"Everyone ok out there?" Thomas called.
"We're fine!"
"Argh," Newt groaned as he raised his hand to his shoulder and he grimaced. Minho looked across at him.
"Newt?"
"I've been shot," Newt told him. "Argh!" He called as he pressed his hand into his shoulder and blood ran through his fingers.
"Shit. Newt's been shot!" Minho shouted as he put his hand on top of Newt's.
"What!"
"Where's he been shot?"
"In the shoulder."
"The shoulder's ok, but we need to get to him," Jorge told Thomas.
"Ok," Thomas said and he tried to think of a plan.
"Ok. Ok, I've got it. I've got it," Minho said as he put pressure onto Newt's shoulder.
"Argh!"
"We're going to sort this out. You're going to be alright," Minho said and Newt nodded.
"I bloody hope so. Argh..."
The right arm showed themselves and Minho stood up with Newt.
"Er... What's happening?" Minho asked them as they were greeting Aris.
"We were in the maze together," Aris said and Harriet whistled signalling the snipers to show themselves. They started walking towards a number of vehicles and there were other people around them. Newt was bleeding badly and he was starting to slow.
"Minho..."
"I know Newt. I know," Minho said and he supported Newt as they were led to a car. They established that the strangers were with the right arm and they were on the same side.
"Oh good," Newt said and he fell onto his knees.
"Shit."
"Newt. I need to keep pressure on your shoulder," Minho said as he crouched beside him and re-established the pressure.
"What's wrong? Newt, you're bleeding," Thomas said as he crouched down.
"He was shot."
"Shit, Newt."
"Yeah..." Newt said before he grimaced. "Argh!"
"Can you help him?"
"We can at our camp," Harriet said and she opened the door to the car. "Let's get him up."
"Come on Newt."
"We've got you," Frypan said and both he and Thomas helped Newt to stand up while Minho kept pressure on his wound.
"Argh!" Newt cried out as he had his hand resting up by his shoulder. Minho and Frypan were beside him, and he was feeling sick.
"Can you make the ride any less rough?"
"There's nothing I can do, it's the road. We're not far now."
"Ok. You're going to be alright Newt. We're almost there," Minho reassured Newt, but he winced and tried to control the pain.
"Argh..."
"Newt? Newt, you have to stay awake."
"Newt? Hey! Wake up," Minho said, and his cry woke Newt up, and he looked at Minho. "You have to stay with us ok."
"Ok," Newt agreed and he swallowed as he closed his eyes once more.
"Newt."
"Newt, stay awake," Thomas told him as he watched from the front seat.
"I... will..."
"You're losing a lot of blood Newt. You have to stay awake."
"Minho look... look after me..."
"We are Newt."
"Newt? hey Newt!" Thomas called, but Newt passed out.
"Newt?"
"He's passed out. How far are we?"
"We're here," Harriet said and she stopped the car just outside of the camp.
Carefully, they got Newt out of the car and Minho carried him into the medical tent. While there were some quick introductions, Minho lay Newt down on a bed and Mary got ready to do surgery on his shoulder. She gave Newt a sedative and as everyone went out to talk to Vince, the right arm's leader, Minho stayed with Newt and Mary.
Mary successfully removed the bullet and she repaired the damage in Newt's shoulder before she stitched him up.
"Thank you," Minho said as she finished and she cleared her surgical tools away.
"It's the least I could do. The bullet was ours."
"Is he going to be ok?"
"His shoulder will be stiff and painful for a few weeks, but it will heal."
"Good. How long is he going to be unconscious for?"
"A few hours. He will be dazed as the sedation wears off, but I'm going to keep him under observation and I will let you know when he wakes up."
"Thank you."
"Now. You better go and introduce yourself. Vince doesn't like people who are unaccounted for."
"Of course," Minho said and he left Newt in Mary's care.
"How's Newt?" Minho asked Thomas as he joined them. Brenda was recovering and dinner was being cooked down in the camp.
