Cake, Pie, and Pony

Chapter Nine

This nightmare is the worst of all. Johnny's dead. The guy with the rings killed him. He turned to me, and I try to run, but my legs were literally on fire as I ran. This was probably the longest nightmare I've had. I felt like I've been running for days. Maybe weeks. However, I can feel my body's asleep, but my heart is racing from running. I finally wake up in pain. My body didn't jerk up from the dream. It just stayed lying on the bed. On the bed. I never slept in an actual bed before. It feels comfortable. 

Where is Johnny?

I look around the room and he's not in it. I climbed out of the bed and started running to the door, but was quickly back on the ground as pain runs up my legs. I look down and realize they were all burnt, bruised, and cut. The rest of my body was okay. I get back up and fight the pain to Johnny's room. On my way, I've had doctors yell at me to go back. I'd have them pick me up and I'd fight my way back to my brother. I was chased down until I finally got there and barged in the room. There were four to five doctors in there, yelling at me to get out. The doctors chasing me caught up. I start screaming and yelling and kicking as they picked me up to carry me out. I ended up shrieking as I kept clawing and fighting with the doctors to let me in with Johnny. 

I finally break out of their grip and run to Johnny, yelling his name and trying to wake him up. "Johnny! Johnny! Johnnycake! Johnny!" The doctors tried to pull me away from him. I turn around to him and we start fighting again, now I'm yelling things like "What are you doing?" and "Doctors are supposed to help people!" They pick me up again and wrestled me out of his room as they finally close the door and lock it. Now I'm fighting for the key.

Dally finally grabbed me and closed his hospital door as he throws me on the ground. "Are you insane?" he yelled at me. "How am I the insane one! I need to go back." I try to get back through the door, but Dally held me again. "You're not going back there." 

"Yes I am!" I yelled as I reached for the door knob. I then stopped and looked at Dally. I'll show Johnny who's to young too understand! "You're sneaky. How can I get the keys to Johnny's room? They locked the door." Dally just looks at me like I have five heads. "Anniepie, they locked that door for a reason."

"And your point is? If I'm gonna be with Johnny even when he dies, I'm gonna be there when he's alive!" I'm finally able to grip the door knob and open it as a doctor stands out there. She looks at me. "Annie Cade?" she asks. "Anniepie." 

"Johnny's awake," Dally grabbed me so I wouldn't run. I look back at him and try to wrestle my arm back as the nurse says, "but  he's not looking good." I turn to the nurse with fury in my eyes. "Can I visit him yet?"

"Yes, but-" I bolt out of that room to Johnny and bursted through the door. Johnny was faced down, but he almost immediately said "Anniepie, calm down! I'm okay!" I slammed the door shut and ran up to him, kind of ignoring him. "Johnny are you okay?" I ask, still panicked. "I'm okay, I'm okay! in pain, but okay!"

"You're okay, then why wouldn't they let me in earlier!" I raised my voice. "Anniepie, lower your voice! You're here now. I'm okay." I then collapse on the ground, forgetting about my pain in my legs, my breath from wrestling the doctors and Dally. I could feel the scratches on my lungs as I'm gasping for breath, feeling lightheaded. "I'm okay," I told him.  "The doctors told me about you trying to get in." I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Of course they did," I muttered. "You know me, of course I would!" Johnny didn't say anything. Neither did I, but I pull myself up and sit in a chair. I end up sitting in Johnny's room for hours in silence until Two-Bit and Pony walk in. All I do is smile at them. Two-Bit hugged me because I haven't seen him in five days. "Heya Two-Bit!"

"Hi Pie!" he smiled. "How's Johnny?" I looked at him. "Not good," I respond, looking down and wiping my eyes. Two-Bit looks up at Johnny and looks down at the newspaper before he gives it to me.

Three teenagers and one young girl runs back into burning church to save young kids. The three boys, Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny Cade, and Dallas Winston and one girl, Annie Cade, were able to rescue all of the kids before the church collapses. They were all sent to the hospital. Ponyboy's okay and back home with his brothers, Sodapop and Darry. Johnny, Dallas, and Annie are still in the hospital. Dallas will be okay, but Johnny is in critical condition and he might die. Annie may be okay. She'll be put in a wheelchair for the rest of her life after her legs get amputated.

I may  be okay? Johnny may  die? And what is amputated? I'm six! I give back the newspaper to Two-Bit. "What's amputated?" I ask him. He and Pony look at each other. "You'll... find out," is all he says before he starts talking to Johnny about Gone With The Wind. "I'll get you another copy. Come on Anniepie. We need to talk."

"I wrestled my way in here, I'm not leaving now," I warn him. "No, we need to talk." Oh no. Did Johnny tell Pony about what I said about staying with Johnny after he dies? Did Pony tell Two-Bit?

Why am I having dids instead of what-ifs?

Two-Bit then picks me up and carries me out. "What do we need to talk about?" I ask. He puts me down in the waiting room.

"Don't hurt yourself if Johnny dies."

"Why not? I can't live without him, you know this."

"I know how you feel. But-"

"I never left Johnny's side my whole life."

"I know you have and-"

"And I'm not starting when he dies."

"Anniepie! Listen! I know how you feel. And Here's why. We-" Two-Bit then looked up and pulled me away from the waiting room in Johnny's room. "Pony, we got to go. Mrs. Cade is here." I run under a chair and hide there while Pony leave. A few doctors come in to help Johnny after he passed out. No one noticed, so I hid there for hours until they left. When they did, I got back up and sat back down.

Johnny may die.