Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the last chapter and to everyone who reviewed. I don't own Divergent and as always all military-related mistakes are mine. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Happy Reading!

Chapter 24 Here I Am Alive

My breathing stops, my vision gets blurry from the tears in my eyes as Shauna yanks me out the door into her car as she speeds to the base hospital, my head is spinning, and my mind is going a million different directions, my ears still not believing what she told me when I answered the door. My voice catches as I whisper "Are you sure it is him?"

"Yes. Max told me that he was one thousand percent sure that it was Four and Zeke." Shauna squeezes my hand as she wipes a tear from her eye as she drives the car into a parking lot labeled hospital parking. We both sprint into the ER lobby from the car, only to be told by the nurse at the front desk to wait in the family room, that she can't release any information on patient conditions.

Shauna paces the room as I sit in the chair, watching her. After several moments of silence, she says, "Why won't they let us anywhere near them? Why can't they release any information?" I shrug my shoulders at her, all my nursing knowledge suddenly leaving my head, my mind fights with my heart. I want to burst through the doors and find Tobias. I want to know that he is safe somewhere in this tiny hospital. I eye the clock with disgust as Shauna sits next to me, grabbing ahold of my hand, whispering in a firm, but unsure voice, "They are both alright. They need to be, right?" I shrug my shoulders, not replying to her as she continues "You look pretty, Tris. Where were you going?"

"Our neighbor, Stephen, was making me go to the ball tonight, with him, but now I'm definitely not going. Not since they found Four alive."

"I forgot that the ball was tonight. Zeke never wanted to go because none of his friends were going to it." She laughs, "Typical guy," and for the first time in nine long days, I see her smile. "Mrs. Pedred, you can see First Lieutenant Pedred, but I must advise you to be prepared. He has been through a lot, and I wouldn't stay for very long. He needs his rest." She squeezes my hand one last time, then gets up following the nurse, disappearing behind closed doors reading employees only.

I wait for another twenty minutes, glaring at the clock, feeling every minute that I am away from Tobias. A short nurse with a black pixie cut walks out, and says "Miss Prior, you can see Captain Eaton now." She blushes as she says his name. "Follow me. Don't stay too long. He needs his rest. Don't push him to talk about what happened out there. If he wants to talk about it, then let him. He is pretty banged up, but he should make a full recovery eventually, but he isn't out of the woods yet. He has been asking about you. He told me that you are a nurse yourself."

"Yes." I say as she turns to me sternly saying, "I trust you know what a stage three liver laceration and hematoma means then." I shake my head knowing that Tobias is bleeding internally and needs surgery. That his liver laceration is serious, but at least it isn't a level six.

She opens the door to a dark room. I can hear the beep beep of the heart monitor before I see him. He has oxygen going into his nose. He looks as pale as a ghost. He has a blood pressure cuff on this right upper arm that takes his blood pressure every five minutes. From what I can see his blood pressure is good on the monitor, bringing me a sigh of relief. He has an IV of normal saline going into his right hand. His left hand and wrist are in a splint. His arms are black and blue, along with parts of his face, and he has a split lip. His hair is unruly, going in every direction, and in need of a cut once again. He has a beard again, which makes him look like a different man, similar to the man who moved in next to Peter and me. He has his thick-rimmed glasses on. He is sleeping peacefully, breathing steadily, and the sight of him alive, breathing, brings tears to my eyes.

I lightly rub his head, trying to will myself to believe that he is here, that he is alive. His head turns toward me, towards my hand, as his eyes slowly open, and I am met with his brilliant blue eyes that I thought I would never see again. "Tris?" He croaks, a slight smile forming on his lips.

"Yeah," I say hoarsely, trying to hold back the tears that are starting to escape down my cheeks. "Are you alright?"

He avoids the question as he says, "Baby, don't cry. Come here." He opens his arms to me, and I lightly hug him, trying to believe that he is real, that he is alive laying in front of me.

"I can't believe that you are alive. I thought you were dead." I say, gently touching his face, as tears continue to pool in my eyes. I want to bury my face into his chest, but I am scared to hurt him. I don't want to take my eyes off him. I am scared that he is going to disappear in front of my eyes again.

"Me too, for a while, I thought I was dead. But then the Coast Guard found Zeke and me. You look amazing in that dress, by the way. Where were you going?"

"Stephen, your next-door neighbor, asked me to be his date to the ball since you weren't here."

"Oh yes, Stephen. He is a good guy. I was stationed with his husband Mark, and their daughter, Mattie is a cutie. She has a crush on me. I'm not sure if I told you that or not. I have something for her from Mark, I forgot to give it to her, can you give it to her for me, it is in the nightstand."

"I missed you, Tobias, I was so worried about you," I whisper, changing the subject off of Stephen, Mark, and Mattie.

"I missed you, Tris, so very much. I was worried about you. You are the only reason that I survived that place that Zeke and I crashed into. When my plane was crashing, I prayed to God, I told him I was sorry for everything that I had ever done wrong in my life, and I told him that I would try to be a better person. I just wanted to see you one more time. That was it, and I would die happy. When my plane was going down, I thought I was going to die Tris, but when I woke up, Zeke had ejected both of us, and we were in the middle of the ocean, with no land in sight. We floated on our seats for a day or two, then I saw land, along with the plane that we had been flying, still burning. I looked inside the plane for anything useful, trying to call for help, but then debris fell down and hit me hard in the side and stomach. Zeke and I thought the Air Force would come looking for the plane, but they never did. We sat there for days on the beach. Days and not one single person came looking for us, Tris. The Air Force left us for dead. The guys in the Coast Guard found us by accident when they were searching for someone else who had disappeared in the same area off of a fishing vessel." I can see the tears gathering in his eyes. "Then come to find out, they told you, I was dead, and you started making arrangements for my memorial. You thought I was dead too. Didn't you?"

"No Tobias. I didn't want to believe it, but everyone kept telling me otherwise. What would you have me do?"

"Believe that I would never leave you after everything you have been through." He says angrily as his eyes move towards the wall. "It is one thing to be left by the Air Force, and for them to give up hope! But, for you to give up hope on me, that is something else entirely different. That is a whole other level of betrayal."

"Tobias, I. . ."

"Get Out!" He yells, turning red in the face.

"Tobias, can we talk about this!"

"Get Out, Tris! I don't want to see you ever again."

"Tobias!"

"I said get out!" He screams as I fall over a chair, trying to back out of the room, only to fall into the door with a loud bang before my world turns black.

I know another cliffhanger, and you all want to kill me for it. But don't because then the story won't be updated anymore. ;) So any ideas on why Tobias is acting this way. Thought and opinions on this chapter can't wait to hear them. Next update will be on the weekend of April 15th.