Chapter 4-Tobias

Tris's hands rest on my shoulders with a loose grip. She's weak from laying in a hospital bed and from the pain she's in. Her face, however, has pure determination etched into it. I know she needs to know how she ended up here, but her bleeding is concerning me. She'd lost so much blood after her initial injury that they were worried she wasn't going to pull through.

"I'll tell you everything, just like I promised, but we need to get you looked at, too." I know this answer isn't good enough for her and hurry on in a rush. "You're at the infirmary in the Dauntless compound, Tris. You're home." I try not to choke up on the last part, but the uncertainty from the last few days of knowing if she was going to pull through combined with no sleep has taken a toll on me emotionally.

Suddenly, I'm overwhelmed with the need to be closer to her. I move carefully out of the plastic hospital chair, careful not to remove my hand that is resting on her back, supporting her. I sit next to her on the hard bed, slipping my arm around her shoulders being sure not to jostle her. She lets herself slump against me, head on my shoulder.

I breathe her in, letting her saturate my senses. Even in the hospital, which smells like bleach and antiseptic, she still smells like the Tris I know. Like flowers and a little bit of cinnamon. I let out a shaky breath.

"Tris, you were shot. That's how you got hurt. You also hit your head pretty good. And by the look of it, you are covered head to toe in bruises." I pause, giving her time to take it all in. She's gone still and ridged against me. "The gunshot wound caused a lot of damage. They had to go in and stop the bleeding. They said they had to replenish your blood twice." I swallow and continue, " your lung collapsed and they removed your spleen. It took them around 200 stitches to stitch you up."

Tris looks up at me, eyes wide. She opens her mouth a few times, trying to form words. "How many times do I really need to get shot? Wasn't once enough?" She quips.

I frown at her. Leave it to her to joke about her livelihood. All these times of her putting herself into danger. You'd think she would exercise a little caution once in awhile. Especially when it comes down to her life or Caleb's.

Caleb. Just his name makes my blood boil. After all he has done to Tris, he didn't even try to stop her? Didn't even attempt to protect her from certain death? I swear if I ever get my hands on him...

My thought are interrupted by the door to the room swinging open. Tris's doctor comes in in a flourish.

"Hello there, Tris! Great to see you are finally awake! My name is Dr. Harronfeld. But you can call me Dr. H." He winks at Tris as he snaps some gloves over his hands. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I have never had much patience for exuberant people.

Tris's eyes dart over to me. She gently elbows me in the ribs. She moves slightly, whispering in my ear, "He kept me alive this long, hasn't he?"

This time I do roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Doesn't mean I can punch him in the face, though," I mutter back.

The doctor approaches Tris and I slip off the bed, holding her left hand in mine and placing my other under her elbow, propping her up. A nurse walks and I recognize her as the one who suggested I grab a coffee but not as one involved with the earlier incident involving the pain medicine. She walks around to the opposite side of Tris and takes her other arm.

"Hi, Tris," she says gently, "My name is Brynn. I'm going to help Dr. Harronfeld fix you up and change your bandages. Then maybe we can get your vitals and get you some pain meds, if that's okay with you?" Tris smiles slightly and nods. I instantly decide Brynn will be the only nurse allowed near Tris. I'm still fuming just thinking about the other 4 trying to hold Tris down. Despite my thoughts, I smile a little.

"What's with you?" Tris asks. Dr. Harronfeld is swiftly unwrapping her bandages. Looking at her, you would think that she was carrying on a daily conversation. But I know better. I'm trained better. I can see the slight sheen of sweat that's coating her body. She's pale, almost as white as a ghost. She's biting down on her bottom lip slightly. She is in far more pain then she will ever admit out loud. I run my thumb over her fingers. "Just thinking about the fact that you have been shot, had a body part removed, a head injury, and you can't even sit up on your own, yet you managed to keep 4 nurses from giving you pain medicine," I chuckle. Shaking my head I say, "You are a force to be reckoned with, Tris Prior."

