Summary: Hannah finally wakes up in Dauntless, to find that life is extremely different. Eric spends the day trying to figure out some of the puzzle pieces of her life while trying not to throw her over the chasm.
Chapter 3
I trudge back into the room that Hannah is in, there appears to have been no movement in the night from the girl. She is still sickly pale, and her hair remains unwashed and matted to her head. Her arms are still in the restraints from last night, a small impression already evident on her skin.
"We started weaning her off the sedation about an hour ago. She should wake within the next hour or so. Some guards will be stationed outside of her room for at least the day. We will see how she is when she wakes. She may be a bit out of it, and with the number of medications in her system she may be slightly nauseous, nothing to worry about." Foster says from her spot as she looks over Hannah's vitals.
"I just sit here and wait for her to wake?" There are plenty of things in this faction that I could be doing rather than sitting on my ass.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen!" Foster scuffs in my direction as she fixes one of the dressings near her shoulder.
I pull my tablet out, to get a start on the paperwork Hannah has already created. An email pops up from Four informing everyone about Zeke's condition. He needed a single blood transfusion, ten stitches in total, and a course of antibiotics to help fight off any infection. He wouldn't be returning to any patrols for the rest of the week and getting out of the hospital at the end of the day.
I started with the incident report regarding the patrol, and another about our pursuit of Hannah. Filling in the details, without making it sound like we had almost been defeated by a teenage girl, I sent the reports on to Max.
The next email was the daily agenda for the leaders: leaders meeting in the morning, a complete faction meeting in regard to Hannah after lunch, and finally, collective faction leaders meeting in the evening. I had been excused from all of them to keep an eye on Hannah and keep the peace between her and the rest of the infirmary.
A moan reminded me that someone was in the bed in front of me. She had yet to open her eyes, but from the twitch in her body, she was becoming aware of the fact that she wasn't outside but instead strapped down to a bed. Standing, I headed to the door to alert a nearby nurse that she was waking up.
I heard the scream before I could get the attention of a nurse. I could understand why some of the nurses refused to acknowledge me. She had pulled herself as upright as she could with the restraints on. The screaming continued as she thrashed around the bed. The violent movement had caused some of the wires that were attached to her to snap off, and the machine alarms started to loudly beep in the room.
Foster and a nurse named Millie came running into the room. Grabbing an arm each they tried to hold her down. Raising her head slightly she pushed her mouth out, grabbing a chunk of Millie's hair between her teeth. Millie instantly let go of her arm and tried to jump out of the way, but Hannah's teeth gripped tighter on the hair, not allowing her to get too far.
I shouted for the guards to get into the room, pointing to her arms before heading towards Millie. Reaching forward I grabbed a hold of Hannah's jaw, pushing until her teeth were forced to release the hair. As Millie cleared out of the way, I moved to stand in front of Hannah, she squirmed her head around, trying to force my hand from her face.
Tightening my hold on her head, making her look directly at me. Her eyes were wide, and not really focusing on anyone, but trying to see everyone and everything at the same time. From the glare, it was obvious she was concluding that she was trapped and that did little to help her mood. As a last attempt to get me to remove my hand from her face she spat in my direction. With how close I was standing she hit me perfectly under the eye. The wetness soaked into my face and did not help calm me down either.
"You do not treat your leader in that manner." I snap at her enough venom behind the words to scare most Dauntless soldiers.
"You are not my leader, get your hands off me." She screamed, still fighting for dominance with my hand on her face.
"You're in my faction now. You will listen and respect me." I command at her, but it doesn't have the desired effects.
"Bite me."
Foster lets out a laugh at the comment, as she continues to hold down one of Hannah's flailing arm.
"I'll leave that to you, Princess. Now you need to lie back down, or I will have you strapped to this bed for the rest of your days. Do you understand?" She looks away from me, trying to block me out. I jerk her to look at me. "I asked you a question."
"You can shove that question where the sun doesn't shine."
My anger for her is increased and I lift my hand to slap her before Foster reaches over to stop me. "Hannah, please Eric is just trying to help you. We all are, but we can't help you if you wouldn't let us."
"Don't say my name." She spits out at Foster.
"Well, then what do we call you?" Foster responds in turn.
