Eva managed to make a rough imitation of the poultice Lucas had made for her. She hoped it would be good enough to at least allow him to fight the fever that had started shortly after he passed out on her. She had struggled to drag him onto a blanket and set up the camp in the area they had stopped in.
Still she wondered, 'How does one take care of a sick elf?'
It couldn't be that much different from humans. So she covered his forehead in a cool cloth and cleaned and dressed the wound on his shoulder. Her light first aid training had come in handy for this situation.
She would nervously glance down at him and look back at the fire while she boiled the clothes and bandages in the pot. Fortunately, there was a stream nearby. Maybe Lucas had traveled close to it on purpose.
If nothing else this was the first time she felt lonely since meeting Lucas. Sure, he had gone off to hunt or wash the dishes. However, she always knew he would be right back. This time she had no clue as to how soon he would wake up.
Lucas' strength had made her feel safe, now every noise made her jump. The small fire she had managed to light did little to calm her nerves. It reminded her of her first night in the woods where she had to just sit in the darkness until the sun rose. Luck is what got her to Lucas.
Lucas is what has kept her alive until now. He gave her time to find a new focus and a goal for the future.
"I can't lose him, too," she thought.
In a way he had become a member of her family and she was sorely lacking in that right now.
His kind and gentle way of teaching her how to hunt and live in the forest was like that of a big brother, whom she imagined having as a small child. Her father's laughter echoed in her mind when she had asked him for one.
"Silly Eva! We don't need to find you a big brother," he said. "You are all daddy needs."
The voice from her memories sounded far away now. She wondered when she would finally forget what he sounded like. How many pieces of the past would be drowned out by newer memories? She felt a hand hold hers as the tears began to fall.
"Don't cry. Your face is too pretty to be covered in tears." Lucas had awoken to Eva sitting close beside him. 'I guess I fainted from the blood loss,' he thought.
The fire lit and cast shadows upon Eva's face, but Lucas could still see the fear and sadness thanks to it.
He had acted before he even knew what he was doing. Before he had time to take another breath Eva fell upon his chest heavily. Lucas endured the pain without a sound. Sobs quietly filled the night as he let the girl cry until sleep took her.
Lucas' heart felt heavy because he knew that he had scared her. He smoothed the hair away from her sleeping face and traced the swollen eyelid that had cried so many tears. This position was bad for his newfound position to keep his distance, but he didn't care.
Her face against his bare chest felt warm and her body thrown across his body was something he had only dreamed about. How many times had he imagined this? Too many. He did not cause this situation to happen, but she initiated this contact herself.
Even if it was because she was afraid for his life. He still felt he could call this a win. He could say she at least cared for him a little. He could at least pretend to be asleep when she finally did wake up. So that is what he did. As soon as she began to stir with the morning's light he closed his eyes and lay still.
The quick beating of her heart as she realized what had happened and the light breath that tickled his skin as she checked to see if he was awake pushed his act, but he managed to convince her in the end. He waited until she got up and began poking at the fire before his act came to an end.
"Are you awake?" she asked.
"What happened?" Lucas asked.
He knew perfectly well that he had fainted and they had stayed the night in the area where he had fallen, but he wanted to give her the chance to pretend like last night didn't happen. Far be it for him to make the situation awkward.
Eva poked at another piece of wood in the fire before answering. "You pushed yourself so hard that you passed out and fell on top of me." A light blush crossed her cheeks.
"Fell on top of you?" Lucas asked. He thought briefly about accusing her of the same thing based on the events of that night as well.
"You were very heavy," she replied.
A small smile creeped onto his face as he realized she was not going to let it go. "Well I guess we must work more on your strength training then," he said.
A small noise of disbelief escaped her as she hid her face by looking away.
'He could at least apologize,' she thought.
Placing the long stick down that she was using to poke the fire she turned her head back so she could talk with Lucas more. However, his face had gotten super close to look at her expression since she looked away.
"N-ow. Why are you so close?!"
She jumped and Lucas steadied her before she could fall over.
"Y-your shirt!"
Her hands fell on the fabric she had spent a good portion of last night stitching back together and pushed the shirt into his bare chest.
Of course, her face got even more red as she made contact with his chest and the other thing she wanted to say got stuck in her throat.
Lucas released her side and took the shirt from her hands. Without meaning to, he lingered because of the slight touch of her hands.
It was useless. How could he ever keep his distance after spending the night with her last night. The faint smell of a flower tickled his nose and he realized it was the herbs he had given her after the first few nights so she could wash her hair with them.
"Thank you. For last night and for the clothes," she said.
As soon as he said last night, Eva remembered how she had woken up and immediately knew she couldn't ask him if he remembered. 'Either he knows and he is teasing me or he doesn't and I don't want to have to explain why I am asking!' she thought.
Clearing her throat she moved away from him and got up. Picking up the pot she had used yesterday she made for the small stream in the distance hoping he would be fully clothed when she made her way back.
She carefully carried the pot of water to the makeshift campsite and sighed in relief when she realized he had put on the shirt and cloak she had given him. Secretly glad that her mother demanded she learn sewing arts, she appraised her work on him while his back was turned.
'Not bad if I do say so myself.'
She smiled brightly just in time for Lucas to catch a glimpse as he turned around while adjusting the hood on his head to its usual place. The question he wanted to ask got caught in his throat as he was ensnared by Eva's smile.
"I brought water to boil for tea."
She set the pot onto the small fire that was burning a bit brighter since Lucas had messed with it.
"Tea?" he asked.
"For your shoulder. It looked infected last night and you had a fever for several hours," she said as she poked the spot where his injury was.
When he didn't flinch or look hurt at all, she looked at the spot with confusion in her eyes.
"How are you not hurt by me poking your wound?" Eva asked. She stopped herself from ripping off his clothing once more.
"I told you it was just a scratch. It would have been completely healed if I hadn't pushed myself too far yesterday." He removed part of his shirt and showed her the bright red scar that replaced the few inch deep wound he'd received the day before.
"How?" Eva's face was showing her confusion.
"Elves heal quickly," Lucas said.
Eva touched the still slightly hot skin where the wound had been. Lucas' eyes narrowed slightly, but he held back the smile that wanted to creep onto his face at her touch.
"See, I am ok. No need to worry. We can use this water to disinfect this last bandage instead." He dropped the cloth that had gone unnoticed in his opposite hand into the pot. "You did well with the poultice on the wound. I was able to heal quicker because of it," he added.
A small smile returned to Eva's face, but she still felt bothered by the fact she had worried so deeply about a wound that took only a day to mostly heal.
'Is this the real difference between humans and elves?' she wondered.
******
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