43. Officer Charlton

We'd been in the living room, Soda, Dallas, and Steve at a card game and Two-Bit flipping through part of my newspaper. Two-Bit's mom and Susie had both been at home, and with Richard missing, I knew he was kind of worried about them, but Tim was keeping an eye on our house, and I figured he'd be heading home soon. Rita had spent a lot of the previous days with us…well, she'd slept on our couch despite the fact that we'd also offered her the spare room. During the day, I had no idea what she got up to. She'd declined breakfast, not getting close to any of us or having much in the way of conversation with us. She was friendly enough, though, smiling when she met our eyes and thanking us whenever we offered anything. I knew she didn't much trust us, though. That was fine…she'd figure out we weren't gonna hurt her soon enough. I knew she only stayed around because we were Ponyboy's brothers, and she trusted Ponyboy.

The day we'd called Officer Charlton to come to the house, Sodapop had gotten her a glass of water, and she'd smiled up at us, tired eyes in a bruised face. "I asked him why he did it."

We'd both started a little, me hanging up the phone after Officer Charlton promised he'd be there in less than half an hour.

"I talked to him a few days ago. It was his fault, you know? I told him that…maybe I shouldn't have." She'd shrugged, looking sad, and I'd pushed back the questions…how had she talked to him? How could she know where he was? Had he called her? "He put himself in Richard's way. If he'd have left it alone, Richard would have ignored him. So I asked him why he'd done it. Know what he said?"

Soda had shaken his head, glancing over at the guys who'd sat on the floor.

"He said 'because it's what my big brothers would have done.'"

I'd had to fight awful hard not to start bawling right there. Glory we were lucky to have that kid. I'd wanted to put my arms around him and tell him how lucky we were…to tell him how proud I was of him. I hadn't liked her telling him that it was his fault…heaven knew my brother probably felt guilty enough about everything as it was. It was just like him to feel bad about things that weren't his fault. But Ponyboy had stood up to that man every night because he knew it was what me and Soda would have done. Across from me, Soda had sat down hard, hand against his mouth, and hadn't said much else until Officer Charlton had showed up.

But on the night Ponyboy had come back, Rita had been out somewhere. I assumed she had a friend or something in the area, because she was gone a lot. Our house had practically turned into a hotel, but I didn't mind much. She and Susie were welcome here, as long as we could protect them. I knew Susie felt safer here than at home, and even here she tended to stay away from the windows. She acted real tough around us, but she was just a kid and those men had scared her pretty bad.

Their mom had been freaked after finding out what had happened and Two-Bit had pulled me aside, telling me that she was thinking about cutting back on her job to spend more time at home. Two-Bit had been worried they wouldn't be able to afford the bills if she did that, so instead of telling him to get a job to help out like I'd been sorely tempted to do, I'd phoned his mom.

Mrs. Matthews felt real bad, I knew, and had told me again and again that she was doing her best, like she had to answer to me or something. I sure wasn't gonna judge her, or tell her she ought to spend more time at home when she was paying the bills on her own. I knew a little bit of how hard it was. "You ain't gotta worry about Susie," I'd told her. "She can stay with us whenever you need to work late. She's been going to work with Soda or hanging around with Dally. We'll look after her." And then she'd thanked me over and over, telling me how much she appreciated it. She'd been friends with my mom, so I didn't mind helping her out. Besides, Susie deserved to be looked after.

With all of us gathered in the living room, I'd been wondering when they were going to catch Richard, and when we were going to get to tell Ponyboy he could come home. It felt like I hadn't seen him in years, but it still didn't seem real that he'd really get to come home soon. Then the front door had been thrown open, and for a moment, I'd been afraid that Richard was gonna try and attack us or something. Of course, there were five of us, and I had a gun close by, but still…I didn't want to get involved in something like that.

But it hadn't been Richard…it had been Johnny Cade. Johnny, who was supposed to be with Ponyboy!

We'd all stood, eyes wide, too shocked to say anything, but he was talking before we even got the chance.

"You gotta come. Pony…Richard in the park…hurry!" And then he'd been gone.

I'd been running after him before I was even aware of it. Ponyboy. His name was enough to get me running, all of us following Johnny from the house and down the street. If Richard had hurt him…if he'd laid a hand on my little brother again, I was going to kill him. Actually kill him. Damn the consequences. He'd hurt my brother so much…never again. He wouldn't touch my baby brother again. Johnny didn't even pause when he crossed the streets, leading us to the park where a boy was holding a gun to a man's head.

