Times Change [UNDERGOING EDITS]

Chapter Seventeen

Finally, we managed to get to the hospital. I silently cursed the fact that we hadn't taken the bus and saved some time.

Once again, we spent some time arguing with the nurse about our boys. She just kept insisting that only family was allowed in. Eventually, the doctor came around and waved her away.

"You have as much of a right to be here as anyone, he's been asking for you guys. It cant hurt now" he told us.

I looked at Pony and we seemed to be thinking the same thing. We recognized the tone of the doc's voice when Two Bit didn't. It was true, Johnny was dying.

"Neither of their folks have even bothered to show up, you kids seem to be as good as family to them."

"Don't count on them ever showing up," Two Bit mumbled. It was true, no way Johnny's parents would bother to show and Dally's dad probably didn't even know he was in the hospital.

The doctor led us to Johnny's room, but stopped us before we went inside. "I'm warning you, he ain't doing so good. Just try not to get him too excited or nothing, alright?"

I was shocked when I first saw Johnny, laying in that hospital bed hooked up to various machines.

"Hey Johnnycake," I said softly, sitting next to him. He had a lot of really bad burns, the doc wasn't exaggerating, he really didn't look too good.

"Hey Sis," he said weakly, trying to grin at us, "How ya been?"

I shrugged, "Not great to tell you the truth. But I'm doing better now so don't you worry about me."

"How you feeling Johnnykid?" Two Bit asked, "They treating you alright in this place?"

"Don't let me put grease in my hair," Johnny mumbled quietly. I couldn't help but laugh.

Two Bit rolled his eyes, "We'll bring you some hair grease next time we visit you." He nudged me, "Kid's layin' in a hospital bed and all he can think about is looking tuff."

I grinned and shoved Two, knocking him out of his chair. Well to be honest, I didn't hit him that hard. He wouldn't have fallen if he wasn't so damn over-dramatic all the time.

Johnny gave a weak laugh that soon turned into a gasp.

"It's all alright Johnnycake," I said, grabbing his hand. His skin felt hot and feverish. I decided to change the subject, "Hey, did you see the paper? They made you hooligans out as heroes!"

Johnny grinned slightly, "Tuff enough."

I smiled slightly seeing the glow in his eyes. My mind flashed back to when we were just kids reading comic books. Johnny always told me he was going to be a super hero when he grew up. Boy, and was he a hero now or what?

Johnny was starting to look real pale, Two pretended not to notice. "You want us to bring you anything 'sides hair grease Johnny?"

"The book..." he gasped, looking at Ponyboy. "It probably got burned up..."

I turned to Pony, who I realized hadn't talked much up to this point.

"He want's another copy of Gone With the Wind so I can read it to him," he stated simply.

I remembered that Gone With the Wind was the book Ponyboy always talked about wanting his very own copy of. They must have gotten a hold of a copy in Windrixville.

"I'll run down to the gift shop and see if they have a copy," Two Bit offered, "Wanna come with, Alli?"

I nodded and got up to follow him. Then I turned and looked at Pony and Johnny, "Stay put."

I searched through the bookshelf in the hospital gift shop while Two Bit just goofed around.

"Why do they always have such a collection of books in hospitals?"

"Nothin' better to do when you're in the hospital," I said grimly, "Might as well read."

Two tilted his head to the side, "Right, forgot you were in the hospital that one time."

"Yeah," I sighed, "Bad case of pneumonia. But my mom read Little Women to me to pass the time." I had been in the hospital for almost two weeks before they finally decided I was stable to go back to being sick in the comfort of my home.

"Ah! Here it is!" Two Bit said, waving a paperback copy of Gone With the Wind in front of my face. He started to slip it into his leather jacket before I stopped him.

"Can we do the honest thing for once Keith?" I scolded. "The money the gift shop makes helps kids like Johnny who don't got no family to pay the medical bills."

He just rolled his eyes and handed over the book. I took it up to the counter and paid the two dollars.

Once we got back up to the room there seemed to be a commotion.

"I don' wanna see her!"

"But Johnny, she's your mother," the nurse reasoned. She seemed like a nice lady and I could tell she meant well.

Moving quickly I shook my head at the nurse and escorted her to the door. "His mom's a bitch and he don't wanna see her. You're getting 'im all riled up!" I snapped.

"She probably just wants to tell me how much trouble i've caused her!" Johnny rasped irritably before he passed out. Ponyboy, who had been standing in the corner unsure of what to do, seemed to go a shade paler.

The nurse rushed back into the room. "I think it's about time you all leave."

"I ain't going anywhere," I told her. She opened her mouth to argue but I cut her off, "We're all the family as Johnny's got. Parents are allowed to stay with their children in the hospital but he don't got parents that care enough to stay with him. I'm staying."

I looked to Two Bit, "You take Ponyboy and go see Dally. I'll go pay him a visit later." He nodded and grabbed Ponyboy by the shoulder and steered him out of the room.

"You let those delinquents see him but not his own mother?!" a shrill voice shrieked from the hallway. Obviously it was Mrs. Cade, I recognized her shouting by now since sometimes we could hear her hollering from my house down the street.

"No wonder he hates your guts, bitch," Two Bit spat. Two would never ever disrespect someone's mother. But Johnny's mom doesn't deserve no respect and the boys knew so.

Mrs. Cade continued to put up a fight. I calmly walked out to the hall to try to talk to her.

"You let that little brat in? She's not his family! I am! He's my son!" she shrieked at the nurse who was trying to reason with her.

"Me and the boys are the only family Johnny's got," I replied calmly.

"You? Johnathan's family? He has got a mother and father who would like to see him!" she shrilled.

I rolled my eyes, I was done trying to be rational with her. "If you really cared about your son then maybe you would bother to look at least a little concerned about the fact that he is dying. Instead you're standin' out here and making a big ol' fuss to get yourself attention," I snapped.

"You and your 'husband' are nothing more than abusive, drunken bastards who don't give a shit about Johnny unless you're beating him up or hollerin' at him!" I spat at her. "Me and the gang are more of a family to Johnny than you will ever be."

I turned my back on her and went back into the room and collapsed into the chair by Johnny's bed.