Alright, I'm going to be honest, this is a more boring chapter. You learn a lot of stuff about Eva and Nick though. Making sure the L4D2 character's weren't OOC was quite a challenge, so if you think they are you're more than welcome to let me know. But oh my gosh! I can't believe I already have over 100 views! I want to bake you all a cake! Also a special thanks to LiveForeverOrDieTrying and Harry-Flashman for your wonderfully amazing reviews!
Eva knew that if she were to sit down, there was no chance of her getting back up, so instead she opted to straighten herself while she placed her hands on her hips. Nick had done the exact opposite, and had decided to sit against a nearby wall. She already decided to check him later, just to ensure he had come out unscathed by the smoker. She didn't really have time to do so earlier as a massive horde was mere moments away from tearing them both apart.
The adrenaline pumping in her veins was bound to fade soon, so she planned on checking and taking care of her new team before the effects disappeared. Already being out of the way of danger, she was able to acknowledge how her right forearm had been throbbing, so out of curiosity she pulled up the flannel sleeve of her cardigan. She wasn't surprised to find blood already beginning to soak through the skillfully wound bandages she had placed there, but it was still a bit of a let down for her to truly realize the stabbing sensation she felt as she pulled Nick to his feet was actually the feeling of her stitches snapping. Great.
At the moment, her own injuries were the least of her concern as she pulled her sleeve back down, especially as she took a sweeping glance around the room. Her attention was immediately drawn to Ellis, who was sitting in the corner hunched over, holding his side.
"Shit." Eva whispered under her breath. She nearly forgot that the poor kid had gotten attacked by a hunter. Rochelle had already situated herself in front of him, slipping her med pack off her shoulders. Coach was unable to help since he had silently decided to be the lookout, and was busy standing by the exit.
Eva didn't want to be rude, but none of these people were medical professionals. She wasn't about to let an amateur potentially suture up Ellis when she did it all the time. She worked in the ER as a Physicians Assistant- apparently all those hours working on people had unintentionally given her an invaluable skill in the zombie apocalypse.
"I tried telling you guys earlier, but I'm an ER nurse. If you want, I could treat him instead?" Eva asked as she walked up to the crouching pair, glancing between Rochelle and Ellis. The journalist instantly snapped her head up at the new bout of information.
"By all means, girl, be my guest!" Rochelle managed to say, the joyful shock that consumed her evident across her face. Eva wasted no time as she crouched down in front of the groaning mechanic, slipping her bag off her shoulders. Well, at least there's one good sign. Despite knowing Ellis was in pain due to his whining, Eva was relieved to know the sounds meant he was still conscious. Since he was effectively covering his side, she had no clue as to what she was dealing with. Knowing this, she never paused in her actions, pulling out her own first aid kit, and as she opened it she suddenly heard Coach's voice.
"Are you kiddin' me?!" Both women heard from the large man, and Eva worriedly glanced up at Coach to see he had turned his sights onto Nick.
"I don't know how the hell you found her, but fate musta been shinin' upon your ass, Nick." Coach declared, causing a few breathless laughs to come out of the gambler.
"What can I say? I've always been a lucky guy." Nick responded, a prideful smirk falling upon his lips. As Eva pulled out her needed supplies from the kit, she couldn't help but to shake her head.
"Apparently, not lucky enough to be caught wearing a white suite in the middle of the zombie apocalypse." She couldn't help but to say, not even bothering to glance in Nick's direction, knowing full well of the glare that probably awaited her.
"Hey!" She predictably heard behind her, a smile threatening to grace Eva's lips at Nick being so easy to tease. She could hear a snicker from Rochelle, and as much as she wished to join her she unfortunately was too concerned about the condition of Ellis to let herself indulge in the lighthearted humor. Oddly enough, right as she placed a hand on the young man's knee, she couldn't help but to hear a small chuckle from the boy as well.
Ellis unexpectedly perked his head up, a beaming smile on his face. Eva couldn't help herself as she gave a relieved smile at the sight, nearly shaking her head in disbelief. A hunter just viciously attacked him, yet here he was, smiling as if nothing happened.
