Author's Note: Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review! :)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Stumble

"Let's go, Soda, you're gonna be late," Darry called out the front door.

Soda landed a few more blows on the punching bag before dropping his hands down and catching his breath for a minute. It had become routine for him to practice boxing early in the morning before he went to work. He was always up way too early thanks to the military messing with his internal clock and it was a good way to clear his head, especially after a restless night's sleep. He didn't have nightmares every night anymore but they still happened a few times a week. Soda was starting to enjoy the mornings though. The neighborhood was quiet and peaceful early in the morning and he was able to find a sense of calm that was so hard for him to come by these days.

Soda reached over and grabbed his cane from where it leaned up against the house and slowly pulled himself to his feet. A few times he had tried to stand and balance while sparring with the bag, but his muscles never held him up long so he mostly stuck with sitting on the tall stool. It was a little awkward at first but he had quickly gotten used to it.

It had been a week since Seth had left and Soda wondered how he was doing. He hoped that he was coping better with the memories from the war. At the same time Soda took comfort in the knowledge that he wasn't the only one struggling. He hoped that maybe Seth might stop by again on his way back to Oregon.

Soda limped back into the house and headed for his room. He changed for work and then headed to the bathroom to get cleaned up. He knew that there was no point in showering because he was just going to get sweaty again at work, so he just sponged off a bit to make himself look at least a little presentable. As he headed into the kitchen Pony and Darry were already at the kitchen table eating breakfast.

"How'd you sleep, little buddy?" Darry asked.

"Okay," Soda said with a shrug as he maneuvered himself into the kitchen chair in front of where his plate of scrambled eggs and grape jelly sat. He was trying to get used to sitting at the table again instead of always in the recliner. It was just a small change in an attempt to make his life feel a little more normal.

Two-Bit and Steve showed up soon after, picking at the leftovers from breakfast and joking around. Overall life was feeling pretty normal, and Soda was enjoying that feeling very much.

"C'mon, you clowns are gonna be late for work," Darry prompted, though he was smiling. "Pony, you better get goin' to school too."

Soda heaved himself to his feet, struggling a bit as he tried to push the chair back far enough to stand. Darry reached over and pulled the chair away for him and Soda smiled his thanks. He was getting better at accepting help. He limped out into the living room and followed Steve, Two-Bit and Pony out of the house, everyone calling their goodbyes to Darry, who still had a little more time before he had to leave for work. Two-Bit jumped down the porch stairs first, followed by Steve and Pony who were both lighting up cigarettes. Soda followed.

Soda grabbed on to the porch rail just like he always did as he slowly descended the stairs, leaning on it heavily. He was halfway down before he heard the ominous creaking sound. Before he had a chance to really think about what was happening there was a loud snap and the old wooden railing gave way. Soda reacted on pure instinct as he tried to twist away from the sudden void but it did no good as he toppled over into the grass next to the stairs along with the broken railing. He cried out as his knee twisted and he landed on his right wrist.

"Soda!" Steve's voice barely registered to Soda as he gasped through the pain, fighting to focus on his surroundings. He was also vaguely aware of Pony shouting for Darry. Soda curled in on himself protectively, groaning loudly as pain flew through his body. "Soda?" Steve's voice was closer now and gentle. "Soda can you hear me?"

Soda struggled to focus through the pain. I'm in Tulsa, I'm in Tulsa, I'm in Tulsa… He kept repeating to himself over and over. Not Vietnam, I'm in Tulsa…

"Hey, Pepsi-Cola." It was Darry's gentle voice this time. "Hey, the porch rail broke, but you're okay." Soda did his best to cling to Darry's words but his head was swimming and he was having a hard time focusing.

Soda tried to shift himself away from the splintered wood that he was laying on top of, but any movement at all caused him to gasp in pain. He squeezed his eyes shut. "D-Darry?" he called out desperately, his voice cracking. As much as his senses were telling him that he was on the chaotic battlefield he desperately hoped that Darry was really there.

"Yeah, I'm here, little buddy." Darry sounded closer. Soda opened his eyes, squinting against the sunlight that suddenly seemed much brighter, and looked up at his brother who was crouched nearby, inching closer to him. "You're on top of the broken porch rail. I'm gonna pull it out from under you, okay?"

Soda vaguely nodded his consent and felt the wood being pulled out from under him and a moment later he was lying flat on the grass. He let out a sigh of relief and his eyes began to droop closed again.

"Soda?" It was Pony's voice this time. He was crouching next to Darry, a dishtowel from the kitchen in his hand. Soda stared at it curiously, wondering why he was holding it. "Soda, keep your eyes open, okay?"

Keep your eyes open, Curtis.

Soda struggled to focus on his little brother. It was Pony who had spoken, not Seth. Seth was not here in Tulsa right now. He watched Pony hand the dishtowel over to Darry who crept closer.

"Can you hear me, Soda?" Darry asked slowly. Soda slowly nodded. "I'm gonna put this under your head, okay?"

