Mamawolfgirl, look what I found finished and just waiting for me to look over when I searched for the doc after mentioning it to you…
The kids are sound asleep in bed and this is what I do during 'me time'.
This story is split into three chapters and a short epilogue that I will post right after chapter three goes up.
Tris POV
"Harder!"
My voice is rough when I yell my demand but I moan loudly in satisfaction when it is followed immediately. Hastily grabbing the headboard in order to not pitch forward, I praise his efforts immediately.
"Yes, just like that. Fuck yes," I moan in appreciation when he surges deeper and deeper with his brutal thrusts. "I am close," I grunt when I am pitching forward despite my death grip on the wooden beam.
A hand dislodges from my hip and moves down to my clit. I hang my head low in order to watch the mesmerising view of the fingers rubbing me furiously, but for some reason it is the shaking Dauntless flame hidden deep inside the maze that really catches my attention. Countless times have I gotten lost inside the tunnels of Dauntless, but pushing forward, not giving up, in the end I always found what I was looking for. Is this just another one of those moments, I wonder before all rational thought leaves me as I shatter.
Harsh breaths hit my neck when Eric slumps forward, moaning and grunting his own triumphant release into my ear.
My arms are shaking so badly, I have no choice but to let go and slump forward myself. Somehow he catches me and rolls both of us onto our sides without sliding out.
Utterly exhausted from the amazing orgasm zapping the last of my energy, my alcohol fogged mind just shuts down and forces me to sleep.
…
Loud pounding on my door wakes me and I have trouble remembering what happened until I feel a heavy arm tighten its hold and a hand squeezes my breasts almost painfully.
"Ow, shit," I hiss and the grip loosens.
"Tris?"
Max's voice booms loudly and I gasp when I realise he must have let himself in.
"Tris?! You better be awake, girl. We have to catch the train in twenty minutes!"
"Oh fuck," I groan and try to sit up. Clearing my throat twice, I finally call out. "Just a moment, Max. I am almost ready!"
"Liar," a deep voices whispers into my ear.
"What else was I supposed to say," I hiss, trying to fully dislodge myself from Eric's hold and the tangled blankets. "I need to go," I whine when neither budges.
Eric sighs but helps me out of bed. I don't waste any time rushing into the bathroom, brushing my teeth while relieving myself and running a brush through my hair while rushing back into my bedroom.
The first fresh pair of jeans and jumper will have to do, I decide before quickly braiding my hair.
"I have to go," I whisper when I sit down on the bed to put my socks on.
"I noticed," Eric drawls and I take a moment to glare at him.
"Stay here until I am gone,' I demand before rushing out the door without waiting for his reply.
"Sorry, I overslept," I call out to Max who is lounging on my couch.
"No time for breakfast, Tris," Max calls when I run it to the kitchen.
"I need painkillers," I shout loudly, already grabbing the container. I swallow two dry while walking back out to grab my boots.
"Ready," Max asks with amusement clear upon seeing me so stressed.
"Yes," I hiss and throw the door wide open.
…
We make the train to Amity just in time and Max continues to tease me about my tardiness on my first official day as a leader.
Johanna is welcoming us with open arms, serving a full breakfast in her office before we start, and I am more than happy to indulge.
"So, Tris, you will be taking over for Max," Johanna enquires after the table is cleared and we just sit there with steaming cups.
"I didn't tell her yet, Jo," Max admonishes.
"Tris is a full leader, how long were you planning to wait before telling her? Choosing Day is tomorrow and we'll be busier than ever," Johanna chastises.
"I was going to tell her with enough time to spare me the monologue. This is all Eric's fault," Max complains and I can feel my features slip but thankfully they are too busy glaring at each other to notice.
"Don't you go blaming others. You are the head of the leadership team," Johanna reminds him, and while Max looks like he wants to rebuke her, he refrains.
"I felt it was wrong to dump Abnegation on you when you just left them," Max explains, and I smile at him in gratitude. I was wondering how it would be. James, the leader I replaced, was the one having do deal with Marcus, and given my relationship with Tobias, I was dreading it.
"Thank you," I state simply but with no less meaning behind those two simple words.
"Alright," Johanna claps her hands excitedly. "Let's get started then. We have so much to cover and one day is barely enough. I might have to keep you for longer," she teases but I am not sure if she actually plans to follow through.
"We'll all be busy with initiates…"
"Exactly, Max. That's why it's important to get it done before the ceremony. We can take Tris back to the city tomorrow," Johanna offers.
