If I'm reading this right, Peter, Drew, and Molly are loosely related to one another. I wonder who I could call at Candor to confirm my suspicions. Are Ruth and Molly's mother really sisters like I suspect? And what about the Cooper connection? After thinking about it for a while and weighing the pros and cons, I pick up my phone to call Ruth just as the door opens and Tobias, Tyler, and Tessa come in. I turn my phone off before hitting the final number and smile at my family.
"Mommy! I come to see you," Tyler says, running over to me.
"Hi, buddy," I say then I move my eyes to Tobias'. "What are you doing home?"
"You wanted me home so I went and picked up the kids," he says. I lean over and kiss Tyler's head then go to my husband.
"I didn't ask you to come home," I say.
"Yeah you did," he says. He runs his free hand down my face and grasps my neck and pulls my mouth to his.
"Eww! Kissy kissy," Tyler says. I pull my lips away from Tobias', and we look down at our son who has both his hands over his eyes, and we laugh at his innocence and shake our heads.
"You can look now," I say to Tyler. "Daddy's not kissing Mommy anymore." He slowly moves his hands and peeks out between his little fingers. When he sees us looking at him, he drops his hands and smiles. "Let's sit down." I take Tobias' hand and pull him to the couch. After we sit, he hands me Tessa and pulls Tyler up onto his lap. I hold my little one close to my chest, and she lies her head on my shoulder as I pat her back. "How did you know I wanted to see you, Tobias?"
"I know you," he says, bumping my shoulder with his. "I could hear it in your voice. When we hung up, I told Zeke I needed to get home. We weren't really making any noticeable progress anyway."
"I might have but I'm not entirely sure what to make of it," I say. "I found a connection between Peter, Molly, and Drew."
"What did you find?" he asks. I tell him what I found in the files.
"I was just getting ready to call Ruth and ask her about it when you got home."
"I'm glad I got home when I did then," he says. "I know you like Ruth. I think she's nice, too, but what if she has something to do with all this … whatever this is. I've been thinking about this since we found Molly on tape. What if Ruth is involved with whatever is going on?"
"No. There's no way." I'll never believe that.
"Please hear me out, love," he says. "Tyler, buddy, why don't you get a toy or puzzle and play? Mommy and I need to talk about something important." He gets down off of Tobias' lap without a word and retrieves his dinosaur puzzle book off the shelf. We watch as he sits at the base of the stairs and gets lost in the wooden pieces. "You agree that Molly is up to something, correct?" I nod. "This is only a theory but with what you just told me about a familial connection, it makes perfect sense. I think Molly and, more than likely, Drew are both out for revenge for Peter's death. We also know she is working with someone inside a faction, and who else would want that besides his mother?"
"I can see where you're coming from but Ruth isn't like that," I say, searching my mind for any signs of deception. "No, I don't believe that. She genuinely seemed hurt by what Peter did to me. Not to mention, she knows we aren't responsible for his death. I think you're wrong."
"I might be," he says. "I hope I am for your sake but what if I'm not. Her visit on visiting day could have been a ploy. I really don't want you calling her to check facts. We'll call Jack tomorrow and see who he recommends we talk to."
"I don't think you're right about her but I'll do as you ask," I say.
"Do you want me to put her in her crib to take a nap?" he asks when I switch Tessa to my other shoulder.
"Yeah. Just remember to bring down her monitor. I'm going to lie down for a while, too."
"Tyler would you like to watch a movie?" Tobias asks out of the blue. Tyler's eyes light up.
"Yeah!" he says.
"I tell you what," Tobias says. "Why don't you lie down in bed? It has to be more comfortable than the couch."
"You know what? I think I'll take your suggestion," I say. "Please don't let me sleep too long though. I want to be able to sleep tonight."
"Pick out a movie, buddy," Tobias says. "I'll be back down in a minute." As I walk to the stairs, Tyler picks up his puzzle.
