I'm sure you guys are ready to read what's next so let's keep this short and sweet.
Enjoy the story and please review!
Simona
XXX
Ponyboy didn't speak. Instead, his hand snuck up to the staples on the left side of his head. He didn't touch them directly but felt around the area.
"Hey Pony," Darry said, instinctively grabbing around his fingers and holding them in his warm hand. "That's not a good idea."
Pony looked up at Darry but with that glassy look still in his eyes. "They put nails in my head," he told him.
Darry's eyes narrowed like he was trying to understand, and he looked at Soda who was puzzled, too.
"Those are staples, Pone," Darry responded gently.
Pony looked at Darry wide eyed for a minute before he suddenly got it. "Stapl — yea staples." He looked down sheepishly. "I don't know why I said that."
There was an awkward pause in the room, but Claire quickly spoke up.
"It's okay," she said carefully. "Meningitis puts the brain under a lot of stress... sometimes thoughts...words... get mixed up. Over time this should get better."
Pony looked grim even as Darry put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Two-Bit and Soda were uneasy. Everyone had fallen silent.
And then Steve walked in.
He froze, taken aback by the silence and looked at the sour expressions on everyone's faces, wondering what had happened.
"Hey guys, what'd I miss?" he asked, trying to keep the mood light.
Steve's presence seemed to make at least Two-Bit snap out of his reverie. "Pony walked!" he said, grinning like he had just witnessed the first steps of a toddler.
Steve raised his eyebrows and cracked a grin remembering that he had been the first one to have been around when Pony walked the day before.
The three Curtis brothers still seemed a bit gloomy, though.
"What died in here?" Steve whispered to Two-Bit, who slapped him hard across the chest telling him to shut up, then flipped up the collar of his jacket.
Pony finally spoke up again. "What's wrong with me? My words are messed up today," he asked tensely, looking at his brothers.
"Aw, nothing's wrong with you, Pone," Soda said, coming over and protectively putting his arms around his brother.
"You've been sick," Darry added, "Mistakes are allowed."
"What does he mean messing up his words?" Steve called out without thinking.
"Steve -" Darry warned.
"Steve, give him a minute," Soda said at the exact same time.
The room was too tense for Steve's taste.
Steve strode up to Pony's chair confidently - or was it cocky? "Forgetting words huh? Well you haven't forgotten my name yet have ya, kid?" he teased.
Pony shook his head, but a slow grin spread across his face. "I wish I could…"
Everyone laughed.
"How are you feeling now?" Claire asked after things had quieted down. She couldn't ignore his pale skin or the way the circles under his eyes sagged but didn't comment on that specifically.
Claire did wonder about the things she couldn't see. "Any neck aches? Shoulder pain?" she asked.
Pony shrugged, not wanting to get into it about his headache.
"No more walking for sure," she went on, "But I was thinking we could try some other tasks."
"What kind of other tasks?" Pony asked tentatively
"Well, like brushing your teeth, washing your face...you know, daily things. You've been in bed for a while, so I want to make sure you go back to doing the things you always did. Want to try brushing your teeth?"
His mouth WAS pretty rank. He was exhausted, but maybe it was a good idea.
"Ok," he said, nodding his head, "I can try."
"Two-Bit, can you find his toothbrush?" Darry asked because Two-Bit was next to the chair that had Pony's backpack flung over it.
"Sure," he said and began rummaging through the bag. He pulled out some sweatpants, a magazine, a small tube of toothpaste, his flask -
"Hey, how'd this get in here?" Two-Bit asked aloud, studying the bottle with a puzzled look on his face. The look was so serious that everyone around him had to laugh. Or cringe. One of the two.
Two-Bit shook the flask to see if anything was inside.
Pony bit his lip to keep himself from laughing again and shook his head, leaning it into one hand because it was getting heavy. "Two-Bit -," Darry said through gritted teeth. Soda and Steve exchanged amused looks.
Two-Bit put the flask down on the bedside table, not caring who saw it, and continued rifling through the bag. He pulled out the toothbrush — and a tin of pomade.
"Hey, I didn't know you had my hair grease, Pony!" he exclaimed, flinging the tin container high above his head wildly.
Steve threw up his hands in exasperation, "Two-Bit, you packed the bag!"
"You gave it to me, Two-Bit, remember?" Pony answered quietly, "Not that I can use it now…" he added softly.
Soda came over and squatted down in front of him. He looked Pony in the eyes sympathetically. "It ain't that bad, Pone," he said, reaching up, though he touched only air. "They left quite a bit. Makes you look tough." A shadow of a grin touched the corners of Ponyboy's mouth. Soda could make you smile no matter what.
