Note: I don't own The Outsiders

Chapter 34

"So … exactly how may Socs jumped you back there?"

"Shut up, Pony," Dally groaned as he leaned his head back against the wall. The emergency room was busy, a common occurrence during any hot summer night. There were only so many movies a sane person could see in a three month period without going crazy. People around here got bored easily and had to come up with creative ways to pass the time. Rising temperatures always brought a rise in crime and violence, the evidence of which was scattered throughout the stuffy waiting room.

Pony recognized a couple greasers from town and silently nodded to them in greeting. It looked like they were in a fight; one guy had his hand wrapped in a bloody towel and the other one was holding his ribs like they were busted pretty bad. Ponyboy realized he hadn't been in a bad fight since the rumble last year and neither had any of his friends. Things had been quiet - maybe a little too quiet. Cue dramatic music, he thought to himself, admonishing his overactive imagination.

Darry was sitting on the opposite side of Dally, holding a clipboard, trying to fill out his information. Dally wasn't making it easy. "Any allergies?"

"I told you - I don't need to see a fucking doctor. I'm fine," Dally said dully, as though he figured he should put up a fight even though his heart wasn't really in it. Darry didn't respond. They'd already had this conversation the entire drive to the hospital, interrupted only when they had to pull over so that Dally could throw up on the side of the road. Puking definitely didn't help support Dally's side of the argument.

"Is that a 'No' then?" Darry said, clicking the pen and holding it above the box he needed to check off. Dally shrugged and Darry closed his eyes. Pony swore he could hear him counting to ten under his breath.

"They already got all this crap on file. Just leave me in peace, man." One of the lights in the ceiling was flickering, about to go out. A faint crying echoed from one of the exam rooms and Pony felt a shiver race down his spine. He really hated hospitals.

"The nurse said they won't see you if we don't fill this out."

"Good, then let's go. You can drop me off at Buck's," Dally said but he didn't move a muscle. Pony couldn't decide if it was the crummy lighting or the blow to the head, but Dally's coloring was looking alarming close to the institutional green of the wall behind him. He looked terrible.

"Quit starin' at me, kid. You're startin' to creep me out."

Pony sat up a little straighter in his chair and began leafing through the battered magazine he'd snagged off one the tables sprinkled throughout the room. Darry glanced over at him and laughed.

"Aren't you a little old for that?" he asked, shaking his head in amusement.

Pony looked down, realizing what he had actually grabbed - Highlights. He grinned, trying to hide his embarrassment. He'd thought he'd picked up Time or Newsweek. "Well," he explained, "I, uh, already read The Ranger Rick they have. Plus, I dig the puzzles."

"Don't let my gaping head wound get in the way of your exciting conversation," Dally interrupted, leaning forward in his chair, his head hanging until his chin touched his chest. He was holding his forehead, in obvious pain.

"Thought you said you were fine?" Darry countered dryly, but Pony caught the worry that flashed in his brother's eyes.

"Just fill out the stupid form."

"You have a concussion," the doctor simply stated.

"Gee, ya think?" Dally asked in a mocking tone.

The doctor ignored him and continued on with his speech, saying it in a tired robotic voice that made it sound like he was reading it from cue cards. A greaser with his head bashed in is probably pretty routine around here, Ponyboy thought as he sat in the corner of the room on a cold metal stool, aimlessly spinning around like a little kid … or Two-Bit. He couldn't help remembering his own stint in the hospital - well, at least as much of it as he could remember. It was weird knowing there were three days that had been completely wiped from his memory, like they'd never happened. At least Dally didn't have a fever like he did. He'd probably be his old self in a couple of days. Ponyboy couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

"I want to get some X-Rays to rule out a fracture. We need to clean out the gash and you're going to need stitches," the doctor droned on.

Darry was standing next to the bed like he was Dally's guardian or something, like he was responsible for him. Fact of the matter was, Dally had vanished from their lives. No one had really seen him and when they did it was more like those greasers in the emergency room. A vague nod exchanged, signifying recognition. Maybe a quick word or two, but nothing substantial, nothing real. It was like Dally had died under that streetlight and all that was left was his ghost.

The doctor told them a nurse would be by shortly to take care of the wound and then they'd have to wait their turn for the X-Rays. For some reason, Pony had a feeling the wait wouldn't be a short one. Apparently, Dally realized that, too.

"Go home, Darry. You did your good deed for the day. I'm sure you gotta work in the morning and don't need to be wasting your time stayin' up all night."

"Trust me, it won't be the first time and I'm bettin' it won't be the last," he said as he pulled up a chair and sat down. Pony wasn't stupid, he knew he was talking about him. He hadn't been out past midnight in almost a year, but Darry would never acknowledge that. No, he liked to focus on the "what ifs". What if Pony decides to runaway again? What if Socs jump him again? What if aliens from Mars abduct him from the movies and he's never seen or heard from again? All the worrying got a little draining after a while, but he figured he deserved it after everything he put his brothers through.