"I don't give a damn what you call me. You can take all your help back, I'm fine on my own."
I scuff at her response, and she snaps her glare towards me. "Come on Princess, you need help and you're going to get it. You are not the only one here that needs these nurses. You are going to answer their questions and only then will they walk out of this room. Stop fighting them."
"Are you not meant to be all about the fighting?"
"We are the protectors of the city, and sometimes we fight amongst ourselves to see who is the strongest, but our main aim is to serve this city and the other factions." I clarify for her, staring her down as if she was a clueless initiate.
"But not us. Not us lowly scum who crowd your streets. Doesn't matter what happens to us? What makes me so worth your time and effort. Not enough women to shag here, you had to drag us into it as well."
"No one will be doing any shagging in here, and most certainly not under my watch."
She looks at me confused as if she is trying to figure out my trick or angle. "Why now?"
"If you must know, the council decided to bring all the factionless back into the factions, to help you find your place in society."
"I certainly don't want to be here."
"Amity more your style? Probably shouldn't have introduced yourself with your teeth."
"You bastard." She snaps at me, no longer shouting, but clearly pissed at the situation.
"Okay, that's enough you two." Foster projects herself into the conversation, pushing me away from Hannah's face. "As Eric says the council decided that it needed to do something to help everyone, not just those in the factions. That means we help you to find where your place is here. It's first going to be allowing your body to recover from your time out there. I just need to ask you a few questions, talk to you about your treatment and then you can have your lunch. I hear we are having spaghetti; you will love it. Will you let me at least do that?"
"Get them off me." She jesters to the guards and restraints on her arm.
"Hell no!"
"Sure"
Foster and I answer at the same time, staring at each other. "The guards will step away and out of the room, as long as you behave. We will see how things go before lunch; we might let you have some more room."
I raise an eyebrow at her suggestion, before nodding for the guards to step away from the bed. As they left go of Hannah, she jerks towards one of them, causing him to stumble backwards. Hannah laughs at his reaction, and I can only roll my eyes, making a note to reprimand the guard when I get a free moment.
Instead, I turn my attention to Hannah. "Behave," I order her as the guards leave the room.
"Now we were able to go a few tests when you first came in. you have an infection in your lungs, it's common among the factionless. We have started you on a course of antibiotics, that should clear it up, if you have been experiencing any kind of cough or you find it hard to catch your breath, that would explain it. You have a condition called Hepatitis B; it is an infection of your liver. Most people have been vaccinated against it, but unfortunately, you don't seem to have any antibodies which would lead me to believe you have received it. Erudite have made efforts to create medication that should clear the infection completely. We also gave some antivirals to stop the replication and should limit any more liver damage. There is some damage already on your liver, so I would advise against drinking any alcohol, till we are seeing some of the damage come under control."
I notice that Hannah is not paying must attention to Foster instead she's staring out the door. I slam my hand down on the counter beside me. Foster and Millie turned to look at me, Hannah looks unfazed. "Pay attention, when you are being spoken to."
"It doesn't matter. People get sick, and then they die. It's just the way life goes." She has yet to look me in the eye.
"Oh no, dear. You should recover from everything. You will need to keep an eye on your diet, drink plenty of fluids, and rest but within a few weeks, you should be feeling a lot more like yourself. I know it's a lot to take in." Foster steps forward to reassure her.
Hannah snaps, "Oh it's so good to know: I'm just some diseased rat you picked up from the street. I'm sure you are so excited to add me to your ranks."
Foster looks fed up and obviously getting close to her fuse, as she snaps. "This is not your fault. We are here to help; I know you have been on the streets for a while. We can maybe try and find some family."
"I have no family. How sad, no family, no faction." It's obvious that her sarcasm is a defensive mechanism, but it still pisses me off.
"Everyone has parents, when was the last you saw yours?"
"My mother died the winter I was thirteen." She states, not looking directly at anyone.
"Your father?" I pip from my corner.
"Don't know who he is. Probably some faction man looking to keep a little factionless girl warm for a night." She scrawls as she speaks.
"Does that happen often out there?" Millie questions.
"There are plenty of us out there, doesn't matter what you do to us. We are just dick warmers." Anger now rising in her voice.
"This happened to you too?" Foster questions, although we all know the answer.
