Darry came over to me as soon as I spoke, sitting on the bed and pulling me up to hug him.

"Listen, Scout, before you even say anything, everything's okay, alright? I'm okay. It's all getting handled."

"It's not okay," I whispered, still coughing a little. "Look at you. What happened? Was it Steve? Did you two get in a fight?"

"What? Why would you even…""

"Was it because he came near me, 'cause Soda made him drive us? It was okay, Dar - Soda was with me; Steve just drove us. I'm sure Soda tried to get somebody else, but he said he was the only one …"

Darry pulled back away from me, and stared.

"Soda made you get into Steve's car? With Steve?" Obviously this was new information for him, and I felt bad. I certainly didn't want to get Soda in trouble.

"Yeah, but…It was okay… there was nobody else to drive us. He just… I mean, I was real sick. And an ambulance, that costs money…It was fine. He didn't even talk, I swear, he just drove us."

"Jesus…"

"Who was it, then, Darry? If it wasn't Steve… who did this to you?"

"You don't need to worry about it. That's why I didn't want you to see me. Only thing you need to be worrying about is getting better."

"Well, I am worried about it," I said, starting to cough again, "so you might as well just tell me what's going on and save me the trouble of having to find out from somebody else."

Darry sighed, pulling me against him and talking softly into my ear. I saw Ben and Pony both watching me and then Two-Bit reappeared, standing behind the chair where Pony was sitting.

"It was those guys, Scout, the ones that came for me before… about work. They're upset again, that I'm getting so much of the storm damage jobs."

"They got you alone, didn't they? Like I said would happen…they hurt you and nobody was there to help, right?" I wanted to cry at the thought of Darry getting beat on, with nobody there. He may have been the toughest guy I knew, but four or more against one – eventually the odds turn against everyone, no matter how tough you are.

"Baby, like I said, I'm taking care of it. I've got a bunch of Shepard's guys working with me on all this new stuff, and there's no way those other guys are gonna keep up this nonsense with Tim and his gang involved."

I pulled away and took a good look at Darry, suddenly knowing exactly how he felt when something that he had no control over happened to one of us.

"Are you okay? I mean, really? You're not lying just because I'm sick?"

"No. I told you… I'm fine; just a few cuts and bruises. I just didn't want you to worry. I've been here, the whole time, as soon as I heard, I've been right here. And I'm sorry you didn't know that. I wouldn't just leave you. I was hoping I'd look better by the time you woke up. How 'bout you - are you feeling any better?"

"A little." I did feel better. Not good, yet, but better.

"I'm sorry you're stuck here again," he whispered, pulling me backup against him.

"I'm sorry you got hurt," I whispered back. "But please don't hide from me again. That's even more scary than seeing you like this."

"I guess I get that," he admitted. "I just didn't want you to worry, already being sick and all."

"I'm not a baby anymore, Dar."

"I know." He lay me back down on the bed. "You need anything?"

"Can I eat real food yet?" I asked.

"Sorry… not yet," he said.

"Can I have a milkshake?" I asked. "Like, a real one? From the Dingo, or the Dairy Queen?"

"I can get it," Two-Bit piped up. "I hafta get Soda at work anyway. What do you guys all want?" Pony, Darry and Ben all put in their orders while Two-Bit wrote them down. Darry handed Two-Bit some money and he headed out.

"So, Darry," I started, "you have people working for you? Tim's guys?"

"Yeah… It was his idea actually. He came here, after he heard about those guys jumping me. I was telling him how much work I was getting, and how I was gonna need to take on some help, and he suggested I hire a few of his guys. He knows they need the work, and it'll keep them out of trouble all day, and I know he'll put the fear of God into 'em to do good work or be out of a job. I can go around and supervise a few jobs at once, instead of having to do all the work myself. Should go a lot faster and I'll be able to take on a few jobs at once, so even though I'll have to pay Shepard's guys, I'll still be making more money than if I did it alone."

