AN: Hi again and thank you for the reviews! Hope you enjoy and see you again on Sunday.
She wracked her brain, but she finally remembers when he got her to sign the papers.
"Babe, do you have a second? Max wants us to both sign off on some work orders for Jeanine." Eric had said as he stuck his head in her office.
"Why wouldn't she just enter them electronically?" Tris asked, looking over the hundreds in the system already.
"Maybe she doesn't want a paper trail." He'd shrugged.
"Why would they be blank? What are these for?" She pressed and he frowned at her.
"Tris, we don't need to rock the boat. Let's just keep the guise going. We finally have Max open and speaking freely to us. Let's just keep going." He said in no more than a whisper to avoid the cameras right in the hallway.
"Fine, give them here. I'll read them."
"Babe, they're just generic work orders that we'll fill out as she asks for shit and he's on my ass, just sign them please." He grumbled.
"Fine." She huffed before signing where he'd told her.
He smiled almost nervously as he exited her office and she buried the uneasy feeling as she continued working on the invoices.
She couldn't reach anyone in Candor that late who could help her, and she barely slept that night. First thing the next morning she was on the phone with Jack Kang. He confirmed that her father Andrew had filed all of the legal paperwork, including the marriage license he had signed three days before Eric and Tris had left for Candor. He was incredibly disturbed to learn that Tris seemed unaware of her marital status, and she did her best to convince the leader it was just because she wasn't sure if the paperwork had been filed. Although he was still uneasy, Jack promised to have someone from his team reach out to the Erudite hospital to let the Coulter's know they were in violation of Tris's rights as Eric's legal next of kin, and he told Tris she could head to the hospital immediately.
Her next call was while she was on the train, and it was to her father.
"Why didn't you tell me that Eric had come to you?" She asks once she is finally patched through to him.
"Beatrice, I've been trying to reach you for days." Andrew replies.
"Why didn't you tell me he came to you?" She asks again.
"He was supposed to tell you himself, which is why I initially agreed to any of it. I'd heard he was seriously injured during Jeanine's arrest, how is he?" He asks.
"He was shot in the chest, and his parents showed up at the hospital as his next of kin and promptly stopped me from seeing him." Tris replies.
"You're his wife-"
"Something I just learned last night!" She shouts and she can hear her father draw in a sharp breath.
"How? The license I signed had your signature, there's no way you wouldn't have known." Andrew argues, "Eric had told me that given the dire circumstances with going to Jeanine the two of you wanted to tie up any loose ends before he tried to open the box. He told me he was making sure you were provided for in the case he didn't make it-"
"He had me sign a what I thought was an invoice." Tris interrupts.
"Beatrice, I never knew, I can contact Jack to have it annulled."
"No, I need it to be legal because I am going to the hospital now to be with Eric, and I've managed to convince Jack that I knew about it. I'm trying not to be angry at any of this, but I wanted to know why you hadn't said anything to me about it." She sighs.
"I've been calling, I've wanted to talk to you, but I've understood that you may not be ready." He replies. She is quiet for a moment, and if it weren't for the background noise from the train he'd have no idea she was still there, "Beatrice?"
"You're right." She replies quietly, "I'd like to change that though."
"I would too."
"Can we start with you calling me Tris? I understand you've only known me as Beatrice, and I'd really like for you to know Tris now." She says quietly.
"I can do that, Tris." He replies and there's more silence between them. "You said Eric was shot, how is he?" He asks.
"I don't know. It was bad, it was so bad." She says as the tears begin to fall, "He was in surgery when they kicked me out. His parents blamed me and when I got upset they called security on me to have me removed from the hospital. I didn't fight it because I had no idea that Eric and I were married. The only reason I even know he's even alive is because I call the hospital every day just for them to tell me they cannot discuss a patient with me due to privacy."
"Jack should be able to change that." Andrew replies.
"He has already called them."
"I'll meet you there." Andrew says.
"I didn't call you for that reason." She says through tears.
"I know you didn't, but you're my daughter and he's now my son in law, and I want to be there for you both."
Tris sees her father standing outside of the main hospital entrance, a stark contrast in his full grey clothes. She walks to him on shaky legs, and she is surprised when he opens his arms and pulls her in for an embrace. She cries against him, the wool of his jacket scratchy against her face, but comforting with its familiar smell and feel. She doesn't know how long the two of them stand there, or how many looks they receive as people narrow their eyes at the grey and black in their otherwise blue city, and when she pulls apart she sees tears in her father's eyes.
"I'm so sorry you're going through this." He offers and she nods her head.
"Let's go inside, I need to see him."
