Chapter 28: Damage Control
~Leo's POV~
"Perhaps I should have asked what would happen before I came here," I consider thoughtfully before calling over my shoulder to Hopper, "He's alive!" Then I look at her. She's not there anymore. "Hopper?" I call, looking around. "Hopper!" I swear under my breath, in Italian. Now I'm left to take care of both of them. Waiting for Graham might have been a good idea after all.
But Newt may very well be dying, and I already know what Hopper would never allow herself to die, so he's my first priority. It's not safe to move him, but it's not safe to leave him here either, so I pull one of his arms over my shoulders and drag him up, doing my best not to cause any more damage than there already is.
I find Hopper just around the corner, trying to hide out of sight. She's curled up on the ground, her knees to her chest, her back against the wall, her ears covering her ears as she sobs uncontrollably. I hesitate, wanting to go to her. But if Newt dies, she will break, and I can't let that happen. So I continue on, taking Newt back to the Glade.
"What happened?" Ben asks when I get back through the Doors.
I speak quickly, the words rushing out because I know time is short, as I continue to pull Newt towards the Homestead. "Hopper was right, but so were you, we should have taken someone else with us. Hopper's still in there, I can't get her. Are any other Runners back?"
Ben glances into the Maze, "No…where is she?"
"Uh, first left, first right, second left and two more rights. But—" But nothing. He's gone. Sprinting into the Maze. I laugh, "We're all going to have to move into the Slammer after this." If we all survive, at least. The moment Ben touches Hopper, she'll turn feral. She will attack him, and somehow I just don't think Ben knows how to handle himself against a beast like her. However, it seems I'll have to leave that to luck and the fates.
"What happened?" Clint asks, just as surprised as Ben was.
"Difficulties in the Maze, I wager. I hear it's a dangerous place," I grin. Jeff grunts in annoyance and rolls his eyes, and I grin even wider. "You'll take care of the broken leg, won't you, my friend?" I don't wait for an answer as I lean down to check his breathing and heartbeat.
"Was he stung?" Clint asks.
"I sincerely doubt it, but feel free to check," I answer dismissively, barely playing him any mind. Stings from a Griever are quite possibly much easier to handle than what we're dealing with at the moment. Bruised ribs at the very least, quite possibly cracked, perhaps one or two broke. I can only hope nothing's punctured the lungs, but his breathing sounds steady enough, as does his heart, though both are slow and faint. There's the typical bruising, but no indications of internal bleeding. All and all, this fool is lucky to be alive.
After confirming Newt's survival, I run back to the East Doors to confirm Ben's. Amazingly, he's already back, with Hopper.
"Did you knock her out?" I ask incredulously, staring down at the both of them. Hopper's unconscious, sprawled in the grass, and Ben's out of breath.
"It was the only way I could think of to calm her down," he says, looking up at me.
I frown thoughtfully, "I'm not entirely sure unconscious counts as calm."
"Whatever," he shakes his head. "I got her back."
"What did you shanks do?" Minho asks from behind Ben, just entering the Glade.
"I…uh…" Ben sputters for a response while I laugh at his panic. "It's not how it looks."
"Dude, it looks like you guys killed Hopper and are planning on dissecting her or something."
I turn away, gasping for breath though the laughter. It only makes it worse when Ben snaps at me, "This isn't fun!"
"On the contrary, my friend," I grin, turning back to him. "I find this thoroughly entertaining."
"This is way too weird for me," Minho shakes his head. "Newt back yet?"
"Oh, you could say that," I shrug, earning a suspicious look from Minho and a sigh from Ben. My grin widens.
"Where is he?" Minho asks.
"Med-jacks. He's fine, by the way," I add, to Ben.
"He's fine? Why wouldn't he be fine?"
Sadly, before I can prolog the torture and suspicion, Ben speaks up quickly, "Something happened in the Maze, he got hurt."
Without another word, Minho's jogging to the Homestead. I watch him go until he's inside, and then I turn to Ben. "You are very boring," I note. "How hard, exactly, did you hit Hopper?"
"I don't know, I've never hit a girl before."
"I should certainly hope not," I glance around the Glade, filled with boys except for her.
"I mean, I've never hit anyone before. I was just trying to knock her out so I could get her back."
"Oh, I'd say you succeeded in that," I nod.
"Go burn," Ben sighs.
I let out a bark of laughter, "You've been learning from our little friend."
"Well when she says it, you actually cooperate for two seconds!" Ben snaps at me.
"And the next time you say it, you'll be the one burning, my friend," I inform him darkly before kneeling down beside Hopper. "It is quite possible this is intentional."
"What, you mean she's faking it?"
"I wager Hopper would have giggled by now if she were," I turn her head to see if there's any blood or bumps from the blow that knocked her out, but there are none. "I mean that she could be choosing not to wake up."
I look up and past Ben, at the Doors as they start to close.
"So what do we do?" Ben asks once the Glade and the Maze are successfully cut off from each other.
"Take her to the Med-jacks, I suppose," I say, standing up. "Wait until she decides waking up and suffering is more challenging than sleeping through all the fun." I walk away before Ben can say any more than that I'm insane, returning to the Homestead myself and climbing up all the stairs, locking myself away in my room.
Late into the night, there's a light knock on my door. I drop my sketchbook on the table beside my bed as I get up and go to open the door. Hopper's awake, sooner than I expected, considering the circumstances. Her eyes are bloodshot and red-rimmed, her cheeks wet. I immediately look away, forcing myself to stay as I am instead of comforting her.
Then she asks me, quietly, "Do you know how to get out of the Maze?"
