Chapter 26

Clarke stood beside the bed that Octavia was on and looked up at her mother. She could see something in her eyes. She wasn't sure what it was it, but there was something about it that made Clarke take pause. She could tell that her mother needed to tell her, though.

"What is it? Just tell me, Mom. What's wrong?"

"I think that Echo and Indra bathed her enough. And, the salve seems to be soothing the wounds. She stopped whimpering but that doesn't mean that she isn't still in pain. From what I've read on Sticky Sap Sickness, it feels like fire in the blood while the body is cold. We have to keep her warm and keep giving her the salve. The salve sucks the poison out of the wounds as the body heals itself. The only other way is to give her blood."

"So, let's give her some blood."

"I want to wait. That is a last resort. Right now, she's a sleep. Her body needs the rest. She's healing and as long as I can keep her temperature regulated, I feel like she'll make a full recovery," Abby told her.

But, Clarke knew there was more. She squinted at her mother. Her blue eyes searched her mother's dark ones. She could see the internal battle that her mother was having and she wondered what it was over. The last time she saw that look in her eyes was when they were about to inject that grounder with the black blood serum in Becca's lab. And, then again after Clarke had injected herself to keep from Emori being sacrificed.

"There's more, isn't there?" Clarke asked her as she moved around the bed to sit beside her mother.

"Yes."

"Will I like it?"

"I don't know."

"Does it concern Octavia? Or, is it Palla? Or, someone else?" Clarke questioned.

"Octavia."

Clarke looked over at her friend and then back at her mother. The worry grew as Abby sat silent. Finally, Clarke couldn't take it. She reached out for Abby's hand and held it.

"Just tell me, Mom. We'll figure it out together. And, then, I'll tell her when she wakes up if it is that bad," Clarke told her.

"I took some blood to test it for the poison."

"And?" Clarke pressed.

"The toxin was there and I found some medicine that would help counteract its effects."

"Okay, so, have you given her some?"

"Just a small dose," Abby replied.

"But, that isn't what is bothering you. If it was, you would have told me that she wasn't responding. I can look at her tell that she is responding. So what is it, Mom? What was it about her blood that has you being so..." Clarke started.

"I typed her to make sure that she had O blood like everyone on the Ark did."

"Does she?"

"Yeah, she does."

"So, what is it?"

"I ran a complete work up on her. The CBC came back clean except for the poison, but that was to be expected. While the CBC was running, the computer ran every blood test that it could think of. Everything came back clean or as could expected. It was the DNA test that is giving me pause," Abby stated.

"What about it?" Clarke asked. "Is she not Bellamy's half sister? Or, what? What is it?"

"I found out who her father is," Abby told her.

"Her father?" Clarke questioned with a surprised face. "You know who he is. Is it someone we know? Do you think that he knows?"

"I know he doesn't," Abby stated.

"We know him?"

"Yes, we do...very well."

"Who is it?" Clarke asked as she looked at Octavia.

She felt her mother's hand twitch. She squeezed it tighter as she continued to look at the sleeping warrior. When her mother didn't immediately answer, she turned back. She saw the turmoil on her face.

"If he only knew..."

"Who is it, Mom?"

"She would have had a different life completely..."

"Who is it, Mom?" Clarke pushed.

"Kane..."

"Marcus Kane?"

"Yes," Abby said barely above a whisper.

Clarke's immediate response was to drop her mother's hand, but she didn't. She felt Abby hold on to her. She turned back to look at Octavia.

"She would have been allowed to be free..." Clarke stated.

"Yes, because she was Marcus' only child..."

"Oh, O..." Clarke started as she started to cry for her friend.

"Are we waking Kane in the next transport?"

"I don't know. We should, now. But, is he okay, Mom? Will he survive if we wake him?"

"I'm not sure. I would like to go back to check on him. I might have to bring him straight to the clinic here and skip over the processing station. I don't know if Palla will let us do that for him. He was in critical condition when we took off. I know that I got him stable, but I can only hope that being in cryo helped heal some of his wounds," Abby told her.

"I'm sure that he is going to be okay, Mom. He has you helping him. And, soon he'll have O, too."

"You're going to tell her?" Abby asked.

"Yes. She deserves to know. I can't keep it from her. Mom, she's always wondered who her father was."

"Aurora was known amongst the guards..."

"And, both she and Bellamy thought that it was one of the guards on the Ark. This changes everything...for them both. She needs to know. I'll leave it up to her to tell Kane. She needs to be the one to approach him, Mom."

"I get it. I won't tell him. I'll let her do it."

"I know that you care for him, Mom. I know that you've both become close and I know that it'll be hard for you to not tell him. But, Octavia needs to be the one to do it. He might be her father, but she's never had one before. She lived under the floor for fifteen years, Mom. He is going to have to do a lot to make it up to her. I don't think that she'll care that he didn't know. She'll punish him for abandoning her mother and then letting her be floated. And, honestly, that's her right. Kane did leave them. He left them both to find a way to survive on their own. Now, it will be up to her how she deals with him."