"But initiation," Max tries once more.
"Is Eric's responsibility!" I shudder but of course they misconstrue it. "He'll be just fine, Tris. He has done it before," Johanna whispers conspiratorially.
"He could use a woman's touch sometimes," Max wagers, and I am forcing myself to not react.
"Well, there is that," Johanna concedes. "But Tris is mine for now, he'll have to wait another year before he can have her."
Please, God, just make them stop!
"But the initiates would benefit," Max argues.
"And the whole faction will lose out if Tris doesn't know what she is doing. Scratch that, the whole city will lose out. Tris is now responsible for feeding Dauntless, providing save passage for all people and goods as well as maintaining a good all around defence."
"Don't scare her," Max groans.
"She is Dauntless, she isn't scared," Johanna says before I can open my mouth. "Now, we must get started if there is even a glimmer of hope that she'll make it home tonight."
Of course I don't make it home and I don't even make it back in time for the Choosing Ceremony. By the time I am back at the compound it is almost midnight.
…
When I step out my front door in the morning, intent on catching Eric before he heads out for the day, I am met with not only Eric but Max also, already talking in the hallway. Given his position so close to my door I can only assume Eric had the same idea. Max standing on the other side of my door let's me know he was the one interrupting Eric by heading back to his apartment.
"Tris, I was on my way to get you. Johanna called and she wants you to head back, allegedly she forgot to show you the train depot and attached storage because of an accident." Max sounds like he is posing a question.
"Well, she did turn us around when there was a trailer with logs lying sideways," I admit. "Why didn't she just walk around," I wonder out loud and Eric snorts.
"That's Johanna," he states and Max nods.
"Do I really have to go back? She just let me leave," I whine and Max nods sympathetically.
"You want to stay on her good side, Tris. We'll be fine for another day. Come on, you can borrow a truck and driver so you won't have to rely on Johanna to find someone to drive you home that late. I made you a list with things to look out for yesterday. Let's have a look before you leave," Max urges.
"I'll meet you there, I just want to talk to Eric for a moment."
Max nods but, to my utter dismay, he doesn't leave.
Eric looks at me expectantly and I don't know what to do in front of Max.
It seems Eric has pity on me.
"How about we meet for dinner tomorrow and discuss things in detail," he suggests and I nod eagerly.
"That would be great, thank you. Should I grab some food from the cafeteria?"
"I have food," Eric says loudly. "Seven?"
"Sounds good," I state and then turn around to a still waiting Max. "Bye, Eric."
Max gives me a weird look but doesn't say anything, instead he is full of chatter as to what else I should know already and if not, to ensure I learn all about it today. He is not willing to share me with Johanna much longer while he is a leader down thanks to initiation.
Just as I feared, Johanna keeps me all day and this time it is well past midnight when I finally return home. Any notion I had about knocking on Eric's door disappeared when Johanna was still talking by nine pm.
I join Tobias and Christina for breakfast.
"How is it going," I ask her when I take my seat beside her.
"I hope we weren't like them," she groans while looking at Tobias for confirmation.
"You were basically like them," he states and bites into his sandwich.
"You were supposed to be affirmative," Chris whines.
"I am affirming the believe that you guys were not much better," Tobias doubles down once he swallows his food.
"So bullies, weak links and a ton of potential," I ask.
"No," Christina says the same moment Tobias says "yes".
"Someone will be hanging over the chasm," Eric announces from behind me.
"Why," Christina screeches loudly,
"Still the same reason I gave you before," Eric deadpans. "Dauntless don't concede, we can't have people running away from a fight."
"Yes, and I told you there must be a better way," Christina repeats her already used and abused argument.
"When you convince Max of your idea," Eric allows, knowing full well Max turned down everything Christina threw at him thus far.
"Give it up," Lauren suggests, taking a seat beside Eric, who eyes her wearily. Yeah, I would too if I wasn't so unsure of where we stand. She is known for her wandering hands.
"No, I agree with Chris," Uriah says, setting his tray down opposite me and squeezing himself right in between Lauren and Eric. "Hi Tris, I missed you," he croons my way while both Lauren and Eric scowl at him.
"No, you just wanted to have an opportunity to explore Amity, maybe sneak a vial of peace serum or two," I correct.
"I could have played your bodyguard or something."
"You wanted to become an initiate trainer," I remind him.
"Yes, and mark my words, one day the 'Dauntless don't concede' lesson is going to end up with someone falling down," Uriah warns.
"That's why I am crouching down in front of them," Eric reiterates.
