A tapping on the door of Tris' hospital room woke Eric. He looked over his shoulder and saw that it was a little after noon, and Andrew was standing in the doorway. Eric looked down at Tris, still sleeping peacefully in his arms.

"Don't wake her," Andrew said quietly. "The nurse told me she has been having nightmares. She needs the rest to recover."

Eric nodded and maintained his position wrapped around Tris in her hospital bed.

"How is she?" Andrew asked. "Nat said she's coming home today."

Eric nodded. "Better than yesterday," he said in a quiet voice. "She's clearer, more aware, less groggy. She knew what day it was, talked about work, and asked about the shooting. She's worried about you. I don't think she remembers seeing you here. Her memory still seems a bit spotty, but she's coming around."

"Good," Andrew said. He walked to the side of his daughter's bed opposite Eric, and reached out a shaky hand to stroke Tris' long hair. "I failed her. As the father of a daughter, protecting her is your first job. It becomes part of your very DNA. I didn't listen to you about Marcus, Eric. I didn't listen to you, and Tris could have been shot."

"She wasn't," Eric interrupted. "You and I both, we need to stop torturing ourselves with what could have happened. It didn't. You listened to me. You kept your distance from Governor Eaton many times. It's not your fault that some guy tried to assassinate him when you were there. You threw yourself on top of Tris to keep her safe. What more can you do?"

Andrew laughed, a dry, sarcastic sound. "She's in that bed because of me. I'm the reason she has that concussion."

"You're also the reason she doesn't have a gunshot wound," Eric argued. "She doesn't blame you, and no one else does either."

Andrew sighed.

"No," Tris mumbled in her sleep as she began stirring. "No."

Eric wrapped his arms more firmly around his sleeping girlfriend. "Shhh," he whispered. "It's okay Duchess. You're safe. I've got you."

Tris sighed in her sleep and quieted.

.

When the discharge paperwork was completed and Tris was dressed in her own clothes, Eric took her out a side exit and put her into his truck. At the same time, Andrew was on the front lawn of the hospital answering reporters' questions.

"Mr. Prior!"

"Mr. Prior!" they clambered.

"Is your daughter still in the hospital?"

"Do you have any update on your daughter's condition?"

"Have you seen the new video of Governor Eaton hitting a prostitute?"

"Do you have any comment on the allegation that the governor has ties to organized crime?"

Andrew held up his hands, calling for quiet. "Ladies and gentlemen, please. I'm glad to tell you all that my daughter has been released from the hospital and is resting comfortably at home. We request that you continue to give our family the privacy and quiet she needs as she recovers.

"As for the governor, I'm afraid I don't have anything to contribute to your reports. The investigation is ongoing, and you will receive information as it becomes available. We do want to encourage anyone with information on the investigation to contact the task force.

"The information we have been receiving from the investigation is appalling. If even a few of these allegations turn out to be true, then this is a disgrace to the great state of Illinois. Our people deserve better. Our people are better."

Declining to answer any further questions, Andrew left the reporters and went home.

Back at the Priors' house, Eric tucked Tris into her bed. Natalie had cleaned Tris' room a bit, put the flower arrangements in there, and prepared a light lunch for her daughter. Tris was eager to see Ava, but she was surprised by how tired she was just from checking out of the hospital and riding home. Eric insisted that she rest first, but promised to bring his daughter to see her after they both had a nap.

.

Eric was in the guest room changing Ava's diaper after her nap when a scream pierced the air. Ava began wailing "mama, mama" as tears rolled down her chubby cheeks. Eric fastened the new diaper in record speed, and ran to Tris' room with Ava in his arms.

Natalie ran up the stairs at the same time Eric came out of the guest room with Ava. She opened the door to Tris' bedroom and revealed her daughter thrashing in her sleep, clearly in the throes of another nightmare.

"No!" Tris shouted. "Ava! No!"

"Ma ma ma!" Ava called, reaching for Tris as tears rolled down her chubby cheeks.

Natalie sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Tris," she said gently but firmly. "Wake up, Honey, you're dreaming."

Eric sat on the edge of the bed. He had his hands full trying to wrangle his distressed little girl.

"Tris," he added his voice to Natalie's. He wanted to pull Tris into his arms and make everything okay, but it took both hands to contain Ava as she squirmed.

"Mama!" the baby wailed.

"Ava!" Tris yelled as she sat up in bed and her eyes flew open.

Tris grasped frantically for the baby who was reaching just as desperately for her. Eric helped them come together, then wrapped his arms around both of his girls as they sobbed.

"Duchess," he said soothingly in Tris' ear, "you need to calm down, Baby. You're scaring Ava. It's okay. Everything is okay. It was just a dream."

"He… hurt… her," Tris sobbed. "He… hurt… my… baby. My Ava."

"Mama, mama," Ava continued to cry.

"It's okay," Tris comforted. "Mama won't let the bad man hurt you. Mama's right here, Sunshine."

