Contents Under Pressure
The storm hit hard and it hit fast. Everyone was hurrying to secure the camp, while Clarke and I were in the drop ship preparing to help Finn and Raven was trying to get a hold of The Ark. Clarke and I knew we would need our mother's help if we had any hope of saving Finn's life.
"This is Raven Reyes calling Ark Station. Please come in." Raven hailed. "Can anyone hear me?"
"You sure you have the right frequency?" Monroe asked, leaning
"Yeah, I'm sure." Raven snapped.
"Raven, you can do this." Clarke encouraged.
Raven nodded, taking a deep breath. "Calling Ark Station." she hailed again. "Ark station, please come in. I'm on the ground with the 100. We need you."
Gusts of damp air blew into the ship as I stood at the front of the ramp, letting rainwater hit my face. It tore me up inside just waiting for my mother to come over the radio.
"Who is this?" a static-laced voice asked over the radio. "Please identify yourself."
"This is Raven Reyes. I'm from Mecha Station. I'm transmitting from the ground." Raven disclosed, a smile crossing her lips. "The 100 are alive. Please, you need to get Dr. Abby Griffin. Now."
I pushed through the crowd, leaning against the radio table. Raven handed me the second head-set she put together and I put it on, adjusting the mouthpiece slightly. Soon, my mother's voice came over the system.
"Raven, are you there?" she asked, her voice still a bit fuzzy.
"Mom?" I questioned, my voice cracking. "Mom, it's me."
"Rayleigh?" she gasped.
I instinctively nodded. "Mom, Clarke and I need your help." I informed. "One of our people was stabbed by a grounder."
"Rayleigh." Jaha's voice came through next. "Are you saying there are survivors on the ground?"
Clarke took the headset from Raven. "Yes, Chancellor." she answered. "The earth is survivable. We're not alone."
"Mom, one of our people was wounded. He's dying." I cut in. "The knife's still in his chest." I faintly heard her say something on the other end but couldn't make it out.
"Rayleigh, is my son with you?" Jaha asked.
I bit my lip, dreading the answer I had to give. "I'm so sorry." I apologized, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Wells is...Wells is dead." A sting of pain hit my heart as soon as I uttered that statement aloud.
The other end went silent for a few seconds, and I could barely make out what my mother said next. "Raven, what's wrong?" I asked, looking down at her.
"It's not the radio." Raven defended. "It's the storm."
Thunder crashed just outside the ship. "Rayleigh, you copy?" mom asked.
"I'm here." I answered. "We're here." Clarke leaned in closer.
"Listen girls, we need to hurry." mom ordered. "A hurricane is right on top of you."
"We're ready when you are." Clarke stated, glancing at me. I nodded in agreement.
I pulled my hair into a high ponytail, getting ready for the major procedure ahead of me. Octavia burst into the ship, carrying two large tin cans. "Monty's moonshine?" I questioned, raising my eyebrow.
"Pretty sure no germ can survive it." Octavia joked. She set the cans down by the rest.
More thunder crashed outside and the wind howled. I bit my lip, shaking my head. "The storm's getting worse." I noted. "Monroe, close the doors."
"We still have people out there." she replied.
"Monty and Jasper still aren't back yet." Octavia added. "Neither is Bellamy."
"It's all right." I assured. "They'll find somewhere to ride it out." I took her hand. "Bellamy's gonna be fine. Selfish ass or not, he looks out for us."
Octavia cracked a smile and poured two shots of the moonshine, handing me on. "To take the edge off." she offered. "Your eyes scream panic."
I took the cup, "Screw ancient laws." I scoffed, downing the shot. I took the other one and handed it to Clarke, who downed it without hesitation.
"One suture needle." Raven insisted, handing the Clarke the needle.
I dug out the thread from the med kit my mom sent down with Raven, setting it off to the side. Along with the needle and thread, I laid out strips of cloth for post-operation bandages.
"Tell me you can do this." Raven whispered, standing right beside me.
I turned to face her, "No one's dying on my watch." I promised.
"Hey, they're back." Fox called.
