Marlene and Evelyn finish cleaning up the kitchen in Tobias's brownstone. They had only a few people over after the funeral, George, Amar, Will, Lauren's parents, and a few other families. Tobias had insisted on a small graveside service, he admitted that he could handle the pomp and circumstance of a large funeral and being paraded around.
Amar had already told Tobias to come back to work when he was ready. The past week has been a daze. It was all Tobias could do to get out of bed every day. Marlene had taken care of so much, he didn't think he would have made it without his sister.
People had been dropping food by and Tobias had just thrown everything into the fridge. Evelyn and Marlene had spent time organizing things for him after all the other families had left after the funeral.
"Sweetie, there is enough food in the fridge for you for the rest of the week," Evelyn says quietly as Tobias nods in response. "We are just a phone call away if you need us"
"I know, Mom, I just want to be alone"
Evelyn and Marcus say their goodbyes. Marcus encourages Evelyn to give Tobias some space. He was worried about his son too, but it had only been a week. Tobias was going to need time. He had lost the love of his life and his heart was broken.
"T. I'm worried about you," Marlene says sitting next to Tobias on the couch.
Tobias runs his hands over his face, wincing when he grazes the stitches in his forehead. He was so tired of everyone saying how sorry they were, how beautiful she was, asking if he was okay. He felt like there was a hole in his chest where his heart should be.
"I just need some time, Lene," Tobias says weakly. "This has been exhausting. I just keep expecting her to walk through the door."
Marlene sighs and leans over and puts her arm around her brother's shoulders as he lets out a sob. She lets the tears flow from her eyes too. Lauren had been one of her best friends but she knew her heartache was nothing like Tobias was feeling. She hated there was nothing she could do to ease his pain. They sit there, losing track of all time, wading in their grief at the loss of the beautiful person that was Lauren Eaton.
It had been one week since her heart transplant and the doctors were all encouraged with how well Beatrice was doing. She still had more time in the hospital and there would be a lengthy recovery process but soon she would be able to do all of the things she had dreamed of doing. Her new life was finally happening and she was going to finally start really living.
She sits in bed in the hospital, anxious thinking about when she can go home. After 3 days in the ICU, she is finally back in a regular room and the doctors were hoping that she would be sent home in about seven days. Today, she was going to walk around the hospital floor for the first time in a month. She was anxious to move her recovery along, It had been so long since she had slept in her own bed, or been able to eat anything other than hospital food, or even walked on her own two feet.
Uriah was with her today, he had a day off from work and he promised to help her with her walk, she felt comfortable with just him, Zeke, or Christina letting her get the hang of it first before anyone else saw. Her father and Hana had a tendency to hover and she wanted to do this herself. Chris was home with the boys but was planning on coming by later to help Tris with her hair so it was just her and Uriah for the first attempt.
Uriah hangs up a new picture drawn by Justin for Tris on her wall and Tris chuckles as she squeezes her heart-shaped pillow to ease the impact to her chest at the four-year-olds depiction of her. Right in the middle of the stick figure is a red heart that takes up almost the entire body with a scribbled red crayon.
"The boys are dying to come see you. Justin still thinks that he will get to see your new heart. Chris and I keep trying to tell him he won't be able to actually see it but he doesn't believe it" Uriah chuckles.
Beatrice was the boys' favorite person, Justin had been especially taking it hard since he was having a hard time not being able to see her every day over the past three months. Chris and Uriah had been working hard to help him understand that he had to be gentle when he sees her for the first time when she comes home.
"So Zeke called Caleb yesterday and let him have it," Uriah tells her next and her eyes grow wide.
"No he didn't" she gasps with worry in her eyes. Zeke was just as overprotective of her as Uriah was and Zeke hadn't been shy about letting it be known the last couple of years how fed up he was with Caleb and his behavior. The only reason he hadn't confronted Caleb was because of Andrew, Beatrice, and Hana begging him to let it alone. Bea should have known sooner or later Zeke's temper was going to get the best of him, he wasn't one to back down and stay quiet.
"Yeah, it got pretty ugly, Shauna said she had never heard him unload like that before"
"What made Zeke decide to call him?"
"Shauna asked if Caleb had even called to see how you were after Uncle Andrew told him that you were having the transplant. I guess it just hit him when he thought about how much of an asshole Caleb has been since he left for NYU. We almost lost you Bea, and he didn't even bother to come see you. It pisses me off too, we've always been more like siblings than cousins. Caleb should have been here."
