An anxious hush had settled over the Brotherhood bunker when the scout party didn't return on time. All of the high-ranking members were pretending that nothing was out of the ordinary, but not even the confidence radiating from the elders could assuage Veronica Santangelo's worry.
With every hour that passed, the atmosphere in Hidden Valley became more tense. The Brotherhood chapter's numbers were already low; the loss of the scouting party would be crippling to the Mojave chapter.
For once, none of that mattered to Veronica. All she could think about was her girlfriend, one of the junior scouts. Christine was a good shot with a laser rifle, and Veronica knew the shorter girl could take care of herself. But if the entire scouting party was gone…
The brunette's nails were bitten down to nubs when the alarms sounded hours later. The paladins suited up and ran to the bunker entrance, only to start crying out in surprise as soon as the door opened. A few battered and bloodied members of the scouting party were standing there, looking ready to collapse.
From behind everyone else, Veronica couldn't see if Christine was among them, though she tried her best to peer over the power armored shoulders of the paladins. When the door was sealed and the paladins were rushing the scouts to the infirmary, Veronica's heart dropped. There was no sign of Christine.
She trailed along after the group in a daze, trying her best to hear what had happened. Memories of Christine's proud conversations about the scouting party rang in her ears, phrases about the scouts never leaving each other behind. If Christine wasn't with the injured…
Veronica swallowed hard and blinked away tears. She couldn't afford to fall apart in the middle of the bunker; it was too dangerous and could reveal their relationship. The brunette took a few deep breaths before entering the clinic, startled by the chaos that greeted her.
Even the paladins were rushing around with bandages and stimpaks, and the entire infirmary was practically crackling with activity. Scribe Schuler was yelling for anyone that was in the way to leave, her voice sharp and strict.
Veronica knew she was no help with anything beyond a stimpak, but many of the scouts were in need of more extensive care. She lingered by the door helplessly, spotting McNamara across the room.
"What happened?" he asked the scout before him patiently.
The scout groaned when someone dabbed at a gash on his shoulder with alcohol. "NCR skirmish, sir. Made a lot of noise, I guess, 'cause a deathclaw came running." His voice trailed off into another groan, and he screwed his eyes shut.
McNamara's jaw tensed at the news, and he surveyed the rest of the scouts before sighing. The head paladin turned and headed for the door, presumably going to report to Elder Elijah. He didn't pay any attention to Veronica, stepping past her and out of the room.
The brunette felt sick at what she'd heard, but she couldn't stamp out the last glimmer of hope. She took a few shaky steps deeper into the clinic, searching the beds for Christine.
Scribe Schuler looked up from the gash she was stitching up, her face softening when she saw Veronica. Her eyes flashed with sympathy, and Schuler shook her head meaningfully.
Tears stung in Veronica's eyes. She almost choked on her own breath before giving the doctor a nod of thanks, and then Veronica turned and fled to her room. She collapsed on her bed and finally let her tears fall, aching for Christine. Knowing that there had been an NCR attack was bad enough, but that a deathclaw was there put horrifying images in Veronica's head.
She desperately wished she could have been there to help protect Christine, or even to have died there with her. Anything would have been better than knowing she hadn't been able to do anything to help the girl she loved.
She spent hours drowning in despair, crying until she couldn't anymore. Veronica regretted not following her instincts when she'd seen Christine off; every part of her had wanted to grab the young woman up in a kiss and hold her close, but she had resisted for the sake of their hidden relationship. If only she could have a second chance…
Veronica had cried herself out, but she still felt sick with grief. She laid on her bed and studied the churning of her stomach sullenly, finally deciding to get up and head for the bathroom, just in case.
She dragged herself out of her bed and walked across the room. Veronica lifted her hand to activate the door switch, but just before she pressed the button, the door buzzed quietly.
Veronica swore and jerked away, startled by the noise. A glance at her clock said it was well past midnight, and her heart leapt into her throat. She didn't dare to hope for a miracle, but her hands were shaking when she pressed the door switch anyway.
The door hissed open, revealing Christine leaning against the wall weakly. There were scrapes and bloodstains across her face, a few ugly gashes across her armor, and bruises staining her skin, but she was there and alive.
For a moment, Veronica was sure she was hallucinating, but then Christine looked up and focused on the brunette, her eyes glassy. Veronica's stomach dropped through the floor and she could hardly hear over the pounding of her heart. "Christine?" she choked out, praying that this wasn't a dream.
