Revolution -Eric Coulter-

Chapter 53

Riley Eaton had always been, all things considered, a good person. Far beyond most. She was empathic, brave, and kind. There weren't many people like her. Even among the genetically pure, she stood out. Until recently, she never got angry. Not even at people who deserved it.

The explosion was pinned on the people from the Fringe, but everyone knew the truth. Tobias had a part in it. He was part of the reason why Uriah was in a coma, something he may never wake up from. Tobias was the reason his sister was injured. Luckily, she was standing a few further from the blast, but that didn't save her entirely.

If she hadn't stopped to talk to Peter, this would be an entirely different situation. She could have already been gone. Those few extra seconds could have saved her life. At least, that's what they hoped.

Since it happened, they were informed four times about Uriah's condition. They have been updated on what happened to Riley only once. Christina bothered every doctor they saw, but not once did they learn anything good. Her injuries were more extensive, the doctors said. There's more trauma to the body. They spoke in a reassuring way that should have comforted them, but it did the opposite. It only caused them to worry more.

Tobias was nowhere to be found. He hadn't stopped by once. Not that Christina would have allowed him anywhere near her. She blamed Tobias for what happened. If Riley died, she would lose her best friend. Recently it felt as if she was losing everyone.

"Chris," Tris tapped her shoulder. She followed her gaze towards the doctor. He was approaching them. He had news for them about Riley.

They stood up and waited for him. Beside Christina was Peter, who remained seated. Against the wall was Eric. He felt uncomfortable being near the others but couldn't afford to leave. He needed to be here.

"How is she?" Christina didn't waste any time. She had to know.

The older man sighed and held the clipboard tightly. "A piece of a metal pipe found its way into her chest, piercing her lung causing it to fill with blood." They all listened closely. "Luckily, we were able to resolve the issue fairly quickly." For a moment, they are relieved. "The impact of her head hitting the ground was the biggest concern. She suffered a TBI."

"What the hell is a TBI?"

"Traumatic Brain Injury," Caleb mumbles from the doorway. There are bruises on his face. Tris glares at him but remains silent. He looks back down at the ground.

"Right," the doctor says. "This type of TBI is unpredictable. We can't know for certain what the outcome will be. If she wakes up, we could be looking at different things, but I've seen patients live entirely normal lives with no issues." If. He said if she wakes up. They all noticed that.

"And what about the others?" Peter crosses his arms. "The ones with issues?"

The doctor sighs. "Short term, we could be looking at headaches, confusion, noise and light sensitivity, and concentration difficulties."

"What about long term?" That question comes from Tris. The short-term problems were manageable, but long term is different.

He seems reluctant to tell them at first. "Permeant memory loss, paralysis, balance issues, seizures, and tremors. That's just a few."

There's a silence that travels over the group. "Can we see her?"

"Of course," the doctor says. "Come with me."

Tris places a hand on Christina's shoulder. "I'll stop by later. I need to meet with Matthew."

"Okay."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been nearly a day since the attack, and nothing had changed. Uriah was in a coma, but they had no new updates. Riley hadn't woken up yet, and that wasn't a good sign. The doctor said she should have been awake twelve hours ago. If she didn't wake up soon, they would classify her as a coma patient, like Uriah.

"I've never seen her so lifeless," Christina whispers.

"I don't think I've ever seen her without a smile," Peter adds. "But it is nice and quiet for a change." She smacks the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Next time," Christina warns. "I break your arm."

"I was just kidding." Peter was making a joke.

"Well, it sucked." Christina brings her knees towards her chest. There's a moment of silence. "I don't know what I'm going to do if she wakes up without her memories."

The only other people in the room are Eric, whose seemingly asleep, and Tris, who is sleeping. "The doctor said it's unlikely."

"But it does happen," she argued. "Are you not worried?"

Peter shrugs, "I wouldn't say I'm torn up over it." Christina glares at him. "What?"

"You're such an ass."

He's used to hearing that. "You could ask Caleb to give you statistics about her chances." Christina doesn't want to do that. "Better yet, you should ask him if she'll wake up at all."

"Peter," Christina warns.

"What? Uriah's gone, and she's probably next." But Uriah wasn't gone, not yet anyway.

"Peter," Tris snaps. "Shut up."

Peter crosses his arms, but he keeps his mouth shut. Tris shifts in her chair, an annoyed look plastered on her face. A few minutes ago, she was asleep.

Eric's eyes are open. They remain on the wall. He didn't want to be here, but he didn't have anywhere else to go. Truthfully, he didn't have a place in the world. Nowhere that needed him. Every day that became increasingly clearer, but those thoughts always vanished when he was with Riley. All the bad things in the world faded away. They no longer mattered.

If she died, Eric would be more alone than ever. The only person he cared about. The only person he ever cared about would be gone. That thought terrified him. Riley couldn't die. She was the last bit of good left in the world.

Even if she lived, there was a chance she would be different. There's a chance she won't remember him. Good, he thinks. It would be better that way. Eric hates that he wants her to forget. If there was a chance, once everything is normal, that she could live a normal life, then he wanted that for her. A normal life was the least she deserved. Out of everyone, Riley deserved a good life. Ever since she was a child, she was pleasing others. Nothing had ever been easy for her.

For the first time in years, his eyes burn with tears. He doesn't let them fall, but he doesn't push them away either. Eric hadn't been kind to the world for years. He knew one day the universe would punish him for his crimes. He just didn't expect it to punish Riley too.