Chapter Six

Recovery

At the sight of the Paladin, Nora breathed a sigh of relief. The Crossing had been quiet for a while, save for the pattering rain and muffled sobbing of the settlers. She and the Paladin had rounded up any survivors they had found, bringing them to the sturdiest shack in the settlement. Those who could still fight manned the windows and balcony, armed with their rifles and pistols, whilst she kept watch from outside.

"Danse, are you alright?" She called, stepping away from her post to meet him. His armour was a bloody mess, all of Burke's (and Tara's) hard work undone. There were numerous indentations where he had been struck by bullets, but he seemed to walk easily enough, completely unfazed by the damage.

"Affirmative." His voice was muffled by his helmet. "On me, Knight." Without another word he turned, marching back in the direction he had come from. Nora blinked, confused. She glanced back doubtfully to the shack where the survivors were huddled, before rolling her shoulders in a shrug and following the Paladin. It had been some time since she had seen a mutant, and Danse wasn't likely to call her away if he felt the settlers were in immediate danger… unless he needed to show her something of great importance.

When they reached the edge of the settlement, he broke into a jog across the flat ground and Nora frowned. Why were they heading towards the vertibird in such a hurry? Had an important radio broadcast come through? Or had Burke…

She pushed all thoughts out of her head and took off after him, watching as the vertibird engines began to fire up at their approach, the red lights flashing in the deepening gloom. As she drew closer, she noticed a small figure sat upon the vertibird bench… and another lying on the floor.

She felt like she'd been punched in the gut. It was suddenly hard to breathe.

No. No. No. No.

Either that was Burke on the bench, and another child, Tara perhaps on the floor… Or…

Danse heaved himself up in one smooth motion, turning back to check on Nora's progress. She was mere steps behind, hands already reaching for the rungs to pull herself up.

"The Prydwen. Stat." Danse ordered, removing his helmet and turning to glare at the pilot who nodded his head, watching as the Knight pulled herself aboard.

"BURKE?!" Nora tried to climb out of her power armour too close to the door and almost fell back onto the ground. Danse watched as she caught herself, sprang around the suit and dropped to her knees beside the boy, tearing off her glove to hold her hand over his mouth, checking he still breathed.

"He's alive, Soldier. But he took a hit from a mutant hound."

"Is he…" Nora looked dazed, shaking her head slowly. The Squire was ashen. Danse had discarded the boys coat out on the street to apply stimpaks, and the shirt he had worn beneath it had been torn and wet, now nothing more than filthy rags discarded on the vertibird floor. The boy was covered by a heavy blanket instead, his eyes closed and his breathing fast and shallow.

"He'll be in pain, but the wounds shouldn't be fatal. The stimpaks stopped the bleeding."

The vertibird jolted slightly as it rose, and Nora turned to regard the girl sitting on the bench. Tara was trembling beneath a blanket of her own, her eyes unfocused and staring into the distance as she squeezed the Squire's hat between her fists. Other than some scratches upon her face, the girl seemed unharmed. Danse followed Nora's stare and sighed.

"I believe she's alive only due to the Squire's intervention. I didn't know what else to with her, so I brought her to the vertibird. There wasn't time for anything else."

"Her mother's in the shack…" Nora said faintly, sitting back on her haunches. For a few moments, she just stared wordlessly at the children, then seemed to startle. "Where are we going?"

"The Prydwen. The Squire requires medical attention."

"But the settlers…" Nora stumbled to her feet, moving towards her power armour.

"Knight. What do you think you're doing?" Danse demanded sharply, moving to intercept her. "Your suit's facing the wrong way. You'll fall if you're not careful!"

"We can't just leave them!" Nora snapped, trying to move around the Paladin's arm. "What if the mutant's come back? Or raiders close in while they're unprotected?!"

"You're first duty is to the Brotherhood and the Squire!" Danse's tone hardened into one of command.

"You've already got him aboard a vertibird on its way to the Prydwen and you're here! They have no one!" Nora cried, making to try and feint past him, but he easily blocked her path. "I can't leave them like that!"

"You can't delay the Squire's treatment either!" Danse snapped.

"There are people down there who need treatment too! I need to get them to a doctor- there's a doctor at Bunker Hill!" Nora pleaded. "Take Burke there, it'll take less time than to the Prydwen and I can meet you there!"

Danse's glare was resolute.

"Please, Danse. Let me through."

For a moment he held his position, their eyes locked.

But then he sighed and stepped aside, moving to open Nora's power armour himself and shielding her from the buffeting winds as she clambered inside it. "Pilot, hover. The Knight's disembarking." Danse growled, moving back inside to watch over Burke.

"I'll see you at Bunker Hill- or at the Prydwen. Whichever you decide." Nora said quietly, but the Paladin turned his back on her. When the vertibird was steady, she took one last look at the pale children and the Paladin in his bloody armour.

She turned and leaped.

