Kings // c. griffin

Chapter Fifteen

"Okay, three millimeters."

Isaac heard Clarke's voice first. It was tight and full of panic and he could tell that she was trying to steel herself, forcing herself to be brave for something. There was a sharp pain in his chest, and even without moving he could feel the thin edges of a knife digging into his skin.

The faint, muffled, but jut recognizable voice of Abby Griffin was coming from somewhere to his right. "You've assisted me on procedures harder than this. And once the knife is out, the hard part is over."

Isaac tried to move his head to the side, but his chest tightened and he groaned, letting his muscles go slack. The cold air was hitting his bare chest as it rose and fell heavily. He couldn't get enough air in, but as soon as he breathed in it was like an anvil had settled on top of him.

The room around him shook and his body rustled, his head being thrown to face the other way. His took in a sharp breath and he felt his whole body twitch. He was hot, extremely hot. He was barely wearing clothes as it was and the air around him was freezing, but he felt as if he'd been placed in a sauna for hours.

"All right," Clarke said, and Isaac weakly craned his neck in the direction of her voice. It sounded like she was just in front of him. "Extracting now."

Suddenly the weight of the knife on his chest shifted, and he knew Clarke was grabbing it. He groaned, a bit louder this time, and he felt the hands freeze. He heard a shaky breath, and suddenly Raven spoke up from his other side. "You can do this, Clarke." Clarke softly placed her palm on Isaac's chest, just next to the knife. Isaac wasn't sure if it was her hand on his bare chest that did it, or the feverish feeling going through his body, but he shivered.

All at once the knife began to slide against his skin, his muscles tightening from the pain. His hips lifted off of the table as he gritted his teeth, screwing his eyes shut and letting out a loud groan that almost could be considered a yell. His shoulder blades touched behind his back as he tensed, his feet sliding on the slick surface below him. He ground his teeth, his breathing becoming much more rapid than it had been a few moments before.

The knife hit a soft spot and his eyes shot open as he let out something between a shout and a scream. "He's waking up!" Clarke panicked. In a moment of weakness, her hand slipped on the knife and she almost lost her grip. "Help me hold him still," Clarke pleaded, and Isaac vaguely registered Raven's hands and another pair of hands being placed on his torso. "Isaac, I'm going to get that knife out of you, okay?"

Isaac grit his teeth, his entire body shuddering. "Good plan," he gasped. Clarke almost laughed at his response, before turning back to the knife. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, her tongue running against her lower lip and she breathed shallowly, focusing.

"Isaac, you can't move," Clarke told him, her eyes flicking back to his face, which was both calm and clearly pained. "You got it?"

Isaac managed to nod. "I'll try not to writhe in extreme pain, then," he was panting.

Clarke made a strangled noise that almost sounded like a laugh before she went ahead. "Okay, here it goes."

"Nice and slow, Clarke," Abby Griffin instructed.

Pain shot through Isaac like water being poured over him and his chest began to rise and fall heavily, his breaths short and desperate. He squirmed underneath the hold of the three teenagers. "Isaac, do not move," Clarke ordered, her voice breaking at the sight of his pain.

"I'm trying!" he hissed, choking on his breath as he drew in a huge breath. He almost coughed, instead retching on dry air.

"It's almost there." Isaac's body was covered in sweat and there were tears in his eyes. His teeth were gritted and he stared up at the blurry ceiling, his bottom lip quivering despite his best efforts. "Hold still." His entire body was shaking from the pain.