Nora returned to the room she'd left Deacon in, only to find him mumbling to himself, head in his hands as he sat on the side of the bed.

"Deacon?" She walked over to him and squatted down in front of him, pulling his hands down into hers. Shocked at how cold they felt, she reached up and put a hand on the back of his neck. He was getting feverish, which was understandable as she was sure inflammation was already setting in from the blow to the chest he took. His fingers were cold, though. That, when considered together with his his labored breathing, made her suspect that he wasn't getting enough oxygen circulating. "Hey, tiger. How about you lay down for me?"

"...sorry...I'm sorry. I didn't know. Sh...should have protected you."

"You've done a fine job," she said as she stood, although she had a suspicion that he wasn't talking to her. "Now come on, lay back for me. It's my turn to take care of you for a bit."

It was something of a struggle, but she finally got him to lay down. Then, she ran to the bathroom, grabbed a washcloth and poured some of her purified water onto it. When she got back to him, he had closed his eyes, and her heart stopped briefly until she saw his chest move as he took a breath. She sat on the bedside and touched the damp cloth to his face.

"Nnnhh." he murmured as he grabbed her hand with a speed that shocked her. "C...cold."

"Sorry, big guy."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. He seemed a bit dazed, but there was recognition in his eyes.

"There you are." she said, forcing what she hoped was a comforting smile. "Welcome back. Did you have a nice nap?"

Deacon lifted his head a little and looked around him, then let his head flop back on the bed.

"Hey boss. We still alive?"

"So far. Danse is keeping an eye out for us. Now, are you going to let me check you over, or are you still being stubborn?"

"You should have just left me, Nora."

"Stop."

"Now you're trapped here, and I suspect that we're putting Danse in more danger, just by being here. You still run missions for the Brotherhood on occasion. If they find out..."

"I. Said. Stop. When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that regardless of what you might think you deserve, I am not going to abandon you? I've had enough of you trying to get me to ditch you for my own good."

"Nora. Honestly, I'm not worth..."

"Stop it!" Nora stood and started pacing angrily. "Everyone I ever loved died 200 years ago. Well, it's 200 years ago to you, and to just about everyone else. To me? It's like I went to sleep yesterday and woke up today to find that they were all dead. And you. You keep telling me to trust no one. And maybe it is because I expect nothing but bullshit and lies from you, but I trust you. Don't you get it? I. Trust. You. I can count on one hand the number of people I've met since being thawed out that I can trust. And you dare to repeatedly tell me you're not worth it? It's like a slap in the face." She stopped pacing and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before she continued. When she did speak again, she was annoyed by the quiver in her voice. "I don't have anyone anymore. Not even my own son. D, I found my son only to find out he's a 60 year old man with an even bigger ego than yours. He was a monster with a God complex. I killed my own son, Deacon. The person I gave life to, the one I was supposed to protect, and I killed him. I murdered him in cold blood because it was the right fucking thing to do considering what he became. You, Danse, Valentine, Garvey? You're all I've got. You're all I've got because I failed my husband and my son. So you, god-damned it, for once in your life, are going to let someone take care of you. I will take care of you until you're strong enough to walk out of here on your own. After that, do whatever the hell you want because I'm tired of trying to convince you that I have your back. But for right now, I'll be damned if I'm going to sit here and watch you die if I can do something about it. Do we understand each other?"

Deacon just looked at her, too in shock by her outburst to respond. She didn't think she'd ever seen him surprised speechless before. Then, she heard Danse clear his throat from the doorway.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but, can I have a word with you, Nora?"

She said nothing further to Deacon, but she knew he was staring after her as she walked out.

"What's up?" she asked, once she felt they were far enough away from the inner rooms.

"I heard one of the turrets go off, and it looks like your raider friends have found us."

Nora snorted. "Took them long enough. How many?"

"I can't be sure, but at least 5 or 6."

Nora nodded. "We took out two of them. They seem to take their time tracking. First one was a scout; she's the one who got Deacon with a power fist. She had a Stealth Boy is about the only thing I can figure for the reason she was able to attack without either of us noticing. The second one Deacon took out just before you showed up."

"Slow with tracking means they're confident. That could work in our favor. Perhaps they've underestimated us. We're pretty secure in here for the time being. That door was meant to withstand nuclear blast. We could be trapped here a while, though. What's his condition?"

"Besides being a stubborn asshole? Sorry," she added quickly as Danse smirked. "I don't know how much of our conversation you heard. He's still having trouble breathing. That could be because he took a power fist to the sternum and his chest hurts like a bitch right now because of bruising, or...worst case scenario..."

"Crushed bones and punctured lung." Danse finished for her. "Damn. If we could get him aboard the Prydwyn..."

"Absolutely not. They'll kill him if they find out he's Railroad. And you know they'll kill you on sight."

"If it's a punctured lung, he's going to die if he stays here anyway, Nora."

"I know, I know. I just...I don't know what to do. I'm sorry."

"Why don't you take a break. Go into my stock room, have some water, have something to eat. I'll go talk to him."

"OK. OK." She grabbed Danse in a tight hug and he stood there, shocked for a moment, but finally relaxed enough to put his arms around her and hug her back. He then kissed the top of her head and released her.

"Go on, now." he said. "Take a breather. I'll sit with him."