A/N: This chapter has to do with the baby from Charon's pov. He had turned Eleanor down on the offer to be the father and his opinion on certain things are not my own. I only wrote them in for a purpose that will be addressed eventually. Please don't think I am projecting my opinions through characters. Also, thanks for the favorites and reviews. They fuel me to continue writing.

Chapter 30: Running Out of Ideas for Titles

Everything around me seemed so unimportant that it didn't even cross my mind. Screams and shots filled the air as I watched Eleanor headed towards the ground.

She was just shot in the head.

It didn't register in my head when Eleanor was shooting just moments ago. It didn't register when I had grabbed the man who shot her. It didn't register when I was on top of him. And it didn't register when I was pressing my thumbs into his eye sockets. His screams fell on deaf ears.

Blood spurted out of his eyes as I dug my thumbs in deeper with a passion for vengeance. His scream were eventually irritating. With one palm pressed down on his forehead, my other hand pushed down on his chin forcefully. A sickening crack and then sweet silence sounded around me as his jaw unhinged, jaw bone crushing his windpipes.

Dogmeat was tugging at my sleeve by the teeth. It wasn't until I looked up to push him away that I realized that Eleanor still needed my help.

I lunged off of his body towards Eleanor's. She was just barely breathing. As much I wanted to avoid it, I had to check her injuries. I pushed her hair out of the way and the sight made the bottom of my stomach drop. Dogmeat licked at her face, but she didn't move.

It more than grazed it, but didn't look like it would kill her if I could do something about it. A deep streak trailed from her cheek to over her left ear. Bone shards matted into her pink hair. It was sickening to see her like this.

I scooped her up into my arms and ran. I ran until my legs felt like they would burst into flames. Big Town would be absolutely no use. If they couldn't pull seven bullets out of a torso, they sure as hell wouldn't be able to perform brain surgery.

For the first time in a long time, I felt absolutely useless. She was dying in my arms. I could have prevented this if I wasn't so caught up in the frustration from the incident in Big Town.

Incident.

That was sugar-coating it. I was about to rape her. She wasn't going to tell me anything. Of course she wouldn't have, she's fucking terrified of me.

She had every right to be scared of me. I shake her. I grab her and leave bruises. I throw her around. I almost raped her.

I was her boogeyman. How could she stand to be near me?

She could always send me off with orders to never come back. That would be as close to free as I would ever be able to be. I'm not sure how I would be able to sleep at night knowing I couldn't protect her, though.

Going back to the moment at hand, I realized I was already over halfway to Megaton. I had covered about two miles in fifteen minutes. Dogmeat had trouble keeping up but managed. My legs ached for rest, but I ignored the exhaustion. My body was moving on its own accord. Eleanor hadn't given any proof she was alive on her own. Her breathing was slowing down like her pulse. Panic had set in very quickly.

"Dogmeat. Stay behind under that bridge. I'll come back for you after Eleanor is in good hands." I hollered over the stomping of my feet.

Dogmeat barked in response and soon, I was alone with Eleanor. I didn't want to push Dogmeat passed his limits. I could see the silhouette of the metal town over a hill. Ants and molerats gave up trying to attack me. They were too slow, even in packs.

My legs pistoned across the short expanse to Megaton. The gates screeched open as I slipped in quickly. People moved out of the way as I stormed down the steps and into the clinic.

The old doctor opened the door to his room with a sour look. "God dammit, someone better be fucking dy-" He paused, seeing Eleanor. "Shit. I jinxed it, huh. Just put her down on the table."

I pushed passed him roughly and laid her down on the operating table, mindful of her head. "Please, do something. I don't care how much it will cost." I turned to him with a pleading look. "Just please save her."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it. I've seen worse. You don't have to tell me what happened. The whole thing sounds like slaver business."

I nodded shamefully.

"Any ailments I should take into consideration that I don't know about? No offense to her but she's looking sort of bigger than I last remember."

"She is pregnant. About two months along."

The doctor cursed under his breath. "She's still in the first trimester. How long ago did this happen?"

"A little less than twenty minutes ago. Will she be okay?"

"She'll be fine." He sighed as he began cleaning the wound. "I can't give her any med-x. Hell, I'm not even one hundred percent certain the baby will be alright. If it's been twenty minutes of little oxygen to the brain, God only knows how much the damn thing was getting."

