A/N: and I am back with two new chapters. Hahaha. Enjoy these two :D Reviews are appreciated ^0^
Holly woke up with the trembling of the ground, an indication that the door to the maze was finally opened. She sat up sleepily, dazed with the blinding rays of the sun, and realized she was back on her own hammock covered with the same white hoodie Newt owned. She touched her lips, smiling, after remembering what had happened the night before—she and Newt sitting by the bonfire, kissing the night away until they had fallen asleep in each other's arms. She got up from her hammock tying her hair up, looked around the place and was eager to spend some time with Newt. She stopped searching when she finally saw him in front of the maze's entrance along with Alby, Minho, and Ben. She thought he was just bidding them good luck but to her surprise, Newt dashed into the maze along with the two runners. Quick to her feet, Holly left the homestead and ran across the courtyard to get to the maze's entrance just to be blocked by Alby.
"Where do you think you're going in such a hurry, missy?" Alby asked, holding her shoulders firmly.
Holly caught her breath and looked behind Alby to see the entrance wherein Newt disappeared to. "W-what's going on? Why did Newt go in?"
"Relax, he knows what he's doing" he said as he calmed the worried young girl. "One of the runners is sick and Newt volunteered last night to do the job just for today. He'll be fine"
She kept a keen eye on the maze's opening, her feet itching to run inside it and look for Newt. Alby pulled her away from the maze before she could think of doing anything stupid and ordered her to help Zart in the gardens and keep herself busy instead of worrying. Holly complied with Alby's order and joined Zart and the other track hoes. Unfortunately, working didn't really stop her from worrying. From time to time, she'd look at the maze's entrance, hoping to see three guys come out safe. She was still confused as to why Newt volunteered and never mentioned it to her last night. And after hearing his story about attempting suicide as a former runner, she didn't see any reason why he would want to be back there. Finishing her tasks as soon as possible, Holly stayed in front of the maze walking back and forth waiting for signs of the runners and Newt's return. She took a step back when she realized she had almost stepped into the entrance, which was forbidden to non-runners.
An hour had passed and still no sign of them coming back. It was still early so they were still probably in the deepest area of the maze looking for an exit. Chuck started to worry that Holly had been sitting just outside of the maze leaning against the hard cold stonewalls without eating. He insisted that she waited by the homestead or at least eat a fruit but she politely declined and stayed still. She wouldn't be fully rested unless Newt came back. Just as Chuck was about to leave her alone, he heard heavy footsteps coming from the maze. He and Holly looked inside, happy to see that they were finally back. But as they got closer, Holly realized that something was strange. Minho and Ben were heaving heavily as they dragged an unconscious Newt between them. Her chest tightened after remembering that the Maze had things called grievers lurking in it. She got scared of the thought that Newt might have been stung especially that she didn't have any medicine for that.
The two runners finally got out of the maze and laid the unconscious Newt on the grass. Holly and the rest of the gladers ran to their aid as soon as they realize that something wasn't right. Holly quickly got on her knees beside Newt and gently pushed his bangs back. He was still unconscious with wounds on his forehead and arms, his shirt dusty and slightly torn.
"W-what happened to him?" her voice trembled, slightly relieved to see the rise and fall of Newt's chest.
"Did he get stung?" Gally butted in and checked Newt's body for any Griever's sting.
Minho was still out of breath with all the running that Ben decided to explain on his behalf. "He didn't get stung" he assured everyone. "We just came across falling debris"
Everyone was less tensed after learning that their second leader was safe from Griever's harm. Alby ordered a few med-jacks to take Newt to the infirmary while the others should go back to work, including Holly. Three med-jacks helped one another and carried the unconscious young man to the infirmary for Jeff to take care of his wounds. Holly was about to follow them when she felt someone grabbed her by the wrist. She turned around and saw that it was Minho, his clothes as soiled as Newt's because of the debris that fell on them.
"He'll be alright" he said after noticing the fear in her eyes.
Holly took a deep breath and nodded, believing his words. "How about you, are you alright?" she softly asked, looking at his bleeding forearm.
"Yeah, I'm good. This is just a scratch" Minho pointed at the gash on his forearm with a smile.
"That's not just a scratch" she chuckled and reached for his hand. "Come on, I'll fix that for you"
Minho slowly sat on his hammock and groaned at his aching body. Being a runner was the hardest task given to anyone since the maze was literally a big obstacle filled with death traps. Holly was running back to the homestead carrying a bucket of fresh clean water she got from the gardens. Putting it down beside Minho, she walked back to her own hammock where she grabbed her purple bag and pulled out a small towel and a few bandages that were lying on the table. She took everything she needed with her and sat beside Minho. Without talking, she dipped the white cloth in the bucket and squeezes out the excess water. Minho flinched, hissed beneath his breath, as soon as the wet cloth stung his wounded forearm.
"Hold still" she mumbled, continuing to clean the wound.
Once there was less blood covering his forearm, Holly unrolled the bandage and wrapped it around the wound until it was completely covered.
"You seem to know what you're doing" Minho said and watched her take care of his gashed forearm.
Holly chuckled and tied the bandage tightly in place before dipping the bloody cloth in the cold water. "It's not that hard" she shared, damping the cloth on a small scratch on his left cheek.
Besides, I've done it for you several times, she thought. During missions, it was impossible for TAIMN travelers not to get injured especially when assigned to a dangerous task. Minho and Holly's very first mission together included lots of explosives and firearms that each of them equally shared tons of injuries. Good for them, the injuries weren't too serious to the point that a Clock Master needed to pull them back. They just had to treat each other's injury.
