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Octavia had dialled the number, but handed the phone to Clarke to speak.
“Mmmhhello.” Bellamy rolled over to grab the phone, vibrating on the wooden surface of his bedside table.
“Oh, gosh.” Clarke checked her watch and back counted the hours. About 3am. Bellamy was asleep (or should have been, at least). “Bellamy? It’s Clarke. I’m calling on Octavia’s phone.”
“Clarke? Whassat? O’s phone?” Bellamy smacked the bedside alarm and looked at the clock. 3:32. Way too early for anything good. That sparked him into awareness. “What’s wrong?”
“Everything is fine. The baby decided that it’s coming three weeks early, so we figured we’d give you a call to let you know. However, everything is fine. Don’t be concerned.” Clarke was using the calming voice she had for patients. It generally worked. Not so much for Bellamy.
“I want to talk to O.” Three weeks, that was like early, and especially for a first baby, right? Bellamy’s extent of medical training was a CPR course as a lifeguard over summer in the first few years of college. He heard the rustle as the phone was passed over. “O?”
“Yeah big bro. I’m fine, I swear to god. Clarke’s here, Lincoln’s in the hall getting a coffee and my special baby doctor is about fifteen minutes away.” Octavia paused for a moment, and ground her teeth. “Contractions are a bitch. Don’t ever have kids Clarke. It’s a terrible idea.”
Bellamy huffed. Clearly O was ok. When things got serious, she stopped cracking jokes, and obviously hadn’t reached that point yet. “I’m going to miss the birth, O. I’m sorry.” There was more rustling.
“I’m going to pop you on speaker, cause the nurse is here to update us. I’ll translate as she talks, ‘kay?” Clarke’s voice was back, slightly echoey, but clear.
“You can’t have phones in here.” The brusque tone that Bellamy didn’t recognize was probably the nurse.
“I work here in the A and E department. I’m Doctor Griffin. We’ve just got Octavia’s brother on the phone. He was meant to be here, but he’s in Italy at the moment and is flying out next week. He’s just on speaker for a minute, then I’ll take the phone out to the hall.” Clarke’s business voice was commanding and no-nonsense.
“Fine then. Phones can impact an unborn foetus, you know.” The nurse’s tone was mildly condescending.
“Cough bullshit cough.” Bellamy could tell that Clarke had brought the phone up close for that comment.
Several minutes later, Clarke was explaining, yet again, what the nurse had meant about the time frame for the birth.
“It won’t be for at least four hours, if not more. Cross my heart, I will call if anything happens. Anything at all. Swear on, I don’t know, the Ark.”
Bellamy gave a low laugh. The Ark was the old bookstore and coffee shop they had all congregated at, from primary school, high school and through college. It was full of worn armchairs, great coffee, free Wi-Fi for students and study help. It had been ‘home-base’ for their little gang of not-really-rebels for as long as he could remember. It was cold truth if Clarke was swearing on the Ark.
“Ok then. I’m sleeping for a few more hours, then I’ll shift my flights as close as I can.”
“What airport?” Clarke sounded like she’d propped the phone between her head and shoulder. “Are you flying out of Da Vinci? I think Jaha is on a business trip or something. Wells mentioned something. One minute.”
Clarke’s odd silver spoon connections were something Bellamy had resented for a couple of years, till he worked out that she never really called in favours.
“Yes, I was flying out of Da Vinci. Don’t worry, I’ll just take a normal flight, it’s fine.” He’d booked the flight, and whilst it wasn’t too difficult to cancel, he really didn’t want to spend fifteen hours awkwardly sitting on a plane with Clarke’s mum’s family friend and old business partner.
“Wells said they’re leaving at 8am today. It’s just him flying back. Thelonius decided to spend an extra week. It’s the Jaha private jet, with the beds and the really hot flight attendant. C’mon. Do you really want to fly with stopovers to LAX on commercial? It’s like ten minutes through customs this way, and you’d be here so much faster. “
“Clarke.”
“Bellamy.”
He sighed. “Only because it’s O. And because I know you don’t like favours.”
“Great. I already told Wells you would. He’s putting you on the jet, so pack your crap. You’ve gotta be at the airport in three hours. Bye.” Clarke hung up the phone, and turned to head back into the room. Lincoln opened the door for her, with a motion to the phone in her hand.
“Bellamy?” He gestured to a second seat on the other side of Octavia’s bed. “Flying back sooner, I take it?”
“Got him on the Jaha jet, because I am an epic friend. He’ll be here in about twenty hours.” Clarke rolled the phone between her hands as Octavia, with Lincoln’s help, rolled out of bed to settle herself on a yoga ball. “That helping any?”
“No, not really. It does feel like I’m doing something however, which is better than lying there.” Octavia slammed her nails into Lincoln’s bicep as another contraction rolled over her.
Seven hours later, Bellamy was over the North Atlantic, mid-way through the second Indiana Jones movie when the in-cabin phone rang. Wells, occupied on the other side of the cabin, answered.
“Hey Clarke. Exciting news for my travel buddy here?” He smiled. “Figured. I’ll hand you over.” Wells motioned towards the wall set phone beside Bellamy. He ditched his headphones and picked up the receiver.
“News?” The fingers of Bellamy’s left hand danced over his knee.
“Just came out of theatre. Octavia’s is fine, and you have a niece. I have also been allowed to you the name, for which you can thank Lincoln for convincing her.” Clarke sounded tired, but happy. “When you arrive at the hospital, you can meet Diana Aurora Blake Severn.”