Month Nine
The worker hissed and jerked his shoulder away as Abby dabbed an alcohol-soaked rag to the gash on his arm.
"You need to stay still Mister Foster."
Abby heard a displeased grunt followed by the worker turning his shoulder back towards her. At the other end of the room, a second worker shook his head and sneered at her patient. Abby continued to dab the worker's shoulder gash as she heard the hiss of the hydraulic doors open to the room.
Abby picked up the thin needle from it's disinfecting alcohol bath and ran the synthetic thread through the eye, listening as Kane addressed the workers.
"Mister Lee, Mister Foster," he said sternly. A second guard was with Marcus and they each pulled a chair to the center of the room, sitting down with an air of confidence. "You both know why we're here."
Neither worker said anything. Abby continued to work in silence, stitching up the wound as quickly and accurately as she could.
"There have been multiple anonymous tips suggesting possible theft of rationed supplies in Factory Station. Of course, no names were given."
Kane leaned forward in the chair, resting his forearms on the tops of his knees. "Some say that this altercation is related to those events."
There was silence in the room, save for the soft humming of the metal repurposing machines running on standby.
"Is that true?" Kane prompted. It was clear to everybody in the room that his question would be left unanswered.
Abby knew she had no business commenting on matters of the Guard, but she could tell that the two workers knew something. It was clear by the way her patient froze in his seat as if suddenly forgetting that Abby was suturing his arm. The other worker's muscles tensed up at the same time, just as Kane mentioned the word 'theft'. Another moment passed in silence and it was clear that even though the workers were rivals, they were not willing to turn in the other to the Guard and condemn them to death.
"It was just a stupid scuffle, " Foster said. His arm remained frozen in place as Abby finished up the last of her stitches.
"Just stressed about work," Lee added. "Don't know anything about theft."
Kane leaned back into the metal chair and crossed his arms over his chest, getting comfortable for the long haul. They wouldn't be getting off that easy.
"Let's talk about what you two do know then."
Kane and his partner traded questions to the workers as Abby worked in the background. She snipped the final thread and quickly packed up her supplies as Kane's partner began a new line of questioning. She stood up from her seat and groaned softly at the shift in body weight. At nine months pregnant, each movement she made was misery. Abby placed a hand on her lower back in an attempt to relieve the pressure to no avail.
Abby didn't see Kane's concerned eyes following her as she exited the room.
Over an hour later, the hydraulic doors slide open again as Kane and his partner exit, quietly discussing the case. After a series of twists and turns through Factory Station, the two guards come upon a familiar figure sitting alone on the window ledge. The brilliant emerald and sapphire earth shone behind her against the darkness of the galaxy through the windows. She sat with her head bowed and arms wrapped around her swollen stomach.
His chest tightened at the sight of her. Something was wrong.
"Abby!" Kane called out. She didn't react to her name and so Kane rushed over to her side, kneeling down to look up at her face.
"Abby?" he says with urgency, scanning her face and taking in the pained furrow between her brows, pursed lips, and eyes which were tightly closed.
Abby took a deep breath in and on her exhale breathed out, "Marcus?"
"Abby, what's wrong?" Kane asked, his internal panic growing stronger with each second passing.
She could only manage to say a handful of words on each laboured breath. "They're getting stronger…and the timing…it's regular…about 5 minutes…apart." Abby grimaced at the last word, clenching her teeth and squeezing her eyes even more tightly as she sat hunched in cold sweats.
Kane's mind whirled around in his brain, trying to understand the situation.
"What– what's happening, what does that mean?"
Another grimace from Abby accompanied by a strained groaning sound.
"I'm in labour," she grits out between pained breaths.
If Abby could have found humor in this moment, it would have been at Kane's sudden silence. In all her years of knowing him, she had never once seen him speechless.
Kane looked over at his partner who wore the same stunned and perplexed expression. Pointing down the hallway, Kane spluttered, "Go get a doctor!"
