THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT
Tobias's POV:
"Hmm, you smell so good, baby." I hug my wife close to me and bury my face in her hair.
"Tobias, we're gonna be late for work." Tris mumbles against my neck and I sigh, letting her go.
I watch as she effortlessly moves around the kitchen to make us breakfast. I help her as much as I can, and pour us each a cup of coffee. We settle on the table, enjoying the pancakes with fresh fruit.
"I have to go to the shelter today after work." She says, taking a bite.
"That's today?" I reach out to brush a few crumbs from the side of her mouth.
"Yeah." Tris often goes to the kids shelter where they donate baked goods for children, it's a really nice way of helping them, even a little.
"Do you wanna take the car?" I ask her.
"No, I'm going with Tori. And I'll just get a cab back home." She says.
"You sure? I could come pick you up." I ask again.
"No, baby, it's far from your office. I'll be fine." She smiles.
"Okay. But let me know if you need anything." She nods, and we finish up quickly, cleaning the kitchen and getting ready to leave.
Tris comes to me when I open up my arms for her, resting her head over my chest. I caress her hair and breathe her in. I wish we had more time but we really gotta get going.
"Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?" I whisper as I pull back to look at her. She looks so good wearing the simplest clothes, I don't know how she pulls it off. I admire her black blouse, the way it fits her in all the right places. "This reminds me of our honeymoon." I say, taking the soft material between my fingers.
"I knew that it would! You couldn't keep your hands off me that day." She giggles.
"Can you blame me? Just look at you. You looked so gorgeous that day, too." I kiss her nose.
"Enough that you ended up printing out my pictures?" She teases me.
"It's completely normal to get your honeymoon pictures printed, baby."
"Yeah, if they included us both. But you just got mine." She laughs.
"What can I say? I just love looking at my beautiful wife." I hold her face, staring at her perfect smile.
Tris leans up on her toes to kiss me, and I pull her closer. Our lips move together, softly at first but gradually getting deeper. She grabs onto my shoulders, moaning a little in my mouth. And I tug on her bottom lip as I pull away. God, I'm never gonna get enough of her, ever.
"Let's go, baby. We're late." She says, leading me out.
We lock up everything and then get in the car. I drive her to the bakery in comfortable silence, our hands joined. I keep kissing her wedding ring, making her smile. It still seems unreal that we're married, but I couldn't be happier. I park the car when we reach, turning to face her. Pulling her to me, I give her another deep kiss.
"I love you, Tris." I whisper.
"I love you, too, Tobias." She smiles against me. "I'll see you after work."
"Okay, have a great day, baby." I kiss her cheek.
"You, too." She climbs out of the car and goes inside the bakery, turning around to blow me a kiss. I grin at her, shaking my head and then driving off to my office.
It's the same old work day, with the same old boring people. I remember when I used to be excited at the thought of coming to work. It used to be fun. But I just don't feel that motivation anymore. Most days I feel like I'm a robot doing the same thing over and over again. I sometimes miss the old days, when I had just ran away from home. I cherished the freedom it brought. I also had the company of Zeke, but then he moved away. And I stayed here.
I sigh and do my work, thinking about Tris, she's the only reason I can get through my day. Her smile has the ability to make me forget all the bad things. I can't believe that we'll be married for two full years in just a few months. I swear I remember the day I met her like it was yesterday. She has completely changed everything about my life since, and my heart swells thinking about how much I love her.
The day drags on, with meetings and presentations and more of the usual. And then it's finally time to head home. God, I can't wait to see and kiss my wife. I say goodbye to the others and head out, driving towards home.
Once I reach, I text Tris to let her know I'm home, eagerly waiting for her. She responds that it'll take her a while at the shelter, and that she'll let me know when she's on her way. In the meantime, I decide to prepare us some dinner. I'm not the best cook, but I've learned enough from watching my wife to make us something simple.
I boil the water and add in the pasta, letting it cook. And then make a quick butter garlic sauce for it. Just when I think I'm doing a somewhat decent job, I put too much pepper in it. Cursing at myself, I add in some cheese to balance it out. Hopefully I've not ruined it. I take a taste and decide it's not bad. Then I get to straining the pasta.
