(Ponyboy's POV)

I woke up briefly a couple times, but I never quite had the energy to open my eyes and engage in the conversations that were happening around me. One time the guys were talking about the nurses that worked at the hospital, another time they were talking about colleges, which I thought was really strange since Darry was the only one that talked about college but he had to put his life on hold because of me and Soda. Don't think about that right now, Pony.

Every time I woke up, I could feel someone either holding my hand or putting their hand on my head. I guessed that my brothers never left my side, and it filled me with gratitude. Not only that, but it seemed like I constantly heard Steve and Two-Bit talking too, so I knew they were around.

Either the third or fourth time I woke up, I felt particularly exhausted; so much so that I thought I would fall asleep before I could even put two thoughts together. Someone was holding my hand, but they suddenly let go, which left me feeling completely alone. At first, I wondered why I felt that way, but then I realized physical contact was the first thing I sensed while I was still in a coma, and ever since then, I was always in contact with someone. I was suddenly scared that without the physical contact of another person, I'd slip back into another coma.

Since moving around and talking seemed too daunting of a task, I tried to think of other ways I could remain conscious. Just keep thinking. You can't fall into a coma if you keep thinking, right?

I tried to remember why I was in a hospital bed in the first place. Fire… there was a fire. I was in it, and now I'm in the hospital.

Then I attempted to remember anything else I had been told since I woke up in the strange room. Something about my head. And Darry! Darry's hurt, or at least I think he is.

My mind started racing so fast that I couldn't stop it.

Darry's hurt. Smoke. Flames. Fire.

There's a fire. It's hot, smoky, and it's really hard to breathe. I'm coughing, everything hurts, especially my head, and I'm trapped. I'm trapped! I need to get out of here! Floorboards are breaking under my feet as I struggle to find a way out, and I know I need to find Johnny.

Johnny? Don't I need to find Darry? No, that can't be right. Darry's not in Windrixville, he can't be stuck in the fire. And the kids, weren't there kids screaming? I can't remember, but I know I'm in trouble and the fire is going to consume me if I can't find a way out.

Darry! Soda! I need help! Please, someone help me!

I turn my head, and even though I was just in a burning church, now I'm in a locker room. How did that happen? The fire is blazing, the room is filled with smoke, and head is suddenly screaming in pain. Or maybe I'm screaming in pain? I can't be sure, but there's three voices of guys laughing at me too. Shouldn't they be looking for help? No, they're the reason I'm stuck here. Do I know them? I think so.

Soda, help me! Darry, please!

But wait, Darry's hurt. So doesn't that mean he's around here somewhere?

Darry? Darry!

Something was gripping my shoulder really tight and shaking it a little.

"Ponyboy, snap out of it." Darry? Is that you? "Come on, Pone. Wake up, kiddo."

Wake up? Oh!

I focused on Darry's voice and the grip he had on my shoulder, and after a few seconds, my eyes opened. I immediately saw Darry leaning over me with fear in his eyes. Soda was right next to him, gripping my hand.

"Breathe, honey," Soda said softly. His eyes showed concern too, and I wondered what made my brothers look at me like that. "Pony, breathe. In and out," he said calmly and slowly. I watched Soda's shoulders move up and down as he demonstrated taking deep breathes. It was something he'd done with me too many times to count; every time I woke up from a nightmare, he made me breathe with him to calm me down.

Once I realized I was hyperventilating, I did my best to follow Soda's instructions, and it must've worked because he gave me a smile and loosened the grip on my hand. "There you go, baby. Keep breathin' like that."

I tried to take deep breaths, and every time I was successful, the thing covering my mouth and nose fogged up a little.

Darry's hand moved from my shoulder to my hair, apparently so he could push it off my forehead. "You sure had us worried, Pone. Are you okay now?"

I looked at my big brother, and I tried my best to nod at him. "'m 'kay."

(Darry's POV)

Even after Pony woke up from his coma and fell back asleep, the four of us stayed in Ponyboy's room the rest of the day and into the night. Pony slept like a rock, and even though I had a huge fear that he'd slip back into a coma, I tried to act like everything was fine in front of the guys, especially Soda. I can't let him think anything can go wrong.

The next morning, Steve had to go to work. He probably wouldn't ever admit it, but he was reluctant about leaving Pony's hospital room. It was obvious to us that he cared about Pony, and before Steve left, Soda promised him that we'd call the DX if anything happened with Ponyboy.

The rest of the day, Soda, Two-Bit and I stayed in Pony's room and found ways to pass the time. Between games of poker, Two-Bit talked about the pretty nurses and which one was going to be his next girlfriend, and Soda and I just nodded along.

Hours passed, and the only time I left the room was to call the college track coaches again to give them an update about Pony. I hoped they'd understand why my kid brother hadn't called them yet, and probably wouldn't for a while.

"It ain't like he's going to college tomorrow, Darry," Two-Bit said. He wasn't being condescending or anything. Instead, he seemed surprised that I even bothered with talking to them.

