Chapter 53 - Finding Out

Third Person

Ken meets with Dr. Marie Scott, Tris's doctor when she first came back to Chicago, later that afternoon.

He wants to talk to her about having her examine Tris.

He knows that Tris trusts her, and he knows that Marie has been dying to see her again.

"Marie? Could I ask a favor of you?" Ken says when he sits down across from her at her desk in her office. He came down to visit her as soon as Tris's boyfriend left, asking if there was something wrong with Tris's ability to hear.

"It depends what that favor might be, Ken. Last I was told, I'm not allowed up in your MIU branch. What could you need from me?" She says, trying to not be offended, remembering the issue they had months earlier.
  
  
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"You can't just isolate her from the rest of the world, Ken! It won't make her any better; putting her in with crazy people, it'll only make her situation that much worse! The poor girl is petrified without anyone around! What's going to happen when a random, sick person bursts in her room?! You may not think I know what happens in that MIU of yours, Ken, but trust me, oh you can trust me when I say I sure as hell know what goes on up there." Marie says tensely, her hands on Ken's desk as she leans over, almost yelling in his face.

"What goes on up here is to none of your business, Marie. You might not want to admit it, but she's insane. She's just as bad as the rest of them up here. Just admit it, Marie. I can do something to make her better here that you can't down there."

"She has to learn to trust people again. She's not going to be trusting anyone up here! She doesn't know all of you! She's already petrified of people she's been around for weeks now and--"

"SHE'S NOT GOING TO KNOW EVERYONE WHEN SHE LEAVES THIS PLACE, MARIE! She's going to have to get use to strangers at one point, so why not start now. She's not going to get better if you baby her in a place where there's a clock ticking between if she comes with me or gets sent home, so why not just let her stay here where she has the time to heal and learn to trust. You need to get your head in reality, Marie. You can't fix everything, and neither can I, but let me take this one. You've done your share and got her where she is, and I'll take it from here." Ken says, growing extremely calm by the end of his statement.

Marie, unknowing what to say, leaves the room in silence.

She knows he's right.

She's just scared for Tris's sake.

 
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"Marie. I know what this is about. I'm sorry for what I said. I was wrong; so wrong. It wasn't in my place to say that. I need your help. It's about Tris."

"What happened? Is she okay?"

"Yes. She's fine ever since the incident with West. But she's still not talking and recently has been acting like she doesn't know people are around her. Like, she seems to be still scared of everything, but now it's just in a different way."

"What do you want me to do about it? That sounds like an MIU issue that you should be fixing."

"Typically, it is. But what I need from you is to do a sensory examination on her. I know that she trusts you the most out of all the doctors and nurses here, so you should be able to get more accurate, or just simply more results than anyone else."

"When do you want it done?"

"When do you have time?"

"I'm free right now."

"How long does it take?"

"I've got two hours, so hopefully I should be able to finish in that time. I can always come back later. I'll go get the things I need and meet you here?"

"Okay."

Marie stands, hurrying out of the room, but Ken catches her before she leaves. "Marie, wait."

She turns, her head snapping around at her name.

"Thank you."

She smiles, but doesn't respond, and continues on her journey down to her level of the hospital, and then working her way back up to the MIU, bringing a bag of supplies with her.

When they meet outside of Ken's office, they silently walk to Tris's room. Ken waves her on once they stop outside of her door. Marie taps on the door, then smiles a farewell to Ken and enters the room.

As soon as she walks in, she notices how freezing the room is. The lights are also extremely dimmed. She never had either of these conditions back when she was in the main section of the hospital.

Marie

I would've thought this cold temperature would bother her leg a great amount. She was always very overly sensitive when I would put ice on her leg, so she must be uncomfortable in this temperature.

I don't waste any time and click on the heat and turn up the lights to their regular setting.

I smile when I see her from across the room, although the sight of her makes me cringe to see the uncomfortable state she's in. She's shivering like crazy, and just looks like she wants to scream in pain.

"Hey Tris. It's me, Dr. Scott. Dr. Norton let me come and you visit today and run a small test. Don't worry, it won't hurt." I walk over to her trembling form and bend down to her level on the small mattress.

Tris doesn't reply as she stares blankly in the direction of me.

'Is she blind?' The thought pops into my head automatically when I see that she looks in my direction blankly but doesn't look directly at me.

"I'd love it if you could speak a little bit to me, Tris. I still really haven't ever heard your voice. I can only assume it's as pretty as your eyes are." I say trying to make her comfortable as I pull out some of the things that are in my small bag.

"How's your leg doing? Is it bothering you at all? I'm assuming they haven't gotten you on crutches yet." I say, beginning the first part of the test. I lightly brush my thumb over the top of her big toe that sticks out of her cast. She jumps, trying to move her foot away from me, but failing for the cast being so huge.

Okay, so she still has her sense of touch.

Four more senses left. Well, except for taste and smell, along with the ability to think or remember data. Since she can't talk, I don't know if she even remembers who I am, and also since she can't talk I can't know if she tastes or not or can smell because she wouldn't talk and tell me.

Even though I don't think I can get an accurate result, I pull out the can of smelly air freshener and spray a little bit of it right next to her; then wait to see if her face changes at all.

She continues to shiver, but I see that her eyebrows cease and her nose crinkles a little bit after I spray the gross lavender scent.

She can smell...? Assumption: yes.

I go back into my bag and pull out a red balloon, blowing it up to a good amount and tying it.

I can already tell she can hear because she suddenly gets a confused look on her face from the strange sound of the balloon.

It also tells me she cannot see because the sound wouldn't make her curious or concerned if she could just see that it's a balloon.

But anyways, I continue with the test.

"Here, Tris. Catch this balloon." I say, tossing the balloon towards her. It floats down right on top of her, and she flinches when it touches her arm."

"It's okay." I say soothingly as I take the balloon away, setting it behind me.

"Tris, follow my finger with your eyes." I say, moving my finger slowly around in a circle, then in a random, unknown shape. Her face converts with frustration as her eyes move all around, desperately trying to please my task that I asked.

She looses it.

There's no other way to put it.

She falls onto her side on the mattress and breathes out forcibly, as if she were screaming without her voice.

I try to calm her, but nothing works.

She's having a mental breakdown.

I know that I need to get Ken.

He can help her.