A Dauntless Love

Chapter 14

Liz's POV

I wasn't sure how much longer I could stay conscious. I was in so much pain. My whole right side was bleeding from sliding down the wall. Every moment that passed made me more and more nervous for my baby. I couldn't hear anything above the roar of the water that only continued to get louder. I was now getting splashed with water so I knew the water was close. I had to pull my feet back to keep them from the water. With every second that ticked by I was losing hope. Maybe Eric didn't know I was gone, maybe he didn't care. No, I wouldn't let myself think he didn't care. I thought I heard something. I concentrated on the sound. The water was so loud I could hardly hear anything else. Then I heard it loud and clear. It was Eric and he was calling my name. I grabbed the wall and stood up.

"Eric." I called.

My voice was shot so it didn't come out as more than a whisper. I cleared my dry throat and tried again.

"Eric, Eric I'm down here." I yelled.

I saw a light shining down.

"Lizzy." He yelled.

Hearing his voice again warmed my heart. I didn't realize how long I had been waiting for him to call me Lizzy again. I could feel the water beginning to rise around my ankles. It was rising fast and in no time it was up to my calves.

"Eric, the water is rising, hurry." I yelled.

I could see the light getting closer but the water was rising faster.

"I'm coming Lizzy, I'm coming. Just hang on."

Adrenaline had been the only thing keeping me going up to this point but it was starting to fade. The pain was so strong and was beginning to take over everything. The water was making it hard for me to stay standing. The current was strong and I didn't have the strength to fight it. I was just about to give up when Eric's face came into view.

"Lizzy I see you love. I'm here."

My tears began to flow. I reached up for him.

"Eric!"

The current pulled my feet out from under me but Eric was there. His hand grasped my arm. He grabbed for my other arm.

"Come on grab my hand Lizzy."

My hand found his and I held on tight. Eric pulled me up and held on tight. He smiled down at me as we started to go up. His thumbs rubbed my arms.

"I've got you love, I've got you." He said.

Now that I was safe my adrenaline was gone. The pain was strong and the blackness began to close in. I could see Eric's face and the light was getting closer. I could feel his hands holding onto me and I felt safe. I knew it was safe to close my eyes.

...

Eric's POV

I saw Lizzy's eyes close and her grip on my arms go weak. I held on tighter. The closer we got to the light the more I saw of her. I tried to keep myself composed because the other Dauntless leaders were up at the top pulling me back up. I couldn't blow our cover. One person had found out about Lizzy and I and this was the result. I couldn't let anyone else find out. It took every ounce of my strength to keep from losing it when I saw the state of her body. Her face was bruised and cut. Her shirt was torn open and I could see that bastard had taken a knife to her. I feared for our baby but it looked like her stomach was untouched with the exception of one place. We finally reached the surface and the Dauntless leaders pulled me up. I grabbed Lizzy and held her against me. She was completely limp in my arms.

"I'm going to take her to the infirmary." I said before I took off.

I held Lizzy against me so that her body was not exposed. I could feel how cold she was and it scared me. I ran as fast as I could with her in my arms. I couldn't even think about anything except getting her to the doctor. A nurse jumped up as soon as I came in.

"Oh my god, what happened to her?" she asked.

"I'm not all quite sure. Get someone in here now."

I made sure to speak firmly and retain my Dauntless Eric exterior. On the inside I was losing my mind. Lizzy and our child could be dying in my arms. The nurse pointed to a bed and I set her down in it. She disappeared then reappeared with a doctor.

"I'm going to need to you wait over there." He said.

"No, I'm staying right here." I replied.

There was no way I was going to leave her side. I glared at the doctor and he backed down. He knew who I was and what I could do. I watched as the doctor poked and prodded Lizzy. He grabbed a vial and a syringe. He was just about to put in it her when I realized he didn't know.

"Wait, stop." I yelled.

The doctor jumped but stopped what he was doing.

"What? What is it?" he asked.

I looked at Lizzy and realized I was about to say this out loud for the first time. I tried to make it sound like I wasn't personally invested in it.

"She is pregnant." I said.

The doctor looked at me and then at Lizzy.

"Are you sure? How do you know?" he asked.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the pregnancy tests that were in there.

"I found these in her apartment when we were looking for her." I replied.

Well it was the truth. There would be no reason the doctor would suspect me as the father. Right? I hoped so. I watched as he changed his course of action. He did a few other things that I didn't quite understand. The doctor turned and looked at me then cleared his throat.

"Umm I have to do a test that I think you should probably not be here for." He said.

I crossed my arms over my chest.

"What kind of test."

"Well I need to check and confirm her pregnancy and check for any signs of sexual assault." He said.

I knew that it would be a red flag if I stayed in the room for this test but damn it all I wanted to. I let my good judgment win out. She was safe here and she was in good hands.

"Okay but I want to know as soon as you are done."

I turned and left the room. A nurse passed me on her way in there. I waited in the outer room and paced it. I was relieved that Lizzy was safe for the time being but what about our baby? There was so much damage to her body. Would the baby have been able to survive that? Finally the door opened again and the doctor and the nurse came out.

"Okay there appears to be no sign of sexual assault. The test confirmed she is indeed pregnant, about 3 weeks along it seems. We still do not know if the damage sustained was fatal to the fetus. We have to wait and see if she miscarries. I cleaned her wounds and for now she is sleeping. Do you know who the father is so we can contact him?" the doctor said.

I was trying to wrap my head around all of this information. I didn't even realize he had asked me a question at first.

"No, I don't know." I replied.

"Okay well I guess we will just have to wait for her to wake up. In the meantime you are welcome to go in there if you wish."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I closed the door behind me. It was safe in this room. I locked the door behind me so they would not be able to walk in on us. I went to Lizzy. She was pale and her face was covered in bruises. Her lips were split and she had a deep gash in her forehead. I longed to touch her but I did not want to hurt her. They had changed her into a hospital gown and pulled a blanket up over her. I reached out and placed my hand gently on her stomach.

"Come on baby you can do it." I whispered.

I kissed Lizzy softly on her forehead where it wasn't cut. I sat down in a chair next to the bed. I held Lizzy's hand and kept my other hand on her stomach. I could hardly believe that right there under my hand was my child. This was the first time it had actually sunk in. I was going to be a father. I felt a tear slide down my cheek and I brushed it off on my shoulder. Lizzy had to pull through this. She was going to be okay, they both were. I had her back and I was never going to let her go again. I was going to marry her and we were going to have our baby. We would be a family.