chapter twenty-six | murphy & clarke
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2 days later...

Murphy rested his head on Hunter's hand, holding it tightly. She remained unconscious, still recovering from the trauma. She had lost a significant amount of blood, but Abby's medical expertise had managed to save her. Murphy had scarcely left her side, and Clarke came by almost every hour to check if she had awakened. Finn, on the other hand, could barely bring himself to look at her without overwhelming self-loathing for his actions.

Hunter slowly opened her eyes; it was nighttime. She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, causing her to wince as she shifted. Then, she sensed the warmth of someone's hand holding hers and looked down to find Murphy still asleep. She offered him a faint smile and gently squeezed his hand, rousing him from his slumber. He jolted slightly but returned her smile. "You're awake. I'll go get Abby—"

"Wait, Murphy," Hunter interrupted. "Help me up."

"Hunter, just let me—"

"Please," she insisted. Murphy took her hand and assisted her in sitting up, albeit with some pain. She took a deep breath and leaned back against the pillows. "Where am I?"

"The Ark. You've been asleep for two days," Murphy replied, settling onto the bed.

Hunter looked at Murphy, recalling what had transpired. She took another deep breath. "Where's Finn?" she asked quietly.

"Uh, they're voting to decide whether to clear him of his charges," Murphy informed her. "They cleared me." Hunter retraced the events in her mind, not fully paying attention to Murphy's words. "Wait, I need to get someone; they've been waiting to see you." Murphy got up.

"Murphy—" Hunter began, but he had already left the tent. Left alone, Hunter sat back and inspected her shoulder, which was bandaged, with a small amount of blood seeping through. She glanced to her side and noticed a sling prepared for her, anticipating her awakening. She reached for it just as someone swiftly entered the tent. Hunter looked up, and there was Clarke. Hunter smiled, and Clarke immediately approached, hugging her tightly.

"You're here," Hunter stammered in disbelief, wrapping her arm around Clarke's waist, her hand resting on her lower back. She winced in pain but didn't let go.

"Oh, sorry," Clarke apologized, moving to pull away when she heard Hunter's pain. But Hunter held on for a moment longer, causing Clarke to smile.

Hunter eventually released her and just gazed at Clarke's face. "How are you here? Where were you?" she inquired.

Clarke tilted her head. "It's just me."

Hunter looked down. "Where were you?" She glanced up at Clarke again.

"Mount Weather," Clarke began. Hunter looked at her, her brows furrowed. "It's a long story; I'll tell you later. But, how are you feeling?"

Hunter regarded her wound, then returned her gaze to Clarke. "I'm fine." She looked into Clarke's eyes. "We searched for you everywhere."

Clarke lowered her head. "I know."

Hunter scrutinized Clarke's face, realizing something. "You know?" She then sighed. "You were there." She looked down.

Clarke took her hand. "I saw you get shot," Hunter looked ahead of her. "You stood in front of him." Hunter closed her eyes. "Why would you do that?"

Hunter's eyes welled up. "I don't remember," she said quietly.

"You don't remember?"

"I just know that I did it," Hunter took a breath. "All I remember is not being able to see or breathe. The next thing I know, is that I'm in front of him, and that's it." A tear escaped her eye, and she looked at Clarke, who shook her head and took a breath. "How—how did I get here?" Hunter furrowed her brows. "We were a—long—way from camp. Murphy said I lost a lot of blood. I don't get it."

Clarke smiled softly. "He must've forgotten to mention," she said as she looked at Hunter. "He ran, and I don't think he stopped until he got here," Clarke said softly.

Hunter looked at her in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because he didn't want to lose you," Clarke replied, resting her hand on Hunter's.

Hunter took a breath and attempted to stand up. "I need to get out of here—"

"Hang on, you need to rest—"

"I've rested long enough. Just help me put this on," Hunter handed Clarke the sling, who carefully placed her arm in it. As they started to leave the tent, Hunter pulled Clarke in for one last hug. "You're really here," Hunter smiled. Clarke pulled away and smiled at her, and they both exited the tent.

Hunter gazed ahead, taking in the sight of barrels of fire, Arker's bustling about, and even a small bar set up. She inhaled deeply and smiled slightly, the cool air brushing against her face. She looked down at her hands and saw the cuts already beginning to heal.

"Hey," Murphy approached her. Clarke continued walking to speak with Bellamy.

Hunter looked at him, smiling softly. "Hey."

"You okay?" he inquired, studying her face. Hunter didn't reply. "What happened?" he asked, not knowing how to react. She moved closer to him, and he was uncertain of what she was about to do. She simply wrapped her arm around him gently and hugged him. He stumbled a bit but then smiled and hugged her tightly, exhaling deeply, a wave of relief washing over him. "Thank you," she mumbled into his shoulder.

They pulled away. "What for?" he asked.

"For saving my life," she said, looking at him and smiling. "Twice." He smiled. "Just couldn't bear to live without me, huh?" She joked.

He chuckled. "Well, you're the only person here who ever gave a damn about me, so I just wanted to hold onto that a little longer."

Hunter laughed. "I've got to talk to Clarke and Bellamy. I'll catch up with you in a bit," she said, smiling as she walked away.

He nodded, then stopped her. "So, does this mean you forgive me?" he asked, hope in his eyes.

Hunter smiled. "Let's just say, it's a step in the right direction."

Murphy smirked. "I'll take that."

Hunter smiled and walked over to where Clarke and Bellamy were sitting, studying a map of Mount Weather. "Nice map," she commented as she looked down. Bellamy looked up, smiled at her, and got out of his chair to hug her, causing her to stagger back in surprise. She smiled and hugged him back.

"Getting a lot of hugs today," Hunter smiled through the pain.

"Sorry," he apologized, releasing her and offering her a seat and a drink.

"Don't be, it's nice," she replied as she sat down. "So, tell me about Mount Weather," she said, taking a sip of moonshine.

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- a lil filler chapter, loving the relationship growing between clarke and hunter :))
will post the second part later today as well