Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent, nor any of the characters. All characters belong to Veronica Roth, except for Laney Jameson, who belongs to me. This story contains mature and sexual content/situations in later chapters, so read at your own risk.
Chapter 1
It was about an hour later and Laney still remained in the infirmary. Trevor, Nora, and Shea had left for the night, leaving her alone with Jenna to clean up. Laney knew that it would be a little while before sleep would even be a possibility, so she had remained and told the others to go home. As she scrubbed the metal table, Laney could still see Eric writhing in agony. Though the remnants of his blood had since been removed from the cool metal surface, she could still see it there as if it were still oozing from the chewed up skin on his arm.
Biting her lip, Laney could smell the disinfectant wafting up into her nose as she continued to scrub, as if she were trying to scrub the memory from her mind.
"LJ, I think the table is clean. You're going to scrub the metal off of it," Jenna commented with a small smile as she refilled some of the supplies.
Laney looked over at the redhead opposite her, finally coming out of her reverie. "Yeah, thanks."
"You ok, babe?" Jenna asked using her usual nickname for everyone in the infirmary, stopping for a minute and looking up at her associate in a look of concern.
Laney met Jenna's worried glance and nodded. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just been a long day is all." Laney tossed the rag in the laundry and washed her hands for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Has Coulter woken up yet?"
Jenna checked the monitors of each station across the room that sat up on the wall out of the way. Their lone patient still appeared to be under sedation. "Nope; he's still out. Why don't you go home and get some sleep? I know you've had a long day, and it could be morning before he wakes. You're not even supposed to still be here."
"I know, Jen. I'll head on up to my apartment. If he wakes up, give me a call no matter the time. When he does wake up, you're going to need all the help you can get. If I don't hear from you, I'll be back in the morning around nine."
"Ok, will do, babe," Jenna replied, getting back to her work of restocking supplies.
Laney went one last time to check on Eric herself and noticed he was still out. For now, Eric looked peaceful and content, but she knew that was due to the meds he had been given. It was only a matter of time before he awoke and took his fury out on the poor soul who happened to be in his wrath.
As Laney laid in her bed in the dark, she still had the young Dauntless leader on her mind, though she couldn't begin to figure out why. Laney didn't know Eric that well, even after five years of being in Dauntless together, though, when she thought about it, she didn't really know anyone that did know the leader well. All she knew about him was that he was twenty-one, he had become a leader at seventeen just after completing initiation, that he was feared by most Dauntless members because of his hard and cold demeanor, and he had had his fair share of women. There were a lot of rumors about him that no one really knew the truth to, but she knew everyone liked to speculate about the young leader.
It was obvious why most Dauntless women fawned over and threw themselves at Eric. Laney had never really seen the big deal. It's not that she didn't agree that Eric was indeed attractive; she just didn't see the point in being someone she wasn't and making it her life's mission to end up on Eric's list of conquests, only to be forgotten once he had moved onto the next girl. She would rather be single the rest of her life than become another notch in his belt.
Laney only really saw Eric in the dining hall when the two were eating, during initiation on the few occasions that he cared enough to check up on his injured initiates in the infirmary, and when the two happened to be the in training room together working out at the same time. Other than that, the two didn't really cross paths very much. The few times that they had spoken in recent years, Eric had tried giving her a few suggestive comments, only to have Laney not take the bait. Whatever he had first thought of her, her disinterest in him had made him change his mind of pursuing her.
Rolling her eyes at the memories, she stared at the ceiling. She should be sleeping right now, but sleep still evaded her even if she was exhausted. She continued to toss and turn for a little while longer until sleep or exhaustion, Laney wasn't sure which, finally took over.
The next day, Eric had been released from the infirmary and Laney had told him that his arm had nearly been crushed, the radius and ulna bones somehow remaining mostly intact, and had been stabilized by screws and two metal plates. He had suffered a few lacerations on his skin that had been stitched up and had a few fractured ribs. He also had several minor bruises and cuts.
Of course, Eric hadn't taken the news of his injuries well. Laney left him with instructions to rest as much as possible, to take his medication as needed, ice his ribs frequently to help with pain and reduce swelling, and take it easy in his apartment until it became easier for him to move around. She had prescribed him a bottle of pain pills that she hoped he took as directed and given him two ice packs before Max helped Eric get to his place.
