Lightning Only Strikes Once - Clexa

Chapter 115: Bedrest

Lexa isn't the only one who needs bed rest, Clarke finds, although Lexa certainly needs it more. The weeks of stress and injuries and cold have left her physically, mentally and emotionally drained, sleeping sixteen hours a day, and focused on nothing except food and cuddling against Lexa's warmth. She's happy to huddle inside the little tent that has become their world and leave everything outside to someone else. She's uncharacteristically eager for Wells to take on the responsibility of leadership for the time being, and he seems to manage just fine.

Between managing things, though, he does find the time to come see them often. Raven's there nearly all the time they're awake, too, chattering eagerly about everything and nothing. Leaning her head against Lexa's uninjured shoulder, bundled up in blankets, Clarke smiles sleepily up at them and doesn't say much, preferring to let the world just slide by.

Her mother's visits are more problematic. It seems like she and Clarke can't talk without arguing. It's like now that they don't have Jake to balance them out and act as mediator, they can't even discuss things like the weather without the conversation becoming a downward spiral towards Clarke's life choices and the changes in her personality. And worse than that, far worse...

"So then she said 'I can get it myself, Mommy!'" Abby laughs.

...Is that now, her mother and Lexa seem to be getting along like a house on fire. Clarke keeps her eyes closed, pretending that she's still asleep and desperately wishing for Abby to leave. Despite her hopes, the story continues.

"I let her reach for it, and next thing I knew, our entire monthly supply of flour was all over the kitchen," Abby continues. "Kids are so stubborn at that age, sometimes all you can do is let them make their own mistakes."

"Dazi, one of my Natblida, was much like that," Lexa agrees. Clarke feels the tension in her muscles, as if she wants to gesticulate as she makes her point, but she manages to restrain herself – under Clarke's command Lexa has been nearly motionless since they were ordered to rest. "He was very determined to master a full staff a few years ago. Of course, he was not even half the height of the weapon. I let him practice with one for four days and he gave it up, returned to a shorter one, and never spoke of it again."

"Exactly!" Abby says warmly. "With Clarke that approach always had mixed results, though. She's always been so stubborn. For example, even after the flour incident, it was only a few days later that she was sure she could fix the television just like her father. If I hadn't caught her she probably would have blacked out our entire station -"

Clarke sighs and gives up on getting back to sleep. She opens her eyes and fakes a smile. "Hei, Mom."

"Hi, sweetie," Abby says, smiling down at Clarke.

"Did you come to check on Lexa's wound?"

"No, I checked it only an hour ago," Abby gives Lexa an approving look. "She's healing incredibly fast. I'm not going to risk checking her range of motion just yet, since I'm worried about her rotator tendon and want to give it another couple of weeks at least, but I think immobilising her arm has helped a lot." Then she looks back at Clarke and her smile dims a bit. "I should probably check your ankle again, honey."

"You checked it yesterday," Clarke points out. "Broken bones take time, it's not going to change daily."

"I suppose," Abby says. "But better safe than sorry. It's a nasty break. Although I think it might actually be good that it got broken a second time – I don't think the first was set quite right, and it could have caused problems down the line."

"It wasn't exactly my first priority at the time," Clarke replies, a little coolly.

Abby pats her shoulder. Clarke thinks the motion is slightly patronising. "Of course it wasn't. And you did a marvellous job with what you had available at the time. Honestly, though, I don't think you'll ever get full strength and range of motion back into your ankle whatever we do."