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Saff was quiet for a few moments, and she could hear items moving around nearby.
“So—rabbit?” she asked again.
Maddie grimaced internally. Meat hadn't exactly been her thing before the outbreak, especially not rabbit. But she'd become much less particular as the food had dwindled in their community. So although she still didn't enjoy it, she ate it nonetheless.
“Sure. Thanks,” Maddie mumbled behind the rim of her mug before taking a larger gulp.
“I also made some canned beans and potatoes.”
Those sounded a lot better.
“Do you want a fork or spoon?” Saff asked.
“Spoon, please.”
After a minute or so, something else was set in front of her.
“Do you want me to place your hands where each thing on the table is?” Saff asked, immediately reminding Maddie of her medical background. And in this case specifically, she couldn't have been more grateful.
“Yeah. Thanks.” She rested her palms on the table in front of her, waiting a moment before Saff's hands wrapped gently around her wrists. She eased them around the table, explaining where the water cup, spoon, and plate were, along with a cloth to use as a napkin.
Then lastly, she took her through her plate.
Saff cleared her throat. “The rabbit is at twelve o’clock. The beans are at three o’clock. And the potatoes are at six o’clock.”
Maddie sat there, utterly surprised by her detail. She knew that it was just from her time as a doctor, but she still felt a small surge of emotion. It felt familiar in a way that she’d missed ever since the community had crumbled. And especially since they were attacked again while traveling, forcing her to split up fromher family. It made her feel understood and cared for in a way that she'd realized she hadn't felt in a while.
It made her miss her family. It made her misshome.
Emotion rushed through her, and she blinked her eyes against the darkness, looking over towards the orb of light on her left.
“Is that—” Saff paused. “Is that okay? Or do you need something else?”
“No.” Maddie shook her head slightly, pushing the feelings away. “No. That's perfect.Thank you.” She took her first bite of the warm food, relishing the taste of the potatoes. “Did you work with a lot of visually impaired patients?”
She heard the scrape of utensils against plates. Then, after a few moments, Saff answered. “Not a lot. Just a few when I started as an intern.”
Maddie nodded. “Seems like you remembered everything.”
Saff let out a small noise of acknowledgment.
Maddie took another bite, content to leave it at that. She wanted to ignore the feeling of homesickness that had begun to set in.
She scooped a piece of the meat, using her other index finger to guide it onto the spoon. Then she brought it to her mouth and chewed the slightly tough meat.
“Can I ask you something?” Maddie asked suddenly.
Saff stayed quiet, and Maddie took that as the sign to continue.
“When you saw that I was fighting off the infected person,” she began, pausing as the memories floated back to her. “When you grabbed me, was I about to get bit? Or do you think I could have held them off?”
Saff was quiet, but this time Maddie let the silence fall between them, waiting for her to formulate an answer.
“I think it could’ve gone either way,” Saff finally answered. Then she let out a small exhale. “You stabbed him, right?”
Maddie nodded.
“You needed to do it higher through the chin or the base of the skull into the head.”
