AN: I own nothing but my own imagination.
Please don't hesitate to comment, critique, question, or correct. Feedback is very much sought and appreciated, thank you!
As the day came to and end and Clarke's twelve hour shift was over, she felt like she almost had to go check on Octavia. A nurturer by nature, it wasn't unlike her to visit with patients who she'd bonded with in the past. Maybe it also had something to do with the handsome brother that was bound to be there. Sluggishly, Clarke made her way to the locker room where she tenderly stepped out of her work shoes. Made for the job didn't mean they were anymore comfortable after twelve hours. She rubbed her feet a bit before slipping into her boots, grabbing her wallet and tucking it into the pocket of her jacket before laying it over her shoulder. Mindlessly she checked herself in the mirror seeing exactly what she thought she would see, twelve hours of a shift in the ER etched into her milky skin. Her eyes were lined with bags and her face not as bright as when she started. A few stray strands of her hair were tucked behind her ear in a lazy effort, but really there was no fixing her appearance right now. She just couldn't give a damn.
After making her way up to the seventh, she trudged down the long halls to one of two nurses stations. A quick check that Octavia was doing alright, and letting the nurse in charge know why she was there, she went to the girls room. The lights were out, which of course meant the room was only dimmed. A low glow was always on in patient rooms to make reading easier for attending nurses and doctors. Clarke quietly entered the room quietly in case Octavia was sleeping. It was only half past nine, but one could never be too quiet to respect a patient who is healing. Luckily her choice in stealth was warranted as in the bed lay Octavia sweetly sleeping. More than likely knocked out by a fun mix of prescriptions. Beside her was a hospital recliner, likely brought in for her brother. As she drew closer she noticed another man laying out on the bench under the window. His frame was bulky and broad. In a moment of admiration, Clarke figured this was Lincoln, the man they spoke of earlier, and gave Octavia a mental fist-bump. Now within sight of the recliner, her eyes landed on the mop of dark hair that could be seen over the top. Bellamy had fallen asleep with a slight lean toward his sister, his arms crossed like he was trying to stand up to someone before passing out. The image made Clarke grin. She retreated quietly and grabbed two spare blankets before gliding back into the room and peacefully covering Lincoln with one. The man didn't budge at the gesture, he was out cold. Having gently unravel the second blanket, she draped it over the sleeping brother only for her gut to flip when he moved. She froze momentarily but realized he was just shifting his weight in his sleep. Before she could accidentally wake anyone, she turned and left, leaving the door slightly more closed than she had found it when she got there.
A twenty minute walk home felt like more work than her feet wanted to deal with, and she scoffed at herself for being economical rather than spoiling herself with quick and lazy car rides. It wasn't soon enough that she reached her front door, a blank white door, white frame and white walls. The mat was the only bit of personality for any of the doors that lined the hallways. Of course the one at her feet has plenty of personality. It read 'Welcome. When you're here, you're family. Sure you still want in?' in a fancy font. It looked so elegant yet read so childishly which was perfect for Clarke. Not needing her key, Clarke pushed open the door and was greeted by the site of a gorgeous brunette sitting on the couch, feet on the table, knees up and laptop balancing on her thighs. She inched in shutting the door behind her and kicking her boots off, laying her jacket on top of them. She sulked over to the couch where the brunette had abandoned her laptop and left Clarke an open lap. Clarke plopped down and kicked her feet up into the lap of the other girl.
"We may as well be married" the brunette quipped making Clarke snort effortlessly.
"I thought we were." she joked back. "How was work?" Clarkes voice had a lack of energy and seemed more raspy than normal.
"Nothing new to report on. Same shit, different day, no mega babes to drool over. The one I told you about last week wasn't on site today. Could stare at him all day. You?"
"I bet Kyle wouldn't let you. Anyways, pile-up on the highway, a bunch of those 'I totally have the flu and I am dying' cases, and a double dose of man candy." Clarke yawned out her reply.
The last line of Clarkes words piqued the brunettes interest as she massaged her friends legs. "A double whammy? Share please." She smiled brightly at Clarke.
"Car accident patient's brother and I think her boyfriend?" Clarke began. "I swear that girl hit a lottery not only in her own gene pool but the gene pool she may be dipping into." The candid nature of what had just come out of her mouth made Clarke break out into laughter. "Both built like trucks, tall and tan. Her brother is freckled and boyish in the best way yet built like a statue. Though I can tell he's a dick. Her man seriously came out of GQ or one of those man-mags." Clarke laughed at herself.