"He's still unconscious. Mary says that he's doing well."
"Good. I can't believe that they shot him."
"I don't think they meant to."
"No."
"He's going to be alright. And that's what matters."
"It is," Minho said and Frypan looked at him as they had a moment of quiet.
"Are you ok Minho?"
"I'm worried about Newt."
"Worried about what?" Thomas asked, feeling like this was more than waiting for Newt to recover from the bullet wound.
"He's fragile Thomas. More than any of us. He limps because of his injury. It causes him trouble, and now he's lying unconscious because he's been shot."
"You care about him Minho."
"More than you know Thomas," Minho said and he stood up. They watched as he walked into the camp and he went into the medical tent.
"Minho," Thomas said as he gently shook him awake.
"Hmn?" Minho asked. He had fallen asleep beside Newt, with his head on the bed.
"I can stay with Newt while you get some rest," Thomas said and Minho looked at him, then he looked down at Newt.
"Alright. Come and get me the moment he wakes up."
"I will," Thomas said and Minho went to bed. Thomas sat beside Newt and he noticed the care that had been taken to bandage up his shoulder.
"Newt? Newt, hey it's Thomas."
"Tommy...?" Newt asked as started to wake up.
"Yeah, it's me. Take it easy, you were shot. They managed to remove the bullet and they stitched you up."
"They? Are we with the right arm?"
"Yeah, we're with the right arm."
"Where are the others?"
"They're sleeping. I don't know what time it is, but it's dark outside."
"Ok."
"How are you feeling?"
"Alright. Given that I've been shot."
"Are you in any pain?"
"No. My shoulder's just throbbing. Like it's pulsing."
"Ok. At least, I think that's ok."
"Where's Minho?"
"He's not far. I said that I would get him when you woke up."
"He was worried about me. I tried to stay awake in the car Tommy but I..."
"It's alright Newt. It's ok. Everyone understands and they're really glad that you're alright."
"Yeah," Newt said and Thomas took his hand.
"Are you going to be ok for a minute while I go and get Minho?"
"I should be."
"Ok, I'll only be gone for a minute alright?"
"Alright," Newt agreed and Thomas left him.
"Hey Newt," Minho said as he came in and Newt turned his head towards him.
"Hey."
"How are you feeling?" Minho asked as he knelt down and he took Newt's hand into his own.
"Better."
"How's your leg?"
"His leg?" Thomas asked.
"It's good," Newt said before he moved it and he smiled. "Much better."
"I asked Mary to give you something to bring the swelling down."
"It's been sore for a while."
"I guessed. If the bullet hadn't knocked you out, you would have collapsed because of your leg."
"Probably," Newt said and Minho smiled before he turned to Thomas.
"Get some rest Thomas. I'll stay with Newt."
"Ok."
"Thanks Tommy," Newt said and Thomas smiled before he left them.
Curious to know more about Newt and Minho, Thomas stopped outside the tent and he listened.
"How are you really feeling?" Minho asked Newt quietly.
"I'm dizzy, and my head's muffled."
"Mary sedated you to remove the bullet. She said that you would be dazed when you first woke up."
"Is she the one looking after me?"
"Yes. She's the doctor here."
"I was sedated for surgery? ... on my, my shoulder?"
"You were," Minho said and Thomas looked down. Minho's voice was gentle and Newt sounded more vulnerable than he'd ever heard him.
"That explains why my head's all over the place," Newt said before he laughed a little.
"She did a good job Newt. Your shoulder will heal."
"Better than my leg then," Newt said and there was a pause.
"It scared me Newt. Seeing the blood, seeing you so pale. The last time you were like that was back in the maze."
"When I stopped being a runner," Newt said and Thomas paused. Newt had been a runner? "You saved my life Minho."
"And you saved mine. A few days ago when I was struck by lightning."
"That terrified me. My hands were shaking... we had a torch and we called your name."
"I called your name too."
