The Fateful Heart 2

James took a minute to chew the bread in his cheeks. It ended up being more than he had anticipated, so he couldn't really reply as Evaline propped him up and started unwrapping the bandages around his waist.

So instead of talking right away, he just looked up at Evaline, noting the lingering smile. Once he finally swallowed all of the bread down, he found himself grinning too.

"You changed your clothes," he finally noted. She must've gotten new ones from their closet. They weren't the ones they owned.

Evaline gingerly unwrapped the bandages around James's waist, reaching behind his back to do so. She flicked her eyes over and saw that he was grinning at her, which oddly comforted her. It was always nice to see him smile, and it was nice to see him be comfortable around her when he was in a physically vulnerable state. It occurred to her that they made a lot of progress since the day she had went through most of his wounds looking for the infection.

"I did," she said, looking down at her own clothes as if to double-check that she did change. It wasn't anything special: dark green pants and a white v-neck blouse. Something simple.

"I have new clothes for you, too. If or when you want it."

And of course, his selection was simple too. She also guessed with the fit. Even if it didn't quite fit or look great, at least he wasn't going to go anywhere.

"I'm afraid I might just get them all sweaty," he said, his grin growing. "Or sticky. Since apparently, I can't eat bread with jam without getting it all over myself."

Evaline huffed a breath of air through her nose in amusement as she focused on unbandaging.

"Or, consider: a shirt to keep you from getting jam on yourself."

James laughed weakly, feeling the ache in his ribs.

“Or a bib.”

Evaline's smile turned to a grin to match his. "Right, or a bib."

She almost finished unwrapping, pausing for just a brief moment.

"But either way, the clothes are there if you want it. And if there's anything else you need, just let me know."

"A new pair of ribs would be nice," he said, attempting a joke.

Evaline glanced up at him with a raised brow, amused. It was... refreshing that James was joking while being in a physically vulnerable state as well.

"Well, I can't give you my ribs, but I can give you my heart," she said without thinking, as she pulled the long used-up bandage away and set it on the floor beside the bed. A moment passed, and then a wall of panic crashed into her as she realized that she just said the cheesiest thing ever.

The panic quickly crept into her voice, searching for words to explain herself.

"Or, uhh, um -- lungs. Skin. Kidney... Hair?" she said, sounding more and more desperate with each passing word. She had her burning face turned away and pretended to search for the salve when it was right in front of her with the other items.

James blinked, and it took a second for the words to sink in. By that point, Evaline was turning away and backpedaling, clearly embarrassed.

For some reason, James found himself starting to laugh, but it hurt.

"Only metaphorically, of course," he said through pained laughter.

Evaline found herself nervously laughing alongside him, her hand clumsily fluttering by the items on the ground until it found the jar of salve.

"Right," she agreed before really understanding what he said, and then found herself backpedaling again.

Metaphorically. As in, giving your heart to someone. As in... love?

"Or, uhhh, physically," she quickly added, then cringed at her words when she continued to make no sense. "I mean, not physically, because that would be impossible. But, um... hah. That's what the poem meant when it said to open your heart, right? Right."

She grimaced at her own words, deciding to take her time to find all the items she needed at once now. Washcloth, gauze, new bandages.

Ah. She meant it that way.

He didn't know why he suddenly felt so disappointed.

"Right," he said quietly, watching her gather supplies.

Evaline breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't like her to say thoughtless things like that, and it kept her on edge. Although...

She shook all the thoughts away before any more could fully form, picking up all the items and then turning back towards his side. She looked up at his face at him for just a second, offering him a small sheepish smile through rosy cheeks.

Wordlessly, she focused back on the uncovered wound, gently dabbing it with the dry washcloth to wipe away any sweat and grime. It looked like Edna's stitching was holding up well, but she tried not to apply any more pressure than necessary.

James glanced down at Evaline's hands on his side, looking at the stitching Edna had done. It looked professional, so he didn't doubt her experience as a doctor.

Suddenly a voice was heard outside the tent.

"Hey, heard you were sick. I brought a bunch of stuff that will help you feel better. Can I come in?"

Kurt.

James's heart stopped.

Evaline looked up at him with panic in her eyes, but it only lasted a brief second because she immediately reached for the pile of blankets behind him, yanking it all out from behind him and piling it on top of him. It looked a bit unnatural to have piles of bunched-up blankets on top of him, but it was like she knew that they would only have a few seconds to prepare before he arrived.

And that would be right, because Kurt did exactly that.

"I'm coming in," he said after his announcement that he was there, already unzipping the flap.

James's soul practically left his body. Yes, he was covered, but Evaline was still hurriedly setting things straight, her knees on the bed but hovering over his body as she tried to make sure he was covered head-to-toe.

When James saw Kurt's expression, he it was certain. His soul had left his body, and while normally his face would be burning beet red, now he was just gone. Absent. All that took residence in his mind was a blinding panic.

"Oh," Kurt said quietly after he took one step in the tent and saw them. Evaline looked up at him with a frazzled expression, and frantically moved over to the other side of the bed. All that stuck out of the blankets was James's face, and from the angle he was lying down at, he could only just see Kurt's head and shoulders.

"Um." He slowly tore his gaze away from them and bent down to drop off the basket of goods he brought. "I can come back..? If you're busy. Yeah."

"No--" both James and Evaline said in unison. Somehow, that made things sound worse.

"I mean, uh--" James said quickly.

"Yes? I mean --" Evaline said at the same time as well.

They ran over each other again. That only seemed to confuse Kurt and confirm what Kurt had already assumed. Bashfully, he ducked his head and turned around to leave.

"Sorry, I'll come back later," Kurt said hurriedly as he rushed out.

The tent flap closed behind him, and James only just registered that his head was throbbing from hitting the bed so suddenly.

Even after Kurt left and closed the flap, Evaline stared with wide-eyes at the exit, trying to process everything that happened in the past 30 seconds. She had ensured that James was fully covered by the wads of blankets, but she didn't have time to sit or stand naturally somewhere else. No doubt Kurt's embarrassed gaze had him thinking that they were --

She nervously began to laugh. It was one thing to be the one to be the one teasing James about these kinds of implications, but it was another thing to be on the other receiving end with no way to explain themselves. The hot embarrassment flushed her face, and she slowly reached over and began to slide the blankets off him.

"He, um... Kurt... Someone needs to teach him boundaries," she said weakly.

"Not it," James said timidly.

James was seeing double. He stared in Evaline's general direction, trying to get a grip. Everything was moving, and his head was hurting, and embarrassment made him feel frozen.

He wished Evaline left the blankets on top of him. Then he could at least hide.