(Two-Bit's POV)

"Thank you, Mr. Harrison," I said as I shook the man's hand.

"You're welcome, Keith," he replied. I wasn't used to people using my real name, but I imagined my boss calling me Two-Bit would be weird for him. Until he realizes why everyone calls me that.

I had left the hospital earlier that day to talk to Darry's boss, Mr. Harrison, about working for him while Darry was in a coma and unable to help the crew with his huge muscles. The man and I had talked on the phone a couple times since Darry landed in the hospital, but it was the first time I met him. He was a middle-aged guy with grey hair and a smoking habit that could rival Ponyboy.

Mr. Harrison seemed like a good guy. He was very concerned about Darry's condition, and he was also a man true to his word– he told me that his offer to have me work for him still stood. He wanted to make sure Darry's brothers were taken care of, and it would also benefit him since he was short-handed. I told him I never worked a day in my life, and he told me not to worry; Darry had vouched for me and told Mr. Harrison if I was working for him, I'd work my ass off, and apparently that was all the man needed.

Darry must've known that if I went to Mr. Harrison about work, things were bad, and I'd do anything it took to keep Soda and Pony together and with us.

After we discussed work details, Mr. Harrison introduced me to a few of his guys. They all looked as strong as Darry, and while some of them acted as tough and mature as my buddy, the rest of them seemed young and rowdy. I think we'll get along just fine. Mr. Harrison showed me the ropes, but told me he'd make sure I was trained by some of his most senior workers when I officially started. With everything figured out, Mr. Harrison and I shook hands, then he told me to go to the hospital and check on his favorite worker.

I couldn't help but grin. Darry was always everyone's favorite: teachers, coaches, bosses… the man's work ethic and responsible personality made him the golden child. My stomach started turning. Why am I thinking in past tense? He's still alive, he's just in a coma.

As I walked out to my car, I heard an irritating and familiar voice. "Mr. Mathews, nice to see you again."

I turned around and spotted Linda, the lady from the state that seemed determined to split the Curtis brothers up. "What can I do for you ma'am?" I asked without greeting her. I didn't like her, and I really didn't want to talk to her.

She walked up to me, scowling behind her glasses. "Just making sure things are going well."

That was a flat-out lie. I might not be real smart, but I knew she was really making sure I worked for Mr. Harrison like I said I did, which was true for at least fifteen minutes at that point. "They are. I'm actually just about to go check on Darry."

"Oh really?" Linda asked, her eyebrows rising. "And your boss knows that?"

On cue, Mr. Harrison walked towards us. "Keith, what are you still doing here? I told you to go see how Curtis is! What's the hold up?"

I just met him, but I love this man.

Mr. Harrison kept the act up, and he committed to the act even more when he reached us. "Hello ma'am, is there a problem with my employee here?"

Linda seemed skeptical. She looked between me and Mr. Harrison, who was either a natural actor or a damn good poker player. "There's no problem. I just wanted to follow up on a few things with Mr. Mathews here."

I knew it.

"Well I'm sorry Ms…" he trailed off, waiting for her to respond.

"Simpson," Linda said bluntly.

"Ms. Simpson," Mr. Harrison repeated. "I'm sorry, but Keith here has to leave and go check on another one of my employees. I'm sure you understand."

It looked like Linda was sucking on a lemon, but she still acted professional, despite the frustration in her voice. "Of course. But I'd like to speak with you, if you don't mind."

Oh no.

Even though Mr. Harrison had already proved to be one hell of a boss, I couldn't expect him to kept coming up with lies for me. Worse yet, if he didn't say the right things, Linda would know we lied on the guardianship papers.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Simpson, but I don't have much time to spare," Mr. Harrison lied smoothly. "Things have been extra busy ever since Mr. Curtis got put in the hospital. I'm sure you can imagine the workload we're trying to make up for."

One of the workers I met, Josh, must've overheard because he walked up to his, our, boss. "Excuse me, sir. We need a little help over here."

"I'll be right there," Mr. Harrison said to Josh with a nod. Then he looked back at Linda. "Sorry ma'am, but duty calls. I gotta run. And Keith, you do too."

