As soon as she could stumble out the door, she collapsed to her knees. Renee felt her palms scrape against the wet concrete but she didn't care. She gritted her teeth and a low groan slipped through her lips.
Blood continued to stain her jacket and she knew the back of her shirt was already saturated in it. She pushed herself to her feet, slowly, and tried to ignore the burning sensation running through her skin. Almost. She was so close.
Renee forced herself to start the walk back to Diamond City. The Mirelurk egg was tucked carefully in her bag, wrapped in an extra shirt, and cozied up to some spare circuits she wanted to sell. She nearly made it in and out of the Weston plant without incident, until she swiped the egg itself. Turns out Mirelurks didn't appreciate having their babies stolen.
Her vision wavered and she stumbled on the broken road but managed to stay upright.
Right as she was waiting for the elevator to take her back to the surface, one of the Mirelurks came too close. Its claw sliced right between her shoulders, through her jacket, through her shirt, and definitely through her skin. By god it burned. She knew it was still bleeding.
Damn it, my jacket's ruined… She continued to walk home, carrying her rifle in her hand. I wonder if…if Gene… She heard a noise and jerked her head up, causing pain to ripple through her back as it tugged on the wound. She clenched her jaw against it.
She didn't have time to go chasing every little sound. Renee took a deep breath—but not too deep, her shoulders couldn't handle it—and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. With her vision slipping every so often, it was all she could do to keep moving. Fortunately she could follow the train track home. It was how she got there in the first place, after all; past Oberland, almost to Graygarden, and then down the road.
Renee's boots slipped as she climbed up the hill to the train track. She nearly fell again, doubled over, coughing. Her wound started bleeding again and she felt warmth at her back. Her eyes narrowed.
She eventually made it up the hill and started walking along the train track. As much as she tried to keep her mind wandering, she couldn't help but focus on how much her back hurt. It was one thing she'd never get used to, even after years and years of managing to hurt herself. How bad the pain always was.
Renee contemplated a break but decided against it. She wanted to get back to Diamond City to have Curie—No. To have the doctor at the Mega Surgery Center patch her up. She hadn't thought to grab more Stimpaks before she left, and she wasn't sure if she even had any in her bag. She wasn't about to go digging for them, either. The egg was precious, and she couldn't risk damaging it.
As she went along she alternated between trying actively to distract herself and thinking on Curie. She still couldn't believe she managed to bruise the woman. She didn't even know she could grab someone that tightly to bruise. And to find out by hurting Curie? God. There was nothing she could ever do to make up for that.
By the time she finally saw the Wall, she felt nearly ready to collapse. Blood still trickled from her injury and she was starting to see double if she looked around too quickly. She shuffled through the gate and into the Market.
If anyone noticed her, she didn't notice them. She pulled the egg from her bag as she got closer to the Home Plate. She could hand it off and turn right around. She wouldn't bother Curie, and Curie could still have her space. Simple.
"Curie—Oh." Renee opened the door to see her. For once the scientist was on the ground floor, rifling through her bookshelves. "Here." She held out the egg.
Curie blinked. "Oh. Zhat was fast." She took the egg and began to thank her, but instead her eyes widened. "Renee, are you feeling all right?"
"I hate to ask, but I need…" Renee swayed on her feet. She watched the floor come up to meet her very suddenly and her eyes flickered shut.
"Mm…" Renee felt something warm against her shoulders. She laid on her stomach, on something soft. She forced her eyes open. "What's…"
"Don't move."
As her vision cleared she realized she was lying on Curie's bed. Her initial reaction was to get up; but the wound across her back stopped her and she could only snarl in pain. She turned her head to see Curie leaning over her. "Curie?"
"I said not to move." Curie flicked a glance at her before turning her attention back to the injury. She continued cleaning up the dried blood and any dirt and debris left behind by the Mirelurk claw.
Renee tensed and gripped the blankets as Curie began patting it down with a disinfectant. "Gah, that stings…" She whined.
"Apologies." Curie dabbed more in the gash.
Renee bit her lip. She realized she wasn't wearing her jacket, or her shirt, or, hell, even her bra. "Did you…"
"Oui. I 'ad to access zhe wound." Curie put the disinfectant to the side and picked up a vial of Med-X. "I'll have to stitch it shut."
"Can't you just… Stimpak?" Renee winced at the needle piercing her skin.
"Too deep for zhat." Curie emptied the syringe and put it to the side as well.
Renee could hear her milling about, even if she couldn't see the brunette. "I was going to go to the Mega Surgery Center."
"Well, you were bleeding all over my floor, so I decided to tend to you instead."
"I know you said you wanted us to have space. This isn't exactly space."
Curie poked at her back. "Can you feel zhis?" She lightly flicked near the wound.
"A little."
"I'll try to be quick zhen." Curie held up a curved needle, already threaded. "Stay absolutely still."
Renee gritted her teeth at the first suture. She let out a gasp and gripped the blankets again. "Shit, fuck…!"
Curie's fingers were cool where she worked at the wound. "I know zhis isn't space. But I couldn't let you…" She hummed in her throat. "My worry for you overrides my desire to keep you at arm's length."
Knowing now she was once a robot, Renee could chuckle at the way Curie talked about her thoughts and actions sometimes. Her good humor faded as she definitely felt the next stitch. "Ngh!" She flinched, squeezing her eyes shut.
"You 'ave a gun, do you not?"
"I do. Three-oh-eight caliber bolt-action hunting rifle—God damn it!" Renee's knuckles were white where she gripped the blankets beneath her. "Oh fuck that hurts…"
"May I ask why you didn't just…shoot zhe Mirelurks?" Curie stopped to dab some more disinfectant on the stitches she already did.
