"It was heat exhaustion. Over excretion from the night prior, not enough water in her system and too much heat all at once. She'll recover in a few days," Clint spoke authoritatively, his audience demanding assurance.

Alby, Newt and Gally were crowded into the Med Jack Hut, leaning in together as it was a tight fit. Eve lay on the larger of the two sick beds, her eyes closed in unconsciousness, her head falling to one side. She had been carried back to the hut by Zart and Jeff. While listening to Newt's explanation of Eve's behaviour, Clint had checked her over and determined her vitals were stable. Jeff had set down a layer of ice between a sheet before they lay Eve onto the bed. Steam rose off of her; her shoulders, back, arms and legs beet red. A fair touch of sunburn, heat exhaustion, nothing more.

Gally was frustrated, upset and angry. His tongue stuck out the side of his mouth, his eyes staring down the skinny second. Alby stood between him and Newt, separating them from any physical fight. Unfortunately, it did not stop the blonde from throwing fire.

"What in the hell were you thinking Newt? Why didn't she have water? Why didn't she have shade? She's not used to it, she's always in the trees!" Gally stood sideways, leaning around Alby, his hands on his hips, eyes flaring. Newt put up his hands in surrender, not one to get overly animated, no matter the circumstance.

"She insisted she was fine-,"

Gally was almost sarcastic as he gestured toward Eve.

"She doesn't look fine to me!"

Newt rolled his eyes.

"I didn't know she was going to bloody explode!" His words were calm, but he was clearly agitated at the situation

Alby pushed Gally back, blocking his view of Newt.

"This is no one's fault, Gally," He made sure the Builder was listening to him before he continued. "Eve will recover, she just needs some rest and water," Alby broke off his speech to frown at Eve. "I should have seen this coming,"

Gally glared at Alby, his mouth in a tight frown again.

"Seen what coming?"

Alby shook his head before responding.

"It's been a rough couple of days for her. Newt, you said she was talking to herself, what did she say?"

Newt shrugged, frowning slightly.

"She said something about being a mistake, then not being one. She was pretty upset; I think she worked herself up with the heat,"

Gally threw his hands up.

"This is why she shouldn't have been working like this in the first place! She's been in pain since she woke up!"

Alby raised an eyebrow at the blonde. Gally was too upset to tiptoe around the details of the night before.

"This was her first time, she's never done anything like this before. It hurt her!" He pointed a finger at the girl. "I don't think she should be working until she's completely healed!"

Alby waved him off, trying to understand.

"She sounded fine this morning, what are you talking about?"

Gally groaned and rolled his eyes.

"I just told you! I hurt her, she's hurt! She-," He stopped, suddenly unwilling to divulge. He frowned, hands on his hips. "I'm not gonna give you the shucking details, but it wasn't easy for her to take me,"

Clint's cheeks turned red and Newt looked at the ground. Although Alby could feel discomfort prickling at his face, he questioned further.

"So she's wounded?"

Gally juggled his hands back and forth.

"Yes, in a way," Gally took a deep breath, he was losing some of his anger. His new, sympathetic tone surprised the others as he continued. "She's not herself right now. This is all too new. There's a lot of pressure on her right now, she was probably overthinking; she does that, you know? She over-thinks things, gets herself all upset. She might be a mother, something she has no experience being and she's freaking out. Mothering in a place like this? She doesn't know how it'll work, neither do any of us. Have you ever delivered a shucking child?" He directed his question to the two Med Jacks, staring at them intently for an answer.

Silence met his words and he grunted. With nothing else to say, he stepped up to Eve, looking down at her, breathing in and out as he became calm. Turning back to the others, he pointed down to her.

"She shouldn't have to carry all of that and work herself to death,"

Alby stared at the ground, chewing on his thumbnail. He knew Gally had a good point, he could not allow Eve to become sick from overwork and stress. But he couldn't simply allow Eve to do nothing in the meantime. There was no guarantee she would become pregnant and the special treatment would not go over well with the Glader's. Everyone had to pull their weight, one way or another.

Clint spoke up, his gentle voice a nice change of pace.

"Eve could help out in here,"

Alby looked up at the Med Jack, his brow furrowed. Clint continued Jeff, behind him, nodded his head in agreement.

