(Darry's POV)
Seeing my youngest brother being tossed around in a river was one of the scariest things I've ever witnessed. When I jumped into the water, I only had one thing on my mind: save Ponyboy. I got to him just in time, because he disappeared under the water's surface and I didn't think he'd come back up. I quickly pulled him above the water and I was able to keep his head from going under again. He had so many cuts and bruises, but the biggest threat to his safety was potentially drowning in the river, so that's what I had to focus on.
When I started swimming him back to shore, there was a moment that I thought the river would take both of us and make us its newest victims, but Soda yelled for me to grab a branch, and before I knew it, I was able to drag Ponyboy onto shore. I figured he swallowed a bit of water, so when he wasn't moving, I quickly turned him and hit him in the back, successfully making him cough up water and start inhaling air.
I was more than relieved, I was ecstatic.
While I sat there, trying to catch my breath, Soda was face-to-face with Pony, trying to get him to open his eyes. When I heard Ponyboy speak, I was thrilled. Soda told me I really was Superman, but I only huffed in reply, partly because I was still catching my breath, and partly because I wasn't anything like Superman– I just wanted to save my kid brother. I wiped the tears from my face, pretending that I wasn't crying and that I was just getting water off my face, but one look from Soda told me he wasn't buying it. At least he didn't say anything about it.
When I asked Pony how he was, I knew he was lying when he claimed to be fine. He tried to be tough, but when you get jumped by a group of older guys twice and they throw you into a river, there's no need to be tough, especially with your brothers. He sat up, and when he coughed, he quietly yelped in pain. That's when it hit me– we almost lost him again.
Logically, I already knew that he was in danger and I didn't know how it was going to end, but it took a while for that fact to sink in. I wrapped my arms around him, and I never wanted to let him go. I was surprised when Pony just sank into my chest. He was so exhausted, and probably glad not to be in the river anymore. Soda gave us space, trying to wipe Pony's tears or ruffled his hair to comfort him, but I pulled him into the embrace. I still had both of my brothers, and that's all I could ever ask for. I never wanted to be apart from them ever again.
"Thanks for saving me," Pony all but whispered.
Of course we were going to save you, I thought. I won't let anything happen to you.
That wasn't something I could promise though. There would be things that I couldn't protect him from, but I didn't want to believe it or accept it.
We sat there for a while we broke apart. I looked at Pony, noticing all of his injuries. He looked bad, and I'm not a doctor, so I had no idea what all could be wrong with him. "We were so scared Pone, you have no idea."
"So was I." Pony's response broke my heart. Nobody should make my brother scared like that.
"C'mon, let's get you home," Soda said.
Together, Soda and I got Ponyboy standing on his feet, but I immediately realized he was worse off than I originally thought. He was unsteady and obviously in extreme pain.
Soda and I shared a look before he spoke to Pony again. "Can you walk?" Pony nodded, and even though I didn't believe him, I let him try walking.
Pony was stumbling the entire time we trekked through the woods, and he mostly stayed upright because Soda and I were propping him up between us. He kept closing his eyes, then several seconds later, he seemed to remember to open them again. After a while, he closed his eyes and didn't open them again.
Soda and I exchanged worried looks, then Soda talked to him again. "Pony, you gotta keep your eyes open for us. We're almost there." We weren't almost there, but Soda was trying to encourage him.
Ponyboy kept faltering, and it seemed like he was progressively getting worse. To makes things even worse, I could tell by the grimace on his face that every step was hurting him. When he tripped over his own feet and almost collapsed, I knew we had to do something quickly.
"He's not going home, Soda." I said quietly. I didn't want Ponyboy to freak out or react negatively, I just needed him to cooperate. Soda looked at me with an eyebrow slightly raised. "He's going to the hospital."
Soda nodded, agreeing with my decision. We stopped, and Soda helped me gather Ponyboy in my arms so I could carry him. He had gotten bigger and heavier since the previous time I had to carry him, but there was no way I was going to let him down.
Once I had Ponyboy situated in my arms, Soda gave me a look of concern. I knew what he was thinking, so I quickly reassured him. "It's alright, Soda. I got him." Soda looked like he wanted to say something, maybe even something about Superman again, but he kept his mouth shut.
With Ponyboy no longer trying to walk, we were moving through the woods faster than before. As Pony's head rested against my chest, I was reminded just how young he was; he was only fourteen, and he'd been in so many life-threatening situations already. It made me both frustrated and dejected. It was my responsibility to keep him safe, but since our parents died, that seems like an impossible task.
