Ponyboy is the least hurt of the three after the incident with the abandoned church catching on fire. Ponyboy doesn’t go back into the church like Dallas and Johnny, and that means he doesn’t suffer the same level of damage as they do. Dally and Johnny are injured by falling timber, and they receive numerous burns all over their bodies.
Ponyboy is only in the hospital for a little while before he is released. He is driven there by Jerry, the school teacher, and his brothers Sodapop and Darry visit him. Soda and Darry are family, and that means they are legally allowed to visit Ponyboy in the hospital. While they are there, reporters and police officers swarm them and ask them a ton of questions.
After the police and reporters leave, Ponyboy wants to visit Dallas and Johnny, but they are not allowed to because they aren’t family:
The nurses wouldn't tell us anything about Johnny and Dally, so Darry got hold of the doctor. The doctor told us that he would talk only to the family, but Darry finally got it through the guy's head that we were about as much family as Dally and Johnny had. (chapter 7)
They are given some information, and eventually, Pony is permitted to see Johnny, who ultimately dies of his injuries. The irony of the entire situation is that Johnny’s mother comes to see him, but he refuses to see her; despite her being a legal family member, he doesn’t consider her family as he thinks of the gang.
Ponyboy is never admitted to the hospital in S.E. Hinton's novel, The Outsiders, but he is treated for injuries. He has a few burns and a bruise across his back. Jerry Wood, the man who was supervising kids on the field trip when the church burned, stays with him through the ride to the hospital and while he is being treated. Shortly thereafter, Darry and Sodapop show up to the hospital. Here is a quote:
"Jerry simply sighed, then grinned. 'There are some people here to see you. Claim to be your brothers or something.' I leaped up and ran for the door, but it was already open and Soda had me in a bear hug and was swinging me around. I was so glad to see him I could have bawled. Finally he set me down and looked at me. 'Oh, Ponyboy, your hair...your tuff, tuff, hair....'Then I saw Darry."
Darry shows his vulnerability when he cries at the sight of Ponyboy and expresses that he was afraid that they'd lost him like they lost their mom and dad. This brings the brothers back into peace with each other, putting aside the strain in their relationship.
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