Several hours after Dawn left her cabin, Joshua came up to spend some time with Mary and to get more of the skin salve for his treatment. Mary had grown accustomed to seeing him almost every day, and it seemed Joshua was comfortable enough to go bandage free around her and the two children; she just wished that he could feel this comfortable and free when he went outside.
They sat on the porch outside her cabin, admiring the sunset on the horizon and drinking cool lemonade.
"I could stay here forever", Joshua sighed contentedly.
"Nothing stopping you", Mary smiled as she sipped her drink, "I could use a handy man around the cabin to help with repairs and lifting heavy items".
Joshua chuckled and shook his head, "Out of the two of us, you're the one who is handier. I'm just good with a gun".
"Is this your way of trying to get out of work?" Mary laughed.
"No! Not at all", Joshua winked at her, "But in all honesty, I wouldn't shy away from earning my keep".
"I know", Mary nodded, observing him with a smile, "If you want to stay, you are more than welcome".
They sat together in silence for a while, appreciating each other's company and the cool breeze.
"How's everything in town going?", Mary asked after a while.
Joshua shrugged and poured himself another glass of lemonade from the jug on the small end table between them, "Good. As always, nothing new or unpredictable ever happens. It's funny, but I'm certain it hasn't changed since I left when I was a young man".
Mary chuckled and nodded, "I think the last time something exciting happened around here was when you were brought in several months ago".
"Hmm… Sometimes I wonder if, because nothing ever happens in this town, people are so bored that they try to find…ways to amuse themselves", Joshua commented somewhat acerbically, and Mary noticed the change in his tone.
"I suppose that's true, for some people", she replied, wondering whether he was referring to a certain someone they had in common.
Joshua turned to look at her, admiring the way she looked with the way the light from the sunset highlighted her features. Her hair was done in a half up-do with an attractively messy bun at the top and lose strands that framed her face quite beautifully. "If I stayed up here forever, the town would certainly have something to amuse themselves with".
Mary chuckled and sipped her drink, hoping that Joshua didn't notice her flushed face. She had her own thoughts about what constituted amusement together with Joshua.
"Sounds to me like this is something that's bothering you".
With a frustrated exhale and grunt, Joshua stood up from his chair and picked up his empty glass and jug to take back inside the cabin, "I'm sorry. Dawn has been…a bit of a nuisance for me all day. I am grateful for her love and support, but I have forgotten how overbearing she can be sometimes".
His disclosure made Mary curious and she turned to him with a questioning expression, "Really? Whatever about?"
The question made Joshua blush and he quickly shrugged and made his way back inside, "Erm, nothing important. Forget I said anything".
Mary got out of her chair and followed close behind him, "Alright, if you're sure", she made her way into the kitchen and started finishing the preparations for their dinner while Joshua stood by, watching her work and ready to offer help if she requested it.
"Speaking of Dawn, I've had a run in with her today", she started, feeling Joshua's attention snap to her, "She came up to the cabin and wanted to have a talk. About you, no less".
Joshua's eyes were wide with fearful expectation of what Mary had revealed.
"Dare I ask?" he grumbled.
"Don't fault her too much, Joshua. She means well and wants to see you happy", Mary answered, handing him his plate filled with food and a basket of freshly baked corn bread for him to take to the dining table.
"This has gone too far", he grumbled, "I'm going to have a talk with her when I get back".
"No need, I took care of the matter for both of us", Mary replied confidently, taking her own plate of food and sitting with Joshua at the table, "I don't imagine she'll be bothering either of us. At least, for a while".
"What did you say to her?" Joshua asked, an amused look in his eyes. If she had found a way to quell Dawn's persistent nagging, he wanted to know about it.
Mary shrugged, "I simply told her that it wasn't proper what she was doing, and behind your back too", she grinned, recalling the shocked expression on Dawn's face, "And that you and I are adults who can run our own lives. She left in a huff, but it needed to be said".
Joshua leaned back in his seat, watching her with admiration and a sense of guilt at the fact that she had to suffer Dawn's stubbornness.
