Thank you for the wonderful reviews of the last chapter. I appreciate each and every one of them.

I don't normally do it this way, but there is a new character being introduced in this chapter, and I feel the need to make sure you know how to pronounce her name. She's mentioned towards the end of the chapter and you'll actually meet her in the next.

Stacia- (pronounced STAY-sha)

Chapter 37 The Kitten

"What is this?" Eli sounds semi-outraged when he notices the kitten exploring its new surroundings. I don't think he's really upset. At least, I hope he's not.

"A kitten," I answer with a tone that implies he should know this.

He rolls his eyes at me. "Why is there a kitten in our house?"

"He was offered to me, and I couldn't say no."

"Really?" Eli quirks an eyebrow at me, expressing his doubt that it was impossible for me to say no. "Who offered him to you?"

"Sophia," I say sheepishly.

Eli shakes his head and laughs. "Okay, I couldn't have said no to her, either."

"So what are we going to name the kitten?" Eli asks me as we walk to the monthly family dinner at his parents' apartment.

"His name is Dante," I inform him, changing my grip on the vegetable casserole I'm bringing this time.

"I don't get any say?" Eli teases. "You decide to bring home a kitten without consulting me, and you get to decide on its name?"

"No, Sophia named him Dante. She was trying to keep him, and since he was black, she decided he was a Dauntless cat."

Eli chuckles and sets down a squirming Ezekiel. His little legs start moving as soon as he realizes he's on the ground. He knows we are almost to Grandma's and Grandpa's. "From what Tami told me, that girl is something else, isn't she?"

Before I can answer, we reach Taylor's and Abram's door. Ezekiel is already knocking on the door with his little fist. Taylor had to have been waiting nearby. He doesn't knock that hard, and yet she opens it almost immediately. Ezekiel laughs and holds his arms up so she can pick him up.

"There's Grandma's boy!" Taylor exclaims, picking him up. She turns around and walks in. The door starting to close on us.

Eli shakes his head. "Do you think we could just leave and eat dinner by ourselves? I'm not sure anyone would notice we are gone."

I look Eli and at the food I hold, debating the idea. "Let's try it." I think he's joking, and I am, too…sort of. But Eli surprises me by grabbing my elbow and turning me around.

"What are you going to try?" Nick surprises us from right behind us.

Eli and I both start laughing. "Nothing," I answer, recovering first.

Eli opens the door for me, still chuckling.

"It's not nothing," Nick accuses as he follows me in. He takes in the sight of Taylor and Abram both sitting on the floor with Ezekiel. They have already pulled out his stash of toys, and I'm pretty sure it has grown since we were here last month. He looks at Eli and shakes his head. "You were going to duck out on us and leave Zeke here, weren't you?"

Eli grins at him. "If you hadn't caught us at the door, you wouldn't have even noticed."

Before Nick can respond to that, Ezekiel toddles up to me, holding a black stuffed animal. I set the casserole on the counter and kneel down next to him. "It looks a little like Dante, doesn't it?"

Ezekiel babbles something back to me. He's got a few words down, but not the ones he needs.

"Dante?"

A string of "d's" and an excited nod follow.

"Who is Dante?" Taylor asks. She followed Ezekiel over to us.

"Evidently, Dante is our new kitten," Eli answers, trying to sound put out.

"You got a cat?" Nick asks, amused. "How did you end up with a cat?"

"Ask Hana how we ended up with a cat." Eli turns the conversation to me.

I give him a small glare for making me part of his game but then I suddenly wonder if he mentioned my accidental meeting with Sophia and Tami to anyone in his family. "He was given to me the last time I went to Amity."

There is silence while everyone wonders if they should ask about the cat or not. Abram, who probably knows the most about Amity counseling, is the one brave enough to ask. "Why did they give you a cat?"

"I met a little girl when I was there the first time. We became friends. I even had dinner at her house with her family one night."

Taylor's eyes whip up to mine, begging me to tell her the girl was her granddaughter. "What is her name?"

I smile at Taylor. "Sophia gave us the cat. I couldn't turn her down."

Taylor presses her lips together and tears gather in her eyes. Ezekiel climbs up on her lap. Automatically she cuddles him close, kissing his head. "What is she like?"

