Sinclair had wandered over to Abby and they were talking quietly to one another. Nola could hear Jackson walking up to her. She turned her head to see his face. He looked a little awkward but clearly knew what he was doing and had a task that needed to be done; he just looked like he didn't really know what to say, now that she was awake. "Umm. Nola, its time to get you cleaned up, if your interested, I can bring you to the showers? Sinclair said he'd be here after, waiting for you."
Nola hadn't realised how filthy she was, sure, when she got back to Camp Jaha all she wanted to do was clean up and rest. She could definitely do that now. Nola nodded "Alright. That'd be good, thanks"
In the beginning, Jackson had tried to help Nola up, unfortunately it didn't go to plan because her body gave way and she almost slipped through his grasp and slammed into the floor, thankfully he caught her just in time without pulling any of her stitches.
Take two was better. This time, Jackson and Sinclair put her on a stretcher and carried her to the showers, she could sit up but it would be easier if she lay down, so she did. Nola looked around as she was carried to the bathrooms, the hallways were quiet and nearly no one passed them. It was almost dinnertime so they were probably all outside eating in the new outdoor area. As they neared the showers inside the bathroom, Nola sat up and was hoisted onto a chair underneath the shower. Jackson left to get some clean clothes and Sinclair waited outside the cubicle, down near the entry doorway.
As Nola got changed she was very careful to not irritate her stitches, they were still fresh by only a couple of days and a bit of dried blood had seeped through the stitches – probably from her near stack off the medical bed, perhaps she put too much pressure on it when she thought she could walk to the showers, it would certainly be worse if Jackson hadn't caught her, she was kidding herself anyway. Abby said that she would put a new clean bandage over the top of it once she herself was clean. After Nola had stripped herself from a loose t-shirt she wiggled out of some baggy boys pants that she must've been changed into after the surgery. She was thankful that she wasn't wearing a bra, it would've been to hard to bring her wounded arm up that high. Nola still winced as she went to throw her clothes to the side and readjust herself on the seat before turning on the shower.
She was still covered in the grime from her adventure in the woods, most of the grime around her wounds on her stomach and arm were already clean and were still stained with iodine to prevent surface infections but the grime and mud was still everywhere else, especially her hair.
As she turned on the shower she was instantly welcomed by warm water, a very quiet moan escaped her mouth as she leant deeper into the running water. She rubbed her face thoroughly and then tipped her torso forward, flipping her hair over so she could get it cleaned from the roots to tip. She rested her shoulders on her knees so she wouldn't be tensing any of her core muscle that would ache from her surgery. Nola slowly raised her arms – one of them had to stop at a certain point because of the pain - and then started rubbing the roots of her hair under the warm water, Nola honestly didn't think her hair could hold any more mud, clearly she was wrong because after a fair amount of time just rubbing the mud it was still coming out. Her sore arm had stopped shortly after she'd started and her good arm was getting tired. Nola figured it would be easier just to get some help. "Hey Sinclair? Are you still there?" she called out.
"Are you alright in there Nola? It's Jackson. Sinclair had to duck out for a bit." His voice had gotten louder as he spoke; he was probably standing outside the cubicle.
Nola wasn't really embarrassed with what she was about to ask him, she was tired and needed help, it was normal for this sort of thing to happen after surgery. "I'm alright Jackson, I just have so much mud in my hair and I can't get it out, my arms are tired, could I have some help please?"
There was a pause and Nola thought Jackson had left but she heard a soft and very quiet "Okay, I'm opening the door." as the cubicle door opened. Nola hadn't bothered to lift her head and her eyes were shut from getting muddy water in them, she could hear Jackson untying his shoes as the zip slid down his combat boots and some other noises from his sleeves probably being rolled up along with his pants. Thankfully they were in a disabled shower and it was very wide, the showerhead was on the left hand side and Nola was sitting underneath it, Jackson could safely stand on the side and wash her hair without getting wet. She could hear Jackson stand behind her so she sat up more and rested her elbows on her thighs and tilted her head back towards him as her muddy knot-ridden hair hung down her back towards the base of her tailbone. He moved his hands to her scalp and started massaging the mud out of it, seemingly unfazed as he worked the mud and knots out of her hair as best he could. Nola figured that he'd done this in the past having worked in the ward with Abby for so long. "How did you manage to get so much mud in your hair? He asked sounding completely unfazed by her naked body in front of him, even with her back facing him. Sure he was only washing her hair because she was a temporary cripple but it felt so wonderful, Nola immersed in the moment and enjoyed it for as long as it would last, it was just like when her mother was alive, her mother always washed her hair when she was younger and give a great head massage while doing it.
Nola chuckled quietly to herself "Like I said, it was more of a gully with water rather than shit creek. Lets just say that I could start a collection with all the different types of mud and clay I have in my hair." She said, remembering her conversation with Abby only moments after she woke up.
