"You are still just burning with fever." Darry said the next afternoon
which was Saturday, pressing a cold cloth against Soda's head.
"Mmmmm." Soda moaned, only half awake, his voice rough and raspy. He shivered slightly and Darry tucked the blankets around him tighter. I hate these stupid hot and cold chills, Soda thought to himself silently.
"Haven't you been taking the medicine?" Darry asked. Soda nodded slightly and turned onto his side. "I'm telling you kid, you have to stay in bed. I ain't ever seen you this sick before. You're fever just better not get any higher. If it does we'll probably have to take you into the hospital."
"Mmmm." Soda moaned again, not wanting to talk about it. He just wanted to get better and NOW.
"Lets see how you're doing." Darry said, slipping the thermometer into a reluctant Soda's mouth.
"You just took my temp twenty minutes ago." Soda whined, taking it out.
"Don't be a pain." Darry said putting it back in. "You haven't been doing anything but gripe all day long."
"Well, I can't help it." Soda said after Darry took the thermometer out. "I hate being sick. I ain't been at work for three days now either and I think I'm running out of sympathy from the boss."
"Yeah, well I'll have a word or two with him if he calls back here demanding to know why you ain't there." Darry said bitterly. Soda laughed lightly, picturing his big brother telling his boss off. "You're still at a hundred and four." Darry said.
"How much do you think it's gonna change in less than a half an hour, genius?" Soda snapped.
"Don't get smart." Darry warned. Soda sighed and closed his eyes. "I have to work tonight but I'm thinking that maybe I should stay here and keep an eye on you."
"I'm ok." Soda said.
Darry shook his head. "You're awful sick. I'm gonna go see if Pony's doing what he's supposed to. Don't even think about getting out of bed."
"Yeah, yeah." Soda said.
"Pony, you making progress?" Darry asked, walking into the living room.
He sighed and looked up from his text book. "Darry, I've been working since morning and it's almost four o'clock. I've already gotten half of all my work done. Can't I stop for today?"
Darry sighed and looked at his brother for a minute. "All-right, kiddo. You can stop now if you promise to finish everything tomorrow."
"Ok." Pony said. "Don't you have to leave for work soon?"
Darry shook his head. "No, I'm going to stay here. Soda's not looking so good."
"Oh." Pony said. "Is he getting worse?"
"No, but he ain't getting any better." Darry said, making himself comfortable on the couch and picking up the newspaper. He was surprised to find that he had fallen asleep when Pony started to shake him. He sat up quickly "What time is it?" He asked, hoping he hadn't slept away a good portion of the evening.
"It's Six." Pony answered. "Soda's asking for you."
"Darry." A moan came from the back of the house.
"Coming." Darry said, walking into his brothers' room. "What's the matter, little-buddy?"
"I feel real funny." He said.
"What's wrong." Darry asked, coming over to him quickly and putting a hand on Soda's forehead. Boy was he ever warm!
"I dunno I just feel so-" Soda wasn't able to finish his sentence because in just a matter of seconds he had passed out cold.
"Soda!" Darry said, shaking him. "Sodapop wake up!" He demanded as if it was that easy. "Dang it!" Darry yelled, throwing the covers off his little brother and picking him up. "Pony get in the car!" He yelled. He grabbed a pair of Soda's jeans that were laying on the bedroom floor. He couldn't take the kid to the hospital in just his boxers and a white t-shirt. Darry then quickly carried Soda out to the living room.
"What happened?!" Pony asked, putting his book down the second he saw them.
"Just open the door so I can get out." Darry ordered. Pony did. "Get my keys!" He yelled, as he opened the truck and laid Soda down in the back, putting his seatbelt on. Ponyboy came running out with the keys a minute later and both him and Darry got in the truck.
"What happened?" Pony asked again as Darry sped off down the street.
"What do you think happened? He passed out. His fever's getting awful high and he needs to go to the hospital. We'll find out exactly how sick he is when we get there."
"When did he-"
"Pony, please don't ask questions right now. Just let me think." Darry said. Ponyboy sighed and looked over at his brother who was still unconscious in the backseat. They got to the hospital in a matter of minutes and Darry quickly put Soda's pants on since he was incapable of doing it himself and then lifted him out of the car. "Hurry up." Darry said. Pony followed close by his oldest brother obediently, wanting to know what was wrong with Soda but he didn't think it would be a good idea to ask again.
