(Darry's POV)

The door opened, and I spotted Ponyboy lying motionless in the hospital bed. Wires, tubes, and machines were hooked up to him, including a tube coming from something on his mouth. I stood there, silently taking in the scene in front of me, but Sodapop was braver and tougher than me; he immediately went to Pony's side.

"Hey honey," Soda said once he sat in the chair next to the bed. He carefully brushed Ponyboy's hair off of his face, and even though he was trying to grin, I saw tears in Soda's eyes. "Looks like you found some more trouble, huh?"

I finally forced my feet to move, despite the internal tempest of emotions I was feeling. I was beyond happy to know that Pony was alive and made it through surgery, but I also felt sick to my stomach just seeing my kid brother so hurt and vulnerable, plus the doctor had something to tell us, so I didn't know what to expect about Ponyboy's prognosis. When I finally reached the side of Pony's bed, my legs suddenly felt weak, and I sank into the chair next to Soda and looked down at our brother.

The cut on the side of his head had been cleaned and stitched up, dark bruises were forming on his skin, and since his arms were resting on top of the sheets, I could see that his knuckles were bandaged. I followed the path of the tube coming from the mask on his mouth and saw that it was attached to a machine that I figured was giving him oxygen. Without hesitation, I reached forward and gently held Pony's hand, hoping he would somehow know I was there.

From my peripheral vision, I saw Two-Bit and Steve silently go to the other side of Pony's hospital bed, but neither of them said anything. I figured they were both probably too stunned to form words.

I heard the door shut, which drew my attention away from my brother, and I saw Dr. Wilson walking towards us. A moment later, he spoke calmly. "As you can see, Ponyboy is in rough shape, but he's a fighter."

"Damn right," I heard Two-Bit murmur, and I nodded slightly in agreement.

"So what was the surgery for?" I asked, immediately wanting answers. "What do we need to know?"

Dr. Wilson stopped at the foot of Pony's bed and looked down at his patient, then at me. "Ponyboy had a collapsed lung that required immediate emergency surgery."

It felt like all the air left my lungs, which made me empathize how hard it must have been for Pony to breathe with a collapsed lung. "What?"

Dr. Wilson nodded and continued. "We believe one of his broken ribs caused it. It's a serious life-threatening situation, but luckily, you brought him here in just in time."

My heart was pounding. Just in time? What if we were later? Would he be gone? I glanced at Soda, and he looked paler and more shocked than I'd ever seen him. I wanted to say something encouraging, but I couldn't think of anything, so I turned back to the doctor, who seemed content on talking without much of a reply.

"After that was resolved, we discovered some internal bleeding that we also remedied. Given the circumstances, Ponyboy did really well in surgery."

I looked at the doctor, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but he had taken a moment to pause, and I jumped at it to get some answers. "Is that all you need to tell us?" I had an awful feeling that I already knew the answer.

Dr. Wilson sighed slightly before replying. "No. We believe there was a short period of time that oxygen wasn't being distributed throughout his body-"

"You mean he really wasn't breathing?" Soda interrupted with a sob, voicing my own thoughts. "Pony wasn't breathing?"

Dr. Wilson nodded, but he was quick to speak again. "We got him to breathe on his own quickly, but that, along with the trauma to Ponyboy's head, could cause… problems."

What does he mean? How bad is Pony's head injury?

"What kind of problems?" Steve asked harshly.

"He could have lasting complications with his brain," Dr. Wilson spoke simply. "One could say that he might have permanent brain damage."

The room went completely silent, with the exception of the machines attached to Ponyboy.

He was only in a fight with some Socs and Curly, how could he be so bad off? I must've heard him wrong. My smart, tough, and athletic kid brother might have brain damage? No, there's no way. He has a future; he's supposed to get good grades and earn a college scholarship. How can he do that if he has some type of brain complications?

My immediately instinct was to figure out how to fix everything, but I was out of my element when it came to medical stuff, let alone preventing my brother from having brain damage. I felt myself start panicking, but I had to pretend to be strong, especially since I could practically feel the tension radiating off of Soda. I took a breath before finally speaking, my voice sounding hoarse. "When will we know?"

Dr. Wilson gave me a look of pity, which made my heart sink. "If he wakes up, we'll be able to assess him better."

At the doctor's words, Soda choked out a sob and I instantly pulled him close to my side to comfort him. He was bawling, but I could tell he was trying to be quiet about it. You don't need to hide it, Soda. It's okay to be upset. If nobody else was here, I would breakdown.

"He's gonna wake up," Two-Bit said almost viciously.

Dr. Wilson nodded, but he didn't look entirely convinced. "We did everything we could. Now we just have to wai-" he stopped talking and his eyes widened. I turned my head to follow the doctor's line of sight, and I was horrified by what I saw.

