Matt's eyes stung as the light from his father's small torch shined into his eyes. He felt a little dizzy, but he shook the feeling away as his father stood up straight from the crouching position he had been in to examine his son who sat before him. James shook his head, hanging his stethoscope around his neck once again and pocketing the little torch in his white lab coat.
"As far as I can tell you're a perfectly healthy 16-year-old boy. So yes, you have to go to class and take your G.O.A.T. exam!" James sternly explained to his son. "Now go on, you've got a G.O.A.T. to take."
"If you say so, Dad.." Matt mumbled, looking down as he sighed.
"Hey, it's not my call, those are the rules. You're almost 16 now, so this year you take the G.O.A.T."
Matt nodded, sighing again. He hadn't been feeling the best for the last few weeks, and James knew that, but he knew that without a decent diagnosis, the Overseer wasn't going to take the news well that Matthew had missed the G.O.A.T. exam. He appeared healthy and normal, but there was something going on that caused him to get powerful migraines that would often render him unconscious.
Maybe if he's lucky he'll just pass out during the G.O.A.T. and be spared all that bullshit. James thought to himself.
"You'll do fine." he assured his son, who sat there, a grim look on his face.
"Can I ask one question before I go?"
"Of course, son. What's on your mind?" James asked, intrigued that his son would open up to him.
"Well... These exams determine our future careers in the Vault, right?" James nodded, so Matt continued. "I was just wondering... What would make mother proud if she.. Were here."
James' heart skipped a beat at the mention of his wife. Matthew carried scars from when he was very young from losing his mother, but rarely did he ever mention the woman. He swallowed hard, looking at his son, who was clearly uneasy about the mention, but James knew that he had always wondered what his life would have been like if he had a real family like most of the other Vault dwellers, and if he had his mother. James took a deep breath.
"Your mother.. She would have wanted you to be whatever you want to be. Whatever your heart tells you is right. No matter the results, I know she would be proud of you."
Matt smiled slightly, but didn't look convinced.
"Look, son. Just please, please take these tests seriously. The last thing I want is for your mother's ghost to haunt me because her only son became a garbage burner." James joked, and it provoked a slightly better reaction from Matt.
"Alright Dad, thanks. I'll try and make her proud." Matt said to his father, standing from the chair he sat in.
"You will, son. Good luck."
Matt turned to walk away and James looked to the locked top drawer of his clinic desk, thinking quickly. He decided that now was the time, and he hesitated as Matt was about to walk out the door.
"Matthew, wait."
Matt turned around, raising his eyebrows. His hair was growing long, almost down to his shoulders, and it was jet black and shiny like his father's, but what got James was the bright blue eyes, that sometimes held more color than anything he'd ever seen, and other times were as pale as a crystal-clear lake. They reminded him of his mother's eyes. His wife, Catherine, had very blue eyes, which she had passed on to Matt. The boy was the spitting image of his father, other than the eyes. James often got lost in his son's eyes, as the memories of his wife consumed his every thought. Matt cleared his throat, snapping James out of his thoughts. James reached into his pocket, pulled out the tiny key to the drawer, and unlocked it. Inside he pulled out a small golden coin, decorated with an intricate wire pattern that gave the coin a 3D body. The coin was tied onto a leather thong, made into a necklace.
