On Saturday afternoon, Tris dressed herself in a pair of slim cropped-length black pants, a sleeveless white silk shell, and a grey casual blazer with rolled-looking sleeves. She put on her black ballet flats and examined herself in the full-length mirror. Active, professional, and not too warm, she thought as she looked over her outfit. Just needs a necklace and earrings. She added the Dauntless necklace that Eric had given her for graduation, and a pair of Natalie's garnet earrings. She put her long hair in a bun that would be comfortable on the hot August day, and applied basic makeup.
Once Natalie and Andrew approved her fashion choices, Tris was ready to go. Andrew drove the three of them to the convention center, and they parked where the organizers had told them to. They checked in, and Tris could feel her excitement and nervousness growing as they waited in the green room with the other politicians and speakers that would be participating in the rally.
"Excuse me!" A woman in a green suit called out to the assembled participants. "Excuse me! My name is Sarah Jensen, and I am the head of the event planning committee. This is the rally's emcee, Ellen Andersen. We'd like to walk through a few things with you all before we go on stage."
Tris and Andrew listened carefully as Sarah explained the processional and on-stage seating arrangements to the group. "There are two rows of seats on the stage," she told them. "The front row is for those who will be speaking at the podium. The second row is for the rest of you. The second row is slightly elevated, so you will be able to see everything, and the attendees and media will be able to see you there in support of the children. Here's the order we will be sitting in."
Sarah continued explaining the plan, and Tris focused on her part of the event. She would be the fourth person to walk on to the stage, following the organization's national president, the head of the event committee, and the rally's emcee. The three of them would be seated to the speakers' left on the stage. Tris and the other guests would be seated in the double row on the speaker's right. The front row included Tris, four other people who would give short speeches like hers, and Governor Eaton. The second row included Andrew, who would be sitting behind his daughter for support, and other civic leaders who would not be speaking at the podium.
"Is all of that clear?" Sarah asked the group. Tris nodded.
Andrew put his arm around his daughter. "You're going to do great," he encouraged her. Natalie nodded in agreement and kissed Tris on the forehead before leaving to take her reserved seat next to Matthew in the front row of the audience.
"I wish Eric was here," Tris confessed to her father. "I'm glad Mom and Matthew will be there, but, I don't know. I haven't even talked to him since we argued on Thursday night."
Andrew shifted to wrap both arms around his daughter. "He loves you, Sweetpea," Andrew assured her. "Mom is recording your speech for him and Caleb to see later. You can have a nice, long talk later and sort everything out. Just try to set it aside for now and focus on what you need to do."
"I know," Tris said, taking a deep, calming breath.
Andrew hugged his daughter tighter.
"Dad!" Tris squealed. "You're going to mess up my hair right before we go on stage!"
Andrew laughed and let go of Tris. She felt for her bun, assuring herself that it was firmly in place.
"Places, everyone!" Sarah yelled, and they got in line.
When Tris was situated in her spot on the stage, she looked out at the full auditorium. The bright, smiling faces of child advocates - including social services employees, non-profit managers, religious leaders, and teachers from around the country - greeted her. Tris smiled at the crowd and their signs that said things like "I'm for Families!" and "Idaho Teachers Stand With Students."
When everyone on the stage found their assigned seats, the emcee took the podium.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Ellen announced into the microphone, "supporters and advocates for children and families across this nation, welcome!"
The crowd cheered and clapped, and Tris joined them. "What an incredible weekend we've had here!" the emcee continued. "I have learned so much from the speakers on this stage and in the breakout sessions I've attended. I'm sure you have as well. Today is our day to tell the world who we are and why we are here. We are teachers, parents, advocates, non-profit organizations, churches, schools, and civic leaders, and we are all here for one reason - we stand for America's children!"
The crowd positively roared, and Tris could not help the wide grin that split her face.
"Let me introduce the people on the stage this afternoon who are here to stand with us," she continued. "Senate candidate Andrew Prior and his daughter Tris," she said. Tris and Andrew waved as the emcee waited for the clapping to diminish, then introduced the next person and the next down the double row of dignitaries, ending with Governor Eaton.
"Each of the people on this stage are here because they stand with us and they stand with children. Several of them will speak to you today about their work and their stories. Please watch this introductory video," she said.
