Chapter 17: With What's Happened

We took him back to Megaton to heal as the doctors checked Sarah and made sure her heart was rested as we gave her the medicine. Her BPM calmed down eventually and she was okay the next few days. We decided it wasn't worth it to chase Chain. When everything calmed down, I decided we would. That wasn't the only thing we would hold off for now. Victoria decided after hearing Joe's deathbed speech that she was to stay and take care of Sarah, at least until we were done raising her. "Things are gonna be hard." She told me. "But I'm going to do my best to do what's right for her."

This wasn't a victory, not by a long shot. By the next week, everything that happened at the cave was known in town. Chain's name was big again, and he was feared. My daughter almost died along with my best friend. My town is scared and so was I. I couldn't live like that. I couldn't listen to what Joe said on his deathbed and ignore it. Chain wasn't going to force my child to live in fear any more. I wasn't a 16 year old boy anymore. I was an adult, and I had to make adult choices, just like Joe had to, just like we all will have to do again later on.

I was going to have to kill that raider. There wasn't any going around it. I visited my friend in the hospital every day as he lay on a bed, unconscious with needles sticking into him. Joe hated needles. Victoria couldn't face Joe after what she said about him. I left her alone until one morning; Joe awoke from his drug induced coma. It took him a day to get his senses back. That was when I visited him.

"Hey, Joe." I smiled warmly at him as his eyes glazed over me.

He punched my arm.

"I'm sorry. I thought I saw an ugly monster. Must've been the drugs they've given me. Y'know, because I've been shot. A lot."

He punched me again. "The drugs wore off, you're totally a real-life ugly monster."

I shrugged "Three out of five joke, Joe."

"Give me a break; I haven't been conscious for, like, five years."

"Sure, five years."

Joe lifted himself up.

"Can you stand?" I asked him.

"I can try. And maybe then we can go for a jog with all the stitches and IV's plugged into me. It'll be really romantic." He said sarcastically as he stood up.

"Listen…" I said in a serious tone.

"Don't." Joe swatted away the serious conversation.

"No. You did something that Vee and I couldn't ever find the courage to do. I'm not sure I would even have the balls to do what you did."

"I haven't seen her yet…" Joe told me. I looked at the floor, and then up at him to explain everything.

"Listen, she and I have been…"

"What is it?" Joe asked me as I tried to gather the courage to tell him about our marital problems.

The door opened behind us. We looked back to see Victoria standing there, looking at us. She looked at Joe with a warm smile and tears fell from her eyes. She ran up to her friend and hugged him as hard as she could.

"Thank you, Joe." She said through her tears.

"You would've have done the same for me, Vee." He told her as he hugged her back.

"No…" She said to him. "I wouldn't have." She told him. "You saved her life. What you did for us…" Vee sniffled. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"You doubted me? Now I'm offended."

"Alright…" Joe sniffled as the big guy choked up himself.

"You guys and Sarah mean a lot to me. I look up to you guys and I just… I just didn't know what to do."

"You outsmarted him, Joe." I told him.

"I didn't realize I did until he shot me."

"Well despite what everyone is saying, I'm calling that a victory, Joe. I'm glad you're okay, buddy."

"I'm glad you guys are too." Joe nodded.

Vee turned and looked at me and smiled lightly. We left Joe to rest.

A month passed after the "Battle of The Gun Shack", or what was better known as the cave where the raiders crafted their weapons and armor. Joe was mobile again, but not fit to be sheriff anymore. I took control of that department.

"How's my hat fit?" Joe asked me as I walked into his hospital room one morning.

"You've got a big head." I told him.

"Good thing that didn't get shot at." Joe said strongly, taking a deep breath afterward as he picked himself up. I helped carry him to his feet so he could lean on crutches.

"I bet your laughing everyday knowing how the tables turned." Joe told me through the pain in his body.

"I'm not going to be laughing right now, at least." I smiled at him.

"So you have any ideas for a deputy? You did think about that, right?"

"Not really. I've got a few ideas."

"Like who?"

"Well, there's this clueless kid from a vault who seems like the perfect fit for protecting a post-apocalyptic settlement." I referenced with a smile.

"You know, now that you said that out loud, that sounds like a fucking stupid plan that should never happen."

"How long do you think you're gonna be like this?" I asked him.

"Probably a few months."

"Shit, another few months of being sheriff, nice!" I smiled as I popped my hat up.

