30. Conscious

"How's Michael?"

I glanced down from the ladder where I balanced the cans of green beans, meeting Sue's eyes. She was leaning against a shelf, hair in thick braids down her back, a blue hat that matched her dress making it so she had to tilt her head all the way back to meet my eyes. She'd been asking about him a lot, and I wondered if she liked him. I knew he'd done something…helped her out somehow, but he hadn't given me many details. I hadn't really asked much. She hadn't been there when he'd fallen off the ladder but apparently, her dad had filled her in. He was being real nice about it too…promised not to hire anyone else and that Pony could come back as soon as he was feeling better.

Pony had been in and out for the last few days, his fever holding pretty steady. We had plenty of soup at James's place now…I'd bought lots of it, and Mr. Williams had told me to take a few cans for free since they had dents. Said he'd just get rid of them anyway, but I'd put out cans with dents before and figured he was just being nice. I appreciated it. He could have made life real hard for us.

James and I had taken turns feeding him soup and trying to give him water. He'd sort of eaten some…he ate the broth mostly, but I figured it was better than nothing. "He's about the same," I told her, trying to grin. It was nice of her to worry about him, and she asked just about every day. "He'll be alright though. He's tough." He was about the toughest guy I knew, considering everything that man had done to him…and probably stuff I didn't even known about too.

"Yeah, I know." She grinned, shifting the purse on her shoulder. It was time for her to head home and outside, the guy that hung around a lot, the big one who'd given me plenty of looks over the last few days, was waiting. Mr. Williams told me he was her cousin on her mom's side, and he'd walk her home most nights. I guess it was good of him…it could be dangerous walking home at night. After I locked up, I'd keep my hand in my pocket on my knife, watching to make sure no one got any ideas. So far, no one had. "Tell him hello for me…if he wakes up?"

"Yeah, I will." I assured her, nodding. "Soon as he wakes up."

Her eyes dimmed a little at that but she smiled as best as she could. "Alright. Good night, Patrick."

I grinned, trying to remember that I was Patrick. Pony just had to go with Soda's middle name…I wondered what Darry's was and if it would be any better.

"Night, Sue."

She waved over her shoulder, kissing her dad on the cheek, then heading out the door and taking her cousin's arm, looping her arm through his. I watched the guy laugh, saying something I couldn't hear, and then they were off.

"Have you got everything under control, son?" Mr. Williams asked about an hour later as I dusted the top shelves. It was getting so I could do this job in my sleep, and it wasn't so bad. I even kind of liked it.

"Yes, sir. I'll probably be able to finish restocking everything tonight."

"Good…good." He crossed his arms and I climbed down the ladder, figuring he wanted to say something more. "How's Mike?"

"Still sleeping…eating the soup though."

"That's good. Are you sure he doesn't need a doctor?" All week he'd been asking the same thing, and I shook my head, even if it might not have been true. I thought again of the marks on his back and shook the thought out of my head. I didn't want to remember that…I wasn't even supposed to have seen them! Or his arms. He'd hidden it for a reason.

"Yes, sir," I told him, not sure if that was true.

"Well, if he doesn't wake up by tomorrow, you might want to call a doctor. Could be something more wrong with him."

"Yes sir…I will." That was a lie. I couldn't afford a doctor and as nice as James was being, letting me listen to the radio and bringing me free food, I didn't think he'd be up for paying for it. He probably didn't have the money either. He worked at a diner and didn't even have a TV.

"Alright. I'm heading out early tonight. I'll see you Monday, Patrick."

"Yes, sir. Have a good weekend."

He waved over his shoulder, heading out and locking the front door behind him. I got back to the stocking and cleaning I'd been doing every night, working as fast as I could. It wasn't a bad job at all, and I figured it would be more fun when Pony was there to help and talk with. After I finished up and mopped the floors, then shut off the lights, I locked the door behind me, dropping the key into the mail slot, then headed back toward the apartment.

Thankfully it wasn't a real long walk, but I knew I'd be happier when Pony was with me. We always had each other's backs, so it would make me feel safer. Then again, no one bugged me, so I made it home pretty quick. A couple of rough looking guys passed me on the sidewalk, catching my eye, and one lifted his eyebrows, but none of them said nothing, just nodded. Like Two-Bit always said, the best thing to be when you ran into a social misfit was another social misfit.