"So… does this mean… I mean, are you, are we…"

"What? Just ask."

"Are you… in the Shepard's gang, now?" They were mixed up in all kinds of stuff our family had no business getting involved in if we wanted to stay together. I was pretty sure Darry was smart enough to avoid that sort of stuff, but…

"No. No, baby. It's just a business agreement. Tim knows all about our situation. You know that."

"Oh. Good." I closed my eyes, falling prey once again to exhaustion.

………….

"Hey, Scooter, I got your milkshake here. Can you wake up?" I was shocked at Two-Bit's gentle tone. I couldn't really ever remember hearing him whisper before. I opened my eyes to see the guys doling out food, which smelled so good I could hardly stand it. Soda caught me eyeing his cheeseburger.

"Soon as the doc says you're ready, we'll get you one, okay? I promise."

I took my milkshake as Two-Bit pulled the straw out of the bag, then pulled out a second. I was sure he had something in mind.

"I'm just gonna keep this in my back pocket with my blade, from now on, 'kay kid? Your throat ever closes up again and I got all the tools we need," he joked.

"Over my dead body, Two-Bit," Darry said, though he grinned.

"Well, I'd rather yours than the kid's," he retorted, and that gave us all a second of pause. Hell, if it ever happened again, who knew, maybe something like that would have to happen. I certainly prayed it wouldn't ever come to that, Two-Bit cutting my throat open.

"How about nobody dies?" I suggested, softly, and there were murmurs of agreement as everybody ate their dinner. The orderly came in with jello and soup for me, and I ate a little, worried that Darry would complain if I didn't, but he seemed satisfied that I drank the whole milkshake.

It seemed silly to have everybody just hanging around while I was supposed to be resting, so Darry shooed everybody out, telling Soda to bring him in a change of clothes in the morning.

"You don't have to stay," I said, knowing all along it was an exercise in futility. He didn't even answer, just shook his head at me. He settled down in the chair, watching some sports thing on TV while I drifted off. At some point a nurse came in and took my blood pressure and temperature. Darry asked her about me and I listened, half awake.

"She's getting better. Her temp's almost down to 101, and her blood pressure is better. Her heart rate's still fast but that's a side effect of the medication."

"Okay. Thanks," he said quietly. I heard her offer to get him a blanket and a pillow but didn't hear his answer. I was so tired. I couldn't remember what it felt like to have the energy to stay awake for more than an hour at a time.

………………………..

I guess Darry must have refused the blanket and extra pillow because I woke up and turned over to see him asleep in the chair, no blanket and just the one pillow he'd already had. In the dim light of dawn, the bruises on his face looked even worse than they had the night before and I felt sad, wishing that he didn't even have to work in the first place, that he could just go to college and live the life he deserved as a normal twenty year old, not have to get bullied around for trying to make enough money to support a family that should never have been his responsibility in the first place.

He sensed me staring at him and his eyes blinked open, reading my worry.

"Hey," he said softly. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I whispered. "Are you?"

He sat up.

"I'm okay Scout. Really."

I didn't respond. I was sad and terrified that he had been hurt, and at the same time relieved that it hadn't been worse, and thankful that he was okay.

He stood up and came over to sit on the bed.

"I'm gonna have to ask Dr. Bryant if you can get an anti-worry shot," he said, feeling my forehead.

"You should get one too, then," I said, sitting up.

"Maybe," he agreed. "Though it seems fair that an adult should have a few more worries than a kid," he said. "How do you feel today?"

"Okay. My chest still kinda hurts but whispering doesn't. Can I get a cheeseburger yet?"

He laughed.

"Not quite yet, no."

Soda stopped in quickly on his way to work, handing Darry a change of clothes. He went into the bathroom to wash up and change while Soda sat down in the chair.

"Feel any better?" he asked.

"A little. Think I can go home yet?"

