Helpless

Normal

Two Bit POV:

"How' the kid?" I asked as Soda approached, Pony's arm around his neck. The youngest Curtis looked half-asleep and very, very pale.

Soda shrugged and eased his younger brother into the backseat. Pony laid down in the back and put his head down and mumbled a thanks. Soda slammed his door and clambered into the front.

"Doc says this is normal," he mumbled, eyeing his brother anxiously. "He says that stuff'll knock you out."

"He's not puking yet, is he?" I asked, thinking of my car seats. I'd never get the smell out either.

Soda slugged my arm playfully. "Glory, Two-Bit! You've gotta be the most insensitive jerk I've ever known."

"Dang it, this thing's my date mobile," I grinned, pulling out of the parking lot. "Darry go to work?"

"Yeah."

"He okay?"

"Tense."

"That's nothing new."

"Well, more so than usual."

"Understandable."

"Keep it down," Pony mumbled. Soda grinned at him, but his brother's eyes were tightly shut.

"You wouldn't let me shutup at the hospital."

"Hmm," he sighed, then started coughing. I glanced at him in the rearview mirror as Soda grabbed a tissue and handed it to him, but not before several drops of blood made it onto my seat. Pony wiped at them feebly, but he seemed awfully weak. "Sorry, Two-Bit."

"Don't worry about it, kid, makes this car look tuff," I grinned at him. "I'll say I drove some wounded Soc to a hospital. Make me look gallant."

Pony managed a feeble grin and lay down again. Soda watched him for a moment before turning back to stare at the road.

"Steve told me about the Socs," he nearly whispered to me. I stared straight ahead.

"Cherry's gonna help. So's Randy. And they're gonna try to get the rest of the elite madras morons to chip in."

Soda nodded slowly. "We need it."

That was scary; that they were broke already. But I'd been thinking. "Don't die of shock," I started, "but I've been thinkin' of getting a job...you know, to help y'all out."

Soda laughed. "Two-Bit Matthews workin'? Half the town'd die of shock." But I could tell he appreciated it. "The thing is though...we need someone to stay with him durin' the day, while we're at work."

"Shoot, I could just drop out."

"Don't," Soda snapped, eyeing his younger brother. But Pony was fast asleep. "I mean, you oughta graduate. If Pony thought you were droppin' out because of him he'd go nuts. He nearly did when I left."

That was true. Pony'd barely spoken for days when Soda first left school, not even to his older brother. Soda'd told me they'd talked about it a lot since then. Ponyboy felt his brother was too smart to be a dropout, although he hadn't done well in school.

"Well, I am gonna get a job, and give y'all the money," I said, speeding up to beat a red light.

"That's fine," Soda grinned as we turned onto their street. Steve's car was already out front. "Ya wanna come in? Steve's not cooking again."

"Nah, I think I'm gonna hunt up a girl. Maybe a job. Maybe both."

"Well, come on over later if you ain't busy."

"I'll try," I pulled the car over in front of their house, and Soda climbed out and went to open his brothers' door.

"C'mon, kiddo, you gotta get inside. I ain't Dar, I can't carry you in."

"Hmm," he mumbled as Soda eased him up off the seat and helped him onto the pavement.

"Take care, kid," I called as Soda put his hands on his shoulders and steered him toward the porch.

It's normal, I told myself as Steve opened the front door and held it open as Soda supported his brother up the stairs and into the house. But I knew it wasn't true; nothing had been normal since Johnny and Dally had died, and nothing would be normal again until Pony was better.