased.
Soda smoothed Pony's hair back again and waited patiently. Pony looked at him and took a deep breath.
"You're not gonna tell Darry, are you?" he asked.
"I don't know," Soda offered, "Is it bad?" he asked.
Pony shrugged, "Just – don't be mad at Steve ok? It wasn't his fault."
"Since when do you go and defend Steve?" Soda grinned, happy and a little jealous that his brother and his best pal were finally getting along. But they shared a secret and Soda wanted in.
"He's alright," Pony shrugged again.
Soda waited for him to continue.
"I - I didn't fall exactly," Pony said timidly, "I tried to leave the room."
"You…what?" Soda's body went stiff. His mouth opened slightly.
But then he realized he wanted to keep Pony talking, so he continued to rub at his hair.
"Yeah," Pony answered in a shaky voice, worried that Soda was going to go ballistic. "Nobody was here. I didn't know where anyone was. Nobody told me you guys went to work. And I -" he sniffed, trying to keep his tears at bay, "I didn't want to be here anymore. I didn't want to be alone. I wanted to go home."
"Pony - " Soda began slowly, "You mean - you got up - and tried to walk outta here?"
"Not really," Pony replied sadly, "I can't walk too good. I fell over there," he pointed to the wall where he had collapsed just before Steve showed up. Soda turned his head to where Pony was pointing, his eyes getting wider as he stared at the area. "That's when Steve came back. He told me he only left because he was calling to update you at work," Pony said quickly, "He got me to go back to bed."
Soda wanted to be angry at Steve for leaving the room, but he knew he couldn't be when he had been the one to convince Pony to go back to bed.
"What did he say?" Soda asked.
Pony chewed on his words for a moment. Would he tell Soda just how alone he felt? How scared? But then he saw Soda's sympathetic look; the one that always coaxed him to keep talking. And he felt a little better.
"He said that the hospital was the best place for me. And that if I left I would really scare you guys," Pony said.
"He's right," Soda said, giving Pony a soft, shaky smile and waiting for his own heartbeat to go down. What if Pony had left - had made himself worse? He tamped down that fluttery, panicky feeling he was starting to feel again, for the sake of his brother.
Soda started to give Pony's right shoulder a small squeeze but then saw that his brother flinched ever slightly. So instead his hand immediately went to rubbing the back of his shoulder. Surprisingly, the rhythm was comforting for him as much as it comforted Ponyboy.
"Honey," Soda said, "You know how much Darry and I want you home. But…" he trailed off, looking off into the distance for a moment before turning back to his brother.
"The other night...we almost lost you. This infection...your fever was so high...your lips were blue," he shook his head, "There were nurses and doctors running around. I - I couldn't breathe. You were so white. You looked like you were dead. If we had lost you - well, I don't know what I would have done." Soda's eyes were shining now and he couldn't keep them from filling up anymore.
Soda squeezed Pony's hand. "Darry was so scared. I panicked. I couldn't breathe. Darry and Steve had to calm me down. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you," he said.
"But it didn't. The doctors and nurses - they saved you. They got you back to where you are now and…" he took a deep breath. "Look, I know you don't feel too good but - the medicine is helping. You look much better than you did a couple days ago, kiddo."
"So you can't leave. Ok, Pony? You've got to get better first."
Pony's lower lip trembled. "I know...know what I did was bad, Soda, I just - I want to be in my own bed. It's hard to get better here," he felt Soda stroking the side of his head again, "The nurses - they wake me up all the time. I have all these nightmares. Everyone's always asking me how I feel but...no one really gets it. I know you and Darry try to…but you just can't."
Soda frowned but his eyes were understanding.
"It's hard. Hard to be alone." He looked at Soda, eyes brimming, and Soda felt like his heart would melt.
"You're not alone," Soda answered. "I know we had to go back to work - I hate it, too, kiddo. I want to stay here with you. But someone will always be here. If not me or Darry, then Two-Bit or Steve. There will always be someone. Got that?"
He paused, vowing to tell Darry later they'd have to start making sure someone was in the room with Pony at all times.
"Hey, we practically live here," Soda laughed, "Ron told us the other day we could take showers here." Pony's eyes crinkled up a bit at that and Soda was glad. "Hey, Ron's here too and he's a pretty cool guy, right?"
"Yeah, he's alright," Pony agreed.
"Listen, kiddo, you'll be home and in your own bed before you know it."
"How do you know?" Pony asked, not believing him.
"I just know. You're a tough kid. You're gonna sprint outta here soon," Sod answered, determined to make his brother feel better, "And until then, I'll be with you. Darry, too. We won't leave unless we have to."
"You'd probably sleep better in your own bed," Pony mumbled.
"No siree. I'd sleep better knowing my little brother was safe." Soda said, getting up and patting the area where he had been sitting, "This ol' mattress is good enough for me. Almost as good as the Sheraton," he joked. "Hey scoot over, will ya?"
Pony carefully moved to the left, to make room for his brother. Soda was like a leggy palomino colt, with limbs too long for his body.
"You know what it's like at the Sheraton?" Pony asked softly as Soda got situated, moving Pony's tubes and leaning his head back against the wall.
"Nup," Soda replied, "But a boy can dream can't he?"
Pony smiled and Soda was glad. He looped his arm around his brother and Pony snuggled in closer, finally feeling like his mind was starting to calm down.
"You look beat, kiddo. I think it's time for both of us to take a nap," Soda said, looking down at Pony and giving him a kiss on the head.
"Good idea," Pony replied, his voice already wavering from exhaustion and those meds. He was closing his eyes too. It was the first time he was letting himself relax since the morning.
"But first, tell me one thing," Soda began, "Why did you tell the nurses that you fell?"
Pony's eyes were fluttering. "I pulled my IV out," Pony said sleepily, "So I had to tell them something or they'd think I was causin' trouble."
"A greaser like you! Never!" Soda retorted. He had to ask fast because he could see that Pony was faltering.
"What did you tell her exactly?"
"I told her I was trying to reach for that book," he said pointing to the copy of To Kill a Mockingbird that was still on the chair near the bed, "But I couldn't get it so I fell. Steve backed me up."
"See, that's exactly how I know it wasn't the truth," Soda quipped.
"How?"
"We all know Steve Randle wants nothin' to do with books!"