Fallout 3 - Beautiful Stranger

Chapter 28 Part 1

She bolted upright and reached for her sidearm. The ensuing crash from the drip stand didn't help her confusion and not finding her sidearm at her hip caused her to look around in alarm. Before she knew it, several hands caught hold of her, trying to coax her to lie back down. She stared at the out-of-focus faces and tried to make sense of the dull sounds reaching her ears. She didn't have the strength to resist as gentle hands pushed her down.

She blinked several times, trying to clear her vision, and swallowed, a feeling of razor blades tumbling down her throat. She heard the croak emerge from her throat and found a straw placed against her lips. By instinct, she sucked on the straw, drawing cool liquid into her mouth, feeling it cascade into her throat, soothing the sharpness.

"You're okay." A voice, becoming clear to her ears, seemed familiar. Comforting. "Slow the fuck down! Don't drink so fucking fast."

"I'll put the drip back in. I'm good with drips." Another voice, again familiar, sounded like it dipped down to the side and raised up again. The sound of metal scraping upon concrete. "Hey! No need to push! I'm just trying to help."

Another pair of hands held her arm and she looked down, her vision beginning to clear, and saw the hands inserting the drip back into her arm. She didn't resist. She felt like she should, but a hand brushing her forehead calmed her, making her feel safe. She looked towards the owner of the hand and recognised the older woman.

"Good to have you back." Valrie smiled. That didn't seem right. It seemed odd. Another hand waved in front of her face and she turned her head that way.

"We found you. Totally naked and totally bald." Gia leaned on the bed by her elbows, resting her chin on her hands. "Your hair's growing back, but, I don't know, the bald look was kind of hot."

"Gia! Give the woman a fucking chance to wake up! Jebus fucking Christ." Valrie swatted a hand towards Gia and missed.

"How ... how long?" She reached for the water and the straw that Valrie still held. Her throat still felt cracked and brittle. She took another long sip of water.

"Only a couple of days. That, what do you call, 'transformation' really did a fucking number on you. Dried you out." Valrie pointed at the drip bag hanging from the stand. "You've gone through a shit load of those things."

"But, not to worry, your turning into a monster and back again hasn't ruined that awesome rack. You've still got a rocking bod'." Gia performed a "Chef's kiss". Patience doubted she even knew what the expression meant.

"I doubt, very fucking much, that that is the thing she's most concerned about." Scowling at Gia, Valrie clasped Patience's hand. Patience tried to laugh, causing a coughing fit.

Now her head had cleared, she took a look around. The place looked somewhat familiar. Hers was one of several beds lined up against one wall and a man, dressed in Brotherhood of Steel fatigues stood at the end of another bed, checking notes on a clipboard. Then she remembered a few things.

"The King! He didn't get away?" She tried to sit up again and her head swam once more.

"Nah. We caught that crazy old coot. We knew who he was, 'cos he kept shouting 'I'm the King!' and 'I'm going get my revenge' and stuff." Gia made a cute, pretend sneer as she pointed a thumb over her shoulder in a general direction. "Then he collapsed like you and I arrested him.

"He did not say anything about 'revenge'. Why fucking lie?" Patience could tell her two friends were acting as normal. That made her feel better. Especially Gia, seeing someone else turn into a Super Mutant in front of her.

"But I did arrest him!"

"You tied him up while he was unconscious."

"Same thing."

"Guys!" Shouting hurt her throat, but her friends would have continued the snark filled argument forever if she allowed it. "So, how long before I can get out of here?"

Valrie shrugged her shoulders and pointed towards the Brotherhood medic. The medic looked over and shook his head. Patience didn't know what that meant, only that, at least for the time being, she would be going nowhere. She noticed the other beds and their occupants. Some of their injuries looked serious.

"Don't you dare!" Valrie caught hold of Patience's chin and turned her to face her, scowling. "I know that look. You are not going to fucking blame yourself! You asked for help, they made a choice."

Patience was about to say something, along the lines of 'forcing them', until she found herself interrupted by a whelp from Gia. The young ex-raider almost jumped on the spot, holding a finger up, as if telling them to wait. Patience didn't have the heart to say she wasn't going anywhere. Gia disappeared through the infirmary door and returned a few seconds later, carrying a sack and dumping it on the bed beside Patience's legs.

"We saved your stuff! There's your outfit, but that's pretty fuc ... uh ... pretty much ruined." Gia glanced at Valrie and then began digging inside the sack, pulling out the tattered remnants of her leather outfit, taken from the raider not that long ago. "There's your belt and pouches. Your pistol, which I'm totally not going to steal. Honest. Uhm, oh yeah, your rifle, knife and this ..."

From inside the bag, Gia pulled out her Pip-Boy. The catch had broken as she transformed, her extra muscles pushing the lock apart. As Gia held it, the bottom half swung down on its hinges, revealing the network of wires and tubes that had penetrated her forearm. Patience turned her arm over and saw the scars where the wires and tubes had once been. The Super-Super Mutant virus had not healed that.

"That's great. Thank you, Gia." Patience pointed at the sack. "Maybe put it away and I'll look through it all later?"

"Okay." Gia dropped the Pip-Boy back into the sack, followed by the tatters of the leather outfit and then dropped the sack to the floor, kicking it under the bed.

"Say, where's Vincent?" Patience pushed herself up in the bed and caught the look between her two friends. "What? He isn't still being debriefed by that Knight Captain, is he?"

Patience could tell something was wrong. The look on Valrie's face, for one. Valrie had few different expressions. Tearful sadness was not one of them. Patience looked towards Gia, but the girl turned her head away, avoiding her gaze. Then Valrie squeezed the hand she held and took a deep breath.