Chapter 28: Apologies
Cross was barely conscious when they got to Forlorn Hope. Boone and the soldier from the Fort were carrying her between them. Thankfully the camp was expecting them and quickly began triaging the escapees. Cross was quickly taken from him and carried off to the medical tent then he was examined, given a stimpak and told to get some sleep. He tried to argue that his place was with his partner but the Major had him escorted to a tent and left a soldier on guard to make sure he stayed there.
Boone dropped his and her packs and rifles on the second cot and sat down on the first. He pulled off his chaffing armour chest plate and tossed it on the opposite cot. He felt like shit and not just physically. He had no idea Cross had been taken. He'd convinced himself that she had left. He was absolutely certain that if someone had taken her, she would find her way back to him. But days, weeks, of waiting and searching and he had found nothing. Every day chipped away at his resolve. Eventually he realized there were only two reasons she wouldn't come back. Either she were dead, or she didn't want to come back. And if either of those were true, he didn't want to go on. He made up his mind and headed across the river alone to meet his fate. But fate had other ideas.
When she'd first revealed herself to him he wanted nothing more than to sweep her up into his arms and never let go. There she was, seemingly hale and hearty in the evening light and as he looked at her, he realized all his days of suffering had been cause by her. It had made him angry. And that anger had made him say terrible things.
Boone laid down on the cot as he remembered her apologizing for everything even though she had been taken against her will. He should be the one apologizing. He's the one who didn't have faith in her. He's the one who said terrible things. He's the one who had wished she had died in Goodsprings. Apologizing would be his first priority tomorrow.
"How is she, doc?" Boone asked the doctor bright and early the next morning. After he had woken up, he had found a change of clothes, donned his armour, resupplied and amalgamated his and his partner's two packs into one. Now he needed to check on Cross.
"If I'd have known she was this bad when I saw her last, I never would have let her leave." Richards sighed. "She has second degree chemical burns covering most of her arms and legs as well as first degree burns almost everywhere else. Of the second degree burns some are becoming infected. She also has chemical burns in her throat. But the worst by far is her chest. Whatever caused the chemical burns to her throat also damaged her lungs. The damage is causing her lungs to fill with blood. What's most bizarre however is that these injuries are still progressing. The burns are getting worse. We've tried cleaning the affected area but it's done nothing to slow down the damage. Whatever caused these burns is still present and we don't know how to neutralize it. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before she chokes to death on her own blood."
Boone swallowed hard. That was not what he was expecting. "How long?" He finally asked.
"The stimpaks are managing to repair the damage as it's done but not at an equal rate. At most? I'd say a week."
"What can we do?"
The doctor considered for a moment. "New Vegas Medical Center might be able to help. But you'd have to get her there."
"Can you tell them we're coming?"
Boone headed to the medical tent next. The tent was packed with the wounded from the Fort; despite that, Cross had a corner to herself. He approached her bed and took in the sight. She was in her underclothes. Without the bulky hazmat suit to hide it, he could see that every inch of her skin was red or raw with burns; the worst of which had been bandaged. Her neck was also bandaged. He approached the side of her bed and sat in a convenient chair.
"Cross." He said loudly.
Slowly, her eyes opened and she tilted her head over to look at him. He was in his black combat armour with his rifle over his shoulder. He wore his beret and a new pair of sunglasses. "Boone." She rasped tiredly. "Heading out?"
"Yeah." He replied.
She nodded almost imperceptible. "Goodbye, then. No more suicide missions, okay?"
"You're coming with me." He said sternly.
Cross smiled weakly. "I don't think I can stand, let alone watch your back."
"Doc says the New Vegas Medical Center might be able to help you."
Cross shook her head and closed her eyes. "Two days north?" She sighed. "I told you I can barely stand. And besides, I thought you wanted nothing to do with me."
Boone let out a heavy sigh. "I said some pretty cruel things, didn't I? You need to understand, I'd convinced myself that you left. I was absolutely certain that if someone had taken you, you would find your way back to me. But days, weeks, of waiting and searching and I found nothing. Eventually I realized there were only two reasons you wouldn't come back. Either you were dead, or you didn't want to come back. And if either of those were true, I didn't want to go on. Then, after we killed Caesar, you were there. I thought…" Boone sighed. "I thought you were just another way for fate to make my life a living hell."
