Scottish Gold (An Outsiders Fic)

Chapter 43: Darrell Curtis

Cookie's POV

Two-Bit's voice filled my ears and echoed as my eyes began to fall closed and the pain began to subside. I opened my eyes again. Utter darkness surrounded me. Electric blue pulses flashed through to abyss like blue lightning. The only noise was a faint and constant beep. I recognized it as a heart machine flatlining, but I couldn't find it. The lightning flashes were spaced evenly apart and every time they came I felt an inner pull towards them.

I blinked once again before looking behind me to see what looked like a tear in the darkness made of radiant bright light. Both had their pull. I paused, and I had to make a choice. I had to decide which to follow, but I had no idea which one was right. Which one would take me back to Two-Bit and Gracie. The blue lightning flashed again, this time farther away, and the ringing noise began to fade.

I was running out of time.

Making a split second decision, I ran after the lightning bolts. I tried to catch up, but every flash seemed farther and farther away as the light tear grew bigger.

"Wait!" I screamed, "Wait! Please!"

The ringing noise was almost gone and with one last flash of blue lightning it was gone. The only thing left behind was the tear. It glowed brighter as I sank to my knees. I took too long and now I couldn't go back. Tears filled my eyes as I put my face in my hands. They were gone. I was gone. Everything was gone.

"No." I sobbed, "no. I can't leave them!"

I pounded the ground with my fist and curled into a ball, trying to comfort myself any way I could. My heart ached, and everything hurt but there was nothing I could do about it. I lost everything that mattered to me in a matter of mere seconds.

The weightlessness subsided as I saw light flash behind my eyelids. I didn't want to look. I didn't want to know where I was. I just wanted to be home. I heard birds chirping, but I refused to look. I refused to be in a world without Two-Bit, without Gracie, without Vikki, or my family. I refused.

"Open your eyes," a soft voice spoke. I tried to ignore it, but my body reacted on it's own, following the voices orders.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself laying in a field that looked exactly like one of the one's back home in Scotland, except there were no cattle, just miles of fluffy green grass and purple thistles. I rolled to a sitting position and came eye to eye with a tall man in beaten jeans and a tight white t-shirt. He wore no shoes, but his golden hair was slicked back with grease, and he wore a kind smile on his face.

"Jesus is a Greaser?" I asked, confused and wanting to laugh, but I knew I'd get shunned or kicked out if I laughed at our savior to his face.

The man smiled at me, shaking his head, "no. I'm just the welcome wagon." He chuckled, "God can't meet every soul and I've been here for a few months now and they thought I'd make ya the most comfortable."

"Ah ken yer right." I told him, "I'm Cookie."

The man raised his eyebrows, smiling wide, "that's a nice name. It's odd. I've always liked odd names."

I laughed, "ye should hear the names of some of mah friends," I noticed that I didn't feel pain or weight when I laughed.

"I'd like to hear more about them, but for now, I'll give you the tour."

"Hold it," I told him, "who are ye? Ah donnae go folllowin' people Ah donnae ken, not even in heaven. Ye could be the devil in disguise."

He let out a loud laugh, clutching his healthy stomach. The wrinkles around the corners of his eyes crinkled in sheer amusement. He looked familiar when he laughed. Like I had seen him before... at some point in my life.

"I'm Darrell. Darrell Curtis." He said.

"Nuh-uh, yer not Darry. Darry's nae old." I told him, narrowing my eyes. After I said that, I covered my mouth with my hand and said, "oh mah God, Ah'm so sorry."

He closed his eyes and laughed, "glory, I ain't laughed that hard in a long time."

"Ah'm so sorry," I said, mirroring his energy, "Ah'm an arse."

"No, it's okay." He said, wiping a happy tear from his eye, "how are they?"

"Who?" I asked, confused.

"My boys." He said solumley, "how are they?"

It took me a second to put the two and two together as I realised who I was standing in front of. I was talking to Mr. Curtis. The tears filled my eyes again and I let them fall, nodding my head slowly, "they're fine. Darry's keeping them together, Soda is surprisingly responsible, and Pony is doing good in track, and Darry always makes sure he does his homework." I told him, "you'd be proud of them. Pony's a hero. He saved a bunch of barras in a burning building. Ah helped but..."

"That's why you're here." He spoke up, "you helped my boy."

"Ah wasnae gonna let him go in alone." I told him, shrugging and swallowing harshly. My throat still felt like it was on fire, and scratchy from the million tubes they shoved down my throat. I was thankful that the burns on my skin were gone, letting me look like myself again. I reached up to my head, and my hands gripped the thick curls I adored, and I sighed in relief.

His mouth opened slightly, but froze. He exhaled slowly and stepped forward, wrapping me in a hug. The tears were choking me now as they soaked his shoulder and shakes wracked my body in his arms. I could feel his emotions in waves, mixing with my own, making me feel like I was drowning in happiness and sorrow.

"Thank you." He whispered, "if it weren't for you, my boy would have joined me."

"Donnae fash yerself 'bout it." I said, still choking back tears, "if Ah hadnae, Ahm sure Johnny woulda, and Ah donnae ken if the gang could survive that kinda loss."

"They can't handle this loss." He said, pulling back and clearing his throat.

I was going to argue with him, but then I remembered my family. Who was going to tell them? What was going to happen to my sisters? My womb-mate?

"Oh mah God, Vikki." I said, "Two, Gracie. I left them."

Darrel Sr. nodded and said, "it was not your fault. You did the right thing, and paid the ultimate price."

"Bringing mah family down with meh." I said, feeling the urge to cry again.

"We have an eternity to gab 'bout my boys and how ya know them. For now, we should show ya around. First stop will be the Looking Down Patio."

"What's that?" I asked with a sniff.

"You know, when loved ones die and they say that they are looking down on you?"

"Aye?" I said, remembering the stories of the stars that Vikki made up.

"That's the place." He said with a smile, "it's not all bad. Come on, let me show you around. I'll introduce you to the boys' mom."

I nodded, whipping at my fresh tears from my cheeks, trying to make them stop as I grabbed Mr. Curtis' outstretched hand as he led me on a tour of the afterlife.