Chapter 27: Tryin' to Get to You

The men and Raquel stared at the intruders with their bazookas raised. After watching them take down a full grown Bull Deathclaw, they were impressed. However, these outsiders were still savages to them. The cybernetic dog with them was worrisome, as well. Raquel approached the group slowly.

"State your business." said Raquel.

The man in metal armor with the dog at his side took a step forward. "I'm looking for someone. Someone not part of the Boomers."

"No one gets inside Nellis base. We don't allow outsiders."

"We got in," said Pacer.

Raquel raised her gun. "Like I said, we don't allow outsiders."

The outsiders raised their guns as well, and the dog hunched down and growled, ready to pounce on whoever would dare attack his master. Just then, Raquel's walkie talkie started going off.

"Raquel, stand down. Mother Pearl wants to speak to them."

Then, without question, she holstered her gun. "You boys are lucky. Our leader wants to chat with you."

Raven sighed as she laid in the bed, feeling very antsy. She hated being stuck like this with a broken leg. The pain was still bad, but not as bad as it was yesterday. Still, she wanted to get up and walk around. Unfortunately, the doctor would not give her any crutches. The girl still had other injuries that required at least 24 hours of bed rest. Raven hated it. She was never good at staying still for more than an hour, at most, except when she had to sleep. She was always on the move, always going somewhere. She never stayed in one place for too long. Freeside was the one place where she stayed the longest ever since she was a teenager on her own. Despite her missions and escapades, Freeside was the closest thing to feeling like home to her. Even after spending time in Utah, she returned to Freeside. She was pretty sure it had to do with a certain man with gel-slicked hair.

Raven sat up slowly. She wasn't sure how she felt about the man other than the initial crush. It was now more than that. Was it love? She was unsure. Raven had never been in love before. And what's more, she had no idea how to act around him now that they'd...done the deed. She'd never even had a boyfriend. Woa, wait. Was the King her boyfriend now? The courier ran a hand through her black hair and sighed. She wished for a brush. Her hair was a mess. It wasn't in its usual Wendy the Welder bun. Instead, her hair was quite long and flowed down her back. Raven was also not in her usual attire of leather armor. No, in fact, she was practically naked, save for her bra and underwear. Raven felt vulnerable like this. Now she had to pee. And there was no way she was going to relieve herself in a bed pan. No, Raven wanted to feel like a normal person and sit on a toilet. Raven stared down at the splint on her leg and groaned. This was going to suck.

Mother Pearl was sitting down when the King and his men walked in with Raquel. Pearl smiled at the group and thanked Raquel for bringing them in. Raquel dismissed herself and walked out the door.

"So," started Pearl. "Which one of you is the leader?"

"I am," said the King.

"Ah, ok. You boys must be hungry after your ordeal." She stood up and walked into her kitchen. "Make yourselves at home while I prepare something."

Pacer and the rest of the men looked around the room and some found a couch to sit on. The King and Rex walked toward the kitchen. "Ma'am, do you need some help?" he asked.

Pearl turned and smiled at the King. "How polite. But no, I'm fine. Please, have a seat somewhere. Take a load off."

The King nodded and walked away. He sat down at the kitchen table and Rex laid down by his feet. After a few minutes, Pearl walked in with a tray of food. She set it on the table and motioned for the boys to dig in. They got off the couch and walked to the table, then grabbed various items off the table and began eating. The King took a piece of gecko meat off the tray and tossed it down to Rex, who ate it gratefully. The King grabbed something for himself and took a bite.

"Ma'am, I do have a question for you, if you don't mind me asking."

Pearl sat down at the table across from him. "Ask away, child."

The King nodded. "I'm looking for someone. A girl. She may have come this way yesterday. Have you seen her? Goes by the name of Raven."

Pearl smiled at the King. "As a matter of fact, we had a visitor yesterday by that name. Barely made it passed our howitzers, but she made it. Raven's resting at the doctor's right now."

The King took a sigh of relief. "I'd like to see her, if that's all right."

"Oh, of course. I'll have Raquel take you. But first, eat something. You look famished, boy."