"I'm sorry, Boone."
"Don't apologize. I doubted you. I gave up on you. If anyone should apologize, it's me. I should have been waiting for you. But I wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry, Cross. I'm sorry I didn't have faith in you." He hesitated. "And I'm sorry that the next two days are going to be hell for you, but I will not sit here and watch you die if there's something I can do about it!"
The doctor spent an hour binding Cross's wounds properly for travel. He then provided Boone with stimpaks and med-x for the journey ahead. When he was ready to head out, Boone headed to the infirmary to pick up his partner.
"I said no." He heard her say as he entered the tent.
"Just hear me out."
"No. No more med-x."
"You can't deny the pain you're in. Why not just take the med-x and-"
"No."
"Well, why not?!"
"Because I took too much at the Fort!"
"Before we killed Caesar," Boone began when he stood beside the cot where his partner sat. "That wasn't the first dose, was it?"
"It was the third, in an hour." Cross admitted bitterly.
"I didn't give you much of a choice, did I?" Boone realized.
Cross gave him a lopsided smile. "I'll die before I let them kill you."
"I know." Boone said sadly. "Ready to go?"
"No. Just want to go back to sleep." Cross answered with a sigh. With a deep breath, she pushed herself off the cot. Boone moved to help her but she waved him off. She stood in light, but fully covering clothes. The bulky hazmat suit that she had worn to protect her skin from further sun damage was soiled beyond cleaning from her numerous burns as was the mask which had made breathing just a little bit easier. She was completely unarmed, no pistols and no knives, they'd been left in Cottonwood Cove with Boone's present since she was unable to fight in melee. She looked over at Boone and shifted her eyes to the holorifle over his shoulder beside his sniper rifle. He nodded and pulled it off his shoulder to hand it to her.
"What is it?" He asked as he gave the energy weapon a once over before Cross took it.
"Near as I can figure, it was emerging tech before the bombs fell. Elijah weaponized it."
"Elijah?" Boone asked as Cross shouldered the rifle.
"The madman." Cross nodded toward the tent's doorway. "Let's go before I lose my nerve."
Cross and Boone left the infirmary tent. Cross managed walk on her own and demanded to do so as long as she could to give Boone more time to heal. Once outside, Cross started to regret agreeing to the trek as the hot sun bared down on the few spots of her skin that were uncovered.
"Boone!" They both looked up to see a wild haymaker incoming. Boone barely managed to get out of the way in time.
"What the hell, Betsy?!" Boone roared as he slipped by the follow up punch and managed to shove Betsy away.
"You idiot!" Betsy seethed back as Sterling and Ten of Spades grabbed hold of her to prevent her from attacking further. "How could you do something so incredibly stupid?!"
"Betsy…" Boone said with a sigh.
"I get it! You had lost your partner! But trying to take down the Fort, alone?" Betsy finally started to calm down. "You need help Boone."
Boone shook his head. "Couldn't risk anyone else lives."
"That's not what I meant and you know it!"
"Betsy." Cross broke in hoarsely.
"Courier?" Betsy asked in surprise.
"You're right. It's obvious; I'm not enough." Cross said quietly. She had to pause for a breath before continuing. "What sort of help is available around here?"
Betsy finally relaxed but both men still held onto her, knowing her temper. "Dr. Usanagi at New Vegas medical."
"Thanks." Cross said with a nod.
"We need to go." Boone said sternly and gently pushed Cross to get her moving.
Cross nodded and waved goodbye to First Recon. Cross and Boone left the camp and walked a few minutes before Cross spoke again. "Will you see the doctor she mentioned?"
"I'm not going to spill my guts to a stranger, let alone a head shrink." Boone said gruffly.
Cross considered. "A compromise then. I won't try to convince you to see this doctor but if I die, promise me you'll go."
