𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐜𝐤
It was around 2 in the morning and Pony laid awake in bed. Next to him Soda was snoring his head off into the pillow. Pony never really realized how loud Soda snores sometimes, but he could admit it’s pretty annoying when you feel lousy.
Pony was so sleepy but his stomach hurt to much for him to fall asleep. This stomachache wasn’t just a simple one you get after eating to much food or something. This is a bad one.
Pony was trying his best not to cry from the pain because Soda had work early in the morning. After a few hours of Ponyboy tossing and turning, and listening to Soda’s snoring he dozed off and cuddled up on Soda’s shoulder.
Darry slowly woke up to the sound of his beaming alarm and the bright rising sun through his curtains. Darry sat up and checked the time on the alarm box. ‘5am already, ugh’ Darry thought.
Darry slipped out of his warm comfy bed and headed to the bathroom. After a nice warm shower he went back to his room and changed into his work clothes. While he was cooking breakfast he heard the shower turn on again so he knew Sodapop was now up.
Since Soda was up Darry figured it would be good to get Pony up as well. When Darry entered Pony and Soda’s shared room, Pony was fast asleep snoring into his pillow while his leg was half off the bed and half on the bed.
Darry couldn’t help but laugh because Pony always denied it when he got told that he snores. Even though it’s so obvious he does. “Pony, time to get up.” Darry said while moving to sit on the edge of the bed. Pony slightly moved but didn’t wake up.
“Come on Pone it’s too early for this. You need to get up I’m sorry.” Pony stirred a bit, “mhm Darry.”
“Yeah it’s me, come on time to get up.” Pony was finally awake now but he didn’t look like he was planning to get out of bed anytime soon.
“Darry, I don’t feel good.” Darry did notice Pony’s cheeks were a bit red and he was pale. Darry placed his hand on Pony’s cheek and forehead. “Yeah you do feel a bit warm. Does anything else feel wrong besides the fever?” Darry asked while he gently rubbed Pony’s knee.
“Yeah my stomach hurts pretty bad.” Pony answered. “Alright I’ll leave you be and you can stay home today. But will you be okay home by yourself?”
“Yes Darry I’ll be okay I’m not a baby.”
“Shh go back to sleep.” As Pony got comfy under the blankets again and closed his eyes, he felt
Darry kiss his forehead then leave the room.
“SODAPOP, HUSTLE YOU’RE GOING TO BE LATE AGAIN.” As Darry finished his sentence Soda hurried out of the bathroom ready for work but still no shoes on. Darry sighed, “aren’t you forgetting something?” Soda looked blankly at Darry. “No I got everything. Wait are you talking about my hair? Is it not greased enough?” Darry held in a laugh. “No, no Soda, you need your shoes on to leave the house.”
Soda ran around the house looking for his shoes. That’s when the gang walked in. “I’M HOME” Two-Bit yelled. “Two-Bit shut your trap. Pony’s sleeping, he’s not feeling well.” Steve walked straight past Darry and got the chocolate cake. After a second the cake frosting was smudged on his lip and nose.
“Aw Ponybrat got what was coming to him” Two-Bit punched Steve in the arm. “Don’t be mean to Ponykid, you’re only saying that cause he not here to defend himself.” That got a quiet laugh from Johnny. Two-bit took a the rest of the cake and headed to the living room to watch Mickey Mouse.
“Two-Bit, you better not get frosting all over the floor again. That was a pain in the ass to clean up.” Darry commented while getting his roofing supplies ready to head to work.
“Alright I’m going to head out now come on Steve and Soda.” Soon Darry, Soda, and Steve were out the door driving away in the truck to head to work.
Johnny was sitting on the couch watching Mickey Mouse with Two-Bit, and of course Two-Bit was singing the Mickey Mouse theme song. “Two-Bit, I know it’s your routine to sing this song or whatever, but you might want to lower your voice so Pony doesn’t wake up.”
“You’re right Johnnycake, I’ll hush my mouth.” Johnny was kind of confused about Two-Bit’s grammar sometimes, but it’s not surprising because he’s 18 still in high school.
Ponyboy has been up since 8am throwing up literally anything and everything. About 30 minutes after Pony woke up he tried eating some toast he made. But he felt so weak after just putting the bread in the toaster and buttering it. But Pony could only take 2 bites until he was running to the bathroom with a hand clamped on his mouth.
An hour after that Pony tried some water and threw that up too. Soon Pony was just laying on the bathroom floor in so much pain that he couldn’t even cry. Pony knew that he told Darry he didn’t need to stay home from work to watch him because he isn’t a ‘baby’ but he really needed Darry right now.
He really needed Darry or Soda. It didn’t even matter but he was in so much pain. This definitely wasn’t some stomach bug. It was worse. Pony needed one of his brothers but he kid of wished that school didn’t start yet so Two-Bit and Johnny were still at the house.
