Hi there :) this is sort of AU. Just a quick catch-up: Johnny and Dally are alive, and everything happened the same (Johnny killing Bob, Windrixville, etc) up until the church fire, which never happened. They came home uninjured. Please read & review!

SODA'S POV

Sodapop, you have cancer.

When those four words came out of the doctor's mouth, I froze. Darry's steely eyes turn rock hard, trying to hide his emotions as his back stiffened. Ponyboy bit back a sob as his eyes filled with tears. I just sat there, shocked, staring into nothingness.

Everything Dr. Jaymes said after that was just a jumble of meaningless words. I hardly could concentrate as he kept speaking. Lymphoma, chemo, I'm so sorry. I could pick those words out through all the madness.

I was silent as Darry took charge as guardian. He asked, "How bad is it?" and, "Will our insurance cover this?" along with many other questions. I paid no attention, as those four words still occupied my mind.

Sodapop, you have cancer.

FLASHBACK, DARRY'S POV

Everyone just brushed off the fact that Soda was acting strange. They assumed that the whole ordeal with Pony and Johnny running away just had him in a daze. I thought so, too. For the past couple of weeks, he had looked tired and in pain. He figured that his breakup with Sandy had him down in the dumps. But I thought there was something else going on, too.

Sodapop is the epitome of a happy-go-lucky kid. If you looked up "charming" in the dictionary, Soda's picture would be under it. He would step into a room, and it would be almost as if someone had finally turned the lights on. You couldn't help but crack a grin when he opened his big mouth. That is, up until the incident.

That night was a whirlwind. After Pony and I fought and he left, Soda and I were worried out of our minds. When he didn't come back the next morning, we were scared. We had no idea that Johnny had killed that Soc. But we knew something bad had happened. Why else would Ponyboy be gone for almost a week?

Soda was beside himself for those several days. Every night, I could hear him sobbing in his bed. It was so strange. Soda hardly ever cried, not since mom and dad died. I would go into his room, wrapping my arms around him and telling him that Pony would come home.

He hardly smiled, not even when Two-Bit would crack a joke. He just would sit on the couch, staring at the wall, his chocolate brown eyes filled with pain. I had no idea what to do except wait.

When Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally came home, Soda was somewhat better. He was happy and full of light again, but there was still something off. He was laughing and grinning, but he had no energy. I also noticed that he had a lump on his neck. He just brushed it off, saying that it must have been from the rumble. When he got the letter from Sandy, some of his spark went out. He was still smiling, but he wasn't the same.

Ponyboy noticed, too. He came to me one morning, saying, "Soda's burning up. He was sweating all night, even though it's freezing in our room. Is he sick? He doesn't look so tuff. He won't get out of bed."

That fever didn't go away, and when he passed out during dinner, I knew I had to take him to the doctor.

They ran a few tests, took some blood, and then took some more. Did they normally take that much? It seemed like we were in there for hours. Soda couldn't sit still as we waited. He fidgeted in his seat, trying to keep up the conversation.

"So, this place is out of it. Can't they try and make it a little less doom-and-gloom?" He said, forcing a smile.

"Hopefully we'll be outta here soon, little buddy." I responded, glancing over at Ponyboy. He was in his own little world, his head in the clouds. When was that boy gonna get some sense knocked into him? I mentally smacked myself. That was probably why we didn't get along sometimes. I needed to be less tough on him.

The nurse came back and told us that we needed to run more tests. Okay, I thought, maybe this was normal. She brought us into a room and they performed a spinal tap. It was one of the scariest things i've ever seen, and it was happening to my little brother. I don't know how he could stand laying there while they stuck a huge needle in his back, but he was a trooper, and he gritted his teeth and got through it. They made him lay down for a long time, and then they took more blood.

Well, after what seemed like an eternity, the nurse came in and led us into an official-looking office that said Dr. Jaymes, MD, Oncology. I'd heard of oncology before, but I forgot what it meant. We all sat down as a tall, dark-haired man entered down with a grim expression. He introduced himself as Dr. Jaymes. We shook hands, and he got right down to business.

"So, Sodapop," He said, pausing as if he read his name right, "It says here that you haven't been feeling so good." Soda nodded. Dr. Jaymes continued, "We took some tests, and I have some bad news."

Oh boy, I thought.

SODA'S POV

Shock. Fear. Pain. Shock. These were the things I felt as Dr. Jaymes spoke, plus a million other emotions. My head quit spinning after a few moments, and I could finally listen to what he had to say.

He said that I had a type of lymphoma called Hodgkin's Lymphoma, which affected my lymph nodes. I didn't know what those were until he explained that they were a part of my immune system. That was why I had a lump - it was a swollen lymph node.

Here was the plan: I was gonna have chemotherapy in a few days. We'd get financial aid to pay for it, and Darry relaxed a little at that. I'd have to stay in the hospital for a little while after that, so I could recuperate. This cycle would happen a few times over the next couple of months. He said that hopefully this would kill all the cancer cells, and it should, but if it didn't, then we would have to take more drastic measures, like a bone marrow transplant.