Jackson hummed in response. There was silence between the two as he continued to wash her long hair under the shower. Once he was satisfied with her mud free hair he started to leave the cubicle, "Wait." Nola said causing Jackson to stop and face her, Nola was still leaning forward but had raised her head and turned towards him. "Can you please do my back? I can do the rest just not my back." She asked truthfully. Jackson nodded and walked back to her, he grabbed the bar of soap he'd used on her hair and rubbed it between his hands before smoothing it around her back. He was very thorough, just like he was with her hair. He did the base of her neck and along her shoulders and ran his soft hands down the sides of her back to the base of her hips. After a moment he washed her back off and splashed his hands under the shower to get the soap off and gave his nod of approval before heading back outside and waiting for her. "Thankyou." She said, and she was, it would've been very difficult.
"No worries, I'm sure Abby would've sent you back here if you were still dirty." He said as Nola huffed in agreement.
After Jackson left she grabbed the bar of soap and started scrubbing her feet and legs while she went back to sitting with her shoulders still rested on her knees, it was rather comfortable actually, the stitches didn't pinch when she did this, it was almost like foetal position only her feet were on the ground. Nola then sat up very slow and started on her thighs and lower waist, careful to keep her stitches un-soapy. Nola washed the area with just water and felt satisfied it was clean enough so she then scrubbed the rest of her upper body, her injured arm was easier to clean than her good arm because she was able to rely on her working arm but had to switch over eventually. Afterwards Nola felt she was fairly clean and satisfied with the outcome of her much-needed shower.
She turned the shower off and leant over to grab her towel, it was rather coarse from all its years of use on the Ark but Nola didn't mind one bit, she was clean, had spare clothes and was safe, what more could she want?
After she was dry she started to get dressed, she had some loose navy cargo work pants with loads of pockets. As they hung around her ankles, which she then shuffled up her legs past her thighs and then rested her weight on either side as, she brought it up around her waist. She carefully pulled her new clean, long sleeved dark fitted shirt over the top. It was still a bit chilly so she'd have to find a jacket later on, she could probably do with a belt too.
Once she was satisfied she called out for Jackson and he entered along with Sinclair and they helped her onto the stretcher before heading back to her medical bed.
After they arrived in the make-do hospital wing Nola got onto her bed and got treated by Abby again, this time getting some fresh new bandages on her stomach and upper arm. Once this was done Nola felt a wave of tiredness and could feel herself drifting off. Sinclair said he'd be around when she woke up again but she was so out of it she fell asleep and didn't wake up until she heard someone sobbing.
At first it was very faint, Nola wasn't sure if she was dreaming or listening to reality. She was overheating under her bed cover so she moved around to get comfortable on a cold patch, eventually kicking off her sheet, which caused the crying to suddenly stop. Nola moaned as she slowly opened her eyes and came to her senses. Lifting her good arm she blocked the ray of sun from blinding her eyes as she squinted around at the room, trying to find the source of the quiet sobs. It didn't take long, there was only one other person in the room, another girl, the one who was lying unconsciously on the bed when Nola woke up the first time. This girl was definitely awake, she lay flat on her back with one of her arms resting over her eyes as her other arm clenched her left thigh. Her dark hair was sprawled over her pillow as her skin glowed a pale dark tan with purple blotches spaced around her body. The occasional sniffle would escape her wavering breath as the girl calmed herself. Nola tried to shuffle into a more comfortable position to see the girl, but she was heard from the girl as she lowered her arm and rested it on her stomach.
"Sorry. I thought you were asleep. Didn't mean to wake you." She said with a quiet and wavering voice.
Nola wasn't bothered by it at all; she had gotten plenty of sleep and was getting to the point where it was time to get up. "It's okay, I would've woken up earlier if the sun was in my eyes then too." she croaked, saying the first words since waking up "Its not like the Ark where you're lucky to have a view of the sun." It seemed to have worked, the girl showed the slightest smile at Nola's words. "I'm Nola by the way, I think were going to be here together for the time being."
"Raven. Yeah, I guess so." She huffed cynically after a moment of silence she asked, "Why are you in here?"
"Got shot." Nola simply said, leaving out her adventure in the forest.
The girl nodded in agreement "Me too, shit isn't it?" she said with a neutral tone.
Nola hummed in agreement. The two girls lay quietly as they listened to what was going on outside. Looking around Nola saw that the room was rather cramped, it was missing a lot of important equipment as well as a medicine cabinet but apart from that it seemed to have all the basics. Nola looked over at her wobbly stool being used as a bedside table and saw that some of her belongings were there- her plant diary, the moss she found which was sitting on a container lid and a small knife. Reaching out she picked up the bit of moss she'd shoved in her pocket when she had crawled out of the water-filled gully. The moss was rather detailed, as she smoothed her finger over the leaves it felt very silky but as she looked closely at it she could see that each stem had many little star shaped leaves on it. It was red in the middle and spread out to a deep green. It was unlike anything that Nola had studied on the Ark. She was keen to get back into her studies and figure out what this moss was before the radiation fed it.
