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Chapter 81

Tobias' POV

We finally catch up to the man. It's strange but it was almost too easy. We all prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. I grab a hold of the man's collar while turning him roughly around. The two guards that Zeke brought with him both grab a hold of him from either side. Only when we finally have him turned around, Zeke and I share a look as if we have both seen a ghost… The person before us is someone neither one of us ever thought that we would see again. How can this be? This can't be possible! No fucking way!

I feel the blood drain out of my face, along with its color, no doubt. How can this be? Holy shit! Am I dreaming? Maybe if I slap myself…

"Uriah," Zeke says, his tone is barely above a whisper. He sees him too? Thank God, I thought maybe I was going nuts. How?

My shocked eyes run over Uriah over and over again, probably making sure that he is in fact real. I watch him move and try to get free, only then do I notice that he is moving more in a robotic way. His eyes are glossed over and his face is expressionless. If this is really Uriah, there is something definitely wrong with him. What the hell happened to him? He barely looks human, the way his lifeless eyes move around us as if we are not even there. It's like his own brother that he grew up with isn't even right in front of him. What the fuck? I can see that his Dauntless training is still embedded within him though, as he is trying to free himself from the guards hold. Thankfully, four against one is no match for even him.

"Somethings wrong. We should get him to the infirmary right away," I suggest.

"Those sick, son of a bitches, Erudite jackasses," Zeke spits out, catching on that something must have happened to him. I can't agree with him more. My mind is going a mile a minute trying to process what is happening before us. First thing first though, we gotta get him checked out and figure out what the hell is happening.

"Alright, lets go," I say forcefully.

The two guards grab a hold of Uriah by his sides, turning him a little too roughly around while forcing him to move forward towards our destination.

"Hey, easy alright, that's my brother not some fucked up criminal," Zeke spits out at them both. They silently continue to struggle forward with a resistant Uriah who is trying to get free. I would imagine they are trying not to piss Zeke off more than he clearly already is. I know what it's like to have someone come back from the dead, afterall it was over a year ago that I myself went through the exact same thing.

Flashback

It's two o'clock in the morning and the platform is still empty. I pace back and forth going over my answers to the riddle from the note that was left for me. I know I have to be right. Just as I start to doubt my answers to the riddle and about to call it a night the train approaches and I can see a figure jump off and join me on the platform. It's then that I see it's not Marcus. It can't be, the figure that is approaching me is way too feminine.

The woman walks towards me and when she's a few feet away I can see her clearly. She has long, curly brown hair, a prominent hooked nose. She is wearing black Dauntless pants, a gray Abnegation shirt and brown Amity boots. Her face is lined with wrinkles, worn and very thin, but I know her. I could never forget her face even if I tried to. It's my Mother, Evelyn Eaton.

"Tobias,"she says barely above a whisper with wide-eyes, as if she is surprised to see me.

Hearing her voice, my mind automatically begins to recall the countless amount of memories that I have of her. Some memories are happy with her smiling, playing and chasing me in the meadows. Others are not as pleasant... She lays in a pool of her own blood, I hear her screams as my father throws her around the house, the cries that she lets out once he's gone. The blue ice sculpture that she gave me just a few days before she passed away.

"I can't imagine what must be going through your mind right now..." She says. Her words only angers me even further. I ached for her, I had cried in my bed for countless hours for her. I lived ten years of torture at the hands of my father and yet here she is alive and well. Suddenly I feel nothing at all. Nothing for this woman that I once called my Mother.

"You're supposed to be dead," I say, my voice sounds cold and emotionless. It's a stupid thing to say to her, I know that. So many people wish for this moment to happen to them. The moment when a loved one that has passed is right in front of them. The moment that you embrace them and kiss them and never want to let them ever go again. Yet right now, right this very minute... I can't bring myself to feel anything other than extreme anger and how she obviously didn't give two shits about me, her own son.

"I know. I'm not," she says, with sadness in her voice. What did she expect from me?

"Yeah, obviously. Were you ever even pregnant?" My voice remains cold and emotionless, which I am most grateful for.