Ponyboy was shaking in his bed, but it wasn't the kind of shaking someone does when they're cold or having a nightmare. No, he was convulsing, his eyes were twitching, and his entire body was trembling, and it felt like my world was crashing down watching him.

"Nurse!" Dr. Wilson called out towards the hall before moving closer to Pony's side, effectively causing Steve and Two-Bit to step away. The doctor check Pony's eyes and the machines he was attached to before shouting something that turned my blood to ice. "I have a seizure in here!"

Soda and I hovered over our brother. I squeezed Pony's hand, praying for a way to be able to stop the seizure, and Soda bent down so he could be close to Pony's face. "Come on honey, snap out of it," Soda pleaded, tears falling from his eyes and onto Ponyboy's twitching body.

Pony's seizure seemed to get worse, and by the time a nurse ran into the room, the doctor was struggling to keep him still and prevent his head from hitting the sides of the bed. Swallowing the bile that arose in my throat, I went in front of Soda so I could hold Pony's shoulders down while he seized. "We're here, Pone. You'll be okay. Just hold on, they'll help you," I tried to assure him, even though I knew he couldn't hear me.

The nurse and Dr. Wilson spoke quickly and quietly before the nurse put something in a tube that was connected to Pony. Several moments passed before Ponyboy finally stopped shaking. I wasn't calm until I could see Pony breathing steadily, like he was simply sleeping.

"What the hell just happened?!" Two-Bit shouted. Even without looking at him, I could tell by his voice that there were tears in his eyes.

The nurse looked up, and I recognized her as the woman that helped bring Ponyboy to the OR. She was also the one that made Carl, the tall hospital worker that I wanted to pummel, leave me alone. "He was having a seizure, but it has stopped for now."

There was a strangled noise nearby, and after making sure it wasn't Ponyboy, I realized Soda was bawling loudly and he was trembling. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight. "It's okay, Soda. It's done now, he's just sleeping," I mumbled, trying to convince myself just as much as convincing Soda. He was hyperventilating into my chest, and I was nervous that Soda would need medical attention too if he didn't calm down fast enough. "Just breathe, little buddy."

"Why did that happen?" Steve asked loud enough for me to hear him over Soda's sobs.

While I continued to hold Soda in my arms, I guided both of us to sit down in the chairs and I looked at Dr. Wilson, needing answers.

"It could be a result of the brain injury we were discussing," the doctor replied. "Or it could be a reaction to one of the medications we gave him. There's no way to pinpoint the exact cause."

"So it could happen again?" I asked, then I instantly regretted voicing my question because Soda practically howled into my chest.

"I can't… Darry, I can't watch that again," Soda muttered.

I squeezed him tighter. "I know, Soda. I know." That was the worst thing I've ever seen. I don't want it to happen ever again. Once again, I had to pretend to be strong and tough, even though I felt like crumbling to the floor.

"Yes, it could happen again, but we're going to do everything we can to prevent that," the nurse reassured.

"We're changing some of the medications we're giving him, we'll keep him on oxygen, and he'll continue to rest," Dr. Wilson added. "All of this should reduce the chances of him seizing again."

As Soda started calming down and breathing steadier, I looked down at Ponyboy lying in the bed. You have to get better, Pone. Please.

The four of us stayed in Ponyboy's room for hours after his seizure. I knew Soda and I weren't going anywhere, but I was surprised that Steve and Two-Bit didn't even leave for a smoke or to get food. That's how I knew they were more than just worried; they were terrified.

Steve left the room once to call the DX to let the owner know Soda wasn't going to be at work for at least a couple days. A part of me was glad Soda would get to stay at the hospital for Ponyboy, but another part of me worried about the bills. I was lucky enough to have one day off, but I made a mental note to call my boss later that day. I can't leave while Ponyboy is in a hospital with a possible brain injury. He's my kid brother, and what if they need me to make tough decisions - I stopped myself right there. No, don't think about that.

If it wasn't for the machines hooked up to him and watching him have a seizure, I could've thought Pony was just sleeping, but reality was cruel. Some Socs pummeled my brother, and it's their fault he's fighting for his life. It was the Socs, and Curly Shepard, that were to blame.

"I'm going to kill Curly," I muttered suddenly. I didn't mean to say it out loud, but I couldn't find it in me to regret those words. My hands were in tight fists, and I wanted nothing more than to punch something. "What the hell was he thinking dragging Pony into something with the Socs?"

"I don't know, but I'd like a piece of him too," Soda spat. I glanced at him, and he was looking at Pony lovingly, then he gave me a glare. "I'm going to beat the shit out of him for this."

"Tim ain't gonna let you get to him that easy," Two-Bit said from across Pony's bed.

It was my turn to glare. "I'm not worried. We'll deal with both Shepards, then those Socs."

I am not a medical expert so I'm sorry if some things don't make sense.

Thank you once again for those who are reading and reviewing this story!