This Might Hurt A Little-A Dallas Winston Fanfiction

Owner Of A Lonely Heart

I had seen dead bodies before.  When I was 12 my next door neighbor killed herself and I was the one to find her body in the backyard. So, I knew what dead bodies looked like. And that's how Dallas looked. His face was so bruised I could barely recognize him and when I went in the room I could swear he wasn't breathing. 

His eyelids flutter and he let out a small groan.

"Dallas?" I asked with a lump in my throat.

He reached his hand down towards the IV in his left arm until I grabbed his hand.

"Don't pull that out. You need that."

I knew he was as high as the sky right then, hopped up on the pain medication the doctors had given him.

"I'm gonna' kill that guy." He mumbled and even though he wasn't all there, I knew he meant it. He looked at me like he had just noticed I was there, "Why are you crying?"

I hadn't noticed I was, "I'm scared."

He just laughed, a rare thing for Dallas, " No need to be scared. I'm all patched up." He patted his chest for emphasis.

"You're crazy Dallas Winston." I felt like crying even more.

"Well damn Dally, this is the worst you've ever looked." I heard Two-Bits voice from behind me and I dropped Dallas's hand immediately.

None of them even noticed, except Darry, who was giving me the coldest look.

"Where are you going?" Dallas whined when I stood up.

"I'm going to go see Soda. I'll see you later." I turned quickly and shuffled past everyone.

Soda was sitting up in the bed, staring at the ceiling. He had one long gash down his side but, it was nothing compared to Dallas. 

"Hey Soda." I said, sitting down on the chair next to the bed.

"Hi." He said through his teeth as he sat up and winced at the pain, "Where were you?"

I couldn't even bother with a lie,"Dallas's room. I felt bad he was all alone."

He knitted his eyebrows together on that golden face of his, "You went and saw Dallas instead of me?"

"Yeah." I dropped my eyes.

Soda let out a laugh but, not the real kind. It was the type of laugh that was painful to listen to it was so sad. "So, I guess Darry was right when he warned me about you and ole' Dally. Shoulda' known."

"Soda..." I started. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"He's never going to love you back. He doesn't love anybody. I love you and you left me for a guy who doesn't." I couldn't tell you why Soda picked right then and there to tell me that.

"You broke up with me." I reminded him gently.

"You made me do that."

I didn't reply. I had nothing to say.

"You can't say you don't love me." He stared me down.

"Of course I love you, Soda." I sighed, "But I don't love you in the way you deserve." He started to argue with me but I cut him off, "You deserve someone who can love you without reservation and that isn't me. You deserve better." 

Silence passed between us, "Get out of here." He said quietly at first and then turned and met my eyes, "I said get the hell out of here!" He shouted.

I stood up suddenly, his anger surprising me. If I was smart, I would have listened to Soda and never gone back to Dallas's room. But, I didn't use my head. I still don't.

I shut the door behind me and walked backed to Dallas's room. The boys were surrounding him and yelling about a rumble like no other. Darry spotted me first and I knew he could tell what happened, "Come on guys, let's go back to Soda's room."

Johnny started protesting but, Darry silenced him with a harsh look. They all filed out of the room, without a word being said to me.

I looked at Dallas who was giving me the goofiest smile I'd ever seen, "Hey Dally." I sat back down.

"You weren't gone very long."

I didn't answer. I planned on talking to him when he wasn't as high as a kite.  A young doctor came in and gave me a disapproving look when he saw my hand resting on Dallas's arm.

"How are we doing Mr. Winston?" There was no hint of pity or even concern in his voice. "The morphine will be wearing off any minute now."

He didn't wait for Dallas's reply, just scribbled something on his clip board and left.

"What a jack ass."  Dallas laughed.

It was only 15 minutes later when Dallas started coming out of the fog, "What the hell?"

"You got stabbed. A lot." I spoke from the corner, almost making him jump with surprise.

"Where's everyone else?" He asked, still staring at me, confused.

"Soda's room." As soon as I said the words an emotion flashed across Dallas's face but, it went away so fast I wasn't sure if it was even there.

He rolled over without another word to me. So much for a good first conversation.

I walked straight out of the room and sat myself down on the concrete bench. I hated the way he could be, so cruel without even meaning to be. I heard footsteps behind me and I whipped around, surprised to only see little Johnny Cade standing there.

"He's cares about you, you know." Johnny said and then went quiet.

A few minutes of silence passed between us, "I know it seems like he don't but, he does. So give him a chance."

Johnny knew Dallas better than anyone in the whole world.

"I need time to think. Will you tell Soda I'm sorry?" Johnny just nodded his head and went back to the room.

From where I was sitting I could see inside both Soda and Dallas's room at the same time. Soda was surrounded by the gang, all giving him sympathetic looks but, he was just staring straight through them all. And Dallas, was sitting in his bed, completely alone except the petite nurse who was checking up on him. At that time, they looked like the two loneliest people in the world. But somehow, Dallas was even lonelier.