Nola was pulled from her thoughts when Raven spoke from the other end of the room "What are you doing? Is that seaweed?" she asked curiously.
Nola shook her head in response "It's a moss, I got it when I was out in the forest, before I got shot." She paused, Raven looked rather curious and had Nola considering whether to say what had happened, deciding that she may as well tell her since it would be good to have a companion to relate to later on, maybe even call her a friend one day if things worked out. "I'd gotten separated from the patrol I was with, we were going to check out a wreckage, we never got there, instead we were ambushed by Grounders and I got separated. I was out there for about three days or so; during that time I learnt a lot and found a lot of interesting things that will help with my studies. The moss was one of them." Nola said as she further studied the details of the moss.
"Hmm, so you were out there? Did you see anyone?" Raven asked.
"No, I didn't see anyone. I'd certainly thought I would find the hundred when I got to the drop ship, which was a surprise. No, it was just me alone." Nola said, Raven didn't respond, she looked lost in her own thoughts. Nola didn't want to disturb her so she returned to inspecting her moss.
After an hour or so, Abby and Jackson walked into the room with some food. Abby walked over to Nola and placed the food on a table nearby as she went over to the young woman. She looked troubled, although she was a friendly smile on her face, Nola could see that the doctor had worry written underneath her cover up. "Abby, what's wrong? Tell me." Nola said as her determined eyes pierced the doctors own. Abby had become a trusted friend since landing on the ground. After her situation with the grounders, Nola had come to value her own life and the lives of others, they were not alone and they needed to be there for each other, regardless of what had happened in the past. This was the ground and every life mattered.
The patient looked into the doctor's eyes, she looked like she was holding back something. In situations like this they would talk back at Nola's apartment over tea or coffee in private. But that was not an option today. Abby looked over her shoulder and saw that Jackson had brought the food to Raven who had taken it and placed it on the side table of her bed. Jackson helped Raven into a sitting position that seemed to have caused the girl discomfort and a few grunts to escape her mouth. Just before Nola went to return her attention to Abby she realised that the Ravens legs hadn't moved at all, she would surely find out what had happened later on. Nola brought her attention back to the doctor and eyed her for a response. As usual, the doctor gave in with a quiet and quick sigh.
"Kane, he's acting like a dictator, he believes that the rules on the Ark should be used here, I told him I disagree. We have a chance here, a new hope; surely we can grasp that new hope and embrace a new system too? I don't know, that man just frustrates me." She said as she smoothed some loose strands of hair off her face and tucked them behind her ear.
"You're right, this isn't the Ark, out here, every life matters. We need to be together in these times. Kane hasn't opened his mind to the new world, he's still thinking like we are back on the Ark. I'm sure with time he will adjust and embrace the new culture, maybe he needs a push in the right direction." Nola said as she tried to shuffle herself up into a sitting position with the help of Abby.
The doctor thought over the young woman's words. It was clear that she was wise beyond her years. Those who truly knew her could see that. Nola's words left Abby quiet for the rest of the visit. After the two patients ate, Sinclair entered the room with Nola's research and books all shoved untidily into a bag. "Hey, Raven. Good to see you up." He said with a smile.
Nola could've sworn she heard Raven murmur "up but not about." But she didn't really want to pry, she was starting to make the connection between what had happened to Raven, it was clear that Raven's injury was still fresh and would take some time to recover from, if she recovered.
Sinclair headed over to Nola's bedside and handed her the bag of books. Nola was eager to start her work again. She had been away from it for far too long and knew that there was much to do. After she was in a more comfortable sitting position, she ate her food then she spread her books over her lap and began flicking through her pages.
A few hours had passed and Sinclair had left. Abby and Jackson were popping in and out from time to time and the room only had its two patients for the majority. Not that Nola minded. Raven was quiet, Nola had passed her a book that she had brought down to earth, it was her only non-plant research related book, it was once her mothers actually, it had been passed down from her grandmother, it was old and worn out, there was stitching up the binding and the pages were tattered. Nola's mother would read it to her when she was a child, it was a story about a secret garden. Raven had been reading it for the past few hours, she had dozed on and off throughout the day and the room was filled with the sound of very light snoring. Nola did the same – minus the snoring, she knew that sleep would not only make her recovery faster but it meant that the more she slept the faster she would be up on her feet.
The next few days blended together. The girls did their own thing - Abby had brought Raven another book to read as well. Nola's research had come a long way since she had started after her surgery. She had established many of the common plants in the area and how they are surviving – thanks to Sinclair bringing odd plants that he saw around the place - she had started a plan for crops, this would take a long time as she was yet to discover how the crops would survive earths new season changes and the quality of soils around the area. As soon as she was up and able she would begin her experiments.
