To Save a City (Divergent/Eric) 2 of 3 COH Series

Chapter 130 (Eric's POV)

Brian and Jenn Johnson- 'You're Gonna Be Ok'

Hosanna and I get ready to return to Dauntless with the two greatest arrests of our lifetime—the two most substantial sources of our own personal torment.  I smirk at Marcus, then Jeanine. They each look defeated in expression.  I still can't believe it, what just happened. 
"Sam. Zander. Are both of you uninjured?" Hosanna asks. 
"Yes, ma'am," they respond simultaneously. 
"Let's take our prisoners to lockup.  Aaron, you're with us, too," I say. 
He turns his head abruptly to look at my wife.  He saved her life when I couldn't.  I owe him a great debt.  He follows us and grabs Marcus roughly while Zander takes Jeanine.
"Hans, Lincoln, are you alright?" I ask noticing my guards standing nearby.  I owe them both as well.  Hans took a shot of paralytic serum headed for my wife at the start of the attack, while Lincoln assisted me in keeping several at bay until he was injected, too.
"Yes, sir," they respond.
"You're coming, too," I insist. They smile and nod. Perhaps I should keep them around more often for Hosanna's protection.
We step through the doors and cross the hallway. I jam my finger into the call button on the elevator. We ride it down in silence. I'm still kind of in shock that we made it out alright—that my wife is still standing here, beside me.  I glance at her and she smiles at me.  I take her hand in mine and cling to it for reassurance.  She's alive... and we're going to be okay. 
We step out of the elevator, then the building.  The wind blows gently against my face like a kiss from the divine.  This moment is so surreal, as if I'm moving in slow motion. "Sam, you drive," I say tossing him my keys. He catches them grinning. I never really let anyone drive my trucks but I'm still too shaken up to drive. Even after a shot of paralytic serum, he's probably more alert than me right now.
"Lincoln, Hans, in back," I instruct. They'll ride with our prisoners. They load them in and climb in after them. I lock the door behind them, making sure our precious cargo is secure. 
"Zander, you've got shotgun," I say. "Call in our route and make sure there are no additional obstacles on the way.  I want to avoid as much Factionless territory as possible."
"Yes, sir," he nods smiling.
"Aaron, you're with us," I tell him. He nods a little surprised. I stop him before entering the truck. "I could never repay you for what you've done," I say giving him my hand to shake. He nods his head at me and places his hand in mine. I pull him in for a hug. "You are my brother. Anything you need... ever, you let me know," I insist. I pat him on the back.
"Thank you, sir," he says awestruck.
I let him into the truck and walk around to see Hosanna waiting by the door for me. She climbs into the middle. I follow her in. She's between Aaron and me.
"Thank you," she says quietly to him. She reaches over and hugs him. His cheeks flush and he looks unsure of what to do but he accepts the hug. He holds my wife, burying his face in her hair. She kisses his cheek and his face grows even redder. "Thank you," she says again softly.
He clears his throat. "You're welcome," he responds gently. She squeezes his hand. I hadn't even realized she was holding it.
Hosanna releases him and climbs over on my lap straddling me. She takes my face in both hands as we drive back home. "I was so worried," she tells me.
"You're okay," I whisper. "We're okay." I still find it hard to believe. I can't believe how that turned out.  It wasn't without loss but it was more positive than I was expecting. 
"No," she shakes her head slightly. "Please, don't ever do that again."
I furrow my brows. "Please don't promise anything to anyone if my life hangs in the balance," she frowns. "I know where I'm going when I die and it's a good place. I don't fear it. I fear what would happen to you more—what you would do and give up just to attempt to prolong my life.  Don't lose your purpose for something like that.  You keep being you—the strong, honorable Eric I know and love.  My days are numbered.  There is a plan laid out and I must follow my own path."
"Okay," I frown. I hate it when she talks about death like that—her death—but if she doesn't want me to bargain for her life, I'll do my best to accommodate her. I can't promise anything in the moment though. She kisses my lips gently.
