Disclaimer: I am not Veronica Roth which means I do not own "The Divergent Trilogy" its characters, setting, plot, any reference made to "The Divergent Trilogy" etc. All work is purely fan-made with no profit being made from this whatsoever. All rights goes to their rightful owners.
A/N: This one-shot takes place in present day. Tris is twenty-one here.
Heartbeat
The nurse squirted the clear gel onto Tris' abdomen, a violent shiver wracking her body. Her pale stomach exploded in small goose-bumps, the gel magnifying the bumps. The nurse took the wand, pressing it slightly above her belly button before moving the wand in a circular motion, succeeding in spreading the goo evenly on her stomach.
Tris took in a sharp breath. The air conditioning kicked up, wrapping around her body in the most uncomfortable way. The nurse though, she seemed unaffected. She work quickly and quietly, setting up the monitor so she could confirm Tris' pregnancy test results.
"Is the father expected to come?" the nurse asked, her head peeking out from behind the monitor.
Tris bit her lower lip, looking at the door and then up at the clock that was coincidentally set above the door frame. It's not like their friends were ever on time for anything, in fact, they were late to everything. But Tobias, he was always on time. It was a habit his father had beaten into him, making him wear a watch at all times, striking him with a belt whenever he was late. It was something he memorized, to always be on time. Especially when he promises to be there.
But he wasn't there.
She shook her head. "No," she closed her eyes as the nurse wheeled the heavy contraption closer to where she lied. Now that the computer was sitting right beside her it made her situation all more real.
The nurse nodded, sitting down in the rolling chair. Tris swallowed, waiting for the nurse to start moving the wand once again. An image appeared on the screen, different shades of black and gray representing different things inside Tris. The nurse moved the wand, the image on the monitor changing. "How do you know when you found the baby?" Tris asks, looking back and forth between the monitor and her stomach.
The nurse stayed quiet, listening intently. The speakers that sat beside the monitor were pointed at both Tris and the woman working the gadgets. Tris shifted, the paper she was lying on was making her back itch. "Stay still," the nurse hissed.
Heaving a sigh, Tris turned back to the monitor. The screen was constantly changing directions, making Tris dizzy. She kept her eyes trained on the screen though, determined to attempt to make out the being growing inside of her. The nurse moved the wand lower, past her belly button and slightly aligned with her pelvis bone. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her lips were pursed as she moved the wand slightly to the left. "What is it?"
The screen moved once more. A small black blob appeared, causing the nurse to move the wand around that area of her stomach. Tris furrowed her eyebrows, confusion etched into her features. "What's wrong?" her voice wavered slightly, her breath catching in her throat as the nurse sighed.
"I'm going to get the doctor," she said, standing up from the rolling chair.
Tris closed her eyes, pressing her palms to her eyelids. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach and a horrible thought in her mind. Is it dead already? She sniffed, wiping away the few tears that had splashed onto her cheeks. "God Tris," she said aloud, a small laugh of disbelief mixing in with her exasperated declaration. "What happened to you?"
She takes in a deep breath, not wanting to be weak. She wants to be strong for herself and for her baby. If her baby didn't make it past the first trimester because of something she had done, Tris didn't know what to do. Despite her baby being an accident, she still loves it. After all, it is her baby.
The doctor came in, him and the nurse speaking in hush voices. The doctor barely acknowledged Tris, just moving quickly to perform the ultrasound. Tris looked at the screen, watching as it moved once more. The black blob in the middle of the screen seemed to be the center of attention, the one thing the medically certified experts were putting emphasis on.
She bit her lower lip, a clenching feeling in her chest making it hard to breathe. The doctor turned to her, a questioning look on his wrinkled face. The remains of his silver hair had fallen in his eyes, tangling themselves with his bushy eyebrows. He shook his head, moving the wand closer to her pelvis bone. "Where is it?" he grumbled, moving the wand up.
Silence falls across the room. Tris blinked her eyes rapidly, desperately trying to blink away the tears. Her throat closed as she realized the doctor was trying to find her babies heartbeat. Please, she willed, squeezing her eyes tightly as she listened intently for the lub-dub noise that represents her creations heartbeat. Don't take it away from me.
Tris was scared. She had found out that her boyfriend and her had created this….this being only a few days ago. All though she wasn't exactly thrilled to have a baby without being married or in a stable relationship, she's still having a baby. A baby, she plans to love and protect for the rest of her life.
But, they can't find a heartbeat.
And it ruins everything.
Her world crashes in a way that makes it feel as if the whole world is slowly caving in. It felt as if each of her problems had maximized itself and had landed on her chest one by one, taking a small moment before another problem that had enlarged itself landed on her.
She wiped her eyes, desperate to rid the thoughts of what she could never have, never see, never be able to do. She knew she could never see her son or daughter, never hear their laugh, or say their name. She could never protect them from the monsters under their bed and never hear them say their first word. She will never be able to hold them, kiss them and hug them. She would never be able to bandage the cuts and shun those who broke her first born's heart. She would never be able to do any of those things because there was
No
Heartbeat.
"I'm sorry Ms. Prior but it seems-" the doctor trailed off as the nurse gasped.
"I'm such an idiot!" she exasperated, rushing to the cart. Her fingers moved to the speakers, fiddling with the wires and the knob on the speaker.
Tris furrowed her eyebrows, confusion blocking the horrible thoughts in her brain. She watched as the nurse turned the knob slowly, a green light suddenly flashing on. The doctor moved the wand back to the spot that they have identified as her baby and loud lub-dub noise filled the room, beating steady and strong.
She let out a cry of relief. Her fingers twitch, itching to rub her belly but they stay put, remembering the goo is still on her stomach. All of her problems melt away, dissolving in her excitement, only fueling her need to celebrate that her baby is alive. That is has a heartbeat.
A/N: Did you like it? Hate it? What did you think? Please leave your thoughts and comments for me. This was hard to write and I wanted to know if it paid off. Sorry for any mistakes.