Sorry it's taken so long to update; I was distracted playing Starfield :) Gosh I love Sam Coe 3
The person on the floor's face was bruised and covered in blood and Eric had noticed stab wounds to his chest and stomach, which quickly sobered Eric up. He recognised it was Jamie immediately and checked for a pulse. 'Please still be alive.' There was a slight pulse and Eric acted immediately picking Jamie up carefully and hurrying to the med room. Eric attracted looks from those leaving the bars, which he ignored and burst through the doors. He was trying to keep a cool exterior but inside his heart was raising.
The person at reception looked up with horror on her face. "What happened to him?" Secretly she thought Eric had something to do with it. "I found him like this now get some fucking help." He shouted. The woman quickly ran off and a few seconds later a few nurses and a doctor came with a bed. Eric led him down on it, he felt that his clothes were wet with blood. "We'll contact you when he's out of surgery. For now, you can wait here." Eric looked around the waiting room at other Dauntless members staring at him as the doctor and the other nurses took Jamie away. The receptionist still gawking at Eric. "What?" He hissed at the woman. She quickly made herself look busy. Inside he was panicking, hoping that Jamie would be okay. He was going to kill whoever did this to him.
A few hours passed when the doctor came out and found Eric. Eric was in his own world thinking of revenge. "Eric." The doctor said. Eric looked up at him, holding his breath. "It was touch and go; however, he has pulled through. He's recovering in his own room if you want to see him, however he might be out for a while. Until he wakes up we don't know if he'll have sight in his right eye." Eric let out the breath that he was holding and stood up. The doctor showed him to the room, where Jamie was attached to a heart monitor and in a gown. "If you need anything just ask." With that the doctor left. Eric shut the door and sat in the seat next to Jamie. "What happened to you?" He whispered. Now that he was alone, he felt the tears start to fall. "You scared the shit out of me. How did you manage to get under my skin?" He asked. He studied Jamie, looks like he's going to have some new scars from the attack, especially on his face. Eric grabbed Jamie's hand and held it, not knowing what else he was going to do.
Eric hated hospitals ever since he lost his mother in one. She was sick for a long time and finally the cancer got her. He could remember holding her hand and praying that she would be okay. However, she passed later that night and that's when his life got turned upside down. Eric's father, Cameron, married Jeanine Matthews and that is when he was groomed to become someone of importance in Erudite until he deflected.
Some hours passed, with nurses coming in to check on Jamie. By now Eric was sat in his chair looking indifferent to the situation, telling the nurses that he had to investigate what had happened and that's why he was there. No one could know he was there for any other reason. Jamie woke up with a groan and Eric jumped out of his skin. He grabbed Jamie's hand and looked at the bruised man. "How are you feeling?" He whispered. He didn't know what he could do if Jamie was blind in his eye. Maybe he could persuade Max to allow Jamie to guard the fence, or be in the kitchen or something, rather than kick him out of Dauntless. Jamie turned his head and looked at Eric. "Eric?" He croaked out. "Yeah, I'm here." He rubbed Jamie's hand. "What happened? Who did this?" Eric asked. Jamie was silent for a moment and closed his eyes. "Derek." "That son of a bitch." He hissed and squeezed Jamie's hand. Jamie winced. "Sorry." Eric released his hand. "What happens now?" Jamie asked, scared. "Whatever happens you aren't leaving my side." He promised him. "Leave Derek to me. We don't tolerate members attacking each other." Jamie breathed a sigh of relief. "Once you're better you're staying with me. I don't care what anyone says, you're safer with me." "You won't get into trouble?" Jamie worried. "Fuck them. I'm a leader." Was all Eric had to say. He could always persuade Max anyway. Eric was scared to ask but knew he had to. "How's the eye?" Eric again held his breath. "It hurts to open it." "Jamie, I need to know if you can see out of it." Jamie, still staring at Eric opened it, while wincing. "Yeah, I can see." With that he shut it again. Eric sighed in relief. "Good, now get some rest I've got to sort some things out." Jamie fell back to sleep almost straight away.
Eric got up and made barged through the dorm room doors. He turned on the lights, not even listening to the moans of the initiates and grabbed Derek and began beating up. Someone said, "What the fuck?" and Eric ignored it. Once he was done beating Derek, Eric grabbed him by his shirt and lifted him up. "Let this be a lesson to all of you that has any smart ideas of attacking each other. We do not tolerate any of our members being attacked by each other with weapons and with an attempt to kill." He hissed at the other initiates. Derek groaned in pain. "Now give me a reason to not kick you out and make you Factionless?" He shouted at Derek. Derek sobbed. "You're lucky I'm in a generous mood. Welcome to the bottom of the ranking." He threw Derek to the floor and walked out. He rang Max on the way to Max's apartment.
Max picked up on the third ring. "Eric?" He said sleepily. "We need to talk." He replied. "Can this wait until the morning?" He asked. "No. I'm outside your door." And Eric hung up. Max opened the door to and looked dishevelled. Eric walked straight past him and waited inside his lounge. Max shut the door and turned to look at the younger man. "Can I get you anything?" Max asked? Eric lit a cigarette at that time and began to smoke it. Max sighed and passed over an ashtray. "There was an incident with the initiates." "What sort of incident?" "One of them are lying in the infirmary with two stab wounds and he's lucky he didn't lose his eye." Eric took another drag of the cigarette to help calm his nerves. "That boy that attacked him won't be a problem." Max sighed. "What did you do Eric?" Eric laughed. "I didn't kill him if that is what you are worried about. You'll have someone else on the fence or cleaning the toilets." "That is fair enough. And who was this initiate that was attacked?" "Jamie Eaton." He replied continuing to smoke. "The initiate you've been training?" "Yes, the exact one." "What do you propose?" "He stays with me." "Eric" Max began. "He has potential, and I am not wasting my time training someone for them to be killed in cold blood." Eric spat. Max sighed and rubbed his face. "Fine. But no funny business with him Eric." Eric smiled. "I knew you would agree." With that he finished his cigarette and walked out of Max's apartment. The man was none the wiser about the two men.
"Welcome to your new home." Eric said as he helped Jamie through the door, with the younger man leaning on him. Jamie took in the sight before him. A black corner sofa, with a dark grey glass coffee table in the middle. On the wall near the sofa was a black metal bookcase with filled with all sorts of books. The kitchen was to the side which held a breakfast bar, like the rest of the apartment the kitchen was black with granite worktops. Eric led Jamie to the bedroom. "I've only got the one bed so you have a choice, either sleep here with me or you can have the sofa." Jamie blushed. "And trust me the bed is comfier." He winked. In the bedroom was a king-sized bed with black sheets, a door to what he assumed was the bathroom, a desk with a computer, two bedside tables with lamps on top. "Bathroom is through that door, however no showers for you, until those bandages are off." Eric told him. "I've bought what little stuff you do have, so make yourself at home." Jamie saw his bag on the bed. "Two rules though. No uninvited guests without my permission and no snooping." "Okay." Jamie replied, still taking everything in. He saw a bottle of painkillers that were left by the side of the bed. "Now are you taking the bed or the sofa?" Jamie thought for a second. "Don't worry I'm not going to try anything with you yet." Eric smirked. Jamie blushed again. "I'll take the bed." "Good choice." Eric smiled, happy with his choice. "Get some rest, I'll be in later." With that Eric helped Jamie unpack his little belongings he had and made sure he got into bed. "If you need anything just shout." With that Eric turned the light off and left to call Ryan and fill him in. 'What a night.' Eric thought to himself.