Chapter 2: Awakening

Tris POV

I'm still floating in this.. abyss, I guess is the right word to describe it. Time doesn't seem to pass here. There's nothing to differentiate one second, hour, or day from the next. There's just.. nothing. At all. Except for me.

It almost seems like this place is the antithesis of existence. Whereas existence has a purpose, this place doesn't. Do I have a purpose?.. The thought runs through my mind for the umpteenth time since I've been here. I've spent a lot of time thinking, because that's all there is to do. I tried walking, but it didn't get me anywhere. Occasionally I think I hear a whisper or some garbled voices talking high above me, but they vanish as soon as I try to tune into them.

Yes, Tris. You do have a purpose. Tobias is your purpose. You're everything to him. You can't leave him behind. I sigh at the automatic response my mind makes. But I'm right. I don't even want to think about how Tobias must be feeling right now. I need to get back to him somehow.

I throw my head back and exhale, looking at what in any other place would be a night sky full of twinkling stars and planets waiting to be discovered, and I freeze. This time, a small pinprick of light sits directly in the middle of my line of sight. No matter how I move, it stays centered.

Is that?.. I hesitantly reach my hands up towards the light, and for the first time, I feel myself move upwards. And then.. his voice. Loud in my ears, like the sound of the world's most soothing cannon going off all around me.

"Tris.. up.. you.. please.." At first, some of his words cut out, but the harder I strain myself, the more clear he becomes.

"Tris.. I love you. Please wake up. I need you. I love you.. please wake up.. I need you.." I can hear him clearly now. He seems to be chanting the words, making a mantra out of them. Every memory we have, good and bad, flashes through my mind. Our first kiss at the Chasm. The night he told me he loved me. The feeling of worry that plagued me as I searched through the crowded train for his hand when Dauntless was under a war simulation. The look on his face through that small window as Erudite personnel carried me to my execution. The argument we had after I confessed under truth serum to killing Will, and his resulting ultimatum. The night we made love..

"Tobias.." I whisper softly, wishing so badly that he could hear me. I close my eyes as the white envelopes me completely, a blissful smile on my face. Finally..

Tobias POV

I wake in the dead of night again. I groan before checking my watch, already knowing what it's going to read. 3:15 AM. The exact time I awoke to find Tris gone, on her way to sacrifice herself to Erudite in order to stop the killings that had been plaguing the factions.

It's been exactly 6 days, 3 hours and 13 minutes since Cara told me Tris was dead, and exactly 6 days, 2 hours and 52 minutes before I found out from Dr. Arnwell that she was in a coma that could possibly last forever. 6 days, 2 hours and 52 minutes since I snatched the tiny molecule of hope that was left inside me and latched onto it as if it were a rock in the midst of a hurricane.

The steady beep of her heart monitor rings in my ears as if it's always been there. At this point, I don't really notice it anymore. I imagine this is what the world's worst case of tinnitus must be like, magnified a thousandfold.

I give Tris' small, fragile hand a gentle squeeze before standing up, pushing my chair against the wall with the backs of my knees. I stretch, feeling my muscles loosen after sitting down for 19 hours straight. "I'll be right back, baby.. don't go anywhere. I love you," I whisper before heading towards the door. I know she can't hear me, but the doctor told me that talking to her might help bring her back. So I did. I spent almost every hour that I wasn't sleeping (which is most of them) talking to her about everything under the sun. I started off with how I feel about her, grasping for the words to describe how much I truly love her. Eventually I found some that were adequate, but still lightyears away from the truth. After that, I moved on to talking about me, which under normal circumstances isn't an easy thing to do, but it felt.. necessary. I told her about my favorite books, movies, foods, music, and anything else that came to mind. I listed to her every happy memory I could dig out of my mind. And still.. nothing.

As I rest my hand on the doorknob, I hear a beep that sounds.. out of place. And another. And another. I turn with a frown on my face and my breath hitches in my chest. The number telling me how fast her heart is beating is rapidly increasing.

I'm by her side instantly, taking her hand in mine and staring intently at her face. Her fingers twitch against mine as my heart threatens to hammer out of my chest. And her eyes flutter open, boring into mine like a drill.

"..Tris?" Her name rips from my mouth in a tormented whisper. I don't dare believe this is real until I'm absolutely 100% sure.

She groans before parting her lips slightly, and the word that comes out of her mouth triggers the tears that have been threatening to overflow for the last 6 days, 2 hours and.. 55 minutes.

"Tobias.." she croaks and gives me the faintest of smiles. I lean my head against the railing of her hospital bed, completely unable to form words.

"Yeah, baby.. I'm here. You came back," I say with a smile. She manages to nod her head before collapsing against the bed, and I panic momentarily until she blinks at me. I realize that her body must be the weakest it's ever been.

"Tris, I need to go get a doctor, okay? Please, stay awake.. I need you to stay awake. I'll be right back. I promise. Don't.. don't go anywhere." I press my lips to her forehead before practically sprinting out the door to the nearest nurse's station. When I arrive, I lean on the counter, panting. "Dr.. Arnwell.." I manage to get out, and the bewildered nurse on duty points at a sign that reads "DOCTOR'S LOUNGE" in bold red letters.

I make my way into the room and stare at him, still unable to form words. He turns his head towards me and a smile breaks across his face. He nods at me wordlessly and sets his coffee down before grabbing his lab coat and striding past me. I follow him as he retraces my path to Tris' room.

