Hey babes! Back with a new chapter for ya!

Enjoy!

*November 2, 2020*

Shifting the gear of his car into park, Bellamy shuts off the engine and pulls the keys from the ignition as he pushes the door open. He glances behind him to check that Octavia's still doing okay and then climbs out of the car to make his way up toward Clarke's house.

He uses his key to let himself inside and closes the door behind him, glancing toward the living room but finding it empty, which means Marcus is probably working in his office this morning for a change.

Heading for the stairs, he only makes it up a few steps when Marcus appears at the top. "Marcus," he calls out, getting the man's attention.

Marcus lets out a breath. "Oh, Bellamy. Good. I was just about to check and see if you were here yet."

Bellamy steps aside to let Marcus pass him on the stairs and then follows him into the living room. "Is everything okay? Is something wrong with Clarke?"

Marcus sighs and nods. "Morning sickness has finally kicked in. She's curled up on her floor because she doesn't want to risk throwing up if she tries to get back in bed."

Bellamy frowns. "That's awful."

Marcus shrugs, sitting down on the couch. "That's part of pregnancy. She's not going to school today; I'm going to call and let them know."

"Right. I think Clarke said that Principal Diyoza already knows, so you might want to talk directly to her to make it easier."

Marcus smiles and nods. "Thank you, Bellamy. You're more than welcome to go up and see Clarke before you head out if you'd like."

Bellamy nods silently and then moves toward the stairs. He takes them two at a time, eager to get to his best friend and check on her, to let her know that he's there, even though he has to go to school.

Knocking lightly on the door when he reaches it, he waits for the faint sound of Clarke calling out before pushing it open. He peers inside to find Clarke exactly as Marcus had described; curled up on the floor by her desk with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, her trash can sitting next to her—thankfully not one of the mesh ones she'd initially thought about buying.

"Hey," he speaks softly as he steps inside the room.

Clarke lifts her head to look at him and smiles weakly. "Hi."

He can't help but smile at the sight of her. He knows she's probably miserable, but to him, she still looks adorable. He crosses the carpet and sits down in front of her, crossing his legs. "Marcus said the morning sickness finally kicked in."

She nods. "I hate it."

"I know you do. You probably won't be very comfortable over here on the floor all day, though, so do you want to try and get back in bed? I'll even help you."

She shakes her head. "You need to go so you aren't late for school."

He waves her off. "I can afford to be a little late for school if I'm helping my best friend, can't I?"

She just gives him a small shrug in response, her cheek resting against her arm.

He smiles. "Come on, then. Let's get you up off the floor." He stands and then bends down, grabbing her upper arms and slowly lifting her off the floor. He catches the way she grimaces at moving and it honestly breaks his heart to see her suffering like this. He knows his mom had morning sickness with Octavia, but he doesn't remember it ever being as bad as this. Then again, he knows that pregnancy is different for every woman.

As soon as he helps Clarke over to her bed, she curls up on her side and buries her face into her pillow. She lets out a noise that's somewhere between a whine and a groan and it makes him think she's going to start crying.

But she doesn't.

So he grabs the edge of her comforter and tugs it out from underneath her body so he can drape it over her and then tuck it in. He makes sure she's snug and then sits down on the edge of the bed, brushing some of her long blonde hair out of her face so he can see her better.

"Do you need anything else from me before I head to school?"

"No," she mumbles.

"Okay. I'm gonna move your trash can over here by the bed just in case you need it again." He steps over to the trash can and drags it right beside the bed and then sits back down. "I want you to text me if you need anything at all, okay? I know Marcus is here, but still. And I'll see if Coach will let me off practice for today so I can come and check on you right after school instead of having to wait until after practice."

Clarke rolls over slightly and looks up at him through the mess of hair now covering her face. "You're such a good friend. My baby's going to be so lucky to have you in its life."

He smiles down at her and brushes the hair out of her face again. "I'm the lucky one for getting to have both of you in my life. Now try to get some sleep, okay? Marcus is calling the school to let them know you won't be in today, so don't worry about that. Even though I know you probably will."

"I don't like missing class."

He chuckles. "I know you don't. I'll talk to your teachers and see about getting your homework for you. You do your best to get some rest." Hesitating for just a moment, he leans down to her stomach and lowers his voice, "Let your mom get some sleep, okay? You lucked out having her as your mom so you want to stay on her good side. Making her crazy sick is not going to earn you any points when you finally get here." He knows the baby can't technically hear him yet, but it felt right in the moment. He was doing it before he even realized that he was.

Sitting up while avoiding eye contact with Clarke, he presses a kiss to her temple and then starts to leave, lingering in the open doorway. He turns and smiles softly at his best friend, opening his mouth to say something before realizing that she's already asleep.

He just shakes his head with a quiet laugh and then makes his way back downstairs, stopping momentarily in the living room to have a quick chat with Marcus about Clarke. The older man thanks him and then Bellamy heads outside to his car, already knowing that Octavia is going to have a few questions about why he took so long.

