17By popular demand we have decided to make one last chapter in Tobias's point of view. So we hope you enjoy and review and read our other stories if you haven't. This has been a fun small journey and we hoped you enjoyed it. Oh and this has not been previewed so cross your fingers for minimum typos. Please follow, read, and review our other stories.
My Soldiers Boots Part 6
Tobias POV
(That day)
Its 4:30 in the morning, and I'm in a metal death trap full of people, floating above the Earth. My favorite form of transportation, note the sarcasm. "So are you coming home to see your family?" The older woman next to me asks.
"Yeah, I am."
"I am too. Haven't been home in years after I got into a fight with my mother, she's on her death bed. Sorry if that make you uncomfortable, in case you haven't noticed I've already had a few too many to drink, death makes me weird."
"Its fine." I turn to the window, but realize that its an awful idea. The whole heights thing, it gets me every time.
She clears her throat, "What can't handle looking out of windows? No, wait its heights, you can't handle heights."
"That easy to tell?"
"Well honey, I work with people who fear many things, your fear is something I see everyday." A few people shush her and she apologizes. "I guess I'll be quiet for now and try to get some sleep, so goodnight or eh good morning."
Fully knowing that I will not get some sleep, I decide to look at my pictures in my small bag of belongings that survived the accident. A few pictures, some letters, and a beat up old cell phone that I've been using over there. I look at my phone first, a black screen greets me as I flip it open, a very cracked screen, buttons with letters that are way too far worn off. I think I've had this phone for a long time, I'm not even sure how long. Then I look at the letters, I've kept them in my pocket for months. The words are worn off, but that doesn't matter because I have each and every word of the memorized.
This letter that I am looking at is one that told me of Becky's first birthday. Hey handsome, was the first line in Tris's small loopy borderline cursive handwriting. I can't believe that it has been a whole year since our little girl has been born. As to your request we had Dauntless cake and of course she loved it. I don't think I've seen her on such a sugar buzz before. Christina and Uriah both found her a giant purple cardboard box and gave it to her as a birthday present, that's all that she paid attention to. All her grandparents were there and she received a lot of attention. She even said her first word that morning before everyone came. We were in the bedroom folding clothes (well I was folding clothes she found the laundry basket interesting and played with that) but she kept saying 'bubbles' over and over again at the picture of you. So when we video chat next time don't be surprised if she keeps calling you bubbles. Haha, we really miss you tough guy. I hope that your staying safe. I want you to come back home to me. I love you bubbles.
I look at the picture of Becky that I received in that letter. That's her on her first birthday. She's in a little black puffy dress with purple and pink poka-dots all over it. Tris even managed to get a small pink bow in her hair for a few minutes.
Hello tough guy. I'm surprised I haven't gotten a message letter from you saying how you were going to kill Zeke. Are you two playing nice again? Well I got a job working as a physical therapist for Divergent High. I am still working at the V.A. clinic as much as possible, I enjoy working at both places. Becca is flirting with all the boys at her day care, your going to have a handful when she gets older. Haha I wonder what your face looks like now. I thought I would throw that in there to try to lighten the mood. Maybe I even got you to crack a smile. (Your welcome Zeke I know that you are reading this over his shoulder) and when I was first reading it he was. I know these letters are short but there is really nothing going on here. I'm counting down the days that you are coming home. Only 32! I love you handsome.
Then I move over to the photo of Tris. Its a picture of her on her graduation day. She's holding her degree hands out like she was going to hug me. A giant old oak tree sits behind her as long as a few other of her fellow graduates stand in the background. I remember that it was hard taking a picture of her, I was also holding our very fussy daughter.
I must have feel asleep sometime along the flight because I wake up with a kink in my neck. The woman next to me says that we are about fifteen minutes away from Chicago. "I hope my mother isn't dead when I get there." I try to ignore her but I just can't. I stare at her. "Sorry again I lost my filter."
"It's fine." I sit up in my seat and move my neck around. Tris would be telling me what to do to fix it.
"I'm Tori by the way." She holds her hand out for me to shake.
I shake her hand, "Tobias."
"Oh um is this yours?" She hands me a picture, it's the one of Becky.
"Yeah." I take it from her.
"She's cute, I am hoping that's not your wife."
Her attempt to joke causes me to crack a smile. "No that's my daughter, Rebecca, Becky or Becca for short."
"My mother's middle name is Rebecca. Catherine Rebecca Wu."
"Hmm..."
