Heheheh I love this fic and I hope you enjoy this chapter! :3 I appreciate all the favorites and the reviews ,) Yall are so kind!
Please excuse any spelling mistakes or plot holes. I hope you enjoy!!!
I felt as someone kept rubbing my head gently, their fingers flowing through my hair. Two people talked, quietly above me. For a moment I forgot where I was, thinking that maybe it was Sodapop talking, or maybe Sodapop running his fingers through my hair. But, the sound of a heart monitor kicked me from that trance.
I pushed myself up, feeling as my head protested the movement with a dull throb. Sleepily I sat up, looking at who was talking. I looked right at Johnny, watching as he looked back at me.
"Oh, hey Johnny," I greeted, feeling more awake and worried. The person from the bed laughed, causing me to look right at Dally. My heart dropped when I saw how many injuries he had. It was only then that I could see that there was a bandage wrapped around his entire torso. His skin was painted many colors, and it looked like it hurt to even breathe.
Dally didn't show any signs of pain though, so I stood up. Johnny stood up too, eyeing me carefully. There were numerous questions in his eyes, all just about bursting to get out.
How did he know Dally was in the hospital?
I tried to play it cool, keeping myself from slurring my words. "When did ya get here Johnny?" He just stared at me, "I followed you."
Shit…
I searched my head for lies that I could say, feeling as if the room was swirling around me. Johnny eyed me suspiciously, looking as if he wanted an answer. My mouth went dry. He already knew that I knew something that he didn't… But- how much did he know?
"Oh… I can explain," I slurred, looking at Dally. "You remember what happened right?" Dally just looked at me, his eyebrows furrowing a bit. "I know I got into a fight. And I remember something 'bout the Shepard kid."
I felt my breath stop. Did he remember? Or did he get hurt that badly on the head? My mind raced- did he forget?
"-Well ain't it a party in 'ere," A familiar voice said. Johnny turned around and I looked at the door. The doctor was right next to Buck Merril. Buck looked at me and then to Dally. His eyes kept on me, checking my injuries.
I looked at him too. His injuries weren't as severe as Dally's. Maybe Tim stayed back with him to make sure he was okay before leaving, I thought. Still, Buck looked me over and after nodding a bit, it seemed like I was in the clear.
"Good to see ya Curtis," Buck said as he went to my side of the bed. I moved so that he was the closest to Dally. Dally looked from me to him, cocking his eyebrow up.
"Do you not remember what happened?" Buck asked. The doctor cut in, answering Buck's question and adding more, "Amnesia is common towards patients with severe injuries. I've also diagnosed Winston with a concussion and multiple broken ribs. It will take about a month or two until he's in better shape."
I looked at Buck and he nodded slightly. I watched as his eyes darted to the door- did he need to ask me something? Unsure, I stood up again. "I think I'll go call my brothers, and let them know where I am."
Buck nodded, standing up as well, "I'll go call Tim 'n let 'im know Winston didn't die." Johnny looked at the both of us as we walked out. Dally commented about Tim as I stepped out into the hallway with Buck.
"So he doesn't remember," Buck said as we started walking to the phones. I nodded, "Thanks for not tellin' that I was with Dallas." Buck shrugged, "Ya were right 'bout what Tim meant. I've got socs all 'round my place now."
I stiffened as I started to search my pockets for dimes. "It's really bad huh…" I mumbled mindlessly. Buck took out a dime and handed me one. I took it, flipping it in my hand for a moment. "It ain't gonna get better that's for sure," Buck commented. I nodded, sighing a bit before putting in the house number and listening to the dial tone.
"I don't want to drag them into this," I murmured as I picked the phone up. Buck looked at me, almost in understanding. We never were close, mostly I knew him from Dallas, but it was then that I knew that he was someone that could be trusted. Mostly because if I didn't, then the rest of the gang would be thrown into this mess…
The phone rang for a bit before someone picked up.
"Hello?" I could hear the sleepiness in Steve's voice. "Uh hey Steve," I replied, hoping he would know who it was. "Ponyboy?" He responded, sounding more awake.
