For a long time, Eden Perkins believed she wouldn't find another human being she would willingly die for - she didn't want to. The past few months of her life, ever since the day the dead had started coming back to life - and maybe even before that...
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╔──────── ╝ ☠ ╚────────╗ vii. | LIKE HARRY POTTER. ╚──────── ╗ ☠ ╔────────╝
FOUR PAIRS OF EYES — well, three, considering that Eden was more focused on watching the doctor's every move — laid on Clementine, and yet each pair expressed all different kinds of emotions.
One pair was, of course, the doctor's coffee colored eyes which were slightly squinted in concentration. With Eden watching his every move, her eyes eventually wandered from his hands to his face. A few of his black curls fell into his forehead as he tilted his head to get a better look at Clementine's arm. Based on his looks, Eden would guess the man to be about forty — definitely older than Luke but also younger than Pete. She couldn't tell whether he was just too focused on his patient to notice her piercing looks or if he just didn't care.
The other two pairs belonged to Luke and Nick — the shooter; Pete had called out his name on their way back to the cabin — who were anxiously waiting for the doctor to make his statement. Luke had been pacing up and down nervously next to the kitchen table ever since he finished lighting the candles while Nick coped by unconsciously biting his nails and staring at Clementine as if he was scared she would turn any second and dig her teeth into the doctor's neck. Eden couldn't watch them for too long without feeling the anxiety prickling up inside of herself and instead observed what the doctor was doing.
As gentle as he could, he touched Clementine's arm and, although the girl tried her best to put on a tough act, Eden could tell by her clenched jaw that she was in pain. "This might hurt a little," the doctor warned Clementine before he felt her stitches.
Eden tensed when the girl hissed, "Oww!"
"Is this really necessary?" She stepped in, her arms crossed over her chest. "If we'd been bit, we would have symptoms by now, wouldn't we?"
Not even bothering to look up, the doctor answered flatly, "Right now, I'm just checking on her stitches."
When Luke spoke again for the first time after a while, his question sounded rather hesitant, as if he was afraid of the answer, "How's she look, Carlos... ?"
"Her suturing skills need some work," the doctor, Carlos, straightened from his bent position to be able to look at Luke when he answered, "but otherwise I'd said she should be fine."
Luke took a step forward, his warm eyes gleamed with hope. "So it wasn't a lurker bite?"
"If it was, she'd be right," Carlos gestured towards Eden, "the symptoms would have set in and her temperature would be through the roof."
Unconvinced by the doctor's words, Nick nodded in Eden's direction and demanded, "Check on her then."
Although Carlos shot the younger man a wary look and looked as if he was about to say something, he remained silent and instead turned to Eden. He probably preferred just doing what Nick wanted over an argument — it had been a long day. Trying not to touch any of her wounds in the process — whether it was because he didn't want to hurt her or run any risks by getting in touch with her possibly infected blood, Eden didn't know —, the doctor pressed the back of his hand against her forehead and stated, "She's fine, temperature's normal."