Christine managed a weary smile and pulled a box of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes from her tattered bag. She held them out to Veronica, her hand trembling.
Veronica gawked at the proffered confections, but ignored them and flung her arms around her girlfriend. She had a million things to say, but couldn't get her voice to work.
Christine sagged against Veronica, nuzzling her face into the brunette's shoulder weakly.
"What happened? I thought you were—are you okay?" Veronica didn't want to release the shorter girl, but had to in order to check her girlfriend for injuries. She was relieved to find Christine relatively unharmed, with no gashes from deathclaw talons. Just as Veronica was about to embrace the girl again, she noticed a crimson stain at the edge of Christine's breastplate. "Oh god, Chris…"
A hole just large enough to have been from an NCR rifle's bullet had been made in the fabric along Christine's ribs. Though most of the fabric was crusty with blood, parts of it still looked wet. When Veronica's fingers neared the wound, Christine cringed away, a barely-there whimper escaping her.
Panic flooded Veronica's senses, but she did her best to not let it affect her. "C'mon, gorgeous," she murmured, trying to guide Christine down the hallway. The smaller girl stumbled along with Veronica, but every step seemed to drain her of energy. Veronica finally scooped Christine up in her arms and took off toward the clinic.
Christine slumped against her chest, her forehead tucked under Veronica's chin. She was much heavier than Veronica expected, but sheer stubbornness kept the brunette from dropping Christine.
"Schuler!" Veronica called breathlessly as they neared the clinic. "Help!"
The haggard doctor stepped into the doorway just as Veronica arrived, looking like she'd just woken from a restless sleep. Her eyes widened when she realized Christine was nestled in Veronica's arms, and she rushed the brunette into the clinic.
Veronica eased Christine onto the nearest empty cot, her panic spiking when she realized Christine had fainted. Schuler immediately set to work cutting away Christine's armor. The doctor plucked the box of Fancy Lads cakes out of Christine's hands and gave it to Veronica without a second glance, then began cleaning the wounds peppering Christine's body.
Veronica watched for a few moments, but the sight of all the blood smeared across Christine's skin made her stomach twist. She dropped her gaze to the box in her hands, running her fingers over the faded packaging.
"When did she get here?" Schuler asked quietly, injecting a stimpak into Christine's arm.
"A few minutes ago, I guess. I was… going to the bathroom," Veronica mumbled, risking a glance at her unconscious girlfriend. "She was out in the hallway, and… Yeah."
The doctor only nodded, preparing to remove the bullets embedded in Christine's body.
Veronica exhaled shakily, only vaguely remembering Schuler's strict rules about extra people in the clinic once she'd calmed down some. "Sorry, I forgot—I can go," she offered, taking a reluctant step toward the door.
"There's a special exception for loved ones." Schuler held up a bullet fragment and frowned at it, then gave Veronica a knowing smile.
The brunette was stunned; Schuler knew about her relationship with Christine. She stammered for a few moments, her voice trailing off into embarrassed silence.
Schuler's smile grew sly, but she just motioned to a chair in the corner vaguely and finished removing bullet fragments from Christine's body.
Veronica took the invitation and pulled a chair to Christine's bedside, trying to keep quiet so she wouldn't disturb the other patients. She settled into the chair just as Schuler finished bandaging the last of the bullet wounds.
"Keep an eye on her," Schuler murmured, shooting Veronica a tired smile. "That's an order, Veronica. So if anyone asks why you're here…"
A lump rose in Veronica's throat as she realized the excuse Schuler had provided her with. "Thank you," she breathed, hoping the doctor would understand how sincerely she meant the words.
Schuler said nothing, simply gathered her instruments and left the two young women alone.
Veronica wiped her eyes on her sleeve, dropping her gaze to her girlfriend. Christine looked much less pale, and the gentle rise and fall of her chest made Veronica's heart swell with relief. She set the box of cakes by her feet and settled back in her chair, watching over Christine.
=====:=====
Veronica jerked awake when something bounced off of her nose. She blinked a few times, trying to get her bearings, but nothing else mattered when she realized Christine was sitting up and grinning at her.
"Perfect shot," the scout joked, holding up a little paper ball.
"What?" Veronica looked down to find another small ball in her lap, unfurling it and realizing that it was covered in scribbled out lines of poetry.
"Tried to write some, but I guess my brain's still groggy," Christine said dismissively, setting aside the little notebook that was in her lap. "By the way, you snore."