"Yeah… I'm at the hospital right now-"
"What!" Steve questioned. He didn't even let me finish my sentence! I huffed a little but continued, "Dallas is in the hospital, that's why I'm here, Johnny too-"
"I'll tell your brothers," Steve sighed, most likely annoyed that he had to answer the phone. I nodded into the phone, hanging it up. Buck also had hung up his phone, looking at me. "Didn't even say bye?"
I froze, did I? "I'm sure they'd understand, not like Steve even cared. He would've hung up the phone first if I didn't," I shrugged. Buck chuckled a bit, "Well what's gonna be your excuse?"
"Shit," I groaned, pushing my back to the wall. Everything was starting to hurt and I couldn't even think about what I was going to tell them. Maybe I'm psychic and just knew? Nope- wouldn't work.
Not only is it one of the worst excuses I've thought of, but the rest of the gang would probably send me to a mental hospital. Even if it did work, how long would it be until someone else found out and made fun of me? My mind raced as I thought about the limited options I had. The more I thought, the more I had a faint sense of an idea.
"Maybe ya can help me," I said, looking up at Buck. He eyed me cautiously but didn't say anything to stop me. "Say that I was with Dallas with you and then he got into a fight. Then you took me away from there and I asked you to drop me away from my house," I started to explain.
"So yer sayin' that ya want me to lie 'n say you weren't in the fight?" Buck asked. I nodded, pushing myself off of the wall and getting an idea in my head. It might work!
"Didn't ya tell them that ya weren't with Dallas?" Buck asked. I remembered that he had told Darry that Dally was at his house, not in the hospital. "Maybe… maybe we can say we lied about that part," I suggested.
Buck nodded a bit, before looking me over again. His eyes landed on my neck, right where I was hurt. "Ya were bleedin' real bad yesterday," Buck commented. I shrugged, pulling down the turtleneck for him to see the gauze, "I'm hoping no one will see. Curly patched me up good."
"Ya sure about this kid? I'm sure yer brother won't mind gettin' them socs back," Buck said. I stiffened, my hand going to the gauze. Buck's eyes followed me and his eyes softened a bit. "It's gonna take a miracle for yer brothers to believe that I took ya home," Buck said as he started walking back to Dally's room.
"Play it off-" I started following Buck, "-I'm sure it'll work out. They'll be too worried 'bout me to get the whole story." I watched as Buck nodded a bit, pointing to his neck. My hands pulled back up my turtleneck, making sure to cover up the bandage.
"If your brothers don't believe us then I'm not gonna hide anything," Buck stated before he finally went into Dally's room. I stood outside the door, listening as nurses walked around the area. I was scared to go in, scared that they would know…
Buck walked into the room, looking at Dally and Johnny. Johnny was talking to Dally before Dally turned to look at me and Buck. He cocked an eyebrow up at us, almost as if confused as to why the both of us came in at the same time. I stayed in the doorway, standing closer to the hallway.
"-Pony?" A familiar voice called out. I turned around to look down the hallway. Sodapop was standing there, looking at me. When he caught my eye, he hurried up and crushed me in a hug. The scent of his cologne hit me, he had a DX shirt on and looked as if he was going to work.
"Ponyboy," Sodapop whispered to me, his grip not wavering. I felt as he accidentally pushed some of my injuries, irritating them a bit. Biting my tongue, I willed myself to not say anything. Sodapop pulled away after a bit, giving me a look that told me he was going to talk to me later. He looked at Dally and walked up to him.
"What happened Dal?" Sodapop asked. Before I could listen to what Dally would say, I saw Darry walking towards me. Steve followed him, looking at me and to the door of the room. Darry walked up to me, obviously ready to give me a lecture.
Darry shocked me by just sighing and ruffling my hair. I felt as my hair fell in wisps across my forehead, I forgot hair oil. Mentally I groaned, thinking about how much of a pansy I probably looked like. Still, I was glad when Darry walked into the room. Steve walked with Darry, not bothering to glance at me.
When we were all in the room, Darry asked what Sodapop had before. "And you're sure ya don't remember their names or nothin?" He asked, most likely hoping it was the same socs that got me. I couldn't let him know that it was, because if he knew… Involuntarily, I shivered at the thought.
