Only Annie | Eric Coulter

4 - One Number Away*

"What?" The incredulity is high in my voice, "Where's Four? I want to talk to him."

"I saw him by the infirmary--"

I don't let the man finish his sentence, too busy trying to wrap my head around the puzzling situation I am in. Why Four out of all people? Eric hates everything about him, Four reciprocated this as well. The two cooped up together in Erudite where a lot of factors can potentially spark tension between them is not and will never be a good idea.

I see him talking to Tris, and my resolve crumbles a little. I suddenly feel conscious, and I have no idea why. 

A ridiculous thought comes across my head. I'm not intimidated with her, am I?

No. Maybe. Yes. Eric... Eric isn't here to shield me from her curious stares.

I pull up my big girl pants, bracing myself as if I'm approaching a war, and walk to Four and his companion. Before I can speak, I have to clear my throat to get their attention and erase my uneasiness.

"Four," I'm mentally celebrating since my voice came out firm and solid. Eric would've been proud, "Why are you coming to Erudite?"

His eyes are blank as they search my face. For what, I don't know. "Max ordered me."

By now, I've forgotten all about Tris, and all about being kind. "Bullshit."

I see the initiate flinch at my voice, and I have a little trouble trying to conceal a triumphant smile. My eye ticks when I speak my next words, "You and Eric loathe each other. Let me take your place."

"I can't, Annie." The moniker sounds strange coming from him, "An order's an order."

"You're hiding something." My senses never fail me. They're in their best shape, and I can practically see and smell Four's lie even before he opens his mouth.

"Anika, just go home. Eric's going to be fine."

"You don't know what he's been through, Four." I counter, maintaining a steely voice, "You don't know what shit he's going through right now."

Four ushers Tris farther from us, probably knowing that in a matter of seconds, I'll be losing my shit if he doesn't trade his place with me. When Tris is out of earshot, Four meets my glowering eyes and scratches his scruff, "You're right. I don't know what he's going through. But, I need to do be there. There's something important I have to do."

"You're spying." It's not even a question. The statement comes out of my mouth as blunt and declarative as I intend it to be.

Four bites his lip in frustration. Again, Eric would have been proud of me.

"Alright, fine." He sighs, crossing his arms across his chest, "I see why Eric's always on his place when you're around. Shit doesn't pass by you unnoticed."

I jut my chin, taking his words in as a compliment, and wait for him to start talking.

"Not now. Too many eyes and ears."

I get what he's saying. Literally every corner of the hall we're in is covered with cameras. And who knows, maybe someone placed a hidden mic somewhere.

"Did the initiates see him when he collapsed?"

"Only one."

I figure it's Tris. The two seem glued to each other lately.

"I swear Four, if anything bad happens to Eric, I'm kicking your balls."

I never thought that sentence will come out of my mouth, directed at Four out of all people, but Eric is Eric, and knowing he's safe is the only thing that will stop me from bein insane and rushing to Erudite like a mad man.

"Don't I know it?" Four rolls his eyes, looking at Tris before staring back at me, "That all?"

"Try not to be in the same room as he is?"

"There's nothing else I would want more."

...  

|| E R I C

My mouth tastes like chalk.

I grimace, hands flailing around to score a glass of water. The second I wake up, I notice the harsh fluorescent blinding almost the entire room. The familiar buzzing sound of operating machines irks me more than it should.

Fuck, how I hate Erudite.

The more I regain consciousness, the more I feel the pain on my abdomen. I suppress the urge to groan and throw an abject towards the wall. I didn't pass out, did I? Did the initiates see? Fuck, they're not going to fear me if they did.

"Stop wriggling." The dry comment from no other than my best guy Four makes my teeth grind together in annoyance, "Good to see you're up, buddy."

"Fuck you," My voice is husky, but I managed to pull it off with a sneer on my face, "Where's Anika?"

"She's in Dauntless."

"She's not here?" My eyes go back to Four, glaring daggers and throwing knives in his direction, "Why the hell are you here instead of her?"

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity of being with you."

"Fuck you, Eaton." I growl, sitting up from the bed even if it pains me, "Go out and eat dog shit. I don't want your comments."

"Your surgery's gonna be any minute now." He drawls, checking his watch, "Want to talk to someone before you make an achievement in retrieving a year-old bullet from your body?"

I chuck a bottle of hand sanitizer his way. It crashes and explodes just a few inches from his head, unfortunately.

"Get the fuck out."

He leaves, and the door to the room closes with a soft thud.

Now that Four's gone, I take my time massaging my hurting middle. Fuck, it's painful.

I rub the sleep out of  my eyes, carefully pressing onto my watch's screen soon after. It lights up, and I take it as a signal to draw out my wish, "Contact Anika."

It takes only one beep from the other line before I hear her voice, "Eric?"

The sound of my name coming out of her lips immediately calm me, and I settle back into the hospital bed feeling lighter. "Yeah, it's me. Why aren't you here?"

"Four wouldn't negotiate."

"Asshole," I mutter, looking up at the ceiling as I spoke to her, "I don't want to do this surgery."

"If you get through with it, that pesky bullet will be gone. Then you'll be back to leading sweeps and scaring the hell out of people."

"They're not going to use any painkillers, Annie. I'm diving into this without anything to..." The words die on my lips. No matter how tough I seem on the outside, I tremble like the coward I am on the inside.

"You've been putting this off for the longest time, Eric." Once again, her words shed light, enlightening my dark and narrow mind. "Choose: A couple hours of pain, or a lifetime of it?"

"But I could die. It's buried so deep they'll have to watch out for an artery or an organ."

"You won't," Her reply is composed, so opposite of what I'm feeling, "You love me too much to leave me."

We talk, try to get my mind off my predicament, but the nurses and doctor enter sooner than I want them to, and I have to cut my conversation with Annie short. It's time to get rid of that bullet.

...  

A/N

(*) indicates song not coming from James Arthur. 

In this particular chapter, the singer is Luke Combs.