19. Sun: You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

Nora felt something slam into the back of her Power Armor. She landed face first in the irradiated dirt, tearing it up as whatever force was on her back came skidding to a stop over her.
"Kid!" Nick's voice sounded distant. Nora tried to lift herself, but found another force doing that for her. Just as she was about to get her bearings she was slammed back into the dirt.
Then she heard it.
The horrifying, ground shaking, eardrum breaking roar of a Deathclaw. As Nora's vision settled and the ringing in her ears silenced she noticed a dozen alarms blaring in her ears and flashing in her eyes.
Leg armor integrity low. Arm armor integrity low. Torso armor integrity low. Helmet integrity low. Radiation levels rising. Power core missing.
Nora rolled over in time to see a jaw descend towards her face. Moving without a power core was nearly impossible, but somehow Nora was able to raise her hands and grab the Deathclaw's jaw. She could hear shots being fired, feel the Deathclaw's thick skin vibrate with every bullet, and see the light from gunshots glowing in the radiation fog. The Deathclaw turned its attention away from Nora and she was able to raise her rifle. She pulled the trigger and was showered in Deathclaw blood.
The Deathclaw looked torn between its two assailants, which was just distraction enough for Nora to unload the rest of the clip into its chest. It collapsed backwards into a rad pool, splashing water everywhere.
"Kid!" Nick kicked up dirt as he skid to a stop beside Nora. "Kid, can you move?"
"It destroyed my last power core." Nora winced. Something warm and wet dribbled between her eyes. "All systems down or destroyed."
"Here, I'll help you up," Nick tried to lift the power armor.
"Nick," Nora tried to get his attention.
"Don't worry, kid. I may be old, but these servos are still good for something." To Nick's credit, he was able to get Nora to sit up. But the power armor was so heavy without the power core to keep it upright on its own, she ended up falling sideways and half burying her head in the dirt. "Shit, kid," he turned her so the suit wouldn't take in anymore radiated dirt, "we've gotta, we should," it was the first time Nora had seen Nick at a lost for words.
"Nick," Nora tried again, his eyes glowed against the fog, "you've got to get me out of the armor," Nick was shaking his head, lips pulled in a tight line, "Nick. Unless you want me to soak up radiation while you run all the way to Sanctuary and back to grab more power cores, you've got to get me out of this suit."
"The pure exposure to rads'll kill you, kid." Nick reasoned.
"Maybe." Nora answered. "But we can't sit here much longer. Other Deathclaw's may come at the smell of a fresh kill." She nodded to the Deathclaw but her helmet barely moved.
"No, kid, there's got to be a better way." Nick tried to reason with her.
"Nick, there's nothing we can do. We have to move out." Nora hoped he would help her.
"Alright. Okay." Nick moved to kneel behind her, "you ready, kid?" He didn't wait for an answer as he twisted open the back of the suit. He pried the torso and arms open.
"You're going to need to lift me up." Nora raised her arms.
Nick wrapped his arms under hers and heaved backwards. It felt like Nora's bottom half was going to pop off, she groaned in pain and Nick nearly dropped her. "No no!" Nora gripped his sleeves. She didn't look back at him, "my legs are just stuck, keep pulling."
"But,"
"Nick!" Nora pleaded. Nick's grip on her tightened and he tried pulling at her again. Her calves felt stuck in the knee joints of the armor and Nick couldn't pull her upwards anymore without forcing her knees to bend backwards. Nick eventually had to sit down and scoot back, pulling Nora along a few inches at a time. Nora could feel her clothes ripping, but fashion was the last thing on her mind.
"Guess this is the one case where walking across the Commonwealth didn't come in handy." Nick muttered into her hair, referring to how muscular the wasteland had made her legs. His arms were now wrapped around her midsection and Nora had enough leverage to pull herself out with his help.
Finally her calves came free and Nora quickly worked on getting her feet free. With a jolt Nora was free and she landed with a 'thunk' against Nick's chest.
"Geeze, kid, why didn't you say it was tearing up your legs?" Nick looked at her legs. Nora glanced down. Long, deep cuts ran down either side of her legs. She needed a stimpack or radaway quick or she'd go feral.

"Heh,just like what Hancock would say." Nora joked with herself. She thought of Hancock, childishly storming out of the Memory Den, stubbornly refusing to see them off. Nora grimaced, how could she think Hancock liked her? He was clearly using her to curb his boredom, and Nora had let him.
Nick stood up, easily shouldering Nora now that she was out of her power armor. "Kid?" He must have noticed her grimace. "You okay?" Nora's vision blurred as she leaned on Nick.

She swallowed the bile that threatened to spill out of her mouth, and said, "Come on. Let's get moving." Nora leaned on Nick pushing him in the direction of Sanctuary. Thankfully Nick saw the severity of the situation and started walking.
The walk back was long and arduous, and Nora was grateful that nothing happened to slow them down. Eventually the green smog dissipated and her geiger counter stopped croaking at her. Now they just had to get back to Sanctuary.

