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Dally was lying on the Curtis’ couch, his legs hooked over the arm. Steve and Soda were watching cartoons but talking loudly over them. Ponyboy and Darry were somewhere, but he couldn’t be bothered about exactly where.
Dally’d been shot almost a month ago and was taking it as an excuse to bum around. They’d been taking turns visiting Johnny in the hospital. The kid tried to get them to leave him alone, but none of them took it to heart, especially Two-Bit and Ponyboy.
Dally wished he could go more, but he was trying to lay low. Meaning he had to rely on the others to get updates on his condition.
As Dally took a long drag of his cigarette, Two-Bit burst into the house. He slammed the door open and kicked it shut with a loud curse.
Appearing in the hallway was Darry, “I told ya not to slam the door!” Ponyboy was behind him, looking more than a little nervous.
“Fuck off!” Two-Bit snapped. That got Dally’s attention, no one spoke to Darry like that except him. Two-Bit yanked a hand through his hair and looked at everyone in the living room, “Johnny’s parents checked him out of the hospital.”
The room fell silent.
Ponyboy looked at Darry, “We have to help him. He’s not safe there.”
Darry dragged a hand down his face, “I know, but-”
“No but!” Pony shouted. “We gotta go get him before they hurt him. He’s still recovering, he needs to practice standing and his parents won’t help him.”
Dally knew better than to get in the middle of the brothers’ arguments. So he just watched as Darry strode over to Ponyboy, in his mind he was starting to put a plan together. There was no fucking way that he was going to let Johnny stay in that house.
Darry put a hand on the back of Pony’s neck and forced him to look at him, “I know. If I thought it was safe to go get him, I would be out the door in a heartbeat.” Darry sighed. “But we don’t know what his parents would do. I can’t risk them calling the cops and getting arrested.”
Dally knew that Pony and Soda would always come first to Darry, but part of him still resented Darry for not immediately jumping to help Johnny.
Ponyboy shook his head, “But he needs us.”
“He does,” Darry agreed. “But no one whose last name is Curtis can go get him.” Darry’s eyes darted from Pony to Dally and then Two-Bit.
Dally smirked and pulled himself off the couch. He didn’t usually wait for permission from Darry, but it was nice to have it. In two long strides, he approached Two-Bit and snatched the keys from his hand. “I’m driving.” Two-Bit clapped him on the shoulder and followed him out of the front door and to the car.
The drive to Johnny’s house was tense. Dally gripped the steering wheel as though he was trying to bend it. Two-Bit’s leg was jogging under him.
“Why would they let his parents take him? He never let them into his hospital room,” Two-Bit said with a gruff edge to his voice.
Dally ground his teeth, “They’re his parents, they have the right to. It’s fucking bullshit.”
When they pulled up to the house, Dally wasted no time in getting out of the car. Two-Bit followed him quickly, “What’s the plan?”
“Follow me, stay quiet,” Dally commanded. He already had a fully formed plan in mind.
This wasn’t his first time breaking Johnny out of his house. Sometimes his parents would lock him in his bedroom and Dally would bust him out. So he crept around the side of the house, keeping his head low to avoid the windows and made his way to Johnny’s room.
Poking his head up to the windowsill, Dally’s heart clenched. Johnny was lying in his small bed, clearly in pain. His face was turned towards the door, but even so, Dally could see tears in his eyes. He’d seen Johnny cry far too many times, but this was different. Johnny’s face was filled with hopelessness, he wasn’t scared, he had all but given up.
Dally would absolutely not stand for that.
With a single finger, Dally tapped on the window. Johnny’s head snapped to look at him. His eyes widened in surprise. Praying that the window wasn’t locked, Dally pushed up on the pane. Thankfully, it slid open and Dally was able to climb into Johnny’s bedroom.
The room smelled like stale smoke, it was hard to breathe. Dally couldn’t imagine what it was like for Johnny, still healing from smoke inhalation.
“What are you doin’ here?” Johnny asked, his voice no more than a whisper.
Dally shrugged nonchalantly, “Just decided to stop in for a visit. Want to go for a ride?”
Johnny looked as though he was about to burst into tears, “I can’t get out the window and my-my parents are home.”
Dally gave him a look, “And that’s why Two-Bit is waiting outside the window.” Johnny looked over again and Two was standing there with a lopsided smile. Without further ado, Dally stooped over and hooked Johnny’s legs over his arm and the other across his back.
Johnny inhaled sharply. Dally paused, “You okay?”
Johnny nodded, “Just do it.”
Dally lifted Johnny into his arms, the boy had lost a lot of weight in Windrixville and in the hospital, he weighed practically nothing. Johnny squeezed his eyes shut in pain as Dally carried him over to the window.