Burke opened his eyes slowly, then blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. He was lying in his bunk aboard the Prydwen. But… not the bunk in the squire gallery. He stared up at the Grognak poster his mother had brought back from one of her excursions, glued to the wide metal beam above him. Sentinel rested next to his head, sharing his pillow.

He could hear someone humming a heart-achingly familiar tune in the bunk below and he found tears prickling his eyes again. He had cried so much lately… but… if she was here, then maybe it had all just been a dream? A nightmare?

Crunch.

He stiffened, his blood turning to ice. The humming stopped.

Crunch.

No. No. No. No…

The bunkbed jerked violently beneath him and he gasped. He heard something splatter the metal floor.

Something heavy stepped from the lower bunk.

"I'm going to rip off your hands first." The voice growled.

"Then your arms…"

He couldn't move. The blankets were too tight. He struggled against them, but they grew tighter. It was getting harder to breathe…

"Then your feet…"

He heard the metal of the ladder groan, felt the bed lean slightly to the left, where something was climbing on the bed. He began to whimper. The bed grew wet between his legs, but he was too frightened to care.

"Then your legs…"

A huge, filthy green hand closed around the bed rail. He couldn't breathe. He watched as a bulbous green head rose above the bar, eyes of molten gold alight with the flames of insanity.

"Little… BLEEDEEEERRRR!"

It surged above the bar, jaws unhinging like the hounds….

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! NO! NO! NO!"

Danse jolted in his seat, cursing as the Squire began to thrash violently upon the bed, his voice rising into a wail. He rose swiftly, catching the boy's wrists as he clawed at the air and held him down. "Squire Burke. Calm down! You're safe…. You're safe….Just focus on me, Squire. Focus on me." Danse gentled his voice as the boys' thrashing slowed.

The Squire was panting, drenched in sweat. The sheets were tangled and wet with urine. Danse breathed in through his mouth, standing upright and releasing him. "You had a night terror, Squire. But you're safe."

Burke's entire body trembled and he stared around the room in a daze. He was bare chested, the settlement doctor having cleaned and bandaged up his shoulders. The hound's claws had thankfully left little more than flesh wounds and some potentially bruised ribs. "Deep breaths, Burke. Breathe in… exhale slowly. Good." Danse stayed beside him until the Squire seemed to have himself back under some level of control. When he was satisfied, he turned his attention towards the bed, frowning. "I'll need to strip your bed, Squire."

Burke glanced down at the wet patch and cringed. He eased himself up so that his feet were on the floor and tried to stand. Danse held his arm, steadying him as he moved to the chair in which the Paladin had been sat only moments before.

Burke winced as he sat, biting the inside of his cheeks to distract himself from the pain of his shoulders. He could hear rain falling steadily on the roof above and glimpsed it beneath the oil treated rag covering the window. The Paladin's power armour was stood in the corner of the room facing the door and two sleeping bags lay by the wall at the bottom of his bed. He could smell brahmin, smoke and piss mixed with damp, mouldering wood.

"Squire." He glanced up to see Danse was holding Sentinel out towards him, waving the bear a little impatiently. Burke took Sentinel quickly in both hands, wincing when his shoulders moved. As he rested his chin on the bear's head, he watched the Paladin silently.

Danse worked quickly, stripping the bed in moments. When the he had rolled the blankets up into a ball, he turned back to look at the Squire, his brow furrowing. "Is something the matter, Squire?"

Burke diverted his gaze quickly, but when the paladin made to move past his chair he asked "is… Tara…?"

Danse came to a halt, taking in a deep breath before he turned back to seat himself on the filthy mattress and look Burke in the eye. Burke could feel his heart pounding, but made himself return Danse's stare.

"Tara is fine." Danse began, his expression hard to read. "I do not doubt that without your intervention, she would otherwise be dead. You were both brave and selfless in your actions, Squire. However, you also defied our orders again, and almost paid the ultimate price for your stupidity.

"Had I been even a few seconds later, I would have found you torn to shreds by that monstrosity and I would have been forced to return you to the Prydwen in pieces. Rules are rules, Squire. Orders are orders. They must be followed, not just for your safety, but ours.

"As it was, I had to make a rash decision to engage the beast immediately, and place myself between you, thereby endangering myself. Out here, Squire, you are not on a simple training exercise. The danger is real and your actions could cost yours, mine or Knight Hart's life."

Burke scowled at the floor, unspeaking. Danse sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm not saying this to upset you, Burke. If you had died under our protection… I can't even bring myself to imagine how we could even begin to tell Captain Kells, or Elder Maxson. How would you report back to them if either of us fell on your behalf?"

Burke sniffed quietly, his eyes growing wet with tears again. Danse rose and made his way to the door. "I'll return shortly, Squire. Stay put."

As Danse pulled the door closed behind him, he heard the boy begin to cry again. He sighed, wincing as his head throbbed painfully and set off down the stairs to where Tony, the proprietor's son was stood behind the bar, watching him approach.