"And what if you get distracted," Uriah asks.
"I am always focused," Eric boasts.
"So you noticed Will and Al getting ready to force their way past you and pull me up," Christina counters.
"They wouldn't have dared," Eric states, looking at Tobias for confirmation.
"I wasn't there, thankfully; I still hate that reoccurring theme."
"Tris?"
All heads turn to me.
"Maybe,' I hedge.
"Don't lie to him. He is not your trainer anymore," Christina urges.
"I am not lying, I am just saying that I don't know if they would have gone through with it. They looked like they wanted to," I explain and everyone nods.
"Are you done with Amity?" Eric looks at me with an indecipherable expression.
"For now. Johanna promised to keep me in the loop with emails," I groan.
"Why did you get Amity anyway? Max and Johanna seem like they were chopped form the same block," Uriah wagers.
"Because Max felt that I wouldn't appreciate having to deal with Abnegation so soon after leaving them."
"But Eric still deals with Erudite." Uriah looks utterly confused.
"That's because he knows the workings of Erudite well enough to keep Jeanine from trying to pull a fast one on us. She needs to have firm boundaries set and kept or you can just forget about working with her. When the weapon's lab deals with her it's only ever former Erudite," Lauren explains for the uninitiated.
It was only Eric's presence as my trainer that saved me from being subjected to Jeanine's subterfuge. I can relate now.
"Time to go, the initiates seem to be waking up," Tobias warns and Eric hightails it out with a cup of coffee and sandwich in hand while Tobias hides behind a group just getting ready to leave.
"It's still weird to see them being cordial," Christina groans.
"Come on, we need to leave as well. Sorry, Tris," Lauren says while gathering her remaining breakfast, shoving the apple into her pocket and the muffin in her mouth.
"Damn, I wanted to grab a muffin. Look, they are already queuing," Uriah whines.
"I'll get you one… two?" Uriah nods enthusiastically. "Which exit are you taking?"
Lauren looks around and points to the emergency door in the far back.
"I'll drop it by the training room," I promise and Uriah blows me a kiss.
"Can you grab me one as well?" Christina turns around for a last minute request.
"One or two?"
She holds up one finger and runs after Uriah when she looks over my shoulder.
Turning around I see a couple of people I have never seen before and, judging by their behaviour, they can only be transfers.
One guy looks me up and down before flashing a big smile.
"Hey there…"
"Good morning," I greet and try to walk past the group, but he steps in my way. "Where are you off to, beautiful?"
"Work," I state and try to walk around him.
"And where do you work, gorgeous?"
I stare at him while there are a couple of snickers from the table beside me. My hand moves automatically to my neck to wordlessly state my position, hoping to spare him a bit of embarrassment. Unfortunately I forgot that my shirt has a high collar and, together with my hair, is covering most of my tattoo.
"The tattoo shop," he tries to guess. "I went there last night and got one," he boasts. "But if you were the one to do me, I'd come back every single day…"
The snickers beside me get louder when Eric steps up behind the unsuspecting boy and grabs my hand, the on that is still touching my collar.
"Tris," Eric greets before pulling me into his side. Then he wordlessly unbuttons my shirt, sliding it down my arms until I have to let go of the light jacket I have been holding. Shoving it between Eric's thighs is a spur of the moment decision but he doesn't seem to mind such a show of intimacy. Well, he better not after he is basically stripping me in public.
After he finally rids me of my blouse, leaving me with only my bra and tank top, Eric shoves his hand into my pocket and pulls out the hair tie I always keep there. Then he proceeds to put my hair up in a rather messy ponytail but it's enough to showcase my tattoo for everyone to see.
"This is Tris, leader to the Dauntless," he announces loudly, and there are whoops and hollers all around. "And she is unavailable," he adds quietly but in a menacing tone that has the shocked boy blanching and looking ready to faint.
He nods and stumbles after his friends who look scared shitless.
"Let's go," Eric hisses in my ear.
"I need to grab muffins for Uri and Chris," I state calmly.
Eric sighs but hands me my jacket before dragging me to the buffet. He skips the line and just grabs two muffins from the basket.
"Three," I correct quickly and with another deep sigh he snatches one more and a napkin before handing everything to me.
I wrap the muffins into the napkin and Eric pulls on my hand once more, forcing me to rush after him.
"Stop," I call after we are halfway down the first corridor. He slows down a bit but doesn't stop until we round the fourth corner, entering a hallway that is already in the currently abandoned initiation sector.