"I didn't want to risk breaking the egg. Trying to get in and out in a hurry." Renee whimpered and turned her head to look back at Curie. "Y-you know, I don't think the Med-X did much…"
Curie's hazel eyes were hard and she sighed. "I 'ave to finish. Just bear it a bit longer."
"It's been a while since I had to have someone sew me up." Renee winced. "I… Thanks."
Curie didn't respond. She pushed the needle through again and pulled the thread tight. Then, "You…have a lot of scars."
"I know."
"But zhese don't all look like zhey are from bullet wounds, or animal attacks, or knives." She ran her fingertip along a scar. "Well, zhis one per'aps."
Renee let her eyes close again and took a deep breath. "That's because they're not. They're from people. A person."
Curie's hands slowed as she finished her work and sliced of the remaining thread. She cleaned the remaining sutures. "Just one person did all zhis?"
"Yeah." Renee's nostrils flared at the sting of the disinfectant again. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Her wound ached still, but much less than earlier. Even if the fresh stitches throbbed.
She felt Curie jab a Stimpak into her shoulder and the familiar rush of cool relief spread through her body. She wrinkled her nose as she could practically feel the wound start to close up; but not quite, as Curie had stated before. As usual the woman was right. "Well? Am I gonna live?" She joked, looking back at Curie.
"You'll live today, at least." Curie offered a small smile. She began putting her things away. "Who did all zhis to you?"
Renee started to push herself up when she felt Curie start to help. "I can…" She flicked her gaze up to see Curie's neutral expression. "…Thanks." She grabbed the blankets to cover her naked chest with as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"I don't want you to tear your sutures." Curie continued cleaning up.
Renee ran a hand through her hair when she realized it had been braided. "Wait… You did this too?" She held it in her hand, tied neatly with her own hair ribbon at the end.
"You 'ave long hair and it was in my way."
Renee noticed that Curie's cheeks were dusted with pink. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble for me. I'm sorry I passed out at your door."
"It was no trouble." Curie closed her bag with a resolute snap. She shrugged out of her coat, which was splattered with blood now, and folded it over to toss in a nearby hamper. "My duty is to serve, and to 'elp those in need." She gave a tired smile before her expression hardened again. "Who hurt you, Renee?"
Oh. Back to that. Renee looked away with a curt breath. "Technically it was two people. But I deserved it. So don't worry about it."
"No one deserves scars for somezhing they've done. No one." Curie stood in front of her, gazing down.
Renee refused to match her eyes. "I do."
"I stand by my previous statement."
Renee hung her head. "It was my sister. And my… My ex-boyfriend. Mostly my ex."
"Your own family did somezhing like this?" The mattress sagged as Curie sat next to her.
"Olivia and I have never gotten along. She's always hated me. One day I pushed her too far and she started fighting. Actually fighting. She shoved me into one of the old harvesters. I'm lucky all I got was a cut from one of the blades, because it could've been a lot worse." Renee winced at the memory. "Dad reamed us both out for that one."
From the corner of her eye, Renee watched Curie start to put out a hand but then draw it back. Curie looked down. "And zhis boyfriend of yours?"
Renee lifted her head and pulled back her lips to show off her missing molar. She saw Curie's eyes widen and dropped her hand. "He wasn't much better to me."
"Did he…"
"Punched it right out one night." Renee glanced away. "I wish I could say that's the worst he ever did."
To her absolute shock, Curie suddenly lurched forward and hugged her. She blinked.
"No one should 'ave to endure zhat. It's not right. You didn't deserve any of zhat." Curie's voice was muffled where she pressed against Renee's collar.
Renee slowly returned the embrace. Curie felt warm in her arms, comfortable. Like she was meant to be there. Renee took a deep breath. "I did, though. I should've known better than to make him angry. And Olivia too. I knew what would happen if I yelled back or tried to fight."
Curie pulled back and held Renee's face in her hands. "You did not deserve it."
"I… But… I did." Her whole life she'd been told she deserved it. Olivia always made sure to tell her she deserved everything that ever happened to her, good or bad. Her father would tell her she deserved whatever punishment he was forced to dole out when she misbehaved.
"Non, you did not." Curie shook her head. "You never deserve abuse. No matter how horrible you may be, no one deserves to be beaten for it. And you're not 'orrible, Renee. You're unselfish, kind—"
"Please stop." Renee felt tears pool in her eyes.
"—loyal, giving—"
"Stop." Her chest ached. Somewhere deep down she knew Curie was telling the truth, and that hurt more than any injury or beating she could ever receive.
"—and brave, even if you make mistakes, even if you're stubborn and don't care about yourself—"
Renee held her closer as she began to cry. She couldn't hold her tears back any longer and she sobbed against Curie, space be damned. Her shoulders shook and caused pain to ripple across her back but she paid little mind to it.
She'd been in the Commonwealth for, maybe, two months. When she finally made it to Bunker Hill she never expected she'd eventually be sobbing in the arms of a woman she had absolutely no right to be attracted to, half naked, about her own past trauma. She didn't even think she'd live this long. How many times did she wake up in Rivet City and stare down the barrel of her own rifle before Davey came around and told her to get to work so he could afford more chems?
But Curie would never do that. Curie wouldn't beat her, wouldn't scream at her, wouldn't bring back strange women to the apartment and say that it was her fault she was cheating. Renee tightened her grip. She didn't want to let go. Curie was warm and gentle, and right now, felt like the only thing keeping her grounded.
hey, thanks for reading. can i trouble you for a review? as you can see, i don't really have any, so i'd really appreciate it!