Partners In Crime | Dallas Winston FanFic

Chapter Fourteen: Burned

Ponyboy's POV:

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the blaring of sirens. 

"Great, the cops are after us," was my immediate thought— before I realized where I was. I was in an ambulance.

"Johnny... Dallas... Lexie," I said, my voice hoarse. God, I was thirsty. I tried to sit up, but a familiar looking man laid me back down.

"They're alright, they're alright," he reassured, "They're behind us. They're in another ambulance."

He then went on about how brave we were, how we were heros— but I was too tired to listen. And too worried about Dally, Johnny, and Lexie. 

As soon as he finished rambling, I sat up again and asked him, "How are they— the others? They aren't too hurt— are they?"

The man looked down at his feet, which immediately made my stomach sink. That wasn't a good sign. 

"Well, kid... uh. The tall one is gonna be just fine. All his burns are minor— other than his arm. And the other two... well... they were in the fire for the longest, so they're both pretty burned. They might have some broken bones, too, from that board that fell on top of em. No one's completely sure yet, though. We'll just have to wait and see what the doctors say. 

I laid back down with a sigh. I kind of wished I hadn't asked, cause now I couldn't stop worrying. 

"They'll be okay— they'll be fine," I told myself over and over.

I lie to myself all the time, but I never believe me.

Johnny's POV:

I was woken up by people shuffling and talking all around me. I opened my eyes slightly, giving them a second to adjust to the bright white light. When I could open my eyes without being completely blinded, I glanced around the room. I was lying in a bed with crisp, white sheets and there was a machine beeping next to me— I was in a hospital room. When just then, a knock on the door caught my attention.

"Can I come in?" A man wearing a long, white coat and glasses asked from the doorway, "I'm your doctor. You're Johnny Cade, right?"

I nodded my head slightly, then winced in pain. My neck must've been really burned, because that hurt like hell.

"Yeah, we'll try and get you some stronger medicine for the pain. We're pretty backed up, though, because of the fire. So it might take a little while," the man said while walking over to the side of my bed.

"That's okay, I've dealt with worse pain," I replied casually.

The doctor managed a small laugh, then looked down at his clipboard.

"Okay, Johnny. I just wanted to let you know about the injuries you sustained in the fire. Luckily, it wasn't anything too major. Obviously, burns. Most are second degree, though, so they'll be painful— but don't require surgery or anything. Okay, next: When you were in the church, a falling board hit you and it dislocated your shoulder. We've already snapped it back into place, but you still need to be extra careful and keep ice on it. You also inhaled quite a bit of smoke and suffered pretty bad dehydration, but we've been giving you IV fluids this whole time, so that's pretty much been taken care of. You should be able to go home in a few days," he explained.

"You're one tough kid, Johnny," he said, giving me a pat on the shoulder— I clenched my teeth in pain.

"I outta be, I'm a greaser," I replied— then I remembered the others.

"What about the other people I came in with— Alexis Curtis, Ponyboy Curtis, and Dallas Winston? Are they okay?" I asked expectantly. I mean— if I wasn't too hurt, they couldn't be worse... right?

The doctor sighed, then explained, "Ponyboy's the least injured out of all of you— just has some first degree burns and is pretty dehydrated. He should be able to leave tonight, though. Dallas isn't too bad, either. Again, some burns. But his left arm is really burned and most likely broken. We're still waiting on the X-ray. He'll probably leave a few days before you. And then there's Alexis... who's the most injured. Her burns are very similar to your's (second degree) and she was also hit by the same board... on the head. Currently, she's still unconscious. We think it's a comma, but we don't know how long it'll last— or if she'll even wake up at all. There's still a lot of uncertainty, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. But you wanted the truth— so I gave you everything I know so far. I'll keep you updated, though." And with that, he walked out of the room and back down the hallway.

I took a shuddery breath and let out a heavy sigh. Don't get me wrong— I was glad to hear that Pony and Dally were fine... but Lexie. I mean, she's one of my best friends— and the thought of never hearing her voice again? Never watching another sunset with her? Never seeing those warm, hazel eyes ever again? That's not a world I want to live in. We could get along fine without anyone else—

except Lexie.

I mean, she keeps the gang together— she's the glue. She's always there if you need someone to talk to. She's always there if you need a shoulder to cry on. She keeps Darry from worrying to much, she helps Pony with his homework, she's always there in a rumble— then she's there to clean us up afterwards. She's one of the only things Dally loves— the only thing keeping him from going off the deep end. 

And the thought of her dying?

I mean— she can't. We couldn't survive without her.

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Author's Note:

That was A LOT of words— but I had to explain all of the injuries and stuff. I don't know how interesting it is to read, though, so I hope I didn't bore you too much! But the ending though— writing it brought me to TEARS (which has never happened before) so hopefully it has that same impactful effect on you :)

The next chapter should be a little bit more ✨dramatic✨ so stay tuned! 

Hope you enjoy and stay gold 🌅