"Eve is compassionate, we've seen it. She can help with odd jobs here; sorting the supplies, keeping the place clean. Do the little things so Jeff and I can focus on the bigger tasks. I'm sure she could even learn along the way, it can't hurt to have a third Med Jack for a while. At least until we know if she's pregnant or not. It will allow us to keep an eye on her,"

Alby folded his arms over his chest, thinking it over. Newt was nodding his head, seeming to agree with the Med Jacks. Gally was watching Alby, waiting for some sort of decision he could argue with. Finally, Alby nodded his head, coming to terms with the new settlement.

"It will work for the time being." His voice was decisive, his words final. Gally didn't seem to agree and he flared up again.

"The time being? Are you gonna throw her back out there? You can't!"

"I have to do something, Gally!" Abby turned to the blonde, his patience had run out. "Everyone has to do what they can in the Glade. I understand Eve's situation right now, but she must do her part. Until we can confirm a pregnancy, she has to do all she can for us in the meantime. If I bend the rules for her, then I have to everyone else. This is the way it is. Minho risks his life every day in the Maze for us,"

Gally opened and closed his mouth. He knew the rules better than most, but he hated how torn he was feeling. If it was any other shank, he would not be arguing. But this was Eve, he was responsible for her pain. This was his fault; he realized now how he had pushed the idea without fully understanding what he had set her up for. She was vulnerable, weak and working herself up in an attempt to cope.

But Alby was right, she had to pull her weight. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, frowning as he stood still.

"Give her a month in the hut. You'll know for sure by then right?"

Clint put up his hands.

"I can't say, but I would assume there would be signs by then,"

Gally nodded his head and looked back to Alby.

"If she isn't pregnant by the time the Box comes up next month, then I'll take her back on my team. I'll have her work on the tower,"

Alby stared hard at Gally, focusing on his words. Newt spoke up.

"I think that's fair. She'll be working with Clint and Jeff. These shanks won't let her help go to waste. It's a bloody sty in here when the day's done,"

Jeff gave Newt a look of sarcastic slight and smiles brightened up the little space. Alby nodded to his second and tilted his chin to Gally.

"She will be a Med Jack for the month,"

Gally let out a deep breath.

"Thank you, Alby,"

Alby acknowledged him with a small nod. Secretly, he was impressed with the change in Gally, he would never have imagined that the irritable Builder would turn into this motivated protector. It had been his idea initially, but he seemed to genuinely want to take care of Eve now. That was all he could ask for, the Glader's taking care of their own.

Eve opened her eyes, a strange sensation crawling over her skin. She felt very warm as she blinked her eyelids, trying to clear her vision. The burning sunlight was gone and her surroundings had changed. A soft dim light cascaded over her, gentle and comforting after the blazing sun rays. Frowning, she tried to push herself up onto her elbows, grimacing painfully as she felt the sensation increase in intensity. Her skin was burning up, pulsing from heat, scraping against whatever it was she lay upon. Nonetheless, she continued to pull herself into a lazy sitting position.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on," A husky voice sounded to her left and a gentle hand came to rest on hers; a small sting crawled up her arm from the contact. She turned her head in the direction of the sound.

Gally?

Recognition, relief flooded through her. The big blonde sat beside her, leaning forward on his knees, his face full of concern. His dark eyes met hers, searching them. Eve frowned softly, suddenly aware that she could not remember why her surroundings had changed.

"Where am I?"

Gally smiled, briefly and continued to search her eyes.

"Where else? The Med Jack Hut. You passed out in the garden," His tone, although soft, had an edge to it. Something had upset him and it did little to clear Eve's confusion. She furrowed her brow, sliding down slightly as her arms began to tire.

"I did? Why?"

Gally frowned, almost angrily, like he always did when he didn't get a direct answer. His next words were still gentle, but accusation and frustration lined the edges.

"You overheated. You overworked yourself. I told you that you had to be careful. Newt offered you shade, you should have taken it. What were you thinking?" Although Gally was frustrated, Eve could tell that he was not as angry as he once would be. His tone was not as accusing and his face did not look mocking or sarcastic.

On top of these thoughts, Eve's head swam with confusion; she couldn't remember what Gally was referring to. She knew there had been sunlight, dirt in her fingernails, tiny holes in the ground... a seed packet? Newt and Zart were working on new zucchini stalks. The sun... the sun had been hot. Suddenly, the memory of her thoughts and feelings flooded back to her. She covered her mouth with a hand, laying her head back on the bed as she started to tremble.

"I… I passed out?" She mumbled around her hand, her cheeks even redder now with embarrassment.