When I got there, James was eating a burger in his chair. Ponyboy was asleep, and I felt my heart drop, but James grinned a little, looking almost happy for the first time in a while. "He woke up a couple of times today. Called his brothers and got to talk to them. Took a shower too."

"Yeah?" I asked, so relieved I almost flopped onto the couch, but I didn't want to wake him up.

"Yep. Ate a little more soup. His fever's lower too. Looks like he's gonna make it." He grinned and I did too, taking a long breath as I sat on my pile of blankets.

"Really? You think he's gonna be okay?" I mean, I hadn't really thought about the alternative, but glory he'd been sick. With the cough and the fever, and the times he'd barely eaten, I'd been real worried. What if he hadn't woken up? Could we have gotten him to a doctor without everyone figuring out who he was? Would the doctors have treated him? I mean, I think they had to, but what if they wouldn't? Or what if they called the cops 'cause he was underage? Or what if he got worse? What if he was coughing one day and couldn't breathe or something?

James waved a lazy hand through the air. "Yeah. He'll be fine. You work this weekend?"

"I'm off until Monday," I told him.

"Good. I'm working an extra shift for a buddy tomorrow, so you can stay with him. I don't go in until noon though." I nodded, glancing at Pony again. "Go ahead and take a shower if you want, kid. He ain't going anywhere. Fell back asleep a few hours ago, but he'll be okay."

I stood up, grabbing a change of clothes and taking the fastest shower I could. Pony was still asleep when I got back into the living room, though, so I just dropped onto my nest of blankets. It was past midnight, and I waved off James's offer of a burger and just went to sleep.

I woke up to someone calling for me and sat up, blinking tiredly in the dark. My limbs were heavy, my eyes barely working, but my eyes finally adjusted and I found Pony sitting up, a hand on his head. "Hey man." I jumped up, sitting on the sofa beside him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Pony? You okay?"

"I…I thought…" He blinked a few times in the dim light let in from the open curtains. I figured I better close those before I went back to sleep. He looked awful…pale with purple shadows under his eyes, eyes darting around as he tried to figure out where he was. "Johnny?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"Yeah, Pone. It's me."

"Is…is Richard here?" he asked, barely whispering, and I squeezed his shoulder.

"Nah, man. We're in New York," I reminded him. "That asshole ain't getting anywhere near you."

He blinked a few times. "Right. I forgot," he admitted, looking scared.

"It's alright. You've been asleep for a long time."

"What…what time is it? Or…what day is it?" He asked.

"It's Friday…well, Saturday morning. I'm not sure what time it is. I can go check." He nodded, and I hurried into the kitchen, turning on the light and looking at the clock. 4:08 a.m. I grabbed a glass and filled it with water, sitting down beside him once more when I'd turned the light out. "It's past four in the morning. You want some water?"

He nodded, grabbing the glass and drinking most of it in one gulp. He must've been real thirsty. I reached out, touching his forehead, and he blinked at me some more. "You're still pretty hot, man, but not as bad as before."

Pony dropped his head against the back of the sofa. "I gotta go to the bathroom," he told me, trying to push himself to sit upright, and I stood up, giving him a hand. He leaned against me, his arm around my shoulders, which told me he still wasn't feeling good. Helping him into the bathroom, I waited outside, then helped him sit back down on the sofa. "You sleeping on the floor?" he asked, staring at my blankets.

"Yeah. Remember? There's only one sofa." I grinned a little but he looked worried.

"You can take the sofa…I'll sleep on the floor."

"No way, man." I shook my head, keeping a hand on his shoulder. "You gotta rest, okay? You want soup or anything?"

"I called my brothers today. Or…yesterday?"

"Yeah? That's good. How are they?"

"I miss 'em."

"Yeah, I know." I ruffled his hair like Soda would. "They miss you too. You'll get to see 'em soon." He rubbed his eyes, nodding a little. "You wanna go back to sleep?" He hummed in agreement and I got him to lay back down, covering him up with the blankets and closing the curtains, then dropping back onto the floor. I had to admit, I was starting to miss Darrel and Sodapop's couch. Hell, my own bed too.