I beam again as my eyes find hers when I enter the room behind the doctor and she gives me another weak smile. Dr. Arnwell gets straight to work examining her. "Tris, can you hear me?" he asks, and she nods slowly. "Is nodding too much work for you?" Another nod. "Okay. That's okay. Blink once for yes and twice for no." She blinks twice, and each flash of her blue eyes sends a chill down my spine.

I watch as he pulls what I think is a small pen from his pocket until he clicks it and it sends a narrow beam of light at the wall opposite him. He shines it into both her eyes before nodding to himself, seeming satisfied. "Does the light hurt?" he asks and she blinks.. three times. "A little bit. Okay, that's normal. Your pupils aren't dilated and there seems to be no signs of head trauma. I'm going to give you a quick examination to see if everything is working the way it should be. It may hurt a little." She blinks once, showing that she understands and that it's okay.

I slowly approach her bed, sitting down in the chair. She lays the side of her head on the pillow, her eyes penetrating me down to my very soul. We don't make a sound, yet I feel everything she's trying to convey.. Remorse, regret, relief, pain, sorrow, happiness, gratitude, and most importantly.. love. Her love for me shines bright in her eyes, like the light of a trillion suns. I try my hardest to put everything I'm feeling into my gaze, and she seems to understand, because she blinks once.

The doctor tests her joints and reflexes, nodding to himself occasionally. "Well, Tris.. you are without a doubt a medical miracle," he states as he stands up. "Everything seems to be in working order, and your monitors tell me that you're physically okay, just tired. I'll leave you two alone for a bit before sending a nurse in to take some blood and change the dressing on your wounds, but you need to rest. Don't speak unless you have to, and press this button if the pain gets to be too much. A nurse will come administer some pain meds immediately." Arnwell turns on his heel and before he reaches the door, Tris clears her throat.

"Doctor..?" She phrases the word as a question, and I realize she has no idea what his name is.

"Arnwell," he says as he turns to look over his shoulder. "Thank.. you," she says delicately, and he shakes his head. "You.. brought me back. I don't.." she clears her throat again, and I reach for the untouched pitcher of water beside her bed. "I don't think I can repay you for that," she finishes and sighs.

"Tris, I may have saved your life and taken care of you for the past six days, but Mr. Eaton here-"

"Tobias," I say warmly. "My name is Tobias." He nods before continuing.

"Tobias sat by your bedside almost constantly, only leaving to use the bathroom and occasionally grabbing something to eat. He talked to you almost nonstop. I can honestly say I've never seen someone as devoted as this man is to you. He's the one you should be thanking." She nods slowly as a tear trails down her face and I reflexively wipe it away with my thumb. "Get some rest, Tris," he says gently before leaving the room. As soon as he's out of sight, our eyes instantly lock again. I sniffle pathetically and give her a genuine smile, my first since the night we made love for the first and only time. I hurriedly fill a styrofoam cup with ice water and stick a straw in it before bringing it up to her mouth. She gratefully takes a sip and gives another smile, this one less weak. I open my mouth to repeat the three words I've been chanting to her, but she beats me to it.

"I love you, Tobias," she says clearly, and my heart wants nothing more than to swell out of my chest and devote itself to her.

"I know, baby.. God, I love you, too. I never thought I'd hear those words again, Tris.." I say as another tear leaks from my eye and trails down my cheek. I wipe it away absently and notice for the first time the scraggly beard that's on my face. Honestly, I haven't given enough of a shit about myself the last week to even think about shaving. I want to tell her to stop talking, because I know it's hard for her to speak, but I can't bring myself to do it. Her voice is like music to my ears.

"I need to tell you something," she whispers and I frown slightly. "Anything, love.." I reply, taking hold of the excuse to hear her voice some more.

"I.. chose to come back," she says, averting her eyes. "I remember. My parents were there, and they wanted me to go with them, but I couldn't, because I needed to come back to you. My dad also told me to tell you he says 'hi"," she says with a chuckle and a grimace.

I can't stop the sob that comes wrenching out of me at her admission. There's been a few times I doubted that she really loved me, but now that I know she brought herself back from the brink of death to be with me.. I'm sure. Before I know what I'm doing, I lean over the edge of her bed and gently brush my lips against her. She slowly moves her mouth with mine for what seems like the shortest eternity before pulling back, breathing heavily.

"Thank you.." I whisper finally as I bring her hand up to my lips, kissing it gently. I cradle her face in my hand, and she nuzzles into it, sighing in relief. "I.. almost gave up, Tris. I came so close to walking out of here and jumping off the first bridge I could find. If you weren't going to wake up, there wasn't any point in continuing to exist. But.. you did. So I guess in saving you, I saved myself."

She doesn't respond, just looking at me with those deep blue eyes it's so easy for me to lose myself in. "Get some sleep, baby.. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise." She nods slowly, closing here eyes, and within seconds she's out like a light. Almost immediately the most adorable snore starts to sound from deep within her chest, and I smile like a complete idiot. I can't believe I ever doubted this woman, I think to myself, shaking my head a little. I am completely, irrevocably, head-over-heels in love with this girl, and I wouldn't change it for the world.

I feel my stomach growl and sigh, letting her hand go and laying it gently on the bed. I stand up and bend over, placing my lips against her forehead again. I let them linger there for a full minute before turning my back on her and leaving the room, letting my angel rest in peace.

A/N: Here's chapter two, a day late :/ let me know what you guys think in a review/PM. And don't hesitate with suggestions or anything like that. Also, an editor position is still available.