Scratching The Surface

Chapter 24

The hospital room looked eerily similar to the one she was in a few days ago. Was it really only a few days? It felt like a lifetime ago with everything that had happened since. The monitors beeped steadily beside her, only this time she wasn't hooked up, Clarke was. It smelled sterile, the smell that only hospitals seemed to have. Stale air, and with the walls painted a bland, neutral color didn't help matters. There were multiple vibrant, colorful pictures throughout the hospital in an order to make the place less depressing. Especially the ones in this room.

It failed miserably.

Lexa shifted a moment disoriented at the feel of unfamiliar, scratchy sheets before her eyes snapped open to see Clarke sleeping in bed next to her. Lexa let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding because this was real and not another dream.

Clarke was safe.

She had attempted to move from Clarke's grasp in the middle of the night when the nurse came in to check on her, but had stayed put when Clarke's eyes had snapped open in terror and her heart monitor spiked like crazy when Lexa had tried to pry Clarke's hand from her shirt.

It had taken a while for Lexa to calm her down and reassure her that she was safe. Clarke fell asleep with tears staining her cheeks and a death grip on Lexa's shirt. She leaned over and brushed her lips across Clarke's bruised cheek and stroked her finger down her left arm to the cast on her hand. She couldn't imagine what Clarke had gone through. Her heart clenched in her chest at the thought of her girl enduring pain and torture.

She blamed herself for not protecting her, for not being there, for not stopping any of this from happening before it came to this.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked down the rest of Clarke's body covered by a scratchy blanket and unflattering gown, but it could never detract from Clarke's beauty. Both inside and out. Lexa knew underneath all that there were more bruises, cuts and another cast on her ankle and foot. It was necessary after surgery to repair it. Lexa clenched her fists and took a few calming breaths before she got too worked up. She was doing her absolute best not to wake up Clarke because Clarke didn't need to be burdened with what she was dealing with. At least not yet. Clarke needed her rest and Lexa would be damned if anything deterred that from happening.

Lexa would do whatever it took to help Clarke heal both physically and mentally.

The door opened slightly and a head peeked in. Lexa looked up and met the worry filled eyes of Clarke's mom, Abby. Lexa held a finger to her lips and tried to untangle herself, but even in sleep Clarke refused to let go.

She was okay with that if it's what Clarke needed to feel safe.

"Its okay. She needs her rest." Abby whispered stepping quietly inside and shutting the door, "how is she?"

"She's okay, I think. She's only woken up twice, but not for long. I..." More tears spilled down her cheeks and she quickly brushed them away, "I'm so..."

Abby strode forward and took her free hand and held it to her chest, "You have nothing to be sorry for, Lexa. She's here and she's safe. That's what matters. You found her, Lexa. Thank you."

Her eyes widened in disbelief and the tears came faster. She didn't expect gratitude. She expected anger for letting her get taken, for not telling Abby when they had been close to finding her, and for so many other things, but instead Abby was comforting her.

"But I.." Lexa choked up.

"No 'buts' sweetheart." Abby shushed her and stroked her hair, "it's going to be okay. You two will get through this together. I just know it." she pressed a kiss to her head surprising Lexa even more before making her way around the bed to Clarke.