Hey everyone! I've had this chapter written for quite a while, but I could never find time to finish it. Thankfully, that time is now. The story isn't over yet, but like I've said, I know where it's going, with a few detours along the way. Hope you enjoy! Please review.
"I'm going to get a nurse," Darry said to someone standing next to him and left just as Pony was trying to sit up, eyes still closed. He felt a hand on his arm, trying to push him back down.
"No, Pony, don't get up, we'll get you somethin' for the pain. Darry's getting a nurse."
Pony opened his eyes, falling back dizzily against the pillow. "Soda? I didn't know you were back already."
"Yeah kiddo," Soda said, stroking his arm, "I got back early. You were sleeping."
"You didn't skip again, did you?" Pony asked.
"No, I didn't this time," Soda smiled, though he was still worried, "Boss let me go early."
Pony let out a pained noise as he pressed the back of his head against the pillow, cupping his fingers around his forehead without touching the staples.
"Take it easy," Soda said soothingly, rubbing his shoulder.
"My head…" Pony groaned.
"Darry's finding someone to take care of that," Soda answered, trying to keep his brother calm.
A petite, middle-aged nurse with a kind face entered the room, followed by Darry.
"Ponyboy," she called out, "Your brother here tells me you have a bad headache," she said leaning over the rail on the bed. Ponyboy was turned away from her, practically writhing on the bed. She looked up at the IV pole next to Pony's bed and then looked at him again.
"He's in a lot of pain," Soda reiterated, as if it wasn't obvious.
"Yes, I can see that," she answered, taking his hospital chart in her hand. "Ohh," she said, scanning the page.
"What?" Darry asked, feeling worried as he stood next to her and tried to understand what she had noticed on the page.
"It looks like he's already had ibuprofen just 2 hours ago," she explained, looking up at Soda and Darry.
"Doesn't seem to be helping him now does it?" Soda snapped, prompting Darry to call out, "Soda!" because he was being rude to someone who was supposed to help his brother.
"I'll go find the doctor," the nurse said suddenly, "Maybe he'll recommend something else." She left the room, promising she'd be back in a minute.
Darry went over to stand on one side of the bed. Soda was on the other, rubbing his hand over Pony's back. Pony's right temple was practically buried in the pillow.
"Darry!" Soda called out frustrated, "He's in a lot of pain," he said again, frustrated.
"I know that, Soda," Darry answered.
"Do something!" Soda shouted.
"Don't fight," Pony whimpered.
"We're not fighting," Darry said, looking pointedly at Soda, "Here, Pony, turn over on your back," Darry said and Soda gently helped turn him. Darry pressed a hand on his forehead. It felt clammy but not hot, like the fevers he'd had in the past.
At that moment, Ron entered the room followed by the nurse who was carrying something that looked like a cloth.
"Hi guys," he said fondly to Soda and Darry and Darry breathed a sigh of relief. Ron approached Pony's bed. Pony had the back of his right arm over his eyes and forehead, his fingers flopping over his face.
"Hi Ponyboy," Ron said, "Nurse Donna here tells me you're in some pain. How do you feel now?"
"Not good," Pony grumbled, not taking the hand off his face.
"Where does it hurt?" Ron asked, even though he had already been briefed by the nurse.
Pony took his arm off his head and then put both hands on each side of his head, like he was gripping a ball. "My head is pounding!" he declared in a sharp voice. "My neck hurts, too," he added.
Ron turned to the nurse. "And you said he's had other medication so far?"
"Yes, I gave him ibuprofen just after he came back from physical therapy," Donna replied.
"It doesn't seem to be helping much," Soda muttered.
"Headaches with meningitis can get quite severe," Ron explained, "And unfortunately, they can come and go for a long time. So, I'm not surprised," he said, looking over sympathetically at the boy, "Ponyboy, we're going to get you some relief soon."
Ron turned to the nurse and started talking to her in numbers that Darry didn't understand, but he did hear the word morphine.
"Are you sure that's necessary, doctor?" Donna asked quietly, but Darry heard her, and Ron caught him looking at him inquisitively. So he spoke to the group.
"In cases of meningitis, we have to be careful with pain management," Ron said, "The headache could be a sign of increased intracranial pressure and we don't want to exacerbate that, but morphine could be the best option here for relieving inflammation. And it will help with the pain, of course."
Ron looked at Darry deliberately and Darry trusted him. "He had morphine when he first woke up," Darry said. It seemed like ages ago. "It worked well."
Pony turned his face to the right, still in pain. Ron left and the nurse wet the cloth she had been holding in the sink then folded it and placed it gently on Pony's forehead. "I'll be right back," she said and went to get the morphine.
