one of them

nineteen

DJ's POV

We all went out for some ice cream and eventually went home for some real dinner.

I spent the next day doing things that needed to get done. I applied for a job at the local diner to be a server.

I caught up on some of my homework. Did some cleaning around the house.

Then I decided it was finally time to see Johnny and Dally...

I walked to the hospital and took a breath before going in. I knew Johnny was awake. They wouldn't let anyone see Dallas, though.

I walked in Johnnys room. "Hey, Johnny. How ya feelin'?"

"Tired. Real tired." He said. "They have me on a lot of pain killers."

I noticed he was off some of the machines I was told he was on right after the surgery.

"I'm sorry, Johnny."

"Oh, it's alright."

"I'm glad the surgery went well. And I got a job. So I'm ready to help pay for everything."

"DJ, don't worry about that."

"No. I will worry about that. I got you in this mess. It's only right."

"No, really. There's someone here you should talk to. He should be here still. He just stopped by. Ask around for Justin Rould. Hurry, though. I don't think he's coming back."

"Justin Rould? Okay..."

I walked out of the room and looked down the hallway.

No one.

I went to the front desk quickly before this man left the building.

"Justin?" I yelled.

I went to the front desk. "I'm looking for someone named Justin Rould."

"Justin Rould? He checked in about ten minutes ago."

"Is he still here?"

"I'm not sure. I'm sorry."

"Justin?" I asked. The elevator door opened "Justin?"

"Hello?" Someone responded. It was the man walking out of the elevator.

"Are you Justin Rould?"

"Yes, I am."

"Hi!" I just realized how awkward this was. He was older than me. Probably mid thirties. "I was just upstairs with my friend. Johnny Cade. He said I would wanna talk to you? Oh, I'm DJ Curtis, by the way."

"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah, you too." I hesitated. "Can I ask why he wants me to talk to you?"

He seemed professional. Had a nice suit on. Kinda intimidating. "I was actually wanting to talk to you. I wanted to speak to you, Johnny Cade, Dallas Winston, and Ponyboy Curtis. But I am unable to see Dallas Winston and you and your brother weren't here. I'm only in Tulsa for a little while. I figured Johnny could pass my information on." I cocked an eyebrow. "Why don't we go sit down?"

"Oh! Yeah, alright."

I sat down in the waiting area and he sat next to me. This was weird.

He spoke up. "I heard that you were the four who ran into the church to save those children."

"Oh, yeah we did."

"A little bit of backstory, my wife and I were experiencing troubles with having a kid. It took us years. We had miscarriage after miscarriage and finally, after almost giving up, our daughter was born. Her name is Hannah."

"Aww." I said. I wasn't sure how to respond. I didn't understand where this was going.

"She's been the greatest thing to ever happen to us. Just when we were giving up, our little miracle came along." I gave him a smile. "Well, we found out our daughter was in the church through the newspaper. When we got there, she was in an ambulance."

My eyes widened. "Oh my..."

"We weren't sure if she was okay, but her teacher told us about the four kids who ran inside to save ours. My wife and I met her at the hospital and she was okay. She had a little cut on her arm, but otherwise nothing else."

I smiled. "I'm so glad she made it out okay."

"I wanted to personally stop by and thank the hero's who saved my daughter."

"Well, I'm very glad you did. And I'll let Ponyboy know. I couldn't take any credit. Him and Johnny got the kids out first."

He continued. "I found it very touching that you and the other kid went in to get your friends and help them save my daughter and her friends."

"Of course. That's what family's for. I don't know what I'd do without him."

He smiled. "And that's what makes this decision easier for me. I read about your court case. It's clear your family means a lot to you. And helping others is important, as well."

"Of course."

"So, the other families of the church and I, we decided to all chip in. I put you and your friend's medical bills under my name. All four of you."

I gasped. "What?"

"As a thank you for saving my little girl and the other parents 'thank you' for helping their children and getting them out alive. They wouldn't have made it out on their own. This is the least we can do."

I felt tears well in my eyes. "Are you serious?"

"One hundred percent. This is my formal thank you to you and your family for saving her."

I broke down in a sob. "You have no idea how much this means to me. How can I ever repay you?"

I buried my face in my hands and let the tears stream down my face. He put his hand on my shoulder. "This is my way of thanking you. DJ, you're a hero. You and your friends. Focus on your family. They're important. I'm happy to take this burden off your back."

I sobbed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"It's my pleasure. But I better get going. Thank you for your time, DJ."

"Of course. Thank you."

He smiled at me and walked out the door.

I couldn't contain my excitement. My gratitude.

I went back upstairs to see Johnny. I still had tears staining my face and Johnny even had a slight smile on his. "Well, Johnny." I started. "I guess things do have a way of looking up."

"Yeah, they do. I'm glad you don't have to stress about the job now."

I sighed and tried to contain my tears. "Darry's gonna be so relieved. Now all that's left to focus on is your recovery and Dallas being okay."