AN: Hey all, I tried to get this up earlier in the week but was busy with work and uni. But it's here. Thanks everyone for the kudos and comments - I really appreciate the feedback :D Also, a condition is mentioned in this chapter, Friedreich's Ataxia. This is a rare neurological condition with no treatment or cure. One of my client's has lived with the condition for more than 30 years now, so what I'm writing in terms of the caring process is based upon what I've learnt getting to know her in the last year.
Hope you like it :)
Clarke had been waiting at the café for approximately half an hour when a young brunette walked through the door. She held her breath, hoping that this was the elusive Lexa Wood, and sighed in disappointment when the girl greeted another man and sat down with him. At the table behind her, Clarke heard Raven stifle a laugh. She turned around and shot her a glare, to which Raven responded by raising her hands in surrender.
"You know, you didn't need to come with me" Clarke hissed, her eyes narrowed to slits.
"Well sorry for trying to keep you from getting murdered" Raven responded, raising the book she was reading to cover her face, effectively cutting short their conversation.
Clarke ran a hand through her hair and rested her elbows on the table. She had agreed to meet Lexa at a café a short distance from uni at 2pm. It was now 2.25pm and there was no sign of her prospective employer anywhere.
"I'll give it five more minutes" she mumbled to herself, taking the last sip of her coffee "then we're out of here."
Lexa was meant to leave work at 1pm. That was when she was rostered to end and she had never finished any later than rostered. Of course sometimes things don't go the way you plan.
Of course the day that she had to leave on time was the one day that somebody passed out in the cinema.
Of course Lexa was the only first aid officer on shift.
So of course now Lexa was running late to a very important meeting. She had asked Clarke Griffin to meet her at 2pm. Running down the street and glancing at her watch, she cursed when she saw it was 2.26pm. She didn't even pause when she reached the café, merely ran up to the door and pushed it open, standing for a moment inside to catch her breath and look around.
A blonde sitting at a table looking bored looked up hopefully with a small smile.
"Lexa?" She asked, moving to stand up.
Lexa walked forward, her hand outstretched and reaching for Clarke's. "Yes, I'm Lexa. You must be Clarke" she pulled a seat out across from the other girl and sat down wearily. "I must apologise for my tardiness – there was an emergency at work that needed to be taken care of."
"That's not a problem – these things happened" Clarke said, waving a hand dismissively. "Would you like a coffee? I mean, I've already had two today so I could go for another one, and you look like you need something to keep you going."
Lexa smirked, imagining how dishevelled she must've looked – surely there were stray hairs escaping from her neat ponytail, her eyeliner was probably smudged, and her face red from the run over. She stood up and took her purse out of her small backpack. "What are you drinking?"
The first thing that Lexa learnt about Clarke was that she probably had the world's most bubbly personality. She spoke a lot with her hands, and seemed to ramble and go off topic sometimes. But she was always smiling. Clarke had the type of smile that reached her eyes and made her entire body light up with joy.
"So I've been a personal carer for about a year now" Clarke said, swirling what was left of her coffee around. "I work with an agency but they haven't been given me many hours lately, and to be honest I got pretty desperate."
"I was curious as to why you had put flyers up in the community" Lexa replied, a small grin tugging at the corners of her lips. "I assume you have the correct documentation and qualifications?"
"Yes!" Clarke quickly pulled a manila folder from her backpack and opened it up in front of her, handing Lexa a piece of paper at a time. "Ok so we have my first aid certificate, CPR certificate, certificate 4 in disability support services, my CV, and a list of references from previous clients and my agency."
Lexa took the papers and started reading through them. On first impressions, Clarke seemed like the type of person who would be perfect for Annette Woods. She was smart, funny, engaging, had plenty of experience, and could crack a joke at the right moment. "I'll have a talk to mum about all of this tonight. We're kind of new to the whole process of finding a carer."
Not at all phased, Clarke smiled before responding "no problem, take your time. These things are important to think through, but I just want you to know that I will take care of your mum to the best of my abilities."
Lexa raised her head and was shocked by the emotion etched into Clarke's features. "She's not getting any better" Lexa blurted out in a rush "and I don't know what to do anymore."
For a moment, Lexa sat stunned by her outpouring of emotion. She was not usually like this, having developed a strong grasp on her emotions after learning the extent of her mum's disability. In silence, Clarke reached across the table and gently placed her hand on Lexa's arm, soft enough to remind her that she was not alone. "That's where I come in."
"It's just me mum!" Lexa called out as she stepped into the house. It was a small three bedroom house on half a block. Her parents had purchased the house a year after Lexa was born – just two months before Annette started showing symptoms of Friedreich's Ataxia, a genetic disease causing progressive damage to the nervous system. Her father had left soon after the diagnosis. For the most part of Lexa's life, her mum had been in a wheelchair. Prior to that she used a walking frame and would walk Lexa to school. Once she was in the wheelchair, she would sit the small girl on her lap to make a game out of her deteriorating condition. Now she had trouble even standing from her wheelchair to transfer to the toilet.
It was hard to watch. It was hard for Lexa to get up everyday knowing that any day could be her mum's last. Her Uncle Gustus had lived with the same condition. One night during his sleep his heart just stopped. That was the insidious thing about Friedreich's Ataxia, there was no way of knowing when it would take you.
Lexa could hear the creaking of wheels from the other end of the house followed by "down here Lexa."
"Sorry I'm late mum" Lexa apologised as she leant down to drop a kiss on Annette's cheek. "I had to meet up with someone after work."
Annette grinned and clumsily lifted a hand to her daughter's cheek "no need to apologise. You need to have a life too."
Lexa sat down and took a calming breath "actually mum, there's something I need to talk to you about."
"I'll just teach her what to do" Lexa explained as she grasped her mum's hips and helped lift her from the wheelchair onto her bed. "She's already got experience and she seems very kind."
On autopilot, Lexa bent down and held onto Annette's ankles, carefully swinging them over the top of the bed side-rail, before twisting her hips so she was lying straight in bed. Annette smiled as Lexa pushed her up the bed and started handing her everything she would need for the night.
"I think a carer would be a great idea" Annette said, taking her iPad with shaky hands and placing it on her lap. "It would give you some time to look after yourself, maybe even go out every once in a while, do thinks normal twenty year olds do."
"I am a normal twenty year old, mum" Lexa sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing Annette's legs to help relieve the pain that came at night.
Annette chuckled and swatted Lexa on the arm "no you're not. Most twenty year olds don't stay in every night to look after their disabled mum. Most twenty year olds don't stay home during the holidays to keep their mum company. Most twenty year olds don't-"
"Ok mum" Lexa interrupted with a smirk "so I'm not like most other twenty year olds. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy my life. You know that I chose to do this. Nobody forced me."
"And I love you impossibly more every single day" Annette raised her arms for a hug that Lexa easily fell into. "Goodnight, you go get some rest now."
That night as Lexa sat on her bed, she couldn't help but wonder how much Clarke Griffin could change their lives. With the thought of peace on her mind, she slept through the night for the first time in months.