"Yeah, really, I've seen them do worse," Claire piped up, referring to the surgeons that had had to shave part of his head to drain fluid.
Suddenly she stopped and the look on her face changed. "I have an idea," she said, glancing at Darry and Soda, and then down at Pony, "How about after brushing your teeth, we work on brushing your hair."
Pony's eyes slid upwards to look at her and he blinked slowly. "I don't brush my hair," he said.
"Right, right," she acknowledged, a smile on her face, "I meant comb. You comb your hair right? You have a comb here?"
"I-uh," Pony looked at the other guys in the room for answers, "I don't think so."
Claire turned to look expectedly at Two-Bit, wondering if he had packed one.
Suddenly Steve pulled out some kind of contraption from his pocket. It looked like a closed switchblade at first, scaring Claire for a second, until he flipped it open to reveal a comb.
He stepped forward, flipping Pony's hand over, and laying it into his outstretched palm. Pony looked down at it in shock.
The room was so still, you could hear a pin drop. Pony's eyes were wide and his face was almost white. "Steve - this is your -" He didn't finish. Pony gaped at him and Darry raised his eyebrows. So did Two-Bit. Soda was shocked as well - until that look changed into a broad smile.
"Steve I -," the words weren't coming out again for Pony, "Steve, I can't take -"
"Oh just take it before I change my mind," Steve was quick to retort.
Pony's hand closed around the comb, giving Steve a small smile. "Thanks," he said.
"Ok, Pony, think you can get to the bathroom? It's not too far," Claire said. "Here, Sodapop, come help us," she said, handing him the toothbrush and toothpaste that Two-Bit had handed her.
The bathroom was only a few steps away, but nothing was easy for Pony these days. Soda helped him up and then wrapped his arm around the middle of his back so that he could lean into him as he made tentative steps towards the bathroom. Claire stayed a few steps behind this time, and when they entered the room, she stood to the side of the doorway, giving them some space, while being on hand to dole out instructions. It was also to let others, like Darry, see what they were doing without crowding the area.
Soda set Pony so that he was using what little strength he had left to grip the porcelain sink. It wasn't ideal. They waited for instructions from Claire. But then Pony looked up and caught a look at himself in the mirror — for the first time.
He stared at himself in distress and gasped. His face was pale and his eyes were puffy, particularly the left side where the eye was still small and half-closed, with the faded purple markings of a once black and blue lid. Deep black circles caved in underneath, on the left side they mixed in with the fading purple. His shoulder hunched like he was carrying a heavy weight.
What was especially hard for him was seeing that some of his hair was shaved on the left side of his head. More than half of his hair was left, but the tufts sort of kicked forward or fell over, shooting straight up or hanging off the side. It looked strange and scary and almost comical if it wasn't so tragic.
He turned his head so that he could look at the staples. They ran just above the top of his ear in a sort of semi-circle, making him look like some patched-up doll whose ripped skull had been sewn back together.
"S-s-s-s-Soda," he said, his lips trembling. "I look so bad," his voice squeaked, "Have I looked this bad the whole time?"
His shoulders shook a bit as he willed himself not to cry again, though you could see the wild-eyed and sullen look etched into his features.
"I told you you don't look so bad and you don't," Soda replied quickly, blood draining a bit from his cheeks, "It could be wor—"
"I look like a freak!" Pony cut in, his voice wavering, like the voice of an errant child who had been teased in front of his peers.
Soda stood behind him, looking into the mirror. He wrapped one hand around Pony's shoulder, holding him in place, but also giving him some freedom. "Hey," he said, "Don't call my little brother a freak," he commanded, pointing at the mirror. He sounded more sure than he ever had in his life, at least he faked it real well. "I wasn't lyin'. You don't look so bad," he paused, "For Christ's sake you just had brain surgery." Soda wasn't going to let himself get choked up, even though he felt it. "I don't care how you look, Pony, as long as I get my little brother back."
For some reason, that made Pony get more teary-eyed, but there were people just outside the room.
"In school - people are gonna talk about me," he quavered. Sniffing hastily, he wiped his eyes quickly.
"So let them," Soda replied, rubbing his shoulder, "You can say you got thrown from a horse."
"Soda - " Darry reprimanded. He suddenly stood in the doorway, next to Claire, watching them. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Soda was always better with words than he was.
"What?" Soda turned briskly, "Ain't nobody gonna say one word about my brother." His eyes were stormy and Darry closed his mouth. Soda could be the funnest guy around, but he was also one tough hood when it came to protecting Ponyboy.
