(Darry's POV)
Shortly after Ponyboy fell asleep, Dr. Wilson and the nurse left the room, and about an hour later, another nurse came into the room to check on Ponyboy. Once she assured us that he was doing fine, she said something about visiting hours ending and us needing to clear the room. I figured that I could probably convince her to let me and maybe even Soda stay the night, but Steve and Two-Bit stay would be another story. Luckily, Dr. Wilson stopped by and said everyone was allowed to stay as long as we behaved. The nurse reluctantly gave all of us pillows and blankets, then she assured us that she wouldn't hesitate to kick anybody out if they gave her problems.
I sat in the chair next to Pony's bed, not wanting to be further from him than necessary. Soda laid on the floor next to the bed, also not wanting to be far away. Two-Bit and Steve took spots on the floor along the wall.
"You wanna snuggle, Steve?" I heard Two-Bit ask. Then I heard him grunt, which meant Steve probably punched him.
It was a restless sleep, but I figured that I managed to sleep for a couple hours that night. Throughout the night, I heard Two-Bit snore, Steve move around, and Soda talking to Ponyboy in a comforting tone. Once I was awake, I knew I had to get out of the chair and stretch my legs. I didn't want to leave Pony's room, but I knew the guys would still be there, and I had something I still needed to do. I quietly left Pony's room and glanced at the clock: 4:30am. I walked over to the nearest payphone and dialed my boss's number. He was an early riser, so I knew he'd be awake.
After a short conversation, my boss told me to do whatever I needed to do and he'd take care of my missed shifts. I tried to tell him I'd be willing to work, but he must've heard my reluctance because he reassured me that I wouldn't lose my job due to staying in the hospital with my kid brother. I was more than thankful for his understanding, and once I hung up the phone, I felt a small weight off of my shoulders.
I returned to my chair in Pony's room as quietly as possible, but despite my attempts of being silent, I heard someone stir.
"Darry?" Soda asked from a spot on the floor next to my chair. "Something goin' on?" I could hear the concern in his tired voice.
"No, little buddy. I just talked to my boss, everything's fine," I whispered. "Go back to sleep."
"Shit," he muttered. "I gotta call mine."
A part of me was worried about how we'd pay the bills with both of us taking off of work, but I knew better than to tell Soda to go to work while Ponyboy was in the hospital, especially since we still didn't know his prognosis.
"You can do that later, it's still pretty early," I responded. "You need to get some sleep, Soda." I know you haven't gotten much.
"Nah, I'm fine," Soda said as he got up and took a seat in the chair next to me. In the darkness, I could still see him look down at Pony, then I heard him sigh. "Any update?"
"No, not yet," I said, not able to hide the disappointment in my voice. At least we saw Ponyboy awake, but he wasn't really awake. Sure, his eyes were open, but he didn't utter a word, and I wasn't even sure that he knew Soda and I were there, let alone Steve or Two-Bit. More than anything in the world, I wanted Ponyboy to wake up and be okay.
It was only an hour or two later that Ponyboy started to stir in his hospital bed. I had been nodding off, but when I heard the movement, I bolted upright in my chair and leaned forward. "Hey Pone, you awake little buddy?"
Pony continued to shift a little in his bed, and the early morning sunlight coming through the window allowed me to see the hint of discomfort written on his face. I looked around, but besides me and Pony, the room was empty. I knew it would be smart to get a doctor or nurse in the room, but I wasn't about to leave my brother all alone.
Ponyboy groaned lightly, and I was confident that he was returning to consciousness.
"Wake up, kiddo," I said softly, trying to mimic Soda's gentle voice. I leaned forward to put my elbows on the bed and I grabbed Pony's hand. "Come on, Ponyboy. Can you please wake up?" I heard myself pleading, but I didn't care.
It took a little while, but eventually Pony's eyes opened. His discomfort was still visible on his face, and I was worried that he wouldn't truly be there like the first time he woke up, but when his eyes were trained on mine, I knew my brother was really there with me.
"Hey Pone," I said quietly, holding back tears. He's awake. He's actually awake.
The oxygen mask was still over his mouth and nose, but Ponyboy was moving his mouth, making it move. I waited for a few seconds, but I didn't hear anything. I saw his eyes widen slightly and I knew he was beginning to panic.
