The front door was ajar, and Carol hesitated as she crossed the porch. She had to remind herself that it meant something different in Alexandria than what it had meant when they were on the road. An open door out in the world usually meant that the people who left that house had done so in a hurry, and that the building could be hosting any number of living or non-living dangers.
An open door in Alexandria usually meant that whoever lived there was home and welcomed company, but might not want to be disturbed by a doorbell. Or, in Eric's case, that they were welcome but that it was a bad day for his ankle so they could let themselves inside. She knocked anyway, to announce herself, and checked her pockets for the pain meds that Rosita had given her; Eric was supposed to have picked them up the day before but he was stubbornly trying to wean himself from the meds and had skipped the trip to the clinic.
He looked up at her from the sofa, where he was reading, and gave her a wan smile, "Is it that time already?"
"Not quite. Rosita asked me to make a special delivery though," She held up the small bottle, "Rough day? I was going to ask if you wanted to join some of us at our house today. Glenn and the other runners are back, and it might be a good break from the quiet. He said that Tara found something special for you, but if you aren't feeling up to the trip I could bring it by later."
He stared at the bottle of pills for several seconds, "I wanted to stop taking so many, but it's harder than I thought, and I would like to get out of the house."
Carol watched as he worked through something in his head, and ran a hand through his hair. He looked pale and drawn, and she could tell he was in pain but too stubborn to admit it out loud. "How about this, take one of these now, and then cut the dosage beginning with the next. I've done that a time or two myself."
He frowned, but nodded, "I could use the cart to get over to your house."
"You could bring a book and keep me company while I make a casserole for Mr. Simpson. He asked me for something his wife used to bake, and I thought that I'd try my hand at it after lunch." She grinned, "The others will be in and out of the house, so it can count for the social time that Aaron mentioned last week. Tara would be thrilled if she could give you her find in person too."
Eric rolled his eyes, "True, I would hate to disappoint Tara, and I don't want to become a hermit." He set the book aside and wriggled his fingers at her, "Okay, I'll take one pill now."
Carol shook out one of the pills for him before taking the bottle into the kitchen. She brought back a glass of water and waited as he took the medication. "Do you need anything else?"
"Give me five minutes and then help me to the cart?" She took the glass back to the kitchen when he finished drinking the water, and grabbed the messenger bag he usually carried around the small community, as he made a quick trip to the bathroom.
He was wincing when he got back into the living room, but he didn't say anything about the pain. He shoved the book into the bag and sighed, "Did you ever hear the term 'first world problems' before the world fell apart? I feel like if I complain about anything here it would be like that; as bad as things seem here, it can't compare to what you saw out there."
Carol shook her head, "It isn't a competition, but I know what you mean. It doesn't negate any hardship you have here either. Broken bones weren't easy to deal with before all of this, and pain is never something to dismiss." She took his elbow, steadying him as he turned too quickly, and then shut the door behind them as they went outside.