Finally having spent himself in a fit of rage directed at the nurses, Eric fell into one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs made for visitors. He wasn't a visitor, he'd made that perfectly clear to the nurse who had reassured him that Tris would be okay.
He was a leader, simply overseeing the health of his trainee. And he might beat her senseless if she didn't wake up soon so that he could berate her for not taking better care of herself.
She had been diagnosed with simple exhaustion. The girl hadn't been eating enough to sustain her through the... vigorous training Eric was putting her through.
For a long moment, as he watched the IV pump nutrients and electrolytes into her tiny arm, his stomach fluttered uncomfortably with a near foreign feeling.
Guilt. It hit him suddenly and hard, but Eric was very practiced in suppressing his emotions and he was soon focused on watching the girl breathe instead. He watched her chest rise and fall steadily, allowing his own breathing to slow in time with hers. The feeling of guilt disappeared, slowly but surely.
Tris would be fine. In fact, she got the day off from training because of her inability to care for herself. If anyone was truly at fault, it was the girl herself.
Still, the sight of her lying so peacefully on the hospital bed provoked him, and not only because she was supposed to be in the training room with him right now. He eyed her without a hint of disdain, as she was unconscious and there was no other audience for the time being.
Her lips grabbed his attention first, pink and just slightly parted. It bothered him that he knew they were just as soft as they looked. He wouldn't kiss her again, he'd promised himself that much, but it was tempting. To press his lips to hers again, and this time she wouldn't push him away. She wouldn't even know.
Somehow, the idea became so appealing that he stood and moved closer to her bed. Just to see her better.
With her golden hair around her head like a halo, she looked like a tiny angel lying peacefully in front of him and he took the opportunity to appreciate the sight. It wasn't often he got to see his trainee so unguarded.
She really was too thin, he would have to make sure that she attended mealtimes even if he had to pretend like he didn't know the softness of her lips or the heat between her legs.
Just as he reached out to brush her messy hair behind an ear, loud footsteps interrupted his trance and he pulled back as if he had been burned by her soft hair.
"What?" He snapped, sneering at Four as he appeared in the doorway of Tris' room.
The other man gave no inclination that he'd seen Eric reach out to Tris, but then, Four always was the very picture of indifference.
Even as he stood in the doorway and took in the scene in front of him, Four didn't let a flicker of emotion show on his face.
Eric couldnt say the same. He glared at Four, waiting for him to speak so that he could tell him to get lost. When he finally spoke up, it was exactly what Eric expected.
"What happened?"
"Excuse me?" Eric scowled, clenching his fists.
"To Tris. What happened to Tris?"
He was about to tell Four to fuck off, when he caught sight of one of the nurses ushering in a child with a bloody nose.
"Training happened. Get out of here, Four," he hissed. "You can ask her later, she's fine."
"Eric-"
"I said, GO." He hadn't wanted to raise his voice, but something about the other man always brought out the worst in him, ever since their days as initiates. The eyes of several irate nurses were on them now.
"Tell her I came by?"
Eric snorted. He would do nothing of the sort. And judging by the look Four gave him, he knew it too. He left without another word, leaving Eric alone with Tris once more.
Sighing, Eric dropped back into the chair and began to watch the girl from a distance again.