A/N: Before anything else, to those who left their reviews to this fic, faved and followed it, thank you so much guys, I really really appreciate it! For those who haven't, make sure to leave in your reviews of this fic, and to fave and follow it as well. And now, the fourth chapter.
Tris' POV
I woke up this morning to good news: The doctors have evaluated on my condition and based on their findings about my progress, they're moving me to the regular rooms today and the doctor assigned to me told me that I recovered faster than expected and they were really amazed by it. Tobias was happy with the results too, just yesterday, my fate was uncertain but today, I definitely know that there are more good things waiting for me and mother was definitely right, it was not yet my time to go.
"So Tris, are you ready for today? Are you ready for the room switch?" Tobias asked me
"Of course I am ready. What are you taking me for, a weak pansycake?" I told him, letting out a laugh. In fact, I am more than ready to move to the regular rooms.
"May I come in?" I heard the nurse ask, knocking on the wall afterwards
"Sure. Come in!" Tobias and I said in unison
"Miss Prior, Mister Eaton, we're going to move to the regular rooms now." the nurse announced, "Miss Prior, we will be transporting you to the regular rooms which is just across the hall through this wheelchair." she added as she pushed the wheelchair just beside my bed
"Alright Tris, let me help you to the wheelchair." Tobias told me, holding out his hand. With that, I held on to his hand and slowly moved from the bed to the wheelchair, careful not to mess those tubes that they hooked on my body for my recovery.
"Thanks Tobias..." I spoke as I tried to make myself comfortable with the wheelchair. The nurse then took my IV bag and hooked it to a thin metal pole on my wheelchair then she wheeled me out of my room and to the hallways with Tobias following us.
We passed by Uriah's room on the way out of the ICU area and then we saw her mother and Zeke gathered around the bed as well as the doctor assigned to him. Then we passed by next to David's room and he's still there in the bed lying down, with all the tubes attached to him. Either he's in a condition as bad as Uriah's or he hasn't woke up yet but I don't really care much for whether he'll ever wake up or not, I just hope that when he wakes up, justice will be ready to give him the verdict.
Now that we are in the hallways, we passed by faces, both familiar and unfamiliar. Those faces I know were those people I met over the Bureau of Genetics compound a few days back and those I do not know much of must be from the fringe or something. A few more steps, or revolutions of the wheel in my case and we're finally in Room 205 which would be my room in the next few days. When the nurse opens up the door, we see a hospital room, just enough to fit me and a companion and a hospital bed that seemed to have been used for only a few times and the bed is just right next to a window which is a good thing because it's been a while since I've seen the outside world, technically, it's only been a day but I can't wait to see how the outside looks like now that the war is over. I know, the thought seems kind of childish and un-Dauntless like, but really, I'd like to see how everything looks like now, now that we have finally achieved peace.
"So, do you like this room?" the nurse asked me
"Well, it looks good to me..." I told the nurse. Really, I have no problem with the room at all. As long as I know I'm on my way to full recovery that's all that matters.
"Okay then, let's get you on the bed." the nurse said and with that, she pushed my wheelchair closer to the bed and she, along with Tobias, helped me up to the bed and I decided to make myself feel comfortable with the bed in this room, which is elevated, unlike the one in my ICU room that was flat. The nurse then hung my IV bag on a thin metal pole beside my bed.
"Just call me if you need anything." the nurse told us, "Miss Prior's breakfast will be served soon." she added
"Okay, sure." Tobias told the nurse as he fixed the blankets on my bed, "So Tris, once you're out of the hospital, we're going to move to a new place. The options are the Hancock Building and a settlement that they're building near the O'Hare Airport, where a part of the fringe used to be." he spoke to me
"Well, I was thinking that we should settle inside Chicago, after all, it's safe there now, isn't it? And besides, we know more of what is in Chicago than what is outside the city limits." I told Tobias. Even if the idea of moving to the new settlement nearby the airport sounded exciting, I was fearing for our safety at the same time, what if the remaining fringe dwellers there would attack us at night with no warning whatsoever. Even if the war is over and everyone should be at peace now, I'm not sure if taking chances is a good idea, besides I guess everyone we know would be staying back in Chicago so for now, maybe staying in the city will be our option.
"I've been thinking of the same thing. But I heard the houses in the new settlement are a lot bigger than the ones we had in Abnegation, or the Dauntless apartments, which is also why I thought of considering that we should stay there." Tobias told me with enthusiasm.
"It's a nice idea actually, but there's only the two of us and unless we start a family by then, I think moving to a bigger house is not something we should consider right now. We don't even have enough money to buy things that we need to start with..." I told him out of concern. If we were going to get a big house, then it meant we needed money. Even back in Abnegation, when we lived in a home small enough for four, we still needed some money for things like food and electricity. In fact, I think the house is the only thing itself that was given to us with no cost.
"Fortunately, the government agreed to assist us with matters involving money as well, they even planned to give out subsidies to the citizens of the City and to those who will be moving to the settlements by the airport so we should have no problem getting ourselves some food and other basics by then." Tobias spoke
"Well, that's actually a good thing to hear." I said to him, "Are they giving us jobs or something?" I asked now
"There are actually a few jobs that they want for us to try on, one of them being political staff for Johanna Reyes, another one, to become school teachers and a third offer, for us to work under the airport, as control staff. I'm not sure which one you'd prefer so I told them that we haven't decided on a job yet." He told me. This is going to be good, not only are we guaranteed with a place to stay by the time we return but we are to get jobs as well.
