In this chapter: Darry's worst fear comes to life, and Kate helps him navigate it.

I was sitting in Darry's chair, with him sitting on the floor in front of me. While he rested his back and head against the chair, I ran my fingers through his hair. I could tell he had a rough day, so I massaged his back and shoulders, and afterwards, I couldn't resist feeling his soft hair. As I lightly scratched his scalp, he let out quiet moans. I grinned at the noise, knowing that I could make him feel so blissfully relaxed. He deserved every ounce of relaxation he could get, and I was more than happy to provide it.

Soda and Pony took Darry's truck and went to the Dingo, while the rest of the boys were all out doing God knows what, so it was just Darry and me in the house. We planned to make dinner and have a peaceful and relaxing night in, however, the universe had other plans for us.

The phone rang, interrupting our otherwise quiet evening. I thought Darry might've fallen asleep, so I was going to answer it, but as soon as I picked the phone up, he held out his hand for me to pass it to him.

"Hello?" Darry said sleepily.

In addition to the silence of the house, I was apparently close enough to Darry to hear the panicked voice on the other end of the line. "Darry?"

"Ponyboy?" Darry asked, immediately sitting straight up and forgetting how relaxed he had just been. The tension in his muscles reappeared instantly. "What's wrong?"

"I- I'm sorry… It's all my fault…" I heard Pony say. It was obvious he was crying, but he was also trying to talk at the same time; a difficult feat for anyone, especially an emotional kid like Ponyboy.

"Calm down kiddo, tell me what's going on," Darry said calmly, although I could tell that he was worried since he started breathing faster.

"Truck… Soda…" Pony's voice was getting harder to understand, so I leaned forward to hear him more clearly, just in case I could pick up on more information. "Crashed."

Alarm bells started ringing in my head. They were in a car accident.

"Are either of you hurt? Where's Soda?" Darry asked, jumping to his feet.

I didn't wait to hear the response. Instead, I rushed towards my shoes and started putting them on, knowing that I was doing to drive myself and Darry to wherever his brothers were. I was debating on letting him drive my car, but I figured that with all of the emotions running through him, it wouldn't be a good idea for him to get behind the wheel.

"Stay there, Pony. We'll be there soon," Darry said. His voice sounded steadier than I ever could've been in his situation, but when I looked in his eyes, I saw pure terror. "Stay strong, kiddo. We're coming."

Within seconds, Darry slammed the phone down, threw his shoes on, and followed me out the door.

"Where are we going?" I asked the moment my car started.

"Third and Vixen," Darry said tersely. I nodded and sped in that direction as fast as I could while still safely navigating the streets.

As I drove, I kept glancing to my right to check on my boyfriend. He was breathing heavy, his eyes were wide, and he was shaking slightly. I reached over and held his hand. I wanted to give him comforting words, but nothing came to mind, so I just squeezed his hand. After a few seconds, he returned the gesture.

When we arrived at the intersection, Darry jumped out of my car just before I threw it in park. As soon as I got out of my car, I looked around at the scene in front of us. I was amazed at the number of vehicles and people in the area. Spectators and first responders were all around, with the former just standing on the sidewalks and the latter running around the scene. There were several police cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance, all with their lights flashing. I spotted one crumpled truck with its front bumper smashed into a streetlight, and another on its side in the middle of the road. From where we stood, it was hard to tell which one was Darry's truck. Christ almighty, what happened?

"Pony!" Darry shouted before running towards one of the police cars. It took me a second to spot an officer talking to a trembling kid, and as soon as I realized it was Pony, I rushed to follow Darry.

"Tell me what happened," I heard the officer demand from Pony.

Pony shook his head slightly and kept his mouth shut. I was proud of him for not saying anything, especially when cops already had it out for greasers, but I knew the cop would be mad about it. Luckily, Pony's savior was only a few feet away.

"Pony," Darry repeated when he reached his brother only a couple seconds before I did. He held Pony's shoulders and turned him so he could get a good look at his kid brother. "Are you okay, kiddo?"