My phone rings while I'm pouring the pasta through a strainer, the hot steam burning my hands. I drop the hot vessel to the side and pick up my ringing phone.
"Hello?" I answer without looking at the name.
"Hello. Is this Mr. Tobias Eaton?" A woman asks.
"Yes." I respond.
"Uh, Mr. Eaton. I'm speaking from the city hospital. I'm afraid I have some bad news. I'm sorry to inform you of an accident that occurred on 12th Street. It was a taxi, and the passenger who was injured is recognised to be your wife. A Mrs. Beatrice Eaton." The woman says.
"What?! Where is she?" My lungs stop working, my heart racing rapidly.
"She has been brought in a few minutes ago. There were several injuries. We need you to get here as soon as you can."
I hang up the phone, my hands shaking, my mind not working. My Tris got into an accident? I was just texting her a while ago. I look at my phone screen and see a message from her, from fifteen minutes ago, that she just left the shelter.
Looking around the room, I try to figure out what to do. My body is still frozen in shock. Then I snap out of it, turning off all the appliances and lights and grabbing my keys, running out the door. Getting in the car, I drive towards the hospital. My hands are still shaking, and my body is getting really sweaty. God, please let her be okay. Please.
Pulling into the parking lot, I park the car roughly and climb out, running inside. I look around anxiously, and then a nurse approaches me, asking if I'm Tris's husband. She leads me towards an operating room, and a doctor greets me.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Shaw. I'm a neurologist. I'm afraid your wife's condition is quite serious. We need to operate on her urgently." He says.
"What? But how did this happen?" I'm still in shock over what happened in the last thirty minutes.
"My understanding is that a truck hit a taxi that your wife was in. And it crashed from the side that she was sitting on. The windows shattered and a lot of glass cut through her body. The driver was also hurt but not as much, he's getting bandaged up in the other room." The doctor says.
"But I was just talking to her! Where is she? I need to see Tris!" I try to push past him.
"I'm afraid that is not allowed, Mr. Eaton. But I do need you to sign here as her emergency person, because we need to start operating on her soon." He shows me a couple sheets of paper.
"Will she be okay?" I ask him, needing to know the truth.
"I assure you, Mr. Eaton, we'll try our best to take full care of her and heal her quickly." Dr. Shaw says, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I look over the document, my vision blurry as I sign the sheet. He nods at me before going to talk to the nurse, and then he enters the operating room. I only get a peek, but it is enough to knock the air out of me. My Tris lays on a cot, her head and her body covered in blood, while other surgeons move around her. The sight is enough to break my heart over and over again.
My body sags against the wall, and I can't keep myself upright. Why her? Why did this happen to my wife? What did she do to deserve it? I should have been there to pick her up. This would never have happened if she was with me. God, I just hope she'll be okay. I can't lose her. I can't fucking lose her. It would kill me. It would kill her parents. Shit! I gotta call them.
I pick up my phone and dial Natalie's number, hearing it ring a few times before she answers. She greets me cheerfully as always, and I can't stop the tears from falling. I try to tell her about the situation, my words all mixing into the other. But she somehow understands, saying that her and Andrew are on their way.
My tears don't stop flowing, and I sit there on the floor of the waiting room just sobbing into my hands. I don't care who sees me. I don't care about anything. I just want my wife to be okay. I need her with me, by my side forever. I don't know what I'd do without her. And I don't want to find out. Just let her be okay, anyone but her.
The next couple hours just blur past me. Andrew and Natalie arrive, trying to comfort me while still feeling helpless themselves. We wait and wait and then wait some more until finally the door opens and the doctor walks out of the room. I immediately jump to my feet.
"Mr. Eaton, the procedure went without any problems. There were a few broken ribs, and a broken knee, but the main damage was caused to her head. We managed to remove all the glass, and the scars should heal quickly as they're very small. The patient has been moved to a recovery room where she's resting, and will probably wake within the next half hour. I'll do a check up then." He says, nodding at me and Tris's parents before walking away.
