My Knight in Shining Armor

Chapter XV

I heard a beep. And another. And another, and another, and another, and soon enough, other sounds accompanied it, like the echo of footsteps, and the squeak of shoes on tile, and distant chatter from beyond the walls.

I slowly opened my eyes, letting them adjust to the dim light overhead. Once my head stopped spinning, I sat up carefully, the ache in my side growing ever more painful. I finally sat up, and gasped in pain, perspiration running down the side of my face.

"Oh, hon, be more careful." A plump little nurse with rosy cheeks and short, curly hair walked swiftly into the room. She picked up a clipboard, jotted down a few notes, and was by my side to make sure I was alright.

"You can call be Debbie," she said warmly as she listened to my heartbeat. She wrote a few more notes down on the clipboard before she hurried out. "I'll go call your parents and let them know you're awake."

I looked around and took in my surroundings. I was in a hospital. I tried to remember why I would possibly be there, but my last thoughts before blacking out were hazy and unclear, like a photo that wasn't given enough time to develop.

I noticed a small vase of flowers and a basket on a table beside the bed. Curious, I started looking through the items, to see who they were from. There was a book on horses from Ponyboy and Darry, and a collection of random trinkets and funny items from Steve, Two-Bit, and Soda. It was just like them, though, to do something like that.

What really caught my eye was a small paper, folded and tucked neatly in the back. I pulled it out of the basket and read what was written inside.

Penny, you mean so much to me. I gave you a gift none of the others could give you. My gift to you is inside you. No, I don't mean love, although, being with you is all I could ask for. I gave you one of my kidneys, because the bullet you took for me damaged your only working one. I know you would do the same for me, and I have proof—you risked your life, your health, everything, for me. It's the least I could do. I'll see you as soon as I get outta this place. Love ya to the moon and back. -Winston

Tears flooded my eyes. No one had ever done something like that for me. I remember Steve and kids all around Tulsa telling me about Dallas Winston—about his tough-as-nails personality, his police record, his time in New York—but I had discovered that, underneath it all, he was just as sweet and sensitive as everyone else. It's just... I'd never seen anything like this from him, and in a strange way, it made me proud.

Debbie poked her head in the room for just a moment. "Your parents will be here in just a minute, hon."

I finished looking through the basket and found a newspaper. I wasn't one for reading them, but I was curious as to why a bunch of teenage boys had included it in the basket.

I scanned the small print and looked over the big headings. Suddenly, my eyes stopped on a specific article—TULSA'S OWN RODEO QUEEN PLAYS HERO FOR JUVENILE DELINQUENT. I laughed to myself after reading it. How absurd, I thought. Sure, Dallas had been to jail a few times, but no one could call him a delinquent anymore. He'd started to change, and people were starting to notice.

The footsteps echoing in the silent hallway increased, and my parents walked in the room. My mother came running towards me. "Oh, Penny! We thought we lost you!"

"I'm alright, mama." I finally had a chance to ask the question that had been on my mind since I woke up. "What happened?"

My father pulled a chair beside the bed. "Well, you took that shot for your boyfriend. You nearly bled out, and while you were unconscious in here, they had to give you a kidney transplant. You wouldn't have got one, but Dallas was more than willing to give ya a hand." He laughed. "Or a kidney!"

Debbie came into the room again. "Just checking vitals again, hon." She smiled warmly as she spoke quickly with my parents.

"How long have I been here?" I asked, deciding to ask my questions while the nurse was here.

Despite her answer, she was bubbly and reassuring. "Three days. But the miracle's that you're alive. That was a mighty heroic thing you did."

"Is Dallas alright?"

"Penelope, you don't need to worry about him. He's fit as a fiddle! He'll be out by the end of the day, perhaps within the next few hours or minutes if the doc gets around to checking him out. He's lucky that kidney donation has such a short hospital stay." She winked at me and left the room.

I was relieved to hear he was alright, and that he was still here. Last time he'd been in the hospital, only days before, he'd broken out and got himself into trouble. With any luck—

"Hello beautiful!"

Standing in the doorway was Dallas Winston, a smile on his rugged face. He strolled in with his familiar stride. "How is my beautiful lady?"

My parents laughed, and my father stood up. "We'll leave you two alone. We've gotta get back to the record store, anyway."

"Bye, mama. Bye, daddy."

"We'll be back later, Penelope."

My parents left the room, and Dally took the chair my father had been sitting in, the one he'd pulled beside the bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"I'm terribly sore, and I feel like absolute garbage. How are you feeling?"

"I'm also feeling a bit sore."

"Thanks for the kidney," I laughed, playfully punching his arm.

There was a pause, and I saw something I couldn't recall ever seeing before, something strange and foreign—tears filled his icy blue eyes. "Thank you for saving my life. I love you."

I started crying, too. "I love you, Dallas. Don't ever forget it."

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Author's note
So there's your chapter. I'll tell you that my original plan, my plan A, was to... kill Penny. It was going to be gloriously sad and y'all were going to cry. Mwahahahaha! But, I had mercy, and also didn't want to end the story, so this is what y'all get. 🎶You're welcome🎶

Your friendly neighborhood greaser, signing off...
Stay gold y'all ⭐️