My heart is pounding in my ears as Tyler and I pull into one of the hospital's underground parking garages so he can have 30 minutes of visitation with Evelyn. This is the last thing I want to do today, especially in light of what Tobias and I found out yesterday during Robert and Ethan Black's interrogations but I can't deny Tyler much-needed time with his mother just because I can't stomach looking at her. I get Tyler out of the car and take the elevator up to the fifth floor. We make our way through the maze of hallways to the obstetrics' wing waiting room. We have at least 15 minutes until the charge nurse will bring Evelyn down so I dig around in Tyler's diaper bag and retrieve his dump truck and fire engine. I hand them to him, and he quietly sits at my feet playing. After he has played for a little while, he stands up and gives me back his toys.

"You sure do look handsome today," I say, straightening his black button down shirt.

"Tanks," he says. "Sit wit you?"

"Of course," I say, picking him up and putting him on my lap. "Do you want your milk?" He nods his head at me so I get his sippy cup out of the bag and give it to him. He drinks the milk while cuddling into me. "Do you know what we are doing here?" He looks up over his head into my eyes and smiles.

"No," he says.

"Do you remember Four telling you that I was going to bring you to see your mommy," I say.

"Yeah," he says with a little frown. "You no leave me, Twis."

"I'm not going anywhere, buddy," I say.

"Tris Prior?" a young woman with shoulder length blonde hair dressed in Erudite colors says to me. "My name is Sheila Watkins. I'm Tyler's social worker." She nervously adjusts her glasses then sticks her hand out to me, and I shake it. "I'm sorry we haven't met sooner. I usually speak to your fiancé, Four. How is Tyler doing?"

"I think he's doing very well," I say. "We're here today to visit his mother."

"I know," she says. "The hospital notified me of their meeting. I'm required to monitor their interactions since they haven't been in contact for some time."

"We wanted to bring him sooner but the hospital wouldn't let us," I say, suddenly feeling like I'm the one being evaluated.

"I know," she says with a warm smile on her face. "I, too, tried to get them to loosen their restrictions in this situation but they wouldn't budge. How did you manage to change their minds after all this time?"

"I'm a little embarrassed to say this but my father intervened on Tyler's behalf," I say. Confusion crosses her face. "I was complaining about the fact that he hasn't seen his mother in almost three months. Dad called the hospital's administrator at home and got this meeting arranged." She still looks like she doesn't understand. She must not know who my dad is, which is strange. I thought everyone knows who he is. "My dad is Andrew Prior." Recognition lights her face.

"Beatrice Prior," she says.

"It's just Tris now," I say. "I changed my name when I joined Dauntless last July. I'm sorry. I though you knew."

"If I'd really thought about it, I would have figured it out," she says. "Well I'm glad your father was able to do what we haven't been able to do in all these months. Will Four be joining us today?"

"No, I'm afraid he won't," I say. "It's just Tyler and me today."

"Twis," Tyler says with a frown. "Go home now. Peas?"

"Don't you want to see your mother, Tyler?" Sheila asks. Tyler looks up at me.

"No. Want Twis," he says and I blush. He hasn't been this clingy for weeks. A look of concern comes over Sheila's face.

"Tyler," Evelyn says from a wheelchair down the hallway. He turns his head at the sound of his name and looks at her. He sits on my lap staring blankly at his mother. "Oh, honey. I've missed you so much." Sheila moves across the sizable room to give the mother and son some alone time but I notice that she doesn't take her eyes off of us. The nurse parks the wheelchair in front of Tyler and me and sets the brake.

"I'll be back every five minutes to check on your vitals," she says looking at the numbers on the monitor Evelyn is attached to. "If the baby becomes distressed, you will be taken back to your room immediately, otherwise you have 30 minutes. Have a good visit, Evelyn." I have to keep her calm. We can't have the baby in any danger.

"Why don't you come see me," Evelyn says, holding his arms out to Tyler. He clings to me all the while staring at her with furrowed eyebrows. It's almost like he doesn't remember who she is. She slowly lowers her arms and slides her eyes to mine. "Where is Tobias?"

"Four couldn't come today," I say emphasizing the name he has told her to call him countless times. "He has a lot of work to do before the wedding and honeymoon so he didn't think he could take the extra time off to bring Tyler to see you so he asked me to do it for him. I hope you don't mind."

"I do wish he could be here but I understand," she says. "Thank you for bringing him to see me, Beatrice." Yep, my name still sounds like an expletive.

"Tyler, do you know who this is? It's your mommy! Do you want to say hi?" I say. He sits quietly, holding onto me for dear life. Is it possible for him to have forgotten who she is in such a short amount of time? No, that can't be it even though he's acting like he doesn't know her. I study her appearance and try to put myself in his place. She's a lot bigger than she was the last time he saw her. Her complexion is healthier but she seems like she is retaining fluid so her face is quite a bit fuller. Since she's been in the hospital she's had access to a bathroom with a shower so she's cleaner than she used to be. It is possible he just doesn't recognize her. I think he might recognize her voice if I can get her talking. "Try talking to him. I don't think he recognizes you."

