Chapter 4: We Meet Again

~OOO~

Tris

A nurse wakes me from my slumber. I don't even remember having fallen asleep, but it doesn't take long to realize where I am. The beeps from the machines around me, the uncomfortable hospital bed, a new throbbing in my head. Right. I'm in the hospital.

"Good Morning, Tris, or shall I say afternoon?

I actually feel well rested, but I have no concept of time. How long have I slept? I don't remember any nightmares and that was the best that I could have asked for. The first thing I realize is that Tobias is not here and he's definitely not where I last saw him. He's not even in the room.

"Morning," I mumble. "Where's—"

"It's against the rules to stay past visiting hours, don't ya know?" the nurse says. She has shoulder-length black hair, very pale skin, and appears to be middle-aged. Her name badge reads "Violet." Violet pulls an IV from my arm and fusses with the bags that hang next to me.

"But … he was here, he stayed with me. I talked to him," I say, my voice cracks. My heart thumps rapidly in my chest and I think I must be in a nightmare now. Was I wrong?

"Yes. The young man? He was here, that's for sure!" She shakes her head. "He was very protective of you; almost thought he was going to attack me for asking him to get out of the bed. That is not allowed. It kind of made me think of a guard dog, that one! Almost bit my head off!"

"What?" What is this woman talking about?

"Now, I won't say anything because I know you've had a rough time. When I came in for my shift, I found the young man next to you fast asleep. He was snoring up a storm! Both of you could have slept through practically anything."

"Where is he? Where did he go when you kicked him out? Why didn't he wake me?" I say each question immediately after the other. I'm both sad and angry at the same time.

"Don't get your panties all in a bunch," she says, putting a hand on her hip. She mutters something under her breath that sounds like "Just like the boy ..." She steps much closer to me and looks me directly in my eyes. She talks softer. "I let him stay, but you can't say a thing or we'll all be in big trouble." She looks around as if she thinks someone might be spying on her and quickly moves away from me. She goes back to her normal volume. "He should be here soon. He's getting the paperwork ready for your release."

I sigh an exaggerated breath.

"I'm here to help you with a bath or shower," she says after I'm disconnected from all of the machines.

"I can do it," I say.

"Of course you can," she says.

She lifts me out from the bed and I stretch my cramped legs out and take shaky steps toward the in-room shower.

"Let me know if you need anything!" she yells from behind the closed bathroom door.

In the shower, the water cascades down my body making me feel finally clean and … truly alive. I think about my parents and my mother, especially. I learned so much about her in one day then I've ever known in all my entire life. It still feels unreal.

The warm water splashes onto my face and mixes in with fresh tears. I wish I were younger and my mom could come into my room and say, so gently, "It's okay sweetheart." I start to sob and shake so hard that I lose my balance and end up on the floor of the shower. I cry for my parents, and Caleb. I miss them. I'll miss them. I cry because I know I'll forever be haunted by Will and maybe by Christina too.

I take a long shower and only move to get out when the water starts to turn cold. When I get out, I'm clean and I feel somewhat relieved to have had a break-down cry. The sleep helped my focus, and the cry helped my mental well-being. I'm not proud of what I did, however, I did what I had to do to stay alive. I am proud of staying alive. Staying alive may have been the biggest Dauntless test I've ever had to pass. I look at myself in the mirror and see red eyes from all the crying I've done. I dress myself in my dusty clothes and have to fan myself so I show no signs of my break-down before I walk out of the bathroom. I expect to find Tobias there, but he still hasn't arrived and I find myself disappointed.

As I finish brushing my hair, Tobias finally walks in. He takes a few cautious steps inside. He looks like he's also had the luxury of showering, and I wonder where he went to clean up.

"Hi," I say.

He looks at me, really looks at me like he knows that I've been crying when there was no way he could have known. Then, I think it probably has nothing to do with me. Maybe he's found out some news about the rest of our initiation group or his friends.

"Hi. You ready to get out of here?" he asks, taking more steps toward me. I don't ask questions about where we are going or what we are doing next. I just know that I want to get out of the hospital and back to life.

"Yes. Where do we go?"

Tobias looks nervous, he shifts from one foot to the other. His eyes dart away from mine and he doesn't answer me right away.

"I, um. I found out that Peter is here."

"What?" I ask.

~OOO~

Tobias

"Yes. He's fine," I say. I know this from second-hand experience.

