(Darry pov)
"Boys, I have an update on your brother" says Dr. Berg.
I can sense all of the guys behind me, they'd all stood up when the doctor had come into the waiting room. I want to grab the man's shoulders and shake him, demand an answer right now on how my brother is doing. Luckily, Dr. Berg seems to sense my urgency and he smiles kindly at us, despite the fact that he's practically surrounded by a gang of greasers.
"I just got a call from the surgeon, the surgery went very well. It was an easy fix, just a quick laceration repair to his kidney. Your brother did very well, he's in the PACU recovering right now but he will be moved to another room shortly and then you can see him"
I didn't even know that I was holding my breath but I left out a huge sigh of relief, feeling like I could finally breathe right again.. He's okay, Ponyboy is okay. Soda has latched on to my good arm, squeezing it. He lets out a shaky breath, relief written all over his face.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Berg" I tell him, knowing there aren't enough words to convey just how thankful I am to him for helping my brother.
"No problem" Dr. Berg says with another smile, "You boys can just wait here and the nurse will come get you when they've moved your brother to his new room"
The guys all move to take up their seats again but Soda and I remain standing. Soda looks up at me, a watery smile on his face and tears threatening to spill. I wrap him up in a hug, and he hugs me back just as hard.
"Everything will be okay now, Sodapop" I murmured to him. I can feel him nod against me. He pulls back and laughs, wiping at his eyes.
"I know" he sniffles with a smile "That was just…a lot"
I couldn't agree more. "You're telling me, little buddy"
We head back to our chairs and sit down, and it's easier to wait this time because we know that Pony is okay. The mood is much lighter in the waiting room now, a giant weight lifted off of our collective shoulders. Two Bit wanders off and returns with an armful of snacks which he hands out to all of us. I try to brush him off, still feeling like I might puke from nerves if I eat anything, but Two Bit shoves a bag of pretzels into my hands anyway. And he may have been on to something because the few handfuls of pretzels does actually settle my stomach a bit. I shoot him a thankful look and he just smirks in return.
An hour goes by before a nurse comes to get us.
"Family of Ponyboy Curtis?" she asks, not even stuttering over his name.
Soda and I shoot up and race to her, the gang just steps behind us.
"How's he doing?" I ask.
"Can we see him now?" Soda asks at the same time.
She doesn't seem phased by our ambush, just smiles pleasantly and addresses me first.
"He's doing just fine. Still a little sleepy from surgery, but everything looks good so far" she says and then turns her attention to Soda, "Only family can stay right now, the rest of you will have to come back in the morning"
I nod and put a hand on Soda's shoulder, "We're his brothers"
"Alrighty. Just follow me and I'll take you to his room"
"Can you wait just a moment, please?" I ask her as politely as I can. She nods.
I turn around and face the guys, "Would you guys mind staying at our place tonight? To keep an eye on it?"
I'm looking at Steve, hoping he'll stay and keep out of his dad's way for tonight, and hoping he'll bring Johnny with him. Just because I won't be there didn't mean I wanted the guys to not have a safe place to sleep tonight.
"Yeah, we'll keep an eye on it for you, Superman" Steve says, slapping Dally on the back.
Dally rolls his eyes, "Me and Johnny'll crash there too"
"You want us to bring you anything tomorrow?" Johnny asks.
I ruffle his hair, of course it would be Johnny to offer that. "Just a change of clothes would be great. Thanks".
"Call if you need anything" Two Bit says to me as he wraps an arm around Johnny's shoulder.
I nod and shoot him a thankful smile before turning back to Soda and the nurse who are waiting for me by the desk.
"Thanks. Let's go" I say as I reach them.
She leads us through a winding hallway and then to the elevators.
"He's going to be a bit sleepy for a while" she tells us as the elevator brings us up to the fifth floor, "The anesthesia is slowly wearing off but he's also on some pain medication which can make him drowsy"
"He's in pain?" Soda asks, sounding like he's been wounded himself.
The nurse smiles kindly at him, "He might be in a little bit of pain. But I promise we're taking good care of him and if he's too uncomfortable just let us know and we can try and give him something stronger"
The elevator dings and deposits us to the floor. The nurse leads the way, heading down a dimmed hallway and stopping outside of a room.
"This is his room. There's a chair and a cot in there for you to use. Either me or one of the other nurses will be checking in on him occasionally throughout the night but let us know if he needs anything in the meantime". She gestures for us to enter the room and then she heads back to the nursing station.
I take a deep breath, suddenly nervous to see him. What if he's writhing around in pain? What if he's scared? Or doesn't want to see me because I couldn't protect him?