"Daddy's here too," Eric said. "And Grandma, and Papa, and Caleb. No one is going to hurt Ava, Duchess."

Natalie rubbed her daughter's back. "We're all here for you, Sweetheart. You need to calm down."

Tris sucked in big gulps of air. "It's okay," she said, though Eric wasn't sure if she was talking to herself, Ava, or him and Natalie. "I'm okay. It was just a dream."

"Just a dream," Eric repeated.

Tris sniffled, then smiled at Ava. "I've missed you, Sunshine," Tris said to the baby.

Ava smiled brightly, though her cheeks were still wet with tears.

"There you go, Duchess," Eric said with a smile for his girls.

"I'm sorry," Tris said to Natalie and Eric.

"You have no reason to be sorry, Sweetheart," Natalie assured Tris. "If you're okay now, I'm going to go work on dinner."

"Thanks Mom," Tris said sheepishly, nuzzling into Ava's neck and blowing raspberries.

The baby laughed, and everyone smiled. Natalie kissed Tris on the head, then patted Eric on the shoulder as she walked out of the room.

"I'm sorry," Tris repeated to Eric.

Eric pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "Your mom was right," he said. "You have nothing to apologize about. You've been through trauma, and you had a bad dream. It's okay. Do you want to talk about it?"

Tris shook her head. "It… It was Marcus. He… he hurt Ava."

Tris smiled at Ava, but her eyes filled with tears.

"He can't hurt us," Eric said. "He's in the hospital, and when he gets out, he's going to jail. We haven't done anything to get him upset at us, anyway. You just got caught in the crossfire of his chaos. He's going to get what he deserves."

Tris nodded. "I know," she said. "It's just… I don't remember things, and what I do remember is like slow motion, and it's scary, and confusing. I'm scared, Eric." A tear trickled down Tris' cheek.

"I know," Eric comforted her. "I know. And I'm here for you. Let us take care of you for a while. You don't have to remember everything or figure everything out. We'll keep you safe. Just relax and lean into me, Tris. Lean into us."

.

A week and a half later, Tris had to be at the university for freshman orientation. Andrew was away for the weekend campaigning, and they originally planned for Natalie to be with Ava and for Eric to go to work. After the shooting and Tris' injury, Eric decided to attend orientation with Tris. Surprisingly, she accepted.

The shooting and her ensuing recovery had deeply shaken Tris. The nightmares that followed hadn't helped. Though Tris had chosen to go home with her parents, Eric ended up staying with them for the rest of that first week. It was the only way any of them got any sleep.

Over the weekend, when Natalie and Andrew had campaign commitments and Caleb had flown back to school, Eric had taken Tris back to his home. He reminded her regularly that she should lean on him and trust him to keep her safe.

When her parents came home, Eric moved Tris back to her home. He hadn't needed to stay after that; Tris was doing better as she healed. She and Natalie cared for Ava during the days when Eric needed to be at school getting ready for the new year, and as the week progressed, Tris had taken on more and more of the baby's care.

When orientation came around, Tris was feeling pretty much like her old self again, though she was still prone to headaches and fatigue, and sometimes struggled to sort things out in her mind. When Eric informed her that he had taken that Friday off to attend with her, she hadn't even resisted. In fact, she seemed grateful, which alarmed Eric, who was used to her stubborn independence.

"Are you sure you're ready to start school?" Eric asked as he drove them to orientation.

"I think so," Tris said. "I have times when I still struggle to concentrate, but it's getting better. And I'm allowed some screen time now. I emailed all of my professors the other day and told them what happened. The professor of my one online class offered to print the readings for the first two weeks. That will cut my screen time to just the online discussion and writing a quick response paper about the readings."

"That was nice," Eric replied.

Tris nodded. "The other professors I've heard back from were kind, too. Most told me that the first week is a slow start and I should let them know if there is anything they can do to help."

"Teachers and professors want to help," Eric said as he pulled his truck into a spot in the designated parking lot. "It's students who come to us later with a bullshit story that we can't stand. If a student comes to me and says 'I have this issue, but I'm going to do my best,' I'm happy to help. But when they say 'I failed and it's because of this,' it just sounds like excuses. You were smart to be upfront about it."

"I didn't want to," Tris confessed as they unbuckled their seatbelts. They got out of Eric's truck and joined hands as they began walking to the check-in tent on the university's rolling green lawn space. "I wanted to just do it myself. My mom suggested I at least contact the instructors for my online classes since I'm still struggling with backlit screens. Then I ended up just emailing all of them. Showing up with excuses on day one makes me feel weak."

"I understand," Eric said. "But don't think of it as an excuse. Think of it as a warning. You and the professor are a team with the same goal - for you to learn this material. You're warning them that you may struggle at first, for a legitimate reason. They'll quickly see that you're a good student who works hard. Besides, I'm sure they all know about the rally and the governor getting shot."

Tris and Eric got in line with the other students and parents with last names beginning with N, O, and P. It was the longest line, and Eric nudged Tris' shoulder and pointed to the much shorter A, B, C line.

