Nothing Gold Can Stay

Chapter Ten

None of us got much sleep those next couple days. Every time I did go to sleep, I'd wake up with a nightmare. What was worse was that Ponyboy wasn't eating anything because he kept telling us he didn't like baloney. We tried just about everything but he wouldn't even drink Pepsi which had to be his favorite drink in the world. All three of us just sat there hoping he'd tell us what was going on but he didn't tell and we didn't force it out of him ether. We just looked at him with concerned looks hoping he'd come back to us.

The feeling of being in the hospital all crammed in there the four of us was making me sick so when the doctor told us that Ponyboy could go home now, we were relieved. It was Monday. Most days I would've gone to school and if Ponyboy wasn't in the hospital, Darry would've made me considering how much school I'd missed last week but he was fine about it. He just asked Two-Bit to bring me home my absent work and Darry would guide me through it while Soda pretended to act uninterested but sometimes I would catch him looking back at us with a sad look on his face. It was that moment I realized a part of Soda wanted to give school a chance not just for me and Pony's sake but to make mom and dad happy.

On Monday night, the first night home, I slept with Pony and Soda each of us on ether side of him trying to get some rest. We tried. We really did but my nightmares kept scaring me awake. I was scared to go back to bed. Soda would reach his hand across the blanket comforting me while also trying not to scare Pony. I got more sleep then I usually had that week but I was still exhausted when Darry woke us up. Right as we were about to get up, we could hear Ponyboy's hoarse voice behind us.

"Soda? Aileen? Is somebody sick?" he asked quietly. Soda sighed not knowing what to tell him.

"Yeah," he said gently as I leaned forward and felt his forehead. His fever was gone but he still looked sick.

"Go back to sleep now Pone," I whispered kissing his cheek. He stared at me shocked. That's when reality hit him.

"Am I sick?" he asked obviously not remembering anything. None of us said anything about it. We just continued comforting him.

"Yeah Pony," Soda admitted stroking his hair sweetly. "You're real sick. Now be quiet. You need your rest kid."

Pony looked at us as if he had one more question he didn't want to ask.

"Is Darry sorry I'm sick?" he asked. I sighed wishing he would realize that he cared about him. It broke me to know he thought he thought about him that way.

"Of course he is. Now shut up and go back to bed buddy," Soda said laying back down for a second as he held onto him until he went bed to bed. "Thought he'd never go back to sleep," he whispered once we were out of bed. We were silent until we got out of the room. Darry was the one that broke the silence.

"How's he doin?'" he asked probably overhearing us talking. His voice was sad, almost regretful. He must have heard what Ponyboy said about him.

"He's still really out of it," I admitted. "He doesn't know anything that went down after Dally's murder."

"Aw, man," he whispered. "I just feel so bad for him, ya know? First Johnny dying, then Dally being murdered, then being put in the hospital. He's had a rough week."

I nodded agreeing as Soda started the shower and I went to go get dressed into my school uniform. I would never wear a skirt or dress of any sort without being forced to but I put it on anyway.

I went into the kitchen where Darry had made me cereal. I felt like I was going to fall asleep right at the breakfast table and I guess Darry noticed because he asked me if I was sure I didn't want to stay home one more day but I disagreed. He agreed and made two cups of coffee handing me one and having one for himself. We sat on the couch drinking in silence until we were done. I sat up to put my cup in the sink but I just about broke it, I was so unfocused. Darry looked over at me concerned as he took my cup instructing me to go straight back to my bed. As we were passing the bathroom, we noticed Soda had a pair of jeans on and was shaving. He looked just as tired as me. Darry sighed and instructed him to go back to bed with me and that he would keep an eye on Ponyboy. He instructed me to change back so I did. These school clothes itched anyway.