Beatrice sighs, she didn't get why her brother had become so withdrawn from the family. He had received a full academic scholarship to NYU which was a huge help to the family with all of her medical bills. He rarely came to Chicago anymore since he graduated two years before. He had a job working at a laboratory and was thinking about medical school but they usually only saw him for a few days at Christmas. Uriah was right, the four of them had been so close growing up. She could tell Caleb's distance was hurting them too, not just her and Andrew.
The occupational therapist knocks on the door, pulling Beatrice and Uriah out of their thoughts. The nurses all cheer her on under the watchful eye of the occupational therapist as Uriah helps Tris make her way slowly around the nurses' station gripping her IV pole while Uriah keeps a steady hand on her back as they take slow steps. Uriah encourages her every step of the way and holds her steady as she climbs back into the hospital bed.
"I feel like I need a new name, for this new life I have. I don't know if part of it is that I have this piece of me that belonged to someone else but I just don't feel like Beatrice anymore" Tris says as she squeezes her heart pillow while Uriah brings her a cup of water once she's back in bed a bit tired out from the walk.
"I think this is a great idea," Uriah says as she takes a sip and sits next to her. "What about Tris? It's still part of your name but not Bea or Beatrice."
"Tris…." she says trying it out and smiling. Her eyes were getting heavy as she settled into the bed.
"I like it. Tris" she whispers again to herself as she drifts off to sleep and Uriah tucks her blanket around her.
The following Sunday afternoon when Tris comes home from the hospital is a grand affair. The Pit was closed that day which everyone in the neighborhood understood why. They had been supportive of whatever Andrew and Tris needed over the years. Rose had come home for the weekend from New Orleans, she was finishing up her freshman year at Xavier, but she wouldn't miss seeing Tris walk in out of the hospital for anything. Shauna, Hana, and Christina had worked hard to deep clean the apartment and restaurant to decrease Tris's chances of an infection. Shauna had made sure to instruct everyone in their small group to wash their hands and sanitize after touching anything for Tris's safety.
Zeke, Shauna, Rose, Christina, and Uriah have the entire restaurant filled with balloons of all different colors. There's music playing and Max and Hana have a feast laid out for the family. Everyone anxiously waits for Harrison, Andrew, and Tris.
Andrew had been present when the doctor came by that morning for rounds to go over discharge instructions for Tris. She still had about two more months of recovery to go through but at least she could do it at home. She had a laundry list of medications that she would have to take from now on but the doctors were pleased with her progress. When Andrew leaves to go get the car, Tris feels so many emotions as she looks around the hospital room for the last time.
"Do I really have to get wheeled out of here ?" Tris complains as she places the last of her things in her overnight bag.
"Yes, sweetheart, I"m afraid so, but look on the bright side, you still get to go home" Tori, her favorite nurse replies as she helps Tris gather her things. Tori and Tris had developed a close relationship over the months of Tris's hospital stay. Tori would often stay after her shift and keep Tris company, listening to her talk when she had the strength or just keeping her company when she was alone.
"Have you heard from your brother?" Tori inquires as she helps Tris into the change of clothes that Christina had brought for her the day before.
Tris shakes her head no in response. Caleb had only shown up once since she had been in the hospital the last three months and it wasn't even when she was at her worst right before she had her transplant. She and Tori had become close enough that she had felt comfortable enough discussing how detached her brother was.
He loved his new life in New York and never bothered to look back at his family in Chicago. Tris knew it broke their father's heart as well as his Uncle Harrison and Aunt Hana's too but they all never gave up hope that we would get his head out of his ass in the event Tris hadn't been able to get well.
"Would you like for me to get a cart for all these flowers?" Tris had received probably 10 floral arrangements once she was placed in her room out of the ICU. Everyone knew she had missed her garden all the months and there was always a steady stream of flowers that family friends from the neighborhood or her cousins sent.
"Could you maybe see if there is someone who doesn't have any and spread them around? They might cheer someone up or maybe some of the other nurses might like to take them home. It's the least I can do for all everyone has done for me the past few months" Tris offers.
Tris sees her phone light up with a message from her father that he was pulling the car around out front.
"Well this is it, Daddy is pulling the car around," Tris says as she takes a deep breath. As glad as she was to be going home, she was a bit nervous. All the months she had been confined to a hospital room and dreaming about life on the other side of her illness she didn't think she would feel this anxious.
