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As he opened and closed his heavy eyelids Darry took in the quiet, dimly lit room. He had no idea what time it was or how long he'd been asleep, but right now his tired eyes felt dry and scratchy. The insides of his lids were made of sandpaper and he would have given anything to be able to close them for about 30 hours ... straight. No such luck, Darry thought to himself with a yawn, then he ran a hand over his face and attempted to blink away the exhaustion.
The room was cold and sterile, quiet except for the soft whirring and rhythmic beeping sounds coming from Dally's machines. Darry looked down and was surprised to see Ponyboy still curled up in his lap, his face pressed against him and a fistful of his t-shirt clutched in Pony's hand. He was resting his head on Darry's legs, sleeping peacefully at last and Darry was relieved. Pony had been upset, clinging to him tightly ever since they'd brought Dally back from the recovery room.
The gang had sat, huddled together, watching as Dally drifted in and out of consciousness post surgery. He was rambling in his sleep and he seemed agitated at times. He was fighting the after effects of the anaesthesia the doctor had told them. It happens with some patients. A few times, Darry had caught Dally's slurred speech talking about how he just wanted to sleep, and it seemed the closer Dally came to waking up for real, the more agitated he got. The poor guy had had to be sedated eventually 'cause he was thrashing around and reacting kind of violently with the nurses. It had scared Pony to see Dally that way. Hell, it had scared all of them to see Dally that way. Afraid his combativeness would open up his fresh incision, the nurses didn't waste any time injecting Dal's IV with some kind of sedative to calm him down.
It had worked quickly and the boys were all relieved when Dally was sleeping again, but poor Ponyboy had reached the end of his rope. He couldn't handle the stress anymore and his dam broke. With tears streaming down his face he had practically jumped into his big brother's arms.
It caught Darry off guard. Pony almost always sought comfort from Soda, but for some reason this time he'd chosen Darry. Although surprised, the young man had to admit he was flattered. His baby brother had chosen him and it felt good. Darry had held Ponyboy while he cried, doing his best to soothe and reassure him. Sometimes they forgot Pony was just a little kid. When stuff like this happened it reminded them. He was a kid and he was still really traumatized from their parents' accident. Whenever something bad happened to one of them Pony panicked a bit. It was like he was sure he was gonna lose everything and everyone he ever loved. Darry wished he could take that feeling away from him, but if he was honest he guessed deep down they all felt that way to some extent.
As he looked down at him, Darry ran his hand through Pony's hair, brushing a few stray wisps from his forehead. Poor kid, he thought to himself. He's been through a lot for someone his age. Too many tough times. Dead parents, terrifying nightmares, friends abused at home, socs jumping him every damn day. Add to that money troubles and the constant threat of separation and a boys home and it was just too much.
Darry knew one thing for sure, he would hold his brother close for as long as the boy would let him. He didn't care if it didn't look tough. They'd had a rough night and right now the connection with his kid brother felt good. Pony had been scared earlier when Dally went wild. He'd wanted strength and security and protection. Well, that was Darry in a nutshell, so here they were. But it wouldn't last. Darry knew soon enough his little brother would be looking for the kind of soft and gentle comfort only Soda could give. Sodapop was an expert when it came to love and gentleness and Darry admired him for it. But Pony would wake up soon and Darry's arms would be empty again. That much he could count on. He would be back on the outside longing for the strong bond his brothers shared ... but in the meantime Darry would savour his moment.
And it lasted much longer than he expected. The room full of boys remained still and quiet for at least another hour or two and Darry was grateful. Grateful for silence and for time to process the events of the past 24 hours. As he sat lost in his thoughts, Darry took in the scene before him. Dally lay motionless in his hospital bed, his skin pale and clammy, a trail of tubes and machines tracing back to every extremity. The other 5 looked like pretzels all bent and folded in different positions as they slept propped up on uncomfortable chairs. It was like every one of them had been sedated right there along with Dally. Maybe exhaustion really does set in after the adrenalin rush of an emergency is over. The calm after the storm. Either way, Darry was glad they were resting. They might need it. After all, who knew what the next couple of days would bring for Dally...
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