"Pone, you still with me?" I asked. He made some type of noise, which barely convinced me that he was conscious. "Stay awake, kiddo. Please."
I didn't know what would happen if he drifted off, and the unknown terrified me.
Soda kept encouraging as we walked. "Come on honey, stay awake. At least until we get you to the hospital."
We walked a bit further, and the painful expression on Pony's face started to relax, which ironically made me more worried. "Stay with us Pone," I said. I was starting to feel fatigued, but I refused to show weakness or let my brother down.
When we finally reached the bridge, I spotted Two-Bit and Steve talking with Tim Shepard, who looked more beat up than I'd seen him since his first fight with Dally. Then I noticed the group of Socs sitting on the ground in a circle with their backs facing each other. As I got closer, I realized their hands were tied behind their backs with something. All of the Socs looked like Tim– beat up and sporting various injuries. Some of the Socs looked even worse than Tim, which was incredible since Tim was obviously outnumbered.
Tim saw us first, and a hard look crossed his face for a moment before he addressed me. "You go for a swim, Curtis?" I figured it was obvious what went down since Pony and I were both soaking wet and Soda wasn't, but Tim was probably trying to break any silence or awkwardness there might've been.
"Glory Darry, don't tell me you went into the river too," Two-Bit said, approaching us.
"How else was I supposed to get him out of there?" I spat. I sighed, immediately regretting the tone I used with my friend. "Sorry, Two-Bit. I didn't mean to snap at you."
He gave me a small smile, demonstrating that he wasn't fazed by my temper. "How is he?"
"Not great," I said. It was a little blunt, but it was the truth.
"He couldn't hardly walk," Soda said, obviously worried.
Steve walked up to us, looked at Pony, then at Soda. He put his hands on Soda's shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "He'll be alright, Soda. He's a tough kid." Soda silently nodded in reply.
Tim walked up to me and put a hand on Pony's shoulder, looking closely at him. "You takin' him to see a doctor?" Tim asked. When I nodded, Tim gave me a single nod of approval. "Good. I'll stop by once I deal with the trash," he said, jerking his chin towards the Socs, "and after I find Curly." I nodded again, not finding any words to reply with, but Tim didn't seem to care about my lack of verbal response.
With Soda's help, I lowered Pony onto the back seat of our truck. Once he was settled on the leather, I straightened up and rolled my shoulders. My arms ached, but I wasn't worried about me; I had a kid brother to worry about.
Before we left, I called out to Tim. "Tim, wait." I walked up to him and extended my hand towards him. We shook hands, and I attempted to find the words I wanted. "Thanks Tim. I don't… I can't…" I was fumbling, but Tim shook my hand and grinned at me.
"Don't mention it, Darry." I had a feeling that he knew what I wanted to say. He was an older brother too, after all.
Thanks for having my brother's back… for making sure the guys and I knew what was happening so we could help… and for following the Socs and then distracting them so they couldn't just toss him in the river right away.
I turned to go back to the truck, and Soda was already sitting in the passenger's seat, looking back at Ponyboy. When I drove away from the bridge and towards the hospital, Soda wouldn't take his eyes off of Pony. "Why don't you just go back there, little buddy," I suggested. He nodded and climbed into the back seat.
I looked in the mirror, and I saw Soda sitting there with Pony's head in his lap. Soda looked as worried as I felt. I wasn't sure how bad Pony was hurt or anything, so I could only hope that the doctors at the hospital could help our little brother.
I was speeding the entire way to the hospital, with Two-Bit and Steve's cars in my rearview mirror the whole time.
When I brought Pony into the hospital, the doctors asked a bunch of questions about what happened, and I told them everything that I knew. I was sure I was missing quite a bit of details, but I did the best I could.
The doctors said he had bruising on his kidneys and broken bones, along with a lot of other smaller injuries. They said the broken bones in his hands and ribs were consistent with defensive injuries, which broke my heart. He had been outnumbered by the Socs that jumped him, and even with Tim and Curly jumping in to help, he still had been hurt badly. Not to mention, he was thrown into the river after he was already hurt.
The doctors also said a concussion was likely too, or maybe even more severe head trauma, and that's when Soda started shaking and crying. I felt like breaking down, but I couldn't; I had to be there for my brothers. Lucky for me, Two-Bit and Steve were there to help Soda settle down while the doctors kept telling me everything they could.
