Aftermath of the Reckoning

Chapter 17

Zoey suspected they had about seven miles remaining to reach Piedmont when they decided to stop early for the night. Though she could easily run the remaining distance in about an hour, Patch swayed with fatigue and dizziness every few steps in spite of his valiant efforts to hide his condition.

They found a small clearing in the forest and Zoey built a fire using the remaining matches. She didn’t have any meat to cook but wanted to provide warmth for the night, which tended to reach sixty degrees this time of year. They sat adjacent to each other and dined on the fruits and nuts that Zoey collected during the walk, a meal which unfortunately consisted of more persimmons.

Yet Zoey found herself truly enjoying the bitter fruit this time. Perhaps because she felt so...warm...and secure. Just feeling the heat from Patch’s skin as their arms brushed sent pleasant tingles throughout her body. She couldn’t ever remember feeling this...alive.

Then she realized another thing, the pain in her chest had disappeared entirely. How was that possible? For most of the day, each inhalation reminded her of the wound she suffered at the hands of that monster. But, since the kiss...

Zoey looked at Patch accusingly. “You healed my ribs!”

Patch only smiled and reached for some pecans.

Zoey intercepted his hand. “Patch! You have to stop doing that! Can you reverse it?”

Patch shook his head.

Zoey lifted up his shirt to inspect his chest. Unexpectedly, her heart seemed to skip a beat she realized the potential intimacy of her action. Then upon seeing the large bruise on his lower ribs, along with the other scratches that still remained from his battle, concerned exasperation superseded her other emotions.

After pulling his shirt back down, Zoey squeezed his hand and looked at him with complete seriousness. “Patch, you have to stop doing that. Shit, you’re a mess! Your body can’t heal fast enough if you keep absorbing my injuries.”

Patch’s smile faded a bit. “Zoey, I’ll be fine —”

“No!  You won’t be fine, I could see how dizzy you were. I’m a big girl, I can take care of my own injuries!” Tears started forming in Zoey’s eyes as worry overcame her anger. “Promise me, promise me you won’t do that again.”

Calmly, Patch said, “Zoey...I can’t promise that.”

Crestfallen, Zoey’s face spoke volumes as firelight reflected off falling tears.

Patch continued, “But, I will wait until I’ve healed before I do it again.”

Zoey finally smiled a bit and hugged him, whispering, “You fool. I guess that will have to do.”

***

While eating lunch outside the clinic with Dr. Solomon Lockwood, Pennyworth nearly choked on a mouthful of rice and venison when he saw Zoey rounding the corner from Main Street to Hal’s Plaza Drive. Further away, Brian Tassell, one of Johansen’s men, rode on horseback to intercept her.

Pennyworth stood up from the table and looked at Solomon. “Doctor, I hate to eat and run but it appears my associate has arrived.”

Solomon, the tribe’s only physician, wore glasses and a white lab coat over his navy button-down shirt. For a man over sixty-five years old, he still looked fit, almost athletic. A shock of silver hair partially concealed his forehead. The wrinkles around his eyes suggested a jovial disposition and hinted at wisdom.

Solomon waved a hand as if to shoo Pennyworth onward. “As always, it has been a pleasure.”

Pennyworth ran the short distance to Zoey and noticed she’d picked up a ‘hitchhiker’ of some sort, a brown haired fellow that appeared to have seen better days. He walked slowly with his head bowed and right arm draped around Zoey for support. His left arm was missing entirely.