The guard looked back at Kane and pointed his finger at Abby. "She is the doctor, though!"
"Then go get Jackson!" Kane barked and the guard followed as instructed, taking off down the empty hallway.
A shaking hand placed on Kane's shoulder brought him back to the woman in front of him. Abby gripped Kane's shoulder tightly with one hand and rested the other on her belly. She made a shushing sound and Kane leaned in, ready to take in each word she spoke.
"Too loud," Abby whispered.
Kane nodded and quickly closed his mouth as if to take back his words. He didn't know what to do, wanting so badly to comfort Abby. He settled for placing both hands on top of Abby's tensed grip on his shoulder. She squeezed his hands tightly.
"It'll be okay, Abby. It'll all be okay, Jackson is on his way," Kane blurted out in an attempt to soothe her. The thought of others arriving caused Kane's thoughts to lead to Jake. He needed to know. Where was the pager…
Kane tried to slip his hands away in favour of his communicator, but a small, strong hand tightened in a vice grip around his. Abby let out a series of strained breaths and clenched her teeth in a painful scowl.
Kane kept his hands right where they were.
"We've given her all we can–"
"What do you mean! Just look at her, she needs more–"
"Jake, I understand, believe me. But I cannot administer more medication. The rationing laws–"
"She's in agony right now, this isn't right! Please!"
It took what felt like all of Abby's strength to gasp out a hoarse "No." She wouldn't take more than she was allowed, even if it pained her agonizingly.
The cry of a baby felt magnificent to her ears but the rest of Abby's body felt entirely drained and exhausted. The world around her began to spin and the bright lights above her began to pierce through the nerves in her brain.
The baby continued to cry as somebody shouted, "She's bleeding out!"
Kane sat on a cool metal chair while The Last Tree sat perched on a small table beside him. He stared at the blasted plant, lamenting about how many years he spent wasting his rationed water on the thing.
In front of him, Callie paced back and forth as if attempting to run a track on the metal floor. "How could they leave us like this? With news like that and then nothing for the past hour?" She wrapped one arm around her chest while the other sat at her lips as she bit her nails.
Kane's hands were clasped together, gripping themselves so tightly his knuckles turned white. A leg jittered with restlessness.
"She has to pull through. They've got Ilene in there right now giving blood, it's just– she has to–"
"I know," Kane said definitively, continuing to glare at the small tree. In the silence, Kane resentfully began to realize the tree's meaning. What it meant to hope for something you had no control over.
When Abby woke again, her eyes remained closed but she could reach out with her other senses. She could hear the faint beeping of equipment around her and the soft shuffling of fabric. Her body was trapped by pain working down to the bone. Each breath felt like inhaling dust with how dry her throat and lungs felt. Abby's eyes were heavy, as if no amount of effort could get her to open them.
A small grunting sound gave Abby that extra strength she needed.
"Where is she?" Abby asked with a gravelly voice. There was movement beside her.
"She's right here," Jake said softly.
Abby broke through the weight upon her eyelids and wasted no time opening her eyes. Jake was sitting beside her, holding a small bundle of linen in his arms. He leaned down and the face of her little girl peeked through the cloth.
Abby reached a heavy arm towards her child and stroked her soft cheek, reveling in the warmth radiating at her fingertips.
"Clarke," Abby whispered. This was bliss. This was paradise.
Nine months. Nine months to this very beginning.
*****Author's Notes*****
So…it's been 6 years since I posted the last chapter. I am so sorry for leaving my story for so long without an ending :( I never wanted to be one of those writers who abandoned a WIP. One thing led after the other- I got busy with school, then went through years with depression and anxiety, in which I lost interest in writing the entire time. Over the past year, I've been able to pick up writing again and felt so bad for leaving the story unfinished. I'm glad to have been able to sit down and finally finish this thing. I hope this gives a bit of a satisfying conclusion.
Thank you for sticking with me.
