(Ponyboy's POV)
"Darry?"
I was more than happy to see Darry up and moving around, but he still looked pretty rough. His coloring was still off, his voice was a bit hoarse, and his breathing was still a little too fast for him, but at least he got some decent rest being stuck in a hospital bed for a day.
The guys, along with the nurse that was holding gauze to my head, looked at the door, and as soon as they spotted my big brother, the guys looked at each other and Two-Bit gave Steve five bucks. They made a bet on how long Darry was going to let the doctors force him to stay in bed and away from me, and Steve won.
"Hey kiddo, what happened?" Darry asked as he walked to the chair next to Soda and sat down.
"I'll tell ya what happened," Steve said. I knew he was angry at me, but a part of me kind of appreciated his anger because I knew he was actually worried about me. "He was alone for two minutes and he decided to try and make a run for it."
"Did not," I said. I wasn't trying to run.
"Why was he alone?" Soda asked, and I could hear a bit of either anger or frustration in his voice. "I thought at least one of you was gonna be in here the whole time." Again with the guys needing to babysit me.
"Listen," Two-Bit started. "I went to the gift shop, and apparently Stevie here had to use the facilities. With no adult supervision, the kid here decided it would be a great time to try out his legs for the first time since the wreck."
I glared at my buddy. "That's not exactly what happened and you know it."
"Then tell us what happened," Soda said to me.
I looked at each of my brothers, then feeling a little ashamed, I looked down at my hands. The cuts and bruises on them were starting to heal, which I was more than happy about. "I overheard what room Darry was in and I wanted to see him. When the guys left, I thought I could make it there before they came back." I just wanted to see Darry.
"Pone, you have a broken leg and a head injury, along with a lot of other things. What were you thinking trying to get up and walk around?" Darry said, but he surprisingly didn't seem angry. Instead, my brother's concern leaked out through his voice.
I shrugged, trying to let him know I was fine and nothing bad really happened. The cut on my head was nothing compared to everything else that was wrong with me anyway. "I kinda forgot. I haven't been up much, and I got a cast on my leg anyways, so I thought I could do it." Darry looked incredulous, like I was insane, so I added, "I just wanted to see you, Darry. Last time I saw you, you dropped to the floor like a bag of rocks."
"So you got up, and what? Fell?" Soda asked, probably trying to speak before Darry could reply with something about me not using my head.
Well when you put it that way, I sound clumsy and stupid. "Yeah. I got a scratch from the bed or something," he said, then I pointed at nurse Megan, would was checking my cut again. Luckily, she took the gauze away, which meant I was probably done bleeding. "Luckily, nurse Megan was already coming in to check on me; she helped me get back up and into bed. If it was Steve, he would've pummeled me for it and probably left me on the floor."
"Yeah? Well you would've deserved it for bein' stupid," Steve said harshly.
The nurse was quick to speak to me before anyone else had the chance. "That should heal fine on its own, but no more getting up without a nurse or doctor present. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am, thank you," I said politely, trying to show her that I was grateful for her help and not being too upset when she found me on the floor, struggling to get up. She smiled before she left the five of us alone.
"You okay, kiddo?" Darry asked me.
It was my turn to look incredulous. This was just a cut from a fall, you're the one that was coughing so much that you ended up in a hospital bed. "I'm fine, I've been worried about you."
He put his hand on mine and squeezed. "I'm fine, don't worry about me." Of course he's saying that, he never wants anyone to worry about him. Then he surprised me by leaning forward and whispering. "And I don't want you thinking anything is your fault, savy? You've done nothing wrong, and I just want you to focus on getting better."
How did he know? I glanced at Soda, who was the only person that would've known how I felt, and he gave me a straight face that told me not only was he not sorry about telling Darry, but he also agreed with our big brother. Then I looked at Darry, defeated. "Okay." He ruffled my hair and gave me a grin before leaning back into the chair.
"Anyone up for a game of poker?" Two-Bit asked, holding a brand new deck of cards. No wonder he wanted to go to the gift shop.
After a few rounds, another voice appeared. "Hello everyone, may I come in?" We looked towards the door, and officer Stanton walking towards us.
"Hello officer," Darry said politely. If anyone else spoke, it would've sounded a lot worse, and I wondered if the guy would arrest anyone for being rude to him. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
The police officer glanced at everyone, then he looked back at Darry. "I understand that my presence isn't typically welcomed."
"So why are you here?" Soda asked unforgivingly. Soda really didn't like the guy.
"I have concluded my investigation."
I felt myself tense up, and I wasn't the only one. Two-Bit's eyes widened while Steve's narrowed. Soda had already moved so he was sitting next to me on the bed, so I could feel the muscles in his arm tighten even before he wrapped it around me, pulling me closer to him. Darry was good at pretending to be calm and collected, but I didn't miss how he clenched his jaw.
"And what have you found, sir?" Darry asked, each syllable annunciated carefully.
"I have found that Ponyboy was not at fault for the incident on the railroad tracks. It was an accident," the officer said. He said it like it was some huge revelation, which kind of bothered me, and apparently Soda too.
"We've been tellin' you that from the beginning," Soda spat.
"Soda…" I whispered, trying to warn him not to get into it with the cop.
My brother ignored me and kept talking. "It took you this long to figure out Pony didn't leave the truck on purpose for the train to hit it?" He shifted on the bed, which made my upper body move, sending pain shooting throughout my body. "He almost died and you thought he did it on purpose?!"
"Soda, that's enough," Darry said sternly. Then he glanced at me, probably seeing the pained expression I wore. "You okay, Pone?" I nodded, but I found myself gritting my teeth and wrapping an arm around my torso. Damn broken ribs and surgeries keep making everything hurt.
