Come Down From Your Fences

Chapter 2

Ponyboy watched him breathe. Up and down, the hiss of the ventilator punctuating every breath. Ponyboy could sit there and watch him for days. If Johnny was breathing, that meant he was alive. If he was alive, then there was still hope he would wake up.

It had been three weeks since that awful night that ended with a reprieve. Ponyboy and Dally had watched Johnny die. He had stopped breathing and his heart had stopped. He was dead.

A nurse had come in shortly after Pony stumbled from the room. She immediately assessed the situation and, calling for a doctor, began CPR. It took a few minutes, but they were able to revive Johnny. Two-Bit called it a miracle as the doctor explained the situation to the gang. "Not a miracle, son," the doctor said kindly, "medicine."

Ponyboy had been unconscious for all of this. Suffering from a fever and concussion, he didn't know he hadn't lost his best friend.

It was three days before Ponyboy had recovered enough to understand what was happening. He hadn't believed Sodapop when he told him, certain his fever was acting up again and he was hallucinating.

"Why would you say something like that? He's dead. I saw him die." Ponyboy was becoming agitated, his face leached of color.

Darry appeared in the doorway, holding the towel he was using to dry the dishes. "Pony it's the truth. We wouldn't lie to you. You know that." His voice was gentle but held that note of authority Ponyboy knew so well.

"If it's true, then I want to see him," Ponyboy insisted, his voice hitching into hysteria. Soda sighed and Darry came into the small room his brothers shared and sat on the bed.

"Ponyboy, you just woke up. You've been real sick. Give it a couple of days and we'll take you then," Darry said as he affectionately brushed Ponyboy's hair off his forehead while checking for any signs of fever.

"Well, have you guys been to see him? Is he okay?" Ponyboy noticed the quick look shared by Darry and Sodapop and dread settled in his stomach. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Pony ..." Soda started, unsure of what to say. "Johnny, well, he's in a coma."

"Coma," Ponyboy repeated, not really sure what the implications were.

"The doctor can't say when Johnny will wake up or even if he'll wake up." Darry gripped Ponyboy's shoulder and made him meet his eyes. "Ponyboy, you have to be prepared for the fact that Johnny could still die. He's still really sick, kiddo."

Darry stayed true to his word and he and Soda took Ponyboy to the hospital two days later. His youngest brother was still recovering and the doctor had told him to stay in bed for at least a week. Darry, however, realized that until he saw Johnny for himself, Pony wouldn't relax enough to get the rest he really needed.

When they pulled up to the hospital, Ponyboy stared at the building, a rush of emotions overcoming him. How a building could fill someone with dread and hope at the same time was beyond him.

The hallways were eerily quiet as the trio made their way to the intensive care unit. Everything felt surreal to Ponyboy, like one of those scenes in the movies where the guy keeps running, trying to reach the end of the hallway but the end keeps stretching away from him.

When they finally came to the room, Ponyboy was sure they had been walking for an hour, when in reality it was only a few minutes. Soda gave him a reassuring smile, but Pony's thoughts were focused on the door and the person that lay beyond it.

He broke out in a cold sweat when Darry pushed open the door to Johnny's room. He couldn't make himself step into the room, his feet wouldn't obey. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to steady his nerves. But all he saw were Johnny's eyes drifting closed, his chest becoming still, the life leaving his body.

"No," he said backing up into the hallway. "No, I can't. Not again." He was shaking his head and rubbing his eyes that had suddenly filled with tears. Darry took a step forward to follow him, but Soda stopped him.

"Let me," he said quietly to Darry and went over to his younger brother.

"Hey, Pony. You okay?" He put his arm around Ponyboy's shoulders, noticing the shaking that racked his thin frame. "If you're too sick, we can come back tomorrow."

Ponyboy shrugged out of his brother's embrace and leaned up against the wall. "No, that's not it. I'm just afraid, is all."

"Afraid?"

"Yeah, tuff huh?" Ponyboy gave a weak laugh as he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. "I just don't think I could stand it if Johnny dies."

"I know, but he needs us - you especially. It's scary, I know. Hell, I want nothin' more than for this to all be over. But it ain't and we all need to be there for each other. It's what friends and family do. As far as I'm concerned, I have two kid brothers - you and Johnny." He gave one of his patented Sodapop Curtis smiles, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Both Soda and Darry were exhausted. He hadn't really thought much about what it must have been like for them while he'd been missing - not knowing where he was, if he was alive or dead. They'd been through hell just as much as he and Johnny had.

Ponyboy thought about everything that had happened - meeting Cherry at the movies, Darry hitting him, running away, Johnny killing that Soc, the fire, the rumble. It was like they'd crammed a lifetime into two weeks. They all needed time to heal, and this was the first step.