Darry got hold of a doctor as quick as he could and they said they'd see Soda almost right away on account that he had passed out and they weren't sure why. "Wait out here." Darry said, stopping Pony as he was about to enter the hospital room.
"But Darry, I got just as much right as you do to know if my brothers ok."
"I said stay here." Darry said firmly and followed the doctor into one of the rooms. Pony flopped down onto one of the chairs angrily and sat there with his arms crossed. It seemed like an hour before Darry and the doctor came out again but in reality it was only several minutes.
"What's wrong with him?" Pony demanded of Darry as the doctor finished talking to him and had given him several forms to fill out.
"His fevers up to a hundred and six degrees now. The doc said he'll probably regain consciousness soon but it's best if he stays in the hospital overnight."
"Will he be ok?" Pony asked. A hundred and six? He thought. Gosh that's high!
Darry nodded. "Yeah, eventually but he's awful sick and he's contagious so don't you go getting real close to him because one sick kid is enough."
"Yeah, ok." Pony said. "We're gonna stay here with him right?" Darry nodded. "Yeah, of course we are. I have a whole bunch of forms to fill out now though." Darry reached into his wallet and gave Pony some money. "So go to the vending machine or something. It's gonna be a while. After I get all this done with we'll call Steve and Two-Bit and let them know what's going on."
"Can't I go see Soda?" Pony asked, anxiously.
"I'll let you know when he wakes up. I got stuff to do so be good for at least the next twenty minutes ok?" Darry asked and walked back into the hospital room. He sat down in a nearby chair with numerous papers the doctor had handed him and began to fill out the basic information. He walked over to Soda's bed and studied his little brother. Sweat had drenched his t-shirt and his hair and it looked almost as if he'd jut gotten out of the shower. Soda's face was red and flushed and he felt so warm that it shocked Darry whenever he touched him. He got a paper towel from the bathroom and wiped his little brothers face off gently. He then took some more of the towels and wet them. He put it on Soda's forehead, hoping that it would help to cool him down some. Darry sighed deeply and fell back into his chair. The next few days were going to be very long.
"Mmmmm." Soda moaned, only half awake, his voice rough and raspy. He shivered slightly and Darry tucked the blankets around him tighter. I hate these stupid hot and cold chills, Soda thought to himself silently.
"Haven't you been taking the medicine?" Darry asked. Soda nodded slightly and turned onto his side. "I'm telling you kid, you have to stay in bed. I ain't ever seen you this sick before. You're fever just better not get any higher. If it does we'll probably have to take you into the hospital."
"Mmmm." Soda moaned again, not wanting to talk about it. He just wanted to get better and NOW.
"Lets see how you're doing." Darry said, slipping the thermometer into a reluctant Soda's mouth.
"You just took my temp twenty minutes ago." Soda whined, taking it out.
"Don't be a pain." Darry said putting it back in. "You haven't been doing anything but gripe all day long."
"Well, I can't help it." Soda said after Darry took the thermometer out. "I hate being sick. I ain't been at work for three days now either and I think I'm running out of sympathy from the boss."
"Yeah, well I'll have a word or two with him if he calls back here demanding to know why you ain't there." Darry said bitterly. Soda laughed lightly, picturing his big brother telling his boss off. "You're still at a hundred and four." Darry said.
"How much do you think it's gonna change in less than a half an hour, genius?" Soda snapped.
"Don't get smart." Darry warned. Soda sighed and closed his eyes. "I have to work tonight but I'm thinking that maybe I should stay here and keep an eye on you."
"I'm ok." Soda said.
Darry shook his head. "You're awful sick. I'm gonna go see if Pony's doing what he's supposed to. Don't even think about getting out of bed."
"Yeah, yeah." Soda said.
"Pony, you making progress?" Darry asked, walking into the living room.
He sighed and looked up from his text book. "Darry, I've been working since morning and it's almost four o'clock. I've already gotten half of all my work done. Can't I stop for today?"
Darry sighed and looked at his brother for a minute. "All-right, kiddo. You can stop now if you promise to finish everything tomorrow."
"Ok." Pony said. "Don't you have to leave for work soon?"