"I sure have missed you," Evelyn says. "It's nice to see your face. You look different wearing all black. Don't get used to that." I see him frown at her, and I can't help but join him.

"Can you tell Mommy what you've been doing lately with me and Four?" I say trying to ignore Evelyn's passive aggressive comment. "Can you tell her about going to the park with your friend Zane yesterday?"

"Went pawk wit Zane and Avey," Tyler shyly says. Evelyn looks toward me.

"That's right. Avery was with you, too," I say. "Avery is Tyler's babysitter."

"How often do you leave him?" she asks with a hateful tone. I take a deep calming breath and smile at her. She is making it increasingly difficult not to be rude to her.

"He goes to daycare Monday through Saturday when Four and I are at work. Avery watches him most Saturday nights and an occasional Friday night.

"That much?" she asks sounding appalled. "I'm surprised he even knows who you are. You don't spend enough time with him."

"Love Avey," Tyler says with a huge pout. "Love Twis." He may only be 2 years old but he knows he's being talked about and not in a friendly way. "Go home now, Twis. Peas?"

"We'll go home soon, buddy," I say. "I promise."

"It's not his home," she says under her breath but loud enough for me to hear. God, how I hate this woman. She is a horrid human being. If she wasn't so close to delivering the baby ... my baby, I'd unload on her. I can't wait for the day I can tell her just what I think of her. But I swallow my pride and sit Tyler on his feet and pick up his diaper bag. This day is about him, not me. I give him the small bag of cookies we baked especially for Evelyn just this morning and give it to him.

"Remember, you baked those especially for your mommy," I say. "You want to share them with her?" He takes a tentative step forward and then another and hands Evelyn the bag of home baked chocolate chip cookies. After she takes it from his small hand, he comes right back to me and holds his arms up. I pick him back up and put him on my lap. My eyes momentarily slide to Evelyn's, and she is seething. I can't help but flinch.

"Hello, Evelyn," I hear Tobias say, startling me.

"Fo!" Tyler says reaching for him. "Hi! Go home now?"

"Hi, buddy," Tobias says picking Tyler up off my lap and sitting down beside me. "No, we aren't going home yet." He kisses Tyler's head and gives me a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't come with you and Tris but I'm here now." I reach out and take his hand and squeeze it. I am so thankful he's here as a buffer between his mother and me.

"I am so glad you are here," I say, "but we only have about 10 minutes left."

"Tyler, baby, please come over here and see Mommy," she says. He shakes his head and starts crying.

"Hey, why the tears?" I ask, lovingly wiping them away. "You know you don't have to do anything you don't want to do but, buddy, don't you miss your mommy? She sure misses you. Do you think you can give her a hug if Four holds you?" He says no very loudly, lunges at me, and buries his head in my chest. "I'm truly sorry, Evelyn. I didn't know he would react this way, or I wouldn't have had this visit arranged."

"I know," she says with an exaggerated sigh like she doesn't believe me. "Well, Tyler Aaron, the nurse is coming to take me back to my room. I love you so much." He peeks at her.

"Bye," he says then he looks up at me. "Go home now?"

"Yeah, we'll take you home now," Four says.

"Tobias, aren't you going to stay and visit with me?" she asks. "I'd like at least one son to be happy to see me." I look at Tobias and I see his jaw tighten. That probably isn't the best thing to say to him today of all days.

"No, Evelyn. I'm not staying. I have a lot of work to do. I'm on my lunch hour and came to pick up Tris and Tyler," he says. "And by the look of things, I was right to come." Without another word, the nurse wheels Evelyn back to her room.

"Good afternoon, Four," Sheila says. "I wasn't expecting you here today."

"I honestly hadn't planned on it," he says, "but I'm glad I came. Tyler doesn't look like he did very well with seeing her."

"May I speak to the two of you in private?" she asks. "Tyler can play in the daycare center with the other kids. I won't take up much of your time. My office is this way." We follow her to a small office right next door to the daycare center. We tell Tyler we'll be right back and give him his trucks to play with. He sits down in a corner by himself and plays quietly. After we are seated, Sheila pulls a large file folder out of the cabinet behind her.

"What's this about?" Tobias asks. "Is there a problem?"

"No problems that I can see," she says. "It's just the opposite. I would like to know if the two of you have ever considered adopting Tyler." I can't believe my ears at the moment. I'm not really hearing what I think I'm hearing, am I? I must be having a dream or a nightmare depending on how you look at it. I can't believe that Tyler's social worker is broaching the subject of adoption. I can't hear this unless she truly means it.