"I haven't seen her since Dad died. He died in April, April 5th to be exact. After the news I found Mom by the nursery looking at the children that were just born that day-" she cuts off and runs to the bathroom. I don't see her the rest of the flight but something inside of me clicked.
Becky's birthday it's April 5th. I was standing outside of the nursery, when an old woman came by. Her husband had just died, and she was fulfilling his request of seeing something happy. That woman's name was, Cate.
The outside of my parents house is eerily quiet as I walk up the steps. I remember the deal with my parents u made if something bad happened to me, and I know they would've fulfilled it.
The door squeaks open as I make my way inside, Marcus still hasn't fixed it. I shut the door and set my bag down. Two rugrats state at me wide eyed. "Uncle Tobias!" They shout and run up to me.
"Hey rugrats!" I hug them and start walking out of the entry way into the living room. Marcus chimes out of the kitchen, Kendra trailing behind him.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Hello to see you too."
"Ah Tobias your home. I'm so happy to see you." Kendra hugs me and kisses my cheek. "Ah in one piece too!"
"Yeah," I smile and put on that good boy charm.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Marcus asks again, this time he starts walking towards me just starring.
"Good to see you too."
"I'm serious Tobias, why aren't you at the airport. Your wife and daughter, and your brother and sister were hoping that you were there. Now they are probably standing there thinking that you are lost some where."
"They sent me home-"
"No, no. Why aren't you at the airport? Your wife and daughter and brother and sister are all there waiting for you."
Shit, they all think I'm dead right now. "I got orders from my commanding officer to report home right away. I have to go then if they are waiting for me there."
"No stay here, they probably are on their way home right now. Besides I want to talk to you and John, alone."
When Marcus wants to talk alone is when I get worried. But I nod meeting his glaring gaze hoping not piss him off royally in the next few minutes. "Here let me take your bag." Kendra says taking my bag, "I'll just put this in your old bedroom, then it's not in the way when everyone is here later."
When she leaves Marcus leads me into the kitchen. I go to get something to drink but Marcus pulls out two beers before I can object. "You look like you've through hell and back, maybe you could use a beer."
"No I don't want one. I want to be sober when I see my wife and hold my daughter for the first time in almost two years." A partial truth but hopefully he doesn't catch up on it.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Or is the alcohol going to mess with your pain meds?"
I stare at Marcus, he knows because of the way he said it and then the way he smirked at the end. "How did you know?"
"The way you winced when Kendra hugged you gave it away. You did a good job hiding it, but not good enough. Plus your favoring you left side more. I know your left handed, but that shouldn't matter."
Damn he got me. "So?"
"Your mother and wife and John are going to be pissed."
I shrug it off, "they aren't going to do any thing about it."
"Maybe, but you are going to get an ear full."
I'm about to report when the door slams shut. By the voices and the footsteps on the wooden floors I know it's John and Sarah. "Jonathon, get in here and tell me watch happened."
He answers, but his voice sounds rugged and strangled. "Well, I hate to tell you this but-" he stops.
"Never mind it looks like his sorry ass is standing in front of me." John says looking up, stunned and not moving.
Sarah runs into the room, "Toby." I open my arms and she runs into them.
"Hey little girl."
"Your home."
"Yeah I am."
"Why weren't you at the airport?" She asks pulling back.
"I wasn't told to be at the airport, I ended up on a different flight from everyone else."
"How?"
I shrug, hoping to make her oblivious to what actually happened. "I just did, a lot of things happen." I look around the room. "Where's Tris and Becky?"
I really want to see my wife and child. I haven't seen them in such and long time, and I want to be able to Becky as soon as humanly possible. She can't grow up without me any longer. "Tris isn't here, she went to work right after the airport. I'm pretty sure she said something about one of her patients was dying and that patient asked her to be there for some unknown reason. Becca is right around the corner running around, getting all of that energy she had to suppress at the airport." Sarah says smiling
Well nothing is going to stop me now, I walk into the living room to see a blonde head running by the couches. Little chuckles and screams, then the blonde head dips to the ground and pops up. She pops up like a spring and comes sprinting around the couch. I quickly catch her as she is running around the chair. "Hello to you Becky."
"Ahhh!" She squeals happily as I pick her up. It bothers my right side, but I ignore it. No gun shot wounds are going to top me from reuniting with my family.
"Hey Becky, do you know who I am?"
"Daddy! Daddy home! Mommy wanted Daddy home!"
