A/N: So you get an extra chapter this week because I got fairly drunk last night so I didn't go to work today.

Chapter 3

Knowing that her mom might be paralyzed was bad enough, but the next thing to come out of Dr. Green's mouth was probably even worse.

"There's one other thing you should know," he started. "She doesn't know about your dad. She was pretty out of it from the blood loss when the paramedics got to her, it's possible she doesn't even know he was shot."

Life was really trying to kick her in the teeth, Clarke decided. Not only did she have to tell her daughter, but now she would also have to inform her mother that her husband was dead. It wasn't fair.

"I could be the one to tell her when she wakes up," Monty offered.

Clarke wanted nothing more than to take him up on his offer, but she knew that wouldn't be right. Maybe he could give her the details of Jake passing if she wanted them, but Clarke needed to be the one to give her the initial news. Her mom might have a hard time believing it otherwise. "No, that's okay," she declined. "I will tell her."

"Alright then, let me know if you need anything. Even if I'm not here you can have the nurses page me. Dr. Griffin trained me, so I'll do anything I can for her," he offered.

"When do you expect she'll wake up?" Clarke asked.

"I'm keeping her sedated for now. I want to give her body some time to recuperate from the blood loss and surgery. If her stats stay where I want them to then I think we should be okay to wake her back up tomorrow. I'm sure it's not what you wanted to hear."

Clarke sighed, because she did understand where Monty was coming from. It might not be how she had chosen to deal with a patient, but she knew enough to understand why he was going about her mom's treatment this way. She would to know what they were dealing with, but she resigned to the fact that it would have to wait until tomorrow.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like though."

"Thanks, Monty."

Clarke watched him leave the room before turning back to her mother. Again, she took her hand and just held onto it in silence. She didn't always get along with her mother. And boy did they ever fight when she got pregnant. It was like world war three in that house for almost two weeks. Eventually, Jake sat them both down and made them talk without arguing.

The rest of her pregnancy they seemed to walk on needles around each other, never wanting to piss the other one off. Although that was hard with Abby watching Clarke's every move and Clarke just wanting some space. It all changed when she went into labor because the only one she wanted anywhere near her was her mother. Her dad wisely chose to stay out in the waiting room.

Their relationship evolved that day into the one they had now. Abby stepped back and let Clarke take care of Avery when she wanted to, but she stepped in when Clarke was unable to. The day she left for college had been hard because she wasn't just leaving home, she was leaving her one-year old. Both mothers knew it would be for the best though in the long run. Neither of them ever ignored the other one's place in Avery's life.

"You okay, sweetheart," Lexa asked quietly. Her girlfriend had been silent for several hours now. She knew she was lost somewhere in her own mind, she needed to know she was okay though.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Clarke responded after a moment. "I was just lost in some memories for a moment." She turned to find her daughter staring out the window as she had pretty much since they entered the room. "Come over here and sit with me, Avery," she called.

Avery seemed to react to Clarke's voice, but still didn't make a move to even turn around. Clarke couldn't imagine how scary this was for her little girl, but she knew she needed to provide some reassurance. "Please, I want to tell you a story."

It took a moment, but Avery decided that she wanted to hear whatever story it was her mother had to tell, so she got up. When Clarke patted her leg, Avery climbed onto it easily enough, although her boney butt dug into Clarke's legs, she didn't react.

"You're almost getting to big to sit in my lap," Clarke gave her a smile.

"What's the story?"

"Did I ever tell you about the day you were born?" Clarke started. Avery shook her head no. "I went to school like it was any other morning because I had a test I just couldn't miss later in the day. So, I went to my first class and I just knew that something good was going to happen that day. And then on my way to my second class I knew I was going into labor, but I had my test in my third class. The pain wasn't that bad, so I just went to class. And you know I did fine, started on my test and got about half way through when I knew I couldn't ignore the labor any longer, you were trying very hard to get out."

"Did you finish your test?" Lexa asked, as intrigued with this story as Avery was. It was a new piece of Clarke she was getting to see, and she couldn't say she minded.

