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Finally, the group makes it to the top and stands side by side with Mariah standing between Newt and Frypan staring out into the open desert ahead of them. Mariah sighed in relief spotting mountains ahead of them.
"Those mountains, that's gotta be it," Thomas said
Mariah glanced towards him raising an eyebrow "It better cause if you're making us walk all the way over there and they're not there I swear-"
Newt placed a hand over her mouth wrapping an arm around her waist pulling her towards him "Now is not the time to be threatening him, love." He turned towards Thomas "But she has a point, that's a long way off."
"Then we better get moving," Thomas responded
Right after Thomas says that Winston collapses catching Mariah's attention as she almost immediately rushed toward him grabbing him before he fell too far.
"Winston! Hey, Winston!"
Mariah cupped his face using her none cut hand keeping her other out of view from the others as he gasped out with the rest crowded around him. "Winston! Hey Winston, look at me! Open your eyes!" Mariah quickly grabbed the end of his shirt pulling it up noticing he was bleeding through his bandages making her frown "He's hurt pretty bad and he's bleed through his bandages."
Teresa looked towards the girl in worry for the male gasping for his breath "What do we do?"
Mariah waited for Thomas to say something before she frowned taking control of the situation noticing everyone was staring helplessly towards Winston "We need to find shelter and then I can take care of his wound a bit more properly instead of how I had to rush it last night. We need to make some sorta makeshift something so we can carry him without damaging his wound even more. He can't just be picked up his stomach needs to be flat so it doesn't ruin the bandages even more than they already are."
Thomas looked towards Mariah in slight awe thankful that she was able to take over the situation as well as she was even though anyone could see that inside the girl was panicking just as badly as the rest of them were.
~~~
The boys were able to make a makeshift bed of sorts while Mariah tried cleaning Winston up as best as she could as quickly as she could.
Soon the boys were carrying Winston while Mariah stayed in front looking for a place where they could stop and rest. Mariah could feel her hand slightly aching making her frown wrapping it further into her shirt. The bleeding still hadn't stopped but luckily besides that one incident with Aris, nobody noticed her hand.
Making their way towards a shelter after a sand storm got too bad. Mariah was finally able to take care of Winston rewrapping his bandage with a new one making sure to clean it out though during that she noticed bits of blackness in his blood making her frown in worry thinking he had an infection though she didn't tell the others.
After wrapping his stomach Mariah made her way back to Newt, Minho, and Frypan sitting between Newt's legs letting him rest his head on her back reaching towards her hand before he stopped abruptly grabbing it pulling it towards him "What the bloody hell is this?"
Mariah turned around seeing him holding on to her injured hand staring at it in worry, she smiled waving him off "Ah, it's nothing I just cut it on a rock while climbing up some of the rubble.
Newt frowned towards her before reaching over towards her back pulling out the antibiotics she had stolen from WICKED before she left, there wasn't a lot left as she had already used most of it to clean out Winston's wound. He said nothing as he poured a bit of it onto her hand making her flinch letting out a hiss of pain as he used a mostly clean shirt from his bag to clean and wipe off the blood. He wrapped it in bandages carefully yet tightly before bringing her hand to his lips placing a gentle kiss on the palm of her hand where the wound was.
"Please tell me if you're hurt, cause what if I didn't notice that scratch, and it got infected or something?" Newt questioned
Mariah shrugged giving a smile "It wouldn't really matter, I'd be fine, I can handle a small little infection."
Newt sighed "That's not the point Mariah, what if it was worse or something, you this sorta stuff from me could get you killed. Then what am I supposed to do?"
Mariah glanced away "You'd be fine without me Newt, you can handle yourself."
Mariah didn't notice Minho and Frypan leaving letting them talk alone.
"No the bloody hell I wouldn't be fine without you Mariah!" Mariah's eyes widen hearing her full name come out of his mouth, he only said her full name when he was completely serious. "I love and care about you and if you died I don't know what I would do! I need you in my life, Mariah, we already learned what happens when you're not, I do stupid stuff that I end up regretting later. I need you here with me." He placed his hands on her cheeks turning her so she looked him in the eye as he said his final words "I love you Mariah and I can't do this without you."
Mariah looked shocked at his words and as she looked him in the eyes she could tell he meant every last word that came out of his mouth. Glancing away Mariah bit her lip not sure how to respond "I... Um... Okay wow..."
Newt snorted dropping the serious look he had on as he leaned his forehead against Mariah's "That's all you have to say? Okay wow."
Mariah pouted looking back to him "I'm sorry you made me speechless!"
He smirked placing a gentle kiss on her lips "I meant every last word I said, Love. I love you and I need you here with me."
She smiled back "I love you too, and I don't know if I could do anything without you with me as well."
He smiled placing another gentle kiss on her lips that she returned.
