Injuries (Bellarke)

Chapter 4

Bellamy quickly closed the distance between them and caught Clarke as she collapsed. He brought her into his arms and noticed how hot she felt. Her eyes flickered open a few times before they finally remained shut and her body went fully limp in his arms.

“Here, put her here.” He looked to see Octavia clearing off a table next to Jasper. She folded some rags for a pillow and stepped back. Bellamy walked over and gently set Clarke down. The girl moaned slightly, but her eyes remained shut.

“What’s wrong with her?” Jasper asked a bit frantically.

“I don’t know.” Bellamy scanned her for any sign of something wrong. It took him a couple seconds before he saw the dark red splotch on her side. It was easily missed because she was still wearing the same shirt she had been the day before and it was covered in the blood of those she had treated. Cursing to himself he slowly lifted up her shirt. He heard Octavia gasp when he revealed the long cut, it was oozing blood and had angry red lines shooting out from it. Bellamy looked closer and saw that it had at one point been stitched up, but Clarke had ripped open all of the stitches. “You stupid girl,” he said under his breath.

“It looks infected” Octavia, who had gotten over her initial shock, said as she examined the wound.

“Get me a cloth, moonshine, Monty’s tea, needle and thread, and bandages,” Bellamy instructed his sister. He was trying hard to remain calm and objective. He had sewn up injuries before and he tried to tell himself that this time was no different. Except it was different, because it was Clarke. She was his co-leader, their doctor, the voice of reason, their strength. He needed her. He didn’t know how to keep this camp together without Clarke by his side. Bellamy reached down and brushed hair off of her cheek and stroked it gently with his thumb. “C’mon, stay with me Clarke.” He whispered. “I need you to fight this”. He put a hand against her forehead and felt heat radiating from it.

“I got everything,” Octavia said as she bounded back into the ship with Monty at her heels.

“Let me see” Bellamy moved back to allow Monty to look at Clarke. “It doesn’t look too bad, I think if we clean it and give her some tea it should be okay.” Bellamy breathed a little easier at his words. He could do this, Clarke was going to be okay, it was all going to be okay.

“Here Bell,” Octavia said holding the thermos of moonshine out. He held out his hands and she doused them. Then he took a rag and began gently trying to clean off the wound. He then pulled out the sad remains of her stitches. Once all the dried blood was away the cut looked considerably better. It wasn’t bleeding too much and Bellamy thought that it might not need stitches.

“Here help me give her the tea.” Bellamy lifted up Clarke’s head and opened her mouth. Monty lifted the cup to her lips and poured the liquid in. Bellamy pinched her nose so she would be forced to swallow. “C’mon Princess, swallow.” He urged her, but instead she coughed, spitting out the tea. Her body shook violently as she continued to cough.

“Get her on her side.” Bellamy looked up to see that Murphy had appeared. He ran forward to help Bellamy roll her on her side. Clarke continued coughing as blood came out of her mouth. When her coughs had subsided they rolled her onto her back. Bellamy cleaned the blood off of her face with a cloth. Octavia was brushing back her hair, Monty was stroking her arm, Murphy had his hand on her leg, and Jasper was craning frantically to see what was happening. Bellamy was struck suddenly about how fiercely everyone cared for Clarke. He had been so caught up in how much he needed Clarke that he hadn’t realized how much everyone else needed her too.

“We have to get her to drink this.” Monty said.

“Okay” Bellamy agreed. They tried again to give Clarke this tea and this time succeeded in getting her to drink it. “Thank God,” Bellamy said as he gently placed Clarke’s head back on the table. He stepped back and wiped the sweat from his brow.