Dante scampers around the apartment, checking out his kingdom. Ezekiel's laugh rings out as he chases him. He reaches out to grab the cat and tumbles down. I work hard not to react. Eli's always on me that I need to act more like a Dauntless mom, instead of a Stiff, but it's hard to not run to him when he falls. My head understands what Eli tells me. I realize that if Ezekiel is going to make it in Dauntless, I can't handicap him as child by making him afraid to fall. The mother in me, the Stiff mother in me, wants to run and protect him from hurting himself.

I turn slightly so I can see Ezekiel look around and when he realize no one is watching get back up and resume his pursuit of Dante.

"What happened?" Eli calls to me as I get ready to leave for work.

I hate when he starts conversations in the middle and expects me to know what he is talking about. "What happened with what?" I call back.

Eli's holding Ezekiel when he appears in the bedroom. He points to the red streaks on Ezekiel's arm. "Don't tell me you didn't notice those."

It's my turn to smile. Eli is the one over reacting this time. "He pulled Dante's tail. I waited until he finished crying and cleaned it up." I stretch up on tip-toe and Eli leans down to kiss me. Then I kiss Ezekiel. "Have fun! I'll see you after work."

Eli puts Ezekiel down and takes me in his arms. "You're starting to get this Dauntless mom thing down, you know that?" He leans in and kisses me better, longer, now that his arms are free. "Wake me up when you get home."

Something is wrong. I try to play it calm, like Eli wants me to, but my heart tells me that something isn't right. Ezekiel is quiet, except for his breathing. Suddenly, all I can hear, all I can concentrate on, is his breathing. Hurriedly, I wipe my wet hands on the kitchen towel and run to the family room. I don't care if Eli says I'm not being Dauntless; there is something wrong with my baby.

Ezekiel sits on the floor, Dante half on his lap and meowing pitifully. Ezekiel is choking. I drop down on the floor next to him, grab him, and open his mouth looking for anything stuck in his mouth. I don't see anything. I turn him over on my lap so he is facing down and hit him between the shoulder blades like Bekah showed me to do, but nothing comes out.

Tears start to blur my vision as I stand up, clutching Ezekiel. I don't want to over-react, but I can't let something happen to my baby. I race out of the apartment, not even checking to make sure the door closes behind me.

I run to the elevator. I know that frantically pushing the button won't make it come any faster, but I can't stop myself. I have to do something to get Ezekiel help. I can't just do nothing while my baby… I stop my thoughts there; I can't let them continue on. "Come on. Come on," I mutter, trying to decide if it would be quicker for me just to run down the nearly two dozen flights of stairs to the Pit.

The doors finally open on the empty compartment. I push the button for the Pit. I wish Chaz and his elevator key were with me. He could ensure we didn't get stopped on the way down. I wonder if Natalie can get me a key for that?

Ezekiel's breathing is marginally better by the time we make it to the floor of the Pit. The two people who joined me in the elevator stand aside so I can get out first. I race through the Pit, holding Ezekiel close. I only see obstacles, not people, as I weave my way to the infirmary.

I burst through the door of the empty waiting room. "Help!" I yell breathlessly. Ezekiel gives a weak cough. Bekah pops out of the exam room. "He's not breathing!" I gasp.

Bekah rushes over and tries to grab Ezekiel from me. My arms are locked around him. "Hana, give him to me. Hana, let go."

I try to loosen my grip, but something deep inside won't let me.

"Hana, let go of him." Her voice becomes more urgent.

"I can't." The anguished whisper slips through.

Bekah puts an arm around me and guides me to the exam room. She pushes me into a chair and kneels in front of me. "Turn him around."

It takes everything I have to turn Ezekiel around so he faces Bekah.

Everything slows down and yet speeds up, while Bekah checks him. "He's breathing is getting better. He's going to be okay," Bekah reassures me after she takes the stethoscope out of her ears. "I want to put him on oxygen for a while. He's not going to like it and as he starts feeling better, he's going to fight it. Don't let him pull off the mask."

I nod dumbly, unable to get anything past my frozen lips. I rest my cheek on his head. Tears of relief seep through my lashes. If anything happened to Ezekiel. I'm not sure I could survive it.

The sunlight through the window fades as I rock a sleeping Ezekiel in his room. Bekah warned me he would be tired and probably sleep until dinner, but I've lost all track of time, just holding him close and listening to him breathe. I've tried twice to stand, to put him in his own bed, but I can't do it. I can't come that close to letting go of him. Right now I'm afraid that he'll have problems breathing again, and I won't hear him.

