Chapter 16: Tris

The next class is just as worrisome as the first but the thirty have done great work in keeping the city safe as well as helping the new recruits with training.

There isn't much that we're not prepared for now during the second class and even though there are a few bumps along the way the four of us move forward and work through them.

"Everything seems to be going well." Caleb tells me one day when we meet. "The force hasn't been aggressive in any way, they've helped more people with small things in ways I would have never thought, and they still try to have fun while doing it."

"They don't carry guns, I think that's what makes them less scary than before." He agrees with me and I can see it, but he knows that before I was one of the gun carrying crazy people in this city.

Caleb starts talking about the contraption he's working on to help Shauna walk, how he's been working on a serum to help with different diseases, and how he's been seeing someone.

"How is being married?"

I shrug. "We've only been married for a few months, there isn't much of a difference from before except that now we wear rings." Tobias and I exchanged rings a week after the ceremony, both are simple and won't get in the way of our work.

"You seem happy."

"I am." I had started a habit of playing with my ring as a way to keep my mind off of things but sometimes I like to look at it and remind me that Tobias and I are connected forever. "Things haven't really changed much but every once in a while something comes up and I just can't stop smiling."

Caleb stands and hugs me. "That's good to hear Beatrice. Unfortunately, I have to go but we'll see each other soon."

When I get back to Dauntless I find Tobias and Zeke in the Pit, without thinking he runs a finger down the part of my spine that is showing along my tattoo. "How's Caleb?"

"Well, he says hello to both of you."

Zeke laughs, I know that he dislikes Caleb for various reasons and in the last year he's been more of a brother to me but it's still interesting to see.

Together we spend time laughing before Zeke runs off to meet Shauna.

"How are you feeling?" Tobias says kissing my cheek. "I heard you throwing up this morning."

"I'm fine, better than fine actually. We're having a baby."

The celebration that follows is insane, Tobias runs around and for the next few weeks treats me like a piece of glass.

"I just can't believe you're having a baby!" Zeke yells when we tell everyone over dinner one night. Shauna is the one who ran the tests for me so she already knew.

"It's crazy," Tobias says. "We will need some help moving into a bigger apartment though."

"Absolutely, let me know what you need."

The apartment we chose in on a lower floor in the Pire and is closer to Zeke and Shauna, it has three bedrooms for if we decide to have another kid and enough space for everything we will need.

"We'll still need a crib, clothes, toys, bottles, and hundreds of other things." Out of the two of us Tobias has been more worried about the baby than I am. "How are we going to raise it?"

"Tobias," I hold out a hand and bring him to sit on the bed with me. "Everything will be fine. We can get everything we need in the next seven months of the pregnancy, and as far as raising the baby how would you want to do it?"

"I want him to be happy, and feel loved every day. I want him to do whatever makes him happy and not feel judged because of it. Let him make his own mistakes and learn from them that way."

I laugh quietly. "You think it's a boy?"

"You think it's a girl?"

"Kind of, she feels like a girl." My stomach has barely started to form a bump but when I run a hand across the middle of my body I can feel it changing. "But we should think of names for both just in case."

"Well, if it's a girl I like the name Harper."

I pull a face. "What about Maggie?"

"Maggie's not a bad name. What were you thinking for a boy?"

"What about Grant?"

"I'm iffy on that one but I'm also surprised you didn't say Uriah."

I look down at the hand resting on my swelling midsection and sigh. "I figured Zeke and Shauna might name their son Uriah if they have one and I didn't want to take that away from him."

The warmth of Tobias' embrace keeps me from being sad. "We can talk about names later. What I want to know is, what are we going to do about you training recruits once you get really pregnant."

"It's not like I'm going to be actually fighting the recruits myself Tobias, I'm sure there will be others who are willing to help like Zeke and George did. I'm just going to be standing there telling them what to do." He smiles and runs a hand through my hair which has started to grow out again and needs cut. "Besides, Shauna is going to give me checkups every couple of weeks and between you, Zeke, George, and Amar I doubt anyone will lay a hand on me."

The next day at breakfast I eat more than I have in a long time, my plate is filled much like the boys and I eat it with as much fervor.

"How's the little one coming along?" Zeke asks through a mouthful of food.

"I'm starting to fill out more as you can see, but I don't feel much movement yet." Shauna told me that at a certain point in the pregnancy I would feel the baby move a lot and that if I didn't feel movement to come find her right away. Apparently I still have a little while to go. "Four has been treating me like a baby though, not letting me do anything."

"You're not supposed to carry anything! And besides you're tired all the time anyway why should I let you wear yourself out more?"

"How am I supposed to set everything up for the baby?"

We go back and forth until leaving for training, but even then I notice Tobias looking over several times to make sure I'm not in any trouble or need help. Eventually I just stick my tongue out at him but he only rolls his eyes.

At lunch he spends time rubbing the small bump mindlessly while talking with one of his old recruits from the first class.

"So I've been making sure to keep a watch on the cameras and there are still a few small groups of factionless hanging around but it doesn't look like they're causing any trouble."

"We don't tell the force to target the factionless though, we don't want that to become something that they start making a habit of." Tobias is shaking his head worried that someone will start doing it though. "How many groups of factionless?"

The conversation goes on until we leave to go back to training.

"What are these knives for?" A young guy, probably my age names Liam asks.

"We used to train initiates in knife throwing, it's a useless skill so we decided not to do it anymore."

"Can you show us?"

I pick up a few knives and everyone stands back so they can see me clearly. It's something I haven't done in a long time so I have to fix my stance and get the feel of the knife in my hand to work. Finally I aim and throw hitting dead center and listening to the group gasp. The next knives I throw in a straight line down.