Even though the sky was getting darker, the red and blue flashing lights around us provided enough light to see the blood and dirt on Pony's skin. Luckily, the cuts on his arms and face didn't seem too bad, but I knew head wounds bleed a lot, so I took the handkerchief out of my pocket and pressed it against the cut on his temple. He didn't react at all; he didn't respond to Darry, and he didn't even flinch from the contact with the handkerchief.

"Sir, I was in the middle of talking with him. I need to find out exactly what happened," the cop said.

Darry looked at the cop with a slightly unkind look, but I was quicker to speak than Darry.

"Give them a minute," I spat. I was never one to be impolite to a police officer, but there were obviously more important things than figuring out how the crash happened. Like figuring out if everyone's okay. "Has he been looked at by a paramedic yet? And you shouldn't even be talking to him without his legal guardian present anyways!"

The cop glared at me, and I wondered if he was going to arrest me or something, but he just spoke sternly. "He refused medical attention. And in cases like these, when there's a casualty, it's important to know what happened."

Casualty?

No…

"What did you just say?" Darry asked, momentarily taking his eyes off Pony and stepping towards the police officer.

"The driver of one of the vehicles was pronounced dead upon arrival," the cop said harshly.

I felt my stomach drop at the same time Darry's eyes widened. No… not Soda. They've already lost their parents to a crash. We can't lose Soda too.

"What was that driver's name?" Darry dared to ask. "Who died?"

The cop shook his head. "I can't disclose that information."

My blood boiled. What does that mean? We just need to know if Soda's alive!

Before Darry or I could start yelling, Pony's quiet voice chimed in. "Soda's still… he's in the truck." He was looking away from us, and I followed his eyes to the truck that had flipped. There were firefighters and medical personnel surrounding it. "Gettin' him out… I need to help him," Pony said as he moved like he was going back to the truck.

"Hold on, Pony. Don't go over there," Darry said, several emotions bleeding out through his words. He grabbed Pony's arm to keep him from going to the truck, but that instantly made his younger brother snap.

"Don't touch me!" Pony shouted, flinching away from Darry. Tears were streaming down his face, and his whole body was shaking. "I need to help Soda!"

The poor kid was going to fall apart, and someone had to be there to catch him.

I immediately wrapped my arms around Pony in a tight embrace, not only restraining him, but offering comfort. He starting bawling, and I tightened my hold on him. "You already helped, Pony. You called us."

"Soda… need to see him," Pony mumbled as he sobbed.

I glanced up at Darry and noticed that he looked utterly conflicted. It was clear that he wanted to stay with Pony, but we both knew he wanted to find Soda. In one way or another, Darry had some other things to take care of.

"Go ahead, Darry. I'll stay here with Ponyboy," I said.

I wanted to spare Darry all the emotional distress that I knew he'd experience by going over towards his crumpled truck, but I also knew he needed to be the one to go find Soda. Even if I could peel Pony away from me, which was unlikely since he had a vice grip on me, I knew Darry and I felt the same way; he had to be the one to go. Not only was he Soda's legal guardian, which meant he was legally obligated to take care of everything that involved him, but being the big brother made him feel morally obligated too. Neither of those reasons were what drove him though; above all else, he desperately wanted to find Soda, who he loved with all his heart, alive and breathing. He had to identify his parents' bodies, please God, don't make him face that again with his kid brother.

"Sir, you can't-" the officer started, trying to grab Darry's arm, but my boyfriend easily escaped the man's grasp.

"I'm finding my brother," Darry said with a mixture of anger and fear. With that, Darry ran to his truck, and the cop followed him, which left me alone with Ponyboy.

We both stood there, frozen in an embrace. I learned to never be the one to pull away from a hug first, so I stayed put until Pony's cries eased a little and he started to rub tears from his eyes. When I looked down at him, I noticed that there was still blood dripping from his head wound.

"You're still bleeding, Pony," I said as I put my handkerchief back on his head. This time, he flinched a little, which oddly made me feel slightly better. Maybe his shock is wearing off. "You want to sit down?"

He shook his head. "No, we gotta wait for Soda."

It was the most coherent thing he had said all night, so I decided to press a little and try to get some answers before a man of the law came back and overheard. "What happened, Pony?"

