Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the respected owners. No copy write intended.

Chapter 13

Darry comes over, Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally moving and everyone leaving the room. Leaving us alone. He takes my hands in his and looks me in the eyes. "Damn it girl you had me scared."

He places his forehead on mine, eyes closed before he kisses me. Every ounce of love he felt for me I can feel through this one kiss. I return it, showing him just how much he means to me. It seemed like only seconds passed before he pulls away. Foreheads touching, noses brushing, and panted breath mingling between us. Darry's voice cracks as he starts to say something, before he stops and tries again quietly. "I thought I'd lost you."

I place my hands on his cheeks and wait until his eyes are looking into mine. "You're never going to lose me Darrel Curtis, you're stuck with me."

He smiles, pulling me to him gently so not to hurt me. Shifting around, he sits behind me, cradling me in his arms. "I love you Esmeralda Hayes."

"I love you Darrel Curtis."

We sat like that for I don't know how long. Just wrapped up in being with each other again finally. It was awhile before the doctor came in. I feel Darry tense up behind me and I rub his arm around me waist soothingly.

"Well hello there. It's good to see you awake! I'm Doctor James. How are you feeling Miss Hayes?"

I smile. "Esmeralda please. I feel okay. Groggy and a bit hungry. My body feels kind of stiff and numb too."

She nods with a smile, writing down everything I say. "Well Esmeralda you can call me Haley. Do you feel at all nauseous or faint? Dizzy?"

I shake my head. "No just a bit groggy and hungry. I was told I was asleep for two days?"

She nods. "Yes, you where unconscious from blood loss when a Mr…" She looks at her sheet. I smile. "Dallas Winston. We call him Dally."

She nods. "Dally…when he brought you in you had been stabbed in the lower abdomen and has lost a lot of blood. Another half hour and you would have died from blood lose. You were rushed into surgery. The sedative we gave you plus the amount of blood you lost from your wound and surgery took a toll. I expected you to be out for another day at least."

I nod, taking in all the information. Haley takes a step forwards her clipboard by her side. "I'm not sure what these men have told you but in your surgery…. We had to sew you up in a lot of places. It looks as if you were stabbed and the knife was twisted. I have to know whether this was self-inflicted or if you were attacked."

I look back at Darry, who nods at me encouragingly and pulls me tighter to him. I take a deep breath and look at my lap. "I was stabbed by a man."

She nods. "I'm sorry but I have to call the police. It's policy. If you don't wish to press charges on the man, then you will have to tell the police officer who comes to take your statement. You should be able to leave day after tomorrow if nothing goes wrong."

She leaves and Darry and I are alone once again. I turn in his arms, resting my cheek on his chest and my hand over his heart. I can feel the steady beat as it lulls me to sleep. The gang comes in right as I start to fade into sleep.

"Who did this Essie?" I open my eyes to see Johnny and Dally next to the bed, looking at me expectantly. I sigh and shake my head, pushing against Johnny's face to make him go away. He grabs my hand and pulls it down to his chest, a determined look on his face. "Essie who hurt you?"

My eye lids became too heavy as I started to fade away into sleep. Right before I completely passed out into dream land I breathed out the answer I never wanted to say to Johnny. To any of them.

"Your father."