It took me a moment to realize his focus moved to me. "Yes sir."

I turned to start walking to my car again, but before I left the conversation entirely, Mr. Harrison added one more thing. "And I don't want to see you at work for a few days, alright? I'm giving you a few days off with pay, so don't worry about it."

I smiled at him. "Thank you, sir."

With that, Mr. Harrison and I left Linda both angry and speechless.

As I drove towards the hospital, I couldn't fight the smile off my face. I got a job and am already getting paid before I even worked a single minute.

By the time I was walking down the hospital hallways that I was unfortunately quite familiar with, the smile that was previously on my face was completely gone. Instead, I was frowning as I thought about my best friend still in a coma while his kid brothers sat with him, drowning in worry. Despite my sadness, I forced another smile on my face as I approached Darry's room. I have to be strong for Soda and Pony. I can't let them know how terrified I am.

I turned to enter the room and tried my best to sound happy and positive. "Hey Curtises, how's-" I stopped mid-step when I spotted a pair of icy blue eyes staring at me. I must be hallucinating. I blinked, thinking I would see Darry lying with his eyes closed once again, but that's not what was I saw. No, instead of looking like he was knocking on death's door, Darry was looking at me with a mask on his face instead of a tube down his throat. "Darry?"

"Hey Two-Bit," Darry said, his rough voice making me cringe. Glory, did he swallow sandpaper?

I immediately went to the side of Darry's bed opposite from his brothers. I was certain he would disappear or fall unconscious any second, but he didn't. "Glory, it's good to finally see you awake Superman. How ya feeling?" I had to sit down before I started jumping up and down, shouting, or hugging Darry; all of those things would surely make him even more uncomfortable.

"His throat is sore and he ain't supposed to talk much," Pony said before Darry had a chance to respond.

I looked at Pony, totally forgetting to check on him or Soda– a habit that I quickly formed the second I knew I was in charge of them. Pony looked better than he had since the rumble, and I knew that was because Darry was finally awake. Same with Soda.

I looked back at Darry and felt the need to keep things light and not so serious. "Well shoot, and here I was all excited to finally get to talk with you man. That's alright, I've been talking to you for days without any answer, I can keep doing it a bit longer."

Darry quirked an eyebrow at me, and I knew what that meant. He had no idea how long he was out or who's been visiting him. Of course he didn't know I've been here all the time. He probably doesn't know anything that's happened since the rumble, and he might not even remember the rumble either.

"Your brothers ain't the only ones who've been in here with ya. All of us have been here, waiting to see you finally wake up from that long nap," I said. It was a coma, but 'nap' sounds way better. "Doc said talking to you might help, and you know I love to talk!"

The mask on Darry's face shifted a little, and I had a feeling he was smiling at me. A moment later, he wrote something on a notepad he somehow got and showed it to me.

Thank you.

"Shoot man, don't thank me," I said, completely meaning it. He had no reason to thank me. I loved everyone in the gang, and I'd do anything for any of them. "Thank you for listening to all my stories. And hey, now that you're awake, I can tell you them all over again!"

That got Soda and Pony to laugh a little, which was music to my ears. They hadn't laughed in what felt like years.

Then Darry wrote something else and showed it to his brothers, but I still managed to see it from my angle.

I need to talk to Two-Bit.

My immediate thought was that I was in some kind of trouble, but I couldn't figure out how Darry could wake up from a coma and instantly decide I caused a problem. A moment later, after I thought about what Darry would be feeling after waking up from a coma, I knew I wasn't in trouble. It was probably so we could talk about his brothers.

Maybe I am in trouble.

Under my watch, Soda got an infection and Pony got pneumonia. I wasn't sure how I could've prevented either of those things, but I still felt responsible, which meant Darry had every right to be upset with me. The first thing Superman is going to do after waking up is strangle me.

"C'mon Pony, let's go call the guys and tell them the good news! Maybe we'll even grab some food," Soda said, pulling Pony up to his feet.

It was apparent Pony didn't to want to leave Darry's side, and I didn't blame him. However, the kid needed to relax and eat something, so Soda and I continued to tell him Darry would be fine if the kid left for a short time. It took Darry writing on the notepad, telling Pony they'd chat when Pony came back, for the kid to finally leave with Soda.