"Hey, is it okay if I start drinking heavily and date Natalie now?" I asked him.

Joe sighed and frowned.

"Sorry." I told him. "I take it she hasn't visited you?"

"No. Haven't heard from her."

"Maybe it's for the best, Joe. Your life's too crazy for her to join in on." I joked playfully.

"Yeah, I feel totally on the edge right now." He said tiredly on his crutches.

"It could always be worse, buddy. I'll see you later." I nodded as I walked away.

I walked into our house as Victoria sat on the couch and read to Sarah. "Daddy!" Sarah smiled as she ran up to me. I grabbed her and lifted her up for a hug. "Whoah, you're getting big." I grunted as I hugged her and put her down.

"Home so soon?" Victoria asked me.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Too late for a honeymoon, Jace." She told me as I sat down next to her.

"Do you want to be deputy?" I asked her.

She turned to me.

"What?" She asked.

"We could make it work. We could find you a replacement. I just thought being mayor must be boring by now."

"We need to find someone to take care of Sarah while we're gone."

"What about Walter?" I suggested.

Victoria shook her head. She hasn't trusted him since the incident with Sarah.

"Then who?" I asked.

We then decided telepathically, without using words. I got up and walked to the saloon, opening the door. There sat a woman by herself at the morning counter as a ghoul served her drinks.

"Hi, I'm Gob." The ghoul told me. "I'm new here and I would like to say—"

"Shut up. I don't like you for some reason." I swatted him away from me.

"Okay…" The zombie-man said as he cleaned a shot glass.

I sat down next to her as she drank tequila by herself.

"It's nine in the morning, Nat." I informed her.

"Go away." She told me.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked her.

"I don't want you people near me."

"That's fine. This isn't about me or Vee or even Joe. It's about our daughter."

"What do you want, Jace?" She asked sullenly.

"I want you to babysit her for us. Just keep her safe."

"You realize I'm getting drunk at nine in the morning and you want me to take care of your kid?" Natalie asked me, turning her head and looking at me.

"As weird as it sounds, Joe's the most fatherly towards Sarah, but now that's he's hurt, I have to get the next best thing. You're the only person who even remotely reminds me of him. You're perfect for the job."

"How do you let a drunk idiot with a smart ass demeanor become a better father than you?" She asked me.

I looked at her.

Natalie sipped her tequila shot and exhaled.

"We'll pay you." I added.

"I'll start tomorrow." Natalie decided.

"Now can you get up from that seat for a sec?" She asked as she looked behind the bar counter. I got up slowly and let another man sit down next to Natalie. He ordered a tequila shot and drank it. Without even skipping a beat the two turned towards each other and made out. Natalie's hands stroked his hair until they turned and pulled down on it. She slammed his face into the counter and knocked him out. He fell back off the stool and down to my feet. Natalie finished her shot and stood over him.

"He owed me money." Natalie explained as she dug into his pockets.

"You're perfect." I smiled and nodded at her.

I let Natalie into our house the next day and showed her around. I noticed under our bright lights in our house that Natalie had changed. Her face was no longer naturally happy looking. Her hair wasn't perfectly straight anymore. It had waves and circles and split ends everywhere. Her eyes seemed as if she was asleep for the past year.

"Are you sure about this?" Vee asked me.

"It's either that, or stamp papers for the rest of your life."

Vee thought about it for a second.

"Yup, let's go." She told me as we walked up to Sarah as she played with pre-war dolls.

"Why'd you let Joe give her Barbies for her birthday?" I asked Vee.

"They seemed like a nice present."

I shook my head. "Hey Sarah…" I bent down to her. "Do you remember Natalie?"

She nodded her head and looked up at the hung-over woman as she burped and held her mouth shut.

"Oh my God, this is such a bad idea." Vee muttered to herself.

"Well, honey, she's gonna watch over you while mommy and daddy go to their work. Do you understand why we're doing this?"

Sarah looked at me and nodded. She hugged me as if this were the last time we were seeing each other. "We'll see you tonight, honey. It's not forever." Vee told her daughter as she pulled back her black hair and set it into place.

"You've got soft hair." Vee smiled at her.

"Thank you." Sarah smiled her white teeth at her as she played with her hair.

"Goodbye, honey." Vee kissed her on the forehead and we left.

Natalie stood awkwardly with Sarah alone in the house in silence. "So…"

"You drink yet?" She asked the toddler.