When Will You Come Back to Me? - A Johnnyboy Story

Chapter One

When I finally came to, I didn't know where I was. I wasn't really sure of anything. Then I remembered the flames, screams, and crashes, and slowly, as reality dawned on me, I was able to hear sirens and voices.

Ponyboy, my brain faintly whispered. My breath hitched, and when it did, I felt a pain in my chest and winced, which then hurt my back a little.  I tried to relax to relieve myself.

I suddenly felt a cool cloth wiping my face.  "Easy there, son."  It was a voice I'd heard before, but I couldn't remember where. 

I cracked my eyes open a little.  I was lying down in a dark, moving vehicle.  Fear creeped up inside of me.  Where was I?  Was I going to jail?  Was I gonna be taken to jail and be charged with manslaughter?  And what about—

"Pony..."  I could only say that much before wincing at the pain in my throat.  I must be in pretty bad shape, but I didn't want to think about myself right then.  "Ponyboy... Dallas..." I hoarsely muttered to myself.

"Take it easy, there, kid.  Don't worry, they're in another ambulance, just like you.  They're right behind us."  I glanced over to a voice coming from my right.  It was that fat Jerry guy from the school, looking down at me with gentle eyes.

"Are... Are they okay?" I asked weakly.

"I'm not sure, yet.  One of them will be okay, he just has a burned arm.  The other one, we're not so sure.  The church nearly fell on top of him, but he was dragged out before that could happen."

I exhaled.  It sounded like my friends would be okay.

"However," Jerry continued, grabbing my attention once again, "the kid was burned pretty severely.  Nearly all over his body.  They think he's got a couple of broken bones, too.  He went unconscious before he got out of the church."

Now my heart sank.  I couldn't stand the thought of either Pony or Dally going through that.  It killed me to not know who it was in serious condition, but I couldn't muster up the strength to ask.  It was like my voice had stopped working.

"You're going to be fine, though," Jerry said quickly.  "You passed out, but you'll be okay."  I stared at him for a moment, fear still in my eyes, and I think that was what made him change the subject.  "I swear, you three are the bravest kids I've seen in a long time.  Mrs. O'Briant and I think you were sent straight from heaven.  Or are you just professional heroes or something?"  He gave a little chuckle.

Heroes?  Heaven?  I wouldn't know about that.  I mean, maybe Ponyboy, a little, at least to me, but Dally and I?  I just shrugged and shook my head quietly.  A new thought came to me. "Are the little kids okay?" I asked softly.

Jerry smiled a little.  "Just fine.  A little frightened, maybe, but thanks to you, they're unharmed."  I nodded.  "Ah, well.  They found one kid's billfold, unburned.  Had his address card in it that said where he lived.  We're taking you to a hospital there."  He shook his head.  "Ponyboy, what a strange name." 

He must've found Pony's billfold.  This prompted me to ask, "Wait, Ponyboy?  Is Ponyboy the one who's unconscious?"

Jerry paused for a moment, thinking, before saying, "Oh... Why yes, I suppose so."

I felt like my heart had dropped to the bottom of my stomach.  I hate to say it, but I had been sort of hoping that it had been Dally who had been hurt badly.  Dallas Winston was tough— he could handle anything.  In my eyes, Ponyboy, while strong and brave, was also fragile.  He hadn't been through as much as Dallas had.  While he wasn't a quitter, he didn't have a reputation for being able to handle everything.  The thought of it made me want to cry, and I almost did, and I guess Jerry noticed, because he talked to me real nice and soothingly all the way to the hospital.

When we got there, a couple of doctors and nurses checked me over and said that I was okay except for burns, bruises, and smoke inhalation.  I was grateful that they didn't mention the scars that littered my back from my parents' beatings.  They probably assumed that they were from the fire or something like that.

I was sitting in the waiting room next to Jerry, my head in my hands.  We were waiting to see how Pony and Dally were doing. 

I had watched them come in on some stretchers.  Dally looked alright except for his busted arm and his eyes were closed.  Ponyboy, on the other hand, made me want to start crying again.  His pale face was twisted in pain even though he was unconscious, and his breathing was hitched and strained even with the supplied oxygen that they were giving him.  His face and arms and shoulders were burned, and his left arm bended at a weird angle.  Some of the burns and cuts on his face were so deep that they were bleeding.

When they wheeled them away, I started to shake a little.  Seeing Ponyboy like that really disarmed me. God, I wanted a cigarette, but Ponyboy had had our last pack.  A couple of tears slipped out of my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away when I heard footsteps coming from down the hall.

"Johnnycake?"

I looked up to see Sodapop standing near me. I gasped and sat up. Never had I been so happy to see him. "Sodapop," I breathed, and I stood from the chair to give him a small but still tight hug. He seemed a little surprised at first, but hugged me back anyways.

"Oh, Johnnycake, thank God you're alright," Soda said, grinning at me.

Darry wasn't too far behind him. "Hey, Johnny," he said, a warm tone in his normally stony voice. "We were all worried sick. You're okay?" I nodded, a little ashamed that I had worried so many people. "Good, good," Darry said, putting one hand on Soda's shoulder and the other on mine. I flinched, but let him keep it there.

I saw Soda look around the room. "Hey, Johnny, where's Pony?" he asked me, his voice chipper but anxious.

And then, staring at Ponyboy's two brothers who were waiting for my answer, I finally broke down.

Hi, everyone! This is my first Outsiders story, and I hope you like it! Please leave comments and let me know if I made any spelling and grammar errors! Thanks so much for reading!
- Leah 💕