"Since we're going to be stuck here for God knows how long, I think it's time you told us exactly what happened tonight." Darry crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, like he was settling in, preparing for a long story. Pony dragged his foot on the floor, stopping the stool from spinning. He was dizzy for a moment, but all his attention was trained on Dally.

Dally shrugged as he reached over and grabbed his jacket from the foot of the bed. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one, striking the match on the medal around his neck. Darry opened his mouth to protest, then shut it, most likely realizing it would fall on deaf ears.

Dally grinned as he took a drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke, the acrid smell mixing with the antiseptic odors of the hospital. "Nothin' happened tonight, man."

Darry and Pony rolled their eyes in unison. If Soda was there, he probably would have done the same thing. "Yeah right," Pony accidentally said out loud, earning a glare from the wounded greaser.

"It was Tim, wasn't it?" Darry asked evenly.

"Yeah, so? Me and him are working together, pullin' a few jobs. No big deal."

"Why her house? Why Cherry's?" Pony found himself asking, not sure where his courage was coming from. Dally scared the crap out of him, and rightly so. But he couldn't get Cherry out of his head, the way she'd looked tonight, arms wrapped around herself as she tried to look strong. She had tried to sound tough on the phone, but he could tell she'd been spooked. That was Dally's fault.

Dally looked straight at him, his expression serious. "I didn't know. I swear, kid. I didn't know."

"Quite a coincidence then," Pony said, crossing his arms, mimicking Darry's hard expression.

Dally didn't say anything for a moment, fiddling with his cigarette and staring at an empty spot on the wall, like he was thinking.

"Coincidence, yeah," he said with a nod, as though everything had just clicked into place. "Shepard knew. Probably thought it'd be funny. Guy has a fucked up sense of humor."

"Which makes him the perfect guy to go into business with," Darry pointed out and it was Dally's turn to roll his eyes.

"How's it up there on that pedestal ya got yourself on, Darrel? Air getting kinda thin?"

Ponyboy sucked in a breath. No one talked to Darry like that, no one. Steve tried once and got floored with one hell of a punch. Darry's jaw clenched almost imperceptibly and that was it. He didn't say anything, but Pony figured he wouldn't forget it any time soon. Dally was lucky he was laid up in a hospital bed.

The reluctant patient ran his fingers through his hair with a grimace. "Where's the damn nurse? I coulda died in here for all they know."

"Did you hurt her?" Pony asked suddenly.

"Huh? The nurse?" Dally asked, confused.

"No, Cherry. Did you hurt her?"

Dally let out a loud burst of laughter. "Good one, kid. Did I hurt her? She fuckin' smashed a very expensive vase across the back of my head. Maybe she chipped a nail, I dunno. But the only one hurtin' tonight is me."

Dally got a sly look on his face and Pony started to feel apprehension creep up on him.

"She is one scary chick, that's for sure," Dally said, taking a drag on his cigarette. "She didn't call the cops, though. What do you think that means, Pony?"

Ponyboy didn't want to consider what that might mean, though it didn't take a genius to figure it out. He vividly remembered what she said at the Nightly Double - about falling in love with Dally. And the way she described Bob - that he was special, better than everyone else. What a joke. Maybe if he robbed liquor stores or beat up lonely greasers he'd have a chance with her.

The nurse appeared, saving Pony from having to come up with an answer. She looked familiar, but Pony figured that was from all the time he spent visiting Johnny. He'd probably seen every member of the staff at one time or another. Dally, however, looked stricken when she walked into the tiny examination room.

"My, my, my," the nurse drawled slowly as she approached with a wicked looking syringe. "Dallas Winston. My favorite patient."

"Nurse Ratched," he said flatly. "My favorite nurse."

"Robinson," she corrected.

"Whatever."

It was going to be a long night.

They wanted to keep him overnight, at least that's what the doctor claimed. He didn't put up much of a fight when Dally refused. In fact, he seemed downright relieved that Dallas Winston would be out of their care shortly. Dally had to promise to stay in bed for at least two days and Darry had to promise to wake him up every three hours to keep him from slipping into a coma.

"Just take me to Buck's," Dally said once they got to the truck.

Darry sighed. He was tired and not in the mood for a fight. "You're coming home with us. End of story."

"They're just exaggerating. I'm fine. I don't need any damn babysitters."

"Dal, you are not fine. You can barely stand up. Drop the tough guy act for one minute and admit you need help. The world is not going to end."

Darry yanked the truck door open, the rusty hinges squealing in protest. "Now get in the damn truck before I hogtie you and throw you in the back. I'm tired and we're going the hell home."

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A/N - Just want to thank everyone again for all the great reviews. I also wanted to add a quick thanks to my friends Gretchen and Michelle. They always read over everything before I post it and their input is invaluable. They also laugh at all the right parts, which is nice :)