"Hey, little boy!" I had just gotten back from an away game. I decided I could finish out my season. Actually, Rick said it would look bad if I didn't. I slammed my helmet down. It was a pretty day. One of those rare days in fall where everything was changing but the weather was nice. Pony was sitting by the window with a nurse. It really didn't surprise me, every nurse in here thought he was just adorable. This nurse wasn't exactly new she was always in here. She was younger but probably older than me.

"Hi, Darry," she said tying up her brown hair.

"Hi, Beth." I tossed my football bag on the ground.

"Hey, you aren't you going to say hi to Darry?" Beth asked.

Ponyboy waved with one hand then put it back on the small screen.

"What's going on?" I asked picking up Pony and sitting back down.

"He noticed it was a nice day," Beth answered.

I looked down at him. He was staring out the window; he was miles away. I felt bad for him. I would have loved to be outside right now if I were thirteen.

"Isn't there anyway I could take him out, just for a little while, I mean, he's let the police and doctors near him."

Beth frowned. "I don't know. It's rare that we ever let out patients out but he's not physically sick, except for a broken leg."

My stomach turned, he might not have been physically sick, but he was mentally sick. I watched my little brother look out the window. I couldn't remember the last time he laughed, or smiled genuinely.

"Hey kid, I got you something." Dallas Winston tossed a candy bar down next to the window.

"Hi, Dal." I nodded toward his shadow. Johnny hardly ever spoke anymore. Not since some socs got a hold of him.

"So, Ponyboy, I hear you want to take a trip outside?" Doctor Marks said. He knelt down next to Pony placing a comforting hand on his back.

"I'll let you guys go out until it gets dark then come back." He looked me straight in the eye. "I have your word you won't run off to Mexico or anything?"

"Yes, sir!" I scooped Pony up.

"Here." Dally put his hat on his head, and I put my hood up. It wasn't the greatest costume but if the press showed, at least they would have trouble seeing who was who. I already couldn't wear my football number outside or they would be at my back for information. Dally stepped in front of me leading us out of the room, down the stair well with Johnny close to my side.

"Where too?" I asked there wasn't too much to do.

"Let just go for a ride, I got Bucks car." He opened the door to a black t bird.

"He knows you have it, right?"

Dally grinned. "Sure, he does." Buck didn't know.

"Hey, we could go to Soda's." Johnny suggested. "No one would know to look there for Pony."

We pulled up to Soda's foster parent's house. Charlotte was sitting on the front porch her armed wrapped around my kid brother. They were watching the little kids leap all over the yard. Soda darted off the porch when he saw us get out of the car.

"PONYBOY!" He shrieked hugging him and swinging him by the arms.

Charlotte put her hands on hips. "You didn't sneak him out did you?"

"No, doctor gave us permission," I answered. "Soda take it easy with him."

Soda dropped Pony to his feet. "Let's do something."

"Not far!" I hollered after him. "No, smoking either."

Charlotte nodded. "We're trying for Ponyboy."

My bottom lip curled, I pulled it in and tried to suck it. "I guess that's good."

"You're not happy?"

"It's a good place, but it's not home, home's with me, and I believe I can take care of them. I just need a chance." I buried my face in my hands. "I'm with Pony all the time, I see Soda everyday. What proof do they need, I'm willing to give up football, anything." I felt Charlottes hand on my shoulder. "If I had the money, I'd take them and run."

As promised, I took Pony back to the hospital by dark. He fell asleep with Soda on the couch, so I ended up carrying him to the hospital. I couldn't even remember the last time I slept in my bed. Pony woke up screaming with nightmares almost every night.

"Dally, why are you still here?"

He took a long drag of his cigarette. "Kid doesn't talk, I find it peaceful."

I stifled a laugh, I guess old Dally, had a soft spot.

