You're The One

Chapter 31

Octavia 

Sweat covered my skin. I was uncomfortable. I was in pain. I was scared. 

Raven, Bellamy, Clarke and Lexa were instantly by my side. I dug my nails into the back of Lincoln's hand while squeezing Bellamy's wrist with my remaining hand. Lexa started to light candles with Raven's help.

Mia was at the foot of the bed, ready to go. How was she so calm? Three lives were in her hands, and yet she was patiently sitting there, hoping that all went well? I envied her. 

Between screams, I could hear my friends talking over me.

"She wasn't due for another couple of weeks." Clarke said, her tone laced with concern. 

"I know." Lincoln said, flustered. "I know."

"She was supposed to have Arkadia technology," Clarke said, her tone causing a little more anxiety to stir in me now.

"I know, Clarke!" Lincoln snapped. Even in this moment I was shocked. I had never heard him yell like that. 

"Bellamy...radio Arkadia...see if my mom can come in a rover." Clarke said. 

"Clarke they won't make it." Bellamy said gravely. 

"Just do it." She said. Bellamy glanced at me before slipping away to grab his radio. Clarke took his place and let me hold onto her. She dragged a cold cloth across my face with her free hand. 

"Mia, how are we looking?" Clarke asked, without taking her eyes off my face. 

"Nothing yet." Mia said. 

I could tell Clarke was thinking a lot right now. 

"Clarke." I said between gritted teeth. "My babies are the priority."

"It won't come to that." She said, feeling another contraction come on. I squealed and screamed and any other day I would've cared about waking up all of Polis. But not tonight. 

I pulled her down to me. "Promise me."

She nodded. "I promise." 

An hour passed. I could feel myself getting weaker, and drops of warm sweat turned to buckets of cold sweat. 

"Come on, O." I heard Lincoln say as I closed my eyes. "No, no, no. Don't close your eyes." He turned away from me. "Clarke!"

I could hear Clarke, who had left my side, run over. She grabbed my face and pressed the cold cloth to my forehead.

"Keep your eyes open, O. Just keep them open." She murmured. I forced them open and she smiled down at me. "There you go."

She took a step back, and though I tried, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. 

It was light when I woke. Lincoln was sleeping on the couch.

I remembered why I was here and what happened. I lifted up the blankets that were covering me. I stared at my deflated baby bump. The babies were out, at least. But did they come out okay? My eyes kept moving forward and I saw the blood-stained furs and blankets underneath me. There was so much of it. 

"Lincoln." I whispered loudly. 

He stirred his eyes met mine. He immediately woke up and ran over, cupping my face with his hands. 

"You're okay." He murmured, resting his forehead against mine. I smiled, laying my hand on top of his. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alive," I said. "Where are they? Are they okay? Are they—?" I wouldn't say my worst nightmare aloud. 

He smiled. "They're a little small, but they're okay." 

I laughed and felt tears well up in my eyes. It was amazing how I could feel so much love for something I didn't want just a few months ago. 

"Where are they?" I asked, starting to get out of bed to find them.

"Hold on." He said, holding me back. "You're on bed rest. You lost a lot of blood. I'll just go get them, okay."

"Okay." I said, curling back into bed. He pressed one last kiss to my forehead before hastily walking out of the room. I held my breath, watching the door closely, waiting to meet my children. 

Lincoln returned with one baby and my heart sank. Did he lie? Did something happen to one? Where was the other one? But then Clarke followed him, another baby in tow. 

Lincoln and Clarke came to stand by the side of my bed. Slowly, he placed them in my arms. Clarke transitioned the other into Lincoln's arm before giving me a careful hug and a warm smile and exiting the room. 

"What are their genders?" I asked, staring down at my perfect, beautiful baby. 

"Boy." He said, nodding to the one in my arms. "Girl." He said, motioning to the one he was holding. 

"I supposed we have to think of their names now." I said.

"We will," Lincoln said, sitting next to me on the bed. "Later. For now, just focus on getting better."

I leaned my head against him. "Okay." I sat up. "What happened after I blacked out?"

"Abby and a few of her team got here relatively quickly. They got the babies out." He said, keeping the explanation relatively short. I needed more than that. 

"But how? I thought I had to be awake to push? Did I wake up and not remember?"

Lincoln sighed. "They have a word for this in English, but I missed it. They cut open your abdomen and pulled them out. It was quite a sight."

I felt suddenly dizzy. I'm glad I hadn't looked too closely at my abdomen, otherwise, I was sure I would have fainted due to what I would've seen. 

"Is Abby still here? I'd like to thank her." I said. 

"She's still here. And she will be for the next few days to keep an eye on you. So you can thank her then. After you've gotten your rest."

"I've already gotten rest." I said, rolling my eyes. 

He sighed defeatedly. 

"Which one was born first?" 

"She was." He said. 

I smiled. Good for her. 

"Have they been crying a lot?" 

"No. Not at all. They're quiet."

"Like their dad." I said, wrapping an arm around him. 

"How are you feeling...about them?" He asked hesitantly. He knew I wasn't ready to be a mom when I got pregnant. 

"I already love them so much. And while I would've liked for this to happen later in life, so that I could've enjoyed every moment and so I could've been prepared, I know that it was meant to be like this."

"I'm proud of you." He murmured. 

I smiled in response. 

"So which one poops more?"

He laughed. "She does. Actually, when I've tried to wrap her up, she squirms and tries to push back. She's a fighter, just like her mom." 

I leaned back against him. This moment, with my new family, was perfect. And I hoped none of it would change.