Heaven Can't Wait - Chapter 53
21 Mar 2022 09:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jennickels
Chapter Fifty-Three - Anything to Help
Nicole and Jeff look between the faces staring back at them in a tight semi-circle in Abby’s office, brows furrowed as they take in the info. Bellamy sits at the desk, holding Heaven tightly like she might just vanish. He’s afraid to blink. To breathe. He’s that sure everything is going to just fall apart if he moves. Heaven finally fell asleep ten minutes ago, and her little puffs of breath against his neck are the only thing keeping him grounded in this reality.
“What exactly is a Nightblood?” Jeff finally asks. He doesn’t appear very keen on Bellamy’s idea yet.
Clarke launches into a historical account of Becca and the Commanders.
“So she’s a Commander?” asks Nicole.
“She will be,” Indra corrects. “When she’s older and trained.”
“It’s a little complicated,” Clarke adds. “Right now, she’s just a kid with different blood.”
“Super blood,” says Jeff. “That can filter radiation.”
The group nods. Bellamy rubs at his eyes. The pain presses against his forehead, threatening to break free and kill them all if they don’t settle this now.
He takes a deep breath. “I know this is asking a lot, but we need someone Heaven trusts. She already knows Nicole and likes Cara. It’ll be an easier transition than going to a completely unknown family. In case you haven’t noticed, she doesn’t transition well.”
Heaven snuffles in her sleep and turns her face away from his neck but tightens her grip on his shoulders like she knows what they’re discussing and isn’t ready to let go yet.
“Then why doesn’t she stay with you?” Nicole asks.
No one answers—not even Indra, so Bellamy sighs. “I just don’t have the time as Head of Security. There’s too much going on. My job is dangerous. I just can’t give her the attention she needs.”
Nicole gives him a pitying look. She sees right through me, doesn’t she?
“What’s in it for us?” Jeff asks suddenly, getting a slap to the gut from Nicole.
“Jeff-”
“No,” Kane says. “That’s a fair question. “Of course, all children get three full rations, but the only thing we can really offer is larger quarters once the evacuation is over and things go back to normal.”
Jeff bites his lip, thinking. Nicole gets fed up waiting for her husband to make a decision.
“Of course, we’ll take her. Anything to help.”
After a moment ignoring his wife’s glares, Jeff nods. “What she said. Cara hasn’t stopped talking about Heaven since they met. She’ll be thrilled to have her stay with us.”
Bellamy lets out a sigh of relief as the tension in the room eases several notches. “Thank you.”
Everyone stands around just staring at him. He hugs Heaven tighter which wakes her up. She blinks up at the crowd then buries her face in his neck, fingers in his hair. She knows something is up again.
Clarke clears her throat. “Why don’t we give them a minute to say goodbye?”
When the room clears, Bellamy takes several breaths to force the tears back down. He doesn’t want Heaven to see him crying. He doesn’t want her to be even more scared. He pulls her away from his chest and pushes her short, tangled hair behind her ears.
“Hey, beautiful,” he tells her despite her swollen, bruised face—one eye now partially swelled shut. Heaven tries to curl up in his lap again, but he holds her firm. “I know this is going to be scary for you, but Nicole is a good mom. She’ll take real good care of you. And you’ll get to play with Cara every day. You remember your friend, Cara, right? You’ll have so much fun, you won’t even notice I’m not-”
He swallows hard, losing his fight against his emotions. Heaven reaches up to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye as her own eyes water up. Keep it together. For Heaven. He sniffles and wipes his nose with the back of his hand then uses his thumbs to rub away Heaven’s tears.
“You’ll be fine; I promise. Once you get playing with Cara everything will be fine.” He kisses her softly on the forehead, knowing for sure he is trying to convince himself more than her.
With that, he gets up, Heaven still tight in his arms. She twists the hair at the nape of his neck, but it’s a lot rougher than usual. She’s more agitated.
Cara and Jeff are discussing something with Abby and Kane when he leaves the office. Indra looks ready to pry Heaven right out of his arms for maximum pain, but Bellamy has other plans.
“I think it would be easiest if I walk her to your quarters,” he tells Nicole. “If she gets used to the new place with me there and then starts playing with Cara, she might not even notice when I leave.”
Nicole nods. “We often have to do the same when Cara needs a babysitter.”
They look to Indra who apparently gets final say in Heaven’s care. “Acceptable. But after that-”
“I know, I know. No contact. I gave you my word.”
She scoffs but says nothing as she turns on her heel, marching out of Medbay. Nicole and Jeff hurry after her to guide the way to their new quarters while Bellamy falls in after them. Clarke takes a spot at his side with Abby and Kane staying in the infirmary, quietly talking.
Clarke squeezes his arm, but he can’t seem to forget her betrayal earlier. How could she side with Abby over the Nightblood? How could she even think about sacrificing a little girl to save the rest of them?
She’s just thinking like a doctor.
Bellamy doesn’t care. The betrayal hurts more than he can imagine They were supposed to be in this together, but together apparently doesn’t include a toddler. Can you blame her?
It’s been several hours since the initial evacuation. The halls are filled with people huddling in tense groups, whispering encouraging words to each other as the storm continues to pummel the station. The lights go off and on at random times.
The group picks their way through the crowded corridors of the far east side of the station. Jeff and Nicole have a small interior room for their new quarters which is perfectly situated in the safe-zone. Cara waits inside with their neighbors. She squeals with delight when she sees Heaven, tugging on the girl’s hand until Bellamy reluctantly puts her down.
The quarters are way too small for a family with two small girls—just a bunk bed against one wall and a table with two chairs against the other. Crates with their belongings are stacked to the ceiling in the corner and on the top bunk of the bed. The floor between the table and bunk is covered in blankets and clothes.
“I know it’s a mess, but it just seemed safer and easier for Cara to sleep on the floor and use her bed for storage. It’s only temporary,” Nicole says, obviously uncomfortable.
“Heaven, you can sleep here with me. See it’s like a tent,” Cara says, dragging the younger girl under a sheet tied between the bed and table.
Bellamy sees his chance to sneak out unnoticed. His heart clenches as he heads quietly for the door. Nicole stops him just before he leaves.
“She’ll be okay, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“I know.” He licks his lips, unsure how to bring up the next subject. “Abby has some ideas about how Nighblood could prove useful in treating the radiation.”
Nicole nods. “She mentioned that.”
“Promise you won’t let her experiment on Heaven. No blood draws—she hates needles. Just let her be a kid for as long as they’ll let her.”
Nicole looks a little conflicted then nods. “Of course. We’ll treat her like one of our own. Like I said, I always wanted Cara to have a sister. Now she’ll have two.” She pats her stomach. “Or maybe a brother.”
Bellamy watches the door close slowly, listening to Heaven and Cara’s laughs grow softer. His heart is in his throat. His chest aches with breaths he can’t seem to force in or out. The world spins a little. Finally, he gulps down some air and pulls himself together. When he turns around, he’s met with a line of Guardsmen.
David Miller steps forward with a set of shackles. “I’m sorry to have to do this.”
Bellamy sighs and doesn’t put up a fight, just lifting his arms so David can cuff him. “I understand.”
“Bellamy Blake, you’re under arrest for assault in the first degree.”
“Wait,” Clarke says, “what’s going on? Why are you arresting him?”
“Clarke,” Bellamy says softly, “just let them do their job.”
“But-”
“Rules are rules,” one of the Guards says with a sneer—obviously not one of Bellamy’s fans.
Bellamy just lets out a tired sigh as he’s guided away from Heaven and her new family.
