TRIS
I feel a thread tugging at me again, but this time I know that it isn't some sinister force dragging me toward death.
This time I know it's my mother's hand, drawing me into her arms.
But then I feel another thread. One that pleads with me to stay here, in a pool of my own blood.
"Tris! Come on, hang in there."
I recognize it as Tobias's voice. How is he here? The death serum must be out of the air by now.
I try to open my eyes, but my eyelids are too heavy to lift. I cannot move. Tobias says something, but it sounds muffled. I feel him lifting me, but I do not feel any pain. Why do I not feel any pain? Am I that close to death?
I'm sinking. The weight of the water is pushing me further and further down, and I can't swim. The muffled sounds decrease until silence consumes me. Then there is nothing.
TOBIAS
What do you do when you find your girlfriend unconscious in a pool of her own blood? I don't even give myself time to process my emotions. I press two fingers to her neck. Her pulse is thready, and I know I do not have much time.
"You'll be okay," I say, though I am only saying that to convince myself. I pick her up as gently as I can while trying to rush her to Caleb. I saw him on my way into the Bureau, and I immediately knew something was wrong. I am not even sure if he can do anything about Tris's condition, but he is the only chance I've got.
I find Caleb crouched in front the sculpture, with his head in his hands. I shout his name, and lay Tris on the ground. Caleb comes rushing over, and I all I can feel is dread.
I should have been there. I should have known that Tris would not let Caleb sacrifice himself. My eyes begin to tear up, and I start to panic.
No. This is not the time for breaking down. I will not be able to help Tris if I just sit here, crying. I give myself a few seconds to examine Tris's wounds. From what I can see, she has been shot three times. She is bleeding from her chest, stomach, and arm. Her face is ghostly pale, and I have a hard time comprehending how she could still be alive.
Caleb tells me to get Tris to the hospital, and I bring her into my arms again. From this close, I can hear her wheezing. I lay her on a hospital bed, and Caleb runs to get supplies.
When he jogs back to Tris, he scatters supplies that I don't recognize at the foot of the bed. He looks at me, and I can tell that he is repressing panic, too. "Go outside and see if anyone wandering around is a doctor," he says, his voice higher than I have ever heard it before.
To my luck, a handful of doctors are standing just outside the door. They look completely lost, and I hope that they remember enough to help Tris. I usher them inside, and they run to Tris without hesitating. Thank God they still remember enough to help her.
When I know that I have done everything I can for Tris, the wall that was holding back my emotions begins to crack. I walk outside of the room, and lean against the wall. I slide down until I am sitting on the floor. I stare at my shoes, which are covered in Tris's blood. I feel tears welling up in my eyes, and this time I do not stop them. My chest feels hollow, and my entire body is numb. I can faintly hear the doctors scrambling around in the room. I try to push them out of my mind, but I can't.
I came back to the Bureau with the intention of helping Tris, but not in this way. I expected to find her mourning the loss of her brother. Instead, I found her in the place of her brother. She said that she was done with throwing herself into situations like this, that she valued her life. I am not sure if she lied, or if this was different.