.::I do not own The Outsiders::.

"If I smile and don't believe
Soon I know I'll wake from this dream
Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken"

Sodapop pursed his lips, "You sure you don't need me to come with you guys?"

"It'll be ok, you go ahead to work. I'll fill you in with the details later ok?"

Steve groaned, "Cmon Soda! The kid will be fine, just has boogeyman fears like every other kid."

Soda frowned, "You have no idea how his nightmares are Steve so just shut it. Let's go then."

The door slammed close, Darry grunted not understanding how Steve could say things like that without knowing what was really going on, he was sure Soda and Steve would have some sort of discussion since Sodapop was so protective of Pony now allowing anyone to talk about him like that.

Dally was eating breakfast next to Pony sucking on his bottle with his foot pajamas, "I'm scawed Dally. What if the doctur wants to cut me open like in da movies?"

Darry cursed in his mind for letting Pony watch a scary movie with the guys not so long ago giving him those ideas. Dally chuckled , "Naah, she's just gonna make sure you ain't sick. You have to be tuff like us greasers. Got it?"

Pony tried making a tuff face but only ended up making a goofy one making Darry laugh, "You look mighty tuff."

Dally smirked, "Just take it easy. Well thank you for breakfast see ya later greasers."

Pony pouted, "Don't weave, can't ya come with us to da doctur?"

Darry shrugged, "If you want to come it's fine by me."

Dally thought for a moment, actually he really didn't have anything else to do. He was actually worried over Ponyboy (Not admitting it to himself though),after they told him that the kid needed to see a head doctor for his recurring nightmares. Ah what the hell.

"Fine, I'll come."

Pony clapped his hands, "Good. Don't wowy, the doctur won't stick a needle in you."

Dally chuckled, "Doc better not."

Darry had contacted a child therapist for Pony, he explained on the phone what was the problem. On how he would wake up screaming, most of the time he couldn't remember his dreams only saying they were scary. Dally seated himself in the waiting room already flipping through a magazine, Darry grasped his little brother's hand when the therapist arrived, it was a woman about thirty years, her hair was light brown with soft blue eyes. She looked really nice to Ponyboy, "Hello my name is Laura Jenkins, you must be Darrel I talked over the phone."

Darry cringed at hearing her name, it was also his mother's, "Uh yeah, nice to meet you. Darrel Curtis and this is Ponyboy."

Pony shyly stuck out his hand, "Hi."

Laura gently accepted his handshake, "Let's get started, I only need Ponyboy alone. You wait there with your..friend." She said nodding at Dally.

Darry hesitantly went back worried for Pony, he wasn't very good socializing without his brothers or friends around. Dally patted his back noticing his concern, "Don't worry , kid will be fine."

Pony was taken to a small room, it reminded him of his day care, there was a small seat, Laura told him to sit down. She seated herself next to him then gave him a blank piece of paper with crayons. "Why don't you draw me your family ok? You think you can do that for me hun?"

Pony nodded getting started, she observed at how he leaned closely making shapes, sharp lines, color here color there. She also noticed at how patient he was on drawing, most kids would quickly draw a sloppy picture not really caring. This child was different, after some minutes he announced he was done. The therapist thanked him staring at his drawing, he first drew a small crooked house, there was Darry (the biggest) then his other brother (a bit smaller) then himself, she rubbed her chin seeing that he drew himself very small. Then she saw he had drawn his parents outside the house with wings behind them. Apparently in his drawing it was raining.

"It's a lovely drawing Ponyboy, you're a good artist for a child your age."

Pony pursed his lips blushing, "Thank you miss Jenkins."

"Okay then sweetums, I heard you had many bad dreams lately. Do you remember them?"

Pony shook his head looking at the floor nervously, "No I don't."

She knew he remembered some but wanted him to say it himself, "You know Ponyboy, you can't lie. You have to tell the truth. C'mon, are you sure you don't?"

He fidgeted with his shirt finally telling everything feeling pressured, "Um well I kinda maybe do...uh I wemebew dis one time I saw my Mama and Daddee. Dere was a big scawy shadow. I don't like to cwy but I scweamed."

Laura bend forward intrigued, "Why don't you like to cry?"

He looked away, "'Cus I ain't no baby. My fwiends say I am but no! I ain't!"

