Twisted

Chapter 43: Home

I felt something moving my hair off my face, I moaned. The fussing stopped.

My hearing slowly came back. Everything was muffled and fuzzy, but I heard scuffles and movement. It hurt my head. Something shuffled close by. There was a loud scraping.

Whatever I was laying on moved and shifted, it made my body throb. I must have made a noise, because I felt the moving suddenly stop.

Something warm picked up my cold hand. I didn't have the strength to do anything, my hand just stayed limp. The cotton in my ears slowly cleared. The fog in my brain slowly disappeared. I tried to open my eyes, but it was hard. I may have heard my name, but it sounded so far away. I tried moving towards the noise, towards the deep gentle voice calling my name.

"Charlie...Charlie...come on...."

I recognized that voice.

"Come on Love."

Even in my drug induced haze I paused and then frowned.

I tried opening my eyes again. They didn't seem too heavy. I slowly peeled my eyes open. I had to clamp them shut again immidiatly. It was so bright. I tried again. It took me four tries to keep my eyes open long enough to see. My vision was blurry, like seeing through water. I continued to blink a few more times. There was somethings fuzzy leaning over me. I blinked a few more times. Male ..blood hair. Smirk.

I blinked again, focusing on the face. Shifting my head I squinted against the bring sun.

"...Newt?" I rasped.

"Good morning Love."

"Newt?" I asked again, my throat was so dry it made me cough a few times which made me wince.

"That's my name. Don't wear it out."

"Am I dreaming? Is this real?" I tried again.

"Unless we're both dead, it's very much real."

I opened my mouth but I couldn't think of anything to say. I just gazed up at him. I saw the after affects of Cranking out. His hair looked uneven, but it was now cut short. He looked tired, and a bit pale, but his eyes ... His eyes were back to his warm gentle chocolate brown eyes. They filled with tears.

"I'm so sorry Charlie!" He sniffed, and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "I'm so sorry for everything I said and screamed at you!"

".. Newt..." I tried, but he shook his head.

"It wasn't bloody fair on you or Tommy. I'm sorry. I don't deserve friends like you. I was selfish and...mean. I only got through the Maze because of you two." He sniffed a few more times, trying hard to keep the tears in check. "You were right-"

"I .. usually am." My voice was so horse it hurt to talk.

He chuckled, a whisper the stray tear. "Yeah, you usually are and it's buggen' annoying!"

The side of lip rose, into a small grin.

"Everything you and Dr Hans have done for me ..I owe you my life."

With all the strength I could muster I squeezed his hand. His clamped tighter.

"You took a bullet for me because you believed in something so much. You would have died to save me, even after everything I screamed."

"You would have done the same if we were reversed." I whispered.

He hung his head and his shoulders slumped. He was quiet for a while. I closed my eyes, I was tired.

"Please, Charlie can you forgive me?"

"Already done."

I took a ragged breath, "how are you feeling?"