"Ah! Yes Becky! Daddy is home! You are such a smart girl. I love you Becky, you know that. I love you." I kiss her cheek and hold her tight, afraid to let go.
"You got freaking shot Tobias! Geez, I thought you were smart enough to get around that." His arms flail around him.
My knee bounces under the table, Becky is in the living room with Sarah, while John yells at me. Mom and Dad stand around watching the whole thing play out. Kendra stands in the corner making sure her husband doesn't get too far out of hand. Even if he does, I would be able to handle myself. John doesn't scare me. Over the years I learned to handle myself around him.
"Careful Johnny, we don't want a repeat of what happened before I left the last time." I says quietly looking up from the table.
"Dammit Tobias, I don't care what happened the last time and I'm pretty sure that you no longer care too."
"Well I still do care-"
"What is this that you are talking about? What kind of argument did you get in? Not one of those violent arguments that you two usually get in."
"Of course it was one of those arguments that we get in Mom! That's what Tobias and I do when we are angry with each other." John says exasperated with us. He sits in front of me and glares at me.
"You idiots why would you start doing that now?" She goes on and on chewing out John and I but something distracts me. A voice coming from the hallway, and my bedroom light is on.
I look around the corner, Tris is in my bedroom with Becky. I don't want to ruin this moment so I decide to listen in.
"So today an old lady that I work for told me something. She told me to tell you how your father and I fell in love, how I first felt when I met him, the things that drive me crazy about him, and what he did for you that is still apart of you. Well I am going to tell you everything." Oh really this could be very interesting.
"I first met your father when he was a senior in high school. I was supposed to be a junior but you know I hated high school and I hated living at home so I decided to get emancipated and get my GED. Most people call the GED a 'good enough degree' but you know you can prove them wrong, I did. I went to college and I decided I wanted to be a physical therapist, but that doesn't matter, I'm telling you about your father. We met at a party that Uncle Caleb drug me to. I was mad at him, but you know I'm glad that he did. I was drug into a game of truth or dare by one of my friends I met who was also in college. She got her GED too and she is into cosmetology. She's probably the best hairstylist in all of Chicago now. Well were playing truth or dare and I was dared to play a game that your never allowed to play called seven minutes of heaven with a boy that I didn't know. Well that boy was your father. We didn't do anything, when we got into the closet I just crossed my arms and glared at him, which he thought was absolutely hilarious." That's because it was. She was just so freaking adorable. "Apparently when I did that I was 'cute'. Which wasn't what I was going for. Of course your father being the trickster he was and he had a reputation to maintain decided to act like we were doing something. So I'm going to skip this part cause you are a little young for it yet. Christina might tell you about it when your a lot older." The noises I made were just to make me laugh. By the time the time was up, I was laughing on the floor almost crying.
"Well that is how I met your father and after that night I hated his guts." Well that's a little harsh. "Of course though I couldn't stop seeing him where ever I went. We worked at a youth center together and of course after that week I was paired up with him for all the activities that year. I started to like him a little bit, we teased each other. He took my shoes and hung them around the rim of the basketball hoop," I admit I was a jerk, that was a jackass move, but watching her getting the shoes down was cute. "-and I pushed him in the pool and the water activated a dye that I put on his swim trunks that turned them pink." I was even trying to impress a girl that day. May have not been Tris, but she stopped that fast. "Then one day your father asked me out. I had to agree cause Christina made me." She had to? "We went to the park actually and talked and he bought me a hamburger. Because he was paying and I felt like being a jerk I got a double bacon cheese burger that was absolutely amazing. He watched me eat the whole thing and then teased me afterwards because it was apparently bigger than me. He later told me that he liked me after he saw me eat that burger. It was a test. If I turned down the burger then he knew I wasn't the girl for him because he thinks its lame if girls turn down such good food. But I went to the next level and got a huge burger and ate it all. I obviously passed the test." She passed that test and passed it well. It was probably one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen.
