Afraid

Chapter 16

She was dragged through a maze of hallways, leading deep into the MACUSA. Jones led her into a room with a simple metal chair and a rolling table beside it. On the chair was a hospital gown.

A man walks in wearing the clothes of a doctor. He looked Rayla up and down and then pointed to the gown on the bed.

"Put that on please."

She walked over to it and picked it up.

"This is what you give me, really?"

"Just put it on!"

When she still didn't move, the man got even more frustrated.

"Why aren't you changing?"

She looked at him, glaring a little.

"Aren't you going to give me somewhere to change. You know, privately?"

"No."

She frowned as she relented and changed into the flimsy gown. She turned to him, arms folded.

"What now?"

He pointed his wand at her.

"Petrificus Totalus."

She gasped as the spell hit her. Even though it didn't affect her as it would a normal witch, it caused her to collapse onto the chair, unconscious. He looked over her, as he got the desired result.

He summoned a box of small glass vials and set it on the table next to the chair. He then muttered a spell and one of the vials few up and hovered next to her, under her heart. After the vial had settled a small hole appeared in her chest and with every beat of her heart a drop of her golden blood fell into the vial.

After some period of time, the vial was full and the process stopped and he repeated the spell, starting it all over again.

By the third vial, her heartbeat had slowed significantly.

When the fourth vial was full, and the man was about to start it over again, the door behind him burst open and Newt ran in. He pointed his wand at the man and shouted "STUPIFY!"

The man flew back, knocked out. Newt rushed to Rayla's side and checked her pulse. When he didn't feel one at first he got worried.

"Please, please, please still be alive."

After an agonizing minute of nothing, there was a beat. He let out a breath of relief.

"Thank Paracelsus. You're alive."

He looked at the table and saw the four vials of her blood. He thought for a minute before grabbing them and placing them in his pocket.

Queenie walked in and saw Newt's kneeling figure next to an unconscious Rayla.

"You found her. Is she... alive?" she asked.

Newt nodded and she sighed in relief.

"Can you carry her? You two need to get in the case with Tina and Jacob."

"Yeah, I can do that."

Queenie set the case down and opened it for him. He carefully picked up Rayla and slowly made his way down into the case. He set her down on the cot. Queenie closed the case and picked it up.

Tina and Jacob came rushing into the shed. When they saw Rayla they both felt relief and rushed over them.

Jacob moved toward Newt.

"She's alive, right?"

"Uh, yes. I believe she's in a state called Fae Sleep, but I don't know much about fairies so I don't know what to do."

He sounded defeated, for the first time, not knowing what to do with a magical creature, especially one he has feelings for. Tina stepped up to him, not sure what to say.

"Do you have any extra clothes? We should get her out of that hospital gown."

"Er, yes. I have an extra shirt. It's over there."

Tina grabbed the shirt and gently ushered the boys out so she could privately change Rayla's clothes.

After she finished, Tina came out. Newt went back in and sat down on a crate next to the cot. He grabbed Rayla's hand with both of his.

"Rayla, please wake up. I don't know how this works, but wake up please. We need you. I need you."

After nothing happened for the next few minutes, he breathed out in defeat. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. He then let her hand go and got up and walked out of the shed.

After another few minutes Queenie came down and joined them. Newt had isolated himself, sorting some feed. The other three conversed in hushed tones.

They heard the door creak, and heard a weak voice.

"Newt?"