In Vietnam

Soda-Napped

Soda's POV
When I wake up, I realize that I'm in the hospital. Why am I in the hospital? Then it dawns on me. I'm in the hospital, because after receiving the news that Pony's in a coma, I passed out. Right. Ponyboy. My stomach starts to hurt thinking about what those fuckers did to my baby brother.

I lay there and think about my brother. I can't stop thinking about it. Then, I start thinking about Darry and the guys. I hope they're doing okay. While I'm thinking, a nurse comes into the room.

"Mr. Curtis, I see you're awake. How are you doing?"

I reply, "I'm okay. Is my brother doing okay?"

"As of right now, he's still in the coma, but he's stable. We still don't know when he'll wake up."

I nod. Then, she hands me a letter. It reads:

"Dear Sodapop Curtis,
     We need you back on the field. A lot of men are dying, and we need every man we can get. I'm sorry to say that General Hutch has died in combat, and I'm your new chief.

Sincerely,
Chief Dawson."

I sigh, and the nurse leaves. She comes back a minute later with a new uniform. I thank her, and then she leaves, closing the door softly behind her. I start to change, while wincing. The bruise on my side hasn't gone away, and it's hurting something awful. When I'm finish changing, I leave the room and head to Pony's room. He doesn't look as bad anymore, and I'm quite thankful for that.

I stand by the side of his bed and lean down to kiss his forehead. I grab his hand and say, "Please wake up soon, honey. Me and all the guys love and miss you, Ponyboy."

Then, I run a hand down my face, wishing this wasn't happening. I give his hand one last squeeze, and I quietly leave his room. I start walking toward the entrance, and the nurse greets me again. She tells me there's a chopper waiting outside, and then she tells me good luck. I thank her, and I walk out the doors of the hospital.

I get on the chopper, and I'm flown back to our base. On the way there, I see a lot of craters. It does not look good at all. When we finally land, I rush out and run toward the base. I'm out of breath when I see the guys, and I'm running again. Darry is the first to see me, and he gets up. He's grabbing me up in his arms before I know it, and I'm hugging him back hard. The guys slowly come over, Steve in the lead.

When they reach me, Darry pulls back, and Steve grabs me in a bear hug. Two-Bit is right behind him, and for the first time, he looks completely sober and serious. When Steve lets go of me, Two-Bit gives me a hug. He holds on to me for a long time before he lets go. After, Johnny gives me a brief hug, and Dally also gives me a brief hug. After he pulls back, Darry asks, "Is Pony still in the coma?"

I nod. "Yeah."

Before anyone can say anything else, a loud boom is heard in the distance. We rush to get our rifles and aim them where the boom came from. It doesn't take long for the action to start.

Bullets come ricocheting over to us, and we fire back. Before I can check to see if any of the guys are okay, something hard hits me in the head, and I fade into a peaceful, yet painful, darkness.