"It was a multiple-choice test, so I quickly filled in all the bubbles without reading the questions and turned it in. I told my teacher I needed to go to the bathroom, and it was a good thing I did because I soon as I made it into a stall my water broke. Thank you by the way for not embarrassing me with that all over the floor," she told Avery. She hugged her daughter close and kissed the side of her head.

"I called your grandmother and she dropped everything to come and get me. She was like a maniac yelling at everyone, nurses, doctors, it didn't matter. She barely even seemed to remember that those people were her friends." Clarke smiled at the memory. She'd never seen her mother's co-workers that scared of her before and it kind of amused her, or it would have if she wasn't in so much pain at the time.

"Finally, after hours and hours of labor, you came screaming into the world. You cried the whole time they were cleaning you up but as soon as the nurse handed you to your grandma you just stopped. She looked down at you with the biggest smile I'd ever seen. She walked over and laid you on my chest and just stood there watching. She said you were the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. Even prettier than me, her own daughter."

"Well, can't help if it's the truth," Avery teased her mother. "What did Grandpa do?"

There was a pang in Clarke's heart at the mention of her father, but she knew why Avery was asking. "He went running down the halls telling everyone who would listen that he had a granddaughter. They were both so happy you joined our family."

Clarke was lucky, she knew that. So many things could have happened. She'd heard of girls kicked out of their homes, even living on the streets because they got pregnant. Others who had kept their babies but had to drop out of school. She'd never had to worry about any of that.

She would be lying though if she didn't doubt her choices every day. Not the having Avery part, never that. The choice to let her parent's raise her. It haunted her every day. She loved her daughter, she really and truly did. Walking away from her had been the hardest thing she'd ever done and she'd cried herself to sleep several times over it. But when she looked at Avery, she felt just a little bit better because her daughter was a happy little girl. She was healthy and loved. So, she knew at the time it was the best choice she could have made.

They fell back into silence after that, but Avery stayed where she was. She even reached out and touched her grandmother for a moment.

But as Abby continued to slumber, it was clear Avery was becoming a little uneasy with the situation. Lexa saw this but she didn't think Clarke did. The other woman seemed to be keeping an eye on the monitors like they had all the answers, and maybe to Clarke they did.

"Hey, Avery, why don't you and I go find some lunch. I'm sure you must be hungry again," Lexa offered. "I'm sure you know the way to the cafeteria and I don't." She couldn't even tell if Clarke heard her, but Avery seemed happy at the chance to leave, even for a little while. She hopped off Clarke's lap and held a hand out for Lexa to take.

They didn't leave right away, instead Lexa leaned down so she was close to Clarke's ear. "We'll be back in a little bit. We'll bring you something to eat," she promised.

"I'm not hungry," Clarke responded with almost no emotion.

"You still need to eat. We haven't eaten since dinner last night. That's not good." Clarke only nodded but Lexa knew it was the only acknowledgement she was going to get. "Let's go, kiddo."

Lexa knew she could read the signs to find her away around the building but she let Avery lead them. She was pretty sure that Avery led them through hallways they probably weren't normally supposed to be in, but no one seemed to say anything, a few even greeted Avery as they went.

The cafeteria had over a dozen different stations, each with a different type of food. Avery pulled her straight over to the burger place and got in line. It didn't even surprise her as this was what Clarke would have chosen as well. Lexa would have chosen the Chinese place but she didn't want to wait in two lines, so she figured it would be burgers for all three of them.

"Mom likes the straight fries, not the curly," Avery offered.

Lexa already knew this, but she didn't tell Avery that, letting the girl think she'd helped in some way. "What about you?"

"I like the curly ones," the girl smiled.

"Me too," she confided. Lexa turned back to the gentleman that was taking their order. "Can we get three burger meals. Two with curly fries and one with the Homestyle."

As they headed back towards the elevators, they passed by the gift shop. "Why don't we get some flowers or something for your grandma's room?"

Avery seemed to love this idea and practically tossed her boxed up lunch at Lexa so she could start browsing the shop. Lexa let her pick out whatever she wanted, not even batting an eye at the price tags. She didn't know if it was just because she wanted Avery to like her, or if she just wanted to help the little girl feel better about the situation, she just handed over her credit card when Avery was done shopping.