"They are going to put us under training right?" I asked him
"Of course. As soon as we pick a job, they'll put us into training right away." He told me with enthusiasm once more
The political staff position sounded like a good idea but to me but I have been exposed to enough conflict since those wars in Chicago, since David appointed me to be his right-hand and to eventually succeed him when the time comes, and I'm not really into teaching even if they ruled Erudite in my aptitude test, maybe Caleb would be interested in that job and airport control staff, maybe Tobias would fit in that job better, I mean he has been working in the Dauntless security room before all of these happened so he should be able to learn the strings of airport control faster than I would. Maybe I'd work under Johanna Reyes.
"I don't really know which would I pick, but maybe I'd choose being a political staff, because among the three, it's the only job that I have gotten previous experience with." I told Tobias, "but I haven't really made up my mind for the record." I added.
A few moments later, one of the hospital staff came in with some food, for me and Tobias and then we started to have some breakfast and while at it, we discussed more about what we would do when we return to Chicago. Tobias expressed interest in working for Johanna Reyes or the airport but of course, he could only pick one job, meanwhile, I'm still torn up between becoming a political staff or an airport control staff though of course for now, I lean more to the former. Maybe when we return to Chicago, then I'll be able to make my final decision.
We then heard a knock on the door and when Tobias opened it, the person behind the door was no other than my brother, Caleb. I'm not sure if we should even allow him in here though a part of me knows that he won't do me any harm, in fact, he even shot David to defend me, but one can never be sure with the motives.
"What do you want Caleb?" Tobias asked in a somehow angry tone
"I-I just came to visit my sister, that is, if you can let me in..." Caleb said in a defenseless tone
"Just...just let him in Tobias." I told Tobias, "and if you are unsure about him, you can always keep a close eye on him."
"Alright..." Tobias said in a gruff tone, "Step in Caleb, and don't you forget that I still have my eyes on you." he added, sounding almost like how his father would sound like if he were mad at his son
"Yes sir." Caleb said as he stepped into the room, making his way to my bedside
"Hey Caleb..." I told my brother, "What brings you here?" I asked.
"Just to visit you, to see how are you doing..." Caleb told me, still wearing that defenseless and guilt-ridden voice
"I'm doing fine, how about you?" I asked him
"I'm doing well, Tris." he told me, "Have you been sleeping well lately?"
"I've been sleeping well lately." I told him, "Unless I was the one here who turned his back on his sibling and had her almost killed by some faction tyrant." I added with a laugh
"Look Tris, about that, I'm really sorry." he told me, "I'm really really sorry and I know I've asked for your apology before but I know that the process of you ever forgiving me is not easy..."
"Caleb, I've forgiven you already. You know that." I told him, "and I'm proud that you chose to be selfless when we were already inside the Weapons Lab, you could have left me being shot by David but you stepped up and defended me when you shot him."
"I guess I've done my part..." he told me, still guilt-ridden, "but you know that it wasn't enough yet, shooting the man who shot you wasn't enough to gain your forgiveness yet, I just know..." he added as tears made their way out of his eyes
"It's alright Caleb..." I told him, patting his back, "You've done something, that's what matters..."
"Tris, Caleb, you two might want to stop with the emotional exchange for a while..." Tobias told us, breaking the conversation between me and my brother, "the nurse is here to clean up your wounds." he told me
"Alright..." I told Tobias, "Caleb, the nurse's cleaning my wounds, and unless you want to see them, you might want to sit somewhere else for a while." I said to my brother
"Okay..." Caleb said, moving to the next available chair just near the door. He may be the one who helped me become strong when we were younger but show him a wound and he will get scared. There was this one time when we came across a factionless man with a bleeding scar and for days, he was scared of the sight of it. One thing for sure, if he chose Dauntless, he'd be seeing many scars in his fear landscape.
"Miss Prior, shall we?" The nurse asked, motioning for me to turn back so she could clean up my scars. With that, I turned back and she raised my hospital gown up, just enough for my back to be exposed, then she took off the bandages and started cleaning up the scars and it hurt a little because of the antiseptic's contact to the wounds that I have but it was the bearable kind of pain.
"Wow...those are really huge wounds..." Tobias said from behind. This is still his fist time to see the wounds. I haven't even seen the wounds myself but I'm sure they are indeed huge.
Next, the nurse instructed me to face forward so she could clean up the scars around my stomach as well and afterwards, I laid back in the bed and the nurse gave a few instructions to Tobias regarding my wounds before leaving. Also, I could see Caleb shuddering by the door and from his expression, I could say that he actually looked at those wounds but he chose to do it silently.
"Oh Caleb, when will you ever learn?" I told my brother with a laugh
"So you knew I was looking at your wounds." he told me, trying to mask the fact that he already got scared of it
"You think I wouldn't be able to read the expression on your face?" I told him, "I may not be made for Candor but I know when someone has just faced something they feared. It's part of Dauntless training, you know..."
"Okay you caught me..." he told me, "I just wanted to see how big those wounds are."
"You and your Erudite curiosity could get you into danger." I told him, "But I like that you know. The fact that it would eventually make you a bit brave."
"I...I guess I may have conquered my fear a bit..." he said, leaning back to the wall
"No wonder your brother did not choose Dauntless..." Tobias said with a smirk, "He isn't really the type who faces his fears heads-on."
"Probably." I said with a laugh, "But hey, he did shoot David with that gun and he's no fan of doing those things in defense either."
"A point, indeed." Tobias told me, sporting another smirk afterwards.