"I do have a question though, and I apologise that it'll be a very blunt one", Mary said, setting her cutlery aside and focusing her gaze on Joshua's.
"Go ahead", Joshua answered, taking a bite of the delicious bread.
"Dawn mentioned that you are in love with me. Is it…true?"
Suddenly taking a bite out of the bread didn't seem like a good idea as Joshua's throat closed up, nearly choking him on his food.
"I shouldn't have asked", Mary shook her head regretfully, handing him a glass of cool water to help with his coughing.
"No… No, it's alright", Joshua stuttered, taking a long drink to clear his throat before he attempted to speak again.
Sometimes Mary wondered if her honesty and straight forwardness was one of her flaws, "You don't have to answer that. I spoke before even thinking about it".
"It's fine, Mary", Joshua grinned at her, "In fact… it's one of the qualities I love about you".
A grin spread on Mary's lips, so wide that it made her cheeks ache, "So… you do love me".
Now it was Joshua's turn to flush, "It would be foolish of me not to be honest and admit that I do...care about you; and that you are in my thoughts every moment of every day",
"Ah, but you said love", Mary smiled and wiggled happily in her seat, a sense of satisfaction at watching Joshua squirm right in front of her.
He leaned forward and took one of her hands in his, caressing it as if it was the most precious thing to him, "Yes, I did say that, didn't I?... and I do. So, in the spirit of being honest and open, there's also another confession that I have to make to you".
"What's that?"
He took a moment to compose his words before proceeding with an answer, knowing well that words can have a weighty impact on people, especially if said in the wrong way. "I will always be indebted to you for helping me in my road to recovery, and for being the only one who can melt my pain away when I'm with you", he sighed and leaned back in his chair, "And if you were to ask me if I pictured myself having a life with you; well, I won't deny that I haven't thought about it. You will always have my love, but… there is a part of me that feels I cannot have that future".
"Because of your past?"
Joshua nodded solemnly, "Please, I don't want you to take my words the wrong way Mary. I just need you to understand".
"I do", Mary nodded, feeling a slight lump in your throat, "You've been through so much in your life that, at times, you feel undeserving of the kindness that is shown to you".
"Exactly", Joshua nodded, "So… you know how I feel".
"I do. I've had to deal with survivor's guilt myself when I first got here", Mary sighed, recognising the tell-tale signs of the psychological condition which she struggled through a long time ago.
Mary's answer took Joshua aback, "What?"
"From what you've told me and what I have observed, you are going through this too".
Joshua shook his head, "I don't see how".
Mary leaned in slightly and touched his hand, "After surviving my own horrors, I used to feel a lot like you do right now. I was numb for a long time, then when relief kicked in I started to feel guilt because I had survived while so many innocent people around me perished. Why did I get to feel relief, happiness, or anything good? And I wondered whether I could or should have done anything more to prevent the deaths of others. It made me retreat into myself, and I didn't want to have anything to do with anyone because I didn't believe I was deserving of their help or affections. Sound familiar?", Mary asked.
Mary's words struck a chord within Joshua; he couldn't deny that he was feeling exactly as she had described, and it seemed to only be getting worse with time. But he didn't know what to do about it and somehow, he felt like admitting it would only make him spiral further down into the darkness.
"Actually… Yes, it does", he admitted hesitantly after a moment, "What did you do to get over this?"
"Your people helped me greatly", she smiled at him, "They didn't take no for an answer, even though at first I rejected their help. Then I came to realise that what they wanted more than anything was for me to get better and that they wouldn't go away until they were sure I was alright. I started recovering when I began accepting one little act of kindness from others a day".
"And now… You're healed?" Joshua asked.
Mary sighed and broke her gaze from him, "Honestly, I'm not sure. Some days are harder than others. There's not a day that goes by when I don't think about what happened, but now I know that I am alive for a reason and spending my days in recluse and despair would be an insult to my family and friends who didn't make it. I know that if I carried on, it would have been the same as if my own life was taken from me that day. So, every day, I make a conscious decision not to allow myself to fall into that pit, but to do something worthwhile with my life and my limited time on this Earth".
