THIRTY FOUR. may flowers growing through december snow
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The last time Tatum saw Abby Griffin was when she was sixteen years old. She was a scared teenager in a crisis and Abby was the only person she trusted in that moment. She knew her biggest secret. She carried it with her for years and years. Tatum never thought she'd see her again. But there she was on the medical bed, the same place she'd been nearly three years ago. She was older now, more experienced to the world; her younger self was buried beneath the rubble she'd been thrown into.
As Abby stood in front of her, she couldn't believe her eyes. She eyed the scars on her upper body, the deep cuts and harsh bruises. Old and new lacerations. She looked defeated. "Oh, Tatum. . ."
Tatum sniffled. "Long time no see."
She cupped her face and lifted her head. "You look so. . .grown up." She exhaled the words.
"I had to." She nearly whispered.
Abby hugged her. Tatum again felt like she was sixteen years old again, crying in her arms when she was told that she was pregnant. It made her cry more. "You poor thing." Abby muttered close to her ear. She held her lightly, not wanting to hurt her even more than she probably already was. "Let me look at you."
Tatum felt uncomfortable as she observed her mangled skin. She sucked in a deep breath through her nose. Her nails dug themselves into the palms of her hands.
Abby's fingers traced the stitches as she observed them. "Who did the stitching?"
"A woman in the grounder camp. She was their medic, essentially." Tatum answered while staring at her hands.
"The same people who caused them?"
The bitterness in her voice made her look over her shoulder. "I had to prove himself. The scars show that I fought hard." She determined.
Abby eyed her for a second before turning back to the scars. She lightly traced the burn marks that overlapped her scars from the cougar attack. "You brave girl." She whispered again.
Tatum closed her eyes, her emotions running high again.
"I remember when you were just a kid. Always getting into trouble. Sometimes getting away with it." Abby started to say with a slightly laugh. "But you were always so kind. Even when your father died, you were never cruel. I remember that day when I told you that you were pregnant so clearly."
"Yeah, me too." She laughed again.
"You've overcome so much and you're only eighteen years old."
If she dwelled on for too long, Tatum was sure she'd break down, and she didn't want to do that yet. Her emotions were still everywhere from what happened at the grounder camp. She felt so guilty that there was nothing she could do. She made a promise to Lexa. Instead, she watched her friend go crazy and she was forced to leave the grounders behind. Leave Dominic behind. It was another tick on her long list of failures.