Soda doesn't hesitate. He heads straight in, throwing a "C'mon Dar" over his shoulder as he passes me.
I step into the dim room. It's small, the walls are a pale blue and the ceiling is a stark white. There's a cot and a chair sitting next to the hospital bed where Pony is lying. He looks so small. His skin is almost as pale as the white sheets he was laying on. His eyes are shut but he starts to stir as Soda grabs his hand and starts to whisper to him.
"Hey Ponyboy" Soda whispers, "You're okay"
Pony's eyebrows furrow and his face scrunches and with what looks like great effort, he opens his eyes. They dart around, looking confused and scared, before they settle on Soda.
"Soda?" Pony asks, his voice is so hoarse and scratchy it makes me flinch. But it makes Soda light up, he smiles so bright I'd bet it could power this hospital.
"Yeah, it's me, kid" Soda says, squeezing Pony's hand, "Lordy, I was worried about you"
Pony's eyebrows furrow again, "Whe- where's Darry? Is he okay?"
He seems real out of it still. I think all the meds are making him a bit loopy and still real drowsy. I go to his bed, sitting lightly on the edge and grab Pony's other hand.
"I'm right here, kiddo. I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me" I squeeze his hand and he squeezes right back.
"How are you feeling?" I ask him. The kid looks rough honestly. He looks tired and pale, and his lip is scabbed over and a new bruise sits on his cheek, the purple standing out brighter against the paleness of his skin. His eyes are drooping and he looks like he's fighting to stay awake.
He shrugs, which causes him to wince. "Is Johnny okay? And Dal?"
That didn't really answer my question, which concerns me. I think it concerns Soda too because Soda sits himself on the other side of the bed, so close that his legs are touching Pony's.
"Everyone is fine, Ponyboy. You just worry about getting yourself better, okay?" Soda says.
Pony looks between the two of us before his eyes settle on me.
"What happened?" he asks in a small voice.
I put a hand on his head and brush his hair back from his face, "You don't remember?"
His face scrunches like he's concentrating on a hard math equation, "It's all…fuzzy."
"That's okay, we can talk about it in the morning. Why don't you go back to sleep for now?" I tell him softly.
"You need to rest up so you can get better" Soda says as he starts to rub his shoulders and I know Pony is starting to lose his fight to stay awake.
Pony sighs, his body relaxing against the sheets and his eyes shutting.
"Will you stay with me?" he whispers, sounding like he's just barely awake.
"Of course we will, Ponyboy" Soda whispers.
"We ain't gonna leave you, Ponyboy" I add softly.
Pony makes a content humming sound and he's asleep by his next breath.
A few hours pass and Pony sleeps soundly through them. I moved into the chair, positioning it between Pony's bed and the door. Soda sits on the edge of the cot, which he dragged right up next to the other side of Pony's bed. He hasn't let go of Pony's hand.
A soft knock on the door startles both of us. I swing around, adrenaline coursing through me, but I relax when I see it's Officer McMann. The adrenaline spikes again when I see Mrs. Smith standing behind him.
"Hi Darry" Officer McMann says softly, so as not to wake Ponyboy, "I was wondering if we could talk to you for a few minutes?"
Soda is sitting up straight up across from me, his hand tightened around Pony's. He looks nervous, no doubt because of the presence of the social worker.
"Of course" I say to Officer McMann, my knees cracking as I stand up from my chair.
"Stay here and keep an eye on him for me, okay Pepsi Cola?" I whisper to Soda as I leave. He gives me a determined nod.
I follow Officer McMann and Mrs. Smith to an empty patient room across from Pony's. All the lights are on in this room making it much brighter than Pony's. There's three chairs set up in it and Officer McMann gestures for me to take a seat while he pulls one out for Mrs. Smith. Officer McMann takes the final chair.
"One of the nurses said we could use this room so you don't have to be too far from your brother" Officer McMann tells me. I nod appreciatively, I really don't want to be too far from either of my brothers right now, but I also don't want them to have to deal with the cops or social workers.
"As you know, I filled Mrs. Smith in on you finding Ponyboy and what he went through with the Moores. I've also filled her in on what transpired today, or I guess yesterday seeing as it's midnight now, but regardless, she has been brought up to date on everything from my end."
I glance at Mrs. Smith nervously, feeling like I broke the law, harboring a fugitive. I'm scared that she'll be looking at me with contempt and anger for lying to her, ready to snatch both of my brothers and send them away, but when I do meet her eyes, I'm surprised to find her looking at me sympathetically, no trace of anger evident on her face.