Raven grumbled in agitation as she tried to get off the bed. The girl couldn't stand it for any longer. She had to go somewhere. Anywhere. Raven huffed as she sat up with her legs over the side of the bed. She did her best to keep the broken leg straight while her other leg swung lazily over the side. She managed to push herself up slowly, balancing all her weight on her sturdy leg. Everything in her body ached, but she refused to acknowledge the pain. She tried to hobble away from the bed, but it sent a spasm of agony through her broken leg. That was when Doctor Argyll walked in. He saw her and rushed to Raven's side.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, Doc, but I'm going nuts just staying in that bed. There's nothing for me to do except lay there."

Argyll tried to usher her back to the bed. "Maybe I should give you a sedative."

Raven sat back down on the bed slowly as the doctor lifted her legs and placed them gently back onto the bed. "If you think it'll help..."

The doctor nodded and went to his medical supplies to fetch a sedative. He opened the cabinet and pulled out a small glass vial, along with a syringe with a needle. "This should knock you out for a while."

"Ok."

The doctor came back with the syringe filled with the sedative and an alcohol swab. He rubbed the swab on her arm, then checked the needle to make sure it was ok. A small stream of liquid shot out, and he nodded. He poked her vein with the needle and pushed the sedative through the syringe. "Now, you're going to get drowsy real soon, and then you'll fall asleep ok?"

Raven nodded. After a few moments, her eyelids felt heavy. And soon after, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

The King and Rex walked through the Nellis base toward the doctor's office. Raquel walked ahead of them, directing them to the place. It was a small bunker-type place with a door on it. Raquel knocked on it a few times, and soon it opened to reveal a balding man.

"Ah, Raquel. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Argyll, this is King and his dog, Rex. They're apparently acquainted with the other outsider."

The doctor eyeballed the visitors, then smiled a little. "Oh, you're the King. Raven told me a little bit about you."

"She did?" asked the King.

"Oh yeah. Said you're the leader of some gang in a place called Freeside. Anyway, I suspect you want to visit with the young lady?"

The King nodded. "I don't want to intrude on you, but I...well..."

The doctor shook his head. "She's sleeping right now, but if you promise to keep yourself and the dog out of my way, you can come in. But I'm telling you, you may not like what you see."

"Yes, I promise."

The doctor opened the door wider, and the King and Rex both walked in. The doctor waved off to Raquel and shut the door. The King looked around the room and saw a few patients lying in their beds. His eyes stopped on Raven's bed and he walked toward it, with Rex in tail. The King grabbed a small chair and placed it next to her bed, then sat down on it. Rex came up and licked Raven's arm a few times, then whined when she didn't stir. The King's eyes were filled with worry. A splint was placed on her right leg. A couple of smaller splints were wrapped around some of her fingers on her right hand, and the King placed a hand on her arm. The doctor walked up beside the King.

"She had a pretty bad break in her leg, but it'll fully heal in a day or two. Just gotta keep using stimpaks on it. Trust me, she looked a lot worse yesterday and I almost thought she wasn't going to make it. But she's tough, and she's going to be just fine." said Argyll.

The King looked up at the man. "Thank you for taking care of her." Rex whined again as he tried to lick Raven's face. "How long has she been asleep?"

"Oh, for a good hour or so. I gave her a sedative so she would stop trying to get out of bed."

The King chuckled then pet Rex on the side of his neck. "It's ok, boy. She's just asleep. She'll wake up soon."

Rex licked the King's hand, then laid down at his feet. The King grabbed Raven's left hand and kissed it gently. The doctor smiled a little and went back to his other patients.

It had been a few hours since the sedative was given when Raven finally began to wake up. Her eyes blinked open a few times and all she saw was the ceiling. She groaned a little and tried to rub her face, but her hand was holding onto something. Someone elses hand.

"Raven?" a voice said to her.

She turned her head and her vision came into focus. And there was the King, sitting next to her and holding her hand. "Am I...dreaming?" she asked.

The King chuckled. "No, you're not dreaming, sweetheart."

Raven blinked a few times, becoming more awake now. "Wait...how did you...what are you..."

The King leaned forward and kissed her lips. Raven immediately returned the affectionate kiss, tasting his mouth on hers. A small moan escaped her as the kiss deepened. Soon the two parted ways and the King leaned back into his chair.

