ALLEGIANT

Chapter 13: Part 1

I sit in the infirmary and a vast array of faces come in to silently "check on my progress".

Well they're silent until they ask me the same damn questions over and over, "Are you okay? How does your head feel? Are your ears ringing? Can you hear me clearly? What year is it? Does this hurt?" And my answers remain the same every time "No, fine, no, yes, 2060 and No, it's not my ankle that hurts". I sat like that, answering those same questions for about 2 hours while they searched for a brace for my ankle and gave me the necessary medication.

No one visits me, since it's only family allowed I guess no one really can.

I don't get up, I don't want to get up, that is until I see someone window on the door.

Tobias.

He hesitated by the door, probably thinking I was asleep, that or there was someone watching him to make sure he didn't break the rules and visit me. I saw the way he walked and the way he held his head.

I don't bother to grab the crutches sitting precariously on the door, the medication numbs my body enough to the point where I can't tell where my arms begin and end, the pain won't bother me.

I peer through the window and walk out I into the hall and it's silent and empty when hours ago the halls were packed.

Christina and Uriah tried to talk to me when Tobias first carried me here but the halls were nearly too full to travel. No one else was really injured but people seemed to flee to the floor closest to the accident, which in this case happened to be where I am settled.

I think now that everyone has probably locked themselves away, even the nurses are probably happy to be able to lock themselves away after making sure I wasn't going to die or kill myself.

Images of the young girl flash in my mind and I push the thoughts away rapidly.

I start walking in the direction I saw Tobia walk and then I hear the voices, I follow the sound and peer over the corner, sometimes eavesdropping has its benefits.

The man who I first thought was Tobias is someone else entirely, a man, about 24 or so and about 4 inches taller.

I can't see his full face from here but I can see the hook of his nose and the appearance of his profile is remarkably similar to that of Tobias. I look closer and realize that I don't see a number on his chest, now I'm curious.

I hear someone, obviously female say "No, not her, she's not okay with any of this. I'm talking about the girl,Tris, she has to know."

I push myself closer to to the edge of the hall and listen. My skin burning with the sound of my name.

"We can't, not yet, not after we've had this go on for so long" the man's voice is coldly familiar.

"Darren, if we keep this up and they find out on their own, then there's no going back"

I peer my eyes around the corner of the hall, careful to remain hidden.

Under the dim light I see him caress her face. She's pale with stark black hair, her body as small as a birds but her eyes speak volumes.

The man sighs, exhausted, his voice low with concern.

"There's already no going back."

The women sighs and nods, and I head them start walking.

Walking towards the corridor I'm standing in.

My arms are shaking and I back up quickly, my cast making an obnoxiously loud sound on the tiles. I'm about 30 feet from the corner when I turn. I hear their footsteps getting closer and I start to calm my nerves.

They both stop and I keep walking before the man says "Tris?"

I turn and make eye contact, his hair and jaw mimic that of Tobias' but where Tobias' eyes are deep ocean and sky, this mans are all dark night sky and coal.

"Uhm, yeah?" I ask "And you are?" I don't have to try and sound confused.

This time it's the woman who speaks, her voice calculating, I see the man I now know as Darren cross his arms over his chest, trying to hide his lack of identification, the woman's number reads 2103. "I'm Gina and this is Travis, my sister Kirsten is your nurse and she wanted me to check on how you were doing. We were just heading there now. Shouldn't you be resting. You took an awful fall."

Yeah, fall I think to myself. Her words give me no reason to be skeptical until she says the mans name?

Didn't she just call him Darren in the hallway?

I look at my ankle and shrug, keeping my suspicion at bay, "I've had worse," she looks empathetic and I feel a sudden resentment for these people who seem to have never known pain or loss.

"Really," I say again. "I'm fine, I can barely feel a thing thanks to your sister" the smile is fake on my lips and I debate saying 'goodbye' or 'have a good day' but then realize that anything relating to a formality would be complete out of character for me.

I turn and start walking away from the two and I hear the man's low voice in a quiet whisper behind me fragments of the conversation are muted from the distance.

"Does...know us, she...seem...that we knew her name."
The women doesn't answer.
"Gina?" The man says
Gina, finally answers
"I sure hope...doesn't know us. If she does, this whole thing is already...apart."
****
By the time I reach the infirmary the real Tobias is waiting by my bed with the same what do you think you're doing? Look that my dad always seemed to give me.

What is it with people showing up when I'm not there.

"What are you-" I raise my hand.
"Save it, please. I really can't right now."
"Can't what?" I turn to see Christina leaning against the doorframe with a tray.

All thoughts of the conversation leave me as I see what she carries.

"A hamburger?" I laugh, "you remembered"

She hands me the tray and walks over to a chair with wheels. I walk over and sit beside Tobias, he smiles at the hamburger in my hands.

I enjoy the first meal I've had in days and when I look at Christina I can tell she's not paying attention because her face looks lost and alone as she stares at the number on her chest.

I put the tray on the table next to the bed and shift my body to look at her, resting my hand in Tobias' knee.

"You heard about yesterday."

She nods.
"Chris, you've got years left ahead of you. You don't have to be afraid of it."
I swallow hard when I feel Tobias tense, I want to take back my words, knowing that his clock is ticking down. The very thought makes me feel a sharp pulse in my chest.
"Tobias, I'm sorry" he gives me a small smile, kissing my forehead. Christina coughs into her hand, winking at me when she pulls her hand away.

These small moments make me forget the tragedies that we face, but seeing Tobias' face in the corner of my eye makes me realize how futile this hope is. When he's gone, I'll be gone.
I will hold onto this moment as long as I can.
*****

This is a fairly short time but I have an English essay that I forgot to finish 😳 I'll have the next part up tomorrow. Comment and like all you can! It'll mean the world to me