"Hana?" Eli's panicked voice carries to Ezekiel's room.

I don't yell back to him, because I don't want to chance waking Ezekiel up. Instead, I carefully stand and shift him ever so slightly so I can carry him more easily and head to the hallway. "We're here," I say just loudly enough for him to hear me when we stand in the doorway.

"What happened?" He rushes to us. "I was in Candor fixing a camera that was down. Tanner met me at the train and told me Zeke had been in the infirmary and to come straight home."

I don't bother to hide my tears. "He couldn't breathe, Eli. It was the scariest thing ever. He was choking and there was nothing in his throat and the elevator wouldn't come and it seemed to move so slowly once it did. I ran to the infirmary and..." My shoulders start to shake.

Eli's arms wrap around me, enfolding both Ezekiel and me in his strength. "Shhhh, it's alright. It's over, and he's okay."

I start to calm down, but I finally give voice to the fear that's been building in me ever since I got him home. "What if it happens again?"

I try to use Dante to keep Ezekiel close to me. He's fascinated with our kitten and wants to be where ever Dante is. After I get home off work around mid-day, I pick Ezekiel up from daycare, and when we are home, I put Dante in whatever room I am working in to help keep my son close to me.

I only leave them alone in the family room for a minute to grab the clothes from the dryer. When I get back, it's the same sound all over again. "No!" I scream. Dropping the laundry basket, I grab Ezekiel and start the race to the infirmary all over again.

Eli is in Dauntless today, so this time he sits with me, holding Ezekiel's hand, while I hold Ezekiel and keep him from taking off the oxygen mask that Bekah has put on him again. "Was it this bad last time?" he finally asks. I hear the pain in his voice.

"Close," I whisper softly, "but maybe it's just a difference in how long it took me to get here last time."

Eli leans down and lifts Ezekiel's hand to his lips and kisses it. "Why is he suddenly having problems?"

"I think it's asthma." I look up and see Bekah standing in the doorway. "It's a condition that causes airways to be inflamed and causes problems in breathing. I've contacted Erudite and they have scheduled a respiratory therapist to come and evaluate him tomorrow."

I prepared for the possibility that Marisa would be the respiratory therapist, but with the appointment being in Ezekiel's name, she had no idea to expect me. Her eyes grow wide with surprise, but she recovers quickly. "You look familiar. Have I met you before?"

I give her a small smile. "I had smoke inhalation shortly before our Nuptials Day. I think you were my therapist." With Eli next to me, I don't mention we were both involved in Ava's escape. She should know that as well as I do.

She looks at me and then at Eli. "That's right. I'm guessing Ezekiel is your son."

"Zeke," Eli corrects her.

Marisa smiles. "Zeke." She holds out her arms for him. "Can you come see me?"

Ezekiel looks at me as I hand him over to a stranger. "Mommy!"

I step closer, giving him my hand to hold. "It's okay. Mommy's right here. Marisa won't hurt you."

Marisa gives a small laugh. "I'll try not to, but some of the treatments I end up giving… kids act like I am."

"Bekah mentioned she thinks it might be asthma."

She puts on her stethoscope and listens to him breathe. "Listening to him, and reading Bekah's documentation, I'd have to say there is a good chance she is right."

"So what do we do?" My voice trembles.

There is something about the way Marisa acts as we get ready to leave that has me feeling like she needs to talk to me. I leave Ezekiel's bag in the room and we head out with Eli carrying him. We set the follow-up appointment with Bekah, like Marisa told us to do, and then leave. When we get to the door, I pretend to realize I forgot the bag. "Why don't you head on to your parents? I'm sure your mom wants to know how everything went. I'll grab the bag and catch up, probably before you reach the elevator."

"You think I'm that slow?" Eli asks, offended.

"No, I think your son is going to want to walk, and whenever he hears the Chasm…"

Eli smiles. "He has to check it out." He leans down and kisses me. "Don't take too long."

I turn around and head back in. "Back so soon?" Bekah asks.

"I forgot the bag." I head back to the room, hoping she won't follow me and that, if I'm right, Marisa is still there. "I'll just grab it and be on my way."

