Thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows! This update took longer than I thought, but I hope it's worth the wait!

(Darry's POV)

I stood in the hallway, frozen, for what seemed like hours. What if he doesn't make it? I won't be able to take losing someone else, especially not one of my brothers. That thought jolted me back to the current situation. I can't do anything for Ponyboy, but I can be there for Soda. I finally managed to move my feet away from the OR doors and towards the waiting room, where I assumed Two-Bit and Steve would bring Soda.

The moment I walked into the ER waiting room, I searched through the crowd of worried faces before I found the guys in the corner of the room. Soda was hunched over in a chair, obviously sobbing, and Steve and Two-Bit were on either side of him; both of them looked beyond scared and worried, but I knew they were doing their best to put on brave faces and help Soda.

Before I could walk towards the guys, the lady at the front desk next to me spoke up. "Excuse me, sir? You came in with that boy on the gurney, right?"

I looked at her, and even though she was being professional and just doing her job, I was irritated. Well yeah, did you not see me rushing my kid brother towards the OR? Even though I was frustrated, I took a breath and nodded. "Yes ma'am."

She gave me a sad smile that made my stomach turn. Why is she looking at me that like? Does she know Ponyboy won't make it and she's pitying me. "I'm sorry to make you do this at such a stressful time, but I need you to fill out some paperwork," she said, handing me a clipboard with some papers on it. Really, paperwork is your biggest concern right now? My kid brother might be dead by now, and you want me to sign some papers? She seemed to understand my thoughts, and she spoke in a soft and calm voice. "I can give you some time if you need. I understand you have more important things to worry about right now, but we will need the paperwork completed as soon as you can."

Once again, I took a steadying breath. She's just doing her job, Darry. You should've known there would be important paperwork to fill out. I looked over towards the guys, making sure that they were okay by themselves for just a little longer, most notably Soda. Steve and Two-Bit can take care of him for a couple more minutes. I looked at the lady again and nodded. "I'll take care of it now."

As I stood there, filling out Ponyboy's personal information, I could feel the lady's sad gaze on me the entire time. I scribbled all of the information as quick as I could, and as soon as I signed the last line, I handed her the clipboard. "Thanks," I said, not entirely sure what I was thanking her. All she did was delay me from sitting with the guys.

"Thank you, mister…" she trailed off as she looked down at the papers. "Curtis. Mr. Curtis, I truly hope…" again, she looked at the paper before finishing the sentence. Her eyebrows furrowed ever-so-slightly before she completed her thought. "I hope Ponyboy gets well soon."

This time, I spoke sincerely when I said, "Thank you."

As I turned around to walk towards the guys, I felt guilty about being mad at the lady at the desk for doing her job. She even made it a point to address me and Ponyboy by name, and she barely reacted to Pony's unique name. For a moment, I debated going back to apologize, but Soda lifted his head and spotted me, and his red-rimmed eyes made it impossible for me to walk away.

When I got closer, Two-Bit moved so I could sit next to my brother. As soon as I sat down, Soda looked at me and spoke, voice quiet and wavering. "Any news?"

I shook my head, trying to blink away the tears as they started to suddenly appear. "He's in surgery. That's all I know."

Instantly, Soda wrapped his arms around me and sobbed into my chest. "What if… what if he doesn't…" Soda tried speaking between sobs, but he never finished his question. It didn't matter, I knew what he was thinking.

I tightened my arms around him. "That's not going to happen, you hear? Our little brother's tough." He's survived worse, right? I thought about the previous year when that Soc almost drowned Ponyboy in the park, and it felt like I got punched in the gut. What's worse, being nearly drowned or nearly beaten to death? I ignored my dark thoughts and believed in the words I said. "He'll pull through, Sodapop."

Soda nodded his head into my chest, but he didn't say anything. We all stayed quiet as Soda let out his emotions and I tried to keep mine contained. Take care of Soda, Darry. Breathe, and take care of Soda. I kept the mantra going in my head so I wouldn't break down and start crying in front of everyone.

