Because Of You Chapter 28

A/N: So just to clear up any confusion, Gally is staying behind in the Glade while Lacee, the baby and Thomas escape with the others. He's staying because he feels that the Glade is his home and he can't leave it behind. He knows what the outside world is like and he would rather die than face it again. He knows that Lacee and the baby would be taken care of by Thomas if they ever managed to make it out of the maze so he thinks he's doing what's best for them. I know it may seem confusing and honestly it is, but I was trying to keep some parts of the book and movie in here.

At 2:00 p.m. Stella Marie Paige was born.

Gally and Lacee had chosen to use Gally's real last name for her in honor of the life that they had had before the destruction of the world.

Lacee lay in bed in the Med jack hut as Gally watched her nurse the baby.

The Glade had gone into some kind of peaceful state despite the cloud of despair that loomed over all of them.

It was now 8:00 p.m. and everyone had gone to bed except Lacee and Gally who were bonding with their new little girl.

Gally swore that she was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen.

She had her mother's pale skin and his bright green eyes and dirty blonde hair.

He was proud that she looked the most like him and beamed when he first saw her.

It was the best moment of his life so far.

But all good moments had to come to an end.

Gally was once again in deep thought as he ran his fingers through Lacee's hair and watched as their daughter suckled her breast.

He had been thinking about what Thomas had said all night.

What if it was too dangerous for Lacee to stay here with the baby?

He had been so adamant on them staying right up until he saw his daughter for the first time.

If there was a real threat, he didn't want them anywhere near it.

At this point the maze looked like the lesser of the two evils.

But that's where his rational thought stopped.

He had been through the changing and remembered what life was like on the outside.

Lacee and Thomas would never forgive him but something deep down inside of him told him that he had to stay.

He was aware that he would probably end up dying at the hands of a griever or just plain misery but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had that he was meant to stay for some reason.

He chalked it up to being a reaction that could be expected what with being one of the first three boys to be sent up into the Glade.

He knew if Alby were still alive he'd understand.

Time was running out and he decided that he would spend one final night and the rest of the day tomorrow with Lacee, Thomas and the baby before he resigned to his fate.

His thoughts flashed to Newt and despite the flash of anger that flared up in his heart, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd be there waiting for him when he passed from this world to the next.

Some of the Gladers had a theory that Newt had somehow survived the maze and had found his way home.

But Gally smiled sadly at the thought knowing it was impossible.

Newt's limp had been getting worse and he had been badly injured when he was banished making the chance of him still being alive slim to none.

At least Lacee, Thomas, the baby and the other Gladers had a solid chance of outrunning the Grievers if they were smart about it.

But either way he didn't like those odds and pushed them to the back of his mind.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by a small hand on his arm making him realize that he had been so busy thinking that he hadn't been paying much attention to Lacee and the baby.

Looking down he saw that Lacee was still holding baby Stella and looking up at him with a tired smile.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Captain?" She whispered making a small smile of his own appear.

He wondered if it was best to tell her now or tomorrow night when Thomas and the others were planning on leaving.

But the look in her eyes made him think twice about telling her and he decided to let her find out when she left instead of ruining their last night together.

So he smiled and placed a sweet kiss on her lips and pretended like his heart wasn't about to shatter into a million pieces.

"Oh nothing important, love. How are you and our little girl doing?" He asked quietly as her smile grew bigger.

"Both of us are doing just fine. I think I might turn in soon. I'm exhausted. I can't wait until tomorrow when I can get a proper shower."

Gally nodded and gestured to the door with a sneaky smirk.

"Go on and take a shower now. Everyone's already asleep and I won't tell a soul." He said making her giggle lightly.

"Alright, just as long as this stays our little secret." She said playfully before she planted a searing kiss on his lips and carefully got out of bed.

God he would miss those.

Kissing her was honestly one of the best things to happen to him and he considered himself a lucky man to have the honor of kissing her every day.

He would die a happy man just as long as she kissed him goodbye before she ran off with Thomas.

"See you soon, love." She said as she turned and skipped out into the darkness.

Gally's smile immediately dropped when he thought about her words.

"Oh Cee, I wish we would never have to have secrets." He whispered as he contemplated what he was going to tell her tomorrow before Thomas took her and their child away forever.

Stella started to make noises and squirmed sleepily in his arms making his worries fade completely even if it was just for a moment.

He wished he could freeze time and stay in this moment forever with Lacee and the baby never leaving his side.

They would be a forever family that in reality would be broken apart as soon as morning came.

His eyes watered at the thought of Lacee and Stella leaving him forever but he knew it was for the best.

He couldn't explain why he needed to stay in the Glade, but he knew he felt it that it was the right decision so deep down in his soul that he prayed that once tomorrow came it would be completely worth it.

It killed him that this would be one of the last moments that he would have with his daughter, but he knew that Thomas would take care of both Lacee and the baby if they managed to survive the maze.

Thomas was right when he said that the baby was just as much his as she was Gally's and he knew that if they made it by some miracle out of the maze that they would have a chance to live somewhere safe where Stella would grew up knowing the love of both a mother and a father.

He only wanted the best for his girl's and in that moment he knew he would be giving it to them.

As the night wore on, he spent it laughing and cuddling with Lacee and the baby trying not to think about how he would lose them all in a blink of an eye.