"Mister, please, I'm sorry! Don't hurt me and my mommy!" Raven screeched out, trying to yank her already sore, bruising, arm from the painful grip of the sneering man.
"Mister, huh? She doesn't even know who I am, Clarke? Just like you to do something like that. Don't you know, kid? I'm your daddy." Raven's frightened demeanor and pleading expression turned into something Clarke had only seen once before, and she wrapped her aching arm around her baby girl just as she went flying towards the asshole standing in front of them. A man Clarke had somehow once loved.
"You hurt my mama! You hit her?! I'll destroy you! I'll ruin your stupid face, you... You dumb ass!" Finn's chuckling and slapping of his sides in his sick enjoyment of the moment ended when Raven got lose and sent her tiny but rock hard fist onto his mouth. He rocked back, having lost his balance, then spit out a mouthful of blood, grinning at Clarke's six year old daughter the way he sometimes used to at her on the days when things would get the worst. Clarke turned and pushed raven towards her beat up pick up, hissing when his fist came sailing into her now surely bruised ribs.
"Get under the truck baby. Mommy needs you to be safe, okay?" She barely got out as his boot came down against her jaw.
"Mama!" Raven howled in distress as she crawled under the truck, frantic eyes searching her mother's.
"Maybe because there are more important things than pretentious balls held by people who only want to show off their wealth and status, O. That's why I have something better to do. I'll - fuck. O, call the police for me, quick. You know where I am. No, assault. Now, please." The brunette woman Clarke could barely see through her one not yet swelled shut eye slipped her phone in her pocket and sprinted over, yanking Finn off her and hitting him square on the nose.
"Fuck off you bitch." Finn swore, spitting out another mouthful of blood. Clarke watched him swing at the woman and miss completely as she dodged like a dancer, catching him in the back of the head with a kick. When she couldn't hold the weight of her head up anymore she let it fall against the rough concrete, stained with her own blood.
"Mamma? Mamma I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you hurt. I just got so mad. I thought I could help you." She was sobbing into her hands now, her breathing ragged. It hurt to talk, yes, but her baby needed reassurances that only she could provide.
"Rave you did so good. You were so brave, baby. We're okay now. It's okay." A few feet away, she heard what sounded like Finn's body hitting the floor and turned painfully to look at the woman who had completely wrecked the man she was beyond glad she hadn't married.
"It's alright. You're okay. He's down, paramedics on the way. Your little girl okay under there?" Raven crawled out carefully, looking over at the unconscious man and then up at the woman with bloodied and bruised hands but otherwise not a scratch on her.
"You...you saved us!" She exclaimed tearfully, throwing her tiny body into the kneeling woman's arms. Clarke just breathed painfully, turning her head as much as she could so she wasn't breathing in her own blood.
"I guess I did. I'm glad you're both alive. Um, I'm Lexa. Are you both okay? I mean as can be expected?"
"My mama's really hurt! She needs a doctor. We need the hospital, please." Just as that was said, a squad car and a fdla fire rescue bus came rolling in, the emt's parking with their rear towards them and opening the back, two exiting with the stretcher.
"Get that collar on her neck, I want her stabilized. Hi, can you speak? Can I get your name please?" One of them asked, and hazel eyes finally looked away from the injured blonde to gaze at Raven then locked onto Lexa's as they slipped a collar around Clarke's neck. The eyes went wide and their owner frowned.
"Lex? What happened here?"
"My mommy's name is Clarke Griffin and my name is Raven Griffin!" The little girl told them worriedly. Anya's probie nodded and noted that all down as they lifted Clarke onto the stretcher and started rolling her towards the bus, Lexa and Raven following.
"Raven?!" Clarke coughed out, dreadfully worried about being unable to see her daughter or much at all. Lexa took her free hand and squeezed, bringing Raven's into the fray.
"She's right here, Clarke. She's okay. We're on our way to Mount Sinai. You're both in good hands." The blonde squeezed both their hands and seemed to breath a bit easier as her wounds were assesse nasal cannula slipped under her nose and around her ears.
"Thank you - "
"Lexa. My name is Lexa Woods." Clarke tried to nod a bit but winced and stilled, settling for squeezing both the hands in hers.
"Take care of her. Please. She's all I have."
"I will. I promise, Clarke. " The blonde seemed to check out then, the pain overwhelming her. Lexa let her hand go as they loaded her in, picking up Raven to help her into a safe seat.
"Thank you for saving my Mamma, Lexa. She's super important to me. We're all we have. I love her the most." Raven explained seriously.
