I was whistling as I stepped out of the elevator and headed down the hall to Soda's room. I was looking forward to spending some time alone with him to see if I could cheer him up. I was thinking I'd take him up to the cafeteria, then borrow his wheelchair and find someone to race. I hadn't seen him truly laugh since he and Darry had tickled Pony at the beach a week ago and I was really starting to miss the sound. I stopped short when I walked in the room and saw Darry and Pony. I was annoyed that they'd ignored my offer to sleep in, but as I took a closer look at them, I started to wonder if that's what had actually happened. Pony was rubbing sleep outta his eyes and Darry's face looked pale and drawn. "Wow, you both look awful. You been here all night or somethin'?" I asked.

Darry nodded, rubbing his face tiredly. "Yeah, we have. Soda had a real bad night. He just fell asleep a couple hours ago." That's when I noticed the IV that was now sticking into my friend's hand.

"What's with that?" I asked, pointing to it. "Just how bad of a night was it?"

"The worst he's had so far," Darry sighed. "He was throwing up all night and he was dizzy again. He's got a fever, too. That's why he has the IV—it's giving him antibiotics. He wasn't happy about it," he added darkly. The poor guy sounded exhausted. I wondered if he'd gotten any sleep at all.

"Do ya know how he got sick?" I asked, perching on the end of the bed, careful not to disturb Soda.

Pony answered me. "The doctor did a blood test. He came by a few minutes ago to tell us it was an infection, not a side effect of the chemo. There's no way to know how he got it, though."

"We're gonna have to be extra careful from now on," Darry told us. "Be real careful about washin' your hands, even when you're not around Soda. I don't want him sick like this again."

"Of course, Darry. Listen," I said, "you guys should go home and get some rest. You both look beat. I'll stay here till Steve shows up."

Darry nodded and stood up. "Thanks, Two-Bit. Call us if there's any problems, okay?"

"Yeah, sure thing." He started out of the room, Ponyboy following behind him. I put my hand on the kid's shoulder to stop him and waited till Darry was out of earshot. "Make sure he gets some sleep," I whispered. "Don't let him come back too soon—Steve and I'll be here." Pony nodded in agreement, giving me a small, tired smile as he followed his brother out of the room.

I settled into one of the chairs beside the bed, getting ready for a long morning. I figured that if Soda had felt that awful the night before he wasn't gonna be up for much today. As it turned out he slept the whole morning. Around lunch time a pretty young nurse came in and gently shook him awake. He opened his eyes and looked around, giving me a sleepy smile when he saw me. "Hey, Two-Bit. How long've you been here?" The nurse started going about her business, checking his blood pressure and temperature.

"A few hours," I told him. "How're ya doing? I heard last night was rough." He still looked pretty awful; his face was pale and he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he was barely able to stay awake.

"It wasn't much fun, that's for sure." He took the pills the nurse handed him and swallowed them.

"Your temperature has gone down. Are you able to eat?" she asked, placing a tray of food on Soda's lap. "You haven't had anything since this time yesterday."

"I really just wanna sleep," Soda said, already sounding like he was gonna nod off again.

"Don't worry," I told the nurse. "I'll make sure he eats somethin'." She studied me for a second, then seemed satisfied and left the room.

"Well, this certainly looks appetizing." I eyed the tray of food critically. "I'd steer clear of the soup. Maybe just stick with the sandwich," I advised.

Soda picked it up and took a small bite. After a few minutes of silent chewing he put it back on the tray, only half finished.

"C'mon, buddy," I urged. "Ya gotta eat more than that."

"I'm really not hungry, Two-Bit."

"Darry'll kill me if he finds out I didn't make ya eat more. You don't want that on your conscience, do ya?" He frowned at me, but my guilt trip worked and he picked the sandwich back up. After he'd finished it and drunk half the glass of juice left for him, he leaned back against the pillow and closed his eyes.

"That's really all I can eat, Two-Bit. I wanna sleep now," he mumbled, already half out of it.

"Don't worry, Soda. That was good." I moved the tray onto the table and turned back to my friend, who was fast asleep.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

The first thing I noticed when I walked into my best friend's room was the IV hooked into his hand. Two-Bit was next to the bed, flipping through a car magazine. When he heard my footsteps, he glanced up and nodded a greeting. "What happened?" I asked, sitting down next to Two-Bit and indicating the IV.