"Wondering how I got here, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah. How did you get here without being blown to pieces?"

The King laughed and squeezed her hand. "I didn't go the same way you did."

Rex stood up and barked at Raven. Raven smiled at Rex as he put his front paws on the bed, licking her face anxiously. Raven laughed and scratched his neck. "Yes, Rex, I'm just fine. Just a little beat up, that's all." Rex went back down off the bed and sat down next to the King. Raven stared at the King suspiciously. "What do you mean you didn't go the same way I did? As far as I knew, there was only one sure way of getting into the base."

The King shook his head. "There's a train tunnel that leads to the back of the base. A tunnel full of Deathclaws, though. That was one hell of a time getting in here, going through a Deathclaw nest."

Raven's eyes widened. She finally noticed the metal armor that the King was wearing, as well as the machete and shotgun on both sides of his hips. "You...why?"

"When I'd heard you were in Boomer territory, I, ah..." he paused for a moment. "...wanted to know if you'd made it or not."

"You fought your way through a Deathclaw nest just to see if I made it? Are you crazy?"

The King raised a brow. "Hey, you're the one who raced through a bombardment of howitzers to try and get here. Why were you trying to get into the base, anyway?"

"First of all, I didn't know they were going to try and blow me up. I was not told about that particular part. And secondly, well..." she lowered her eyes. "...I was asked to make contact with them."

"By who?"

"...The NCR."

The King stayed quiet for a few moments. "Oh? That's...interesting."

Raven shook her head. "You're not mad, are you?"

He stood up from his chair. "Not mad. I'm furious! Furious that they would send you on such a dangerous...errand when you're only a civilian! And I'm furious that you actually went and did it!" Raven watched the King pace back and forth across the room as he continued his rant. "What the hell made you think you could get to the Boomers? What the hell, Raven? You could have gotten killed!"

"Oh, you're not one to talk! You're the one who willingly went into a Deathclaw's nest just to get here! Deathclaw's are unavoidable once they see you. With the howitzers, they were easy to dodge!"

The King glared at her. "Apparently not, with your damn leg and fingers."

"Ok fine. Easier to dodge."

The King scoffed at her. "I came here because I needed to know if you were alive or dead. I wasn't going to wait another month or so to find that out!"

"Why the hell not?" she asked.

The King turned and faced Raven. "Because I'd rather know if I've lost you to death or otherwise than have to wonder about it for weeks!"

Raven growled and tried to get out of bed. "Oh really?"

"What are you doing?" asked the King.

Raven struggled to get up and finally managed it, using the chair to keep her balance. "I'm getting out of the god damn bed, that's what I'm doing!"

"Raven, get back in that bed. Now."

"I'm going to make my point standing, thank you very much!" Raven stood up straight and narrowed her eyes at the King. "Now, as far as losing me...since when the hell do I belong to you? I'm not one of your groupie girls!"

The King looked shocked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means, King. I need to know what this is between us, ok? I need to know if I'm just...another groupie to you, or something. It was fine, at first, and I didn't really care if I meant much to you...but now I do."

"What are you trying to say?" The King looked confused.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you? I want to be...with you." Raven sighed, lowering her body back onto the bed. She held her head in her hands and bent over, sighing. "I want to be with you, but only if I actually mean something more to you than a damn groupie. Understand?"

The King slowly walked over to the chair and sat down in front of Raven. He then lifted her head with his hands and stared into her eyes. "Would I have come all this way and fought Deathclaws if you weren't so important to me? Don't you know by now that I want you to be my girl?"

Raven smiled bashfully at the King. "Now I do. Heh."

The King kissed her softly and said, "Good. Now, let's get you back into the bed, ok? You need your rest."

Raven nodded and slowly laid herself back onto the bed. "Lay with me?" she pleaded.

The King chuckled and began to get out of his metal armor. Once he was out and in nothing but his briefs, he crawled into the small bed with her and pulled the blanket over the both of them. He put an arm behind her head as she snuggled into his chest as best she could with a broken leg. He kissed the top of her head and they both shut their eyes.