Learning to Trust

Chapter 68 - Day Two

Day Two

It was a calm night for the girl. The full ache in her leg comforted her as she drifted into a light sleep; constantly reminding her that they did not take off her leg.

She hadn't eaten, and she was perfectly content with that. She continues to get the nutrients she needs via the needle in her foot, but for the first time since returning to the city, she is interested in eating actual food.

The girl shuts her eyes and relaxes into the bed, and it may seem as if she felt safe and calm, but she is always alert; listening to each footstep that passes the door, the wind whistling past the window in her room, and the mumbled conversations happening outside of her room.

She's constantly listening, searching for any sign of danger; any indication of someone or something about to burst in and finish her off.

The one problem she has is that she doesn't know what she is searching for.

Everything is a miscommunication between herself, her mind, her allies, and her enemies.

Her allies and enemies think she knows things they don't.

Her enemies plan to force that information out of her.

Her allies want to protect her from that information.

Her mind remembers key objects and characteristics to horrible information. That horrible information is inaccessible to her mind for reasons she does not know.

All herself wants is that information. If she had the information held prisoner inside of her mind, then everyone would be happy.

And they wonder why she is going insane.

+ + +

"Good morning, Tris." The girl's nurse, Julie walks in the room, resuming her normal greeting, followed by the opening of the blinds that block the sunlight from the singular window in the hospital room.

The sun reflects off of the bright tile floor and reaches the foot of the hospital bed.

The girl thinks about how much she could just get up and walk outside. She's heard people mention words of the mid-spring months, and she has been kept in this hospital since the first snow.

"How are you?" Julie asks.

"Okay." The girl croaks quietly, just above a mumble.

"I can tell you're hurting. Could you tell me where?"

The girl rolls her head to the side and closes her eyes into the pillow, feeling as if she got no sleep whatsoever. She takes the soft, warm blanket that was given to her from her boyfriend's mother and pulls it up to her chin, inhaling its scent of safety and protection.

"Are you cold?" Julie asks, hoping for a simple head motion in reply.

"Would you like to try and eat something this morning?" She sits down at the foot of the hospital bed, resting her hand on the girl's non-injured leg. "They're serving oatmeal, and I'm sure it will warm you up if you're cold."

"I--I'm hungry." The girl says ever so softly.

"I'll be back in just a minute." Julie says, standing and leaving the room.

The girl lays still, inhaling through the blanket wrapped around her arms. She may not feel safe in her surroundings, but she feels some kind of protection when wrapped in the medium sized, dark beige blanket.

The nurse returns with the oatmeal and sits the bed in a slightly upright position and rolls over a table on wheels specifically for eating in the hospital bed.

"Do you want help, or can you do it yourself?" Julie asks.

The question seemed absurd to the girl at first. It wasn't until she tried to grab the spoon that she realized she didn't have much control over her fingers yet; another unknown side affect of the drug given to her against her will while held hostage.

As she holds the spoon in her right hand, she feels confident, until trembles take over her hand and the oatmeal plops off the spoon, and the spoon itself falls on the table.

Putting her hand on the table in frustration, she feels the urge to cry.

She can't even feed herself.

"Hey, it's okay. This is what I'm here for. You're still getting stronger, so don't let anything discourage you." The nurse says, taking the spoon and scooping a small amount of oatmeal onto it.

The familiar texture brings the girl back to her childhood in Abnegation; oatmeal being a major part of the diet in the faction.

"How's that?" Julie asks. "Everything okay?" She refers to the girl's inability to keep food down in the past months since she's arrived, and suddenly today being able to eat again.

"Would you like more?"

The girl nods and continues to be fed up until her doctor comes into the room.

"Well, good morning! Isn't this a surprise!" Dr. Scott says referring to the girl eating.

She gets about halfway through the bowl of oatmeal before denying to eat anymore.

"What do you say. If everything settles okay today, we'll get that pesky IV out of your foot tomorrow, and then if you're up to it we can get you standing a little bit! Sound like a plan?"

Things continue to get better for the girl as the days progress.

Seven days is now down to five, and the numbers continue to decrease.

The question as to if she will heal in time still lingers as things slightly get better.

Time is the real enemy