(Steve's POV)

The second I was allowed to visit Soda, I was right there, sitting next to my best friend. The rest of the gang stayed with Ponyboy, partially because it would take all of them to keep the kid from ditching his bed to see Soda, and partially because Soda was still asleep, so they weren't really missing much anyway. It didn't matter to me though, I just wanted to make sure my buddy was alive.

Soda was in rough shape. He still looked pale, despite the fact that the doctor said his color was returning to normal after all the blood he lost. The typical scrapes and bruises from a rumble were apparent on his skin, especially his arms since they rested on top of his bedsheets for everyone to see. Still, I knew the bedsheets and the hospital gown were hiding the worst of his injuries. I tried my best not to remember my best friend's blood seeping through my fingers as he clung to life, but seeing him so still made it impossible to forget. Soda is always moving, like a kid that's had too much sugar. He's never this still.

I sat there for a while, trying hard not to picture Soda with the knife sticking out of him, but I must've been focusing on it so much that it was the only thing I could picture. Once in a while, I felt myself breathing a little too fast, but then I'd shake my head to collect myself. It's one thing for Ponyboy to freak out, but I can't do that. I'm not a kid, and it ain't like it's my brothers that almost died.

I immediately knew that was a lie.

Darry and Soda were my brothers almost as much as they were Pony's. Sure, we weren't related by blood, but we were bonded by stronger forces than that. We grew up together in a shitty neighborhood, fought off Socs, and helped each other when we lost family members. Hell, I stayed at their house more often than mine, where my own father lived. Sure, I didn't need their help or support in the same way Pony did, but that didn't mean I didn't rely on them more than I'd like to admit. Losing either Darry or Soda would be like losing a sibling, and if something like that happened to Ponyboy, it would be just as bad.

Earlier, when I tried to convince myself and the guys that Ponyboy didn't technically get shot, I knew they were irritated with me, but it was the only way I could wrap my head around what had happened. If I would've let myself believe that Ponyboy, who was basically my extremely annoying little brother, had been shot just like the kids in New York Dally mentions once in a while, my temper and fear probably would've gotten the best of me. I don't know what I would've done if I lost my cool, so I did what I always did: lie to myself, or at least stretch the truth, until I'm okay with the situation. It was a strategy I learned a long time ago.

The memory of Ponyboy's arm bleeding and him being brought into the hospital was interrupted when I heard a noise coming from the bed next to me. I looked down at Soda's face, and it seemed like he was in some pain.

"Soda," I said quietly, not trying to scare him, as I put a hand on his shoulder. "You awake, man?"

I saw movement behind his eyelids as his eyebrows pinched together. I waited a few more moments, then I heard him let out a groan.

"Hey buddy, you wakin' up or not?" I tried, hoping he could hear me.

He groaned again, and right when I thought he wasn't actually awake, I heard him softly mutter, "No."

I grinned, then let out a sigh of relief as I leaned back in my chair. The doctor told me that Soda would wake up, but with everything else going on, I couldn't believe it until it actually happened. "I get it man, you need to rest, but can you at least open your eyes so I know I'm not hallucinating you talkin' to me?"

He groaned again, but this time, it sounded like he was more irritated with my request than anything. "Fine." It took him a few seconds, but he eventually opened his brown eyes, and they immediately landed on me. "Happy?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. Leave it to Soda to make me laugh when he's the one in a hospital bed. "A little. I'll be happier when you ain't laid up like this. How ya feeling?"

He let out a breath, and I could tell it took a lot out of him just to stay awake and talk to me. "Tired… feel like I got hit by a truck."

"Yeah, well at least that didn't happen," I said dryly. It seems like everything else that could've gone wrong did.

"Right, I only got stabbed… way better," he said with a tired grin. He blinked slowly, then he asked what I was sure was on his mind starting the moment he began waking up. "My brothers okay?"