"Okay, I've got a checkup in room three. I'll see you at dinner." She heads off to one exam room, and I head off to the other.

Marisa is still in the room, working on the computer. A look of relief crosses her face. The bag is close to her. "Can you contact Natalie?" she whispers as I bend down to pick it up.

"Yes."

A look of relief crosses her face. She hands me a folded up note. "Normally I can, but right now…"

"I'll make sure she gets it." I tuck the note inside my bra, just to make sure it doesn't accidentally fall out of my pocket.

"As soon as possible, please. You'll understand when you read it. She should give you a response by Zeke's next appointment."

I scan what I've typed for Marisa. It's enough to make my blood run cold.

E has been having some breathing problems. We ended up seeing M about this and she asked me to pass this message on to you.

"Left the tablet on five minutes and twelve seconds. Erudite has developed a handheld detector to trace down some signals they've been finding at random intervals. Don't know if it is just me, or if there is something else causing them. The last time I messaged you they were on my floor when I shut it down. It's not safe for me to use my tablet. I'm going to have weekly appointments with H for a while. Can we use her to communicate for now?

The new Aptitude Test is progressing. They will probably start using it this year or next. I should have more information next week. Am I supposed to try to slow them down? I don't know that I can."

I try to be very careful. Turn it on, download messages, turn it off, read the message, write a reply, turn it on, send the message, turn it off. Every single time. I never come close to five minutes at a time, but now I'm worried. Is this going to happen to me, too? With a deep breath, I turn on the tablet, send the message, turn it off, and hide it again, hoping I didn't have it on for too long.

"Hana," Miles comes up to my desk, "you need to get to the infirmary right away."

I turn my head to Miles, and I stand up as I ask, "What's wrong?"

"They just took Zeke to the infirmary with breathing problems again. They used his inhaler and it got better, but they are taking him there just to have him checked out."

I start moving to the doorway without even locking my computer. This is getting crazy. What happened to cause such a healthy boy to suddenly have so many problems?

"He's had another attack." Marisa flips through his chart. "Hana, Eli, we need to figure out what is causing this. If we can figure out what is causing the attacks, maybe we can reduce the attacks, possibly eliminate them, but right now, just reducing them would be a welcome improvement."

I nod. "How do we figure it out?"

Marisa pulls the rolling chair next to the seats Eli and I are using. "Our first step is to try to figure out if anything changed right around the time it started. Has he been eating anything new? Have you started using any different cleaning chemicals?" We shake our heads no to each one.

Then Eli speaks up. "We got a cat."

Dante meows pitifully in laundry basket we have put over him, with a couple of hand weights Eli keeps in the apartment on top of it to keep him in. "Who do we give Dante to?" I ask Eli worriedly. "He came from Sophia. I don't feel like we can give him to just anybody."

Eli looks at the cat and then at me. "I know. I feel bad about getting rid of him, and she didn't even give him to me."

"Everyone I can think of, we go to their apartment. Whoever we give him to has to be someone we don't visit."

Eli thinks for a minute. "Someone that Tami knew…" His voice trails off. Suddenly he snaps his fingers. "Stacia."

"Who's Stacia?"

"Stacia was Tami's best friend growing up. I think she works on the Factionless Patrol. She's a widow with two little girls. The older one is Sophia's age and the younger one is around Amar's age, I think."

I think about it for a couple of moments. "I think that's the best we can hope for."

"I'll go see if Mom knows where she is." Eli stands and walks to the door.

"Eli!" I call quickly before he reaches it. "Go change your clothes. You helped catch Dante and his fur might be on you." Eli changes directions to our bedroom. "Throw your clothes in the washer. I'm getting ready to start another load."

When I explained why Abilyn was Shauna's mom, I explained there are different ways I get names. Well, there is a real Stacia, and she's being used in this story because…it's a small, small world. When Bahrfamily and I were still getting to know each other, she mentioned where she went to college. I instantly recognized it as the school one of my best friends from high school attended. As we emailed, we discovered that Stacia, my friend, was an RA in the same dorm Bahrfamily lived in (different floor) and they had some mutual friends. Anyway, just because the fact that we both knew Stacia (and because of her, Bahrfamily and I were actually in the same place for 3 or 4 days when I visited Stacia on Spring Break one year, but didn't meet), I knew at some point in time I was going to have to use her name in this story. Turns out that now is the time.