Max had informed Eric that he was being placed on medical leave until he was healed enough to resume his leader duties, much to his discontent on the idea. When Laney had heard shortly after about Eric's work status, she had immediately felt bad for the guy. Dauntless was Eric's life; she knew he would be lost without being able to do any work, keep up his training, and even being stuck in his apartment alone all day long for around two-to-three weeks.
While Laney had fully intended on doing her job by checking up on him every now and then to make sure his stitches were healing properly, she knew that Eric was going to need help with things. Any movement with cracked ribs was going to be painful enough, and she could see him only worsening his condition and lengthening his healing time being the stubborn brute that he was.
Laney didn't know why, but she found herself wanting to be there for the young leader. She knew she was basically walking into the lion's den, but there was something nagging at her making her want to be there for him. While she was a nurse and loved helping and healing people, somehow she felt this was something else. She had gone to Max to get Eric's apartment code, which had been easy enough. Max knew very well Eric wouldn't willingly give it to her.
The day after Eric had been released and returned home, she found herself in front of Eric's apartment door just after leaving the dining hall for dinner, holding a Styrofoam to-go plate in one hand. Laney took a deep breath before entering the memorized numbers into the keypad on Eric's door. She knew that Eric would be less than pleased with her presence, but she knew that with him injured, she easily had the upper hand over him.
Walking inside, she shut the door behind her, instantly being hit by the scents that Eric always carried. Laney heard a low noise that she recognized as the TV and nothing else. Entering the living room, she looked around to find everything spotless except for the coffee table which held the remote, an open bottle of what looked to be whiskey, and a glass beside it.
Laney saw that the apartment was much like her own, but much bigger. The slate gray walls were identical to hers as well as the placement of the kitchen. Even the furniture was the same as the set in her own apartment: a black coffee table, a black leather sofa and a matching love seat.
Laney noticed a tall bookshelf that took up a good portion of the wall opposite the sofa that was full to the brim with books. She knew Eric was a former Erudite, so she wasn't really surprised. On the outside wall of the apartment was a big window with the view of the city letting in natural light. The main difference in her apartment and his, Laney decided, was that there were no signs of personality in the apartment, unlike her own, with the room void of any sort of decor or personal items.
She looked around further to find no sign of Eric, figuring he was in his bedroom down the hallway. Laney found herself wanting to go search further for him, but decided she would wait for him to emerge when she heard a loud thump followed by a curse. Setting down the plate in her hand on the coffee table, she decided against her better judgment to go and inspect the noise.
Walking down the hall at quick pace, Laney headed toward the noise in the room at the end of the hall. On her way, she saw three doors—one that she knew belonged to a bathroom and the other she assumed was a spare bedroom that her apartment lacked. Opening the cracked door, she walked in to find a half-naked Eric attempting to change his clothes. It didn't take her long to see that he was shirtless and trying to put on a pair of pants that didn't seem to be cooperating with him. She was thankful that he at least had on underwear and tried to avert her eyes to keep from staring at his muscular physique.
"Shit, I'm sorry," Laney said after realizing what she was seeing, turning her gaze to the toward the door.
"Fuck," Eric replied with a jump and grabbed his side at the sudden movement, dropping the pants in his hands.
Laney noticed that she had surprised him and caused him to hurt himself, rushing to his aid and forgetting his state of undress. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you."
"Yeah, well, you did," Eric replied with gritted teeth, giving her a glare and watching her rush over to him, her nursing mind taking over.
Laney began to gently massage his torso where his hands were to try to ease his pain at least a little bit. Eric swallowed at her touch, but found her ministrations were actually helping, his gray-blue eyes watching her. It looked to her as if he had just finished showering, though she knew that had probably been a painful and tedious venture, his longer hair damp and curling on top.
After a few minutes, she heard a low groan and realized just how close to him she was. Laney swallowed, her eyes taking in his chiseled chest before her and wandering down the length of his body and back up, his tattoos standing out against his fair skin, not missing the slight bulge in his boxer briefs. It was then that she backed up a little bit.
"Um, is that better?" Laney asked, stuttering a bit.
"Yeah, thanks," Eric replied before realizing what he had said. "What are you doing here, and don't you know how to knock?"