A few hours later and Nola had decided to give her studying a break. She'd packed her research away and was preparing to have a nap. She had closed her eyes and was about to fall asleep when a commotion started outside and a single gunshot echoed through the station. Nola's chance of sleep was immediately washed away; instead she was now wriggling up into a sitting position with her eyes buzzing around the room. Her mind was racing, who shot the gun? Who got shot? Was it a grounder? One of the hundred? Bellamy? Nola could feel her blood going cold at the thought of Bellamy. Oddly enough she would be highly dysfunctional if he were to die. He was once her closest friend. Her mother had always teasingly said that they would be a cute little couple. At the time Nola wasn't even remotely interested in boys in that way, but she felt something fierce for him, deep in her heart that she couldn't describe. She didn't love him, she loved her mother but not him, he was different. When he had left her in the hands of Toby she felt like her heart had been crushed and only half of it survived. But even after that she knew that her feelings for him would never change. She once saw him as her most valued friend, she'd like to fix that one day.
Abby burst through the door moments later, along with a couple guard members carrying an unconscious man in their arms. He had a big bloodstain that was growing on his chest; he looked as pale as a piece of chalk. The doctor came straight to Nola's bedside "Nola, I need your bed, Sinclair take her out."
Nola understood and nodded straight away, she swung her legs over the bedside with the help of Sinclair who swiftly picked her up marriage style while Abby pulled off the bed sheets and replaced them with a plastic sterilised bed spread. Jackson was busy preparing the tools for surgery while Abby was ripping the unconscious mans shirt off with the utmost precision. Sinclair brought lips close to Nola's ear because of the commotion going on around the med bay "Come on, lets get some fresh air." Which naturally had Nola nodding with a 'mhm' in agreement. As she was carried out she looked over her shoulder to see Jackson and Raven watching her as they left, Jackson eyes and her own met for a moment before Abby yelled out at him to hurry up which had his attention whipped back to the patient. Raven on the other hand looked very envious, she watched Nola all the way until she was out of the room and out of sight.
As Sinclair, carrying Nola, walked down the hallway and towards the door she could hear a commotion coming from outside, "The people are restless" Sinclair said as they neared the doors.
"Why's that?"
"A patrol brought in a grounder. The people went straight after him and the guy in surgery now had gone to grab a gun from a guard, he got himself shot, probably wont make it." he said as they entered the blinding sun outside.
Nola covered her eyes from the sun as they went further outside. It took a while for Nola's eyes to adjust. Sinclair carried her to a table and sat her down, taking a seat beside her. Nola sat there with her eyes shut as she leaned back on the table while she listened to her surroundings. The people were still rowdy and bickered between each other. But apart from that it was very relaxing. Nola opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. The fence was up, it still had plenty of room for improvement but nevertheless it was up and would keep any wild animals out, excluding grounders.
The two sat at the table facing outwards for a while. They didn't speak, just listened and observed their surroundings. Nola was leaning her back against the table with her eyes shut. Her hair swayed softly as she felt the freeze flow through, it was nothing like The Ark, any sort of breeze there was generated by a machine, and even then it was irregular and would come as a quick gust and be gone in a flash, it happened every now and then, the engineers said it was normal and that it was just built up pressure. Little did she know that it was one of the earlier signs of the Ark failing. Feeling the wind between her hair she decided to take her pony tail out and letting all of her hair fly in any direction it chose. I small smile crept onto her face as she as she closed her eyes and listened to the wind again. It was very soothing, Nola focused on the noises that the wind was creating as the sounds travelled to her ears; the slight tapping of the tin roof they sat under, the occasional flapping wings of a bird, the strong smell of pine trees and a slight smell of blood coming from the infirmary. Nola was grateful to be out of the hospital, she was overdue for some fresh air. Raven must be going out of her mind right now.
"Sinclair?" she ask with a casual voice. The man hummed in response. "Thanks for bringing me out here. I know you had too, but thanks. It'll be good to start walking again so I can bring Raven out here. She must be losing her mind in there, she been in there longer than me anyway."
Sinclair eyed the girl, curious about what goes on in that mind of hers. "You know, Abby mentioned the other night to start getting you moving around, want to give it a go?" he asked with a small smile.
Nola's eyes sprung open from her squint as her head spun around to face Sinclair, the wind was blowing at the back of her head so he wouldn't have been able to see her excited smile beneath her long hair covering it "Now?" she asked with a nod from Sinclair in return.
An hour later and the two decided to take a break back at their table. Walking practice was going slow but good. Nola had stumbled a bit, forgetting that her legs were weaker and her core muscles were injured. Thankfully she held Sinclair's forearms as he walked backwards facing her. By the end of it she wasn't stumbling and could safely hobble slowly around without falling. Nola felt exhausted after that and the two decided to take a rest. Sinclair returned with a drink of water each and passed one to her as he took a seat beside her. After they had a drink he pulled out two food packets and they had one each, Nola shoving hers down to calm her hungry body.
