"That's Evelyn, but she prefers Eve." Dale spoke from behind us. "She doesn't say much. Maybe you'll get to hear her voice someday."
Evelyn Rider's light step and silent disposition have served her well during these dangerous times, but the dead are...
Fair warning, I didn't do a lot of editing this chapter.
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"When do you plan on turning it back over to him?"
"When he convinces me that he can handle it." Eve scribbled down another thought. 'And after I've straightened it out.'
Hershel watched her curiously, thankful that he still has decent eyesight and was able to read it when she wrote down 'front road nail pits, spike tires.'
"And if he can't?" Herschel asked, with a rising feeling of hope for their situation.
Eve just looked at him. Hershel's a smart man, he doesn't need her to tell him that if Rick can't handle it, then he shouldn't have it. He's watched just as well as she has what leadership has done to their friend. It's torn him apart with an unceasing tide and left him to pick up the shreds. A shield can only take so much punishment before it cracks.
Hershel nodded, glancing at his crutches. There's only one more thing that concerns him.
"Are you ready to take on this responsibility? It could last much longer than you're imagining."
"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have. Does your mind need easing?"
Hershel shook his head. "I'm aware of your capabilities, my dear. Like I said before, I have faith in you. I still remember when you gave us that warnin' on the side of the road. I expected that one day, you may have to follow through, just remember that this isn't your burden to bear alone. We all have our responsibilities and though we may look out for each other, we're all responsible for doing our part. Part of that is not taking on more than your fair share."
He gave her a pointed look. It doesn't need to be said that Eve has this particular problem. He'd go so far as to say it's her Achilles heel.
"That being said, I came out here to take a look at you." He motioned at her face and with that one sentence, dread dumped over her like a bucket of cold water.
Nevertheless, she put her things down and stood up so Hershel could lean against the fence while he took a look at her.
"Do you have a plan yet?"
Eve nodded as he motioned at her shirt and she lifted it, experiencing deja vu as she grit her teeth, letting him prod her ribs for breaks, and she managed to squeeze out the words without too much difficulty. "Workin' on it."
"Any ideas?" Hershel paused for a moment to make eye contact before going back to his poking.
"A few." Eve controlled her breathing, despite difficulty, to help control the pain.
Hershel nodded and over the course of several minutes, finished concluding his - painful - examination. "Welp, nothin's broken this time. Just some deep bruising. I'd tell you to be more careful but that's never stopped you before. You're fortunate that your jacket protected you, if this pressure had been applied directly to your skin we would be looking at a much bigger problem than some interesting bruises."
