Work Text:
Snuppet #4- heartbeat
Pairing: Clexa
Rating: Children be Wary (K+)
Clarke lay quietly in the still air of the Medbay. The only sounds were the low breathing from the beds other occupant, sleeping deeply after a long day, and the gentle beeping of medical machines. Clarkes head rose with every breath, pushed up by every inhale that Lexa took. The motion was calming, soothing. Proof that the brunette was here with her. The low thump of her heartbeat pulsed lightly from within her chest, a calming rhythm that lulled the blonde’s nerves.
Thump thump
Thump thump
Thump thump
Clarke fingered the bandages that wrapped the other girl’s torso. It’s softness contradictory to it’s crucial role in keeping the blood of its patient carefully sealed where it was supposed to be. Her mother had assured her that the surgery had gone well with no complications. Of course, the road to recovery would be long. One didn’t just bounce back after having their heart reconstructed. Tilting her head up, she took in the sight of her wife’s face, illuminated by the dim lights flickering from the hall.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Nyco and Lincoln sitting on a chairs in the hall, the large healer looking as though he were snoring slightly, while the younger man looked alert, eyes scanning for danger in the barren hall.
The blonde sighed, feeling happiness well in her chest. The amount of trust that had been built between the Skaikru and the other clans over the years was amazing. While initially it had been a shaky and tenuous relationship, filled with conflict and misunderstandings, the two peoples somehow managed to come together to defeat several mutual enemies, creating unbreakable bonds between their citizens. Now, the trust was so strong Lexa’s advisors had actually let her mother operate on the Commander. Not without some reservations, of course, but they had come around, showing how much trust they held with the people from the Sky.
Low voices drew her attention back to the hall. She watched with a sleepy smile as Bellamy and Echo switched places with the two men standing guard. Lincoln stood, nodding to Bellamy as he gripped arms with Echo. A light touch to the healer’s shoulder to rouse him, and they were off, undoubtedly going to find food and then bed. The two new guards peeked in, smiling at Clarke’s tired wave, but not entering, instead settling in the chairs on either side of the door.
Settling again, her head back on Lexa’s shoulder, she let her mind wander. It had been several years since she’d fallen to the ground with the other hundred, although now there were only about thirty left, and if she had the opportunity to tell her past self all the events that would happen in those years, she doubted she would be believed. Fighting wars, leading hundreds, and falling in love; she could imagine that the young girl, still trapped in her cell dreaming of the ground, would laugh at the tales she could tell now.
A light choking sound has her lifting her head, heart rising into her throat. Lexa coughs for a moment more before settling, face shifted towards the blonde. Clarke relaxes, smiling fondly as a light whistling snore escapes the brunette. The warrior looked haggard, but the young healer knows that in the long run the surgery will do her good. Laying her head back down, she focused on the regular heart beat of the older woman.
Thump Thump
Thump Thump
Thump Thump
The rhythm was reassuring after a couple months of listening to an irregular beat. Her mouth slipped into a frown as memories swam to the surface of her mind. While it was a while ago, months in fact, the worry and fear still felt just as fresh.
It seemed like a normal day, raining earlier in the morning, leaving the air smelling of fresh soil and new growth. A slow day in the clinic, only a few patients here and there, but mostly she had spent her time grinding herbs and preparing medicine. It was a lazy day; a day that reassured her that the city of Polis was, for the most part, healthy.
Her head shot up as the sounds of a commotion rose in the hall, and she stood when Lexa stumbled in, waving off the worried hands of Indra, demanding to be left alone with her wife. The Commander looked pale, breath coming out in a series of shallow pants, and her body slumped against a table by the door. The healer stood and hurried over, concern evident in her features. Despite obviously being ill, Lexa greeted her wife with a beaming smile.
“Are you okay?”
The question was out of the blonde’s mouth before she had even reached her partner, eyes scanning the other woman’s form for any injuries. The healer supported her wife, bringing her over to one of the clinics many empty beds.
“I’m fine. Completely fine.”
It was an obvious lie. The brunette was practically keeling over, Clarke supporting almost all her weight. Setting the brunette down, the healer placed a hand on her wife’s forehead, feeling for a fever. Lexa’s skin was clammy but not irregularly warm. A frown settled on the blondes face as she grabbed her stethoscope. With quick hands, she has the warriors jacket and armour off in a matter of moments, years of practice making the job almost muscle memory. As she worked, Lexa slumped against her, weakness suddenly overtaking her muscles.
