Sequel: Take Me Back to Where We Started ›
I Could Use Somebody
Ten.
I let go of Dally's hand and put my head back, closing my eyes.
"Nicole." I felt Dally reach for my hand. I smiled at him and brushed the hair out of his face. "Hey bud. How ya feelin'?" He closed his eyes. "Where's Johnny?" "In the ambulence in front of us. Pony is behind us. Johnny's burnt pretty badly but Ponyboy's alright." Dally covered his eyes and sighed. "How bad is pretty bad?" I squeezed his hand. "He'll be alright, Dally. Don't worry. Go back to sleep." He kissed the top of my hand then closed his eyes.
"Brave kid." I heard the paramedic say. I looked over at him. "All of you are pretty brave, if you ask me. The teacher told me what you guys did. Takes a good person to do something like that." Good person? I couldn't help but laugh. "You should see his police record." That was the end of that conversation. It took forever to get back home. Well, I'm sure it didn't take that long. It just felt like it did. Dal was out when we got to the hospital so I got out of the ambulence and saw Ponyboy and the teacher from the church. They were walking inside so I figured Pony was alright. When I caught up to them they were sitting in the hallway.
"You alright?" I said as I kneeled down in front of him. "Yeah I'm fine. How's Dallas?" He lit a cigarette. I hated when he smoked. He was still a baby to me. "Fine. Any word on Johnny?" He shook his head no,then rested it on the wall. I took the cigarette out of his hand then sat down next to him. "What are you doing?" I took a drag of the cigarette. "You smoke too much. You won't make track next year if you keep it up. I'm just doing you a favor." He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." I put my head back and closed my eyes. It was dead silent for a while until Ponyboy shot out of his seat.
"Pony." I heard a familiar voice say. I opened my eyes and saw Sodapop and Darry standing there. The three of them hugged for a while. "Who are they?" I almost forgot that the teacher was sitting next to me until he said something. "His brothers." "Any idea what time they're parents will be coming? I got kids at home." I looked over at him, trying to figure out how to answer his question. "That's all the family he's got." He nodded his head. "And the other two?" "Same thing." was all I said. I figured he understood what I meant because he asked me if I was alright, then left.
"Nicole, I'm sorry." I turned around and saw Darry standing there. "I'm the asshole, Darry. Don't apologize. I didn't mean to say that about Ponyboy after he ran away, it just kind of came out." He nodded his head. "I understand." We sat down next to Pony and Soda and it was silent for a while. I think we all had a lot on our minds. I almost fell asleep until I heard something being wheeled down the hallway. "You ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll kill you." Dally pointed at Ponyboy while he was being wheeled by on a stretcher. Johnny was right behind him but I forced myself to look away. I stood up. "I'm gonna go with him." I pointed in the direction that they took Dallas. Darry nodded his head and I started walking. "I still don't get what she sees in him." I heard him say as I walked away.
I knocked on the door of the room Dally was in. "Go away." I laughed. "I mean, if that's what you really want." He looked up. "Sorry, come in. I thought it was one of those hospital people. They don't fucking listen. I told them I was fine a thousand fucking times." I walked over and kissed him on the forehead, then looked at his arm which was all bandaged up. "You idiot. You're not fine." "Yeah well i'm better off than Johnny is and it should be the other way around." I pulled up a chair and sat next to the hospital bed he was sitting on. "Don't say that. He'll be alright." He lit a cigarette. I almost told him to put it out since he was in a hospital bed but I let it go. "Clearly you didn't see him. He ain't gonna be fine." I did see Johnny and I knew he wasn't gonna be alright. He was burnt badly and he was out cold when they wheeled him into the hospital, which i'm sure was better for him. I didn't wanna talk about Johnny right now. "Why don't you try to get some sleep." I patted his pillow and he laid down. "I get it. Long day, you wanna go home and sleep." I stood up. "I do wanna sleep, but i'm not leaving you here by yourself." He propped himself up on his elbow. "Why? You think I can't take care of myseslf?" I knew he was kidding. If anyone could take care of themselves, it was Dallas Winston. "No, i'm just worried about you, that's all." He laughed. "I spent a night in a jail cell when I was 10. I think I can spend a night in a hospital by myself." I stood up and stretched. "Fine. If you don't want me to stay I guess I'll go..." He pushed out his bottom lip and tried to bat his eyes. "Please don't do that."
He lifted up the hospital blanket and I climbed into the hospital bed, putting my head on his chest. "What, you don't think I'm pretty?" "Oh you're gorgeous Dally." It was quiet for a while, then I felt Dally shift under me. "This whole thing is my fault. I told them to go to the church. What ever is wrong with Johnny is my fault." Johnny was one of the only things that Dally loved. I knew that this was killing him. "If I would have made Pony go home, none of this would've happened .It's more my fault than it is yours." I could feel him shaking his head. "I have two things that I care about. Two things in this whole entire world that I love, and because of me one of them could be taken away." I grabbed his hand and laced my fingers with his. "What's the other thing?" He laughed. "Who's the only person that knows everything about me? Who's the only person that doesn't think I'm shit? Who's the only person that, i'm hoping, still loves me?" I reached upward and kissed him quickly on the lips. "Me?" He pushed a strand of hair out of my face. "Yes you."
We didn't talk much after that. We both tried to stay awake in case there was any news about Johnny. Dally failed and fell asleep. I, on the other hand, laid there for what had to be at least two hours, just listening to Dally's heart beat. It was such a simple sound but I missed it so much. Eventually, I fell asleep listening to it.