Her words rendered him speechless and he saw this beautiful, caring and generous woman in a new light. She was a survivor and one of the wisest human beings he had ever come across.
"You're right…" he nodded after a moment of silent contemplation, "Although our experiences are different, in my core I do feel this way".
Mary's gaze met his and, for a moment, he could accept having a happy life together with her. He never expected that his mind would be swayed in this manner, and although he knew that right now he felt he was undeserving of her and the kind affection she was giving him, it gave him hope that one day he would feel differently.
"It does get better over time. By acknowledging it, you've just taken the first step towards getting better".
"Then, before I allow doubt to take over again… As a second step, I would like to ask if I could stay here with you from now on", he said, watching her expression change back to bliss, "That is, if the offer is still on the table".
"It was always there", she smiled, leaning over the table to give him a sensual kiss that gave him a rush throughout his body. His mind swam with lustful thoughts, so much so that it took all of his willpower not to act on them.
"What was that for?" he asked after she sat back down in her seat.
"To say that I love you too".
Her words washed every negative thing he thought about himself away, leaving him with a love drunk smile that brightened his features and made him feel like a foolish young man again. Leave it to a Quaker to see the best in someone and bring it out into the world.
The afternoon rolled in quickly with Aelius keeping an eye out for Ash and Gael while they slept. He took a seat by an open window, watching for any movement outside. There was no indication that they were followed by the Deathclaw but that didn't mean the threat was gone. Aelius would have to keep a watchful eye just in case.
Gael stirred in his mother's arms, turning away from her and stretched, his tired eyes blinking the sleep away.
"Aelius?" his little groggy voice called out.
"I'm here", Aelius whispered, still in his seat by the window, "You alright?"
"I'm thirsty", he grumbled as he rubbed his eyes.
Aelius went over to his backpack and pulled out his water bottle, "Here you go bud". He handed Gael a drink and watched the boy down almost half of it in small gulps. "Wow, you were really thirsty", he commented when Gael handed him the bottle back. It was a stark reminder that they needed to find a water supply before they set out again. Ash was still fast asleep, not even reacting to Gael as he wiggled to get into a more comfortable position. When he went back to sleep, Aelius struggled to decide whether he should remain in the church or venture outside to one of the other buildings and try to find some supplies. The sun was well past its zenith, Aelius estimated it was probably around 3PM. Before long the sun would be setting and the opportunity to explore the area under natural light would be lost. With a long exhale, he decided that he would take a chance and explore the immediate vicinity; at least to look for some water to replenish their supply. Taking a piece of paper and pencil from the desk, he wrote a note for Ash so that she wouldn't worry if they woke up before he was back and set it on a pillow next to her head. He took his machete with him, leaving the supply bag with them should they need anything. Without a sound, he made his way stealthily down the stairs and out of the church, making sure to close the doors… just in case.
Outside it was eerily quiet; not even a breeze stirred the air. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about this place gave him an uneasy feeling. Aelius sneaked across the road as quietly as possible to one of the smaller buildings; an old world supply shop. With any luck, he hoped that the place still had some supplies left.
Propping the door to the old shop open in case he needed to make a quick getaway, Aelius snuck inside, keeping low to the ground and his hand on the handle of his weapon, ready to strike if the need called for it. Behind the counter he found a first aid box with some antiseptic and antibiotics, which he promptly pocketed, as well as some bobby pins, plenty of shopping baskets, and a floor safe. Taking one of the bobby pins he found, he used it to pick the easy lock of the safe door. With a satisfying click the safe unlocked and inside Aelius found a stack of old world money, some faded paperwork, a box of .45 ammo and a .45 auto pistol.
'Now this will come in handy' he thought happily. It wasn't as powerful as some of the ranged weapons the Legion had, but it was a ranged weapon nonetheless and with a well-aimed shot it would kill instantly.
