Chapter 64 - Going to Get Better

Tobias

"Get your leash and we'll go." I tell Indy, seeing if he remembers the new trick I've been working on with him.

He looks at me for a second, wagging his tail. He clearly doesn't understand my command.

"Get your leash!" I tell him again. He paws at my foot woofing as he doesn't understand my command.

"Here." I say, walking over to the table next to my apartment door that I keep his leash on along with other crap. "Your leash." I show it to him. He yips and I chuckle, clipping it to his collar.

"Gosh, I hope this goes well." I mumble to myself.

+    +    +

"Good morning, Four. Oh! Who's this fella?" Dr. Scott greets me as I walk by her on my way to Tris's room in the Erudite hospital.

"Hello." I laugh. "This is Indiana. He goes by Indy most of the time though."

I gently jerk Indy's leash quickly, hoping to get the point across to not get excited as Dr. Scott walks towards us.

"Hey there, Indy." She says, putting her hand down to let him sniff her. He licks her hand, making her laugh.

"Let me know if you need anything." She says, smiling at me and then walks away.

Down this hall and to the left, then down that hall and another left after that. Indy stays by my leg the whole time we walk, wagging his tail when people walk past us.

I'm so lucky to have such a well behaved dog like him.

When we reach the door to Tris's room, I knock on the door, then open it.

Strangely, my heart isn't racing like I thought it would be.

"Hey Tris." I say, smiling at her when we pass the small hall with a bathroom attached to it in her hospital room.

"Hi." She says very quietly. Her voice still hasn't made it back to the way it always was.

"Wh- who's--" she sees Indy, and I cut her off.

"This is Indiana, Tris. He's my dog." I look down at him, and he thumps his tail on the floor from his now sitting position.

I look back over at Tris, and her blue-grey eyes are just staring at mine. I can't tell if she's scared or not, or if she's confused or concerned.

"Remember how I told you Evelyn got me a dog just under a year ago?"

She takes a deep breath and blinks hard, her stare no longer being on me.

She could possibly have memory loss. We can't really be sure though. There's a chance she's fine, but there's a chance bits and pieces may come and go until she's completely better. I hear Dr. Scott saying in my head the same words she said to me last week.

"Indy." She says quietly.

I didn't tell her today that he goes by Indy.

"You remember me telling you?" I can't help but ask.

She nods, still seeming unsure of herself.

"Indy." She says again, slightly louder.

"Are you okay with him and I coming closer to you?" I ask from our position across the room.

I can tell by the look on her face she's trying to find the words to say that her brain will allow her to.

She ends up nodding with that unsure body language again.

Indy stands up as I walk over to the side opposite of her wrapped up leg. The cast is still three times bigger than her twig-like legs.

Only if she could actually keep food down.

Before I can stop him, Indy pops his front two paws up on the bed next to her arm so he can see her.

She gasps and quickly jerks away from him, scared of his sudden movement.

"Indy." I tug on his leash. "Get down." I say in a stern voice.

"No." She says quietly.

I look at her more closely and can see the exhaustion all over her face. It's getting worse every time I see her. Dr. Scott says that she can't sleep a single night. It seems like the second she closes her eyes, flashbacks and nightmares just engulf her and she screams and shakes for hours.

I wish that I could stay and comfort her at those times. She's always awake when I'm here, and I'm not allowed to stay past visiting hours which end at eight.

Her hand shakes when she picks it up off the bed. She lays her hand on top of Indy's head, still with that unsure look on her exhausted face.

I see Indy look up at her, his tail still wagging. She first moves her fingers lightly, then her hand as she gently strokes his head.

The smile that slowly creeps to her face gives me a sense that everything will be okay; that now things are going to get easier.

+ + +

At some point during the afternoon, Indy ended up on the bed with Tris, and now, about three and a half hours after we arrived, he is snuggled right up next to her as she continues to run her hands through his fur.

Although I wish it was me up next to her like that, I have to continue to remind myself not to get jealous of my dog.

We talked for the longest time, well, more like I talked while she listened, saying few words here and there but showing her gratitude by nodding a lot, as I told her about what was going on in the compound. It really isn't much, for the only exciting thing going on is the irritation I have about the IB group, but I didn't want to bring that up considering she already has enough terrors wracking her mind.

Throughout my talking, I stroked the top of her head calmingly, while her fingers continues to run through the thick, straight locks of Indy's fur on his back.

Probably an hour and a half ago, she fell asleep, as did my dog.

I won't complain though, because Dr. Scott walked in and said this hour and a half is probably the most she's slept all week.

Maybe my thoughts were right.

Maybe things are going to get better.
 
 
 
Thanks for sticking around guys! I'm so so sorry for the delay in updating! [see my message board on my profile for my explanation]

I've been waiting to write this part forever, bc I just couldn't wait to have Tris and Indy meet, but I haven't had time to sit down and take time on it, and I didn't wanna just write a shitty part for a chapter I knew that would have significance.

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Kat 💚