"move, jeff," florence ordered, scrambling through the doorway before her feet came to a stop right next to alby in his cot. a groan echoed through the air, the boy before her fighting against the tethers holding him down. "god, alby," she hissed, her read, puffy eyes narrowing at the injured glader. "stop moving."
florence reached her hand into the bucket she'd brought with her, filled with fresh, cold water from the lake after sending sammy and chuck on an errand to fetch it for her.
she blinked for a moment, pausing at the thought of sammy, and guilt filled her heart. normally, flo was all over that boy, mothering him, telling him what to do, when to do it, keeping him entertained, but these past few days...
she pushed the thought away as soon as she felt the rag at the bottom of the bucket. when she brought it up, water rushed to fall out of it, and she helped it by squeezing out any excess. once florence felt satisfied with the damp cloth, she draped it across alby's forehead, trying to break his fever.
"he's getting worse," she sighed, chest tight as her gaze trailed down his body. veins popped out across his chest, pulsing a dark black. she felt sick at the sight.
newt sighed, rubbing a hand across his forehead. "i know he's getting worse, but—"
"there is no 'buts', newt. alby's dying." florence grit her teeth, refusing to look up and lock eyes with the blonde boy she now argued with. instead, her gaze drifted to the vial.
blue liquid sloshed inside the glass. she'd prayed for a miracle, prayed for the girl to be their saving grace, but... this isn't what she meant. she didn't mean risking the life of her fellow glader, of her leader, of her friend.
"we don't even know what this stuff is," newt argued, turning away from flo and instead engaging in conversation with thomas and the girl. they were the ones to bring this to their attention, anyway. "we don't know who sent it, or why it came up here with you." florence looked up, eyeing the girl.
newt wasn't wrong...
"i mean, for all we know, it could kill him."
"he's already dying," thomas disagreed in less than a second. "look at him." when thomas gestured to alby's body, florence's heart dropped into her stomach.
hearing the words come from somebody else somehow hurt more than her saying them. almost like, when she said them, she was a doctor who knew what she was doing, but when thomas said them, she was merely a girl. a friend.
"how could this possibly make it any worse?" thomas' question hung in the air.
florence sighed, rubbing a hand down her face. "it could kill him instantly. it could ruin any progress, if we had any, in just a few seconds for all we know," she pondered, words thick on her tongue. "but, maybe that's a good thing. maybe putting him out his misery isn't... a terrible reality. he can't hurt anymore than he already does. and then of course there's the possibility that it saves him..."
"whose side are you on?" newt looked at her, eyes sharp. he had his arms crossed across his chest, looking authoritative from one point of view, but florence also saw it as his defense tactic. two arms, covering the spot of most vulnerability.
she shook her head. "i'm on nobody's side," she stressed. "i'm just... putting things together. trying to figure this all out. is that really so terrible?" nobody answered, and she turned to look back at alby.
"so, recap," florence began, grabbing the cloth off of alby's face and redipping it in the water. "this came up with her," she spared a glance at the girl, "and we don't really know what it is."
"that would be correct," thomas sighed, growing more irritated with each second they prolonged this process.
"okay," she let out a breath. "okay, got it." she grabbed the cloth, draping it back over his forehead.
thomas blinked, rubbing his temples. "can we decide already? can we save him?"
newt grit his teeth, head shaking back and forth. "alby's her patient. florence is the last word."
florence's heart was now in her throat, beating and hurting and beating and hurting. her hands shook as she set the cloth on his face, the sound around her cloudy and muffled by a ringing noise. her breaths grew shallower and shallower.
all until alby let out a groan that silenced the entire room.
and that was when florence decided, turning around to lock eyes with thomas. "do it."
she scooted backwards while thomas stepped forward, and the whole thing became a blur. she watched, eyes distant and unfocused while her hands shook in her lap. the only thought that circulated her head was a quiet, please.
she pleaded to whatever god or deity of higher being existed, pleaded to whatever or whoever put them down here, pleaded that this wouldn't be all for nothing.
newt's hand on her shoulder, matched with a reassuring squeeze, brought her back to reality, just as thomas took the syringe and carefully placed it above his chest...
in just a split second, alby found himself conscious, fighting and grabbing for whatever was in sight. florence jumped to her feet, trying to pry alby's hand off of thomas' shirt while he yelled, "you shouldn't be here. you shouldn't be here!"
florence wrapped her fingers around one of alby's wrists, pulling and prying and holding them back. together, with the work of jeff on the other side, they held back his arms in a joint effort, allowing thomas full and unprotected access to alby's chest.
"someone, grab the syringe!" florence grunted, fighting to keep ahold of alby. "get the syringe!"
luckily someone was listening, and the new girl took one for the team, grabbing the vial from thomas and sticking it right in the center of alby's chest.
instantly, alby stopped struggling, calming down to a still sleep. "jesus," florence breathed, dropping to her knees and pressing two fingers to his neck. she paused, and five or so seconds later, she let out a relieved breath. "he's alive."
"well, glad that worked," clint sighed, a smile playing at his lips.
newt seemed to have a different reaction, his features wild and worried as he looked at the crew around him. "okay, from now on," he began, voice broken up by the occasional breath as his lungs searched for oxygen, "someone stays here and watches him around the clock."
florence only nodded, fingers rubbing the tension from her temples. "i can agree with that."
the group soaked in the peace and silence, the calm after the storm, for a few moments, before a new voice joined them. "hey," gally spoke, standing in the doorway.
flo's eyes narrowed at him as his next words exited his mouth. "sundown, greenie." he nodded, gesturing to behind him. "let's go."
and as thomas and gally left, florence stared at alby. "i'll take first watch."
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
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teenage wasteland ;; the maze runner
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