DON'T DREAM IT'S OVER | SODAPOP CURTIS

NINETEEN

"Where is he?! Where the hell is he?!" I yelled, running down the hallway of the hospital.

     Two - Bit, Steve, and Johnny were waiting against the wall of the room.

     "He's in there, Red." Two - Bit said, with tears in his eyes.

     "Is he..." I squeaked.

     "I don't think so, baby."

     I tried to pushed my way into the door, but doctors were guarding it.

"Miss, we can't have any more people in here!"

"I'm his sister, damnit let me in!" I lied, breaking through the doorway.

I saw him laying on the table, covered in blood and doctors swarming around him.

     Ponyboy was in tears and having a meltdown, holding onto Darry's shirt to keep himself from falling on the ground.

     I walked over to Sodapop and he was practically lifeless.

He face was pale, his eyes were hardly opened and his arm hung off the table.

     I drained the sound yells of doctors and beeping equipment out of my head and bended down next to Sodapop's head.

     "Alice..." he breathlessly said, still looking up at the lights.

     "It's okay buddy, you're going to be okay, I promise."

     "No..."

He managed to turn his head to face me. His eyes were nearly not as blue as they always were, his face was covered in dirt, blood and sweat, and he could hardly breathe.

"Soda don't say that..." I began to sob again and he managed to bring his hand to his chest for me to hold.

"No, let me. Listen, I know I just met you but..." he said, holding onto my hand as tightly as he could.

"No please, please don't go..."

The doctors yells and panic increased, and they were ordering for me to leave the room, because only family was allowed.

"But I love you. Don't ever forget that." He coughed. His voice cracked at the end of his sentence, and he had fear in his eyes.

He began to pass out and his chest was hardly rising.

The doctors quickly took him on his stretcher to a different room, and Darry and Pony followed.

"FAMILY ONLY!" A doctor yelled, pushing me out of the room.

     I was forced to sit in the hallway with the rest of the gang.

Dally clenched Vicki's hand, and tears fell from his eyes.

I sat against the wall and rested my head on Two - Bit's shoulder. Johnny sat next to me and held my hand to keep me from breaking down again.

Seven minutes passed and Darry and Ponyboy walked down the hallway.

I immediately stood up and walked over with the gang.

The two of them didn't say anything, and Ponyboy's color- drained and tear stained face was emotionlessly staring at the floor.

Darry looked up at the ceiling and quickly blinked to keep from crying even more than he already was.

I slowly walked past them and wiped my face.

     Doctors were in the room putting equipment away, and unhooking him from the cords and machines.

     They saw me standing at the door and gave me a sympathetic look.

     "We'll let you say goodbye." They said, leaving the room.

     Goodbye? It was supposed to be for forever.

     "Soda?"

     No answer.

     Please? Please baby, please you can't be gone.

     I went to the side of the bed and brushed his hair from his forhead and stared at him.

     The boy I had my first kiss with and the boy I was going to have forever with was suddenly ripped from my arms.

     My hopes, happiness and dreams we gone as well. I felt that everything was gone and that it surely had to be a dream.

     Please don't let this be real. Please let this be a dream. Please wake me up. Please don't let this be over.

     "Alice." A heard a voice say from behind me. The gang was behind me and they all had tears in their eyes, even Darry.

     Steve walked over to the side of the bed and looked at his best friend he had lost in only an hour.

I cried over Sodapop's body and gripped onto the sheets he was laying on.

     Dally and Steve had to peel me away from the bed and carry me out of the room.

     Darry and Ponyboy both went over to him one last time.

Steve held me and rocked me back and fourth as I cried into his chest.

"We'll be okay. We'll all be okay." He whispered, holding my head.

We sat in the hallway until Darry and Ponyboy came out a few minutes later.

"C'mon Alice, we gotta go." Dally said, picking me up.

I didn't say anything or look up, I only kept my eyes shut and held onto him.

He can't be gone.