I close my eyes and hold her tightly as she rests her head upon my shoulder. I sigh shakily at the thought of her dying, how it could've just happened.  I'm so afraid to lose her. I can't believe the position she was in less than twenty minutes ago. I could have lost her and I'm still trembling from that. When she closed her eyes, I thought she was giving up. I actually prayed for her in that moment—that she would live, that she would fight. I can't imagine a world without her. I can't believe my prayers were answered.  It could just be a coincidence... but this is the second time in a moment of severe distress that this has happened. 
I glance over to Aaron. He's watching us. "Permission to speak freely, sir," he says.
I nod. "Max said back there that four leaders are Divergent," he states. I nod. "Who?" he asks.
"Eric, Tris, Tobias, and me," Hosanna responds. She winces and covers her mouth. "Sorry, he's going to be so mad."
Aaron looks confused but then realizes she just said her brother's real name, and in front of three guards. "I won't say anything," Aaron smiles.
"You've slipped up before.  We won't say anything either," Sam says. 
"Thank you. He doesn't make it easy, but I don't blame him with Jeanine releasing all of those terrible articles about us," she replies.
"So they're true?" Aaron asks. "I mean, we wouldn't be arresting him otherwise."
"Yes," I respond when she doesn't. "Jeanine hacked into one of his fear sims."
"So... you tested for Candor," he states.
"I tested for every faction," she explains.
He blinks in surprise, then looks at me. I shrug. "She's pretty amazing," I say.
"Yes, she is," he agrees. "You are very lucky," he adds so quietly that I don't think Hosanna heard.
She continues to rest her head on my shoulder. "Are you alright?" I ask rubbing her back. I push her long hair aside to reveal a small red rash on her neck.
"Yeah, I'm just a little tired and nauseous," she says. I touch the spot recalling that was were the syringe pierced her skin. I pull out my phone and dial David. "Who are you calling?" Hosanna asks sleepily yawning.
"Eric, what's going on?" David responds.
"She has a rash on her neck where the syringe was injected," I explain.
"What!?" Hosanna asks in surprise sitting up and rubbing her neck.
"There must've been a little injected into her. She should be fine, maybe just an allergic reaction. We gave you both inoculations for death serum. Riley and Natalie have them, too. Anyone that works for us in the city, we protect against that. It's a favorite of Jeanine's, to use against her enemies," he explains.
"That would've been nice to know earlier," I say shocked. "What should we do about the rash? And will there be other symptoms?"
"That allergy shot she's had before might help but it will probably clear up on its own within a day or two. She kept moving while the syringe was in her skin, I'm sure that irritated it as well," he says.
"How do you know all of this?" I ask.
"I'm a doctor. I studied mostly genetics but I had to practice basic medicine in my youth," he explains.
"Oh," I reply.
"I'll send the details of the meeting to you tonight," he says.
"Alright. We'll be in touch. Thanks again," I tell him hanging up.
Hosanna looks at me in question. "You'll be alright. It'll clear up on its own," I explain. I figure that I'll tell her later. Aaron deserves the gratitude we're giving him. We all had no idea and I didn't want to take our chances with the serum. I'm so incredibly grateful to him for what he did.
"How'd you still have a bullet left?" I ask him pulling my wife closer. I hear her sigh in contentment.
He shrugs. "Everyone else was out. I figured I had one more shot left and we might need it later so I holstered my weapon and fought them. We had it easier than the rest. We were in the corner and Max is a pretty amazing fighter. His guards, too," he explains.
"Clever thinking. Are you sure you never tested for Erudite?" Hosanna questions.
He shrugs. "I was always told I was pretty bright. I just got Dauntless and Candor for the test though," he responds.
"I wonder if the tests at the Bureau would reveal more information than our aptitude test," Hosanna mumbles.
"Those were genetic tests based off of our DNA. The aptitude is based on human choices in a particular set of circumstances. There're so many variables affecting that. I'm sure there are certain factors that you can't help, like what a particular person is inclined to do and taught for a lifetime but for others, it's just a part of you," I say. "I wonder what more those genetic tests would reveal about everyone here, though."
Hosanna looks me in the eyes and grins.  "You're such a Nose," she says as she rubs her cute little nose with mine.  "It's one of the many things I love about you."  She kisses me gently.  I kiss her back with such passion and hold her for the remainder of the trip, grateful that she's still in my arms.