Author's note ~ Hope you enjoy.
Adrian clicked the player off in irritation, pulling the bud from his ear and stuffing the whole thing under his pillow. Closing his eyes, forcing his mind to go blank, he willed himself to sleep.
Adrian woke early the next morning, feeling tense and edgy, vaguely unsettled. The bed was comfortable and he was cozily warm, but amorphous, mildly threatening dreams had fluttered through his mind all night; never quite taking shape, but leaving him with an ominous feeling of foreboding that he couldn't quite shake as his brain worked its way to fully awake. Yawning hugely, his irritation at waking so early was derailed by the visitor in his bed. Careful not to wake the boy, Adrian slowly turned his head and looked at his bed-mate.
Of course the kid hadn't stayed on his own damn side.
Adrian was still in the same position he had fallen asleep in; flat on his back, arms tucked neatly under his head. Newt, on the other hand, had all but glued himself to the man's side; his head was tucked into Adrian's shoulder, his arm had a death grip on the man's waist. Adrian considered himself lucky that the boy's legs, wrapped like a vine around one of his own, was far enough south to not exacerbate his body's normal morning systems check; after a poor night's sleep, that awkward conversation was one Adrian was more than happy to skip.
Moving slowly, gently, it took a full five minutes for Adrian to wriggle, untangle and maneuver his way out of the boy's grip without waking him up. Finally managing, he slid out of bed and stretched vigorously, grabbing his cigarettes and silently stepping outside to relieve his bladder. The darkness of night hadn't yet fully yielded to the coming day; the very tip of the sun was only just peeking over the distant wall while Adrian leaned comfortably against the house and lit a smoke, enjoying the serenity and silence of the clearing, thinking and planning the day ahead.
Shouldn't take me long to finish up the office; all the pieces are ready, I just need to install. Couple of hours, tops, and it's done. Think I'll go visit the slicers again today. Why don't they keep birds instead of just killing them for meat? Maybe they don't understand that birds can lay eggs consistently, are an ongoing source of food instead of only an instant one? I can show them, then we'll see what comes next. Should probably talk to Alby, clear things up with 'fearless leader'. There's probably something that can be done to burn off some of this nervous energy, ease some of the tensions about me being here. I can feel the anxiety rolling off them in waves. It'll be good for them to get it out, let loose, relax. Newt too, and I swear to God, first chance I get, I'm making that kid a stuffed animal.
His thoughts were interrupted when Newt stumbled out of the house, tripping on the top step and barely managing to catch himself before he fell flat on his face. He looked around a little wildly, rubbing at the sleep still in his eyes, his voice rusty with it.
"Adrian?"
"Yeah, kid, 'morning."
Newt shook his head violently, scrubbing his hands through his wildly disordered hair and obviously trying to get his thoughts into something resembling sense.
"I got up and you weren't there, I thought..."
"Still here, kid. Still lots to do, remember? Speaking of that, hustle up, buttercup. Sun's mostly up, your day starts soon, doesn't it? Better get going."
Newt looked over to the rising sun, almost fully visible over the wall, blinking at it a few times in confusion. When he managed to process the sight, he turned and sprinted towards the woods, cursing as he went. Adrian chuckled to himself as he stubbed out his cigarette, the dregs of the dark dreams slipping fully away as he stepped back inside to get ready for his own day.
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The plus side of getting up before the crack of dawn, Adrian supposed, was that it definitely gave you a jump on the day. Not bothering with breakfast, he headed straight to the med-hut, rolling up his metaphorical sleeves. By the time the builders had arrived, he already had the clay pipes lined up and sealed with fresh clay at the overlapping seams, and was ready to install the sturdy frame to hold the wash basin and the table top. The boys trouped in silently, waiting almost politely for instructions. Adrian carefully gauged their expressions; three looked a little wary, one looked fairly chagrined, and the last looked down right embarrassed and visibly uncomfortable with a grossly swollen nose and two black eyes. He was obviously the leader from the day before. Adrian nodded his understanding, not bothering to comment.