"Ellis, are you okay? Can you tell me where you're hurt?" Eva asked, the relief she felt evident in her tone. Her smile was unwavering as she looked at the mechanic.
"Other than this nasty gash to ma side, I'm right as rain! I think it's pretty funny how you're able to push Nick's buttons… like… that…" The redneck trailed off, Eva watching as his eyes shifted to look up and behind her, and she could only guess what suddenly shut his mouth as a shadow fell upon both their forms. Unlike the nervous expression Ellis was exhibiting, Eva turned towards the source of the silhouette with annoyance evident in her sapphire eyes. She had a job to do. What could Nick want now?
"For your information, sweet cheeks, this is a three thousand dollar suit." Nick boasted, earning no sense of amazement from Eva. Instead she gave him an indifferent look, only raising an eyebrow as she looked him up and down, noting all the dirt and blood stains that had tarnished the once white outfit.
"Yeaaahhh… I think I beg to differ on that one." The brunette responded as she turned back towards Ellis, obvious sass in her tone. Her answer had the desired effect as a small laughter suddenly carried throughout the room. In all honesty, it was true- Nick's suit was completely ruined, whether it be from all the crap he was wading through or just from encountering so many infected. Of course, Nick still didn't hesitate to defend himself.
"Oh please, a little bleach and it'll look brand new! Brains are easy to get out of a suit, the mud, not so much." The conman couldn't help but blurt out, and immediately Eva turned to him, along with a few other members of the group. Nick was quick to react, realizing what he just said. Oddly enough, it was only Eva who gave him a suspicious look, with a- wait.
Upon closer inspection, Nick could swear he saw what he could only described as a knowing glint in her cobalt eyes, and that fact unnerved him. No, she was too innocent. A nurse, knowing what he did? He had to doubt it, it all had to be just a trick of the eye. He wouldn't even worry about it. Instead, he decided it would be best to just play it cool in this situation, and not draw any more attention.
"Don't ask me how I know that." He stated, his tone letting everyone know that would be the last thing he was going to say. Nick brushed off what happened, walking away from everyone as he went to go look at the ammo that was left by other survivors. That was all fine and dandy to Eva, who no longer had any distractions as she went to focus completely on Ellis.
In reality, however, there was no way she could focus as what Nick said filtered through her mind. It might have been a few words, but they spoke volumes to the woman. She knew he had quite the shady past, but with this new information and their previous interactions, she couldn't help but to make assumptions that fit too well. Either way, she tried to remind herself it was something she would have to worry about later, especially as she heard another pained grunt from the redneck.
"Alright, do you think you can lift your shirt for me, Ellis? And do you think you can stand?" Eva asked the young man. He once again glanced up at her, a smile slowly forming on his lips.
"Why yes ma'am. I ain't hurt too bad, this gash here just stings like a bitch." Ellis replied, not wasting any time as he tried to stand. Eva went to go help him, but hesitated as she thought about her arm. She didn't need to draw attention to her own wounds at the moment.
Thankfully, it was no longer a concern for her as Rochelle beat her to the task, helping the hick stand during her moment of hesitation. During the time it took for the woman to help the redneck get to his feet, Eva went and picked up what she needed from her supplies. She took out a pair of blue gloves and quickly slid them onto her hands. She only had a few pairs of the sterile gloves, and she saved them for just such an occasion. The protocol she learned during her clinicals never seemed to fade as she kept in mind the sterile technique she continuously used when dealing with any sort of open wound.
Eva waited patiently as she then watched as Ellis gingerly did as she asked, grimacing as he lifted his shirt. The moment his side was visible she instantly recognized four large claw marks, her brow furrowing as she leant down to inspect them.
Despite all the blood that surrounded the injury, the nurse was relieved to find the lacerations weren't too deep. Ellis was lucky- there would be no stitches today.
