The trek had been awkward, as Andy had never had to assist someone like that before, and he couldnât help but worry that he might only be making matters worse. Fortunately, before the guilt could settle into his bones, they were back at the cabin and Louisa was sat down, eyes closed and doing her best to relax.
Despite her not having said anything about staying, Andy stood patiently, brows furrowed with concern, waiting to see if there was anymore he could do to help. Upon her instruction, he moved quickly, not wanting her to have to wait any longer than she already had for some relief. He picked up the med-x and carried it carefully - he was always wary around needles - and held it out for her to take.
âOf course, here. If thereâs anything else, just let me know.â
After a momentâs thought, his curiosity got the better of him, and he sat down in a chair close by, studying her for any sign of increased discomfort. Eventually, he found his voice again.
âHow⌠uh⌠- if itâs okay to ask - um⌠how⌠did that happen?â Andy tentatively, almost painful in his hesitation, managed to ask, and motioned briefly to her missing limb. It was clear in his expression that he meant no ill will with his question, and even more clear that right as the words left his mouth, he regretted allowing them to do so.
âIâm sorry. Thatâs⌠that wasâŚâ he stumbled, shaking his head and growing red in the face. âYou donât gotta answer that. I shouldnât have asked.â
Louisa almost hesitated when she reached for the syringe. Med-X made her nervous. Sheâd seen too many who became addicted to it, and trying to get clean was no easy task, but there was not much else to be done for the phantom pains. Massage helped some, but not enough to make a real difference. it had been several days since the last dose, so there seemed to be little risk for now.
Sweat beaded on her forehead as she reached for a bottle of alcohol and a piece of cotton to swab her leg, before injecting the Med-X. After setting the now empty syringe aside, she sat back in the chair again, and let out a slow breath. The question took a moment for her to process, but once she had she looked up at him in surprise. She only needed one hand to count he people who had ever asked about that.
âNo, itâs alright,I donât mind, you donât need to apologize. Holly asked me one time too, when she was hurt after the raiders had her,â she offered a stiff smile, now sitting forward to massage her leg while she waited for the med-x to kick in, âItâs justâŚnot a pleasant story. Not that thereâs a nice way to lose a limb. And I donât all of it.â
 Jim had told her afterwards, when she woke up in an abandoned house with him with her leg missing. The last thing she recalled was helping an old man up off the ground, and leading him through Quincy, after that it was blank.Â
âIt was a uhâŚfrag grenade, in Quincy,â she glanced up at him for a moment, studying his face, then back down at her leg, âI was living there for a while, used to be a caravan guard. When the Gunners attacked, I helped defend the settlement until they got in, then I was just trying to help people escape beforeâŚ,â she paused, swallowing against a lump in her throat. She took a few moments steady herself, âI was helping this man, he was already hurt, couldnât walk on his ownâŚone of the Gunners threw a grenade. TheâŚman died, I was wounded. Jim saw it happen, he carried me out and saved me.â
Andy listened quietly, not wanting to interrupt and still feeling heavy with guilt from asking in the first place. It wasnât his business, and it wasnât as though it was going to be a good story. No one had good stories about injuries they had received.
At the mention of Quincy, his brows furrowed slightly, but not with understanding - with confusion. He hadnât known of anything that had occurred in Quincy. He had been a few times, though not for a while now, and the people there had been as pleasant as most in the Wastes. It occurred to him that he hadnât been to Quincy in months due to Dukeâs instruction - having been told another crew was going to head the trades with the settlement from now on and Duke didnât need anyone complaining to the higher ups that some scout from another group was hanging around. It was bad manners, after all.
The mention of Gunners, however, froze the blood in his veins, and his eyes widened. It felt like the world had stopped spinning.
Attacked.
The Gunners had attacked Quincy?
Andy lost focus and felt blind - not quite able to see Louisa past the panic and confusion screaming in his head. His chest squeezed as he thought about the settlement being ravaged by Gunners - the people there would have had no chance, especially if they had been caught off guard. They would have been massacred.
Feeling his throat tighten with the silence that gripped the room, Andy stood suddenly, unsteadily, and opened his mouth to say something - anything - to Louisa, but no sound came out. He must have looked stupid, standing with his mouth agape, but he wasnât thinking about that. He was still trying to comprehend what she was telling him.
A thundering crash of nausea rolled over him as his brain picked up on something Louisa had said at the beginning - âHolly asked me one time tooâ â and the knowledge that Holly knew the Gunners had maimed Louisa, had done worse to a perfectly innocent settlement was enough to bring breakfast to his throat.
Andy let out a strangled gasp, tears streaming down his face though he wasnât sure when they had started, and he stumbled his way out of the cabin, chest heaving with panic as he did.