The lights dimmed, and Tris eyed the audience as they watched the short video that the American Family Foundation had put together about her, Eric, and Ava. Tris saw several people wiping their eyes as they heard about the infant's abandonment and rescue then saw her bright, chubby face on the screen.
When the video ended and the house lights came on again, the emcee welcomed Tris to the podium. She smiled a shaky smile as she took her place at the lectern and adjusted the microphone. She saw Natalie and Matthew in the front row, and smiled at them.
"Thank you," Tris said hoarsely, then cleared her throat and tried again. "Thank you," she said in a stronger voice. "As Ms. Andersen said, my name is Tris Prior, and I am pleased to tell you that I am no one special. I was just a seventeen-year-old high school student out for a run one morning when I found that abandoned baby. I am not a hero. I'm not a soldier, or a first responder. To be honest, I'm not even CPR certified since I'm a bit overdue on renewing that," she affected a guilty expression and paused for the audience's light laughter.
"I am no one special," Tris repeated, "yet I saved a child's life. Not because of who I am or anything I did, but simply because I was paying attention. Let me repeat that. I. Paid. Attention. That's all. For many of the children you encounter every day, what they need is an adult who pays attention. Someone to notice that they're struggling with reading and to give them a little extra help. Someone to notice that they're hungry and to help their family find resources. Someone to see that they are hurt and scared and to get the authorities involved in protecting and defending them."
Tris noticed heads nodding and felt encouraged as she continued. "When I found that tiny little six pound newborn baby tossed beside a trash can like a piece of litter, the thing that struck me and stuck with me is that that tiny scrap of humanity was a person, someone with unlimited potential and a future. I named her Ava Hope because it means 'where there is life, there is hope'. That beautiful little girl might grow up to be a teacher, a doctor or researcher, a public servant, a lawyer, or an advocate like you and make a difference in the world. She has life and she has hope because I simply paid attention.
"I urge you, pay attention to the children. I plead with the politicians on this stage and in our state capitals, pay attention to the children. I beg the lawmakers in Washington DC, pay attention to the children. They rely on us, and they will be our future! Thank you."
The crowd leapt to its feet and roared with approbation. Tris felt tears spring to her eyes as she absorbed their encouragement. The emcee came toward the podium, so Tris turned to leave, but the woman grabbed her shoulders and kept her there, signaling for Andrew to join them as well.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she said as soon as she could be heard over the din. "Tris Prior and her father, Senate candidate and long-time foster parent Andrew Prior!"
After another round of applause, Andrew walked his daughter back to her seat. "That was amazing!" he said.
Tris smiled and waited for the next speaker.
"Oh my word!" Ellen said energetically. "I had no idea when we asked an eighteen-year-old to come and speak that we were going to get that kind of rousing and passionate performance! I'm ready to hit the streets, how about you?" The crowd cheered again, and the emcee transitioned to introduce the second speaker.
Tris and Andrew gave their full attention to the next four speakers. Each of them had a compelling story and an encouraging but brief speech that stirred the crowd. They spoke of gains that their organizations had made or legislation that they had fought for, and the audience was moved by each of them.
When the four openers were finished, the emcee took the podium again and announced that Illinois governor Marcus Eaton had a few words before the American Family Foundation's national president would "bring it all home" and conclude the rally.
Tris plastered a polite smile on her face as Marcus walked to the podium. She stared directly at his back and prayed that his well-known long-winded ways would be different today.
"Thank you," the governor said as he adjusted the microphone in front of him.
Suddenly, Tris heard a loud popping sound. Screams erupted around the auditorium as Marcus fell to the ground a few feet in front of her. Tris felt like she was under water watching everything in slow motion as the governor clutched his chest and a large red stain blossomed on the back of his pale blue shirt.
Pop, pop. She tried to duck for cover. Andrew pushed his daughter to the ground and covered her with his body. Tris thought she heard someone yelling her name and Andrew's as everything went black.
.
Pain. White-hot searing pain on the side of her head. Tris groaned.
"She's coming around," said a strange authoritative voice.
"It's okay, Duchess." She recognized Eric's voice. "You're alright. Just relax." He sounded worried, shaken, but still soothing. She felt him clutching her hand, which he pressed to his lips.