"From the looks of it, the slash marks aren't too deep, so all I have to do is wrap it and you'll be set. I would usually now advise you to be more careful and to avoid strenuous movements after I was done bandaging you up, but I have a feeling that's no longer an option in our situation." Eva tried to joke, smiling at Ellis as she then picked up some sterile gauze and a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide.
"Also, if you thought your wound stung before, you don't have to worry. Once I'm done sterilizing it the pain you feel now will be like a walk in the park." Eva mentioned, dousing the gauze in her hand with the alcohol. Ellis's face immediately dropped.
"N-now hold on, I-I feel fine, I don't think that stuff is necessar-" Ellis began to say, but was cut off by Coach, who surprised everyone as he spoke up.
"Boy, you've been fightin' zombies for the better part a three days. You ain't gonna tell me you afraid of a little disinfectant now, are ya?" Coach speculated. With his pride on the line, Ellis immediately became defensive. He became completely unaware of Eva approaching his side.
"But the stuff burns ma- AAAH!" Ellis replied, but was once again cut off as Eva began cleaning his wound. She couldn't help herself as she giggled a bit at his overreaction. She wasn't the only one who found the poor kid's pain entertaining as she could hear a chuckle come from behind her, instantly recognizing it to be Nick.
She wasn't gonna lie, she couldn't help but to feel a bit bad as well with everyone laughing at Ellis. However, when Rochelle decided to join in on the teasing was when Eva realized this situation must apparently not be new.
"Are you cryin?" The journalist suddenly asked, a playful smile on her lips. Despite his hissing as Eva finished cleaning up his side, he immediately glanced at Rochelle with a sour face.
"No." He stated, not sounding much different than a pouting five year old. An amused smile was quick to tug at Eva's lips at his behavior. She continued taking care of Ellis, placing a pad up against his wound that would help stem the blood flow.
Despite his childish behavior entertaining everyone, Eva still couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt for the poor boy. She had always been more empathetic when it came to people and their emotions, which, with her line of work, she was quick to realize didn't work in her favor. She learned to overcome it though, but that didn't mean she shouldn't be able to comfort Ellis, her smile turning warm as she looked up at said boy.
"If I could, I would give you some candy since you've been a real trooper, but seeing as I have none perhaps I could kiss your wound all better instead?" Eva joked, letting Ellis subtly know he had done a good job while hopefully giving him a quip to laugh at. As Eva began to wrap his torso, he gave her quite the surprise when instead of laughing like she expected, she noticed he gave her a goofy smile.
"No need to worry, Eva. I'm pretty sure it would be just as sweet." He stated, nearly making her stop her work. Oh, well that's awkward.
She hoped he understood she didn't actually mean it when she said she would kiss his bandaged wound. In the short time she had known the naïve boy, she was seriously hoping he wasn't actually flirting, and was instead just saying something nice and he was ignorant to the fact of its potentially flirtatious message.
Much to everyone's surprise, however, as soon as Ellis spoke Eva heard Nick's voice hastily pipe up, practically coming to her rescue.
"Hey, overalls, she was just joking. There ain't no way in hell that would actually happen." Nick clarified, and Eva didn't want to admit it, but she was quite relieved that Nick spoke up, despite his sharp words. She couldn't help but to take a quick glance in the gambler's direction, though, as she finished wrapping the redneck's wound. Was her expression that open that Nick felt so compelled to speak up on her behalf? She doubted it. Her back had been mostly facing him the whole time. She couldn't help but wonder, what caused him to speak up so suddenly?
Eva would have to push her curiosity to the back of her mind for the time being unfortunately, for she could see the incoming fight about to ensue between Ellis and Nick. Instead of waiting for Coach to stop it this time before any real damage could be done, Eva quickly stood up, intending to prevent the fight before it even started.
"Alright. Nick, you don't need-"
"Okay! I'm done. Does anyone else have anything they want me to look at it?" Eva asked the room, purposely cutting off the angry words of Ellis. Eva also honestly wondered if everyone else was okay. She originally decided to check each person individually, since in the situation they were in, she knew it was a possibility people could be stingy with alerting everyone of their wounds, (much like herself). However, due to aiding Ellis, the throbbing in her arm had worsened, especially with the adrenaline having mostly worn off. Her lower right arm honestly felt like it was on fire. As long as nobody had any serious wounds, she was in no shape to take care of anyone but herself.