Pony wasn't showing any signs of waking up, and after a few days, his breathing became more labored. The medical staff discovered that he developed pneumonia, and since he ingested lots of river water, they were worried he would continue to get sicker. They started giving him lots of medication through his IV, and when Soda mentioned that I was also in the river and probably swallowed some water too, one of the doctors prescribed me some medicine as well.
The doctor recognized us from the previous time we were in the hospital with Ponyboy, which unfortunately wasn't that long before the newest situation we found ourselves in. He knew our situation, so he not only knew that I couldn't get sick and miss work because the bills would pile up, but he also knew what could happen with my brothers if the cops or the state got involved. He reassured me by saying he would be willing to testify that Pony must've acted defensively and there was no indication that anything was happening at home; everything happened because a group of guys decided to attack a fourteen-year-old kid. I was comforted a little, but I was still worried the state would decide that Pony was safer at a boy's home than with his brothers. Still, I thanked him for his words and the prescription he gave me.
Soda and I rarely left Pony's side, and Soda switched between worrying about Pony and me. He made sure I was taking my medicine at the exact times I was supposed to, and I couldn't help but wonder who was taking care of who at that point. I was supposed to be the guardian and take care of my brothers, but I was so worried about Pony that I let Soda mother hen me, so I took my pills whenever he told me to.
Soda missed a couple days of work before both his boss and myself told him that he couldn't miss any more shifts. He was reluctant to leave Pony's side, so when he wasn't at work, he was in the hospital. My boss was more understanding and flexible; since I never took days off or used any vacation days, he told me I could take up to two weeks off of work and I'd still get paid. I couldn't thank him enough for helping us out, and all he said was I needed to take care of my family.
Steve and Two-Bit stopped by the hospital regularly, and they only left when the nurses forced them to when visiting hours were over, or when Steve had to go to work. I wasn't sure if either of them went to school for several days, and I didn't ask. I knew Steve kept an eye on Soda when they were working together, and I appreciated it. We never spoke about it, but there was an unspoken agreement between the two of us when it came to Soda. Two-Bit kept apologizing for letting Pony walk by himself the day he was jumped, but I kept reminding him it's not his job and that I don't blame him for what happened. It was obvious that Two-Bit wasn't going to let the guilt go away easily, and I could only hope that he would feel better and act more like himself if Pony woke up. When, not if.
Tim and Curly Shepard visited every day, with their bruises on full display. Tim told me everything that happened from the moment they spotted Ponyboy to us leaving the bridge and bringing Pony to the hospital. He didn't tell me what he did with the Socs that were tied up next to the bridge, and again, I didn't ask. I couldn't find myself to care what happened to the guys that attacked my brother.
The Shepards had protected my brother, and likely saved his life, and I couldn't ever repay them for what they did. Soda and I thanked them, and when I met Tim's eyes, he looked extremely casual– like he didn't save one of the two most important people in my life. He acted like it was nothing more than lending someone a dollar.
One day, the whole gang was in Pony's hospital room when Tim and Curly walked in, Tim with an envelope in his hand. Ignoring the strange looks he was getting from everyone else, Tim handed me the envelope. "Curly found a witness in town. The Socs don't want no trouble with the cops, so they're payin' the bills."
I looked in the envelope and saw a stack of cash. I was shocked and conflicted; I was angry that nothing would happen to the Socs legally, but I also had been worried about the bills and whether getting the cops involved would mean Pony would be taken from me.
Apparently noticing my internal conflict, Tim spoke again. "Don't worry, we all got some swings in for what they did," he said, motioning to Curly, Two-Bit, and Steve. "But I told 'em that if they ever messed with the kid again, they'd have to deal with the big guns," he said, motioning to me and Soda. Then he shrugged with a small grin. "If I were you, I'd still give 'em a taste of their own medicine… show 'em how lucky they are that you had to get the kid instead of fighting 'em."
As much as I wanted to beat on those Socs, I was nervous about getting into trouble if I did. I had so much to lose. "Thanks Tim."
"Why did they even grab him in the first place?" Two-Bit asked. "He didn't do nothin' to nobody."
"Guy said they wanted to scare him," Curly said bitterly. "Don't believe him though… you don't get six Socs to jump a young greaser an' bring him to the bridge just to scare him."
The voice that responded was so quiet, I barely heard it.
"They wanted to finish what Bob started."