"If you had a different last name we wouldn't have to wait so long," he teased, then watched her reaction carefully.

Tris held up her empty left hand. "That's not really up to me," she said, rolling her eyes.

Eric grabbed Tris' hand and dropped to one knee. Her eyes went wide with what Eric could only describe as panic. He kissed her hand and looked up at her, trying not to laugh.

"Tris," Eric said in his most sincere voice. "You need to let go of my hand so I can tie my shoe."

Tris tossed her head back and laughed. "Coulter, you scared me there," she declared. "I thought I was going to have to turn down the world's worst proposal in front of all these witnesses!"

"World's worst, huh?" Eric said as he stood and threw an arm around Tris' shoulders. "You don't find waiting in line at college orientation romantic?"

"Not to mention," she added, "I'm just eighteen and we've been dating for all of three months."

"Three months today," Eric said, wrapping his other arm around Tris.

She smiled up at him, then rested her head on his chest.

They eventually made their way to the front of the line, got checked in, and went to the auditorium for the opening session, which was long and boring. That was followed by breakout sessions for the parents and ice breaker games for the students, who had been divided into smaller groups by their majors. Eric was wary, but Tris gamely participated.

After the games came a campus tour, which included lunch in the cafeteria. All during the meal, Eric kept an eye on his girlfriend. This was the most active day she'd had since her concussion. Tris was a good sport and had pushed herself to participate in everything, but Eric could see the fatigue behind her eyes.

After lunch their group continued the tour, ending in front of the administration building, where another team-building game was set up. Many of the students had academic advisory appointments set up, and Eric was relieved that Tris' appointment would spare her from running around in another silly activity.

When they entered the administration building, Eric was prepared to sit in the waiting area while Tris had her credit transfer meeting. He was surprised when she pleaded for him to come along.

"Please, Eric," Tris said, pulling on his hand.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned by her abnormal lack of confidence.

"I'm just tired," Tris said, not making eye contact. "I don't want to forget anything important. Please can you help me?"

Eric wrapped his arms around Tris, holding her close for a moment. "Anything you need," he told her. "Lean into me."

Tris nodded against his chest. "I just hate feeling like my own brain isn't cooperating."

"It'll get better," Eric promised. "I got a concussion once in a football game. It sucks, but you'll feel better and better. I promise. And I'll carry you as much as you need me. You know how I love to hold you."

Tris sighed contentedly.

The meeting went well at first. The registrar was kind. He asked about Ava, and Tris' health and her father's campaign. The three of them made pleasant small talk. The registrar pulled up a copy of Tris' transcript, and they compared it to her major's requirements.

Eric asked a few questions about Tris' requirements and how they compared to classes he had taken at the university. Tris rested her head on Eric's shoulder as the two men chatted.

"Who teaches the education psychology class?" Eric asked. "I would have liked to take that one. Maybe I can steal your book when you get to it, Tris."

"Uh, Mr. Coulter?" the registrar said. "I think she's asleep."

Eric was instantly alarmed. It was definitely not like Tris to just pass out in the middle of a meeting. Was the morning just too much for her, or is she not as okay as the doctors thought? Eric wondered.

He shifted Tris so he could see her face. "Tris?" Eric asked. She mumbled something, but didn't wake up. "Tris!?" Eric said louder, panic tinging his voice.

"Eric," Tris mumbled, but didn't fully wake up.

Eric dropped to his knees in front of the chair where Tris slumped. He took her face in his hands. "Tris!" he called, patting her cheeks in a desperate attempt to wake her.

"Eric?" Tris asked as she came around. "What's wrong? Where's Ava?"

"You passed out," Eric said, touching her face gently.

"I what?" Tris asked, looking up at her surroundings. "Oh my God!" she said as her eyes settled on the anxious-looking registrar on the other side of his desk. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry!"

"That… that's quite alright," he replied. "Should I, um, should I call for someone?"

"Oh no!" Tris answered as her panicked gaze snapped to Eric. "I'm fine! I just fell asleep. I'm so sorry!" She looked back at the registrar. "I had a concussion recently, it just makes me really tired, especially after all that walking on the tour."

"It's quite alright," the registrar repeated. "I understand about your recovery. As long as you're okay, it's no big deal. Let me just print out this credit evaluation for you, and you can go home and rest."

"What about the rest of orientation?" Tris asked the men.

"Duchess," Eric said in a warning tone.

"You've done the important things," the registrar assured her. "You got your packet, and your ID card, you had your tour, and you've been here to talk to me. The rest is mostly games. I'll let the orientation team know you're not feeling well. It will be fine."

The older man rushed out to get the papers off his printer.

"Eric!" Tris hissed. "Oh my God. That's so embarrassing!"

"Duchess, this is not okay," Eric said. "I want to have you looked at."

"I… I just fell asleep!" Tris objected.

"I couldn't wake you up!" Eric argued. "I'm taking you back to the doctor. I already texted your mom, and she's calling the doctor."