Chapter Text
Since everything Ponyboy had been through, his brothers were looking after him a lot more carefully.
First, he had run away and his brothers had been scared to death worrying about their baby brother surviving on his own with the police after him. Then, they got the call that there had been a fire. They thought that their brother was dead, and when they found him alive and well, they were overjoyed. But then, after all the tragedy that they had already gone through, Pony got sick and they couldn't take it anymore. Soda cried every day. Darry stopped sleeping. Finally, Pony got better, and the brothers became closer than ever.
"Hey, Pone, how was school?" Darry asked as his two younger brothers entered their home.
"It was good," Pony said with a smile. "Mr. Syme gave me my credit back after I turned in my theme."
"Tuff!" said Darry.
Pony grinned at the pride his brother was showing toward him. This was a new thing. Darry was never proud of him before, but now, he made every effort to show Pony that he cared and was proud and loved him more than he could imagine.
Darry got up off the couch and headed over to the kitchen. "I'm making pasta for dinner. Is that alright?"
"Of course," Pony and Soda said in unison.
Darry chuckled. "Got it." He grabbed the ingredients out of their cupboard and lined them up on the counter. "Y'all go change out of your school and work clothes."
They nodded and both started walking toward their room.
Thump.
"Pony!" Soda exclaimed.
Darry's head shot up. "What is it?"
"He passed out!" Soda shouted in panic. The two of them kneeled down beside their baby brother.
"Wake up, Pone," Darry said. "Wake up."
Soda shook Pony's shoulders gently. "Come on, honey."
They took turns trying to wake him up with tears in their eyes for a couple of minutes before Pony's eyelids finally fluttered open.
"Oh, baby," Darry sighed, gently pushing his brother's hair out of his eyes.
"What?" Pony asked, dazed and weak.
"You just fainted for a bit," Soda whispered. "You had us scared to death."
"Gee, I'm sorry," Pony muttered softly.
"It's not your fault, buddy," said Darry. "We're still worried, though. We're gonna call the doctor so he can come check you out."
Pony sighed. Soda kissed his forehead. "I know, honey, I know. It's just a precaution."
Darry stood up and got on the phone with the doctor while Soda helped Pony up on his feet and walked him over to the couch to sit.
"He'll be here in a little," Darry told them, hanging up the phone and walking back to the kitchen. He came back with a glass of water. "Here, drink."
Pony took the glass and drank it slowly. Soda was glued to his baby brother's side, stroking his hair, and doing anything else he could to make sure that his brother stayed right there with him no matter what.
Eventually, there was a knock at the door and Darry answered it. "Thank you for coming at such sudden notice, doctor."
"No problem, Darry, you can call me whenever," the doctor said with a kid smile. He followed Darry to the living room where Pony sat with his other brother, sipping a glass of water and sitting slumped from exhaustion.
"So, Ponyboy, what's going on?" the doctor asked, taking a seat in the armchair across from the couch.
"I don't know," said Pony.
Soda jumped in to help. "He passed out. It was really sudden and there was no warning or anything."
The doctor's eyes narrow. "I see. I'm gonna do some checking around, okay, Ponyboy?"
Pony nodded and the doctor crossed the room to him, medical bag in hand. He kneeled before Pony and opened his bag, pulling out a stethoscope and putting the ends in his ears then pressing it to Pony's chest. His eyes were extremely narrow and focused as he listened closely.
"Hm," said the doctor. "His heart and lungs seem healthy. Can I see your arm?" Pony held out his arm to the doctor, who took it and examined it closely. "Your skin isn't bruised or spotted, so that seems good. Ponyboy, did you feel anything before you passed out? Did you feel weak or dizzy, or strange in any way?"
Pony shook his head. "No, I felt perfectly fine."
"Mhm," said the doctor. "Ok, I think I might know what's going on here. Pony had a severe head injury recently, correct?"
"Yes, sir," said Darry.
"Well," said the doctor. "I think that this may be related to that. Many victims of severe head injuries experience fainting spells long after the injury even took place. I believe that Ponyboy here has become prone to fainting spells."
The two older brother's stomachs drop. "Is that serious?" Soda asked, his voice squeaking.
"Oh, no," said the doctor. "It's not serious at all. The only concern is that he could hit his head when he falls, which is why it's important to check him for a concussion when he wakes up and care for him accordingly."
"So, he's gonna have these for the rest of his life?" asks Darry.
"Most likely," said the doctor. "So it's important to tell his teachers, friends, or anyone who may be around him when this could happen so that they are aware and can help him if it happens."
"What if one day he doesn't wake up?" asks Soda.
"He will always wake up, unless he hits his head too hard and it causes an extended period of unconsciousness. If he doesn't wake up after five minutes, then I recommend taking him to the hospital. Again, it's nothing serious, he may just need a little help waking up and some treatment for his head," said the doctor.
"Okay," said Darry, solemnly.
"It's really nothing to worry about," the doctor ensures them, standing up. "If you ever have an extreme concern you can still call me, but otherwise, everything will be fine."
Darry thanked the doctor and walked him out. "Pony..."
"He said it's okay, right?" Pony interrupted. "He's a professional."
Darry sighed. "I know, honey, I know. I just couldn't live with myself if anything ever happened to you again."
"I'll be fine," Pony assured.
"I know you will," said Darry. "You're a Curtis. You're tuff."
Darry sat on the other side of Pony and Soda scooted closer to his baby brother, and they all hugged like nothing could ever separate them.