I squeezed his hand in an attempt to comfort him. "It's okay, kiddo. You've been through a lot. Just breathe and try to relax. I'm not going anywhere."
Ponyboy blinked and he took a couple deeper breathes. Finally, I heard the most glorious noise; Ponyboy spoke. His voice was mottled under the mask, but I still heard him. "Dar?"
I choked out a short sob, but I immediately stifled it so I wouldn't freak him out. I put one hand on top of Ponyboy's head and gently ruffled his hair. "Yeah Pone, it's me." Pony blinked, but after another wave of pain washed over his face, he reached his hand up to the side of his head. I quickly stopped him. "You can't touch it, Ponyboy. You got stitches." Ponyboy sat there, looking at me with confusion written on his face, but after a few seconds, he let me guide his hand back down.
Ponyboy looked at me with a strange look, and before I could ask him what was wrong, he started speaking again. "S… s-," Pony couldn't get any words out, and I knew it was bugging him, but I figured I knew what he was trying to say.
Of course he wants Soda here instead of me. Those two have always been closer.
"Soda will be back soon," I assured him.
Ponyboy shook his head slightly, and repeated himself. "S… s-," once again, he couldn't finish whatever it was he wanted to say. He looked straight at me and squeezed my hand. It seemed like he was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't figure it out.
"Did I hear my name?" Soda asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway. I turned to spot him, Steve, and Two-Bit all standing there. The fresh smell of tobacco told me at least one of them went out for a smoke. Soda's eyes immediately landed on our brother. "Pony?"
Before anyone else could say something, Soda rushed over to Pony's side and sat next to the bed. He pushed Pony's hair off of his face, then his hand stayed on Pony's cheek. "You really awake, Pony?" I could hear the tension of nervousness in Soda's voice. "You really here with us?"
In response, Ponyboy blinked and nodded his head. "Yeah."
Like me, Soda let out a sob, but he didn't hold back. He leaned forward and hugged our brother. "Glory Pony, it's so good to see you awake."
"Easy Soda," I warned, but before I could pull him away to prevent more harm to our brother, Pony slowly wrapped his arms around Soda.
I heard Steve say something about giving us a minute, and when I glanced at the door, both him and Two-Bit were gone.
"How ya feelin' Pony?" Soda asked, bringing my attention back to my brothers. Soda had pulled away from Pony and was sitting next to the bed, eyes trained on Ponyboy.
Ponyboy looked at Soda, then at me. "Sor… sorry."
Is that what he was trying to say earlier? What is he even sorry about?
"You don't have anything to be sorry for," I told him. I was still holding one of his hands, so I gave it another squeeze. "We're just glad you're okay."
Pony shook his head, causing him to wince a little. "No… Cur- Curly… 'm sorry."
"We know what happened," I said gently. "It's okay."
"Curly told us everything," Soda elaborated. "You don't have nothin' to be sorry for." Pony's eyebrows furrowed, which told me he had more things that he wanted to say, but he just couldn't. Soda picked up on it too, because he was quick to comfort our brother. "We've been worried about you, honey."
"'m fine," Pony muttered.
I felt myself shake my head and chuckle, while Soda let out a short laugh.
Glory, it's so nice to hear his voice again.
(Ponyboy's POV)
Something was pulling me back down to Earth, but instead of being forcefully pulled down like the first time, it was like I was making a gentle descent. Still, when the cloudy lightness dispersed, throbbing pain was radiating throughout my body, but it was mostly in my head. I tried to move to alleviate the discomfort, but nothing was working.
"Hey Pone, you awake little buddy?" That's Darry.
Knowing that my older brother was nearby was more comfort than I'd felt in a long time, and I wanted nothing more than to see him. Maybe he can tell me why I was in space.
I forced myself to focus on my brother's voice, which I hoped would help pull me into reality. I continued move and try to find a position that kept the pain to a minimum, but nothing seemed to work.
"Wake up, kiddo," Darry said as gentle as I'd ever heard him speak Glory, he sounds scared. Suddenly, I felt my weight shift a little to my left, and a moment later, something was holding my hand. "Come on, Ponyboy. Can you please wake up?"
Is Darry begging me to wake up? What's going on?