Pony felt like someone was ripping him in half when he gently moved into a sitting position. But Pony knew he had to get up and go to the living room to get the telephone.
So Pony slowly got up and tried to be careful with his stomach. Pony slowly walked to the living room bent over because it wasn’t as bad as standing up was. When Pony finally reached the phone he sat down in Darry’s recliner chair, and started dialing the roofing company that Darry works at.
A few seconds later “Tulsa Roofing Company, how may I direct your call?
Pony swallowed hard because he started to feel nauseous again. “Can.. can I speak to Darrel Curtis please” there was silents then, “Certainly, Honey. I’ll transfer your call to the work site he’s working at. Just a moment please.”
Pony leaned back in the recliner chair trying to hold in a groan from the pain. ‘Just because I am in a lot of pain that doesn’t mean I can just embarrass himself on the phone with some random stranger. At least she seems nice enough to maybe not mention it’.
Pony got snapped out of his thoughts when he head a loud, grouchy voice come on the phone “Roofing site B, this is Tom speaking.”
Pony felt relieved that he was so close to talking to Darry. “Um.. can I please talk to Darrel Curtis sir”
“Darrel? Yeah, yeah he’s here hold on a sec kid”
Pony could hear the loud bangs from the hammers, and beeping sounds from the construction trucks. He also heard yelling, which he wasn’t surprised.
Ponyboy had to pull the phone away from his year because of how loud that guy was yelling. “Hello, Darrel speaking.”
“Ponyboy? Is that you? What’s wrong?”
“Darry, I’m in so much pain. I’m so sorry I had to call you and get you away from work but I’m in a lot of pain and I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’m being ripped apart.”
“Alright.. Alright little buddy that’s sounds like appendicitis. I’m going to end my shift early, but I need you to call the DX because you know the DX is closer than my job. Actually I’ll meet you at the hospital call Soda right after I hang up this phone.”
“Okay Darry, I’m really sorry”
Pony started getting the pain even worse he couldn’t help but groan from the pain.
“Pony please call the DX right now, and don’t be sorry you and your brother come first no matter what. But I’m hanging up now. Please call the DX right after I mean it”
The phone call ended and pony then started putting in the number for the DX.
“Hello this is Sodapop, how may I help you today!” Soda said cheerfully into the phone.
“Pony what’s the matter? Are you alright?” Pony felt bad because he could tell how worried Soda was already.
“Well my stomach hurts so bad. So I called Darry and he told me to call you so you can bring me to the hospital and we’ll meet Darry at the hospital.”
Pony heard silent over the phone then he head Soda yelling “STEVE COVER FIR NE IF BOSS GETS MAD I’M NOT HERE.”
Then the phone call ended.
Not long after the phone call, Ponyboy could hear Soda floring down the street to come take him to the hospital.
Pony knew it was finally it, finally time to go to the hospital. He knew it was going to be hell and he was worried about what was going to happen. Like would he get surgery?
The door flew open and hit the wall. If Darry was home he would probably yell “Don’t slam the door!”
Soda walked in and he looked pretty panicky. “Hey’a Pone, let’s go to the hospital before something even worse happens.”
Pony groaned a bit while holding his stomach. “But.. but Soda, what if I stay for a few days? I need to pack things for the hospital!”
“I don’t think so baby, come on, let’s go to the car.”
Pony sat up from the recliner, then a yell mixed with a gasp bursted out of him from the excruciating pain that came when he sat up.
Soda came over immediately and put a hand on Pony’s back, and helped Pony get out a bending position.
“OWW! SODA STOP MOVING ME.”
Pony didn’t mean to yell at Soda, but what Soda did was hurting his stomach so bad.
___________________________
When Soda pulled up infront of the hospital, he flew out the car and told Pony he would be back in a second. Pony was in too much pain to even care, and listen to what Soda was saying.
Soda ran in the hospital franticly. He ran straight up to the desk and said, “My little brother is in so much pain, he’s still in the car! I need a wheelchair to get him inside because he’s in to much pain to walk!”
“Alright sir, everything going to be alright you don’t need to panic.”
The nurse smiled softly at Soda, then started looking around for a nurse. “Hey! Hey Donna, there is a situation going on and this kind man needs help.”
The girl named Donna speed walked over with a wheelchair. “Alright sir, can you please take me out to the car with your brother in it.”
Soda ran out the door with the nurse not so far behind him. “Here, my brother’s in this car.” Soda painted. Soda opened the door for the kind nurse.
“Hey there sweetheart, my names Donna and I’m going to help you get inside the hospital.”
