Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Of course Laurie remembered Darrel Curtis. She had recognized him immediately when he had arrived on the general ward four summers ago, to collect his brother, Ponyboy. The reunion between the three brothers had been moving to observe, there hadn't been a dry eye at the nurses' station that day.

She had followed the newspapers with interest for some months after that, moved by the plight of the three brothers and struck with admiration at the eldest giving up his future for the sake of younger two. She'd always heard he was a decent guy, and she knew it must be so- that choice wasn't one everyone would have made.

Even before he'd run onto the ward, nervy and full of anticipation, she had sometimes recalled the handsome, all-star running back that caused her high school, rivals of his, to lose more games than she liked to count. Back then, Darry had been the talk of the town. Every girl seemed to have a crush on him, every guy either loathed or idolized him. He seemed to transcend social status- the boy with the golden touch.

But now, they weren't in high school anymore. Things that seemed important back then weren't important any more, and Darry Curtis had melted back into the shadows of the East Side, doomed, like the rest of his ilk, to fade into dust, poverty and obscurity. It was a shame- he could have been so much more, but life was cruel like that.

Darry rarely crossed her mind these days, and it was a jolt from the past to see him here today, instantly recognizable, at least to her, even beneath the oxygen mask that covered his face and between the frantic movements of the staff that were aiming to save his life.

The transporting medic started the handover, while nurses connected various probes and monitors to Darry's inert form. Laurie began a chart and started scribbling notes. She didn't usually work in the ED, but she'd been pulled there today due to staffing shortages.

'This is Darrel, 24, found unresponsive, suspected heatstroke. Boss sent him home at noon after a vomiting episode, found him on the ground three hours later. 3 inch laceration, left temple, second degree burn, left arm, pinpoint pupils, BP 80/40, fluid unresponsive, temp 106, pulse 140, tachypnea, GCS 8. Intubated, 10 mg diazepam. Seized on the way here, approx five minute duration. We've cooled him as much as we can and he's on high flow. No underlying health conditions.'

Laurie's role was to take obs, so she pulled out her stethoscope to auscultate.

'Pulse 150,' she called out.

'BP 60/20.'

'Temp 105.5'.

At least his temperature was down, marginally. If a person's core body temperature remained too high, they worried about long-term damage. The medics had stripped him and covered him with wet sheets, placed cold packs on his neck, his groin, and under his armpits, and they were now pointing fans at the gurney. All this would hopefully help lower his temperature.

Darry's skin was flushed and dry, a classic sign of heat stroke. His chest heaved from the air that was being forced into his lungs. Laurie glanced at his heart trace. This was a very sick man. Her colleague, Rosa, was rapidly gathering vials of blood. As she released the tourniquet, Darry began seizing. No one panicked, but as alarms shrilled, it became clear their patient was in worse condition than they had expected, considering the initial call indicating heat exhaustion.

Dr Collins administered another dose of diazepam and Darry's body relaxed. Laurie began her obs again, just in time for the monitor to start shrieking again. Asystole. No heartbeat. Shit, shit, shit.

'Crash cart, stat!' Someone yelled.

Quickly, Laurie and Rosa laid the bed flat and Dr Collins commenced CPR. The battle had begun.

**********

Darry's brothers came to see him every day. She gathered bits and pieces of their stories- the younger now in his sophomore year of college, the middle already on kid number three at age 20, and the firstborn still working two dead-end jobs. She remembered he was a roofer from one of the articles she'd read.

'Can you give us any idea of when he's going to wake up?' Sodapop asked Laurie, for the hundredth time. His eager, handsome face peered up at her from his perch beside his elder brother's bed. The three of those brothers really could have been movie stars, but especially this one. He was almost painfully good-looking. No wonder he wore a wedding ring, she was sure there had been many ladies wanting to lock him down. She seemed to recall most of the younger girls in town were half-crazy on him, constantly finding excuses to turn up at the garage where he worked. Being four years his senior, she hadn't been one of them, but she'd heard the talk.

Despite all this, Soda wasn't arrogant, just disarmingly confident. Laurie liked him a lot. Somehow, his personality outshone even his beautiful face. His wife was a lucky woman.

Laurie turned her attention back to her patient. He looked peaceful now, but in her minds eye she could see him fitting, almost falling from the gurney, blood pouring from the gash in his head while the staff worked to pull him back from the brink. He'd been in critical condition for five days, and only today had the doctors given the all-clear to extubate.

He might never wake up, and even if he does, he might not be the same, Laurie thought to herself, but she didn't say as much to the hopeful faces that watched her every move. She adjusted the flow on the IV line while she weighed her words carefully.

'We aren't sure. We stopped giving him the sedating medicine three hours ago, so we're watching him very closely. He's been stable and breathing well by himself, which is a good sign.'

A non-answer, but it seemed to pacify the man. He nodded gratefully and squeezed Darry's hand.

'You hear that, big bro? We're all counting on you. You got this, man.'

The youngest brother wasn't so relaxed. He paced up and down the room, obsessively checking the machines that monitored Darry's vital signs. Laurie never could get used to his name- Ponyboy. She couldn't blame him for going by his middle name, Michael, now that he was older. She had no idea what those parents had been thinking. Darrel was the only one with an ordinary name.

Laurie checked Darry's IV site. It looked ok, but it was due for a change. She decided to go get the equipment she'd need, as she had a few rare moments to spare.

'You should try and get some food before the lunch rush,' she advised Michael and Soda, 'all the good stuff will be gone, believe me.'

Her ulterior motive was to give herself space to work.

'I ain't really hungry,' murmured Michael, whose eyes never left the monitor screen, 'I want to be here when he wakes up.'

'Pony-uh, Michael,' Soda amended, 'The nurse is right. You haven't eaten properly in days. Darry'd kill me if I let you fade away, and besides, you need to keep up your strength for your meet on Saturday, savvy? Bring home some medals and have something to tell the ol' boy when he's better.'

He stood and put his arm around his brother, who, although younger, was the tallest of the three, lanky and still not filling out his 18 year old frame.

'Alright,' murmured Michael, and allowed himself to be led away, though not without many glances back towards the still form on the bed.

'I'll call the cafeteria if anything happens while you're gone,' Laurie assured them, although she doubted it would. She wasn't feeling optimistic about this one. It was such a damn shame, such a waste of a young life. With Michael at college, Darry could finally have pursued his own dreams, and now- who knew? It was depressing to contemplate- it was always worse with the younger ones. The fact that Darry was her own age, that they had been in the same grade, just made it hit that much harder.

Furiously, Laurie wiped away the tears that were slipping down her cheeks, thankful she had reached the privacy of the equipment room. She didn't know why this was getting to her so bad, why her usual professional demeanor was so shaken. She barely knew the guy, outside of him being their rival running back and what she'd read in the papers. She'd never even had a conversation with him.

Maybe it was because it was all so damn unfair. Laurie attended church every Sunday, and she considered herself a Christian, but she couldn't help asking- why?

Why, God, when he's such a good person, when he's worked so hard and selflessly for his brothers? It doesn't make sense.

She gathered everything she'd need for the site change, along with some fresh sheets and another catheter kit. May as well do the whole kit and caboodle while she was at it, so she went to the cupboard that held wound dressings, for the burn on her patient's forearm. At least in his unconscious state, he wouldn't be able to feel the pain of her irrigating and re-dressing the injury.

She recalled Michael Curtis pulling her aside in the hallway yesterday and pleading with her, 'Please, Miss, promise me you'll do everything you can to help him. It was supposed to be his turn, now I'm in college.'

His turn for what? For living life, she supposed. She sent up another silent prayer. If they couldn't help, maybe God could.

Laurie re-entered room 7, thankful to see that Soda and Michael were still gone. They both deserved a small break after the hours they'd spent keeping vigil by Darry's bedside. She'd seen this before- at first, relatives will hardly leave the patient's side, but then, as it becomes clear things aren't going to improve, the visits become less frequent, not because of a lack of care on the family's part, but because real life continues, bills need to be paid, classes need to be attended, kids need to be cared for.

Darry lay pale and still, just as she had left him. That was discouraging. His vitals were still good, he was breathing independently, and his wounds were healing nicely, not to mention his blood work had been steadily improving. All of these signs were positive, except for one thing. He wasn't waking up.

'It's Nurse Dennett again, Mr Curtis,' she greeted, 'I'm going to draw blood, change your dressings, your IV, your catheter and your sheets. I hope you won't give me any trouble, as all this is going to take a while.'

She always liked to talk to her comatose patients, as she had learned in college that there was a chance they might be able to hear, and besides, it just felt right to do so. She closed off the IV line. She'd tackle that first.

She washed her hands and laid out her materials carefully on the metal rolling table, taking care not to contaminate the sterile packages as she opened them. She donned her gloves.

'Your brothers went down to the cafeteria,' she continued, 'but they'll be back soon, and I heard Soda say he wanted to bring the kids in later to see you. I hear you have some pretty rambunctious nephews.'

She peeled off the dressing that covered the IV cannula and discarded it, then she gently pulled the tube out, pressing down to stem the blood that oozed from the puncture. She cleaned and covered the site, then weighed her options for the next. Luckily, her patient had an abundance of veins to choose from. She placed the cannula with ease and moved onto her next task, opting for Darry's two dressings- one covering the nasty gash on his temple that he'd sustained after passing out and hitting a breeze block at the construction site, and the other on his left forearm, protecting the burned skin beneath. When he'd been found, his arm had been lying on the asphalt, which had been hot enough to induce a second degree burn.

'Your head is healing pretty well, Mr Curtis, but you're likely to have a scar,' she informed him, 'I hope you're not prone to vanity.'

She applied a sterile gauze dressing, studying Darry's face intently to see if he responded to her voice or her touch, but to no avail.

'Now we'll move on to your arm,' she informed him. It's been doing pretty well too. Doc says they could put it in a textbook. Says you should get back your full range of motion. It'll scar for sure, but it could have been worse. Much longer on that asphalt, and you would have been looking at skin grafts. As it is you'll need physical therapy, but you should be ok. You'll have full use of your arm again.'

She gently removed the dressing, but as she did so, part of the skin beneath peeled away with the bandages. Immediately, Darry shot upright in the bed, screamed out in pain and caught her wrist in a vice like grip with his good arm.

It took Laurie a second to get over the shock.

'Mr Curtis, let go of me!' she exclaimed. She was holding the soiled dressing half off the wound, and she had no intention of allowing the area to be contaminated.

Darry's movements were frantic as he tried to push her away from him. His legs kicked under the blanket as he attempted to get up.

Laurie held on to his injured arm with difficulty. Thanks to his weakened and confused state, she was able to protect the burned area, but if she couldn't settle him, he'd hurt himself further.

'Mr Curtis!' she shouted, 'If you don't calm down, I'll have to call the orderlies to restrain you!'

That seemed to get through to him, and he stilled, but his eyes were huge with panic. He let go of her wrist and his gaze drifted to the exposed angry skin of his left arm. He moaned.

She gently guided him back to his pillow. His head lolled and his eyes rolled back into his head. His breathing was rapid.

'Can you hear me, Darry?' She asked him gently, still holding his burned arm safely away from his side.

It wasn't protocol to address a patient by their first name, but she needed to try and help him calm down.

His gaze fixed on her face for a few seconds, and then darted around the room. She could almost hear him thinking, 'What is going on? Where am I?'

Laurie's heart went out to him. She couldn't imagine how confusing and distressing this must be. She hated to see a patient disoriented like this.

'Darry? Darry, nod your head if you can hear me.'

He nodded, slowly.

'What-' he rasped, with difficulty, his throat still raw from being intubated, 'What happened?'

'You had an accident at work. I can explain everything, but I must get this burn cleaned and covered. I'm afraid it will be painful, but I need you to try and stay still.'

Darry swallowed and gave her a small nod, then fixed his blue-green eyes determinedly at some point on the wall.

Laurie wished she had administered some pain relief before starting the procedure, but now, they would just have to push through.

She peeled the rest of the dressing off as carefully as she could, but some more areas of skin did come away. Darry's body jerked involuntarily as he fought the pain.

'I have to wash it now,' she stated, quietly.

She irrigated the red flesh thoroughly, Darry hissing with every flush. Finally it was done and she covered the area.

'All finished. I do apologize for any discomfort.'

'Is that what you call it?' He joked weakly, through half-closed lids. He looked as though he was trying to get control of his breathing, and she admired his composure. Burns were agonizing.

Laurie was inwardly rejoicing. Her comatose patient was awake, he was lucid, and he was even cracking jokes. This was the best shift she'd had in weeks. Sometimes people would surprise you like this, and it was always wonderful when they did.

'As I was saying, Mr Curtis, you had an incident at work. Do you remember your boss sending you home?'

'Yeah,' he croaked, 'I had thrown up from the heat.'

'That's right,' Laurie praised, 'He thought you had left, but when he finished work three hours later he found you unconscious beside your truck. You hit your head when you fell.'

She paused for a moment to let her words sink in.

'Mr Fowler called an ambulance-'

'What?!' Darry interjected with horror, 'I can't afford that!'

I'm afraid the ambulance bill is about to be the least of your worries, Laurie thought.

'You were extremely unwell, Mr Curtis. Mr Fowler did exactly what he should have done in the situation. You were suffering from severe heat stroke.'

Darry shrugged.

'So? I've been overheated before. I would have been fine. Old man shoulda taken me home and put me in a cold shower.'

'You probably had heat exhaustion before. It's a common mistake to confuse the two conditions, but heat stroke is much more serious. It was a good thing you got here when you did.'

Darry looked perplexed, and Laurie knew he still didn't understand, which was pretty typical. Most people didn't realize just how dangerous heat stroke could really be.

'Well, alright,' Darry replied slowly, 'what about my arm?'

'You were found lying half on the asphalt. It was so hot that it burned you. If you'd had any more skin exposed, or been there for any longer, it could have been much more serious.'

Darry whistled through his teeth, softly.

'Guess I oughta thank the old man, after all.'

'I should say so. He saved your life.'

Laurie moved to the table to clear away the items she'd used. She'd decided not to change the catheter after all. Now that Darry was awake, they could try getting him up and at least onto a bedpan. She would just empty it instead, and remove it later. Good thing she hadn't opened the kit. She could return it to the equipment room.

'I'll go and let the doctor know you're awake,' she informed him, 'and we'll get your brothers from the cafeteria- they went to get something to eat. They've been so worried about you, they've been here every day-'

'Every day?' he interrupted, 'What- what day is it?'

She turned from the doorway.

'Its Saturday, September 14th.'

His eyes were wide again.

'Wait, what-,' he croaked, 'you're saying I missed a whole week of work?'

'I'm afraid so. You've been very ill.'

Darry threw off his bedsheets, shaking his head.

'I gotta call my boss,' he mumbled, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

Laurie threw down the the pack and ran over to him.

'Please stay in bed, Mr Curtis. You haven't been cleared to get up. It's against protocol.'

He shook his head and ignored her plea, so she put her hands firmly on his shoulders and pushed him down into the mattress.

'You're going to rip out your IV! Your catheter!' She warned.

He froze.

'My what?!'

'You heard me. How do you think you've been going to the bathroom the last 5 days?'

A deep blush covered Darry's face, and he swore under his breath.

'I want out of here, today,' he growled.

Laurie scoffed,

'And then what? Go back to work tomorrow?'

Darry fixed her with a glare.

'Yeah. If my boss hasn't fired me already for missing days.'

'Your boss has been here almost as much as your brothers have. He feels that it's his fault he didn't walk you to your truck.'

'His fault, nothin. If I hadn't passed out like a little- anyway, I'm gettin' outta here today, savvy?'

Laurie sighed, exasperatedly.

'You don't understand, Mr Curtis. You had at least two seizures, your heart stopped, you've had kidney and liver trauma, a concussion, and a second degree burn. You've been sedated for days. We cannot in good conscience just let you walk out of the door. It would be against protocol.'

'I got rights, don't I?' Darry demanded.

'Of course you do, but-'

'Then go and get the doc and let him know the score. I want out. Unhook all the -whatever- and send me on my way.'

Laurie raised her hands in surrender.

'All right. I'll let the doctor talk some sense into you. I'm just glad you're awake. I'll let your brothers know. Can I get you any more pain medicine when I come back?'

Darry chuckled, bitterly.

'I'm sure my bill is already high enough. No thanks.'

'Alright,' Laurie agreed. Her tone was light, but she always hated when patients were so stressed about money that they declined pain relief. It just didn't seem fair.

But then again, life had never been fair to the Darrel Curtises of the world. 

Sighing, she pushed open the door of Darry's room and headed to the doctor's station, although she already knew what they were going to say. Her patient was far too sick to be going anywhere.

Laurie grinned to herself. She couldn't believe he'd woken up, just like that. It was a miracle. They didn't get many of those in her line of work.

Thank you, Lord, she prayed, silently. Thank you for giving him another chance.

Chapter Text

Darry had never been so mortified as he was right now, watching the pretty dark-haired nurse draining his catheter bag. When she informed him she would be the one removing the device, he had wanted to curl up and die.

It wasn't as if he made a habit of shooting his shot with girls anymore- he rarely had time to even meet any, but he might have tried it with this one, if the circumstances had been different. If he hadn't grabbed her wrist in a panic, if he hadn't practically shouted at her in his anxiety over the hospital bills, if she hadn't been the one giving him bed baths for the past week, like a baby.

'When can I get out of this bed?' he ground out, finally, desperate to say something to break the awkward silence. Maybe it wasn't awkward for her, she seemed to be the consummate professional, but he hated lying there like a helpless infant while she tended to him.

'We can try this afternoon,' she replied, coolly.

Darry nodded. He could hardly wait.

He had sent his brothers home- there was no need for them to be here, fussing over him. He felt fine. Or, mostly fine.

Soda's wife Angie was due to give birth to their third child any day now, and Darry was sure she could use her husband's help with her two young boys. Ponyboy, Michael, he reminded himself, had already missed too many classes sitting at the hospital, and Darry was worried about him losing his scholarship. He was fine, and he was tired of being fussed over, embarrassed that he'd caused so much stress and trouble for everyone.

He watched as Nurse Dennett washed her hands and proceeded to his chart to record the observations she had just made. He could hardly breathe when she'd listened to his heartbeat, sure that it must be concerningly high, and wondering if she would guess the reason why.

His cheeks burned with mortification as he realized that another part of his body had reacted to her proximity. He hoped desperately that she hadn't noticed. How embarrassing. Was he really so touch-starved that he got hot and bothered by a girl leaning down close to him? Of course, he was. It wasn't as if the ladies had been in line to get together with someone who had two teenage boys to take care of, and even if they had been, he'd been too busy to make time for dating. It was pathetic, really, and now he was reacting like a 15 year old.

Trying to be discreet, he rearranged the sheets, sure she would think him some kind of pervert if she noticed.

She turned to leave the room and he felt his shoulders relax. He lay back and feigned sleepiness, resisting the urge to watch her walking out, not wanting to be a pig, and giving his body a chance to calm down.

Darry gave a small groan. Just his luck to have the prettiest nurse. He didn't want to think about everything she had seen while he'd been knocked out. There was no way she'd be interested now. If only he had come in with some heroic injury from saving a child or something, and preferably conscious.

A soft knock made him jump and there she was again, peering around the door. Darry could hardly stand it.

'Your boss is in the waiting room,' she informed him, softly, 'Can I send him in?'

His stomach lurched. Was he about to lose his job? He would assure Fowler that he'd be back at work tomorrow, maybe that would be alright.

'Sure,' he replied, doing his best to sound calm.

She nodded and left the room.

Darry rested his head back on the pillow and counted his breaths. He had to get himself under control. He wanted to show his boss he was ready to hit the ground running in the morning. Pony's college fees weren't going to pay themselves, and with this hospital bill, which was sure to be astronomical, he could almost feel himself sliding into a deeper pit. He would need to work overtime for the foreseeable future if he wanted to avoid dipping into his emergency fund, the money with which, he barely dared to admit to himself, he hoped to attend college himself one day.

He squared his shoulders and sat up straighter, forcing a smile onto his face, trying to look like someone who was ready to carry bundles of roofing up a ladder in the morning.

'Curtis, son, how are you?' boomed Fowler, bursting through the door with his usual energetic stride.

Darry tried not to wince. He hadn't realized his head hurt until now. Nurse Dennett's voice had been soft and pleasant.

'Fine, thank you, sir. Ready to get back to it, I think. I apologize for missing so many hours, I can pull some overtime to help make up for that.'

Fowler threw his hands up towards the sky.

'Don't be ridiculous, Curtis! The doctor says you'll need to be here for at least another week, and then you'll be needing to take it easy for some time after that.'

Darry felt his head start to throb.

'Mr Fowler, I can't expect you to hold the position open for that long. I feel perfectly fine, as soon as they let me up, I'm headed home. In fact, I'll be at the site first thing.'

Fowler approached Darry, a kind, fatherly smile on his face.