I didn't recognize him at first. A blond kid, taller than Pony, had been pointing a gun at a man's forehead. He'd looked furious and scared, eyes darting to us but not staying there. Blood had dripped from his nose and I'd wondered if Richard had been the one to punch him. Until he'd spoken, I hadn't recognized my baby brother. He was taller, with lighter hair and a scar going down the side of his face. And then, even after he'd spoken…I couldn't believe it. Ponyboy didn't point guns at people. Heck, he didn't even point them at ducks! He was a hell of a shot when we practiced with targets…hit the bulls eye more times than me or Soda. But he didn't like killing things. Our dad had never been bothered by it…still took him hunting with us. But he and Soda had always goofed off the whole time, scaring the ducks more often than not.

In rumbles, Ponyboy did pretty well, but he wasn't much of a fighter. He didn't go around hurting people. He wasn't a hood. And I was glad! I didn't ever want him to turn into one of those guys…someone who hurt people for fun or robbed stores or…well, anything Tim Shepherd did. I wanted him to get out of this place…go to college and get a good job. But this guy, the one holding a gun to Richard's forehead…he hadn't looked like my baby brother.

He'd looked like a hood who was about to kill someone.

Then Dally had gone up to him, dropping a hand on his shoulder and telling him to put it down…and he had. Ponyboy always listened to Dally. The blond hood with a scar on his face and a gun pointed at a man's forehead had turned back into my brother. He had been scared and he hadn't wanted that man to hurt him again…not him or Rita. Rita had been backing up, arms crossed tight over her chest, a bruise forming on her cheek. I didn't know how he'd gotten to her, but he could have done to her what he'd done to Lianne. I didn't know why she had been in the park in the first place, or why Ponyboy and Johnny were back…or even how they'd known that Richard was being looked for by the police. All I knew was that Dally had finally gotten him to put the gun down and then I'd gotten to hold him for the first time in nearly a year.

Now he sat across from me, picking at his food and staring down at his plate. I'd seen the burns…Soda had been staring down at his arm on the porch and I hadn't been able to help myself. No one was supposed to hurt my brother. Sure, we rumbled and he'd get banged up a little…we all did. But this was different. A man had put out cigarettes on his arms. I was sure there had been bruises all over him too. Those had probably faded by now. But he still had little round scars all over his arms, and thanks to James I knew he had marks on his back too.

Our dad had spanked us when we were kids, but he'd sure never taken a belt to any of us. He never would have left a mark on us. That wasn't the kind of family we were! Our parents had loved us and I loved my brothers, and yeah, I'd hit Pony once but it had been an accident and now, sitting across from me was my baby brother who'd be gone for so long and who'd been beaten and tortured and…I didn't know what to say. I hadn't been prepared for this. I didn't know how to help him. I was supposed to protect him! It had been hard enough suddenly raising two teenagers…now this!

Two-Bit headed out when Sodapop and Steve did, probably going back home. I waited for the door to close behind him before speaking, trying to sound normal. "You want something else to eat?" I asked, noticing that he wasn't really eating. "We got some cake."

He gave a half smile, shaking his head. "Nah. I'm not really hungry, Dar." He had eaten just half of his food, but it was something, so I shrugged it off, starting to grab my plate, but he snatched it away, grinning and taking both plates to the sink. Snorting, I stood and joined him, leaning against the counter as he washed the breakfast dishes. I was glad he seemed mostly okay…tired, sure, and kind of distracted. Almost scared. But mostly okay. Right?

"How you feeling?" I asked, eyeing him critically. I couldn't help thinking that they could take him away again at any time. I didn't have custody over him. He was still officially in the custody of the state. I needed to call Officer Charlton and hopefully he would come and then maybe all of this could get straightened out.

"I'm alright. Tired," he admitted, putting the last of the dishes in the drainer.

"Yeah? You wanna go back to bed?"

"Am I gonna have to leave, Darry?" he asked instead of answering,eyes trained on the dishes instead of me, and my heart wrenched at the bags under his eyes. I wanted to lie to him, but I couldn't bring myself to…not if he could be disappointed again. I'd let him down too many times in the past year.

"I don't know, kiddo. I've gotta call Officer Charlton and see if he can help us get this straightened out. But if you gotta go again, it ain't gonna be for long. He's gonna help us, okay? He's kept his word so far." I reached out, squeezing his shoulder, and he forced a grin, nodding.

"Okay."

I ruffled his blond hair, not wanting to let him go. Not wanting him to disappear again. His shoulders were sharp under my hand…he'd lost too much weight, and he looked scrawny and hungry. The scar on his face made him look almost mean.

"It's gonna be okay, Pony. I promise." He smiled for real then, that thought flying from my head. He wasn't mean. My little brother was a good kid. He loved to read and he couldn't kill a duck, much less a person. He was a good kid and I was so glad to have him back.

I went into the living room, picking up the phone, and Pony sat on the couch, eyes closing immediately as he leaned against the pillows, legs curled up beside him. I kept an eye on him as I dialed the cop, and after a few rings, he answered.

"This is Charlton," the cop answered, sounding kind of tired.

