I'm sorry this update took so long, but I hope you all enjoy!

As always, comments, likes, etc. are appreciated.

(Ponyboy's POV)

I jumped to my feet and stood next to Two-Bit. "What?"

Johnny nodded, and it looked like he was still trying to catch his breath. "Yeah man. His eyes are twitching and he's movin' some."

I immediately ran towards the door, ignoring the pain in my shoulder, how short of breath I was, and the yelling voices behind me. I had to get to Darry, and nothing was going to stop me.

I got to Darry's room in record time. When I got to the doorway, I found myself panting as I looked at Dally and Steve standing at the side of Darry's bed, and Dr. Jones and a nurse near Darry's head on the other side, apparently checking on my big brother. A moment later, Steve and Dally glanced up at me, but before they could say anything, I heard footsteps approaching.

"Glory Pony, you sure run fast," Johnny said when he caught up.

"Sorry," I said, sparing him a glance. I felt bad for making my best friend run after me, but I knew he'd understand why I did it. Then I noticed nobody had joined him in rushing to Darry's room. "No Two-Bit?"

Johnny shook his head. "No. He's busy trying to keep Soda in his hospital bed. I think he tried ripping that IV outta his arm, but Two-Bit stopped him."

I felt a pang of guilt and second-hand pain as I thought about what Soda was going through. He had been stabbed, got an infection, and then the moment he heard his big brother might be waking up from a coma, he was stuck in his own hospital bed. That is, if Two-Bit managed to keep him there. Soda must've been in a lot of pain, both emotional and physical, and I felt awful about it, but I couldn't wait any longer to be close to Darry.

I rushed into the room and stood where Dally had been. He must've moved so I could be next to Darry, but he didn't say anything about it and I couldn't take my eyes off my brother to thank him.

Darry still looked rough, but at least his coloring was getting a little better. The tube that came out of his mouth obscured a lot of his face, but I still managed to see his eyes moving behind his eyelids. His chest was exposed, so I could the all the wires attached to him and the bandage around his torso. There was a red tint to his skin around the gunshot wound, and I remembered someone had mentioned burns from the heat of the gunshot. I felt sick to my stomach as I remembered the sights and sounds of my brother getting shot, and I had to push the bile down in my throat so I could focus on the positives: Darry's waking up.

"Darry?" I asked, gently holding his hand and giving it a squeeze. I didn't really think he'd miraculously wake up like in stories, but it would've been a nice surprise. The only response I got was a slight twitch in his fingers, but that was all I needed. Darry's alive, he's fighting, and he's going to wake up.

"Waking up from a coma is a slow process," Dr. Jones said calmly. I chose to keep looking at my brother as opposed to the doctor as he spoke. "Once he wakes up, he might be confused, disoriented… it can be frightening, but it's to be expected."

I felt myself nodding, and someone else was talking nearby, but I ignored everything as I watched Darry's eyes continue to move. "Come on, Darry. Please wake up." I found myself pleading and crying just like the first time I went into my big brother's hospital room. I hadn't cried since that day, telling myself I had to look calm and tuff, but all of that went out the door the moment I saw a glimpse of life from Darry. "Wake up, Darry."

Dr. Jones lifted Darry's eyelids and shined a light in his eyes, then he checked the machines attached to Darry before writing stuff down on the clipboard. While the doctor was occupied, I thought I saw Darry's lips move around the tube, and I was sure it was my mind playing tricks on me until Dally said something about it. "Hey, I think he's trying to say something."

It seemed like everything in the room froze for a second, then Darry's lips move again. A moment later, his head turned an inch. Relief and excitement filled my body, and I dared to squeeze his hand a little tighter.

Dally put a hand on Darry's shoulder and grinned a little. "That's it, man. Wake up and open those damn eyes."

Darry's eyes started twitching even more, which was followed by slight movements in his fingers, head, and lips. He's really waking up. He's going open his eyes any second now.

"Please Darry," I pleaded, giving his hand another squeeze because I didn't know what else I could do.

When his eyes did manage to open, all hell broke loose.