"I understand completely, Raven. I felt the same about my mom." Anya looked up at her for only half a second before she's back to work, and Lexa strokes her thumb over Clarke's palm as she groans in pain.
"Mama's gonna be okay, right? Even though she doesn't have money for the hospital? They won't kick her out, right? They'll help her?" Raven asks her with worried eyes, free hand on Lexa's bicep.
"No, of course they won't, sweetheart. Even if they would do something like that I wouldn't let them. I'll take care of it, I promise. Your mom won't have to worry about the bill after something like this." She promises seriously, having no intention of letting the too often greedy American health system strip this family of what little money they did seem to have. When Raven leans against her, providing another oh so appreciated hug, Lexa rubs her back, her eyes checking Clarke.
"Thank you, Lexi."
"You're welcome, little one." It was at least another ten minutes before they'd reach Mt. Sinai, so Lexa squeezed Clarke's callused hand once more before finally relaxing her stiff, worried, posture. Within another thirty seconds, Raven was cuddled into her side, asleep.
"Ms. Woods?" Clarke's doctor asked, tearing her attention from the world news on the tv. She stood carefully with Raven still asleep in her arms, nodding for the young man to continue.
"You can go in to see her now. And the nurse at the desk is ready for you, like you asked. She's stable, but her face and body is really tender right now, so you'll want to be careful for quite a while." She nodded her thanks, heading down the hall and stopping at the desk, debit card already in her hand. She handed it over silently, watched as it was slid through the reader and awkwardly slid it in her back pocket when it was handed back.
"All of the bills will be taken care of, Ms. Woods. Can I help you with anything else?"
"Yeah, can you have a cot brought in the room? This one needs her rest." The nurse nodded an affirmative, and so Lexa turned and crossed the hall, quietly entering Clarke's room. She frowned at the sight of her, moving to sit in the closest chair. Clarke didn't deserve this. No one did. But especially not this little family.
They reminded her so much of the way she used to be with her own mother when she was young. They'd been so close that her mother has been Lexa's only friend. When she'd died, life suddenly rushed in, tearing her from the comfortable little two person bubble she'd been living in and forcing her to adapt to about a million new circumstances.
One of those being the loss of her childhood home and her subsequent entry into the foster system. It had been horrible. Both some of the other kids and most of the adults were often mean-spirited, spiteful, and even prone to their occasional bouts of random violence.
Lexa, the tiny little easily bruised girl that she was back then, had learned to protect herself, had taught herself to fight, and had become the kind of loner the other kids would rather leave alone. She became hard hearted and lonely in a way she knew her nomon had never wanted for her, and it wasn't until a few cops dragged Anya into the group home by her collar that she started to feel less alone.
She and the older girl had been drawn together like they were made to be family, both of them spurning the attention of the other children and the adults, too. The first time one of the kids tried to gang up on Lexa, all with the intention of gathering Anya as an ally, they'd both came away with swelling cheeks and bruising ribs, but victorious. Together, they'd proven to each other that they were stronger that way, and to the rest of the delinquents that they weren't to be trifled with.
In that dark place they found the light in each other, swearing with their blood as sisters, promising they'd never be separated no matter what.
Except they were. Anya was adopted at ten, but Lexa was to stay locked away and alone until she aged out. It wasn't until she found herself in LA for a potential role that she saw her sister again.
These days she went to Anya's mom, Indra's place every other Sunday for dinner. And she did have friends, a handful of work related people she'd come to trust and be close to. Like Octavia, for example, who she should probably call to let her know things had settled down.
The stunt woman slash actress was just about her only salvation on set, surrounded by often completely idiotic asshole writers and overbearing directors. In all that chaos Octavia somehow managed to be exactly what she needed. She was bright, intelligent, and all too ready to help Lexa get into shenanigans of any type.
After that first show together, Lexa had essentially added hiring on Octavia to a rather empty list of things she refused to budge on in her contracts.
Finally leaving her head, Lexa ran her fingers back through Raven's hair when the goufa stirred with a whimper, humming softly to sooth her. Lexa understood. She had likely seen and heard things no child should be witness to. She would probably have nightmares, or have trouble sleeping soundly at the least.
Wheels ran across the linoleum in the hall as they rolled the cot in, folding it down and laying a blanket and pillow on top before leaving without a word. Lexa tucked Raven in with the stuffed penguin she'd got her to try and cheer her up while they were waiting then sat back down at Clarke's bedside, taking her hand in her own.