"Oh, so your type completely." Her friend said in a harassing tone.
"Ha ha. Remember how we met? Let's not go there Raven." Clarke rolled her eyes. Raven pat her legs then lifted them out of her lap and stood up. "Fair point." Raven laughed. "Made chicken, plated yours up. I'm going to get some sleep. Have to be at work early tomorrow." Raven said with hint of disdain as she grabbed her laptop and took off down the hall to her room. "Thanks, Mom." Clarke joked, poking fun back at her beloved roommate before peeling herself from the sofa. She went to the kitchen to reheat her dinner and allowed todays eyecandy to flicker through her thoughts. A smile idly sat on her lips. The microwave went off and pulled her back into reality. Grabbing a bottle of tea from the fridge and with her now warm plate of food, Clarke went back over to the couch. She curled into her corner of the couch, turned on her favorite network and dug into her plate while getting lost in the TV.
A pounding on the door brought Clarke to her feet. She had fallen asleep on the sofa, her empty plate of food on the coffee table and her drink not even opened sitting in her lap. Of course it was now laying on the couch as she had jolted awake. Bewildered, Clarke took in her surroundings and looked for a clock. The bright blue LED bars read 12:13 AM. She let out a groan as another set of pounding came from her door. Raven came bounding into the hallway with a look of anger spreading over her sleepy face. "Open it, I dare you." She scowled, not angry at her friend but the person at the door. Clarke moved to the door, and found Raven by her side. She gingerly opened it, having the top chain still in place.
"You don't know how to pick up your phone." A coy and deep voice rang through the crack. Raven let out an angry and relieved sigh before shutting the door, pushing it out of Clarkes grasp. She looked over to Raven in a moment as if to ask her what that was for. Raven gave her a knowing look and unlocked the chain for her before going back to her room without a word. A tension settled over the small apartment. Clarke opened the door again and in barged a large man with long hair and narrow features. "Really, sleeping?" He asked, studying Clarke's face.
"Some of us have jobs, Roan." Clarke bit back at the man who then pushed the door closed himself before taking Clarke's hips into his grasp and pushing her against the closet door that was right behind the now closed front door. She let out a sound of pain at the sudden actions. "Could you maybe don't?" She said, not actually asking. Roan grinned and let go of her, moving away. "We need to talk about last night." He said as he moved to her couch, sitting down and opening her forgotten tea as if he lived there. Clarke's arms quickly crossed over her body and she moved toward the coffee table, leaving it between her and him.
"You're right. Let's talk about last night. " Her tone suddenly held more anger and volume. "Let's talk about how I was late to work because of you."
"Oh get over it. You enjoyed last night." He said completely dismissing her frustration. He wasn't even looking at her. A handsome man, but a cold and brute one at that. Roan was ripped but had a narrow frame. His hair long, straight, and currently tucked behind his ears.
"Roan you fucking left me tied up to my bed and bailed." Clarke nearly yelled at the man. This is when he looked over at her and grinned. He looked full of pride in that moment.
"Yeah, about that." He looked back to the TV. "When I went to get a condom, I checked my phone. Was a text that my mom died, so that's kind of why I left." He said so nonchalantly.
As if in a cartoon, Clarke visibly shook her head trying to shake off her confusion. In less than even a bat of eyelashes Clarke was overwhelmed with sympathy. Her natural care kicked in and moved her body to his side, sitting beside him. "Roan..." she started. The one language anyone in this world could understand was loss and mourning, spoken or non-verbal. Innately, sympathy and pain took precedence over her previously growing anger. At least for the moment.
"It's okay. She hated me, it was just a shock I guess." He said. Just as fast as the words came out, Clarke's anger rose back to the forefront of her emotions.
"Okay, you couldn't untie me and fucking say something?" She growled at him.
Roan shrugged, "I just needed to leave." He said very firmly. One thing about Roan is he spoke with intent. He may not be the most kind or brightest of people, but his words came out very matter-of-fact and unwavering regardless of the intent behind them.