"Pregnant? Is that what he told you, something about me dying in childbirth?" She shakes her head in disgust. "No, I wasn't. I had been planning my exit away from your father for months. I needed to disappear. I thought Marcus would have told you the truth when you were older," she says. Months? What the fuck!

"You thought that Marcus Eaton would confess to his wife leaving him, to me?" I nearly spit out at her.

"You're his son," she says. "He loves you," she sighs. "You have the right to be angry at me, but Tobias I had to leave. I thought you would understand why..." She trails off. She reaches for me at the same time that I grab her wrist pushing her away from me, as I step back.

"Don't touch me," I say, almost in a threatening tone. "What I understand is that you left me alone in a house with a sadistic maniac," I say.

"I-." She begins.

"Stop wasting my time. What are we doing here? What do you want from me, Evelyn?" I ask. My patience is obviously running thin. I can't believe I left my daughter for this bullshit?

"I have eyes all over the city. I was told that you joined Dauntless. I've been chosen to lead the Factionless," she says.

"Well, aren't I lucky. I have two special parents, both of them are leaders," I say coldly.

"Is there even a small part of you that is happy to see me?" She asks. I can see a small amount of hope in her brown eyes.

"Happy to see you? I barely remember you, Evelyn. I was what, nine years old?" I point out.

"When I found out you joined Dauntless, I knew I had to reach out to you, to see you again. I've always been planning to find you. I wanted to invite you to join us in Factionless," she says. What?

"Join you? Become Factionless, why on earth would I do that?" Even if I did, it wouldn't be for her.

"We can be together now, Tobias. We can be a family again," she says. "You aren't one of those mindless, danger-seeking fools. Just like you weren't ever a suffocated, stiff drone. You can be more than either of them, more than any of the faction."

"You don't know who I am. You made that choice when you left me behind. What kind of parent does that anyway?" I ask.

"I couldn't take you with me, Tobias. You were safer with Marcus," she says.

"Safer? Was I safe every night that he took a belt to my back? Was I safe the nights that he beat me so hard I fell unconscious? Was I safe when he would lock me up in a closet until he saw fit for me to come out, after days on end? Was I safe when my best friend had to risk her own life to come and help me? No! I was never safe with him. I will never understand how you could turn your back on your own child," I point out. I watch her wince at my harsh words.

"Tobias, when you have chil-" But I cut her off. Obviously her "eyes" hadn't caught on to anything really, or else she wouldn't say when I had children… she would already know that I am a father.

"When I have children?" I intersect. I let out a laugh that nearly scares us both. "I'm already a father, Evelyn. I love my child so much that I brought her here to Dauntless so I could keep her safe. I did what I had to do for my daughter, so don't you dare tell me... I don't understand what it's like. Because I made sure that my daughter was safe and far away from that monster back in Abnegation." My anger just keeps growing. The nerve of this fucking woman.

"A daughter?" She says, her tone scolding. She glances to the floor, before looking back up at me with a new defined mission. "Be as it may, you can still join me in Factionless. She will be safe in Dauntless with her Mother, just like you will be safe in Factionless with yours," she finishes. Is she fucking crazy?

"We're done here, Evelyn! I'm not leaving and abandoning my family. Not for you, not for anyone. Unlike you, I stick around for my family. Please don't contact me ever again." Just like that I turn and walk away from her and I don't look back.

Flashback ends

My mind is running a mile a minute, it's lingering on what Zeke said last. "Hey, easy alright, that's my brother not some fucked up criminal." Uriah is Zeke's brother and not some fucking criminal. Up until fifteen minutes ago this was just a fucking criminal though. The only difference is that now we know who it is…Who we want it to be, but he doesn't seem to be there. I sigh heavily, hoping for something good to come from all this.

We arrive at the infirmary, taking a little longer than normal given that we have to deal with the constant struggles that Uriah gives to us. I swear everytime he thought that someone was letting their guard down he would suddenly stop, kick and try to punch one of the guards. But again, four against one the odds are definitely not in his favor. We walk through the doors of the infirmary not bothering to stop at the nurse's desk, as we breeze on through the double doors that says, "staff only." Zeke orders the two guards into the last room in the hallway. It takes four of us to get Uriah's struggling body onto the hospital bed. For the first time I'm very thankful for the handcuffs that we all carry, as we have to use all four of them on Uriah, cuffing each one of his hands and his feet to the bed. There, he won't be going anywhere now.

