Stay - Dallas Winston

38

I had stayed in the hospital another week before they had finally released me. 

I felt great honestly.

Everyone in the gang came to see me. 

Dallas stayed there practically the while time. 

Him and Johnny were the two that picked me up when I was finally discharged from the hospital. 

I think the part I hated the most was I was wearing extra clothes that the hospital had. 

Mine were so tore up and bloody they threw them away.

...

"God damnnn, I've never wanted to leave a place so fucking bad." I smiled, as the three of us walked out of the front door of the hospital. 

"You're telling me, that place gives me the creeps." Johnny shuttered at the thought of the hospital. 

To be fair... I don't think anyone likes being in the hospital. 

"Buck wouldn't let me take his car, so we gotta take the bus." Dallas sighed, lighting a cigarette. 

I smiled, taking the cigarette from him. 

"That's a good thing, you drive like a fucking lunatic." I chuckled, taking a long drag from the cigarette. 

"Like you're any better." Dallas rolled his eyes, as he placed his hand around my waist. 

The three of us walked down the street towards the bus stop. 

"I can drive." I smiled. 

Johnny cocked his eye brow at me, taking the cigarette from my fingers. 

"You can drive, you just can't get pulled over." Johnny smiled. 

"Damn right." I nodded with confidence. 

I leaned against the bus stop sign as the three of us passed out cigarette around. 

After a few minutes the bus rolled up. 

I reached for my pockets, Dallas grabbed my wrist and playfully pushed it back. 

"Nice try, sweetheart." Dallas chuckled, before handing the bus driver the money for the three of us. 

Johnny nodded, and walked onto the bus. 

"You didn't have to do that." I put my hands on my hips. 

"Yeah, I did.  Now, get on before the bus leaves us here.  Lady's first." Dallas motioned at the door. 

I rolled my eyes, and loaded the bus.

Dallas followed be closely, as I walked to the back of the bus where Johnny had sat down. 

I sat next to Johnny, and Dallas sat next to me. 

"Man, I can't wait to put different clothes on." I groaned, tugging at the neck of the shirt. 

"I think you look just fine in them." Dallas smiled, as he rested his hand on my knee.

"Yellow is definitely not your color." Johnny glanced up at me, then at Dallas hand. 

It really wasn't. 

With me being pale to begin with, the yellow shirt the nurses stuck me in didn't do me any good. 

I think it made me look terrible. 

Dallas slowly started to rub his thumb back and forth on my knee. 

"What are we gonna do today?" I quickly changed the subject. 

"You're going to lay down at the Curtis house, and rest." Dallas said. 

"No, I'm not. I'm sick of laying around." I argued. 

"Too bad, doctor's orders." Johnny chimed in. 

I slumped down in my seat. 

No sense in arguing with those two. 

I didn't have the energy for it anyway. 

So, I laid my head back and closed my eyes. 

I must have fallen asleep. 

It felt like I had blinked and soon enough, Dallas was shaking me awake because we were at our stop to get off. 

Dallas had pulled me to my feet, before I could even realize what was going on.

I stumbled off of the bus with Dallas and Johnny.

I couldn't tell if it was because I just had woken up, or if it was because I was still full of pain meds, but everything seemed sort of fuzzy. 

I just seemed out of it.  

It was a long, hot walk to the curtis house. 

The sun was beating down, and there wasn't a single sign of a breeze. 

As soon as we walked in the front door, I flopped down on the couch. 

"Hey, kiddo!" Darry smiled, "You're looking a lot better."

"Yeah," I smiled back at him, "I'm feeling better.  It could be because they pumped me full of meds, so I guess we will see what happens when they wear off."

Dallas bent down at my feet, and began pulling my shoes off. 

"Ponyboy, go get her a different shirt." Dallas spoke. 

"Why?" Ponyboy asked, as he sat at the table eating. 

"Because, she doesn't like this one." Dallas seemed to snap at him. 

"I can get it myself, and you need to be nice." I scolded Dallas.  

Dallas tossed my shoes towards the door. 

He stood up tall, and placed his hands on his hips. 

Dallas thought for a second, trying to word his next sentences so he wouldn't upset me. 

"No, you're not gonna get it.  You're gonna stay on that couch for the next few days, and rest." Dallas replied. 

"Says who?" I argued. 

"Me, and the doctor." Darry chimed in. 

"Then, you go get it." I spoke directly to Dallas. 

Dallas looked at me blankly for a second, almost as if he was going to argue. 

He then shrugged, before walking into Ponyboy's room to find me something else to wear. 

Johnny shot me a quick smile, before he sat down next to me. 

"You've got him trained like a damn dog." Johnny chuckled. 

"I heard that." Dallas rolled his eyes as he handed me a new shirt. 

I quickly pulled the shirt I was wearing off.

"Why didn't you do that in the bathroom or something?!" Dallas hollered. 

"You're the one that told me to stay on the couch." I laughed, slipping the other shirt on. 

"Stubborn ass." Dallas shook his head at me.

He sat down next to me on the couch as well, placing his arm around my shoulders. 

I closed my eyes, and leaned my head against his chest.