AN: Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing! Here's a quick update, and I'll try to have a few more up later this week. Enjoy, and Happy New Years!
Chapter 2: An Interesting Proposition
Clarke sat at her favorite barstool watching her mother put a kettle on the stove. Clarke inventoried the changes her childhood home had undergone over the years: new pictures on the fridge, a darker shade of paint in the kitchen, a smiling Jake Griffin in a nice frame on the wall. There were subtle changes, yes, but it seemed as if only a few days, not nine years, had passed since Clarke had been home. The whistle of the kettle pulled Clarke's attention back to the present, and Abby prepared two mugs of Clarke's favorite tea: Egyptian Mint Licorice. Abby joined her daughter at the bar, offering her the steaming beverage. Clarke deeply inhaled the aromatic tea and prepared herself for the questions she knew she would have to answer eventually. Here we go…
"So," Abby began, "what is your plan?" Abby loved her daughter, immensely, and she was beyond grateful that she was finally on speaking terms with her again. However, the successful doctor couldn't help her overprotective and over-prepared nature.
"Well, I obviously won't be accepting the Johns Hopkins residency," Clarke said with an attempt at humor. Abby's "Doctor Face" signaled to Clarke that her attempt had failed, and she let out a sigh. "I don't know, Mom. I mean… my life was all planned out. It was perfect." Clarke swiped at the tears, which had begun to fall without her permission. "I don't know what I'm going to do now! I've spent the past eight years working my ass off to get this job, and now I've just given it away, and I don't know where I'll live, or how I'll find work in a hospital, or what I'm supposed to do…" Clarke knew that she was rambling, and gratefully engulfed herself in her mother's outstretched arms.
"Shhh, sweetie. It's ok. It's all going to be ok." Abby's heart broke for her daughter as she rubbed comforting circles on her back. Abby knew how hard Clarke had worked to earn the prestigious and extremely competitive position in the Johns Hopkins residency program. Even with Clarke's impressive credentials, however, Abby knew it would be hard for her to find a position in any credible hospital at this time of- "Clarke! I just remembered!" This is perfect! Why didn't I think of this before? Clarke leaned back so she could see her mother's excited face. "Clarke, someone in our residency program just left on maternity leave! They'll be gone for a few months, and I know that ARK General Hospital isn't Johns Hopkins, but you could take her place in the program! At least until you had time to find another residency." Abby couldn't help the hopeful expression on her face. Clarke would be home!
Clarke thought about her mother's offer. Well, it's not like I have any better offers… AND I suppose it would be nice to not have to pay ridiculous city rent. No other hospital is going to accept me this late in the game anyways, so what the hell? Clarke made her decision and grinned at her mother.
"I'll do it."