Slowly, Soda's sobs started to get quieter, and he eventually pulled away from me and sat up in his chair. He wiped the tears off his cheeks, and Two-Bit handed him a bottle of Pepsi that I was sure he swiped from somewhere in the hospital. After he forced himself to take a drink, Soda set the bottle on the floor, then stared down at his feet.

"Darry's right, Soda… the kid's tougher than he looks," Steve finally said after a few more quiet moments. I wanted to say something to him about picking on Ponyboy, but I let Steve's backhanded compliment slide since it was one of the nicest things that he's ever said about Pony. Plus, when I glanced at him, Steve looked really troubled, like he was truly concerned about Ponyboy. We always knew he cared about Pony, he just never wanted to admit it.

"Shoot, he's gonna be just fine," Two-Bit said as he sat next to me. I looked at him, and even though he was trying his best to sound convincing, the worried look in his eyes was still there.

Soda nodded again, but still stayed quiet, then he put his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands. I put my hand on Soda's back and rubbed circles, and while I hoped it would soothe him, the physical contact was probably more for me; I suddenly needed to be near one of my brothers because I couldn't be there and help the other one. Please be okay, Ponyboy. We can't lose you too.

Hours passed, and every time a doctor or nurse opened the doors to the waiting room, my heart would start pounding. Is this it? Are they going to tell us he's gone, or did he make it through surgery? Then I looked at the clock, noticing just how long we had been at the hospital. Are surgeries supposed to last this long? That must mean he's still alive, right? Even though I was certain that I should've been given an update, I couldn't muster up the courage to walk up to the woman at the desk and ask for it. I was too afraid of what the update could be.

While I managed to mostly stay sitting in my chair, Soda and Two-Bit were constantly moving around while we waited. I swear, the two of them are the least patient people I've ever met. When Soda was fidgeting in his chair and bouncing his leg up and down, Two-Bit would be pacing or stealing snacks from who knows where, but after he opened the bag of chips or candy, he'd quickly forget about it and Steve would finish it. If Soda was the one pacing, Two-Bit would sit down and watching everything and everyone in the room. Besides eating Two-Bit's leftover food, Steve rarely moved other than to smoke. Otherwise, Steve sat next to Soda and scowled at the floor. I didn't know what was going through his mind since he wasn't exactly good friends with Ponyboy, but it seemed like he definitely cared about what was happening to my kid brother.

The more I looked at the doors that were hiding my brother or at the guys' reactions and emotions on their faces, the more I felt my control on my emotions slipping. Knowing that I couldn't do anything except wait for news was driving me insane, and with ample amount of free time waiting for an update, my mind naturally went to thinking about Ponyboy, which just made things worse for me. I pictured how I found Pony lying on the street, then how bad he looked right before going into surgery, and after remembering everything that happened, my mind started creating "what if" scenarios.

What if I would've found him earlier? Would he have been better off and maybe even still awake? What if I found him too late? What if he… is gone? Our lives would be turned upside-down without him. I can't handle losing anyone else, and Soda… he'd be beyond devastated. We both would be. Neither of us could survive without Ponyboy. If Pony doesn't… make it… I don't think-

I suddenly felt a hand on my back, rubbing circles between my shoulder blades, and it took me a few moments to realize that I apparently had lost the small amount of control I had because I was holding my head in my hands and crying, not unlike Soda did just hours before. I instantly knew it was Soda that had sat next to me and was trying to calm me like I had done with him. Even though I knew Soda's heart was threatening to break too, he was there for me, and I loved him so much for it.

"Just breathe, Darry," Soda soothed. I didn't understand why he was telling me to breathe until I realized that I was quietly hyperventilating into my hands and my breaths were uneven. I focused on Soda's voice and forced myself to take a deep breath. "There you go."

I took a few more deep breaths before I dared to pick my head up and away from my hands. I wiped the tears off my face, but I kept my elbows on my knees and looked at the ground, not able to face anyone after my breakdown.

"You with me, Dar?" Soda asked, moving his hand to my shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

I nodded and closed my eyes. "Yeah," I said with a sigh. "Sorry, I-"

"Hey, don't apologize, alright?" Soda said.

