Little lies - NEWT

{2.02}

WAKING UP FROM UNCONSCIOUSNESS after a head injury and surgery was not the best experience she had ever had. First of all, she became aware of a sickening pounding in her head and an ancient throbbing in her upper arm that just would not go away. Then she began to hear sounds outside, a distant humming of a tune that matched the rhythmic beating from a machine that sounded as if it was playing directly into her head. She could feel a clip on her finger, wires flooding from her arms and an ache in her legs from not using them for so long. Her eyes fluttered open, blinking rapidly as her surroundings unblurred. She sighed, the action hurting her chest and suddenly became aware of a wire going underneath her nose as a supply of oxygen. Fear crept up the back of her neck and stood her hair on its end - she could not see a familiar face and had no idea where she was.

"Good morning, I'm Doctor Crawford," the woman in the room introduced with a smile much too bright and unnerving. Eden could barely make out her features, her face became a blob of mishapen and sunken dough. "How are you feeling?"

Eden attempted to sit up in bed but her groggy and limp state did not allow her to do so. "Where are the others... and Newt? Where's he?" she asked, her voice a weak and hoarse whisper. 

"Safe and sound in our living quarters, don't worry you'll see them all soon," the doctor paused and Eden remained to blink, slowly coming back to reality completely. "We just have to make sure your body is ready for that sort of thing first." Eden nodded discreetly, her head pounding even more with the small movement. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Eden," she replied, voice small and weak sounding. She hated it entirely.

"Good," Crawford smiled a doctor smile, which entirely matched her doctor tone. She took a quick note on a file and then looked back up. "Rate your pain on a scale of one to ten?"

"Maybe a five," Eden responded, eyes feeling heavy and almost as if they weren't completely there."Can I see the others?"

"Not just yet," she smiled again, still remaining to send shooting fear up her spine. "Can you remember my name?"

"... Doctor Crawford."

"Good, we can rule out head injury, may I check your arm?"

She nodded again, despite the pain, thinking that getting the checks over and done with would get her closer to seeing Newt and the others. It was a small belief but she clung to it like it was a holy grail. Crawford put her file down on a table then washed her hands thoroughly. Then she walked over and started to undo the bandages on her arm, apologising when Eden winced out in pain. Crawford made the special effort to use the existing bandages to cover the wound from her but Eden was smarter than that. She turned her aching head at a specific angle so she could see the wound in the mirror behind Crawford. The top of her arm had a black and purple stitched-up hole that was entirely cleaned of blood and it did not look at all infected. In fact, it seemed that her recovery was sped up for some reason, maybe a new medicine that they had developed. "You know you surviving this is something of a miracle, you lost a lot of blood," Crawford smiled while she rewrapped the wound in new bandages, tying it tight.

She cleared her throat, aching in her arm dulling somewhat. She assumed the bag attached to her arm had some sort of pain relief in it, it didn't fully work through. "Do you have my bag?"

She nodded, smiling softly, "We do, we've kept it safe for you don't worry."

"Can I have it back?"

"When you've recovered enough, of course."

"And how long until I'm recovered enough?"

"By the looks of it, maybe a few days." 

"Where am I?"

"A secret base that's safe from those people that put you into that maze," Crawford explained, keeping her usual doctor tone despite the fact that they weren't talking about her health any longer. Eden simply nodded softly, not wanting to shake her head too much. "Okay well, I have another patient to see, someone will come and see you in about an hour with more pain meds. Get some rest, Eden," she continued, beginning to walk out of the room.

"Wait," she called out as she opened the door, the sudden change in the volume of her own voice hurting her head. "Are the others okay? Did they all make it here?"

"Yes, they are all here and completely fine," Dr Crawford smiled reassuringly yet it sent shivers down Eden's spine. little smile. "You'll see them soon, I promise."

Something told Eden that she wasn't likely to keep that promise.

☪

THE BOYS ALL SAT ON their designated table in the cafeteria, eating the offered meal of that day. Well mostly everyone was eating. Newt stared through the glass wall at one end of the cafeteria, watching the doctors and various workers walk back and forth all seemingly without any purpose. It seemed slightly suspicious to him but he just assumed he was reading too much into things, due to the lack of sleep and constant gnawing worry for the one person that bought such things into his life.

"Newt," Frypan repeated once more, waving his hand in front of his face to increase his likeness of actually gaining Newt's attention. Newt slowly turned his head, keeping the corner of his eye fixed on the double doors that were the main entrance and exit to the cafeteria. "You gonna eat something or what?"

Newt dropped the torn piece of bread in his head down to his plate and muttered, "Not hungry."  The guys all looked at each other knowingly as Newt looked back to the glass, having a similar look on his face as Thomas did - difference was, Thomas was eating and sleeping.

Just as Winston was about to say something undoubtedly wisdom full, the doors swung open. Newt and Thomas' heads both snapped in the direction of the door as they waited to see who walked through it. It was just a guard, like always. The two of them sighed and went back to their observing, Thomas eating and Newt not. Instead, he played with a piece of fabric tied around his wrist that to anyone else would look tacky and odd. To him though, it meant the world and kept him somewhat calm. During the situation with Gally back in the maze, when Eden had been knocked to the floor, her hair had fallen out of the ponytail she had pulled it into. Newt only noticed the looped fabric on the floor seconds before they ran out of the maze. He grabbed it, immediately tucked it within his pocket then ran out too.

"Did they tell you anything?" Frypan asked, bringing Newt out of a nightmarish flashback that only further enveloped his mind and body with pure panic.

"I asked one of the guards, she's still unconscious," he sighed deeply, gently pushing the plate in front of him forward and away from him.

Fry frowned, a sight that not many ever saw, "No new information?"

"No, shockingly," Newt sighed again, this time of pure annoyance. As Fry was about to reply, Newt yawned and attempted to hide it away with his sleeve. It had no effect.

"I heard you pacing last night," Frypan whispered so as to not alert the others.  Newt looked up apologetically, saying all he needed to with his expression. "When was the last time you actually slept, post-Glade?"

"I had maybe an hour yesterday," he muttered, rubbing his temple with two fingers.  "Thoughts are just too loud. And Minho's snoring."

"I hear ya," Fry chuckled lowly.

"I do not snore," Minho protested a little too loudly, earning odd stares from most of the people within the cafeteria. However, the Gladers all looked at him with the exact same face, one that displayed them not believing a word he said while trying to hold back a laugh.

"It's more of a wailing," Frypan shrugged before taking a sip from his glass. Water which was then nearly spat out as their entire table (barring Minho) erupted into laughter that had them momentarily forgetting everything.

For a second, a spilt dying second, it felt like home again.