"Quite the ruckus up there." He stated, jerking his head to the floor above. "The kid okay?"

"He's fine. He was in the throes of a nightmare." Danse held up the ball of sheets. "I require dry bedding for him."

Toby's eyebrows rose slightly but he nodded, taking the sheets. "If my pops were down here, he'd make you pay for the privilege, but I've seen how you're looking out for those kids so this one's on me, though I'd appreciate it if there wasn't a repeat. It's a pain in the ass washing them at the pump." As he spoke he disappeared inside a closet room next to the bar, emerging with sheets that were stained, but dry.

"Thank you." Danse nodded gratefully, taking the small pile from his hands.

By the time he reached the room again, Burke had fallen silent, clutching his bear tightly and shivering. Danse set about remaking the bed as quickly as possible, tucking the sheets in with military precision so they stretched taut over the mattress. "I recommend further bed rest for you, Squire. Lie on your side if you can stand to do it." Danse ordered.

As Burke rose once more, his expression pained, there came a flurry of footsteps on the stairs and the room door burst open.

"Mister Paladin Danse! Me and Meg saw a big group of people approaching!" Tara panted as though she had charged all the way down Bunker Hill's white tower to relay the message. "Some of the people are dressed like Minutemen! And Knight Hart's leading them in!" As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Burke, her eyes widening. "Burke's awake?!"

"Tara, I want you to stay here and watch over him, understood?" Danse asked, already striding to the door. "I'm going to lock the door behind me."

"But I need to see my mom!" Tara protested, following at his heels. "You said my mom will be with them!"

"She will." Danse replied firmly, "but I need to speak with Knight Hart immediately. I'll bring your mother straight to you, I promise."

Tara bit her lip, but nodded, turning back to where Burke was stood beside the bed, watching them with wide eyes. "Squire, I expect to find you resting when I return. That's an order." Danse added firmly, before stepping outside and locking the door behind him.

Even from a distance, it was easy to tell that the past few days had not been kind to the party that approached. They were bedraggled, clothes hanging from their thin arms, eyes downcast. The Minutemen who marched alongside them were grim faced, their laser muskets in hand right up until they reached the steps.

Knight Hart marched slightly ahead of them, her helmet fastened around her waist and hair plastered to her face. When she ascended the steps to come to a halt before Kessler and the Paladin, they could immediately see that she was unwell.

"Kessler. Paladin Danse." She greeted them hoarsely. "We would have been here sooner, but would you believe there were even more fucking mutants? They were coming from some… settlement up yonder." Her head lolled a little on her shoulders and it was clear that she was in no condition to remain standing.

"Come on Knight, we need to get you out of that armour." Danse frowned, his eyes taking in the extent of the damage. The plating on both her arms looked to be on the brink of falling away and he would not have been surprised to learn that the damage to her left leg was hindering her ability to walk.

"They need… Doctors." Nora croaked, looking directly at Kessler. "And food… and lodging…"

"We cater to large numbers of folk all the time. So long as they have the caps, we've got the room and treatment." Kessler frowned, peering at her. "We can't afford to be charitable."

Nora frowned, but nodded.

Kessler whistled sharply, watching as a young girl emerged from the shelter of the business plaza. "Meg, go and round up your mother and Doc Weathers. Patients are incoming."

Tara was waiting at the door as soon as it swung open, her face pale and anxious. "Is my mom…?"

"I'll need you to step back a moment." Danse said sternly as he walked into the room. "The Knight needs room to enter."

Burke sat up straighter in his bed, eyes widening as Nora staggered into the room, the boots of her power armour scraping against the planks. When she was several steps into the room, she opened the suit from the inside and fell backwards out of it, Danse catching her before she smacked her head into the wall.

Without a word he half dragged her to one of the sleeping bags, laying her atop of it. "What the hell were you thinking?" He muttered angrily, checking for any visible signs of damage. "We could have been back on the Prydwen days ago!"

Nora mumbled something incoherent in response before closing her eyes, apparently giving up the fight for consciousness. Danse could feel his heart beating painfully in his chest. He rose sharply and marched out of the room, Tara chasing at his heels.

A/N: A quick apology first of all for posting this chapter late. I usually upload at least one chapter per weekend, but the internet at my student house is shocking and my laptop has been playing up on top of that!

Anyway! I'd first like to give a huge thank you to everyone who has read/followed/faved/reviewed Bleeding Steel so far! I'm really glad you're all enjoying it! I do intend to write until it's finished, so no need to worry about it ending abruptly at a cliff hanger or disappearing hossa! ;)

I will be redrafting chapters as I go through though, as I'm not entirely happy with the level of writing of some of them and the beginning has already been rewritten entirely, though the essential information and themes will remain the same.

Thank you to everyone who has followed the adventure thus far and I hope you continue to enjoy it!

(P.S. yes, I'm still learning how this site works hence this is the first authors note six chapters in ;-; sorry about that!)