Hello Readers! Thank you for all the reviews. Here is the next chapter in the story. I'm going to throw a warning out to everyone that this next chapter can be emotional for some people. I don't own anything Divergent. Don't forget to check out my pinterest board for pictures that follow along with the story. Don't forget to review. Also before you start reading the chapter any guesses on what is wrong with Tobias? If not you will find out in this chapter. Although it has already been mentioned in a previous chapter if you are a close reader you will also know the answer. Happy Reading!
The next morning I wake to a freezing cold bed. I reach over and find a note from Tobias. I smile when I see his sloppy doctor handwriting. I reach over and pick up the piece of paper. It reads:
Tris my darling dearest,
You looked so peaceful sleeping I couldn't bring myself to wake you up. I have something that I need to take care of, and then I am going to go for a long run. Have a nice talk with Christina this morning. I will pick you up at 6 o'clock tonight. I am taking you somewhere for a surprise.
I love you,
-T/4 xoxo
Tobias is always surprising me with something. He is spoiling me rotten. I silently giggle to myself when I look at the way he signs his letter to me. He is always so careful that he never signs his real name to me on paper. That way if anyone else sees it they won't know what his real name. I wonder where he went this morning. I'm sure he will tell me when he gets back here. I get ready for the day and ready myself for my conversation with Christina. I walk into the living room, and I see Christina sitting on the sofa. My stomach is turning thinking about the conversation I am about to have with Chris.
"Hey you. Congratulations again on your engagement." I say.
Christina looks embarrassed about something. She is playing with the ring on her finger. She begins to speak "I don't mean to jump in front of you, and I hope you aren't angry at me. But last night after Will proposed on the way home, he asked me to move in with him. I was so happy and caught up in the moment. I completely forgot about having you as a roommate, and I agreed to movie in with him."
She looks so guilty about what she just told me. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
"That is great. Actually that is funny that you brought up the subject of moving to another place, because I was going to talk to you about the same thing. You see the landlord called the other day, and our lease is up soon. She wanted to know if we wanted to renew it or if we were moving out. I told her I had to discuss it with you. I kind of wanted to move in with Tobias since he already has a spare bedroom and everything I would just move in with him." I say.
Christina smiles and says well I guess we better get packing. We have to decide who is taking what, and what we are getting rid of. I get started packing my room. Chris tells me to take the dishes and all the pots and pans since I am the only one who cooks. I am taking the couch as well. I see it is getting close to the time Tobias told me to be ready for. I take a quick shower and get ready. I wear a black tank top with a purple sweater and pants. I hear Christina talking to someone and walk around the corner to see Tobias standing there in looking adorable in a dark blue button down shirt and black pants. When he sees me he smiles, and I walk over to him. He envelopes me in a hug and I relax. I love when he hugs me. I feel like I am safe and nothing can happen to me. I quickly tell him about Christina's and my conversation, and how we started packing. I also talk to him about how we each decided on what we were taking.
Tobias says "since I am over I can take some of your boxes for you, and I will drop them off at my place."
Before I can say anything he proceeds to my room which is pretty much already packed except for a few things. He grabs all the boxes in a few trips to the car.
"You ready for your surprise baby." he says with a huge smile on his face.
I smile at him and say "yup."
He grabs my hand. I say goodbye to Chris, and we walk out the door. First we stop at Tobias' house. I help him bring in the boxes and it looks like he has been busy. I see a door that I didn't see the first time.
"I cleaned out one of the guest bedrooms so that way you could have your own space if you wanted it and to keep all your stuff in."
After we put my stuff in my new bedroom Tobias and I lock up, and we go out to the car. Tobias tells me to close my eyes, and he drives the car. After a while of driving he tells me to open my eyes, and I see that we are in front of a theater. It is not a movie theater, but an actual theater.
"Surprise we are going to see a musical tonight." He says
I lean over and give him a hug and a kiss and say "which musical are we seeing? I have always wanted to see a musical since I was a little girl."
"Beauty and the Beast" he says smiling.
We go in and he buys me a rose in a dome necklace and he helps me to put it on. He also buys me a fake rose. I feel like such a lucky girl. I sit there taking in the environment. I have never been to a musical before and it feels like I have been sucked into an alternate universe. I love the show. After the show Tobias and I go and get ice cream together, and bring it back to my place. We eat it on the coach. In between bites we discuss the show. I have mint chocolate chip and he got chocolate fudge brownie. While we are eating the ice cream I decide that I am going to ask him where he went this morning before his run.
"Where did you go this morning? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I was just wondering." I say.
I really want to know where he went, but I am not going to push him if he doesn't want to tell me.