"I think we're all good. And as long as Ellis is up to it, perhaps we could even head out soon." Rochelle suggested, looking at the men to see if they disagreed. Eva didn't wait for anybody to respond to the journalist. She panicked at knowing there was no way she could head out in her condition. Considering it seemed nobody needed her help any longer, she may as well let everyone know she needed to do some healing as well.
"Ah, actually, as long as it's not a hassle I kind of need to fix up my arm." Eva timidly mentioned, watching as everyone's eyes shifted to her. She then casually lifted up her right sleeve, noting how the dark red and blue pattern hid a few dark spots rather well. It only caused her worry for her wound to increase, especially since as her bandages were revealed, it could be easily seen how they were completely soaked through. Eva glanced up to see the concerned look on her group member's faces. She couldn't' t help but to explain.
"It honestly only looks bad. My stitches just… broke, when I…" Eva began, but instead of finishing her sentence she pretended to grab and pull something while simultaneously looking at Nick. She didn't feel comfortable verbally explaining it was due to saving the gambler that she had injured itself. Her reasoning was mainly due to not wanting to guilt trip Nick, or probably embarrass him in telling everyone he needed to be rescued. She also wanted to prevent another potential scolding from the man upon him finding out the consequences she had to suffer. Fortunately, it seemed everyone got the message from Eva's silent explanation.
"Shoot, your arm migh' just be more messed up than ma side! You take all the time you need, ain't nobody stopping ya." Ellis stated, his words once again speaking for everyone in the room. Eva immediately gave a grateful smile as she thanked everyone, and not skipping a beat she then turned around to immediately go for her supplies. In doing so, she completely missed how Nick clenched his jaw, his stare never leaving her form.
Eva made sure her sleeves were rolled up and out of the way, and then snapped off her gloves. They just got in the way when it came to taking care of anything that had to do with herself, despite her knowing it went completely against protocol.
Her supplies were on the floor, since the only available table in the safe room was littered with ammo and other oddities. She decided it would be best to just plop down by her bag. As she did so, she couldn't help but notice how the sudden movement made her aware of the feeling of lightheadedness that had begun to creep up on her.
"Damn…" Eva mumbled, rubbing her forehead for a moment. She didn't need this right now. She was honestly about to say screw it and fall asleep, but of course she couldn't do that. At least she got a nap earlier. Still, she just didn't feel like dealing with the pain all over again. Especially considering this time, she had none of the numbing cream she used earlier. She would have given some to Ellis if she hadn't used it all on herself. She couldn't help but to feel a bit guilty about knowing that.
Seeing as she was dealing with an open wound, she used some hand sanitizer before she touched her supplies. She was just about to cut open her bandages with the small pair of surgical scissors she grabbed, if it weren't for Rochelle suddenly crouching before her.
"Hey, you need some help?" The motherly woman asked, and for a moment Eva was tempted to take her up on her offer. Unfortunately, Eva knew better. She would have to turn her down, for there really wasn't much the brown-eyed woman could do. She was better off inspecting the wound herself. At most, Rochelle could perhaps help later when she was done and needed to rewrap her arm.
"Thank you, but I'm fine. If you're still available later I could perhaps use you when I have to bandage myself back up, though." Eva responded with a grateful smile. Rochelle of course smiled right back, placing a comforting hand on Eva's shoulder.
"Of course. Call me when you need me." And with that, Rochelle got up to go join Ellis and Coach, who had begun talking about some band called the Midnight Riders. A few of their posters were strewn about the room, making it a convenient topic to talk about once Coach had spotted the name. Eva had never heard of them, but she was glad they could find a pleasant topic to talk about while she healed up.
"The Midnight Riders! I used to love that band- I have all they albums! Even the new stuff that ain't no good! Best light show in the business, though!"