"What took you so long?" she asks him as soon as he's in the car with the door shut.

He lets out a small breath. "Clarke's not feeling well. I was making sure she was okay."

Octavia frowns. "Does she have the flu?"

Bellamy shakes his head. "No, she doesn't. She's just not feeling too well today. Hopefully, she'll be better tomorrow."

"I hope so too. Being sick sucks."

He chuckles, starting the engine of his car and then pulling away from the curb. As he drives he's already planning out when he's going to text Clarke throughout the day to check in on her. He'll probably try to call her during lunch too, just as an extra measure.

Glancing at the clock on his dashboard, he curses silently when he realizes he's cutting it close to the bell ringing. And he still has to drop Octavia off at school first. He could speed up a little to make it on time, but what kind of example would that be setting for Octavia? Not the right one, that's for sure.

So he sticks to the speed limit. At least until he gets out of the elementary school parking lot.

.

.

.

By the time lunch rolls around, Bellamy's already texted Clarke a handful of times to check in on her and has attempted to call during each passing period. He assumes she's still sleeping because she hasn't texted him back yet or answered any of his calls. Deep down he knows there's nothing to worry about, a lot of women deal with morning sickness while pregnant. But this is Clarke and he can't help but worry.

Settling himself in one of the chairs at the usual table, he barely focuses on the conversations going on around him as he pulls out his lunch and then his phone. But he's too preoccupied with the one-sided text messages between him and Clarke to eat his food right now.

His finger is hovering over her name, ready to call her again, when Murphy's voice interrupts his thoughts. He looks up across the table. "What?"

Murphy rolls his eyes. "I asked why you weren't here this morning before class. And where your other half is."

"Clarke's sick," he says without hesitation.

Murphy chuckles. "See, the fact that you said Clarke when I said 'better half' should tell you a lot."

Bellamy rolls his eyes. "I know she's who you were asking about because we always come to school together. She's also the only one not sitting here aside from Jasper, but he's got second lunch."

Murphy frowns. "You always have to ruin my fun."

"It's my job. Now shut up."

Murphy holds his hands up, leaning back in his chair. "Whoa, alright. Calm down."

"I'm fine," Bellamy practically snaps, his jaw hard.

Harper leans forward against the table, a small smile playing on her lips. "Is Clarke okay?"

Bellamy nods. "Yeah, she's fine. She's pretty sure she just ate something bad over the weekend. Nothing to worry too much about."

Nate snorts. "Says the guy who's very clearly worrying about Clarke's health."

"I'm her best friend, I'm allowed to worry."

"And what does that make me?" Nate asks with a raised brow. "I've known her for just a few days less than you have. Am I not allowed to worry?"

Bellamy sighs. "No, of course, you can." He glances at everyone at the table. "I'm sorry, guys. I really shouldn't be stressing out over this because I know Clarke is going to be fine."

Monty shrugs. "You're worried. Nothing wrong with that. How'd she do when she realized she wouldn't be at school today, though?"

"I think she was too tired to care. Told her I'd talk to her teachers, though, and get whatever work she needs so she's ready for tomorrow."

Harper smiles. "She's lucky to have you, Bellamy."

He chuckles, shaking his head. "No, you've got it backward. I may do nice things for her every so often, but she's the one who keeps me centered. Helps me keep things in focus. Genuinely don't know what I'd do without her."

Looking back down at his phone, he's about to tap on Clarke's name to call her when a new text comes in from Murphy.

This about the B-A-B-Y?

That doesn't work over text. But yes, it is. She's got morning sickness.

Bummer. How's she doing?

As well as she can, all things considered. She told me on Halloween that she's keeping it, so I just feel bad about everything she's gonna have to go through, especially at school.

Good thing she has you to protect her and wait on her hand and foot and do whatever she asks at the drop of a hat.

Am I really that bad?

Extremely.

Before he can respond to Murphy's message, his phone lights up with Clarke's photo. He smiles as he answers the call, holding the device to his ear. "Hi. How are you feeling?"

"Much better than this morning. Were you here? Because things are a little hazy after I woke up, but I think I remember you being here."

"Yeah, I was there. You did seem pretty out of it, though."

She groans. "Morning sickness sucks. And I'm starting to get hungry."

"What do you want?" He pulls his phone away from his ear briefly to check the time. "I might be able to run and get you what you need before class starts."

"No, it's okay. Don't risk being late for class. I'll see if Marcus will make a quick run."

He lets out a small sigh. "Okay. I'm still planning on coming over to see you if Coach lets me out of practice today."

"Okay. Are you with everyone else right now?"

"Yeah. You wanna say hi?"

"Kind of."

He smiles. "Alright. Give me a minute." He pulls the phone away from his ear, switches on the speaker, and then turns up the volume to its max. He sets the device down on the center of the table and looks at everyone. "You're on speaker," he says to Clarke.

"Hey, guys," her voice comes through, barely able to be heard over the usual noise of the cafeteria.