Soda sat in the chair on Pony's right side and leaned over him, stroking his hair. "See, Pone, your headache's goin' to go away soon." Pony stared at the lights above him with glassy eyes, the pain still piercing his brain.
The nurse came back and pushed the morphine into his IV with a syringe. Pony was just about half-awake. Soda's hand stroking his hair was comforting but the pain was still intense, and his features were strained, even when Nurse Donna dimmed the lights slightly before she left.
"When is it supposed to start working?" Pony asked tiredly, looking over at Soda and Darry on his right side. His face was still strained, Soda's hand in his hair. Darry standing. "Soon, kiddo, soon," Darry said, trying to be soothing, "Just rest now. Try to sleep."
The pain was still there, but starting to diminish and suddenly Pony felt like everything was misty and he was floating on a sea of clouds. It was nice. Soda took the cloth off his head.
And then there was a noise and Soda continued to stroke his hair, but Darry moved away.
Two-Bit was back, with Steve in tow. He was carrying another one of those Styrofoam cups. The two of them just looked at him as Darry talked to them in a low voice. Pony heard the words headache, pain, and morphine. He stared at them through bleary eyes.
"Hey Pony," Two-Bit held his hand up in a wave and Pony just looked at him. He listened to the gentle hum of the hospital and felt the warmth of the medication seeping through his veins.
Steve stayed by the foot of the bed but Two-Bit started coming around.
"Hey Two-Bit, come here," Pony said, surprised by the grogginess of his own voice.
He felt Soda put his hand on his hair, "Hey Pony, why don't you rest now?" he said, almost authoritatively, which was strange because that was usually how Darry was.
Pony turned his head. "I am resting," he replied, looking at his brother. And he felt like he was. The pain from the headache had dulled to a manageable level.
He saw Two-Bit smirk as he made his way to a chair that was next to Soda on the right side of the bed and sat down in it, still holding the cup.
"Hey kid," Two-Bit said, "How's it goin'? I hear they got you hopped up on some good stuff."
Pony didn't answer, but he did feel all loopy. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to Two-Bit's drink.
"That's my shake. Vanilla this time," he said, holding it out, "Want some?"
"Why didn't you get me one?" Pony asked, not sure where the confidence came from.
"Well, hell, kid, I thought you were gonna sleep all afternoon!" he exclaimed, and it was true. After Two-Bit had returned with Soda, Pony hadn't stirred for a long time and Two-Bit was restless in the stuffy hospital room. He needed some air.
"Next time I'll get you one," Two-Bit promised, "Here you can try mine," he said again, handing him the drink.
"Two-Bit," Soda eyed his friend, "Maybe that's not such a good idea right now…"
But Pony had already sat up and grabbed it out of Two-Bit's hand to take a sip. The look that passed over his face was not one of disgust but close to it.
"It tastes like snow!" he exclaimed, and Soda grabbed the cup before it almost fell out of his hand.
Two-Bit gave him a funny look. "Snow?" he questioned. Pony sloppily fell back against the pillows.
"You know, I used to love snow…" he slurred, talking out loud but not to anyone in particular, "But I don't like it now. All cold…and wet." He slumped again against the pillows looking a bit miserable.
"Pony, come on, let's not talk about snow right now," Darry said, feeling guilty.
"Feeling good, huh?" Two-Bit quipped, looking at Pony's dopey grin. "He's saying funny things," he declared out loud.
"It's the morphine," Darry replied matter-of-factly.
Steve laughed from across the room as Darry said, "Pony, why don't you close your eyes now, kiddo?"
Instead, Pony sat up and leaned forward a little more. "Are you laughing at me?" he asked louder, getting Steve's attention. Steve calmed down some, but he was still smirking.
Darry glared at Steve but then came over to the bed, patting Pony's arm. "Pony, no one is laughing at you," he said.
"He is…" Pony said, drunkenly pointing at Steve.
"I'll stop, kid," Steve replied, grinning.
"Just cause I said I like snow," Pony slurred.
"You told me before that it scared you," Soda said quietly.
"I like it now," Pony replied, like he was making perfect sense. "You think I don't, but I actually do," he slurred, "Snow angels…snowball fights…"
"Oh, you like snowball fights, do you?" Two-Bit laughed.
"I'm having one in my head right now," Pony said as if he was telling Two-Bit some deep dark secret. "We just got Steve and Soda!" he yelled, raising his fist in the air.
"Pony…" Sod said, biting his lip to keep from bursting into laughter and helping Pony ease his arm down and lay back.
Two-Bit elbowed Soda next to him grinning.
"Don't laugh at me, I'm so serious," Pony said, looking at his friend hard as he grabbed Two-Bit's arm, his fingers digging into his wrist. His eyes were practically rolling.