My head whipped around and I saw Bellamy, Miller, and Drew enter the ship with the Grounder that took Octavia. He was unconscious, bloody, and blindfolded.
"What the hell are you doing?" Octavia asked, looking between her brother and the Grounder.
"It's time to get some answers." Bellamy answered.
"Oh, you mean revenge?" Octavia questioned.
"I mean intel." he corrected. "Get him upstairs." Miller and Drew nodded and carried the Grounder to the top level of the ship.
I moved the mouthpiece away so I could talk to Bellamy and not have it broadcast ed up on The Ark. "Bellamy, Octavia's right." I agreed.
"Ray, honey, we're ready." my mom said from the medical station. "Can you hear me?"
I licked my lips. "This is not who we are." I grabbed his arm. "This isn't who you are."
"It is now." Bellamy stated, taking my hand in his own. "Right now, you just focus on saving Finn. You're the only one who can."
"No pressure." I muttered, glancing at the exam table.
"Hey." Bellamy cupped my cheek, making me look him directly in the eye. His index finger caressed the backside of my left ear. "You can do this, Rayleigh." he encouraged, kissing the center of my forehead.
I pulled away and looked up, nodding my head. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." I stepped back, pulled the lever that closed the doors and proceeded to the exam table. "Mom." I hailed, moving the mouthpiece into place, "I'm here."
"Okay, now describe the injury to me." mom sighed.
I paced around to the side where the knife was embedded in Finn's chest. "The blade's at a sharp upward angle, between the sixth and seventh ribs." I informed. "As for depth, I'm not so sure. It was dark in the cave so I couldn't see how long it was before Finn was stabbed."
"That's all right, sweetie." mom soothed. "Just don't remove the knife yet. Both of you, sterilize your hands before we move on."
Clarke and I dumped part of a moonshine container, rubbing the liquid over our hands. "Can you see any fluid?" mom asked.
A couple of guys bumped into each other and it nearly broke into a fight. "Clear the room! Everyone, upstairs!" Raven ordered. "Now! Let's go!" no one asked questions and proceeded to the second level of the drop ship.
"He feels a little warm." Clarke noted, feeling Finn's forehead.
"That's all right." mom replied. "Fever sometimes accompanies trauma. Now, I need you to tell me if there is any fluid leaking from the wound."
I carefully removed the cloth strip from the knife, "No." I answered.
"Pleural membrane's intact. That's good." mom stated. "Actually, really good. He got lucky."
"Hear that?" Raven whispered, leaning over Finn. "You're lucky."
"Now what mom?" I asked.
"Now, you're gonna remove the knife." mom answered. "Get a firm grip on the handle." I gripped the hilt tightly. "You're gonna need to angle it upward and to the left very slightly to the left as it exits the rib cage."
"How very slightly?" I clarified. There was a rough answer. "Mom? You dropped out."
"Rayleigh, 3 millimeters." mom answered finally. "Got it?"
"Yeah. Three millimeters." I repeated. "Here goes."
"Steady hand, Rayleigh." mom reminded. "You've assisted me on trickier procedures than this. And once that knife is out, the hard part is over."
I nodded. "All right. Extracting now." I stated, gripping the hilt.
Finn's body jolted. "He's waking up." Clarke gasped.
"Hold him still." I yelled, keeping a firm grasp on the knife.
"Finn." Clarke soothed, running her fingers through his hair. "Finn, Ray's gonna get that knife out of you, ok?"
"Good plan." Finn muttered, rolling his head to look at me. "Guess my life's in your hands Princess Commander."
I cracked a smile and chuckled. "Finn, you can't move." I told him. "You got it?" he nodded. "Ok. Here it goes."
"Nice and slow, Rayleigh sweetie." mom coached. "You can do this." I nodded and gently started pulling the knife free, which caused Finn to tense up.
"Finn, do not move." Clarke ordered, holding his lower body still. "She's almost got it."
I clenched my teeth together and felt the knife being pulled free. With one last pull, the knife was yanked from Finn's side, just as a huge gust of wind blew something into the ship. I slid in one direction while Finn, Clarke, and Raven went the opposite. I grunted as I hit the ground.
"Rayleigh. Clarke." mom gasped. "Girls, are you alright?"
