Soulmate UA: The Outsiders, Dally Winston

Chapter Four- Hospitals

Soda was busy pacing in the waiting room, waiting to hear some news about Lucia.

When the gang realized that she was on the brink of passing out earlier and were driving her to the hospital, Johnny had explained to them what he observed. The blood was what shocked Two-bit and Sodapop the most. Two handled the information better than Soda, who was currently blaming himself for the fact that he should've seen it earlier.

"I mean, what could've happened?" Soda murmured to himself, still pacing back and forth. "She must've got her head hit by that Soc... God! That Soc I'll kill 'im!"

Dallas shot his hand out to touch Soda's leg as he passed by his seat, "Soda just chill out alright? You're makin' my head spin."

Sodapop stopped abruptly and turned to face Dally. It was true, he looked a little pale. "S-sorry Dal."

Dallas gave a little nod as the tall boy sat next to him on the chair. Sure he was now tapping his foot like crazy on the floor, but that was so much better than the boy basically running laps like a golden retriever in the middle of a waiting room.

A voice snapped the two boys out of their dazes. "Y'all waiting for Lucia?"

Dallas gave the dark haired boy an odd look. He sure hadn't ever seen him before, and given Soda's face- him either.

Before saying anything, a voice behind them- specifically the voice belonging to Darrel Curtis- answered for them. "Yeah, I was the one who called you."

"Um, thanks, man," The dark-haired boy said. He was tall and lanky, and had some stubble growing on his face. He was facing Darry, but it seemed as he was giving it a second thought on whether to say something else, stay, or leave. After a couple a seconds of contemplation, he turned on his heels to leave.

"Wait," Darry started. "You can't leave."

The boy, who Soda and Dallas still had no clue about who he was, stopped in his tracks and swallowed his breath as Darry walked up next to him and put a hand on his left shoulder. "Be here for her," Darry finished.

Their stance, right next to each other became tense for a few moments before the boy let go. Soda, finally stopped tapping his foot like crazy, but exchanged the emotions in his head into something else.

As the dark-haired boy made his way to the opposite end of the waiting room slowly, Darry turned back to the gang and very pointedly demanded "Don't ask questions."

However, just as he said that, Two-bit -who had returned from buying a pack of smokes with Johnny and Steve at the gas station down the street- proceeded to ask, "So who is that guy anyway?"

Before Darry got a chance to reprimand the 18 year-old boy, a nurse approached the area where the gang was sitting. "Lucia Lauder?"

Sodapop shot out of his seat to ask if she was okay, but a voice from the other end of the waiting room got there first.

It was the boy from just a couple of moments ago, and said something that both Dallas and Sodapop widened their eyes at.

"I-is she okay?" He swallowed.

"May I ask what relation you are to the patient, Mr.?" The friendly nurse followed up with.

"She's my sister."

"Well, she's doing just fine, sir."

Meanwhile in Room 1228

"Thanks for listening folks, and for all the young lovers out there- remember: Your soulmate is waiting for you out there somewhere in the world."

In the almost barren room, save for the small radio on the nightstand and the bed attached to wires and a person alike, Lucia sighed at the dreams overtaking her mind.

In the past couple hours since the gang had made it to the ER, the environment surrounding Lucia had been nothing but hectic. At first, what really alerted the doctor attending to her was that she seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness every once in a while. Given the slight amount of blood also coming out of a wound on the back of her head also alerted him.

As it turns out, Lucia did not need stitches but had gotten a concussion and was also attended to for the sprain of her ankle.

This truly wasn't all what troubled Lucia at the moment, though. She knew how serious her situation could've been, and with that seriousness comes consequences. In fact, the anxiety bubbling up inside of her originated because one similar incident she had previous to this, only six months ago.

Lucia quickly recalled the event: she was in the hospital for stepping on a screw, in fact, one that belonged to Darry's roofing crew. He had brought her to the hospital, and because he wasn't family, one of her relatives needed to sign her out.

The eldest brother of the Curtis family was one of the few that knew her folks were having some problems, so to speak, and called the only person he knew could help- Lucas Lauder, Lucia's brother.

Of course, everyone Darry's age knew Lucas; he was one of the school's 'Golden Boys'. But, after a series of scandals with some of the school's 'Golden Girls' he turned into a short-tempered, introverted boy.

That afternoon was not pleasant at all for Lucia. After being sent home with numerous stitches on her right foot, Lucas and the girl got into a full-blown fight which included Lucas calling her a 'disgraced little girl unworthy of even born' and dropping her off halfway to their home.

Since then, things had never been right since the two siblings. He tries to apologize, but as always, lets his rage get in the way and frankly, it hits too close to home for Lucia to bare.