'Now, son,' he placed a huge hand on Darry's shoulder, 'You need to listen to these people. They know what they're about. If you push yourself, you'll only end up back here again. Don't worry, I'll keep your job. You're one of the best guys I have.'

The large hand squeezed his shoulder tightly.

'But sir, I-'

'Darrel, it's alright. Just concentrate on getting better. I feel terrible about this whole thing. I should have driven you home myself. The thought of you lying there for hours - it makes me just sick.'

He shook his head.

'No, Curtis, this is my fault, and I want to do what I can to make it right. You'll be on half-pay until you're ready to come back. I wish I could do more, believe me. Can you do that, Darrel? Can you take it easy for a while?'

Darry felt the panic rising in his throat. Half-pay was more than he could ever have expected in this situation, but it wouldn't be enough. It wouldn't be close to enough. He started to think of all the things he could sell, which wasn't much. His skis, perhaps. It was doubtful he'd ever use them again. He wondered if anyone would want his old gym bag- he never had time to go anymore. Perhaps- 

Thank your boss, idiot. He could have fired your ass.

'You don't know how much I appreciate your generosity, sir,' he answered, with genuine feeling- he knew times were tough for everyone right now, and even half-pay for someone who wasn't working a lick was far more than most bosses would have done- most would have fired him already.

'It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm just glad you're going to be alright, Curtis. When I found you- I thought- I thought you were dead, to be quite honest.'

The large man swallowed and mopped his red face with a handkerchief.

Darry didn't know what to say, touched by his boss's concern. Everyone kept telling him how sick he had been. He supposed he should be grateful to be alive. But, Darry couldn't help thinking, at least if you're dead, you don't have to pay bills.

Nurse Dennett quietly entered the room. Darry almost jumped. She was good at moving around surreptitiously.

'Mr Fowler, visiting hours are ending now.'

'Oh! Of course, miss. Thank you.'

The big man left the room, but not before remonstrating with Darry once more.

'Please, listen to the doctor, son. You deserve a break.'

Darry nodded, although he had no intention of staying here for a moment longer than he absolutely had to. He simply couldn't afford it. The thought of being unable to pay for his little brother's second year of college made his blood run cold.

His arm was hurting more and more, he guessed that whatever meds they had him on were wearing off. But he'd be damned if he asked for anything else. His pride and his wallet couldn't stand it.

He watched Nurse Dennett as she checked his IV bag. He should say something. He was getting nervous again. He didn't want to be weird.

'Uh- do you like being a nurse?' he asked, lamely.

Is that the best you could come up with, Darry?

She smiled down at him.

'Yes, mostly, I do. I've been qualified for three years now, so I'm pretty comfortable in my role, but I'm new enough that I still have a lot to learn. Do you enjoy roofing?'

Enjoy roofing? He hadn't thought about enjoying his job in a long time. He just did it because that was what he had to do. He'd been there long enough he had earned a pay raise, and he didn't have too many other skills, so it seemed natural that he should continue. Thinking about doing a job he was passionate about was something he'd given up on long ago.

'I don't hate it. It pays the bills.'

But even that wasn't entirely true. To pay for the part of Pony's tuition that the scholarship didn't cover, he'd had to pick up a second job again- stacking shelves at the grocery store. And that job, he hated. The owner's wife, Margie, was always whispering lewd remarks in his ear and making excuses to brush up against him. It was disgusting. He would have quit, but the thought of Pony graduating from college kept him going- jobs were in short supply, and he needed his.

It looked like Nurse Dennett was finishing up, and Darry didn't want her to leave yet, but he didn't want to talk about work anymore. Why couldn't he channel the smooth guy he'd been in high school? He hadn't had any trouble back then talking to girls.

'Uh- are you from around here?' he asked, throwing out the first thing that popped into his mind.

She nodded.

'Uh-huh. Born and raised. Tulsa High, class of '63.'

Darry felt his eyes widen with realization- their biggest rivals.

'I went to Will Rogers, but we graduated the same year,' he commented, 'you probably weren't my biggest fan, back then, I guess.'

She shrugged, and Darry felt stupid. Why would she remember him? Sure, he had been a hotshot running back, but who cared about that now? It hadn't gotten him very far. He felt like one of those losers who constantly harked back to their glory days in high school, because that was when they had peaked.

He was about to change the topic to cover his embarrassment, but then she spoke again.

'Football's not really my thing,' she answered, simply.

Darry perked up a little at that. She did know who he was. He wondered if he'd ever seen her at a game, if he'd ever flirted with her. He used to do quite a lot of that.

'It seems like a long time ago, now,' he remarked. So long ago, in fact, that he couldn't even recognize the boy she would have remembered. 

'Definitely. Well, Mr Curtis, it's time we got you up and moving. Are you ready to try?'

'Yeah,' he agreed, enthusiastically. The sooner he got out of here and back to reality, the better.

'Alright. We have 30 minutes before the end of my shift, so that should be enough time.'

Darry laughed.

'I should hope so.'

He met her eyes, and he realized she wasn't joking. Darry couldn't understand why everyone was so worried about him getting out of bed. There was nothing wrong with his legs. He felt just fine.

He was unhooked from all the machines and bags and stuff, so he decided now was a good a time as any. He shuffled to the side of the bed and threw off his sheets, flushing with mortification as he noticed the thin hospital gown was all he wore. He guessed it didn't matter too much. She'd already seen everything, anyway.

Nurse Dennett hurried over to his side.

'You're supposed to wait for me to help you up,' she instructed, 'I need to assess you and see if you're ready to stand.'

Darry halted on the edge of the bed and gave her a grin. She must be almost a foot shorter than him and she was slightly built. The thought of her assisting him was comical.

'No offence, Nurse, but I'm not exactly sure what help you'd be in this situation.'

She fixed him with a hard stare, and Darry could swear he saw her roll her eyes slightly.

'It's protocol, Mr Curtis. I've been trained extensively in these matters.'

There it was again, her precious protocol. She certainly seemed to be a stickler for the rules, but then again, he wasn't going to complain about her warm little hands on his shoulders and back. Man, that was nice.

'Move right to the edge of the bed,' she instructed, 'place your hands so that you can push yourself up.'

Darry complied. She was so sweet and determined. He'd do whatever she wanted, as long as the end result was getting out of this damn bed.

'Alright, Mr Curtis, whenever you're ready. Go slowly, take your time.'

He felt the old cocky smirk slide back into place as he met her eyes again.

'You can just call me Darry, ya know.'

He stood, imagining her swooning as he towered over her with his full height. Imagining how impressed she would be that he had bounced back from the brink of death, as good as new.

'Addressing a patient by their first name is against protocol, Mr Curtis....'

He never got a chance to ask for her first name, because he suddenly started feeling uncomfortably hot, and his vision seemed to be going dark on the edges. Shit, he was going to pass out again.

He had just enough time to chide himself- nice going Darrel, real smooth with the lady- before everything went black.

Chapter Text

'You'd better watch out for this one,' Laurie joked, as she handed Darry's file to the night nurse, 'he's liable to leap out of bed at any moment, with no regard for the consequences.' 

She glanced over to Darry, who looked thoroughly abashed. Thankfully, when he had passed out, she had been able to pivot him back onto the bed, so he hadn't sustained any further injury. She was glad she'd paid attention in the recent patient handling class. 

Sarah chuckled, 'Uh-oh, and I was hoping for a quiet shift. Now you tell me I'm saddled with a troublemaker.'

'Don't worry,' mumbled Darry, picking at his blanket, 'I ain't fixin' to be stupid again. I learned my lesson.'

Laurie felt a little bad. She had only meant to lighten the mood, but it seemed Darry was taking it personally. 

He'd come round from his fainting episode within seconds, and she had explained it was probably a result of standing up too quickly after being in bed for so long. She had assured him it was perfectly normal, and once he'd recovered, she'd suggested they start again a little more gradually, moving him to a chair, but he'd refused. His reluctance confused her. All he'd talked about since coming out of sedation had been getting out of here, and then after one small setback, he was ready to throw in the towel. Men could be so silly when their pride was wounded.

She hoped that Sarah would have more luck this evening. Once Darry was mobile, he would be able to be transferred down to the general ward. She was sure he was ready to move around with assistance. 

'Well, if there's nothing else you need from me, I'm going home to catch up on some sleep. Have a good night, Sarah. Nurse Rogers will take good care of you, Mr Curtis.'

He nodded. 

'Thanks.'

Laurie thought maybe his response was curt, but wasn't offended, chalking it up to him being a little embarrassed about passing out earlier.

She nodded to Sarah and left the room, heading to the nurses' station to report to Matron and sign out.

'Excuse me, Nurse?'

Laurie looked up from her scribblings in the log book and saw a pretty blond haired woman, tastefully dressed, addressing her from the other side of the desk.

'Yes, how can I help you?'

Technically she hadn't finished signing out, so she was still on duty, but she hoped this would be quick. Mom was making fried chicken and Laurie didn't want to eat it cold.

'I'm looking for Darrel Curtis. Is he on this ward?'

The flash of disappointment Laurie felt surprised her. She might have guessed Darry had a girl.

She hoped she didn't sound flustered as she replied.

'I'm sorry- visiting hours are over, unless you're a family member.'

'I'm his sister-in-law, does that count? Angie Curtis.'

Soda's wife. It had to be. She hoped her relief wasn't evident on her face. It was silly anyway. Why should she care whether Darry was single? She might never see him again. She wasn't working for a few days, and by the time she came back, he was sure to be on the general ward, or discharged already. She jolted, realizing Angie was still waiting, smiling politely.

'Oh-uh, yes. I can show you to his room,' Laurie replied. She walked around the end of the desk and saw that the woman was very obviously heavily pregnant. She remembered then that Darry's brother had talked excitedly about the impending birth of their third child.

'Great, thanks, I can't wait to sit down. Feels like these wards are a mile long. You have kids?'

Laurie shook her head. The question stung a little, but that wasn't this woman's fault. She would have liked to have been a mom by now, but that hadn't been in the cards so far. 

'Please, follow me, it's just down the hall.'

Angie began an inelegant waddle that seemed comically at odds with her petite frame. 

'Well, I'm really too young to be on kiddo number three,' Angie chuckled, breathlessly, 'but if you saw my husband, you'd understand.'

Laurie didn't know how to respond. She didn't want to give this woman cause to think she had been ogling her husband, but then, you'd have to be blind not to notice Sodapop Curtis.

'We've met. He mentioned bringing the children in to see their uncle.'

Laurie had been hoping he would. She loved children, and they definitely livened things up on the ward.

Angie rolled her eyes.

'I love my husband, but sometimes that man doesn't use his head. Those two rascals would be climbing all over this place and disturbing the patients. Besides, if I know Darry, he wouldn't want them to see him like this. They think of him as quite the hero, you know. Call him Superman.'

Laurie nodded. That fitted in with everything she had learned about Darry so far.

'He'll be alright though, Mrs Curtis. We expect him to make a full recovery, if he allows himself to rest.'

'Aha!' Angie exclaimed, 'That's just why I'm here! Someone needs to talk sense into him, and believe me, after climbing all those stairs in my state, I'm ready to do it. Ridiculous man, thinking he's going to run off from the hospital after all this! I'll give him a good talking to, Nurse, wait and see.'

Laurie couldn't help laughing.

'He hasn't been the most compliant patient, I have to admit,' she replied, 'Well, here is the room. My colleague, Nurse Rogers, is taking care of Mr Curtis this evening. I just finished my shift, so I'll be along now.'

She was sorely tempted to use this meeting as an excuse to poke her head into Darry's room again, but that would not be professional.

'Oh goodness, I'm sorry to have pulled you away as you were leaving!'

'Not at all. If you can persuade Mr Curtis to remain in hospital a while longer, I consider it time well spent. Good evening.'

Angie grinned at her. She really was pretty, a good match for her husband. 

'Don't worry, I'll put on my 'Mom' voice. I'll have him shaking in his sheets. Good evening, Nurse.'

With that, she turned and marched into the room. 

'Darrel Shaynne Curtis!'

Was all Laurie heard before the door swung shut.

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

'I swear, this chicken gets better every time you make it,' groaned Laurie, biting into the crunchy batter. Juice poured down her fingers and she sighed blissfully.

Her mother smiled, beneficently. 

'There's a whole big plate of it still in the kitchen. You eat up all you want.'

Julia Dennett was a famous cook. People were constantly asking for her recipes, only to end up disappointed when they didn't turn out as well as the original. But what they didn't know was that she hadn't let them in on her secret tweaks, changes she had perfected over years of trial and error.

'I'll give them the basic recipe,' she would say, 'but the finer points, they'll have to work out for themselves. I'm not giving that away for free.'

'I can't believe I'm going to have to fend for myself soon,' remarked Tessa, gloomily, regarding her own heaping plate of buttery potatoes, glossy gravy and fresh rolls, 'It almost makes me want to call off the wedding.'

Their mother chuckled as she made up a plate for their father. Tessa said something similar at most mealtimes- she wasn't the best cook, and they all knew it.

'I'm sure that Jerry would have a thing or two to say about that,' chuckled Laurie, 'although, if we see him getting skinnier, you both might have to move back here.'

Her big sister had been engaged for only a month, after a whirlwind romance with a guy she'd met at the diner where she worked. They weren't wasting any time- the wedding was in just a few weeks. Tessa said they didn't see any reason to wait- they were both close to 30, and sure of what they wanted.

'I'll run this upstairs to Dad,' Mom said, 'He's not having a good day today.'

Laurie didn't know how she felt when she heard this statement anymore- more numb than sad. Deep down, they'd all given up hope that Dad would ever get much better.

Three years ago, their father, Robert, had been injured at his construction job when poorly installed scaffolding had collapsed. He had fallen 20 feet and fractured his spine, leaving him partially paralyzed and, most days, bed-ridden. Although the construction company had given him a generous payout, they had struggled to pay the bills for some time. Mom had gone to work at the grocery store, and Robbie, only 14 years old at the time, had picked up odd jobs mowing yards, raking leaves and cleaning gutters.

However, their efforts weren't enough to match Dad's foreman's salary and eventually, they had had to leave their middle class home and move to the East Side. Robbie had been done with high school by then, but it was still a big change for all of them, but now, they felt truly at home here. Despite all the talk, most people on this side of town were decent, hard-working and welcoming.

'I'll go up and see him in a little, Mom,' Laurie said, 'What time is Robbie home?'

'Not til late. It's restock day, and he's going out after with Grace.'

The sisters nodded and resumed eating. Robbie and his girlfriend, Grace, both worked at the grocery store, and frequently spent evenings together.

'Hey, Laurie- when can we go get you fitted for your dress? We need time to make the alterations.'

'Uh- I'm off until Friday, actually.'

Tessa grinned. Laurie's schedule was notoriously busy, but this month, unusually, there hadn't been many shifts for the taking.

'Perfect! We'll get something set up. Maybe on my lunch break tomorrow. I'll grab lunch from the diner and meet you there. Hey, did I tell you we met with the florist? She says the white dahlias will be ready just at the right time. I'm thrilled! They'll be perfect with the chrysanthemums, and I was so anxious that- hey, are you even listening to a word I'm saying?'

Laurie looked up guiltily from her salad.

'Uh- honestly, my mind was still at work. I'm sorry, sis.'

Tessa sighed. 

'I should have asked how your guy was doing. I know you've been cut up about it.'

'That's ok. I want to hear about your life, too. I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention.'

'I understand. Me chattering on about my flowers while someone's life hangs in the balance.....pretty self-centered of me.'

Laurie shook her head.

'No, Tess, don't feel like that. In one way, it's a job like any other. I don't want to neglect my family and life outside of it. But,' she beamed, 'he woke up today, and he's doing great! It's one of those cases where you don't expect a fantastic outcome, and you've already resigned yourself to that, and you get totally surprised. His brothers were over the moon. It was amazing.'

'Are you talking about Darrel Curtis?' Mom asked, hurrying back into the kitchen, 'What did I miss?'

Laurie felt bad that the conversation had completely shifted away from Tessa and her wedding plans, but she was sure her mom and sister would be as overjoyed as she was. Encouraging news from the ICU wasn't always abundant. Besides, Mom had a soft spot for the Curtises. When Laurie had come home the day Darry had arrived at the hospital, she'd asked her mom if she remembered the family, she'd replied, 'Remember them?! Every mother in Tulsa lost a piece of her heart to those boys, poor things.'

'He woke up this afternoon, and he's been doing really well! It's unbelievable. If you'd seen his bloods a few days ago...anyway, I think he'll be out of the hospital in a few days time.'

'That's great news, sweetheart. It's an answer to prayer.'

Laurie knew that her mom prayed for all her patients. She always shared with her family the cases she was seeing at work. It helped, being able to talk about it.

She smiled back.

'For sure. But, Tessa was telling me about her appointment with the florist, and I totally interrupted. I want to hear the rest, sis.'

Laurie sat back and tried her best to look like the combination of bouquet colors was the most interesting thing in the world to her at that moment. She thought she caught her mom looking at her suspiciously, but she studiously ignored her. She wasn't going to think of Darrel Curtis as anything other than a patient. She didn't. Because that would be unprofessional.

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

Laurie was sweating as she walked to her car. This heat was brutal, and the hospital was poorly ventilated. Her mood wasn't dampened by this, though.  Her septic patient, a five year old boy, was improving rapidly and she'd been able to give good news to his parents at the end of her shift.

She jumped into her seat and started the car, wound down the windows and turned on the radio. Humming cheerfully, she pulled out of the parking lot. She didn't have far to drive, and she was looking forward to a cool shower and a glass of lemonade on the back porch.

It felt like it might storm. Wind was starting to whip the dust on the side of the road. Laurie decided to roll up her windows after she got a faceful of grit from a particularly strong gust. As she wiped it off, she spied a familiar figure trudging along the side of the road. 

'No way,' Laurie muttered to herself, but she knew immediately it was Darry. What on Earth was he doing? She had heard he had been discharged today, but she doubted whether he was in any state to be walking home in this heat and dust. Besides, it was about to storm. She'd offer him a ride, and a piece of her mind while she was at it. Where were those brothers of his? Couldn't they be bothered to drive him home, after all he'd done for them?

She pulled level with him, and slowed, calling his name. He turned so rapidly that he stumbled slightly, but upon seeing the car, only increased his pace, glancing back several times as he did so. She pulled closer to the edge of the road and called him again. This time he broke into a jog. Laurie was mystified. This man was intent on getting himself back to the hospital. She pulled the car over and leapt out. Maybe he hadn't heard her. She would make sure he did.

'Darrel Curtis!' she screamed, over the wind. 

Darry stopped and turned towards her, chest heaving.

'Nurse?' He greeted, uncertainly.

'You can call me Laurie, we aren't at the hospital,' she snapped, as she marched towards him, 'I've come to offer you a ride, stop making me chase you all over creation.'

'I'm sorry,' he replied, shamefacedly, as he moved towards her, 'I didn't know it was you. Truth be told, I thought I was gettin' jumped. I don't need a ride, though. I'm sure it's outta your way.'

'Nonsense,' she replied, 'Get in. I don't want to see you back in the ICU, and besides, it's fixin' to storm.'

'Well- alright. Thank you.'

He hopped into the car and she followed suit. She tried not to think about the fact that she was red faced and clammy with sweat, and probably had the remains of grit still sticking to her face. She brushed a few stray hairs from her cheek, self-consciously, aware of his eyes following her movements.

'Well, where to from here?' she asked, wanting to fill the silence. Also, it was necessary. She needed directions.

'Uh, turn on 5th,' he replied, quietly, 'Thanks, Laurie. I appreciate the ride.'

She nodded.

'Of course. It's no trouble.'

He couldn't know her stomach had done a flip when he'd said her name. You couldn't see that on a person's face, could you?

'Why aren't your brothers here?' she demanded, 'Surely they aren't too busy to run you home?'

Darry gave an embarrassed laugh and ran his hands through his hair. Rain began to spatter the windshield.

'I was plannin' to call them when I got home.'

'That's ridiculous! I know they would have been happy to come get you. You aren't well enough to be walking miles.'

'Pony's busy with school, and track. I don't want him to miss any more time than he already has. And Soda's wife is havin' her baby any day now. She needs him around in case anything happens.'

Laurie scoffed. 

'Well, I'm sure they wouldn't be happy to know that I picked you up on the side of the road.'

He shrugged. 

'It's OK. I need to build my strength back up.'

'You need to take care of yourself, Mr Curtis, is what you need to do,' she scolded.

'Hey,' he chided, 'I thought we were on a first name basis, now, Laurie.'

'That's not the point-' she stopped, realizing he was teasing her.

'Alright, Darrel. Pay attention. I don't know where I'm going, remember?'

He chuckled, 'OK.'

The conversation lapsed and she was thankful for the drumming of the rain and the chatter of the radio to muffle the silence that was punctuated only by the directions he gave her.

She kept sneaking glances at him, hoping it looked like she was diligently checking her mirrors. Good Lord, the man was handsome. She found herself both wishing the drive wouldn't end, and that they were there already. He made her feel jumpy, but in the best way.

