Chapter 20
Bellamy couldn't contain the smile on his face as he headed toward the plane that was taking him home, after three months of being away. With how deep the operation he was on ran, he was only able to leave Clarke a voice mail a little after the two-month mark, to let her know he was okay.
Now he was coming home to her, to them. Clarke and the baby. Bellamy couldn't help but picture what his girl might look like, after not seeing her for three months. He imagined by now she'd have a belly and for her sake, he hoped she was one of those girls who only had morning sickness for the first leg of her pregnancy.
He was coming home.
.
"Seriously?" Clarke snapped at Harper.
"Did you think the extra-large lab coat was going to hide it? The chief knows you're pregnant. He knows what your hours are Clarke. Did you really expect him not to limit your hours?"
"I did what you said, I stopped taking on extra hours. I've been sitting and taking naps when I can. I don't know what more I can do to make you people happy!" She was hormonal and emotional, and all she wanted to do was her damn job and these people were not letting her.
Harper took a deep breath. "Take the two days off the Chief had gifted to you. and it is a gift, Clarke. Go home, sleep and come back on Saturday well-rested."
"Fine." Clarke huffed, going into the locker room to change.
She hadn't even gotten out of the locker room before Harper hunted her down stopping her from getting to work. No Clarke wasn't supposed to be working today, but this was the only extra work she'd accepted all week. Sitting at home was driving her crazy, she needed to work, she wanted to check in on her patients.
Now she was being sent home, like some child who got suspended from school. The only good thing about having the next two days off was, Clarke had some running around she'd been meaning to get done for weeks. Maybe she could even rope Jasper into coming with her. She had missed him, not having seen much of her friends. Aside from Octavia, since their last get-together the night Bellamy punched Finn out and told her he was leaving.
Clarke pulled up to a red light, the radio was off. She never listened to music while she drove, at least not anymore. Back before all the death and lies, Clarke was one of those people who put on mini-concerts while driving around the city.
Now all she could do was sit in the silence. In that silence, she heard gunshots and the gargling sound of men choking on their own blood. She could see their faces in the street lights because as much as she tried she couldn't ever get their faces out of her head.
beeeeeeeep!
Clarke gasped, jumping in her seat her hands holding tight to the steering wheel. Her eyes refocus on the light in front of her, the light that was no longer red but green. Collecting herself, Clarke removed her foot from the break and took off down the street.
It was just getting light out when Clarke pulled up to the apartment complex she lived in. Instead of going in to get a couple more hours of sleep, before calling Jasper and getting some stuff done; Clarke just sat. While she stared at that part of the building she could see from her parking spot Clarke once again zoned out.
It was something she'd always done, while in class or when she was super tired. Ever since she lost her mother, it happened a lot. It was hard to hide from everyone, the sadness she felt, but it wasn't their burden to bear. She had to bear it, they didn't have to. Whenever Bellamy caught her when she just couldn't hide her mood anymore, she'd go to bed or force a smile onto her face and claim that she had just been watching a sad moving.
Whether he bought was she was selling him or not, Clarke wasn't sure. Ever since she was young, Clarke learned to hide her pain. His mother didn't care and her father was gone, she didn't have anyone to share her feelings with. By the time she'd meet Octavia, Clarke was always emotionally stunted.
A knock on the window once again sent Clarke jumping in her seat.
"Clarke?" The girl in question turned to see Monty looking at her.
Hand to her chest, Clarke rolled down her window. "God Monty you scared the crap out of me!"
"Sorry, I was going to meet Harper for lunch and noticed you sitting over here. You getting back from a shift."
Lunch? Clarke looked over at the clock. Holy shit, it was already 11:00. Had she really been sitting here for 5 hours? Looking over at her fuel levels, she says what she was almost out when she'd been half tanked when she left for work that morning.
Realizing Monty was still waiting for an answer, "Uh no, no. I was actually going out to get a few things. I was just trying to remember if I had milk or not. I didn't want to have to go all the way back to the apartment to check."
Monty shrugged, "You can never have too much milk."
Clarke smiled at him. "Go meet your girlfriend, she'll be happy to see you." Happier than she was to see me, that's for sure.
"I will, see you later Clarke."
"See ya."
Hand on the gear shift, Clarke reversed out of her parking space and drove. She knew where she needed to go. Clarke's dad was an agent, he was laid to rest in a different cemetery than her mother. It was close to the base she'd stayed on with Bellamy.
.
"Good to be back," Bellamy told Sgt Miller as they shook hands. "Everything went off without a hitch and it only took us 2 months." The first month had been learning and watching how their targets lived.
"I'm happy to have you guys back, it's been quiet around here without you." He teased.
Bellamy shook his head. "Well if everything is done here, I'd like to get home."
"I just need you to write up your report and you can be on your way. The forms are in my office, take your time."
Bellamy bunkered down for what he knew would be at least 40 minutes of writing and hand cramps. After all the paperwork was said and done he put them in the file folder and placed them on Sgt Millers' desk.
"All done." The old man asked, looking from the folder into his brown eyes.
Bellamy nodded, "I'm going to get cleaned up then head home."
"Check the camera that overlooks the graveyard, Clarke might still be there."
That shocked Bellamy. "Clarke's here?"
"Usually it's late at night that she stops by. I had to double-check myself when Keven told me he saw her on the cams."
Bellamy knew Jake Griffin was buried in their cemetery, it wouldn't be odd for Clarke to pay him visits. The way his Sgt was talking though, it seemed like she was coming every night. He hadn't once heard her mention going to see her father or saw her leave the apartment late at night. It was possible that she just went after night shifts at the hospital, but she was usually so tired after work, that Bellamy didn't think that was something she would do.
