Unloved (Eric x OC Divergent)

Part XIV: The Heartbreak

-Florence-

My feet don't seem to move as fast as I want them to as I'm running along Shauna to the infirmary, she hasn't explained yet why she came to get me and I don't seem to want to know yet as I keep silent as long as I can. I haven't looked at her either, trying to dodge the gut-wrenching dread I feel inside of me, which I know will become all too true when I see the look on her face. I know what this is. I've done this before.

We storm in to the infirmary and I'm ready to look for what it is I know I'm going to find, when Shauna stops me dead in my tracks, grabbing my hand and pulling me to a halt in front of her.
"Flo, I need to warn you..." her voice hesitates as she doesn't seem to want to pull me into reality and I revel in the last few seconds of ignorance I have until she breaks it. Until she breaks me. "He got brought in half an hour ago, I've stabilized him, but he's hurt himself Flo...I'm so sorry." Her face is apologetic even though nothing in this situation is her fault, I can see her hurt for me and it makes my heart hurt even more.
"What did he do?" I can hear myself force out the words, I don't actually want to hear the answer, but I need to. "I think he did all of it Flo" her gaze fixed on the ground as she continues, almost whispering: "He was unconscious when they brought him in, but it's not just that...". 
I've never seen Shauna this careful with her words, as if she was afraid to break me just saying something wrong.

"What did he do Shauna?"
 My eyes fix on hers as she seems to prepare herself for giving me the news she so badly wants to keep from me. "It's okay, just tell me" I persuade her, not even believing myself at this point in time. I would like to think I was ready for what she says next, but I'm not, I'm definitely not.
"He's covered in bruises Flo" she gathers her courage to continue her sentence "I think they are self-inflicted." And it's like a knife pulling through me, the ache that was dull before now is sharp and poignant, bringing me to clench my chest in pain. I feel like the ground pulled out from under me as I try to steady myself and walk towards where I know I will find him, hesitant to open up the curtain and step in to what I know will break my heart in two.

I feel Shauna's hand on my shoulder, giving me the ounce of courage I need as I pull the curtain to walk towards him, she follows me in and pulls it shut behind me. I hear her starting to explain what she had to do to stabilize him, probably going into terminology to try to distract me from seeing Eric like this, but my mind falters when I see him laying there, still unconscious, his hands bloody and bruised, I walk towards him and touch his arm, hoping he will magically respond to me, but he doesn't and I'm left to stand there speechless until Shauna's words catch up to me.
"There's also bruising around his abdomen" is the first sentence I hear and I immediately pull up his shirt, to see the chest and abdomen I love to lay and sleep on, hurt by I don't know what. 
My eyes lock on Shauna's as I mutter "How?" simply refusing to believe what I'm seeing, as I try to ignore the pain in my heart very unsuccessfully. Shauna keeps silent for a while until she finally reveals the whole truth:

"Four brought him in Flo, he walked past his apartment on his way back from a meeting and heard him yell..." I gasp, trying to ground myself before I receive the rest of this story.
"He kicked in the door when he heard Eric punching through the walls and throwing stuff around, seemingly very intoxicated." The dread is building up in me as I can't stomach hearing the truth, I thought we were getting somewhere. "Eric fought him, but passed out a few minutes later, that's when Four brought him in." I feel tears well up in my eyes as I look to Eric, destroyed by the state he has put himself in. "Why didn't he give me a chance?" I ask myself more than I'm asking Shauna, feeling the dread build up to a point where I can't breathe anymore. We didn't get anywhere. It's the only thought stuck in my head, playing over and over as I take Eric's hand, hoping this was all just a bad dream.

When Four pulls open the curtain to walk in carefully, he avoids looking at me, but reveals his bruised face, showing me how hard he had to fight to get Eric in here. It makes me realize just how much I'm asking of my friends, which grabs me by the throat, leaving me gasping for air.
And that's where it all goes black.

I open my eyes to see the concerned faces of my two best friends, immediately realizing why I blacked out, I start to apologize, wholeheartedly and repeatedly until I can't anymore when the sobs choke out my words. I feel someone hugging me closely, telling me I don't have to apologize for something I have no control over, but I'm too frantic to know who and why they would say something like that. "I chose Eric" I sob apologetically, trying to make right what I put onto Shauna and Four, but they're not having any of it as they're trying to calm me down and say something to me I'm not able to understand yet. It takes me a while to get back to myself, guided back by my friends, I am left to just listen to what they're saying.

"Are you with me now?" Four asks, looking at me strenuously, certain to get his message across this time. "Yes" I whisper softly. "I know you chose Eric and I know you want to help him..." he stops speaking for a second to make sure I'm listening to him, I nod to let him know I'm still here and he continues. "Tris' brother Caleb transferred to Erudite, he agreed to help us to get more information on Eric's background...if you want that." His eyes drift away for a second,  probably to give me time to think of how to react to this, but I quickly gain his attention by just answering: 
"Yes, please." My eyes convey the rest of the story, hoping they will forgive me for bringing this upon them, but Shauna keeps telling me to shut up and Four looks at me like I'm a complete idiot everytime I apologize. "You chose Eric, we will be here for him because we are there for you, always hun." Shauna's words render me speechless as she pulls me in for a tight hug.
I didn't expect them to understand my relationship with Eric to begin with, so having them support us like this, is beyond my belief and I hug them feverishly in response, so extremely thankful to have friends like these in my, and our, life. 

I kiss Eric's lips before I take off, I leave him in Shauna's capable hands, while I set out to figure out what he doesn't want me to. I meet Four and Tris by the train at midnight, leaving me just one question: "So where do I meet Caleb?"