I crawled back into consciousness, and I managed to open my eyes. After a few moments of gathering myself and becoming aware of my strange surroundings, I found my brother sitting next to me, holding my hand, and leaning forward on my bed. Wait, this isn't my bed.
"Hey Pone," Darry said.
I tried to say something, but there was a strange object covering most of my face, which made it almost impossible to move my mouth. After getting used to it, I tried to say something, but the words I wanted to say weren't making it to my mouth. What's going on? I'm trying to greet my brother, but nothing's coming out of my mouth!
I felt Darry squeeze my hand. "It's okay, kiddo. You've been through a lot." Like what? What could possibly make me unable to talk? "Just breathe and try to relax. I'm not going anywhere."
I tried to listen to my brother, especially since he was smart and I knew I could trust him. I attempted to take a deep breath, but it took a couple tries before I could. After calming down a little, I wanted to verbally respond. Just think about his name, then say it. Just say his name. "Dar?" Lordy, I never thought it would be so hard to say my brother's name.
Darry let out a short sob, which completely surprised me. What's going on? Why is Darry so upset? Then he ruffled my hair. "Yeah Pone, it's me." I knew messing with my hair was supposed to make me feel better, but it reminded me that my head was pounding. I reached to the spot on the side that was aching the most, but Darry stopped me. "You can't touch it, Ponyboy. You got stitches."
Stitches? When? I was confused, but I trusted Darry, so I let him force my hand back down without any resistance.
Seeing Darry so worried about me made me feel guilty. What happened? Then it hit me: Curly convinced me to help him out, which lead to us getting pummeled in the street. Did anything happen after that? I knew it was my fault that I was in the hospital and Darry was obviously worried about me, so I knew I had to apologize.
"S… s-," I started, but for some reason, I couldn't get the word out.
"Soda will be back soon," Darry said with a small smile, apparently thinking I wanted Soda instead of him.
It ain't like that anymore, Darry. I'm just trying to apologize about everything.
I shook my head and tried to apologize again. "S… s-." Once again, I couldn't get a simple word out of my mouth. Admitting defeat, I looked Darry in the eye and squeezed his hand. I'm glad you're here. I'm sorry about everything. I didn't-
Soda's voice suddenly appeared. "Did I hear my name?" I moved my eyes so I didn't need to move my head much, and I saw Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit in the doorway to my room, which by then, I had figured out was a hospital room. Within a second, Soda's eyes met mind. "Pony?"
A moment later, he was at my side. He pushed the hair off my face, then his hand rested on my cheek, reminding me so much of our mom. "You really awake, Pony?" There was a uncertainty in his voice, which confused me. "You really here with us?" Well I'm awake, aren't I?
I knew it was important for Soda to hear me, so I took a second to really think about the word I wanted to say. "Yeah."
Similar to Darry, Soda let out a sob, then he leaned forward and hugged me. "Glory Pony, it's so good to see you awake." His sudden movement and embrace made pain shoot from my stomach up to my head, but I couldn't be mad at him. I couldn't even tell him to go easy on me if I wanted to since speaking was apparently difficult.
"Easy Soda," I heard Darry say, but I was so happy to see Soda and be with both of my brothers, that I didn't want him to pull away. I wrapped my arms around Soda, making him stay put for a moment before he gently separated himself from me.
"How ya feelin' Pony?" Soda asked.
I didn't want to tell him I felt lousy, so I didn't. I had something else to say anyway. I looked at Soda, then at Darry. Think about the word, then say it. "Sor… sorry."
"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Darry said immediately, then he squeezed my hand again. "We're just glad you're okay."
I shook my head, which made a bolt of pain shoot through my skull, but I ignored it. They have to understand that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for going with Curly, I knew I should've gone straight home. I'm sorry for getting wrapped up with the Socs again and helping Curly vandalize their cars. I had so many things that I tried to say, but only a few syllables came out of my mouth. "No… Cur- Curly… 'm sorry."
For a second, my brothers looked at me like I was crazy, but Darry spoke gently. "We know what happened. It's okay."
"Curly told us everything. You don't have nothin' to be sorry for," Soda said next. But I was with him. I was the lookout. "We've been worried about you, honey."
Why were they so worried? I've been beaten and pummeled a few times, especially during a rumble. I guess I've only ended up in the hospital one other time, but that was when Johnny and Dally… "'m fine," I said, pushing the past out of my mind.