Despite the fact that this little family were strangers to her she worried about them, about how they'd cope with all of this. The way Raven made it sound, money was tight, and Clarke would surely be off her feet for a while healing. Could she afford to be away from work for that long?
Lexa was intimately familiar with the sort of resentment that came with thinking someone pitied you and saw you as a charity case, so she hoped Clarke understood that wasn't what this was.
Though that may be hard when the woman figured out who she was…
Shit… maybe when she was cognizant they'd have to sit down and talk and Lexa could explain about why this whole thing may have hit rather close to home. How she really only wanted to help to make sure she got whatever treatment she needed, and if Clarke didn't want anymore help? Well of course, she'd acquiesce.
For now, she succumbed to her exhaustion and leaned her head on the hospital bed, folding under the weight of her worry as she finally fell asleep.
When Clarke woke, she was in pain, though not nearly as much as when she'd succumbed to sleep in the ambulance. She could hear Raven's excited voice announcing her state of consciousness, and a soft, soothing voice replying in kind. The hospital lights were far too bright, and she was thankful when they dimmed, and she could open her eyes without being blinded.
"Lexi, Lexi! Mama's awake!"
"Okay sweetheart. I know you're excited, but inside voice okay? Your mama definitely has a headache and if we're too loud we may make it worse."
"Okay... Mama?" Raven whispered, Clarke looked over to her left to find both her daughter and the woman who'd saved them sitting in a chair at her bedside. Two hands closed around her own, and she smiled when she saw Raven's arm had been seen to. Her daughter was in Lexa's lap, bouncing with excitement while Lexa watched her with soft, fond, eyes. When they turned towards her, she found herself relaxing.
Raven was safe. They were safe. And Finn was in jail, likely to be put away for a pretty long time when all of this was over.
"Hi, sweetheart. I'm so glad to see you. Everything okay?" Her last question was directed at Lexa, and she gazed into soothing green eyes for a moment before her little girl could demand her attention again.
"Uh huh, mama! I'm okay. Lexi saved us, and the nurse lady gave me some wonder woman bandaids! And Lexi got me this penguin, too! We named him Wick. Are you okay? Do you need more doctor help?" Clarke felt her heart warm at the joy in her daughters eyes. Raven was clearly still worried about her, but Lexa had kept her safe and occupied.
"I will need the doctor again, but I'm okay for now, baby. It sounds like you and Lexa had fun together."
"We did! Lexi is the best! I had tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner, and she even got me grape juice too. I missed you though, mama. Are you sure you're okay? You were so hurt, and you were bleeding and you went to sleep in the ambulance. I was afraid you would leave me."
At that, Clarke tried to sit up in the bed, whimpering in pain as she fell back to her back. Lexa, with her concerned gaze, gently held her down and scooted she and Raven's chair closer.
"Raven, sweetheart, your mom would never leave you. Remember how we talked about that? What did I say?"
Clarke pressed the nurse button, no longer able to cope with all the pain without the meds she knew would just add to her stacking medical bills.
"Because she loves me more than the whole wide world?" Raven asked, gazing at both of them, as if she didn't know that for sure. Hadn't Clarke told her how much she loved and cherished her? Hadn't she shown her?
"That's it, strikon. Your mama loves you more than anything. She'd never leave, okay?"
"Raven's little eyes filled with tears and she threw herself at her mother, squeezing her tight around her devastated ribs and crying into her neck. Clarke ignored the stabbing pain, wrapping her arms around her baby.
"Mama's got you. I love you, sweetheart. I'm not ever going anywhere."
"Mama…" Raven whimpered, her hold tightening. Lexa smiled down at them both before standing to meet the nurse before she interrupted the moment. While they spoke, Clarke stroked her daughters back, soothing her into the slumber she knew was coming. Raven had a habit of falling asleep whenever she cried in her nest. Especially while in her arms.
By the time Lexa returned fifteen minutes later, Raven was asleep, and Clarke's entire torso was aching. Tears were leaking from her eyes, both for her baby girl and the multifaceted pain. Lexa frowned down at her and pressed a button her IV.
"That's a pain med, Clarke. The nurse said it should help in just a few minutes. Need anything else? Want me to move her?" Lexa asked, very carefully sitting on the edge of her bed. One hand reached out to rub Raven's back, that fond look in her eyes again. The other took Clarke's, soothing a thumb over her knuckles.
"I'm alright. Just tired. Thank you for taking care of my baby." Finally, the pain started to subside, and she breathed easier.
"I promised you I would, Clarke. I don't break those. Not ever. You sure you don't need anything else? Water, food?"
"Neither, We're fine."