Two-Bit looked down at his wrist but couldn't hide his grin, "I'm not laughing at you, kiddo,"
"I don't believe you," Pony said, like he was having a hard time enunciating clearly, "I don't believe him," he said to Soda. "Who am I supposed to believe then?"
That made Soda laugh. "Honey, calm down," he told his brother, squeezing his shoulder as Pony was trying to move again.
"Darry," Pony called, moving his head to the left to look at his older brother. It was almost as if he didn't see him at all. "Do you wanna hear a joke?" he asked.
"Sure, kiddo." Darry smirked, taking his brother's hand.
"Why did the chicken cross the road?" Pony asked.
"To get to the other side," Darry responded immediately.
"Aww man! He got it already!" Pony exclaimed, which made the whole room crack up.
"Why are you laughing?" he asked innocently, looking around.
Soda's face immediately got serious. He didn't want his brother to feel bad.
"We ain't laughin' at you, kiddo." he said, "We're laughin' at the joke."
"Speak for yourself, Soda." Steve called out.
"Steve – " Darry warned.
"That's ok, Darry," Pony said, pulling his brother closer like he wanted to tell him a secret,
"Steve likes me."
"Oh he does does he?" Darry smirked, looking back at his buddy.
"I do not…"
"Yea, he helped me when I tried to leave the room…"
"What's he talking about?" Darry asked Steve loudly, still looking at his brother.
"Button it, kiddo." Soda said quickly, rubbing Pony's hair again.
"He's ain't makin' any sense," Two-Bit said.
"He ain't thinkin' straight," Steve called out but he frowned, praying that the kid would shut the hell up. Soda knew, but Darry didn't.
"Ponyboy," Darry said, "You need to be quiet."
"I can't be quiet, my mind's just goin…" he responded, and the room cracked up again. "Can I have a drink?" he asked, and Soda poured him a glass of water, then held it for him as he sipped through a straw.
"I want a Pepsi," he said groggily after Soda had pulled the glass away.
"Pony, it's time to stop talking now," Darry said sternly, trying to get him to calm down, or at least get bored so he would fall asleep.
Pony closed his eyes. "Darry, I'm sorry," he said suddenly.
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Darry asked.
"I'm such a mess," he said, opening his eyes again and realizing how high he was. The room was even spinning a little.
"You're fine," Soda said, and he was rubbing Pony's hair again, hoping it would help him relax. "Close your eyes."
"I'm fine," Pony mumbled, his breath slowing down. His eyes closing, he finally fell into a peaceful sleep.
"That was fun," Two-Bit quipped, getting out of his chair.
"As long as he doesn't make it a habit," Darry answered.
"I hope his headache is gone," Soda said.
"Soda, I think it was gone a long time ago…"
Ron came in later to say hello dressed in plain clothes without his lab coat on. Ponyboy was out like a light.
"I just wanted to see how the patient is doing," he told Darry, who, in turn, informed him about the funny things he had said on morphine.
"Yeah, you never know how someone will react to that medication. That's why we don't give it out a lot. But I made the decision that he should have it. I'll make sure to prescribe a lower dose next time."
"Let's hope there won't be a next time," Darry responded.
Ron informed Darry and Soda that the rules in Pediatrics were a bit different than the ones in ICU. Although he'd tell the nurses to quietly overlook visiting hours - meaning the boys could come and go as they please, as long as they didn't make a scene - there was only room for one of them to stay overnight. This time, Darry urged Soda to go home to sleep.
Besides, Pony would probably not be awake much the rest of the night.
Worried about his brother, Soda wanted to stay but finally agreed and began to collect his things. Steve waited to give him a ride. Two-Bit had already gone home.
Suddenly there was a groan from the bed. As if he knew what was about to happen, Pony blinked his eyes open, trying to clear the fog in his brain and what had happened in the past few hours.
There was pressure on his head, but no pain and certainly nothing like before. He knew it had gone away because of some kind of medicine but he couldn't remember exactly what had happened. Only that the gang was around and he felt wrung out.
Pony turned his head and saw Soda standing by the door next to Steve, shrugging on his jacket and holding a bag in his hand.
"Soda?" he called out.
"Hey, you're awake," Soda said, his face breaking into a relieved smile. He handed the bag to Steve and moved over to the right side of the bed. Pony suddenly realized that Darry was sitting on the other side.
"How you feelin', kiddo?" Soda asked, leaning over the bed and tucking in the blanket up to Pony's chin. "How's your head?"
"Lousy," Pony said, licking his lips, his voice thick. He felt dizzy, but he wasn't in pain.
"Lousy, huh?" Soda asked, giving a half-smile because he knew Pony was just saying things., "Real lousy? Or just out of it? You should go back to sleep, Pone."