I wondered if he'd gotten any more sleep than the rest of us. I'd woken up twice in the middle of the night, jerking awake from nightmares where it was Pony on the other side of that gun, Richard holding it to his forehead. In both of them, I'd run to my brother, arms outstretched to protect him, and both times Richard had pulled the trigger, my little brother going limp on the sidewalk. Both times I'd gotten out of bed, wiping tears from my eyes and sneaking into the other bedroom, just looking down at Ponyboy while he slept curled up next to Sodapop, Soda's arms around him. I hadn't dared touch him and scare him…instead, I'd just watched him until my heart had stopped pounding and the pain in my chest had receded enough for me to go back to sleep.

"Officer Charlton? This is Darrel Curtis."

"Darrel? How's your little brother?" he asked immediately, and I glanced at Pony again. He was curled up on his side, just about asleep. I lowered my voice, smiling a little. He needed rest. Somehow he'd been up before all of us, but I doubted he'd slept through the night, even though I hadn't had the chance to ask Soda if he'd had nightmares. Each time I'd gone in, he'd been sound asleep.

"He's okay…or he will be." Pony didn't stir when I spoke. "That's what I need to talk to you about."

"Yes…I've been on the phone with the state. Would you be able to come to my office today?"

I hesitated. "I really don't want to leave him alone today," I told the officer softly, keeping my eyes on my nearly asleep brother. "I mean…if I can bring him…but he's awfully tired."

Officer Charlton's voice softened. "That's not a problem. I understand," he assured me. "I can be at your house in about an hour if that's okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Thank you, sir."

I hung up, standing and grabbing a blanket off the back of the couch and covering him up. He barely moved, and I wondered if he was okay…if Sodapop hadn't been right. Maybe he did need to see a doctor. But to take him to the doctor I needed custody. At the moment we were kind of in a weird place…I half felt that if I didn't say anything, then no one would come for him. If we were quiet enough, we could get away with just keeping him for three more years. But that wasn't fair, not to any of us, especially not Ponyboy. I wouldn't be able to take him to the doctor or even get him in school. No way. He needed to know where we stood…I did too. So as nice as it would be to pretend that everything was fine and he was home for good, we couldn't do it.

I let him sleep for about thirty minutes while I cleaned the kitchen, trying to be quiet, then got dressed and made my bed. When a half hour had passed, I decided to wake him, knowing he'd want to be awake and dressed when the cop got here. So I shook his shoulder, sitting down beside him so I wouldn't be towering over him. I hated that I had to even consider that…but it was how I acted with Johnny so at least I had some experience. "Pone? Wake up," I urged quietly, and he jerked awake, eyes wide as he looked around. He didn't look scared, though, so I was grateful for that at least.

"Hey…" His voice was rough and kind of tired, but other than that he sounded okay. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah. Officer Charlton's gonna be here soon." I ruffled his hair and jumped to my feet, heading over to the coffee table and grabbing a couple of glasses that Two-Bit and Steve must have left on the table at some point. I didn't ask Pony to help clean up, but he grabbed the blanket, folding it and throwing it neatly over the back of the sofa, as familiar as I was with this routine. He'd probably only be in the living room, so I focused on that, me grabbing a vacuum and Pony running into his room to get dressed. He came out in a pair of jeans in a long sleeved shirt, his blond hair flopping in his face, and I chuckled when he fought with it, trying to shove it back.

"Blond, huh? Never pictured you as a blond."

His ears went a dull red and he shoved some of it behind his ear. "Me either," he muttered as I wrapped the vacuum cord up, putting it out of the way in the corner. He grabbed a rag and ran it over the coffee table and then the top of the TV and the radio, carefully moving the photos on top of a shelf as he dusted that too. I refolded the newspaper and put it back more neatly, then nearly tripped over Soda's shoes. Cursing at my other brother, I put them by the door by mine and Pony's, making sure my tool belt was hanging up and not on the floor.

Once the living room was cleaned up, I paused and looked around, nodding. "That ought to do it." He was pushing his hair back again and I grinned. "Why don't you grease it?"

He shrugged, but headed into the bathroom, grabbing some grease and combing it back. I headed into the kitchen, opening the fridge and staring aimlessly, then heading over to the cabinets. We were kind of low on food but I didn't think Officer Charlton was gonna care. He wasn't a social worker. I had to keep telling myself that…he wasn't a social worker. Pony and I could go to the grocery after he left and it would be fine. He wasn't going to take my brother away.

Ponyboy came into the kitchen and I had to grin a little. He looked about twelve with blond hair, and from the look on his face he knew it too. I patted his shoulder. "Maybe we can dye it back," I offered.

He rolled his eyes. "I ain't dying my hair like a girl," he grumbled.