After their break Nola had felt she could do one more walk before heading in, Sinclair agreed with her and decided to head into the infirmary and see how things went with the man to make sure there would be a bed spare again for her. Watching him leave she noticed how he walked with purpose and a certain determination, like someone else she knows, well, knew. Watching Sinclair disappear Nola began to wonder what Bellamy was doing. Last thing she had heard was that Abby had given weapons to him and a small group from the hundred including space walker and that Murphy kid and a couple others as they were going on their own mission to find the hundred because Kane had other plans. Nola scoffed to herself, typical Kane, he was never good with the younger generation, only the really little ones that were easy to manipulate. The hundred would be too much for him to control and by the looks of things he was struggling to control the adults too. Self proclaimed chancellor. Nola murmured as she chuckled to herself not realising that she had a set of eyes that belonged to that self proclaimed chancellor - burning into the back of her head. "Nola" a voice from the station called out which had Nola's whipping her head around, her heart beating at the thought that it was Kane. Relief filled her when she saw that it was Abby was walking up to Nola with a cloth in her hands wiping them. How she had not recognised the woman's familiar voice she wouldn't know, but it certainly sounded very strained and tired. She looked very tired and Nola wondered when the older woman last slept.
"How'd it go?" Nola asked,
"Not good, we lost him. The wound was too serious for the tools we have at the moment." She said sadly. Nola frowned at the woman, Abby always does her best and when things like this happen it's always a jab to the practitioner, and people blame the skilled who try to save the human. She was fully capable but this was just an unfortunate case.
"I'm sorry to hear. I heard he was a parent of one of the hundred, who was his kid?" thinking back to the people bickering to each other earlier.
"Unfortunately I don't know, he will be buried and when Bellamy and the others return with the kids one of them will find his grave." She said with a deep sigh at the end, the doctor composed herself again and went back to business mode "Anyway, Jackson is just cleaning up at the moment and Sinclair said he'd be back soon to go for a walk again, he said you went really well, I'm glad to hear. The sooner your able to go back to your usual lifestyle the better." She said with a sincere smile, knowing how much of a workaholic Nola can be and that bed restriction was getting in the way of her work.
"Will Raven be able to go back to her usual lifestyle?" she asked quietly.
The doctor frowned and spoke with sadness, "No, Raven will never be able to walk again, not without an aid. It will take time, eventually she will be able to return to work but she will always be restricted, it will be a hard life from this point onwards, but then again she has always had a rather tough life, even on the Ark. Not everyone was as lucky as you and I, Raven was gifted beyond words with her work in zero gravity, but that isn't going to help her now, unfortunately." She paused, eying Nola, as the younger woman was lost in deep thought. "You look different."
Nola flashed her eyes up to meet Abby's, the doctor had a soft expression on her face, Nola honestly wasn't sure how to respond. "I'm not sure what you see, I feel the same, only difference I see is that we have a second chance at life, and for that I'm grateful. Every life matters now, and I want to make the most of this life, my adventure reminded me of how quickly we can lose our lives and that we need to learn from this new world and to survive it, all our lives matter and we need to protect each other…. That's just my thoughts out aloud anyway." She added on the end, trying to be casual about it, realising that she sounded rather dramatic.
"I see. Your adapting, you know? Life on Earth has already started changing you, you're like a flower blooming, no garden pun intended." She added with the smallest grin.
The two women smiled and chuckled quietly to each other, unaware of Kane and his guard approaching.
At the sound of footsteps approaching, the two woman looked behind Nola to see Kane and his guard members approaching like a bully and his posy ready to cause harm, Nola knew straight away what was coming their way, she could see it in their eyes, punishment. And those eyes were aimed at Abby who was standing at them with a proud stance, however Nola could see fear and uncertainty in her eyes.
A blond stern woman with a name tag saying Major Byrne approached the two women with Kane following a right behind, with his usual stern face, however Nola could also see the smallest of uncertainty in his eyes as well, that look became more obvious as they met Abby's eyes.
"Dr Griffin, you are under arrest for aiding criminals, you have committed felonies that are punishable by shock lashing." Ordered Major Byrne as two other guard members grabbed the woman's upper arms and started dragged her off, avoiding the doctors fierce glare at them all, especially Kane.
The guard members were past the table and were making their way to two posts that had straps hanging from them, Nola hobbled up into a standing position just in time to grab Kane's arm to stop him. "Kane, what are you doing, you know that her decision was the right one, how else would we have gotten people searching for the others so soon? This is ludacris and you know it too, it can tell. If you go through with this you wont have the respect of the camp, you'll be their dictator, and you will have no respect, not from anyone." She said with her usual strong fire burning in her eyes, doing her best to convince the prat she detested. It was to no avail, although her words had made a dint in his plan and determination, he yanked his arm out and glared at her with such intensity that most people would back down immediately, but not Nola, she knew better and he was just too delusional to see it.
