When it was all said and done the rest of the afternoon hadn't been too bad. It had been nice even.
It began to storm shortly after the boys came home and while Dally snoozed on the couch, the rain tapped softly against the windows. With their chicken soup bubbling away on the stove the whole gang sat together in the living room talking quietly and playing cards making the house feel comfortable and cozy. Dally had stirred every once in awhile, but when he did one of the gang went to him to see if he needed anything and everytime he said he was fine.
It really had seemed to be going alright, but that was hours ago. Before things went downhill.
It was now the end of the evening and Darry was pacing. To say he was concerned was an understatement. Pony and Soda were always telling him that he worried way too much, but this time it was different. Something was wrong with Dallas, and Darry was beginning to think a couple of days rest on the couch just wasn't gonna fix it.
A few hours earlier the greasers had eaten the dinner Steve and Soda had prepared and everything was going ok. Soda had fixed up a tray with some soup and crackers on it and Dally had managed to eat quite a bit of it. But just as he was about to nod off on the couch again, Dally had let out a yelp of pain, grabbed at his stomach and then hurled everything he'd eaten into the bucket Two-Bit left for him. The look on Dally's face afterwards was heartbreaking. He was in pain. He was exhausted and miserable. And if they looked close enough the boys were pretty sure they could see a glimmer of fear and maybe even a few unshed tears in their friend's eyes too. That's when Darry had insisted Dallas go to bed in his room. Maybe a good night's sleep in an actual bed was what the poor kid needed. Without a single complaint Dally had let Darry help him to his room. He'd allowed Darry to help him change into some pajama pants so he would be more comfortable and he'd said nothing as Darry tucked him in under the covers. Through it all Darry watched as Dally's eyes became glassy and dazed and he grew worried by how violently Dally's body was shivering in spite of the beads of sweat pooling on his feverish brow. Darry asked Dally then if he wanted to go to the hospital, but Dally had sprung up, clutching Darry's shoulders, begging...
"NO way Curtis! No hospitals. I hate 'em. I'm fine." There was a panicky edge to his voice. "I just need to sleep man ... please..." and with that Dally had laid back down, closed his eyes, and gone silent.
Against his better judgement Darry had given in, but here he was now ... sitting up, worrying, & waiting for some sign of improvement. It was late and the house was quiet as all the other boys slept. The only sounds to be heard were Two-Bit's soft snoring in the living room and the ticking of the clock on the Curtis' mantlepiece. As the minutes slowly crept by, Darry considered climbing into bed with Soda and Pony. It had been a tiring day and he longed to rest too, but he knew someone should keep an eye on Dally. The kid was getting worse that much was obvious. He pulled the chair from his desk over to Dally's bedside and sat down beside the sick boy. He looks so young, Darry thought to himself, young and fragile like Ponyboy. Darry sat contemplating Dally's state, worrying, and wondering what to do and before he knew it his heavy eyelids began to droop.
The gang's rest was short-lived. At 2 am an ear-piercing scream broke through the silence of the house awakening everyone with a start. Pony and Soda sat up, hearts racing. They looked at each other with panicked expressions then flew from their bed. The other boys were making their way from the living room and as they all converged in the hallway in front of the bathroom they saw Darry holding Dally as he hung his head over the toilet. He was vomiting again, but this time as his body retched he groaned loudly in pain, crying out like someone was stabbing him. He clutched desperately at his right side.
"What's wrong with him Darry?!" Pony cried out. He was scared, his voice cracking as reality set in.
"I don't know Ponyboy, he just woke up screaming in pain and then he started gettin' sick again."
Darry's voice revealed that he was scared too and with that the rest of the boys began to sense the gravity of the situation. No way in a million years would Dallas Winston be caught dead like this ... not unless something serious was going on. They looked on, helpless ...
A few minutes later weak and weary, Dally pushed himself away from the toiletbowl. He might have been the toughest hood in all of Tulsa, but at that moment he was just a kid. A sick kid slumped down on the bathroom floor, leaning against the bathtub, head hung low, tears streaming down his face.
"I hurt Darry." Dally's voice was small, trembling. "I hurt real bad."
Darry reached up and ran his big hand through Dally's hair.
"I know you do kiddo ... hang in there ... we're gonna get you some help."
Thanks for reading! Please review - it motivates me to write more :)