Tris groaned again as she tried to open her eyes. The rally. Popping sounds. Marcus bleeding out the back of his shirt. Was I shot? she wondered as the pieces came together in her mind.
Her eyes opened, and she saw Eric's worried face. He tried to smile at her, but he looked too upset to pull it off. Glancing around, she saw that they were in an ambulance, not a hospital room.
"They shot the governor," she said to Eric, who nodded. "Was I shot too?"
"No," Eric breathed as his eyes welled up with tears. "Thank God, no. You just hit your head."
"My dad!" Tris said in sudden alarm. She tried to sit up but Eric and the medic held her back.
"He's fine," Eric said. "I promise, Baby, he's unharmed and he's with your mom. She's fine, too. Lay down."
Tris reluctantly obeyed. "Where's Ava?" she asked.
"At home with Tori," Eric said as he stroked Tris' cheek.
"Did you come to see me speak?" Tris asked as she continued to put the whole story together.
"I did," Eric confirmed. "You were amazing. I'm so proud of you."
"I'm glad you're here," Tris said. She felt sleepy again.
.
Tris spent two days in the hospital with a concussion and a knot on the side of her head. Eric stayed with her as much as he could. He, Natalie, Andrew, and Caleb traded off babysitting duties and hospital visits. Christina, Marlene and Uriah, and Susan also visited, though they hadn't been allowed to stay long. Many friends sent flowers, including the Dauntless trainers, and church people brought food to the Priors' home.
Two days after the attack, Tris was noticeably more alert. She was happy to see Eric and Natalie, who arrived together as soon as visiting hours began.
"Where's Ava?" Tris asked.
"Duchess, you know I can't bring her here," Eric said.
"I know," Tris said sadly. "I haven't seen her in almost a week. I miss her."
"She misses you, too," Natalie assured her daughter.
"Do you think I might get out of here today?" Tris asked hopefully.
"I think so," Natalie said. "Has the doctor been in yet this morning?"
Tris started to shake her head but stopped at the prickle of pain. "No," she said instead.
While they waited for the doctor to come by, Tris asked about Marcus and the attack at the rally. With her concussion she hadn't been allowed to watch any television or use her phone or a computer, so she didn't know any of the details, and no one had talked about it with her during her stay in the hospital - at least not that she could remember.
Eric and Natalie explained that the gunman had fired three shots, two at Marcus and one to end his own life. He left a note making a number of accusations against the governor, including the child abuse, selling pardons, and buying prostitutes that Eric had heard about from Tobias, plus additional claims. The gunman had scheduled an outgoing email with the same accusations to many media outlets, and those messages had video and document proof attached. Marcus was going to survive the shooting, but his political career was DOA, and he would spend the rest of his life in prison if even half of the allegations could be proved in court.
No one else was seriously injured in the attack. One woman suffered a broken arm in the chaos of everyone trying to run from the shooter. Others suffered bumps and bruises. Apparently Andrew and his campaign had been busy handling the media in relationship to both the attack and the allegations against the governor.
"How's Dad?" Tris asked after Eric and Natalie filled her in on the latest news about the shooting.
"Busy," Natalie said. "But he'll be here later to see you. He feels terrible about what happened to you. He blames himself."
"Why?" Tris asked, alarmed.
"You hit your head when he pushed you to the ground," Eric explained.
"So?" Tris asked. "He potentially kept me from getting shot. He covered me with his own body while some nut was shooting at us. If the chaos led to a bump on my head that's a hell of a lot better than a gunshot wound!"
"Calm down, Baby Girl," Eric warned her. "Natalie and I agree with you. You can tell him that later."
The doctor arrived then. She examined Tris, shining a light into her eyes and checking her vital signs. She was pleased with Tris' progress and the improvement in her alertness and mental clarity.
"I don't see any reason to keep you here," the doctor said. "If you promise to rest for a few days, you can go home this afternoon."
Tris grinned, and Eric and Natalie thanked the doctor as she left.
"The next question is where you want to go," Eric said. "I'd like to have you with me, but I think your parents feel the same way."
Natalie nodded.
