Instead of leading her downstairs to the lab, where Curie had patched her up before, Curie guided her over to a couch in the other living room, this one off the kitchen. Renee plopped down on the worn cushions. "You don't have to…"
"I should 'ave given you Stimpaks, Med-X, somezhing before you left." Curie went to the kitchen to fill a bowl with water and grabbed a clean cloth.
Renee could tell her shoulders were tense. "Please don't worry about me."
Curie said something Renee couldn't quite hear and the redhead sighed. She shrugged out of her jacket, leaving her in her dark t-shirt, and the patch she'd slapped over the bullet holes in the shoulder fluttered to the ground. Her eyes narrowed. "Damn…"
"Here." Curie said next to her. She wetted in the cloth and held out her hand. "Arm."
Renee held out her forearm. Curie began dabbing away the dried blood and dirt, her eyes cast down.
The warm water stung. Renee's fingers twitched at the sensation and she couldn't help a wince.
"Sorry. I'm trying to be gentle." Curie shifted her hand to hold Renee's palm, their fingers loosely entwined.
Renee's cheeks turned pink and she cleared her throat. "I-it's okay."
As Curie focused on her task, Renee let her gaze wander. Being so close to her, she could see the almost invisible freckles splattered across Curie's petite nose. A scar, healed long ago, was near her hairline, almost masked by the soft brown bangs she kept. Renee felt the urge to ask about it but bit her tongue.
Curie tightened her grip on Renee's hand to turn her arm over.
"So, uh, been a doctor long?" Renee swallowed hard.
"My entire life." Curie looked up with a warm smile.
Renee's heart skipped. The soft curl of the woman's lips had never looked so inviting. She blinked, trying to keep the thought from her mind. "Oh."
Curie moved on to a cut near her shoulder on the same arm. She rewetted the cloth, wringing it once. "Hm." She frowned as she began cleaning the wound.
Her hazel-blue eyes almost seemed to glow beneath her dark lashes. Renee felt the blush extend down to her throat and glanced away for only a moment before her gaze returned to the woman. God. "So, um… What… What made you decide to be a doctor?"
"I was designed to be a scientist." Curie wetted the cloth again. "Zhis one is deep, I'll try not to hurt you."
Renee felt her grip her elbow with her other hand and press a bit harder at the cut. "I think I was designed to be a bullet sponge."
Curie chuckled. The gentle sound made Renee's ears perk and she found she liked it. "I'm not so sure about zhat. Surely zhere is more you can do."
"I mean, I'm pretty good at breaking things. Like guns and appliances." Renee winced again. "Ouch."
Curie drew her hand back, her brows knitted in concern. "Sorry!"
"It's okay!" Renee felt guilt lance through her. She hadn't meant to make Curie look so…
The woman finished with the cut and put the cloth back in the bowl. "Better to break a gun or an appliance than your bones, n'est pas?"
"Oh, I'm good at breaking those too." Renee laughed at Curie's horrified expression. "I've always been accident-prone, ever since I was a born."
Curie stood to refill the bowl with clean water. "I will 'ave to get more Stimpaks then…"
"I probably should have told you all that when you hired me, huh?" Renee looked down at her arm. The mark left behind by the bullet wasn't deep, and looked much better without all the blood.
"No reason to apologize for being yourself, not to me." Curie sat further down on the couch and patted her lap. "You were limping."
Renee hitched up her leg, resting it across Curie's thighs. "It's fine."
"Are you going to tell me zhat about all your injuries?" Curie arched an eyebrow, her lips quirked in frown.
Renee reached to rub the back of her neck, feeling her blush grow deeper, though this time from embarrassment and not the rather inappropriate thoughts worming through her mind. "I don't like people to worry about me. Besides, I get hurt so often, it doesn't bother me anymore. So… To me, it's fine."
Curie sighed and pulled the laces out from her boot, gripping her calf to tug it off. "From now on I want you to be completely honest with me if you're hurt. And do not bother trying to hide anyzhing, I will find out if you're injured and not telling me."
Renee was torn between finding the implication behind Curie's words hot or frightening.
Curie pushed up the leg of Renee's jeans and she frowned. "Zhis one definitely looks like it 'urts."
"I mean, yeah, a little…"
A dark purple and blue bruise curled around her foot from where the door slammed shut on it. Renee made a show of rotating her ankle to prove she was fine. "See? Just fine."