A flash of panic crossed his face, but he answered me, albeit quietly and rushed. "Soda was driving, and I pointed at the sunset, told him to look at it… next thing I know, we're rollin'… it's all my fault, Kate. Glory, it's all my fault, and Soda's… he's…" he was starting to get worked up again, so I quickly tried to calm him down.

"Shhh, it's okay Pony. I'm sorry for bringing it up," I said as I brushed his hair back in what I hoped was a soothing manner. "Darry's going to find him. You just stay here with me, alright?"

Pony nodded, but he was still breathing heavily. "Okay."

We stood there and watched the scene in front of us unfold. Both of us stayed quiet, with Pony's arms were wrapped around himself and my right arm pulling him to my side. A few of the first responders were doing something to Darry's truck, and close by, I spotted a gurney on the ground. Is that good news or bad news for Soda? They only use a gurney for a living people, right? I knew I was just trying to convince myself that Soda had to be alive, but I couldn't help myself. I couldn't let myself start thinking about the worst case scenario because my mind would immediately start spiraling.

Suddenly, a group of people comprised of firefighters and paramedics moved together as if they were one living being, and it looked like they were pulling something out of the truck. Not 'something' but 'someone.' It has to be Soda. I prayed that he was alive, but from a distance, I couldn't tell. As they moved towards the gurney, I spotted Darry hovering over Soda as he was being moved.

Apparently, Pony was paying close attention too because he immediately made a move forward. "Soda!"

I kept my tight hold on Pony and didn't let him move. "Hold on, Pony. Give them some time with your brother." We need to know if he's alive. I can't let you run over there if…

Even though we were far away, I saw the person on the gurney lift his hand up towards Darry, who grabbed it, then leaned forward and hugged the supine figure. He's alive! Pony must've witnessed it too, because he fought against me a yelled. "Soda!"

Darry stood up straight and looked in our direction. As the group of first responders moved the gurney towards the ambulance, Darry motioned for us to go over there.

We didn't hesitate even for a second.

Pony and I rushed to met Darry and Soda at the back of the ambulance, where Soda was lying on the gurney and was being lifted into the ambulance while Darry watched carefully from just a few feet away. Once we reached them, I could see how rough Soda looked, despite the Hollywood smile plastered on his face.

Soda had cuts and blood covering even more of his skin than Pony, and it seemed like it was mainly on his left side. His hair was a mess, he was sweating, and even though he was smiling, I could see the pain hiding in his eyes.

The moment he was in the back of the ambulance, Soda noticed Pony and me walking up to Darry. "Pony? You okay honey?"

"Yeah, I'm alright Soda," Pony said in a shaky voice. He sniffled, indicating he was close to crying again.

"The cop said you haven't been looked at yet," Darry said plainly. My boyfriend's face was filled with exhaustion and relief, but there was still worry in his eyes and voice.

Next to me, Pony shrugged. "I'm fine."

One of the paramedics turned their head and looked at Ponyboy. He was a middle-aged man, with a kind face and a soft, but stern voice. "Son, you should get checked out. With an accident this serious, trauma is likely."

I knew Ponyboy would argue, but Darry was quick to squash it before he even started. "Pony, you're going to looked at. No arguing."

"And we need to get Sodapop here to the hospital right away, so if you would please come into the ambulance, we can get going," the paramedic said.

Ponyboy was quick to get into the ambulance alongside Soda. The fact that he could be with his brother was probably the only reason Pony didn't put up much of a fight. Once the two of them were settled in the ambulance, I could see Darry trying to figure out what he was going to do. He obviously wanted to be with his brothers, but the back of the ambulance looked a bit crowed. Still, tearing Darry away from his injured brothers was going to be a herculean task.

The nice paramedic must've sensed Darry's stress, because he turned to look at my boyfriend and gave him a grin. "You can ride in the front with my partner, Mathew. Just don't tell anyone."

Darry looked relieved. He turned towards me, about to say something, but I was already kissing him on the cheek. "Go on. I'll meet you guys at the hospital."

