Mickey & Minnie

Chapter IV

I walked in the door after work one morning, early. I was just planning on getting a couple hours of sleep, but at four o'clock in the morning, the gang was all sitting on the couch, staring me down. "What d'you guys want?"

Johnny had something behind his back. He looked down at his feet-it was then I realized how similar him and Mickey were. Johnny revealed what they were hiding-a jar full of money.

Darry stepped forward. "We all saved up for that surgery for Minnie."

"What?"

"I saved a little from both of my jobs," Darry said quietly.

Ponyboy spoke up next. "I've raised a little money for tutoring some of my classmates."

"I've saved a little from my DX job," Soda smiled.

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really living off my job, so a bunch of my wages went toward this."

"I've put a bunch of money in that jar," Two-Bit said smugly.

We all laughed. "You won't believe this," Steve started. "Two-Bit has been doing stand-up comedy at a coffee shop to raise money!" More laughing ensued. "But seriously, even Johnny has a side-job."

"You guys..." I was amazed by every one of my friends. They all did so much for this surgery for Minnie. I had started to pull my own weight, but everyone else had pulled it with me.

"Oh, and we're all coming to California with you," Sodapop added.

"Road trip!" Two-Bit screamed.

I hurriedly signaled for him to be quiet. "Shh... the twins are asleep."

It was too late, though. Mickey and Minnie emerged from the room, rubbing their sleep-filled eyes. They came and cuddled up next to me, nearly asleep.

"Heya kids. You wanna go on a road trip?"

They nodded vigorously. "I wanna go," Mickey said quietly.

"Alright. Let me just see when we would be going." I walked over to the phone and dialed the hospital's number. "I'd like to speak to Dr. Larsen."

"Alright, one moment please," the lady on the other end droned.

A new voice spoke. "Hello, Dr. Larsen speaking."

"Hello. This is Dallas Winston. I want to know more about that vocal cord surgery."

The doctor laughed through the phone. "Ah, decided to go through with it, huh?"

"Yes."

"Alrighty then. I've been in contact with the surgeon. He says he has a lot of openings next week but is booked after that. It's an hour-long operation, with a four-hour hospital recovery and a two-week recovery at home, in which she shouldn't try to talk. You understand it's very expensive, right?"

"Yes, I know."

"Are you going to go through with this?"

"Yes, sir. When's the soonest we could get her in?"

"Tomorrow evening, but it's a twenty-four-hour drive. Do you think you could make it in time?"

"Who do you think I am? I'm not called Dallas Winston for nothing."

"Pardon me, but isn't that your name?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just schedule Marylynn for tomorrow evening."

"Alright. Will do," the doctor said, hanging up.

I turned to the boys. "We're leaving now. Like, right now. In thirty minutes, I want to be on the road."

"That's impossible!" they started shouting, but I just shook my head.

"If you are not ready and in the back of Darry's pickup truck in exactly thirty minutes, you are gonna be left behind."

Steve, Two-Bit, and Johnny ran out of the house like wolves were after them. Darry, Soda, and Ponyboy disappeared into their rooms, leaving me alone with my brother and sister, who were jumping up and down with excitement.

I ushered them into our room and started throwing things in bags. I didn't know how long we'd be gone-I hoped it would only be a few days, but I had to prepare for the worst. So, I packed a few extra clothes in each of the bags. I made sure to pack all of Mickey and Minnie's toys, 'cause I didn't want to deal with overly bored children.

I looked over my shoulder, checking the time. I kept track of each minute, so we could really be on the road when I wanted. The Curtis brothers were already packed by the time I loaded the Winston bags into the back of the truck, but they only beat me because I was packing three bags, and each one of them only packed one.

Darry hopped behind the wheel of his old truck. Mickey, Minnie, and I joined him in the cab, because I didn't want the kids in the back for that long. Soda and Pony settled in the truck bed.

"We're leaving in two minutes!" I hollered out the window.

Two-Bit, Johnny, and Steve were running down the street, bags in hand. Johnny and Two-Bit made it in and made themselves comfortable in the back of the truck, but Darry started inching away as Steve ran down the street. The truck erupted with laughter as Steve chased after it and leapt into the back.

"You were really gonna leave me," Steve gasped, out of breath.

"Yes," I replied simply, at the same time Darry said, "Probably not."

I glared at him, but I wasn't actually mad. Everyone laughed again. We only had to drive a few minutes before we could get on Route 66. It was the most direct road to L.A. If we'd had more time, we would've spread the drive out over two or three days, and we would've stopped at a few places along the way. We couldn't do that, though, because we had to be to California by the next evening.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned my head and watched Minnie shrug. She pointed at the steering wheel and shrugged again.

"You want to know why we're going to California?" Minnie nodded. "Well, there's a doctor there that can help you talk again." Her eyes lit up, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She pumped her fists in the air, and before I knew it, she was hugging me tight.