More mentions of blood, wounds, etc. I try not to overdue it with the gross details, but things happen.

(Ponyboy's POV)

Time sure is a funny thing. One second I watched Soda get stabbed, the next I saw Darry get shot, and just one more second passed before Johnny appeared out of nowhere. A lot of stuff happened in just a few seconds, but I wasn't quite sure how I ended up sitting on the ground being shaken by Johnny Cade.

In addition to shaking my shoulders, Johnny was almost yelling at me, which was weird for him to do. Johnny never raises his voice. "C'mon man, talk to me. Say something."

"Johnny?" I asked, not sure if he was real or if Father Time was playing another trick on me.

His wild eyes relaxed a little, but he still stared at me. "Yeah, it's me. You alright?"

I tried to nod, but something in my mind stopped me from replying verbally. Am I really fine?

I looked at everything around me and I quickly decided that I wasn't fine. Steve was on the ground with Soda, who still had a blade stuck in him, and in front of me, I spotted Darry, gasping for air, reminding me of a fish out of water. Dally and Tim were apparently trying to save him, but I couldn't help but wonder if their attempts were in vain. Darry got shot. He's bleeding. He can't breathe. He's not gonna make it. My big brother's not gonna make it.

The sound of my heartbeat flooded my ears and I felt incredibly numb. The scene around me disappeared and the only thing I was consciously aware of was the darkness of the night surrounding us. Darry's been shot, Soda's been stabbed… I'm going to lose both of my brothers tonight. In one day, the rest of my family will be gone forever. I felt myself start breathing quickly. What am I gonna do? How can I live without my brothers? I can't, I know I can't live without them.

"Pony!" Johnny's voice shouted as he shook me violently, causing me to flinch away from him.

I blinked a few times and realized time had skipped again. Our truck had somehow appeared in the park, and Dally, Tim, and Steve were putting Soda in the bed of the truck. I looked around and noticed someone was missing. Where's Darry?

"Hey Pony," I heard a different voice say. When I peeled my eyes away from the truck, I noticed that Two-Bit was crouching next to me and managing to speak softer than Johnny had. What a weird turn of events: Two-Bit is being quieter than Johnny. "We gotta get your brothers to the hospital. I don't wanna leave you here, but we need to go right now, so if you ain't moving, I'm leaving you behind."

The thought of being separated from my brothers about killed me. Don't leave me. This is the last time I'll get to see them.

"Let's go, Two-Bit!" I heard Dallas shout from the truck.

I was abruptly pulled to my feet, and when I was standing, I realized it was Tim Shepard that had yanked me into a vertical position. "Get a move on, kid. Your brothers are tough, but they don't got much time." Then he shoved me towards the truck.

Two-Bit caught me, and I was glad he held on to me because my legs felt wobbly and I wasn't sure I'd be able to stand on my own. Then he walked me towards the truck, with Johnny following us silently. Two-Bit was pulling me towards the passenger seat, but when I saw both of my brothers in the back, it felt like a tether had formed between me and them, and I couldn't be apart from them.

"I'm sitting with them," I said firmly, finally forming words again.

Two-Bit looked unsure, but before he could say anything, I heard Dally shout. "Jump in kid, then we gotta go!"

I forced myself into the back of the truck, sitting between my brothers. As soon as I looked at both of them, I felt nauseous.

Soda's wound caused his shirt to be soaked in red liquid, and Steve's hands were around the blade handle to press down on Soda's stomach. Soda's eyes were shut, and I didn't know if he was conscious or not. Please be alive.

The truck jerked as it was thrown into gear and Two-Bit started speeding away from the park. The movement and velocity made Dally struggle even more to keep pressure on Darry's injuries, so I moved to help him. I went to Darry's side, ignored the fact that I was looking at gunshot wounds sustained by my big brother, and pressed the wad of fabric down as much as I could on Darry's leg while Dally focused on the one on Darry's chest.

Don't think about it, Pony. Just keep pressing down.

"You good, kid?" Dally asked me carefully.

I nodded, not taking my eyes away from my hands. Don't look at Dally, or Darry, or anyone. Just keep pressing down.

There was a little movement in Darry's leg, and suddenly Dally spoke. "He's alright, Darry. He's right here."

I whipped my head around to look at Darry's face. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was gritting his teeth, but he must've been conscious since he moved and Dally was talking to him. He's alive!

I heard muttering next to me, then Steve grumbled. "Quit movin' Soda, the kid's fine."

I turned my head to look at Soda, who was looking at me with tired, half-closed eyes. Soda's alive too. Thank God. Then a dark thought appeared immediately as I noticed how sickly white he looked. At least he is for now. They're both alive for now, but that can change.

Soda didn't say anything, but we could practically have a full conversation just by looking at each other. He wanted to make sure I was okay and that I hadn't been hurt like him and Darry, and after I hopefully gave him a reassuring look, his eyes moved to look at Darry.

"Don't you dare… don't you fucking dare," Dally spat harshly. I turned to look at him, and for once in his life, Dally looked scared as he stared down at Darry, still pressing down into my brother's chest. "C'mon Darry, don't do this man."

"What's goin' on?" I asked, my voice breaking at my words.

Dally ignored me and started shouting at Darry. "Darry! C'mon man, your brothers need you. The gang needs you. Don't you dare give up!"

I realized Darry's pale facial features went slack, and he wasn't straining from the pain anymore. Oh my God, is he-

"I swear to God, man… don't leave your brothers like this," Dally said loudly, but his emotions were starting to leak through his voice.

"Darry!" I sobbed. Tears uncontrollably streamed down my face and Dally continued yelling at him.

Time skipped or something, because suddenly, there were people dressed in medical attire that were opening the back of the truck. Dally was shouting things, but I stayed frozen where I was, pressing fabric down into my brother's leg until I was shoved away so the medical staff could take him. When I saw them take Soda away, I realized his eyes were shut and Steve was yelling at him to wake up. Someone was screaming and crying, and it wasn't until Two-Bit appeared and put a hand over my mouth that I figured out it was me making all the noise.

"The docs have your brothers, and they'll care care of 'em," Two-Bit said seriously. "But they ain't gonna let us inside if you keep shoutin' like that."

I felt a hand on my shoulder, making me wince. "They'll be okay, Pony," Johnny's soft voice said. I looked at him, and even though his watery eyes were wide and he was obviously scared, he was a good friend and wasn't going to leave my side. A look of confusion crossed his face, and when he took his hand off my shoulder to look at it, his eyes got even wider. "Pony, you're bleeding!"

I looked at Johnny's hand and he wasn't lying; his hand was covered in the red liquid. Where is that coming from?

"Ponyboy?" Two-Bit's voice got real soft, which made me nervous. I suddenly felt lightheaded and the pain in my shoulder started to appear out of nowhere. I moved to hold the throbbing area, but Two-Bit stopped me, then his voice instantly became anxious as he shouted towards the people who were still next to the truck. "Hey! This kid needs a doctor too!"

"Shit."

"What the hell?"

"Pony!"

The gang's voices blurred together as I was guided onto a stretcher, and a woman's voice was the only thing I could clearly hear. "Don't worry, honey. We'll take care of you."

"My brothers… take care of my brothers," I mumbled as the pain became darkness.