"What do you mean?" I timidly ask.

"Just what I said," she says, adjusting her glasses again. "Tyler has flourished under your care. He is not the same boy he was three short months ago. From what I witnessed today, you two can provide him with a stable home that Evelyn cannot."

"You can't take him away from her," I say. Sheila looks at me like I'm crazy but she doesn't know about my greatest fear. "Once he sees her on a more regular basis, he'll get more comfortable with her. He does love her. I've held him while he cried for her. He was just a bit confused and overwhelmed today."

"If it's in his best interest, we can and will take him away from her. She is factionless and has no real means to care for him. She has no home, no job. He was malnourished and frail three months ago. That is what got me involved. I don't cherish the thought of taking a child away from their birth parent or parents but if it needs to be done, I will do it," she gruffly says. "If the determination is made that Evelyn Johnson is not in the best interest of the minor child, Tyler Johnson, I need to know if you would be open to adopting him. This isn't a guarantee by any means but if you say no and he's taken from her, he'll be adopted out to a family in the city and you will have no further contact with him ever again. That being said, it is my opinion after watching your interaction today that he would be best off in your care. He already thinks of you two as his parents, that much is obvious." I hear every word Sheila says but I don't comprehend them. If Social Services takes Tyler from Evelyn, whether I think it's a good idea or not, he could be adopted out, and I would never see him again. No, that can't happen. If he's with his mom, we'll still get to see him at times. I wouldn't survive the crushing pain I'm feeling right now just thinking about never looking into his pale blue eyes or combing his curly dark locks or hearing his angelic little laugh ever again. I look at Tobias and immediately see what I'm feeling mirrored in his eyes.

"If you determine my mother is not what's best for Tyler, Tris and I would be more than honored to adopt him. As a matter of fact that would make us both extremely happy," Tobias says. "Would you need his father's permission also?"

"Yes, do you have his name and contact information?" she asks.

"I do," he says. "His name is Ethan Black. He lives in Abnegation with his wife, Ellie. I guess I can give you his contact information after yesterday." She must know about yesterday's interrogations because she doesn't look confused by his comment. He writes his name, address, and phone number on a sheet of paper and slides it across her extremely neat desk. "His wife knows about his extramarital affair and of the children he's fathered with Evelyn so it won't come as a shock if you speak to her. Tyler's never met Mr. Black before. He's never wanted anything to do with any of the children they had together, at least that's what Evelyn told me."

"May I ask why you call your mother by her first name?" Sheila asks.

"This isn't something I like to talk about, Sheila, but it's something you should know," he says. He's silent for a moment before he continues. "She abandoned me when I was 9 years old. She knowingly left me with my abusive father. It's hard for me to think of them as Mom and Dad. It's more natural to call them Evelyn and Marcus."

"I see. That is interesting news. Thank you for your honesty, Four," she says. "Will you be bringing him back to see her next Monday?"

"Yes," I say.

"Okay," she says. "I will put that on my schedule. I see everything's been going well with the home visits." Once a month, a little old Erudite man with gray hair and black horn-rimmed glasses that looks like he could be blown away in a windstorm has come to our home to check on Tyler's living conditions and wellbeing. Even though he is a man of few words, he's always seemed impressed. "Thank you for stepping up and taking care of Tyler. He's lucky to have you two."

"We're glad to do it," I say. "I can't imagine my life without knowing him."

"Well that is all I have today," she says, standing up. We all shake hands again and walk into the hallway. I can see Tyler through the glass doors, and I start to let myself hope like I've never hoped before. I look into Tobias' eyes with tears in mine.

"Come here," he says. I rush into his open arms. I can't let myself get my hopes up that one day I will hear him call me Mommy. I breathe in Tobias' scent and it calms me immediately. "We can't go there yet, Tris. I know what's running through that beautiful head of yours."

"I know, Tobias. I know," I whisper into his chest. "How did you get here? Did you jump a train?" He nods at me.

"Yeah, I didn't think I should leave you alone in this," he says. "I'm glad I made the right decision. She wasn't very nice to you. Is she always that way when I'm not around?" I hate to add more fuel to the fire but I think the truth is what's needed right now.

"She doesn't like me very much," I say. "She's never said anything specific, it's just how she talks to me."

"I'm so sorry. I was really hoping that one of my parents could treat you with the same respect your parents have shown me," he says. "Let's get Tyler home. Even though you've only been here a little over an hour, I'm sure it was exhausting for you."

"It was," I say. Being around his family is always exhausting for me. He gets Tyler from the daycare center, and we walk to the car. I let him drive home. He's a much better driver than I am. There's still plenty of work day left so we drop Tyler off at the daycare center and tell him we'll meet him for supper at 6:00 p.m. Then we walk hand-in-hand back to the Pire and go into our separate offices for the rest of the afternoon.