The clanging sound of an empty can hitting the floor some distance away made Aelius almost jump with surprise. He quickly pulled his machete out and made his way in the direction of the noise, feeling his heart in his throat and the all too familiar adrenaline kick. Down the end of the corridor was an open room with almost empty shelves strewn around with what used to be a glass wall to his left running all the way down the side of the building. Another clanging sound caught his attention, coming from the end of the room where the clerk's counter was. Aelius sneaked stealthily down the room, taking cover between shelves, but before he even reached the counter a brown furry creature jumped up on the surface from behind with great agility and its wide golden eyes fixed upon him, licking its lips. It was smaller than a mole rat, with thick striped brown fur, small pointed ears at the top of its head, a long swishing tail, and the pupils of its eyes were vertical. Aelius had never seen a creature like this before, so he had no idea what to expect from it. He stood still waiting for the creature to attack, but instead the animal trilled and proceeded to go about its way, pushing empty cans off of the counter top with its paws and watching them hit the worn tile floors with what Aelius could only guess was satisfaction.
"Stop that!" he blurted out and moved toward the creature, which made it arch its back and hiss at him. It didn't run away though, making Aelius warily keep his distance away from it in case it decided to attack. It was either a creature that was quite strong despite its small appearance, or extremely overconfident… Or both. Aelius observed it, and after a moment its back relaxed and it went about its way climbing up a shelf on the wall, ignoring him completely.
"Don't mind me… I won't hurt you", he whispered at the creature while he slowly went around the back of the counter and looked in the shelves underneath, finding a key to one of the storage rooms in another safe in the floor. He hit the jackpot this time, for as soon as he opened the door to the storage room he found at least a dozen bottles of purified water, Nuka Cola and Sunset Sarsaparilla sitting on some rusting shelves. Just as he was about to start collecting the bottles, he thought he heard shuffling movement outside. Keeping low and making his way back where he started from. As he got closer and the sound intensified, he felt the hairs on his body stand on end and his heartbeat race. Then he saw it; the tail slithering to the back of the church of a giant sand coloured beast at least ten feet high. The Deathclaw had followed them!
Although the mere thought of facing the creature made his blood run ice cold, he was more afraid of what would happen should it find a way inside the church. Ash and Gael were probably still asleep; they would be caught completely off guard and without any way of defending themselves. It seemed to be sniffing the ground where they passed through and the doors to the church, standing up on its hind legs every once in a while to sniff the air around it as well. When the beast began pressing on the front doors of the church, Aelius knew he had to do something or it would break through.
"Hey! HEY! Over here!" he stood just outside of the doorway, waving his arms above him like an idiot to get its attention. The Deathclaw's heavily horned head turn to face him and it released a blood curdling growl that rippled through the air.
'Well, you have its attention…Now what?' Aelius thought desperately, his eyes darting around his surroundings.
Without warning, the creature roared and launched itself at him, swiping its massive arms to try and grab him. Aelius dodged its massive claws by inches, retreating back into the shop he was in and getting behind one of the counters to load the pistol he recently found while the Deathclaw screeched like a banshee just outside. It paced back and forth with its head low to the ground looking for a way in.
"Aelius?!" he heard Ash's voice call in the distance.
"No no nono!" he muttered as the Deathclaw turned its attention back to the church and let out a deafening roar before charging at the rotting wooden doors and breaking through on the first try.
"Ash! Get to the bell tower!" he yelled, seeing her head sticking out of the lookout window he used not long ago. She disappeared back inside while he went for the front of the building and fired off a shot at the creature that was furiously destroying the ground floor as it tried to find a way up to Ash. He saw the bullet catch it in the shoulder.