“Come’on babe, I need you to sit up.”
She said gently, rubbing circles into her wife’s back. A light wheeze was her response followed by the older woman straightening slightly. Donning the stethoscopes earpieces, she pressed the cool metal plate to Lexa’s chest, listening intently.
Thump thu-mp
Thump thu-mp
Thump thu-mp
The blonde’s brow furrowed, worry clogging her throat. While it could be nothing, the slight jump in beat coupled with the shortness of breath and sudden weakness had Clarke’s mental alarm bells ringing. Removing the ear pieces, she eyed her wife.
“Do you feel any light headedness or dizziness?”
A mumbled “I’m fine” had her glaring.
“Lex, you’re not fine, now answer my questions.”
Her tone was commanding with an edge of irritation. An amused smile quirked the brunette’s lips as she nodded.
“Alright, Hodnes, Alright. Yes, I got dizzy. I fell off my horse which is why Indra was as she was, and there is some discomfort in my shoulders and chest.”
Her sigh of relief at her cooperation soon turned into the young healer biting her lip in concern. The symptoms lined up with that of heart failure, something she would be helpless to treat properly in Polis. She licked her lips in hesitation. She needed to convince not just Lexa, but Titus and the Generals as well, to let her mother examine her in Arkadia. Hopefully anything serious could be prevented, but should it come to surgery, the blonde was sure there would be resistance to the idea. Swallowing, she looked at her wife, a frown creasing her features.
“You have symptoms of heart failure…”
She gave her diagnosis bluntly, knowing that sugar coating would only harm her case. Lexa’s eyebrow knitted together in confusion.
“It means you might have a heart attack, or possibly something more serious in the future. I can’t treat it here….”
A stoic nod was the only response. Her wife looked thoughtful, understanding what she was implying. They needed to travel to Arkadia to conduct a proper examination, but to go with no warning could cause some suspicion at best, or panic at worst. Crossing her arms, she looked down at her boots. If Lexa truly didn’t want to go to Arkadia, Clarke couldn’t force her. She could only give her professional opinion.
“Do you believe this can not wait?”
The question makes her smile before lifting her eyes to gaze at her wife. The older woman looked at her carefully, a serious expression on her face. This was one of her best qualities, in Clarke’s opinion. Listening and thinking about a situation thoroughly, then asking questions when she needed more information.
“I do. If it was just a cold or the flu I would say try to take it easy, despite knowing you won’t.”
They shared a light chuckle at that.
“But heart failure is serious. It’s life threatening if left untreated.”
Stepping closer, she cupped her wife’s face between her hands.
“I’ve nearly lost you to so many things that I have no control over, but this I can control. I can help keep you healthy, you just have to let me.”
Lexa’s arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her closer to stand between the older woman’s knees.
“If that is what you truly feel, then I will arrange a trip to Arkadia. We are due a renegotiation of trade routes anyway.”
At that, Clarke smiled. The blonde knew full well that the trade agreements weren’t supposed to be renegotiated for another few months, so the fact that Lexa was pushing them forward meant that she was taking the healers council seriously. Bending down, she kissed her wife deeply, one hand sliding back to entangle itself in the mass of braids at the back her skull. After a few moments, she ended the kiss, leaving their foreheads pressed together.
“Thank you, Hodnes. This means a lot to me.”
Clarke sighed lightly as she came out of the memory. It had been the start of a strenuous process, keeping Lexa’s suddenly precarious health a secret from the Clans, lest a vote of no confidence were to occur, as well as getting her the help she needed. They had set off for Arkadia, only a few days after her initial assessment, under the guise of trade negotiations. She had sent a messenger ahead to warn the Arkadians of their impending arrival, along with a letter to her mother explaining the situation and her worries. Her mother’s response, sent back with the messenger, had an agreement with her preliminary diagnosis and a promise to have the appropriate equipment ready by the time they arrived.
While her mother had been a bit disapproving of the relationship between Clarke and the Commander in the beginning, she had allowed her views to shift to shaky approval as she spent time with her daughter’s wife. Abby had grudgingly admitted that Lexa was a good choice in partner when they had all gone on a hunting trip orchestrated, surprisingly, by Kane. The man greatly helped along her mothers change in attitude, something Clarke would be forever grateful for.
