Soulmates

Epilogue

Some years later...

A nurse places the screaming bundle of wrinkled flesh and flailing limbs directly on the Celtic knot tattoo on his mother’s chest. Tris looks down at her newborn son, wrapping her arms around his tiny body.

“He’s perfect,” Eric says in a choked voice as he tucks a blanket over his wife and son.

“Hey Toby,” Tris coos at the infant.

“Babe, we are not calling him that,” Eric whines. “It sounds like a hippy Amity name.”

“Tobias Andrew Coulter is a lot of name for such a sweet tiny bundle,” Tris says in a baby voice.

After letting the new parents bond for a few minutes, the nurses take baby Tobias to get cleaned up while the doctor does the same for the new mother.

“Looks like somebody has a soulmark,” the nurse calls to the new parents in a sing-song voice.

Eric rushes to his baby, and groans when he sees the mark on his foot.

“What?” Tris asks in alarm from her hospital bed. “Is it red? Grey? What’s the matter?”

“It’s black,” Eric says. He scoops up the tiny infant in his big hands and carries him back to Tris’ bed, showing her the mark on the bottom of his foot. 

“Toby,” it says, in loopy, feminine writing.

Tris can’t help but laugh.

When the infirmary staff are done getting the new mom and baby cleaned up and thoroughly checked, they leave the new family to rest and bond. Eric helps Tris scoot to one side of her big bed, and sits down beside her. They stare in awe at their new son, admiring his tiny fingers, round cheeks, and perfect rosebud lips. When the baby starts to wake and stir, he opens his eyes to reveal a familiar deep ocean blue.

“He’s still with us,” Tris whispers.

“He’s always with us,” Eric says quietly.