I was rudely awaken by someone's foot connecting with my bad shoulder. I cried out, jerking upright, biting back a howl.
"Sorry!" Pony yelped, crouching down next to me.
I was about to open my mouth to say something, when pain shot right down my arm, forcing me to bite down hard to keep from screaming. Instead, I got to my feet and slammed the bathroom door shut, leaning heavily on it.
"Jo, I'm sorry," Pony shouted through the door. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I took deep breaths, trying to keep from saying something I'd regret later. I walked over to the shower and turned it on, carefully removing my arm from the sling. It'd been over a week and I was tired of trying to keep from knocking the damn arm. So I stuck it under the cold water, hissing at the sting that came from the entry wound. I let the water sooth the ache out of my muscles, deciding there and then to take a shower.
I took an exceptionally long time, making a mental note to pay Darry for the water involved in such a long shower. Half way through, the pain was unbearable. I sat down in the tub, letting the cold water hammer down on my body. The shampoo finally rinsed from my hair, giving me enough motivation to get out and get dried off.
Rather than try to get my arm back in the sling, I held it against my body, still trying to keep from screaming with how awful it hurt. I walked into the kitchen and saw Pony looking at me with big, scared eyes.
"Stop it, kid," I snapped, walking over to the counter, trying to figure out how I would pour a cup of coffee while holding my arm in place. "Ain't your fault anyway."
"I am sorry, Jo," he said, rushing over to pour the coffee for me.
"I know," I said before sitting down. I tried to move my shoulder, but the pain was just too much. I wound up letting my arm rest in my lap while I sipped the bitter liquid in front of me.
"What the hell," Steve grumbled, walking into the kitchen. "Can't anyone sleep past six around here?"
"Shut up," I snapped, too tired and too sore to deal with his attitude.
"Ouch, who shit in your coffee this morning?" he asked bitterly.
"I accidently kicked her shoulder when I got up," Pony said, looking at the floor. I noticed how Steve's expression changed.
"How bad does it hurt?" he asked, his tone way too soft.
"A lot," I sighed. I normally wasn't one to admit something like that to the guys, but it was beginning to worry me. A lot.
"Lemme see," Soda said. The door slamming must have woken him up. I looked at him with pleading eyes. Everyone knew Soda could put anyone to sleep when he gave them a massage, but the last thing I wanted was him touching my bad shoulder. "Trust me," he said gently taking my arm in his hands.
I hissed, trying to keep from throwing a punch at his face, when moments later, the pain was much more tolerable. I half closed my eyes, breathing a sigh of relief as the pain nearly vanished.
"Sodapop Curtis, I swear to god, if you weren't so damn good with cars, I'll tell you to become a masseuse," I breathed, a smile creeping on my face.
"Told ya," he said, pulling away gently. I flexed my fingers, smiling at how easy the motion was now. I even went as far as to pick up my cup. It didn't hurt like it did the past week.
"Thanks," I said, smiling up at him. He gave that movie star grin. "Pony, stop moping," I added, throwing him a smile.
"I'm still sorry," he muttered, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.
"Apologize one more time, and I'll give ya something to be sorry about, kid," I teased. I stood up, tripping over Greaser, who must have followed Soda into the kitchen.
"Dog, move," I said, nudging him with my foot. He went under the table, wagging his tail eagerly. I went back to the bedroom and picked up Michelle, who was still half asleep. "Rise and shine sleeping beauty," I smiled, letting her cuddle into my chest.
"Who's cooking?" Mary asked, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
"Why don't you cook for once?" I asked. Mary was a…creative cook to say the least. She could turn almost any combination of food into something that tasted good. I saw her eagerly go to the ice box and fish around for something to cook.
"When was the last time anyone cleaned?" she asked, crinkling her nose as she pulled out a rotten tomato.
"Uh," Pony started laughing before he could come up with a good explanation. I shook my head, nearly walking face first into Two-Bit's chest as he came around the corner.
"Morning," he said, grinning wildly.
"Mornin'," I said, smiling. I laid Michelle on the sofa, where I knew she'd wind up dropping off again, before heading back towards the bedrooms. Darry hated sleeping late, especially when there was a lot to get done. I noticed his door was partially opened, something he never normally did.
"Dar?" I called softly. I got no response, so I opened the door a little wider. "Darry?" Still no response. I walked over to the other side of the bed, so in the event I startled him, I wasn't at risk of getting swung at. "C'mon Darry, get up," I said softly, shaking him gently. As soon as my hand touched his arm, I noticed how warm he was. I reached up and placed the back of my hand on his forehead. He was burning up. "C'mon Dar, wake up, just for a minute," I pleaded, sitting on the edge of his bed. He looked awfully pale, even in the dim light coming through the blinds.
"Everything okay?" Soda asked, his expression changing when he caught sight of the look on my face.
"He's burnin' up," I sighed, shaking my head. "Go fetch a cold cloth, would ya?"
When Soda returned a minute later, I was still trying to get Darry to wake up, just long enough to find out just how bad he felt. I placed the cloth on his forehead, talking softly, just like both of our mothers had done over the years.