Soda made eye contact with Pony in the mirror, cocked his brow, and then smiled. He lowered his voice to a fake whisper, knowing Darry could hear. "Golly, you'd think I was gonna challenge you to a track meet or somethin'."
Soda rolled his eyes and Pony laughed.
Darry crossed his arms, "Before you go running any track meets - how 'bout you brush your teeth," he quipped.
As if on cue, Claire stepped up. "You ok Pony?" she asked, "You need to sit?"
"I'm ok," Pony said, putting on a brave face. Besides, he could feel Soda holding a tight grip and he knew he could lean on him if he had to - which he would soon.
"Ok, she said, "You don't have to do much, just brush your teeth like you normally would. Your hands might feel a little shaky, that's ok."
Shaky was an understatement. As Pony dragged the brush over his teeth, he was surprised by just how uncoordinated his strokes were - like his brain wasn't connecting with his arms and the rest of his body. Pony's shoulders seemed to sag even more each time he dragged the brush over his teeth.
Soda tried to make Pony laugh - in pure Soda fashion, he put wayyy too much toothpaste on Pony's brush. But Pony wasn't really in the mood and he really wanted to get this over with. His legs were shaking quite badly by then.
"Darry," Soda said, not too loudly so as to not make a big deal, "He needs a chair." The same chair Pony had collapsed in earlier, was passed from Two-Bit to Steve to Darry and finally Soda pushed it under Pony's exhausted frame. He sat on it heavily, grateful he was no longer standing.
"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Claire asked a little too cheerfully. Pony didn't want to make eye contact with anyone.
"I'm a mess," Pony said, looking down at his hands and felt Soda's hand lightly on the back of his neck.
"You're fine," Soda said as Claire handed him the comb.
Now that Pony was sitting in a chair, he couldn't see himself in the mirror. Growing more anxious about combing his hair, he chewed on his own fingernail (the one that wasn't holding the comb.) Then he sort of patted around the left side of his head, feeling near where the staples were, though not directly touching them.
Pony took the comb and lifted his arms up to start combing the hair that was left towards the right side of his head away from the staples. He felt slow as molasses and his muscles ached from the effort. Even with Soda and Claire's encouragement, he felt so out of it that he was starting to get dizzy. It didn't help that having his arms lifted up for so long was making him more tired than before.
He stopped and let out a sigh.
"Soda?" Pony called out timidly, trying to keep his voice normal. "I – I - Can you do it?"
Pony wasn't sure if he was tired or afraid but the look on his face told Soda it was both.
"Sure I can," Soda replied, a hint of surprise still there.
Soda took the comb and ran it carefully through Pony's hair. His moves were soft and methodical and Pony was surprised. He was used to the Soda that plodded his hair with more and more grease every morning until it was stiff as a board. The Soda that bumbled through the house, scrambling to find his shoes before work and forgetting to button his shirt before he was out the door. That Soda never made his own lunch, because he forgot, opting instead for two chocolate bars and a Kit Kat before dinner. Sometimes Pony made it for him but struggled to hand it over. Soda was always in a hurry.
This Soda wasn't like that. He was slow and gentle, carefully raking the comb through Pony's hair with love.
"What about the grease?" Two-Bit asked, shaking the tin outside of the bathroom.
"I wouldn't recommend it," Claire spoke up, "It's just going to be harder to get out later."
Pony could feel that Soda was painstakingly easing the comb through his oily brown mane.
"Gross," he said aloud, "My hair is gross now, isn't it?"
"It's alright," Soda replied, "It's not too bad," he added, swallowing a lump in his throat. He promised himself he would not let Pony see how scared he was by those staples.
Two-Bit showed up in the doorway. "You don't need grease in your hair to be a greaser," he teased just before Darry shoved him back.
"I'm gonna kick you out in a minute," Darry growled.
"Aww, he knows I'm jokin'...aint' that right, Ponyboy?" Two-Bit rubbed his chest, where Darry had pushed him back hard.
"Yeah, yeah," Pony grumbled. Soda could tell it wasn't the comment that had made him upset.
Darry rolled his eyes and Soda kept combing.
"Aw, shoot, it's just hair," Soda added, trying to make Pony feel better.
"Says the guy who spends hours in the bathroom every morning," Pony scoffed. But Soda could see that he was sad.
"Hey!" Soda grinned, holding the comb forward, "I don't have time to spend hours in the bathroom every morning – I can barely get myself out of bed."
"Ain't that the truth," Darry said under his breath. Then louder, "Soda don't point that thing at him."
Soda started combing through his own hair. "Sides' mine doesn't need much to look good on its own," he quipped.
