Fallout of the Heart

Chapter Twenty Three

After we left Diamond City, we made our way across town, stopping at another town called Goodneighbor along the way. Then, we wended our way through the ruins till we finally reached a bridge, and I saw the waterfront for the first time. I'll admit, even with the city in ruins, it was a bit breathtaking, since the sun was just starting to go down. I could only imagine what it looked like during the early morning, or a bright sparkly afternoon. The thought of what it might have looked like before the decimation made me almost weep.

On the other side of the bridge we made our way to the main trader hub – Bunker Hill. Despite its status, the place was fairly dead, according to Bryson. Which meant we only had to wait a couple hours to get our brahmin's load rearranged and switched out, instead of a day or two. Jackson had already planned on staying the night there anyway, so we all settled into our sleeping spaces then had dinner or whatever else we planned on doing to occupy ourselves. I spent the time listening to the others gossip and picking up bits of local history, after helping with the load and doing a tour of the place.

Later, after the majority of the business had settled down and most people were asleep, I was seated by the fire burning in the open trash can at the entrance to the trader's shack, my sketchbook in my lap. If I laid down before getting the pictures out of my mind, they wouldn't have the same impact. Lost in my own world, I didn't even know Jackson had joined me until he spoke. "We're going to be up fairly early, you know." He said softly, and when I looked up he had a gentle smile on his face. I flashed a brief smile in response, putting the finishing touches on the bridge I was sketching.

"I know, I'm almost done." I responded just as softly, keeping my voice low so I didn't disturb anyone. I smudged away a mistake then smiled wider, putting my pencil away, then wiping my fingers off with a sigh. I looked back to see him holding out his hand in question, and I handed the book to him so he could see the day's sketches. No one else seemed to be interested in them, but he seemed almost parental about it. His fingers traced the blimp, Preston's face, the flowers, and the bridge wistfully, then he stopped as he took in the centerpiece of the page. His face went through a slew of emotions, and when he spoke I was not expecting his words or his tone.

"I thought you said you've never been to the Commonwealth before." His tone was almost accusatory, and I frowned in question.

"I haven't." I answered, wondering what on earth I'd done to elicit such a response. He turned the book around and pointed to Hancock's face in the middle of it, a thundercloud forming on his face.

"You didn't even meet him. What is this?!" He hissed, and I just tilted my head.

"No, I didn't meet him face to face, but I moved around in the brahmin pen to where I could see your conversation. I saw the hug and heard everything from where I was. When he turned to walk away, I had a perfect view of his face. When you told him that the wasteland was the same as ever, that look flashed on his face for about a heartbeat or two, then vanished. I didn't have the time to decipher it then, but it struck me like a slap to the face, and I knew I had to get it on paper. Did I do something wrong?" I asked, tone a little timid at the end of my statement.

He sighed, staring at the drawing, a great sadness filling his face as he shook his head and handed the book back to me. "You didn't do anything, Maya. Look at what you drew – what do you see there, now that you have time to study it?" He asked, and I looked down at it. To be fair, I wanted to capture exactly what I saw, but I didn't want to influence it to reflect things that weren't there, so I had done it on autopilot. Now, when I truly looked at it, I felt a lump form in my throat.

"Grief. Guilt. Sadness, pain, loss, regret." I said softly, and Jackson nodded.

"It's just that now, after seeing that, a lot more things make a lot more sense to me." He said, sighing softly as he stared into the fire. He was silent for a long time, then he kind of grimaced at the question on my face. "I just don't know if it's my story to tell, Maya. It's a long story, and I only know the highlights of it because Nick shared it with me." He stopped, a grin flashing, then disappearing. "I can't wait for you to meet Nick – I'm pretty sure he's going to end up in your book."