"Why are you bringing it up now Minho?" Newt asked gently and there was another pause.
"I knew from the first moment that I found you that you had fallen. That you had jumped," Minho said and Thomas's blood ran cold. Newt had jumped?
"You brought me out of that Minho. Not just the maze, that darkness. The emptiness. You, and everyone in the glade... you showed me that all I needed is what we had. Each other."
"I'm glad that the lightning didn't kill me."
"I couldn't breathe while you were unconscious."
"Now you know how I feel," Minho said and Thomas started walking away. This was private between Newt and Minho. He never should have listened in.
"I would give my life for you Minho."
"And I would give my life to save yours."
"Shit," Thomas said as he left their hearing range. Newt had tried to kill himself because of the maze. Because of what Thomas had helped do to him. They were not people to WCKD, they were lab rats. Alive only to be tested and experimented on, before being killed and dissected. It was only through the other Gladers that Newt was still alive.
"You've saved me so many times," Newt told Minho.
"And I will keep saving you. I will never stop."
"I want to be stronger than this Minho."
"You are the strongest person that I know Newt. You are analytical, kind and loving. You save us all, every day. We have made it through so much together."
"Alby. George. Chuck," Newt said slowly.
"Ben. Gally," Minho added before they went quiet. "Get some sleep," Minho said and Newt fell asleep. Minho stayed with Newt through the night, and even as they both slept, Newt's hand remained in Minho's.
"Newt," Thomas said as he found him on the hillside two days later.
"Hey."
"How are you doing?"
"I'm a little dizzy, but the injections of pain relief are helping. I'm getting there."
"Good," Thomas said before he sat down. "Look," He said as he looked at his hands and Newt turned to him.
"What is it?"
"I heard you and Minho talking, the other night."
"Ok. What were we talking about?"
"I um..."
"What is it?" Newt asked and Thomas paused.
"I know that you jumped. That's how you broke your leg?" Thomas asked and Newt looked down.
"I guess that we couldn't hide it forever."
"Newt..."
"It's alright Thomas. It was a long time ago and I haven't done anything like it since."
"Newt, I'm not blaming you I..."
"You can't help. Those days are long gone alright? We're out of the maze and..."
"But I did that to you. I helped to put you in there. I might have even watched you jump."
"You didn't know me Thomas. And what you did or saw back then, you can't remember about. I'm alright. I've got a family now, and it includes you."
"I'm sorry Newt. For everything."
"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for not being able to run as fast as you would like me to," Newt said and Thomas smiled.
"I'm sorry for making you shatter your leg so badly that you can't run as fast as you need to in order to get away from the cranks that we only ran into because we had to escape WCKD: who I was part of and working for before I betrayed them in order to save your life," Thomas said in one go and Newt smiled.
"We're quits then, yeah?"
"Yeah. We're quits," Thomas said and they shook hands. After a moment, Newt smiled and Thomas hugged him.
"Argh... be careful Tommy."
"Sorry Newt," Thomas said as he let go. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah. I'm ok."
"I don't want to hurt you."
"You didn't," Newt said before he carefully touched his shoulder and Thomas settled back onto a rock.
"We take care of each other. You're right Newt, we're a family," Thomas said and Newt looked at him as he lowered his hand.
"We protect and save one another. Minho brought me out of a very dark place, you led us out."
"And you saved us all. Being the voice of reason. Stopping us before we go too far," Thomas said and Newt smiled.
"We have each other. Some of us have fallen," Newt said and he paused for a moment. "But we stick together, we fight for each other, and we won't ever stop."
"We're family," Thomas said and a beautiful quiet fell between him and Newt. This was soon interrupted by Frypan.
"Hey! Are you coming for dinner?" Frypan shouted up to them and both Newt and Thomas laughed.
"We're coming!" Thomas called back, and he stood up. "Come on Newt."
"Thanks Tommy," Newt said as Thomas gave him a hand to stand up.