"Infection," he stated, putting away the magazine. "They're givin' him antibiotics."

"How the hell did that happen? I thought we were being careful."

Two-Bit shrugged. "Not careful enough, I guess."

"How's he been?" I asked.

"Sleepin', mostly. He woke up long enough to eat lunch, but he could barely keep his eyes open."

"Does Darry know?"

"Yeah, he and the kid were still here when I showed up."

I looked at Two-Bit, startled. "They didn't go home last night?"

"No. They said Soda didn't even fall asleep till the mornin'."

"Christ," I swore softly. I watched my friend sleep and couldn't help but be reminded of Johnny the night he'd died. Soda and I had gone to see him after work, before the rumble. I remembered how tired and pale he'd been and I remembered the sound of the machines he'd been hooked up to. Of course, Soda didn't look anywhere near that bad; he mostly just looked like he needed a good night's sleep. But the sight of the IV had reminded me of the seriousness of the situation we were facing—that sometime soon he might be hooked up to machines that would be keeping him alive, just like Johnny had been. I stopped my thoughts there. I was still resolved that it wouldn't get to that point, that we would help Soda get better, and that it would be before he was so sick that he was on any kind of life support.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

By Sunday night my fever had broke, and I was incredibly thankful to get the IV out of my hand. It hadn't been as bad as I'd thought, but it had been uncomfortable and irritating. That night my treatment wasn't too bad, so I made Darry promise to sleep in and stay home Monday morning. He had still been looking real tired and I wanted him to get a good night's sleep. Lord knows he needed it. He was reluctant and only agreed when I threatened to have him banned from my room if he showed up the next morning.

My second week in the hospital passed slowly. Most nights weren't too bad, nothing like Saturday anyway, but I was still exhausted and spent most of my time sleeping. When I was awake, though, there really wasn't much to do and I was getting sick of staring at the same four white walls. By the time Monday morning came I was anxious to get home.

I greeted Darry with a smile as he walked into my room bright and early. "Hey Dare! You ready to spring me?"

He laughed, grinning at me in return. "It'll be good to have ya home again, little buddy." He grew serious, though, as he sat down.

"What's up, Darry? You don't look as happy as you sound." I prayed there wasn't gonna be some sort of delay and I'd be stuck here for another day, or longer.

"Soda, I saw Dr. Sheldon on my way in, and he thought it might be better if I tell you this." He paused, I guess looking for the right words.

"Just spit it out," I said, wanting to know what the problem was.

"He needs to do some tests before you go to see how the treatment affected the cancer so far." I waited, not really seeing the big deal. I figured it was a blood test, which didn't thrill me, but it was worth it if it would get me outta here. "He needs to do the same tests he did the night you were diagnosed, Soda." My face fell and my whole body stiffened. "You okay?" Darry asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess so," I answered after a minute. "I mean, I guess it makes sense, right? They can't really tell what's going on from just a blood test." Darry nodded, relieved that I wasn't panicking. I was determined to stay calm, at least on the outside. On the inside I was terrified, remembering how much the tests had hurt last time. "When is he doing them?" I asked.

"In a few minutes. You'll have to stay here for the day, though, since you're not supposed to get up for a few hours after the lumbar puncture. I'll pick you up as soon as I'm done work," he added quickly, trying to make me feel better. It didn't help much. I'd been looking forward to getting out of this place, and now I had to get more tests and stare at these same walls for another day. I tried to remember that it was only a few more hours, that I'd be home tonight and wouldn't have to have a chemo treatment.

I kept reminding myself of this last thought when Dr. Sheldon came into the room with his trays of equipment. "Good morning, Soda. Your brother told you about the tests I need to run before you leave?" he asked, glancing at Darry.

I drew in a shaky breath and nodded. "Yeah. Let's get them over with."

Dr. Sheldon did a quick blood test, then asked me to lie on my side. As I got ready, I tried to keep my mind locked on the thought of going home tonight. I thought of being able to sleep in my own bed, with Pony next to me. Sometimes I felt silly, being seventeen and sharing a bed with my younger brother. I started it cause of his nightmares, but I had to admit that after Mom and Dad died, it felt good to be close to someone I loved at night.