Gally nodded, leaning toward her as she sank away. He rested his forearms on the bed beside her, clasping his hands in a tight ball. He sat on a small stool next to the sickbed. He could not feel angry at her, he just couldn't. He wanted to comfort her, take her in his arms and hold her, but he knew he should not. Eve's skin was blistering and shining with redness, any touch from him would only make it worse. Gally stared at his hands, trying to get a handle on his emotions, longing to understand.

"What happened to you, Eve?" His voice trembled slightly.

Eve covered her face with both hands, shaking her head slowly.

"No… oh no. No Gally, I didn't… I didn't mean to. I was working, I was planting the seeds. It was hot. I didn't mean it, I just wanted to help!" Her voice choked and Gally bit his lip, forcing his hands to stay where they were, even though his heart was screaming at him to pull Eve to his chest and hold her close. Gritting his teeth, he continued to discern the answer from her.

"It was hot, Eve! Why did you refuse the cover?"

Eve shook her head, covering her eyes to avoid his gaze.

"It didn't feel that hot, honestly! I've worked in the garden before, on hotter days. This has never happened before. No, no… Gally, no. I didn't mean it, I didn't want to cause trouble, I was just trying to help,"

Gally leaned away, the urge to touch her too much. He ducked his head, scratching his forehead to avoid looking at Eve.

"Maybe it's never happened before, but it's happened now. You have to be more careful," He sat forward again, insisting on an answer. "What were you doing? Why were you so upset?"

Eve allowed her hands to move off her face, dropping them to her sides. But she looked straight ahead, refusing to meet his stare.

"I… I was thinking...,"

Gally stared at her, arching his eyebrow.

"About what?"

Eve bit her lower lip and tilted her head toward him.

"I was thinking about why I was sent here,"

Gally frowned; this had not been the answer he was expecting.

"Why?" His voice was unintentionally harsh, but Eve did not seem to care. She stared at him, her eyes shining, bright against the rest of her skin.

"Why not?"

Gally shook his head, becoming like his old self. The straightforward, no-nonsense Keeper of the Builders.

"Because there's no point. We don't know why and there's nothing else to it. There's no good guessing at it and driving yourself crazy. There are too many possibilities," He crossed his arms over his chest and sat back.

Eve groaned at his bluntness and pushed herself up onto her elbows again. She felt cool wetness under her fingers and realized that ice had been placed underneath her; it was melted now. She looked down at her legs; red and tender. She had burned up, quite badly from the looks of it. She groaned again and turned to Gally.

"I couldn't help it!" Her voice rose pitifully.

Gally uncrossed his arms and shook her head.

"That's your problem Eve, you can't stop yourself from doing it, even though it's not going to help you!" Gally had not meant to raise his voice and he sat down hard on the stool to control his rising frustration.

Eve fell back on her pillow.

"You don't get it! You're not the only girl in the Glade! How would you feel if you were the only boy? You'd feel out of place! Wondering what is the point in it all? Was it on purpose? Was it… a mistake?" Her voice hitched and Gally flinched. His hands shook as he fought to keep them back. She needed his comfort so much, but the burns were shooting up red flags. So he remained silent, staring down at the floor as Eve calmed, taking deep, intentional breaths. Gradually, she grew quiet and glanced at him through her fingers.

"What if I was a mistake, Gally?" Her voice was hardly a whisper now.

For a moment, Gally did not have a response, staring down at the wooden floor. There was nothing he could say that would appease her. He didn't know any more than she did. Lifting his head, he glanced at her, his mouth in a line and his eyes neutral.

"I don't know Eve," He tensed as she took a shuddering breath, covering her head with her arms. Hurt and confusion came off her in waves.

Gally frowned, resting his hands on the bed again. There had to be something he could say, something that would calm this battle raging within her. Eve had been struggling with this idea of self-doubt and un-belonging for some time, that much was clear. This wasn't something that had just now cropped up, it had been ongoing, month upon month of worry and confusion. With every new boy, she had steadily grown more concerned, although she never spoke it out loud. But Gally had seen it, watched her face grow darker each month, saw her motivation and assurance fail her. He had not been able to help her then, there was no way he could have reached out to her. His pride and unwillingness to speak his true mind had stopped him. Now, everything was different. This new feeling of protectiveness for Eve was growing and he could not let it go to waste. She needed him more than ever.

He could fix this, he could help her.

"Eve?" Gally's voice was soft, he had lost his frustration.