"Im tellin' ya, Shepard doesn't even know either," Dally said. "He got pretty roughed up after his brother got jumped," Buck added. Darry gave me a worried glance. This was new news to him. Sodapop glanced at me, "Curly got jumped?"
Dally nodded, "That's why he was there that day. Pony told me." Everyone looked at me and I panicked. I had never said specifically that Curly was there to help me but… Mentally I panicked and Johnny seemed to notice.
"How didya get into a fight Dal? Thought Buck said ya were there," Steve said. He glanced over at me, cocking an eyebrow up. Shit, he was catching on. Buck pulled on his jacket a bit, covering up some more of the bruises on him. "Thought he was but Tim told me otherwise. After I got Curtis home."
"You went to Bucks?" Darry asked me incredulously. I backed away a bit, looking away. "Uh… yeah. But I didn't get hurt!" I lied. Johnny's eyes followed me as I tried to move a bit. "He's fine Darrel," Buck added. Darry shot him a small glare before just sighing.
"How didya know that Dal was in the hospital then?" Johnny asked quietly. Everyone in the room went quiet, waiting for me to answer. I froze, looking at Buck for help. "I saw Dally when he was injured before Buck took me away. Thought he needed a hospital," I lied. Buck shrugged, adding to the lie, "When I came back, from dropping Curtis off, I thought Winston was in his room. Nope, Tim called to say he was in the hospital. Thought Winston was tougher. "
Dally shot him a glare, punching him on the shoulder. I saw how Buck winced a bit but stayed standing. After the conversation, I felt tired. Buck noticed as I swayed on my feet, trying to ignore the throbbing of my head.
"How 'bout I take ya home?" Buck asked me. I looked at Darry, he gave us a worried glance. Although, not as worried as Sodapops glance. I could tell that Steve wanted to say something but was preventing himself for the sake of Sodapop.
Not finding a reason to say no, I was thankful when Darry agreed. He had work and so did Soda and Steve. Johnny wanted to stay at the hospital with Dally, so it really only was Buck who could take me back. We walked out of the room, catching a glimpse of Tim Shepard and Curly as they walked down the hallway.
Curly gave me a worried look, his eyes landing right on my neck. Scared, I put the turtleneck higher. "He still in the room or he break out yet?" Tim asked Buck. Curly walked up to me, "Jeez dude I thought ya died."
I laughed dryly, recalling how scared I was last night. If it hadn't been for Curly and Dally, I really would've been dead. Mentally, I hoped that Dally wouldn't remember the soc that had a knife to my throat.
"How 'bout we talk at yer place Buck?" I heard Tim say. "With or without Curtis?" I heard Buck answer. There was a brief moment of silence, most likely Tim looking at me. "With. I'm sure there's some information he could spare." With that, I was thrown back into the moment. Curly gave me a confused look before following Tim into Dally's room.
Buck led me outside and to his car. It was the same car that Dally had been driving just yesterday. I saw my blood on the passenger seat. "Sorry 'bout yer car," I said. Buck shrugged, "It's been through worse." I didn't want to fact-check what was most likely right so I just stayed silent as I got in.
Instead of going to my house, we started going in the direction of Bucks place. I looked at him, "We goin' to yer place?" Buck nodded, "Theres somethin' I needa do right now."
I leaned back into my seat, hoping that it wasn't anything illegal, but knowing it was what he and Tim had been talking about. The thought disappeared after my head started to throb more, dulling my ability to think about anything other than the pain. All I could do was hold onto my head with my hand and close my eyes. When the engine of the car turned off, I let out a sigh of relief.
I looked at Bucks place. The broken glass was still on the road and there was only a blanket covering up where the window had been. No one would've known that there was a fight if it hadn't been for the blood on the sidewalk. They would've thought maybe someone threw a rock or something that the window. The sight of blood made me cringe as Buck got out. He gave me a look, expecting me to go outside with him.
As I got out of the car, I saw a familiar shade of blue drive by. Quickly, Buck pulled me inside of the house. He led me to the bar and I sat down in the same place I had yesterday. I knew it was the same spot with the way the remnants of blood were stained on the table.
