Fallout 4: AR

36. Lessons in Love

Our journey to Diamond City was almost boring in comparison to our trek into Goodneighbor, but we were focusing on making good time, and not looking for a fight. The alley that had been blocked with feral Ghouls was still clear from our last visit, and the cold weather had been keeping the human scavengers away. It was mid-evening when we entered our usual room #2 in the Dugout Inn. In the same manner as our last visit, I showered and changed while MacCready performed weapon maintenance, then he showered and changed into his spare outfit while I secured our noodle dinner and two spots at the bar.

Vadim was pleased to see us. He happily filled our requests for drinks, including presenting me with my own purified water to drink along with MacCready's beer, and even stayed to chat briefly until the demands of the locals took up too much of his time. As soon as we had finished our meal, we left the bar to return to the room.

I had barely walked into the room when MacCready cleared his throat to catch my attention. He stood facing me, with a very serious expression on his face, lit only by the light from the bedside lamp. "We need to talk."

Nervously, I turned to face him. "Um, okay," I responded trying to still the sinking feeling in my gut, "Is there something wrong?"

"Wrong? No, not at all." He didn't appear to notice my sigh of relief. "I've been wanting to talk to you, and now is as good of a time as any. After helping me get Duncan's cure from MedTek, I figure I owe you something. And I always pay my debts."

"Mac," I began firmly, "you don't owe me anything. I owe you for sticking with me for so long. I know Hancock duped you into this contract with such a vague time frame... you're too valuable a fighter to be traipsing along behind me."

He shook his head vigorously. "Nu-uh. A contract is a contract. Besides," he grinned slightly, "I'm having too much fun; shooting stuff, making caps, traveling the Commonwealth, sleeping somewhere other than the ground. It's a damn sight better than my time with the Gunners. But that's not the point." He went serious again. "You helped me save my son. I don't know if I can ever repay you for that, but..." he trailed off, looking suddenly determined.

Reaching into his pocket for a moment, he held out his hand, a small wooden toy soldier balanced in his palm. "Here. I wanted you to have this." He continued as soon as I had picked up the well-worn toy. "I know a carved toy soldier is a strange reward for risking your life, but this one's special... it means a lot to me. My wife Lucy gave this to me right after we met. I... I uh, told her I was a soldier and she made it for me."

He's giving me something his wife made for him? Something so precious he keeps it on him all the time? I felt tears sting my eyes at the thoughtfulness of his gift. "You're... giving this to me?" I cradled the toy gently in my hands, overwhelmed with emotion. "Thank you so much, Mac. This is a remarkable gift. I'll treasure it." Feelings I had been holding back, been ignoring, burst in my chest, and I closed my eyes against the rush of emotion, trying to deny what I had come to realize... how I truly felt about him.

He was continuing to speak as I struggled to contain myself. "Seems fitting to give it to you, a real soldier in the Army. I never could bring myself to tell her the truth... that I was just a hired killer. The soldier story was the best thing I could come up with. I didn't want to lose her because of what I was."

"Did she ever find out?" My voice was quiet, not wanting to break the moment.

"No. I'll always regret not telling her the truth. Damn, I miss Lucy." He sighed in remorse, shifting his weight a little, running his fingers through his hair. "No matter how bad things got, she was always there with a shoulder to lean on. It gave me... well, it gave me the courage I needed to press ahead, to never give up no matter how bad things got. When she died, I thought that feeling was gone forever." His voice had dropped, gazing at the floor in remembrance. Before I could reach out to comfort him, he looked up, his crystal blue eyes holding an expression that stabbed deep into my soul. "Then I met you." A small smile quirked at the corner of his mouth, and I felt my whole body tremble in reaction.