(Darry's POV)

As soon as we got outside of the hospital and away from the doors, I shoved Ed, and he immediately landed on the ground.

"Look man, I wasn't gonna do nothin'-" he started as he turned to face me, but Two-Bit kicked him in the ribs, effectively cutting him off. I guess Two-Bit really did want a piece of this guy too.

"You had a blade against my brother's throat!" I shouted at him. I bent down, pulled him up by the collar, and sent him back to the ground with a punch to the jaw. "You didn't want to fight us, so you snuck into my brother's hospital room to kill him?!" The words that left my mouth caused a shiver to run down my spine. Glory, he almost killed Pony again.

Ed was clutching his face and stayed on the ground, but I heard him gasping and trying to say something, so when Two-Bit went to kick him again, I held him back. "What did you say?" I asked harshly.

"I said," the Soc spat between gasps as he turned slightly to look at me, "I wasn't gonna kill him… I just want my money back he and the other kid stole."

I was livid. This Soc, this coward went through all of this trouble to get the money Curly stole from him? Fine. He can have it back. I wasn't sure what to do with the stolen money, but if it paid for Pony's freedom from being attacked, I was more than happen to give it back.

I reached into my back pocket where the I kept the white envelope Curly gave me. Once I clutched the envelope, I pulled it out and opened it again to make sure all the cash was still in it, which I knew it would be; besides when I kept it in the truck during our fight with the Socs that attacked Pony and Curly, I always had it with me. I felt my eyes get widen a little when I realized what I thought was $1 bills were actually much larger bills. I know he's a Soc, but where did he get that kind of money in the first place?

It didn't matter where the money came from, and although it made a little more sense why the Soc had it out for Pony and Curly, I wasn't going to let him get away with it.

I dropped the envelope on the ground in from of Ed's face, but as he reached for it, I stomped on his wrist, causing him to scream in pain. I ignored the sound, and bent down so he could hear me over his heavy breathing.

"That's all the money the other kid stole from you. My brother didn't do anything wrong," I said slowly. I enunciated every syllable so Ed would understand me clearly. "It's over now; you have your money. And if you or your friends come near my brother again, I won't hesitate to send you to the morgue. You dig?" I almost surprised myself at how serious I was, but I was speaking the truth; if somebody came after Ponyboy, or Soda for that matter, I'd do whatever it took to take care of it.

Ed's eyes almost popped out of his head, but he quickly nodded, and I released his arm. As he pawed his injured arm towards the envelope of cash, I straightened and turned to look at Two-Bit, who was staring at me with his eyebrows raised, but thankfully he stayed silent.

"What the hell is goin' on?" a familiar voice asked from somewhere nearby. I turned at saw Steve running towards us from the parking lot. When he reached us, he glanced at Ed still laying on the ground and groaning in pain. "Do I want to know what this Soc is doin' here?"

"He snuck into Pony's room, pinned him down, and put a blade to his neck," I explained roughly. I couldn't help but envision what I witnessed just minutes prior, and it still made my blood turn to ice. I know I saw blood. Ponyboy's blood.

Steve looked horrified for a split second, then he glared down at the Soc before stepping on Ed's elbow and grabbing his newly injured wrist. Ed didn't put up a fight, and he barely looked conscious, but he managed to glare back at Steve and hold the envelope tightly. "And what do we have here?"

"Leave it, Steve," I ordered, and after a glance in my direction, he released his hold on Ed. "It's the cash that was stolen, and now that he has it back, he and his buddies are going to leave Ponyboy alone," I said pointedly, making sure Ed was aware of the arrangement.

"You gave the money back?!" another familiar voice shouted from nearby. All of us turned in the saw direction Steve came from, but this time, it was Tim and Curly that were walking towards us. Curly was hobbling on one crutch, and he looked mad at me of all people. "You're giving that piece of trash money?"

Steve and Two-Bit both looked ready to fight Curly, but if anyone got that opportunity, I wanted it. Once Tim and Curly reached us, I noticed that Tim not-so-casually stepped on Ed's ankle as he walked by. Ed gave a grunt of pain, but he couldn't do much else.

"What are you doin' here, Shepards?" Two-Bit asked.

"Wanted to visit the kid, see how he's doin'," Tim said. Then he looked at me. "Ain't he the one that didn't show?" Tim asked, nodding his head towards Ed.

