Summary: Non-canon, Drama/Romance, hopefully with some Action/Adventure thrown in. Bellarke, Linctavia and probably more once I get going. :D
Disclaimer: Just borrowing The 100, not for profit!
The Homestead
Chapter 4 – Abby.
Abby placed a tired hand on her colleague's arm and smiled up at him warmly.
"Thank-you Nyko, for everything you do. It certainly makes my job easier, knowing that you're taking care of things here at the homestead."
The big man bowed his head humbly.
He and Abby had been working diligently the whole day, carrying out health checks and follow-ups, as well as going through the stores and assessing the medicinal lab and greenery which was developed and maintained by him and Monty.
"Now," Abby continued, "let's go and join the others for something to eat. I hear Harper and the kitchen crew have prepared an incredible feast."
"Of course. There's just one other thing." Nyko said quietly.
"Okay…" Abby looked at him, perplexed.
Nyko ducked out of the clinic and returned with Octavia and Lincoln in tow. Abby was pleased to see them, but suddenly realised she had missed them during their routine check-ups. She wasn't too concerned. Some of the Trikru were still hesitant to see a Skaikru doctor and preferred Nyko to perform their medicals. It was unlike Octavia and Lincoln though.
Another thought suddenly entered her mind and was quickly confirmed by Nyko.
"Octavia is with child."
Abby's eyes flicked from Octavia's to Lincoln's and back. Her heart filled with an overwhelming elation at the promise of new life, and not just Skaikru life… this child would be the first born of both people.
Her head, however, told her to mask her emotions, simply because they were not being mirrored by the two people standing before her.
Lincoln and Octavia had endured a lot of darkness. They had been tested beyond belief, but despite Abby's own motherly instinct telling her that they were both too young to be having a baby, she had no doubt that the two of them were eternally committed to each other and would do everything in their power to ensure their child was raised with the utmost love and care.
Taking a deep breath Abby stepped back into Doctor mode.
"How far along are you?" She asked Octavia, gesturing for them both to sit.
"I… I don't know," Octavia was putting on a brave face. It was unusual to see her so vulnerable, but it was understandable. "Nyko said you might be able to help with that."
"When was your last cycle?" Abby questioned.
"I can't remember. Months ago. It's been irregular since we arrived on earth."
Abby wasn't surprised. A lot of the Skaikru women had experienced similar inconsistencies.
"I'll have to perform a physical examination," Abby said matter-of-factly. "And take some tests." She turned to Nyko. "How did you diagnose the pregnancy?"
She was more curious than anything. Octavia was her first pregnant patient on earth and she had no idea how Trikru performed obstetric duties.
"I had to pee on some grain," Octavia interjected, trying to lighten the mood. "Apparently we're having a boy," she added, quietly looking over at Lincoln, who squeezed her hand in his.
Abby smiled and nodded at Nyko. A hormone test. She wondered how accurate it was in determining the sex of the child.
"I'd like to see the results after, if you don't mind," she said as she prepared some supplies.
Nyko nodded, acknowledging her request.
"How are you feeling, overall?" The Doctor asked her patient.
"I'm fine," Octavia lied, throwing Lincoln a look. "He's the one freaking out."
Lincoln had been awfully silent throughout the entire interaction but as Abby rolled up Octavia's sleeve in order to take some blood, she noticed his face change dramatically. He clenched his jaw and stared with a steely resolve at the needle in her hand.
"These tests are perfectly safe," she reassured him. "Without ultrasounds, they're the only way I can get any kind of indication that the baby is healthy and developing normally."
"What do you mean, developing normally?" Lincoln's voice was broken.
Abby had a feeling there was something he wasn't saying.
"Linc, what are you even thinking?" Octavia took her hand away from his and stood up. "Why can't you just be happy for us?"
Lincoln rose to his feet and tried to put his arms around Octavia but she was having none of it.
"You're Skaikru, Octavia, and I'm Trikru… what if… the baby…" he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Abby smiled her Doctor smile and stepped between the two of them.
"I understand your cause for concern Lincoln. But there's no biological reason why Skaikru and Trikru can't conceive a perfectly healthy, happy child. We're all human after all."
Lincoln looked slightly relieved, but Abby could tell there was something else playing on his mind.
"That's not all your worried about though is it?" She asked gently.
Lincoln dropped his head and closed his eyes. He felt deeply ashamed. How could he be so careless, getting Octavia pregnant? There was so much at stake.
Octavia smoothed her small hand across his chest and stopped at his heart. She held it there.
"What is it Linc?" Her sweet voice soothed him back to strength.
"The Cerberus Project," Abby suddenly realised, garnering a shocked stare from Octavia. "You're worried about how it might affect the baby?"
Lincoln looked up at her with wild pleading eyes, his face a mess of fear and humiliation, as if he blamed himself for what the mountain men had done to him.
"Oh Linc," Octavia cried. "You are not that monster."
"Octavia's right Lincoln," Abby felt deeply saddened that he was suffering at a time like this. She knew he would always carry the ordeal with him, probably until the day he died. But she had to hope that somehow, maybe, the tiny miracle growing inside Octavia would help him heal. "You were cleared of any kind of blood poisoning or permanent cerebral damage a long time ago. Way before conception. I have no doubt that what you went through will not jeopardise your baby's wellbeing."
Lincoln still looked gutted. "Let me run the tests and do the examination. Once we get the results, you'll see. Everything will be fine."
After Abby had taken Octavia's blood and checked on her condition, she declared her roughly four months pregnant.
"It's okay to share your news with whoever you wish to," she said gently to them both. "You'll start showing soon anyway."
"If it's alright," Octavia replied, "we'll wait for the results." She said it more for Lincoln than herself, knowing that's what he would want.
But as they stepped out of the clinic and looked over to the homestead where everyone was gathering for the nightly meal, Bellamy appeared before them.
"Hey! There you are. I've been looking all over for you guys, thought you'd..." He stopped suddenly when he noticed Octavia's drawn expression, looking from her, to Abby and Nyko, and then to Lincoln.
"What's going on?" he asked in his protective big brother voice.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter was really hard for some reason. Maybe because it is through Abby's POV and she is not really a character I relate to easily. Plus all the medical stuff. Hope it wasn't too boring for you. Poor Lincoln. Thanks for the follows. Please review, it helps motivate me! :D