Darry's eyes shot open, and a second later, he was making awful noises, like someone was being choked underwater. As the cringeworthy noises escaped my big brother, his arms and legs started moving, almost like he was convulsing. The machines next to his bed started blaring alarms, which just added to the chaotic scene in front of us. What's going on?!

"He's fighting against the ventilator," Dr. Jones stated, providing at least some answers. He looked down at Darry, whose eyes had shut again, and I could see a stream of tears falling from the corners. "Darrel, you're in a hospital. You have a tube in your throat. I know it's uncomfortable. We're going to take it out, okay?"

I don't know if Darry nodded or not since he was still moving in uncoordinated motions, but I was glad the doctor explained things out loud. He'll take the tube out, and Darry will be perfectly fine. I gave Darry's hand another squeeze, hoping to provide a little support.

Before I knew it, the doctor and nurse starting pulling the tube out of Darry's throat, my brother choking the whole time. The tube was a lot longer that I thought, and I once again thought I was going to be sick.

"That's disgusting," Steve muttered, mirroring my own thoughts.

I thought with Darry no longer being connected to a ventilator, everything would be fine.

I should've known things weren't going to that easy.

Darry's chest rose and fell in sporadic movements, and the awful choking noises coming from him didn't stop.

"Breathe Darry," I pleaded, tears streaming down my face. I ignored the beeping and several voices around me as I focused completely on my brother. "Please Darry. Breathe," I said, squeezing his hand so hard I thought it would break.

His eyes opened again, and despite gasping for air like a fish out of water, he looked at me. I could see the terror in his eyes. Our eye contact didn't break until his icy blue irises rolled into the back of his head.

"Darry? DARRY!" I shouted, jumping to my feet, but still not letting go of his hand. No no no… this can't be happening. He was waking up!

"Oxygen level is plummeting."

"We need to intubate."

"He's not breathing."

"Get them out of here."

"Let's go-"

"Don't touch him!"

"C'mon kid, we gotta give them room."

It felt like I was out of my body, but somehow, I was moving. I kept my eyes on my big brother as long as I could while I was being ushered into the hallway. Several more doctors and nurses had appeared out of nowhere, and while Dally was angrily pointing and yelling at one of them, the rest of them surrounded Darry, blocking him from me. I blinked a couple times, and then I realized Steve was leading me out of the room, and Johnny was following us. The obnoxious machine noises made it into my ears again, and by the time Steve sat me down on a chair in the hallway, I realized not only was I still crying, but I was flailing, trying to break out of Steve's hold, but to no avail.

I stopped fighting against him, and slowly, Steve's grip eased up. "Are you gonna stay here if I let go?" He didn't sound mean for once. He seemed more concerned than anything.

I nodded and stared down at my feet, my tears blurring my vision. "Yeah. Sorry." As soon as Steve let go of me, pain started radiating from my injured shoulder, so I adjusted my sling to help the pain subside a little. I shouldn't have fought against Steve. He's stronger than me, I should've known I couldn't escape his hold.

Dally suddenly appeared in the hallway, using such colorful language that could even get Tim Shepard to raise an eyebrow. It happened. He's gone. Darry's dead. Steve stood up, probably to keep Dally from doing something stupid and illegal, and Johnny took the recently-vacated spot next to me.

"He's still fighting, Pony," Johnny said softly. He can't fight if he's already dead.

"Pony!"

I looked down the hall and saw Two-Bit pushing Soda in a wheelchair towards us. You're too late. My head dropped and I started bawling.

Soda's wheelchair was positioned in front of me, and while I could hear the rest of the guys talking quickly, Soda was only focused on me. "Hey, you okay?" I ignored him and kept crying, but he wasn't having it. He put his hand on my good shoulder and gripped it tight. "Ponyboy, what happened?"

I shook my head and kept my eyes down. There wasn't a way I could say the words out loud.

Darry's gone. Our big brother is dead.

I immediately tried to recall every memory I had of my big brother, hoping that I'd lock those in my mind forever so I'd never forget a single thing about him.

I remembered playing football with Darry. Every time a storm scared me and he let me sleep in his bed with him. The looks on people's faces when they found out I was Darry Curtis's kid brother. All the times he helped me with my homework. When Mom and Dad died and he didn't hesitate when he said that he wanted to keep Soda and me at home with him. He was always a caregiver, even when he wasn't my legal guardian.