"No, but I can't let these opportunities slip away," I explained. "I don't want to be the reason he's not going to college."

"Darry," Soda said softly, his eyes big and soft. "You're the reason he can go to college."

Soda's words made me suddenly emotional, and I left the room before I could shed a tear. I wanted it to be true– that I was making it possible for my little brother to go to college– but I constantly felt like I was falling short as a brother and legal guardian. I always thought I was doing everything wrong and that I was failing my brothers, so the fact that Soda believed I was doing well made me so happy and grateful that I could almost cry.

Neither coach answered their phones, and I suddenly wondered what day or time it was. I'll have to call again later. I immediately returned to Pony's room, and one look at Soda told me he was exhausted and worried. He was holding Pony's hand and staring at our brother's face, as if he expected him to wake up any second. Looking at his side profile made the bags under Soda's eyes stand out.

"Hey Two-Bit, would you mind getting us something to eat?" I asked as I walked back to my chair next to Pony's bed.

Our friend seemed thrilled to have something to do because he practically jumped up to his feet. "Sure thing, Superman. My stomach was just rumblin' too."

"Thanks, Two-Bit," I said as I reached into my pocket for my wallet.

"Nuh uh. I ain't takin' your money," Two-Bit said as he walked away. "This one's on me. You just keep watching Ponykid." Before I could insist on paying, Two-Bit left.

I grinned to myself and eased into the uncomfortable chair. I glanced at Soda, noticing the lines on his face from stress and worry. "Soda, you should try and get some rest. At least until Two-Bit comes back with food."

To my surprise, Soda blinked at me, then nodded. "Yeah, okay." He released Pony's hand and moved his chair closer to mine so he could lean his head against me.

It was our routine for sleeping in the hospital chairs; one of us would always be awake, and the other one would sleep by resting their head against the awake person. As for our legs, we'd either leave them in a sitting position, or once in a while, we'd stretch them and rest our heels on Pony's bed. I didn't know about Soda, but I always worried I wasn't giving Pony enough room on the bed if my feet were next to him, so I only rested my feet on the bed if I needed to elevate my legs to reduce the swelling.

As Soda got comfortable next to me, I watched our kid brother sleeping in front of us. When will he wake up next? Will he be any better? He couldn't talk or hardly move at all last time; what if he never gets any better?

At first, I thought I was imagining his eyes moving behind his eyelids, but when I heard Ponyboy start breathing rapidly, I knew something was happening.

I put my hand on his shoulder, hoping he'd suddenly wake up. "Pone? You awake?"

He didn't answer me. Instead, he groaned, and seconds later, it sounded like he was mumbling.

"Ponyboy?" I said, squeezing his shoulder a little more.

"What's goin' on?" Soda asked tiredly, picking his head up. He fell asleep quickly. I knew he was tired.

"I think he's waking up," I said, barely glancing at Soda before looking back at Ponyboy. His eyes were scrunched up a little, and his groans and mumbles were getting louder.

Soda realized it a fraction of a second before I did.

"He's having a nightmare," Soda said as he immediately reached for Pony's hand.

Glory, this kid doesn't need this right now.

Pony's body was practically shaking, his eyes were moving franticly underneath his eyelids, and his breathing was too fast to be normal. I gripped his shoulder tighter, hoping I could get him to escape the nightmare. "Ponyboy, snap out of it. Come on, Pone. Wake up, kiddo."

A few moments passed, and Ponyboy finally opened his eyes. Thank God.

"Breathe, honey," Soda cooed. I knew he had more practice with calming Ponyboy down, so I let him talk while I continued to watch our kid brother carefully. "Pony, breathe. In and out."

Pony managed to take a few deeper breaths, which earned him praise from Soda. "There you go, baby. Keep breathin' like that."

When he started to breathe normally, I released the tight grip I had on his shoulder and moved his sweat-soaked hair off his forehead. He's here, and he's awake. He's not having a nightmare anymore. Glory, I love seeing those green eyes. "You sure had us worried, Pone. Are you okay now?"

He looked up at me, then I saw his head move a little, likely an attempt of a nod. "'m 'kay."

I froze, and I had a sense that Soda did too. Did he just talk? "Say that again, Pone," I gently ordered. "Are you okay?"

He blinked slowly, then I heard him mumble slowly. "I'm okay."

I felt a huge smile spread across my face. "It's so good to hear your voice again, kiddo."

He looked confused, but before he could ask about it, Soda explained in a hoarse voice. "Last time you woke up, it was too hard to talk, remember?"

Pony looked at him and nodded slightly. "Oh… yeah."

I ruffled Pony's hair, not fighting the smile that was still on my face. "We're so glad you're doing better, Pone."

His eyes went from Soda, to me, then to a faint burn mark on my arm. I saw his eyes get wide, and I knew what he was going to ask about before he even open his mouth. "Wha' happened… burns?"