When she and her father enter his ICU room, she expects protests from the older Coulter's, but they are both surprised when they are welcomed warmly. Andrew chats quietly with Eliza and Clive, while Tris gets her first real look at her husband's damaged body. She wasn't prepared to see him like this. They had left his abdomen open, to allow for the swelling to reduce for his major organs before closing him back up. He was covered with bandages, with several tubes draining fluid from his chest and lungs. He had a machine helping him breathe, another tube in his nose, and IVs in both hands.
He was almost as pale as the day they brought him in.
There were apologies given by both Clive and Eliza, and it was evident that both felt awful for robbing Tris of precious days with Eric now that he had deteriorated to this point. Through tears, Eliza finally began to explain the latest update from Eric's medical team.
"There is a decision to make." His mother says quietly, "They need to do the next surgery to close him up. He's got an infection, but left open like he is the infection can kill him."
"He also isn't as stable as he needs to be to survive the next surgery." His father added.
"Oh my gosh…." Tris trails off.
"Why didn't you tell us the two of you were married?" Eliza asks.
"Because I didn't realize it had been filed already." She sticks with the same lie she told Kang, hoping it's believable. With her Candor affinity, she's not sure she can pull off a lie.
"You could have at least told us." Eliza replies.
"I didn't think it was the time to argue over his care. I only wanted what was best for him, not to argue with you two." Tris replies.
"You're kinder than we deserved." Clive sighs. "Tris, ultimately this is your decision, but they do need answers sooner rather than later."
"What are the chances on each? Do we have time to allow him to become more stable?" She asks.
"No." Clive answers.
"Then in my opinion we do the surgery. It's the best chance he has to live." Tris deduces quickly, "However, I want to hear what you both think as well."
The surprise on both of their faces is unmistakable, "I would agree, even with his instability the odds are better to try than to not." Eliza replies.
"I concur. Thank you for involving us." Clive says.
"Dad," Tris looks over at her father, and he nods once, showing his quiet support.
They each take their time privately with Eric, saying their goodbyes in case he doesn't make it out of this dangerous surgery. Once both of his parents have exited the room, and her father is waiting in the hall, Tris goes back inside. There's nowhere she feels she can touch him without hurting him, so she bends over him and gets as close to his ear as she can.
"I can't believe you married me without telling me. I thought I was the worst at going rogue and making decisions without you. You really take the cake though." She chuckles through tears, "Lynn told me about your letter, and I read it. I love you so much Eric. Enough that I've cleaned the apartment, folded the blanket and put all of my shoes and clothes away. I did it all because I am sure that you are coming home to me, and if I leave our apartment a mess you'd never let me hear the end of it." She places a gentle kiss to his forehead and rests her head against his, "I need you to come back to me. There's not a place for me here without you. I need you Eric, I always have."
"Mrs. Coulter, we need to take him down to surgery." An orderly says as they enter the room.
"You hear that babe? They're calling me Mrs. Coulter. You come back to me so we can talk about this." She presses her lips to his forehead again, "I love you, and you deserve to know that I missed you when you were away from the faction, I'll finally admit it. I miss you now more than anything. Come back to me."
She stays with him as long as she can until they take him back through the double doors leading to the surgical wing. She texts Lynn and Zeke, telling them everything about Eric's surgery and she's not surprised when they both show up in the waiting room less than an hour later.
They're both surprised to see her sitting closely with the Coulter's and her father and talking calmly. When the parents all leave the room to go get coffee and a quick meal in the cafeteria, Tris finally tells her friends that she and Eric are married.
"What?" Zeke almost chokes on his drink.
"The only thing I can think is the blank invoices he had me sign were actually for the marriage license. Here's the copy that Jack Kang sent to his parents as proof." She passes it over to Lynn and Zeke and he shakes his head.
"I can't believe he didn't say a damn word." Zeke says when he sees it.
"Not even to me, he just told me about the letter and nothing else." Lynn says as she looks at the license.
"He's a good dude. People don't give him credit, but everything he's ever done is to protect someone else, or to make them the best soldier he could." Zeke adds.
"I just want him. None of this matters without him." Tris sobs and Lynn pulls her into her arms. Zeke puts a protective arm around the two of them, and that's how the Coulter's and Andrew find them when they return.
"Tris, did something happen?" Clive asks carefully.
"No, I'm just decompressing. I'm sorry to frighten you." She replies.
They all sit together, sharing stories about Eric and learning more about the brother he had adored. Tris takes comfort in her father, who once again breaks the Abnegation teachings by keeping his arm wrapped around her shoulder as they sit side by side in the waiting area.
"Jason was ten and Eric close to nine when they both decided they were going to go live in their treehouse." Eliza recalls with a smile, "They were upset that Clive and I had decided against getting them a dog. What they hadn't told us was that they had found a stray dog, this dirty little flea infested mutt and been keeping him in their treehouse without telling us. So when we had decided against their request for a dog they went off into the woods and said they weren't coming back."