"Don't wear anything covering your status during September," he growls at me while pushing my back against the wall.
"I didn't purposely choose my clothes to hide my position," I argue back.
"But you were," Eric counters. "And there is nothing saying that you are mine either," he adds before lowering his lips to mine.
"I am not tattooing 'property of Eric' on my for forehead," I say after successfully detaching my lips from his. Eric doesn't like this and smashes his back against mine, biting gently as if he wants to reprimand me without having to waste more words. His right hand grabs my left and when he repeatedly encircles my ring finger I gasp into his mouth.
"Eww," Tobias groans behind us. "Fucking stop sucking face. This is the third time I find you two like that and be glad it's me and not the fucking initiates that I hear stumbling down the corridor."
Eric steps back and I shove the napkin in his hands.
"No!" Eric looks appalled.
"Fine,' I sigh. "Let's get me ogled and propositioned by a few more initiates," I say cheerily and Eric growls from where he is catching up behind me.
Tobias is just trying to keep his laughter quiet. If the initiates hear or see him like that he will be screwed for the next weeks.
Eric snatches the napkin out of my hand. "Don't be late for dinner," he growls while passing me when I come to a sudden halt.
"See you later,' Tobias croons while blowing me kisses. Eric elbows him but both hightail it when the first initiates round the corner.
None of them make eye contact. In fact, they all hurry past me as fast as they can, making a wide berth.
…
The morning passes in a blur, there are dozens of emails from Johanna and, not for the last time, I am wondering if Max didn't have ulterior motives for trading her.
Around eleven there is a sudden flurry of activity and, while I would normally ask if someone needs help, Johanna's voice keeps me stuck on the phone until Max rushes in, snatching the phone out of my hands. He mumbles something to Johanna before hanging up.
"Let's go!"
"What happened?" I am already throwing my jacket on.
"Someone pushed Eric into the chasm," Max announces and I simply stop in my tracks. "Come on, Tris. They are unable to take care of him at the infirmary, he'll need to go to Erudite."
"He's alive?!"
"Of course he is, that bastard was just rejected by the devil himself. If you don't believe in guardian angels then I don't know what the fuck happened today," Max growls and pulls my arm. "Come on, Tris. I'll tell you on the way but if you want to go with him you need to be there when Erudite shows up."
Max is setting a fast pace but to me it doesn't feel fast enough.
"The boy Eric hung over the chasm today apparently came with a girlfriend who jumped Eric just as he was about to grab the slipping boy. All three fell over the edge but somehow Eric landed on top of those two and right in the middle of that small side pool to boot. The other two are dead but while Eric had a strong enough pulse, he looks bad," Max warns as he pushes the doors to the infirmary open.
"Fucking finally," Tobias growls, running towards us. "He keeps mumbling your name. Go in," he orders and Max shoves me all the way through the door to the treatment rooms. It is obvious where Eric is. A dozen people are working on him, wiping, bandaging, checking, stitching and god knows what else.
"Fuck," I gasp when I see a bone and something else pierce the skin of Eric's leg.
"Tris, go up to his head and talk to him. We shot him up with morphine but somehow the adrenaline is keeping him from passing out," Anna, one of our doctors, calls out to me.
"Gonna miss dinner," Eric moans when he sees me. "Sorry," he grunts.
"Shh, we'll have it another time," I promise.
"I…" Eric's face contorts in pain.
"Are you sure the morphine went into his system," I ask Anna loudly over the buzz of voices.
"First thing we did before even transporting him and it went straight into the port I set myself." Anna gestures to where Eric is now receiving a blood transfusion.
"Tris… love you!" Eric's eyes glaze over and his head rolls back.
"Move," Anna orders and I step back immediately. "All good, he's finally given in. Morphine is working," she assures me after checking his pupils. "Seems the stubborn man had stuff to say."
How can she grin in a situation like this. "He'll be fine, Tris. Go and ask the front desk how far out Erudite are. We called them as soon as we saw Eric was alive."
"Jesus," I mutter but do as requested.
"They just pulled up," Orla, the receptionist says when she sees me. "Veronica went to bring them over. Four went with her to give them a brief overview. Doctors will have to fill in the gaps."
I nod and rush back.
"They are here, Veronica is getting them," I announce, and Anna and Jordan jump into action, working to finish their tasks. Naomi, one of the older nurses, takes pictures with a tablet. I can see her hit a few buttons while she walks to the phone mounted to the wall beside the door.