"I'm so sorry to hear that you and Ponyboy got hurt, Darrel" she says.
"Thank you, mam. But I'm fine, it's really just Pony who was hurt" I tell her, having completely forgotten about the stitches in my arm. I mean, what's one lousy cut compared to getting drowned and stabbed and beat on by people twice your size?
"Well, regardless, I'm sorry about the events that happened today" she says.
"Thank you" I tell her again, shifting uncomfortably in my chair.
"Now, I know you and your brothers have been through a lot today but there are still some important matters we need to discuss" she says, her voice going from sympathetic back to the no nonsense tone she usually uses.
I nod nervously. This can't be good. How will I deal with her taking Pony after just getting him back? How will Soda deal? He won't, he'll be broken hearted and I don't know if there's anything I could do to fix it.
"This case is quite unprecedented and there are many factors to consider here. I saw that Ponyboy is sleeping and I don't want to disturb him now, but I will need to talk to him in the morning and get his side of the story."
She meets my eyes, "It was quite irresponsible of you to conceal Ponyboy's whereabouts after you found him, but I think I know why you did"
"I had to" I stammered out, "I didn't know who to trust. He was hurt and scared and I didn't know if I could trust you or if you'd just send him back to those people"
Her face softens, "I know you were just trying to protect him. And I understand these circumstances made everything quite difficult but in the end, you did the right thing by going to Officer McMann"
I bite the inside of my cheek nervously.
"Officer McMann has told me how you've done your best to keep Ponyboy safe and how much he seems to trust you"
I shoot Officer McMann a thankful look and he returns it with a kind smile.
"I think for now it would be best to place Ponyboy in your custody temporarily, until we have a court hearing to appeal for permanent custody, if that's still what you want to do"
My heart soars, did she just say what I think she said? That Pony could stay with me?
"So, I can keep him with me?" I ask, trying to not too sound too hopeful but utterly failing.
She gives me a small smile, "I'll need to speak with Ponyboy in the morning and ensure that he feels comfortable with that. If he does, I'll have you sign the papers tomorrow and we'll get a court date as soon as possible"
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Smith. And you too, Officer McMann. I really can't thank you enough"
Officer McMann just waves a hand at me.
"Ponyboy has been through a lot. I only want what's best for him. And it seems like being with you will be what's best for him. I owe it to him after whats he's had to endure" Mrs. Smith says, a hint of passion sneaking into her usually professional voice.
"I want what's best for him too. That's all I ever wanted" I tell her sincerely.
"He's a good kid. And so are you, Darrel. I know you'll do right by him" Officer McMann says, "And you don't have to worry about the Moore's anymore. Mr. Moore is dead and Officer Moore and his wife are going to prison. They won't be able to hurt you or your family again"
"I shouldn't have let them hurt him in the first place" I mutter angrily.
"They figured out you were hiding him" Officer McMann says gently, "Officer Moore saw how much you all looked alike, especially your middle brother and Ponyboy. His wife remembered hearing that Ponyboy had older brothers and they pieced it all together. Officer Moore and his brother were headed to your house when they saw Ponyboy at the park."
I clench my fists, mentally cursing myself again for letting this happen.
"It's not on you, son" says Officer McMann, like he knows exactly what I was thinking, "Those men were gunning for him. I should have stopped them before they had the chance to hurt him, so this is on me. I'm sorry for letting this happen. I'm just glad you were there to save your brother from getting even more hurt"
I don't blame Officer McMann at all for what happened, he helped save Pony. Not only that, he helped me get custody too. But his words helped ease a little bit of the guilt I was feeling. Like maybe this wasn't entirely my fault.
"Thanks" I tell him gratefully, "But this isn't your fault either"
"No, it's theirs. And you best remember that"
I nod, appreciating his words. Mrs. Smith clears her throat, directing my attention back to her.
"There's another thing I need to ask you before giving you custody. Darrel, are you sure you want to take charge of both of your brothers? You just went from one brother to both, which is a big adjustment. If you need time to get settled with one before adding on another, the state can-"
"No!" I cut in quickly, "I want them both. I can take care of both of them, I swear"
She looks at me and I feel like she can see right through to my soul. Her gaze is calculating, but not cold.
"I believe you can too. But if it gets too much, you need to let me know so that I can ensure they are taken care of"
"I'll take care of them" I promise her. She nods and then stands up.
"Well, it's quite late. You boys need your rest after such a harrowing day. I'll be back in the morning, Darrel."
Officer McMann and I stand up too.