"What does everyone's schedule look like this week?" Tris asked, not wanting to decide between her parents' wishes and her boyfriend's.
"Caleb leaves on Wednesday," Natalie said. "Dad is working around the clock, and I'm home until Friday. Over the weekend we have a couple of events, so I'd like you to stay with Eric when we're gone."
"I'm at the school half days all week," Eric said. "I've been taking Ava with me, so you don't have to worry about her."
"I think it's a pretty easy decision then," Tris said. "I'll go home for the rest of the week and go to Eric's over the weekend. I need to call Jim, too. I think I was supposed to be at work today. It is Monday, right?"
"Yes," Natalie said with a smile for her daughter. "It's Monday. Jim called me this morning. One of your coworkers knew you were speaking at the rally, so when he heard about the shooting, he looked up the news reports. Clips of your speech have been on the news with the report that you were among the injured, but of course most of the coverage has been about Marcus."
"It's quite the story," Eric said. "The governor was shot, and then all these allegations. You haven't been the media focus, so don't worry about that. There will probably be some cameras when we leave the hospital, but we'll try to arrange it between the noon news' live report and the evening news reports."
"And Jim was okay with me being gone?" Tris asked.
"You're in the hospital, Sweetheart," Natalie said. "What else can he say?"
"I guess he could fire me," Tris said. "But I doubt he'd do that. Jim is a nice guy and a good boss."
"He was very nice," Natalie said. "You have nothing to worry about."
Tris sighed. "I have plenty of things to worry about," she said, "but Jim isn't one of them. Mom, would you mind giving Eric and I a few minutes?"
"Sure," Natalie said. "I think I'll take some of these flowers back to the house and get you some clothes."
"Thanks," Eric and Tris replied in unison.
Natalie gathered some floral arrangements and left.
"Will you lay with me?" Tris asked Eric as she scooted to the far side of her hospital bed.
Eric carefully climbed onto the bed, rolling onto his side in an attempt to fit beside Tris. "I like my king sized bed better," he said.
"I like your bed better, too," Tris replied with a smile.
Eric reached over and ran his thumb down Tris' cheek. "Duchess," he said, his voice little more than a whisper. "When I heard those shots and saw you go to the ground…" He shook his head as a tear rolled out of his eye.
Tris reached out and swiped the tear off Eric's temple. She put her hands on his cheeks and stroked across his eyebrows with her thumbs.
"I love you Warrior," she said gently. "I'm so sorry I fought with you last week. I'm sorry I stormed out instead of talking to you. I'm sorry I said things that hurt you."
"I'm sorry too," Eric replied in a husky voice. "I'm sorry I made you feel inferior and called you a babysitter. I was trying to make a point, but I hurt you. If you want to have a job, we'll make it work. I can put Ava in daycare more hours if that helps."
"We can talk about it when I'm better," Tris said. "I'm not really with it enough to make decisions about working right now. I do think I'm going to quit at Flapjacks, though. The hours just don't work with my school schedule, and now that I have a concussion I'll be out for a while anyway. There's no reason for me to take time off just to quit once I feel better. I should let him know I'm quitting, and he can replace me now."
"Your brain seems to be working fine to me," Eric said with a gentle smile. "Can I tell you something?"
Tris nodded.
"I know it's selfish," Eric said, "but I was hoping you would come home with me. Watching you hit the ground and not get up… It shook me, Tris. I thought you were shot, maybe dead, and all I could think was that we fought about something stupid. I thought I lost you, and that our last conversation, our last day together was a stupid fight about money. I wanted to say 'I love you' one more time. I wanted to tell you that I came to see you speak, and that you were amazing. I wanted to tell you I'm proud of you. I… I couldn't breathe. I felt like the wind was knocked out of me and I just ran!"
Tris pressed her forehead to Eric's, her hands still on his cheeks. He sobbed, then quieted, and they held one another as they cried silently for several minutes.
"You'll come home with me, right?" Tris asked in a whisper. "It just makes sense for me to go home with my mom. Caleb is leaving and you have to work. I'll come with you over the weekend, and you can be at the house with me all week if you want."
Eric nodded. "I'd go anywhere with you, Duchess."
Tris snuggled into Eric and he wrapped his arms around her.