I wanted to give Soda the good news first. "Pony will be fine. Kid's tougher than he looks," I said, causing Soda to grin. It was the truth, even if I wouldn't admit it to anyone else. "He's got a concussion, and his arm's in a sling, but he's doin' better than you at least."

"Sling?" Soda asked tiredly. "He bust his arm or something?"

I sat there for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain what happened without having my best friend lose his mind about his kid brother getting shot. Remember Steve, he didn't technically get shot.

"You remember when Darry first tackled that Soc and the gun went off?" Soda stiffened and his eyes got big, so I continued and spoke quickly before he could freak out. "We all thought the bullet missed, but it cut the outside of his arm. He'll be fine, but the doctor said he'll be stiff for a little bit."

Soda still looked freaked out, but he deflated a little. I knew we were both thinking about how close the kid came to dying right in front of us, and we were both obviously trying to get past that fact.

Then Soda asked the other question I was expecting, his voice tight and tense. "What about Darry?" I took a breath and tried to figure out what I was going to say.

After Dr. Jones said Soda could have visitors, I had shot to my feet, but the doctor said he wanted to talk to Two-Bit privately before the gang dispersed. That ultimately led to me, Two-Bit, and Dally outside of Pony's room with the doctor, and Johnny staying with Ponyboy to keep him company. Apparently, the doctor just wanted to get out of earshot from the youngest Curtis so he could explain a few things, like what exactly happened during Darry's surgery and what his chances were. The doctor said he was trying to be optimistic for Pony's sake, but we all needed to be realistic too. Darry had beat the odds and was still alive, but just because he made it out of surgery, it wasn't a guarantee that he'd be okay. The guy even went as far as to say there's a good chance Darry won't wake up. The doctor's words made me feel like a boulder dropped into my stomach, but they seemed to make Dally furious.

"You don't know him! He's tough, and he's gonna make it!" Dally shouted, pointing a finger in the doctor's face.

"Shut up, Dally. You want the kid to hear us out here?" I responded quietly. The doctor was kind enough to keep the awful details from Ponyboy, at least for the time being, and I didn't want him to find out about Darry when he was such a wreck himself. Dally glared at me, then he muttered something about needing another cancer stick before he stormed down the hallway. We all knew he'd be back, but he needed to blow off steam first.

After Dally left, the doctor said one more thing to me and Two-Bit. "Whatever deity you're all praying to, keep at it. Darrel could use all the help he can get."

"Steve?" Soda's voice snapped my out of my thoughts. I looked at him, and even though he still looked tired and like he was in pain, he seemed determined to get me to spill, even though I bet he could tell by the look on my face that Darry's condition wasn't good.

I let out a breath before speaking. I knew I couldn't lie to my best friend, not after everything we'd been through together, and he deserved the truth anyway. "He's alive, but he's in rough shape. Doc said Darry's still fighting though, but we already knew he would."

Soda studied me for a moment, and I tried to maintain my best poker face, but he could read anyone like a book, especially me. "What aren't you telling me?"

I was tempted to tell him to get some rest and I'd explain later, but I wasn't sure if finding out later was going to be any better than finding out right away. After I thought about it, I figured that I was probably the best person to tell him everything anyways. I could only hope that I remembered enough of what Dr. Jones had told us.

"Look Soda, I'm not gonna lie to you, Darry's real bad off. One of the bullets hit his lung, and the other one tore up his leg. He lost a lot of blood, and he stopped breathing a few times since he's been here." I let my words set in before I added another bit of bad news. "The doctor said he was surprised Darry made it through surgery, and he also said there's a chance Darry doesn't wake up or get better. I don't think he wants us getting our hopes up."

I watched Soda's face as the news hit him. His eyes started tearing up, but he obviously tried to keep a straight face, as if to make me believe that he was doing fine after hearing about his older brother being on death's door. "Does Pony know?" Soda choked out, still trying to keep his tears from falling, but failing.