"How would you know, your just a child who thinks she's an adult, you have no experience, you have no respect from others, you have no one relying on your decisions, so how would you know about anything that I do? Go back to your research." He said as he turned to walk away.
The conversation looked to be over but Nola thought otherwise, she hobbled with purposed after him as he walked towards Abby as she was getting tied to the two posts while people started surrounding the well-respected doctor. "No, I don't have the age old wisdom that you have but I know that you should never harm your own. It would be the same as leaving them for dead. You'd know all about that wouldn't you?" she said as Kane faltered in his step. She knew she couldn't stop the shock lashes but she could make him regret it even more by getting under his skin. She continued to pursue him and talk louder with each sentence, "Jaha, Jinks and the 320 people who sacrificed their lives on the Ark so we would have a chance here, mothers, fathers, children. Their lives ended so ours could go forward, what you are going to do will make people scared to evolve their lives, we need to take risks in this world, how else will we survive, the old rules are irrelevant now, we no longer need to restrict the amount of people on the Ark, we need to bring everyone together and rebuild our society, this time based on rules that are going to evolve us, not restrict us." She said as she hobbled after him, clearly struggling to keep up with his fast pace. It was obvious that her words were getting to him, he was nearing Abby and Nola could see the doctor had her attention on Kane, along with a few other people crowding around. Kane marched up towards Abby and Nola knew she wouldn't be going any further, at least not physically "Kane." She said as his shoulders tensed as he walked behind the doctor and face the crowd and staring Nola dead in the eyes. He had hardened his shell on the outside but inside he looked like he was holding onto threads. "Kane." she repeated "You heard me before, this wont make things better. I think you know that too-"
"Enough." Major Byrne said breaking the tension between Nola and Kane. "We are not here to discuss principles and opinions" she said between the two, the blonde guard member turned to face the crowd that had formed around Kane and Abby "Today we are here for the punishment of 10 shock lashings to be brought upon Doctor Abby Griffin who has committed several felonies; aiding known criminals and trafficking weapons. On your order Chancellor." Byrne gestured as she walked and waited behind the doctor.
"You cant be serious Kayne?" the doctor asked, hoping there was a mistake or something. The older woman stared intently at Kayne as Major Byrne ripped open the back of Abby's shirt, Nola starting to tremble from disbelief of what she was about to witness. "We don't have to do this down here.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this Abby, you left me no choice." He said with a sad look. The man nodded to the blonde guard woman and she tore open the back of the doctors shirt allowing easy access for the lashing.
"Kane, it doesn't need to be like this." Abby said in a low voice that only the chancellor and a few others around including Nola could here.
Kane shook his head at her words "No, it does. Proceed." he nodded towards Byrne to begin with the first lash. A cry leaked out through Abby's clenched teeth as the first lashing burned her back. Her hands gripped the straps so tight her hands were changing colours. "Again." Kane said as another shock lashing burnt her back as another cry, this time no longer held in filled the air. Nola's hands covering her mouth as her eyes watered, body shaking as she watched helplessly as her friend was electrocuted. After Abby had a moment to recover she lifted her head and looked Kane dead in the eyes. She still held her determined strong look, Nola felt very proud to know the woman, her stare at Kane was fierce and when Kane repeated his order his voice wavered. Abby screamed out in pain and her legs gave way, no longer able to hold her body up, held but the straps on the posts, her head hung low. "Again" he said for the fourth time, Abby grabbed hold of the straps just before she was zapped again. Four down, six to go. Nola shivered at the thought as she watched the punishment unfold, her insides boiling with hot tears of pain and anger as she watched the most respected woman of the camp get lashed for making the biggest choice of all. Getting the hundred back faster.
The rest of the punishing was a blur. Abby had also tried convincing Kane at about the seventh lashing, saying similar to what Nola had said to her a couple days ago.
We have a chance here, a new hope; surely we can grasp that new hope and embrace a new system too?
She was unlucky, Kane didn't listen to her words but the crowd did which gathered more respect by those around her. The sight had Nola cringing with each cry of pain from the shocks, it was a severely unpleasant sight and no-one looked like they wanted to be there. Sinclair and Jackson had joined Nola as soon as they heard Abby crying out from the lashings but she hadn't noticed until she turned away after the eighth lashing or so, Jackson looked furious and Sinclair looked to be covering up his dislike for the chancellor, even though he would never show it like Jackson was, sending dangerous glares at Kane and the guard members, like everyone else was. After her shock lashing she was carried to the infirmary by Jackson and Sinclair only partly conscious with Nola hobbling behind, Abby didn't deserve it and by the end the chancellor looked pretty upset with himself and couldn't even look at Abby or anyone in the vicinity as soon as the last lashing was given he left and headed into the station, probably to his office. Nola felt satisfied that he looked to be regretting it dreadfully.