Wasting no time, he set three boys to finishing up the building of the small stone and mortar wood stove that lay half finished in the corner of the office, showing them the basic technique required. The other two boys helped maneuver the wooden frame for the new basin table into place, dropping the legs into pre-dug holes and holding it steady as Adrian mixed up a small batch of cement and permanently fixed the table in place. With the extra hands, they made short work of settling the basin into place, putting on the carefully formed concrete slab counter top, and mortaring everything into place with yet more cement. When this was complete, they efficiently assembled a waist high table to serve and an exam bench while the others finished up the new wood stove. All in all, putting the finishing touches on the office took less than two hours, and Adrian was well pleased with the results. The boys worked hard, listening to corrections or instructions, and appeared to be learning the new skills quickly. Jeff walked into the room just as Adrian was giving them a well earned pat on the back.
"Congratulations, boys, you now have a fully functional medical office. This is going to make life a hell of a lot better for everyone here, guaranteed."
Most of the boys looked pleased with themselves, looking around and surveying all they had accomplished over the last few days. Other than Adrian's instructions, there had been very little chatter throughout the work; the boys remained focused on their tasks and didn't bother with conversation. As the builders turned to leave the building, Adrian held up a hand to detain the poor boy with the injured face.
"Hold on a minute. Why don't you let me take a look at that, since you're here anyways?"
The boy looked at him, incredulous.
"Are you shucking kidding me? Why would I put my face in your hands, you're the one who broke it!"
"And with good reason." Adrian replied, with an icy calm that dropped the temperature in the office by several degrees. The other builders stood by, watching with vapid interest. "But, how it happened isn't the point; after yesterday, I believe you and I have come to an understanding. While the ointment I gave you last night will soothe some of the pain away, the swelling won't go down fully until I set that nose, and it'll take twice as long to heal it if it's left as it is. Plus, I don't like to see someone in pain, especially treatable or preventable pain." He patted the new exam table. "Hop on up here, let's get you fixed up."
The boy glanced around nervously, looking like he might just take a run for it instead of accepting treatment from the man. Before Adrian could say anything else, Jeff scoffed at the reluctant patient.
"Just get on the table, Hank, and don't be such a slinthead about it. If you're going to be a baby about it, I'll let you hold my hand."
The other builders snickered at that comment and, stuck, unwilling to look like a coward in front of his friends, Hank hopped up on the table. Adrian nodded approval to the young medic, impressed with how he'd handled the situation.
"Alright Jeff, let's get this ugly mug squared away. Poppy tea to drink for the pain, chamomile tea to wash to soothe the inflammation, then we'll need some of the medical tape that came up with the supplies."
Hank shuddered at the orders, the thought of what might come next, but really, could it be worse than the pain he was in already?
As the others looked on, intrigued and mildly concerned for their pal, Adrian explained the basic technique for setting a broken nose. Allowing a few minutes for the tea to start to work, Adrian took Hank's head in his hands, placing his thumbs on either side of the swollen bridge of the nose.
"Hang tight, Hank. This is going to hurt."
Adrian firmly manipulated the bones and cartilage, ignoring Hank's yelp and moans of pain. Quickly, efficiently, he set the nose into the proper position before holding out a hand and accepting the chamomile soaked rag Jeff held out. He lay it over the boy's face and tilted his head back, leaving him to sit for a moment. Everyone heard Hank's sigh of relief as the cloth eased some of the swelling, and a good deal of the pain. Adrian demonstrated how to tape the nose next, and while Hank looked a mite bit ridiculous with the white medical tape over his nose and upper lip, the relief he felt was more than work the minor inconvenience. Adrian handed the boy another jar of the painkilling tea while Jeff put their supplies away, and Hank carefully felt his damaged face. The pain was already so much more bearable than it had been.
"Thank you." He croaked, sounding a little unsure but completely sincere.
"You're welcome. Drink two swallows of that in the morning, two at night 'til it's gone. And try not to get into any more fistfights."
Hank laughed nervously, nodding his agreement as he slid off the table and scooted quickly out the door, the other builders following close behind.
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Around mid-day in the bowels of the maze, Newt stopped for a water break and a quick bite to eat. Minho slowed to a stop beside him, dropping into an easy crouch and leaning against the ivy covered wall at his back, watching as Newt pulled water bottles and apples from his pack. He passed one of each to Minho before chomping into his own apple with gusto. Minho raised a questioning eyebrow as the pale boy steadfastly demolished the snack.
"What's gotten into you lately?"
