Spotter

Clarity

We made it folks 😭 Enjoy 🥰

-Parks 🖤

Erwin's stomach turned as he read the list of Y/N's injuries: three pulled fingernails, extensive bruising, scalp lacerations, bruised ribs, and a deep gash on her upper arm that had become infected from prolonged exposure. Dr. Cara stood quietly while Erwin flipped through the report she just handed to him.

"I won't give you any details," she interrupted his reading. "But it took extensive work to clean her arm. She's lucky to still have it."

Dr. Cara had pulled her curly red hair up into a bun during the cleaning. She was exhausted after treating Y/N through the night, but she was proud of her work. Y/N would only have a thin scar thanks to Dr. Cara.

Erwin looked to Y/N. She laid unconscious on a narrow bed. She looks so small.

"A nurse will be here soon to bathe Y/N, so why don't you go get something to eat and finish reading my report?"

"No," Erwin felt defensive.

The only reason he had left her before was because Levi saw him almost faint from exhaustion. Fed up, Levi dragged Erwin out of the room within seconds and forced him to eat. Erwin was convinced Levi drugged him too because he fell asleep right after for six hours. It was more than not wanting to leave her though. He had felt so helpless for almost a week; he just wanted to help her in any way he could.

"I'll do it."

"You don't have to do that, Commander," Dr. Cara said.

Erwin ghosted his fingers over Y/N's matted hair. "I know. I want to do this for her."

Erwin didn't see it, but Dr. Cara's eyes got wide. She had worked under Commander Erwin her entire career, yet she had never seen him look so... defeated.

"Yes, sir," Dr. Cara bowed her head then left the room.

Erwin retrieved a washing basin, a jug of warm water, soap, a wash rag, and as many towels as he could find. When everything was set up around the bed, Erwin began undressing Y/N. Her uniform had already been cut off when she first arrived, so now he only needed to slip off the oversized nightgown.

The sound of her crying yesterday echoed through his mind. When he was carrying her to the infirmary, he stumbled, and his grip on her tightened. He didn't know it at the time, but he had pressed right into her bruised ribs. The pain woke her up long enough to cry out in pain before she fell back under with a whimper. Now, he was petrified of hurting her every time he had to shift her or lift a limb. He never wanted to hear her make that noise because of him again.

He was deliberate in avoiding her bandages, but he couldn't avoid her bruises. As he wiped away the blood and dirt, the bruises cropped up like ghastly bursts of purple and yellow on her pale skin. The worst of them were crowded around her ribs and on her thigh.

He flinched as the image of Ryker kicking Y/N flashed through his mind. Erwin stepped back to breathe for a minute; he didn't trust his shaky hands. After a minute of deep breathing, Erwin continued washing, rinsing, and drying each part of her body.

When he finished, Y/N shivered, so before he moved on to her hair, he dressed her in a new nightgown and tucked the blanket in around her. Trying not to get the pillow wet while washing her hair was a daunting task. In preparation, Erwin put towel after towel under and around her. He admired his handy work for a moment.

He wanted to delay the part he had been dreading the most. Her beautiful hair was matted down with dried blood and dirt. It had been in a braid the day she was taken, and it looked like the hair tie was still stuck in a knot at the end of her hair. Though most of her hair had fallen out of the braid. Not to mention, he wouldn't be able to see any of the cuts and bruises to avoid them.