No Name [Ereri/Riren Fanfic] [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Six

     "Kuchel Ackerman, if I remember correctly."

     My eyes widened and my mouth gaped open. She's... Mom is... alive? I needed to confirm that he wasn't pulling my leg here. I needed confirmation. I needed to see for myself.

     "Which hospital and what room number?!" I asked frantically.

     "Uh, Rose Hospital. Room 418. Why, do you know her?"

     "I need to go. Now. Thank you for the talk; I hope we can do it again some time!" I spoke as I began to rush toward the nearest exit, but someone grabbed my arm from behind.

     When I turned around it was Eren who had grabbed me. "I'm coming with you, just in case."

     I didn't have time to argue back and tell him to stay with his father, so I ended up leading him to the car and rushed down the road to the hospital Grisha had named. If she was alive then I needed to know why this was kept a secret from me all these years, and the only person who'd have the answer to that is the only person who took the time to teach and raise me shortly after: Kenny.  I could tell that Eren was watching me from my side, trying to make sure I'd be alright if anything happened I suppose. If anything, I sure as hell wasn't alright but I did my best to hide it from the brunet's intense gaze as he continued to analyze my every move.

     We finally found the hospital and drove into the parking lot next to the ER, hoping that by going through here we'd get to her faster. Sure enough the receptionist had allowed us to go shortly after I told them who I was here for. Rushing through the halls, Eren and I searched for the room my mother was supposedly held in. After searching for what seemed like an eternity for me, Eren had managed to find the room and carefully led me to the door. I stared at the number plate, 418, before holding in a deep breath and slowly opening the opaque sliding door. The sight before me was too tragic to even keep my so-called strength any longer.

     There were machines upon machines all working their best to keep one small and frail woman laying under the covers of the pristine bed alive. Tubes and needles were connected to her and each one led to a different machine, pumping the things she needed and taking the things she didn't out. The woman herself was pale as pale could be, her eyes were sunken in and surrounded with dark circles enshrouding them, her skin tugged against her bones and veins, her hair once a beautiful dark black now streaked with layers of gray and white hairs, her lips a deathly indigo as they had lost most if not all of their lush color.

     I walked up to the foot of her bed to check her identity and sure enough she was the one I had thought I lost all those years ago. A lump formed in my throat which made it difficult to breath and my eyes had begun to sting, tears forming in the corners. Walking up to the side of the bed where a chair had been placed, probably from relatives who had known she was here, I carefully took hold of her light, pale, and bony hand. Looking around the room some, I noticed that there were fresh flowers here and there so I assumed that she wasn't alone all this time. Eren walked around and check the names on the cards that hung around the flowers before gasping a bit.

     "... What is it?" I had barely managed to speak without letting my cries spill.

     "Some of these flowers were from Mikasa. I thought you two were related but I never expected this."

     "I never knew her name until you introduced me to her. She must be my mother's niece, my cousin. My uncle never talked about the family when I lived with him, and he certainly didn't talk about my mother..."

     "You aren't thinking about confronting him, are you?"

     "What choice do I have? I thought he was the only family I had left for fourteen or fifteen years, so to learn that my mother has been struggling to keep her life this whole time only fuels me even more to finally see him again."