All too soon, they were there. She pulled up alongside a chain-link fence. The house was small, shabby, but homey. Somehow, it was exactly what she had been expecting.

Darry reached for the door handle.

'I wanted to thank you again. Not just for the ride- for everything. I guess I don't remember any of it, but I heard that you took good care of me while I was real sick. I- uh- I feel awful that I grabbed your arm like that after I woke up. I didn't honestly know what was going on, and I'm sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you, or anythin' like that. Anyway. Thank you. I appreciate all that you did.'

It sounded like a goodbye, and of course, it was. There was no earthly reason she'd ever see Darry Curtis again.

'It's quite alright. I was just doing my job. And please, don't worry about any of that. It's completely normal to be confused after waking from sedation.'

He nodded, gave her a half-smile, and opened the door.

'Promise me you'll call your brothers,' she ordered.

'Yes, ma'am,' he joked back, with a mock salute, 'Well- bye.'

'Bye.'

He hopped out of the car, but hesitated before closing the door behind him. Laurie waited. Her breathing hitched. If it weren't her imagination...then it seemed as though he wanted to say something else to her.

'Uh-' he jammed his hands into his pockets as he stood on the sidewalk, seemingly unconscious of the rain battering his head, 'would you- uh- would you like to come in for a coffee real quick?'

Laurie's grin felt like it could split her face in two.

'That sounds real nice, Darry,' she replied.

I can't think of anything I'd like better.

Chapter Text

Darry liked to categorize things. He liked lists, liked to sort events and people and objects into their places. He had always liked keeping things organized, but the list keeping had really taken off after his parents had died. It had seemed like a good way to keep on top of things, but lately, he found he just couldn't stop.

There were lists he liked to mentally go through from time to time- his favorite days, for instance- in order- the day he was awarded custody of his brothers after the court case was number one, followed by the day Pony turned 18 and he felt like he could finally breathe a little easier, and after that, the day they'd finally finished paying off the house. Below that were various football or family events. When Darry was stressed, he would cycle through the list over and over and it would help him calm down.

He would go through his brothers' favorite foods, every family vacation they'd ever taken, every kiss he'd shared with a girl, the songs he liked right now, the best shakes at the diner. Sometimes the order changed, and he edited to reflect this. Sometimes he would write them out, and then throw out the papers afterwards. He didn't know why, but he knew he'd be embarrassed if someone were to see them.

He had other lists too. Lists that he kept to remind himself, because forgetting wasn't an option. Forgetting would be worse, like denying history, like losing those days. Sometimes, when he wanted to torture himself, he'd force himself to go through each one.

The bad dates he'd been on, the times when he'd fumbled the ball or let down the team, the worst days in his life, so far, spanning all the way from when he'd had to identify his parents' bodies, to the day he'd hit Pony, to losing Johnny and Dally, to the cops letting him know he might very well lose his brothers, to barely being able to pay bills, to Soda dropping out, to losing Dad's old wallet, to Margie Harris groping him as he tried to stock the shelves, to waking up in the hospital feeling like shit, and finally, to Laurie.

He'd tried to make a move on a girl for the first time in forever, and had fallen flat on his face, physically and metaphorically speaking.

Darry groaned and let his head fall into his hands, his elbows resting on his knees as he sat in Dad's old chair, forcing himself to go through the evening one event at a time. He didn't know why he felt compelled to do this, but he would relive each embarrassing vignette until the memory was branded into place.

First, he had decided to walk home instead of calling one of his brothers. That was probably stupid, from a medical standpoint, but from Darry's perspective, it made perfect sense. Angie had made it very clear how much trouble he had caused everyone by not taking care of himself on such a hot day and landing himself in the hospital. He wasn't sure how many hours Soda had spent sitting at his bedside while he'd been out for the count, but it was too many. He had seen how much discomfort Angie had been in. He wasn't about to take his brother away from his wife and kids again, if he could help it. And Pony- he needed to focus on school and track. He didn't need to waste anymore time driving back to the shitty side of town. He needed to stay on campus, where he belonged. 

It was only four miles, and he would call them as soon as he got home, he reasoned. He could play it off, let each brother think the other had picked him up and no one would be the wiser.

This had seemed like a good idea, until it had started to storm. 

'Ah well,' Darry had told himself, 'at least I can't get heatstroke again if I get rained on.'

And then, the car had pulled up beside him. He didn't recognize it, and he couldn't see the driver through the swirling dust, but his stomach had sunk immediately. It'd been years since he'd been jumped, his size and reputation had deterred the Socs, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility for it to happen now. He was sure they'd honed in on him- lone Greaser, shoulders slumped, trudging beside the highway. An easy target. Normally, he wouldn't have worried so much as he did now, but Darry knew he was weaker than usual, and he was sure the Socs sensed this, somehow. 

He didn't want to run, didn't want to give them the satisfaction, but when they pulled over again, medical bills flashed through his mind, and he'd sacrificed his dignity in preference of his bodily integrity. He knew there was a side street he could duck into, and he aimed to make it before the Socs got serious.

And then, he'd recognized her voice over the howling of the wind, and been hit with a wave of embarrassment so strong that he almost wished it were the Socs come to beat his ass, instead of the sassy little nurse that turned his brain to Jello. Here she was, picking him up like a stray on the side of the road. Humiliating.

The drive hadn't gone too badly. They had seemed to connect, a little, enough so that Darry had pulled out his last remaining shred of courage and asked her in.

And how did the next part go, Darrel?

Darry rested his head back on the worn material of the chair. It was familiar and comforting. He wished he could grab a cold beer from the fridge, but that would require the fridge to actually be cold. Which it wasn't, because the electricity bill hadn't been paid while he'd been laid up, which meant that the cute nurse, Laurie, who by some miracle had actually agreed to enter his run-down shack of a house, had not been able to drink a coffee or even a glass of water, but had instead witnessed his embarrassment as he had checked the light switches and the fuse box, only to realize the power had been turned off by the city.

He had assured her that he did pay his bills regularly, and that he definitely had the money to pay for this one. He almost showed her the envelope he'd set aside for the purpose. Darry always paid the bills on time. There had been months when he'd had to pull overtime to do so, where he'd had to sell ever more precious items to make ends meet, times where he'd been sure he'd have to beg one of his friends for a loan. But he had always made it. He wanted to tell Laurie this, but it would probably make him seem more like a loser than he already was. A guy who has his life together doesn't have to convince a girl that he can pay his electricity.

'Maybe I can grab you a Coke or somethin',' he'd muttered, hurriedly, pulling open the fridge, just in time to notice the reddish ooze leaking from the door. The smell hit them both like a wave and he'd began to gag.

'Shit, uh- shoot, I'm sorry. Power musta been out for a few days and everything spoiled,' he'd garbled, trying not to throw up.

Laurie had dealt with the whole thing like it happened every day. She had waved away his apologies and insisted on helping him clean the mess, telling him that as a nurse, she had a strong stomach and not much bothered her, and that she couldn't in good conscience leave him to deal with it in his weakened state. It had been near-dark at that point, so Darry had hovered awkwardly with a flashlight while she mopped up rotten meat juice from the floor. 

He didn't even want to know what she must have been thinking. 

Darry stood and kicked the coffee table viciously with his heel. It collapsed, as it had many times before. He'd fix it later. He paced the floor, grabbing at his too-long hair hard enough to hurt his scalp. He needed a damn haircut, but he wasn't even sure whether he could spring for that right now.

He didn't want to replay the next part, but he had to see it through. This was the process he always went through after any event, good or bad. It helped sort everything into its proper place in his mind, so the thoughts weren't just left swirling, with no place to go.

After the clean-up, he'd tried to salvage things by offering to take her out to a diner, but she'd turned him down, insisting that her mom would be wondering where she was at. Darry doubted whether a twenty-four year old woman had her mother watching over her so closely, but he recognized a gentle let-down when he saw it.

He'd been intending to ask for her number if things had gone well, but things had gone so far south of well that he'd buried that notion and stammered out more awkward thank yous, and finally, a good-bye.

That brought him full circle to now, sitting in the dark, tallying up the value of the food he had lost to spoilage. Darry picked up the paper and squinted at it. 

'Milk, $1.05,' he wrote. That was the last item of many. Of course this had happened when he actually had things stocked.

He didn't want to complete the calculation, but Darry always made himself face up to reality. There was no other choice. It looked like he'd be putting in more overtime for the foreseeable future.

He pulled out another sheet of paper. He would work out how long it would take for him to break even again, considering the hospital bills and this set-back. He'd get a plan put in place and then he'd execute it. One step at a time, he'd get out of this hole. The financial one, anyway.

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

First thing in the morning, Darry grabbed a can of pears and slapped together a few peanut butter sandwiches for his lunch and then headed to the neighbors to use their phone and let Soda and Pony know he was home. Soda sounded half-distracted- Darry could hear Shaynne and Patrick fighting in the background, but he expressed his excitement in his usual exuberant way, assuming that Pony had run his big brother home, telling Darry that was for the best, as Angie had been feeling tired and sore the last few days. Darry didn't correct him. Pony was quietly happy and assured him that he'd be home tomorrow to visit, as he usually did on weekends. He hadn't even asked how Darry had gotten home, not that Darry expected him to. Thanks to him and Soda, Pony had never really had to worry about that sort of thing.

He thanked the neighbor and then hurried to pay the overdue bill. He felt ashamed. This had never happened to him before. No one in line knew that the envelope in his hand was late, but he felt as though there were a sign above his head screaming, 'This loser can't pay his bills!'

Tasks complete, he rushed to work. He hoped the power would be back on this evening, then he could buy a few groceries and get them into the fridge. He felt slightly woozy from not having eaten much since leaving the hospital, and he knew he couldn't afford any more mistakes. Also, he wanted to have food on hand when Pony arrived. He didn't want his little brother to worry.

Fowler and the rest of the men seemed genuinely glad to see him, and it warmed Darry's heart. Now that the gang had fallen apart, these men were about all he had for companionship. He had worried they might resent him for leaving them in the lurch halfway through the job, but no one said anything about that, instead, asking him how he was feeling and making sure he didn't push himself too hard. He discovered that a few of them had even visited him in hospital, those first few days. 

Fowler had announced a new rule. When the temperature got above 90, regular timed breaks would be required. Some of the men griped, but the boss has assured them it wouldn't eat into their pay. 

'This right here is the recommended protocol from the State of Oklahoma itself,' he declared, brandishing a bundle of papers, 'I ain't wanting no other men getting hurt on my watch, ya hear?'

Darry smiled to himself. It reminded him of Laurie, always going on about protocol this and protocol that. His smile faded as quickly as it had come. He needed to stop thinking about Laurie. That ship had sailed, even if it weren't a ship, but a janky little rowboat instead. Whatever it was, hadn't sailed at all. It had sunk before leaving the dock.

If you don't stop thinking about her, I'll make you go through the whole thing again. Starting with when you woke up and grabbed her, and ending with you standing like a fool on the porch as she drives away into the storm. And we'll keep running over it until you get it through your thick skull. That girl is not interested in you as anything more than a patient, and she never will be. She was only being nice, because she feels sorry for you. Got it?

Darry had heard that the first sign of madness was talking to one's self. If that were true, he must be crazy because he'd done it as long as he could remember. There would sometimes be a whole argument with himself going on inside his head, but his face never changed as far as he could tell.

Roofing was monotonous, but that meant Darry could do it almost without thinking now. It was a blessing and a curse, depending on what was occupying his mind. Some days, he wished desperately for something more mentally stimulating. At one time, he had dreamed of becoming an accountant, but instead, here he was, mindlessly pounding nails under the boiling sun, working himself into an early grave.

He hadn't completely extinguished hope, though. The envelope in the back of his closet was growing, albeit slowly. Perhaps once Pony had finished school, then maybe...he allowed his mind to drift to a pleasant daydream.

Finally, Fowler called time for the day and Darry sat back on his heels and wiped the sweat from his face.

He climbed down the ladder thankfully, his body weary. He had completed his first shift back, and he actually felt pretty good, all things considered. He was glad he had listened to Angie. He had really needed those few days in the hospital to build his strength back up. He felt that if he were careful, he'd be back to his normal self before long. His burned arm was hurting pretty bad, but he'd just have to tough it out, he reckoned.

He headed for his truck.

'Hey, Curtis,' called out one of his coworkers. Darry turned. The voice belonged to Ricky O'Donnell, a burly man who towered over Darry, who was no shorty himself. Ricky was just four years older than him, but had married his highschool sweetheart at 18 and, being an Irish Catholic, had already produced 7 kids. Darry liked him a lot. He was always jovial, and talked about his children all the time.

'Mary told me to be sure and invite you for supper when you got back. You can come over tonight, unless you had something already planned.'

Darry thought of the empty fridge, scrubbed clean by Laurie.

'Thanks a lot, Ricky. If you're sure.'

He knew the O'Donnells didn't have a lot to spare, but they were generous with what they did.

'Of course. Be there at 6:30.'

That gave him enough time to run home and shower, if the power was back on. Darry prayed it was, actually did pray, figuring it couldn't hurt, but he didn't really believe in that any more. His parents had been religious, and look where it had gotten them.

He arrived at 6:30 on the dot- thankfully, freshly showered. Darry prided himself on his timeliness and always had. Ricky was waiting for him on the porch, holding a bottle that was frosted with condensation. Darry's shoulders relaxed. He could almost taste the beer already. Various kids dashed around the small yard and greeted him as he headed up the walk. Darry grinned. Ricky's house was chaotic, but he didn't mind. It reminded him of how their place used to be.

'Take a seat,' Ricky welcomed, 'Mary told me to keep them all occupied while she finishes up. We're having stew and colcannon.'

Darry gave a groan of appreciation as a delicious smell wafted from the window. It was really too hot to eat stew, but Mary O'Donnell's cooking was so divine that he didn't care. 

The men sat and talked for a while. Darry found himself telling his friend about everything that had happened with Laurie. Ricky listened companionably. He was easy to talk to.

'I'll tell you something, Curtis. The first time I realized I loved my Mary was when I was supposed to be taking her out for the evening and my car broke down on the side of the road. We had to walk miles to the movie theater, and when we got there, it was closed. We tried to go out for ice-cream, but I had left my wallet in the car. D'ya know what that woman did? She took in all in her stride, that's what. I've never had so much fun on a date before. We laughed and joked and sang the whole walk home, and she never breathed a word of complaint. That's when I knew. She was the one. 

That's what you need in life. Someone who can knuckle down and find enjoyment in the everyday things, who can turn a crummy situation into fun. I may not be the smartest man around, but I sure bagged me a fine wife.'

Darry was silent. He remembered how Laurie had chattered happily while cleaning the mess. He had been so busy castigating himself that he'd failed to remember that until now.

Shit. Perhaps he should have asked for her number after all.

'I would have guessed she would be your type,' Ricky grinned.

Darry bristled. If O'Donnell was implying something about Laurie being a nurse ...he had heard men leering over the uniforms before...

'A smart woman,' Ricky continued, 'You don't want some doll that can't use her brain, do you? You want a woman who thinks, that you can have a conversation with.'

'Ricky,' Darry declared, 'I'd have to say that you know me better than I know myself. Thanks for the talk, man.'

Ricky responded by slapping Darry on the back so hard that he almost choked on his beer.

'Go find that girl. Get her number.'

Darry laughed, and leaned back in his chair. 

'Maybe. Maybe I will.'

He smiled to himself, picturing Laurie's cute face and pretty brown hair.

Perhaps this was his chance after all. At least, he'd give it a shot. 

Chapter Text

'Dad, you need to extend your leg as far as you can. Further. Further, that's it.'

Laurie pushed firmly on her father's shin, her other hand on his heel, gradually straightening the spasming limb. 

'I can't! Stop, stop,' her father gasped, pulling away from her, 'that's enough, Laurie. I'm done for today.'

Laurie gently placed her Dad's leg back down on the mattress. His face was pale and sweating, and he was breathing hard. Laurie was disappointed. She felt that he could have given more effort, but she didn't feel she could say that, given how much he was obviously suffering already.

Her mind flitted briefly to Darry. She wondered if he was doing his stretching exercises, prescribed to help preserve the full range of motion in his burned arm. A lot of people swore they would stick with their programs, only to abandon their efforts once life settled into a new normal. She supposed that his active job would help with some of that. It really wasn't her concern, though. She wasn't his physical therapist.

Her father rubbed his palm roughly down his face and took a deep, shuddering breath.

'This isn't helping, I- I don't think it's helping at all. It only causes more pain and tires me out.'

Laurie swallowed and turned away to mess with the pill bottles on the side table to hide the tears that had sprung to her eyes. 

'Dad, I...I really believe physical therapy can help you. But to make progress, we have to keep incrementally increasing your exercises, and....and we've been at a standstill for weeks, now.'

'Laurel.'

Dad's voice sounded exhausted.

'I know you're hoping for a miracle, sweetheart. But we need to accept that, barring divine intervention, this is as good as it's going to get.'

Laurie nodded, mutely, pretending she was focussing on straightening a pile of blankets. She would not cry. Dad didn't need that.

'How was work today?' he asked, and Laurie knew he wanted to change the subject.

'Not great. My patient deteriorated. We've been calling her family, make sure they have the chance to say goodbye before...well, you know.'

Dad made a sympathetic noise in his throat.

Laurie dabbed her eyes with her sleeve, realizing guiltily that Dad would assume her tears were for her elderly patient, when in fact, they were shed on his behalf. It felt like a release to let them fall.

'Come here, sweetheart,' her father beckoned, opening his arms clumsily.

Laurie sank onto the bed and melted into his hug. 

There is nothing, she told herself, like your Dad's hug to make everything feel ok.

For a second, she allowed herself to believe it.

********

She had been thinking about Darrel Curtis a lot, since the last time she'd seen him, a week ago. Embarrassingly often, in fact. She kept replaying, in her mind's eye, the way he had been so sweetly awkward when he'd invited her in for coffee, the way he'd gruffly thanked her for cleaning up his fridge, how he'd stood on the porch watching as she'd driven away.

She thought about him so much, that when she bumped into his brother, Sodapop, outside the main entrance to the hospital, she did a double take, sure that she had manifested this somehow. 

Soda was wearing his trademark grin, but, today, his smile was so blinding and beaming that it pulled irresistibly at the corners of Laurie's own mouth. He was carrying an enormous bunch of flowers in a bright assortment, in fact, as she looked closer, she could see that he must have bought multiple bunches and tied them together in a cacophony of colors, sunflowers pushed up against roses and lilacs, clashing in the most beautiful way. 

Two toddler boys clung to his legs, peering at Laurie with huge brown eyes, little copies of their father.

'Hello, Nurse,' Soda greeted, exuberantly, 'how're you? Shaynne and Patrick and I are on our way to see Angie. She had the baby this mornin'! We gotta little girl.'

The man was practically bobbing on his heels with excitement. Laurie was delighted for them all.

'Congratulations! What have you named her?'

'Michaela Jane. These two have Darry and I's middle names, so only seemed right to do the same for Pony. He usually goes by Michael, but I reckon he'll be pleased. Jane is for my Momma.'

Laurie nodded, the mention of Darry having struck her dumb momentarily.

'I go Unca Dawwy twuck,' lisped the older boy, shyly. Shaynne, Laurie recalled, named for his uncle, Darrel Shaynne.

Soda ruffled the child's hair.

'Darry watched them overnight for us,' he informed Laurie, 'he spoils them somethin' awful, they didn't want to leave. In fact, he dropped 'em off not five minutes ago.'

Laurie felt herself flush a little. She might have known Darry was good with kids. Not that it mattered to her specifically, but it was nice to know, anyway.

'Oh,' she replied, softly, 'that was kind of him.'

She hoped Soda couldn't read what was written all over her face. She felt that maybe his comment had been rather pointed, as if letting her know she had barely missed his older brother.

At that moment, a battered blue truck rumbled past them, and, with a jolt, Laurie met Darry's gaze as he drove by. Soda raised a hand in farewell, and the boys screamed with delight, but Laurie couldn't help noticing his eyes stayed on her, seemingly as taken aback as she was. 

She remembered the last time they had seen one another, he had been so mortified about his power being out that she thought he probably hadn't picked up on her ridiculous attempts at flirtation. Many times since then, she wished she had said yes to his invitation to a diner, but Mom always worried herself sick about any of them being out late, since Dad's accident, and Laurie hadn't been able to bear the thought of frightening her. Either way, she often found herself wishing things had ended differently.

Realizing she was standing frozen, staring at the spot where the truck had disappeared, she turned sheepishly back towards Soda, who gave her a knowing smirk.

'He ask for your number yet?' he teased.

Laurie tried to form a reply, but ended up sputtering foolishly.

Did Soda know about her coming across Darry on his way home, and that he'd invited her into the house? She probably shouldn't interfere, but part of her did want Soda to know that his hard-headed brother had tried to walk home by himself.

