(Dizzy)

He doesn't move. Or talk. Or even twitch. I can't tell if he's breathing, but I don't think he is. I don't think he has to. In my head, I tell myself he's in some sort of failsafe mode. You know, like if a terminal crashes it'll still back up important data and isolate things before you're ready to fix it. Or, something like that. Because the fact that Cain is a machine, and reminding myself of that small detail, is enough to give me hope. I don't care if it's false hope or not. I don't believe in false hope, because it's still hope.

Curling up next to him on the bed, I try to close my eyes and sleep. But it doesn't work. My body is tired, and my mind is drained, but still, I can't sleep. So long as Cain is like this, sleep is going to be near impossible. Outside, the late-night noises of Megaton echo. Some people leaving the saloon and Brass Lantern laugh loudly. I want to laugh, too. I want to share in their joy. But, not without Cain. Putting my arm around him, I bury my face in the crook of his neck. He's a bit muddy, and there's dried blood on him, but there's nothing I can really do about that.

"Dizzy?"

I hear my mom's voice as the door opens. Picking myself up, I rub my eyes. Tired, sleepy, I just want Cain to wake up, so he can hold me while I sleep.

"What're you doing?"

She asks, sitting down on the end of Cain's bed. She's hurting, too, and I feel bad for saying Cain isn't her son. I was angry, and wanted to justify and remind them I wasn't a freak for loving him. I think, mom and dad, understand.

"I was laying down. Maybe, if I went to sleep, I could wake up, and he'd be awake, too."

Mom smiles a bit at me, and we look at Cain.

"Hey, mom?"

I say, not taking my eyes off of Cain.

"Yes?"

"…Have you ever fallen in love with someone, you weren't supposed to?"

"Yes, I did."

"What happened?"

"Well. It turned out, to be quite the adventure."

"Does dad know about him?"

"Your father, is him."

I give her a confused look, as my hand finds Cain's.

"There is prejudice, between ghouls and humans. You weren't raised that way, with your father being a ghoul, and you and I carrying the gene. But, there is. People hated seeing me love your father. They hated even more, when he would protect me. No one, could touch me back then. Even now, the safest place I could ever be, is close to your father."

"He's stronger than you tell me, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is. He is…a special man. Like Cain."

"So why…why can't he bring him back?"

"Believe when I tell you, Dizzy, he's doing all he can."

Tears well in my eyes, as I stare at mom. I only know a summary of their life and adventures together. For the first time in my life, I realize mom and dad went through everything together. They went to hell and back, and their love survived it. I'm a product, of that love. Mom and dad, are two of the strongest people in the world. Together, I don't think, there's anything they can't do.

"So…where do I fit, mom? If dad is all yours, where am I?"

"Between us. Where it's doubly safe."

She looks at my hand, as I clutch Cain's. A small, soft smile grows on her face, and she looks back at me. The mobile plane above Cain's bed makes shadows in the room.

"But, now I think you know, beside Cain, is the safest you could ever be. For the times when your father and I can't be there."

"Cain is strong, like dad?"

"He was built, to be better, Dizzy."

"No one is stronger than dad."

"Maybe not, but Cain and him, are equal in a lot of things. Your father has much more extensive training, so he would win in a fight. But, for you, Cain is fitting."

"I don't want him to die, mom."

"I know, honey. I know."

She leans over and hugs me. I don't let go of Cain's hand, but I lean into mom, and let her try and comfort me. My silent tears, turn to silent sobs, and mom holds me tighter.

"No matter what happens, everything will be okay."

Mom says, and I close my eyes tight.

"How do you know?"

"Because I've been there, Dizzy. Everything, will be alright."

My hand still squeezes Cain's, and still holds on, even when mom lets go. Yawning, I lie down, and press myself against him.

"He doesn't have a heartbeat, mom."

"…We're trying, Dizzy."

"What can I do?"

"Be near him. Maybe, that could be what saves him. He may not have a beating heart, but it doesn't mean he's gone."

"Because he's…part machine?"

"Yes. So, even if it isn't true, hold on to that fact, Dizzy. I don't want to see you give up on him too soon, before your father and I can try everything."

"I won't give up, mom, no matter what."

Mom's hand smoothes over my cheek, and she gives me a knowing look. There's tears in mom's eyes, and I don't know why. I don't. I wish she wouldn't cry. I wish she wouldn't be sad. It'll all be okay, so why is mom crying? Why…why can't things, be just like they were a few nights ago? Why all of a sudden, did things have to change?

She ends up leaving after a few short minutes. I'm sort of relieved to watch her go, because I don't like seeing her cry. She's mom, you know? She isn't supposed to feel that way. She's supposed to be strong, brave, and courageous. Looking down at Cain, I know I'm responsible for all of this. It's guilt and worry, that prevents me from sleeping. If I just stayed, and went back with him, then none of this would have happened. But I didn't. I ran away, because I guess…I wanted to prove I could get home okay without him. That I was brave and strong on my own, just like him. Cain…has always been so brave. At least, to me. To my impressionable younger self, Cain was…everything. Next to dad, anyways. Mom was my playmate, and nurturer. Dad was my adventure and educator. Cain, was and is, my protector. The person, who would be first to sacrifice himself, if it meant to save me. I know dad would think, hesitate, and look at mom. It's okay with me, because I understand. I don't know how, I just do. But Cain, like dad said, is every bit mine.

His face has cuts all over it. He doesn't bleed anymore. I'll face the devil in my sleep, if I have to, to save Cain. He was, the only one, who believed in me when nobody else did. When I pushed my parents away, Cain was still there. Sometimes, the weak, like me, can become the strong. Cain knew that, and he…he kept pushing me. I never had the right things to say to him, to make everything okay. To make the bad things go away. Now, it seems, when I can't say them, they're all I can say.

"I'll give you a million caps, if you wake up for me. I'll give you more than that, you know. I'll give you everything. Even me, if you still want me. But you have to have me, now. If…if you wake up."

I never felt independence before. I always felt like I was an extension of my mom and dad. Like an arm and a leg. But, now, sitting here, I realize that's not the case. It's my life. My voice. My choice. And I can be with whom I choose to be with. Maybe if I realized that sooner, we wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe if Cain knew that sooner, he wouldn't have pushed me away when things became heavy. He, too, could have chosen to accept his emotions, be whatever they may be. We have this whole world, and granted we can't survive very well, the world is still there, and ours for the taking.

I lay beside him, and hold his arm against me. Tears stain the pillow, as sleep becomes too powerful for me to fight. Rain lightly patters against the steel house, and I remember when I was little, I would get scared of it. The thunder, the lightning, and I would crawl in bed with Cain. It feels like, I'm that little kid again.