Chapter Text
A few days passed by of being under constant observation by a medical professional for “psychiatric evaluation”, and it sure got boring after the first few hours.
He had to remain in a stupid hospital gown, take off all of his jewelry, and his gang couldn’t bring him anything without them checking through it for contraband.
No new visitors.
No good food.
And no new books.
In any other scenario Ponyboy would have been pissed off to see Curly Shepard walk into his hospital room, but now he was almost giddy at the idea of talking to someone other than the gang.
Curly was someone who wouldn’t look at him with too much pity. That wasn’t really his way of doing things. He was tough, never letting anyone else’s problems affect him.
He was almost grateful when the first thing Curly said was “You look like shit Baby Curtis…” with a small frown instead of “You don’t look so good right now Pone… maybe you should get some more rest.” Like his brothers and Two-Bit and Steve would say.
“Thanks for showing you care about me so much Curly!” Pony chuckled and laid his head back in the hospital bed.
Then he realized something. Why would Curly Shepard be here? Only the gang was supposed to know about his attempt, so why was Shepard here? His brow furrowed in confusion.
It was almost like the other boy could sense his confusion, and offered an explanation almost immediately.
“Tim said he heard from Two that you did something real stupid. I guess he wasn’t lying…”
Pony noticed that for a second Curly’s face showed some sadness, but why? It wasn’t like they were super close. Maybe they talked at school on occasion, but they weren’t close enough to visit each other at the hospital and worry.
“So why’d you stop by Curls?”
The other boy shrugged and walked closer to the hospital bed to sit down in the chair next to Pony.
Curly leaned back in the chair, arms crossed. “Look, I didn’t come here to lecture you or make you feel worse. Just don’t do anything dumb again, alright?”
Pony swallowed hard. The words hit him harder than he expected. “You make it sound like it’s that easy.”
Curly shrugged but his voice softened. “I’m not saying it is. I just don’t want to see you gone. One ghost’s enough, you know?”
Pony blinked. His chest tightened. He never thought of Curly as someone who cared about anyone but himself. Not like his brothers or Two-Bit. But there it was. Real concern.
“I… I didn’t mean to scare anyone,” Pony admitted. “I just… it all felt too much. Johnny… Dally…” He trailed off and looked at the ceiling.
Curly leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and looked at Pony. “I get it. Really I do. But you don’t have to go through it alone. You’ve got people who care even if you don’t see it all the time.”
Pony let out a shaky breath. “Even you?”
Curly smirked but his eyes didn’t smile. “Even me. Don’t get used to it though. I’m not a softie or anything.”
Pony laughed a little, weak but real. “I guess I’m just surprised. I didn’t think anyone outside the gang would care.”
“Surprise,” Curly said and rolled his eyes. “But seriously Curtis, if you pull something like that again, I’ll find a way to kick your ass before anyone else gets a chance.”
Pony chuckled more, feeling some of the tightness in his chest ease. “I don’t think anyone could blame you if you did.”
Curly shook his head. “Nah. I’d rather keep you alive. That’s the hard truth of it.”
They sat in silence for a minute. The beeping of the heart monitor filled the room. Pony noticed how restless Curly was. He kept tapping his fingers on his knees and shifting in the chair, but he didn’t leave.
“You gonna be okay?” Curly asked finally.
“I think… yeah,” Pony said, surprising himself. “I think I can try.”
Curly nodded. “Good. Because I’m not letting you disappear that easy.”
The boy got up to leave the room, but Pony called after him.
“Wait!”
Shepard turned on his heels, a look of confusion on his face as he faced Ponyboy.
“Yeah Baby Curtis?”
“Curls, can we maybe hang out some time after I get out of here, it gets boring hanging out with my gang as much as I love them.”
Curly smiled, almost a grin.
“Sure, when I’m done with my deals next weekend maybe we can go to the park with my gang,” he offered, “how’s that sound?”
“Sounds great, see you next week then.”
“And don’t worry, I won’t baby you. You’re your own person so whatever you want, just… don’t do that again.”
“Yeah yeah I got it, no more disappearing acts.” Pony smiled and responded.
Curly waved goodbye, and with that he was gone.
Ponyboy was alone again, but this time he felt a bit more fulfilled than earlier.