He could have asked for her number before she left that evening. He could have come to her work, but he hadn't. Was that out of embarrassment, after the refrigerator debacle, or was it simply that he wasn't interested in pursuing anything further, and the invitation to join him for a coffee had simply been a thank-you for a ride home? Maybe she had misread the whole situation.

'Only,' Soda continued, with a flourish of his garish bouquet, 'I couldn't help noticin' his lovesick little eyes followin' you around that hospital room after he woke up. Thought Ol' Superman woulda made a move by now.'

'I- I couldn't date a patient. It wouldn't be very professional,' she fumbled.

Soda's eyes gleamed and he stepped towards her, the two little boys still glued to his side. He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial hush.

'He ain't your patient anymore, and that wasn't a no. But Darry's lost his touch, I reckon. Been years since he's been out with a girl. Too busy workin' and worryin'.'

He winked, and Laurie felt her face heat up even more.

'Your brother seems like a good man, however, I really-' she began, meaning to firmly tell Sodapop Curtis that she must go in and start her shift, but he interrupted her.

'He is,' he agreed, enthusiastically, as serious as Laurie had yet seen him, 'he gave up everythin' for Pony and me. He deserves to be happy.'

'I'm sure he does.'

Laurie thought, with a pang, of that newspaper article detailing how Darry, at only 19, had foregone college and taken on two jobs to keep his brothers with him. What an enormous burden he must have carried, stepping in to fill his parents' shoes while barely grown himself. She wasn't sure she was even good enough for such a man.

'Miss Dennett, are you going to give me that number or not? I can't have my big brother pining away. He hasn't got the gumption to ask you himself, well, glory, I will!'

Laurie had to remind herself to breathe. Had Darrel Curtis really been pining for her? She found it hard to imagine.

Shaynne and Patrick began to whine, pulling at their father's arms. Soda shushed them, continuing to regard her expectantly, waiting for her response. Laurie dithered, conflicted.  She was half-convinced this was some joke or scheme cooked up by Darry's brothers to set him up with a date.

'Uh- I- are you sure he's interested? I wouldn't want to make a fool of myself on a presumptuous notion.'

Soda nodded. 

'You know, Darry likes those big words you use. Said you was awful smart. Now, Nurse, that number, please. I'm sure you have a notebook somewhere in all those pockets. Times a wastin', gotta get these kiddos up to see their momma. My wife is only gonna wait for so long before she comes lookin' for me herself.'

Now that he mentioned the time, Laurie realized she was in danger of being late herself. She pulled out a sheet of paper and began to scratch out her number, hand shaking a little.

'If you're sure. Only give it to him if you're sure, please, Soda.'

Soda grinned at her, boyishly.

'Last time I was this sure of somethin', I proposed to Angie. Didn't you notice? He almost crashed his truck when he saw you. He'll call before the week is over, I betcha. Bye now.'

He snatched the paper triumphantly from between her fingers and marched off, his boys in tow.

Laurie took a few breaths to compose herself, then focused her mind on the shift ahead of her. She couldn't allow any frivolous thoughts to occupy her mind and distract from her work. At least, she would try. But goodness, if Darry didn't look more handsome this morning than he ever had before. Maybe a little tired and rumpled, and in a worn work shirt, but that didn't seem to dampen her attraction to him at all. In fact...it was the complete opposite.

Shaking her head, she stuffed her notebook into her pocket and made quickly for the doors. She had a job to do.

********

Laurie checked her hair one last time in the hallway mirror.

'Tess!' she yelled, directing her voice upstairs, 'Hurry up, we're going to be late again!'

A muffled shout, followed by a commotion of clattering and thumping, was the only reply.

Laurie rolled her eyes. Tessa would be late to her own funeral, at least, that was the family joke. 

The front door opened and Jerry strolled in. He looked more and more at home around their place, and Laurie couldn't help but be pleased about it. She has always wanted a big brother, and she couldn't have asked for a nicer one than Jerry.

'She's keeping us waiting, as usual, then?' he joked.

Laurie grinned back at him.

'Hey, you're the one that proposed to her. She's gonna be your problem soon.'

Jerry shrugged.

'I'm sure I can handle it.'

They both shared a chuckle.

'Care for a snack while we wait? Momma's been baking up a storm again.'

Jerry's eyes gleamed as he followed Laurie to the kitchen.

'Say, Laurie,' he began, around his mouthful of snickerdoodle cookie, 'you had any more bother from that creep that was pesterin' you? The one that kept calling you?'

Laurie grimaced. One of her patients a few months back had gotten the wrong idea and mistaken her nursing attentions for romantic inclinations. He'd become somewhat fixated on her and had managed to finagle her number from a well-meaning colleague, who had been convinced the attraction was mutual.

'He's still been calling. About every couple of days. I've tried being polite, but he doesn't seem to be getting the message.'

Jerry scoffed, 'Time to forget being nice about it, Laurie. You gotta give it to him straight. Tell him to get lost.'

'I'll tell him myself, if he calls tonight,' cut in Robbie, as he strode into the kitchen, a stack of books and papers in his arms, 'I'm staying in to study.'

'Oh yeah, I forgot. Your test is coming up soon, isn't it?' Laurie jumped up to give her little brother a hug, 'I bet you'll ace it, Robbie. I can help you review your notes tomorrow, if you like?'

Robbie was taking night classes, working towards a certification in mechanical engineering. Laurie was so proud of him. Despite the challenges and setbacks of the last few years, he was determined to pursue his education. She was certain he would pass with flying colors.

'Maybe the day after. Grace and I have plans. I'm taking her out to the river for a walk after dinner. I've... actually been wondering if it's the right time to...you know.'

Robbie ducked his head shyly.

Jerry leapt up and slapped him on the back.

'That's great news, Robbie! Make it a double wedding with us!'

The younger man laughed.

'Naw, Jerry, we're gonna need some more time to save and plan. We're both of us barely out of high school, so we ain't in a rush. But I appreciate the thought.'

Laurie felt like a terrible person. Why did she feel a horrible, twisting stab of envy? Why wasn't her first thought just to be happy for her siblings? She had never been one to wallow in self-pity. Pushing the selfish thoughts down, she forced a smile onto her face and joined in the happy stream of chatter.

But it niggled at her, all night long, even while she was dancing with a steady stream of smiling, pleasant men, who did nothing to spark her interest.

When is it going to be my turn? How can my barely 18 year old brother be about to get engaged, and I don't have a date? Why didn't Darry call yet? Did I miss my chance when I dumped Simon?

It had been a while since she'd even thought of Simon, her ex-fiancé, who had insisted she choose between him and nursing. Maybe she should have tried harder to make it work. Maybe it would have been worth the sacrifice. She had seen other women put their careers on pause, and, truthfully, so would she have done, if he hadn't been so forceful about it. If he had truly let it be her choice. But maybe, that was the best chance she was going to ever get. It was a disquieting thought.

So, as she was getting pretty good at doing, she shoved the thoughts down and tried to convince herself that the tall blonde lawyer she was sitting across the table from was just as handsome as Darrel Curtis, and that she didn't give a rip whether he called or not.

It didn't work very well.

*********

Sometimes Laurie wondered whether her co-workers existed purely to irritate her. She knew that was an unkind thought, but all she wanted was to enjoy her lunch in peace, for once, but instead, she was subjected to endless gossiping about their boyfriends and love interests. 

She chewed morosely at her chicken salad, attempting to tune them out. Three weeks had gone by, and Darry hadn't called. She felt foolish for believing he could have been interested in her. Soda had meant well, but his unwavering positivity must have blinded him to his brother's indifference. The only calls she had been getting were from her creepy ex-patient. She was even sure she had spotted him loitering around the hospital. It was starting to bother her, make her feel uneasy.

'Laurie! Laurie, come here, you have to see this.'

Laurie turned, inwardly rolling her eyes. One of the newer nurses, Cindy, was beckoning her frantically from her perch on the windowsill, where she and a gaggle of other women were giggling uncontrollably. She couldn't guess what was so urgently important, but she pushed back her chair wearily and stepped over to the window. The others parted, propelling her forward, whispering excitedly among themselves.

Her gaze fell to the roof of the west wing of the hospital, which was lower than the building she was in. A gang of men were working there, seemingly replacing the shingles. And there, unmistakable, in the middle of them, was Darry, in all his shirtless glory, glistening in the heat.

Laurie stepped back, feeling her cheeks burn as the cackles of laughter increased to a fever pitch, so loud, in fact, that the roofers peered up towards them. She met his eyes briefly before she fled back to her seat. What on earth must he be thinking? She couldn't read his expression. Maybe he hadn't recognized her, maybe the sun was reflecting off the windows or something. How awful, that he probably just saw her gawping at him while he was working.

'I knew that would throw her for a loop,' laughed Marcie, 'she's got it bad.'

'I don't blame her,' someone else chimed in, 'what a hunk.'

Laurie had always hated that term. It seemed so.... dehumanizing, somehow. A hunk of what?

She couldn't help overhearing the chatter, listening despite knowing she shouldn't be.

'He always was a cutie, way back in highschool. My friend dated him for a couple months. I was so jealous. She told me he was a frigid bastard, though. Too worried about getting her pregnant and ruining his big college plans.'

'I heard that, too. He thought he was too good for any of the girls he dated, I guess.'

'Yeah, well we can all see how that worked out for him. I wouldn't mind having a go at him myself, though. Wonder what it'd take to make him crack.'

Laurie pretended she didn't hear them and attacked her salad again. She would have liked to believe her colleagues held themselves to a higher standard than this. It was horrible to talk in this way about a person, behind their back.

Cindy sauntered over to the table and perched herself on the edge of it.

'You're so lucky to have been his nurse,' she smirked, 'I thought, if you didn't mind, you know, if you're not interested, I might ask for his number. But I thought it was only fair to let you know, before I made a move.'

She smacked her gum and flipped her blonde curls over her shoulder. Cindy was stunning, and she knew it, too. Laurie didn't doubt she'd have Darry eating out of her hand in no time at all.

The jealous stab she felt wasn't fair. She had no claim on him. He clearly didn't reciprocate her stupid crush. It was better to rip off the Band-Aid.

'That's real considerate of you, Cindy. But you don't need my permission. There's nothing going on between Darry and I. Our relationship is strictly professional.'

Cindy threw back her head and laughed.

'Aw Laurie, you're so 'by the book' that it hurts. You need to loosen up. I'll tell you what, when Darry and I go out, you gotta double date with us. My brother is real cute, and he's single. I'll set you up.'

Laurie choked out a refusal and fled from the break room. She couldn't take this anymore.

*********

Mercifully, the rest of her shift was busy, and flew by. She hoped that the roofing crew would be done for the day by the time she was exiting the hospital, but of course, she couldn't be so lucky.

She hurried past the worksite, praying that Darry didn't notice her. She was too embarrassed to face him.

Her hopes were dashed when the man himself appeared suddenly from behind the corner, hefting a large bundle of roofing on his shoulder. For the second time that day, their eyes met, and Laurie attempted a watery smile, but what she received in return was a cold scowl. He flicked his gaze away from her quickly and strode by without so much as a greeting.

Her stomach rolled. There was no mistaking that. Darry not only wasn't interested in her, he must have taken offence to her looking at him from the  window. She wanted to call out to him, to explain, but she realized she would only make more of a fool of herself that way. He hadn't called her for a reason- he wasn't interested. She couldn't believe she'd given her number to Soda for him. If he'd wanted it, he would have asked for it himself. She probably appeared to Darry as desperate, begging for his attention.

She had allowed herself to interpret his inviting her in as interest in her, but it was clear now that it was just politeness on his part. She had a feeling he didn't like being indebted to anyone, and it was probably his way of paying her back for the ride home. And now, he had seen her spying on him from the window like some shameless- what a fool she'd made of herself.

Despondently, she slunk to her car. She needed to get over Darry, and quickly. She couldn't go on like this. She kept picturing the look on his face, so clearly unhappy to see her. She supposed he frequently had women treat him like a piece of meat, with his good looks and build. She couldn't deny she found him attractive, but her feelings went deeper than that.

It doesn't matter, though. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you can move on. You barely even know him, Laurie. 

It sounded sensible. She just needed to get her head and heart in alignment. She knew what it felt like to have someone pursue you, when you had tried to make it clear you didn't feel the same way. And what could be clearer than someone having your number but not calling you?

She'd find a way to get over this, and eventually, his rejection wouldn't hurt any more. It was the only way.

Chapter Text

Darry sat on the edge of his bed, thumbing across the blank squares on the calendar page of his notebook. He counted them, and counted them again. Five squares for five days. Days that, as far as he was concerned, had vanished into the ether. 

The last thing he remembered before the gap was walking towards his truck, feeling like shit. Then, as if there had been nothing in between, he woke up, with his arm in agony, in a white room with a stranger peering down at him, telling him he'd had an accident.

It was a strange feeling to know that a period of your life had gone by without you remembering it. For Darry, who liked to keep things categorized and shelved away in his mind, it was extremely disconcerting to have this hole in his memory. Sure, he had heard his brothers' account of his state, which included descriptions like, 'white as a sheet', 'dead-lookin' ' and 'scary still', but they hadn't been with him for hours at a time like the nurses had. He wondered if he had said anything odd, had roused at all, like he'd heard people to do sometimes while unconscious. He wished he had asked Laurie, knowing she had been one of his primary carers, but he couldn't now. She thought he was a creep. That's what her brother had said on the phone. He hadn't known he would have come across that way. It made him feel sick.

And of course, the universe had conspired against him and he was working at the hospital for the foreseeable future. It was a huge contract, Fowler had said. Would keep them busy for weeks, months even, replacing the rooves on each of the buildings.

Maybe he should have stayed in his coma. It seemed preferable to feeling like this. No, that was stupid self-pity. Why should he care if some Soc nurse didn't like him? It was stupid of him to get his hopes up anyway. 

He wondered what he had looked like when he'd come in, when he'd had those seizures, when they had to pump his chest to bring him back. He hated that she had seen him like that.

He hated that it bothered him. Why couldn't he just be thankful to be alive? But the not knowing, he hated. Maybe it was the lack of control, the realization that his body could betray him like that. It scared him, because it could happen again. 

No. There was a logical explanation. He had passed out because of dehydration and overheating, and there were steps he could take to make sure that didn't happen again. He listed them, under his breath. Drink water before work. Keep a bottle on him and drink every 30 minutes. Rest in the shade like the boss had told them. Start early and finish the day before it gets too hot. Eat pickles for lunch. Apparently, that helped. Something about the salt.

Darry took in a deep breath and crossed through the squares, like he usually did. It wasn't hard. His pen dashed through each day in a quick stroke. There. 

Now that was done, and he could move on. He'd created a new shelf for those days. He could do that if he wanted. It was his brain. He could make the rules. 

He glanced at the clock. 6:07. Time to get a move on, if he wanted to start promptly at 7:00 and beat the heat. 

His morning routine was always the same, and he repeated it over and over in his head as he went about it.

Make bed, grab clothes, shower, get dressed, make lunch, coffee, breakfast, read paper, clean up, brush teeth, boots on, grab tool belt, grab keys, head out to the truck.

He frowned. Something was off. 

Oh, yeah. He'd cancelled his newspaper subscription. Since the hospital bills and the replacing of the spoiled food, he'd had to tighten his belt, literally and figuratively. Much as he loved his paper, it was a luxury he could forgo. The news was always bad, anyway, with war headlines every day. Headlines that screamed about the draft. He was better off without it. He just needed to remember that the list was different now. He'd get used to it.

Frowning, he started again. 

Get it right, Darrel. 

Make bed, grab clothes...

'Darry! G'morning!'

Pony burst into the room, yelling way too loud for this early in the day.

Darry flexed his jaw with a flash of frustration, mentally chiding himself. 

It's not your brother's fault he interrupted your list. It's his house, too. It's not his fault you're a freak. A creep. Just start again. Real quick. 

Make bed, say hi to your brother...

Stop, Darry. It's not important. Be in the real world. Show Pony you care.

'Hey, little buddy. How're you? Didn't expect to see you up so early.'

Pony chuckled.

'It is kinda surprising, I guess. But I wanted to ask you something before you headed out.'

Darry smoothed the bedclothes into place.

6:10.

'Yeah, sure. What's up?'

Pony scratched the back of his head, leaning against the door frame. He seemed nervous. Darry remembered reading about body language in a book he'd borrowed from the library, and Pony definitely looked antsy.

He grabbed his clothes from his meager closet. Worn out they might be, but he always ironed and  put them away with care. He might be poor, but he still had pride.

6:11.

'Pony, uh, I really need to run through the shower, so what'd you need?'

He resisted the urge to mentally run through his routine again. He was an adult. He knew how to get ready without a damn list. 

'Well. I-uh- I've been seeing this girl at school. She's in my Language History class. She's real nice, I- I think we could be gettin' serious soon.'

Darry whirled around to face his little brother, jeans and shirt gripped tightly in his fists. 

'Pony, doncha think you're rushin' into this? You can't have known this girl longer than a month!'

'That's right,' Ponyboy replied calmly, holding Darry's gaze, 'We met the first day of class. Her name's Anna. She's real sweet, smart as a whip. I want to bring her here the weekend after next. I'm - I'm meetin' her parents next weekend, so I won't be home.'

Show an interest, Darry. Ask him about her. 

'Hold on a minute, little colt. Tell me a little more about this girl. It's the first I'm hearing about this.'

Pony shook his head, his eyes starry, seemingly unable to know where to begin.

Darry flicked his eyes to the clock.

6:13.

'You must have heard me talkin' about her. She was in my study group. At first, I thought she was just another Soc, but the discussions we've had- she's so intelligent, Dar-'

Something, Darry couldn't have said what, riled up his temper at Pony's words. 

Maybe it was all the times his brother had started gushing about some stupid sonnet, only to break off with, 'Oh, I suppose that wouldn't mean much to you,' or 'My friends were so surprised to hear I was the first in my family to go to school.'

Maybe it was the fact that, two years into college, his brother hadn't once thought of getting a job, and seemed to be almost unaware that Darry was struggling to hold on to two to pay Pony's school fees.

Maybe it was the fact that Pony was so busy having fun, he hadn't even given a thought to Darry arriving home from hospital to an empty house with no power. Soda, Darry could excuse. He had actual important things on his mind. Pony, on the other hand, had to be reminded to put his dish in the sink, at 18 years old. 

Darry knew, deep down, that some of these accusations weren't totally fair. He'd always encouraged Pony to focus on his studies, and he also knew that Pony would have dropped everything to give him a ride home.

He just wished he wouldn't have had to ask. He wished Pony would think outside of himself, for once. Wished that he could at least acknowledge the load that Darry was carrying. Darry was happy to carry it, but it would be nice to be seen for what he was doing, sometimes.

But this wasn't even fair, because he'd always tried to shield Pony from the harsh reality of life. How could he blame Pony for not seeing what Darry had always purposely hidden from him? He knew he was being unfair, and his tangled feelings about it just made him more angry.

Maybe it was all of these things, or maybe it was that Darry was still sore at being rejected by the first girl he'd looked at in years, and here was his baby brother picking up a Soc like it was nothing.

He looked at Pony and realized that his little brother was only one year away from the age he had been when his parents had died, and he'd had to step up and become the man of the house. He doubted whether Pony would be capable of the same. He realized now that in his desire to protect Pony, he'd babied him, allowed him to live a carefree life while he, Darry, toiled all day, every day without thanks or appreciation, in fact, being looked down upon for not appreciating the finer point of Keats.

All these thoughts passed through his mind in seconds. Whatever had been keeping them pent up had broken.

His control snapped.

'Yeah, you said,' he interjected, drily, 'That's all you seem to talk about, these days- how clever you and your friends are. It must be hard for you, coming back down here to stay with your Neanderthal brother who's only good for pounding nails into rooves. Good thing even someone like me can still earn a wage, to buy all your books so you can study poems, or whatever it is I'm paying for.'

Pony gaped at him. Darry knew deep down he was overreacting, but for some reason, he couldn't seem to muster any remorse. Unknown to him, this had been festering, and now, it was all coming out. He almost felt detached as he watched his brother flounder.

'Darry, what- I didn't mean- I don't want to start a fight by having Annie come over. I just wanted to let you know that I- I wanted her to see where I grew up. I'm not ashamed of you, or of this house. It's the opposite! Darry, I'm sorry that you never got your chance to go to school! I'm sorry if I don't tell you enough how much I appreciate everything you've done for me! That's why I wanted to bring her-'

6:16. He was running behind. He had to wrap this conversation up.

'Are you askin' me or tellin' me that you're bringin' her here?' he demanded, more harshly than he intended.

'I- it's your house, I know that. But I hoped- glory, I don't need your permission, Dar. You ain't my guardian anymore.'

