Elle was lost within her own thoughts. She could still hear the voices as if they were whispering into her ear. As much as she would have liked to block them out, they plagued her mind. She could see their little red eyes when she closed her eyes. She could feel their hands reaching out to grab her. She felt weak and wounded. She knew sleep would not come easily.
Ben appeared from behind the curtain. She suddenly snapped into reality. It was odd that she couldn't remember how long she had been out of it. Slightly embarrassed and hoping he wouldn't notice, Elle stood up to greet him.
"How is he?" she said.
"I thought I told you to get some rest?" he chided.
"I can't sleep."
Ben sighed. She was always so stubborn. He threw his belongings down onto the pallet made for him. Kalin was kind enough to provide them with blankets and a place to sleep as they waited for Walter to awaken. The day had passed by as they paced the temple, waiting for an answer. Now that the sun had set, they prayed the Crawler would not pay them a visit. But it had been an hour since the sun had set. And the desert was oddly quiet.
"Let's have a look at those wounds on your hands, shall we?" he said kneeling in front of her.
Without saying a word, she held her hands out to him. He began to unwrap the bandages around her hands. She watched as he gently examined them. Ben had seen her ability to heal quickly before. And he wasn't surprised to find that her hands would be completely healed by morning at such a pace.
"Not bad," he smirked. "But they still need bandages to protect you from infection. I'll take them off in the morning and you should be fine."
He proceeded to wrap her hands in light gauze that he just so happened to carry in his pack. She was surprised at how delicately he held her hands. She was always imagined Ben would be rather rough with... well, with anything really. He was often clumsy and arrogant. At times, he was even aggressive. But he seemed like a totally different man standing in front of her now. Without warning, she felt her eyes swell up in tears. She couldn't explain how or why. But suddenly, there was an overwhelming feeling of gratitude in her heart. At first, he didn't notice, continuing to bandage her wounds. But when he saw tears falling into her hands, he looked up with concern. He didn't really know what to say. The only thing he could do was stand up, her hands still cradled in his, and stare at her. He opened his mouth to speak... but nothing came out. Before he could come up with some sort of an apology, she slowly leaned into him, placing their hands on his chest and pressing her cheek against him.
"I can't thank you enough, Ben," she sniffled. "I would be dead by now if it wasn't for you. Buried somewhere in the desert under a pile of sand. And Walter... God knows what would have become of him if you didn't come along."
Ben smiled. He released his hands and slid them around her back. She lifted her chin to look him in the eye. He looked at her with a soft smile and said, "You don't need to thank me, Elle."
She opened her mouth to speak but he would not allow it.
"Your efforts are more than enough. As long as you'll do right by Albion, I'll do anything I can to help you."
Tears continued to pour down her face.
"Come on then," he said, giving her a slight tug. "Some sleep would do you some good."
She stepped closer to him and slid her arms around his waist. Laying her head upon his chest, she hugged him tightly. She could feel his heart racing as he stood puzzled. He hugged her back, placing his chin on top of her head. He took in the scent of her hair. He stroked the back of her shoulder in comfort. He sighed in thought if he would ever be able to be this close to her again. Or perhaps this was his moment? She let go of him and look up into his blue eyes. He wanted to take advantage of it. It was perfect timing for a kiss. However, when he lifted his hand to stroke her cheek, he felt that they were still wet from tears. No. This was not the time. He would have to wait for that kiss he was promised.