"It's out." Raven sighed in relief.
"Rayleigh did it." Clarke added, smiling at me.
I looked at the bloody knife still in my hand, a smile crossing my lips. "I can't believe I just did that."
"Great job honey." mom praised. "Now, clean the wound."
"Yeah." I muttered. "And, thanks to your unwavering hope in us, I have the necessary tools to stitch it up."
Mom sighed. "I knew you and your sister were strong enough to survive." she stated. "I never lost hope." her voice cracked. "Your father would be proud."
Clarke looked down and I bit my lip. "Thanks for not giving up on us." I told her. "I'm disinfecting the wound now."
"Do you have anything to cover it?" mom asked.
"We'll make do, like always." Clarke answered, getting a bandage ready.
After disinfecting the wound, I stitched it up with relative ease.
"Should he be this pale?" Raven asked, brushing the backs of her fingers over his cheek. "Warm, too."
"He's lost a lot of blood, Raven." I informed.
"But if your boyfriend's anywhere near as tough as you, I'm sure he'll be fine." mom added, a light chuckle escaping her.
Clarke felt Finn's chest. "Wait, mom, Raven's right." she noted. "He's feverish, and his breathing's uneven." she looked across the table at me. "Check his heart beat."
I nodded and grabbed my stethoscope, sliding the radio headset around my neck and replacing it with the ear pieces. I pressed the bell to Finn's chest, hearing a fluttering heartbeat. I switched the places of my stethoscope and the headset, "Mom, his heart rate is above normal."
"That's probably the shock of the events." she consoled. "You need to give him some time to recover. Let me know if he gets any worse, but I think I think he might just be out of the woods."
"Well, down here, there's nothing but woods." Clarke scoffed, taking the headset off and rubbing her temples.
I sighed, resting my elbows on the exam table. "I'm gonna tell Bellamy the news." I leaned off the table, removing the headset. I put my hand on Clarke's shoulder as I passed her. "Stay with Finn. I'll be on the third level if you need me."
She nodded and patted my hand before I climbed up the ladder to the top level of the ship.
I unlatched the entrance and saw Miller and Drew staring down at me. I cleared my throat to get Bellamy's attention.
"Let her through." Bellamy motioned and I lifted myself up onto the level.
I walked up to Bellamy, never taking my eyes off the Grounder. He had dark skin, equally dark eyes and his face was covered in cuts and bruises. His arms were strung up on either side of him and his legs were chained to the floor. Those dark eyes of his were fixed in a glare, directed towards Bellamy. "Well, if he didn't hate us before, he does now." I muttered.
"Who cares?" Bellamy scoffed, returning the Grounder's glare with his own. When he turned to me, his eyes softened. He grabbed my arm and walked me to the opposite side from the prisoner. "How's Finn?"
"Alive." I sighed, glancing back at the Grounder. "His people will care. How long until they figure out where he is?" I questioned. "And what happens when they do? I mean, when they come looking for him? They will, Bellamy."
"Relax, Princess." Bellamy cut me off. "No one saw us take him." he assured. "He was chained up in that cave, where we left him, the entire time, and thanks to the storm, we didn't see a soul on the way back." he showed me this old, leather journal and flipped to a page with a sketch of the camp, on the one next to it were tally marks. "In case you missed it, his people are already killing us. How many more of our people need to die until you realize we're fighting a war?"
"We're not soldiers, Bellamy. We're just a bunch of kids." I pointed out. "Look at him." I motioned to the Grounder. "We can't win."
"You're right. We can't." he agreed, making me raise an eyebrow. "If we don't fight."
I opened my mouth to say something, but was cut off when Clarke came up through the latch, screaming my name. "Ray, he's seizing." she gasped. "Hurry."
"Coming." I rushed past Bellamy and followed my sister.
I jumped down the ladder and ran to Finn, who's body was jerking. "He was fine, then..." Raven trailed off, running her hands over her hair.
Clarke and I stood on either side, trying to hold him still. "Get my mother on the radio now." I ordered. "Raven, now!"