"Over here you ugly fucker", Aelius yelled, instantly feeling regret at not thinking his actions through. There was nowhere to hide and he was out in the open when the Deathclaw charged at him. He turned to run but the animal caught the back of his ankle with its claw, sending him sprawling on all fours. He turned on his back and fired all remaining bullets in the chamber at it, managing to deter it enough to get back on his feet and make a run for cover. Just as was about to jump through an open door of a small storage warehouse, he felt something heavy wallop him from the left so hard it knocked all the air out of his lungs and sent him sliding at least twenty feet away from safety. Now sprawled on his back, seeing stars and unable to get any air into his lungs, Aelius knew he was done for. The creature picked him up in one hand that was longer than he was tall and roared triumphantly at him. All Aelius could think was the last thing he would see before he died wasn't his family, or friends, but a crimson red open mouth lined with knife like teeth, as if the Devil himself had come to gobble him up.
Gael sobbed into his mother's chest as she screamed at the top of her lungs to draw the creature's attention away from Aelius; but it was too late. Ash could only watch in desperation, sobbing as she saw Aelius' body go limp when the Deathclaw picked him up and emitted a thunderous roar that made the bell tower shake. But just as the creature was about to bite into Aelius, an air raid alarm coming from the centre of the small town startled her and the Deathclaw below. It tossed Aelius' unconscious body and turned to face the sound, its head moving side to side like a snake. What followed next were loud clanging sounds of metal against metal, and out of the shadows of the buildings behind them, over a dozen people with their bodies and faces wrapped up in cloth, came out and made their way quickly towards the Deathclaw while banging metal pots and pans together to create as much noise as possible. They shouted, whooped and yelled as loud as they could; and it appeared to be working. The Deathclaw, now outnumbered, started taking a few steps away from the town, roaring in disapproval of being denied its kill. Finally, the sound of a shotgun going off scared it enough to make it turn tail and run at speed away from everyone, disappearing into the distance. Once the danger was gone, two individuals below approached Aelius and examined him, turning him over and trying to wake him.
"Hey! Up here!" she waved an arm out of the tower to get their attention.
"Who are you?!" a man's gruff and rasping voice asked from the crowd below, "What are you doing here?!"
"We don't mean harm, we're just travellers passing through", Ash answered, "Please! Is my friend alright? Is he alive?"
One of the individuals who was looking Aelius over stood back up and nodded, "He's breathing", she heard the voice call.
"Do you need help getting down?" another gruff but gentler voice called.
"Of course they do Marjorie, go get the ladder with David", the first man's voice instructed and two of them ran off to do as they were told.
"Hold tight, we'll get you down".
Ash watched patiently as their strange saviours got to work, and before long she was making her descent from a long ladder that one of them secured to the window in the room she and Gael had slept in. One thing she noticed was that all of them were completely covered up from head to their toes in fabric, with only a small slit opening for their eyes. And when she heard them speak they all had the same rasp to their voices. She held Gael tightly and tried to keep her distance, fearful that these people were probably suffering from some sort of incurable disease.
"Follow me", one of them said. From the gentler sounding voice, Ash assumed that she was a woman. She took her down the road and into a building at what looked like the end of town. All the buildings around them were in horribly weathered conditions, but there was one which looked like it was an infirmary.
"Do you all live here?" Ash asked hesitantly, her eyes darting around and absorbing their environment.
"Yes", her guide answered curtly.
"How long have you lived here?"
"I was born here. Most of us were".
"Oh", Ash looked her up and down warily, wondering why anyone would want to stay here in this ghost town.
Climbing up the short steps to the front porch of the infirmary, her guide opened the door for her and Gael and ushered them inside, "The doctor is looking after your friend just inside".
Ash nodded and entered the building, winding her way through the corridors where she could hear voices. When she reached the room and saw Aelius lying unconscious and badly injured, she couldn't hold in her shock. He was stripped down to his underwear and his body already badly bruised, especially his left side where the Deathclaw struck him with its tail. Ash also noticed that he had badly bleeding puncture wounds on his chest, ribs, and his upper thighs, most probably from the creature's sharp claws when it picked him up. Two covered individuals wearing white coats over their draped bodies were quickly working to save his life. Feeling Gael stir in her arms to look inside the room, she placed a hand firmly over his eyes so he wouldn't see the grisly scene.
"Don't look Gael", she murmured.
One of the wrapped individuals overheard them and took them both out of the room.