So after a bit of the nurse and Soda helping Pony out of the car into a wheelchair, they finally did it and brought Pony inside. “This is so embarrassing Soda, what if someone sees me and thinks I’m handy cap at 14 years old!”
“Don’t worry sweetheart, we’ve seen worse.” The nurse answered for Soda.
__________________________
Pony was sitting on the exam table when a nurse walked into the room. She seemed nice. Hopefully she is.
“Hello Ponyboy, my name is Karen and I’ll be your nurse for today.”
“Hi, my name is Sodapop. Our brother Darry will be here soon.”
“Okay, well Ponyboy what are your symptoms.”
Ponyboy just sat there holding back tears from all the pain. Pony looked at Soda in away that said ‘you tell her everything please’.
“Well Pony has really bad stomach pain, a fever, and he’s threw up too.”
Karen wrote that with a pen on a clipboard. “Alright Ponyboy, I’m just going to take your temperature.”
Karen walked over to the cabinets and took out a thermometer. She walked back over to Pony and gently slipped the thermometer into his mouth. While the thermometer was in his mouth under his tongue, she was checking his pulse and blood pressure.
When she got the result of his pulse and blood pressures, she wrote it down on the clipboard. Just as she finished writing the thermometer beeped. She gently took it out of Pony’s mouth and read it.
“103.9… hm.” She mumbled. She wrote the temperature down as well. “Alright Ponyboy, is it alright if I press on your belly? It’s so I can check something.”
Pony slowly knotted his head yes. “Alright, I’m just going to lower the seat so you will be laying down completely.”
The nurse lowered the seat into a lying position. When Pony was completely lying down Karen started gently pushing on his stomach. When she got to the area where the appendix is Pony let out a weak cry.
“I’m sorry sweetheart, I won’t do that anymore.”
While the nurse was nice about it, she seemed very concerned. She then wrote something down again. “The doctor will be in sooner than expected.” With that the nurse was heading out the room.
____________________________
After about 5 minutes, Darry came in the room. “Hey baby, how are you feeling?” Darry asked as he walked over and took a seat beside Soda. “Not to good.”
Darry didn’t finish his sentence because the doctor came inside. “Hello, my name is Dr. Aurthor.”
The doctor read what the nurse wrote down. Then he proceeded to say, “Alright Ponyboy, looks like you got appendicitis. We’ll need to get the appendix removed immediately.”
“How will this go down Dr. Aurthor?”
“Good question Darrel. So Ponyboy will be out under anesthesia so he won’t feel a thing during surgery. Once he’s asleep we’ll make an incision and remove the appendix safely. Then we’ll stitch your brother up and that it.”
“Okay thank you doctor. When will Pony get the surgery.”
The doctor looked weirdly at Darry for asking that question. “Well now, if his appendix burst it can be life threatening. So Ponyboy I’m going to bring you a gown then nurse Karen will bring you to the surgery room in a wheelchair.”
Before leaving the room the doctor smiled at Pony sympathetically.
Around 5 minutes later the doctor came back with a gown for Pony to wear. Of course Darry and Soda helped Pony change into the gown.
_________________________
Karen wheeled Pony down the hall to the surgery room in the wheelchair. Before they entered the double doors, she stoped so Pony can say bye to his brothers. Soda kissed Pony’s head, and told him everything would be alright. Darry ruffled Pony’s hair and told him after this hectic day, he’ll get spoiled.
Then they went threw the double doors…
_________________________
Pony woke up to some weird beeping noise, and someone touching his hair. When he opened his eyes, he was seeing 4 of everything. Also everything was blurry. “Hey Pone, how are you feeling?”
Pony looked in the direction where he heard someone talking and he saw Darry. Darry looked funny. “Water, can I have water?” Soda gout up from his chair and got something that was on the side of the table. He then sat down next to Darry and held the cup next to Pony’s mouth.
Pony was to out of it so Darry put the straw in Pony’s mouth. Pony felt a bit better now that he had some water. When he moved slightly he felt pain in his stomach.
“Pony be careful, you can’t move around to much you’ll mess up your stitches.”
A doctor walked into the room. “Hello Ponyboy, see that you’re awake. Your surgery went Very well.”
Ponyboy honestly did not care what this doctor had to say. He just wanted to go sleep, he felt so lousy.
_________________________
𝐅𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥
It was the day Pony got discharged from the hospital. Pony was annoyed because he couldn’t do anything. The doctor told Darry that he was on bed rest, and when he gets up to walk around someone needs to be with him.
Pony knew Darry and Soda were going to be even more dramatic and protective. Pony was taken to the car in a wheelchair, and got help climbing into the car.
At home Soda got Pony comfy on the couch. Soda laid next to Pony on the couch, and Darry sat in his recliner chair. The next few day’s might be ruff but they can get through it together.
(𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫)
