How Allegiant Should Have Ended

Chapter 4

Tris:

My eyes flutter open and Tobias's face is the first thing I see. His mouth turns up in a smile when he sees that I'm awake. I barely register what's going on, but, regardless, he cups my face in his hands and kisses my forehead.

"Good morning, Tris," he murmurs against my skin.

"Mhmm," I agree.

His nose traces my jawline and stops, abruptly, at the corner of my mouth. "I love you," he whispers against my lips.

"I love you too," I say back. He presses his lips to mine, and everything is suddenly perfect. We stay there for a while, enjoying each other and not having to endanger our lives. And then it ends.

A short woman with shoulder-length brown hair walks in with a needle in her hands. As Tobias pulls away, I freeze but my eyes follow her every move. "Good, you're awake," she says. "Time for your medication!"

"What medication?" I ask.

"Sweetie, you got shot less than twenty-four hours ago. You can't just heal naturally," she says. "Trust me, you're going to need some medication." I stopped paying attention after she called me sweetie.

She walks up to me and grabs my arm, not even bothering to wipe it with something, not that I'd care. She plunges the needed in between my wrist and elbow, and pulls it out shortly after. I barely feel it, but I still cringe, recalling all the painful memories that have to do with needles. "Okay, all done!" she says. "I'll be back in a couple hours to check on you. If you need anything else, my name is Ashley. Ring the button on the side of your bed and say the word." She gives me a quick smile, like she didn't just stab me in the arm, and then walks out of the room.

Tobias perches himself on the edge of my bed again and holds my hand, circling his thumb around the back of it. "So I've been meaning to ask you," he says. "What happened in the Weapons Lab yesterday? I know David shot you, but how did you live?"

"Well," I begin, staring down at my hands, "David came up behind me and fired a couple bullets, but none if them hit me. Just as I reset the simulation, one of the bullets hit me in the stomach. I went into that in-between state and I saw my mother. I was reaching for her hand and then I saw you."

I look up at him to see his reaction, half expecting him to tell me that I've gone mad. But he keeps a straight face, probably thinking it's completely sane to hallucinate. There's a look in his eyes that's practically saying, "Tris, it's okay. You're not a lunatic." So I continue.

"So basically, I had a choice," I say. "You or my mother. And I chose you."

I almost talk about the events that happened afterward, with my "mess" and Caleb, but his lips find mine before I can say the first word. He puts his hand behind my back, pulling me up to him, as I wrap my arms around his neck. We move together like two parts of a whole. I can't even imagine ending up with someone different. We were obviously made for each other.

He pulls back and stares into my eyes, saying, "I would have chosen you too."