Confused, Newt hastily swallowed the last mouthful of fruit, pitching the core down the stone corridor.
"Whaddya you mean, Min?""
"One day, you're all mopey, doing the job, but looking like someone klunked in your breakfast. The next, you're runnin' like a griever's on your tail, pushing harder than I've ever seen you push before. What gives?"
Newt shrugged, mildly nonplussed by the conversation.
"I guess I was a little burnt before, losing hope. Some days I can't bloody stand it in here, Min, that's the shuckin' truth. Comin' on two years, and still no way out? It bloody well wears on you."
Minho nodded, understanding completely. A sassy little smile curved his lips.
"Well, I guess if it's too much for you, too much work, you can always find something else to do. Maybe you can play Nurse Nancy for your new boyfriend in the med-hut?"
Newt snorted, rolling his eyes at Minho's poor excuse for humor. Getting up briskly, he stuffed his water bottle back into the pack and looked down at his friend.
"Come on, let's get moving."
"Seriously, though, what changed?" Minho asked, getting to his feet but refusing to move until he got an answer. "What has you all fired up, burstin' at the seams, gung-ho to go? Does it have anything to do with that new greenie?"
"Dunno, mate. Maybe I just needed a reminder as to why we're doing this. Something to remind me that there's still hope."
Newt took off at a brisk jog, carrying on down the corridor in the direction they'd set that morning. Minho stared at his friend's back for a moment before kicking into gear himself, pouring on the speed to catch up. As he ran, he thought about the sudden change in Newt, the vast difference in attitude overnight. He wondered about the greenie, about the speculations of the other boys in the glade. Maybe it was time to meet this greenie himself, have a bit of a chat. Just in case.
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Adrian left Jeff at the med-hut, studying the information recorded in his trusty notebook. After skipping breakfast and working for half a day already, he was feeling the fangs of hunger gnawing in his belly. Grabbing a sizable portion of lunch, Adrian copped a table all to himself and set about single-mindedly devouring his meal as fast as he could. Just as he was finishing up, he noticed Alby approaching the dining area with a meal of his own, and a thought formed in his head. He hailed the leader over, inviting him to join his table. Alby came over without hesitation, settling himself across from the man.
"Well, greenie, how're you settling in? How's the med-hut coming?"
"Settled fine, Fearless Leader. The office in the med-hut is done; we finished it today, it's open for business."
"Really? That's great. No delays from that little...disturbance yesterday?"
Adrian looked the boy right in the eye, contemplating the best response. Alby had obviously heard about what happened; lying would be foolish, counter-productive.
"It was a small delay, a minor inconvenience, but it's finished now."
Alby snorted, disgusted.
"Inconvenience? From what I've been hearing, you were jumped by half a dozen of the guys, had the klunk kicked out of you. You could've been seriously injured; they would've killed you, from the sound of it. And they broke one of our most important rules! They should pay for their actions! How is all that a minor inconvenience?"
"Because could-a should-a would-a's are bullshit at best. Yeah, I've got a couple of bruises from that little 'do'. Well, so do they. If they did it out of spite, or malice, yeah, I'd say kick their asses for it. But they acted out of fear and, what they thought was, self-preservation. Everyone's amped up, Alby, tense and twitchy and nervous because of me. I'm not going to hold it against them."
"So what do you suggest?" Alby demanded, exasperated, "No consequences for what they've done? 'NEVER HARM ANOTHER GLADER' That's the rule we have to live by! Breaking it is punishable by banishment!"
"I get that, Alby." Adrian sighed. "And yeah, maybe there should be consequences. But they don't deserve to die for being scared, stupid boys that made a bad choice."
Alby studied the man, the cogs in his mind turning as he tried to come up with some kind of reasonable compromise. After all, he didn't really want to sentence anyone to death if there was any other option.
"Well, I guess a couple of nights in the pit, no food or water, and a week or two of dirty work with the sloppers might serve as an acceptable warning to the others. Just in case they get any ideas about working off some of that nervous energy with brawls of their own. What they, and everyone else actually, really need is an outlet, some way to let off steam."
"Actually, I have an idea about that." Adrian grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at the blank stare on the dark boy's face.
Author's note ~ What stuffed animal should Adrian make for Newt? Hmmm, I wonder.
See you next chapter.
~Ruby