Fourtris Meets Clace

Chapter 15 - Tobias

TOBIAS

Tris follows me into Evelyn's laboratory, which is right at the other end of the hall. Some of her scientists are just packing up and leaving. I stride ahead to the serum room, where she keeps all of her creations in three big glass cabinets. There is a system that will tell me where the serum is and what it will do, and it's printed onto a sheet of paper on the back of the door. It says that the 'brainwash serum' is in Cabinet 2, on the far right of the third row down, and 'it will brainwash a person of the past week's events'.

"Found it," Tris announces. She holds the test tube of shiny blue liquid out to me. I take it with a kiss on her forehead and a thank you, and she shuts the cabinet door, smiling dizzily. After taking a needle, I go back down the corridor and into the front room. Jace is kissing Clary - he is on top of her on one of the couches. Thankfully they are fully clothed, although it seems to be getting passionate. Glad we walked in at this time. Clary sees me and squeals. "Jace!" she shrieks. He gets off her and stands up swiftly, pulling down his black t-shirt. I laugh.

"I really don't mind," I tell them. He looks at me guiltily - Clary has turned bright red. "Sorry," he says.

"That's okay," Tris says. "Uh... we got the serum." I hold it up for them to see. They nod awkwardly.

"I'll do it now," I say. I pour the test tube's contents into the needle and screw the lid on. "Tris, can you get me a antiseptic wipe, please?" She nods and rushes off. I study the needle as it glistens in the sunlight that streams through the tall windows. Tris returns quickly with a couple of wipes. I take them, saying thank you, and slide a wipe across the other side of Evelyn's neck. It's not good to inject two serums in the same place one after the other. I push the needle into her skin, and keep it there until the tube is completely empty.

"Done," I confirm. "Shall I go with the car crash story when she wakes up?"

"When will she wake up?" Clary asks.

"Soon," I say. "Probably an hour or so."

"Alright then," she says. "Say it was outside the house, and it wasn't her fault."

"Good idea," Tris says. "Otherwise she'll panic. Tobias, I would carry her upstairs and put her in bed. Say the doctor has seen her and she'll be perfectly fine - she needs to sleep it off. Why don't you expertly draw a scar on her forehead and wrap a bandage round it?"

"Tris, I'm not an artist," I say, laughing. "I'll tell her the stitches healed."

"Okay," she agrees. "Well. We just have to wait for Evelyn to wake up. Clary, Jace, you need to get out of sight, though."

"We'll go home, if you like," Clary offers. "Back to New York."

"Don't bother," I say. "Here's the keys. Go to our apartment. We'll be a couple of hours, maybe." I give them the house key.

"Thanks," Jace says. "See you later." And they leave.

I turn to Tris, grinning. "You're gonna have to help me carry my mother up the stairs now," I say. She grimaces.

|Fourtris~Meets~Clace|

I am there when Evelyn wakes up groggily. Tris has gone to use the bathroom. I'm sat beside her on her big king sized bed in her room. I study the duvet pattern - flowers and vines and lots of orange, which is Evelyn's favourite colour.

"Tobias!" she gasps. "What's going on?" She startles me. I whip my head around, and she is struggling to sit up, eyes wide and alert.

"Evelyn! You're awake," I say. I push her down by the shoulders gently. "Stop trying to sit up. You need to lie down and relax - it's been a tough week."

"Week? What do you mean, week?" Evelyn says frantically.

"Mom, calm down," I say, knowing she'll stop. I've never called her Mom - not since I was a kid.

"What's happened?" she asks, quieter this time. Tris enters the room. She looks at me, then Evelyn. "Oh! You're awake! Hi," she says, and sits down next to me, taking my hand.

"Hello, Tris," Evelyn says.

"Have you told her?" Tris says.

"Just about to," I reply.

"Tell me what?" Evelyn shrieks.

"You were in a bad car crash," I say quietly. "It wasn't your fault. It was outside the mansion; a Land Rover was drink-driving and crashed right into you. The driver survived, but he's locked up in prison at the moment. He nearly cost you your life. A witness told me this, I wasn't there. Nor was Tris. You cut your head open and you lost a lot of blood. The car was destroyed, so they had to put it in the scrap. I'm sorry."

Evelyn gasps. "And I don't remember any of this?" she checks.

"No," I tell her. "The doctors thought you had brain damage. But yesterday, they said you'll be fine, and you just need to sleep it off. You were in a coma for six days."

So after the maniacal questions that follow, and the crying, and the disbelief, Evelyn falls back asleep, and Tris and I go back downstairs, waiting for her to wake up.

"I guess we'll have to stay here for the night," I say. "Tomorrow I'll get the scientists back in and working. And I'll get a nurse of some sort to look after her."

"Hope Jace and Clary don't trash the flat," she says, and we laugh.