Love Who You Love

Chapter 29|| More Than I Expected

~Previously~

"I love you too, Darry." I kissed his lips, holding his head in place as it deepened. We pulled away just in time for a nurse to walk in an tell Darry to start getting ready to leave. I pecked Darry's lips one last time before he went up to leave.

"Goodbye, love." "Goodbye, Dally."

~Now~

As he rested each twin on one his sides, Darry walked down the hallways towards the elevator. He spotted the man from before halfway through the small trip down the long hallways. Darry noticed the man looked sadder than before. A stubble covered his jaw and cheeks, his hair wasn't as neat as it was before, sticking out in a few places. Without the new features of the man, he seemed to be a middle class person who leaned more towards the poorer side of town. He was more messy than a Soc. But this wasn't the Greaser king of messy, this was different.

Darry stood by the man and waited for the elevator doors to slide open. He stayed silent until they entered the elevator, standing in the small space. The pair silently watched the doors slide shut, jolting slightly with the chamber as it began to lower the 2 down to the first floor.

"You seem upset." Darry stated, glancing beside him to see the man looking down. It was mostly silent, the only noise coming from the twins and the elevator. They passed the fourth floor, a light ding followed.

"I...I guess I am." He muttered. Not once taking his gaze away from his worn shoes while he spoke to Darry. The man looked at Darry and sighed, his breath wavering deeply. Nothing could prepare him for what he just went through. And now he had to deal with that and raising his 3 children.

"You want to talk about it?" Darry asked. Turning his head to study the man next to him. The man turned his head as well, his sad hazel eyes meeting Darry's curious teal ones.

"M-my wife...." His voice cracked. The man quickly looked down as his eyes glossed, begging the tears not to spill out. "S-She was in here for a long time after a house fire, the kids were fine but she wasn't. Winnie, she was in here for s-severe burns all over her body. The only thing that wasn't fried was her left leg and half of her face. S-She.....she died today when I was talking to her. I.....now I'm a single parent..I guess." A tear rolled down his face as he spoke. Quickly, the man wiped away the tear and sniffled. He just wanted to go to his new apartment and grieve with his children, he loved his wife so much. Now he had his children and that was it. He needed to stay strong for them.

"I'm...." he paused. "I'm so sorry to hear that. Look...if you need to talk you can find me here most days. My fiancé Dallas is in here, he was in a major car crash. My name's Darrel, people call me Darry for short. What's yours?" Darry asked. He figured changing the subject would lighten the mood some. The man looked sad enough as it is. Dwelling on things would only make it worse.

The man ran a hand through his light brown hair and sniffed one last time as the bell dinged, passing the third floor.

"The name's Ron. It's nice to meet ya, Darry." He stated. The bell dinged again as it passed the second floor and continued its journey. Darry nodded his head towards Ron, sympathy in his eyes. The doors slide open to reveal the first floor, rustling and bustling with people. The two boys nodded towards each other and went their separate ways. Darry hoped Ron could stay strong, he knew what it was like to loose someone he loved. He couldn't imagine loosing Dally, just the thought saturated his emotions with only sadness and depression.

                            ************

     Darry slowly walked through the front door to see the rest of the gang asleep as a movie ended on the Tv, lighting up the crowded room. Pony sat up on the couch with his head leaning back, revealing a fading hickey on his neck while Johnny laid down across the couch, his head in the younger boy's lap.