Breaking (Newtmas fanfic)

Chapter 16

After a lot of arguing, Newt was allowed to heal in his room at the Centre rather than in the main hospital, purely so he could be alone and somewhere familiar. A wire mesh was on the outside of his window now so he couldn't get out of it, and there were strict orders not to let him leave the building without constant watch.

Not that he was even allowed to leave his bed, having spent three days since the race lying in it. Sleeping was a thing of rarity, having dark bags under his eyes whenever anybody saw him. He was constantly asked if he wanted any tablets to help him sleep, but Newt was completely sick of all the tubes and tablets so he refused them. It was a surprise nobody had slipped it into his drip anyway.

He got blood from some random donor, and it was gone by the second day so now he was just on a pile of painkillers. It was the Easter holidays now, so there was no school for three weeks which meant he wasn't missing anything, and that was probably the only consolation he currently had. He knew his friends would be meeting up and he couldn't go see them, so that just opposes it; all he had to look forward to was therapy and drugs.

It did mean that all he did with his time alone was think, and that tended to lead to crying, which sometimes kept going until somebody arrived and he refused to let them touch him. Even if he saw Thomas he probably wouldn't let him do it again.

Sitting up later that day, planning to stand up, Ruby came to visit. Nobody told him she would be coming, or that she was even in town. "Hiya." She greeted, coming into the room.

Newt hesitated. "Why are you here? Nobody said you were coming down."

"I came to give you something, and because I wanted to talk to you. Privately, without mum and dad." Newt raised an eyebrow. "We got some papers in the mail last week- well, they did, anyway- just have a look at this."

Ruby held out a sheet of paper and Newt took it, unfolding it and flattening out the creases. It had the foster house logo from where he'd stayed briefly in the top right corner. His parents' names were hand written, and there was a signature at the bottom.

Reading it through, Newt tightened his grip to the paper, almost in disbelief. "That.. That quick? Is this real?"

"When we sat you down at the dinner table that's what we were going to offer to do for you. I'm sure mum and dad told you that? Because of everything you've done and been through then of course they went through with it! Since you'd lived with them already, that part of the process was skipped, and it got rushed through since you were in here and all, rather than a simple orphan, like all the others who, lets be honest, have time to spare."

"So..I.." Ruby smile, but the lack of emotion on Newt's face made her worry slightly. "I am happy, but being tired makes me.. A little slow."

"So you're happy to be called my little brother?"

"I wouldn't say little."

Ruby laughed and ruffled his hair and Newt didn't mind, smiling for the first time in days. "Feel better now?" She sat beside him on the bed, looking around at the equipment he had.

"I just want to come home. I want to get a good night sleep without having to take tablets, and then wake up happy rather than remembering where I am and dreading the day ahead. I also can't stand up yet, I'm not allowed, this is the furthest they've allowed me to go and before this morning sitting up wasn't even allowed. Lying down gets really uncomfortable."

"I can imagine, being unable to get up must really suck. When I was your age or a little older and I'd spend my mornings in bed, I'd constantly be tossing and turning or swapping ends then lying upside down just to get comfy. Having that restricted? Ouch."