Three weeks later
Echo
Preparation for the baby seemed never ending. Getting a makeshift crib built, a seamstress from Azgeda was making a baby blanket and baby clothes for Aurora. It was exciting and terrifying, that there was just two months until she would be born. But seeing Octavia with Hope made me feel more than ready for Aurora to come into this world.
Roan and Bellamy were on guard duty, so Octavia had asked me to go with her for Hope's checkup. She was seen every few weeks, Abby said as a newborn she could get sick so easily and her little body wasn't strong enough to fight anything off so making sure she was always healthy was important. Octavia brought me to most of Hope's appointments anyways just for practice.
So now we were heading to medbay, the baby in Octavia's arms. Abby and Clarke met us at the door. Now Clarke was a face I hadn't seen in a long time, she was always "busy"—in other words avoiding Bellamy and me.
"You didn't tell me she was going to be here," Clarke mumbled, loud enough for me to hear.
Long story short, she had a thing for Bellamy and they used to co-lead before the civilization in the bunker formed. But Bellamy never felt for her the same way—close friends, like family. Then his feelings for me grew from hatred to friends to love. Clarke told him to choose and he chose me and I had rarely seen her since. In the bunker, with no leadership role and still a doctor's apprentice the once peaceful and spunky girl grew bitter.
I huffed. "I'm here as support Octavia—and to practice as I'll be down this road soon enough."
"Oh…you're pregnant…"
I sighed and looked at Octavia.
"Clarke, enough. Let's just get this over with."
"I saw Clarke today," I told Bellamy as we changed into more comfortable clothing for dinner.
His head snapped towards me. "Clarke?"
"She was helping Abby during Hope's appointment. She was very…annoyed at seeing me…and, well, this," I motioned at my very noticeable belly.
He rolled his eyes. "She needs a voice on the council…and a relationship. Just sitting around has made her bitter and she's pushed Niylah away."
I hummed in agreement. "Let's get to dinner. My stomach feels really queasy, the whole situation earlier has upset Aurora or something. She's been thrashing around quite a bit since."
"Did you tell Abby?"
"Yeah, she said it's just nerves and that Aurora is beginning to feel more cramped each day in there."
He closed the gap between us, pressing his lips gently to mine. "Maybe you just have to relax. Dinner can wait." His lips trailed down my jawline to my neck.
"Bellamy, Octavia is waiting f—mm, she can wait a little while."
I let him guide me backwards to the bed. His lips made their way back to mine and he kissed deeply. I slowly leaned backwards until I was lying down, trying to stay comfortable with him but take the pressure off my ever growing belly. One of his hands rubbed calming circles on my stomach, the other hand roaming.
No, I never wanted this to change. But then again…this is how babies happen so maybe, just maybe, things could change in the future. Just a little…
The urgent knocking on the door brought us out of our sleep.
"Crap! We never made it to dinner!" Octavia sure wasn't going to be happy being stood up by us. Then again, I didn't expect Bellamy to tire me out so well.
Bellamy got up groggily, throwing a shirt on and opened the door. Roan's voice sounded from the doorway. "There's some major unrest coming this way—a huge fight between Skaikru and Azgeda."
"Why?" Bellamy asked.
"Skaikru are taking Trikru apprentices in the jobs we aren't familiar with and not Azgeda and the people are protesting. I guess peace without violence couldn't last forever, huh? Figured it would be best to get Echo to a safe zone until this blows over, with the baby and all. Octavia is already there."
I hurriedly slipped my jacket on and threw some clothes in a bag for good measure and came up from behind Bellamy at the door, giving a silent nod to Roan in understanding. "Come, we must hurry."
I'm not sure how we got caught up in this. Though it shouldn't surprise me. The head of the Skaikru guard, the king of Azgeda, and one of the two girls most important to both of them. Azgeda pulled swords and bows and Skaikru had the unfair element of guns.
I should have brought my bow and arrows.
An Azgeda warrior wrestled a gun from a Skaikru guards hands, it was the easiest kill and the one that started it. The other Azgedians went for the Skaikru guns. Roan was yelling, him and Bellamy doing their best to shield me and herd me out of the brawl.
I should have brought my bow and arrows.
One of the Azgedians pointed his gun at Bellamy and shot, everything slowing down as if time itself had stopped.
He was a lousy shot.
I should have brought my bow and arrows.
Pain. That's all I could register. My shoulder throbbed from there the bullet went straight through. But I didn't care about that pain. The pain I cared about was the pain searing through the center of my stomach. I don't remember falling, but here I was on the ground, my head on Bellamy's lap. I saw him and Roan's mouths moving but I couldn't hear a sound. A warm liquid pooled between my legs. Without thinking I reached down and my hand came back red.
Blood. And a lot of it.
"The baby," I said which came out barely above a whisper. "Don't let my baby die."
Suddenly I was flying, a board beneath me leaving me floating through time and space on the way to medbay, a trail a blood and tears following us. The board disappeared and a stiff mattress took its place. A clear mask over my nose and mouth—to suffocate me and feed me oxygen all at the same time. A prick on the arm, to pump my body with fluids and blood to replace the lost.
Save my baby.
"She's losing too much blood," Abby's distorted voice came from a faraway land, telling Bellamy who must have been crying silent tears of pain. "I can save her, but she'll lose the baby."
"No!" my heavy, tired voice screamed. "You don't let my daughter die! Save her!"
Quiet discussion too low for my straining, foggy ears. Then they rose to a shout, too loud and too agonizing,
Save my baby.
"Bellamy! If I save the baby, then Echo will die. They both can't be saved."
Save my baby.
"She wants Aurora saved…even if it costs her life."
"Can you raise the child knowing that she's alive because her mother is dead?"
"She's my daughter!"
Save my baby.
"I'll so my best to save the baby…I hope you're making the right choice."
"If I went against my wife's wish, it'd be the wrong choice," he was crying, I knew he was. I could hear the thickness in his voice, how it caught.
And all I gave you was gone. Tumbled like it was stone. Thought we built a dynasty that heaven couldn't shake, though we built a dynasty like nothing ever made, thought we built a dynasty forever couldn't break up. It all fell down, it all fell down.