"Grandma loves flowers, but she always says she prefers a plant she can put in the yard, flowers just die," Avery informed her as they made their way back to Abby's room. "She loves tigers though so I think she'll love this stuffed animal we got her."

Lexa just smiled down at her. "I think she'd love anything you brought her because it came from you."

Once they got back to the room, Avery went around placing the flowers and the stuffed animal up where her grandma could see it when she woke up. She wanted it to be the first thing she saw so she'd know that Avery was here.

When they had entered the room, Clarke was just hanging up her phone. She looked agitated, but didn't offer up anything about the phone call, so Lexa didn't ask. If Clarke wanted her to know she'd tell her.

Lexa tried several times to coax Clarke to eat. She was about ready to feed the girl like a child when Clarke finally picked up a French fry and put it in her mouth. She only ate about half of her food, but Lexa was glad she'd at least put something in her stomach.

Later Lexa and Avery went for a walk to get out of the room again. She knew Avery was not so happy to be cooped up in that little room all day and was beginning to wonder how long Clarke wanted to stay. With the knowledge that Abby wouldn't be waking until tomorrow she was hoping that Clarke would be okay with leaving soon.

Maybe she needed to have a talk with her girlfriend, but not with their young charge present. She saw the nurse she'd met early. Maya, she thought Clarke had called her. She didn't know this girl, but the Griffins did, so maybe it was okay to ask for a favor. "I know we don't know each other," Lexa started as she leaned over to talk quietly with the nurse. She was glad that Avery was currently watching the fish tank nearby. "But I need a favor."

"You're Clarke's girlfriend, right?"

"Yes, I am," Lexa confirmed.

"Then ask away."

"I just need to talk to Clarke alone, without little ears present."

Maya looked over at Avery and smiled. "Say no more, I'll keep her entertained."

"Thank you. It shouldn't be long, I hope."

Lexa moved quickly down the hallway with determination. When Clarke didn't even react to her presence, she took her seat again next to Clarke and took the woman's face in her hands. She needed Clarke to hear her.

"Clarke, I know you want to sit here all day and night. I know you want to keep watch and check your mom's chart and everything. But it's not fair to Avery. She's too young to sit here all day."

Clarke seemed to think it over and realize that Lexa was right. It wasn't fair to Avery to make her sit there all day with them. She loved her grandma but Clarke knew she didn't like seeing her like that. "Why don't you…"

Lexa held up her hand, she knew what the other woman was going to say before she said it. "No, I am not the one she needs, she doesn't even really know me yet. I'm happy to help you with her, but tonight she needs some form of familiarity because her whole world has changed."

Clarke could only agree at that. Both of their worlds had change, but she could adapt more easily. "Alright just give me a couple minutes and we'll go home."

"We'll wait for you at the fish tanks." Lexa gave her shoulder a squeeze and then walked out to meet back up with Avery. It wasn't long before the girl was leading them out of the hospital with a promise to be back the next morning.

As she drove through the streets, Clarke remembered they still needed to pick up her father's truck so she turned down a side street and made her way through town. "Do you want to drive this car or my dad's?" she asked as they pulled into the parking lot. "Actually, do you know how to drive a stick?"

"No," Lexa admitted.

"Alright, I'll take dad's then. Avery, you want to ride with me?" Clarke asked as she exited the vehicle.

"I'll stay with Lexa, just in case she gets lost," Avery teased. She wasn't ready to ride in her grandpa's truck without him, but she wouldn't tell her mother that.

"Gee thanks, kid," Lexa smiled.

"Okay, I'll drive slow so you can follow me, but if we get separated, call me if you need too."

As promised Clarke drove carefully so she didn't lose Lexa and they made it home without much incident. "How about we order some pizza?" she asked as they piled into the living room and settled on the couch.

"Grandma doesn't like it when we do that," Avery reminded her mother.

"I don't think she'll mind this time. I promise." Clarke took her sigh as an okay and pulled up a list of nearby places that delivered on her phone.