Laura chuckled softly, "You're not a baby, you're a big boy."

He smiled, "Yeah."

She cleared her throat, "Tell me about your parents in your dream."

"They wewe saying I should be caweful in dis scawy dweam...But sometimes dey tell me dey love me." He began tearing up, "I love 'em too."

Laura pursed her lips, the way he explained himself was so touching, his words had so much emotion, "Do you know what happened to them?"

Ponyboy looked out the window of the small room, "Dey went up dere," He pointed upward, "Mama and Daddee awe angels," saying it silently as if it were some sort of secret.

She quickly turned around wiping away her stinging eyes, not ever had she encountered a case like this before in her career, "Ok Ponyboy, I think we made some progress, " sniff , "today. How about we take you to Darry?"

They walked outside, Ponyboy was eager to get out to see his big brother and friend. Darry snapped his head up hearing footsteps coming closer, he stood up while Pony ran up to him, "Miss Laura is a nice lady. She made me dwa a picture of you and Soda and mama and daddee!"

Laura said, "Darry may I see you in private?"

Darry nodded, "Hey Dal think you can keep an eye on him for some minutes?"

Dally turned to Pony who was placing himself in the seat next to him, "Sure thing Darry, go ahead."

Darry returned to the room where Pony was only this time it was only them alone. He felt nervous hearing what she had to say, he was curious at what they had talked by themselves. Pony wasn't a kid to let loose of what he felt or his dreams. Maybe she really cracked at him.

"Well let's start off with his drawing shall we?" She handed him Pony's drawing, he observed it. It's the whole family...ok...

"It's us. Soda, him, Mom, Dad and I."

"You see the obvious, but I see something else. You have to look at the small things. Look here, he drew you bigger. You know why? You are his authority figure, he looks up to you, your brother..."

Darry filled her in, "Sodapop."

"Soda, he's a bit smaller since he is the middle brother and also looks up to him."

"Oh." He couldn't believe this simple drawing had so many meanings.

"All right now look at Ponyboy, he drew himself so small. It's because he feels so out of place, unwanted. I know you take care of him and so does your brother but you have to understand that losing his parents meant losing so much attention. Parents tend to give all their focus on their small children until they are old enough to obey and let them a bit loose. I believe you work almost all day?"

"Yes...I do."

"And your brother?"

"He works in the morning until three. We leave him in a daycare nearby though."

"This is what I mean, Ponyboy needs more attention. He needs to go out more, you need to demonstrate more love. He drew his parents outside the house with wings obviously saying," Her voice quivered a bit, "saying they were...angels. They are outside because they are no longer interacting with you. Home is where a family should be but here only you three are inside. There are some type of raindrops, it should be a shining sun instead there are clouds with rain representing his state of emotion. Ponyboy is still grieving over your parents. It's understandable, you are old enough to know what is death, he is still too young. So so young...Which is why he has frequent nightmares that are due to not knowing how to deal with his anguish. "

Darry frowned sadly, why hadn't he seen this before? How couldn't he pick up on this? Was he really doing a bad job as a big brother? Attention...I've been too busy with work to not even pay the necessary attention to him, not even Sodapop. Work work work...Oh God...I promised you Mother and Father I would look after him. I'm doing such a lousy job.

Laura interrupted his thoughts, "He naps?"

"Yes about an hour and a half."

"Let's cut it down to forty to an hour. He needs to do many activities, take him out to the park more often, teach him his alphabet-"

"Actually he can read well somewhat, he reads short children's books."

Her eyes widened in amazement, "My oh my... Well give him more challenged books to keep him active, teach him his numbers then maybe buy him coloring books, puzzles. That will wear out his brain making him dreamless. Here-" She handed Darry a new coloring book, "Take this, a present from me to him."

Darry was taken aback but accepted it gratefully, "Thank you."

"I would like for you to come bring him once every two weeks for 3 months all right? Just to check out his progress."

They shook hands, while leaving Pony was already dozing off from boredom, Dally tickled his stomach to wake him up. Darry arrived nudging him, "Wake up you can't sleep now. We have to go. C'mon."

"Noo needles Dawy?" Pony asked.

Darry shook his head smiling sadly, "No needles 'lil colt."

(Sorry for any grammar mistakes)