Grief racked my body and left my limbs cold. She could lose the baby. If I hadn't been so focused on being angry at her, she wouldn't be going through this. This was all my fault.

"This operation shouldn't take more than thirty minutes. She'll be fine. It's best you find somewhere else to go so you aren't knocking on my door every minute. It's distracting and will only make for a longer operation."

My chest felt like it was caving in on itself. I uttered a 'bye' and exited the clinic. I had to go find Dogmeat.

The gates hadn't closed back up yet so I hurried out into the openness of the wasteland. It was the first time I was alone since Eleanor held my contract. It had been months before her coming into the Ninth Circle that I had been alone. It must have been around eight months since I was truly alone physically.

It had been centuries since I had felt something besides aching loneliness. Eleanor had changed everything for me. I was certain I would die in that bar corner. I was certain I would never know what it felt like to be wanted. I was definitely certain that I would never know what it was like to have a family.

Family.

Is that what we were becoming? She was the lonely teenage mother-to-be, I was the two hundred twenty-five year old grouch, and Dogmeat was, well, he was Dogmeat.

I hadn't been alone with just my thoughts in two months and I had to admit I was a mess. I was thinking about things that had nothing to do with the situation.

As my mind wandered, I had thought back to when Eleanor had asked me to be the baby's father. I wasn't father material. She wanted someone to be with her for the kid and I would, but I wouldn't accept such an offer. That was the highest title in my opinion. For an employer to ask the employee to be the father of their child was not forbidden through the contract, but it felt wrong.

I guess if I made an actual effort to be there and act like the father, I could be close to a one. The child would just assume I was their father until they inevitably find out the truth about ghouls and fertility.

It just seemed wrong to make a child believe you were their parent, then have them find out later that the entire relationship was based on a lie. The child would want to meet their real father and how could I tell them he was a raging asshole that hooked up with their mother?

As my thoughts subsided for the time being, Dogmeat ran back to me as soon as I came into sight. I scratched his ears and he ran around my leg in a herding manner.

"We gotta get back to her. Come on."

He barked happily and ran ahead. I followed him back to Megaton briskly and quietly. My mind wandered back to the child at risk. I may not even get the chance to accept the offer of being the father if they didn't make it through this.

The thought of losing the closest thing I will ever have to a son or daughter never making it to take their first breath in the world filled me with an unusual feeling. It was hard to describe and process. It felt like a mixture of grief, overwhelming sadness, and being buried alive.

The metal door of the clinic clanked under my fist. I twisted the knob and entered wordlessly. The entire clinic smelled of anti-septic and blood. My stomach knotted inside me and I pushed my way into the room.

"Oh hey, you're back. The operation went smoothly. You shouldn't have to worry about her. She'll be alright. Just needs to rest." Doc Henry stated upon my entry, blood packs littering the table.

The question sat on my tongue like a spoonful of cyanide. "Is the baby okay?"

He shrugged. "There's no possible way for us to know right now. I advise keeping a very close eye on her for the next few days."

"How will I know if something is wrong?"

The doctor frowned deeply. "Trust me, you'll know. Make sure you are near when she uses the restroom and if there's any bleeding at all at anytime, tell her to see me immediately. I can't prescribe her anything for pain so she'll just have to tough it out."

"How much is this going to cost?" I reached for the pack to get the caps.

"I'd say one hundred." The doctor said, scratching the back of his head.

I pulled out the pouch and began counting them one by one. After I was around eighty, Eleanor groaned in the bed. I dropped the caps on the desk and rushed to her side.

Holding her face in my hands carefully brought a sense of relief as her eyes fluttered open. She smiled lightly.

"Hey," she whispered, throat dry.

I reached for a bottle of water and handed it to her. I twisted the cap off and tipped it to her lips. Some spilled down her chin and I wiped it with my sleeve.

"How are you feeling?" I asked quietly.

"Like hell." The smile faded slowly and her eyes widened. "Is the baby okay?"

My throat clenched tightly at the question. This was the first time she had really ever shown any interest in the baby's well-being. "He is not certain. We will find out in the next few days."

Her eyes glazed over as she stared at the ceiling. Seeing her like this made me feel like I was back in the Commonwealth. This was definitely their level torture.

"I advise that we find something to get our minds off of it as not to risk stress damage if they are okay."

A tear rolled down her cheek to her ear. "Take me home, Charon."

"As you wish, Eleanor."