"Hey, don't mess up my comb!" Steve yelled from outside the door.
Soda didn't pay attention, of course. He put the comb down on the edge of the sink and it clattered as it fell into the porcelain bowl.
"All done. That'll be $5," Soda joked, patting some of the hair with his fingers. He looked down at his little brother and remembered the swollen eye which used to be black and blue and was starting to fade into a strange pinkish-reddish hue.
"Does your eye still hurt?" he asked.
"Yeah," Pony said, remembering his headache, "The whole left side of my face. Feels like a Soc beat it in," he said quietly. Soda squeezed his shoulder.
Pony sighed, "Can I go back to bed?" he asked out loud.
That was Claire's cue to perk up from her spot in the doorway next to Darry. "Yeah, I think we're done for today," she said, "Pony, you did really great. Really," she added, the look on her face genuine, "Not all meningitis patients snap back as quickly as you have. I know you don't think so -," she said, making sure to keep a smile on her face, "but really you're already walking and with more sessions, we can get you back to yourself in no time."
"And you won't have to do it up here the whole time," she continued, "You'll be able to come down and work with me in the gym downstairs and maybe you use the pool. So it should be more fun."
Pony nodded but he felt so heavy by that point, that he wondered how he was actually going to get back to the bed.
"I need help," Pony said, though it pained him to ask for it. Soda started to help him get up and Darry was there immediately on his other side, pulling him up. He leaned against Darry like a dead weight, resting against him so heavily that Darry knew if he let go, his brother would fall.
Darry wrapped his arm around Pony as he led him back to the bed. By the time they were next to it, he was so exhausted that Darry was practically carrying him. And eventually he did, scooping him up to have him under the covers within minutes. Soda rolled the IV pole back to its original spot and then stood next to Pony and fluffed his pillows.
He almost didn't have a chance. Pony immediately slumped back against them and his eyes closed.
"He asleep already?" Two-Bit asked in a loud whisper.
Soda leaned in and put a hand on his brother's head. Pony didn't stir. "Yea I think so," Soda replied.
"Jesus Christ, that was fast!"
Darry shrugged, "Poor kid is exhausted," he said, looking down at his kid brother.
"Darry, let's go talk outside," Claire said quietly. Darry looked at Soda and jerked his head towards the door, urging him to follow. He did and so did Steve. "Stay with him, will ya Two-Bit?" Soda requested.
They all clamored out and the door swung shut loudly.
XXX
"Soda, I'll see you in an hour, buddy," Steve said, clamping a hand down on his best friend's shoulder. "You got a way to get to work right?"
"Yea, Darry's dropping me off," Soda replied, "Hey thanks for stopping by, Steve." He added, knowing full well it would have been easier to go straight to the DX.
The brothers turned to Claire after Steve left and she gave them a quick summary of what Pony had done today and what the next few weeks were going to look like.
"I wasn't lying when I said he's progressing pretty quickly compared to other meningitis patients I've seen," she said, "It's not easy."
"This is fast?" Soda questioned uneasily.
"Soda!" Darry said through gritted teeth.
"Well," Claire began, "This illness is no joke -"
She didn't have a chance to finish as Ron strode up to the party of three. "Hey guys," he said, greeting Darry and Soda, "Claire," he acknowledged, pulling on the white lab coat he wore over his buttoned-down shirt. "How's it going?"
"Ok," Darry responded, "Claire was just updating us on Pony's progress," he explained, "He's walking now."
"Ah great," Ron answered, "That's why I came to talk to you guys, too. We got Pony's blood test results back."
XXX
The sound of the door shutting jolted Ponyboy awake with a start. He groaned loudly, turning over on his left side, jutting his arm out and hurting himself as the IV need in his arm was jarred. Still, he kept his eyes tightly shut and was careful not to lay on his staples.
Pony groaned again, this time the guttural sound hitting the wall like a man's scream and the cry of an injured animal.
Two-Bit, who had been sitting in a chair on the other side of his bed, stood up with a start and put a hand on his shoulder. "Pony, you alright?" he asked, concerned. "Thought you were sleepin', kid. You ok?" Pony didn't acknowledge him.
"Pony?"
Pony opened his eyes looking straight out in front of him. Two-Bit leaned over him carefully.
"Where's Soda?" Pony asked abruptly, without turning around. He had to blink a few times to keep his eyes from slipping closed. "Darry?"
He almost expected to hear them call out to him, but there was nothing.
"They just stepped out for a minute, kiddo," Two-Bit answered him, "Want me to go get 'em?"
Pony turned his head to look at Two-Bit, though he kept the rest of his body in the same position as before. Two-Bit couldn't help but notice how knackered he seemed.
