In Sickness and In Health

Chapter 8

Darry's POV

I have a whole new respect for Pony. With his nightmares I always thought he just needed to toughen up a little bit, but I had no idea just how real they felt. I lay back down and am thankful that Pony and Soda are going to sleep with me. I realize how lousy I feel. I can almost hear the thumping in my head, like clockwork boom boom boom. I start wonder why Soda and Pony had turned the thermostat down so low. When Soda walks in I ask, "Hey, can you turn the thermostat up- it's almost freezing in here." Soda's face seems to fall a little bit and he sets a glass of water down and sits next to me on the bed. "Buddy, the thermostat's on seventy-four degrees and you usually think that's too hot," Soda explains gently. He talks to me like I'm four, not twenty. I sit up and think about how bad of a job I'm doing trying to look fine. First, I wake up screaming and crying and then I think it's way colder than it is. Soda must sense my feelings because, as he sticks a thermometer in my mouth, he wraps his arm around me gently saying, "It's okay, Dar-bear, we know you ain't feeling too hot. You just gotta let us take care of you." When I say nothing, Soda takes the thermometer out of my mouth and reads aloud, "103.4, you're fever went up. Here have some water and then get some sleep."Feeling like a small child, I pick up the glass shakily with both hands and bring it slowly to my lips. When I'm done drinking, Soda takes the glass away and sets it down. Silently, Pony and I scoot over so Soda can get in and I close my eyes.