"I don't know, baby. I'd rather they make you stay 'til you're fixed up for good than let you go home and get sick again."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I didn't think I was that sick. Just… all of a sudden everything hurt and I couldn't think."

"Yeah, I know. I'm real sorry, Scout, about having Steve drive us. I mean, I couldn't find Two-Bit, Kevin wasn't home… I even tried to get Alison, but there was nobody."

"It's okay, Soda. I knew I was safe with you."

"He coulda lost his job at the DX again – he shut down the whole station to drive us."

I wasn't sure what to make of that. It was a nice gesture, but I wasn't sure it came close to making up for what he'd done. Soda knew exactly what I was thinking.

"I'm not saying it makes up for anything… just, he's changed. I'm still mad as hell about everything too, and I ain't forgiving anything he did. But I can see, just… how he's trying."

"I don't know, Soda… I don't hate him. I'm just – I don't know – confused, I guess."

"I know," he said, rubbing my back. Darry came out of the bathroom just then, looking surprisingly refreshed after a night sleeping in a hospital chair.

"I gotta go," Soda said. "Two-Bit's coming to sit with her after nine, okay, Dar?"

"Good," Darry said, as I made a face at the thought of still having to have a babysitter, even in the hospital. "I'll give a call to the station after the doc checks in here, okay?"

"Good deal," Soda responded. "Seeya, Scout."

"Bye," I said, as he turned to go. "I love you," I added, spontaneously, remembering my regret at not saying that to Darry before the tornado.

He actually stopped short, turned, and flashed me his trademark grin.

"Love you, too. Feel better." And with that, he was out the door.

"What was that all about?" Darry asked when Soda was gone.

"Nothing. I just love my family, is that okay?"

"It's okay with me," Darry agreed. He was folding up his clothes and putting them into a bag when Dr. Bryant knocked on the door and stuck his head in.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"I should think so, you're the doctor," Darry said. I saw Dr. Bryant look critically at Darry as he came in and knew this wasn't the first time he'd seen him since he'd been attacked. I wondered how Darry had explained his appearance.

"How are the two of you doing today?" he asked, something strange in his voice.

"Okay," I answered.

"Good," Darry said, at the same time.

He didn't say anything for a minute or so, and a strange tension that I had never sensed before in his presence slowly filled the room.

"Is something wrong?" Darry asked. "Is Scout okay?"

"Well," Dr. Bryant started, "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure."

"What do you mean? What's going on?" Darry was getting more panicky than I was used to, and I could feel my own heart beating faster.

"It's just… I got a call back from the radiology lab about Scout's X-rays. They took a quick look before to confirm the pneumonia but they always go back for a second look, and they called my attention to something else."

"What?" I asked. "Do I have cancer or something?"

"No. Nothing like that."

"Then what?" Darry moved over to sit next to me, seeing my own panic growing. I remembered his idea about the anti-worry shot and wished I could get one right then.

"Scout's X-rays show clearly that there has been a recent break and healing in three ribs. Normally, I could corroborate this with her medical records, but there's no indication that she was treated any time recently for broken ribs. Since she's a minor, and a ward of the state, I'm mandated to investigate any undocumented prior conditions – in this case, broken bones."

Darry and I both froze, neither one of us wanting to look at each other. My secret – my secret that I thought would stay hidden from everyone who didn't already know - was coming back to haunt me.

"What happened, Scout?" he asked. "Who broke your ribs?"

That was what made me catch my breath: that he'd asked "who," not "what" had broken them. I steeled my resolve to do whatever I had to to stay with my family as he reached out, lifted up my chin, and asked me, to my face,

"Is one of your brothers hurting you, Scout?"

I swear, I felt Darry's heart skip a beat as my own nearly leapt out of my throat, wondering how on Earth I could manage to explain this away while still protecting my family, and without giving away my secret.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Oh, crap. Just when you think things are looking up… I appreciate all the new readers who have been clicking on the review button… Nice to know I'm not the only one reading my fics.