"I thought they were here?" Pony asked wearily, "Where did they go?"
"They WERE here, kid. You passed out cold. They left to go talk to that physical therapist of yours," he said, but noticed Pony looked even more distressed, "Hey, they'll be right back," he offered, patting Pony's shoulder even as he pushed the blankets off himself.
"Everyone always gets to leave," Pony protested, "and I have to stay." Suddenly he shot Two-Bit an angry glare, "Well you can just tell them to leave me alone!"
"They didn't leave, they're right outside, kiddo," Two-Bit responded, as Pony scowled, and muttered, "Maybe they should just stay away."
Two-Bit was wide eyed and stunned.
Suddenly Pony was even more angry. "They wanted to leave! Right, Two-Bit? Couldn't wait for me to fall asleep so they could get outta here…"
Two-Bit was shaking his head, slight panic in his eyes.
"You got it wrong, kiddo," he began slowly, "It ain't like that. You're not making any sense…" he pressed his hand against Pony's forehead again, this time feeling for a fever.
Pony slumped against the pillow, eyes drooping, but didn't go back to sleep.
"Are you feeling alright,, Pone?" Two-Bit asked, his hands out and hovering as he leaned over and pressed his hand on Pony's head and pushed some of his hair back. "What's wrong?" Pony didn't answer, just frowned further. "Ponyboy?"
"Everything's wrong," Pony suddenly said, "I - I'm ti-" he couldn't get his words together, "My face feels wrong. My brain's not working right. No one ever lets me sleep. I can't comb my own hair…"
"Everyone gets to go home, and I have to stay," he grumbled.
"You know why they wanna keep you here a few more days," Two-Bit said, taking pity on the poor guy, but also trying to make him feel better, "You're doin' a lot better, though. Everyone is seeing it." The optimism didn't quite reach his eyes.
Pony could see Two-Bit was real worried, eyebrows all furrowed together, but he couldn't really process it. He eventually swatted Two-Bit's hand away, but the effort was weak. Then he looked up at his friend, eyes narrowed.
"Why are you here anyway? Don't you have better things to do?"
Two-Bit chuckled nervously, though his jaw was mostly tight. "You want me out, huh, kiddo? I'm looking after you while your brothers talk to Claire in the hallway."
"I don't need a babysitter…"
"Maybe you do, you're startin' to scare the crap outta me, kid. How are you feeling?" Two-Bit asked again as he watched Pony put a finger in his own ear as if he was trying to unclog it.
"I can't sleep!" Pony whined, "Don't you hear that? That buzzing sound...Glory!" Two-Bit was giving him a funny look. "Oh, just leave me alone," Pony snapped and sunk down into his pillows again, turning his body. "You don't have to be here…" He looked so troubled that it made Two-Bit depressed, a feeling that made him wish he had a beer handy.
"Should I get the doctor?" he asked, "We can get you some more pain meds…"
"Hmphh," was Pony's response, which was not helpful at all. He rubbed his eyes, like he wanted to sleep but couldn't. "I don't need -" it sounded like he was losing his stamina, "I don't need anything."
"Well, how 'bout I go get your brother then," Two-Bit said, "Soda can help."
Pony sighed and Two-Bit could see his eyes watering. He knew what he had to do. He was out of the room in a flash, but by then Pony had already slumped down and turned back onto his left side.
XXX
"The blood panel came back clean," Ron was saying, "That's a really good sign. It means the infection is going away. We still need to keep him for observation for now, but he's about ready to move out of ICU. Whaddya say guys? Ready to bring your brother over to my side of the pond?" he raised his eyebrows and offered a big smile.
"When?" Darry asked, happy to hear the news, "Soda and I both have to work today. Maybe you can wait until we get back so that we can be with him when he moves."
"Sure thing," Ron said, "We don't have an available bed right now anyway. It will probably be sometime later today. Or even tomorrow morning."
"Good deal," Soda replied, "He's sleeping now, anyway. Long morning," he flashed Claire one of his charming grins.
Soda, of course, had spoken too soon. The door opened to Pony's hospital room and Two-Bit appeared in the hallway.
"Soda," he said, motioning to his friend and looking serious, "I think you better get in here."
XXX
"I don't know what it is, but he's talkin' strange, "Two-Bit said as Soda followed him into the room, with Darry and Ron not far behind. Claire had left for her next patient but had asked them to update her. "He doesn't have a fever, I checked," Two-Bit pointed out.
Pony was still laying on his left side, arm out, like he was dozing, but his eyes were still open. He was staring ahead blankly, not looking at anything, and he didn't change position or acknowledge anyone when the guys entered the room.