Boone glanced over at Cross as they walked. He could argue, he could dismiss her, he could lie or he could compromise. "Only if you promise the same." He finally decided. Cross looked at him in surprise. "We're both fucked up." Boone added.
Cross narrowed her eyes at him. "Alright. I promise if you die, I'll go talk to this doctor."
Boone nodded. "I promise the same."
"No, say it all. No getting out of this on semantics."
"Fine. I promise if you die, I'll go talk to this doctor."
They walked for only an hour before Cross needed to stop. Boone found them some shade and they took a break.
"Why'd they only take you?" Boone asked as they sat in silence.
"Hmm?" Cross responded absently.
"If this madman was looking for bodies to throw at the Sierra Madre's defense, why didn't he take both of us?" Boone asked again as they walked.
"I actually wondered that myself." Cross replied slowly. "Dog was in charge of retrieving the victims. I asked him if her saw you. He told me he had but he'd only brought me back because you looked heavy."
"Dog?"
"It's a long story." Cross sighed.
"But you'll tell me, right?"
"If I survive this, I'll tell you everything."
By noon, Boone had to help Cross walk. Her condition was steadily deteriorating. She seemed to be coughing up more blood than before and her eyes were starting to glaze over.
"You said there's some sort of present for me down in Cottonwood Cove?" Boone prompted, trying to get Cross's attention as they walked. Cross just made a noise of affirmation. He kept trying to prompt her but she didn't respond again. He ended up having to carry her the last few hours of the day in order to reach the safety of the 188. When he got there, he found a burned out bus with some mattresses in it and gently laid her down on one.
"Get some sleep." He whispered as he dug through his pack for another stimpak. He carefully injected it into her arm. Then he sat back against the wall of the bus and kept watch for a few hours.
Boone managed to get a few hours of sleep before he was awakened by the morning sun. He yawned and stretched before leaning over and shaking Cross's shoulder.
"Time to get moving." Boone said gently. Cross didn't rouse. He shook harder and tried calling her name. Carefully he moved his fingers to her neck and looked for a pulse. She was still alive with a weak but steady pulse. Boone applied another stimpak to her arm then gathered up their supplies and gently picked up his partner. He walked north for an hour before Cross roused in his arms.
"Boone…?" She said in confusion.
"Shush. Just rest."
"No. I… I can walk." She rasped and tried to move in his arms.
"Maybe you can." He replied as he slightly tightened his grip on her. "But I won't let you." She started coughing in his arms. He held her tight as the coughing wracked her body. By the time she was done, both her shirt and his armour were stained with red. She passed out again shortly after.
Boone rested whenever he found shade but tried to keep up a decent pace. Cross came around a few more times but didn't manage to say anything intelligible. It was getting dark when he heard her laugh quietly. He tore his eyes off the building he knew to be the New Vegas Medical center in the distance and looked down at his partner.
"Strange." She rasped hoarsely.
"Quiet. We're almost there."
"All I wanted." She said deliriously. "To feel safe… In your arms… One… more… time."
Boone gritted his teeth and picked up the pace. He reached the door and kicked it several times. The door flew open and a tall, blond doctor Boone immediately recognized stood in the doorway.
"What took you so long, Boone?" Arcade said in a hurried but joking voice.
"She needs help." Boone panted, looking down at the woman in his arms with a line of blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth.
"We know." Arcade began, gesturing for Boone to follow him in. "Forlorn Hope radioed ahead. We've been brainstorming solutions while we waited." Arcade lead the way down the hall toward a back room. "Where'd you find her?" He asked.
"She found me." Boone said quietly.
"Lay her down here." Arcade said as he motioned to a cot in one of the back rooms. Boone did as he was told and laid his lifeless partner on the cot. "Now go back to the Lucky 38 and get some rest. You look like hell."
"I'm staying right here." Boone said threateningly.
"I understand your concern." Boone heard from the doorway. "But Arcade and I need space to work. Either wait in the lobby or go get some sleep."
"And you are?" Boone asked the woman in the lab coat in the doorway.
"That's Dr. Usanagi. She's in charge here." Arcade explained.