"You be good for Daddy," I say. "Mommy's going to rest for a bit while Tessa takes a nap."
"I be good," he say. "I pwomise." I follow Tobias into Tessa's room. The minute he puts her in the crib, she sprawls out and starts sucking at the air.
"Crazy kid," I say. "I could watch her sleep forever."
"I know. I could, too," he says. "But right now you better lie down."
"Okay," I say. "I'm tired enough that I won't argue."
"That's good to know," he says with a chuckle. "Come on, let's get you in bed." He puts his hand on the small of my back and leads me down the hallway.
"Too bad you can't join me," I say as I slide up onto the bed. He leans over me after I lie back and smiles down at me.
"I'd like that," he says, "but I'm going to let you rest and watch a movie with our son. I'm taking Tessa's monitor with me. Sleep well, love. I'll wake you for supper." He presses his lips to mine, and I have a hard time stopping. I'm wanting more but know that now is not the time.
"Thank you," I say as he pulls his lips away from mine. I close my tired eyes in an effort to rest but my head is spinning with information. I lie down for about 30 minutes then decide to get up. When I walk by Tessa's room, I hear her whining a little so I pick her up and she immediately begins to root toward my chest. "Are you hungry already, little one?" I sit down in her rocking chair so I can nurse her. As I watch her suckle vigorously, I'm surprised she wasn't louder when I found her.
"I thought I heard you," Tobias says from the doorway. "Why are you up? I could have fed her."
"I couldn't sleep," I sigh. "I guess I have too much running through my mind. I was on my way downstairs when I heard her. Our girl was hungry."
"Is her mommy hungry?"
"I could eat," I say. "What are you making?"
"I was thinking of throwing a taco salad together. I just need to make the hamburger."
"Ooh! That sounds really good. It's been a while since you made that," I say, my stomach growling loudly. "Tessa and I will be down when she's done."
"About half an hour?" he asks.
"That sounds about right. I'll change her diaper and put some PJs on her before I come down."
"I'll have supper waiting," he says. He turns to walk out of the room after kissing my forehead but I stop him.
"Tobias, is there something wrong?" I ask, sensing something's not quite right.
"No," he says, shaking his head. "Why?"
"You seem … off, baby." He smiles at my nickname and kneels down in front of me.
"I'm just frustrated by this situation," he says. "I want answers." I put Tessa up to my shoulder to burp her.
"I know what you mean," I say. "I want … normal but I'm not sure what that is."
"Normal is what you and I have. Normal is raising Tyler, Tessa, Peanut, and any future babies we have. That's normal, love. You know that."
"I guess I'm just tired of all the drama," I say. "Times like this make me long for the Amity farm that much more." We stare into each other's eyes, silently reminiscing about one of our favorite places.
"I need to get supper ready," he says. He leans forward and kisses my temple then kisses Tessa's head. "I love you both." He gets up and heads out the door.
"You have such a wonderful daddy, Tessa Beatrice," I say. She brings her eyes to mine and smiles before she goes back to nursing. "He loves us all very much. As long as we have him, we'll be okay. I promise." I gaze at Tessa and gently caress her head until she finishes. Then I change her wet diaper and put her in a soft pink sleeper covered in white polka dots and a cute little girl monkey wrapping around from the back to the front. "Are you ready to go see your daddy and brother, little one?" She smiles brightly and kicks her legs wildly. "You are a squirming little monkey tonight. I picked the right sleeper, didn't I?" I pick her up and she babbles all the way down the stairs. I sit her on the blanket on the floor in front of the television with some plastic blocks surrounding her. She picks one up and puts it up to her mouth. "You try chewing on everything, don't you?"
"Supper's ready," Tobias says as he puts a plate in front on my seat. I move Tessa so we'll be able to see her then sit down to eat. "She's in a good mood." I look over my shoulder just in time to see her move from the sitting position to lying on her side. She rolls onto her stomach then army crawls a few inches to pick up the block she dropped that rolled just out of her reach and puts it in her mouth again. "One of these days we aren't going to be able to keep up with her."