Darry's dead, and it's all my fault.

Soda's hands suddenly were on my face, and he forced me to look at him. "Honey, it's okay."

How can you say that? Darry's dead!

"Snap out of it, kid," Dally's harsh words were enough to stop my head from spinning. "Your big brother's alright. They got him breathing again."

I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what Dally said. I was going to turn to look at the hood, but Soda didn't let my head move an inch, and he kept his gaze on me.

"Darry's okay. The doctor just told us they put the tube back in, and he's breathing again," Soda said slowly. Then he let go of me. "He's just sleeping right now."

I looked around and realized the guys were all looking at me. There wasn't a lot of noise coming from Darry's room like the last time I felt like I was really inside my own body, and I was still worried about what that could mean.

"So he's… he's alive?" I asked, my throat hoarse.

"Yeah honey, he's alive," Soda said with a sad smile. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when all of that happened."

I could tell by the look on his face "sorry" didn't nearly cover everything Soda really felt. He was stuck in his room while Darry momentarily woke up, and while the rest of us had to see him struggling for air, apparently Two-Bit was busy getting him in a wheelchair.

"Want to go see him?" Soda asked tentatively.

I knew Soda really wanted to see Darry, and I didn't want him to be worried about me if I said no. It's not that I didn't want to see Darry, of course I wanted to be at my brother's side, but I was terrified that the same scene would unfold when I saw him. So instead of letting my own fears take over, I just nodded and made myself walk into Darry's room.

(Soda's POV)

I was angry that Two-Bit insisted on getting a nurse take out the IV and whatever else was attached to me, but as soon as I was free from tubes and wires, I was forced into a wheelchair. Apparently, nobody wanted me to walk too far since I was still recovering myself.

As soon as we got close to Darry's room, I knew something was wrong. I was hoping everyone would be in Darry's room, talking to him after he woke up, but instead, the guys were all out in the hall. Dally and Steve were standing while Johnny and Pony were sitting. It was obvious my brother was upset and Johnny was trying to comfort him, and I tried not to draw any conclusions. Just focus on Ponyboy.

"Pony!" I shouted as Two-Bit's walking became running, and we flew down the hall.

Ponyboy looked at me, then his head dropped down. He was crying, and my anxiety was starting to skyrocket. Only one thing could have happened to cause his reaction.

I still didn't let myself get engulfed in my own feelings; I had my brother to take care of. Just take care of Pony.

Two-Bit guided the wheelchair so I was facing my brother. "Hey, you okay?" He kept crying and acting like he didn't hear me, so I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "Ponyboy, what happened?"

Pony shook his head and still didn't give me any answers, so I turned to look at Steve.

My best friend immediately explained. "Darry woke up, but it sounded like he was choking or something. They took the tube out, but he still couldn't breathe right. They kicked us outta the room so they could do their thing." I could tell he was trying to act calm, cool, and collected, but Steve was worried.

So he might still be alive. I didn't dare say anything, in case my worry bled through my words and scared Pony even more.

As we waited in the hall, Dally and Johnny gave me and Two-Bit every detail they could since we weren't there to see what had happened. It sounded scary, and I understood why Ponyboy was so shaken up. I glanced at him, and he looked like he was daydreaming, but I could only imagine what was going through his mind.

People started filing out of Darry's room, and I hoped and prayed it meant everything was fine and not the other option. Dr. Jones walked out and gave us a small grin. "Darrel is okay. It seems he was ready to wake up, but his lungs weren't, so we had to intubate and sedate him."

I let out a huge sigh of relief. Darry's alive.

"What does that mean?" Dally asked, his tone sounding too harsh for talking to the person who saved Darry.

Dr, Jones seemed to expect the response, because he quickly explained. "His lungs aren't ready to work on their own, so we put the tube back in to basically breathe for Darry. We sedated him so he's sleeping and won't fight against the ventilator."

The doctor's words took a while to set in before anyone else spoke. Of course, it was Two-Bit who broke the silence. "How long until he can wake up or breathe on his own?"