Soda knew better than anyone how much I hated showing strong emotions in front of other people, and crying the hospital in front of everyone was no exception. Hell, I didn't even let myself cry at our parents' funeral because I needed to be strong for my brothers, but with Ponyboy fighting for his life, it was all too much. I let myself break, and worst of all, it was in front of Soda; I wanted to make him believe that Pony would be okay, but how convincing could I be if I was so worried that I started bawling like a baby?

I glanced over at my brother, trying to figure out what to say to reassure him, but he just gave me a sad smile. Somehow, it felt like Soda was reading my mind. It was as if he knew I was trying to be strong not only to save myself from the embarrassment of crying in public, but I was really just trying to put on a brave face for him so he wouldn't worry.

I turned away from him, not able to meet his eyes anymore. I closed my eyes again and dropped my head, suddenly out of the strength that's required to keep my head up. Soda returned to rubbing circles on my back, then he said "It's alright, Dar. You can let it out."

So he really can read my mind.

"We won't tell anyone," Two-Bit said with a hint of amusement in his voice. I didn't even need to open my eyes to know that he was sitting in the chair on my left, so without looking, I quickly shoved him, and I heard something flop onto the ground. "What was that for?" Two-Bit asked.

"For being a smartass," I heard Steve say from somewhere over by Soda.

Despite how I felt just moments before, the light-hearted moment made me huff out a laugh, which was followed by Soda chuckling. I opened my eyes and looked to the side, and I found Two-Bit on the ground with two toppled chairs next to him. From his spot on the floor, Two-Bit gave me an incredulous look. "I said I wouldn't tell anyone!"

I opened my mouth to reply, but someone got my attention before I could. "Mr. Curtis?"

I whipped my head around and found a middle-aged man dressed in a white coat standing in front of me. I took a deep breath, stood up, and tried to steady myself. Breathe, Darry. I could feel the tense air surrounding us, and I prayed that the man only had good news for us.

"Yes sir, that's me," I said, trying to sound confident.

The grey-haired man extended his arm, and as I shook it, he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Wilson."

I forced myself to politely nod instead of scream at him, asking about Ponyboy. Luckily for me, there was someone else willing to do that.

Soda sprang to his feet and stood next to me. "How's Ponyboy? Where is he?!" I put my arm around Soda's shoulders and squeezed, but I kept my eyes trained on the doctor and waited for his reply.

Dr. Wilson didn't seem surprised at all by Soda's outburst and lack of manners. Instead, he just gave us a small smile. "He made it through surgery, and he's recovering right now."

Glory, Ponyboy's alive! My tough little brother is alive!

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. It felt like a balloon filled with angst and worry had delated inside of me. Two-Bit let out some type of cheer, Steve stayed silent, although I was pretty sure he'd be happy with the news, and Soda choked out a small sob of relief.

"So he's okay? We can see him now?" I asked, relief still washing over me. A look crossed the doctor's face, and my concern immediately returned. "What is it?"

The doctor glanced at the guys before looking back at me. "I'll explain, but I can see that you all want to see Ponyboy, so you can follow me and I'll take you to his room. Once we're there, we can talk more in private."

Soda and I shared a worried look, but then we agreed and followed Dr. Wilson down several different hallways, with Steve and Two-Bit silently following behind. The more we walked, the more my mind starting spinning once again. He made it through surgery, he's alive! What could the doctor be worried about?

Before I knew it, Dr. Wilson stopped outside a hospital room door and turned to face all of us. "This is Ponyboy's room." As if he anticipated me and Soda immediately moving towards the door, Dr. Wilson stepped in front of us before we could see our brother. "Remember, he was severely injured and he just had surgery, so he's not going to be awake and acting like normal. It's best to let him rest, so if you're going to be in the room, you have to stay calm and quiet."

I nodded. I'll do anything to see Ponyboy… including pummeling a certain doctor.

Apparently deciding we were trustworthy enough, Dr. Wilson stepped to the side, and Soda and I opened the door to Ponyboy's room.