Tori smiles in response and gestures for Tris to sit in the wheelchair. All the nurses on the floor had become attached to Tris and her family. Andrew, Hana, and Max were always bringing dinner or lunch from the restaurant to the nurses on duty when they came for a visit. Even on her worst days Tris and her goodhearted disposition warmed all of the nurses. Anna especially had been overjoyed when Tris received her new heart.
"Thank you for everything Tori" Tris whispers as she gives Tori a hug. "I hope I will see you soon"
"Oh you will, I have to get my fix of oxtails and gumbo now that your Dad won't be bringing me to-go plates every week"
Tris chuckles and nods her head as she sits in the wheelchair and holds on to her overnight bag with all her personal items, noting that she should surprise the nurses one day soon with some to-go food from the restaurant.
Tris looks at the smiles on Andrew and her Uncle Harrison's faces as they help her from her wheelchair at the front of the hospital into her car and wave goodbye to Tori. Andrew looked like he was going to burst with happiness and she swears she sees her Uncle Harry wipe a tear from his eyes.
"Uncle Harry! I didn't know you were coming too!" Tris exclaims with her eyes bright not expecting to see her uncle until later that day.
"Oh I couldn't wait until you made it home, I had to be here to see my Bumblebee walk out of this hospital" Harrison gushes as he hugs her softly back.
Tris smiles, at the pet name that only her Uncles and Aunt still called her. As Andrew helps her get settled into the backseat. She was moving better but still had to take it easy.
"So tell me, how many people are waiting for us at the restaurant," Tris says with a smirk from the backseat of the car.
"I don't know what you are talking about " Andrew replies nonchalantly trying not to smile.
"Oh I know my family all too well, there is no way there is not some kind of special gathering for today"
"We just want you to relax today Bumblebee," Harrison says, not committing to an answer.
"Sure you do, Don't worry I'll still act surprised," Tris says playfully as she looks down at her phone smiling.
True to her word, Tris puts on her very best surprised face when they walk through the door to the restaurant. Even though she was expecting it, tears still spill from her eyes as she takes in the Welcome Home Banner, the balloons, and the smiling faces of Christina, Zeke, Uriah, Max, Rose, Hana, Shauna, Justin, and Jalen.
"Auntie Bea!" Justin exclaims as he jumps up and down wriggling out of Max's arms.
"It's Auntie Tris now" Zeke reminds him as Justin giggles.
"They can call me Auntie Bea if they want" Tris defends knowing the boys would have a hard time understanding her new nickname.
"Remember what we talked about boys, you have to be very gentle," Hana says as Justin wraps his little arms around Tris's legs and squeezes tight. Tris sits down in a chair and Uriah helps Justin into her lap and she hugs him softly just placing her arms around him and not drawing him into her chest like she normally would.
"You've gotten so big" She whispers as he giggles and Jalen comes over too as Justin hops down.
"We missed you so much," Jalen says, bringing over a wrapped gift and laying his head on Tris' shoulder.
"You two don't know how much I've missed you too. What's this" Tris asks curiously at the gift Jalen hands her.
"It's a bracelet! We picked it out!" Justin exclaims jumping up and down.
"Justin, you're supposed to let her open it first" Jalen huffs as he rolls his eyes. Everyone laughs as Christina and Uriah place their hands on their head at their son's exuberance.
Tris opens the box and she pulls out an Alexi and Ani bracelet with a bumblebee charm.
"Thank you boys, It's beautiful" Tris gets out with tears spilling over her eyes as she examines the charm on the bracelet.
"Why are you crying? Are you still sick?" Justin asks his eyes wide with innocence as he goes to give Tris another hug trying to comfort her.
"Because I'm so happy right now and I love all of you," She says wiping her tears and rubs his arm.
"Next you have to open this one" Hana hands her another small box.
"Thank you Auntie" Tris smiles as she opens the gift to find another jewelry box but this time it's a silver necklace with a charm that has the initial T.
"In honor of your new name" Hana smiles, giving her a gentle hug as Tris tries to keep from crying again.
"Thank you, I love it, Now will all of you please stop making me cry" She jests, and everyone laughs.
Over the next few hours, the family eats and Tris gets to hear all about Rose's adventures in New Orleans, Shauna's upcoming trip to the state track meet, and Zeke's promotion. She had missed so much the last few months. After about two hours, everyone can see Tris tiring out and Hana insists that everyone lets her get some rest.