"Maybe," Pony said, looking up at him, his head spinning.
"You sure your head's not hurting?" Soda asked.
"Not much," Pony responded quietly, "But there's two of you right now."
Pony knew what this time was up around, but the effects of the morphine hadn't gone away completely.
"Aha! Two of me, huh?" Soda replied, with that movie star grin of his, "Which one do you like better?"
Pony scowled, then responded quietly, "You leavin', Soda? Where you going?"
Pony watched as Soda's face changed, "I'm going home," he said, looking at Darry, "Only one of us can stay over. Darry's gonna be here. But I can stay a little longer if you want me to?" he added. Darry gave him a disapproving look and then rolled his eyes.
Ponyboy blinked slowly, trying to focus on Soda's face. The room felt fuzzy. His mind was swimming in a sea of morphine-induced haze. He knew he didn't want his brother to leave, but he didn't know how to express it.
His voice came out weak as he tried to form coherent words. "S-Soda," he whispered, "I don't want to be alone. Please don't go."
Soda's heart ached at the vulnerability in Ponyboy's voice. He squeezed his brother's hand gently, his eyes filled with empathy. "You're not alone," he said softly, looking up to catch Darry's concerned gaze, "Darry's here. Darry's gonna stay with you."
"I'm right here, Pone," Darry echoed, clasping Pony's shoulder.
Soda hesitated, torn between his desire to stay with his baby brother and his obligation to listen to Darry.
But Pony's eyes were already drooping. He just couldn't keep them open.
"Listen, Pone," Soda said gently, not sure how much his brother was actually hearing, "I'll be back first thing in the morning, ok? You're going to sleep anyway. You won't even know I'm gone."
"Yes, I will," Pony responded, licking his lips, but he was fighting to stay awake. Soda squeezed the hand at his side that was starting to go limp. He leaned over, his face close but his voice was soft. "Just close your eyes and rest, ok, honey?
"Ok," Pony responded. He could feel himself nodding off. "Love you, So-," he whispered the last part.
"Love you too, Pone," Soda responded, although Pony was already asleep, "See you in the morning."
It felt like the cold winter weather was seeping into his bones. But as he lay there, drifting in and out of sleep, Pony suddenly found himself outside in the middle of a snowstorm. He was confused but then he saw his mother standing in front of him, smiling and holding out her hand.
"Come on, Ponyboy," she said, "Let's go for a walk in the snow."
He took her hand. It was warm. They walked through the streets of their neighborhood, the snow falling heavily around them. As they walked, Ponyboy felt a sense of happiness he hadn't felt in a long time.
He wasn't wearing the proper winter clothes – just jeans and a thicker jacket – but the cold didn't bother him. His face felt hot. He had missed his mother so much and he couldn't believe she was really here with him now.
But as they walked, the wind gushed and the snow started to pile up around them, becoming deeper and deeper. Suddenly, Ponyboy realized they were trapped. The snow was at their waists, and they couldn't move any further. He looked up at his mother, but she was gone.
He was alone.
Ponyboy was filled with panic, and he started to scream for help. Suddenly, he heard a voice calling his name. He looked up and saw Darry standing a few feet away, digging him out of the snow. Darry came closer until he was standing in front of him, and he enveloped his younger brother in a big hug. As tears welled up in his eyes, Pony sniffed against his shoulder and clutched at his jacket, pressing his hot skin against the fabric. Then Darry hoisted him over his shoulder, and they began pushing their way out of the snow.
And they kept pushing…and pushing…and pushing…until –
Ponyboy gasped and sat up sharply, his eyes flying open. He felt his heart beating against his rib cage and the cold sweat beading around his eyes.
He shuddered as he felt hands on his shoulders, pushing him back against the bed. "Ponyboy," the familiar voice said, "Hey! Hey, it was just a dream. Breathe, buddy."
Eyes wide, he looked around at his surroundings. He was in the hospital room, the smell of antiseptic strong. It was cold. Darry was leaning over him, concern in his eyes. His large hands pressed into his shoulders.
"You're ok," Darry said, one hand cupping his cheek.
"Darry," Pony breathed. He instantly wrapped his arms around his brother's neck, burying his face in his shoulder and trembling with relief.
Darry's strong hands went around him, one moving up and down his back soothingly.
"I'm right here," Darry said, "Take it easy. You're all right."
Soon Pony pulled away. He felt a bit dizzy and out of it. But he was comforted by the fact that Darry was there.
He was right in front of him. Just like in his dream.
By the way, I have no idea what it's like to be on morphine, but I watched a few YouTube videos to get the (exaggerated) gist.
Oh and thank you to my friend Emily F.6 for the push to keep writing – Simona
