Chapter Text
The clinic Lincoln occasionally picked up shifts in his spare time was located in what some people might call a bad part of town. The clinic was family planning and services, something Lincoln realized was a great passion and side hobby, but couldn’t support a standard living for himself and the lifestyle he’d like for his girlfriend Octavia.
This particular Saturday morning shift started in an unusual fashion. Lincoln walked toward the glass double doors of the clinic, barely side stepping as a young woman in tears burst through, followed shortly by two security officers. Lincoln stepped out of the way as the three bodies past, shaking his head in curiosity. In this clinic, you see some shit. A woman running away in tears is the least of his concerns, especially if she was escorted by security. If he had been paying a little bit more attention, he would have noticed the woman being escorted out was wearing a pair of scrubs.
Making his way past the front doors inside and through the employee only door, he heard a few of the nurses whispering conspiratorially. Because these shifts were sporadic and not on any schedule, it was hard for Lincoln to get to know many of the staff and personnel at his part time job. He paid little mind to their whispers and continued on to the desk to check in for the day. It was the same girl he typically ran into at the front desk on weekends, Bree. She was barely paying him any attention, shuffling through the paperwork at her desk. She looked frazzled for 9:00 am in the morning.
“Good morning, Dr. Woods,” she greeted, still not looking up to greet him, searching around manila folders and stacks of papers.
“Good morning,” he returned patiently. He figured the woman getting escorted out probably sent a few people through a loop. While you get a lot of crazies in this part of town, it is not everyday it happens first thing in the morning.
“I’m sorry,” she said, finally looking up and putting two patient files on the edge of the counter he was leaning against. “It has been a crazy morning. I think I finally got these patient files straightened out. You have an insemination in room 1, and a pap smear in room 5.” Lincoln grabbed the files with a small smile and a thank you before turning down the hallway.
He reviewed his first patient’s, Clarke Griffin, file while he waited for some coffee to brew in the break room. It appeared she was a 27 year old female, no allergies or medical conditions. Normal medical history. He noted the history of various types of birth control - ranging from an IUD it appears she had removed last year to birth control pills that lapsed about six months previously. He read through her vital signs and check up summaries from the nurse who prepped her, seeing nothing unusual beside a minor side effect from the IUD. He wondered what changed her mind for the insemination. He glanced briefly at this morning’s notes and pre-procedure care instructions. Nothing unusual of note there.
Lincoln quickly finished his cup of coffee, shaking off his sleepiness from his late shift and short hours of sleep from yesterday. He walked into room one, his blonde patient asleep in the chair. His materials for the insemination were already prepped and set to the side. He debating waking her up, she looked passed out cold and was snoring lightly. He nudged her arm and she woke up slowly, blinking around.
“I’m about to begin, Ms. Griffin,” he said gently, knowing it might take her a minute to get acclimated. “Do you want me to let you sleep?” She looked around before looking down at him and nodded, quickly putting her head back down. Alright then, he thought. He understood the tiredness of wanting to fall asleep anywhere, he was a doctor and had some strange sleep schedules himself. He only envied the ability to actually fall asleep with your legs spread in a doctor’s chair.
Lincoln worked efficiently, sending good vibes into the insemination as he worked. It was quick and painless, a mindless task that was over before he realized it. He gently woke Ms. Griffin up again.
“You’re done,” he said with a smile, “You should get your results in a few weeks. A staff member will call you when they come in. Do you have any questions about your procedure and post op care? The nurse should’ve provided you with a folder and some information.” The woman was getting up slowly, smoothing the hospital gown that laid over her legs. She shook her head when he finished talking.
“Sorry about that,” she said with a grimace. There was a line from the plastic on the chair across her cheek. “Late shift,” she explained, smoothing over her hair that had gotten flattened while she slept. “But no, I finished medical school and pretty familiar with the whole thing.” She said this with a wave her hand at the end. Lincoln wondered if that had anything to do with changing her mind.
“Well,” he got up from the stool he was sitting at and finished cleaning up the materials, “if you experience any discomfort, please call us immediately. Your informational packet should go over any questions that you have, but don’t hesitate if you think anything is wrong. And good luck,” he added. Clarke smiled at this, as if indulging him and finding him extremely entertaining.
“Sure,” she looked as if she was waiting for him to leave, so he turned around with a small wave and left the room.
He walked to his next patient’s room, room five. He stared at the patient’s name, wondering why the name Echo sounded so familiar. Patient history looked good and this was a standard pap smear. Should be another breeze. Lincoln opened the door to room five, stopping when he saw the familiar face in the chair, legs up in the same position he just saw Ms. Griffin in.
“Hello, Lincoln,” Echo greeted with a smirk. “I know you may not approve, but you can’t exactly stop me. Bellamy’s sperm is public after he donated it in college.” Lincoln froze. Not because his girlfriend’s brother’s crazy, psychotic ex-girlfriend showed up to the part-time clinic he works at, but because she mentioned sperm. Specifically, Bellamy’s sperm. And by his extensive (and expensive) medical school education, he is pretty sure that a pap smear has nothing to do with sperm.
“Echo,” he greeted, frozen in place with a fake smile. “How nice it is to see you again. What’s this about Bellamy’s sperm?” He wanted to laugh this off, like a horrible bad joke. Because if Echo was expecting someone’s sperm, then what exactly is this pap smear tray doing in here? He had a bad feeling.
Echo laughed without any humor. “Lincoln,” she spoke plainly, as if speaking to a child, “I’m here to be inseminated. Didn’t you read my chart? I scheduled this weeks ago after I picked out Bellamy’s sperm. The nurse said it was his only donation-”
“Echo,” Lincoln interrupted, hoping this was a horrifying mistake, “Your chart says you’re in here for a pap smear. This tray is for a pap smear. There’s nothing in your chart about an insemination.”
Echo’s mouth had stayed open from when he interrupted her. “Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”
Lincoln quickly opened her chart, reading the notes carefully. They were all indicative of her work up for a pap smear. They were done by a Harper, a nurse that he and Octavia were pretty good friends with and a pretty damn good nurse. “Echo,” he started again, maybe hoping this crazy ex was just that, plain crazy. “This appointment is for a pap smear. Your work up is for a pap smear. Look.” He showed her the chart, the nurse’s notes...he quickly glanced at the statistics - a lot shorter than the tall woman next to him, and the weight appropriately smaller in relation to the smaller height. A height and weight very approximate the woman in room one. He froze.
“This is not my chart.” She insisted stubbornly. “Go get me the sample. Now.” Echo’s eyes were fiery, her tone firm and unyielding. Lincoln’s heart was hammering in his chest. If this was not Echo’s chart, then that means…
He just inseminated the wrong woman with his girlfriend’s brother’s only sperm sample.