Soda snapped out of his anger and looked right at me. "Pony? Shit, I'm sorry honey," he said, easing back into the position we were in before.
The pain ebbed away until it was a just dull throbbing. "It's okay."
"Maybe Darrel and I should talk in the hall," officer Stanton suggested.
I was sure Darry would agree, but I was the first to speak up, beating my brother to it. "No, I want to hear it." Everyone looked at me like I was crazy, but I ignored them and looked straight at the officer. "It was me on the tracks. I want to know."
The cop's lips were pressed into a fine line. He looked at Darry, apparently asking for permission. Darry nodded.
Officer Stanton looked back at me and explained. "After talking with you and everyone else involved, I have come to the conclusion that your vehicle liked stalled on the tracks, possibly due to flooding of the engine. You said you hit a large puddle right before going on the tracks?"
I nodded. "There was a pothole filled with water from the rain. I didn't see it."
The cop nodded in reply and continued. "That could have caused the truck to stop. And you said there was no indication of the train approaching before that? You didn't see the train coming?"
I shook my head. "No. I wouldn't have tried to cross if there was a warning." Does this guy think I'm stupid? "And there was so much rain, I could barely see in front of me. I didn't see the train before."
Again, he nodded. "That is also a problem. There was no sufficient warning for an oncoming train."
This time, Darry visibly tensed up. "You're saying there's not a warning system or anything at that crossing, and if Pony crossed any later, he could've been hit even if the truck didn't stop?"
My heart dropped into my stomach, and it felt like I was going to throw it up. Darry's words somehow made an already-bad situation even worse. If I would've left a minute or two later, even if I missed the puddle and the truck was working, I would've crashed with the train. I never even saw the train coming- just the light shining through the passenger window when I was stuck on the tracks.
The police officer took a breath. "Yes, that is what I'm saying."
Darry looked at me, his eyes were probably just as wide as mine. I knew what he was thinking: we almost lost you, Ponyboy. It was already close, but it was closer than we thought.
"So, who's going to be held responsible for that?" Steve suddenly asked. This got everyone's attention, but he just kept glaring at the cop. "A kid almost died because there was no warning about the train. Someone's gotta get in trouble for that."
The police officer narrowed his eyes ever-so-slightly at Steve, no doubt remembering that Steve was the one that didn't let him into my room without my brothers being here. "You have my word; I am following through with the prosecution of those responsible." Then the guy looked at me with a softer expression. "We're not going to let this happen again."
Maybe this guy isn't all bad. He has a job to do, after all.
"That sounds nice and all," Two-Bit started, finally finding his voice. It was strange; I hadn't heard him speak for a while, and I almost forgot he was there, which wasn't normal. "But shouldn't that mean someone should be payin' for the kid's bills and their truck? Since you did just say that it ain't the kid's fault an' all and someone else is responsible."
To my complete shock, the cop nodded. "Yes, there will be reimbursement for the damages and bodily harm from the incident."
Time froze.
I knew there was more talking, but my heartbeat roared in my ears, and I tried to focus on staying calm as thoughts raced through my head. Does that mean we don't have to worry about the hospital bills? Or find a way to pay for a new truck? Maybe this accident won't make Darry and Soda take more jobs or send us into bankruptcy.
"Pony?"
I blinked a few times, and I noticed the cop had disappeared. When did he leave?
"Ponyboy?"
I turned to look at Soda, who was shaking my shoulder and staring at me with huge eyes. "Hey Soda, sorry."
"You okay?" Soda asked softly before giving me a nervous grin. "You were out of it for a few minutes. Kinda had us worried."
I glanced at everyone in the room, and they were all staring at me like I was about to disappear. "Did he say we won't have to pay my hospital bills? Or the truck?"
"That's what you're thinking about?" Soda asked seriously. "I told you not to worry about that."
I gave him a look that I knew was my trademark stubborn expression. "How could I not? I got the truck stuck on the tracks, then I wasn't fast enough-"
"Ponyboy, stop," Darry said sternly. I turned to look at him, and he somehow looked more exhausted than before. Maybe too much information all at once isn't good for anyone when they're sick, even someone like Darry. "We're going to figure it out, no matter what. It isn't something you should be concerned about."
"Just like I'm not supposed to worry about you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I heard Two-Bit laugh nearby, but I kept my eyes on Darry. I was surprised my vision suddenly got blurry from tears. "Look, I'm sorry I lost the truck, I'm sorry I caused all of this, and I'm sorry that you got sick because of me. I'm not a kid anymore; I know the score. None of this would've happened if it wasn't-" all the talking and crying caused me to run out of air. Stupid pneumonia. I stopped trying to speak and I tried to focus on breathing.
"Slow, deep breaths, Pony," Soda said softly as he rubbed my back.
"Kid, the cop just told us how absolutely nothing was your fault," Steve said, his tone again almost cruel, but I knew he was actually being kind to me.
Darry moved so he was on the other side of me, opposite of Soda. I wasn't sure how the three of us all fit in the hospital bed, but we managed. "Pone, listen to me. I don't care about the truck or the bills. Not at all. We always figure it out, but don't you dare feel bad about anything," Darry said in a tone that was somehow serious but still caring. Then he wrapped his arms around me gently, not only keeping my injuries in mind, but he managed to not pull on any of the wires or tubs attached to me. "Glory kid, I'm just glad you're safe."
I felt myself relax in his arms. "Me too."
Sitting between my brothers in a hospital bed, I felt safe and relaxed for the first time in days. In no time, I fell asleep to the sounds of the guys talking all around me.