"So much so you couldn't be a decent human and untie someone. You literally left me tied and humiliated in my own home for hours." Her anger was boiling through her body. Any sympathy she could have was nowhere to be seen now. No, she was livid, her feelings from the night before replaying in her entire body. She had been tied to her own bed frame, having let Roan take the lead on their tryst for the evening. Only the second time she had every done such a thing with someone, and it ended up with her being left there like trash.
Roan shrugged her off. "I didn't think about it."
That one line sent Clarke into a rage. "Are you fucking kidding me? You didn't stop to think while you're standing naked in someone else's house, WHY you were there? Are you that blind and selfish?" Clarke stood, feeling the need to put more air between herself and this so called man. "I not only had reach my phone and unlock it, but to use google assistant just to call Raven who was across town asleep with her boyfriend. I had to lay there and struggle for almost two hours before Raven got home, Roan." Her eyes bore into him like lasers. "Do you know how humiliating that is?"
"I would have loved to see that." His lips curled into the most mischievous grin as he only listened to parts he wanted to hear. He set the bottle he had stolen from her couch down and quickly overpowered her, taking her arms into his hands and pinning her up against the same door as before. Her back hit the thin door with a heavy impact. To her left was the hallway and to her right was the front door. She was almost literally in a corner. A wrist each were in his grasp, his long dirty fingers nearly crushing her up against the wood behind the back of her hands. He had almost twisted her skin in the impact.
"Get off of me." Clarkes tone was low and angry but very commanding.
"You didn't mind last night." He said, in the most classic of douchebaggery lines. His beard scratched against her neck as he leaned in and roughly nipped her neck, nearling biting her flesh.
"Get. OUT!" The yell ripped through the small apartment and very quickly sent Roan into a more aggressive tone. He was not one to be challenged. His head drew back and his eyes narrowed into dark slits on his face. The wind nearly left Clarke's body in the snap of one's fingers as fear settled over her. As if on cue through, a black metallic object came into her peripheral view and slide in line with his neck. A cane? A cane! It was Raven. She had been ready and waiting at her bedroom door for this very moment. She held the end of a long black cane, pointing the blunt end against his neck and pushing enough to get his attention. "She said get out." Raven repeated her friend. Roan's face somehow manages to look nearly possessed before he dropped her wrists and backed up. He didn't bother gesturing surrender, no he was above that. He bat the cane out of his way, turned to the door and slammed it behind him in his exit.
The very moment the door slammed shut both girls had flinched but felt a heavy weight lift off their bodies and clear out of the room. Raven eyed Clarke who had her eyes closed and was still against the door. She gently reached for the blonde's shoulder and rubbed it. No words were needed. In a heavy breath out, Clarke allowed her tension to escape her. She pulled away from the door and turned down the hallway, quietly retreating to her bedroom. As if on autopilot she had entered her room, stripped herself of her scrubs and burrowed under the large grey duvet that covered her bed in only a tank top, panties and socks. Her only other action was plugging in her phone and laying it face down on her bedside table.
Raven stayed back and locked the deadbolt as well as chain. She cleared the living room and shut the lights off before heading down the hallways herself. Upon reaching Clarke's door, she slipped into the room and shut it behind her. Silently, she tucked herself into Clarke's bed, back to back. It was a gesture that seemed so little, but meant so much. Something Clarke had always struggled with was sleeping, and sleeping alone was the worst once she had learned how comforting it was to have weight on the other side of the bed. Neither girl said anything, and a blanket of comfort gently overtook both women as they drifted off.
The next morning Clarke had awoken to her alarm and Raven was already long gone. Following her normal morning routine, Clarke liked to have breakfast before anything else. She always said a full belly made her more tolerating of the day. After feeding herself and enjoying a large mug of Raven's left over brew, she went for a shower. When she had stepped out, she stood before her mirror in nothing but a towel and looked over her skin. She had a slight discoloration on her neck where Roan has nipped her last night. That wouldn't be of issue, as her scrubs covered that and if not her hair would. Her eyes dropped to her arms in the reflection, a heavy sigh puffing her chest out before dropping it down. Her once milky tone was smudged with the undertone of broken capillaries leaving a noticeable imprint on both inner-wrists of an orange-almost-red color. Where the ball of his palm had painfully pinned her tender wrist was the darkest and she knew that the bruise would only be worse until it was gone. Bruises were annoying like that, and she knew she would go from red to purple to browns and greens in the healing process. She focused back on her own eyes and contemplated covering it, but she washed her hands and wrists so often cover-up would be futile. After brushing her teeth and drying her hair, she opted to throw a black long sleeve shirt on under her scrubs. It would have to suffice. Being a nurse meant there was no real way to conceal them, but she would try.