"Pony," Soda called out, immediately coming up to the side of the bed that Pony was facing. He put a hand on his brother's hair and smoothed it to the side carefully. "You alright honey? What's going on?" he asked.
"I woke up," Pony answered simply, without offering any kind of supporting information. His face crinkled up a little bit. "Where'd you guys go?"
"We just went outside for a minute," Soda answered gently.
"Thought you were sleepin', Pone," Darry added from somewhere behind Soda.
"I woke up," he repeated in an agitated tone, "I can't sleep in this place," he added, "Everyone leaves."
Soda's eyebrows furrowed in concern. Two-Bit and Darry exchanged looks.
"Aww, Pone," Soda said sympathetically, sitting down on the edge of the bed and stroking Pony's hair. Pony shriveled up a little and practically shook Soda off. It was an uncharacteristic move.
"Just leave me alone," he insisted, looking up at his brother angrily, "You wanted to leave, right?" Soda stared at him, the blood draining from his cheeks. "Didn't you, Soda? You too, Darry. So easy for you guys. Couldn't wait to get out of here. You're not chained to this bed like me."
"Hey Pone, what's gotten into you?!" Darry asked, his voice a little too rough.
Soda regained his composure, for Pony's sake. "We just went outside so you could have some peace and quiet and you wouldn't hear us talkin', Pone," he sighed, "We didn't WANT to leave…you know that. We never do, kiddo."
Soda took a breath and tried again. "Come on, Pone, would I ever lie to you?" he paused to put a tentative hand on Pony's shoulder and that seemed to calm him down.
He turned over, dropping back against the pillows. "I'm never gonna get out of here," Pony mumbled, his body deflating, but his hands balling up into weak fists at his side.
"Don't say that," Soda replied gently, "You did so good today. Claire wouldn't stop talking about how great you were," he said, with a quick glance at Darry to see if he could help, "You're probably even getting out of the ICU soon," he continued, looking at Ron who nodded his approval.
"I couldn't even comb my own hair," Pony huffed, turning back over on his left side, his chest heaving as he sighed deeply, almost hitting Soda, who continued to sit at the edge of the bed.
"What's wrong with me?" he asked aloud, before covering his face with the inner crook of his elbow, "I feel lousy - I'm always alone," he choked out, "There's too much noise - The door -"
"What about the door?" Darry questioned.
"It's - Too much noise…" Pony trailed off. He wasn't making any sense.
Soda looked up and caught Two-Bit's puzzled expression. "Hey, don't look at me," he said defensively, "I was quiet as a mouse."
"Pony… you really need to get some rest," Darry sighed, looking down at his kid brother, as he covered his mouth in a yawn with his left hand.
Soda rubbed Pony's other arm which was stiff at his side. He was hoping it would provide some sort of comfort, "Pone, we're not gonna leave you alone, kiddo," he said. But Pony wasn't listening.
"My ears," Pony said, without touching them, "They're ringing." His voice was emotionless, like it was something he was used to.
"There's nothing we can do for his ears?" Darry turned to Ron, who was standing next to him.
Ron shook his head. "I can give him something to put him to sleep but it will knock him out. I don't think you guys want that." He fixed his eyes on the poor kid. "Ponyboy," Ron called out, "Like your brother said, sleep is your best medicine."
"I can't sleep," Pony whined, "Soda, why does everyone keep leaving?" he asked, like he was urging his brother to find a solution - or at least have the right answer.
"We're not leaving," Soda jumped in but that wasn't exactly true.
"Soda," Darry muttered under his breath. Then louder. "Pony, I don't want to keep things from you. Soda and I both have to work today. We don't want to leave, but we're gonna have to. We're with you as much as we can be otherwise, you know that— "
Darry might have sounded like the mean one, but his fists were in his pockets and he had that helpless, pleading look on his face, hating what was coming out of his mouth.
"Maybe one of us should stay…" Soda interrupted. He continued to stroke Pony's hair, but then glanced up at his older brother. Darry gave him that look he couldn't argue with - the one that said We need the money.
"No one ever stays," Pony mumbled, finally taking his arm away from his face. "Go on," he growled looking up at Soda, "You don't have to be here."
Soda's face looked all crumpled, like a car had just run over his toe.
"Don't talk like that, Pone. You know I don't want to go," he said softly.
"I don't mind stayin'," Two-Bit jumped in, "Hell, l got nowhere else to be. That is, if the kid don't mind me stickin' around. He came forward and patted Pony on the back and Pony turned his head.
"Sure," Pony said, only semi-interested, almost in disbelief.