I was about to reply that he'd had no trouble bleaching it when there was a knock on the door, and Pony went stiff. "Hey, he's not a social worker. Okay? He ain't gonna take you away," I assured him, rubbing his back, his hair forgotten. He nodded, crossing his arms uncomfortably. "It's okay." I didn't have time to comfort him anymore than that so I left it alone, heading into the living room to answer the door.

On our porch was Officer Charlton, dark bags under his eyes telling me that apparently he'd slept about as much as I had. I shook his hand, grateful that he was still willing to help us. "Officer Charlton," I greeted.

"Hello, Darrel." He smiled, shaking my hand, then glanced past me to my little brother who was standing in the middle of the living room, arms crossed. I stepped back, inviting the cop in, and shut the door behind him. "Ponyboy Curtis." Officer Charlton grinned at him, holding out a hand, and Pony seemed to take a deep breath, relaxing as he took the cop's hand.

"Hello, Officer." He didn't much like cops, but I knew he'd always be polite to them. Besides, this one had helped us, and he knew we owed him a lot.

"I have to say, it's good to see you, Mr. Curtis. We all thought…well, I'm glad you're alright."

Pony stared at the carpet, muttering a 'thank you,' and I gestured for the cop to take a seat in the recliner while I led Pony over to the sofa. I noticed the cop's eyes on my hand that rested on my brother's shoulder, and how he sat right next to me, our arms almost touching, like he was hoping I'd protect him. I would. As much as I could, I would protect him.

"Is Richard in jail?" Pony asked before Officer Charlton could say anything else and I glanced over at him, concerned. Across from us, Officer Charlton nodded, looking real serious.

"Richard is in custody and he won't be getting out for a long time."

Pony kept staring down at his feet, but he nodded.

"What about the state?" I asked, leaning in. "Have you talked to anyone there?"

"With Richard and your social worker under investigation, Ponyboy is technically in the custody of the State of Oklahoma." Beside me, Ponyboy flinched, and I put an arm around him, gratified when he relaxed a little. "I have a meeting with a representative from Social Services this afternoon, and another one tomorrow where I will recommend that you regain custody of your brother. I've spoken to a social worker on the phone already this morning."

I nodded…I couldn't ask for much more.

"Am I gonna have to go back to the boy's home?" Pony asked, his voice small and defeated, and I clenched my jaw, hating this more than anything. He was scared to death somebody was going to take him away again. So was I…and so were the rest of the guys. I couldn't imagine Soda coming home and having to tell him that Pony was gone again. I prayed it didn't happen…that Officer Charlton didn't make me into a liar.

The cop leaned in, looking my brother right in the eye. "Honestly…I don't know, Ponyboy. I hope not. I'm going to do my best to make sure you get to stay right here. There will be a hearing, probably sooner rather than later, and it's possible that you would have to stay in the boy's home until the hearing, but you would have visiting rights this time."

Pony just nodded, jaw tight.

"We really appreciate this, Officer Charlton," I told him softly, leaning back against the sofa. Pony stayed where he was, hunched over and scared.

"Of course Darrel." The cop nodded. "There is one thing, though…" He glanced at Ponyboy who took a moment to make eye contact. He couldn't seem to keep eye contact, not with me or Soda, and not with the police officer. He was trying though…I didn't even want to think about why that would be so hard for him. "We have your foster sister's statement, Ponyboy, but it would help our case if we could get yours as well." I couldn't help noticing how my brother tensed beside me and I rested a hand on his back. "It wouldn't have to be right now…"

"Maybe later this week…" I suggested, looking down at my little brother who was staring up at me, eyes wide and scared. "You don't have to talk about it just yet, Pony. Sodapop can be here too, and…"

Suddenly he shook his head, something flashing in his eyes…going hard. "Soda ain't gotta be here. I'll do it now." He told us, turning to the cop. "Can we just do it now?"

Officer Charlton hesitated for a moment, looking between us with something like pity in his eyes. After a moment, though, he nodded, pulling out his notebook.

"Sure, Ponyboy. We can do it now."

I squeezed my brother's arm, giving him a look he had to fight to return. "You don't have to, kiddo. You can do it another time." Honestly, I didn't know if I was ready. I knew he would need to talk about what had happened to him at that hellhole…it would help our case to get him back, and it would help him get past it, but I was afraid. I was afraid he was gonna break when he finally relived all of it. I was afraid he wasn't gonna be able to tell it. And I was afraid that he was never gonna be better…back to his old self.

And why didn't he want Sodapop to be there? He always wanted Soda around…those two were real close and he talked to Soda about almost everything. What had happened that he didn't want Sodapop to know? I mean…I'd be there. I'd listen. And I was glad he didn't mind me being around and listening. He seemed somewhat comforted that I was with him. But why not Soda?

Either way, I kept my arm around him. If he wanted to talk to the cop now and get it over with, that was alright with me.

"Okay Ponyboy. Why don't you start with your first week with Richard and his family."