"I'll walk you out" Officer McMann tells her, "Good night, Darrel"
I tell them goodbye and give Officer McMann a handshake before they leave. I head back into Pony's room, feeling relieved at how well that went. After so much struggle and heartbreak, I feel like I finally caught a break.
Soda snaps his head up as soon as I sit back down in my chair.
"How'd it go? What'd they say? They aren't taking him away, right?" He whispers, his questions coming out rapidly.
"Settle down, Soda. Everything went fine" I reassure him, "Mrs. Smith is granting me temporary custody for now, we'll have a court hearing soon and hopefully I'll get permanent custody then. She needs to talk to Pony in the morning, but everything is gonna be fine"
He looks at me, a sour expression on his face, "I overheard some of it. They asked if you were ready for both of us, if one of us would be easier to-"
"We worked that out, Soda" I interrupt him, knowing this would lead nowhere good.
"Well if you have to pick one of us, pick him. I'll be fine, but he needs you. We can't let him get lost like that again" Soda says, looking determined and older than his sixteen years.
I reach across the bed and squeeze his arm, "I don't have to pick between the two of you because we're all staying together, okay? I don't want either of you worrying about that"
Looking a little relieved Soda nods and shoots me a smile.
"He needs you too. You're real good with him, you always have been" I tell him.
Soda just smiles down at our sleeping brother.
"You think it would be okay if I slept on the bed with him? He ain't hurt on this side" Sosa asks me hopefully.
I knew Soda had been itching to crawl into that bed from the second we walked into this room. Pony seems sound asleep, his breathing easy and his face relaxed.
"I think it's fine. Just don't jostle him or wake him up"
Soda climbs carefully onto the bed, curling up next to Pony and throwing an arm over him. Soda is out after just a few minutes, his breathing almost matching exactly up with Pony's.
I can't sleep, I feel like I need to keep an eye on them, make sure they're okay. They both sleep peacefully until about four, when Pony starts to move a little bit.
Pony lets out a soft groan and opens his eyes, looking up at the ceiling confused.
"Hey Pony, you okay?" I whisper. His eyes slide over to me and while he still looks exhausted, he looks a little more coherent than earlier.
"I think there's a koala stuck on me" he tells me. I can't help the laugh that escapes me at his statement. Maybe he isn't as coherent as I thought.
"There's no koala, Pony. It's just Soda. I can move him if he's bugging you"
Pony turns his head and sees Soda latched on to him, he smiles softly, "No, he's okay".
"Hey Darry" he whispers, turning back to face me, his eyes wide and sincere, he looks so young and so tired.
"Yeah Pony?" I whispered back softly, taking a hand and running it gently through his hair, hoping to get him to fall back asleep.
"I'm sorry I didn't go back to the house like you said. I wasn't thinking and-"
I shush him, trying to stop him from working himself up, "It's okay Pony, I'm not mad. They knew where you were, they were coming anyway. I'm sorry that I left you, I shouldn't have done that"
"It wasn't your fault" he whispers. I thought that would be the end of it but after a few minutes he whispers again.
"Darry?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry I got a hole in your jacket"
"I'm sorry that you got a hole in you, little buddy"
That made him laugh a little. He seemed to settle against the bed, relaxing a bit more into Soda's side. He was struggling to keep his eyes open, his blinks lasting longer and longer. I just kept softly rubbing his head, hoping he'd drift off to sleep, knowing I'd be here for him when he woke up.
"Darry?"
I can't help but let out an exasperated chuckle. I don't know if it's the meds that are spurring on this late night confession or what, but I need to put a stop to it. Pony needs to sleep and not only that, the kid has nothing to be sorry for and shouldnt be apologizing.
"You aren't allowed to apologize for anything else tonight." I grab his hand and rub my thumb over the smooth skin of his hand, "Nothing about what happened was your fault, nobody's mad at you or blames you. Everything's okay, okay?"
"Okay"
After a few more minutes it seems like he's finally asleep, his eyes are shut and his chest rises and falls gently.
"Darry?"
I roll my eyes, his eyes are still shut but the kid is damn stubborn, "What Ponyboy?"
"I love you"
And that sure as hell stopped me in my tracks. My sweet little brother, who's been gone for so long, who's been through so much. Who used to pretend to read his favorite books he'd memorized, who'd give sticky syrup kisses before I'd leave him to go to school, who screamed and cried and banged on a car window as a social worker drove him away from me. I always wondered if my parents were looking down on us, watching over us and now I know they are. Because they brought Pony back and even though he doesn't really remember everything about before, he loves us again. I give his hand a squeeze.
"I love you too, Pony"
A/N: Thanks so much for reading along! Hope you are enjoying the story (: