─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

JUNE TRIED NOT TO REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT BELLAMY WAS DOING ON THE UPPER LEVEL WITH THE GROUNDER. She didn't agree with kidnapping and torture for answers, or in his case, justice for their lost people. For now, she focused on Finn and his condition. He was still unconscious, but it was easy to see how his current condition was escalating in the worst way. But the radio was working, and June knew now was the time to seize the moment and finally get the knife out of his chest. It was risky, but it was time if they wanted to save him.

Feeling sweat bead up on her forehead, June wiped it away with the back of her hand. Clarke was on the other side of the table than her, explaining to her mother the state Finn was in. "The blade is at a sharp upward angle, between his sixth and seventh rib."

"Okay, how deep?" Abby asked in response.

Clarke stared at the handle of the blade, unsure of the answer. June spoke up for her, remembering the second she saw the silver blade before it had been embedded into Finn's chest. "It was about three inches," she estimated. She was tired, exhausted even, but the memory was still clear. "Maybe a bit longer."

"Alright," Abby says, calm. "Just don't remove the knife yet."

For a moment, Clarke watched the way Raven was pacing back and forth before picking up one of the canisters of moonshine and handing it to her. "Hey, here, sterilize your hands."

Accepting the canister, Raven quickly ripped off her long gloves and brought the liquid to her mouth and taking large sips to calm her nerves. June didn't blame her, knowing Finn was family to her, and this wasn't going to be easy to watch. After Raven finished pouring the alcohol on her hands she nodded to June and leaned over the table edge to hand it to her next. Unsure of how clean her hands were, she gratefully took it and poured a generous amount in one hand before switching it to the other and tipping it again. She set it down, finished, rubbing her hands and ready to help.

"Clarke, do you see any fluid?" Abby questioned next. Her voice became a bit muffled as a few males began to argue in the crowd of delinquents.

"Hey, watch it!" One male shouted, harshly shoving another who rammed into Clarke before she could reply to Abby.

Frustrated, Clarke sent a sharp glare to them. "Damn it!" She exclaimed, facing Raven and speaking seriously. This wasn't going to work if everyone was arguing and getting in their way. "Clear the room."

Complying quickly, Raven clapped her hands together to grab everyone's attention and shout; "Everyone! Upstairs, now! Let's go!" She furiously pointed to the ladder. There are no complaints or protests, thankfully, and June watched as one by one they started to climb and empty the room.

While the delinquents left, Clarke studied Finn again in worry as she pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. "He feels a little warm," she informed her mother, not certain if the symptom was important or not. It had Raven concerned though, who turned away from the crowd and rushed to the other side of Finn quickly.

"That's alright," Abby assured her. "Fever sometimes accompanies a trauma." June hoped she was right. "Clarke, I need you to tell me if there is any fluid leaking from the wound."

Clarke calmly took a deep breath before leaning forward and observing the area. From what June could see, there wasn't. It was mostly just dried blood circling the knife, which had to be good. "No," Clarke finally answered after the inspection.

"That's good," Abby confirmed after mumbling something to her assistant. "That's actually really good. He got lucky."

Voice wavering, Raven leaned over whispering to Finn. "Hear that? You got lucky," she said with a slight, quiet, chuckle.

June felt her jaw slowly clench, an unfamiliar green feeling pooling in her chest. She turned her head to look towards Clarke, not expecting to see her in the same state, only more uncomfortable by the way Raven spoke to Finn. She had a sense of why but didn't comment on it. June has no right to be jealous. She decided to only shake off the emotion and focus once more on what was important now.

"Okay, Clarke, firm grip on the knife," Abby instructed. "You're gonna need to angle it upward to the left very slightly as it exits the rib cage."

The answer Abby gave was inaudible, as the radio's speaker had started cracking. June lifted her head, her eyebrows creasing. "What did she say?" She pondered, speaking loudly over the noise of the storm.

"I can't hear - " Clarke lifted her head, irritated. "What was that? You dropped out."

"Clarke," Abby repeated, her word more clear this time once the storm's attack settled. "Three millimeters, you got it?"

Understanding now, Clarke nodded. "Yeah, I got it," she acknowledged. Her blue eyes met June's, searching for the courage to do it. June gave her a nod, not having to speak, but quietly signaling that she believed she could do this. "Here it goes."

"Steady hand, Clarke," Abby said gently. "You've eviscerated more procedures than this. Once that knife is out, the hard part is over."

Lightening outside had begun to boom louder, startling the three, but June snapped back to reality as if she didn't hear it. "Clarke," she said softly, seeing the hesitation. Finn's life was in her hands after all. "You got this," she encouraged. Despite the circumstances they were in, June smiled, showing how much she deeply believes in her close friend.

Clarke drew in a shaky breath. "Alright," she announced. "Extracting now." One hand lowered flat against Finn's chest and the other wrapped around the knives handle, angling it slightly as she set about pulling the weapon.

It was just their luck that at this moment, Finn's eyes flew open and gasps fell out of his mouth from the pain. "He's waking up!" Raven exclaimed, panicking as she listened to Finn grunt.

"Hold him still!" Clarke ordered the pair. June went for his legs that were beginning to shift, a sign he was going to start kicking. She gripped them tightly, holding both of the limbs down as Raven went to press down on his upper chest. "Finn, I'm going to get that knife out of you, okay?" Clarke told him, trying to be as reassuring as possible.

Finn spoke through gritted teeth. "Good plan."

Seeing his body shake as he tried to remain still, Clarke resumed pulling the knife out. "Finn, you can't move, you got it?!" Finn was shouting in pain, doing his best to keep still and not thrash, but forcing June to clasp down harder on his legs. "Hold still, I almost got it!" June picked her head up, keeping her hold steady as she watched blood pool from where Clarke was removing the knife. It was nearly out now. "Finn, hold still!"

At Clarke's final words, the raging storm outside affected their shelter. Suddenly, the dropship violently jerked, and June shouted in surprise as she was knocked off her feet and flung to the ground with a loud thud. She gasped, air filling her lungs from where she had the wind knocked out of her. June painfully gripped her bruising chest as she sat up, her eyes adjusting to the scene around her. Finn was on the ground, clutching his now empty wound, and Clarke was holding the knife in her hand.

The worst was over.

"Clarke! Clarke! What's happening?!" Abby was shouting into the radio, becoming clear as the dropship adjusted. "Clarke, can you hear us? Clarke!"

"It's out!" Raven announced, leaning on her hands to sit up as she stared at Clarke in amazement and gratefulness. "She did it."

"That she did," June mumbled under her breath, wobbling to her feet. She was glad Finn was alright, but the worst was yet to come.

━━━━━━━━

Calm enough to sit down, June was propped against the dropship wall in a seat, her head tilted and her hands on her knees as she observed Clarke doing the finishing touches to Finn's injury.  They used some spare wire from the upper level as stitches, and knowing that it was much easier to operate now that the knife was out, she could see her friend was much more relaxed with using her nursing skills on the gash. June lifted her hands to rub at her eyes, hit with a wave of tiredness, hoping at some point she could catch some sleep. With searching for Octavia and then helping save Finn, she can't remember the last time she slept longer than a few hours.

"Okay," Clarke finally announced. "I'm done."

Stumbling to move, June took a peek at Finn's chest. The place where the knife was had been closed neatly, seamed with skill. She smiled, squeezing Clarke's shoulder to silently tell her how proud she was. "Good," Abby responded, voicing June's thoughts. "Do you have anything to cover the wound?"

"We'll make do, like always," Clarke said simply.

From where she was observing Finn closely, Raven caressed his hair gently before uttering her worries. "Should he be this pale?" She asked. 

After quickly looking at Finn, June noticed she had a point. Finn was paler than normal, despite the trauma he endured, and there was clear sweat that was painting his skin. He had fallen back into an unconscious state, but he needed the rest anyway. She frowned, touching his upper arm and feeling the warmness that touched her back. "He's lost a lot of blood, Raven, but if your boyfriend is anywhere near as tough as you, I'm sure he'll be fine," Abby said, sounding sure.

"Clarke, look," June suggested, grabbing Clarke's wrist and lowering it to Finn's forehead. "He's really warm." 

Clarke's features fell into confusion as she felt the heat radiating off onto the back of her hand. "Mom, she's right," she confirmed. "He's feverish and his breathing is uneven."

"You need to give him some time to recover," Abby replied, unfazed by the three girls speaking their concerns. "Let me know if he gets any worse but I think he might just be out of the woods."

Pulling her hand away, Clarke seemed convinced, but a bitterness was behind her tone. "Well, down here there's nothing but woods."

A timid smile spread on June's lower face. "Nice metaphor," she complimented.

Clarke nodded back in acknowledgment. "Yeah. I need a break."

"Clarke, wait," Abby commented, pondering why she had wanted to leave. "Raven, June, could you please give us a few minutes?"

Raven nodded, prepared to stand. "Sure - "

Before June could add on her agreement, Clarke shook her head in protest. "No, no. Stay with Finn," she insisted to the mechanic who seemed confused but didn't argue. "I'm just going to check on Bellamy."

As Clarke left, climbing up the ladder, June turned back to face Raven and Finn. She was grasping his hand as if he'd slip away, and this time, she only felt pity. She knew what it was like, watching someone you loved die, especially if they were all you had left in this world. She tucked her hair behind her ear silently before speaking. "Do you think his fever has gone down? His breathing should have at least gotten a little better," June suggested, walking forward and brushing Finn's hair off his forehead, noticing it was damp from his sweat.

Raven was sent into a worry mode all over again, her dark eyes meeting June's. "How would we know?"

"Well, um..." June paused, holding the palm of her hand over Finn's mouth for a moment, feeling not much oxygen, as if his breathing was weakening. "Maybe we should mention this to Abby again, I'm not sure - "

All of a sudden, June was cut off by Finn's body started slowly twitching before it became worse. June watched in horror as his body thrashed violently and a white foam began to drip out of the corner of his mouth. She pressed the sleeve of her jacket to it, catching the fluid while shouting to Raven. "Get Clarke!"

Bolting to the ladder, Raven gripped the edges tightly and called up to Clarke in a panic. "Clarke! He's seizing!"

There was a faint; "On my way!" Coming from Clarke before faint footsteps as she raced down the ladder. June's true dread was settling in, but she stepped aside, allowing Clarke to take over. "Get my mom on the radio, now!" She ordered.

"The radio is dead, interference from the storm." Tears pooled in Raven's eyes after she cried out before she desperately looked at Clarke. "Please don't let him die."

Beneath Clarke's hands, Finn's body was beginning to seize less before he became completely still. June waited, hopeful that this was it, before Clarke made another order. "It's stopped, quick, help me get him on his side," she demanded. "There's fluid in his lungs." June nodded, grasping Finn's shoulder and upper arm, grunting as she used her strength to lift him.

Once he was onto his side, the same white foam pooled out of his mouth faster, dripping onto the table. Raven came back from her trance, terrified as she spoke. "Fluid in his lungs," she repeated. "Does that mean the knife...?"

Clarke shook her head quickly. "No, this isn't blood, it's something else." She started panicking, heaving as if she couldn't catch her breath. "I-I did everything she told me!"

"Sh, Clarke," June said soothingly. Her head was racing, but she remained calm for the sake of both Raven and Clarke. "Just think, what else could it be?"

Slowly, Clarke caught her breath, pressing her hand to her forehead as she racked her thoughts for some answer. "Shortness of breath, fever, seizing..." She whispered to herself before some light bulb went off and the answer hit her. "It's poison."

"Poison?" June repeated in disbelief. "But, how..." She stared at the injury on Finn's chest before her eyes flickered to the old knife that had been put away. Following June's gaze, it was easy to put the pieces together.

Clarke stormed towards the knife and snatched it, ordering the pair as she climbed the ladder. "Stay here."

As June's hand rested on Finn's upper arm, she noticed the way Raven became more alarmed, pacing back and forth. "Try and get the radio to work, for now," she tried. "Clarke will get the cure for it." She didn't want to put the mechanic into more dismay, only had wanted to set her mind at ease. So June did her best to come off as sure, even if she wasn't.