"Aw, hell yea! I saw 'em back in '07. Front row center! Lost my eyebrows."
As the men talked, Eva casually cut off her bandages as she listened. She literally couldn't help eavesdropping in the small room, raising an eyebrow at the comments Ellis had to say. Honestly, did she just hear him say he lost his eyebrows?
The distractions the men provided were only temporary as Eva had to finally give her full attention to herself. Luckily, due to the fresh blood seeping from the wound, the bandages didn't stick too bad to her broken stitches, and with only a grimace she managed to gingerly pull off the ruined dressings. The sight that greeted her only made her grimace deepen though, despair washing over her.
The four-inch gash on her forearm completely reopened, the skin tender and angry from the irritation caused by the broken stitching. It also continued to bleed freely with no sutures to close it, but fortunately the bleeding was only minimal, and she would be able to stop it once she got the gash closed again. Still, the pain from the wound reopening could be felt all the way up her arm. Eva had no idea how she would be able to pull the broken stitching out on her own. She was in such a state of distress she was no longer aware of her surroundings, completely engrossed in how screwed she was. Would anyone even be able to help her? Was any person in their group even capable-
"You really need to learn to take better care of yourself." A voice said right above her, and for a moment Eva couldn't process it as Nick being the one talking. As said man sat down right beside her it took a moment for her to realize the reason why was due to hearing his voice full of… guilt?
Aw Goddammit.
"Nick, its okay, you seriously-" Eva began, knowing Nick was only helping her because he felt bad. That was the number one thing she wanted to avoid. The gambler would hear none of it though as he stopped the nurse in her tracks. He produced a bottle of pain pills and effectively cut her off as he shoved them in her face.
"Just shut up and take these." He casually stated, and without warning he then took hold of her injured arm, and Eva wasn't going to lie- she was not expecting the gentle touch he used when he pulled her arm towards him. She was so shocked from his behavior she couldn't help herself as she obeyed his commands, grasping the bottle of pills. They would surely help not only with her arm, but her overall health. They were exactly what she needed- where the hell did he find them?
"W-where did you get these from? And as grateful as I am for the gift, why the hell are you looking at my arm? You can't do anything to fix it." Eva pointed out. She severely doubted Nick could effectively pull out her stitches, so she didn't know why he was even bothering looking at her wound. She was once again surprised as Nick glanced up at her with a small smirk on his face, a smug glint evident in his eye.
"You'd be surprised, doll face." He merely said, before going for her supplies. She noted how he at least had enough sense to use some hand sanitizer first, and realizing he wasn't kidding she immediately popped open the bottle of pills and took a few. She was going to need them.
"So you've had experience before with this kind of thing? You know what you're doing?" Eva asked, still doubtful of Nick's skills. He never looked up as he answered.
"Yeah, you could say that. When you aren't exactly able to go to the doctor it doesn't take long before you learn to do shit yourself." Nick answered, grabbing the tweezers. What kind of response was that?! Eva was simultaneously intrigued to learn more about what Nick meant, and also greatly concerned about his vague answer. It seemed she would have to make do though, since she knew she couldn't pull the stitches out herself, and if Nick said he had experience then she just had to force herself to believe him for the time being. It would help her feel better about the situation, at least.
"You ready?" Nick asked, and Eva nodded.
"As I'll ever be." She responded, suddenly sucking in a breath as she closed her eyes. Nick gave her no time to think about what was coming. The pain was instant, but she had to give herself a hand, for other than a whimper at the shock of the stinging she didn't make another sound. Her jaw was locked together with her eyes squeezed shut, her mind solely concentrating on getting through the pain. It was only about halfway through when Nick tried striking up a conversation. Probably as a way to distract her, the nurse couldn't help but think.
"So, tell me. Why would you do this to yourself again?" Nick asked with curiosity mingled in with a scolding tone, noting his subtle anger at her actions. Eva would have none of it as she managed to peek at him through her grimacing.
"You know why." Eva simply stated through gritted teeth. He honestly should know. Her arm was a small price to pay in comparison to his life. Oh, God. She really hoped he was almost done. She squeezed her eyes shut again, another whimper unable to help itself as it escaped past her lips.