"It's fine. I went to see my doctor this morning. I haven't been feeling right for the past few days, and I was wondering if something was up." He says
"Oh so you haven't been feeling well. You could have told me I could have nursed you back to health." I say playfully.
Tobias grins and says "there was nothing wrong with me physically it was more of something being wrong mentally. He adjusted my meds so hopefully that will help. I have another appointment in a few weeks, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me. My doctor is really cool."
"Sure if you feel comfortable and want me there I will go to support you." I say shocked that he would want me to go to his appointment with him.
"You want some help packing?" Tobias asks.
I giggle and say "I really don't feel like packing right now. We have the apartment to ourselves, and Chris won't be back for several more hours."
I lean over and kiss Tobias. I feel him grin and he pulls back and says "so that is what you have planned."
He leans back in and I feel pressure on my lips. He deepens the kiss. He picks me up and moves me so I am sitting on his lap. We are lost in the moment in our own little bubble. Our kissing is becoming very heated. Suddenly we hear a loud bang, shouting, and something that sounds like gun fire outside.
Tobias jumps up startled. He pulls me behind him pinning me between his body. The wall is so tight up against my back that I cannot move. All of his muscles seem like they are contracted in his body, I can barely breathe. He keeps pressing me up closer to the wall. It is like he is trying to protect me from something that I can't see. I think of something to try and calm him down.
"Tobias, baby everything is okay it was just a car back firing." I say in a calm voice.
I try to move but he won't budge. He turns to me, and his eyes have turned black. This isn't my Tobias anymore this is someone else. Could this possibly be Four? I think to myself. It is like he is a completely different person. I push against him trying to free myself, but all he does is push against me harder.
"Tobias, you are hurting me. Everything is fine." I say trying to free myself.
He says angrily "Shut up the enemy is going to hear you."
After it he says that to me. It dawns on me the conversation that Tobias and I had weeks back about him having PTSD. He must be having a flashback.
I stand there silently trying to figure out a way to break him from his flashback. Tobias turns towards me pushing me further into the wall. I noticed that Tobias has his eyes squeezed shut. He is breathing hard. I stand there feeling trapped. After several moments I hear him saying something. I listen more closely and what I hear breaks my heart.
He is muttering to himself saying "This isn't real."
I remember learning something called grounding in my psychiatry class. I hope it will work I think to myself.
"Tobias" I say gently.
He doesn't respond. I try again to reach him.
"Tobias open your eyes. You are safe. You are here in my apartment with me. Please open your eyes." I say again.
I feel him loosen his strength that he is holding me to the wall with. I push him lightly away from me, and I hurry to get an ice pack.
"Tobias open your eyes." I say gently "I have an ice pack. I am going to put it against your wrist. Feel the coldness from the ice. This is in the present. You are safe." I say the last part firmly.
I stand there for a few moments holding the ice to his wrist. Tobias stands there with his eyes closed still and rubbing his arm with his hand. I have just about given up hope and decided to just let the flashback play out when Tobias takes a deep breath, his eyes snap open, and he says "Tris. Did I hurt you? Oh god! What did I do?"
He puts his head down ashamed. I use my fingers, and pull his head up so he is looking at me and say "hey look at me. I am fine, and you are fine. We are going to be okay."
I notice Tobias starting to cry.
"I feel so stupid for letting that happen while I am with you. I have been trying so hard to control these feelings. I lost control of reality. I hate myself for doing that to you. Tris, I am no good for you. I am going to end up hurting you. Your brother is right I should end this before I do something that I am going to regret." He says sounding drained.
"No you aren't going to hurt me. When you flashed back you were trying to protect me. You weren't trying to hurt me. You are over analyzing this. I will help you get through this. We will get through this together. I love you." I say crying.
I hate seeing Tobias upset over something he has no control over. Tobias gets up and walks out the door. I want to follow after him, but I have a feeling that he wants to be alone. I struggle with the decision to let him go then again, I don't know though if he should really be alone. What if he tries to hurt himself? I decide to follow him even though it is down pouring outside. As I am walking out the door I see Tobias at the end of the street turning left. I run after him yelling his name.
"Tobias" I yell.
But he doesn't turn around. I continue to run after him I finally catch up to him. Only because he has stopped walking I am able to reach him. I am panting from the exercise. I am so out of shape it isn't even funny I think to myself. I see he is sitting on the ledge at a bridge looking over at the water and the rocks. This place is known locally as the Chasm. Many people have jumped off the ledge when they couldn't handle their lives anymore in this town.
"Tobias" I say gently so as not to startle him "Come back to my place please. I want you to stay the night with me. I don't want to leave you alone tonight."