"It just happens," Hannah states as she stares at all of us as if we were discussing the weather. "Right, I thought you said I was getting lunch, or are you just going to starve me as well?"
"Of course, we can go through more after you have eaten. Millie go fetch Hannah's lunch for us. We are going to talk more after, in case you have any questions." Foster says walking towards the door, Millie following, only leaving to get Hannah's food.
"When can I leave?" She says as her eyes follow Foster to the door.
"We have been through this already. You will be staying here." I state as I push myself off the counter I had been leaning on.
"I want to leave."
"This is your home," I tell her, anger also clear in my voice.
She huffs at me, trying to turn herself away from us. If she was not in restraints, I picture she would have crossed her arms as she stomped out of the room. At that moment Millie has returned with a tray: it has a small bowl of spaghetti bolognese, a piece of bread and water. Foster has already stepped back to the bed to remove one of her restraints. I grab the small packet of cutlery that was sitting beside the food and pocketed them. It was then placed on the overbed table, placed in front of her.
"You don't trust me; think I'm going to kill someone with a spork. You want me to eat like an animal." She snarls at me, only making the animal comment stick.
"You act like one, we treat you like one." I snarl at her.
It was the wrong thing to say to her, as she swipes her arm at the table, causing the food to fly landing at my feet. It sprays up my uniform. She starts yanking at her restrained arm. The guards come in at the commotion. She screams in frustration when she fails to get herself free from the restraint the guards manage to get her free arm locked back into place.
"I can play this game time and time again, and I will always win." Lifting the spaghetti mess at my feet, I place it on top of her head, watching as she strains to get away. "This is the only lunch you will be getting."
She growls in my direction, opening her mouth to continue bickering at me, but Foster pulls me away.
"Alright, I think we will stop here. Eric take a break, go change, and get yourself lunch. When you are both in a better mood we can try again."
Without even looking at her, I stomp out the door, heading back to the main compound as I climb the stairs. People glance at my appearance, but no one dares to make a comment. Waking into the main dining area I spot Nate already at a table full of people, Four being one of them.
Heading over to the table, Nate looks up and as soon as he sees me he chuckles. "What happened to you? Couldn't find your mouth?"
"She's dead, I'm going to kill her." I snap as I sit down beside him, knowing that everyone's eyes are on me, and it only increases my anger.
"Eric, you heard what Max said. You are to keep her alive." Four states from his spot beside Tris. Ever the voice of calm and reason, again causing me to snap at him.
"Shut up. You haven't even met her, so I don't know what you are talking about. She doesn't want anything that they are doing to help her. Anything we say is a joke to her, she would be better being chucked back out on the streets where she belongs."
"It's all new to her, she's probably scared out of her mind," Nates says around a mouthful of spaghetti. "Give her some time, you know how long it takes for the initiates to settle."
I grab the plate Nate is eating from and pull it in front of me, listing the fork set by my seat to stab a mouthful. After a bite, I look over at the rest of the table. "If she wants to be factionless, let her be I'm not wasting my time on her, at least the initiates want to be here, even if they are pathetic."
"It hasn't even been a day, let her get used to everything before you go full scary Dauntless leader on her," Christina says from her seat beside Tris. Who does she even think she is? Why is she even sitting at the same table as me?
"Shut up initiate." I scowl in her direction.
"It's been almost two years." She retorts back: once a Candor always a Candor. They don't know when to shut their mouths.
Finishing the food in front of me, I stand nodding at Nate and turning to Four. "You tell Max she goes; we shouldn't be wasting our resources and my precious time on such an ungrateful bitch."
"You already know what Max is going to say. Get changed, grab a coffee and go before he sees you left her alone with Foster." Four responds as he continues to eat his lunch.
I groan but reluctantly follow his suggestion. Trying to avoid anyone who would feel like they could ask me a question, and then head down to the infirmary.
The guards are now standing outside of her room, and she looks to be alone in her room. Foster is at the nurse's station. She waves me over to her.
"She is currently cooling down. She's going to be able to leave the hospital tomorrow. We just need to make sure she will continue to take her medication once it's not going in her IV. Have they any idea where she is going to stay?" She asks me not even looking up from her computer. If it was anyone else I would have demanded their attention. But I learn quickly everyone needs someone on their side in the infirmary.