"We dated all the way until I was 18 when we decided to get married. Your father was going to go into the military that year and we were crazy about each other. So we decided to get married. It was a small wedding, just our family and friends. It was a beautiful June day, the grass was green and everyone was in good spirits cause it rained the night before." I was a nice day. Man was she beautiful too, so beautiful, with all the flowers in her hair. Purple was definitely her color. "A few months later your father had to leave. It was hard to let him go. I was alone without you to keep me company. I was sad because I no longer was able to yell at him for putting his shoes by the door, or he wasn't there to get the stuff I can't reach, or he wasn't there to stand behind me while I got ready and make funny faces in the mirror to distract me to the point of me kicking him. But he came home and we were both happy. You soon came along and your father and I would fight to see who would get to name you. We didn't want to find out if your were a boy or a girl cause we both thought we knew. You see I thought you were a boy, don't take offense to that I still love you even though you aren't, and your father thought you were a girl. The part of the bet was that whoever was right about what you were would get to name you and would get out diaper duty. Well your father won, he named you Rebecca Jade Eaton. For the sake of my sanity I call you Becca and Becks for short. But your father calls you Becky, and he is the only one that does." At this point of her story telling I get called back into the kitchen by Sarah. I walk past her and ruffle her hair, she gives me a weak smile. I don't know how she handles it all. I've never been through this much at her age.
My family all looks at me when I walk back in. "Yeah?"
"I want done with you yet little brother." John says from the table..
"Yeah I well I was done talking about this to you."
"No that's not how it works."
"Jonathon, your done. Dinner is against ready and I don't want you two idiots arguing throughout the whole thing." She looks out the window, "Ah damn I'll be right back."
As my mother leaves the kitchen John looks at me exasperated. There was a time that we weren't ever like this, we got along pretty well, but then I graduated from high school.
Becky comes running into the kitchen begging for my attention. "Hey sweetheart." I pick her up and hear some taking in the living room between my mother and Tris. I walk out there to see what's going on.
The small blonde woman who stands in the middle of the entry way, looks wild. Her eyes are a little puffy and piercing. Perfect.
"Beautiful?" I say and she turns her head towards my direction.
"Tobias?"
"Oh beautiful." I set Becky down, and run to Tris. I pick my wife up, and kiss her, not focusing on anything but her. I'm first to pull back whispering. "You have no idea how long I wanted to do that." She laughs a bit and I set her down.
At our feet or daughter makes noises, like she wants to join us. We both laugh a bit and I pick her up. "Oh you want to join us now?" She starts to snuggle into me. "I love you too Becky.
"Daddy." Becca squeals when as I pick her up and she rests her head under my neck. She's a little ball of warmth. Tris grabs my hand and squeezes it. Becky moves around looks me straight in the eyes. Her small dark blue ones starring into my soul. "Daddy, you silly." She smooches my face with her small hands.
"Thanks Becky."
She moves back into he original position and I lean down to kiss Tris again.
"Tobias just stop kissing your wife. Lets eat I'm starving." John groans from the corner. He sounds better than before. He's always liked Tris so maybe seeing her happy put him in a good mood.
"So then because he has to have the last word he decided to throw the baseball at my head, but his aim sucks and he ended up throwing the ball over the fence hitting our, then elderly neighbor right in the back." I say having the 'who's the better person' argument with my brother. He just told a different story about me that I was not too happy to hear.
"Hey my aim was better than yours."
"Who's the sharp shooter of the family?" I say smirking.
"Oh he got you." Sarah says from her spot by the counter.
John makes a very un-mature face at our little sister.
"Son how come you didn't come home with the rest of your squad?" Marcus asks leaning in, looking me in the eye. I glare back at him, he's not supposed to say anything.
"I don't know, I ended up on a totally different course than the others." Marcus keeps looking at me expecting me to go on. I wish he didn't have that power. "It was 9:00 in the morning there, I just gotten done with my morning jog with Zeke and we were heading into the building that we took over for our purposes. We were talking to some of our other friends trying to get them to cool down. Eric was being a dick. " My mind is reeling because I am reliving something that I do not want to relive. "I just pulled Rex -Ben- away from Eric and we were going to get ready for the day. Amar the had Zeke, Rex, and I get some stuff from outside and the next thing I knew there were gun shots and Rex went down. A bullet skimmed my right shoulder and my right side. Zeke and I managed to move Rex away from the gun fire and we ran back inside to help evacuate the others. Bumpers layed on the floor of the buildings lobby so I grabbed him and I managed to get Monkey outside. Gun fire was everywhere. Zeke and I headed to where Rex and the others were at and I got shot on the way, on my right side right next to where the last bullet skimmed me. A bullet hit a few tank near by and the building blew up and everything went black to me.
