Divergent;an alternate ending

Chapter 58

Tobias POV

Thank god for that towel. Ellie spit up a couple of times, throwing up on occasion. She has a bad cough and a runny nose. I don't know where this came from.

Well, now we're up for good. I made her french toast, cutting it into small bits. I bring it over to Tris, who is struggling to get Ellie's bib on. Ellie's fighting her, crying.

"Ellie," Tris whines. I place the plate down and hold Ellie's head still. She cries, but Tris gets the bib on. Ellie starts to calm down.

"Can you feed her?" Tris asks, sitting down and lying her head on the kitchen table. I sit across from Ellie and put a piece of toast on the small plastic fork.

"Here Ellie," I say, swirling the fork in front of her. She's amused, only until I try to put it in her mouth. She clamps her mouth shut and starts crying. I put the fork down.

"Tris," I say. She picks her head up.

"Milk?" I say. She groans as she goes to the fridge to grab a bottle. She comes back to take Ellie's bib off. Once she touches the back of her neck, she has a confused look on her face. She feels Ellie's forehead.

"Tobias, she's burning hot," She says. I place the back of my hand on Ellie's forehead and find it really hot.

"That's not normal," I say. Tris nods.

"Should we go to the hospital?" I ask. Tris nods slowly, thinking over the situation before responding.

"Okay, take the bib off, I'll grab the diaper bag and a toy," She says. I take Ellie's bib off and throw it on the counter. I lift her out of her chair and hold her in my arms. I cradle her head with my elbow and brush my thumb over her temple.

"It's going to be okay," I say. I kiss her warm forehead and follow Tris out the door.

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Tris and I didn't wait long. We're sitting in the waiting room chairs as I hold Ellie and Tris closes her eyes, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Elizabeth?" A nurse calls. I put a hand up, and she nods.

"Tris," I say, nudging her off my shoulder. She flutters her eyes open and rubs them as she stands with me. I follow the nurse to a room as Tris follows with the bag.

"The doctor should be with you soon," She says. I nod sit on the bed. I sit Ellie up in my lap, supporting her. Tris looks like she's about to cry.

"Tris, what's wrong?" I ask. She sighs.

"I'm tired, scared, and I think I'm gonna throw up if she does again," She says, managing a small laugh. I smile.

"It's going to be okay. She"ll be fine," I reassure her. She nods right as Kathy walks in.

"Hi Four, Tris, is everything okay?" She asks.

"Ellie has been vomiting since midnight, has a high fever, a bad cough, and won't eat," I say. She nods as she writes down things on her clipboard.

"Jen," She calls. The nurse runs in.

"I need a CBC on her," She says. Tris's eyes widen as the nurse goes to get something.

"We're testing for pneumonia. A CBC stands for a complete blood count, from there we'll see if it's pneumonia or not. If so, she will have to be hospitalized," She says. Kathy leaves the room and Tris collapses on the chair, looking stunned.

"Tris, it's fine. She'll be okay," I say. All she does is nod.

Kathy comes back with vials and a needle for blood. She sets up everything and puts a blue band tight around Ellie's arm. Ellie starts to whimper.

"It's okay," I say, kissing the top of her head. I hold her arm down as Kathy eases the needle into Ellie's skin. She whimpers a little, but not too much.

Tris's eyes are watery as she watches Ellie in pain. I grab her hand.

"Done," Kathy says. She removes the needle and the band and places a small gauze pad on Ellie's arm. I hold it down and Tris sighs. 

Kathy places a piece of tape over the gauze and gathers her vials, leaving the room.

"Tris, everything will be fine," I say. She sighs.

"I hope so." She says, looking down. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure," I say. I slip Ellie into her arms as she cradles her. Ellie closes her eyes, coughing occasionally.

"It's pneumonia," Kathy says, walking into the room.

"What should we do?" Tris asks.

"We'll hospitalize her for a few days, feeding her through the IV, and give her meds. It shouldn't be bad, but we need to keep her in sterile conditions." She says. I take a deep breath. Kathy leaves to get more things and I turn to Tris.

"Tobias," She breathes, holding onto Ellie.

"It might be hell," I start, "But we'll get through it."