"I'm sure Max will let me know after some of his meetings. Is she really safe to be let out?"
"She's going to need someone to stay with her. I wouldn't trust her in the slightest, but we need the beds." Foster looks up at me, I'm staring into her room watching her glare around, probably looking for a way out. "Just go in and sit with her. She's been alone for a while who knows what plan she's trying to come up with. She didn't eat much for her lunch. She's meant to be gaining weight." Before I even answer she heads over to another nurse.
Pulling out my tablet I see that I already have emails that need answering, and more forms that need my approval. Walking into the room, I don't acknowledge her. I do note that although the food is out of her hair a stain remains. She doesn't even look up at me.
I click on my tablet, going through the items in my inbox. A few nurses come in and check up on Hannah throughout the day, but she never mutters a word. Dinner is brought down for us both. It is placed in front of me, out of reach from Hannah. Chicken and rice. Setting my tablet down, I finally look up at her. She looks to be seriously staring at the food this time. She's probably hungry, who knows the last time she properly ate.
"You want some?"
She looks over at me, judging my face and my question. "Are you expecting me to eat it out of the bowl like a dog?"
"Are you going to throw it at me again?" I say as I hold out her food.
"You never know." She fires back, but even her tone is half-hearted.
"I will uncuff one hand, and if you look like you're going to act out, I will strap you down and throw this away." Holding onto the food for the bribe that it is.
"I want a fork. How do you expect me to eat?"
"Your hand has been able to do plenty already."
"I want a fork." She demands.
"Hands," I command right back.
"Spoon?" She questions with an eyebrow.
"Fine, but you hand it back to me the moment you finish eating." I head over to her, setting the food down before lifting up her arm to unlock her. The restraint slides off her, but I keep a hold of her arm. "Remember if you so much as think anything about emptying your food on me it will be gone."
She nods her head as I let go of her hand and set a spoon on her table. I stand beside her as she lifts the first bit to her mouth. When I'm certain she wouldn't lash out I head back over to my chair to watch her as I eat.
The room falls back into the familiar silence from before. As she finishes up with her food, there's a knock near the door. Nate stands at the entrance grinning at the two of us, holding a plate of cupcakes.
"Thought I would come down and see how you have been getting on since lunch. I see no one is wearing this meal." He saunters over and hands me a cupcake, before walking over to the bed. "I'm Nate, I don't know if you remember but we meet last night."
I stare at her as she looks at Nate and then at the cupcake he has placed on the table before her. "What is it?"
"It's a cupcake, don't worry nothing poisonous about them, just a little after-dinner treat." When she doesn't grab it straight away Nate turns to me. "Go on Eric, eat it up, show her it's fine."
"You didn't make these?" I retort knowing exactly who my best friend is.
"Nope straight from the kitchen." I take a bite after he answers my question. Hannah watches me swallow before she reaches forward for her own. She takes a bite, and you can tell it's new for her, I don't picture many sweet treats laying around for the factionless.
"What time is your meeting tonight?" I question Nate to avoid the awkward silence that fills the room.
"It starts in ten, so I need to be going, just want to check you had not killed each other yet."
"There's still time," Hannah says in between mouthfuls of her cupcake.
Nate turns to look at her before he laughs. Looking back at me before speaking. "I like her, we need to keep her."
Both Hannah and I scuff at his response, but he seems oblivious to any offence having taken place from either one of us.
"Well Hannah, I just wanted to say welcome and hopefully I will be seeing you soon." He bows before her, heading out the door.
I stand up and head over towards her, lifting the spoon from the table. "Finish your cupcake, and then I will strap you back in," I command her.
"How am I meant to sleep with these on me? I thought the nurse lady said I needed rest." She retorts, talking back like a smart ass who needs to be hung over the chasm.
"I'm sure you will do just fine, close your eyes and shut your mouth. If not Foster can give you something to knock you out again." When she rolls her eyes at me, I continue: "Go to sleep, tomorrow you should be getting out of the infirmary and then we can discuss what happens from there." I pull my tablet back into my hands and continue where I left off. Glancing up every so often to check on her. Not long, her head has rolled back, and her mouth is hanging open.
The first day is completely done, and already I know she's going to ruin everything.