"Now what?" Zeke asks, his eyes never leaving his brother who is tugging against his restraints. Funny, other than the grunts that he makes, Uriah doesn't make any sounds at all. I would expect him to lay there, struggling and perhaps yelling at us to let him free, but he never does. I stand back, glancing between Zeke, the guards and Uriah. I take a deep breath, trying to figure out our next move. We need someone that we can trust, someone that will get down to the bottom of this.

My mind instantly goes back to my initiation days, the physical exam that I had to pass was tough, but it was bearable. Doctor Harris made it easier for me by explaining the things that he was going to do to me thoroughly, as he worked and even kept his findings about the scars on my back confidential. I hated for anyone to know the real me, the damaged, weak, Tobias, me… Even though there were things about my past I never wanted to forget, Marcus and my scars were not one of them. Dr Harris never made me feel ashamed or uncomfortable in any way. He even gave Tris and Sara their physicals when each one of them arrived into Dauntless. If there is anyone in Dauntless that is in the medical field that I know I can trust right now, I know I can trust him. I walk out of the room, closing the door behind me, as I begin to go down the hall back to the nurses station on a mission.

We wait for what feels like hours as Zeke paces up and down the halls of the infirmary. The two guards from before stand guard at Uriah's door. They have been instructed that under no circumstances whatsoever are they to allow anyone other than Dr Harris, myself or Zeke into that room without our authority. Right now we can't tell anyone he is in fact here. Not yet, anyway. We don't even know what the hell happened to him, let alone how do we explain it to the others. The others like Tris who still blames herself for his death, or like his mother, who has had the worst time grieving the loss of her baby boy. How do we tell them that Uriah is back, but not really himself and worst of all we don't even know why. I stare up at the ceiling, sighing loudly. Every now and then I find myself pinching the bridge of my nose, hoping to let some of the tension out, but no matter how hard I pinch it, it doesn't seem to help me at all.

"He sure is taking a damn longtime," Zeke says. Clearly his patience is starting to run out and it's getting the best of him.

"That's a good sign-" I begin to say, until he cuts me off.

"A good sign? How the fuck is that a good sign? For all we know he is making matters worse!" He says, loudly. I can see he is on the verge of losing it big time, right here and right now. Honestly, I'm surprised he held out as long as he has, after all, it's not everyday that your brother comes back from the dead.

"Four, Zeke," Dr. Harris calls out from the doorway of his office. He gestures with a nod of his head for us to enter his office. Zeke sighs heavily, frustration clearly written all over him, as he starts to walk down the hall to the Doc's office. I look back at the guards, telling them to stay put. They nod, understanding that there will be so much hell to pay if they don't. I close the door behind me, Zeke refuses to sit down, demanding to know what is going on with Uriah. Dr Harris nods, slamming the paperwork that he is holding on the desk. I can see the past few hours have somehow aged him. He places his arms across his chest, sighing as he prepares to begin to tell us his findings.

"Well the good news is that your brother is healthy as a horse. His brain waves are active, his pulse, blood pressure, and his heart is in perfect condition. I would have called and ordered for his medical records from Erudite… But given our situation, I thought it was best not to do that," he says. I can see he wants to continue, but once again Zeke's impatience gets the best of him as he once again interrupts Dr Harris.

"So what the hell is wrong with him Doc?" Zeke asks, while raising his voice.

"Zeke," I say, gently. I know he is frustrated… But we have to keep calm if we are going to get to the bottom of all of this.

"Well that's the bad news… We don't know exactly," the Doc says. I swear I can see Zeke contemplating on killing the doctor. "Not completely anyway. From what I can gather every test is coming out perfect, other than his blood results. From what I can see he was given some kind of serum. What kind? I don't know. Now, we can give him some peace serum, as that is what is used to counteract most serums in the city, but without knowing exactly what we are dealing with it can be risky. We can keep him under close surveillance to see if it helps, but I'll be honest with you both, we don't know what this is, therefore we don't know if it will work or how," he finishes.