"The first couple weeks after you guys got back, the guards kept going out to meet her. Eventually, I just had to add her name to the admissions list so they'd give her no problems."
Bellamy nodded still a little stunned. "Thanks for doing that." She had been doing it since before he left.
"Jake Griffin was one of the best, he deserved better. The least we can do is continue honouring him through his daughter."
Even after deciding to shower once he got back to the apartment, Clarke was gone when Bellamy got to the graveyard. Using the drive home to decide whether he was going to bring up the fact that he thought it was a little worrisome, that Clarke was spending so much time at the graveyard. He decided to keep the information in his back pocket for now. He was home, that's what he wanted to focus on.
.
When Clarke got back to the apartment, she walked into the bedroom and tore off her clothes. Her mind drifting, her hands grabbing anything from her cozy clothes pile to throw on. She ended up in black running shorts and one of Bellamy's green t-shirts.
"You look, good Princess."
Clarke's heart kept a steady beat, the elastic she'd just pulled from her hair was now on the ground. She can't remember missing a text for him, nothing to say he was home. Clarke hadn't prepared for Bellamy's return, she thought it was still weeks away.
"You're just saying that cause you can't see my stomach," Clarke smirked, turning around to face him.
Clarke wasn't all that big yet, she's always been curvy, a lot more than most girls. The roundness to her stomach wasn't as jarring as it would be on Octavia's small frame. But she still had a nice round stomach, about half the size of a soccer ball.
Bellamy let out a breath, the smile growing bigger as he looked down at her stomach. It was still pretty flat when he'd left, now it was obvious that his kid was going inside his Princess.
"Still looking good. Really good." He muttered that last part.
He didn't know what it was, but seeing pregnant Clarke did things to him he didn't expect. Whether it was because she just look so damn beautiful or because she was carrying around a part of him inside her, he didn't know.
Clarke rolled her eyes, walking over to him she did what she usually would and have him a hug. Letting him hold her tight and kiss her temple.
"When did you get back?"
Bellamy once again thought about bringing up Clarke in the graveyard, but again decided to avoid the topic for now. "Just over an hour ago, I had to stop off at base first."
It was very subtle, but Bellamy felt Clarke tense and pull back from him. Though her face gave nothing away.
"Everything went okay? You didn't almost die or anything out there without me to back you up?"
Bellamy chuckled, "Somehow I managed."
"Good. Octavia would have brought you back just to kill you."
"Has she been checking in and-"
"Spying on me per your request?" Clarke nodded. "Yep. Regretfully she listens to you more than me so, she was by every third day with bells on."
Bellamy folded his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I bet," Clarke said with a flair of sarcasm. "Though it was nice to have her here, it kept me thinking about how I'm a couple of shifts away from the hospital's chief taking me off the charts altogether."
"Why. what happened?"
With a sigh, Clarke told him about Harper and the business at the hospital and how she tattled on her to the chief. When Bellamy didn't exactly disagree with Harper and her actions it only riled up Clarke more.
"I'm new. Sleepless nights are a part of a newbie's job description."
"Not if the newbie is pregnant."
"You sound like Harper." Clarke threw her hands up. "Seriously. With the both of you going on like this, the baby is going to come out already covered in bubble wrap."
Bellamy sighed frustrated, remembering her dizzy spell a couple of days before he left. "People worrying about you isn't the end of the world."
"Might be the end of my career though." She muttered under her breath, but he heard it.
"It's just a job." Clarke just looked at him. "I know you are doing this for your mom. but Abby would want you to look out for her grandchild first."
Clarke scoffed. "She valued her job more than her own kid, what makes you think if she was still alive it would be any different with a grandkid?"
Bellamy sighed, giving up for the moment. He didn't need to be the 'bad guy' Harper had already done that for him. "Have you eaten yet?"
Clarke noticed the change in topic and was thankful for it, "No I was going to make something once I got changed." She lied.
"I should shower first, but after that, I'll make us something."
"No need." Clarke reminded him. "You're little spy brought over soup and casserole yesterday. I'll heat us a couple of plates."
"Perfect." Bellamy kissed her cheek, letting his hand fall to her belly as he did. "I'll be out in a couple of minutes."
.
"Jasper and Monty finally decided Monty would be the godfather and Jasper would be the godmother. Then that set Raven off, so now I don't know what is happening with all that." Clarke fondly retold the story a couple of weeks ago to Bellamy who laughed and shook his head.
"I keep thinking they'll all mellow out with age."
"Yeaaah you should stop hoping for something that is never going to happen."
Bellamy took both their plates and put them in the dishwasher. Looking at the fridge beside him, Bellamy could help but look at his baby's sonogram again. Clarke had shown him the picture when he'd gotten out of the shower, he found his eyes drifting there ever since.
"When is the next doctors' visit?"
"Two weeks, I'll have to look in my book to remember what time."
"Pregnancy brain?." He asked, remembering his mom had it bad when she was carrying Octavia.
Clarke stretched her arms out in front of her and straightened her back, "I left my phone in the fridge yesterday and left the house with the bottle of mustard in my bag."
Bellamy laughed, wishing he could have been there to tease her about that.
"It hadn't been bad so far. The only thing I've gotten was the morning sickness, which thankfully only lasted the three months."
"Me too. I hated missing that stuff."
"No one likes puke." She told him.
"No. but I like you. I want to be here with you for all the stuff, even the not so pretty stuff."
Clarke paused at that, nodding."You still have a couple more months to be in on all the fun. Forgetfulness, hot flashes, the constant pee trips to the bathroom, mood swings. You're going to miss where ever it was you were."
"Not a chance."
Clarke shrugged, "We'll see."