Infancy
The baby wouldn't stop crying.
Not for the first time, James looked up at the chill steel ceiling of his Vault quarters; not for the first time, he thought that he really couldn't blame her. No child ought to have to settle for a steel cave as her only world, especially without a mother-
James stopped himself there. He knew all too well where that line of thinking led. Taking a deep breath, he put the thought of Catherine out of his mind and turned to his daughter's 'cradle'. The filing cabinet drawer lined with a blanket would simply have to do for now. "Easy now, sweetie," he murmured. "Come now, you can't cry forever. You and I both have to sleep sometime."
The baby hiccupped and let loose with another, wearier wail. James almost smiled. "Now, now, Ellen," he said as he picked her up. "If you wanted a lullaby, all you had to do was ask."
He cradled her against his chest for a moment. The song had always worked before. One day his luck with it would no doubt run out, but he prayed, as always, that today was not that day.
"When the mountain touches the valley
All the clouds are taught to fly
As our souls will leave this land most peacefully-"
The baby sucked in a breath, her cry becoming a little more ragged around the edges. James figured that was a good sign.
" Though our minds be filled with questions
In our hearts we'll understand
When the river meets the sea."
He started to walk the floor of his quarters, his pace steady, measured.
" Like a flower that has blossomed
In the dry and barren sand
We are born and born again most gracefully
Thus the winds of time will take us
With a sure and steady hand
When the river meets the sea ."
One tiny hand clutched at his Vault jumpsuit. James did smile at that, and his voice gained strength.
"Patience, my brothers,
And patience, my son
In that sweet and final hour
Truth and justice will be done!"
The next part was always the hardest, but he forced himself to keep it steady for his daughter's sake.
"Like a baby when it is sleeping
In its loving mother's arms
What a newborn baby dreams is a mystery-"
I miss you so much, Catherine. We miss you so much.
"But her life will find a purpose
And in time she'll understand
When the river meets the sea. . ."
Ah, there; she had dropped off to sleep at last. The tension went out of him, and James' last line came out as almost a sigh.
"When the river meets the almighty sea."
[Lyrics c. 1979, Paul Williams.]
Not for the first time, James looked up at the chill steel ceiling of his Vault quarters; not for the first time, he thought that he really couldn't blame her. No child ought to have to settle for a steel cave as her only world, especially without a mother-
James stopped himself there. He knew all too well where that line of thinking led. Taking a deep breath, he put the thought of Catherine out of his mind and turned to his daughter's 'cradle'. The filing cabinet drawer lined with a blanket would simply have to do for now. "Easy now, sweetie," he murmured. "Come now, you can't cry forever. You and I both have to sleep sometime."
The baby hiccupped and let loose with another, wearier wail. James almost smiled. "Now, now, Ellen," he said as he picked her up. "If you wanted a lullaby, all you had to do was ask."
He cradled her against his chest for a moment. The song had always worked before. One day his luck with it would no doubt run out, but he prayed, as always, that today was not that day.
"When the mountain touches the valley
All the clouds are taught to fly
As our souls will leave this land most peacefully-"
The baby sucked in a breath, her cry becoming a little more ragged around the edges. James figured that was a good sign.
" Though our minds be filled with questions
In our hearts we'll understand
When the river meets the sea."
He started to walk the floor of his quarters, his pace steady, measured.
" Like a flower that has blossomed
In the dry and barren sand
We are born and born again most gracefully
Thus the winds of time will take us
With a sure and steady hand
When the river meets the sea ."
One tiny hand clutched at his Vault jumpsuit. James did smile at that, and his voice gained strength.
"Patience, my brothers,
And patience, my son
In that sweet and final hour
Truth and justice will be done!"
The next part was always the hardest, but he forced himself to keep it steady for his daughter's sake.
"Like a baby when it is sleeping
In its loving mother's arms
What a newborn baby dreams is a mystery-"
I miss you so much, Catherine. We miss you so much.
"But her life will find a purpose
And in time she'll understand
When the river meets the sea. . ."
Ah, there; she had dropped off to sleep at last. The tension went out of him, and James' last line came out as almost a sigh.
"When the river meets the almighty sea."
[Lyrics c. 1979, Paul Williams.]