"There's no way to know for sure," the doctor said. "Remember, we operated on his lung and even had to remove part of it, so he might be able to breathe on his own once that heals. If it's more complex than that, then things can get a little tricky."

"What the hell does that mean?" Steve asked angrily.

The doctor took a long, deep breath. "We're hopeful that he will regain the ability to breathe on his own, but there's a chance that doesn't happen."

My heart dropped. Even when Darry wakes up again, he might not be able to breathe without a machine? I didn't have time to worry about that because the most important thing was that Darry was alive and just sleeping.

"You can go see him if you'd like. Again, he's sedated, so he'll be sleeping for a while," the doctor said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "We'll continue to monitor Darrel closely. Let me know if you have any questions," Dr. Jones said before he turned to walk down the hall.

"Jesus, Darry has more lives than a cat," Two-Bit muttered. It wasn't really the time for a joke, but I was thankful he managed to say something to break the tension.

I looked at Pony, and I could tell he was stuck in his own head. He probably didn't hear a single thing the doctor just said. I put my hands on Pony's cheeks and forced eye contact with my kid brother. "Honey, it's okay."

He didn't respond, but I had a feeling he didn't believe me.

"Snap out of it, kid," Dally spat from where he stood. "Your big brother's alright. They got him breathing again."

I wanted to pummel Dally for being mean to Pony, but the roughness of his words must've gotten Pony out of his trace. Pony blinked, and I could feel him trying to turn his head, but I didn't let him. He needed to know what the doctor said… or at least, most of what the doctor said. I'm not going to tell him about Darry maybe never being able to breathe without a machine.

"Darry's okay. The doctor just told us they put the tube back in, and he's breathing again," I said. Then I let go of his face. "He's just sleeping right now."

He looked around, like he was waiting for someone to tell him I lied. Finally, he spoke, the words sounding like gravel as they left his mouth. "So he's… he's alive?"

"Yeah honey, he's alive," I said, attempting to smile at him. My poor baby brother had to witness Darry waking up and practically suffocating without me being there for him. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when all of that happened. Want to go see him?"

There was a brief pause before Pony nodded. As Pony stood up, Two-Bit grabbed the handles of my wheelchair and started to guide us to Darry's room.

Darry looked almost the same as when I saw him previously, but after hearing everything that happened, it was hard to pretend nothing had changed at all. Something did change: he woke up. Even if it was just for a minute.

The guys all stayed in the room for a while, but eventually, Dally, Johnny, and Steve had to leave, which left just my brothers and Two-Bit in the room with me. The events of the day must've tired Ponyboy out, because he eventually fell asleep with his head on Darry's bed.

"Two-Bit, I need you to do me a favor," I said quietly, making sure not to disturb my sleeping kid brother. "Please."

"What is it?" Two-Bit asked tiredly.

"I need you to get me discharged from the hospital," I said without looking at Two-Bit. Instead, I ran my fingers through Pony's hair. It didn't just soothe my brother when I did it; it helped calm me too.

I heard Two-Bit sigh from his chair next to me. "Soda, you still-"

"Keith," I said, interrupting Two-Bit and turning to face him. "Please. I have to be here, for both of them."

It was obvious he wanted to argue with me, but he eventually nodded. "I get it. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you." I felt bad for putting Two-Bit in a position he didn't want to be in, but he was a good friend, and I knew he'd help me out.

"Look Soda, I'm sorry you weren't able to see Darry wake up," he suddenly said sadly. "It's my fault."

I shook my head at him. "It ain't your fault. You were just making sure I didn't do something stupid." Then I grinned. "If I would've ripped that thing outta my arm, we would've had even more bills to pay."

Two-Bit laughed a little at that, then we both were quiet for a while. I kept running my fingers through Pony's hair while watching Darry. As my mind calmed down a little, I remembered I needed to say one more thing.

"And thanks for signing those papers," I said, turning back to look at Two-Bit one more time. "It means everything to us that we get to stay together."

Two-Bit grinned. "Of course. I wasn't gonna let anything happen to you Curtis boys." Then, as if he couldn't to be serious in front of us any more, he stood up abruptly. "Now let me go see if I can sign some more to get you out of this place."