Darry shook his head. "No, I'm going to stay here. Soda's not looking so good."
"Oh." Pony said. "Is he getting worse?"
"No, but he ain't getting any better." Darry said, making himself comfortable on the couch and picking up the newspaper. He was surprised to find that he had fallen asleep when Pony started to shake him. He sat up quickly "What time is it?" He asked, hoping he hadn't slept away a good portion of the evening.
"It's Six." Pony answered. "Soda's asking for you."
"Darry." A moan came from the back of the house.
"Coming." Darry said, walking into his brothers' room. "What's the matter, little-buddy?"
"I feel real funny." He said.
"What's wrong." Darry asked, coming over to him quickly and putting a hand on Soda's forehead. Boy was he ever warm!
"I dunno I just feel so-" Soda wasn't able to finish his sentence because in just a matter of seconds he had passed out cold.
"Soda!" Darry said, shaking him. "Sodapop wake up!" He demanded as if it was that easy. "Dang it!" Darry yelled, throwing the covers off his little brother and picking him up. "Pony get in the car!" He yelled. He grabbed a pair of Soda's jeans that were laying on the bedroom floor. He couldn't take the kid to the hospital in just his boxers and a white t-shirt. Darry then quickly carried Soda out to the living room.
"What happened?!" Pony asked, putting his book down the second he saw them.
"Just open the door so I can get out." Darry ordered. Pony did. "Get my keys!" He yelled, as he opened the truck and laid Soda down in the back, putting his seatbelt on. Ponyboy came running out with the keys a minute later and both him and Darry got in the truck.
"What happened?" Pony asked again as Darry sped off down the street.
"What do you think happened? He passed out. His fever's getting awful high and he needs to go to the hospital. We'll find out exactly how sick he is when we get there."
"When did he-"
"Pony, please don't ask questions right now. Just let me think." Darry said. Ponyboy sighed and looked over at his brother who was still unconscious in the backseat. They got to the hospital in a matter of minutes and Darry quickly put Soda's pants on since he was incapable of doing it himself and then lifted him out of the car. "Hurry up." Darry said. Pony followed close by his oldest brother obediently, wanting to know what was wrong with Soda but he didn't think it would be a good idea to ask again.
Darry got hold of a doctor as quick as he could and they said they'd see Soda almost right away on account that he had passed out and they weren't sure why. "Wait out here." Darry said, stopping Pony as he was about to enter the hospital room.
"But Darry, I got just as much right as you do to know if my brothers ok."
"I said stay here." Darry said firmly and followed the doctor into one of the rooms. Pony flopped down onto one of the chairs angrily and sat there with his arms crossed. It seemed like an hour before Darry and the doctor came out again but in reality it was only several minutes.
"What's wrong with him?" Pony demanded of Darry as the doctor finished talking to him and had given him several forms to fill out.
"His fevers up to a hundred and six degrees now. The doc said he'll probably regain consciousness soon but it's best if he stays in the hospital overnight."
"Will he be ok?" Pony asked. A hundred and six? He thought. Gosh that's high!
Darry nodded. "Yeah, eventually but he's awful sick and he's contagious so don't you go getting real close to him because one sick kid is enough."
"Yeah, ok." Pony said. "We're gonna stay here with him right?" Darry nodded. "Yeah, of course we are. I have a whole bunch of forms to fill out now though." Darry reached into his wallet and gave Pony some money. "So go to the vending machine or something. It's gonna be a while. After I get all this done with we'll call Steve and Two-Bit and let them know what's going on."
"Can't I go see Soda?" Pony asked, anxiously.
"I'll let you know when he wakes up. I got stuff to do so be good for at least the next twenty minutes ok?" Darry asked and walked back into the hospital room. He sat down in a nearby chair with numerous papers the doctor had handed him and began to fill out the basic information. He walked over to Soda's bed and studied his little brother. Sweat had drenched his t-shirt and his hair and it looked almost as if he'd jut gotten out of the shower. Soda's face was red and flushed and he felt so warm that it shocked Darry whenever he touched him. He got a paper towel from the bathroom and wiped his little brothers face off gently. He then took some more of the towels and wet them. He put it on Soda's forehead, hoping that it would help to cool him down some. Darry sighed deeply and fell back into his chair. The next few days were going to be very long.