Before leaving she grabbed a plastic jar from Raven's room and slipped on her black boots and tucked her wallet into her scrubs. Clarke made it to work early like she normally did and settled in at intake. Intake was often forced on her because she was a people person. Soothing worries, prioritizing and comforting people were one of the two 'specialties' as her co-workers would call it. The second being the treatment of infections. She could spot a brewing infection in the cleanest of wounds and always knew how to handle it quickly. It wasn't noon yet and there were no serious cases coming in, at least not yet. Thursday was always a slow day. People had run out of energy before the weekend, which was busy. Luckily Clarke only worked one more day and had hours that made her avoid the drunk weekend rush.
Around two in the afternoon a woman rushed in with her toddler. Most of the staff was on lunch so Clarke was in charge of this one. She ended up having to intubate the child which lead her to rolling up her sleeves. After that it wasn't a thought to roll them back down. Now on display, her co-workers noticed but never said a word until one of the older ladies who had been there all day was clocking out while Clarke was taking a break.
"Sweety, want to talk about your wrists?" She politely but directly stated, sitting next to the blonde on a blue metal bench in the hospitals courtyard.
For a moment Clarke was confused but looked down her hand idly rubbing the bruised tissue. She couldn't lie and claim a patient did this out of shock. She also knew better than to lie to this particular woman as she had a keen sense for bullshit. Suppose it came with age.
"A guy I was seeing got handsy last night." Okay, so she opted for the truth. The older lady leaned into Clarke a bit, the most subtle gesture connecting their shoulders.
"Need me to kill him?" She had rasped out with a chuckle. Clarke laughed out loud, a true laugh.
"My roommate was about to. He won't be back." She said with assurance, granted she didn't know if that was true or not. It would be naive to assume he'd never come back around.
The older woman didn't press the issue, and both women went back to work. The rest of the day had droned on and Clarke had forgotten to about her wrists. Her sleeves had stayed up and people didn't comment, which was appreciated. When nine came around, she clocked out and made her way to the grocery store. She did most of the grocery shopping for her and Raven and felt up for it tonight. Normally she would go on Mondays during the workday which she had off. After a quick run to pick up core items Clarke headed home. She may or may not have treated herself to some chocolate ice cream from Ben & Jerry's, and a caramel one for Raven. The rest of her night was peaceful and uneventful just as it should be on work nights.
The next day started like any, back in a normal routine. She didn't bother putting a long sleeve on today. It was more a chore than worth and her co-workers and patients alike didn't seem to make a fuss about her injuries. The flow of Friday was steady and would ramp up the later in the day it gote. Most cases were really small. Friday was always a taste of how crazy the weekend could be for the emergency room. Luckily for Clarke, she had her three 12 hour shifts from wednesday to friday and always had the weekend off. She was forever grateful of that because she didn't care to deal with drunks which was one of the bigger causes for ER visits on the weekend.
Clarke went on her dinner break around five. Two hours later a girl named Monroe clocked in at seven which reminded Clarke of something she wanted to do before it was too late and before her shift was over at nine. "Cover for me for a few?" She asked the other woman who silently waved her off, seeing no issue with Clarke taking an impromptu break. Stopping by the locker room, she grabbed the jar from yesterday morning and headed for the elevator.
Entering the room, she saw the three bodies in the same place as last night when she found them all sleeping. This time however, they were up and alert enjoying what looked to be takeout. Both men had pulled up to the bed and used it as a table while Octavia had a lap tray at her disposal. They were watching a gameshow and seemed really into it because Bellamy had roared at the TV.
"Who would guess that?" He shouted with a laugh, which Octavia followed and Lincoln was silently chuckling. Her eyes flickered back over to the patient, Octavia and she let herself be known by sheepishly clearing her throat.
"Clarke!" Octavia greeted her fully recalling her name looking to the blonde and then to her brother. A glint in her eye before turning her gaze back to the nurse.
Bellamy scrambled ever so slightly to put his food down and stand from his chair, to invite her in. His back was originally to her. "Nurse." He said with a nod.
