AN: Here you go, guys. Next chapter may be up tonight, but probably tomorrow. We'll see how things go. Oh, the possibilities...
Chapter 9
I rub the skin on my arm, it always feels funny after having the weight of the cast off. I walk into the car quietly and he starts the car without a word. "Mouth off to me again." He challenges. I don't answer, I just stare out the window. He takes one hand off the wheel and slams my head into the dashboard repeatedly, "I swear, one of these days I'm just gonna kill you, you pain-in-the-ass." Without another word, he guns the gas and swerves into a tree. The last thing I think is 'He's really going to kill us'. Then the only sound is crunching of metal and the sound of shattering glass. Then it all fades into darkness…
Soda's POV
"Steve, get the door!" Two-Bit calls as a the pounding starts.
"Johnny get the door!" Steve calls. Johnny mutters something and walks over to the door, all three feet. He opens the door and stutters,
"D-Darry, what's wrong?" I jump up and stalk over to the door. Sure enough, my big brother is standing there, looking about to fall to pieces. Like I care.
"What do you want?"
"Come with me." He demands. I stand up to my full height, which at fourteen isn't all that much, and cross my arms defiantly,
"I ain't going nowhere with you." I declare. He looks annoyed at me,
"Soda, we're going to see Pony. He's in the hospital. Get. In. The. Car." He hisses. Within half a second the whole gang's in the car.
"We're here to see Ponyboy Curtis." Darry states authoritatively as we run into the ER. The receptionist looks up at us and says in an equally demanding voice,
"A doctor will see you in a moment. Have a seat." Darry grits his teeth in annoyance and I pace. How can they expect us to sit around and wait when Ponyboy is in the hospital and we have no idea what's wrong with him? Finally, a man in a white coat with thinning hair and a stern look on his face waves his clipboard at us,
"Are you here for Ponyboy Curtis?" He asks as we walk over. Darry answers,
"Yes, how is he? Is he alright?" The doctor says softly,
"I think we best talk in my office." He has only the intention of talking with Darry. Darry. The reason we have no idea what's going on. I don't think so.
"We're all coming." Steve declares meanly, saving me from saying it. The doctor sighs and leads us into a small room with a metal desk and two chairs, not enough for us. We lean against the wall, except for Darry and Dally, who take the chairs without question. The doctor leans back in his chair and looks at us all for a moment before starting in.
"There was a car accident, Pony's father's truck went a hundred miles an hour into a tree. Ponyboy is still unconscious, suffering from internal bleeding, bruising, lacerations, and several fractures in his ribs and two in his right leg. There's a possibility of a concussion, but we won't know for sure until he wakes up. He's having blood transfusions and pain killers and food for malnutrition pumped into his system and he's got oxygen to help him breath. He's also hooked up to a heart monitor so we can make sure he's alright. His father has a broken arm and is currently sitting in jail."
"Why?" Two-Bit asks, making me thankful I didn't have to ask. The doctor says regretfully,
"I had hoped maybe you'd understand…it wasn't really an accident. Mr. Lilc had every intention of driving into that tree. He had every intention of killing Ponyboy." The room is silent, anger pulsing through it. "I suppose I should warn you, in case you do see him when the bandages come off. I already said he's malnourished, he'll need to gain about fifty pounds to be healthy again. He's covered in bruises, cuts, burns, and scars that occurred before the accident."
"We want to see him." Dally's hard voice is even harder than usual, I never thought that was possible. "We want to see him now." The doctor nods thoughtfully and leads us down the corridor into the pediatric unit. The room has one bed, on which a small figure lays perfectly still, the only sound the constant beeping of a heart monitor.
"Ponyboy, your brothers are here." He turns to us and says, "I don't know if he can hear you, but it can't hurt." Then he leaves the room. I walk up to the motionless form, his eyes open slowly and he smiles.
"Pony! Baby, are you alright?" The minute I say it, I know it's a stupid question. I sit down and he slides his head onto my lap contentedly. I stroke his hair and Johnny says quietly,
"They still think you're unconscious." Pony nods quietly,
"I know." He doesn't say much, but he's staring at Darry. I don't see any hate in his eyes, just this look like he can't believe Darry's standing there.
"He get you pretty good, kid?" Steve asks blatantly, never having been good at finesse. Dally smacks him upside the head as Pony wordlessly moves closer to me.
"Is he here?" His eyes are wide in terror. I stroke his hair quietly again,
"No, honey, he's in jail. He can't hurt you no more." Pony whimpers and mutters to himself more than anybody else,
"He's gonna get me now." Darry growls protectively,
"I'll kill him if he tries." Ponyboy doesn't look impressed,
"He's bigger than you." He whimpers as Dallas punches the wall wildly.
"Why's it always us? Always them?" He demands uselessly, nobody knows the answer. A nurse comes in and she smiles,
"I see you've miraculously awaken." She says slyly, and he smiles. "Alright, I let them all think you were unconscious, now let me check you over and make sure you don't have a concussion." He nods, burrowing even closer to me. I hold him, showing him I'm never going to let him go again. She sits in a chair,
"What is your name?"
"Ponyboy Michael Curtis, ma'am." He answers softly.
"Ok, do you know what day it is?"
"When we crashed it was the seventh day of February. How many days have passed?"
"It's the next day." She tells him kindly. "Now, honey, I've got to fix up your bandages." Ponyboy looks down in shame and turns over with difficulty, having to maneuver a cast on his right leg. The nurse reaches down to pull off the blanket and Pony flinches, expecting to be hit. "Easy, sweetheart, it's alright…" she soothes him as she pulls away the blankets and unties the strings of his hospital gown. All he's got on under it is a pair of underpants. Bruises flower and splash across his body, barely leaving a patch of unharmed skin. Angry red welts slash through his back, the scars and cuts sketch a grid into his skin. Triangular burn marks and boils rise up occasionally, handprints sprawl across his neck, looking like somebody had tried to choke him. His ribs protrude horribly, his stomach sinks in violently. I stagger against the wall and turn my face away. I feel like I'm going to throw up. I can't take it. I run out of the room.
I lean against the wall and slide down, not caring that people are staring at the greaser sobbing in the hallway. Screw them. A hand is on my shoulder and I look up to see Steve standing there, looking at me in concern. He holds out his hand and I let him drag me into a standing position.
"Are you alright, Soda?" I choke back another sob,
"D-did y-y-you see him? Did y-you see what that ma-monster did to my baby brother?" Steve nods and squeezes my shoulder gently,
"Yeah, buddy, I saw. He didn't deserve that. Nobody deserves that."
"I'll kill him, Steve. I swear, if I ever see him…"
"There's not time for that right now, Soda. You scared Pony. He thinks you're mad at him." I feel my stomach sink. Some brother I am. This is all my fault. If I had taken care of him, like I promised I would, he would still be safe. It's all my fault.
AN: There you go. Pony has been 'saved' and the gang knows. I bet that was a different rescue than expected. Continue with the lurvely reviews!