ᵗʰʳᵉᵉ 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 ⁿᵉʷᵗᵐᵃˢ (ᶜᵒᵐᵖˡᵉᵗᵉᵈ)

Put On A Happy Face

NEWT POV

The next day, I can walk well enough that we set off again. But after only about a mile I feel like laying down on the desert ground and dying. I don't stop, though. I'm breathing heavily and after about two miles I feel like I might pass out. I fall against Thomas slightly.

"Okay." He says. "You need a break."

"No." I argue. "No, I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine." 

"Nope." Thomas says. "We're stopping."

Thomas makes everyone stop and I practically collapse into the sand. I lay down, looking up at the ruthless blue sky. Breathing hurts my chest. 

"Can I just like, stop breathing for a bit?" I ask Thomas.

He kisses me and doesn't pull away. I kiss him back. 

"There." He says, pulling away after a minute. "Now you have to breathe again."

I look at him. "I think I love you." 

He laughs. "I love you too." 

I try to sit up but my ears start to ring. I groan. 

"Lay back down." He says. 

"I don't want to though." I complain. 

"Put your head in my lap." He says. 

I reluctantly do. He runs his fingers through my hair. 

"I'm not tired, Tommy." I say. 

"Aw, I don't care." he says. "You need to rest anyway."

"Kiss me again?" I ask.

He smiles. "Newt, rest." 

I groan but close my eyes but the spinning shapes make me nauseous. I open them again.

Thomas sighs. "You're quite stubborn, aren't you?" 

I don't respond.

"Newt, you okay?" He asks. 

"Fine." I say quietly. But I'm not. 

He brushes hair off of my forehead. 

"You're not fine." He says. 

My head hurts so badly. I swallow roughly. "I...I am." 

He takes my hand. "You got shot. You got an infection. You aren't fine and that's okay." 

"No." I say. "No. I have to be fine. I have to make it farther than just two miles. Being weak isn't an option right now. I have to be okay." 

Thomas sighs. "Newt..." 

I sit up, ignoring the pain. "I'm fine." I say. I squeeze my eyes shut. When I open them, Olivia is in front of me. 

"Newt, lay down." She says. 

"No." I say. 

"Yes." She says. "I have to give you the second shot anyway."

My chest tightens as she takes out the needle. Unreasonable panic floods my brain. She slides the thing into my vein, makes me bite my lip. 

"Okay, done." She says. "Now we can continue if Newt still wants to." She looks at me.

I look at her, fear in my eyes. Thomas puts a hand on my shoulder.

"It's alright." He says. 

I nod. I rise to my feet and Thomas stands next to me. 

"You sure?" He whispers. 

"Positive." I say back.

As soon as the sun sets, we stop. I fall to the ground, breathing heavily. My hands lay in the sand, my head bowed. Beads of sweat drip down my face. Thomas was right, I shouldn't have walked so far. I can barely get a breath in. Thomas kneels in front of me and titls my face up to meet his gaze. 

"Are you alright?" He asks. "Really."

"No." I say. "I'm not. It feels like my body is shutting down. I can't breathe right."

"Come here." Thomas says. He pulls me against him. "Let's just maybe lay down for a bit." 

I nod, not really being able to talk. I fall asleep, my cheek against his chest. 

When I wake up, I have a dull ache in my arm but otherwise I feel better. I sit up. 

"Hey, Newt." Thomas says. "You're feeling better then?" 

I nod. "A lot better." 

Thomas smiles. I stand up. Olivia is awake too. She flings herself into my arms. 

"NEWT!" She shouts. I stumble back, catching her. 

"Livs, oh my god." I say. 

"You're better!" She says, her voice full of joy. 

"I-I guess I am." I say, laughing slightly. 

Olivia releases me, her dark hair swishing. "Thank god."

"Thanks, Livs." I say, hand behind my neck.

"Yeah, thanks." Thomas says, slipping an arm around my waist.

Olivia nods. "Anytime. So, how many non-immunes do we have to find?" 

"100." Thomas says. "98 more. I think you and Newt count." 

Olivia nods. "I know a place."

"You do?" I ask.

"I do." She says. "I used to be there before Goodman and his cronies picked me up. Had a whole gang of non-immunes." 

"How many?" Thomas asks.

"Over 100, that's for sure." She says. 

"Alright." I say. "Let's wake the others and get going."

"How far is it?" Brenda asks as we set off.

"It's pretty far." She admits. "About 100 miles. Sorry."

"It's our best hope." I say. 

As we walk, I link my hand with Thomas's. Then, I remember. Well, it's not new new. One of my memory dreams. One I'd never had before. 

"Hey, Thomas?" I say.

"Yeah?" he says.

"I remembered something." I say. 

"What?" He asks, turning to me 

"I remember...I remember my parents." I say. "I remember their death." 

Thomas looks at me. "Newt, oh my god." 

"WICKED lied." I say. "They said...they said it was an accident. But it wasn't." Tears sting in my eyes against my will. "Sorry. You don't want to hear this. It's stupid. I'm sorry." 

Thomas says nothing and I look at him.

"Newt." He says. "Nothing that comes out of your mouth could be stupid."

I blush. Thomas kisses me gently. 

"Now," He says. "You still wanna tell me?" 

I shake my head. "No. No, I'm fine."

He smiles at me. "Then come on. We got a while to go."

I nod. "Okay." 

A/N: Wow. I keep not killing people! Yay! Love y'all.