fog clouded the edges of your mind, making the last few events of your life hard to remember. your brain felt like it was throbbing, and when your eyes opened, the light of the room blinded you. leaving your head to throb. your features pulled into a grimace, or at least you think they did, as the light in your mind flickered - much like a blub - and turned out.

you awoke few times after that. slowly, more things started to come back. the rumble, johnny, dallas, the murder.. it slowly pieced back together like a puzzle ― with a few fragments lost and blurry.

you learned from ponyboy and soda that you had gotten a minor concussion. with the shock of the week, and other minor damages to your body, it had all been too much and you had been asleep for about a day or 2 now. darry came in sometimes, but not often. mostly when you were asleep - ponyboy had said. "he's stressed, i think." pony had murmured one afternoon after he got home from school.

you were bedridden. doctors orders to rest. it didn't matter much, you were mostly tired when you were awake and having restless sleep when you weren't. it left a tiredness to weigh on your shoulders.

sodapop and ponyboy were currently in your room, sodapop talking about this or that. lightening the mood when in poked darry's head. his eyes scanned the room, gentling as they landed on you. "bedtime. pony, you got school in the mornin', and soda ain't you just complainin' about being so tired in the mornin's?" he didn't let either argue, giving pointed glares and hushing them when they tried.

so, the 2 younger said their goodnights and sulked off silently to their room, huffing complaints. darry gazed at you for a long moment before murmuring a "be right back." and closing the room on his exit.

when he came back he settled into bed beside you, slipping an arm under you and pulling your weak body to his chest. his free hand pulled the covers over your worn bodies, before he relaxed and settled.

"why can't ya ever be careful?.." he murmured. "scared me."