"I know," I say. "She's growing up so fast."
"I gwow fast, too," Tyler says.
"Yep, you're growing like a bad weed," Tobias says, reaching over and ruffling his hair. He gets up from the island when his phone starts ringing and picks it up from off its charger. "Hello … Whoa! Slow down, Harrison ... Why can't you tell me over the phone?" I put my fork down and concentrate on Tobias' call. "Can you give us an hour? We need to find a sitter then we'll meet you in the Pit … Alright. Bye." He hangs up and meets my eyes with a confused look on his face.
"What did Harrison want?" I ask.
"To be honest, I'm not sure," he says. "He wants to see us as soon as possible. He wouldn't talk about it over the phone though. I'll call Stella and see if she can watch Tyler and Tessa for a while." He calls Stella but she's at Erudite for work and Zander is on duty in the infirmary. He goes across the hall but Will and Christina aren't home either.
"It's an emergency so why don't you call Avery," I say. He dials her number, and she picks up immediately. After explaining our conundrum, she agrees to help us out and says she's on her way.
"Guess what, buddy, Avery is going to come over and sit with you and Tessa until Mommy and Daddy get home," Tobias says. Tyler's eyes light up at the news. I know he's been missing her. After we finish eating supper, Tobias cleans up the kitchen while Tyler, Tessa, and I sit on the couch and watch the second half of Cars. Or I should say Tyler watches. He's going to wear this DVD out one of these days. I play with Tessa who is laughing loudly when Avery knocks on the door.
"I'll get it," I say, getting up off the couch. When I open the door, Avery and Afton are standing there. "Hi, guys."
"I hope you don't mind Afton tagging along," Avery says. "We had a girls night planned for tonight."
"As long as Callen and Declan don't come over," Tobias gruffly says.
"They're in the tattoo parlor," Afton says, rolling her eyes. "Boys night." Okay, she sounds a little bitter.
"Thank you for doing this," I say. "I can't say how long we'll be but, hopefully, it won't be too long." I hand Tessa to Avery. "If she gets hungry, there's bottles in the fridge."
"You've gotten so big," she says, making faces at my daughter, causing her to laugh.
"That she has," I say. "She can sit up by herself, and she's starting to pull herself around with an army crawl."
"Pretty soon you're going to be chasing Tyler all around," she says.
"Thanks again for coming on such short notice," Tobias says. "Tris, we've got to go."
"Okay," I say. I kiss Tessa's head then move to Tyler. "You be good for Avery and Afton." He continues watching his movie like he doesn't know anyone is talking to him. "Tyler Aaron, look at Mommy." He tears his eyes away from the screen and looks at me. "Did you hear me?"
"I be good fo Avey," he says.
"Okay," I say. "You need to answer me when I'm talking to you."
"I sowwy," he says, hanging his head.
"I know you are," I say. I kiss his head then let him get back to his movie.
"We'll be back as soon as possible," Tobias says. "Thanks again." Tobias leads me out into the hallway then takes my hand.
"What do you think Harrison wants?"
"He said he thought he found something but he sounded too … anxious, scared maybe to talk about it over the phone," he says. "I'm not sure why. He asked that we meet in the Pit."
"Hhm. That's strange," I say.
"You've got that right."
"Do you know what he's been working on lately?" I ask.
"Besides everyday Dauntless business, Tori has had him following up on leads related to Sam's death," he says. "Hopefully, he has a promising one."
"Where exactly did he tell us to meet him?" I ask. "The Pit is a large place."
