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

Chapter Two

Sodapop and Darry finally managed to calm me down, but I still hadn't been able to tell them about Ponyboy.  Just the thought of him made me sick to my stomach and brought fresh tears to my eyes.  So now, the two Curtis brothers were sitting on either side of me in the waiting chairs rubbing circles into my back, staring at each other with extreme worry while I was speechlessly shaking like a leaf. 

After a while, maybe a dozen reporters and police officers came bursting into the hospital.  They started asking me countless questions, and I struggled to give shaky answers until Darry told them that I wasn't in any condition to be yelled at so much.  That made them slow down, which I was grateful for.  They got a picture of me, too, and while my hair didn't look too tuff without grease, it didn't look horrible.

Sodapop kept on fooling around with the crowd, taking one reporter's press hat and another's camera and walking all over the waiting room interviewing nurses.  Even though the situation was so serious, we all knew that Sodapop Curtis couldn't resist anything potentially fun and exciting.

To my relief, though, the questions began to stop and all of the people left, including Jerry, so it was just me, Soda and Darry. 

Darry and Soda were drifting off a little— they must not have gotten any sleep throughout the week.  The thought of that made me a little sad.  They loved Ponyboy so much with all their hearts that of course they wouldn't get much sleep until they found him.  My parents, on the other hand, probably didn't even know where I was and didn't care, like Dallas had said back at the Dairy Queen. I bit my lip as I thought about this.

Finally, after what seemed like hours (and maybe was), a man in a long white coat— a doctor— was walking towards us.  "Family of Ponyboy Curtis or Dallas Winston?"  I've never seen two people jump up so fast.  Darry and Soda were in front of the doctor in three seconds, and I wasn't far behind them. 

"I'm Darrel Curtis, and this is Sodapop Curtis, we're brothers of Ponyboy Curtis," Darry explained.

"Are you family of Dallas Winston as well?" the doctor asked, raising an eyebrow.  Darry said that we were pretty much the closest thing that Dallas had to family.  The doctor just sighed, but obliged and started telling us the news anyway.  "Dallas will be alright after two or three more days here. One of his arms is badly burned and it will be scarred for the rest of his life, but he will have full use of it in a couple of weeks."  I exhaled in relief, as did Soda.  I— we— knew that Dallas would be okay.  He could handle anything. 

"What about Ponyboy?" Darry asked, his voice stony, as always. 

The doctor looked down, and I knew it couldn't be good. I stiffened.  "He's in critical condition," the doctor said.  "He is suffering from third degree burns all over his body and second degree burns on his face.  We believe he has a serious concussion, and he isn't waking up.  We are not yet sure of his chance of survival, but I can tell you now it's not too high."

Sodapop was silent for a moment, a stricken look on his face, before he began to cry.  Darry thanked the doctor before gripping his younger brother in a hug and burying his face in his neck. 

I felt as though my whole world had been ripped out from under me.  Ponyboy...  I couldn't imagine a world without him.  Without him, I'd already be dead.  Without him, I wouldn't be able to live. I have to be dreaming, I thought, this has to be a nightmare. I closed my eyes, desperate to wake up next to Ponyboy, safe and sound inside our church, with Gone with the Wind as my pillow. But all I saw when I opened my eyes was a bleary, distorted picture of Sodapop and Darry crying into each other. I took in a shaky breath and let it out in a quiet sob. This was my reality, and it was a world without my best friend.

Suddenly, a new thought entered my mind.  What would happen to me?  I'm gonna be charged with manslaughter, and I'll have to go to jail for life! I was shaking even more now, and I was only snapped out of my daze when Darry put his hand on my shoulder. "Johnny, are you alright?" As much as I didn't want to worry him, I briefly told him about my worries. He patted my back and told me not to worry. "I asked the police about that already, Johnnycake. They said that someone paid for your bail."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Seriously?" I breathed. "Wh-who?"

"Some guy named Randy, I think."

I nodded slowly. "Wow," I whispered, nearly inaudible. I looked back up at him. "What about my parents? Are they worried about me?" Even though I knew the answer, I wanted to know what was coming for me when I opened the door to my house. The thought made me shudder a little.

Darry exchanged a look with Soda, who was still tearful, then turned back to me. "About that," he said. "While you were being questioned, I asked the doctors about you. They told me about your scars." I froze. "I told them the real reason you got them, and once we told the police, they agreed that your parents aren't fit for taking care of you."

I stared at him. As much as I hated how my parents treated me, they had raised me. Without them, where would I be? I voicelessly conveyed my fear through wide eyes and pursed lips, and Darry understood. "I don't know how I did it," he continued, "but I convinced the police to let me have custody of you. You'll be comin' home with us tonight, and every other night." He smiled a little at me. "You won't have to worry about your parents beatin' you no more."

I was at a loss for words. I couldn't believe it. Darry had so much to worry about with caring for two younger brothers, and now he was going to be taking care of me. I felt a small tear escape my eye, but I hugged him tightly so that he wouldn't see it. For the first time, I was looking forward to coming home.

Hi, everyone! Please remember to comment and let me know if I made any mistakes, or if you are liking the story! Thanks so much for reading!
- Leah 💕