After exams, imaging, and tests, the doctors said it was surprising that Soda and Pony escaped the crash with relatively minor injuries. Sure, they both had cuts, bruising, and concussions, but Soda's broken arm and leg were the most severe physical injuries either of them sustained. The doctors even said both of them were free to go after a short observation period. Luckily, the allowed all of us to be in the same room, with Soda lying in the hospital bed, Pony sitting in a chair and leaning his head on Darry's shoulder.

The cops had shown up and demanded answers from the boys. Darry and I wanted to kick the officers out and tell them to come to the house in a couple days, but Soda said he wanted to explain everything while it was fresh in his mind. Between Soda's explanation and the information the cops were willing to give us, which included what eye witnesses had told them, it seemed clear what had happened.

Pony had already told me that he felt responsible since he pointed out the sunset to Soda while he was driving, but apparently the poor kid was trying to take the blame for something that was definitely not his fault. Soda did say that he was looking at the sunset when Ponyboy pointed it out to him, but he said that allowed him to see what was coming. When Soda turned his head to look at the sky, he saw the other truck run a stop sign and come barreling towards them. Soda slammed on the brakes in an attempt to avoid getting T-boned while instinctively throwing his arm across Pony's chest to keep him secured. The truck hit Soda's side of the truck, the Curtis's truck rolled, and after they stopped moving, Soda's side of the truck was on the ground and Pony's side was up in the air, which allowed him to escape the vehicle and call for help. Witnesses in nearby stores called 9-1-1 while Pony called the Curtis residence. After he talked to Darry on the phone, Pony ran back to try to get Soda out of the crumpled vehicle, but Soda didn't want his injured kid brother to strain himself, so he told Pony to wait for the first responders. When the cops showed up first, one of them pulled Pony away from the truck, apparently to question him since that's where we found Ponyboy.

Once the cops were done getting statements from Soda and Pony, with the latter barely saying more than a couple words at a time, they left, which allowed the four of us to be alone in the hospital room.

"How are your arm and leg, Soda?" Darry asked softly.

Soda's arm had been put in a sling, and his leg had a cast on it, which I noticed Pony refused to look at. Even though he experienced a terrifying ordeal and had been injured, Soda was still trying to keep a grin on his face. "They're alright."

"What about your head?" Darry pressed.

"I'm okay, Dar. Just tired and sore," Soda said, rolling his eyes a little.

Then Darry's attention went to his youngest brother, who looked like he'd fall asleep on Darry's shoulder any second. "Pone? How are you feeling, kiddo? How's your head?"

"'m fine," Pony mumbled.

Darry and I shared a look. We both knew Pony was tough, but it was obvious he was shaken by the whole ordeal. None of us would blame him for feeling that way, but it still seemed like he refused to accept it, let alone talk to us about it. I guess Darry decided to let it go, probably realizing nobody was in the mood for an argument.

"Want me to call the guys?" I offered, trying to change the subject and get them to relax a little.

Darry turned to look at Soda, apparently silently asking him for an opinion.

After a moment, Soda shook his head. "It's getting late, and we'll be out of here soon anyways. They don't need to rush over here just to watch us go home." Then he yawned. "I'll talk to Steve in the morning, and I'm sure the rest of them will find out after that."

Darry reached forward to ruffle Soda's hair, but he didn't move enough to make Pony stop leaning against him. The kid's probably already out cold. "Get some sleep, Soda. We'll wake you up when it's time to leave."

While we waited for the doctor to come back and tell us Soda and Pony were free to go, the two of them fell asleep, leaving me and Darry to watch over them. Darry had gently wrapped his arm around Pony, being careful not to hurt him while still keeping him upright in his chair.

"How are you doing, Darry?" I whispered. I could practically see the bags under his eyes get bigger and darker as the minutes ticked by.

He looked at me, and I saw so many emotions rolling through his eyes, I wondered if he had a headache. "About as expected."

I gave him a sympathizing look, and I hoped he didn't take it as pity. Darry hated being pitied. "I understand. But remember, they're okay. They're both here, and they'll be home by the end of the night." Or early morning.

Darry nodded before running a hand down his face and sighing. "Yeah, I know."

Glory, he's exhausted.