By the time the four had entered the infirmary Nola felt exhausted, she decided to sit on the end of Raven's bed while Abby was treated. Raven didn't mind, she pulled herself up into a sitting position beside Nola, leaning against the wall on one side of the bed with her legs resting on a chair that was being used as a bedside table with only two books and a cup on it. Raven was lucky her bed was against a wall, Nola sat at the end, trying to give Raven as much room as she wanted, thankful that she just had a somewhere to sit.
"You know, I may be a cripple but I'm not contagious, you can move closer." She said with a cheeky half smile. Nola smiled friendlily and shuffled closer, careful for to do herself any damage, she had done far too much today but she was glad she was able to unnerve Kane before and during Abby's punishment. Once she was comfortable she mimicked ravens position and leant against the wall and dangled her own legs off the bed. It was surprisingly comfy, Raven on the other hand didn't look completely comfortable, she glanced down at one of her legs that rested lifelessly on the chair, a sad look washed over Nola's face as she felt as sad as Raven looked. Whatever happened has changed her life forever. Nola wondered what she was like when she didn't have a frown on her face. What she a cheeky girl? Did she play pranks on others? What she sarcastic? Yeah, she was already sarcastic, that wouldn't have changed. She thought with a sad smile on her face. Nola was unaware that Nola was also looking at the girl's dead leg. "I'm not a complete cripple, once I'm fully healed I'm going to make something like a frame to hold it together, its in my head, just gotta put it to paper." She said as she tapped her head with a friendly smile. Nola admired her confidence. Raven had a certain warmth about her, she was like metal in the sun, warm, bright and unmoving, strong and unbreakable, damaged, but mendable. Nola respected her for that.
"Well, once it's put to paper, you better let me help, I'd love to learn how your mechanism will work." Nola said with her warmest smile. Raven didn't need help, but Nola wanted to be friends with this girl. Hopefully she said the right thing.
Raven looked downwards at the floor and chuckled to herself, "Sure." She said as she lifted her head with a different sort of demeanour, more like metal in the summer, just a little less damaged.
Sinclair, Jackson, Raven and Nola waited about thirty minutes for Abby to come through, afterwards the group patiently waited and watched as Jackson treated Abby's back. The doctor kept a strong face as Jackson applied alcohol to her back each time and she flinched each time it was applied. Nola could only imagine, it would burn so much, being applied to the raw skin, the thought sent shivers down Nola's spine. Sinclair had left shortly after Abby had woken up to go and see the grounder prisoner. Raven had gone back to sleep and Nola had found herself a chair in the next room over that she could use. The room was quiet while Abby was treated. Nola watched from a distance with curiosity. A new wave of curiousness rose when Jackson paused and looked at the doorway as Kane entered the room looking as though he had just kicked a puppy. Nola felt pity for the man, he had made the wrong decision and he clearly knew that too. "Thankyou Jackson." Abby said as Jackson send a cautious look Kane's way before moving over to the cabinets to put the tools and alcohol away. "So? Did it work? Is the rest of the camp back in line?"
"This wasn't… this wasn't something I considered lightly-"
"You don't have to justify yourself. I broke the rules and I accepted the consequences." The doctor paused. "But you can lash me a hundred times and I am still going to break the rules, I am going to do whatever I can to find those kids. My kid."
Kane looked deflated "I know that."
"Then I guess we're done here." She said as she slid off the bed and landing with a small grunt. She walked around the bed towards the toolbox standing on wheels. Nola was glad that she was sitting in the corner opposite the room, Kane hopefully hadn't noticed her yet. She was happy listening quietly and knew that Abby didn't mind.
Although the conversation looked to be over, Kane's behaviour seemed to differ. "I'm leading a mission to bring them back. This won't be a bunch of kids looking to start a fight, but a diplomatic mission to make contact with the grounders commander, and negotiate peace. I'm bringing the grounder prisoner with me."
Abby hadn't faced him while he spoke. She tilted her head slightly over her shoulder and spoke. "Marcus, he could be leading you into a trap."
"Perhaps, but, it'll give us a chance." He responded, causing the doctor to turn around and face him. "I did hear you, you know."
"I'll go with you-"
"No. No, you're needed here at camp-"
"Jackson can handle the medical." She said, determined to go with him. Nola felt she shouldn't be in the room.
"Its not just your medical expertise that will be required, I need to know, that while I'm away, you'll set a good example for our people." He said. Nola had a feeling she knew what was coming next so she tried to silently creep out of the room as best she could.
Abby fiercely looked at Kane "If you do this I'll be a model citizen."
"I need you to be more than that." He paused while Nola crept quietly under the doorframe. "I need you to be chancellor." He said.
