Chapter 62 - 62

Words : 1325 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

There was a scream from the crowd as the loud gunshot rang out but there was no ensuing panic that would normally be accompanied with an act like this, done in broad daylight. There were of course, people who scurried out of the area, some who stopped and stared, a few who looked horrified and disgusted, but no pandemonium. It was almost too quiet. The three men in black suits also had turned around to look at the commotion, in fact the entire room seemed to be frozen. Then everything continued on as if nothing happened, people were making a point to avoid both the ranger and the body of Deccanus but they did nothing else of note. Adam ran over to Deccanus who was still laying on the floor, now in a pool of his own blood. Deccanus was on the ground looking dead, a huge hole had been blown through the upper left side of his shoulder and torso. Adam placed two fingers on his neck to check to see if he still had a pulse. "Don't bother, kid." The ranger said with a calm casual tone while he continued to sip the whiskey. "I hit him with my Sequoia. He's dead." He said matter of factly. However Adam didn't listen and kept checking for a pulse. He found one. The pulse was low and thready but he was still alive, but god knows for how much longer. "Hey you." Two guards wearing the same sort of armor and gear Adam had seen at the front of the gate stopped right behind the ranger, weapons drawn but pointed at the ground as they spoke to the ranger. "You are going to need to come with us." One said with a commanding tone. "Alright. Let me just finish this drink of mine." He said as he then downed the rest of the bottle before standing up and turning to the Guards. "Lead the way boys." The guards then turn to lead him to wherever they were planning on taking him. One guard took the front, the other walked behind him. As he left the table he picked up his helmet and put it under his arm carrying it along. The one in the back locked eyes with the 3 men in suits and nodded to them, one nodded back and then business as usual resumed in the food court. For all except Adam of course. He was silently cursing himself for not bringing any of his stimpacks with him, he had left them all with his gear back in the room. Not that a stimpack would heal a wound this big, but it certainly would prolong his life for as long as it took to get somewhere to fix him up. Adam had no choice, he had to take him to a doctor himself. Hoisting Deccanus over his shoulders in a fireman's carry he began to run all the way back to the mall area he was in before. When he was there visiting the other three shops he did notice a doctor's office but didn't give it a second glance because it wasn't important at the time, but it was important now. Adam ran as quickly as he could towards the doctor, at times rudely bumping people out of the way. Why was he saving Deccanus? Or better question, why was he putting in so much effort to save Deccanus? Even Adam was not completely sure. He didn't know Deccanus that well, nor did he consider him a friend, nor did he have any obligation. Deccanus also seemed to have deserved it since he was planning to kill the other guy. But Adam still had a moral sense of right and wrong, a man getting shot in front of him was not something he could easily brush off his conscience if he did nothing, at the very least if it happened to someone he knew. But more than that he had fought alongside Deccanus. There was something raw and primal about the bonds formed among comrades in combat. There is no doubt that Deccanus had saved his life, even if only indirectly, when they were in the fight in the raider base. If nothing else, even if he were to disregard all other things, he owed him to try to save him. So he ran, ran as fast as he could all the way to the otherside of Midway where the mall lay, hoping against hope that the doctor was still in. He arrived a few minutes later, not out of breath from sprinting or carrying Deccanus ironically, but from the self induced panic from the situation he was throwing himself in. Luckily for him the shop was still open, the doctor standing at her counter, looking like she was closing up for the night. "Doctor!" Adam said as he burst in through the door catching her a bit off guard by the suddenness of his arrival. "He is badly hurt, can you help?" Adam asked frantically. After the initial shock of Adam's sudden arrival and loud volume wore off the woman seemed to be far more casual about the situation. She shrugged lightly and then gestured with her thumb to the door next to her. "Bring him in here and lay him on the bed, I'll see what I can do." She said with a nonchalant and casual tone, pulling out a key and unlocking the door with it. Adam was quick to follow her in. Gently laying Deccanus on the bed as he did and then breathing a sigh of relief. The doctor slowly walked over to a small box full of rubber gloves, put them on and then put on a mask. She then walked over to Deccanus who was visibly getting paler now. She began to check him over, specifically his wound on his shoulder. After she had checked him over she turned to Adam. "Yes I can save him." She said calmly through her mask. Adam once more breathed a sigh of relief. "Please do." Adam said with a weary smile. "500 caps." She said calmly still. "What?" Adam said caught off guard. "I said 500 caps to save this man's life. You don't have the money then get out." She said callously. Adam was very much on the backfoot not expecting an upfront charge right as he got Deccanus in, let alone 500 caps, that was most of his money right now. He would be left with 59 caps if he accepted. But he did have the money. Backing out now seemed both cruel and would render his previous actions meaningless. Adam frowned and then slapped 475 worth of vouchers on the nearby counter full of medical supplies and then dumped out a number of other caps, not even counting them, just guessing what was 25 caps, now was not the time to be counting carefully. "Save him." Adam said with a low strict tone after he dumped out the money, no longer in the mood to be polite to this woman. "Very good." She said as she turned back to Deccanus. "Surgery will be necessary, It will take some time for me to finish my work, and time still for him to heal up fully. You may leave now." She said as she grabbed some tools and began to work. Adam couldn't help but hover for a moment as she began, but then, without turning around she spoke up again: "Let me rephrase that, get out now." She said with a commanding tone. Adam sighed and then walked out of the room, leaving her to her work. Once outside the room he looked down at himself and his vault suit and saw Deccanus' blood that had covered him. It seemed like he would need to postpone dinner for a little while longer.

Chapter 62 - 62

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