Darry and Soda laughed a little at me, which made me a little irritated.
"Justa fight," I said, happy that I managed a somewhat full sentence. "-ll be fine."
Something I said made my brothers exchange a worried glance before looking back down at me.
"Pone, it was more than just a fight," Darry said. He looked troubled, which only made my anxiety rise. "You almost didn't make it."
What? I must've heard that wrong.
"It's true, honey," Soda said softly. "You got hurt real bad. You had surgery, then after that, you had a seizure. There were a few times we weren't sure…" Soda trailed off, too upset to continue.
How is that possible? I thought only certain people with some kinds of diseases got seizures. Did they really think I'd die? All the new information just caused the pain in my head to get worse, which made me reach towards the stitches I apparently had. Again, Darry stopped me.
"Ponyboy, listen to me. You can't touch that," he said sternly, but nicely. "You got cut in the head during that fight. Between that and your other injuries, you lost a lot of blood." By the looks on his and Soda's faces, Darry wasn't overexaggerating.
I raised my eyebrows, silently asking him to explain.
Darry sighed. "Your lung collapsed from your broken ribs. You had internal bleeding, and there was some time you weren't breathing. The doctor told us you might have some lasting effects." He spoke quickly and roughly, like it was suddenly painful to speak.
Collapsed Lung? Lasting effects? Like what? Is that why it's so hard to talk? How did all of that happen from a simple fight?
I mentally recalled everything that I could remember after Curly spotted me leaving the movie house. Curly needed my help. He damaged cars. Soc cars. I was the lookout. They threw stuff at us as we drove away. They caught us. There was a blade. I was going to die in front of a church.
"Mirror." After a moment, I realized that I said it. Out of everything I could say, that's the only word I could get out?
My brothers looked utterly confused.
"You want a mirror?" Soda questioned.
"I don't know, Ponykid. You look real rough," Two-Bit's voice suddenly said from somewhere nearby by. I looked towards the door and I saw him and Steve cautiously walking towards me. "It's nice to see ya awake an' all, but I don't think you wanna see yourself."
I was glad to see him, but Two-Bit wasn't understanding me. I shook my head and reaching towards my head. Once again, without fail, Darry grabbed my hand. "Pone, you can't-"
"Mirror," I said in a strained voice as I struggled to turn my hand in Darry's grip. I was trying to point to the side of my head, but I wasn't sure it was working or if I was being clear.
The guys all looked around at each other with confused expressions, but suddenly, Steve looked at me. "You mean a car mirror?"
I nodded slightly and blinked so he knew he was on the right track.
Steve looked over at my brothers. "Remember what Curly said about the Socs throwing something at them? The thing that broke the window? It was a side mirror from one of the cars Curly messed with."
Soda looked from Steve to me. "Is that right, Pony? That's what hit you?"
Again, I blinked and nodded, feeling too tired to respond.
Two-Bit patted Steve on the back. "Good job, Steve. You can speak the kid's language."
"I get plenty of practice speakin' nonsense with you around, Two-Bit," Steve shot back. Steve's comment made both of my brothers glare in his direction.
"Watch it, Steve," Darry growled.
Meanwhile, Steve making fun of me was the first normal thing I experienced in so long, I couldn't help but laugh. Even though my mouth was covered with a strange mask, I must've laughed loud enough for everyone to hear me, because I immediately had four pairs of eyes on me.
"Glory kid, you alright?" Two-Bit asked.
I took a couple breaths before I nodded again. "Yeah."
Before Two-Bit could say anything else, two more figures appeared in the doorway: Tim and Curly Shepard. Curly had crutches helping him stand up, which made me feel a little better since it meant neither of us went unharmed after the fight.
I wasn't the only one who noticed them either, because the atmosphere in the room suddenly became very tense.
"Here comes trouble," Two-Bit muttered.
"Didn't Darry and Soda already teach you two a lesson?" Steve asked. I was about to ask what he meant by that remark, but Curly's black eye and the dark bruise on Tim's chin told me something happened between the Shepards and my brothers. I'll have to ask about that.
"What the hell do you two want?" Darry spat at the Shepard boys.
"We got another problem," Tim said.