She didn't move, laying still on the sickbed. But Gally could tell by her silence that she was listening, so he continued.

"Eve, even if you are a mistake…," she flinched at the word but didn't say anything. Gally frowned, wondering how to word his thoughts correctly. Swallowing, he started again, picking his words carefully. "You… you're special, you know? You've helped this Glade in ways that we never could. You've been a major asset to the dugout roof and now the tower. Newt loves having you in the garden and you've even done work for Fry. If you were… a mistake, then well... you're one hell of a shucking mistake,"

Eve lowered her arms, her hands still over her face.

"Do you really think so?" Her voice was muffled, shaky.

Gally smiled, leaning forward, hoping to catch her eye. She lowered her hands away from her face, turning to look at him. Her eyes were shining, tears glistening on the edge of falling. Gally couldn't help it, he reached out his fingers and brushed her cheeks softly, catching a small tear as it rolled down her face. Eve flinched as her burned skin was irritated and Gally backed off.

"I'm sorry," Disappointment laced his words.

Eve shook her head, pushing herself up once again.

"No Gally, don't apologize, this wasn't your fault," She took a deep breath, letting it out rather forcefully. Closing her eyes, Eve shook her head, ashamed. "I'm sorry I've caused so much trouble today. I didn't mean to,"

Gally shook his head at her; she worried too much. Tipping back in the stool, he turned his head to look outside the door. The others had gone back to their tasks, leaving Gally to watch over Eve on his lunch break. It was mid-afternoon now; Winston had been left in charge of chopping up the sticks they'd collected that morning and Gally would have to return to him soon. He couldn't slack off any more than he already had. He turned back to her, smiling sympathetically as she lay before him, her eyes still closed.

"Forget about it Eve, the others know you didn't mean it. I knew that you weren't ready to get back to full work, you've got a lot on your plate right now," Eve opened her eyes and looked to protest, but Gally stopped her with a look. "Alby agrees with me, he knows that you should be taking it easy until we know for sure if you're pregnant or not. We thought it might be better if you worked with the Med Jacks for the time being. It will be easier work and you won't have to be out in the sun; that burn will need time to heal. Alby's given you until the Box comes up next month. If you're not pregnant, then you'll come back to work with Winston and me on the tower,"

Eve closed her mouth and thought over what Gally had said. She knew that he was right, but she hated the thought of having to be treated differently. Others in the Glade may not be as understanding. She was too tired to think about it for long though and decided that it was the best that could be done for the moment. Taking a deep breath, Eve reached out her hand, slowly and held it out to him. Gally leaned forward and took it, careful not to brush up against her burn. Smiling, he watched her eyes as she watched him. After a moment of silence, she spoke up, her voice steady once more.

"I'm sorry about all this… I really am. I'll do my best to pull my weight with the Med Jacks. Thank you, Gally," Her voice changed again and she looked to cry as she gripped his fingers tightly. "Thank you for taking care of me... I never imagined you would be this kind... that you would want to look out for me. I never knew how much I needed it, I never knew how much I needed you," Eve's voice dropped to a whisper.

Gally smiled benevolently at her, looking over her face. He wasn't used to people thanking him for being kind and he would kill the shank who pointed out his changing heart. But he enjoyed Eve's gentle spirit and this protective nature for her. It felt good and he was proud to be able to care for her this much. He could speak his mind with her, it felt so freeing. Squeezing her hand once more, Gally let it rest on the sick bed and leaned back, rather hesitantly. He didn't want to leave her and from the look in her eyes, he could tell that she didn't want him to. He tilted his chin to her.

"You should rest up. Alby will expect you up and working tomorrow. Sleep as much as you can, hopefully, the worst of the burn will have cleared up by tomorrow. Jeff will bring you more ice later on. I have to get back to the tower," Gally stood up, lingering by the sick bed for a moment.

Eve followed his movements, her eyes shimmering.

"I'll do my best,"

Gally nodded, suddenly uncertain about leaving. He took a step back from the bed and turned on his heel.

"Gally, wait!"

He turned around in a heartbeat, his eyes locked on hers. Eve looked at him, her eyes pleading, reaching out to him.

"You'll... you'll come back? I mean, I'll see you soon... won't I?"

Gally felt a warm rush fill his chest and he stepped back up to the bed. Bending down, he kissed her, ever so gently on her hair, resting a moment as he breathed in her scent.

"I'll come back, I promise," He whispered before he straightened. Giving her one last smile, Gally left the Med Jack Hut.