Battle Scars

seventeen.

Clarke groaned when she heard her name being called on the intercom. She lifted her coat from the desk and slipped it on as she makes her way to the emergency department, really hoping that it will be an emergency this time round. She's been treating non-emergency cases since morning - like a baby choking on a bead, a cut that does not require stitching and a boy who is thought to have a nosebleed but it was because he graze himself with his fingernail while he was digging his nose. Of course their parents would be worried.

She could hear her mother's voice when she stepped closer and she could tell from the urgency of the tone that it was serious. She rushed into the room and widened her eyes when she sees Jasper standing next to Abby. She went over and saw Monty groaning in pain. Her eyes immediately darted to his leg, where a third-degree burn was sustained.

He wailed louder when the older doctor checks the severity of the burns, pressing around his leg. Two staff nurses came later and Clarke assists the older doctor in inserting the drip into him. While she does so, Abby questions Jasper about the chemical that were involved. His face was panic-stricken as he tried to remember all the chemical names.

"Clarke, how about you bring Jasper out?" The older doctor suggested.

Clarke tugged on his sleeve but he refuses to move, insisting on staying with his friend. "Jasper," Monty winced, "Just go. I don't need you to babysit me."

Jasper reluctantly walked out of the room. "I'll be right back," Clarke told her mum. Abby shook her head and smiled understandingly, "Take as long as you need. I can handle this."

The relationship between Clarke and Jasper hasn't been great since... Maya's demise. She bit her lip and followed Jasper out. She sighed thankfully when she saw him sitting on the one of the connected chairs. She sat down, leaving one empty spot in between them because she was still not certain if they are on good terms or not. But it's safe to assume that they are not.

"I can't lose Monty," he suddenly spoke, surprising Clarke. "I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have persuaded him to try out the experiment. This is all my fault."

"Hey, hey." Clarke tried to soothe him. She scooted closer to him and put her arm around his shoulder, looking at him directly with a concerned look. "Look at you. Remember when you had a spear pierced into you? You survived that and no offense, but Monty is of better built than you. If you could survive something so serious, he could go through this easily. At most he will only have to amputate his leg," Clarke mentally slapped herself when she saw Jasper's eyes widened. "No, no. I mean, that is the most serious scenario that could happen. From what I perceive in this case, Monty will do just fine. Maybe he just need skin drafting, that's all."

"I know that," Jasper sighed, "But I just can't imagine my life without him, you know? He's been there for me. We play together, we work together and we got arrested together," he chuckled lightly at that fact.

Clarke nodded understandingly. "Jasper, I'm truly sorry for what happened with Maya. I know that you will never forgive me but I just want you to know that I still feel guilty."

The dark haired boy turned to Clarke, "Oh. I forgive you. I mean, you did what you had to do for our survival. It's just my luck that I fell in love with Maya, and stupidly wishing that she can be cured."

"I still feel bad."

"Don't be. I'm trying my best to move on, so you should too. Furthermore," he broke into a small smile, "If it wasn't for you, the Commander wouldn't have hired us all to work with the government, or something like that."

"She h-hired you?"

"Yeah. Monty and I are working more towards the military side. Wait, she didn't tell you?"