"I'm sorry, but it's probably best if you stay out here. The doctor's getting ready for surgery", she said.
"Surgery?" the colour drained from Ash's face, "But… is he that badly injured?"
"He has several broken ribs, internal bleeding, and deep puncture wounds; one of which has broken his femur. He's extremely lucky to be alive", she replied, "But don't worry, our doctor is one of the best surgeons around. Please, take a seat in the waiting room, I will update you on everything I promise".
Ash gulped and suppressed a sob, trying not to think about Aelius lying there on the doctor's table even though the image felt like it was burned into her mind.
"Okay", she nodded, feeling her body begin to shiver.
The woman nodded and went back inside to help the doctor.
Ash shakily took a seat in the waiting room on one of the worn couches, hugging Gael tightly.
"Mommy, is Aelius okay?" he looked up at her, his face streaked with tears.
She wanted to say yes, wanted him to think that everything was going to be alright; but she didn't have those answers.
"I dunno Gael… He's been badly hurt", she sniffed, wiping her and Gael's tears away, "But there's a doctor here and he's helping him. So, we just gotta stay positive and hopeful that Aelius pulls through, okay?"
Gael's face contorted in pain and sorrow and he burrowed his face in her shoulder, sobbing quietly as Ash rocked him gently side to side to console him. Ash hadn't prayed in a long time, almost before she left New Canaan. Her own religion never seemed to quite fit with her while she was growing up, her late husband never liked religion and Gael was too young to even understand what it meant, so Ash never found a reason to start again; that was until this day. For the first time in over a decade, she reached out to whatever higher power was listening and said a silent prayer for Aelius, begging for him to pull through.
Several hours later, so long that it was the middle of the night and Gael had fallen asleep while Ash was herself dozing on her arm, they were still waiting for news on Aelius' condition. A gentle knock on the door frame roused her and Ash saw the female doctor standing at the entrance to the waiting room. She was missing her white coat, but Ash could see small blood stains on parts of her wrap.
"We finished the surgery", she sighed, and Ash could feel her heart sinking as she watched the woman standing there tentatively.
She took a shaky breath, trying to steady herself as much as possible, "Is he alive?"
The woman nodded, "It was touch and go for a while. He's stable, for now, but he has lost a lot of blood and we don't have any O negative blood packs or those matching his blood type".
"I'm O negative", Ash answered without hesitation, sitting up straighter in her seat, "You can use mine".
"That's incredibly fortunate!" the woman replied, and although Ash couldn't see her face she could tell from her tone that she was hopeful, "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the room next door and we'll make a start".
Ash nodded, cradling Gael in her arms and carrying him with her. Setting her still sleeping son down on an empty doctor's table next to her, she sat in the chair the doctor set aside for her and rolled up her sleeves so the needle could be inserted into her vein. The doctor's work was painless and very quick, it didn't take long before they had two blood packs filled with Ash's blood, tested and confirmed to be O negative and ready to be administered.
"Here, have this to drink and eat as much of this fancy lad's snack cake as you can", she handed Ash a bottle of Nuka Cola and a cupcake, "It'll help you feel less queasy".
"Thanks", Ash's voice was groggy and weak. She was feeling chilly and had a slight shiver from donating the blood, but after a moment sipping on the sugary drink she started to feel better, "Can I go see him?"
The doctor nodded and once Ash stopped feeling so shaky, she led her to the surgery room. The male doctor was still hovering close to Aelius, keeping an eye on the blood bag. He pulled up a chair for Ash and explained the situation to her, as well as the myriad of injuries Aelius had sustained.
"Overall, the surgery was a success. He should be able to fully recover within a couple of weeks. Once he's awake and I'm certain his constitution is stable, I will administer a diluted stimpak to help his bones knit faster. I imagine you'll want to get back to your journey as soon as possible", he said, writing some notes down on his clipboard.
"Uh, yes, ideally. But we aren't in too much of a hurry; we can stay until Aelius has regained mobility", Ash replied.
