from the ashes (she will rise) ➸ octaven

chapter 27

(trigger warning x2)

Octavia hates the smell of hospitals. It's too clean. Not human, either. A feeling of dread washes over her. Usually she avoids these places at all costs, but this time it's a bit different. This time, it's Lexa. And this time, Raven's with her, following her down the hallway with a stack of books tucked under her arm.

They both stop in front of the door, and Octavia double checks the room number she's scrawled on her hand in blue ink. She then glances to Raven, who looks even more nervous than her. It takes her a moment to realize that Raven's track record in hospitals has been anything but normal. So, with a deep breath, Octavia knocks on the door and waits a second before poking her head into the room.

"It's us," she says softly, finding Indra sitting in a plastic chair beside the bed. After Indra nods for them to come in, Octavia nudges the door open and pauses to scan the room.

Lexa and Clarke sit cross legged at opposite ends of the bed, facing each other over some sort of card game spread out between them. Clarke glances up when they enter the room, but Lexa doesn't even acknowledge them. She has her head hung low, her ruffled hair keeping her face hidden. All she does is slap another card onto the bed in front of Clarke.

Lexa's wearing a blue hospital gown that's slightly too big for her, hanging off of one shoulder. Octavia's eyes trace the collection of wires stuck to her back, keeping track of her vitals. Raven nudges the stack of books into Octavia arms and moves closer to the monitor hung on the wall.

"S'low," she says softly, pointing to one of the numbers and looking to Indra.

"It's rising," Indra nods. "They pumped her stomach last night. She's still recovering."

With furrowed eyebrows, Raven slinks back over to Octavia's side. Well aware that Raven's uncomfortable, Octavia takes the lead, walking forward and plopping the stack of books onto the bed.

"We brought these," Octavia nods, drumming her fingers on top of Lexa's encyclopedias. "Figured you might want them."

"She won't talk to you," Clarke speaks up. Lexa doesn't move. "She won't talk to any of us."

"Give her time," Indra sighs. "It's been a long night."

"Tell me about it," Clarke huffs, tossing her deck of cards onto the middle of the bed. Lexa tenses, but doesn't look up.

"Clarke--,"

"I need a smoke," Clarke announces, snatching her bag from the chair and sprinting out of the room. Octavia hops to her feet, but hesitantly glances to Raven. As soon as she receives a nod from the girl, she's hurrying off after Clarke.

After hovering by the door for a few moments, Raven quietly moves to sit down at the edge of the bed. She picks up the deck of cards Clarke had abandoned and shuffles through them.

"Go fish?" she asks softly, but Lexa doesn't respond.

"Crazy eights," Indra speaks for her, offering her a comforting smile. She stands up and squeezes Raven's shoulder. "I'm gonna go see if I can talk to a doctor. You'll be alright?"

Raven nods hesitantly, her eyes following Indra until she disappears from the room, leaving her alone with Lexa. Raven just sits there, unsure of what to do next. She's startled when Lexa slaps a card down on the bed between them.

Raising an eyebrow, Raven looks to Lexa for an explanation, but the girl still doesn't lift her head. Slowly, Raven studies her own deck, plucking a card from her hand and pressing it atop Lexa's, tapping it gently.

They carry on like this for a bit, playing cards in dead silence. Meanwhile, outside the expansive hospital building, Octavia finally catches up with Clarke, spotting a blonde head of hair sitting on the curb. Carefully, Octavia approaches the girl, who blows a cloud of smoke into the air.