Hiii guys! Very berry early chapter today but mostly because I had to limit comments on Ao3. (Ai bots :( Anyways, I hope you enjoy!!!

Johnny hit the floor with a resounding- THUMP! He had thought that sneaking back into his house was going to be easier than last night. But, he failed to remember his parent's schedules. One that included the fact that his dad was drinking at 5 AM on a school night.

At first Johnny had tried to stay in the lot to sleep for that night. But while in the lot he had realized how many memories of him and Ponyboy were there. It hurt him to lay there and almost wonder if Ponyboy was going to show up and ask if he wanted to sleep at his house for a moment. That thought kept Johnny up until 5 when he realized that he needed to get his schoolbag.

Winter break had finished quicker than anyone else in the gang wanted it to. With that, everyone in the gang had to continue to live. With or without Ponyboy…

Sodapop hated it, he hated every moment of being without his brother. Steve saw it firsthand in the way that Sodapop continued to look at Ponys room as if Ponyboy was going to go back there. It was clean, down to the bed being made, a rule that Mrs.Curtis enforced heavily on the youngest Curtis. Everyone all had to continue their lives, even if it hurt them more.

Johnny stood up and started to run to Bucks. The Curtis house was faster to get to but it was starting to feel too empty for Johnny. Everywhere he looked in there all he could see was his best friend.

After a beating like that, all Johnny wanted was his best friend.

However, instead of going to Bucks, he found himself going to the hospital. He was unsure about the visiting hours but he could at least try to lie to the doctor to let him in. The parking lot of the hospital was nearly empty, except for a familiar car…

Johnny tried to push the thought out of his head as he walked into the hospital. Some doctors scurried about, looking busier than others. However, none of the doctors paid any mind to a bruised and beat-up Johnny. A nurse perked her head up at the sound of Johnny's shoes, something that scared him. He walked up, unsure of how to ask to visit Ponyboy.

"Can Ponyboy Curtis have visitors?" Johnny finally asked, waiting for the nurse's answer. She looked at the time and then looked at a file. Worry filled Johnny as the seconds ticked by. Finally, the nurse gave him a nod, "Do you know where his room is located?"

Johnny nodded, breathing a sigh of relief as he made his way to Ponyboy's room. Before he could walk in, he heard a familiar voice.

"C'mon man- you gotta wake up-" Johnny noticed it was Steve's voice, "-Glory… I swear we look away for one moment…" Johnny stood outside Ponyboy's room, listening to the desperation in Steve's voice concerned him. If he listened hard enough, he could hear the soft sobs that Steve gave off.

Suddenly Johnny couldn't take it. He couldn't take the fact that his best friend was in the hospital and that two people close to him died. Everything was too much for him, and all he wanted was a friend who would understand him, even if it was silently. Without thinking, his legs started to take him away and to the lot…

Steve had been in the hospital all night. Sodapop and Darry wanted someone with Ponyboy at all times, just in case he woke up. However, the toll of spending every night there weighed on them, trying to help lighten the load, Steve stepped in and offered that he stay with Ponyboy as much as he could. That came with hearing what the doctor had to say about Ponyboy… He watched as the doctor kept checking on Ponyboy and even heard a small glimpse of a conversation. That Ponyboy wouldn't wake up. Or that at least the longer the coma continued, the more risk Ponyboy had of brain damage.

Steve pleaded with Ponyboy, trying to re-explain how much he cared for the kid. Yet, all he was met with was the sound of the machines working to keep him alive. The sound haunted him as he pleaded with Ponyboy. Ponyboy's hands were growing colder, a sign that his body was working harder than it ever had before.

"You could make it to the track team," Steve said, a sob escaping his throat. "C'mon man- ya've gotta wake up. Glory… I swear we look away for one moment and somethin's happenin' to ya. Aren't you tired of your nap?" Steve laughed dryly as tears continued to fall down his face, with one landing on Ponyboy's hand. Carefully Steve ran his fingers through Ponyboy's hair as the silence continued.

"S…. Steve?" A quiet voice murmured. Steve's eyes widened as he whipped his head to look at Ponyboy. "Kid?" Steve's voice was growing weary. It had to be the kid- right? He wasn't going insane- right? As these questions ran through Steve's head, he felt a small squeeze on his hand. No, the soft, scratchy voice was definitely Ponyboys.

"C'mon kid, open your eyes," Steve whispered, his voice growing with excitement. The tears in his eyes were gone, replaced with a worried look. Soon, the pressure on his hand disappeared, with Ponyboy slinking back into the hospital bed. Except, he looked less pale than before.

Instantly, Steve ran to get a doctor. Dr.Anderson was in the hallway, just looking over files when Steve ran over. His breathing was wild as he tried to explain what happened. When Dr.Anderson finally got to Ponyboy's room, they found that he had moved around in his hospital bed.

Dr.Anderson gently shook Ponyboy before starting to check on him. Steve stood right behind him, making sure that he didn't hurt Ponyboy or anything. Before he knew it, Dr.Anderson was having Ponyboy's oxygen mask replaced with a cannula.

"This is very promising, especially if he spoke to you. However we believe that the next time he wakes up, he should avoid speaking in the case that his vocal cords were damaged in the crash," Dr.Anderson relayed to Steve. Steve nodded, ready to call the Curtis house and tell them everything.

Everything other than the fact that Ponyboy said Steve's name instead of Sodapops or Darrys.

I hope you enjoyed!!! And if the ai bots on Ao3 keep getting worse, I might have to switch over to FFN. I hope that doesn't become the case but hopefully it can be resolved soon! Thank you for reading!