"The radio's dead!" Raven quipped. "Interference from the storm." she leaned against the table, her eyes pleading. "Please don't let him die."
Clarke and I exchanged a glance, nodding. Finn's seizing suddenly stopped and white, foaming substance began leaking from his mouth. "Clarke quick, help me get him on his side." I ordered.
"He's burning up." Clarke noted, the palm of her hand on his forehead.
"Fluid in his lungs." Raven repeated. "Does that mean the knife hit something?"
I shook my head. "This isn't blood. It's something else." I took a deep breath and exhaled, holding my hand on his neck. "Wait, shortness of breath, fever, seizing." I muttered. "It's poison."
"You sterilized everything." Raven reminded. "I watched you do it."
My eyes instantly wandered to the knife. "Not everything." I rebuked. "Damn these Grounders." I cursed, grabbing the knife. I turned to Clarke, "Stay here."
"Rayleigh." she called, but I was already up to the second level, going for the third.
"Ray, wait." Octavia halted. "They locked the hatch."
I rolled my eyes and climbed a few more steps, banging on the latch. "Hey! Open the door!" I yelled, continuing to bang on it. When it opened, Miller was blocking my way. "Get out of my way, Miller." I ordered. "Now!"
Miller backed away and I shoved past him, standing right in front of the Grounder. I held the blade up in front of his face. "What's on this?" I asked, my eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about?" Bellamy whispered.
"He poisoned the blade." I informed, keeping my glare locked with the Grounder's. "All this time, you knew Finn was gonna die no matter what we did." I accused. "What is it?" I demanded. "Is there an antidote?"
"Rayleigh, he doesn't understand you." Octavia informed, standing behind the rest of us.
"Vials." Bellamy muttered, reaching for a small container near the Grounder's belongings. He opened it and inside were five vials with different liquids. "It's gotta be here."
I took the container and looked over each vial, tossing the knife aside. "You'd have to be stupid to have a poison around this long without an antidote." I murmured. "Which one?" I asked, showing the vials to the Grounder.
Dead silence. "Answer the question!" Bellamy ordered.
"Show us." Octavia pleaded. "Please."
Still nothing. "Our friend is dying down there and you can stop that." I told him, hoping he had some sort of conscience.
Bellamy's glare intensified. "I'll get him to talk." he said.
Octavia reached out and grabbed his arm. "Bellamy, no." she begged.
"He wants Finn to die. Why can't you see that?" he yelled, making Octavia back down. He then looked over to me. " Do you want him to live or not?"
I looked between the two siblings. Octavia shook her head and grabbed my hand. "Ray, you even said it yourself. This is not who we are!" she reminded. "He was protecting me. He saved my life."
"We're talking about Finn's life." Bellamy cut in.
I closed my eyes, knowing exactly what had to be done. As much as it went against my own morals, I met Bellamy's intense look with one of my own. "Do it." I agreed.
He nodded and cut loose a seat belt from one of the few remaining seats left on the ship. He cut off the Grounder's shirt, revealing tribal markings of some kind. "You're gonna show us the antidote or you're gonna wish you had." Bellamy threatened.
He stood a few inches from the Grounder, gripping the end of the belt. Despite pleadings from Octavia, Bellamy struck the Grounder full force with the latch part of the belt. He struck him a second time, and still he didn't flinch. I stepped in between them and put the vials on the ground. "Please." I begged. "Which one's the antidote?"
When the Grounder still remained silent, I lowered my head. Bellamy put his hand on my shoulder, rubbing my shoulder blade with his thumb. I looked over my shoulder and saw the look in his eyes. I took his hand and Bellamy pulled me to my feet, his arm moving around my waist to steady me. With one final look, I walked away and stood by Miller, watching as Bellamy continued with the torture.
"Please stop!" Octavia screamed.
"Rayleigh!" Clarke called from the lower level. "He's getting worse!"
"We're running out of time." I murmured, walking up to stand beside Bellamy. "Which one is it?" I asked. "If you tell us, he'll stop." I motioned to Bellamy. "Please tell us which is the antidote and he'll stop this."
