Chapter 24
Hey guys! So since I picked this story back up I have only recieved two reviews and it's making me really sad ;C the lack of reviews isn't going to stop me from writing and posting for this fic, but It might just effect the speed at which I update. So don't feel disheartened, I don't plan on giving this story up because of what little reviews I have gotten but I just won't be as quick about it. (And I don't mean I'm going to write one more chapter than vanish for a few years like I did last time.) So please, if you could if you want quicker updates please please please pleaseeeee review, I greatly appreciate the time you all take out of your day to read my shitty story 3 Thank you!
"Sit Min." I point to the nearest bed as soon as we walk into the Sick Room. Thankfully it was empty, save for Clint and Jeff, but that's nothing new.
"Did anyone ever tell you how bossy you are Red?" The Runner states from behind me as I sift through some jars to find a salve used for bruising.
"Not today at least. But go ahead, why don't you tell me one more time?" I retort while I pull up a chair in front of him. When I meet his eyes he has a playful look in his brown eyes and a smile full of mirth on his handsome face.
"Are you going to keep making jokes or are you going to let me do my job?" I asked and motioned for him to remove his collared shirt. As I do so he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at me and I roll my eyes as a result. In all honesty having him this close to me without any clothing to cover his top half, I was wholly unprepared for the distraction it would bring. It's not like this is my first time seeing my best friend without a shirt on. In fact, it's the second. And it's just as good as the first time, maybe better.
Why in the hell did I have to develop feelings for my best friend? And in a place like this where he or I could be taken away from one another like it was nothing.
"Okay okay, do your thang miss Med-Jack Jo." He teased and I shook my head at him with a crooked smile I tried to contain.
"Thank you." Was all I said as I slipped into Med-Jack mode.
Deciding to discard the chair, I stood up and got close enough to really examine the bruises, "Don't be tough Minho. I need you to let me know where it's tender and where it's not." I kindly demanded and he didn't put forth any arguments.
I softly cupped his jaw with my hands and lifted his chin up a bit to move his head side to side depending on where I was looking, "How does it look?" He asked softly. If you looked close enough you could almost make out the individual finger marks wrap around his throat, seeing what I had done caused me to swallow heavily with guilt.
"You heal quickly, most people would keep this color for a couple days before it started to turn yellow and heal but you, the purple and redness are already starting to fade." Now I needed to do the painful part, "This might hurt now Min, I need to see if I damaged your larynx, trachea, or your esophagus. Have you had lunch yet?" I asked.
"Check away and no, not yet. But I did have breakfast if that helps." He answered cooperatively.
I nodded at his statement, "Did it hurt to swallow food?" My eyes met his for a moment and he knew he couldn't lie or I would catch him in it in a second.
"A little, if I ate bites that we're too big it hurt more than others." Again, I nodded. I rubbed my hands together quickly to warm them up so I don't touch his throat with ice cold fingers as I gently applied pressure to probe around his throat. When I reached the center of the bruises he may not have flinched but the brief flash of pain that played across his face gave it away. I fixed him with a stern look; something I've been doing a lot.
"Minho. I told you to tell me if it hurts." He softly brushed my hands away and nodded.
"Yeah yeah, I know. That hurt okay? Is that what you want? Does this stupid klunk mean I can't eat solid food for a while? Because I don't think I can. I can't bring a can of soup with me into the maze Jo." His attitude was running away from him again and I knew it was because I made him admit to me when it hurt. There's nothing Minho hates more than admitting when he's in pain or being weak.
"Relax Minho. Take it easy with the solid foods for the rest of the day, nothing abrasive. Stick with breads or something soft. The way you heal you should be able to eat normally by tomorrow." I finished as I rubbed the salve all over the bruises, I could tell that the salve eased the pain a little as I felt some tension leave his body. The smell of Lavender mixed with Witch Hazel filled the space between us. After I had applied a decent amount to his throat I ran to the back to put the salve back and break off a couple leaves of sage.
Holding out the leaves I handed them to him, "To help you eat for the rest of the day, I want you to chew on a leaf every time your throat starts to get really sore. Sage doesn't taste very good but trust me when I say it will help." He hesitates for a moment then takes the leaves from my hand before placing one in his mouth. I watched as he started to chew on it and I laughed when he made a disgusted face.
"Holy klunk Jo! Are you trying to poison me?!" It looked like he wanted to spit out the leaves but I kept chewing them in between cursing me for poisoning him.
"I'm sorry Minho but I didn't have any time to dry any out to mix in some tea or whatever. So this is what you'll have to deal with. Most things that are good for you taste like klunk." I chuckled at him. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Clint shaking his head at Minho's dramatics and Jeff is chuckling to himself to avoid the Runners wrath.
"Man up Minho. You're a Runner and you can't even stomach a few leaves?" Clint teased but if you didn't know him as well as I do you would think he was being serious.
"Oh shut up shuckface." I barked at my fellow Med-Jack.
"Oi, play nice Minho. Now let's go. Unless you plan on going back into the Maze at this time let's go get some lunch. I'm so hungry I would gladly eat some sage." I patted his shoulder and bid farewell to Clint and Jeff before we exited the Sick Room.