She grins at me. "You taught me well, Four." The doctor removes the last of the bandages from her abdomen and the blood drains from her face. "Sorry," says the doctor, "I know it's uncomfortable but we will get you peachy in no time!"

Did he really just use the word "peachy?" I shoot Tris an annoyed look and she lets out a noise between a snort and a sob. "Ready for those painkillers, Tris?" Brynn asks. I look over to her, grateful. Tris gives a slight nod, either unable or not trusting herself to speak. I lean in slightly and press a light kiss to her temple. I press two more into her hair moving my lips down to her ear. "If I could trade places with you, I would in a heartbeat. We'll get you out of here and feeling better in no time, Tris." She grasps my hand a little tighter and looks up at me. She blinks hard and I know she is willing herself not to cry. She's nearly successful, but one tear escapes from her eye. I squeeze her hand back.

"There you go, Tris." Brynn says as she puts a cap back on a syringe and disposes it in a biohazard container on the wall. "You'll feel better in a few minutes, I promise."

Dr. Harronfeld suddenly rolls back on the stool he has been sitting on while he examines Tris. "It looks like you managed to reopen your wounds a little a bit there, Tris. You should be okay if you take it easy for a few days. You can sit up with help, but don't try getting out of bed for at least three days. The bullet that you were hit with travelled through your abdomen and made a clean exit through your back, so you have stitches in both places, as well as a couple in your side from the chest tube. You can start eating and drinking, but take it easy. With your stomach injury and the medicine you are on, you might get an upset stomach. We've got you all cleaned up, though, so Brynn here will get your vitals and then we will be out of your hair. Any questions?"

Tris gives her head a slight shake and Dr. Harronfeld leaves his card on the table and says to call if we need anything. After cracking a terrible joke (something about an abnegation, dauntless, and erudite walking into a bar) he leaves the room.

Brynn is taking Tris's pulse and blood pressure. "Is he always that...chipper?" I ask her. Brynn smiles, "He is usually worse. He must of heard about the antics in here." She jokes, laughter in her eyes.

Tris goes slightly pink. "Sorry about that," she murmurs. "I feel all out of sorts." She is getting drowsy, hardly able to keep her eyes open. I move to support more of her and she sighs lightly.

"Do either of you know much about head injuries?" Brynn asks. We shake our heads. "I know that you need to wake a person up every so often if there has been a concussion. Do I need to do that for Tris?" I ask.

"No, I think she should be okay now that she is awake and her cognitive function is intact. Her memory loss is normal, but it's impossible to tell for sure if she will her all of it back or just small pieces. Head injuries also cause confusion, sensitivity to light, and the inability or reduced ability to control your emotions and, of course, severe headaches. Almost all of these will resolve over time, usually a few weeks or a month or two. Because Tris seems relatively okay, I would venture to guess she should recover full, maybe with some slight memory loss." Brynn concludes.

Tris becomes a little more alert. "So, you mean I won't always feel like I'm going to burst out in tears or fly into a fit of rage at any moment? Thank god!" She pauses, "Brynn, would you mind apologizing to the nurses for me? I didn't mean to cause so many problems."

"Oh Tris, between you and me? Those nurses are stuck up prudes who need to get there panties out of a bunch!" Brynn and Tris burst into a fit of giggles. "Ok, ok," Brynn says, composing herself. "Time to get you back into bed, Tris. I think you probably overdid it already." Tris doesn't argue and I help Brynn get Tris comfortable.

After Brynn leaves the room, I sit down in a plastic chair and study Tris. Her eyes are closed. Her dark hair is framing her pale face. I take in a breath and let it out slowly. I know there is a long road ahead of us, but we can make it. She is all I need. She is half of me. The chair I'm sitting in is anything but comfortable but I lean my head back on the cement wall behind me and drift off into sleep for the first time in nearly 6 days.