"No actually, I don't. You don't owe me shit." Nick answered, the frustration in his voice evident. He hadn't exactly been too much of a gentleman to the nurse since the two ran into each other in the cruddy motel bathroom. He also didn't count the moment where he pulled her out of the way of the charger for anything. If she honestly thought she needed to pay him back for protecting her, he was about to become pissed. If there was anything he learned so far in surviving the zombie apocalypse, it's that you had to look out for each other. A certain trust would inevitably develop, whether you knew it or not. He had begun to understand that once he opened up, and was easily able to start trusting this little rag-tag team he was thrown into.
Despite being a new member to the crew, Eva was weak and wounded. He didn't exactly trust her yet, but seeing the woman in such a state caused a pang to blossom across his chest. At first he was confused as to why, but it soon dawned on him. The woman was a painful reminder of his past. She looked nothing like his second wife, but she had the same fearless look in her eye when she talked right back at him- a fiery attitude that could not be extinguished. The woman before him was just the same when it came to taking no crap from anybody. Unfortunately, ever since he had lost his second wife, he could never stand to see the sight of an injured woman. Because he had failed her, he felt the only way he could make it up to himself would be to do everything in his power to ensure he didn't make the same mistake twice. That was why he couldn't help the anger he felt toward Eva. She didn't understand the guilt he felt, for it had to do with a lot more than just her.
If Eva were still looking at Nick, she would have been able to notice an age-old anger that burned in his eyes- an anger that was not directed towards her. Unfortunately, she would never get the chance to witness it since the anger was quick to die out as he finished with removing all of the sutures. As Nick delicately dropped her arm, signaling he was done, only a flicker of annoyance could be found in his silver irises as Eva finally opened up her eyes to look up at him. Perhaps she didn't owe him anything, (despite her believing she totally did owe him one for the charger incident), but that had nothing to do with why she went out of her way to help him. She needed to make him understand that her actions were due to her merely wanting to ensure nobody was going to die while she could do something about it.
"Just because you're a dick sometimes doesn't mean you deserve to die, Nick. At least, not in my eyes. Besides, you can be a good man when you want to be." Eva began, a small smile beginning to ghost across her lips. She then held up the bottle of pills and shook it a bit as her smile turned warm.
"I know it." She finished, referring to Nick's kind actions, watching as said man's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. It was true. Perhaps he had been guilt tripped a bit, but Nick was going out of his way to help her at the moment, so he would be a liar to pretend like he had no humanity. But whether or not Nick was a good guy had nothing to do with the main reason as to why she saved him.
Her passion for preserving life overruled any other emotions. That was why, despite Nick giving her a hard time from the moment the two met, she didn't skip a beat to help him when she saw he was in danger. She wasn't thinking about giving back any debts. All she cared about was saving a life- a person, which is what she believed her work was all about. As long as you were able, you should be able to try and save someone to the best of your ability.
Nick honestly didn't know what to say to Eva. How could she place so much faith in him despite how they just met? He also couldn't help the fact that her words simultaneously infuriated him while leaving him completely shocked. They were nearly the exact same words someone said to him long ago. He was quick to recover himself, though, merely shaking his head as he gave a breathless laugh, going to reach for the alcohol.
"You don't know anything, sweetheart." He could only say, and he only glanced in her direction for a moment before he grasped the bottle of disinfectant. He was suddenly stopped at the feeling of her dainty fingers grabbing his wrist, causing him to turn his head towards her in surprise.
When Nick had just glimpsed at her, it took her a second to comprehend that within his eyes she couldn't help but to have recognized a hint of pain hidden within them. It honestly confused the woman. Where did that come from? If she were to have blinked she would have missed it. She knew better than to say anything about it, though. Nick definitely had his secrets, and whatever they were, she knew right now was not the best time to try and figure them out. She could only look at him with a glimmer of concern speckled in her dark eyes as his attention was upon her once again.