"Ivan, Naomi here. I am sending you what we have on Eric Coulter. Your guys are on the way up but this is what we are dealing with now. I'll send the file as soon as Anna and Jordan insert their notes. Check them in ten to fifteen minutes. Oh, and Tris is coming with Eric. Don't you dare kick her out! All encompassing access, no privacy restrictions. We have taped verbal consent from the patient. Thanks. Bye!"
"Eric did what," I gasp.
"He gave you power of attorney, so to speak. You are making all decisions if he can't do so himself," Anna explains while sewing up yet another gash.
"Shit!"
I look around but don't see a chair so I sink down on the floor, leaning against the wall until loud shouts announce Veronica, Tobias and the Erudite medical team's arrival, here to take Eric.
Tobias comes to hug when there is a flurry of activity. A plethora of medical terms gets thrown around and none of them sound good, well, to my uneducated mind.
"Tris, they are ready!"
I look at Veronica before I notice the Erudite wheeling Eric out the door.
"Come on," Tobias urges and he drags me out the door before I find my bearings and then it's me dragging him.
I am amazed how careful they manoeuvre Eric around the tunnels and the bumpiest parts are the god damned elevator rides.
"Remind me to ask Max for replacement elevators. These are too old. Maybe just those from the maintenance yard to the infirmary," I add when Tobias stares at me.
"I'll do that for you," he promises. "Do you have your phone or tablet?"
I pat my pockets and groan.
"One of us will bring it, don't worry." He kisses my forehead when we reach the ambulance, one of only a handful Erudite owns. "Be brave!"
His last words bring tears to my eyes. This is just the beginning of my nightmare, somehow I am sure of this. While Eric was already declared a survivor, the extent of his injuries remains unknown and seeing the way his hip is twisted, I can only imagine what the outcome will be.
Please want to survive this, I pray. Please don't let the lasting injuries define who you will be…
"We are here!"
The shout stops my repeated prayer and I cross myself before following the gurney into the hospital.
They were ready for us and before I know it, Eric has had all needed pre-operation exams done and is on his way into the operating room.
Then the waiting game begins. Max shows up after about an hour with my phone and tablet. He keeps me company for a while before Tobias and Christina show up.
Will is a godsend addition shortly after, he successfully manages to curb Chris' overwhelming candor by making her use her mouth for something better.
One by one my friends rotate in and out. Max shows up in the early hours of morning and he couldn't have timed it better. Not even a minute later a doctor, who Max greets with 'Ivan', walks in and, judging by the look on his face, the news are not good.
"Max, Tris," he greets. "Should we go to my office?"
I look around my friends. While I could use the support, I also know that Eric would hate for everyone to know details about his life that he did not choose to share himself.
"Will you guys wait here for us?"
They all nod and Max takes my hand, squeezing it gently until we are seated in front of a rather nice desk.
"Tris, you are aware that you were given power of attorney to make decisions on Eric's behalf?"
"Yes," I state quietly.
"Okay, well, there are no hard decisions to be made at this moment," Ivan says and I sigh in relief. "This doesn't mean Eric's recovery will be easy,' he warns immediately.
"But he will live," I double check.
"Yes." He nods his head for emphasis. "However, the injuries he sustained were extensive. I am sure you saw his twisted body while in the ambulance?" I nod. "Alright, the way I see it, Eric was extremely lucky. There are no brain injuries, to start with. This in itself is a miracle. The breaks will heal, we were able to set them without having to add titanium bars at this time or replace his hips. Hopefully they won't be needed at a later date but we don't know for sure. Tris, Eric sustained spinal injuries. While they do not have to be permanent, it is too early to tell which way the scale is tipping. He will be in a wheelchair for a long time, he might regain power over his lower half, but there is a chance he might not."
"What are the odds," I ask after wetting my lips and clearing my throat.
"At the moment we are looking at seventy – thirty for him having to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life."
Max curses while I just feel numb.
Ivan holds his hands up and when Max calms down he continues.
"That's the state he is currently in. As I said, once the swelling goes down we will be able to see better which vertebrae are affected. If the swelling goes down all the way he moves up to fifty – fifty. If the swelling goes down and he makes progress in therapy his chances will become better but there is always the possibility that he needs some form of assistance for the rest of his life. A walker is better than a wheelchair; a cane is better than a walker. He might even be able to walk unassisted but jumping onto a moving train will require him to be in the lucky one hundred percent or full recovery bracket."
"So, what's next,' Max asks.