I woke up early, feeling tired still, but someone was in the kitchen banging around, so I wiped my eyes, pulling myself up and looking around. Ponyboy was waking up too, rubbing at his eyes and looking around, looking confused again. "Morning," I called, and he gave a tired smile.

"Hey," he muttered, starting to push himself up. He grimaced, though, and fell back down onto the pillows, apparently not able to manage it. He coughed a few times, blinking up at the ceiling, then grinning over at me. "I feel like shit."

I snorted. "Yeah? I believe it." I moved over to sit beside him on the sofa, touching his forehead. Still warm but not so bad. "Want some water?"

"I can get it."

"Nah. You'd better stay still." I told him, pushing him down as I stood. He could hardly sit up though, so it wasn't much of a problem. He just gave me a look, rolling his eyes, and I felt relieved then. At least he was acting like himself.

I found James in the kitchen, making something that smelled pretty good on the stove. "I know the kid likes eggs, but how about oatmeal?" he asked as I pulled out a glass from the cabinet and put it under the tap.

"We ain't picky," I told him honestly. "Smells good. I didn't know you had oatmeal."

"Bought some yesterday."

"You ain't gotta buy food for us," I told him, uncomfortable.

"I can eat it too…guess I ought to have something in the house," he told me with a shrug, spooning some into a bowl and pouring honey over it. I took the glass of water to Pony and got an arm under his shoulders, helping him sit up. He moved slow but managed it. James came out of the kitchen, then disappeared into his bedroom, coming out with two pillows. I helped Pony sit up some more so we could get the pillows behind his back, and he leaned weakly against them, but was able to keep his eyes open and focused on us.

"How you feeling, kid?" he asked, crossing his arms and staring down at him critically.

"Better. Awake," Pony told him.

"Good. Think you could eat some oatmeal?"

"Sure. That sounds great."

He nodded, heading off into the kitchen, then coming back with a bowl. I went to get my own bowl and ate on the floor while Ponyboy did his best to eat his, his eyes drooping every once in a while. He managed most of a bowl, though, which was an improvement over the last week, but his hands shook the whole time.

"What time is it?" I wondered.

"Bout nine."

That explained why I was so tired. James didn't really seem the type to get up this early, but maybe he just couldn't sleep. I doubted he'd just wanted to make us breakfast. I thought about laying back down…Ponyboy was slumped against the pillows James had brought him, and I reached out, grabbing his bowl before he could drop it.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Don't worry about it, Pony." I assured him, then took our dishes to the kitchen, glancing up when James joined me.

"What are you two gonna do all day?" je wondered, letting me wash the dishes, his arms crossed as he leaned against the counter.

"Listen to the radio, I guess…" He hummed, glancing back at the living room. "He's still feeling pretty bad so he'll probably sleep."

"What do you two usually do?"

"Watch TV or go to the library and read," I told him, shrugging. We did more than that, but with Pony sick, that was all I could think of. When we were stuck inside, we mostly read and watched TV and smoked until Darry told us we were gonna kill ourselves if we didn't stop and then we'd give it a rest for a while. I thought of Pony's arms and tried not to shudder, wondering if he'd ever be able to smoke again. I mean, it wasn't the worst thing if he couldn't. Darry would be happy. But what a crappy way to quit.

"Don't libraries let you take books home? Thought that was the whole point." He asked, his voice dry.

"Yeah, but we ain't got cards here, so we just went to the library and read books there. You gotta have an ID to get a card."

James sighed, nodding a little, looking real tired. "That figures." He ambled off then, going into his bedroom and shutting the door behind him. I went back to Ponyboy, sitting on the floor and putting my chin in my hand, just glad he was awake.

"How are Darry and Soda?"

He seemed to think for a minute, then looked real worried about something. "Someone threw a rock through our window," he told me.

"Damn…seriously?" I asked, sitting up straight. "They okay?"

"Yeah. One of Richard's friends I think. They want to find me."

"Darry ain't gonna let that happen. Don't worry…it'll be alright."

He hummed a little, not looking convinced. I had to admit, I was kind of worried if they were going after the guys. Hopefully, they were all sticking pretty close together. I couldn't imagine those guys intimidating Darry or Dallas, but if they were throwing rocks they might start doing something worse. All I had to do was look at Pony to know that these guys were rough.