Surprisingly, there was no one else inside the house. It was oddly silent as Buck went behind the bar and got me a glass of water. I looked at him as he settled himself in front of me. I took a sip of the water, allowing the cool liquid to run down my throat. As I put the cup down, I carefully eyed Buck.
"What didya need to do?" I asked, my voice wavering a bit. His eyes crossed to mine and then landed on the door. I heard the crunching of glass as someone started to walk inside. "Get behind the bar," he muttered as he started to walk to the door.
I did as I was told and carefully watched as Buck went to the door. My hand went to my pocket to see if I had a switchblade. When it was obvious that there would only be beer bottles to protect myself with, I started to panic. Buck opened the door and carefully I peered out.
Two socs were standing there, both almost the same height as Buck. Not only that but they were the same two that got me and Dallas last night. Bob and the soc that Curly slammed into the locker. I felt the hairs on my neck stand up as my hands started to feel sweatier.
Suddenly it was like there was little to no air inside of Bucks place. The tension was thick and I saw how both socs were on alert. Bob had a black eye and the other one had a small limp. Buck glared at the two.
"What do ya want?" He demanded. Bob glared at him, his eyes darting around until they landed on me. Quickly I ducked down into the bar and willed myself to be quiet. The sudden movement made the stab wound on my stomach ache for a moment. I stifled a groan, waiting to see if any of them would speak.
"Heard we sent one of yer buddies to the hospital. Ya wouldn't mind us givin' 'im a visit?" Bob smirked. My mind raced as I heard it. "Or how 'bout we give that kid behind the bar a visit instead? Teach 'im how to be tough," The other one said.
"You're off yer territory," Buck retorted, most likely trying to divert attention from me to him. I could practically hear the scoff from the socs. "We don't care. Theres a score to settle, we can do what we want," Bob retorted.
"Greasers like you deserve to be in a dumpster," Bob added. "Or in the hospital," the other soc quipped. Before anyone could say anything else, I heard Buck punch one of them. I stood up from the bar and watched as Buck took on two socs. However, his injuries made it hard to fight both of them at the same time. Unsure what else to do, I joined in.
My ribs burned as I punched the soc trying to get a punch on Buck. He stumbled back, his hands going straight to something in his pocket. Quickly, I tackled him and made sure to pin his arms away from the pocket. He glared and slugged me a couple of times.
We rolled around on the floor, punching and kicking each other. He was bigger than me and his injuries seemed better than mine were, making it easier for him but harder for me. From the corner of my eye, I watched as Buck struggled with Bob. They also rolled around on the floor, but both of them had their switchblades out.
Before I could crane my neck to continue watching, the soc I was going after got his hands on my neck. I felt as he tightened his hold, restricting my ability to breathe. I struggled against his hold, scratching at his face. I felt the panic rise as my voice seeped out when I tried to breathe. It was only a soft wheeze as I fought for my life. After I was able to get a good hit on him, I used all my strength to throw him off of me.
My breathing was ragged as I stumbled up. He got out his switchblade, glaring at me as he did so. "Im going to finish what I tried ta last night." His voice was low and threatening, scaring me. "Dont ya get tired of jumping greasers?" I retorted, breathing heavily and trying to prolong him coming after me. He glared at me before a small smile went to his face.
"Upstanding citizens oughta clean out the trash in this city. Trash like greasy greasers," he suddenly ran to me. I moved out of the way, feeling as his black scratched at my waist. The cut wasn't deep thankfully.
Still, he wasn't deterred by missing. Instead, he tried again, putting more force into it. I felt as his switchblade passed through my shirt, mostly hitting the bandages. Mentally I thanked Curly for double wrapping every injury on me. Still, I couldn't take time to get a good hit on the soc without fearing for a blade.
I stumbled back, my back hitting the bar. A glass shattered right next to me loudly. The soc smiled and it was only then that I noticed that I was cornered. Buck was still fighting Bob, but he was having less luck than I was. My mind told me to help Buck, that he was in danger. But, the soc stood in my way, preventing me from doing anything.
My ribs ached as I reached my hand out, stopping the hand in which the soc held his switchblade. The soc struggled against my hold, quickly breaking it but giving me more space. Without thinking, I reached down and grabbed a piece of glass. He glared at me as I stepped towards him, holding the glass in a loose but firm grip.