I rubbed my hand up and down his back, then rested it on the back of his neck so I could twirl some of his hair around my fingers. He closed his eyes, and even though he couldn't possibly be as relaxed as he was on the living room floor just hours ago, I thought he at least looked a little better.

Stubbornness runs in the Curtis family stronger than any other trait. Not only did Pony deny Darry's help walking to my car after he kept stumbling, but Soda refused to use a wheelchair, which meant he had to use one crutch tucked under his good arm to help walk to my car. Darry watched both of his brothers in anticipation, as if he expected at least one of them to have an up-close greeting with the pavement, and I could see him fighting back the words I was sure he wanted to say. Ultimately, somehow, we all made it to my car in the hospital's parking lot, but that was only half the battle.

When we got to their house, we had a new set of challenges to navigate. Soda had to navigate the curb, the yard, and the porch steps before he even set foot in the house itself, meanwhile Pony seemed to have gotten sore just during the ride home because he was extremely slow moving. Darry noticed, and this time, he didn't take 'no' for an answer.

"I ain't a baby," Pony mumbled, but it was hard to take him seriously after Darry scooped him up in his muscular arms and carried him to the house. It also didn't help Pony's argument when he seemed to rest his head against Darry's chest and finally relax.

As Darry and Pony made their way inside, I offered Soda help to at least get to the door, and thankfully, he accepted. Together, the two of us slowly crossed the yard and carefully went up the steps. By the time we got inside, Darry had already exited the boys' bedroom.

"He's asleep," he said in a sigh. "I bet he's going to be snoozing for a couple days."

Soda nodded. "Good. He needs it."

Darry gave him a soft, yet stern, look. "You do too, Pepsi-Cola."

"Not like him," Soda said, which perplexed Darry just as much as it did me. You two were in the same crash, why wouldn't you need sleep like Ponyboy?

"What do you mean?" I said, still supporting him as we stood in the living room. All of us were talking quietly, which was a strange phenomenon in the Curtis household.

"He wasn't lookin' good. He was really freaked out, worse than I'd ever seen him… thought he was going to do something stupid like climb back in the truck. I had to yell at him to leave me and find a phone," Soda said sadly. "The guys in the ambulance said something about him being in shock, and I think they were right. Glory, he was so scared."

"And you weren't?" I asked, incredulously. Sure, greasers were known for being tough and practically scared of nothing, but from everything I heard, I would've panicked if I was in their shoes.

Soda looked at me without his usual grin. Instead, he looked serious, and still a little tired. "Couldn't be," he said plainly. "Had to take care of Pony."

I looked at Darry, who had a pained expression on his face. Still, he moved forward and put a hand on Soda's good shoulder. "He's okay now, Soda. You did good, little buddy. Real good."

Soda gave him a tired grin. "Thanks. Now I guess I'm at your mercy, right big brother? Have to listen to Dr. Darry?"

Darry smiled and moved his hand to cup the back of Soda's neck. "That's right, you have to do everything I say so you get better, alright? Now first thing's first: bed."

Soda nodded, and together we walked towards the bedroom he shared with Ponyboy. It took a few minutes, but eventually we maneuvered Soda into a comfortable position without jostling Pony around too much, although with how heavy he was sleeping, I guessed the only thing that would wake him would be a tornado.

With the two youngest Curtis men in bed, I left the room to find my boyfriend. He was going to need all the support I could offer him, but for some reason, he was suddenly nowhere to be found. I looked in every room, and it wasn't until I was in the living room that I spotted him through the window. He was sitting on the porch steps, smoking a cigarette.

He's at his breaking point.

As far as I knew, Darry had never smoked. He thought it was disgusting and unhealthy, and since he was planning on playing college football, he steered clear from all smoking, drinking, and drugs while he was in high school. Even after he had to leave his collegiate dreams behind him, he still didn't do any of those things except the occasional beer with friends, but even that was rare.

Seeing Darry Curtis smoking on his porch in the middle of the night was an odd image, and I didn't like it one bit.

I quietly went outside and sat next to him on the steps. I must've made enough noise because he didn't seem surprised when he glanced sideways at me. "I'm sorry."

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "Sorry? For what?"