"Yeah, he is," I said harshly. "Instead, he showed up here and put a blade to Pony's neck looking for the money. Now that he has it, Ponyboy's safe."

Tim raised his eyebrows slightly, pretending to be less than curious, but I knew he was surprised.

"I thought Two-Bit was supposed to be watchin' him," Curly said. "

That's it, I've had it with Curly Shepard.

I stepped forward and tightly gripped Curly's shirt collar and pulling him close to me, not caring that his crutch fell to the ground. I was aware that Tim was right next to us and always ready to fight, but if he tried to stop me, he'd regret it.

"Listen here, Curly," I growled. "All of this started because of you. You got Pony in trouble, you got him put in the hospital, and you're the reason this Soc came after Pony. That Soc came here and hurt my brother looking for the money you stole." I was furious, and I was starting to lose my cool. If nobody else was there, or if we weren't in public, I probably would've pummeled Curly and left him lying on the ground right next to Ed. "If you ever think about getting Pony involved in any of your shady shit again, you'll need surgery for Tim to be able to recognize you."

I didn't wait for a response before I let go of Curly's shirt, then I turned to walk back towards the hospital doors. I figured Steve and Two-Bit would either follow me or have a word with the Shepards, but I didn't care what they did. I just wanted to be back with my brothers.

We beat the Socs, Ed has his money back, so now Ponyboy should be safe.

Oh, how wrong I was.

(Soda's POV)

I didn't know what to expect when I got to Pony's room after hearing Darry yell, but I definitely wasn't expecting a no-good Soc to be in the room, let alone Darry pummeling him on the floor.

"What the-" I started, but then my attention went to Ponyboy, who looked like his skin was a different shade of color than the last time I saw him, which was a stark contrast to the thin layer of red liquid that was on his neck. He looked so much worse than when we left him to go fight the Socs. "Pony!"

I ran over to Pony's bed, sat the side of it, and immediately put a hand on his head, trying to get a reaction from him. With my other hand, I grabbed a handkerchief from my pocket and put it on his neck. "Hey honey, open your eyes."

Not only did he not open his eyes, but he also didn't react at all, and his breathing was all over the place. What's happening? What's wrong with Pony?

"What's going on in here?" someone asked from near the door, but I didn't bother to look or respond, I was too focused on my baby brother.

Darry stood up and pointed to the Soc on the floor. "He's the one that put my brother in here. He had my brother pinned down and had a knife at his throat!"

That got my attention.

Still holding the cloth to Pony's neck, I glanced at the Soc on the floor, and I recognized him as the Soc that was missing from our fight with the Socs. Wait, did Darry say he had a blade at Pony's neck? I looked down at Pony's neck, and sure enough, it made sense that the cut was from a knife. Luckily, it didn't seem too deep, but it was still bleeding.

"I need help in here!" the guy at the door shouted. You think? My brother's bleeding and not waking up! "Your brother is my patient, he is not. I need this room cleared out. Get him out of here."

"I ain't leavin'," I spat at the tall guy giving orders. If he thinks I'm leaving when he's 'clearing out' the room, he's got another thing coming.

Darry glanced at me, then he bent down and hoisted the Soc off the ground by his arm. "Help me out here, Two-Bit? We're escorting our friend out of here."

Two-Bit gave him a smile that I knew meant he'd love nothing more than pummeling that Soc into the dirt. "My pleasure."

With the immediate threat being dealt with, I looked back at Ponyboy. He still wasn't opening his eyes or even reacting to me at all, which told me he wasn't conscious. What's going on?

"Keep an eye on him, Soda. I'll be right back," Darry said.

I nodded. I got him, Darry. I ain't leaving his side.

The guys were gone, and suddenly the room was full with medical staff saying lots of things really fast.

"What are his vitals?"

"Where's his IV location?"

"He needs oxygen."

My head was spinning with the frenzy of words and movement. One nurse moved me aside so she could get closer to Pony and work on him, so I stood behind everyone trying to treat Ponyboy, making sure he didn't leave my line of sight.

I recognized Ponyboy's doctor, Dr. Wilson, had entered the room, but I had no idea when he arrived. Time was acting funny starting the moment I saw Pony lying unconscious in his hospital bed with blood on his neck.

"What's going on?" I asked anyone and everyone in the room. I need to know what's happening with my brother.