'Oh, I see! You don't need my permission to bring her to this house, where I pay all the bills? Well, I guess that's that then,' Darry snapped, sarcastically, knowing he was being cruel, but somehow unable to stop himself, 'you bring over Little Miss Soc and let her see how she likes slummin' it for the weekend. I'll make sure to put on my best manners- wouldn't want to embarrass you. I'll do some overtime to make sure we have somethin' decent to eat for once. Will that be alright with you, Michael?'

Darry's anger immediately faded when he saw tears sparkling in Pony's eyes. He opened his mouth to apologize, but couldn't find the words to do so. Deep down, he knew. He had wanted to hurt his brother, he had wanted to lash out. 

'I'll talk to Soda and Angie at dinner tonight,' murmured Pony, 'I'm sure they could make room for Annie. That way we won't bother you. And maybe I should start going there at weekends instead. I wouldn't want to intrude in your house, Darrel.'

He turned and strode away, leaving Darry standing stupidly in the middle of the room, chest heaving, clutching his work clothes so tightly that his ironing was wasted and his burned arm was searing. He welcomed the pain.

Dwelling on the conversation wasn't an option. His brain was desperate not to do that. Reflexively, Darry did the only thing he knew how these days. He focussed his mind back onto his list, searching for something, anything to think about other than the thought of how awful he'd just been to his baby brother. 

Take a shower, get dressed, make lunch....'

Chapter Text

Loser. Loser. Loser.

With every nail that Darry pounded into a shingle, the refrain echoed around his head. He couldn't shut it up, not with listing every teacher he'd had since preschool, not going through the table of elements, not reciting each country and its capital city. He finally gave up trying to push it away. He deserved to feel this.

He was a loser. 24 years old, with nothing to show for his life. Such a low-down creep that he'd ripped into his little brother for no reason other than that he was jealous. It wasn't Pony's fault he'd chosen this life. It wasn't anyone's choice but his own. He knew that, and he thought he'd made his peace with it years ago.

He would apologize to Pony, later. He hoped he'd be forgiving. How many times over the years had he had to humble himself like this and admit his wrong doing? He was such a screw up, such a failure. His parents would be ashamed. 24 years old, and he still hadn't learned to control his temper. Pathetic. 

'Hey there, Curtis? Ya alright?'

Darry slowed his breathing, set down his hammer and turned to face Ricky, forcing a smile onto his face.

'Oh, yeah. I'm fine.'

Ricky regarded him with concern. It was clear he didn't believe him.

'What's eating you? Is it that girl?'

Darry shrugged. 

'Sorta. It's more my little brother. We had an argument.'

'Ponyboy?'

'He goes by 'Michael' now. Thinks he's too good for the name my parents gave him.'

O'Donnell chuckled.

'C'mon. Give the kid a break. If you had to convince people your name was for real every time you introduced yourself, you might do the same. Don't take it personal.'

Darry scoffed, but the man's words resonated with him. It did make sense. So why was he determined to take it as a personal slight every time Pony corrected him? 

Because he didn't want to face that question, he muttered something about a water break and scuttled off like a coward.

The shade was a blessed relief from the blistering September day. He was glad it would soon be turning cooler, as fall set in.

He refilled his water flask from the cooler and sat down on the grass, dragging his hand down his face as he flopped down. He checked his watch. He'd take five. He didn't want to be counted a slacker. What Darry would never tell anyone was that he didn't feel the same ever since his hospital stay. His overall strength was less, his energy drained more quickly than usual, and he would get dizzy spells here and there. Overall, he just felt 'off'. He supposed he just needed time. He'd get there. His body had been through a huge ordeal, after all. 

'Hey there,' a feminine voice spoke, and Darry snapped his gaze from his boots and locked eyes with a cute blonde nurse. He thought he vaguely recognized her. Maybe she had assisted in some procedure. He had honestly lost track of the kaleidoscope of staff that had gone in and out of his room during the few days he remembered of his hospital stay.

Darry felt alarmed as she regarded him, arms folded, plump lips twisted into a smirk. What did she want? Maybe she was Laurie's friend, come to reinforce that he was nothing but an annoying creep? If so, he could let her know he'd received the message loud and clear. 

'Well, dollface, it surely has been a treat watchin' you work out here,' she drawled, 'I wondered if you wanted to take me out this weekend.'

A few of his coworkers, whom he hadn't realized were eavesdropping, hooted and hollered from the roof.

Darry felt uncomfortably hot. She was pretty, no doubt about it, but the cocky way she assumed he'd say yes rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't really want to, but how could he say that? He'd only hurt her feelings and humiliate himself in front of the entire crew. They'd think there was something wrong with him, turning this girl down. And at least she clearly didn't think he was a creep. Maybe this was the best way to get over Laurie. His coworkers were always telling him he needed to loosen up. It didn't have to be serious.

'S-sure. Let me- uh- give you my number.'

She giggled.

'Uh-uh. I'll give you mine.'

She produced a little twirl of paper and tucked it behind his ear, bending over so far that he could see down her blouse. Darry gulped. Wolf-whistles rang out from above them.

'I'm Cindy,' she whispered in his ear, lingering there for longer than seemed necessary.

'Darrel- uh- you can call me Darry.'

'Oh, I will, sugar. Maybe, if you show me a good time, I'll take you back to my place and you can have me screaming it out.'

Her breath tickled his ear as he choked, unable to form a response to her lewd suggestion. He was sure he was as red as a fire truck. He prayed the men hadn't heard her.

Cindy pulled back, flashing a triumphant glance towards the window that he now knew faced out of the nurses' break room. He could make out a gaggle of women there, seemingly beside themselves at what they had just witnessed. 

A sudden panic flashed through his mind. Was this some sort of humiliation ritual, to get back at him on Laurie's behalf? 

He scrambled to his feet, almost tripping over his cumbersome work boots in the process.

'I better get back to work,' he said, hurriedly.

Cindy smiled languidly back at him.

'Don't let me stop you. I'll just stay here and enjoy the view.'

Darry felt faintly nauseous as he climbed the ladder, but he knew this had nothing to do with the heat. It was the feeling he always got when Margie Harris, his grocery store boss, would sneak up behind him and hiss disgusting innuendos in his ear. The same feeling he got when he noticed women staring at him while he worked. Like he was nothing more to them that a collection of body parts to be ogled at. Sometimes it made him feel stupid that it bothered him. He'd enjoyed the attention in high school, sure, what teenage boy wouldn't? But after a while , he'd gotten tired of dating girls that couldn't hold an interesting conversation and were more concerned about if they'd get voted Prom Queen, and what he'd look like in a tux. He had thought that women left that type of mentality behind once grown, but unfortunately, he'd found that wasn't often the case.

Speaking of which, where did Laurie get off, calling him a creep? He'd seen her along with the others, yesterday.

He honestly couldn't think of what he had done to earn her disdain. Had it been the way his body had reacted when she'd tended to him in the hospital? He'd been so embarrassed, but it wasn't as if he could help it. He had told himself that she would understand, be professional about it. But it must be that, unless he truly was so inept- and he might well be- that he'd missed the real reason.

Maybe it was that he was so gutless, his kid brother had had to ask her for her number. Perhaps it had seemed cowardly to her. He wouldn't blame her for thinking so. Not that he'd asked Soda to do that. He had threatened to wring the kid's neck.

Either way, he didn't trust his judgment right now, and he certainly didn't trust Cindy. He'd encountered her type before. Shallow, superficial, and ready to dump you at the first inconvenience.

He pushed his mouth into what should pass for a satisfied grin as he reached the roof, and accepted the slaps on the back and knowing winks as if he had enjoyed the interaction.

When no one was looking, he plucked out the scrap of paper and let it catch the breeze. He wasn't playing into any more games with women. He was always destined to lose.

*********

The drive to Soda's was 20 minutes. That was long enough. He needed to explain himself to Pony, say sorry. He'd beg if he had to. He couldn't stand falling out with his brothers. Like Soda always reminded them, they were all they had left.

A selfish part of him wanted to avoid Soda finding out about his behavior. Either way, he wanted to resolve this, so that the evening wouldn't be spoiled, so that Pony would be able to understand that he didn't mean all he had said. Rather, he hadn't meant to say it, and wasn't that almost the same thing?

For a long time, Soda and Pony had tried encouraging him to share his emotions, but Darry wondered whether it would be better to keep them locked away. It had worked for him for most of his life, why change now? Every time he did open up, he seemed to cause hurt and upset. Because he was a loser. And a creep. And a lousy brother. 

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, trying to be patient while he waited for Ponyboy to exit the house. He half-expected that the kid would refuse to ride with him. He wouldn't blame him.

Finally, when they were on the cusp of being late, Pony rushed out of the front door with his jacket half hanging off his shoulder and his laces trailing behind him, rushed down the sidewalk and through the gate, which he pulled to, carelessly, so that it popped open again.

Darry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

He wouldn't pick another battle right now. He could leave it. It wasn't a big deal.

He worked on deep breaths as his brother hopped into the truck and slammed the door, immediately folding his arms and turning his back towards Darry, dashing his hopes that had maybe he'd been forgiven already.

Remembering how Pony's excited face had quickly descended to tearful this morning, he decided to plunge right on in. 

'Ponyboy, please, would you look at me? I have somethin' to say.'

With reluctance, Pony complied, fixing a reproachful gaze on him.

Darry forged on.

'The way I spoke to you this morning was uncalled for. I'm real sorry. I want you to think of the house as much your own as mine, and if you still want to bring her, I'd love to meet your girl.'

Silence. Darry waited, his heart pounding. Was the kid just going to leave him hanging?

He cleared his throat.

'Pony. I said I was sorry. Can you- answer me or somethin'?'

Pony shrugged.

'What am I s'posed to say? Thanks for apologizing, I guess, but that doesn't just undo everything you said.'

Darry started the truck. They were going to be late. He backed up and pulled onto the road. 

'I really am sorry, little buddy. I mean it.'

Silence again.

'Please, Pony.'

'Just stop, Darry. I heard you. I know you're sorry. What I want to know is, am I gonna have to live my whole life with this hanging over me? The fact that Dad and Mom died and left you with this horrible burden isn't my fault! I can't help being six years younger than you! Maybe you should have stuck me in a boys' home after all! Then you could have gone to college and maybe you wouldn't be so angry at me. You say you're sorry, and I believe you, but the way you were this morning? Don't tell me you haven't been wanting to say those things for a while now.'

Darry's heart broke as he heard the anguish in Pony's voice. He was a monster.

He focused on keeping the truck pointed straight, blinking away the blurriness in his vision. He took a deep breath and attempted to keep the quiver out of his voice. It was time to be vulnerable. That's what his brothers were always telling him. 

Just let people in, Darry. Explain to them. Be vulnerable, instead of lashing out. 

At the least, he owed Pony an explanation for his blow up this morning.

'Little buddy. Please don't ever think I regret my decision to keep you and Soda. I don't. Knowing what I know now, I'd still make the same choice. It's just- sometimes- I get jealous, Pony. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I do. You get to live out your college dream, and Soda has Angie and the kids. I feel like- you're all movin' forward and I'm just- stuck. Like I won't ever amount to anythin', like I'm just a- a loser. I'm sor- I regret that that all came out at you this mornin'. It wasn't fair and it won't happen again.'

Darry always felt embarrassed when he shared his emotions. For a long time, this had caused his youngest brother to assume that he didn't have any, apart from anger. They had moved past that, at least, but it still didn't help the wave of self-loathing that washed over Darry every time he opened up. He didn't like showing weakness to anyone, least of all his kid brothers, who needed him to be strong. Why couldn't he just shut some of this stuff down? He used to be better at that. 

If only he had kept his damn mouth shut this morning. Then he wouldn't feel compelled to spill his guts right now and explain himself.

Pony didn't say anything for a minute or two, and Darry could hardly stand it. He considered begging again. He had to make this right. 

Just when he started to feel really desperate, Pony spoke.

'Pull over.'

'What?'

'Pull over, Darry.'

'Uh, ok. You're not plannin' to walk the rest of the way, are ya? Because I'll let you have the truck. I understand if you don't want to ride with me.'

'No, you idiot. I want to give you a hug.'

'Oh. Right.'

Darry pulled the truck over as soon as he was able, and the moment he threw it in park, his little brother was wrapping him up in a bone-crushing hug.

'Watch it,' he joked, returning the embrace, 'You're gettin' so big, you don't know your own strength.'

'Shut up. I'll never be as strong as you are, Superman.'

'Don't call me that,' Darry said, ashamed, 'the way I treated you-'

'It's OK, Darry. I'm sorry I've been so wrapped up in all my own stuff. I should have thought about how you might be feeling. I know I couldn't be doing any of this without you.'

Darry didn't particularly want to cry this evening, so he buried his face into Pony's shoulder and let himself forget about the time.

'Dar?'

'Hmm.'

'You're not a loser.'

Darry gave a half-hearted chuckle.

'Thanks, little colt.'

He pulled away, reluctantly.

'Well. We'd better get going. Don't want to be any later than we already are.'

Pony laughed.

'And....he's back. My big brother, the time hawk.'

Darry grinned back at him, glad that things were smoothed over. 

He prayed that they could stay that way.

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

'I am such a bad sister-in-law,' wailed Angie, as soon as they walked in the apartment door, 'you came home from hospital, probably had nothin' to eat, no laundry done, nothin'.'

Darry was perplexed. Weeks had gone by since he'd gotten home. But then, he never claimed to understand Angie.

She seized Pony in a tight hug, then released him, with a push.

'Go help Soda with the kids,' she ordered, 'I need to talk to your brother.'

Pony obeyed, widening his eyes at Darry once Angie turned her back. 

Darry felt perturbed. What did Angie want? Once she was on the warpath, no one was safe. He quirked his eyebrow at Pony, pretending to be amused.

Angie regarded him with an unreadable expression, then rushed toward him, squeezing him over-enthusiastically.

'Careful, Ang. A guy needs to breathe, ya know.'

'You're getting skinnier,' she accused, 'you've not been takin' care of yourself. And I haven't helped a lick. I feel horrible.'

Darry ran his hand through his hair, a nervous tic he could never break. Was it really that noticeable? 

'Aww, you say that every time I come over here. And you're too hard on yourself. In case you don't remember, you were about to have a baby, and you weren't feelin' so hot. Don't worry about me, Ang.'

She regarded him, her head cocked to one side.

'Oh, but I do, Darry. I do.'

Darry shifted his feet and decided to take her words as a joke. He chuckled weakly.

'That was a month ago. It really doesn't matter. I'm fine.'

'It was only yesterday that I connected all the dots. For some reason, we assumed Pony would be home when you were released. We thought that since you didn't call us for a ride, that you must have called him.'

She narrowed her eyes, hand on hips.

'But when he and Soda talked, they realized they both had been under the impression that the other had brought you home. And neither of those knuckleheads thought to check on things at the house. Normally, I would have been on top of it, but I thought, for once, that I could leave you boys unsupervised, as I was about to give birth and all. But, no. You had to tough it out, like you always do.'

Darry squirmed under her gaze.

'I didn't want to bother anyone,' he muttered, 'you all have important things going on.'

'Darrel Curtis. You really are an idiot sometimes, makes it hard to believe you were on the honor roll. Don't you understand that you're one of those important things? Nothin' is more important than family.'

Huh. The second time he'd been called an idiot this evening. 

'But- you said- you said I had caused stress for everyone. I didn't want to take Soda away from you, anymore than I already had.'

Angie sighed, long-sufferingly. 

'I only said that, to try and persuade you into taking better care of yourself. We weren't stressed because we resented it. We were stressed because we care about you! And it makes us worry more, knowing that you're trying to push through things without asking for help!'

Darry processed her words, feeling guilty. He should have done a better job of hiding his tracks. But it was touching, how much she seemed to care. He'd always wanted a sister, and, after four years of being Soda's other half, she did feel like another sibling.

'Thanks for looking out for me, Ang,' he replied sincerely. 

She sat, patting the couch beside her. He sank down into it, gratefully, his body aching from the long day of work.

'You were in no state to be walking home, Darry, it makes me feel sick to think that you felt like you were a bother or a burden, like you couldn't even call. The thought of you walking all that way in your condition....'

Darry picked anxiously at the patch on his pant leg. She was sounding an awful lot like Laurie.

'If it makes you feel better,' he blurted, 'I got a ride from a friend?'

No, Darry, that wasn't meant to be a question. You're meant to sound convincing.

'But you don't-' she broke off, clapping her hand over her mouth.

Darry smirked. He had the upper hand now.

'I don't what, Angie?'

She shook her head, briskly.

'Nothing, nothing. Forget it.'

'Dear, sweet Ang. I hope you weren't about to imply that I don't have any....friends, were you?'

She giggled, nervously.

'But everyone knows I have such an active social life. I'm wounded.'

He placed one hand on his chest, the other on his brow, feigning hurt. Or was he pretending to be pretending? He'd lost track. Everyone knew he didn't actually have any friends, unless Ricky O'Donnell counted, and Darry was pretty sure the man just felt sorry for him. Steve had always been more of Soda's buddy, and the only time they saw one another was at the apartment. Two-Bit avoided him these days, claiming that seeing any of the Curtises made him want to start drinking, and that his AA mentor had advised him to stay away from anyone that reminded him of Dally and Johnny's deaths.

And any of his Soc 'friends' had abandoned him a long time ago.

All he did was work, and work, and work some more. What little time he did spend at home was taken up with chores, grocery shopping and his lists. He tried to stay as busy as he could, trying to get out of his own head, which was proving more and more difficult these days.

He'd barely even been to see Soda and Angie since the baby. 

He slumped into the couch.

Loser.

Angie elbowed him.

'You do need to get out now and then,' she teased, 'What about that nurse, the one that gave her number to Soda for ya?'

Darry stood up, sharply. He couldn't face this conversation right now. It was all too raw.

'Didn't work out,' he replied, shortly.

Angie held up her hands in surrender.

'Alright, Superman, I'll leave it. But I want you to know that we all love you. This family wouldn't be the same without you.'

Darry gave her a half-smile.

'Have I ever told you you remind me of my Mom?'

She beamed.

'Considering everything I've heard about her, I'll take that as a compliment.'

'Yeah, she'd be real tickled to know you named your little girl for her and Pony. Speakin' of which, where is she? Don't be holdin' out on me. I gotta get my snuggles. She'll be wantin' her Uncle Darry.'

'Ok. I better go check on dinner before Soda burns it or dyes it purple.'

The real question Darry had wanted to ask Angie was stuck in his throat.

Do I come across as a creep? Why would a girl say that? What did I do wrong?

The shame burned ever deeper. This was one he would keep to himself.

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

Holding his little niece, Michaela Jane, snuggled on his chest, was the most complete Darry had felt in a long time. He watched her tiny back rise and fall with her breaths, her downy hair fluffy on her perfect little head, her pretty eyelashes fluttering on her cheeks.

He glanced over at Soda, who was snuggled up with his wife on the couch. What must it be like, to have found the one? Angie was undoubtedly Soda's other half, the two complementing one another perfectly. It warmed Darry's heart to see his little brother so happy. When Sandy had dumped him, Soda had been convinced he'd never be happy with any other girl, but within a year, he'd met Angie, and it was clear from the very beginning that she was the one. She was everything Soda deserved, and more. They were natural parents, and Darry knew his nephews and niece were going to grow up with just as much love as they all had.

On the floor, Pony play wrestled with Shaynne and Patrick. Everything was perfect, or as close to perfect as it could be without their parents here.

Darry felt a pang. His dad and mom would have loved being grandparents. If only...not for the first time, he wished he could trade places with his parents. They were irreplaceable, while he...maybe it would have been better if- if he could snap his fingers and make the switch, he'd do it without hesitation. Because all of this, his brothers happy, thriving was in spite of him, not because of him.

Anyone could pay bills. It takes more than that to be a family. He was a drag on them, the bachelor brother that gets set in his own ways and has to be tolerated...

He realized Soda was staring at him.

'What?' he said, self-consciously. It wasn't like his brother was a mind-reader, but sometimes, his intuition was uncanny.

'Darry, I gotta bone to pick with you.'

Uh-oh.

Pony sat up off of the floor, eyes suddenly serious.

'That's right. We both do.'

Darry cleared his throat.

'Ok.....'

'Why didn't you tell us you were gettin' discharged?'

'Why didn't you call for a ride?'

'Did ya ever call that nurse?'

'Why'd you cancel the newspaper, why is the freezer empty?'

'What did you think you were doing, walkin' in that storm after you'd just been in the hospital?'

Darry sighed, deeply. He met Angie's eyes pleadingly, but she just shrugged at him.

Man, this day was just getting longer and longer.

Chapter Text

The church was lovely that morning, decked out with tulle and flowers. The sun streaming in at the stained glass windows dappled over the guests in their wedding clothes.

But nothing was as beautiful, Laurie thought, as her sister walking down that aisle towards her handsome groom. She wiped away a tear as Tessa and Jerry beamed at one another. She knew this would be one of the happiest days of her big sister's life.

She stepped forward to fix the train of the dress, then took Tessa's bouquet of flowers so that the couple could hold hands while saying their vows.