You have more important things to worry about than me, Ponyboy. "It's no-"

"Darry," Soda said, drawing my attention to him. He was giving me a look that reminded me so much of our mother, it was chilling. "He's going to keep worryin' about you and askin' until we tell him. Might as well tell him now and save him some stress," he muttered quietly.

I truly wasn't planning on telling Pony why I got burned, especially since it was nothing compared to him almost dying, but if Soda was right and Ponyboy wouldn't let it go, I might as well tell him.

I let out a sigh and turned to look at Pony, who seemed both confused and concerned. I was going to tell him the truth, but I didn't want to go into too much detail. "You were still in the locker room, and there was a fire. I wasn't going to leave you in there kiddo, so I went in and got you out. I wasn't fast enough, so I didn't quite avoid all the flames." I was almost too slow to save you all together.

Ponyboy looked at me carefully, then he glanced down at his arms where there were a few minor burns that were healing. When he looked up at me again, his eyes were wide. "You saved me."

Hearing those words come from my baby brother about ripped my heart into a hundred pieces. Instead of bawling like I wanted to, I ruffled his hair and gave him a smile. "Of course I did. I'd do anything for you, Ponyboy."

A look crossed his face, and for a moment, I thought Ponyboy might cry, but he blinked a few times, so the tears disappeared before they had a chance to fall. "Thanks, Darry."

I gently cupped the back of his neck and gave him a smile. "No need to thank me, Pone. It's what brothers do."

The room was silent for a moment, but Soda's gentle voice suddenly sounded. "Do you want to talk about the nightmare, honey?"

Ponyboy looked at him for a moment before he shook his head. "It was the fire. Both of them. I think my head was a little mixed up."

Soda and I shared a knowing glance. The Windrixville fire and the fire in the locker room.

"You've been through a lot, Pony," Soda said softly as he gripped Pony's knee with his free hand. "Not to mention, you have a head injury, along with what the smoke and everything did to you."

At the mention of his head, Pony reached up to his head with his right hand. Then he groaned. "Explains why my head hurts."

I looked at our kid brother, and decided to risk another question. "Hey Pone, what do you remember about that day after the track meet?"

Ponyboy looked at me, confused, but as the seconds ticked by, I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "I went to the locker room to clean up. I was gonna leave, but there were people there."

"Who was it?" Soda asked before I could. He was tense and his eyes were trained on Pony.

Pony looked at Soda like he was crazy. "I don't know, why? It ain't like nobody goes in there, Soda."

I moved my hand so I could grip his shoulder, earning his full attention. "Pone, the doctor thinks you were in a fight, but we have no idea with who or why. Do you remember it at all?"

His eyebrows scrunched a little as he thought, but then he finally answered. "Yeah, I remember fighting."

Finally, we'll have some answers.

"Who was it?" I asked immediately. Whoever it was is going to pay for what they did to my brother.

"I- I don't know," Pony said. I could tell his poor memory was bugging him, but before I could reassure him, he started getting worked up. "There were a few of them. Three, I think. I didn't do anything. I just wanted to leave." He was breathing rapidly and I was worried the machines attached to him were going to start blaring alarms.

"Pony, just breathe honey," Soda soothed. "We'll figure it out, but you just need to breathe."

"In and out," I said, repeating Soda's words from earlier.

As Ponyboy tried to regain his normal breathing rhythm, a loud voice appeared in the doorway.

"Hey guys! Guess who I found gettin' lun- what's goin' on?" Two-Bit asked as he rushed to the other side of Pony's bed. He had bags of food in his hands, and he placed them on the side table, completely forgetting about them as he looked at Pony with worry evident on his face. "Hey kid, nice to see ya awake, but you should probably not breathe so fast, alright?"

"Shut it, Two-Bit," Steve said as he sat next to our friend on the other side of the bed. Isn't he supposed to be at work?

"Hey guys," Pony muttered, his breathing sounding a lot better already.

"What got you worked up so bad, kid?" Steve asked.

"I asked him who started the fight with him," I said, feeling guilty for the role I played in Ponyboy's distress, even though it was temporary and it seemed to be resolved. I looked down at Pony and put my hand on top of his head. "I'm sorry, kiddo. We'll figure it out some other time. I didn't mean to stress you out."

"It's okay," Pony mumbled. He took another deep breath and spoke again. "I think there was three of them. Then the fire started. That's all I can remember."

Steve straightened in his chair, his eyes suddenly wide and hard like steel.

"Steve?" Soda asked. "You got something to say?"

"Remember when we saw three Socs walkin' out of the school after the meet?" Steve asked. He didn't wait for a response, but I did remember the guys and I recalled wondering what they were doing there. "I bet they're the ones who started the fight with Ponyboy, and I wouldn't put it past David to leave the kid in a fire just to save his own ass."

Two-Bit's expression mirrored that of Steve's; hard like stone, and furious. "Shit, David did this? I swear, I'm gonna kill him."

The words left my mouth before I even thought of them. "Not if I get to him first."