"Hey, I'd rather be here than at the DX," Soda said wistfully.
Pony wasn't mad at his brothers, not really. He was just tired of being in a strange bed, feeling like a sack of potatoes.
Overwhelmed by the thought of how much longer he was going to have in the hospital, Pony turned back on his left side, hands over his eyes. What he really wanted to do was press his fingers into them, but the left eye with the fading bruise was starting to throb again as it sometimes did.
"I just want to go home…" he said, feeling like he wanted to bawl.
He opened his right hand near Soda and felt Soda reach for his fingers. "Hey," Soda called out to him gently, "What's going on?" You feel bad?" he moved to rubbing Pony's back and he could feel Pony shaking a bit, even though there were no tears. "
"I want this to be over," Pony sighed. He was so tired, his eyes began closing. Then when he heard Darry speak he suddenly opened them again.
"Pony," Darry spoke up again, "Don't stress yourself out. You did a lot this morning already. You really need to get some rest."
Darry came closer and Pony felt a warm, strong hand on his hair. It comforted and made the anger trickle out of him.
So he sighed and listened to his body, feeling the weight of tiredness in his body
"Ok," Pony whispered, feeling Soda rub his back. " 'm tired…" he trailed off.
Within moments, his breathing evened, fingers relaxing around Soda's, and he was asleep.
Xxx
"He's out," Soda said, after a long pause. He fingers brushed against Pony's but he didn't let go just yet.
"What's with the mood swings?" Two-Bit asked quietly, looking at Darry and Ron.
"It's not all that uncommon after brain surgery - or meningitis," Ron said, "Things like this might happen for a while as he heals up. Ears ringing, memory loss, problem with concentration, and coordination – unfortunately these are all issues that can come up after a bout with meningitis. And it's not something Ponyboy can necessarily control, he doesn't completely understand himself what's going on. That's why we like to keep them in the hospital for a while - for observation – even thought it's a really great sign that the bloodwork came back clean."
"Yeah, Claire told us something about that —the words getting mixed up," Darry said, trying to find his own words. "He's not himself."
"How would you feel if you were in a strange bed, stuck to all these tubes, with people pokin' and proddin' you all the time," Soda always could understand how everyone else was feeling.
"I would kick anyone that comes close to me," Ron answered, and everyone laughed quietly. Then, for a moment, everything was still.
"We're lucky, ya know? That he's still here..." Soda said, looking down at his brother, his hand still on his dropped them back down lightly touching his fingers. "Even if things are gonna be hard for him…"
Darry stepped forward. "I know, Pepsi. He watched Pony for a minute, almost unsure of what to do. "Poor kid, he's always tired!"
"…things sure are different with him laid up like this. It don't feel right," Soda said
"He'll be okay though," Darry said reasonably, "We'll get him back in shape like he was before..." he paused, thinking of his words.
"Better enjoy it while it lasts," Two-Bit told Darry, "Pretty soon he'll be drivin' you up the wall like he always does."
Everyone laughed again. Darry remembered the way his relationship with Pony used to be, after their parents died. The way he was always ragging on him to finish his homework, get good grades, run his best during track. The strain it used to have when he put pressure on his brother to be the best because he wanted him to make something of himself. The way they fought all the time after Dally and Johnny's death. It wasn't like anymore - they had promised Soda they would stop fighting and both of them had backed off, plus it didn't matter if Darry was nagging him or not, Pony had gone back to getting top honors in all of his classes. Darry was just so damn proud of him. He'd told him that already, and he'd have to remember to keep doing it.
He knew anything Pony set his mind to, he would do it. Claire had told them outside the hospital room just how fast he was making great strides post-illness. It wasn't that common that all meningitis patients would go back to walking as fast as he had. But Darry knew his brother and Ponyboy was a fighter. He was just so sorry he hadn't realized this sooner.
"I really hate leavin' him," Soda spoke up.
"Yeah, I know, little buddy," Darry answered. "But he's in good hands right?" he looked up at Two-Bit who grinned.
"I'll make sure to be around, too," Ron added, "Feel free to look me up, Two-Bit," he said.
"Hey Two-Bit, you hear the good news?" Soda said, even though he knew Two-Bit hadn't. He got up from the bed. "Ron said they're gonna move Pony out of ICU soon.
"Yeah, his blood work came back clean. He's walking. He's gonna keep being tired, and maybe a little mixed up but that'll go away in time. I'm not worried," Ron said confidently, smiling at the group.
"I reckon that's the best news I heard all day," Two-Bit replied.