"Didn't your neighbor saying she was going to fix us dinner?" Lexa asked before Clarke could decide on a restaurant.

Clarke had forgotten that conversation. This morning seemed so long ago. "Avery, go check the kitchen before I order."

"You think she came, cooked, and left?" Lexa asked curiously.

"Knowing Mrs. Kane, it's likely." Clarke told her. It was long past a normal dinner time, but that wouldn't phase their neighbor, she probably stuck something in the fridge for them.

Avery came walking back into the room a moment later. "There's a casserole in the fridge with instructions."

Clarke smiled, she wasn't even surprised. The trio all wandered into the kitchen and Lexa and Avery sat at the table and watched Clarke followed the instructions to heat up their dinner. Once it was warm, Clarke dished it up for them and they ate a quiet dinner. Once they were stuffed, Clarke told Avery to go up and take a shower before bed. The girl didn't even argue, she just did what she was told.

"She's a good kid," Lexa told Clarke once they were alone.

"She is," Clarke agreed. "I wish I could take credit, but sadly most of it's my parent's influence."

"Why don't you go up and tuck her in or whatever," Lexa suggested. "I'll be fine down here."

Clarke smiled and pressed a quick kiss to Lexa's lips. She didn't want to leave Lexa alone in a foreign house, but she also wanted to spend a little bit of time with Avery now that she was home.

Avery was still in the bathroom when Clarke made it up the stairs so she just sat down on Avery's bed to wait. She didn't wait long before the girl was entering her room.

"Thought I'd come tell you goodnight."

Avery walked to her mother and put her arms around her, hugging her tight. "I'm so happy you're here."

"I'm happy, too," Clarke told her. She ran her hand through blonde curls so like her own. "You wouldn't believe how much I missed you."

"As much as I missed you?"

"Even more," Clarke admitted. She helped Avery into bed and pulled the covers over her. Once that was taken care of she laid down beside her daughter. "So, what do you think of Lexa?"

"She's really nice. I like her a lot. She let me pick out whatever I wanted for Grandma at the gift shop," Avery said. "And when we went for a walk she told me her favorites superhero was Wonder Woman."

Clarke had to grin at that. Lexa had no idea how happy she would have made her daughter with that admission. Avery had become obsessed with the new movie as soon as she saw it. Clarke was already planning on buying her some comics and things for Christmas this year. "Good, because I like her a lot. And you and I, we're a team so you have to like the person I'm with, too."

Clarke absolutely believed this. She may not be currently raising her daughter, but that didn't mean she didn't think the girl had a say. Because she absolutely did. If Avery didn't like the person she was dating, or vice versa, then it would never work out.

In fact, that was why her one significant relationship her senior year of college had ended. Lacy wasn't very fond of Avery and her daughter knew it, so the feeling was mutual. It was another reason Clarke didn't tell Lexa earlier about Avery. She was afraid of a repeat.

"Do you love her?" Avery asked in a sing-song voice.

"I do, actually," Clarke admitted.

"You going to marry her?"

Clarke pulled back in shock. She hadn't thought that far ahead. Although the idea wasn't unappealing at all. If she was honest, she could picture it really well. Her and Lexa both in white gowns, Avery in a little bridesmaid dress. "Maybe someday."

"Okay, good," Avery yawned. She rolled onto her side and tucked herself closer to Clarke's body.

The older Griffin laid there for a good twenty minutes to make sure her daughter was really sleep before she got up. She leaned over and tucked the covers around her one more time. "Goodnight, baby girl. I love you."

With a bit more of a bounce in her step, Clarke made her way back down the stairs and found Lexa right where she left her. The other girl had managed to turn the TV on and was watching the news. It amazed Clarke simply because she could never figure out her dad's setup and always managed to end up on some Spanish channel.

As soon as Lexa saw her, however, she shut off the TV and waited for Clarke to sit down beside her. "Now, I believe you owe me a full explanation."

Clarke moved a little bit deeper into the cushion as she tried to get comfortable. This was going to be a long conversation.