As soon as Soda and Pony were gone, I felt myself let out a breath. For days, I had been trying to keep a brace face in front of them and act like everything was fine, but it was exhausting. I had no idea when or if Darry would wake up, but since he was finally conscious, everything was okay. "It's really good to see you awake, Darry. I mean it. You scared all of us real bad."

He scribbled on the paper.

Sorry.

I shook my head. "Nothing to be sorry about man. You did what you had to do, but damn, it almost took you out." The memory of blood flowing out of Darry flashed through my mind, and the sound of him wheezing echoed in my ears. You almost died. Don't apologize for scaring us. We're just glad you're okay. "Tim said if it was anyone else, they wouldn't have lived through it, and I think he's right."

His eyebrows furrowed, and I knew there were probably a thousand thoughts and questions swirling in his mind. After a beat, Darry wrote one more thing.

Tell me everything that happened.

I bit the inside of my cheek. Everything? "Are you sure, Darry? I mean, you just woke up, and it's a lot…" I trailed off.

He pointed to the paper and looked at me dangerously. Even while lying in a hospital bed, freshly woken up from a coma, Darry Curtis wasn't someone you wanted to make angry.

I debated lying to him, or at least omitting some of the truth, but the stubborn eyes looking back at me quickly made me forget the idea. Darry would find out the truth at some point, so it was better for everyone if I just got it over with and told him. Not only that, but everyone knew Darry's top priority was taking care of his brothers, which meant above all else, he wanted to know everything that involved them. In this case, there was a lot I had to fill him in on.

Plus, the man simply deserved to know the truth.

I sighed. "Alright, but don't freak out, okay? Your brothers will kill me if I send you back into a coma." He gave me a slight nod. "And don't say anything until I'm done, alright? There's a lot I gotta tell you, and I don't want to miss anything." With that, I did my best to summarize everything that he had missed.

I started by telling him about the rumble, quickly going over the part where Soda got stabbed and the Soc pointed a gun at Pony. When I told Darry the first bullet sliced Pony's arm the moment he tackled the Soc, Darry's eyes widened, but I was quick to tell him the kid only needed the sling for comfort and he's pretty much recovered. Then I told him about the dramatic drive to the hospital and him and Soda being taken away right away, followed by Pony once he fainted. Again, he seemed particularly worried, and since he was already looking stressed, I wondered how he'd react to the rest of the story.

I told him about Pony and Soda's injuries, along with what I understood about Soda's surgery. Then when I told him about his own surgery and health issues, I made sure to make it obvious how small his chance of survival was. Maybe that'll get him to realize how serious this was and make him take it easy while he heals.

I had to take a deep breath before I admitted the next part. "A few days later, Pony got sick with pneumonia and Soda's stab wound got infected. They got some meds to get better, but they weren't looking too good. Had me real worried."

Darry wrote something down for the first time since I started blabbing.

But they're okay now?

"Yeah man, they're good now," I said quickly. "I'm sorry. I should've seen the signs or something-" I couldn't finish apologizing before Darry wrote something else.

Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault.

I let out a breath, and even though I wasn't sure I believed Darry or agreed with him, I moved on. We still had a lot to catch up on, and I didn't need to waste time arguing about something. There was no telling when the boys would be back.

The next thing I mentioned was the boys asking how I became their guardian, so I had to tell them about the day Darry and I did all the paperwork. I started to apologize again, but Darry just waved me off, apparently not upset that I didn't keep it from his brothers.

I knew the next part was going to be difficult for me to relive, remembering how freaked out Ponyboy was, but I promised myself I'd tell Darry everything, so I forced myself to do it.

I told him that Johnny said he was waking up, so Pony ran out of the room, leaving me and Soda in the dust. By the time Soda and I got to Darry's room, Pony was a bawling mess, and I found out it was because Darry had woken up, but he couldn't breathe on his own, so they had to knock him out and put the tube back in. It sounded like a horrifying ordeal, which is why Pony was a mess. When I explained everything that happened during that whole thing, a strange look of possibly curiosity or understanding crossed Darry's face, but I couldn't tell for sure.