XXX
The room was quiet after that for quite some time and Pony didn't even stir as a nurse came in to add something to his IV. Two-Bit ached for something to do and almost lit a cigarette out the open window.
But of course, he thought better of it. Darry would kill him. And he didn't want to bother the kid.
Pony started waking up as he caught the noises again - the window being thrust open, a chair being moved, someone tapping their foot, pacing the floor, and searching through the backpack.
What he didn't hear were the voices of his brothers and that made him nervous. So he forced himself to wake up more. His eyes were heavy and wouldn't open at first but he turned his head and called for them.
"Soda?" Pony called out.
"Hey Pony," a familiar voice responded. It wasn't his brother, "You awake?"
Pony wet his lips with his tongue and forced his eyes open, looking up at Two-Bit. He felt wasted.
"Where's Soda?" Pony asked, looking around, "I thought he was here."
"He WAS here," Two-Bit replied, "2 hours ago. Darry too. They had to go on to work."
It was quiet as Pony tried to shake the fogginess of sleep and process the situation.
"You don't seem too happy to see your old pal, Two-Bit, kiddo." Pony looked up and saw Two-Bit grinning crazily like Soda always did. So he grinned slightly too.
"No it's not that," Pony replied, "It just feels like they were here a second ago."
"Nup," Two-Bit chuckled, "You've been asleep for hours, kid. And I've been here having the best time of my life."
"You don't have to stay," Pony grumbled, dropping back against the bed. Just looking at someone was making him tired.
"Oh but I do," Two-Bit quipped lightheartedly, "There's no beer at my place and no beer at your place. And I ain't got no money to buy beer. So I'm stickin' around."
Pony continued to frown.
"Come on, kid," he said more seriously, "You know I wouldn't leave you alone." He leaned over and patted Pony's shoulder.
"You can if you want to," Pony mumbled, surprising his friend. He didn't want to be a charity case.
Two-Bit gave him a funny look. "That's not what you said 2 hours ago. You said everyone always leaves you…"
Pony scowled. "Yea well I wasn't feelin' too hot," he snapped, then thought better of it. "I don't remember what I said. Just that I wasn't in the best mood."
"Well alright," Two-Bit replied quickly forgiving his friend in the hospital bed. "And how you feelin' now kiddo?"
"Better," Pony replied and Two-Bit was happy to hear it.
"Good," Two-Bit replied, "The nurse was here a while ago putting' some of the good stuff in your IV," he said, "I think they were pain meds."
"Oh," Pony said, "I didn't hear her."
"Nah, you were out cold," Two-Bit said, "Good thing too. You needed to sleep," he paused suddenly, remembering the pitcher at the bedside table. "Hey, you want some water?"
"Sure," Pony answered and Two-Bit took the pitcher and handed him a cup.
"Geez kid, it's good to see you awake." Two-Bit said looking down at Pony with affection.
"You saw me awake this morning!" Pony retorted.
"Yeah, I know," Two-Bit shrugged, "Good to see you doin' better is what I meant," He grinned.
"I've been fine the whole time," Pony retorted, making Two-Bit chuckle.
"Just drink your water," Two-Bit grinned, "You hungry?"
"Maybe later," Pony trailed off, rubbing at his eyes and then dragging them around the room. "What have you been doing around here?"
Two-Bit watched as Pony's eyes closed like he was dozing, but they blinked open as he spoke.
"Oh I've been doin' plenty. You ain't gotta worry 'bout me," Two-Bit joked, "I've been lookin' out the window. Greasin' this fine head of hair," he said, smoothing his overly greased mane, "Even picked up your copy of that Mockingbird book."
"And you read it?" Pony couldn't hide his shocked reaction.
"Nah, I just looked for pictures," Pony laughed, "For your information, there were none. Remind me never to do that again," he nodded his head forward like he was tipping an imaginary hat.
Pony looked away for a second, suddenly sad, and feeling guilty, "You don't gotta be here, you know," he grumbled.
Two-Bit put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, "You bet I do," he said, "I volunteered. Also, I'm hangin' out with my favorite Curtis."
"Sides'," he added, "I got no place else to be." He reached out and ruffled Pony's head, making him annoyed.
"That's not a good excuse," Pony said, crossing his arms and almost making his IV tube come out.
"Careful there, kiddo," Two-Bit said, his hands hovering but avoiding the tube.
Suddenly a voice yelled from the doorway. "Pony!"
Two-Bit turned his head, "Well if it ain't -"
Pony leaned forward though he knew who it was.
"Sodapop? What are you doing here?" he asked, suddenly worried, "Something happen? Ain't you supposed to be at work?"
Soda only grinned.
XXX