Keep in mind that punctuation didn't exist until hundreds of years after this. What you read in our modern bibles is interpretation as well as translation. Saying it the way I have it is totally plausible, so then if all other scriptures point toward death as 'sleep', awaiting resurrection, then perhaps we need to rethink this one.
Another point - regarding the tree of life: In Revelation we see the return of the tree of life, and there it is used for healing. I don't think one bite necessarily equals immortality, possibly it provides only short term healing for any illness or injury. So then Adam and Eve may well have eaten that fruit in the garden, it doesn't really matter as mortality comes from being denied further access to the tree.
Another point - regarding the tree of life: In Revelation we see the return of the tree of life, and there it is used for healing. I don't think one bite necessarily equals immortality, possibly it provides only short term healing for any illness or injury. So then Adam and Eve may well have eaten that fruit in the garden, it doesn't really matter as mortality comes from being denied further access to the tree.