"By the door that leads to the net," he says. We slowly follow the steep and winding path down into the Pit. I'm beginning to second guess coming with Tobias even though Harrison said he wanted to see the both of us. Not only do I feel like I'm sleep walking but my back is throbbing, my legs are burning, and my shoes feel two sizes too small. Maybe I should consider maternity leave or at the very least limit the number of trips I take from the Pire to the Pit. I expect Harrison to be waiting for us but the area around the door is deserted. We look around but he's nowhere to be found. After standing here for about five minutes, Tobias pulls his phone out and dials Harrison's number but he doesn't pick up. "This is so unlike him." A blood curdling scream draws our attention and Tobias takes off like a shot in the direction of the hair raising sound. I can tell this isn't going to be good. I follow behind him as quickly as my body will allow. I see him go down a desolate, rarely used hallway and trail behind him. When I enter the hallway, I see two young girls huddled together against the wall and Tobias kneeling over a crumpled figure on the stone floor. "Tris, I need you to go to the infirmary and get some help." I see Harrison's white-blonde ponytail but nothing else. "Go!" I turn on my heels and sprint back the way I came. Others must have heard the scream because a crowd has now gathered just outside the hallway. I see Purple-Hair and Snake-Tattoo and stop long enough to tell them where Tobias is and that he's going to need help then fight my way through the gawkers and into the infirmary. I think that Marlene is going to have a heart attack when she sees the condition I'm in.
"I … need … Zander," I pant. "Help … please. Harri … son … hurt." Those are the only words I can get out. I bend over and rest my hands on my knees in an effort to calm my hammering heart and slow my unsteady breathing. She pushes a couple buttons on the phone then comes out from behind the desk.
"Hey, let me look at you. Were you running?" I nod, still unable to talk. She shakes her head a little then against my protests leads me into an examination room. "Lie down, Tris, and try to relax. I'll be back in a minute to check your blood pressure." I bet it's high but Tobias did tell me to get help. I hear a commotion and see Harrison being wheeled into the exam room directly across from mine. They forget to close the doors so I can see and hear everything that's going on. Zander is barking orders, asking for everything STAT. That's really the only thing I understand. Tobias comes rushing into my room and straight to me.
"Are you alright?" he asks, his hands hovering over my body.
"Don't worry about me right now," I say, taking his hands in mine. "What the hell happened?"
"Those girls heard Harrison's phone ringing when I called so they went to investigate. They got quite a surprise. When they realized what they were seeing, they screamed."
"What's happening?" Tori asks as she comes running into the room.
"We really have no idea," Tobias says. He tells her about Harrison's call earlier asking us to meet and then what we subsequently found. "There was some redness on his neck just like Sam's. He must know something."
"This is all my fault," Tori says, putting her face in her hands. "I'm the one who suggested adding him to leadership."
"It's not your fault. There's no way you could have known he would be attacked," I say. "Four, maybe you should call Zeke and see if he can find anything on the security cameras."
"Yeah, I better do that," he says. He takes his phone out of his pocket but puts it away when Marlene walks into the room and shuts the door behind her so the goings on in the other room are muffled. She takes my blood pressure, which is higher than it's been since I got off of bedrest but that really isn't surprising.
She looks at the reading a few times then says, "You need rest right now. I know this situation is stressful but you really need to try and stay calm." Hhm. I thought I was being calm. "I know what Isobel would suggest."
"And what's that?" Tobias asks, his focus now entirely on me.
"Either admitting you until your blood pressure levels out or sending you home on bed rest until it comes back down." I don't like either of those options right now but try not to show it.
"Can I rest here for a while then have you check on me again, Marlene?" I ask. "If it's still high, I'll do whatever you think is best."
"Okay," she says. When she leaves the room, the door remains propped open, and we once again listen to the hustle and bustle going on in the next room. It's quite sobering. Tobias sits on the edge of the bed with me, caressing my hair. I'm sure he's trying to relax me, and I think it's partially working. Tori, however, isn't helping my frame of mind any. She's pacing fitfully back and forth in front of the doorway, waiting for word on Harrison. I close my eyes in an attempt to block her out and listen to Dr. Parrish and his staff work on our friend.
"That's it," we clearly hear Zander say. "I'm calling it. Time of death 8:56 p.m."