"How do you even learn that?" Someone from the back asks.

"Four is actually the one who taught me, he threw knives at me during the first lesson."

The group looks scared and confused. "I thought he was your husband? Why would he throw knives at you?"

"The Dauntless manifesto said that they recognized ordinary acts of bravery, it doesn't matter what it is. During my initiation we had a leader who was ruthless and mean, instead of helping teach us he humiliated and scared us into submission. During our first knife throwing lesson the leader had someone who was doing poorly stand in front of a target while Four threw knives at him, if he flinched he was out. So I spoke up and took his place instead, he threw the knives at me and even cut my ear but afterwards when I confronted him about taunting me he told me that if he had wanted to hurt me he would have." Everyone is silent and staring at me.

"Why was Four there? Didn't the leaders teach you?"

I shake my head. "The leaders had more important things to do but would oversee different lessons, especially with transfers. "Four was my instructor."

"You married your instructor?"

No one had noticed that Tobias had wandered over to us until he laughed, the first time any of them had heard it. "Yes she did. I thought we weren't doing knife throwing?"

"We hear you're great at it though. Can you show us?"

The amount of noise everyone makes wanting to see if it amazing so Tobias picks up the knives and stands in front of a target.

He hits the middle each time throwing with intense speed.

When everyone leaves for dinner Tobias and I stay in the training room for a little longer.

"Maybe we could make it interesting with knife throwing." He says finally picking the ones he threw out of the target. "What if we helped teach it on time off and make a game of it?"

"It's worth a shot, it's still useless and won't be a part of the curriculum but it'll be fun."

Training continues on and I keep growing wider. Out apartment is filled with everything we need for the baby and by the time I feel like I'm going to burst Tobias and Zeke have set it all up.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Shauna asks while we watch the boys put together the crib one night.

"If it's a girl I think you're going with Maggie, and if it's a boy we're going with Grant." Tobias didn't like Grant at first but he came around. "I wanted to name him Uriah but didn't want to take the option away from Zeke."

The boys come out of the room to sit with us and Tobias starts rubbing my now huge midsection.

"I think he's kicking!"

Sure enough the baby was rolling over and Zeke runs over to feel it. "That's so cool!" He says feeling the little body parts pushing against his hand.

It's only a few weeks later that I go into labor. I wake up in the middle of the night with back pain and try to get more comfortable, I onto the opposite side and start to groan in pain.

"Tobias." My back is turned towards him so it's difficult to reach out and shake him. "Tobias wake up."

"What's wrong?" He mumbles sitting up.

"I need you to rub my back, it hurts so much." He has been so wonderful during this pregnancy and done everything that I've needed help with including rubbing my back and feet when they're sore. "Something's wrong."

I feel his fingers falter in the massage but only for a second before he continues and it only takes a moment for me to feel a wet sensation between my legs.

"Tobias," I groan and I feel his hand on my forehead. "I think the baby's coming."

He's out of bed in a minute and pulling clothes on and grabbing a towel to clean me up.

"Come on, we need to get to the infirmary." He runs out of the apartment and towards Zeke and Shauna's and is back before I even realize. "Help me get her up."

"Tris you're going to be fine," Zeke says taking hold of my arm and slinging it over his shoulder. "Shauna is getting to the infirmary right now and setting everything up, she's going to take good care of you."

I can barely understand him I'm in so much pain, Zeke is talking in one ear trying to help me know it'll all be okay and Tobias is in the other ear saying sweet things. It's the middle of the night but there are a few people hanging out around the Pit, a few of them are nurses that help Shauna and start to run down to help her.

A few others run to help the boys get me there, they open doors and move people out of the way but when we finally get to the infirmary I only want Tobias and Zeke there to help me through it. They hold my hands and let me scream through the pain since the serums won't work on me.

It takes all night and into the next morning but finally I hear the cries of a baby.

"Here you go, here's mommy." Shauna says handing me the bundle of blankets.

Tobias helps me hold the baby and we stare into the face of our child, when I look at Tobias there are a few tears trailing down his cheeks and I rest my forehead on his cheek.

"Boy or girl?" He asks looking to Shauna.

"Girl."

"Then," He says taking her in his arms. "I want to introduce Maggie Eaton."

Zeke takes a few minutes to look over the baby before asking if I need anything. "A shower would be great." I joke and he laughs before leaving.

Shauna checks to make sure that medically I'm fine and leaves us to be with our baby.

"She's so much smaller than I thought she would be."

His face is full of wonder and happiness, I've never seen Tobias look that way and it only makes me love him more. "She'll grow quickly. Soon we'll be teaching her to fight to."

"And making sure boys stay away from her."

I roll my eyes and Zeke walks back into the room with a bag. "Fresh clothes and a few others things I thought you would need." Then he hands me a plate. "You need to eat."

"You're amazing Zeke."

The next morning Christina, Caleb, Cara, and Evelyn all rush into the infirmary and start to ask questions only to be shushed by Tobias.

"She's sleeping." He leads them over to the bassinet he brought from the apartment so they can see her. "Everyone, this is Maggie."

Christina coos to her before coming to sit with me. "How are you feeling mom?"

"Like I just had a baby. By the way, pain serum doesn't work on divergents." She cringes and grabs a washcloth to wipe my face and hair with.

"She's so cute though." She says once she's finished. "Can I hold her?"

Tobias picks her up out of the bassinet and places her in Christina's arms. "Maggie, meet the annoying Candor aunt of yours." He says laughing.

"I can't believe you're a mother Tris." Christina says to me. "It's so weird."

"Try being me."

Everything in my world feels right. Just about everyone I love is with me, I'm married to Tobias, and we just had our first baby. There is absolutely nothing that can take away how I feel.