It was so crazy that her sister was actually moving out. Laurie didn't know how she was going to stand it. How many times had they stayed up talking last midnight? How many fights had they had over sharing clothes and makeup? For years, they had dreamed of being bridesmaid at the other's wedding, had planned out their dream day, and now, for Tess, it was coming true.

It felt bittersweet for Laurie. She was close with both her siblings, but losing Tess felt like losing a limb. They had shared everything. They were best friends.

She knew she was being melodramatic. Jerry's place was only 5 minutes away. But the shift felt palpable. Now, Tess would be a wife first, and a sister second. Laurie knew that this was natural, and she was thrilled for Tessa, but it didn't mean she wasn't finding this hard.

Laurie gave herself a little shake. This wasn't her day. It was Tess's. She needed to be there for his sister, she was the maid of honor after all. She shouldn't be selfishly sulking.

The couple had written their own vows, and the words were touching and sweet. There wasn't a dry eye in the room as the ceremony proceeded.

Laurie and Andy, Jerry's brother, stepped forward with the rings at the allotted time, exchanging a smile. One of the happiest parts of a wedding, Laurie thought to herself, was the coming together of two families.

They all took their seats in preparation for the minister's sermon, which would directly follow the vows. Laurie helped Tessa fix her veil and smooth her dress out, so that it wouldn't be caught by an errant heel.

Minister Monroe climbed onto the platform and opened his Bible on the lectern. He bowed his silvery head and lead the congregation in prayer.

'My friends,' he began, his familiar reedy voice filtering across the listeners, 'what a happy occasion we are gathered here for. It brings heaven such joy to see two young people starting out their lives together. What I want to talk about today isn't just for Jerry and Tessa,' he smiled at the pair,'-although they will need to apply this message into their lives to ensure a successful marriage- but for each of us to consider, here today.'

He flipped the pages in his Bible.

'Would you turn with me to Matthew, Chapter 6 and verse 33?'

'But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.'

The elderly man peered out from the stage.

'There are many important relationships in our lives. Our spouses, our parents, our siblings and our friends, to mention a few. There are many necessary things we must do. We must work, we must maintain our homes, we must eat, we must spend time with loved ones. We take time to recreate, to relax, to pursue hobbies. All of these things are legitimate, and part of our life here on earth.

The question that I want to ask each of you, today, is- notwithstanding all of these things, are you putting God first? Is there something, someone, even, that is taking a higher place in your affections, that is distracting you from serving the Lord? We are not even to love our own spouse above loving God. If we do, that is idolatry. That isn't to say we shouldn't love our spouse to the best of our ability. What I am saying, is that when our focus on the Lord is primary, all these other relationships, these other things will fall into place.

So I ask again. Is there anything or anyone that is becoming a distraction from the most important thing?'

The sermon continued, and Laurie sat back in her seat, feeling like a spotlight must be shining on her. She knew exactly what it was in her life that had been taking up most of her focus, recently. Her crush on Darry had been bordering on an obsession, and it wasn't healthy or right.

'Lord,' she prayed, 'help me put things in their proper place in my heart. If something is going to work out with Darry, it'll come in your time. If not, I'll take it from your hand.'

Sheesh. She hadn't expected to feel so called out at her sister's wedding service. But she knew the word had been timely. She'd been allowing her feelings for Darry to consume her. She couldn't just pretend they didn't exist, but no longer would she let them control her life.

Or at least, until she saw him again on Monday. Laurie groaned. She was going to need to pray a lot more about this. Hearing Minister Monroe's words had exposed how deeply she really felt about Darry. If only things could come to a resolution quickly, so that she could be put out of her misery. So that she could move on.

The sermon ended, and Laurie sprang into action to make sure Tessa was prepared to walk down the aisle with her new husband.

No more dwelling on her own problems. This was her sister's day, and she was here to make sure everything went off perfectly.

She stepped forward, taking Andy's arm, and followed the newly married couple back down the aisle.

***********

It seemed that she and Darry had arrived at the same time every day this week. As he parked in the back lot, and she in the employee lot, they had to pass one another on the sidewalk as they made their way to their respective jobs.

The first couple of days, Darry hadn't even acknowledged her presence or her smile with so much as a glance, but now, he deigned her with a polite nod. Laurie was getting the message. She was crestfallen, but she was trying to accept it. Really, it was ridiculous that she had fallen for him as hard as she had. She barely knew him, she knew that, logically. It was just something about him that seemed...right, like they had 'clicked', and she couldn't shake it.

Now, as he approached her, her heart beat faster and she wondered whether he noticed the care she had taken with her hair and makeup today. Probably not. He looked straight ahead, marching towards the worksite, his water flask and lunch bag swinging from his hands, his tool belt slung around his hips. His hair was greased back, in a style she hadn't noticed on him before. Maybe he was trying to tame it, now it was getting longer.

It seemed as though he was trying to avoid eye contact until the last moment, when he met her gaze with a curt nod, not breaking stride.

Laurie let out her breath in a whoosh and turned to watch him go.

Little by little, she was feeling hope slip away. It was for the best, she knew, but it still hurt.

If only she had accepted his invitation to the diner. For all she knew, he had been hurt by that. Who knew what could have happened over a milkshake and fries?

She hated that she was becoming so pathetic, that her mood could be dampened by something so trivial as not being smiled back at.

She never used to be so silly. What on earth had happened to her?

**********

Laurie only swore occasionally, when she had good reason to. And she had good reason to now.

As she had been making her way home, something had seemed a little 'off' with her vehicle. She had hoped she could make it, but with every passing minute, the situation was deteriorating.

'Shit,' she muttered, under her breath, as her car shuddered and made some very concerning noises, losing speed and power rapidly.

Thankfully, the road was quiet and she was able to pull over to the side of the highway without issue.

The car juddered to a halt, and wouldn't start again.

Oh, no.

Laurie knew nothing about the workings of an engine, so it seemed she was stranded. She grabbed her purse and hopped out of the vehicle, assessing the situation. Should she try and flag someone down, or should she start walking and try and find a garage, or a phone to call her Dad? He would know what to do.

Before she could decide, a large black car slowed, pulling in behind her.

She rushed in its direction, noticing a middle-aged, kindly looking couple inside. The man stepped out and met her, halfway.

'Oh thank you, thank you for stopping,' she rattled out, 'I don't know what's going on. I have no idea what's wrong, only that my car won't start.'

The man smiled, pleasantly.

'Of course. I don't know much about these things, myself, but I can give you a ride to a garage who can recover your vehicle and repair it. They do great work.'

'Thank you so much,' Laurie accepted- it was nice to know there were still good people around.

Ten minutes later, they were pulling into a DX, and she realized with a shock that it was the station Darry's brother, Soda, worked. The man himself emerged from the doorway, uniformed hat set at a jaunty angle. He grinned when he saw Laurie step out of the car.

'Well hello there, Miss Laurel,' he greeted, cheerily.

Laurie returned his smile. It was impossible not to. She wondered if Angie ever got mad with him. If she did, she wouldn't have been able to stay mad for long. The guy was a certified ray of sunshine.

She bid farewell to the nice couple that had helped her, thanking them again, then walked with Soda into the store.

'My car broke down and I hitched a ride here. I heard you all have a tow truck and can help me out.'

'Oh yeah, for sure,' he turned and bellowed towards the back, where she'd seen some sort of shop, 'STEVE!'

Laurie winced at his ear-splitting volume.

'Oops, sorry. Didn't mean ta be so loud. Ang gets on me about it all the time. Now if ya wouldn't mind writing down whereabouts your car is, we'll getcha taken care of. And your address, for the bill, if ya don't mind.'

He produced a crumpled notebook and a stubby pencil from his grease-stained coveralls and shooed her into a seat.

'Can I getcha a soda or somethin' to eat?'

'Uh- that's ok. I don't have much for cash with me.'

'It's on me. Anythin' for Darry's girl.'

Laurie turned so sharply that the address she was writing turned into a long slash across the paper.

'Sodapop Curtis, don't you dare tease me. If you must know, Darry hasn't called me. I'm already embarrassed enough.'

Soda creased his brow in confusion.

'But he said- he did call. He wouldn't say anythin' about it, that's how Darry is. But he said he called.'

'No. If he did, he missed me or didn't leave a message with whoever picked up. And he didn't try again, which tells me all I need to know.'

'Well, shit. I'm sorry. I really thought that- maybe there was some kinda misunderstandin' or somethin'? Cause I know for a fact that he had a thing for you. Maybe he dialled the wrong number, maybe someone else picked up and forgot to tell ya.'

Laurie hesitated, torn between confusion, mortification and hope.

At that moment, another mechanic, with dark hair that was combed back in greasy swirls, strolled in from the back, wiping his hands on a rag. He nodded to Laurie.

'What'd you need, Soda?'

'Laurie here had her car break down. She was just writing down the address. D'ya have time to go get it?'

'Sure.'

Laurie hurried to finish writing and handed the paper to the man.

'Thanks, Steve.'

The man nodded and made his way back out of the store, swiping a candy bar on his way.

Laurie decided she needed to shut down Soda's match-making hopes.

'Look, Soda, I appreciate you trying to set me up with your brother, but I don't think he's really interested. He's got a date with one of other nurses, anyway.'

It was true. Cindy hadn't shut up about it all week, and Laurie swore she'd push her out of a window if she had to hear about it one more time. Darry must have lied to his brother about having called her house, to get him off of his case.

Soda chewed his lip.

'Awright. I'll drop it. I'm real sorry. I thought you two woulda hit it off.'

She shrugged, sadly.

'It's OK. Hey, so how's that little girl of yours doing?'

Soda beamed at her.

'Well, she's a real little sweetheart. Yesterday, she....'

She let herself be taken in by his torrent of words, glad to listen to someone else's joys instead of dwelling on feeling sorry for herself.

Her turn would come when the time was right.

******

'Well,' muttered Steve, slamming the hood of the car, 'we're lookin' at a pretty big job here. Might take three days.'

'Oh no!' Laurie gasped, 'I have work in the morning! Isn't there any way-'

'I reckon it'll take at least a week,' Soda chimed in, scribbling down some notes, 'for-uh-parts, ya know.'

Steve looked at him sharply.

'I'd be surprised if it took that long, Sodes.'

Soda grinned, which seemed inappropriate to Laurie, being that she was now without transportation, and facing a hefty repair bill to boot.

'It'll take as long as it takes,' he concluded, with a sideways glance to Steve, 'but, you'll be glad to know that the DX offers a complimentary service to its customers- free rides anywhere you need, as long as your car's in our shop.'

Laurie felt a sneaking suspicion at his words. What did Soda have up his sleeve? He seemed to always be scheming at something.

'We do?' cut in Steve, dryly, 'I ain't never heard of that before.'

'Oh, yes,' Soda nodded, emphatically, 'It's a new program the boss just started, to improve customer service. That's why you don't know. You never pay attention to anythin' he says.'

'Soda....' Laurie began, pleadingly, 'I can just take the bus...'

'No, no, no. That would never do. Now, what time do you need to be picked up in the morning, and what time do you get off work? Put it all down on here and we'll getcha taken care of.'

He proffered the battered notebook again, smirking all the while.

Laurie thought she knew what Soda was doing here, so why wasn't she saying anything to stop it? Why was she picking up the pencil again, and scratching out all her details? She must have lost all her self-respect. Or all her sense.

Soda took the paper with a satisfied look on his face.

'Good, good. And here's the number of the uh- colleague that will be assisting you. Just give him a call if any of your arrangements change, or if you'd like to cancel the service.'

He handed her a scrap with a scrawl of numbers, and Laurie felt breathless.

Darry's number.

It had to be.

She met the challenge in Soda's eyes. They both knew she wasn't going to call him.

Her heart pounded in her chest. Had she taken all leave of her senses?

She really was crazy for Darry Curtis.

*********

She could hardly eat her breakfast the next morning, and her mom was suspicious.

'You're not eating my benny sandwich? You gettin' sick, darlin'?'

She touched her hand to Laurie's forehead, worriedly.

Laurie gave what she hoped was a light chuckle.

'Oh, no. Just don't want to keep my ride waiting is all.'

Dad looked up from his sandwich.

'I've never heard of an auto-repair shop that provides door to door service like this,' he mused, 'we ought to start taking all of our vehicles there.'

Laurie balked.

'Uh, they said it was a new deal,' she replied, hurriedly, 'not sure if they'll keep it as part of their normal business. Sort of a trial run type of thing.'

She resumed her post at the window, peering down the street. She was going to throw up if he didn't get here soon. If she hadn't completely misunderstood Soda. If he hadn't found out, and refused to come.

Just as she was sure she was about to start bawling from the stress, a familiar blue pickup pulled around the corner.

He was here.

Chapter Text

Darry squinted at the paper in his hand. Maybe he'd misread the address. Whoever had scrawled it out either had terrible handwriting, or they'd been in a big hurry. Was that a 2 or a 7? It was hard to tell, because the writer had clearly been startled halfway through and had messed up.

He glanced at the house again. It didn't fit with his brother's description of the Soc princess who had threatened to sic her Daddy on Soda if she wasn't provided a chauffeur. For one thing, it was just a few blocks from his own place, and although in better shape, was still small and rundown.

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. What to do? This definitely appeared to be the correct address. He'd have to go find out. He turned off the ignition and swung open the door, jumping out of the truck right as the door of the house opened, someone hurrying down the steps.

Darry halted in his tracks. He'd know that pretty brown ponytail anywhere. He was going to kill Soda.

Shit. No time to check his hair or anything. He looked like a bum, but then again, he looked how he always looked when going to work, and she'd seen that before. He cleared his throat and walked over to the passenger side door. Might as well be a gentleman.

They locked eyes as she walked towards him, but she didn't seem to be as startled as he was. He would have thought she would be alarmed to be riding with the man she'd deemed a creep.

He had told Soda to leave it alone. How could he have done this? He was always interfering, always thinking he knew best what Darry needed. As she drew near to where he was awkwardly standing, holding open the door, he still hadn't decided what he was going to say. Mercifully, she broke the silence.

'Good morning, Mr Curtis. I appreciate you giving me a ride.'

Darry nodded, not sure he could trust his voice right now with how tight he was tensed up.

She hopped into the seat gracefully and folded her skirt around her legs. Darry gave an inward groan as he slammed the door. He had dreamed of her sitting beside him in his truck, but not like this. Not when she had no other option but to depend on him.

He purposely walked around the truck bed slowly, trying to gather himself. How on earth were they supposed to endure the ten minute drive to the hospital? He supposed he should be thankful it wasn't any longer than that.

She thinks you're a creep, so just do your best to act....not like that. 

Darry was still horrified that she thought him creepy. What if she was apprehensive about being in a vehicle with him? Well, he'd just do his best to be polite and avoid making an even worse impression on her. The thought of her being uneasy around him was awful. He returned to his seat and started the truck. He cleared his throat again.

'I'm sorry about this. My brother's idea of a joke. I can try and find someone else to run you to work, if you'd be more comfortable.'

She shook her head.

'That's OK.'

Darry fumbled for the shifter and pulled into the road. He was incredibly aware of how easy it would be to reach out and touch her. He could smell her sweet perfume. Nervous didn't even describe the way he felt right now.

'I- I didn't know it was you I was pickin' up,' he babbled, 'Soda didn't say. I woulda told him to find someone else.'

Would he? Maybe that was a lie. If Soda had told him straight, what would he have done?

'I have to admit I suspected it was you he was going to ask,' she replied softly, 'but if it's a problem, I'm sure I can ask one of my coworkers.'

No! He shouted, internally.

'It's not a problem for me- if it's not a problem for you. You live right around the corner, it's not outta my way at all.'

'Not at all. You're the one doing me a favor.'

He hoped he had sounded nonchalant. So she had known it might be him, and she was ok with that? Maybe this thing was salvageable after all. Maybe her brother had just been being protective. Maybe there had been some misunderstanding....but no, the man had sounded very vehement on the phone, made it clear that his words came direct from Laurie herself.

Darry couldn't make head nor tails of this odd situation. The only thing he did know was that while she was willing, he wouldn't be the one to dissuade her from riding with him to work.

He always had been a horrible overthinker. His mama had always told him that he was worse than a woman, sometimes, with all the terrible scenarios he could conjure. He'd always figured it was life's way of preparing him for keeping his brothers safe, for anticipating every situation and possibility that could arise, so that he could protect them. Not that he'd done such a stellar job at that.

As they sat in silence, punctuated only by the news droning on in the background, Darry's mind ran wild. She musn't have thought he was creepy when she'd accepted his invitation to come into his house. No, she was smarter than to go into a building alone with a guy she didn't fully trust. And she wouldn't have stayed and helped him clean up the mess from the refrigerator if she'd been creeped out by that point. He had been awkward as hell, but she had still seemed relaxed. Had it been him inviting her to the diner? He wasn't sure that it was that, because she had lingered and chatted even after declining the offer.

That only left him to conclude that it must have happened in the intervening period before he'd called. He decided to take the plunge and try and clear the air.

'I, uh- wanted to just say that I didn't ask Soda to get your number, or to set this up, or anything. I would have done it in person, if I had-'

Shit. He broke off, realizing it like he hadn't wanted her number. He had actually been trying to work up the courage to find her and ask for it himself, before Soda decided to stick his nose in. He glanced over, trying to gauge her reaction. She seemed apprehensive.

'I wanted to say, too,' she cut in, quickly, 'it was only because he asked, that I- I mean, I didn't want to put you in an awkward position...'

Darry's heart sunk. She had given her number to Soda just to be polite. Perhaps all of this was just her being polite. She was probably good at putting on a front, dealing with obnoxious patients. He was sure he was far from the first guy to fall for her while being cared for. She wasn't intimidated by him. She just found him a little desperate and weird, probably. And she'd told her brother to deal with it, to make sure he understood. It really had been a long time since he'd been with a girl. Add that to his state of semi-isolation, and remove the charm of his being on the football team, and you had yourself a creepy loner who couldn't pick up on social cues.

She was smiling at him, a pitying smile. She probably thought he was pathetic, a washed-up loser.

'Well,' he forced a laugh, 'looks like we cleared that up.'

'Yeah,' she answered, quietly, staring out the window.

They were almost there. Darry pulled around to the front entrance. At least he could save her the walk from the lot. Maybe by the end of these few days they'd be on friendly terms, at least. His pride was definitely wounded, and he felt like he needed to prove to Laurie that he was just a normal guy and not a creep. Maybe if he were able to get the sense that she liked him in a friendly way at least, he could pick up the pieces of his bruised ego. How the mighty had fallen. Darrel Curtis, who at one time could have had his pick of anyone, was reduced to begging for scraps from some girl who wasn't even interested in him romantically. He supposed he deserved it, for being such an arrogant prick in high school. For turning his nose up at girls he didn't deem worthy of his time. Now, he was sure, God was trying to humble him.

They pulled up. Laurie thanked him and grabbed her purse.

'Hey, so not to come across as creepy,' she began.

Darry flinched.

'But I've noticed you usually get off work around 4:30 or 5:00. I'm sure I can find another way home, so you don't have to wait around or come back.'

'Oh no, it's not a problem,' he hastened to assure her, 'I go home and grab dinner, then I head to my other job, which starts at 7:30. You're done at 7:00, correct?'

She nodded.

'Uh-huh. Sometimes it might be a few minutes after, just to complete handover. Is that OK?'

'Yeah. My boss is pretty- relaxed about the exact start time.'

His mouth twisted into an unbidden scowl. Margie Harris would forgive him anything. Anything for her favorite East Side boy, as she often reminded him. He shuddered.

Laurie was looking at him strangely. He straightened his face and made eye contact, something he'd always struggled with maintaining when he talked to people. That probably counted as another point against him.

'I- uh, didn't realize you had two jobs.'

Three, actually, after this weekend.

He had just signed on for door security at Buck's, working on Sundays.

'Yeah, I work at Harris's grocery store in the evenings.'

'Yes, I know it. We used to shop there.'

Darry was curious about that. Only rich Socs shopped there, and she definitely seemed the Soc type. But their house told a different story. He wondered what had happened there, but it wasn't his place to ask.

'Alright, well if you're sure it's not a bother,' she agreed, 'that would be great. Thanks again, Darry.'

The way she said his name...shit. He was going to fall for her even deeper, the longer this went on.

'Yeah, of course. It's just for a few days.'

'Soda said it could take a...a week.'

I'm sure he did, thought Darry, grimly. He couldn't stand this for a whole week. It was like being starving and having a juicy steak dangling right in front of your nose, but not quite being able to reach it.

'Don't worry, I'll talk to him. I'm sure they can get to it quicker than that.'

Damn right he'd talk to Soda. If he didn't wring his neck first.

He couldn't read the look that crossed her face, so chalked it up to relief. She hopped out of the truck and he cursed himself for not thinking to open her door.

As she walked away, she turned to look back at him, and Darry was pretty sure she caught him staring at her.