Two-Bit was waiting and helped Dally maneuver Johnny through the window. It took some time to remain quiet, but eventually, the three of them made their way back to the car. As Two-Bit hopped into the driver’s seat, Dally got Johnny situated in the backseat. Hoping to alleviate some of Johnny’s pain, Dally put Johnny’s head in his lap.
As they pulled away quickly, Johnny squeezed Dally’s hand, “Thank you.” Johnny didn’t need to say that he was terrified, that he thought he was going to die in that house, Dally could see that clear enough in his eyes.
Dally smirked, “Came for ya as soon as we could, Johnnycake. I bet Darry’s getting a bed set up for you right now. How are you feeling?”
Johnny sniffed and wiped his eyes, “Hurts. My mom stole my pain killers and-and she threw out everything else the doctors gave me.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Two-Bit said. “After we get you comfortable, I’ll head over to the hospital and sweet talk a nurse into giving me everything.”
“Thank you.”
Tears slipped down Johnny’s cheeks and into Dally’s jeans. If it was anyone else, he would have given them shit for it, but not Johnny. The rest of the ride was silent. Johnny inhaled sharply or winced in pain every time the car jostled.
It took longer than usual to get back to the Curtis’ house, Two-Bit was driving much more carefully than usual. Dally couldn’t blame him, he would probably tell him off if he drove any faster. When they pulled up, Darry and Steve were waiting outside. They helped get Johnny out of the car, Darry heaving Johnny up to bring him inside.
Darry smiled at him, “Hey, Johnny. Missed ya around here.” Johnny smiled as well, despite the furrow of his brow.
Ponyboy clearly must have been told to wait inside because the second they came inside, Pony was at Johnny’s side. “Are you okay? Did your folks hurt you?”
“Lay off, colt,” Soda said gently, tugging him back.
Johnny smiled a little, “It’s okay.” He reached out to grab Pony’s hand, “They didn’t hurt me none, promise.”
The whole group followed Darry as he carried Johnny into Soda’s old bedroom. Darry apologized softly as Johnny winced whilst being set down. Dally watched in surprise as Darry kissed his head. Since everything happened, Darry had gotten softer, turns out that applied to more than just his brothers.
Two-Bit clapped Dally on the shoulder as he slipped back in the hallway and towards the front door. Ponyboy sat down next to Johnny and the two of them began talking in hushed voices, hands clasped together.
Darry turned to Dally and squeezed his shoulder, “Thanks for getting him, Dal.”
Dally shrugged his hand off, “Don’t need to thank me. I would have gotten him no matter what. He don’t belong in that house.”
“You’re a good man.”
Good was never a word Dallas attributed to himself. He was a greaser, they couldn’t be good. But hearing Darry say that, for just a second, made Dally believe it. He gave Darry a tight nod and then moved into the room towards Johnny.
The kid looked worse for wear. He was clearly in pain, clammy and frail looking. But he was smiling as he and Pony talked. As Dally looked over him, he didn’t see any unexpected injuries.
Dally just made himself comfortable in a chair by the window. He tuned out the boys’ conversation, he didn’t give a shit about what they were talking about, but he didn’t want to leave Johnny. He must have zoned out because when Johnny called his name, Pony wasn’t there anymore.
“Dally?” He looked over. Johnny was chewing on his thumbnail.
“What’s wrong?” Dally asked. Johnny rolled his eyes. The little shit.
“Can you come sit with me?” Johnny’s voice was confident, but the look in his eyes told a different story. He was anxious.
Dally sighed and got up. He padded over and lowered himself onto the bed beside Johnny. It took only a second for Johnny to press himself against Dally’s side, his head on his shoulder. If it was anyone else, Dally would shove them away. He couldn’t do that to Johnny. Instead, he put his arm around Johnny’s shoulders.
“I was terrified,” Johnny said after a moment, “when they came to get me. I begged the nurses not to let them take me.”
Dally’s heart squeezed, “I wish I’d been there.”
Johnny laughed, “I’m glad you weren’t. You’d have gotten arrested.”
Dally shrugged, “Would have been worth it.” He looked down at Johnny. “You know that, yeah?”
Johnny leaned a little heavier into his side, “I do.” He was silent for a moment. “Will you stay with me tonight?” Dally sighed like it was an arduous task, but Johnny just laughed. “Is that a yes?”
“Yeah, yeah. Too tired to move anyway.”
After Two-Bit came back with Johnny’s pain killers, Johnny was out like a light. He was dead weight against Dally’s side.
Dally glanced to the door. There was no one in the hallway. So he leaned his head against Johnny’s and closed his eyes.