If I had known it would be this easy to get Minho to listen to me when I needed to patch him up or anything I would have been a little more inclined to do so. I guess now Clint and Jeff will leave Minho up to me, they always seem to have a problem with him. As we were walking through the center of the Glade I shut my eyes and lifted my face to the sky. I could feel my skin absorbing the warmth of the sunless sky but the feeling was short lived when I smacked chin first into someone's back.
"Ow, klunk I'm sorry." I apologized while I rubbed the sore spot on my chin, I was expecting to hear a chuckle or something come from Minho but instead I was met with silence. I was confused by the silence but when I looked at the unlucky Glader I bumped into, the silence was filled with tension.
"Watch where you're going you dumb shank. You're not very smart are you? You're always getting in my way and running into me. Maybe you should have been a Slopper with your Greenie friend over there." Gally sneered and pierced me with his glare.
"I'm apparently smarter than you Gally. You can't even manage to build a stupid wall without smashing your finger or hurting yourself. Did you drop planks of wood on your head one too many times or we're you just born lacking that many brain cells?" I spat at him and crossed my arms across me chest. So much for my good mood. If it wasn't against the rules I would have beat this Slinthead into the ground by now. Or I would have tried at least.
"What the hell did you say to me shuckface?" He leaned out and got in my face I could smell is unpleasant breath as it fanned across my face.
"I said you need a mint or something because you're about to melt my face right off with that breath of yours. Haven't you ever heard of a toothbrush?" My words must have really struck a nerve as his watches his eyes almost bulge out of his head and his face turned twenty different shades of red. I could see him clenching his fists, ready to throw punches.
"What are you going to do Gally? Hit me? I thought you learned your lesson last time." I smirked and his hands shot out quickly as he roughly shoved me away from him.
"Whoa there!" I heard someone shout and I had enough time to hook Minho in the elbow of the fist he was about to send into Gally's ugly face. Minho's killer glare never left Gally's face as I watched Newt, Alby, Zart, and Winston walk up to us.
"What the bloody hell is going on? Why is it that whenever you three are around each other you get in a stupid fight?" Newt sighs and places his hands on his hips. Alby rests his hand on Minho's shoulder and he quickly shrugs it off. Alby looks from the Runner to the Builder.
"What happened here?" He looked at Minho but neither Minho, nor Gally would speak so he looked to me for answers.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Gally likes to try and assert what little dominance he has and because I'm not a pushover I tell him exactly how I feel. He just gets a little too worked up and seems to have a problem controlling his anger towards me." I didn't lie but I didn't completely tell the truth. While I could have told Alby that Gally had full intentions of kicking my ass, I didn't. I really didn't want to give him another reason to hate me. Even if I wasn't sure what the real reason was anyways.
Our dark skinned leader let out a sigh of exasperation as he ran his hand across the open of his head to the back of his neck. Some times I felt bad adding stress onto Alby's plate, he is trying his best to run a Glade full of boys and one girl, "Alright. Gally, If this happens again you and whoever you get involved with will be sent to the Slammer. I don't care who's at fault. You will both go. Got it?" He looked at the three of us and Minho met the leaders eyes with a curt nod, Gally grumbled out his agreement and crossed his bulky arms across his chest. I simply nodded and said yes as he turned and walked off with the Keeper of the Trackhoes and Slicers following behind him leaving us with the Second-in-Command.
Newt looked at Minho and I and was about to say something but Gally up and walked away. The blonde watched Gally retreat to where ever he was going to cool down then to us, "What really happened just now?" I gently squeezed Minho's bicep where I still had my hand.
"Nothing really Newt I swear. I wasn't paying attention and I ran into him. You know, something I do a lot actually." I may have a steady hand with a needle and stitches but I was clumsier than most, "And we all know what Gally's like, it just makes it worse when it's me since for some reason he hates my bloody guts." I threw my free hand in the air and let it fall back against my thigh with a slap and I let out a sigh.
"If I didn't know Gally so well I would think that you're making this klunk up. But that still doesn't tell me why Minho looked like he was a heartbeat away from smashing Gally's face in." He adjusted the leather strap that lays across his chest holding his machete in place.
"That slinthead laid his hands on her again. He shoved her and I was about to teach him a lesson in respect. You can't tell me you wouldn't do the same." Minho looks at Newt and crosses his arms causing me to release his arm so he didn't crush my fingers.
"Damnit that stupid stupid shank. But you're right, if that happened and I was around I would do the same thing, regardless if I went to the Slammer." The blonde boy shook his head, "Don't worry Minho. I figured that everytime you and Gally get into it it's because of Jo now, am I right?" He understands why Minho is constantly fighting Gally but that doesn't mean that Alby does.
Minho responds with a simple nod and I step around and take Newt's right hand in my left and Minho's left hand in my right before I pull them towards the Kitchen. I need to break the monotony someway, why not do it with food and friends.
Well there's another really long chapter. I had to go back and play The Maze Runner in the background as I wrote this and planned out my future chapters since it's been a while that I've seen or read either version. But here it is! Chapter 24 complete and ready for a review c: thanks guys.