"We want to keep him in an induced coma if Tris is agreeable. His body needs time to heal and his mind would hinder the progress. Tris," Ivan turns his full attention to me. "While we made incredible progress in the field of medical procedures, allowing Eric to get his bones fixed without replacing half of them and speeding up the physical healing process, the mind is still fragile as ever. He will need therapy and his outlook will determine a good part of his recovery. He will need to be watched around the clock until it can be determined that he is at peace with his future. The suicide rate for Dauntless after life altering injuries is extremely high despite counselling and at home care."
"We have been working on it for decades but once they think they are unable to function as they did before, our members take matters into their own hands," Max sighs, and I gasp in horror.
"Yes, that's why the support system has to be solid and someone as young as Eric needs to be shown his options. He has to accept his injuries before he will be able to make progress. Once he comes to terms with his current limitations he can focus on getting better. Don't let him solely focus on walking again, every setback or even lack of progress will be weight around his neck and a dark cloud over his mind," Ivan warns.
"So I need to stay with him at all times? Lock the door, hide the knives and meds?"
"No, Tris, he will be bound to a bed for a while. You have some time. I was hoping to keep him in an artificial coma for about two weeks and slowly wean him off while adding mild pain relief. We need to know how much he feels before we top him up with better ones. If all goes well he won't need many but I want you to sign off on putting him on antidepressants before he wakes." Ivan looks at me imploringly.
"Do I have to decide right now?"
"No, Tris. All I need from you is permission to keep him completely sedated for the next two weeks."
"Yes, I think that is fine," I agree. "As for the rest, I think I want to run the pros and cons by our own doctors. No offense, but any medication can have side effects and I want to make informed decisions that really benefit Eric and not the rest of us."
"That's a wise choice, I will give you a list of what I am thinking of before you leave. Would you like to see Eric?" I nod eagerly and Ivan smiles. "Max, do you want to tag along?"
"Yes," Max says with a surprisingly quiet voice. His hand finds mine again and this time I think the hard squeeze is for both of our sakes.
…
When we enter Eric's room I break out in tears, I just can't seem to help myself. Max sounds quite choked up when he tries to soothe me but in the end he just holds me while I sob into his pullover.
"It looks worse than it is. We need to keep everything aligned and that requires all the wires, bars and frames. What you should focus on is the lack of monitors. See," Ivan points around the room. "Just the one monitoring his heart rate and oxygen level."
"Okay,' I hiccup and dig through my pockets for a tissue. Ivan opens a drawer and hands me a couple. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it, not the first time, won't be the last either. Nobody can walk in and see a loved one looking like this without shedding at least one tear."
I nod and then I take two steps towards the bed.
"Can I..?"
"You can touch his cheek and talk to him. Please don't try to hold his hand just yet," Ivan requests.
I close the distance and lean over, gently moving a stray hair from his forehead.
"What happened to his piercing?"
"Oh, we had to take that out for the MRI."
"Can I have Tori come in and put it back in place? I know he loves the damned thing." I am choking up again but both Max and Ivan pretend everything is fine.
"If it's not necessary to be replaced immediately, I would like to keep it out until we release him. I am certain there will be more MRI's in his future," Ivan reminds me.
"Oh, I didn't even think about that," admit.
"You have other priorities, Tris. Your focus should always be on what Eric needs and wants, I am just here to remind you of what we can do now and later," Ivan assures and I am once more blown away by his kindness. My own dealings with my Erudite doctors have been so different.
"Hi," I whisper into his ear. "You scared me today, Eric. For a moment, I doubted a future for us, but you are a fighter. You saw what you wanted and you went for it. You made a plan, stuck to it and now we have the rest of our lives to figure things out. For now I need you to rest and think about the good times. The sun will shine again and I will be right beside you when it does. Never ever doubt that we can do this! I love you!"
I kiss his cheek as gently as I can and then I take a big step back.
"Do what you need to, Ivan, and send me the list of medications and the reason you want to use them," I request and he nods.
"I need you to sign some papers before you leave."
"Can I come back?"
"You can come back anytime, I'll leave a note in his file for those who aren't here today."
"Thank you!"
After that it's just formalities before Max brings me back to my friends. While I cuddle against Tobias' chest, Max explains most of what was said today.
Christina stays with me while I toss and turn in bed until sheer exhaustion renders me unconscious.
And so begins the routine of working, preparing everything for Eric's return to Dauntless and my daily visits to his bedside. I keep him as informed as I can but I always start and end with the same reminder from the first time I saw him in the ICU. To remember the good times, that I will be right beside him until the sun shines again and that I love him, no matter what.