"Most of it. He knows Darry ain't doing great, but he doesn't know just how bad things are looking for the big guy. The kid's already freaked out once, and the doctor had to give him medicine to calm down," I said.

Soda nodded, then he looked away from me. "Good. He should know, but let's keep the real bad stuff from him for now, okay? I'll talk to him. He's already a sensitive kid, I'm sure this is all driving him crazy with worry."

I was glad Soda offered to be the one to talk with Ponyboy since those two had a bond like no other, but I also was worried that my best friend was trying to take on too much stuff for his own good. "You sure you're up for that? You can just get some rest and let us take care of things if you need. I mean, Two-Bit's done a pretty good job of being in charge so far," I said. Soda suddenly looked at me like I was crazy, and I knew what that meant. "I guess Darry never told you."

"Told me what?" Soda asked, obviously in the dark just like the rest of us had been.

"Apparently, your big brother and Two-Bit had an agreement," I explained. "If anything happens to Darry, Two-Bit's in charge of you and Ponyboy. They had a conversation about it and everything. Two-Bit even said the paperwork's at the house."

Soda was stunned, and I was starting to think I was giving him way too much information right after he woke up after surgery. I was about to tell him to shut up and get some sleep, but then he spoke again. "So we don't have to worry about the state?"

I shrugged. "I dunno, but I think everything's figured out somehow. At least according to Two-Bit it is."

Soda let out a long sigh, which made him wince and put a hand over his stomach. He swore under his breath and gritted his teeth.

"You gotta take it easy, buddy," I said as I gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I know Darry ain't doing great, but you got hurt real bad too," I said.

"Yeah? What's the damage?" Soda said with a hint of a cold smirk on his face. "Can't be nothing compared to Darry. I probably just needed stitches or something, right?"

It was like he was amused that he got stabbed by a crazy Soc, or he thought his injuries were practically nothing, and it irritated me. "Soda, you were bleedin' like it was a sport. You were out cold by the time the doctors brought you into the hospital. I didn't know if you were dying or what was goin' on!" That seemed to get Soda's interest, and the smirk was wiped from his face. Good, because this ain't funny. "That blade did some real damage. Some of your liver got taken out, and you lost a lot of blood. Doc said you have a couple broken ribs too."

Soda looked surprised after I told him everything that had happened. It took a minute for him to regain his composure, but when he did, he looked and sounded serious. "At least it wasn't Pony."

"Yeah, good think it was only you that got a knife in the stomach," I said sarcastically. I wanted to punch him for not acting like he didn't care about his own wellbeing, but I knew Soda would do anything for those he cares about, including getting stabbed. Plus, my best friend was already in a hospital bed, so punching him when he was hurt was out of the question.

"Steve," Soda started, his voice thick with emotion. The look on his face told me he was getting tired, but he wanted me to listen and understand what he was about to say. "I couldn't let him get hurt. What else was I supposed to do?"

He got me there. Everything that happened during the rumble happened so fast, there wasn't much time to think, only react. Of course I knew the Curtis brothers would do anything to protect one another. In Soda's case, he protected Ponyboy from a blade, and after Soda got stabbed, the kid unleashed his temper on that Soc and pounded him into the ground. Until the guy pulled a heater on him, that is. A shiver ran down my spine at the memory.

"I know, Soda. I just can't believe that Soc pulled weapons on all of you," I said bitterly, trying to get the image of a gun pointed at Ponyboy out of my head. If that guy is still alive, I'm going to kill him.

Soda let out another breath, but this time, it didn't cause him as much pain like previously. "Yeah, I know what you mean. That guy's gonna haunt my dreams." Then his eyes closed, and I knew it was only a matter of time before he fell back asleep.

"I ain't goin' nowhere. I'll fight him off for ya," I said, only half joking. "Get some rest, Soda. Your brothers are in good hands."

"Thanks Steve," he mumbled. Seconds later, his breathing evened out, and I knew he was asleep.