Her stomach gave a low growl, drawing her from her thoughts and reminding her of her lack of dinner. Sitting up and stretching, muscles stiff from laying precariously close to the edge of the bed for most of the night, she stood. The cool air of the medbay assaulted her skin now that she no longer had the constant warmth of her wife next to her, causing a shiver to shake through her body. Turning, she adjusted the blankets over the sleeping brunette so they warded off the majority of the chill. Stretching once again, she glanced over at the monitoring machines next to the bed. They showed no sign of problems, all beeping steadily with solid readings. Nodding to herself, she decided that she could step away for a moment, plus Bellamy and Echo were just outside in case any trouble surfaced.
Grabbing a lab coat from the coatrack by the door to combat the Arks perpetual cold, she stepped out into the hall. Giving acknowledging nods to the two warriors on guard, she padded down the metal halls of Alpha station to the mess hall.
The eating area was rather quiet, only those on the late shifts present. The familiar red jacket of Raven drew her attention to the corner where the mechanic was eating quietly. Grabbing a portion of the provided food and a cup of pitch black coffee, she made her way to the corner, sitting across from the brunette who looked up tiredly.
“Hey, Clarke. How’s Commander Hearteyes?”
The blonde smiled at the nickname. Despite them having been married for a couple years already, the nickname had failed to die out since its first use at the very beginning of her relationship with Lexa. At this point it had become a term of endearment Raven used.
“She’s doing alright. She’s sleeping, although once she wakes up I doubt she’ll be still for long.”
She took a sip from her coffee as Raven snorted into her meal at her response, the bitter liquid waking her up just from the first sip.
“Yeah, she’ll be up and about before we know it, and probably against recommendation too.”
Clarke nodded in agreement, an exasperated smile gracing her features.
“Oh, definitely. I might have to tie her to the bed.”
The mechanic snorted again. Her eyes glinted playfully as she poked her fork at the blonde.
“Damn, didn’t know you were into that kind of thing, Griffin. Props for taming the powerful Commander.”
Her eyes rolled at the comment, but she remained silent, not giving the grinning brunette the satisfaction of a response. She picked at her food for a moment before scooping some of the synthetic goop into her mouth. The healer shuddered at the taste, suddenly missing Polis and its wealth of fresh food.
“Yeah, I know. It tastes disgusting, but it’s all we got till we can get the food processing units repaired. Once that happens, I’m eating so many potatoes. I miss their starchy goodness.”
The mechanic pouted as she pushed around the goop in her tray, making the blonde chuckle. While the circumstances weren’t the best, seeing the other remaining members of the hundred was nice. While she did have friends in Polis, such as the healers she worked with, and surprisingly Indra (they’d bonded over worrying for Lexa), she did miss the people who lived in Arkadia. It wasn’t often that she got to see them, so she would enjoy it while she could.
Shoveling the last of her meal into her mouth, she bid the mechanic a fair well, taking her coffee with her as she left the mess hall. She slowed her steps as she made her way through the Arks halls, enjoying the soothing silence. Normally during the day, the halls were filled to the brim with traffic; people coming and going as they did their jobs and lived their lives. Now, the passages were empty, silent with a calm stillness that was hard to find while everyone was awake.
Rounding several corners, Bellamy and Echo soon came into sight. The two guards chatting quietly to pass the time. They nodded at her arrival, continuing their conversation with nary a pause. Entering the dim medbay, her eyes landed on its sole occupant, smiling fondly as bleary green eyes blinked up at her.
“Clarke, where did you go?”
The brunettes voice was scratchy from sleep, her tone filled with equal parts relief and worry. Setting the coffee down on the beds side table, she sits on the edge of the bed, fingers intertwining with Lexa’s reaching hand.
“I just went to get some food. How are you feeling?”
The brunette breathed in deeply, wincing slightly.
“Hurts.”
Clarke reached up and brushed away a stray curl behind the brunette’s ear tenderly. Pain was to be expected, especially after invasive surgery.
“Do you want me to give you more morphine?”
She knew the offer would be refused, but it was better to ask than not at all. The brunette shook her head, eyes once again drooping.
“Alright, it’s still pretty early so try and sleep some more.”
A nod is her only response before small snores once again escaped the older woman, making Clarkes heart swell with affection. Slowly, to not wake Lexa, she shifted into a chair next to the bed. Crossing her legs, she reclined back, letting herself relax. The light beep of the medical machines a soothing rhythm in the background. Taking a breath, she closed her eyes, each beep reassuringly coming one after the other.
Beep
Beep
Beep