Minho looked at her closely as she gently pressed the cloth against his cheek.
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to look after him" he said referring to Newt.
"You don't have to apologize to me or whatsoever" she shook her head. "It was an accident. And besides, it was his decision to go with you guys in the first place"
Just then, Holly and Minho saw Winston running to them. Holly began to worry as she noticed he had come from the infirmary. Her heart pounded that it ached, scared that there was a bad news coming her way.
"Alby wants to see you" was all Winston could say while pointing at the small infirmary where Alby was.
Holly stiffened for a bit, not sure if she wanted to go there or not. She quickly turned around when she felt someone snatched the cloth from her hand. Minho groaned as he lay down on his hammock to rest, patting the cloth on the scratch on his cheek.
"I can handle this, you go" he said, gesturing her to go. "He needs you"
With a single nod, Holly went running on her way to the infirmary. Her pace began to slow down as she saw a clearer view of Jeff and Alby talking just outside the infirmary with grave expressions. She felt sick; her face turned pale as if she had eaten something ghastly. She was scared to go and hear whatever Alby had to say—scared that she might have failed her task without even having the chance acting on it. Alby shifted his attention away from Jeff as soon as he saw Holly standing a few steps away from them.
"Oh good you're here" the leader of the Glade said.
For a minute, Holly eased up a bit after seeing a smile on his face. She tried to smile but eventually went back to looking worried as she stood with them.
"I-Is everything alright?" the nervousness from her voice was heard clearly.
"It's not that bad but; he does need to rest for a while" Alby explained and looked at the closed door then to Holly. "I'm making you in charge to look after him, alright? Pretty sure he'd like to see you as soon as he wakes up"
Holly's cheeks turned crimson but didn't seem to care if Alby noticed it. All she wanted was to take care of Newt until he was back on his feet. After talking to Alby and Jeff, Holly quietly entered the infirmary and closed the door behind her. She barely went to that place but it was still a familiar sight. The last time she remembered being there was when she first arrived and that she threatened Newt and Jeff with a knife and had her first taste of Gally's horrible juice. In the middle of the room she saw the wooden bed with its patient laying still. Newt had no shirt but his chest was neatly bandaged as well as his left arm and forehead. Newt's eyebrows furrowed as he regained consciousness. He groaned due to his aching body and his eyes fluttered open and saw the roof of the infirmary. He tilted his head to the side and could see a blurry figure slowly approaching him. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened it again squinting until he had a clearer vision of a worried Holly.
"You stupid shank" Holly puffed her cheeks and took a seat on the edge of the bed.
Newt wasn't able to laugh but instead gave her a crooked smile for it was his first time hearing her use glader slang. "Well, it's nice to see you too" he croaked sarcastically.
Holly breathed out calmly and could see Newt's hand trying to reach hers. She held his hand gently with their fingers intertwined. She was completely upset that he went inside the maze without even telling her anything but at the same time glad that he was alright and not in a critical condition.
"You scared me. You didn't even tell me you volunteered to go in there" she admitted with a sad tone.
Newt placed their intertwined hands over his injured chest and softly kissed her knuckles. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I planned on telling you last night but obviously, we were busy with something else" he groaned in pain once again as he tried to laugh.
"Shut it, don't make your condition worse" her voice was serious but a smile formed on her face because of Newt's remark.
Newt breathed in deeply, relaxed his body, and breathed out continuing to fiddle with Holly's soft hand atop his chest. "I wanted to look for a way out of this place"
"Yes, I know you do—"
"For you" Newt had cut her off and kept his eyes on her with a determined look. "At first, I wanted to get out of here just for myself but now, I'm working hard just for you"
Holly leaned closer and gave him a loving kiss that lasted for about a minute. She wanted to tell him that he need not have to do that because by the time Thomas would enter the glade, they would be out sooner than he would think. She pulled back, smiled at the content look on Newt's face.
"We'll get out, all of us, don't worry" she whispered and caressed his cheek gently. "So, don't go doing anything stupid again. Just let Minho and the other runners deal with it"
Outside the infirmary was the faint sound of hammering, laughter, chopping, and Fry Pan shouting at the gladers who tried stealing food from his area. Everyone was busy doing in their own thing while Holly just sat beside Newt and watched him rest silently, running her fingers through his hair that was matted in sweat. Newt's chest rose up and down steadily and felt a tingling sensation throughout his body as she kept playing with his hair. He liked the feeling so much that it relaxed him even more.
"Hey, Tinkerbell" he mumbled with his eyes still closed.
"Hm?" Holly looked down at him and continued playing with his hair.
"What kind of person do you think I was outside the Glade?"
Holly chuckled, resting her hand on his chest for him to hold. "Well, I'll say a pretty nice guy—a very friendly fellow. Because if you remember, I pointed a knife at you on my first day here but that didn't stop you from being friends with me"
"Oh right" he managed to chuckle. "When we get out, do you think your brother will fancy us being together?"
"Jake is pretty overprotective" she leaned closer and surprised him with a peck on his lips. "But I'm stubborn. He can't do anything once I've chosen something or someone. Besides, you're perfect in every way. I'm sure he'll grow to like you once he gets to know who you are"
Newt opened his eyes and could see her face upside down. He flashed a crooked smile and gently pulled her head lower for a loving kiss. "I can't wait to meet your brother"