A Promise (An Attack on Titan Fanfic: Erwin Smith)

Another Loss

A bleary pair of eyes slowly fluttered open, meeting a creamy white ceiling stretching above. Strips of morning rays were seeping through an open window by the side and a light breeze swayed the hanging rumpled caramel curtains. The smell of disinfectant wafted through Isanna's nostrils, inducing a comforting lull, and the tempting fluff of the bed she was sinking in whispered for her to return to dreamland. She felt the thick duvet under her palms, her groggy state of mind slowly whirring back to reality.

When the gears in her mind clicked into place, memories of the recent operation to retrieve Eren flashed in front of her like a vision. She sat with eyes now wide open, the covers falling down to reveal her bandaged torso. A gush of adrenaline rushed through her as if she was still in the battlefield, and the tension in her muscles by her battle reflexes kicked in.

"Calm down."

A low rumble reached her ears, but she was still too disoriented to recognize whom the voice belonged to, although it sounded familiar. She turned her head to see someone eased on a wooden seat, arms and legs crossed while he regarded the newly awakened patient.

"Levi," Isanna breathed, the stiffness in her shoulders relaxing. She heaved a few easy breaths. "Where.. where's Erwin? Is he okay? His arm was—he—"

"You've been slipping back and forth between sleep and consciousness for the last few days, and the first thing you utter is him ?" Levi clicked his tongue, thin brows furrowing together. "Worry about yourself more, idiot."

His quiet snap was restrained, yet it held enough volume for Isanna to pause and consider his words. She looked down at her own body, finally realizing the wrapped bandages that were slightly constricting her breathing, but not uncomfortable.

She realized something and looked back at him once more. "I was.. out of it for days?"

Levi nodded. "Six days. Doctor said your body's healing well enough, though." He went on to tell her that for the first four days since they returned, she'd been treated back at Trost district before she was moved to a bigger hospital in the downtown city of southern Wall Rose, nearer to their main headquarters.

"And.. Erwin?" she said.

He frowned deeper, and for a split second, Isanna was actually scared to hear his answer.

"After his operation, he went sleeping beauty on us. The guy's still in a coma." Not that he blamed him. Levi could still remember the haunting image he'd seen when Erwin was rushed to the emergency room; skin as porcelain white as a ghost and dried, chapped lips—he wouldn't have been surprised if they announced him dead upon arrival. It was a miracle that he lived.

Isanna clenched her jaw and threw the covers away. She swept her legs across the bed and was about to stand up when she was roughly shoved back down.

"You stay put," Levi growled, not hiding the annoyance in his tone. He had a firm hand on her shoulder, holding her down. "Waiting like a sitting duck at his side won't quicken his recovery. The best you can do right now is heal your own injuries."

"I need to see him."

"Take one step and I'm going to fucking tie you down."

By this point they were glaring at each other, both too obstinate to back down.

"Lie down, Isanna," added Levi. "I don't want you passing out because of another panic attack."

Isanna froze. The memory of her fainting shortly after arriving back at the walls replayed in her mind.

When Levi felt her slowly resettling back on the bed, he released an inaudible sigh and retracted his hand. He returned to his seat. He observed her as the silence slowly crept back into the room.