Nola's head spun around so hard to face the two that she should've jarred her neck. Her eyes were wide open at Kane's words; he wanted Abby to be the chancellor, to guide the people through their new journey, to inspire each other to evolve. Nola felt butterflies in her stomach for her friend. She knew she should have already left the room for the two to have their private conversation but she felt stuck in place, eager to hear her response, even though she already knew what it would be.
Nola heard a clinking noise as something was placed between the two adults, most likely the chancellor's pin. "Please Abby." He said. "For your people."
Nola knew that it was her time to leave. Knowing what the response was from the doctor – now chancellor – nodding and attaching the pin to her chest. Nola shuffled silently out of the room and headed towards the grounder prisoner where she knew Sinclair would be.
"Hey" Sinclair said as she approached him and a couple others. "What are you doing here?"
"Kane said I could talk to the prisoner, see if I could gather some information for my research before they leave." Which was actually true, to a degree. She had left the infirmary and was making her way to Sinclair when Kane stopped her and asked a favour. He wanted to know if she could have a go at gathering information, anything to get him to speak. Nola had never been asked this sort of thing, she figured there would be no harm in asking questions so she agreed and here she was.
Sinclair didn't look too convinced, Nola wasn't in the mood to try and convince him, luckily she didn't have to because Kane arrived a moment later and backed her up for the first time ever which had not only Nola's eyebrows raised but Sinclair's too.
As Nola entered the room she noticed how it didn't look anything like the prisons in the sky box back on the Ark. This one was dirty and had vines growing through it that Nola hadn't yet found during her research, she started walking towards it, cautious about the grounder watching her movements as she slowly hobbled past him and went to inspect the vines. While she did so she admired how the natural lighting from the sun illuminated the room in a way that made it almost beautiful, even for a cell. "Interesting" she murmured to herself. She plucked a few leaves and observed how the sap exited not only through the stem but also through the pores on the leaf itself. It wasn't a light creamy texture she was expecting, instead it was a deep orange and it was almost clear. The liquid seeped fast and the plant died a moment later in her hands, a limp brown leaf with the moisture sucked out of it. "Very interesting" she said to herself. A moment later she remembered what she was doing in the cell. With the leaf in her hand she made her way to the wall opposite the grounder and sat on the floor. She imagined that she would look rather intimidating sitting higher than him, as though she were more valuable than him when in reality they were both only human. Nola slowly slumped down onto the floor and took a few deep breaths, thankful to be siting again, this day had been very eventful, to a degree. "Its amazing, all the plant life. Up there" she indicated, looking up at the sky as it seeped through the ceiling "there weren't many types of plants, nothing like down here on earth. Its remarkable how much the earth has changed since the war. I used to watch the earth from satellite photos and observe how much the earth changed. It's a beautiful place. I'm very envious of you. There's so much around you, so much to learn, to do and to see." She paused to catch her breath "I used to work with the plants up there you see? Now down here I have the task of preparing for crops. After that, I'm not sure what I will do. I'd love to study your culture some day. Your weapons are wonderful. I've seen your archers in action, they have so much precision and finesse, your arrows are so fine yet versatile. Its so interesting. And your spears, I found one impaled in one of our people, they are so slim but stiff, very simple and well made considering they are just wood, no spear heads.-"
If Nola wasn't watching the grounder as she spoke she may not have even heard it, he spoke English well but his voice was quiet, he mustn't have spoken in a fair few days. "Those were not our spears." The grounder murmured.
"Who's were they? If they weren't yours then who killed him them?" she asked with honest curiosity, she was interested to know who had killed Toby if it weren't one of the grounders.
The grounder was staring Nola dead in the eyes, deciding what her motives were, she wasn't sure how good he was at deciphering people but he must've known she had no bad intentions. "It wasn't us." He repeated. "One of our men saw it from the trees, a boy was alone with another person, a young man. He was the one who killed him."
"Do you know that mans name?" she asked, her interest peaking.
The grounders dark eyes pierced her own, "Bellamy."
Dun dun dunnn! Hey guys! Sorry I've been away for too long, I was at a bit of a mind block. I'm constantly thinking about Nola and the plans I have for her but its just figuring out how to get her to that point.
This chapter was double the length of my normal chapters; it's about 9000 words. And I would much prefer to give you larger chapters to compensate for my lack of updating.
I really hope you enjoy the chapter, please let me know if things don't make sense. I'm really trying to work on that as I'm starting to evolve Nola's character and getting her to open up to those around her instead of shutting herself away like she did on the ark, I already have so much planned for her in season three its insane!
What did you guys think of season three? I had all my faith that the group would figure something out but I just – wow! It was so intense! After the ep 'stealing fire' where we lose someone I just don't know! Gah! Please review and tell me your thought on this chapter, do you prefer longer chapters with longer updates? When I say longer I don't mean months and months (which I apologise for)
Please review and give me your thoughts!