Quickly, he peeled away and headed down towards the site. He needed to focus on something, anything else than how damn cute she had looked in his truck.

********

It wasn't infrequent for Darry to have aches and pains after a shift, but today, the agony shooting up his shoulder and into his neck was making it hard to concentrate, let alone stay in control of his temper. He was sure it was worse because he was so tensed up after that torturous journey with Laurie, and the anticipation of picking her up again later.

As he walked to his truck, he tried stretching and rolling his muscles, but to no avail. He used to rely on Soda to help him out when he was sore, but now that his brother had moved out, that was infrequently an option. Maybe he'd willing to help out today, in order to appease Darry's temper. He felt like he could blow a gasket any moment as he drew closer to the DX.

After pulling onto the forecourt, he tracked down Steve. They greeted one another, slightly awkwardly. He and Steve had never really hit it off, and they both knew their uneasy truce was for Soda's benefit. He caught Steve's gaze drifting to his greased hair and resisted the urge to smooth it self-consciously. He'd always been known for keeping his hair short, but it wasn't any of Steve's business if he wanted to switch things up now. Or if he couldn't afford a haircut until his next paycheck.

Steve informed him that Soda was out back working on a car. Darry strode through the gas station and located his brother immediately. Soda popped out from under the hood of the car and gave a huge grin.

'Darry!' He exclaimed, bounding towards him like an overgrown puppy. Darry felt a smile threatening to stretch across his face despite himself, as Soda went in for a hug.

'Sodapop,' he began, sternly, 'what the hell were you thinking? I already told you that it didn't work out with Laurie, and I don't appreciate you manipulating the situation behind my back.'

Soda stepped back, looking abashed.

'Shoot, I'm sorry. I really thought it might go well if you gave it another shot.'

Darry scoffed.

'Don't you think that's my decision to make? I had to explain it wasn't my idea, and I don't think it came off well at all. I was already pissed that you asked for her number for me, that sure made me look real hot.'

Soda slumped.

'I'm sorry, Dar.'

Darry groaned and ran his hands through his hair. He wanted to stay mad, but Soda looked genuinely as if he might cry.

'Just tell me her car is gonna be done soon, please,' he begged.

'Nope. I mean, yeah, I was plannin' on stallin', to be honest, but this ol' thing is givin' us so much trouble,' he slapped the side of the vehicle he was currently working on, 'that I don't even know when we'll get to hers.'

Darry swore under his breath and started pacing.

'Please tell me you're trying to annoy me right now. You're jokin', right?'

Soda ducked under the hood of the car and started working again.

'No, I'm actually not. Did it- not go well, then? This mornin'?'

Darry's hands bunched into fists, which he quickly released because of the fiery pain that shot up his neck. He hissed.

'You OK there, big brother?'

Soda's voice came out muffled from somewhere in the engine bay.

Darry did his best to calm down.

'Just some muscle spasms is all,' he gritted out, 'and no, it did not go well. I already explained to you that this thing wasn't goin' anywhere.'

'You don't like her? I could have sworn you had it bad when she was your nurse.'

He resisted the urge to stomp his foot like a toddler.

'I do like her. She doesn't like me,' he snapped.

Soda emerged from behind the car again, grease endearingly smeared across his cheek, eyes wide and innocent.

'She does like you,' he nodded, vigorously.

Darry felt a bloom of hope uncurl a little in his chest.

'Really? She said that?'

Soda shrugged, 'Not in those exact words, but yeah.'

Just like that, the little tendril of hope curled up and died.

'Soda. If she didn't explicitly say that, then how do you know? Cause it sure didn't seem like it this mornin'. She was tryin' to be polite and thankful for the ride is all.'

'No, she definitely does. I can tell.'

Darry rolled his eyes.

'Just get the car fixed, Soda. Fast. And stop trying to run my life for me, savvy?'

The quicker I can be done with this, the quicker I can start moving on.

'Yeah, ok, Darry. I really am sorry.'

Seeing his little brother chewing his lip, eyes downcast, Darry's anger dissipated.

'It's alright, Pepsi-Cola. I know you were just tryin' to look out for me, but you don't need to, I'm fine. I do need one thing, though. The pain in my shoulder is wicked today. I wondered if I could stop by your place tonight, and you could try and work your magic on it.'

Soda's grin was back in place, and he nodded quickly.

'Yeah, sure! Angie will be happy to see ya. Just come by when you're done at work.'

'Alright. See ya.'

He left his brother humming to the radio, said bye to Steve, and hurried back out to the truck. He had just enough time to get back home and grab dinner and a shower before heading out again to pick up Laurie.

He had to get his head on straight. No more false hopes. Those just stung twice as bad when they inevitably came crashing down.

********

All things considered, Darry mused, as he climbed the ladder to restock the canned green beans, it hadn't gone too badly taking Laurie home. The conversation had been stilted, but polite. It seemed they were both relaxing a little. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. 

He didn't mind stacking the shelves. It wasn't his favorite, it was kind of mindless, but it was ok, if he wasn't bothered by any customers. He was running through one of his routine lists in his head- presidential terms- to distract him from the pain that continued to pulse out from his shoulder blade, and had gotten to Truman when he was interrupted. Darry grit his teeth- he hated not being able to complete a list, and now he'd have to start over- but plastered on a polite smile and turned to face the customer.

He rolled his eyes internally when he saw Sherri Valance. Of course, she wasn't Valance anymore. He couldn't be bothered to remember her married name, but she definitely had some rich Soc banker that had put that rock on her finger, and that baby in her belly. Sherri smiled up at him, red lips curved, one hand resting on her round stomach, her hair curled perfectly, as usual.

'I was wondering if you could tell me where the canned oysters are?' she asked, politely, 'I'm sure I must have walked right by them a million times.'

'Sure.'

He climbed down the ladder and led the way, making sure to slow his pace some so she could keep up. She trotted along behind him, her heels clicking on the floor.

He was sure Margie would be on his case right now if she saw him not taking the opportunity to chat with a customer, to make them feel at ease and be friendly, but Darry didn't care. It wasn't like Sherri would go anywhere else. All the Socy ladies around here came to Harris's. They wouldn't be seen shopping anywhere else, and besides, he had nothing to say to the stuck up bitch who ignored his brother at school, simply because he was born on the wrong side of the tracks, who, as Pony had written in his theme, had informed him that 'things are rough all over'.

Pony had seemed to think this was some great and insightful remark, but Darry just thought she was full of shit. If he had been born into a family like hers, he would have been through college already, despite the tragedy of losing his parents. So Darry couldn't find it in him to work up the effort to talk to her any more than was absolutely necessary, because what he really wanted to say to her couldn't be said.

'How's Ponyboy doing? Does he like college?' she enquired, slightly out of breath as she struggled to keep pace with him.

Darry felt a twinge of guilt for making a pregnant lady rush along like that, and slowed a little more. He rolled his eyes internally. What did she care? She was always asking after his brothers, always trying to strike up a conversation with him. She was persistent, he'd give her that. But he wasn't Pony. He could see through her condescending bullshit, and he wasn't going to play along and be a good little greaser, just to assuage her guilt, or whatever. Darry shrugged.

'He's fine. Here are the oysters. If you don't need anything else...'

Sherri's shoulders slumped a little.

'No, that's it. Thanks.'

He wheeled around and headed back to his green beans without a second glance, but before he could make it there, Margie Harris popped out from behind a stack of cereal boxes like a horrible Halloween surprise.

Darry jumped a little, in spite of himself.

What does she want now, he wondered.

He hated his boss. She was always skulking around, waiting to chastise or harass her employees. It was an open secret that Margie employed only good-looking East Side boys at the store she had taken over after her husband was rendered bed-bound by a long-term illness. All the Soc women could come in and get their fill of flirting with the workers, without their husbands being any the wiser. Everyone knew that the employees would never say anything, even if some of the bolder ladies got handsy. It would take one call to ruin their lives, and they all knew who the police would believe if an allegation were to be made. That, and Margie paid well.

'Darrel,' Margie began, in a tone that meant she was about to scold him.

The way she said his name was physically repulsive to Darry. She slid closer to him, and he remained rigid, staring ahead.

If a snake is on the hunt, it's best to remain still, and not tempt it to strike.

'Yes, Mrs Harris?' he gritted out.

She placed her hand on his sleeve, gripping his forearm with her long nails. Darry suppressed a shudder.

'You could have been more....welcoming....to our customer just then. Chatted to her, asked about her day, offered to carry her groceries to the car. You know we do pride ourselves on our service. Going the extra mile.'

Shit. She had overheard the whole thing.

'We want to make sure our customers return,' she continued.

'They always do,' Darry replied, shortly.

He knew he could get away with a certain amount with Margie, which he always pushed to the limit, getting a certain satisfaction out of it.

'Darrel,' she repeated, stepping closer, sliding her hand up his arm, 'you need to work on your facial expressions with the customers. Greet them with a smile. Make them feel as though you're pleased to see them.'

She squeezed his bicep. Fighting to keep his face impassive, he shrugged off her hand as he stepped back a little, resisting the urge to push her away.

'Ok, sure, Mrs Harris,' he replied, his tone deliberately neutral.

He kept his gaze from meeting hers. He wasn't much for eye contact at the best of times, and he certainly tried to avoid looking into her hateful face.

She moved forward again, closing the distance he had put between them.

'I was wondering if you wanted to discuss the raise I mentioned a few weeks back. I have a few minutes to spend in my office...'

She touched his shoulder, this time, and he grimaced. Everyone knew what went on in Margie's office. Those who were willing to provide her with certain favors ended up with promotions and raises. One thing Darry knew, was that he would never go back to that office again, no matter how desperate he was.

'No thanks, Marge. I'm fine with my pay as it is.'

Her mouth pursed into a thin line and she hissed, 'You think you're too good for everyone, Darrel Curtis. Maybe you need a deduction in your salary, to teach you some respect. I'm doing you a favor, letting you work here. I'm doing all of you boys a favor.'

Darry gave a small laugh.

'If you cut my pay, I'll quit. And we both know you won't fire me.'

Frustrated, Margie growled under her breath. Darry regarded her with barely concealed disgust. She was old enough to be his mother. She was sick.

'Be more polite to our customers,' she snapped, finally, and Darry took that as his cue to go.

He made his way back to his ladder and resumed stacking the shelves, hating himself for doing anything at all for that bitch. What kind of man was he, to work in a place like this, where he was-exploitation seemed like too extreme of a term, but it came the closest to how it made him feel. He hated that he'd sacrificed a piece of his dignity by working here, in exchange for monetary reward. It felt base, degrading.

But it was all for Pony. Darry couldn't hope to cover his tuition on a roofer's salary alone.

For Pony. You can put up with most anything for him.

And Darry thanked the Lord that none of the gang would ever be able to afford to shop here.

**********

Finally, his shift was over, and he hung up his apron thankfully. He was the last to clock out, having stayed a little longer to avoid Margie on her way out.

He grabbed his tool belt and slung it around his waist. He'd brought it tonight to do a little patch job on the roofs of one of the outbuildings.

Whistling, he walked through the store, giving everything a once over. He bolted the front doors and headed to the employee entrance in the back, flipping off lights as he did so. Finally, he scribbled in the log book and headed out into the alley that led to the lot, locking the door as he exited.

He rolled his shoulder, exhaling sharply. He couldn't wait to get over to Soda's and feel those magic hands soothe away the pain. And, if he were lucky, Angie might have been baking. He might even get a cuddle with his little niece-

'Hey, grease.' A low voice addressed him from the shadows of the alley.

Darry immediately tensed, alert, as adrenaline poured through his body. He quickly realized there were several of them. Footsteps sounded from both sides of the narrow alley. He counted four, maybe more. Maybe he could take them. His hand drifted to his tool belt, locating his hammer and screwdriver. Not quite a blade, but it'd have to do if they moved in on him. He had a feeling that these boys didn't want to fight fair.

'I ain't lookin' for trouble,' he spoke, to the one who seemed to be their leader, a man a little shorter than Darry, but well-built.

'Well, you went after it, grease, when you moved in on my girl.'

Laurie?

'I dunno what you're talkin' about. I ain't been with any girl. You got the wrong guy.'

The man laughed, coldly. Darry's hand twitched on the grip of his hammer.

'Cindy Carter? That name ring a bell?'

'I know who you're talkin' about, but there's nothin' goin' on-'

They all seemed to move at once, closing in on him like a pack of wolves. Definitely more than four. He swung his hammer, wildly, as fists and bottles wailed down on him. A scream of pain as he impacted something, and then the hammer was ripped from his hand. He managed to get a few good punches in to a few of them, but he was hopelessly outnumbered and was soon sent crashing to the floor, struggling to shield himself from the brutal kicks that rained down on his side, his head and his back. One particularly vicious kick sent his ribs into an explosion of agony, and Darry immediately knew he was gonna pass out. He only hoped he got to wake up again.

As the familiar darkness closed in, there was one thought buzzing through his mind.

Shit, I was supposed to pick up Laurie in the morning.

Chapter Text

Laurie couldn't convince herself any longer that she wasn't being followed by Stan Mills. When he'd been her patient a few months ago, and he'd asked for her number, she'd politely declined, and thought that that was the end of things. But this was the third time this week she'd spotted his car in the lot.

It was really starting to scare her.

She pulled her sweater closer around her, telling herself it was because of the chill in the morning air. Where was Darry? He'd never been late before, but this was the first time he'd picked her up from a night shift. Perhaps he'd forgotten, or slept in. That didn't seem like him, though. She'd wait a little longer.

She shifted from foot to foot, sore after a long night where she hadn't sat down once. All she wanted was to get home, eat, shower and crash into bed.

Laurie kept her gaze firmly trained on the silver car across the lot. If he were to move, she would head right back on inside. Perhaps she was being dramatic, but Stan gave her the creeps. Something primal screamed 'danger' whenever she saw him, or heard his voice on the other end of the phone. If only Darry would hurry. He'd assured her he'd be right on time to pick her up.

At least this was the last day she'd have to count on him- Soda had called last night to let her know her vehicle was ready to be collected. Although she did feel more than a pang of disappointment, it was really for the best. He'd been nothing but polite, but nothing further than that. She'd desperately wanted to ask him about his date with Cindy, but had forced herself to bite her tongue- it wasn't any of her business.

'Laurie!'

She jumped, violently, whirling around in the direction of the voice, rolling her eyes as she identified the speaker as Les, Cindy's ex-boyfriend.

He jogged up to where she stood, trailed by another man who looked just as shady as he did. Les sported a lurid bruise that swelled one of his eyes mostly shut, and his friend was limping. That was curious. She couldn't help but wonder what trouble he was in now.

'Les,' she greeted, shortly, snapping her eyes back to Stan's car, 'if you need medical attention, the ER is that way. Otherwise, Cindy isn't working today, but I can tell her you were here. Again.'

Les shook his head, impatiently. 'I don't give a damn about that cheating bitch.'

Laurie laughed, although the inference to Darry and Cindy pained her.

'I don't see how she could be cheating on you, considering you've been broken up for a month,' she replied, acidly, 'what is it, Les? I'm tired. If you need someone to take a look at you or your friend, it's not gonna be me.'

'We're fine,' the other man chimed in, 'if you think we look bad, you should see the other guy.'

'Yeah,' Les cackled, 'Now he probably could use some help.'

Laurie stiffened at the implication of his words. Were they really laughing about having beaten up some poor guy? Disgusting.

At that moment, she spotted Stan's car leaving the lot, and her shoulders slumped in relief.

'I'm not interested to hear any of this, Les,' Laurie snapped.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever. I need to see my cousin. He's in there,' he gestured towards the ICU wing, 'and they won't let me in.'

Laurie shrugged.

'Well, yeah. It's immediate family only.'

'Can you get me in? You could tell them I was his brother or something. I gotta see him.'

'No,' she replied, shortly.

'Please. I heard he's hurt real bad. Took a hammer to the skull. I gotta talk to him.'

Laurie realized, with a jolt, that he was referring to the unconscious teenage patient she'd just spent her shift with. It had to be. There was only one person in the ICU with a fractured skull. She felt a little pity for Les. It seemed he really did care about this cousin, but she didn't have any authority to bend the rules on visitation, or to give any updates on the boy's condition without the permission of his family, who, at this moment, were all gathered around his bedside, praying for him to wake up.

'I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do. The rule is in place for a reason.'

Silence fell. The two men spoke together in an urgent whisper. Laurie felt she was going to collapse from tiredness. She'd have to go back inside and call someone else for a ride. It was clear Darry wasn't coming.

'You know something, don't ya?' accused Les's friend.

His eyes were narrowed as he jabbed a finger in her direction.

'Can't you tell us how he's doing, at least?'

'I'm afraid not. That's confidential.'

He shared a glance with Les, and they stepped closer to her, as one. She stepped back, her back pressed against the stone pillar she'd been standing in front of. Laurie could feel her heart pounding and was aware she was breathing rapidly. She flicked her gaze left and right. No one was around.

'We need to speak to him,' Les repeated, his breath hot on her face.

'He's not even conscious, Les,' she burst out, and was hit instantly by a wave of regret. She had just divulged privileged information about a patient to an unauthorized party. She could lose her nursing license for that.

The two men smirked at one another. Through her panic, Laurie noted that they didn't seem in the least discomfited by the revelation that their friend and cousin was unresponsive.

'So you do know. When is he gonna wake up, huh?'

Before she could begin to form a response, the roar of an engine and the squealing of brakes was followed by an angry yell.

Darry?

Ponyboy Curtis was running towards them, brandishing a tire iron. Gone was the gangly, anxious teen, in his place, a hardened man, his face a mask of rage. It took Les and his buddy about two seconds to decide to hightail it, and then her savior was at her side, examining her with alarm.

'You OK, Nurse?'

Laurie straightened from her slump of relief and grinned, with a shaky laugh. She couldn't help looking past him to see if his older brother was in the truck. He wasn't.

'Oh yeah, I'm fine. I knew one of them. They were just concerned about a family member in the ICU. Happens all the time.'

Ponyboy looked as though he wanted to question her further, but settled on regarding her with a curious expression, letting his weapon hang loosely in his grasp.

'If ya say so.'

She wanted to thank him for coming to her rescue, but felt that if she did so, she'd have to admit out loud how vulnerable she had truly felt only moments ago. She settled on a feeble attempt at humor, knowing he could probably see right through it.

'I- didn't know how scary you could be. That was really something,' she grinned.

He shrugged.

'When you grow up on the East side, it's somethin' you learn real young. Are ya ready to go? I 'pologise for bein' late. Darry...he wasn't feelin' too well this mornin', and asked if I would give you a ride home.'

So that really was it. She'd never sit on the bench of his truck again, they'd probably never have another conversation. Not that they'd talked much over the last few days, apart from awkward pleasantries.

She cleared her throat, grabbing her backpack from where it had fallen when Les had confronted her.

'Yep, I'm ready. Thanks for stepping in and picking me up. Your other brother,' she chuckled, 'called and told me my car's ready to go, so you can let Darrel know I'm taken care of from here on out- and- and if you'd tell him thank you for the favor. It was a big help.'

Pony stared at her for a moment as they walked towards Darry's truck, abandoned crookedly in the pull-around lane.

'Uh-huh, I'll let him know,' he replied, finally.

They hopped into the vehicle and drove towards her house in silence, after he'd confirmed her address. They both seemed preoccupied in thought- she got the impression that Pony wasn't much of a chatterbox, which, this morning, suited her just fine.

Laurie felt ridiculously heartbroken at having her one last chance with Darry taken away. She was so stupid. Hadn't he gone on a date with Cindy this week, and weren't they planning another one? Yes, yes, they were, and she wasn't a boyfriend stealer. She had no claim on Darry at all.

When they pulled up to her house, she lingered for a moment, reluctant to leave the pickup. She let her hands squeeze the worn material of the seat, breathed in the way the truck smelled of him.

That was a bit creepy, Laurie. Don't be weird about it.

She turned to Pony with a smile. If nothing else, the three brothers had treated her with great kindness and respect, notwithstanding Darry's understandable irritation towards her after the window incident, he had been a perfect gentleman, even though he must have guessed she was attracted to him. And now, after she picked up her car from Sodapop this afternoon, their tenuous connection would be severed. It really was for the best, though.

'Thanks again, Michael. Please tell Darrel I hope he feels better soon.'

'Of course. See ya.'

He looked antsy, probably anxious to get on with his day. She felt kinda bad for causing extra work for him on his weekend home from college. She slid across the bench, opened the door, and hopped out, making her way towards the house with just a small wave back at the truck. Pony simply sat and watched her. Someone had raised these boys right- he must be waiting to see that she made it inside.

She was turning to give another polite wave as she reached for the door handle, when Pony came racing out of the truck like it was on fire, and she drew back, confused. He reached her in seconds, shaking his head as though he couldn't believe what he was doing.

'Laurie,' he addressed her, in a low, urgent voice, 'I lied. Darry isn't sick. That's what he told me to tell you. He got jumped last night, and he's hurt bad.'