"Don't let me interrupt," Clarke stepped over to Octavia and held out the jar. "I wanted to bring you this before I didn't see you again. It's a balm, like Icy Hot but without the menthol and chemicals. A friend of a friend makes it and this is an unused jar." She explained, making sure Octavia knew the product wasn't tampered with. It wasn't routine a nurse just showed up with a free item, let alone something not medically regulated. It was more of a friendly off the record gesture. Octavia took the jar and examined it, ingredients were typed out on a sticker on it but there was no other discerning labels.
"Thank you, Clarke." She smiled, setting it down. As Octavia reached for her fork again, she did a quick double take to Clarkes wrist and noticed the bruising. Having no filter what-so-ever caused her to ask, "Are you alright?"
Clarke was taken aback by the girls pointed question and self consciously looked down at her wrists hoping the two men hadn't noticed. The color had since set in more, making them slightly more visible than yesterday. Trying to pass it off as nothing, Clarke then lied.
"Patient in shock last night got handsy. Part of the ER crossfire." She smirked. Octavia bought it.
Lincoln was more focused on Octavia to notice but Bellamy? Oh he had noticed. A woman bruised, no matter what, was something to make him pool with anger. His jaw had tensed up, but he didn't press the topic. He didn't even know Clarke and it wasn't his place to ask. However, he knew women and if it was just a patient who had done that, she wouldn't have been so bashful about hiding it. She's too professional, he's gathered that much about her.
"Anyways, I'll let you folks get back to your game show and dinner. I won't be around when you get released, so take good care of yourself." Clarke diverted the attention to her departure, so she could get out of their hair.
"Thanks again, Clarke." Octavia smiled before turning back to her food and show.
Clarke tossed a small wave and headed to the door. Before she could get too far down the hall, heavy steps sounded behind her and a low voice called her name. "Clarke." She turned to see Bellamy coming after her. She had a smile smile, one of professionalism. "Yes?"
As he stopped before her, he ran a hand through his unkempt hair. He seemed uneasy, like he had something to say but didn't know how to go about it.
"Monty?" He said. Clarke was confused and looked at him like he was crazy. "What?"
"Oh, if your friend who makes that shit, Monty?" He said, gesturing behind him as if to point to the jar Octavia had been given.
"Huh. Oh, I think so. Yeah. Monty." Clarke took a moment to think about it, scanning her mind for the name. She had only met him twice, but she knew the name as Raven worked with the guy. Weird. That's all he wanted? Small world.
"Buddy of mine makes herbal stuff like that, when you said it, I wondered if it was Monty." Bellamy explained, scrambling to make sense of the sudden name drop. "Was just curious."
"All good. Have a nice day, Mr. Blake." Clarke turned from him, but he quickly blocked her by making a wide circle and standing in front of her. Her face paled slightly and she looked almost irritated.
"Are you sure you're okay?" His tone had dropped even quieter with more feeling behind the words.
Her jaw stiffened and she swallowed. She hated being put on the spot and something about this man made her feel unable to lie to him. Maybe it was his tone, or his presence. Maybe it was the warm brown pools that raked her in, waiting for her reply. She grit her teeth and pursed her lips, finding her resolve as her mind had swam for only seconds. Her hand found his shoulder in a very professional way. The warmth that rushed through her fingertips and into her body as she felt his muscles, on the other hand didn't seem remotely professional.
"I appreciate the concern, I am fine." She smiled and stepped around him. He stood there not feeling it was his place to push the topic. But another outburst would pass his lips.
"Could I get your number?" He blurted to her back. Turning to her, he quickly corrected himself. "For Octavia." Clarke turned back to him even more bewildered than before. What?
"She really took a liking to you it would seem, what with how we met." His body had relaxed from a stiff and almost awkward stance.
Hesitating, she nodded. "Sure." Her smile appeared on her face, unsure of this conversation. It seemed to go in so many directions in a short period of time. Bellamy presented his phone and opened a new contact, handing his device over to Clarke. She punched in her number and in the comment box for the contact she typed 'coffee shop girl' with a smiley face. She saved it and locked his phone for him before handing it back to him so he would find that little gem later.
"Take care of your sister, Bellamy." Clarke said, using his first name. She had remembered it, but out of professionalism she hadn't referred to him by it. Though, he had just asked her for her number, she felt it was alright. With that, she finally stepped away and left to get back to her job. Bellamy had walked back to his sisters room.
-x-