Bellamy tossed the belt aside, helping me to my feet. "If that doesn't work, maybe this will." he grabbed a spike and clutched it. I looked at it, before meeting his eyes. Bellamy put his hand on my shoulder, "Ray, you don't have to be here for this." he whispered.
"I'm not leaving until I get that antidote." I replied, keeping my eyes locked with his. This entire thing went against my nature, but I was at the breaking point and this was the only way to get the Grounder to tell us which vial held the antidote. Bellamy looked the Grounder right in the eyes, and when he didn't waver, jammed the spike through his hand. The Grounder still didn't make a sound, he bit back the scream any other person would've let out.
"What's taking so long?" Raven complained, climbing up the ladder. She walked up to me. "He stopped breathing."
"What?" I asked.
"He started again, but next time, he might not." she added.
I ran my hands over my hair, glancing at the stone-faced Grounder. "He won't tell us anything."
Raven looked in his direction, eyes narrowed. "Wanna bet?" she challenged. She yanked two wires out of a panel and started rubbing the ends together.
"What are you doing?" Bellamy asked.
"Showing him something new." she answered, shoving the wires onto the Grounder's chest and abdomen, electrocuting him. "Which one is it?" she demanded. "Come on!" she electrocuted him once more, this time he screamed. "He's all I have!"
"No more!" Octavia yelled, getting our attention. She held the knife in a death grip.
"He's letting Finn die." Raven reminded, tears streaming down her face.
Octavia cut her arm with the knife, blood dripping on the ground. "He won't let me die." she stated, kneeling in front of the Grounder. She pointed to each of the vials, until the Grounder confirmed the right antidote. She handed me the vial and I took off down the ladder, rushing to Finn's side.
"Here." I handed the vial to Clarke. "Not all of it though."
She nodded and took out the stopper. "Hold his head up." she told me.
I nodded and slid my hands under Finn's head, craning it up. Clarke put the vial to his lips and gently poured it down his throat.
"How do we know if it works?" Raven asked, draping a blanket over Finn.
I rubbed her upper back. "We'll know when he wakes up." I reassured. "He'll need water when he does." Raven nodded. I handed her the antidote vial, "Give the rest to Octavia."
"Sure." she patted my shoulder and climbed up the ladder.
Clarke took a deep breath, and laid her forehead on the table, her shoulders heaving. I walked over and rubbed her back soothingly. "He's gonna be fine sis, don't worry." I whispered.
A faint transmission came over the radio. "Rayleigh? Clarke?" mom's voice hailed. "Can you hear me?"
Clarke wiped the tears from her eyes. "We're here." she replied, taking my hand and squeezing it.
"Oh, thank God." mom muttered. "The the storm's passing." she informed. "How's Finn doing?"
"He's gonna be okay." I replied, my ponytail draped over my shoulder. I eased Clarke to her feet and we stood by the radio table.
"Oh, that's thanks to the both of you. I'm so proud of you girls." mom praised. "And your father would be so proud, too."
Clarke sniffled. "Don't talk about him." she quipped.
"Clarke?" mom questioned. "What's wrong? Please tell me what it is."
"Dad's dead because of you." Clarke replied, more tears falling. "You turned him in. We all know it."
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "Wells told us everything before he-" I added, feeling the moisture well in my eyes too. "He let me believe that he did it, so that Clarke and I would hate him instead of you." a tear rolled down my cheek. "We've known the entire time we've been on Earth." I wiped the tears and sniffled, laying my temple against Clarke's.
Mom took a deep breath. "Girls, I want you to listen to me." she pleaded. "That was never supposed to happen." her voice cracked, so I figured she must've been crying too. "Jaha was supposed to talk him out of it."
Clarke shook her head and hit the radio. "No, we're done talking to you." she cried, walking back to sit next to Finn.
I ran my hands over my hair and shuddered, exhaling heavily. Being who I was, the best way I knew to avoid emotional distractions was to throw myself into my work. Since Finn was alive and resting, I decided to test my luck and show the Grounder prisoner some kindness by tending to the wounds inflicted on him by Bellamy.
I pulled the spike from his hand and set it on the ground by a bucket of water. I wrung out a washcloth and went to clean the wound in his hand, but he yanked it away. "I need to clean this." I told him, but he continued to give me the same glare he gave Bellamy.