"I see…"
Although she couldn't see his face, Ash detected disappointment in his tone. "Excuse me, I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but… Who are you people? And why are you all covered up?" she looked at them both curiously, "Are you… sick?"
The male doctor exhaled frustratedly, "We're not contagious, if that's what you're afraid of", he set his clipboard on the end table and pulled his coat around him tighter and quickly made for the door, "If you'll excuse me, I've got other work to attend to".
After a moment, the woman turned to Ash and apologised for her co-worker's behaviour, "Please, excuse doctor Ormond. He's been under a lot of pressure lately trying to find a cure for our people".
"That's alright, I understand", Ash smiled up at her, "And I'm sorry if my question was intrusive. I didn't mean to pry into your situation. Lord knows I'm the last person who should be doing that".
The woman turned to the door, as if checking to hear that they wouldn't be interrupted or overheard, before turning back to Ash and hesitantly removing part of the cloth wrapped around her face. What lay underneath was gnarled skin with discoloured blotches, patches of hair missing from her scalp, as well as her nose".
"You're a ghoul!" Ash breathed.
"Ah, is that what you call us?" she commented curiously.
"What do you mean?" Ash shook her head.
"Out there. Where you came from".
It took a second for Ash to come to the realisation that these people had most probably never left this settlement before, and more than likely have had extremely limited contact, if any, with outsiders.
"Wait… Are you… Have you never left your town before?"
The woman shook her head.
"So… Are you the original residents of this town?"
"Yes", the doctor smiled, wrapping her face back up in the cloth, "We were here before the bombs fell. I can still remember the day it happened, as if it were yesterday. A few of us saw the bomb fly in and hit another larger settlement to the West of us. After that happened, we started seeing symptoms of our disease begin to manifest itself over time. Our skin began to change, most of us lost all our hair, and any parts of our bodies where there was cartilage began to wither away", she broke her gaze from Ash as if in shame, "We cannot bear to look at ourselves, so we decided to wrap any exposed skin to shield others from the ghastly sight".
"I can't imagine… going through all of that. Must have been a shock for all of you".
"It still is", she answered, "Well, I'll leave you with your friend. If you need anything, I am just down the hall. My office is always open".
"Thank you", Ash said as the woman started to leave.
"Happy to help those in need", the woman bowed her head slightly to Ash and quietly left her to sit by Aelius' side.
Moving her chair closer to his side, her gaze wandered over his injured and bruised body. He was covered around his midriff to protect his modesty, but Ash could see where the doctors needed to carry out their treatment.
"Well, you've got some more scars now; mementos to keep from our adventures", she whispered, gently sliding her delicate hand into his. She sat down and studied his hand in hers. His hands were easily twice the size of hers, rough around the edges and knuckles from hard labour and weapons handling, and pock marked with scars of varying sizes; in stark contrast to her own. She looked up at the blood bag hanging off the IV hook, watching the blood slowly and steadily course into his vein; her blood. Part of her couldn't help but think that there was now some of her coursing through his body.
"I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm going to talk to you anyway because there's a couple things I want to let you know; and, I know this sounds weird, but what I'd like to tell you feels easier to say when you're asleep", she began, sitting at the edge of her seat and gently resting her chin on his muscular arm. "The doctors say that you're going to make a full recovery", she simpered, feeling hot tears well up in her eyes, "So you better get better soon; for Gael's sake. He was so scared for you today… we both were. I know that I wasn't nice to you before, but it's not because I don't like you. After everything that we've been through, it's hard for me to trust anyone… especially when it comes to my son. He's all I have left... But, I misjudged you; and you two have become best friends so quickly. I think I was afraid that Gael would get his hopes up and that, somewhere down the line, you'd betray his trust. I know now that I shouldn't have worried. I'm sorry", she sniffed, giving his hand a squeeze, "You've gained both of our trust and friendship. We need you Aelius. And… After we reach New Canaan, you can stay with us… If you want to".
Ash stayed with him all night, resting her head on the edge of his bed and praying for his speedy recovery until her eyes fluttered closed from exhaustion and she drifted off to sleep by his side.