"Those Erudite sons of a bitches!" I swear Zeke is going to give them a new nickname by the end of the night, actually tomorrow, now that I notice it's well after midnight. Zeke paces back and forth, looking like he might punch something, a wall, the doctor or even me. Zeke can be a goofball, hell, he's known for it, but I also know he can be hot headed when he reaches his breaking point like any other Dauntless member. I know he needs his space, he needs to process this. "Can it make him any worse than he is right now? He's a fucking robot, Doc," Zeke asks, raising his voice.

"It's hard to say, Zeke, only time will tell us that." Doc looks between Zeke and I, I can see the expression on his face, wanting to say more but not sure if he should.

"What is it Doc?" I ask him.

"While examining Uriah for his initiation, I noticed certain traits that he shouldn't have. Traits that might be useful in this situation, if it's the serum that is affecting him," Doc continues, my stomach begins to drop as I process his words. He knows that Uriah is Divergent. Fuck! I stiffen with that realization. Doc raises his right hand, stopping my runaway thoughts. "I never cared nor believed in the threat of the Divergents. Most of the time I can spot them a mile away. Although Max often tried to get me to open up to him about my suspicions… I took an oath to treat my patients, not condemn them for something that is out of their control." With that I let out a huge breath that I didn't even know I was holding. I guess the stress of the night is really starting to catch up to me. I'm relieved that this isn't something more that Zeke and I have to worry about right now. "We'll begin to give Uriah the peace serum in small doses every few hours. Unless you object of course," he says, looking at Zeke.

"No, do what you gotta do to fix him Doc. Just get me my brother back," Zeke says, the last part barely above a whisper.

"I'll do what I can, Zeke, I promise you that," he says, as he picks up the file that he slammed down on the desk and exits the office. I stand there for what feels like forever in silence.

"He's gotta be alright… I can't...I can't get him back, only to lose him all over again," he says, running his hand down his face. I can see the desperation in his eyes. "God what do I tell my mom?" He asks, more to himself than to me. He shakes his head, not knowing exactly what to do. I honestly don't know what to say to that. What do you tell a mother that still has a hard time grieving over the loss of her baby boy, that he has somehow come back from the dead. Oh and to add to that, he isn't himself and we don't know if he will ever be again. We can't tell Hana that Uriah is back and then in the end take him away from her again.

"Hey Tris," I say. I can hear the sleep in her voice. I obviously woke her up, as it's three o'clock in the morning.

"Where are you? Is everything okay?" She asks. I swear I can almost hear her rubbing the sleep out of her eyes like she always does.

"I'm fine. Um," I begin to say. I turn towards Uriah's door, looking into the square glass. It's been hours since the Doc began to give him the peace serum… Although Uriah continues to struggle against his restraints, he seems to be calming down some with every hour that passes. Zeke and I both felt it was time to call Tris, Hana, Marlene and Shauna. We agreed that no one else needs to know for Uriah's safety. I called Charlotte before calling Tris. I apologized for the late hour, but I explained to her that it was urgent and that I needed her to watch Sara. So I offered to make it up to her by depositing some extra points into her card this week. Even though she declined the offer, I plan to still make due. "Listen Tris, I'm sending over Charlotte to you right now. I arranged it so she will stay in the guest room and watch Sara. I'm going to need you to get dressed and go to Hana's,"

"What? What's going on? Is Zeke okay?" She asks, frantic by my demanding tone. I don't mean to be so demanding, but I can't get into it on the phone.

"No. Um, Zeke is fine. I can't really get into it right now. Just please go get Hana and bring her to the infirmary. Ask for me when you get here…. And Tris… I love you," I say, ending the call. I don't want to lie to her, but at the same time the less information that she knows the safer things will be. Doc even closed off this wing of the infirmary, so only approved staff and the guards can pass through it.

"Thanks Shauna. Yeah, I'll see you and Marlene soon," Zeke says, finishing his call. He lets out a loud sigh, before turning back to me. "Shauna agreed to go and get Marlene. She'll be here soon. Tris and Mom?" He asks.

"Tris is waking up, she'll leave the minute Charlotte gets there. She'll go get Hana and bring her here," I say, matching his sigh. There's no turning back now.