Nick tried persuading her to go to Diamond City, or hell, even Goodneighbor or Bunker Hill, but Nora refused. She needed to get these plans to Sturges as soon as possible.
It was a slow walk, but eventually they made it out of the Glowing Sea. Now they just had to make it to Sanctuary with little to no interference.
Nora dreaded Preston seeing her in this state and without her power armor. He'd panic and scold her and then debate sending her to The Castle to 'get a grip on reality'. She just needed to be patched up and get a good night's rest before she and Sturges could get started on the blueprints Virgil gave them.
Nora glanced at Nick, he still had the plans tucked in his coat. She sighed and leaned against him more. "Kid?" Nick's voice sounded distant. "Kid, you alright?"
"Nick," it felt like every muscle stopped working all at once. She felt like gelatin as she collapsed against him.
"Kid!" Nick caught her before she could fall to the ground, "come on, kid, we're almost halfway there!"
But Nora couldn't keep her legs under her anymore. She was so exhausted. Everything felt loose yet fragile. Like her mind was disconnecting from her body. She knew feral's were ghouls who's brains had been melted by radiation, she just hoped Nick would have the sense to get as far from her as possible before that happened.

For a brief, tiny moment, Nora feared turning into a ghoul. Would it happen all at once or be gradual? How much would it hurt? How could she possibly get her son back if she looked like crispy bacon?
Something caught Nick's attention and his head whipped around towards the sound. "Shit, gunners." Nick muttered. He dragged Nora into the bushes off the side of the road. She felt his metal hand tangle in her hair, cradling her head so it didn't just flop onto the ground. "Stay low, kid." He pulled his hand away once he was sure her head wouldn't go limp and hit the ground before the rest of her was laid down. He turned and pulled out his gun.
The gunfire sounded so distant. Nora flinched as raindrops plopped down on her cheek and forehead. She could hear screaming and cursing. It didn't bother her. The gunfire died down as the rain got harder. Nora turned her head to the side so rain wouldn't fall directly into her eyes and she spotted Nick through the bushes. He was hiding beside an overturned bus, but he didn't see the gunner on top of the bus aiming directly down at him.
Nora wasn't sure where the strength came from, but she gripped her rifle and rolled over onto her stomach. She evened her breath and peered down her scope. The world seemed to slow as her bullet flied straight and true to its mark. The gunner's body flailed as he tumbled off the bus.
Nick looked around for his savior and his eyes widened when he saw Nora stand up.
Nora wasn't looking at Nick, she was staring behind him. She fired off another shot. Nick heard the bullet whizz by his head and turned to see another gunner drop their weapon as the life left their eyes. He turned back to Nora.
Her entire body was drenched from the rain, her skin looked hollow, she was bleeding from her hairline and down her calves, but the ferocity in her eyes as she let go of a breath she'd been holding made Nick abandon every survival instinct. He ran over and grabbed her.
"Nora! What were you thinking?!" He shouted at her. He seemed to have snapped her out of whatever adrenaline fueled trance she was in because she swayed on the balls of her feet, threatening to topple over.
Nora struggled to focus on his glowing eyes. "Nick?" She raised her hands to his face, feeling along the edges where his synthetic skin had broken off. "Nick," she held his face to steady it. Or maybe her vision was still blurry, "we have to keep moving."
"Come on, kid." He grabbed her belt and pulled her closer. Nora tried to ignore how long it took him to unholster her flare gun.
"Preston said that's for emergencies," Nora protested weakly. Her knees began to give out.
"Damn it, Nora! This is an emergency." He loaded a flare and shot it up in the air. "Hopefully one of your settlements is nearby." Nora shivered and huddled herself closer to Nick, trying to hide from the rain. The servos and core of Nick's torso were working into overdrive, warming a small section between them. Nora gripped the lapels of his coat, her feet sliding out from under them.
"Nick," her voice was hoarse."
"It's okay, kid, I've got you." Nick saw her struggling to stand and lowered them both to the ground.
"Nick," Nora held his tie in a death grip, "if things don't work out,"

"Nora stop talking nonsense!"

"Ask Hancock,"

"You can ask him yourself!"

Nora let out a low breath, irritated that Nick wasn't listening to her. He needed to know that she wanted someone to rescue her son if she didn't make it. Someone needed to show the Institute that the Commonwealth wasn't afraid to fight back.

Nora squinted at the sun as it fought to shine through the clouds. She fought off the darkness that threatened to overtake her vision, but inevitably she lost and was sent spiraling into oblivion. Nick was screaming something, but Nora could no longer hear him.

Nora wasn't sure which of her senses came back first, she was just suddenly aware of someone humming under her, a hand running over her hair, her right arm throbbing, and she was extremely hot. Nora had enough energy to force one eye open. She saw Hancock's familiar red frock through her blurry vision, and relaxed into his arms. She was at home in Sanctuary. Hancock didn't seem to notice she was awake and continued to hum. Nora listened to him hum the same tune over and over again. Her eye slowly fluttering shut in content. He continued to run a hand over her head, occasionally stopping to brush a loose curl out of her face.

"Didn't know you knew that old song." Nick's voice was in the corner of the room.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Is it from before?" Hancock asked as quietly as he could. Nora, with a little bit of guilt, enjoyed how his chest thrummed under her as he spoke.

"Yeah. It's about this guy asking for his 'sunshine' to stay with him." Nick answered.

Hancock's petting stopped for a second. "Sunshine." He whispered into her hair.