Addicted

I'm Okay

The majority of the day was spent meeting with the higher-ups aboard the Prydwen; receiving updates from every sector that could provide them. The day as a whole was tedious, involving mostly Arthur nodding along in complacency while his mind wandered elsewhere, mostly to Lila's status. It was shortly before his evening meal when the next knock arrived at his door.

Looking up from the days records his strained eyes met Knight-Captain Cade's.

"Knight-Captain," Arthur said sternly as he watched Cade enter the room. Arthur stacked the documents he had scattered on his desk into a neat pile as Cade crossed the metal floor.

"I assume you have an update." Arthur stated as he leaned back in his chair, placing his hands at the base of his neck as he tried his best to relax.

Cade gave a gentle nod, his expression completely unreadable. Arthur couldn't tell if the news he was about to deliver was good or bad, or worse. As a usual pessimist, Arthur feared for the worst.

"Her heart-rate and breathing have become stable. She is still under heavy doses of anesthetic while we continue to examine her."

"Is that all?" Arthur asked, slightly irritated that this was as far as they had gotten in the run of the day.

"Not quite." Cade's voice trailed off, his gaze falling away from the Elder's. "We discovered something quite shocking, well quite shocking from the last time I had examined the General." Arthur gave Cade a look, an indication of his annoyance and for him to just spit it out already.

"It appears that Mrs.Smith has become quite addicted to several varieties of chems. Mainly Jet and Psycho. Whether this is recreational use or serving other purposes we are still unsure. Despite her comatose condition her body still seems to be going through a withdrawal."

Chems? The one word made his throat clench and his stomach drop. That was not like Lila.

************

After several rounds of dancing with Piper, Arthur watched as Lila and her walked back towards where the drinks were flowing freely. Even from across the make-shift dance floor he could see the light flush on her cheeks from dancing.

Arthur continued to keep his distance, attempting to remain as professional as possible around his soldiers. Someone should stay relatively sober in the off chance that an attack may occur. That was Arthur, always on high alert. The Commonwealth doesn't sleep. The Commonwealth stops for no one.

He was deeply lost in thought when a cup being jutted into his face snapped him back to reality.

The person connected to the hand offering him the cup was none other than Lila.

"I think you need this more than I do." she said in a light and joking tone, eyeing him with a sly grin. He took the drink slowly from her hand. He didn't care what was in it, he was going to drink it no matter what.

"I believe we are both in need of some celebration, General." he replied with a slight laugh in his tone as he tapped her cup with his before he took a quick swig, the vodka leaving a warm trail down his throat.

She turned her eyes back toward the groups surrounding the dance floor. He turned his gaze to her face, drinking in the pools that were her endless blue eyes, accounting for every freckle on the bridge of her nose. Something was off about her eyes, he couldn't place it...she must be tried he figured.

"I know it doesn't mean much," she started looking down and swirling the liquid in her cup "but I wanted to thank you for your help, well yours and the Brotherhood's, over the last several months. We couldn't pull this off without you guys."

"We were all working for the greater good against the greatest evil. It was our pleasure to fight alongside you and your men." he spoke stoically. He wasn't about to let her feel like the Brotherhood deserved all the credit. The Minutemen has been an integral part of the mission.

"In all seriousness Elder, any help your men or the Brotherhood need let the Minutemen know. We are indebted to you."

Just as he opened his mouth to respond Piper called out to her friend again, Lila whipping her gaze to Piper and then back to Arthur.

"Duty calls." she chuckled as she started to move away from him.

"Wait!" He called, a bit sharply, though he knew this may be his only opportunity tonight to ask. His hand grabbed hers and pulled her back slightly. She turned to look at him, auburn hair whipping across her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked her softly. These past few days had been difficult for her, in many ways, and anyone who near her would know that. They may have fell the Institute but she also had to lose her son, the only remaining blood she had on the planet. In addition, men were lost in the battle to defeat the Institute, including some of her Minutemen. Their force was so small, and close knit. She had personally known the men she had lost, knew their names, where they came from, what they did, if they had families. All that on top of the physical exertion of fighting in the actual battle was more than enough reason for her to need a break from it all.

Lila let a small smile escape across her face, giving his hand the gentlest of squeezes.

"I'm okay." she replied softly before letting his hand slip through hers and trailing off to join Piper.

************

Arthur now knew that the "I'm okay" response from her was a facade and that deep down the poor woman was suffering. Suffering so deeply that she seemed to think that chems were the only way to cure her pain.