"We let them stay, acted like we didn't care." Clive recalls with a slight smile, "They made it all the way until dinner. You see, we were creatures of habit, and that particular evening was their favorite."
"Lasagna." Tris grins and Eliza smiles warmly at her.
"Lasagna indeed. They were home promptly when it was due out of the oven." She laughs.
"He loves your lasagna. He's taught me how to make pasta, and gravy too. I'll never be the cook he is, but we do try to keep some traditions." Tris smiles.
"I'm so glad to hear that. We spent so much time together cooking." Eliza smiles.
"He got his dog though, didn't he? I remember him talking about a dog," Lynn asks and Clive nods.
"He and Jason were quite the convincing pair." He smiles, "We had that dog for nine years."
"How do you all know each other?" Eliza asks.
"I was in his training class." Zeke offers, "He and I were tight all through the initiation. Lynn is my sister in law, but back then she was still a dependent and the two of them just hit it off."
"Ah yes, Lynn, and Zeke. He speaks about both of you often." Clive adds.
"Eric wasn't so intimidating when I met him," Lynn chuckles, "He was this scared kid from Erudite who was trying to figure out how to make it in Dauntless. He did it though."
"He did it in a way that made it seem he was born there and not me." Zeke shakes his head.
"How did you two meet?" Eliza turns to Tris.
The blush stains her cheeks but she smiles softly, and her father squeezes her shoulder, "He oversaw my own training class, he was the intimidating leader at this point, and I was a sheltered former Abnegation. I think we just were aware of each other, but I was too afraid to ever speak to a man, and he gave me space."
"Abnegation to Dauntless can be incredibly difficult." Clive offers.
"It certainly was. I was raised by my father and adoptive mother, as you now know Jeanine is my birth mother. My parents, well my adoptive mother was incredibly strict, but…" Tris trails off and glances over at her father with a pained face.
"Natalie was hard on Beatrice, err Tris," Andrew begins, "I believe there was a bit of resentment on Natalie's part because Jeanine was her biological mother. Jeanine and I had a relationship of over three years when I lived here, and for the beginning it worked really well. We weren't planning to become pregnant, but we were planning a future, however her father began his obsession with the Divergent and that damn box. He pulled Jeanine into it, and she became a different person. I loved Jeanine, but we began to grow apart. I started seeing Natalie who I had met while in school. She was refreshing, a breath of fresh air, and just as reckless as the Dauntless we see today. She was so supportive of my dreams of being a larger part of the city government, and she had told me if I left Erudite for Abnegation she'd leave Dauntless to be with me. I had no idea that Jeanine was pregnant, or that Natalie was too. I was irresponsible, and when I transferred to Dauntless is when Jeanine finally confided her pregnancy to me. Natalie and I talked, and we agreed if Jeanine would allow it we would raise both children together in Abnegation as twins. I believed Natalie when she said she could overlook my indiscretion in being intimate with both her and Jeanine, but she ultimately couldn't. Her treatment of Tris was probably due to that, and her ongoing mistreatment of both of my children has caused a strain on all of our relationships."
"Dad…" Tris trails off and wraps her arms around him. He presses a kiss to her hair, and her in-laws and friends all look on in happiness at the healing moment they are all witnessing.
When Tris composes herself, she continues, "I had a lot to unlearn before I could truly begin to become Dauntless. Eric was tough on me, but also patient. It's hard to explain, but he found a balance to allow me to shed my upbringing while simultaneously making me Dauntless."
"He and you are exactly the same. I've heard that there's a type of recognition between Divergent at a certain level." Clive replies.
"I do believe so, I began to recognize his Divergence the closer we became." She agrees.
The hours tick by, and there's absolutely no updates. Eric's parents doze in a set of chairs in the corner of the room, and her father joins a work call while Tris, Lynn and Zeke talk quietly among themselves.
"Thank you both for being here. I couldn't do this without you." Tris says.
"You're family. Even if it wasn't by blood, he's my brother as far as I'm concerned." Zeke replies.
"Ditto." Lynn echoes.
"Coulter family?" A doctor call's out and all gather around, "We've closed him up successfully. We're going to give him as much of the antibiotic serum and healing serums as he can tolerate. Right now, we have to just wait and allow his body time to recover."
"How long until we will know if it he will beat this?" Tris asks.
"We have several steps here. First we need to know if he'll beat this infection. Next, it'll be just healing from the trauma of the bullet. We had to repair his lung, his chest cavity and a small nick to his heart. He had substantial damage, and there are always chances of our repairs being disturbed. We will keep him this coma until the infection is cleared, and then we will evaluate."