He swallowed, eyes welling with tears, as Laurie felt her stomach drop. Her mind rushed with questions, but they were racing too fast to catch before he spoke again.

'Gosh, he's gonna kill me- but could you- would you- come with me and check on him, real quick? He won't go to the hospital, he doesn't want more bills, but I'm scared. I had to help him to the bathroom, his ribs are busted, but when he went- he peed blood. That's not good, right? I told him that wasn't good, I told him he needed to see a doctor, but he-'

Pony broke off with a sob, ducking his head into his hand. Laurie threw her arm around his shoulder, patting him, consolingly.

'Of course. Of course I'll come. Give me a second to grab my kit bag, I keep it packed for emergencies.'

Don't think, just do. Hurry.

In less than a minute, they were peeling out of the street, Laurie having shouted a quick explanation to her parents before grabbing her bag and running back out to the truck. On the way, she quizzed Pony. What had happened, how long ago? What were the extent of Darry's injuries? What was his state of consciousness, how much blood had he lost? She managed to mostly turn off her deeper feelings, focussing on letting her nursing mindset take over. Pony was too panicked, and not medically trained enough, to give her all the details she needed to complete the clinical assessment, but they were at the house in less than five minutes, and she all but leapt out of the vehicle before they'd fully stopped. Pony jogged ahead of her, putting up a hand to slow her as they drew near the front door.

'Better let me head in first. I- I'm not sure he's gonna be super warm to the fact that I went ahead and asked ya to come over.'

Laurie sucked in a calming breath. She needed to get a handle on herself. She couldn't let herself be taken over by stupid runaway feelings at this critical moment. She lingered on the porch as Pony entered the house, straining to catch their conversation. She couldn't make anything out, apart from the blurred rumble of their voices, until she heard, unmistakeably-

'Ponyboy Curtis, what the hell?!'

She took that as her cue to walk on in.

Chapter Text

The first thing Laurie noticed as she walked into the threadbare living room was a torn shirt atop a bloodstained towel, discarded on the floor. She stepped over the heap and rounded the corner, and there was the man himself, half-lying in a recliner, covered with a faded blue blanket. Another old towel was pressed to the side of his head, and he was regarding her with an expression that was half embarrassed, half pained. His right eye was mostly swollen shut, and his jaw bore a nasty graze on the same side.

'Hey,' he greeted, awkwardly.

'Hello, Darrel,' she replied, softly. 

They both knew she'd overheard him scold his brother for bringing her here.

Immediately, she started assessing him, mentally, starting to outline the clinical picture. She'd take a look at the scalp laceration after she'd examined what she suspected was a rib fracture, judging from the way he was guarding his side, his posture unnaturally crooked, and the shallow breaths he was taking. If she were to guess, it was hurting him to even breathe right now.

'I didn't tell him to ask you to come. In fact, I'm pretty sure I told him the exact opposite,'  he muttered, shooting a glare at Pony, who was seated on the adjacent couch, leaning forward anxiously, his eyes trained on her as though she were some miracle worker come to wave a magic wand and fix his brother. Laurie wasn't sure she could deliver on that account. Hematuria, or bloody urine, as she'd explained to Pony, could indicate kidney or bladder trauma. As far as she was concerned, that alone warranted a visit to the hospital, not to mention the fact that he'd lost consciousness only a couple of months after having a concussion.

She stayed quiet. Clearly, Darry wasn't pleased to see her, but she'd wait and see how things played out.

'I'm sorry,' Pony pleaded, placing a hand on his brother's arm, 'but please let Laurie help you. I keep thinking about how you looked, layin' there in the hospital- you're scarin' me, Dar.'

Darry said nothing, just grit his teeth and lifted his eyes to the ceiling. Laurie deduced that he was hard pressed to resist the entreaty of his youngest brother. By all accounts, Pony had him wrapped around his little finger.

She decided to plunge in. As unusual as this situation was, she was a nurse, and in front of her was a clearly injured person. She would do what she could, and maybe she'd be able to encourage him to attend the hospital.

'Is it ok if I go wash my hands? Michael filled me in on what happened last night, and it sounds like you need to get checked out.'

Darry blew out a sharp breath, eyes half-closed.

'He shouldn't have bothered you. I'm fine.'

Apparently, his definition of 'fine' wasn't the same as hers, but she decided not to verbalize that.

Pony jumped up, a bundle of nervous energy. 

'Down the hall, to the right,' he informed her. 

Laurie quickly located the bathroom and began scrubbing her hands thoroughly. Ponyboy followed her, lingering in the doorway, shifting from foot to foot, chewing on his lip.

'What can I do? Do you need any help with anything? Thank you for coming, I'm sorry he's being so-'

'I can hear you, you know,' growled Darry, voice drifting to them from his chair.

Laurie couldn't help a small grin.

'You know,' she whispered, as she dried her hands, 'the fact that he's acting this way is a good sign. He's not too badly off if he can put up a fight.'

Pony's shoulders slumped a little and he smiled at her in relief. Laurie patted his arm.

'I'll let you know if I need anything. You just keep talking to him, keep him relaxed.'

He nodded, seemingly reassured, and padded back to the front room. She followed, grabbing her bag on the way.

Secretly, Laurie was still concerned. She was familiar with Darry's type- they'll insist they're fine until they're blue in the face, but upon further examination, be much worse off than the person in the next room who's screaming the place down.

It wasn't hard for her to snap into business as usual, though. Despite her crush on Darry, she'd been his nurse before, and she was pretty sure she wouldn't have any issues being professional.

'Alright then, Mr Curtis,' she began, deciding upon the jovial approach, 'I'd like to get started with some obs, please.'

'K,' he murmured, holding out an arm, well practiced from his recent hospital stay. 

She knelt beside him and made quick work of taking his vitals.

He seemed determined to avoid eye contact with her, and not to give away just how much pain he was in, but his brow furrowing with each breath, and the way his fingers clawed into the couch, betrayed him. Ponyboy hovered, chewing on his nails nervously. Not doing a very good job at keeping his big brother calm, Laurie mused, wryly.

'All normal,' she declared, placing her sphygmomanometer back into her bag. She sat back on her haunches, considering for a moment. Normal vitals were a good sign. They could probably rule out any excessive internal bleeding.

'I'd like to listen to your chest. I heard you took a few hits to the ribs, and we need to make sure nothing punctured a lung.'

Pony gasped, 'I didn't know that could happen!'

Darry rolled his eyes again.

'Quit bein' dramatic, Pone. I've broken ribs before.'

He still refused to meet Laurie's eyes, pretending to concentrate on pressing the towel against his head.

'Can I take a look?' She asked, softly.

He hesitated, then used the hand that wasn't occupied to pull the blanket aside, the movement making him hiss in pain.

Now that his torso was exposed, Laurie could see the bruises that littered his skin. Someone had really given him a working over.

'I'm so sorry, Darry,' she shook her head, sadly, 'I can't believe someone would do that to a person just trying to get home from work.'

'S' happened before. Jus' usually not five of them at once,' he joked, feebly, 'I did get in a couple good hits, though. Clocked one of them with my hammer.'

A jolt of realization went through Laurie. She froze.

'What?' squawked Pony, 'Is he ok?'

She fixed her face, pushing the thoughts of her teenage patient to the side. She couldn't possibly tell Darry, anyway.

'Oh, yeah. Just help your brother lean forward, so I can listen to his lungs,' she hesitated, 'I'm sorry, this is going to hurt. Maybe you can use a pillow to brace your ribs.'

Pony grabbed a pillow and Darry pressed it against his chest. Then he leaned forward slowly, Pony's hand firm on his shoulder.

A cry of pain escaped from Darry's lips, but Laurie couldn't dwell on it. Quickly, she used her stethoscope to auscultate.

'Sorry,' she apologized, again, 'I'm almost done. Just gonna check your back while you're like this, and then, I'll listen again on your chest.'

She ran her fingers over his spine, probing for any noticable injuries, then towards the side of his ribcage. He yelped again as she made contact with his injured ribs. Mottled bruising could be seen over the area, other abrasions and contusions scattered luridly across his back. A particularly ugly bruise covered the area of his left kidney.

Laurie hummed under her breath.

'That would explain the blood in your urine.'

Darry made an outraged sound, muffled into the pillow. Pony shrugged.

'Sorry, Dar. I had to tell her.'

Laurie didn't dwell on his embarrassment. There was no time for being bashful.

'Looks like you probably took a kick to the kidney. I'd really feel better if you were to get that checked out.'

Darry grunted a refusal, and Laurie met Pony's worried gaze. Truthfully, she didn't know what else to do. She couldn't force him.

'Ok, Michael, help him sit back again.'

Pony did so, eliciting a curse from Darry as he eased himself back into a more bearable position. His eyes were screwed shut, and Laurie was reminded of how her little brother used to think the world around him would cease to exist, as long as he couldn't see it. His breath shuddered.

'How's the pain?' Laurie asked him, as she began listening on his chest wall.

He cracked his eyes open, looking at her for the first time since she'd arrived.

'Bad,' he rasped.

'And for him to admit that, it's gotta be horrible,' Pony interjected.

'Shut up, Pone.'

'Is it getting worse?' Laurie asked.

'S'about the same.'

'Have you passed out again?'

'Nah.'

'Do you feel nauseous?'

'Nope.'

'Darry,' Laurie did her best to sound authoritative, 'I can't recommend strongly enough that you have your brother take you to the ER. While your vitals are OK right now, that could change at any minute if there's something going on that I can't see. There are all kinds of tests that I can't possibly run here. I'm talking about internal bleeding, kidney rupture, a collapsed lung...I know you're worried about finances, but there's got to be some way-'

'Please, Darry,' Pony cut in, tearfully, 'I don't want anythin' to happen to you. I can't take it! I'm going to call Soda. Maybe he can talk some sense into ya.'

He leapt up and began to leave the room.

'No!' Darry snapped, pulling the blanket roughly back over himself with a sharp little cry of agony, 'don't bother him with this right now. He's got work. Pony! I'm serious. I ain't going to no hospital. I get any more bills, and we're finished, you hear? I'll be payin' off the other ones for years. You wanna drop outta college? Cause that's the only extra we got right now.'

Laurie busied herself with putting her stethoscope away, and searching through her bag for gauze and saline, although the pretense was foolish. Both the brothers seemed to have forgotten momentarily that she was even here.

'I know you've got an emergency fund put away,' Pony countered.

Darry made as if to move from the chair, his eyes blazing. The towel fell away from his hair and Laurie could see a good sized laceration on his scalp, that definitely needed stitches. Before she could tell him to stay put, his ribs stopped him, his arms grasping out towards the air as if something there could help him and he sunk back into the chair, gasping. Pony rushed to his side.

'Breathe, Dar, breathe,' he pleaded, 'I'm sorry. I wasn't tryin' to snoop. I just had to grab somethin' from the closet and I saw the envelope. Isn't it enough to help? Soda and I'll make up the difference. I can get a job, whatever we need to do. Just go and get looked at.'

With effort, Darry managed to get his breathing under control. Laurie's heart twisted. She wished she didn't feel so helpless. In the hospital, they might have had him hooked up to a morphine drip by now.

'You had no right to go through my things,' he ground out, eventually, 'That money is none of your business. I'm not. Going. To the damn hospital. I got some leftover pain meds in my nightstand. Go grab 'em.'

Pony hurried to obey, wiping at his cheeks furiously as he did so.

Laurie took in a few steadying breaths of her own, determined not to acknowledge the argument she'd just witnessed, feeling she had intruded on something private.

'Getting some meds into you will be good,' she agreed, despite her internal stickler shouting at her that taking unprescribed medication was against protocol, 'You need to make sure you're taking full, deep breaths every hour, so your lung stays healthy on that side. Your pain control is really important, from that standpoint. If you don't have enough pills to get through, I'm sure your primary doctor could prescribe you some.'

Darry regarded her, wearily. He picked up the towel and pressed it gingerly back onto his head.

'Anythin' else?'

'Yeah, there's some things you should watch out for. I'll fill Michael in on those.'

Darry waved his hand, vaguely gesturing in Pony's direction.

'He's headed back to school on Monday. So maybe you can just write it down or somethin'.'

'You mean- there won't be anyone here with you?'

He regarded her, quizzically.

'Well, I'll be at work, so- no need.'

She couldn't help the half-panicked chuckle that escaped her. This was so much like déja vu.

'We both know you won't be in any state to haul roofing up a ladder,' she stated, hands on her hips.

He elected not to answer, closing his eyes again, shutting her out. Laurie sighed, exasperatedly. She had never met a more stubborn man. 

Pony appeared back with the bottle of pain medication and a glass of water. Darry took two pills and gulped them down, then rested his head back against the couch.

'You'd better let me take a look at that nasty gash on your head, now,' she instructed.

He must have been pretty wiped out from all the excitement of the morning, because he simply let his hand fall, exposing the wound as the towel dropped away. It was gaping and still oozing blood.

'Hmm, OK,' Laurie mused, 'It really needs stitches, but there's another technique I could try. Basically, I twist some strands of your hair together, across the cut, and it'll sort of pull the edges together. I've never actually done it before, but if it's alright with you, I'd like to try.'

'Be my guest,' he mumbled, then, catching Pony's eye, 'And you, snooper, go and get her something to eat. You're the one who dragged her here after her shift.'

Pony scuttled off to the kitchen, shouting back that he'd make enough for Darry, too.

'I was happy to come. I'm glad Michael felt free to ask,' Laurie insisted, 'I just- I can't believe that this happened. It's so awful-' she stopped, choking back a sob. 

Darry gave her a crooked smile, that didn't quite reach his eyes.

'Just happens sometimes. It was a mistake, some guy thought I was after his girl.'

Laurie's eyes widened.

Cindy.

She opened her mouth, and closed it again.

She had almost blurted out the whole thing, how she was pretty sure she had just spent the last 12 hours caring for a boy who'd been one of the ones to attack Darry. Should she tell him? From a legal standpoint, definitely not. From a moral standpoint, didn't he deserve to know? The boy's father had been saying something about going after whoever had hurt his boy. Surely, Darry should know. He'd only acted in self-defense. 

Maybe she should just tell him about Les, who now seemed to be on the warpath, although the scumbag seemed to consider the matter dealt with.

Luckily, Darry seemed too worn out to pick up on her distress. He barely reacted as she cleaned and fixed up the injury. Maybe the pain in his abdomen was so bad that her tugging at his scalp didn't really register.

The hair apposition technique she'd read about in theory worked surprisingly well, and Laurie was pleased with the finished product, so pleased, in fact, that she thought she'd bring it up as an alternative to suturing when they had their next clinical meeting at work.

'That should heal up well,' she told Darry and Pony, who came in with a plate of steaming eggs that made her mouth water, 'the twists of hair should just fall out by themselves after a a few days. There'll be a scar, but it shouldn't be too noticeable. It's a good thing your hair was as long as it was, any shorter and I wouldn't have been able to work with it.'

Pony barked out a laugh as he set the table, and Darry scowled in his direction.

'What?' Laurie looked between the brothers, confused.

Darry continued to look mutinous, so Pony replied.

'Aw, he's just embarrassed cause he usually keeps his hair short, is all. And I'm always tellin' him he looks better with it grown out some.'

Laurie grinned, she couldn't help it.

'Well, if you keep it longer, the scar won't be visible, if that's something you care about.'

Darry shrugged.

'Nah. I ain't prone to vanity.'

Something in his tone, or the way the words didn't quite seem to fit him, snapped her attention to him, and then, she remembered. She had said the same thing to him about the now almost-healed wound on his temple, while he'd been in the hospital, unconscious. 

The way he was looking at her now, as if waiting to see her response, told her his meaning had been intentional, to communicate to her that he remembered at least one of the things she'd said to him during his coma.

Pony, oblivious to the moment passing between the two of them, was doling out huge heaps of eggs onto three plates.

Darry grimaced.

'Not much for me, little buddy. Just enough to get these meds to sit.'

Pony nodded, scooping some back into the pan, while Laurie cooed inwardly at the sweet nickname Darry used for his little brother. 

Feeling very conscious of the flush dusting her cheeks, she diverted the stupid direction her thoughts were taking by reminding herself that Darry had a girlfriend, who would surely be anxious to hear about his injured state. Come to think of that, why hadn't they called Cindy? She was as good a nurse as Laurie was. Perhaps Pony didn't have her number, they'd only been on two dates, after all.

The graze on Darry's chin had already been cleaned, so for now, she'd reached the limit of what she could do here. 

'Uh- would you like one of us to call- Cindy?' she asked, hesitantly.

Darry's head jerked up from the plate of eggs that Pony had balanced precariously on the arm of the recliner. Pony turned, too, from the doorway of the kitchen.

'What?!' Darry answered, incredulously, 'Why in the hell would I do that? To tell her her psycho boyfriend and his buddies beat me up?'

His pain meds must be kicking in, if he can get riled up like that, thought Laurie.

'Uh- because she might want to know that her boyfriend's hurt?'

Darry was looking at her as if she were crazy.

'I mean, I'm sure he is- I hope he is, but I sure as hell won't be the one to tell her that.'

'What are you talking about, Laurie?' questioned Pony, clearly confused. 

She felt a wave of embarrassment. She had put her foot in it now.

'Darry musn't have told you- I'm sorry if I overstepped.'

'Dar?'

Darry just shook his head. 

'I ain't got any idea.'

 He suddenly looked bone tired. Laurie figured she'd already dug herself in deep enough at this point, so she blurted,

'You're dating Cindy, so I thought you'd want to let her know that you were hurt.'

Pony looked to be in danger of letting his breakfast fall off his tilting plate entirely, his eyes wide. Darry barked out a short laugh, followed by a hiss of pain.

'No, I ain't. Is that what she said?'

Laurie nodded, and Darry rolled his eyes.

'Crazy broad. I never even called her. Guess I know who to thank for this mess,' he gestured towards himself.

Laurie's mind was reeling. All of a sudden, her long shift was catching up to her. 

'Oh,' was all she said, stupidly. She closed her medical bag, and gathered the dirty gauze and empty saline bottle.

'Just gonna throw this out,' she threw over her shoulder.

Darry didn't reply, seemingly occupied with his breakfast.

She made her way to the kitchen trash and deposited her bundle in the trash. If her hands were shaking a little, she wasn't going to tell anyone.

Ponyboy appeared behind her, his face still pinched with worry.

'So,' he whispered, 'what's the verdict? Do I need to call Soda? He always listens to him.'

Laurie moved to the sink and started scrubbing her hands.

'I'd say, after checking him out, I feel- cautiously optimistic. There are some things I want you to look out for, but on the whole, I think he's going to be ok- not making any promises, it's impossible to rule out everything without further tests.'

She dried her hands, eager to get to her eggs before they cooled off. Nothing worse than cold eggs.

Pony nodded, his eyes filled with tears of gratitude. As she turned, he pulled her into a sudden, tight hug.

'Thank you, Laurie,' he murmured into her hair.

'Of course,' she returned, squeezing him back, her heart going out to him. He really was a sweet kid. No wonder his brothers were so protective of him.

She pulled away, giving him a watery smile, which he returned.

'Don't you let him dare even think about going back to work on Monday,' she ordered, 'not that I think he even physically could, but with no one around, I'm worried he might do something stupid. Much as I'm getting fond of this family, I don't want to see him back in the ICU.'

Pony furrowed his brow.

'No, of course not. I'll talk to Soda and make sure there's someone here with him until he can move around a bit better. I bet he's gonna complain about it, though. I'll call my college first thing on Monday and get a leave of absence.'

Silence fell for a moment. Laurie listened, but couldn't hear any noise from the front room. Perhaps Darry had fallen asleep. She hoped so.

'Uh- how long do you think he'll be outta commission?'

Laurie thought for a moment, combing through her memory.

'It's not really my area of expertise, but I'd guess at least a month, maybe 6 weeks. More, if he doesn't rest.'

Pony swore under his breath.

'He's gonna freak. His job-'

He broke off, bringing his hand to cover his mouth, eyes unfocussed.

'Michael?' She said, softly, after waiting a moment. 

Pony's eyes were glassy as he spoke.

'Darry's always said that any one of us would have done the same as he did when Dad and Mom died- I mean, he turned down his scholarship, used all of that money he'd been saving to cover everythin'- he did it without a second thought, but he never really made a big deal of it, and it's only recently that I've been startin' to think about what that meant- I always looked up to him for giving it all up, and I never was sure whether I woulda been capable of it, if I'm being honest with you.'

He ran his thumb over his lip, worriedly.

'I- I ain't sure that my college will let me keep my spot if I miss a month of classes, but I guess I'm gonna find out, cause I'm gonna call Darry's boss, or both of them, on Monday and see if I can step in for him for a while. If Darry loses his job, I don't- he wouldn't be able to pay the bills, and if he lost the house- so- I guess I'm about to find out just how well I measure up to Ol' Dar.'

Laurie's throat was too tight to answer him, so she settled for another hug. This family was really something.