"I woke up two days later in a hospital in Germany." Scariest thing that I ever have been in, they were definitely not happy to see me. "Apparently a bunch of Amity Insurgents came in after the Erudite Insurgents left and they took some of the wounded ended up with them. I don't know who the others were, we all ended up in a bunch of different hospitals. I needed surgery apparently, and they couldn't do it on me right away because I had a bunch of this serum in my body that the Amity injected into me. Then when I was able to walk around and lift things a few hours later, I was shipped to France to answer questions. Trust me having a bunch of people yelling at you in French is not fun. Lucky me all those foreign languages classes that you made me take." Thank you mom. I look at her she looks a bit happy that I did something like that.
"I was shipped to France, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. They all wanted my take on what happened and what we were doing to cause that, of course I don't know what we did to cause that so I was at a complete loss. When all those countries realized that didn't know anything I was shipped off back to the United States and then I ended up in New York where I met up with Amar and then he took me to Chicago. Now I am here." I reach for Tris's hand quickly, I could use her support right now and she could use mine.
Evelyn and John join in on the staring contest, Marcus starts to look smug and Sarah stares at her plate.
"Now, now before you say anything, I'm fine they patched me up I'm fine." I mostly say that to Tris. I don't want her freaking out at me. "You know I don't like it when people look at me like that, like I'm a kicked dog or something like that."
"Well your are not a kicked dog but-" John starts.
"That's right I'm not a kicked dog and that's it."
"Tobias-" Mom starts.
"Mom I'm done talking about it."
"Will you stop being so stubborn for once in your life? Tobias this is news for us. So of course we are just going to freak out. Why can't you see that?" Sarah says to me.
I've never heard her ever talk like that. John and I talk like that to each other all the time just because we want the other to see reason. Even though she wants me to see reason its not going to happen. I get up and pick up my daughter. "Come on Becky you are the only one who understands."
Sitting in my old bedroom sulking is what I do best. Sulking is difficult when I have a million faces in my mind that might threaten to hurt me. I am going to have to get that checked out. I don't want to be putting my wife and child in danger, I've seen people going through PTSD. Its not a pretty sight, they almost loose everything.
Tris walks into my old bedroom. "I'm sorry for being such a jerk tonight, I'm just tired and cranky, I guess."
She doesn't say anything, she just sits in front of me in my computer chair. A lot of memories where made in that chair. "You know the last time we were in your old bedroom together was your high school graduation day." I move around and I adjust how I am laying. This bed seems smaller than I remembered. "We decided that we were going to get married that night. That doesn't seem so long ago. Its been five years. I remember you telling me that night you were going to get me a ring when you could afford one. I love that ring."
"I remember that night very well. You snuck into my room that night, saying that you had a bad dream about something and I wasn't answering my cell phone. Then we spent that night together, in my bed. That was the first time ever." He smirks at the ceiling.
"I remember that you almost had a panic attack when I snuck into your room. You said something about a break-in in some of the houses down the street and your house being next."
"I didn't want you getting injured by that thief."
"Or you didn't want Mommy and Daddy catching us together in bed."
"That too-"
"You can be a big chicken sometimes."
"Yeah, yeah." Not. She comes and cuddles with me.
She snuggles under my shoulder, "Are you conceding?"
"Just a bit." I say shrugging.
"Holy crap I never thought I would ever see this."
I roll my eyes. I love my wife dearly.
"I love you." She kisses him right underneath his chin.
"Does this mean I am forgiven?" I ask giving her the puppy dog eyes. She can't refuse them.
"Maybe."
I rolls over to my good side and kiss her, she kisses back hard and we were really getting into it right when Becca starts making a bunch of noise. "We will never be able to do stuff like that alone again." I say laughing, looking back at Becky, she just wants attention.
"Yeah you better get used to it."
"That's going to be hard, especially because you look extremely hot. Especially when you are angry with me." I smirk at her. I love the way she looks and she hates the way that she looks.
She rolls her eyes. "Whatever, do you want to go home? Where we will have more room in a bigger bed, in a house of our own."
Just like she can read my mind. I would love to have a nice bed again. "That sounds nice, really, really nice."
"You know did I tell you that you look extremely handsome in uniform, but you look even more handsome out of it."
I raise my eyebrows at my wife. someone really must have missed me. "Wha-ah-oh look who is having dirty thoughts now."
"Well I was thinking about how long its been since-"
"You had me at bigger bed, lets go."
I pull her up and we leave to go home. Both of us are ready to spend the rest of our lives together.
It will take a little while but Tris and I will work it out, we always do. Well heal each other when we are broken and we are able to be healed.
If there were any typos, very sorry I hoped you like our story it was a fun thing to write.