The medically induced coma lasted twenty days. Eric began to improve slowly, and once he was taken off of heavy sedation he began to heal a bit faster. His brain activity looked promising, his lab results were favorable, and for the first time in the almost month he'd been there he began to show signs of making a recovery.
As usual for Eric, he defied expectations by waking up several days before his medical team expected him to, and it was in the middle of the night. He blinked his eyes slowly, and he fought the urge to cough with the tube in his mouth. He reached a hand towards the tube and he could feel pain darting in his chest and abdomen. The alarm for his heart rate increasing is what woke Tris up.
"Eric." She said and his eyes darted to hers. There was barely any light in the dark room but he could see her, "Don't touch that. You have to stay very still, you've had major surgery and sudden movements can hurt you. One blink for yes, two for no. Can you understand me?"
He doesn't blink, he just looks at her with his panicked grey eyes.
"I'm going to press the call button to get your nurse. We didn't expect you to wake up before morning." She says quietly and he continues to try to pull at his breathing tube. She holds his hands as best as she can and tries to soothe him.
"It's okay, I know you're confused and terrified right now, please just stay calm. These alarms mean your heart rate is too high, and you're recovering from a major surgery. You've got to stay still baby, please."
There are a rush of people who enter the room, realizing that Eric is in a panic and his thrashing could cause more damage. When Tris recognizes the needle the use to sedate him, she begs them not to and they force her to leave the room.
She calls her father.
He arrives less than an hour later, and finds her clutching onto Eric's hand with her head resting on his bed. He bends over and kisses her hair and she stirs.
"I'm so sorry for waking you." She says through tears, "He woke up, but he had no idea what was happening and he panicked. They had to sedate him again, and restrain him. He was so scared, Dad, and I didn't know what to do."
"It's okay Tris." He says quietly as he pulls up a chair next to her, "You can call me at any time."
"But Natalie-"
"She and I are no longer together. I filed for divorce." He replies.
Tris turns to fully face him, "What? But Abnegation-"
"Tris, we've moved to abolish the factions as well. No more separation, just Chicago." He begins.
He explains what's been going on while she's been on leave with Eric. They've made contact with one of the other cities in the country, one that's closer to them than they thought. It's in the former state of Wisconsin, a city called Milwaukee that had adopted a democratic form of government after the Great War. They were a city without factions, where their citizens voted on their city leadership much like Amity.
"That sounds amazing." Tris breathes out.
"I have a sister and two brothers living there, through them I have learned that Edith Prior was my grandmother. My mother left Milwaukee to help establish Chicago after the war, and that's how I ended up being born here. Tris, all of our family is there, and there appears to be many." He remarks.
"Can we go there? Are we able to?" She asks.
"Soon, I hope. I've postponed any travel for myself until you and Eric are settled. I don't want to leave the family I have here, and my hope is now that I no longer have the interference of Natalie's negative influence, I can begin to have a relationship with my children." He replies.
"Caleb and I have been having some fights lately, because of our differences regarding Natalie. He wants to give her chances because she's his mother, and I just can't wrap my head around it. He refuses to speak to me right now."
"It's similar to the situation between your own birth mother and you. Tris, you wanted to give Jeanine a chance because she's your mother, and Caleb wants to do the same for Natalie for that reason."
She looks over at her father, and even in the dark shadows of the room she can see the kindness in his eyes, "I never thought of it that way." She replies.
She can hear coughing and she turns her attention to Eric, whose grey eyes are on her again. He's unable to move because of the wrist and ankle restraints, and his eyes plead with hers.
"It's okay, you're okay, and we're in the hospital. Can you look at me? Just focus on me, okay?" She croons to him.
She runs her short nails through his hair and presses her lips to his forehead, "I love you so much, and I promise you that you're safe and you can relax now." She leans back to look at him, "Eric, if you can understand me can you blink one time?"
He squeezes his eyes shut and opens them, and Tris wipes tears from her own eyes, "Can you do that again two times if you understand me?"
He follows her instructions and she smiles at him before turning towards her father, "Can you please go find his nurse?"
Eric begins making a noise and she turns back towards him, "Baby please don't struggle. I need you to stay calm when they come in here. We know you don't need that tube, but you are recovering from surgery and you have to be careful with your movements. Two long blinks if you understand me."
He squeezes his eyes shut twice like she asks but before Andrew returns with the medical team he starts violently shaking.
"Help us!" Tris screams.
"He's seizing, we need help in here!" Someone shouts and Tris is pushed out of the way. Andrew wraps his arms around her as they start working on Eric and they watch in horror as someone starts chest compressions on his already injured body, "Code blue, get the crash team!"
Andrew and Tris are pulled from the room, deposited in the hallway with no warning and a nurse looks at them solemnly, "We will do everything we can." He says before rushing back into the room.