"Can I see her?" I ask him, and he points me towards the direction of the room she's in.
I quickly walk inside, seeing the peaceful face of my wife. Her body is covered by a blanket, and her arm and fingers are connected to a monitor showing her heartbeat and pulse. A small bandage is taped to the side of her head, and there are little red marks all over her, but there's nothing big. I'm just glad that she's here, in front of me.
Walking slowly to her, I trace her cheek lightly with a finger. The tears start again, my heart hurting as I look at her. I should've been there with her. She shouldn't have come back in a taxi. I would've brought her safely back home. She would be in my arms right now as we ate the terrible dinner I made and laughed our asses off. But this is the reality I am in.
Andrew places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. I know that they are both going through the same thing that I am, but I can't bring myself to look out for them. I can't stop thinking, I can't stop worrying, and I'm terrified. I just hope she wakes up soon and stares at me with her stunning blue grey eyes.
We all sit by the bed, and I lightly hold her hand as we look at her and wait for her to wake up. But out of nowhere, her monitor starts beeping rapidly, and my heart rate picks up right along with hers. Natalie rushes out to call in a nurse, and they come back running to check on Tris.
The doctor and the nurses push us aside, and I stand in the corner watching them work on her. My breathing is so shallow that I might pass out, and it feels like forever till the beat of her heart is steady again. But something isn't right, I can feel the tension between the nurses.
"I'm sorry, but the patient has fallen into a coma. There was a slight pressure to her head injury, and it caused her to slip. There's no telling when she'll wake up." Someone says, I don't know who.
Because my breathing completely stops. This can't be happening. This can't be fucking happening! No, no, no! All thoughts leave me, and my head spins. Faintly, I hear Andrew and Natalie arguing with them. But my gaze is on the still form of my wife, willing her to wake, willing her to smile at me, to say my name and tell me everything will be alright. But she doesn't.
I thought I had seen real torture living with Marcus for all those years. But that was nothing compared to this. This feeling of uncertainty, not knowing when she'll open her eyes, not knowing if she's going to be okay, and feeling so fucking helpless. This is real torture, real pain, it's hell. I don't know what to do with myself anymore, my vision blurs, and then I succumb to the dark, not able to see my Tris this way.
When I wake up, I realise I'm on a bed, and I keep my eyes closed, praying that it was all a terrible nightmare. That Tris is laying right beside me, ready to greet me with a sweet kiss. But then I open my eyes, shattering my heart again. I see that I'm in her old bedroom, in her parents' house.
I stand up abruptly, wanting to be there with Tris at the hospital, but I feel dizzy and fall back onto the mattress again. I can hear her parents talk slowly downstairs through the slightly open door, saying they need to be strong for Tris and me and themselves. I can't imagine what it must be like for them, to see their daughter go through this again. She had been in another accident with her brother before we met, although that was very acute.
Letting out a sigh, I stand slowly, walking around the room, looking at baby pictures of my wife. She has a few of us set up on her nightstand, too. I walk further and remember the pictures I got of her from our honeymoon, taking them out of my pocket and looking at her bright smile.
My legs buckle again, and I lean my back on the wall of her closet, sliding down. Why did this happen to her? Is god punishing me for something? I've already been dealt the worst parents, I've had the most horrible childhood, and then I had finally found my purpose, my family, my life, my Tris. Why did he have to do this to her? I'd do anything to get her back. Please, god, punish me however you want, but please let her be okay.
The photos shake in my hands, and I set them down on the corner of a shelf, where a small brown sweater of hers catches my eye. I pick it up with unsteady hands, bringing it close to my face. It smells like her, and a thousand memories flash through my mind. I clutch it to my chest as I sob, not knowing what else to do. I thought the tears had already left me dry, but there's more. I've never cried like this, because I've never felt pain bigger than this. The only hope I have is a sliver, and I hold onto it, praying that my love comes back to me soon.
A/N: Hey guys! Did you like this chapter? Also I'm not a medical professional so please excuse any errors in the writing. Thank you for reading!