"Ponyboy. Wake up kiddo." Darry shook him gently. It had been two hours since they all fell asleep and Darry'd have to wake him up again in another two hours after that.

"Go away." Pony mumbled, grumpy and turned away from Darry.

"C'mon. You gotta wake up. Just for a second." He finally got sick of pleading with Pony and lifted him out of bed so he'd be forced to stand.

"Leave me alone. I'm trying to sleep." Ponyboy said angrily.

Darry flipped on the desk lamp and Ponyboy squinted but finally woke up fully. "All-right. You can go back to bed now." Darry said, once he was sure Pony was ok. Ponyboy purposely fell down on the bed. Darry tried with some difficulty to tuck the covers around him because Pony was pushing and telling him to go away the whole time.

Darry woke up later to loud voices coming from the living room. He sighed and got up, walking out. "Shouldn't you two be in bed?" His two brothers, Two-Bit, and Steve all looked up at him. "Darry it's six o'clock in the p.m. We've been sleeping all day." Soda said. "Oh, I'm thinking it's still morning. All-right. Pony, you feeling ok?"

"Feeling as good as anyone could feel after all that." Pony grumbled. Darry sighed. So he was still mad at him. He walked into the kitchen to get something to eat. He was absolutely starving. He then remembered he was supposed to cook that night. He was to tired to make anything though. "Sodapop, will you do me a favor and go pick up a couple pizzas?" Darry asked, digging into his wallet.

"Yeah." Soda said, getting up. Darry handed him some money. Much more than he needed.

"I'd better get change." Soda nodded and headed out the door. Darry got up and walked over to his other brother. He placed the back of his hand on Pony's forehead. "You feeling all-right?"

"Yeah I'm fine." Pony said. "Why?"

"You're pale and a little warm."

"No, I'm all-right. I ain't sick."

Darry sighed. "You really ought to be lying down. You're in no condition physically, to be up and about."

"I've been in bed all day." Pony said. "If I havta sleep any longer I'm gonna gag."

"You don't have to sleep, just rest. Go on now." Darry said. Ponyboy sighed and got up, slouching off to his room. "Oh, and Pony? You want one of these pain pills the doc gave us. How's you're side feeling?"

"No thanks. I just took three."

"Three?!" Darry shrieked. "Pony!"

"What? It hurt so I figured that three of them pills would make it so I'd stop aching."

"Pony you're supposed to take one in the morning and one in the evening. Not three all at once. You're gonna get sick if you do that."

"I don't feel sick. I feel better."

"Just go lie down." Pony continued to his room. "Unbelievable." Darry murmured. He walked around the living room picking up trash, plates, bottles, cards, shoes, and all sorts of other things. After he had gotten everything semi clean he laid down across the couch. He inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly.

Steve and Two-Bit both looked up at Darry. "What?" Darry asked when he noticed them staring.

"You look beat." Two-Bit said. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing I'm just exhausted. I had a long night."

"Ponyboy looks like he's been through the mill." Steve muttered.

Darry nodded. "Yeah, they really roughed him up. He looked even worse when I went to get him before he was cleaned up. Did he tell you all about what's been going on with him. That kid is out of his mind."

"Sodapop filled us in on what was going on." Steve said.

Darry sighed again for about the one hundredth time that day. "Darry, this stupid thing around my stomach is bugging me." Ponyboy grumbled walking out of his room. "Can I take it off. I can't itch when it's all the way around my waist like this and on my side. I don't like it."

"No, you cannot take it off." Darry said. "You out of your mind? That's gotta stay on."

"But can't I just take it off for a minute?"

"No because then you have to rewrap it. Please go lie down like I told you to and don't touch the bandages. Just leave them be and march your butt straight back to bed."

"Fine." Pony mumbled and then walked off.

About an hour later Sodapop walked in with the pizzas and handed Darry the change. "What took you so long?" Steve asked.

"I was talking to this cute chick that worked there." Soda explained with a grin as he set the pizzas down on the coffee table. Ponyboy came out and sat down to join the party.

"What she look like?" Steve asked.

"Blonde hair, green eyes. Anyways, I got her number."

"Why don't you call her right now?" Two-Bit asked.

"I dunno if I wanna call her." Sodapop said. Steve and Two-Bit looked at him in shock. "Oh, c'mon now guys. I just aint been dating since Sandy left. You know that I dunno if I wanna get involved in a relationship. I don't wanna get hurt again.

"Buddy, you gotta move on sometime." Steve said. "C'mon, man. It's been three months. You'd be nuts not to call her."

"Well I didn't say I wouldn't call her. I just said I wasn't sure yet."

Soda took a giant bite of pizza as Two-Bit grinned at him and shook his head in disbelief. "Whatever man. If you don't call her, I'll will." He said.

"No you won't cause I got the number and you don't." Soda teased.