Left Behind -Gally-

Chapter 15

"Really?" Frypan was disappointed. He enjoyed having her around. It gave him company.

"Yeah, but I'll be back later."

"See you, Greenie."

Emma moved quickly but not fast enough. The two Slicers spotted her. As Jordan opened his mouth to call out to her, she shouted. "Gally, hey." He was walking away from the water pipe.

"Hey?" The Builder was confused as to why she was approaching him. They had just spoken, and she seemed content with helping Frypan finish cutting vegetables for dinner.

"I'm headed back toward the Homestead. Thought I would keep you company. If that's okay."

The Builder's station was close to the Homestead but not that close. "Uh, sure, yeah." Gally glanced behind her, eyes catching sight of Frypan talking with Jordan and Winston. He put the pieces together inside his mind quickly.

"What are you working on today?" It was the only thing she could think of to say.

"Just repairs, mostly," he began. "I'm working on a new shower stall for the bathroom with a wood panel lock."

She nodded, sticking her hands in her pocket. "Why?"

He kept his gaze ahead. "Safer than a flimsy door lock that can easily be broken."

Processing his words, she stopped walking. Emma stared up at Gally in bewilderment. He was making an entire shower stall for her. "Are you doing that for me?" Gally, who now stood in front of her, sighed. Slowly, he turned to face her but said nothing. "Why?"

"Didn't want some creepy Shank making you uncomfortable or nervous. This way, you have a safer place to shower."

Emma couldn't contain the vibrant smile that made its way onto her face. "You didn't have to do that."

He shrugged. "I don't mind. Not doing anything else. It keeps me busy." Gally tried to brush it off. It wasn't a big deal.

She laughed, causing him to smile faintly. "Well, thank you. I appreciate it." It did make her feel safer. It also meant a lot that Gally was going out of his way to help her.

"It's almost finished. I've been working on it for a while." Her shock continued to grow. Gally had been working on the shower stall before they officially became friends. That meant he had cared about her long before. "I plan to install it soon."

She nodded again, pulling her hair to one side. "If you need any help-"

"I'll be sure to ask anyone but you considering you're not supposed to be on your feet."

Emma rolled her eyes but laughed. They began walking again. "Okay, that's fair. I'm probably the worst person to offer help." Her injured ankle made it hard for her to do much.

"When are you going to be back in the Gardens?"

She noticed how slow they were walking. Gally was tall, taller than her by several inches. He walked at a fast pace, but right now, he was taking small steps. Emma bit her lip, thinking he was walking slowly in order to talk to her more. However, she knew he was probably just being kind, considering her injured ankle slowed her down.

"I think I have one more week of rest before I'm allowed back," she said. "But I have to take it easy." Emma rubbed the back of her neck. "Which I haven't been doing."

"Really? I haven't noticed," Gally joked. It was still odd to hear him joke. Before, he barely cracked a smile. He never did around others either, but he seemed to relax with her. That pleased her.

"You try staying still all day and see how that goes." Gally knew he wouldn't be able to do it. "I hate feeling useless, and I get bored."

"I get that." Gally paused, nervously clearing his throat. "You know, if you want, you could-"