"Don't use the Peroxide, it'll only damage what's already begun to heal. Use the wipes instead to clean the outer area of the wound." Eva advised. When Nick looked at her he could clearly tell those were not the words she truly wanted to say. Whatever was on her mind he was apparently not going to find out either, as she kept silent while he did as she asked. The pair stayed like that, with Eva looking as if there was more she wanted to talk about while Nick pretended to be completely engrossed in taking care of her arm. She was tempted to let him know that he didn't need to help her any more, but she knew she would be wasting her breath. That, and she wasn't in the mood to get on his bad side again.
It wasn't long before he was done cleaning the injury, prompting Eva to immediately grab a pack of adhesive strips for him to use. There was no way she was about to risk re-suturing her mangled arm. Apparently Nick thought the same thing as he gave no argument to the use of the strips. With the other survivors still talking about the unknown band, Eva couldn't help but sigh as he ripped open the package and got the glue ready.
"I really hate hills." Eva blurted, causing Nick to raise an eyebrow at her. Apparently the tension from their previous discussion was fading as the woman decided to change the topic.
"Out of all the things for you to hate at the moment, it's hills?" Nick asked, carefully placing the glue and strips onto her laceration. As he worked Eva gave an embarrassed smile.
"I'll give you one guess as to what happened to my arm." She mentioned, and an instant chuckle came out of Nick.
"You gotta be kidding. How can you be good with a gun, but suck ass at moving like a normal human being? You might wanna work on that before someone mistakes you for a zombie with all that stumbling around." Nick pointed out, a teasing smile on his face. Eva couldn't help the small laugh that she gave at his words. She was tempted to defend herself, especially since it was because of her wounds that she wasn't as balanced, but she decided to just enjoy the moment instead. Nick was nearly done with her wound, now onto wrapping it with the nearby gauze.
Thankfully, Eva could feel the effects of the pills begin to kick in as Nick finished up. She couldn't help but to be pleasantly surprised at the job Nick did, however. Apparently she had made a smart move in trusting his abilities. He even wrapped the bandages around her arm professionally, the work not even close to sloppy. She couldn't help but to guess where he learned such skills. She didn't have much time to think about it since with a grunt, the gambler got to his feet.
"Alright twinkle toes. Don't go wasting my work." Nick teased, a mischievous smirk spread across his face. Despite the hand he held out for Eva to take, she still pouted up at him. There he goes again with those stupid nicknames. Where the hell does he come up with these?
"Thank you. But you should also know that I hate you." Eva responded good-naturedly, a smile threatening to break through as she didn't hesitate to take the offered hand. Nick easily helped her up, everyone turning to the pair.
"Is everything okay?" Eva expectantly heard from Rochelle. The nurse quickly turned towards the concerned woman along with Nick.
"We're all set." Eva answered, giving her a thumbs up. The brunette then gathered her supplies, placing everything back neatly before she closed up her bag and slung it over her shoulders. She would definitely need to be more careful now with her arm, especially since her body was no longer aware of most of the pain in her body.
She reached for the pistol that had been placed back in its holster. She was somewhat saddened at no longer having dual-held handguns, and was a bit concerned at only having a single pistol to protect her. She had no backup if things got rough.
A faint smile upturned her lips, however, as she looked up at the group she recently joined. In all honesty, she had nothing to fear. She had truly been the lucky one when Nick stumbled upon her. Who would have thought such kind and amazing people would find her during the apocalypse?
She was in good hands. Whatever came their way, they would figure it out. She was sure of it.
Eva made sure she had a full stock of ammo, securely placing a new clip into her gun. Everyone turned towards the sound of her pistol being reloaded.
"So, I don't know about you guys, but the first chance I get I'm making myself a stick of cotton candy the size of my head."
Once again, sorry if you were missing the action in this chapter, but I promise the next one will make up for it! I felt despite being in the safe room, such a lengthy chapter was necessary since this is technically the first time Eva gets to be with the canon characters and have legitimate interactions, without having to also focus on how many zombies might come running around the corner to viciously attack them.