Zeke and I decide to get some fresh air while waiting for the girls to arrive. We stand outside of the double doors of the infirmary. We stand with our hands deep inside of our pockets in silence. I can hear Shauna and Marlene come up the path first. Marlene is nicely pushing Shauna in her wheelchair, as the narrow path is hard on her arms.

"Hey guys. What is so damn important that you had to drag us out of bed at…"Shauna says, looking down at her watch, "four in the morning!" She says, whining and throwing her head back. Although I also can see the amusement in her eyes.

"Let's wait on the others," I suggest.

"The others?" Marlene asks.

"Yeah." Zeke says. "It would be easier if we do this all together." Just like that, we hear two pairs of other feet rushing up the path. We look behind Marlene and Shauna, seeing Tris and Hana rushing up the path.

"Oh thank god you are alright. I thought something must have happened to one of you…"Hana says quickly. I can see the concern on her face, as she is on the borderline of tears. Which I expect nothing less, ever since Uriah's "death," Hana has been more on edge with Zeke's whereabouts and his safety. Can you blame her though? Zeke is all she has left. Zeke steps forward, taking his distressed mother into his arms.

"I'm sorry Mom. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm alright, I promise," Zeke whispers to Hana, while comforting her. Hana finally pulls away, glancing between Zeke and I to indeed confirm that we are both alright.

"So Four, what was so damn important that you had to drag us all out of bed at this hour?" Marlene sarcastically says. I glance at Zeke, who nods at me to continue telling them what is indeed going on.

"I uh… Think it would be easier to just show you all," I say. I turn to open one of the two doors to the infirmary, letting the women in. Zeke and I both guide them all through the lobby, we then pass the nurse's station and down the corridor towards the wing that we are holding Uriah. I take a deep breath, as we reach his room's door. I glance into the glass square of the door, I feel at ease as I see that Uriah is finally resting comfortably now. I flick the end of my nose with my thumb, as I step back letting Hana look in the window first. I can see her hesitation as she steps up on her tippy toes, glancing between Zeke and I skeptically. She peeks into the window, I watch as her facial expression changes from suspicious, to confusion and then to total shock. Her face pales, as if she has seen a ghost. Although she isn't far off, really. She gasps, stepping back from the door. She glances between the two of us again, as if we have somehow played God on her.

"Uriah?" She says, barely above a whisper. "But. But. But, how?" she continues to say in shock.

"What? What did you just say?"Marlene says, confused, as she steps up to the small window. "Oh my god!" Marlene cries out, her hand flying to her mouth, as she whimpers in shock.

Tris doesn't say anything, she just steps up needing to see for herself. She gasps, glancing through the window. Unlike Hana and Marlene, Tris doesn't step back or say a word, as the tears fall down her face. Shauna sits confused, as she can't reach the small glass window in her chair. Zeke, who is prepared, had already taken a picture of Uriah struggling in bed. It's Shauna's turn to gasp, covering her mouth as the silent tears come down her face.

"How can this be?" Shauna asks. We gesture to the women to go into the family waiting room, just a few feet away from Uriah's room. I offer to get everyone some coffee as they settle in. Tris hasn't said one word since she saw Uriah… I'm starting to get concerned, as she takes a sip of the piping hot coffee, not even bothering to blow on it before taking it down. She's in complete shock, definitely in shock. We all sit around, as Zeke and I both catch the girls up on how Uriah is alive and how he is laying in the hospital bed. We are honest with them, we don't know how he is alive, or how he has come back to us. All we know right now is that someone has fucked with the wrong faction and the wrong family, and I won't stop until I figure out who and why they did this to Uriah.

A/N

Yes, Uriah is back. Well they be able to help him? See you in two weeks to find out.

On another note-

I want to take a moment to thank everyone for their condolences on my mother's passing. Who sadly passed on Christmas morning. Words cant describe how much I miss her. I appreciate all the love and support from all of you. I do plan on continuing my writing, as she always encouraged my many talents. She was a wonderful mother, wife, grand mother, great grand mother and my best friend... she will be missed and forever loved and in our hearts.

Brainstormed with: FDFobsessed

Like always happy reading, be safe and stay healthy in the New Year.

Trini