While I was waiting, I bumped into Elle. I still couldn't believe that I'd seen her twice in as many days after not seeing her for three whole years. The last time I'd seen her was the day before her choosing ceremony. She had been a girl that lived on my block whom I'd silently crushed on. It was clear that we cared about each other but tried to be as true Abnegation as possible and suppress our feelings. The day before her choosing ceremony, we'd confessed our true feelings for each other and shared our first real kisses. It was one of my happiest memories pre-Dauntless initiation. I think we both knew that she would not be staying. It was shocking when she chose Amity, but not as shocking as mine would become the following year. I chose a different path, but I always wondered how she'd turn out.

But Elle and I didn't talk about our past, we are different people now. Because of the demand for doctors and nurses, she told me she was bouncing between Amity headquarters and the city hospital. She had been quick with responses to my questions about Peter and said that he was fine; he got help at the perfect time. I think she was under the impression that I was really concerned for him, when in fact I was just curious and trying to get any information I could. I couldn't find anyone else I knew. That is, until I was coming back to see Tris. Marcus found me as I worked my way back. I hated his fake concern, but he claimed to have knowledge, and I listened.

Tris nods her head and throws her hair brush on the bed. She seems lost in her thoughts. I have no idea if her thoughts are of relief that Peter is okay, or that I wasn't here when she woke up.

"Where were you?" she asks.

"Hey," I say, stepping right in front of her. She looks smaller somehow. "I'm sorry I left. The nurse sent me out early this morning; I stayed with you all night. She told me where to go so I could clean up and then I walked around until it was time for the official visiting hours."

She can't really move her shoulder so she drapes one arm around my neck. I wonder when she got so used to showing affection. Almost every day I've known her I have had the pleasure of getting to see something new emerge from her; I see something that comes from inside of her naturally. It's as if it was always there just waiting to bubble to surface and surprise me. She pulls me close to her body in a hug and I feel the heat radiating from her body. She kisses me on the cheek. I grab her chin, feeling the softness of her skin, and pull it down so I can kiss her softly on her lips.

"I was worried," she says when our lips part. "about where you'd gone. It's okay; I'm just happy you're here now." She initiates another kiss on my lips. "I'm ready to get out of here."

"Me too."

I don't blame her for wanting to get out and see what is happening. I am itching to get out there. It feels like we are blindfolded, not having any first-hand experience of what the aftermath of the bloodbath had done to the city. I imagine chaos and confusion. How did things go so wrong? How has the city functioned for so long without real trouble and all of a sudden it crashes down like a slight wind pushing the lead domino down? I also think that with my experience, I may be a choice as natural fit for leadership. It makes me cringe that people might look to me to make tough decisions.

I remember the other thing that made me cautious to come inside and talk about.

"Also, Marcus … found me. Just now." He called the hospital and when he didn't find my name on any of the lists, he found out that you were admitted here. He knew that I'd be where you were. I didn't want to talk to him, but he said he had new information."

"Information?" she says with wide eyes. "What is it?"

I sigh, because I don't know how she will feel about the news. "I want to start by saying that I can't say that what Marcus is saying is the absolute truth, but this is all the information I have." Tris nods and waits for me to continue. "Apparently Max and Jeanine are missing. Eric was caught, because he was shot, and he's in a coma. He's being held in Amity. There have been emergency meetings and every leader is being questioned. They also have determined that a 'significant' loss has occurred in Abnegation. They don't have exact numbers yet. As for the Dauntless lives lost ... we've lost a little over one hundred people and there are a few people that are unaccounted for."

"Wow," she says, sitting down on a chair that was near the bed. Her forehead is creased with worry. "I can't believe the destruction and devastation that this will cause." I see tears behind her eyes. "Are they going to come after us?"

The question is valid. There are only so many places to hide, especially when everyone will be searching, but still, they are powerful people who probably will still have connections and people ready to fight for their cause.

"I don't know," I say.

There are no central prison systems like there were in the old days. Trouble—if it is ever really called that—is dealt with internally, within the individual factions and of course threats of becoming factionless. There is another question that comes to mind.

What happens if they are caught?

Will there be a reinstatement of the practices like prison sentences, the death penalty, and formal trials?

My current focus is to get back and see what kind of change this will bring.

"Does he know anything about Caleb?" she asks, quietly.

Finally, I have a bit of good news in all of the bad.

"Yes. He's being allowed to stay in your parent's home until everything has been sorted."

"Thank God," she says.

Tris laces her fingers through mine and applies a reassuring pressure.

"Let's go."

~OOO~

A/N: Dear readers, thanks so much for reading and for your sweet support. Your comments make me smile and my phone buzz. I like it! It would be awesome if you left me your thoughts on this chapter and help me get to at least 30 reviews. My apologies for any mistakes as this chapter is not beta'd. Also, I'm sorry to end where I did, it's not quite where I promised. The story will continue rolling next chapter. I hope to see ya there!

-~*Lo*~