Losing Hope

Thirty One

I was sitting next to Alby's bed after the two other Med-Jacks had assigned me to him. It saddened me to see him like that, tied up on his bed and panting. All I could think about was Thomas, and the girl, and why everything suddenly seemed to be happening so fast ever since they had gotten here.

My moment with Newt seemed so far away, even if it was only minutes ago. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel about it. A part of me told me it was wrong, that we shouldn't have gotten this close each other, especially seeing everything that was going in the Maze right now. The other part of me, however, wanted a lot more than what had happened, and it made me wonder if Newt felt the same way about me.

My thoughts were interrupted by Newt, Thomas and the girl walking in, and I stood up from my seat. "He's not better," I quickly said, before Newt could ask anything.

"I know. I want you to look at that," he said, handing me a syringe. I frowned, but took it anyway. It was a silver syringe, holding blue liquid, nothing very special.

"What is it?" I asked, and Newt shrugged.

"We think it could save Alby," Thomas explained, and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"We?"

"Teresa and I," he explained, and the name sent a shiver down my spine. I looked down at Alby.

"You okay?" Newt asked, and I shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, not saying anything about the syringe, or the fact that once again, I knew the Greenie's name without them telling us. Newt sighed, turning to the two others.

"Look, we don't even know what this stuff is. We don't know who sent it. Or why it came up here with you. I mean, for all we know, this thing could kill him," Newt explained.

"He already dying, look at him. How can this possibly make it any worse?" Thomas argued, and I kept my glare on Alby, not really knowing what I should say. "Come on, it's worth a try."

I could feel Newt's glare on me, and I sighed.

"Do it," I said, turning around. "Like Thomas said, it can't really get any worse. I say do it," I said, and Newt nodded, handing Thomas the syringe. He took it, and immediately walked over to Alby's side. Newt and Teresa walked closer, and Thomas took a breath, looking back up at us. Alby suddenly rose his head and his eyes fell on Thomas, as he looked back down.

"Alb-"

Before I could finish, Alby's hand flew to Thomas's neck, grabbing his shirt and pulling the boy towards him. I went to pull Thomas back but Newt was faster than me, pushing me back and away from Alby. I moved to Alby's legs, holding them down as Newt and Thomas tried holding his arms down.

"Get the syringe!" Thomas shouted, and Teresa was faster than me, taking it from the side of the bed and plunging it into Alby's chest. He calmed down instantly, and we all slowly straightened up, staring at the sick boy. I looked at Newt, then at Thomas.

"Well, that worked," I mumbled, trying to catch my breath. Thomas seemed shook, but he didn't look injured.

"Okay from now on, someone stays here and watches him around the clock," Newt ordered, and I nodded, sitting back on my chair. I heard footsteps but didn't bother looking, thinking it was probably Clint or Jeff who heard the noise and came to check on Alby.

"Hey," Gally said, and I looked up from Alby. Everyone turned to him, and he stood there awkwardly. "Sundown Greenie. Time to go," he said, and I rolled my eyes, looking back at Alby. Teresa, Newt and I stayed there in silence, until Newt turned to Teresa.

"Go find Chuck, he's gonna take care of you. And go get some food, you probably need it after spending that much time sleeping," Newt told her and she nodded, sending me a side glance before walking away. I kept my focus on Alby's breathing, as I heard Newt walk closer to me.

"You okay?" Newt asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. A shiver ran down my spine at his touch, and I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said in a small voice, and he kneeled next to me, and I looked at him.

"Is it because of what happened?" he asked, and I had a small laugh.

"Why do you always assume that I regret what we do?" I asked, and he shrugged, a small smile on his lips.

"I don't know. You're always super distant after it," he explained, and I shook my head.

"I'm sorry. I'm just tired, I guess. We didn't sleep much last night, and then with everything that happened today, I'm just... Exhausted," I answered, and he nodded, looking at Alby. I saw him hesitate, before looking back up at me.

"Do you remember anything about Teresa?" Newt asked, and I sighed, looking at my hands. I started playing with my bracelet again as I spoke.

"I knew her name, just like with Thomas. But this time, it was like she was speaking into my mind... And-" I stopped myself, internally debating if I should mention it or not. I looked up at Newt, biting my lip. "She said something to me. In my mind," I added, and Newt frowned.

"What do you mean? What did she say?"

"That everything's going to change. What do you think it means?" I asked Newt, and he shook his head.

"I don't know. But I don't like the sound of it," he said, looking at Alby with a grave look. I could tell he was wondering what Alby would do, and I took his hand in mine to reassure him. He gave me a small smile.

"I'm gonna go get Jeff so that he can check on Alby. You deserve some rest," he said, and I nodded. He let go of my hand and walked out of the Homestead leaving me alone with Alby and my thoughts once more.