An Outsider Love Story

fix you

"Alright." I wiped my tears away. I knew it was time to stop being emotional and weak.

"Two-bit you call Kathy and see if she can come by."

"Ok." Two-bit runs to the house.

"Ponyboy you still got my first aid fit?"

"Yeah, its under the sink of the bathroom."

"Can you get it for me. Actually take it in the living room for me." Pony runs off the same way two-bit did.

"The hospital isn't the place I would take him. I'll just fix him up myself if Kathy can't make it." Everyone knew Johnny had the fear of hospitals and I respected him for never going.

"Steve and Soda go set up the living room. Make sure there is space for me to work. The couch needs to be cleared off. I'm also going to need a rag and bowl of water. Has to be warm."

"Come on Soda." Steve and Soda run straight to the house. Darry picks up Johnny and groans in pain.

"Careful. We don't know what exactly happened. He could have broken bones." Dally helps out as we head to the house.

"She can't make it." Two-bit comes running in the living room as Darry and Dally set Johnny on the couch. I grab a chair from the kitchen and put it right in front of the couch.

"That's ok. I got this." I open up my kit and get to work.

Never in my life have I stitched up someone. I used to sew with my mother when she was still alive so it couldn't be that hard. All the times that I was beaten and cut two months ago I think I have enough experience of what to do. Watching Kathy sew me like I was a torn up doll. The scar on his face there is no way I could stitch that area up. All I did was clean it with peroxide and place a bandaid on it. Everything else was deep cut so I had to stitch it up. The gang was hovering over me like hawks. I need to space to breathe and think. There's no way I was going to fix Johnny up with them crowding me.

"Guys I need some space." Everyone left the room for the kitchen instead. Dally stayed put though. He didn't even move from where he was. I take the needle and wash it out placing it on a dry towel. The bowl of water was now a deep burgundy color.

"Dal, can you change the water for me?" He gets up quickly and takes the bowl into the kitchen. I try to loop the string through the needle and tie it off. I work on Johnny's rib cage. There was a huge gash.

"Lola?" Johnny whispered. He squirms around to face me.

"Johnny, stay still. Whats wrong? Am I hurting you?" I put the needle down and lean forward.

"I just, I," He stops talking and closes his eyes. I get up quickly and grab his wrist checking for a pulse. Dally comes walking in with fresh water.

"Whats going on?" He sets the water down on the table stand right next to me. I finally found his pulse and exhale.

"He was talking to me and stopped. He passed out." I mumbled as I walk back and sit down grabbing the needle.

"He's going to need plenty of rest Dal. Being at his house could make things worse for him." I finished stitching and tie it off.

"You wanna take him to your place?" Dally looks at me.

"I don't wanna move him so much. The only moving around he should be doing is bathroom, eating and drinking. That's only if he is up for it." I look at Dally as he shoves his thumbs in his pocket.

"I would take him, its just we shouldn't move him. I don't have any good supplies to tell me if there is anything major wrong. He keeps passing out within 3 words." I take the rag and dip it in the bowl of warm water.

"I get that." Dally mumbles. I take the rag and try to clean up the rest of his cuts.

"He can stay here." Darry's. voice booms behind Dally. 

"As long as you're okay with it. I don't want to pressure anyone into letting him stay if you don't want him." I mumble over my words as I look closer at Johnny's chest. I lift up his shirt slightly but it made it difficult to treat the large gash.

"We'll keep him here and you or Kathy can treat him."

"Sounds good. Can you lift him up so I can take the shirt off. There's a large gash across his chest. I can't treat it with the shirt on." I set the rag down.

Dally and Darry stand by Johnny's side and lift him up as I gently pull the shirt off. As they set him down with ease I wash the rag out. Johnny groans in pain.

"Its okay Johnny. I'm gonna fix you up." I lean forward and brush the greasy hair out of his face.

"I'm gonna let the rest know how he is doing and that he is staying here." Darry walks back to the kitchen.

"He is going to be ok, right?" Dally ask as I finish cleaning Johnny up. I rinse the rag out and pick the needle back up.

"He's going to have scars with all these large cuts. The major one he'll have is the one on his face, he live with that for the rest of his life along with the chest one I'm working on now. Bruising will go away and small cuts will go away. But he's traumatized. They scared him bad Dally. I don't know if the fear is ever going to leave him." I finish sewing him up and tie it off.

"Whoever did this is going to pay for it." Dally says angrily. After I looked over Johnny to see if I missed anything he was all good. I then walked over to Dally wrap my arms around him.

"Its ok. He's gonna live." Dally refused to look at me.

"At what cost? You said he is traumatize." He grits his teeth.

"Look at me." I reach up to his face and pull it to mine.

I could see the fire in his eyes. He wanted to do something bad. Something to help his anger. I press my lips to his. The kiss was soft and tender, more gentle than anything else. As angry as he'd been, Dally didn't want to hurt me. I knew this was the only safe way to keep him calm. He grabs me by my waist and pulls me closer. One hand travels up my back pressing on it as the other was tangled in my hair. He pulls away to breath and rest our foreheads together.

"I'm sorry, I," Dally tries to figure out how to word it without sounding too hard or too weak.

"I get it. I know. He's gonna live. That's all that matters." I lay my head on his chest as his chin rest on top of my head. We look at Johnny. He is going be ok.