After that, I just had to tell him about discharging Soda from the hospital so he could be out of his room and visit with Darry. I made sure to tell him I was trying to send them home to eat and sleep as much as possible, but they didn't like leaving his side.

"And that brings us to right now," I concluded. I was almost breathless with how many words I said in such a short amount of time, which was surprising for me.

Darry stared at me, almost looking stunned for a moment, but he hesitantly wrote another question down.

Has the state been around?

How could I forget about that? After worrying about his brothers, of course the next thing he'd be worried about is the state!

I rolled my eyes in annoyance as I remembered my least favorite person these days. "You mean Linda? Yeah, she's been poking her nose in everything."

I went into detail about Linda Simpson showing up in the hospital, then again just earlier that day when I talked to Mr. Harrison. I told him that even after I showed her the papers, she seemed to be looking for a reason Pony and Soda should be taken away, but everyone was fighting back, including Darry's work people. "By the way, your boss digs okay. The guys there too. They helped get Linda off my back so I could come here without having to answer any of her questions."

Darry's eyebrows rose, then he quickly scribbled something down.

You're working?

I shrugged. "Not yet, I just talked to him today, but I'll be starting soon." Darry looked shocked, and I felt the need to explain my uncharacteristic actions. "You said he would hire me if things happened, and we'll need the extra money for a while, so I figured why not, you know?"

It looked like he was in shock, so I was quick to tell him the most important part. "The state hasn't gotten them, and they won't ever. We've done everything we need to make sure of it. They're not going anywhere."

Darry stared at me with such an intense look, I felt like he was reading my soul. Suddenly, his hand moved so he could firmly grim my forearm. "Thank you, Keith."

"Of course, Darry," I said seriously. We both understood it was a short sentence with a world full of meaning, and we didn't need to say anything else about it. "But no talking. Your brothers will pummel me if they find out I let you speak."

Darry rolled his eyes, but he nodded his head and stayed silent.

I gave him a moment before I spoke again. "You really okay Darry? Gettin' shot is a big deal, but then after everything I just told you… it's a lot, even for Superman."

Darry let out a long breath, which fogged the mask over his face. With the bags under his eyes and stress lines on his face, it was hard to remember that he was so young, but somehow in that moment, I saw it. He's had too much put on his shoulders too soon.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when he tapped on the notepad, bringing my attention to his new words.

I'm fine. Just tired.

I laughed a little. "How? You've been sleepin' for days!" I joked.

"What's so funny?" Pony asked as he and Soda returned to the room.

I turned to face them, and it was refreshing to see smiles on their faces again. "Your big brother says he's tired, but I don't understand how that can be true since he's been sleepin' like he's that one princess."

Pony sat down closest to Darry, with Soda sitting right next to him. "You mean Sleeping Beauty?" Pony offered.

"That's the one!" I said, giving Darry a smirk. Then I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively. "What do ya say, Darry. Need a handsome prince to kiss you?"

Soda and Pony were howling with laughter while Darry glared at me and wrote in big, bold letters.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

That just made all of us laugh even harder.

Once we calmed down enough for a normal conversation, Soda spoke up. "The guys will be here soon. Did you guys get enough time to talk?"

Darry nodded silently while I spoke for both of us. "Yessir. Darry here wanted to know what he all missed while he was out. He just can't stop worryin' about you two."

"Shoot Darry, we're fine. We've been worried about you," Soda said.

Darry looked at Soda like he was trying to read him like a book, then Darry pointed to Pony's sling, and the kid's face went pale. "It's fine, Darry. It don't even hurt much anymore."

I was wondering if Darry was going to try to argue verbally and hurt his voice, so I didn't let him. "Both of your brothers are tough, Muscles. They'll alright. If you're so tired, why don't you quit worryin' and get some shut eye before the hoods get here?"

Darry looked at me like he wanted to say something, but Soda reached forward and put his hand on Darry's leg. "He's right, Darry. Get some sleep, at least a few minutes."

Between his exhaustion and the rest of us ordering him to rest, Darry almost immediately let his eyes close. A minute later, his breaths evened out, and for the first time in eternity, I was confident he would wake up again.