Boone glared at the doctor. "I'll be in the lobby." Boone left the room and headed back to the lobby where he collapsed on one of the worn out couches.
"Boone."
Boone heard the familiar voice and jolted alert to find Arcade standing over him. "How is she?" He demanded.
"Relax. It's good news." Arcade sat down on the couched beside him. "It took six tries but we eventually found an alkaline solution that worked to neutralize the chemical acid causing the damage. We've cleaned the wounds thoroughly with the solution and they seemed to have stopped progressing. Right now she has on a retrofitted oxygen mask that's allowing her to breathe the vaporized solution to neutralize the acid eating away at her lungs and throat. We don't know how long it will take to do that so you might as well go get some actual rest."
"Can I see her?"
"Of course. This way." Arcade led the way back to the backroom where he'd left Cross. Inside he found Cross still unconscious on the same cot. She was covered mostly with a sheet and had on an oxygen mask as Arcade had mentioned. Arcade walked to the other side of the room and pulled a chair over to beside the bed.
"Since I can't convince you to leave." Arcade said sternly.
"Thanks." Boone sat down in the chair and dropped their gear. He kicked their pack under the cot and leaned both rifles against the wall. When he was done he noticed Arcade was gone. He leaned back in the chair and drifted off again.
"… Breathe easy again."
"We're not sure…"
Boone roused slightly to the soft voices.
"… Sierra Madre…"
"What?!" The loud voice of Arcade finally woke Boone who gave out a soft groan as he tried to work out a crick in his neck.
"Dammit. I didn't mean to wake him." Arcade said quietly again.
"I told you her was a light sleeper."
Boone recognized that voice. It sounded like his old partner, harsh and bold but not at all raspy or pained. He snapped his eyes open and saw Cross sitting upright on the cot in a light t-shirt and Arcade sitting at the foot. "Cross?" He said tentatively, rubbing at his eyes.
She smiled before she spoke. "Hey, Boone."
"You're awake." Boone said quietly.
"Thanks to you."
Arcade cleared his throat loudly. "I think it'd be alright if you two head back to the Lucky 38 and get some rest. I'll swing by later today with another batch of that chemical."
"But I feel fine, Arcade." Cross rebutted.
"I don't care. We want to be sure that ever trace of that chemical is gone from your lungs." Arcade said sternly.
"Alright, alright." She acquiesced.
"Good. Now go get some rest." Arcade concluded before standing up and leaving the room.
Cross looked over at Boone. He had a strange look on his face. "Boone?" She asked.
In one fluid movement Boone slipped from the chair onto his knees, reached out and pulled Cross into his arms. Cross was slightly taken aback. He held her firmly but not tightly. Cross only hesitated a moment before mimicking him and wrapping her arms around him. She then brought her head down to rest on his shoulder.
"This is what I should have done at the Fort after we killed Caesar." Boone mumbled.
"It's alright Boone."
"No, it's not." Boone said, finally pulling back but keeping a hand on each of her shoulders. "I said… terrible things. You know I don't agree with anything your father said. I know you care. After all the shit I've put you though, you wouldn't be here anymore if you didn't care. And I… I wished you had died." Boone took a shaky breath. "I'd do anything to take back those words."
"Let's blame it on the hours you spent hanging on a cross and just forget it, alright?" Cross suggested. Boone sighed as he removed his hands from her shoulders. "Come on. Let's go to the Lucky 38!"
Dressed in light clothes with the holorifle over her shoulder, Cross and Boone left New Vegas Medical and headed for the Strip. They got to the Lucky 38 unaccosted. Just as the elevator doors opened Cross, heard her name shouted and Veronica lunged into the elevator to hug her.
"Where have you been?! We've all been looking for you!" Veronica said as she pulled Cross into the foyer.
"It's a long story." Cross began.
"And she's not telling it today." Boone finished.
"Arcade said you were hurtin' pretty bad." Cass said as she looked Cross over.
"I was, still am a bit." Cross admitted.
"Go rest." Boone said as he gently pushed her toward the master bedroom. "Tell us tomorrow."
"Fine." Cross relented and headed to get some sleep.