Tobias turns to look at me, and I see fresh tears in his eyes. He says "I don't know if I can keep doing this. I am getting tired of having flashbacks and seeing things that I wish to god I could forget. That no one should have to see."
As I am listening to him say these words to me. I begin to worry that he is thinking about hurting himself.
"Tobias can you get off the ledge please and come sit next to me on the bench and we can talk or sit in silence. Whatever you want. Please just come sit with me." I say.
Tobias gets up and comes and sits on the bench next to me. I decide I am going to be direct with him and ask "Are you suicidal?"
Tobias turns to me with a shocked expression on his face. "I use to be before I met you, and when I first met you I was. When I first met you that day in the hospital I was trying to get through my first day as a new doctor in that hospital. I was struggling with suicidal thoughts. That is why in the beginning I would go missing for several days at a time. My grandmother was always around to help me deal with them. I haven't had a flashback for a while until tonight, and I feel like a failure. Right now though no. I sometimes think my life would be better if I had never joined the military to begin with, or even made it home from that IED blowing up the truck that I was in. Some many of the other soldiers I was with never made it home. Why was I the lucky one? But then I think if I didn't join the military then I wouldn't have met you."
Tears silently slide down my face at his admission of being suicidal. Although Tobias can't tell that I am crying because it is still down poring. Tobias gets quite for a moment then continues saying "My mom use to bring me here as a small child. It is one of the only memories I have of her. We use to stand on the bridge and throw bread into the water, and watch the fish eat the bread. I like to come here after I have a flashback it seems to help me calm down and think. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I would never want to live in a world that you aren't in."
I decide to let Tobias sit there and think for a while. After a half an hour I realize that I am cold, wet, and I forgot to grab a jacket even though I don't think that would have helped me. I was so worried about Tobias I had completely forgotten about everything. Tobias must have felt me shiver because next thing I know he is putting his coat on my shoulders. After that we go back to sitting in silence. I sit there and think about Tobias, my parents, my family, my friends, and life in general. I try to image how tough this must be for Tobias, and how no one quite understands what he is going through except for someone who is actually is experiencing the same thing. I know for sure that there is no way that I would have been able to be as strong as he is. I must have started to fall asleep because next thing I know I hear Tobias whisper "let's go home."
I don't remember walking, but I wake up and I am in my bed with the blankets pulled up around me. I am still wrapped in Tobias' jacket. I feel Tobias next to me sleeping. I lean on my elbow and watch him sleep. He looks younger when he is sleeping. When I look at him I see the strong man that I love not the broken man that I saw yesterday for the first time. It breaks my heart to see Tobias having to fight his demons by himself.
I hope the new medicine they are starting him on will help to make him feel better, and back in control of his life. He has some facial hair growing because he hasn't shaven for a few days. I mentally groan to myself that vacation is almost over, but then I quickly remember that the school added an extra few days on for vacation. I get up quietly and start packing some more.
Today is the day Chris and I are both moving out. It will be weird to not see Chris all the time. I am out in the living room putting the final piece of tape on the box when I back up and feel a wall against me. I smile to myself thinking of the time I got Tobias wet with bags of IV fluid. How embarrassed I was, and how much has changed since then.
"Good Morning Beautiful. You seem to be in a happy mood today. Do you need any help moving those boxes we could put them in my car?" He says.
I smile at him and say "Good Morning to you too. How are you feeling today? I would love to have help with the boxes. However, not in the state that you are in right now I don't want the whole neighborhood making eyes at my boyfriend because he doesn't have a shirt on."
Tobias looks down at himself and must notice that he isn't wearing a shirt. He quickly grabs a shirt from the bedroom. He comes back out and says "let's put these in the car, and make sure that everything else is packed that you are taking."
I do a final sweep and put my bedding into a bag and attempt to flip my mattress to put it up against the wall. However, the mattress wins and it lands on top of me.
I yell "Help!"
Of course no one hears me "Help!" I scream again.
I hear footsteps and I hear Tobias laughing. "You know you can help me instead of laughing at my expense."
I feel the weight leaving me and Tobias whispers in my ear saying "I had to pick up the mattress. I was jealous of it getting to lie on top of you."
I turned bright red, roll my eyes, and smacked him in the arm.
"Hey what was that for?" Tobias says with a shocked look on his face.
"You are a pervert." I say sarcastically.
"I am not!" he says laughing.
"Come on let's go." I say and pull him out of my old room.
Chris and I say goodbye to each other and hug each other crying. Chris and I walk out the door together and give each other another hug. Tobias carries my mattress out, and straps it to the top of my car. I get in my car, and I follow him to our new home ready to start the next adventure in my life.
Well that is it for now. What does everyone think of the chapter? Don't forget to review.
Until Next Time!