Abby nodded along with her mother. She looked down at the sleeping brunette. She had no real idea what she went through. She didn't know everything that Clarke had dealt with on Earth. And, honestly looking at the both now, she was glad that she didn't. She didn't know how they dealt with half of what she did know. But, she knew that they were strong. They'd made it this far and she knew that they would continue to survive. All in all, if she continued her life with Kane once he woke up, then not only would she have inherited Clarke's adopted daughter, Madi, she would also be taking Octavia on as a daughter.

She laughed slightly and Clarke turned to look at her. She patted Clarke's hand and gave her a big smile. Leaning over, she gave Clarke a kiss on the forehead. Clarke just looked at her questioningly.

"If Octavia accepts him as her father and they begin a relationship, she might eventually become your sister, too," Abby told her.

Clarke's mouth opened and closed like a fish. She knew that Kane and her mother were getting "chummy" but she didn't think that it had gotten that far. Obviously, she was wrong. But, then again, she didn't know everything that happened in the bunker. One reason was because of her mother's drug addiction because of the "Dark Year," but the other was because of Octavia's rule. No one wanted to talk about the horrors that they had to face when they realized that they may never get out of there. And, again, Clarke felt like she'd failed them. She was simply one person and she had no tools. She couldn't rescue them. She didn't have the power to do so.

"I'm going to check on Palla. I'll be back in a little while. We'll have to give her some more of the salve. Are you going to stay in here with her?"

"Yes," Clarke replied as she turned back to the bed and took up Octavia's hand.

"Be careful touching her."

Clarke turned to look at her mother in question.

"She's still in pain, Clarke. She might not be able to tell us how much. Her muscles and her body need rest. I am not sure what the pressure of the blankets and furs will do to her skin. There were so many cuts from the trees and brush. I am actually amazed that she is in as good condition as she is," Abby said.

"I think that has to do with Palla's quick ride and quick thinking to put her in the hot springs."

"Probably. But, if there is any change before I get back, be sure to get me. I'll just be in there."

"Your room?" Clarke inquired.

"Yes."

"I will, Mom. Go check on Palla and then get some rest. I'll watch over them for a while," Clarke assured her and Abby nodded and left the area.

She sat back and watched the steady up and down of Octavia's chest. Besides the IV, she just looked like she was sleeping off a bad hangover from one of Monty's famous brews. Well, that was until one noticed all the thin red lines that covered her normally flawless olive skin. She saw that the claw marks from her own hands were almost gone. Thankfully, she didn't have to explain that to her mother. She felt bad enough for what happened with Bellamy that she wasn't sure that she wanted to add that to something her mother found out.

"You need to wake up, O. I need to know that you are okay. I need to look into those beautiful green eyes and know that you are going to stay by my side. Besides, I always wanted a sister... Sure, we find out who your father is after we fucked. Isn't that how everything goes for us? Good thing we aren't really related, though. I think that Bellamy still wants to skin me for touching you, when you know he doesn't want to beat you for getting to me first, as you so aptly put it. None of that matters right now, though. I need you to get better. I can't lose anyone else, Octavia. I need you. Don't leave me," Clarke begged before she kissed Octavia's hand and laid her head on the gurney next to O's hip.

What she didn't see was Raven and Madi behind her coming in to check on them both. Raven put her hand around Madi's mouth quickly and pulled her away. She knew enough from what Clarke had said that they needed to be alone at the moment. She could feel Madi protesting and she just nodded at Ferre as she continued to pull the other girl out of the clinic.

"What was that for?" Madi demanded as soon as they were outside and Raven let her go.

"You didn't hear any of that," Raven told her.

"I heard it all."

"Madi, forget you heard any of it. Do you understand? That was private. You didn't hear any of it."

Madi looked at the fiesty Latina engineer with her brows furrowed in question. And, then after a few seconds, it finally dawned on her. Somewhere amongst all the words it finally all clicked.

"She and O?"

"It doesn't matter," Raven told her.

"But, O is her guard. It does matter. O can't be object if she loves Clarke," Madi stated.

"She does love Clarke, but Madi, they aren't in love with each other. I know that you don't get it. But, you will when you get older. What happened with them was probably just a one time thing. We can't fault them for that and you can't say anything to either of them about knowing. That shouldn't be anything concerns you. Besides, would it be so bad to have Octavia as a second mother?"

"Well, no, but I think of her like an older sister," Madi explained.

"Then keep it that way."

"But, what did Clarke mean about Octavia becoming her sister? That makes no sense? Surely Abby isn't pregnant...is she?" Madi questioned.

"I doubt it. The Doc knew how to take care of things. And, I doubt that she would be referring to Octavia being her sister if it was through Abby."

"Does that mean that Jake was Octavia's father?" Madi asked.

"I don't know. It doesn't seem like he would have been. He loved Abby too much. Even Clarke will tell you that."

"Then how?"

"Does it matter?"

"I guess not, but if she does become Octavia's sister, that means that Bellamy will be my family, too, right?"

"Yeah, he will."

"I am not sure that I am ready for that."

"You and me both," Raven said. "Come on. Let's go get some cake. It'll make us feel a little better."

"Cake?"

"Oh...that's right. Come on, Little Queen. It is time to introduce to a little food invention called dessert. And, on the top of that list is cake and ice cream. I don't know if they ice cream here, but I've seen some cake. So, that will have to do."

"Lead the way," Madi replied with a smile on her face as they headed for the Mess.