"C'mon Dar, just for a minute," I said softly, running my fingers through his hair. He groaned and turned a little green. I moved out of the way just in time, as he lurched from the bed, narrowly making it to the bathroom in time.
Soda looked a little startled as I pushed him down the hall.
"Get the girls and Pony and go keep yourselves busy for a while, okay? No sense in all of you catching whatever bug Darry's got," I instructed. Soda nodded, seeming grateful that he wasn't the one who had to deal with this. This was up my alley. It was something I could handle just fine. I walked into the bathroom and knelt down next to Darry, handing him a glass of water while I pressed the cloth back to his forehead.
"Urgh," he moaned. He looked awful.
"Easy," I said gently. It would have been funny, if he didn't look so bad. "When did you start feeling sick?" I asked, getting right to the point.
"A few days ago, I guess," he muttered as he leaned against the bathtub, his face still a bit green.
"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked. I didn't get a response though, since a moment later, he was hugging the toilet again. I sighed and got up, digging through the medicine cabinet for the thermometer.
"Open up," I said, sticking the thermometer under his tongue. When it beeped, I was relieved to see it was only a slight fever, just barely over 101. I nodded to myself, figuring it was just the flu.
"Bed, now," I ordered, helping him to his feet, careful not to use my bad arm. "I'll be in in a second."
"When did you become a mom?" he grumbled, but did as I said.
"About 3 years ago," I chuckled, walking into the kitchen to get a cup of water and fish out the bucket I knew was under the sink.
"Superman sick?" Steve asked. I thought I told Soda to get everyone outta the house? Everyone was crowded around the table instead.
"Yeah, reckon it's the flu," I shrugged. "He'll be fine, permitting I can convince him to actually rest for a few days."
"Can he afford to rest for a few days?" Pony asked. A moment later, he cried out. Soda shot him a dirty look.
"Yes, he can actually," I said, shaking my head. "Keep it down, okay?" I instructed as I found the bucket and proceeded to set it down next to Darry's bed. I set the glass on the nightstand, before drawing the blinds to drown out the light from the rising sun.
"Jo?" Darry asked. He sounded so young. I spun around, to find him watching me.
"Huh?" I asked, moving towards him.
"You'll be a great mom one day," he said sleepily.
"Shush now, that's the fever talkin'," I smiled, pulling his blankets up over him. "Get some rest, I'll see that the house stays quiet today. Just holler if you need somethin', we'll be running back and forth trying to get the house sorted out today."
"Shit, I forgot that was today," Darry said, trying to sit up.
"Ah, I don't think so," I said, gently pushing him back down. "You, my friend, are sleeping, you hear? You need to rest up so you can fix my roof," I smiled.
"Urgh," he moaned. I felt sad seeing him like that, but quickly reminded myself that he was a grown man, not a little kid.
"Shh, sleep," I instructed as I walked out of his room, closing his door softly behind me.
"Mama?" Mickey's voice distracted me right when I was about to grab something to eat.
"Mickey Mouse, I'm not mama," I said gently, tired of her little game.
"Mama Jo," she smiled up at me with those bright eyes. I couldn't help but smile back.
"You know missy, you're startin' to play the same card Soda used to pull," I laughed as I scooped her up. "The whole, stare and smile like a movie star act."
"Hey!" Soda cried from the table.
"Shh, what did I say about keepin' it down?" I hissed, throwing a glance back towards the bedrooms.
"He's really sick, huh?" Pony asked.
"Yeah, I'd reckon so," I said, setting Michelle down on Mary's lap. "So who would rather babysit than help move furniture?" I asked, hoping someone would volunteer. I hated forcing Mary to babysit when I knew good and well she'd want to move her own stuff.
"It depends, babysit Mickey, or Darry too?" Two-Bit laughed.
"Not funny," I took a swat at him. "I need someone to watch Mickey while we move stuff," I stated.
"I'll do it if I can have a friend over," Mary piped up, taking me by surprise.
"What friend?" I asked, watching her carefully.
"Angela," Mary said carefully.
"No," I said simply, shaking my head.
"You don't even know her!" Mary snapped.
"Angela Shepard, right?" I asked, giving her a dirty look when she nodded. "I know her enough to know my little sister is not going to be hanging out with the likes of that no good -,"
"Whoa!" Soda said, waving towards Michelle, keeping me from spewing the swears that almost left my lips.
"No, Mary Beth, no," I said simply. "But you are babysitting."
"But," she looked at me angrily.
"But nothing." That was the end of it. I made a mental note to talk to her about her so called friends once things were all sorted out. I grabbed Darry's keys off the counter, before nodding at Soda.
"We'll do it in shifts, so I don't have too many people in the house at once…" I said, looking between the guys. "Who's willing to move stuff out of the old house?"
Steve stepped forward, along with Pony, but Soda had a strange look on his face. I knew he felt the same way I did.
"Alright, me, Pony and Steve will get things loaded into the truck, drive it to the new house, where you and Two-Bit will help unload," I said, thinking it sounded like a good plan.
"Think we'll be able to manage shorthanded?" Two-Bit asked skeptically. I was about to answer when someone honked outside. I slid out the front door, surprised at what I saw.