I sit in my hospital bed, feeling completely useless. Studded with bullet wounds and sporting broken bones, I look like a poor mashup of different injuries. The nurse that was in here earlier left me a cup of water, which I left untouched.
The door swings open and Lance walks in. He looks tired, almost older than the last time I saw him. His eyebrows pull together as he sits in one of the chairs against the wall.
"Hit by a bus, huh." He says, leaning back.
I nod halfheartedly and sigh. "Can you think of a dumber way to get injured?"
Lance doesn't reply. He probably can't. I can't, either. But all I know is that they will release me any moment now, and I will have nowhere to go. Certainly not back to the house where I saw Tobias kissing Eva. Not there. I break the silence.
"What happened to teaching a certain class of trainees?" I ask, taking a sip out of the full cup of water.
He smiles slightly. "Day off."
"Good for them," I wince.
Christina bursts in through the door with a brown plastic bag, crumpled at the top. She looks at Lance for a moment and opens her mouth like she's about to talk. Then she snaps it shut and sit in the chair next to my bed.
"Tobias is still asking if he can come in." She says to me, shooting a quick glance at Lance. His eyes flick up to the ceiling. Christina continues. "Please let him in. He'll never shut up otherwise."
Lance sighs loudly. "Uh...I'm gonna go. Stuff to do," he says awkwardly, and stands and leaves the room.
I turn back to Christina. "Fine. But you have to be in here with us." I do not want to be alone in a room with Tobias.
She nods, looking a bit worried, and leaves the room. I brace myself. What will Tobias say? I pinch my leg, not hard enough to hurt. I don't care. I will try to believe that.
Christina comes back in, and behind her, Tobias. His dark eyes fall on me and he comes forward and places a hand on my cheek. I turn away.
"Tris. Please, listen to me. What you saw . . . It wasn't what you think. I promise." His eyes are wide. They bore into mine, pleading me to forgive him.
"Then what was it?" I ask coldly. This tension feels half wrong, half right.
He leans his head down into his hands before looking up again. "Tris. I went to some of her little fringe meetings. Then I stopped. She won't let me go. She won't. She kissed me. Not the other way around."
I watch him, wondering if he's lying. I suddenly realize Christina is sitting there. I turn to her, lifting my eyebrows.
"I think he's telling the truth, Tris," she says softly.
I sink back into the bed. He is not lying. But I am still not sure I am ready to forgive him. A nurse walks in and smiles.
"You're free to go," she tells me, and types some codes on the machine to my left. I sigh and stand up, wincing. Tobias and Christina both stare at me.
"I think I need some time," I tell Tobias. He looks away for a moment and then nods. Still, we lock eyes for a few long seconds before he leaves. Christina pokes my shoulder. "What?"
"Where are you gonna stay, Tris?" She asks. Then Christina laughs. "Just kidding. You better be coming to live with your favorite person ever, right?"
I smile at Christina. Trust her to put a positive spin on this. She offers me her arm and I laugh and punch her. We walk out of the room together, me limping every other step.
...
Her house looks almost the same as my old one on the outside. But once I walk inside, I realise the difference. There are books and science magazines stacked neatly around the room, both on shelves and tables. A target board hangs on the wall with small, sharp arrow like things sticking out of it. Christina lets out a gusty sigh and turns to face me.
"Welcome to your wonderful new home," she yells, so loud I almost think something will fall. Nothing does, of course. She walks away and I follow her, wincing. Christina stops in the doorway of a small room filled with boxes. "You can sleep here. I'll set something up."
I peer into the room. The boxes appear to be almost empty, just a few things in each. It's strange, but I decide not to ask questions. I look up and Christina is looking at me in a funny way. "What?"
She sighs. "Really, Tris? 'What?'" Christina leans back against the wall and lifts one dark eyebrow. "Tobias. What are you going to do?"
"I don't know, Chris." I lean back too, looking at my feet.
"First of all," Christina says, putting her hands on her hips, "don't call me that. You're making me sound like a boy. Second. Tobias deserves a second chance. He was telling the truth, Tris."
I sigh. "Yes, I know, but still. He didn't necessarily stop Eva, either. I just need some time to get used to this . . . whatever it is."
Christina frowns. "Okay, fine." She walks off, leaving me in the doorway. She is done talking about it for now. But I suspect this talk will repeat itself many times.
I sink down into the floor, easing myself into a sitting position. Maybe I should talk to Tobias. Maybe he does deserve something else. A second chance.
I stand up and walk down the hall. I hear a persistent knocking and my head turns towards the door. I open it and stand, surprised, in front of him.
"Hi, Tris. How are you feeling?"