"Good. I'm glad. But in that case, we should talk about some things. Neither you nor Raven seem to know who I am, and while that's really refreshing, you deserve the truth." Clarke frowned, racking her brain for what Lexa may have meant. Who she was?
"I don't understand. Who are you?"
"I'm just Lexa… but sometimes people in this town call me Alexandria Woodson. I'm an actress."
"Alexandria Woodso- you played Wonder Woman!" She exclaimed quietly, sure to not wake Raven. Her little girl would freak out. Wonder Woman was her hero.
"Yeah, I did. It isn't a big deal though, Clarke. I don't want you to see or treat me any differently. I just thought you and Raven should know who you're dealing with, you know. There's one other thing, and please, please, don't take this as something it isn't." Lexa seemed desperate for her to understand that she was the woman that had sat by her bedside for the last twelve hours or so. The woman who took good care of her daughter and had come to adore her. Not the movie star that the tabloids seemed to love to splash over their pages with all manner of likely fabricated stories.
She could do that for her. She owed her their lives.
"Take what as something it isn't?"
"Raven… she was worried they wouldn't help you here because of your finances. She was afraid they'd turn you away. I… I promised her I'd take care of it. I don't break my promises, Clarke."
"You don't want me to see you any different but you pay my medical bills like we're some…some charity case? I'm an adult, Lexa. This is my family. I could have handled it. I don't need you fucking… like sweeping in to rescue the poor little broke single mom like some philanthropist. I appreciate you doing it, Lexa. I really do. God knows I never would've been able to pay it off, but that wasn't your place and you know it. I don't want you to feel like you have to save us. Like I can't take care of Raven. I'm a good mom. I love her. I've sacrificed everything for her and I'll continue to."
"Please don't think that's what this is about. I did it because I didn't want you to have something else stacked on your shoulders. You could've died, and now you'll both probably have to testify against him, and I knew you'd miss work while you were healing… I just want you both to be okay, and I wanted to help however I could. This… This was something I could do. Please don't be angry with me, Clarke."
She was genuine, that much was clear. And Clarke couldn't fault her with that logic. She wasn't even angry, just disappointed in herself. Frustrated by the fact she didn't have that kind of money. The kind that'd let her enroll Rae in the best schools, let them live in a house in a great, safe, neighborhood, that would have them driving a far safer car and would allow her to buy Raven all the things she deserved and had earned but that Clarke had to say no to because she just didn't have the money.
"I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself. I did this. Raven is my heart and I can't give her the life she deserves because I'm a failure. I'll never have the kind of money you do. I'll never be able to give her anything worthwhile." It was rare she let herself feel like this. After all she was a single mother. She didn't have time to doubt herself and whether or not with her was the best place for Raven.
"Clarke, stop. You've given her plenty. You've given her more than enough. A mother who loves her with all her heart? That means something to a child. It means more than I could ever explain. You're doing what you can. And if you need and want help I'm here. I'm not walking away from this unless you ask me to. I adore that little girl. And maybe you're growing on me, too, you know?" She finished with an adorable grin, and Clarke couldn't help but like her even more. Her answering smile hurt more than a little with her still slightly swollen and cut lips, but it felt like it was worth it.
"Thank you, Lexa. But I can't ask any more of you. You being here? You taking care of her for me while I couldn't? That's enough. More than enough."
"Clarke…" She pleaded, gripping Clarke's hand in both of hers.
"Please let me do this. It doesn't have to do with money or - look. I care about Raven. I care about you too, I think. If it's okay with you I'd really like to stick around. " Clarke sighed, gazing down at her perfect little girl, whom Lexa had taken care of and protected the way she'd promised she would.
She hadn't broken that promise to her, or the one she made to Raven, either. That deserved consideration; and though she truly despised the thought of anyone seeing her as just another poor little single mother who couldn't take care of her daughter without their charity, Lexa didn't seem to see her that way. Lexa had in fact been adamant about how good of a mother she thought she was. Just because she loved her daughter fiercely and did ever single thing she could to provide for her.
She'd spoken from what seemed like experience, like perhaps she was raised by a single mother herself. And here she was, staring down at them both with the kindest, most caring gaze Clarke had been graced with since she'd lost her father. She could shut this all down, but she really didn't want to at all.
She and Raven both had been so lonely for so long, and her daughter so deserved someone else she could trust and look up to. So for now, maybe this could just be about what was best for her daughter. Lexa's eyes were filled to the brim with hope, and she would never forgive herself if she shut all of that down due to her own stupid pride. This was the right thing to do.
"Okay."