"Hmph." Curie cleaned out the shallow scrape left behind from the door. She nodded. "Zhere."
Renee drew her leg back.
Curie shifted closer and gripped Renee's chin in her hand. She brushed some auburn hair away from a cut on her forehead. "What kind of fight did you get into to cause zhese injuries?" She grabbed the cloth again.
Renee's brain drew a blank being so close to the woman. Her eyes traced the delicate curve of Curie's jaw, leading down into the smooth expanse of her throat before it disappeared beneath her collar. "I, er… Um…"
"Hm?" Curie's hand stilled where she pressed the cloth against Renee's skin and she blinked at her. Her other hand still held Renee's chin between her thumb and index finger.
Renee knew by now her face was blazing. She locked gazes with Curie and noticed the flecks of gold in her eyes, the traces of carefully-applied makeup around the corners. She swallowed hard. "G… Gunners."
"Gunners?" Curie made a soft 'tsk' sound and kept cleaning out the cut. "Of course. Monsieur Howard 'as told me much of zheir little group. Dangerous, to be sure."
At the mention of the man's name, Renee winced. Curie pulled back. "Oh, did I hurt you?"
"Stings a little." Renee glanced away. Right. She'd almost forgotten about him. "How do you know this Nate guy anyway?"
"He saved my life." Curie tilted Renee's head to get at the dried blood matted in her hair.
Renee grimaced. Of course he did. How the hell was she supposed to compete with that? "Lucky for me, I guess."
Curie smiled again. "Lucky for both of us." She finished, putting the cloth in the bowl. "Let me see your eye."
Renee didn't have much of a choice, as Curie turned her head for her. Her nostrils flared as Curie felt around the dark bruise. "That hurts," she whined.
Curie ran her fingertips along Renee's cheekbone. "Nozhing seems to be broken or damaged. Besides zhe obvious." She finally released Renee's chin and sat back. "Let me get a Stimpak and I'll be finished."
Renee watched her stand and walk away. She exhaled in a rush, letting her shoulders slump forward. It wouldn't do, feeling the way she did. Her heart pounded in her chest and she brushed her fingers against her arm, remembering Curie's gentle touch. She didn't come all the way from the Capital Wasteland to meet someone new. She escaped someone else, and she had no business—
"I hope you do not mind, but I put your payment and some supplies in your bag, as well as took my equipment out." Curie walked back over, sitting next to her. She held up a Stimpak. "Ready?" She smiled.
"Oh, yeah, that's fine." Renee didn't flinch at the needle. She felt a chill rush through her body for only a moment before her aches faded and she could watch the wound on her arm close.
Curie's smiled widened. "Oh, I seem to be on the right path with zhis formula." She ran a finger down the fresh scar on Renee's arm. "Look at zhat. Completely healed."
"Huh. So it is." Renee held up her arm, turning it over and back, and clenched and unclenched her fist. "Thanks. I feel better."
"It is no problem at all." Curie tilted her head, frowning slightly. "Still… I won't be sending you out right away again. I want you to rest for a day or two. Zhere is no point to pushing your body past its limit."
Renee decided not to comment on the fact she lived most of the past five years doing just that. "Are you sure? I feel fine. I could get something from the market for you if you want?"
"Am I going to need to keep you here just to make sure you rest and take care of yourself?"
The word 'yes' was nearly out of her lips when Renee clenched her jaw. "N-no, I just…"
"Rest. You're free to stay 'ere if you wish." Curie stood and smoothed down her lab coat. "You really must take care of yourself, Renee."
She decided she liked the way her name sounded in Curie's accent. As much as she wanted to stick around, she forced herself to shove her boot back on and stand. "I'll just grab something to eat and then be at the Dugout. I'll…see you in a few days."
Curie nodded. "I will be here. Try to stay out of trouble, hm?"
"I can't promise you that one, but I'll do my best." Renee walked with her to the front door, grabbing her bag on the way. "Well… Thanks again. I appreciate it."
"It was no trouble." Curie leaned past her to open the door.
Renee shifted awkwardly. She finally squared her shoulders and walked outside. "You take care of yourself too."
"Zhere is no worry there, I assure you." Curie leaned against the doorjamb.
Renee glanced back at her. She felt something like loneliness settle in her chest and took a deep breath. With a wave, she walked out into the Market, mostly in search of a stiff drink.
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