"Someone ripped his IV out," a nurse said, although I didn't know if she was talking to me or everyone else in the room.

"All vitals are turned off, wires disconnected," another said.

"No oxygen device attached either."

As the nurses rushed to do whatever it was that they were doing, I realized that none of the tubes or wires that had been attached to Pony were connected to him anymore. Glory, what happened?

Suddenly, Ponyboy started shaking in his hospital bed.

"Seizure," Dr. Wilson said. Please, not again. "Keep his head secure!"

I didn't think he was talking to me, but I took Dr. Wilson's orders and ran with them because it meant I could help my brother. I made my way to Pony's head and kept him from hitting the sides of the bed while everyone else continued doing whatever they were doing.

"I'm right here, Pony. I'm here," I said to him. I doubted he could hear me over his seizure and the chaos in the room, but I had to try to do something to comfort him. "It'll be okay, honey."

As Pony continued convulsing, I felt myself start trembling and my eyes were tearing up. Is it ever going to stop? He can't have a seizure for hours, can he?

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Pony stopped shaking. I was about to feel relieved, but the doctor said something that made me go rigid.

"We need to get him to the OR," Dr. Wilson said.

I looked up at him. "Why? What's going on?"

"His breathing is sporadic and his cyanosis indicates a respiratory issue," Dr. Wilson said quickly. As the nurses were preparing Ponyboy's wires and bed, he explained it again in simpler words. "He's not getting enough oxygen. He's basically suffocating. I think a rib punctured his lung, maybe from that kid that was in here earlier. He's lost some blood too, which isn't helping with the loss of oxygen."

Within a minute, my brother was taken away from me, despite my pleas to be allowed to go with into the OR. Once Pony was wheeled out of the room and out of my sight, my quaking legs couldn't support my weight anymore. My legs gave out, and I sat on the floor, bawling like a baby.

I'm sorry, Pony. I didn't protect you.

I sat on the floor of the hospital room, sobbing into my arms, and silently praying to person in the sky that Mom always prayed to.

Please let Pony be okay.

(Darry's POV)

As I got near Pony's room, I heard sobbing, which made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I rushed into the room, only to find the room mostly empty, except Sodapop sitting on the floor, crying. There was no bed, and more importantly, no Ponyboy.

No, the worst couldn't have happened. Right?

I knelt into front of Soda and put a hand on his shoulder, not only to steady him, but myself too. "Soda? What happened?"

"I'm sorry," he choked out, still not pulling his head away from his arms. "I'm sorry, Dar."

My heart was racing, and I fought my own emotions in order to pretend to be calm as I tried to get Soda to explain. "Pepsi… what happened? Where's Pony?"

He shook his head. "He- he… he had another seizure."

My heart dropped into my stomach. No, not again. Pony was doing so much better; he was fine until we came back and that Soc had him pinned down.

I enveloped Soda with my arms in a tight hug, and he continued bawling and choking out words. "It was awful, Darry. I never wanted to see that again, and he just started shakin'…" Soda trailed off, and I tightened my arms around him even more.

"I'm sorry, Soda. I should've been here instead of pummeling that Soc," I said. Why was my priority letting out my anger instead of being with Ponyboy? "I'm sorry you had to deal with that alone."

"They took him away," Soda said, slightly changing the subject. "Said something 'bout the OR and oxygen or somethin'. I'm sorry, Dar. They wouldn't let me go with."

"It's okay, little buddy. I know you did everything you could," I said as I rubbed circles on his back.

A few moments later, I heard footsteps behind me. "What's goin' on?" Two-Bit asked. "Where's the kid?"

I pulled away from Soda and turned around to see the horrified looks on Steve and Two-Bit's faces. "Pony had another seizure, and they took him to the OR."

Both of them were stunned, and while Two-Bit swore under his breath, Steve approached Soda and me and knelt down next to his best friend. Steve and I shared a knowing look, and he wordlessly took my spot on the ground to comfort Soda so I could stand up and deal with everything else. Even though I didn't want to leave Soda again, I knew he was in good hands.

I left the room and spotted Ponyboy's doctor just down the hall, and I immediately walked towards him. He noticed me, and met me halfway. "Mr. Curtis, I was just about to-"

"What happened?" I asked, accidently interrupting him, but not feeling bad about it either. "Where is Ponyboy?"