Laney noticed the change in his tone and swallowed for a different reason before remembering that he wouldn't be able to do anything to her without hurting himself. "I'm here to check up on you, and I brought you some food. I didn't know if you would have any here since I always see you eating in the dining hall with the other leaders."
"I don't need your help," Eric said coldly as he discarded his pants by stepping out of them at his feet and went slowly over to his dresser to look for something else to put on. He grabbed a pair of gym shorts and looked at them, knowing bending to put them on was going to hurt like a bitch.
"Do you need help?" Laney asked, watching him from the same spot she had stood before.
"No, I'm perfectly capable of putting on my own damn shorts," Eric replied bitingly.
Laney proceeded to roll her eyes. "You don't have to be so hostile, you know. I was just offering."
"Oh, you want to touch me again, is that it?" Eric asked, giving her a leer before sitting down onto the bed carefully, trying to put his feet into the legs of his shorts while holding them with one hand.
"Trust me, that is the last thing I want to do," Laney retorted, crossing her arms.
"That's not what I saw a few minutes ago. You looked like you were enjoying the feel of me."
"Ugh, you are such a pig." Laney stubbornly strode over to the edge of the bed in front of the man. She grabbed his good arm, pulling him up slowly into a standing position, knowing it was going to hurt him some. "Stay still," Laney ordered, only to receive a curse and a glare from Eric.
Laney leaned down in front of Eric, purposefully not looking at his crotch that was now level with her face, and pulled his shorts up his thick and toned legs. "There, would you like a shirt also?"
"No, it'll be just as much of a pain in the ass to get back off as it will be to put on."
"Ok, fine. Your food is in the living room. You can eat while I check your stitches, and then I suggest you take your pain medicine."
Laney walked behind Eric as he made his way out into the living room, not missing the way his muscles rippled at his every movement or the cursive script "freedom from fear" tattooed on his back. Forcing the thought from her mind, she helped him sit on his sofa as slowly as she could. She went into his kitchen and grabbed a fork for him. "What do you want to drink? I didn't know what you like, so I figured I'd wait until I got here."
"Beer," Eric replied in a clipped tone.
"Figures," Laney mumbled to himself. "You don't need to be mixing alcohol with your pain meds. You would think your Erudite smarts would have known that." She opened his fridge to see what he had, finding nothing but beer and milk. "How about milk or water?"
"I'm aware that I shouldn't, but that doesn't mean that I care," Eric replied in a flippant tone. "Fine, whatever."
Laney rolled her eyes and dug through his cabinets until she found a cup to pour some water in. Bringing the glass and fork over for him, grabbing a few napkins on her way, she set them down onto the table in front of him. Laney sat beside him on the sofa as he continued to ignore her presence by glaring at the TV. She picked up his to-go plate along with the fork and napkins.
"I brought a cheeseburger and fries with a piece of cake. If you let me know your preferences, I can plan accordingly next time." Laney set his plate on his lap, setting the fork on top of it and the napkins beside him on the sofa.
"Why are you even here?" Eric asked, opening his dinner plate and popped a fry into his mouth. "I don't need a fucking babysitter."
"I need to check your stitches to make sure they're healing properly. It won't take me long." Laney checked each of Eric's stitches carefully and saw they seemed to be healing well so far.
"Ok, you've checked my stitches, now you can go," Eric said, sending an intimidating glare her way.
Laney stood up from the sofa, picking up his water and moving the cup to the table beside where he sat to reach easier. "Ok, I'll leave you to your meal. Do you need anything before I leave?"
"Nope," he replied rudely, popping the 'p.'
"Ok, well, if you need anything, here's my card. You can call me anytime; my phone is always on me. I'll do my best to come by as soon as I can." Laney handed him the card she had pulled from her pocket.
Eric took the card quickly, scanning it and tossing it on the sofa beside him, and continued to eat his food.
"Do you eat breakfast?" Laney asked, stopping on her way to the door to turn around and face him.
"Yes; I'm not picky," Eric replied, glancing in her direction briefly before taking a bite of his burger. He figured if she was going to offer to bring his food, he might as well take advantage of it.
"Ok, I'll bring you some in the morning before I head to work. See you then, and try not to overdo it, Eric."
"Yes, mother," Eric replied with his tone full of sarcasm. He watched her roll her eyes once again as she walked to the door and shut it behind her.
He sighed, rubbing his face with his good hand before he finished his meal. This was going to be such a long few weeks.