For a second, I wanted to ask about his back. I wanted to know how he'd gotten those marks…really know. I wanted him to tell me about the guy that had hurt him so bad and I wanted to find the guy. I mean, I wasn't real tough or nothing, but thinking about what that man had done to my friend, I felt like I could take him on. I could beat the ever-living shit out of him. And it might make him feel better to talk about it. But I knew I couldn't ask. He wouldn't want to tell me…besides, he was still real sick and I didn't want him to feel even worse, trying to keep things from me. Instead, I leaned against the sofa, leaving that alone and asking how his brothers were doing besides that.

"Good I guess." He shrugged with an almost sheepish smile. "I was awful tired. Can't remember too much."

"Maybe you can call them again tonight," I suggested just as James came out of his bedroom in jeans and an old white shirt.

"Ponyboy, think you can manage to survive on your own for a while?" he asked, gesturing for me to stand up. I did, confused, but Pony nodded, apparently not finding it weird.

"Sure. I think I'm gonna sleep some more."

"Good. You do that," he told him, ruffling his hair, then jerked his head at me. "Come on, kid."

I followed him out the door, waiting until he shut the door before I asked. "Where are we going?"

He was walking real fast and I had to almost jog to keep up. He glanced over his shoulder at me, eyebrow raised. "Thought you two liked to read books."

"Yeah…we do," I told him, still confused. Surely he wasn't going to buy us a book. he was already letting us stay in his apartment for free, and I assumed he'd bought some of that soup in the kitchen. I couldn't owe this guy any more money.

He rolled his eyes, turning the corner and I hurried to follow. "Come on, kid. I gotta be at work soon."

It wasn't until we were almost there that I realized were we were headed. He didn't even hesitate as we stepped into the library, strolling right up to the front desk. The old lady who'd seen us around before glanced up, somewhat startled as she saw me with James who crossed his arms, showing off the tattoos and a scar or two. He didn't exactly look like the kind of guy who be hanging out in the library. Then again, I guess, neither did me or Pone.

"Can I help you?" she asked, glancing between James and me. I wondered if she was thinking about calling the cops.

"Yeah. I need a library card," James told her, then jerked his head toward the shelves. "Go get some books, kid."

"Uh…sure." I hurried over to the bookshelves, glancing back at him as he pulled out his wallet.

"Does it cost anything?" he asked, sounding tired, and I left before the lady could explain how libraries worked. Instead, I found Gone with the Wind , which I'd read some of, and that book Ponyboy had been reading, then grabbed a couple more which would probably last us a while. Most were mysteries that Pony might have read before, but it would give us something to do. I wondered again why James was doing this for us. We were a couple of kids crashing on his couch (and floor) that his buddy from years ago had sent up to stay with him without any kind of warning. It wasn't like he owed us anything. He didn't know us well enough to like us, either. Then again, it seemed like something Darry or even Dally would do. I guess you couldn't tell from how someone looked how they would act. I ought to know that as well as anyone.

When I got back to the desk, James was holding a laminated card that he handed back to the lady, gesturing for me to put the books on the desk. She checked them out to him, explaining that they would be due back in two weeks.

"Got that kid? If some guy with a tire iron shows up at my door saying I owe money to the library, I'm handing you over."

The lady behind the desk looked worried, wide eyes darting between us, but I just snorted. "Yeah. I dig, man." He turned, leaving me to grab all the books, but the lady called me back. James crossed his arms, waiting as I headed back to the desk. "Yes, ma'am?" I asked, worried.

"Don't you usually come here with your friend…a blond boy? He was coming here quite a lot."

I fought back the panic. It wasn't like the cops were gonna track Pony down just because some librarian knew there was a blond boy that came in and read. Besides, no one but James and me knew that he'd bleached his hair so no one could connect him to Ponyboy Curtis. I shrugged it off, making myself look tough like Dally. At least, I hoped I looked tough like him.

"Yeah. He's sick, so we're taking him books."

"Oh... well I hope he feels better."

I thanked her and waved, hurrying off and following James back to the apartment where Ponyboy still slept on the sofa. I put the books on the floor, then dropped onto my makeshift bed as James headed into his room to get dressed for work, figuring I could catch up on my sleep before Pony woke up again.