The story of the drug bust and Pony seemed to spread like the black plague. Everyone wanted to know our story, I mean everyone, the social workers and police have made statements but we never did. Soda was being followed around school; I couldn't even do foot ball interviews anymore. I picked up the paper this morning; it was a morning routine, coffee and get paper before heading off to school. I looked down at the front-page headlines; there it was printed in black ink. Ponyboy Curtis Watches Brother's Game a picture of him and Soda sitting there watching me play, and even two smaller photos of me holding him after the game; something inside of me just burst, I got into the car and drove to Soda's.

Rick was sitting at the table I slammed the paper down. "What the hell, He's thirteen, he's not James Dean!"

"Did you read the article?" Rick asked calmly.

I shook my head. "Darry Curtis captain and star athletes comforted his frightened brother after his game. Darry, sometimes there are cases that the entire world hears about, and they become famous, this is one of them; this article helps your image. You want your brothers back; you keep doing what you're doing. The public wants to hear from you, all of you."

I rubbed the back of Soda's head. "I got school, have a good day kiddo." I thanked Rick and slipped out the door.

I was in the locker room shoving my stuff together in a bag, when a brown haired man approached me. "If you want the NFL plans I don't have anything, if you want me to comment about Ponyboy, no comment," I said. I was getting more and more aggravated by the reporters.

He flipped something open. "The name is Nick Smith; I'm the detective with the Tulsa police."

"Sorry, it's just"

"I know," he said. "I hear your brother has a problem with police."

"Yeah, with strangers really," I answered.

Nick nodded; He slipped something into my hand. "When we bust his foster parents, we found a list of two other big times on their list, we got them earlier this day, we found pictures, is this your brother's back?" I answered.

I looked at the child in the picture, he was frail, I couldn't see his face or even his hair, and a hat hid it. It dawned on me that, I never saw the kid's back. The nurses showered him while I was at practice or school, and his gown was big on him. The only thing I really saw was his collarbone that was bruised. I shook my head, "I don't know."

Detective Nick nodded. "If it is, he'll have scars to match it; this was done with thick leather. I need you to let me look at his back, take pictures. If need be."

I lead him to Pony's room. Dally and Johnny were in there with him. Pony grinned when he saw me, but it quickly faded when Detective Nick walked behind me.

"Baby," I lowered myself on to his bed. "This is a friend; he needs to see your back."

Pony shook his fiercely and backed away, I grabbed him by his arm and pulled him too me. "Please Pony, don't fight this one."

The detective got down to his eye level. "Look son, you won't talk to us, so we have to find out a way to put the people who hurt you away, for a long time. We might be able to prove they hurt you if you let us look at your back. You want them gone don't you?"

I watched as Pony stood up, he blanched the gently let down the top of his gown; Nick looked as the picture and frowned, suddenly he looked like he wanted to puke. They matched, the scars and the picture matched. I pulled Pony close to me as he finished up the pictures.

"Son, I'm going to make sure these people get locked up and never come out."

I followed the detective out. "What does this mean?" I asked.

He ran a hand through his silver hair. "It means your brother was severely abused."

I felt my stomach tumble; I got a sick taste in my mouth.

"Darrel." Her voice was sharp. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Evening, Mrs. Miller. I'm going back to my brother's room." I couldn't figure out why she even bothered to come. The social services only started trouble.

"I can have you arrested, kidnapping, child endangerment. I assume you read the paper this morning."

I nodded. "He's my brother; I have a right to spend time with him."

"No, he is in the custody of the state."

"I don't see a social worker staying with him during this little stay in the hospital."

"You leave this hospital with your brother again, I will have you arrested."

"Ma'am, when my brother leaves the hospital next; it's because I'm going to take him home."

She laughed. "You aren't qualified to raise that child."

"I don't come with qualifications, I'm his brother, you may have denied me custody once, but I will take this all the way to the Supreme Court if I have too, I'm not going home, until my brothers are with me. I'm not going to stop fighting for them. I know where they belong, it's pretty obvious you don't, you're the ones who placed him in the hands of Satan."