"It's okay Baby Girl, you have plenty of time to catch up, you won't miss anything from now on" Andrew soothes seeing Tris trying not to let on how tired she really was. She nods and retries upstairs to her room with the assistance of Hana and Andrew.
As she falls asleep she looks at the walls and the comforter. She thinks she'll ask Shauna and Chris to help her redecorate her room.
Tobias lays on his bed staring at the ceiling. In the weeks since the funeral, he hadn't left the house, other than to take Pararoh out for a quick walk. Most times he had just let him out in the small area of the back of the brownstone instead of taking him for his normal run to burn off his energy. His phone kept buzzing with people calling, mainly Amar, Will, Marlene, and his mother. He didn't want to talk to any of them. He had told Amar he would come back to work soon even though Amar told him to take as much time as he needed but he couldn't deal with the looks of sympathy and the constant generic I'm sorry for your loss people would offer up. His phone pinged but he didn't even bother to look at the message.
Will: Hey bro, want to go grab a drink? Or we can go to play some ball?
About 15 minutes later his phone pings again.
Marlene: Hey, I haven't talked to you in a week, things have been crazy at the hospital, maybe we could grab dinner? You need to get out the house.
He sighs and looks at the phone, not bothering to read the messages turns it off then tosses it somewhere in the bed.
Three months later
Andrew peers out the window of his bedroom watching Beatrice sit in her garden and paint in the small courtyard that belonged to the building that was their home and the restaurant. He smiled at her creativity and her imagination. His family had lived in the three-bedroom apartment above the restaurant for the past 20 years. When he and his wife found the property they knew it was perfect for the restaurant on the bottom floor and it came with the added bonus of the living space above. As soon as the place went on the market, Natalie and Andrew had scrapped together all their savings and the life insurance money from the death of Andrew's father for the down payment. With the help of a small business grant for minority business owners, The Pit started to come to life. It has been rough those first few years with two small children but with the help of their family, they made it work. Andrew, Harrison, Reggie, and Max did most of the renovations themselves to the restaurant and the living space.
When Reggie died a year into the renovations, Hana used part of the life insurance money to put into the restaurant becoming a co-owner. The Pit wouldn't be as successful for as long as it has without the countless hours Hana, Max, and Harrison had all put in along with him and Natalie. All the kids had their first jobs at the restaurant with Caleb, Uriah, and Zeke starting off as busboys and Christina and Rose as waitresses. With all of the kids having their own careers now, it was hard for Andrew to imagine the restaurant not being passed down in the family. Christina and Beatrice were adamant that they wanted to run the restaurant but Andrew felt deep down, Beatrice was saying that because of him.
It was a warm Monday in July, probably one of the last warm days there would be in Chicago before the fall settled in. The restaurant was always closed on Mondays, and Tuesdays and Andrew was thankful that over the years, the restaurant had done well enough that it could still afford to only be open five days a week.
He continues to watch Beatrice, he was still having a hard time that she wants to be called Tris, she would always be his little Bea, smiling her bright smile as she hugged his legs. The courtyard was a magical place when you looked down on it, its own little oasis in the middle of Chicago. Since Beatrice could never do all of the things she wanted to due to her heart condition her hobbies included non-strenuous activities such as gardening and painting. She had over 30 different flowers that bloomed in the courtyard. Over the years everyone had helped add to the courtyard to make it a special getaway when someone wanted a quiet moment or when the weather was nice, the perfect spot for a family gathering or Max and Harrison helped build a picnic table and Zeke and Uriah had hung white Christmas lights for her that made it feel like a magical place. He knows his daughter was always her happiest in the summer in the courtyard among the flowers, painting and listening to her neo-soul music. He could faintly hear the sounds of Anthony Hamilton playing as he watched her sway while looking intently at her canvas. His daughter had an old soul as he liked to call it. He attributed it to her always being around the older people in the restaurant since she could run and play with the other kids outside.
He sighs as he watches her tilt her head and slump her shoulders. She had this new life ahead of her but he could tell she was missing something. In the past few months, she had redecorated her room, she was riding her bike like she had always wanted, she seemed to be enjoying working in the restaurant. Even though nothing would ever come between Tris, Uriah, Christina, Rose, and Zeke, He could tell she was lonely. That special feeling of being in love was missing. He wanted her to find someone special and experience the love he had with Natalie. Hopefully, that special person will turn up soon.
A/N: Let me know what you think and leave a review. It's January 15th! Happy Founders' Day to my sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