"You try sleeping in one of these chairs," Veronica retorted, a smile stretching across her face. "How are you feeling? You looked—I was worried, Chris."
Christine reached over and rested her hand on Veronica's knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm fine. I made it back, didn't I?" She blinked and swore under her breath. "The box of…"
"Right here." Veronica grabbed the box of cakes and set it on the bed. "But I'd like to know what possessed you to bring me these instead of coming straight to the clinic." She raised an eyebrow, daring her girlfriend to answer.
Christine looked appropriately embarrassed, her gaze dropping to the blanket. She fidgeted slightly, cracking her knuckles. "They're your favorite," she mumbled after a moment, as though that explained everything. "I found them during the mission, and I wanted you to have them."
"But…" Veronica sighed, finding it impossible to be mad. "You're more important to me than a box of these. Way more important."
Christine lifted her gaze to meet Veronica's, relaxing when she realized the brunette wasn't angry. A shy smile passed across her face at the sweet words, and she hooked her fingers through Veronica's. "Sorry," she murmured.
Veronica glanced around the small room to make sure no one was watching, then leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Christine's lips. "Next time, no getting shot."
"I'll see what I can do." Christine shot Veronica an affectionate smile, then reached for her notebook again. Her right hand was still loosely tangled with Veronica's, and Christine didn't release it. She picked up her stubby pencil in her left hand and made a face before attempting to write something in it. After a moment, she snorted at the poor scrawl, but handed the notebook over to Veronica.
I love you. The words were messily written, but filled Veronica with warmth anyway. She looked up at her girlfriend and blinked away tears. "Me too," she echoed, wishing she could express just how much she meant the unspoken words without fear of what the Brotherhood would do to them.
Christine seemed happy enough with that, and the pair sat there in silence for a while. Finally Christine looked at the box of Fancy Lads cakes and frowned. "You didn't even eat one?! I dragged myself all the way back here to deliver those, and you didn't even eat one. Veronica, I'm hurt." There was a teasing twinkle in her eye, and Christine winked at the brunette for good measure.
Veronica scoffed. "Well excuse me for being so worried about you that I forgot to gorge myself."
Christine chuckled and leaned forward to grab the box. She hissed in pain when she pulled against her stitches, sagging back against her pillow. "I'm fine," she promised when Veronica scooted toward her anxiously. "Just can't bend like that yet. Maybe soon. I already miss our midnight calisthenics," she added with a waggle of her eyebrows.
Veronica's ears grew hot. "Christine!"
The scout giggled and nudged the box toward Veronica with her foot. "C'mon, at least have one so I know I didn't do all that for nothing."
Veronica rolled her eyes, but opened the packaging. "Fine. But we're sharing."
"Don't you think our patient should have something a little more nutritious for her first meal?" Schuler's voice asked, her footsteps coming toward the girls.
Veronica jumped at the sudden intrusion and spun around in her chair, nearly falling over. "Schuler!"
Christine disguised a laugh as a cough, greeting the doctor politely. She allowed herself to be examined and prodded at, answering Schuler's questions as best she could.
"Well," Schuler said when she'd finished examining Christine. "Congratulations, you're going to make a complete recovery. We're all glad to have you back, Miss Royce. I'll let your commander know you made it. I'm sure she'll want to talk to you." She smiled and gave the girls a friendly nod before continuing her rounds.
Veronica shot Christine a frazzled look, vaguely amazed that Schuler hadn't spooked her into a heart attack.
"So how about one of those cakes?" Christine joked after a moment, grinning at her girlfriend.
The brunette shot Christine a look, which got the smaller girl giggling. "Schuler had a point, though. If you want to heal up—"
"Schuler be damned," Christine interrupted. "I want a cake." She gave Veronica her best pout, batting her eyelashes until the brunette finally gave in.
"If you have some massive relapse..." Veronica warned, unwrapping one of the cakes and feeding it to Christine. She brushed away the powdered sugar that had somehow landed on Christine's nose, then grinned at her girlfriend. "Can't have Doc Schuler seeing the evidence," she teased, popping the other cake in her own mouth. "God, these are good."
Christine grinned victoriously and licked her lips. "Totally worth it."
"See if you're still saying that when the Med-X wears off," Veronica retorted.
The girls grinned at each other, then lapsed into quiet conversation as they shared the rest of the Fancy Lads cakes. Veronica couldn't keep the smile off her face; the cakes were nice, but as long as Christine was alive and with her, nothing could bring her down.