"Nicole." I felt Dally reach for my hand. I smiled at him and brushed the hair out of his face. "Hey bud. How ya feelin'?" He closed his eyes. "Where's Johnny?" "In the ambulence in front of us. Pony is behind us. Johnny's burnt pretty badly but Ponyboy's alright." Dally covered his eyes and sighed. "How bad is pretty bad?" I squeezed his hand. "He'll be alright, Dally. Don't worry. Go back to sleep." He kissed the top of my hand then closed his eyes.
"Brave kid." I heard the paramedic say. I looked over at him. "All of you are pretty brave, if you ask me. The teacher told me what you guys did. Takes a good person to do something like that." Good person? I couldn't help but laugh. "You should see his police record." That was the end of that conversation. It took forever to get back home. Well, I'm sure it didn't take that long. It just felt like it did. Dal was out when we got to the hospital so I got out of the ambulence and saw Ponyboy and the teacher from the church. They were walking inside so I figured Pony was alright. When I caught up to them they were sitting in the hallway.
"You alright?" I said as I kneeled down in front of him. "Yeah I'm fine. How's Dallas?" He lit a cigarette. I hated when he smoked. He was still a baby to me. "Fine. Any word on Johnny?" He shook his head no,then rested it on the wall. I took the cigarette out of his hand then sat down next to him. "What are you doing?" I took a drag of the cigarette. "You smoke too much. You won't make track next year if you keep it up. I'm just doing you a favor." He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." I put my head back and closed my eyes. It was dead silent for a while until Ponyboy shot out of his seat.
"Pony." I heard a familiar voice say. I opened my eyes and saw Sodapop and Darry standing there. The three of them hugged for a while. "Who are they?" I almost forgot that the teacher was sitting next to me until he said something. "His brothers." "Any idea what time they're parents will be coming? I got kids at home." I looked over at him, trying to figure out how to answer his question. "That's all the family he's got." He nodded his head. "And the other two?" "Same thing." was all I said. I figured he understood what I meant because he asked me if I was alright, then left.
"Nicole, I'm sorry." I turned around and saw Darry standing there. "I'm the asshole, Darry. Don't apologize. I didn't mean to say that about Ponyboy after he ran away, it just kind of came out." He nodded his head. "I understand." We sat down next to Pony and Soda and it was silent for a while. I think we all had a lot on our minds. I almost fell asleep until I heard something being wheeled down the hallway. "You ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll kill you." Dally pointed at Ponyboy while he was being wheeled by on a stretcher. Johnny was right behind him but I forced myself to look away. I stood up. "I'm gonna go with him." I pointed in the direction that they took Dallas. Darry nodded his head and I started walking. "I still don't get what she sees in him." I heard him say as I walked away.
I knocked on the door of the room Dally was in. "Go away." I laughed. "I mean, if that's what you really want." He looked up. "Sorry, come in. I thought it was one of those hospital people. They don't fucking listen. I told them I was fine a thousand fucking times." I walked over and kissed him on the forehead, then looked at his arm which was all bandaged up. "You idiot. You're not fine." "Yeah well i'm better off than Johnny is and it should be the other way around." I pulled up a chair and sat next to the hospital bed he was sitting on. "Don't say that. He'll be alright." He lit a cigarette. I almost told him to put it out since he was in a hospital bed but I let it go. "Clearly you didn't see him. He ain't gonna be fine." I did see Johnny and I knew he wasn't gonna be alright. He was burnt badly and he was out cold when they wheeled him into the hospital, which i'm sure was better for him. I didn't wanna talk about Johnny right now. "Why don't you try to get some sleep." I patted his pillow and he laid down. "I get it. Long day, you wanna go home and sleep." I stood up. "I do wanna sleep, but i'm not leaving you here by yourself." He propped himself up on his elbow. "Why? You think I can't take care of myseslf?" I knew he was kidding. If anyone could take care of themselves, it was Dallas Winston. "No, i'm just worried about you, that's all." He laughed. "I spent a night in a jail cell when I was 10. I think I can spend a night in a hospital by myself." I stood up and stretched. "Fine. If you don't want me to stay I guess I'll go..." He pushed out his bottom lip and tried to bat his eyes. "Please don't do that."
He lifted up the hospital blanket and I climbed into the hospital bed, putting my head on his chest. "What, you don't think I'm pretty?" "Oh you're gorgeous Dally." It was quiet for a while, then I felt Dally shift under me. "This whole thing is my fault. I told them to go to the church. What ever is wrong with Johnny is my fault." Johnny was one of the only things that Dally loved. I knew that this was killing him. "If I would have made Pony go home, none of this would've happened .It's more my fault than it is yours." I could feel him shaking his head. "I have two things that I care about. Two things in this whole entire world that I love, and because of me one of them could be taken away." I grabbed his hand and laced my fingers with his. "What's the other thing?" He laughed. "Who's the only person that knows everything about me? Who's the only person that doesn't think I'm shit? Who's the only person that, i'm hoping, still loves me?" I reached upward and kissed him quickly on the lips. "Me?" He pushed a strand of hair out of my face. "Yes you."
We didn't talk much after that. We both tried to stay awake in case there was any news about Johnny. Dally failed and fell asleep. I, on the other hand, laid there for what had to be at least two hours, just listening to Dally's heart beat. It was such a simple sound but I missed it so much. Eventually, I fell asleep listening to it.