I saw as he gently shook, backing away and holding out his switchblade like an amateur. Taking the chance, I ran to Buck and tackled Bob. Me and Bob fell to the floor in a lump. I fought with him, hitting him every so often with the glass. The soc I had left went back after me, trying to kick me as I fought with Bob.
The air smelt like beer. Was Bob an alcoholic or something? My mind wandered as I fought with him, reminding me that he was drunk every other time we had fought. For a moment I also wondered where Buck was, or what he was doing. Why wasn't he helping me? Everything felt painful as the two socs ganged up on me. Everything seemed to be in a haze for me as I flailed around. My hands were in fists, hitting anything that I could. Before long, Bob and the soc ran outside, making a promise to kill me. I sat up, breathing out the fresh air.
I looked around, my eyes landing on Buck. He was on the floor, almost passed out. Quickly, I ran over to him, looking him over. His eyes seemed to fixate on everything other than me. "Buck? Merril? Are ya good?" I asked, my voice going higher than I knew it to.
"They got me good," Buck whispered. I panicked, watching as he struggled to sit up. I helped him as much as I could, balancing him on the legs of his pool table. My mind panicked, unsure what to do.
"Do ya got a first aid kit?" I asked, hoping my voice sounded more confident than what I felt. Buck nodded, a drop of blood coming from his eyebrow. Quickly I ran to a bathroom, opening and searching everything I could. When I found it, I ran back to Buck. Unsure what else to do, I started treating his wounds.
My stomach did flips as I looked at the amount of cuts and grazes that were on him. Thankfully they didn't seem too bad, mostly… As quickly as I could, I assessed him and got to work.
Most of the tape in the first aid kit was gone, most likely from Dally using it. Still, I used what Buck had and patched him up as well as I could. Before long, the phone was ringing. Buck was sitting on the floor, in obvious pain.
I got up, answering the phone. "Buck?" A voice asked on the other side. "Yes?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound scared. The voice stopped for a moment, probably wondering who was talking. Still, they continued.
"Tell Buck Merril that the Shepards were jumped and they ain't goin' over there." With that, the phone went dead. I looked at Buck on the floor. My own injuries weren't nearly as bad as his and I didn't know whether to be thankful or worried.
"Shepards ain't comin' here… they got jumped," I told him. Buck nodded, "They after us… They ain't gonna stop for nothin'. Be careful Curtis, don't tell no one else." Buck's eyes went to mine. A small trickle of blood came from his nose, in which he grabbed some gauze and started to wipe the blood. His eyes were starting to droop, telling me that he was growing tired.
"If they got me, Shepard, and Winston good, there's no sayin' what they'll do to yer brothers," Buck said. He sounded drowsy as if he had never slept a day in his life. "Somethin' is gonna break the tension and we ain't tryna have it be your brothers," Buck warned. I nodded, unsure of what else to do.
"How am I gonna get home?" I whispered to myself. Before I could ask Buck, I heard the soft breathing that he exhibited. The blanket that covered the window moved a bit, allowing some fresh air to clean the scent of blood. Unsure of what else to do, I called my house again. Part of me hoped that no one was home or that maybe Soda was home. The hopes died as quickly as they came when the phone was picked up.
"Yello?" A voice said on the other side of the line. Two-Bit… just great, I mentally groaned as I willed my voice to be steady. "Hey Two… Im at Bucks."
"Oh? What are ya at Bucks for?" Two-Bit asked, almost ready to make a joke. My breathing became unsteady for a bit. I wasn't planning on unloading everything on him but… He was starting to be my last resort. I hoped with everything inside of me that he wasn't going to be dragged into it.
"Could you pick me up? Buck got jumped and… and I did too," I admitted. The line went silent, "What's wrong Pony?" His voice was gentle. I felt some tears start to slip down my face, "Two-Bit… there's something I needa tell you. I'll tell ya when ya get here."
"Im on my way." With that, I knew it was too late. I couldn't go back and tell him no. I felt hopeless as I hung up the phone. They would get him. They would make him hurt all because I told him.
I could only hope that they wouldn't hurt him as much as they did to everyone else.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter might be a little long sooooo I hope you're excited for it! :D