The Healer

Chapter 27: Awake

Evelyn's bright green eyes fluttered open with a whimper. 

"That actually shucken worked!" Minho gasped. 

"You're a genius." Sonny said dryly. 

"Evelyn?" Newt asked hesitantly. He hadn't removed his hand, gently moving her head to look at him. Her eyes were unfocused fuzzy and he could see the pain. 

She didn't say anything, her breathing was still shallow and ragged, each breath looked like it was causing her pain. Newt's heart felt like it was breaking, seeing her so exhausted and in so much pain. 

She blinked a few more times, trying to take in the room full of people. 

"...Nick..?" She breathed. 

Newt exhaled, hearing her voice. "He's okay, Love, he's okay, just sleeping." Her eyes focused on him, on his big brown eyes and relief, fear, pain, and all the other emotions she couldn't name flooded through her and she let out a broken sob. 

"Time to go." Sonny said and him and Alby shooed everyone out the door, closing it behind  them. 

"Shhh, Love, it's going to be alright. You were amazing, you gave everything, and you saved Nick!" 

"But...not Billy or Steve." Her crying was making her gasp in pain, which only made her cry harder because the pain in her side. 

Her stomach was twisting with the pain, her head spun with the torturer coming from the broken ribs. Newt held her face between his hands, gently brushing her tears away with his thumbs. Leaning back over he placed his forehead on hers. He held her like that until her sobs were whimpers and sniffs again. He gently kissed each slaty cheek. 

"Evelyn, Love, you can't save them all." 

"I can try." She whispered. 

"Yes you can, and you did. I saw you, you did everything in your power to save them." 

"It wasn't good enough."  she whispered, her eyes still clamped tight. 

Newt frowned at her, "Look at me please." He demanded softly. 

Her tear filled red rimmed eyes opened and focused on Newt's. 

"It was enough! It was everything! You saved my shucken life, physically and emotionally. Evy, you saved Nick's bloody life, more than once. You've saved Gally's buggen' life! What about when Winston was buggen' kicked in the head by that cow? Ya saved him too! Love, in a place like this...where the bloody creators use kids to perfect some kinda poison, shucken death monsters...there is only so much we can do! I know it sounds harsh an' tackles...but Evy you do everythin' . You give more than ya receive." 

Her lip was quivering, tears still leaked out and ran down her temples, his thumbs never stopped brushing away the tears. His eyes softened more, his was more gentle now, "I'm not sayin' to not mourn them or ta not try...I'm sayin' don't put so much buggen' pressure on yourself. Please." 

She sniffed, closing her eyes again. He leaned down and kissed her forehead tenderly. 

"I love you so much, My Angel." 

"I...love you too." She whispered between small sniffs and hiccups and winces. 

"You need to sleep. What can I get you to make you more comfortable?" He asked. 

His big soft brown eyes looking at her so tenderly her heart melted. 

"Can you get some of the sleepy tea?" She asked, "It's ready to go, in the glass jar on the shelf, just mix it with hot water."