Chapter Text
This is ridiculous . She sat in the plastic chair, staring off into the distance. She thought there might be a TV on the opposite wall, she wasn’t paying attention. All she was thinking about was maintaining the pressure she was placing on her leg. Because if she kept the pressure on her leg, she wouldn’t think of the searing pain in her arm.
“I can hear you brooding from here.” Anya’s voice cut through her thoughts and Lexa allowed her vision to come back into focus. Now that she was paying attention to her surroundings again she remembered why she’d zoned out in the first place. Who decided that this particular shade of yellow was the best shade to paint an emergency room wall? Was it supposed to be cheery? It wasn’t working.
“I wouldn’t be brooding if you’d’ve let me stay at work. It’s not that bad.” Lexa turned her head slightly to acknowledge her friend.
“Not that bad, is it?” Anya reached her foot across the aisle and kicked Lexa gently in the arm, which Lexa retracted immediately with a hiss of pain. “It’s broken, dimwit.
”Lexa Woods?”
Lexa hoped Anya was grateful that her name was called before she could get her revenge. Anya hoped Lexa was grateful that she was called before she had a chance to do something stupid and hurt herself even more.
Lexa hesitated for a moment when Anya didn’t move to follow her.
“I’m not your babysitter. You’re a big kid now. I hope you get a pretty one.” The unsaid end of the thought was loud and clear. The blonde wanted to see the aftermath of Lexa making a fool of herself in front of a pretty doctor.
“Right this way, Miss Woods.” The nurse lead Lexa through a short maze of beds before leaving her with a courtesy reminder that a Doctor Griffin would be with her shortly.
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“Possible fractured arm in bed seven for you, Griff.” Monty dropped the chart on the top of the nurse’s station before grabbing the next patient chart from the inbound pile and heading off again.
Clarke barely waved her acknowledgement while she finished scribbling on another chart. The ER shift was always too much, and this wasn’t even her damn hospital. Clarke signed her name in four different places while she contemplated murdering--or at least administering some sort of grievous bodily harm to--her mother for convincing her to help out during her vacation. She checked the clock with a sigh before grabbing the new chart from the top of the station and making her way over to the patient.
Her eyes were glued to her chart as she approached the bed. “Lexa Woods? 27? So, I’m Doctor Griffin… Clarke, actually. What brings you in today? Monty said you might have a broken arm?” The hums of agreement ended, causing Clarke to finally look up, her eyes scanning the woman quickly. “You’ll need to take off your jacket if that’s the case.” A leather jacket was not going to help her deduce the problem, no matter how much it actually was helping Lexa Woods’ physique at that moment. When was the last time fluorescent lights managed to let anyone still look that good?
Lexa nodded and started trying to take her jacket off. Trying, of course, being the operative word. “It’s not even that bad. I wouldn’t even be here if my friend hadn’t made me come in...” Lexa trailed off as she felt the need to suppress a wince of pain. If the doctor had been anyone else, she probably wouldn’t have tried so hard, but there was no way she was going to let anyone who looked that good under crappy fluorescent lights see her in pain. Even if that was what she was there for.
“Well, I’ll be the judge of that, Miss Woods.”
“Lexa.” Thank god for scrubs, because Lexa wasn’t sure she could deal with seeing Clarke in regular clothes and deal with her pain management. Face, Lexa. Look at her face.
“Lexa.” Lexa’s eyes flicked up to Clarke’s lips when her name was said. Nope. Can’t look there either. Lexa fixed her eyes on a distant spot beyond Clarke’s head, because she was sure if she looked at Clarke, Clarke would know exactly what she was thinking. Anya did always tell her that her eyes betrayed her whenever she looked at a pretty girl.
Clarke set the patient chart on the edge of the bed before taking a few steps toward her. “Let me help you with that, yeah?” Clarke took a gentle hold on the edge of the jacket and eased it off of Lexa’s arm with as much care as she could manage.
“I could have done it myself.” Lexa mumbled, more to herself than to the doctor. Lexa rested her arm back down carefully into her neutral position.
Clarke raised an eyebrow and Lexa thought she could die right then. Anya jinxed her. If Anya hadn’t said anything she would have ended up with the old tenure ready to retire. “Really? Could you? So how does it feel then?”
“Hurts.”
“So if I lift it like this?” Clarke was very careful when she moved Lexa’s arm, in case it actually was broken.
“Hurts.”
“And this?”
Clarke started to cross the arm over Lexa’s body, at which point Lexa finally hissed out her response. “Hurts.”
Lexa wasn’t sure what she had done that was so funny as to deserve the chuckle that fell from Clarke’s lips next, but she needed to find out, because Lexa would give anything to hear that sound again. “Right, so we’re going to get you into x-ray, but I’m pretty sure you’ve got an anterior fracture dislocation of the olecranon… nothing too serious if you actually do what I say.”
Clarke was still smiling as she gave Lexa her diagnosis, something that didn’t escape Lexa’s notice. “Does my pain amuse you, Doc--Clarke?”
Clarke’s smile only widened. “No, but you do.” She picked up Lexa’s chart and started checking a few boxes, oblivious to the way her patient was now looking at her. “I’m going to get you into radiology, and then someone in ortho will set your arm for you. Listen to them, okay? Don’t make me track you down again, Lex.”
“And what if I want you to track me down?”
Clarke just smiled and left to finish her work, leaving Lexa alone to wonder what exactly she had to do to get Doctor Clarke Griffin to track her down again.