He explained all the side effects of the chemo - tiredness, nausea and vomiting, mouth sores, anemia, and hair loss. I closed my eyes and groaned. Hair loss? That was probably one of the worst side effects. Call me vain, but I loved my hair. It made me a greaser. Ponyboy grimaced and put his hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

Dr. Jaymes and Darry spoke about all the little details, while I got a little tired. My back hurt worse than after a rumble, and I just wanted to lay down and never get up. I leaned my head on Pony's shoulder, and dozed off. The last thing I heard was Dr. Jaymes' deep voice, saying, "Poor kid. He needs all the rest he can get. It's gonna be a tough journey, but I have hope for him."

...

When I woke up, I was laying in my and Pony's bed, and I wondered, how'd I get here? Then I remembered everything at the hospital, and I groaned. Wonderful.

Ponyboy sat up suddenly, his eyes wide with worry. "Soda, you okay?" He looked at me like I was some frail little kid who needed taking care of.

"I'm fine. Just swell." I said, smiling as I sat up. Ow. My head was killing me.

Pony relaxed a bit, his back slouching and his eyes softening. "You need anything, I'm here." He felt my head. "Fever's down. Those meds they gave you musta worked real well." He smiled.

"When did we come home?" I asked.

"Probably around eleven o'clock last night. You fell asleep on me a while before that, and Darry and the doctor talked for a long time. I fell asleep too." He grinned. "You walked from the building to the car, but when we got home, you were out cold and wouldn't budge. Darry felt bad and didn't want to wake you, so he picked you up and carried you inside. Man, he is real strong. Those ginormous muscles come in handy. You musta weighed a thousand pounds by the way he groaned!" He laughed.

"Wow, Superman had trouble lifting his kid brother? I don't blame him. These huge muscles must weigh a ton." I flexed my muscles, well, attempted to. Pony looked sad when I didn't have the strength to do it.

"We got any cake?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Even though I didn't have much of an appetite the past few weeks, I hadn't eaten since the morning before.

"Mhm. Want me to bring you some?" He asked, hopping outta bed.

"Nah, I can go get a piece. Besides, I gotta go to work." I said, groaning as I stood up. Man, my muscles were sore.

Pony looked at me pitifully, shaking his head. "I dunno about that," he mumbled as he left the room.

What's he talkin' about? I wondered. As I walked into the kitchen, Darry gave me a bear hug and looked me in the eye. Shoot, his eyes are like liquid ice. If I didn't know him, he'd be awful scary.

"How are ya feelin', little buddy?" He asked softly.

"Fine. Those pills really worked, my fever's gone." I smiled.

"That's good. You still look pale, though." He responded. Boy, he sounded like mom. Mom. A pang of sorrow hit my chest as I longed to be with her. She would know how to make it better. She always did.

"I'm okay." I said, brushing him off. "You seen my DX shirt?" I asked, cutting myself a slice of immaculate chocolate cake. Darry looked at me, surprised. "What?" I asked.

"Uh, Sodapop, I don't think you're gonna be able to work for a while. I called your boss and told him everything. He said he knows you can beat this, and you can start working when you're feelin' better. I'm sorry, Soda." He said apologetically.

My eyes widened. "What? Darry, I gotta work! How are we gonna pay the bills? I have to -"

Darry cut me off. "It's okay. We'll make it work. I got a promotion a few days ago, so that'll help."

I still wasn't settled. "Dar, what if that isn't enough?"

Pony piped up, "I can get a job somewhere. I'm fourteen, and it's about time I start pulling my weight around here, anyway."

Darry smiled with pride at his baby brother. "I don't think we'll need it, but thanks. The best thing you can do is care for Soda. I won't be here most days, and I'll take off as much as I can, but when I'm not home, it's your job to make sure he's comfortable."

Ponyboy straightened up and puffed out his chest, trying to look real macho and tuff. Darry rarely treated him like an adult, so this was Pony's moment of glory "I won't let you down." he said.

I couldn't help but grin at my kid brother. "Pony, I'm not some baby. I can take care of myself, you gotta focus on your schoolwork." I said seriously.

"Shoot, Soda, I bet you'll eat your words once you start chemo. I'll be here to help, 'cause you're gonna need it." Ponyboy said stubbornly.

I messed up his hair, grinning at him. "You act just like Darry sometimes." I said.

Darry grunted and said, "Shoot, this kid's too day-dreamy and smart to be like me. Besides, he isn't even close to matching these muscles." He said, pulling Ponyboy into a headlock.

"Oh, shut up." Pony mumbled, fixing his hair, fighting a smile.

I grinned at my brothers, thankful that I had them to help me through this. I stood up and pulled both of them into a big hug, burying my head into Darry's shoulder. "I love you guys, but you're crazy."

"Ditto." They both said at the same time. Then we all burst out laughing.