"Here." Octavia offered. "Let me try."
I handed her the washcloth and the Grounder opened his hand just enough for Octavia to press the rag to his wound. "I never wanted him to get hurt, Octavia. You have to know that." I admitted. "I just wanted to save Finn."
"For the record, you didn't save Finn." Octavia rebuttled, not looking at me. "That was me. But whatever you want to tell yourself to feel better."
I pursed my lips together, grabbed the spike, and left, climbing down the ladder and exiting the drop ship.
Everyone was cleaning up the damage from the hurricane, which had passed. It lasted all through the night, and the past events were finally catching up with me. Clarke walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, laying her head on my shoulder. "That was a long a stressful night, I'm turning in." she kissed my cheek.
I laid my head against her's. "I'll join you in a second." I replied, caressing her hands. She nodded and headed for our tent, which miraculously survived the storm.
I walked into the center of camp, looking at the damaged wall. "We'll get it cleaned up." Bellamy assured, standing next to me.
I twisted the spike in my hand. "I wish this was our only mess." I admitted.
Bellamy took the spike from me, "Rayleigh." he muttered, making me look at him. He reached up and cupped my cheek, caressing it with his thumb. "Who we are and who we need to be to survive are very different things." he told me.
I reached up and took his hand, interlacing our fingers, glancing at the top floor of the drop ship. "What are we gonna do with him?" I asked, referring to the Grounder on said floor. "We can't keep him locked up forever."
"If we let him go, he'll be back, and not alone next time." he pointed out. I shook my head and looked out at the horizon. "It's not easy being in charge, is it?" he asked, caressing the back of my hand. "Princess Commander."
I scoffed. "Princess Commander, what a joke." I muttered, pursing my lips together. I turned and faced Bellamy head on. "I'm not emotionally built to be a leader, so why call me that at all?"
Bellamy closed the distance between us and moved his arm so it was around my waist. "Like it or not, some of these guys look up to you." he looked out at the camp and I saw Monroe, Harper, and Fox banding together repairing a section of the wall. "Mostly it's the girls, but still," he looked down at me. "they look up to you."
I licked my lips, "How could you do it?" I asked, meeting his eyes. "Torture the Grounder the way you did? I could never do that."
"I did it because we needed to save Finn." he answered. "If we show weakness, we'll be slaughtered. We can't be afraid to do what has to be done for our people."
"Our people." I repeated, looking out at everyone working together. "Why us?" I asked, looking back up to Bellamy. "Why do we have to make those calls? Why do their lives have to rest in our hands?" I felt more tears fall from my eyes.
Bellamy pulled me into an embrace, rubbing my back. "A lot of leaders probably asked those very same questions." he replied. "Sometimes people are just born to be leaders. I think we're those people."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, laying my cheek against his chest. "Just knowing that Finn's life rested in my hands was enough to shake me." I admitted. "For a moment I thought he was going to die." I pulled away, "What would've happened if he did?"
"Ray, you can't worry about what-if's." Bellamy advised, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "You can't second guess yourself. Have faith that you can save everyone who needs you." he tilted my chin up. "I know that if anything happens to me, you'll save me. Just like Finn and Jasper."
I hugged him tightly, without thinking. "Don't say that." I whispered. "Please." I bit my lip and pulled away, caressing his cheek. "You're the one person who can't end up on my exam table. If anything happens to you, we're all dead."
Bellamy leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss. I closed my eyes and kissed back, my hands holding his broad shoulders while his arms tightened around my lower back. My heart hammered in my chest, but my head screamed "Too soon." I pulled away, catching my breath. "Too soon." I repeated aloud. I looked up into his eyes. "Bellamy, I-"
"No, I get it." he cut off. "It's too soon. I mean it's been almost a week since..."
I nodded. "Yeah." I cleared my throat. "I'm gonna turn in. It was a long night and-"
"You need your rest." he finished, his hands dropping from my waist. He kissed my forehead and went to repair the wall with a few other guys.
I walked back to my tent, my heart still fluttering like a caged bird.