I tensed as I felt the needle go into my hip bone. Darry took my hand in his and I squeezed it, trying in vain to distract myself. Dr. Sheldon removed the needle and I heard him moving around behind me. I knew what was coming next and I started to breath faster. "Try and relax, Soda," Darry said softly. I nodded, doing my best to loosen up my tight muscles. I kept my eyes locked on Darry's as the anesthetic was injected into my spine, but I had to close them when the main needle went in. I concentrated on breathing through the pain, reminding myself that it would only take a few minutes. When it was done, I relaxed and opened my eyes.

"That was excellent, Soda," Dr. Sheldon said, coming around the bed so I could see him. "I'll send these to the lab and have the results in a few days. Try and rest up this week, but don't stay cooped up, either. As long as you feel up to it, it'll do you some good to get out of the house." I looked pointedly at Darry to make sure he'd heard that. "Just don't push yourself," Dr. Sheldon cautioned. With that, he gathered up his things and left the room.

"I'm real proud of you, Soda," Darry said. "I know how much those tests scare you. You're doing real well with all this."

"Thanks," I said, meeting his eyes again. Normally, Darry's eyes were real tough; I think they scared soc's just as much as his muscles did. Right then, though, they were soft and caring. I decided to disclose one of my biggest fears. "Dare, what if the tests go bad? What if the doctor finds out the chemo isn't working?"

Darry's eyes grew worried for a minute, and I could see he was wondering the same thing, but he covered his own fears up quickly and his eyes turned steely and determined. "Then we'll fight even harder next time. You're gonna beat this, Soda. Don't let yourself think, even for a second, that you won't. You've never lost a fight yet, and I'll be damned if you lose this one." I closed my eyes and nodded, letting his words sink in. He was right. I couldn't give up hope.

Eventually, Darry had to leave for work and I spent the rest of the afternoon watching the clock, counting the time till I could go home. It was 5:37 by the time he'd gotten back to the hospital and signed all the forms to release me. I was annoyed when I discovered I had to leave the hospital in a wheelchair, but I figured it was a small price to pay for getting out of there. I spent the car ride home looking out the window, happy to see a change of scenery. When we pulled into the driveway and I got out of the car, the first thing I heard was Steve's voice floating out from the house. "Pony, he's home! You done yet?"

I figured Ponyboy must've been getting his homework out of the way for the night. I'm sure Darry was on his case about exams, despite everything. We walked into the house and I saw Pony hurry into the living room to meet me. I opened my mouth say to hi, but closed it again when I took a closer look at him. He had red smears on his arms…blood? No, it wasn't the right colour for blood. Besides, he had some green on his face, too. Then I noticed the smell. Paint? "Pony, what the hell have you been doin'?" I asked, completely baffled. The kid had been spending all his free time at the hospital with me, despite the fact that his final exams were this week, and here he was covered in paint.

"Hi Soda!" he said, sounding more excited than I'd expected. Yeah, I was coming home after two weeks, but it's not like he hadn't seen me.

"Pone, what's going on?" I looked over at Steve and Two-Bit, who were sitting on the couch looking pretty impatient themselves. "Guys, what gives? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"C'mon, Soda. Let's get your things put away," Darry suggested, putting an arm around my shoulders and starting to lead me towards mine and Pony's room.

Everyone followed us down the hall, which I found very strange, but as soon as I opened my door I discovered why everyone was acting so odd. My jaw dropped at what I saw: the entire room had been transformed. Every inch of wall was painted to show a meadow scene. There was grass all around and flowers and trees were scattered throughout, some painted smaller so they looked further away and gave the room more depth. Even the ceiling was painted sky blue with puffy white clouds here and there. Best of all, images of wild horses covered two of the walls. Some were standing in the meadow, munching on the long grass and others were galloping in the background. There was one horse in particular that stood out from the rest and looked exactly like my Mickey. I couldn't help myself; tears started to form in my eyes at the sight before me. I turned to Pony, who was still standing in the doorway, and just gaped at him, unable to speak. "Do you like it?" he asked hopefully.

I tried to form words, but it was useless. I closed the gap between us and engulfed him in a hug, holding him close to me. I finally found my voice and managed to choke out, "Thank you, Pony. I love it. I absolutely love it."

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

Hope you enjoyed! For the record, I got the idea for Pony's surprise from The O.C., not Extreme Home Makeover.