Soda wasn't sure why he wanted to do that, but he nodded again anyway, forcing himself to trust Darry's judgment over his own right now. Darry moved closer and gently lifted Soda's head off the ground and pressed the towel to the side of it above his temple. Darry motioned Pony to come closer and Soda did his best not to shrink away as Pony put his hand on the towel against his head, freeing Darry's hand. Suddenly Soda was aware of a dull throbbing in his head that he hadn't noticed through the rest of the pain.

"Can you try to sit up, Soda?" Darry asked gently.

In answer Soda shifted himself and pushed down on the ground with both hands. He hissed in pain as a sharp jolt flew through his right wrist. He cradled it up against himself and pushed up with just his left hand, Darry reaching forward and gently helping him while Pony kept the dishrag against the side of his head. Soda surveyed his surroundings, seeing both Steve and Two-Bit standing a few steps away, watching the scene with concern.

"Sorry," Soda mumbled, resting his head in his left hand.

"You got nothing to be sorry about, little buddy," Darry said. "You're doing great." Soda knew that he meant that they were all surprised he hadn't freaked out and been thrown into a war flashback. Soda was pretty surprised himself. "It looks like you got a concussion; you hit your head pretty good." Soda didn't remember hitting his head, but now it made sense why Pony was still holding the towel to his head. He must be bleeding. "I'm gonna carry you back into the house, okay?"

Soda lifted his head and opened his mouth to respond but quickly snapped it back shut as the world began to spin around him. He pushed Darry away with his left hand as he leaned over and vomited in the grass. After he had emptied his stomach of his breakfast he leaned back and found Darry's arm was behind him, supporting him.

"Should we take him to the hospital?" Pony asked softly, his voice full of worry.

Soda was shaking his head before Darry could answer. He couldn't help but think back to all those weeks of being confined to the army hospital. He didn't think he could handle the hospital, not just yet. "Please, I don't want to go to the hospital," he murmured. He knew he sounded like a little kid but he didn't have the energy to care.

"Let's just get him back in the house," Darry said and Soda felt grateful. He felt Darry slowly lift him up and Soda rested his head against Darry's chest, fighting the dizziness that came along with the movement.

"Are you sure, Darry?" Soda heard Steve's voice. "It looks like a pretty bad concussion to me. Maybe he should get checked out."

"It looks like the bleeding stopped," Darry said. "We'll see how he's doing in a little bit." Soda was surprised. Any other situation Darry would be dragging him off to the emergency room kicking and screaming if he had to.

Two-Bit held the door open as Darry carefully maneuvered them through the doorway, thankfully not bumping his bad leg, which was throbbing painfully. Soda thought he'd put him in the recliner, but instead he set him on the couch.

"Now you stay upright and stay awake," Darry said sternly. "If you pass out you are going to the hospital, you hear?"

Soda nodded slowly, knowing that there was going to be no arguing with that logic. He eyed the suddenly blood-soaked rag that Pony was holding as he hurried back to the kitchen. When he came back the rag was gone. He carefully sat on the couch next to Soda and Soda tried to give him a reassuring smile.

"Steve, we gotta get to work," Two-Bit spoke up, nudging Steve who was looking intently at Soda.

Steve looked reluctant, but finally nodded. "We'll be back after work, Soda," he said as he followed Two-Bit out the door.

Soda nodded, feeling guilty that he was going to leave them shorthanded today.

"Pony, you gotta get to school," Darry said as he headed for the bathroom.

"Aw, c'mon Darry," Pony pleaded.

"You ain't skippin' school," Darry said firmly. "If anything happens I'll come and get you, but you're not gonna sit on the couch all day when you could be at school."

Soda reached over and placed a comforting hand on Pony's leg. "It's okay, Pony," he assured his brother. "I feel better already." It wasn't a complete lie but Pony still looked skeptical. However after a moment he sighed in defeat, clearly knowing there wouldn't be any chance of changing Darry's mind when it came to school, and stood.

"You'll come get me if you have to take him to the hospital?" Pony asked Darry.

"Yeah, I will," Darry promised. "Hurry up, you're gonna be late."

Pony still looked reluctant but he hurried out the door all the same. Darry returned to the couch with the first aid kit, setting it on the table in front of them.

"How are you really?" Darry asked carefully after they were alone.

"I'm really okay," Soda assured him. It was pretty true. His head was pounding but other than that everything seemed to be in working order. "Ain't you gonna be late for work?"

Darry shook his head as he began to clean Soda's head. "No way, I ain't leaving you home alone like this," he said with a tone that left no room for debate. "I'll call in in a minute. Can you move your wrist?"

Soda slowly twisted his right wrist, wincing slightly. "It stings, but it's not broken," he said. "Probably just a sprain."

Darry finished putting a band-aid on the side of Soda's head. "I think I've got a bandage we can wrap it with in my room," he said, standing up.

Soda watched Darry walk away and disappear down the hall. He leaned forward slightly, hanging his head as he lightly brushed his fingers against the band-aid on his head. He suddenly felt very tired. Suddenly there was a loud thud from down the hall. Soda jerked his head up, his eyes wide, hardly aware of the black spots that littered his vision.

"Darry?" he called, stumbling to his feet. He suddenly realized that he had no idea where his cane was. He tried to stumbled forward but dizziness hit him again. Suddenly the world was fading away. Soda was aware of the floor rushing up at him. And then everything went dark.