With the cigarette still between his fingers, he raised it a little, indicating the topic of conversation. "I know you hate it just about as much as I do, but I just needed something to calm the nerves. It works for everyone else, but I don't think it works for me."

I gave him a soft smile before I gently took the cancer stick from him, extinguished it on the bottom of my shoe, then tossed it onto the concrete in front of us. "Tell me what's going through that mind of yours."

He let out a long sigh, then looked out towards the street. "I almost lost them tonight, Kate. I almost lost my kid brothers… my last two family members."

I knew that's what he was thinking about, but it was good to hear him say it out loud. It meant that he was willing to talk, which at least gave me a chance to help.

"They're alive, Darry," I said, moving so I was against him, then wrapping my arms around his waist. "You didn't lose them."

He choked out a sob, but he forced it down before he kept talking. "I couldn't go on without them, Kate. I love you, and the guys, but glory if my brothers were gone… I couldn't handle it. God, when I thought Soda was gone, that about killed me on the spot."

Some people might be offended if their partner said something like that– how losing someone else would be the worst thing imaginable– but I understood Darry too well to be anything but empathetic. His brothers were his whole life, and losing them would be the same as ripping out his heart. "I get it Darry, but they're both home. They're tough, and they survived."

He nodded, but he stayed silent and kept looking at the road.

"I can't imagine what you've been through, first your parents and then this happening, but please know that I'm here for you. Whatever you need babe, I'll do it," I said before placing a kiss on his cheek.

Finally, he turned to look at me with watery eyes. He was trying so hard to look stoic, but I could tell there was a storm of feelings building up inside him. Suddenly, he pulled me into a tight hug, which I happily reciprocated. "Christ, I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here tonight."

"All I did was drive," I said, trying to lighten things up a little.

It didn't work.

Darry pulled away from me and shook his head. "No, you did way more than that. You dealt with that first cop before I did something that would make me get locked up. You stayed with Pony while I looked for Soda. You've been keeping me steady and sane during this whole thing."

I gave him a soft smile. "I'm glad I could help. I'd do anything for you boys."

He planted a kiss on my forehead, then rested his chin on the top of my head. "I know you would. It's just one of the thousands of reasons I love you."

"I love you too," I murmured into his chest.

We sat there, frozen, for what felt like forever but still not enough time. I could forever be happy if I stayed wrapped in Darry's embrace, but we had to break apart eventually. When we did, I put a hand on Darry's wet cheek.

"Do you think you'll get any sleep tonight?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

He shrugged. "I'll try."

That's the best answer I'll get out of him.

"Why don't we pull your recliner into their room?" I offered. "Then you can keep an eye on your brothers without sleeping on the floor or getting up every twenty minutes to check on them. Maybe you can even manage to get a couple minutes of sleep."

Darry smiled. "Good idea."

Together, we moved his chair into the boys' room. We tried to be quiet, but moving a large chair isn't a silent action. Ponyboy didn't stir, but just as we finished maneuvering the furniture in the bedroom, Soda's tired voice sounded. "What's goin' on?"

"Darry's spending the night in here," I said before Darry had to think of a lie.

Soda chuckled. "Of course he is."

"Hush up and go back to sleep," Darry said, his voice lacking any heat. He sat down in his chair and tilted his head back. He was so exhausted, that his body might force him to sleep, whether he wanted to or not.

"Alright, I'm going to head out," I said quietly before I moved towards the bedroom door. "I'll see you boys tomorrow."

"Bye Kate," Soda said sleepily.

I walked over to Darry and gave him a quick kiss, but as I tried leave, his hand held my arm, keeping me in place for a moment. "Do you really have to go?" Darry whispered. "I don't want you driving this late at night."

"It's okay, Darry," I said softly. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine."

He still didn't look pleased.

It was going to be a while before the events from that night would fade into blurry memories as opposed to being freshly imprinted on our minds, but eventually Darry would need to let me drive home at night without stressing out about it.

But it didn't need to happen that night.

Emotions were still high, and the worst thing I could do was give Darry more reasons to be worried.

"Okay," I conceded. "I'll stay here for the night and make sure you boys all take care of yourselves."

Darry grinned, then gave me another kiss. "Thank you."