Maze Runner Death Cure-To Save Newt...

Chapter 7-Explanation

Second last one I promise this time. (And I blame my sleep-deprived brain as of late for all the other misleading remaining chapter counts I've posted)

The next time Thomas woke up it was late. The light of the night sky slipped through the cracks in the hut but the room was illuminated by a few strategically placed torches. He looked around the room. Jorge, Vince, and Brenda were gone, but Minho, Gali and Newt remained. Newt was asleep, his head resting on Thomas' arm as he still held his hand. Gali was passed out in a chair near the corner, his arms crossed like he had been trying to keep guard. Minho was awake, his back to Thomas as he stood in the doorway, holding the cloth flap open so he could stare at the night's sky.

"Minho," Thomas whisper-called. His friend turned around and smiled at him. He pulled a chair from the corner right up next to Newt's and sat down.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Alive," Thomas replied with a slight smile as he looked down at Newt's tangled hair. His face was facing away from him, but his slow regular breaths told Thomas he was sleeping peacefully. "Newt," Thomas said, "is he as healthy as he can be?"

"Healthier," Minho replied. "Before I got Teresa to unhook you from the harvesting equipment she managed to make a dose of the cure and we gave it to Newt." Thomas looked at Minho. He still hadn't really believed that Teresa had found a cure, but he would believe Minho. "Newt's cured Thomas, you cured him." Thomas closed his eyes and resisted the urge to cry. It was the best news he'd gotten in a long time. As the wave of relief settled, Thomas asked the question he felt he already knew the answer to.

"Is Janson dead?"

"Yes," Minho answered immediately, and then he hesitated, his eyes darting away from Thomas' face. "And..." he took a breath. "So's Teressa." Thomas nodded. He swallowed hard and shook his head. He had a lot to unpack regarding her. Still, Newt was alive and that lessened whatever blow Teressa's death took on him.

"She cured Newt," he repeated what Minho had basically summed up. "We can at least agree to thank her for that." Thomas shook his head and closed his eyes, taking a breath. The deep inhale seemed to aggravate his nearly healed wounds and Thomas winced.

"You alright?" Minho asked, a certain urgency to his voice. Thomas nodded as he waited for the sudden flash of pain to subside. When it did, he relaxed again and Minho lightly patted his shoulder. "What happened Thomas?" Minho asked. At first Thomas thought it was some strange existential question based on all they'd been through. Then Minho clarified without missing a beat. "I mean, Newt says he stabbed you, but he doesn't remember all the details. Did you rush Janson like an idiot? Did- did Newt shoot you?" Thomas looked at Minho and back at the head of hair that was the slumbering Newt.

"He doesn't-"

"He's been trying to remember, but he can't. We keep trying to tell him that he didn't, but we don't know that for sure. It still wouldn't be his fault, but it's been eating at him. He's basically decided it was him who pulled the trigger even though he has no memory of it." Minho looked over at Newt as well until Thomas let out a half groan half sigh. He met Minho's eyes again and shook his head.

"Newt didn't shoot me."

"But he did try to drive a knife into your chest?" Minho frowned as Thomas nodded.

"It wasn't his fault. It was the flare."

"I know that, Thomas. It's Newt who's going to have a hard time forgiving himself." Minho shook his head and gave Thomas' shoulder a squeeze. "So did Janson just forget he was grabbing you for the cure and decide that shooting you made it easier to take you?"

"No," Thomas basically whispered it. He didn't know how Minho would react. They'd agreed on getting out together, all of them; he nearly broke that agreement. And then there was Newt. He may not have pulled the trigger but Thomas knew how he would feel. He still blamed himself for Chuck in a way. The bullet was meant for him. "Janson..." Thomas starts. "He was going to shoot Newt and I wasn't going to watch him die. I put myself between him and Newt at the last damn minute and bang, I was shot." Minho's head fell slightly. He was thinking the same thing. Newt was still going to pin it on himself. Thomas knew Minho had the right to know the rest, but it would only increase his worry for their friend. "Janson was going to shoot again. Kill Newt right in front of me even after I'd taken a bullet for him. So I made a deal. I went with Janson..." Thomas paused and looked at Minho apologetically, "I went with him willingly." Minho nodded at first and then looked down at Thomas.

"Brenda said she saw you being dragged away."

"One can only fight blood loss so long. And once I saw that you'd made it to Newt, that he was going to be okay, I gave up fighting it." Thomas admitted.

"You're lucky we saved you, you Shank," he chuckled. "That was real stupid."

"I'd do it again if it meant saving Newt." Thomas answered honestly and Minho smiled at him.

"I know you would." Then before either of them could keep talking or convince each other to rest, a third voice made itself heard.

"You gave yourself up for me?" Newt didn't lift his head or turn to them, but Thomas could feel the grip on his hand tighten. "You got shot protecting me." Then Newt finally sat up and looked at them, a distraught guilt-ridden expression already digging into Thomas' chest, just like Newt's knife had that night. 

Don't know about all of you, but that last line there hurts my soul. Anyways. There you go. I'll post the last part (which I feel like is a short one) tomorrow. Thanks for reading my messily written, unedited Klunk.