"How are you feeling, Clarke?" Harper asks, leaning as close to the phone as she can. "Bellamy said you're okay, but are you really?"

"I'm fine," Clarke assures her friend. "Just a little stomach bug. How's everyone doing there? Have I missed anything?"

Nate laughs. "Leave it to Clarke Griffin to be worried about what she's missing at school while she's sick."

"I heard that," Clarke calls out.

"Good," Nate says back. "Stop worrying about school right now, Clarke. It'll still be here when you get better."

Clarke sighs. "Sorry, I can't help it. I should probably go now, though, so I can try to eat something. Hopefully, I'll be feeling better tomorrow and can be at school."

"Just don't force yourself to be here if you aren't feeling up to it," Monty pipes in. "The school won't collapse if you aren't here."

"No, I know. Alright, I'll see you guys soon."

Everyone takes a second to say goodbye to Clarke and then the call is disconnected from her end. The conversation around the table returns to whatever it was before Bellamy interrupted it with Clarke's phone call.

Leaning back in his chair, he lets out a breath and runs a hand through his hair. Now that he knows Clarke is relatively okay, he should probably eat something before class. It won't stop him from worrying, though. Clarke's his best friend. He's always going to worry.

.

.

.

"Bellamy."

Lifting his head, Bellamy smiles at one of his teammates, the only other one left in the locker room after practice besides himself. "Hey, Steve."

Steve approaches and sits next to him, patting his legs once as he lets out a breath. "So, what's going on with you? You seemed out of it during practice. Coach wanted me to talk to you, see where your head's at."

Bellamy lets out a heavy breath. "I've just got a lot going on right now." Though in retrospect, it's not his stuff to deal with, so from a certain perspective, he should be perfectly fine. But because Clarke is his best friend, he's taking it on.

"Everything okay at home? Things good with your mom and sister?"

One of the great things about Steve being the Captain is that he always makes sure to know just enough about all the players on the team and checks in on them from time to time to make sure that they're doing alright. He never pushes, but he makes sure that everyone knows he's available if anyone ever needs or wants to talk to him about what's going on in their lives. It's something that Bellamy has only taken advantage of a couple of times.

Bellamy smiles at his friend. "Yeah, home's good."

"Okay, so then what's going on? How can I help you get your focus back while you're playing?"

"There's nothing you can do. A friend of mine has been going through some personal stuff and I just wish there was something more I could do to help her. Coach wouldn't let me off practice to check on her."

Steve shifts in his spot. "Just to be clear, we're talking about Clarke here, right?"

"Why would you think it has something to do with Clarke? I have other friends."

Steve chuckles. "Right. And you get this worked up about all of them too." He claps him on the shoulder. "Bellamy, I know you, and I know Clarke's your best friend. Whatever she's going through, if there really is no way for you to help her other than being there for her, then just be there for her. I'm sure she'll appreciate it when whatever she's going through is over." Steve smiles brightly. "You just keep being that handsome, charismatic best friend you always are."

Bellamy can't help but smile back. "Thanks."

"Anytime. That's what friends are for. Are you gonna be okay now?"

He nods. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Good." Steve takes a deep breath and stands from the bench. "Can't have one of my star players being too distracted for too much longer."

Bellamy chuckles. "So that's what this was about. Not because you care."

Steve laughs. "Oh, I care. About the game." He gives him a sincere smile. "And about you, Bellamy. I care about my friends. And now that practice is over, you have time to go and check on Clarke."

Excitement returns to Bellamy's body as he sits up straighter and smiles wide. "Yeah, I do. I've got a lot of homework to do too, but I can find some time to see Clarke."

"Glad to hear it. And when do you plan on finding time to tell her that you're in love with her?"

Bellamy gapes up at Steve, his eyes wide and his heart beating faster. He swallows thickly, shifting on his seat. "What? Why would you...I'm not in love with Clarke. She's my best friend."

"Which sets the perfect base for a good, healthy relationship. You already know everything about each other; you're each other's person." Steve shrugs. "It just makes sense." He lets out a breath. "Look, even if she doesn't feel the same way about you, I think it might be a good idea to get it out there eventually, so she knows the truth. I'm not saying you have to, and maybe I did read things wrong, but I'm usually pretty spot-on about things like this. Just consider it, alright?"

Bellamy nods, swallowing again. "Um, yeah, sure. I'll think about it."

Steve smiles. "Good. I'll see you around." Steve claps him on the shoulder again and then makes his way out of the locker room, leaving Bellamy alone once more.

He sits in silence for a few more minutes, letting his breathing get back under control, and then gathers his belongings and stands. He digs his car keys out of his backpack as he makes his way out of the locker room and toward the student parking lot. He tries to push away Steve's words that are now lingering in his mind; he can't allow himself to go there. Not when Clarke already has so much on her plate to deal with.

She needs to focus on the duration of her pregnancy and make sure that she and her baby are safe and healthy. She doesn't need to worry about whatever feelings he may or may not have for her.

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!