In the heat of the moment- Dallas Winston x Curtis sister

Chapter 5

After Soda's initial wake-up the gang came to visit him and make sure he was okay. Some of my friends who had been at the race came to check up on Pony, Darry, and me. Steve's mom came down to give us any information about Steve. She told us that he was doing okay and would be discharged in the morning.

As the commotion died down and it grew later into the night I sat in a chair in a daze. I thought about the accident. I was so worried I'd lose him like mom and dad. I thought of all of the people who came to see Soda. Then it dawned on me; Sandy hadn't shown up. She hadn't even called to ask how he was. It was as if Soda hadn't almost died. If I'm thinking about it, she didn't even run to the car with me and Evie. I thought Evie was a bad girlfriend, but, at least she came to the hospital to see her boyfriend.

"Grace," Darry's voice broke through my daze. I looked at Darry and got a bit sassy.

"What?" I snapped at him.

"Don't get smart with me. You've been staring at the wall for a half-an-hour."

"Oh, I-I didn't know I zoned out for that long."

"It's okay hun. I want you to take Pony home. You take a shower and grab whatever you need to stay the night. I'll stay here with Soda and speak to some doctors." Darry put his hand on my shoulder.

"Sure Dar, Can I get the keys?"

Darry handed me the keys and I walked out of the hospital with Pony right behind me. We got in the car and rode home in silence. Once we got home I went to shower and Pony sat on the couch. I took a shower and grabbed my things for the night. When I walked out into the living room, Pony was crying with his head in his hands.

"Pony," I said walking over and putting my hand on his back.

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" He asked looking up from his hands.

"He's awake isn't he?" I said sitting down next to him. He gave me a confused look. "He's okay," I clarified.

"I'm scared, Gracie. What if he would have died? What if that was the last time we would have seen him? What if-"

"He's okay." I cut him off, frustrated. To tell the truth, I was scared too. Soda was my other half. Sure, we were always bickering but I loved him more than anything. "Let's go to the hospital. Say goodnight to Soda." I said to change the subject.

"Mhm," Pony mumbled. Pony knew how I got when it came to Soda. We were much closer when we were kids but we both cared about each other. It went without saying. I also hated the idea of death. I couldn't stand the thought that Soda could've died; in my brain it wasn't an option. When my parents died I turned into an alcoholic. I couldn't begin to imagine how I would be if Soda died. I'd probably get into drugs or something.
I got up, grabbed my bag and walked out to the car with Ponyboy following close behind. I turned the radio up so high I couldn't hear my own thoughts. I gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned white.
We walked into the hospital in silence. Pony knew I was turned up from the conversation at the house so he didn't dare speak until we were right outside Sodapop's room.
"Grace, I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just- I can't lose anyone else, okay? I can't stand the thought. I got snippy and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry." I was being completely genuine although I probably didn't look it. I was looking at my feet the whole time. I couldn't stand apologizing.
The next thing I knew, Pony's arms were around me. I melted into his touch. I can only imagine what we looked like in that hospital hallway at 10:30 at night but I wasn't especially worried about that. The comfort felt nice.
We broke apart and walked into the room. Soda was sitting up listening to Darry blabbering on to him about how 'you will never drag race again'. Me and Pony walked to the bed and sat down.
"Darry, give him a break. We'll discuss this later," Soda looked at me and mouthed 'thank you' and I simply nodded.
"Fine. I need to talk to you in the hall. Pony, say goodnight to Soda and then we'll go home, okay?" Darry was acting more affirmative than usual. I could tell he was nervous.
Pony and I nodded our heads and Darry and I walked into the hallway.
"Grace are you positive you will be okay with Soda tonight?" Darry asked the second you were out of the boys' earshot.
"I think I can handle it. He wanted me here anyway."
"I know. Just make sure he's resting. The poor kid has been through enough today. Just make sure he's calm and call me if something happens."Darry peered into the room where Pony and Soda were talking. He relaxed a bit when he saw the boys laughing.
"I've got it." I told Darry with confidence.