"Your brother had another seizure," Dr. Wilson said calmly, not upset about me being impolite and impatient. "His oxygen was very low, and his is in the OR right now. I was correct when I figured a rib had punctured his lung."

It was a lot of information all at once, and none of it sounded good. "But what happened? When my other brother and I left, he was doing fine, but when we came back and found that Soc-" I realized the hospital workers might not be aware of the conflicts between Socs and greasers, so I stuttered a little as I tried to find a different name to call Ed that would sound professional to Pony's doctor. "When we came back and found that other guy in the room pinning my brother down, Ponyboy looked a whole lot worse than before."

Dr. Wilson nodded his head, not seeming to be surprised at all. "All of the wires for his vitals were disconnected, and he wasn't on oxygen when the medical staff arrived in the room. We have come to the conclusion that the young gentleman that was in the room probably was the one that disconnected everything, as well as remove the IV from your brother's arm. Something probably happened between him and your brother that caused Ponyboy's lung to get punctured."

I was horrified. Glory, that Soc did all of that in the time it took Two-Bit to get to the phone? And what went down before I got there? Was Pony able to put up a fight while stuck in a hospital bed? I felt myself shaking, either from anger, fear, or all other emotions put together. Even though I was a mess, I forced myself to remain as calm as possible. "What happens now?"

"Your brother is in good hands in the OR," Dr. Wilson said with a smile I'm sure was supposed to be reassuring. "As far as next steps and what happens from here, it's similar to how things were when he first came in; after making it through surgery, he'll need to be on oxygen and closely monitored."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shut my eyes as I tried to take a deep breath. We're back to square one.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I opened my eyes to see Dr. Wilson giving me a solemn look. "You and the other young men in that room have done so much for Ponyboy. We're doing everything we can to help him, but make sure you take care of yourselves too. Your brother is a fighter, and he's right where he needs to be."

He reminded me of Dad at that moment, and I couldn't help but feel like Dr. Wilson was either already a father, or he would be a good one. "Thank you, sir."

He gave my shoulder a squeeze, then let go. "I'll update you all when I have more news."

I nodded and thanked him again before I made my way back to Ponyboy's hospital room. To my surprise, I noticed that Tim and Curly were standing outside the room with Two-Bit. The three of them were talking, both of the Shepards looking angry as Two-Bit kept talking. Two-Bit saw me down the hall, and when he spoke next, it was loud enough for me to hear. "Time for you two to go."

Tim glanced at me, then looked back at Two-Bit before nodding his head and leading Curly away before I got near. When I reached Two-Bit, I looked at him. "What did they want?"

"Still wanted to see Pony," he said quietly. "I told them what I knew, then sent them packin'."

"Thanks Two-Bit," I muttered. I really did appreciate him, but it was hard to feel anything but helpless and upset.

I was about to go into Pony's hospital room, but Two-Bit grabbed my arm, keeping me in place. "Look man, I'm sorry. I should've stayed in the room and told the nurse to let Steve know what was goin' on." Two-Bit looked more upset than I'd seen him since two of our friends died. Don't think about that right now, Darry. "It's my fault the Soc came in-"

"Two-Bit," I said, interrupted yet another person. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known." He didn't look convinced, but I wished he could hear the sincerity in my voice.

We were silent for a moment, then I walked into the hospital room and noticed that Steve had managed to get Soda sitting on a chair instead of the floor, and Steve was sitting next to him, rubbing his arm in an attempt to sooth Soda. My brother was still crying, but he had calmed down quite a bit since I left. As soon as I entered the room, both Soda and Steve looked up at me.

"Any news?" Steve asked, his voice noticeably hoarse.

"Not really. He's still in surgery." Then I let out a sigh and held back the tears that threatened. "It's like before… we have to wait for news."

Soda choked out another sob, and my already heavy heart felt like it was splitting as he spoke. "So there's… there's a chance…"

I walked up to Soda before he could finish his thought, knelt in front of him, and put my hands on his knees. "Ponyboy's strong, Soda. He's a fighter. Even his doctor said so."

At that, Soda grinned a little. "Yeah, our brother's tough."

I squeezed his knees a little and returned a grin. "Exactly. So we just need to wait for the doctor to give us news."

Soda silently nodded, then I stood up, got another chair, and sat next to him. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and pulled him to my side. "It'll be okay, little buddy."

The four of us sat in the room for a couple hours before Dr. Wilson came into the room and gave us the news.