Jaw

Chapter 28

It was not in the nature of a Titan Shifter to die easily.

So, after the near-destroyed body of Silena Lehmann was recovered and rushed to the hospital, it wasn't much of a surprise when she awoke three days later. At least, not to the doctors and military personnel who were informed of her situation.

Silena had never expected to see the light of day again after looking into the mouth of the Jaw Titan. For her, it was a bit of a shock.

She blinked the crust off her lashes as a bright light came into view. So she had died. Was this Heaven? Mother hadn't been religious, but Aunt Adele attended church when she could. Silena lay... somewhere in the middle. But, apparently that was enough to get into Heaven nowadays. Her thoughts on the dropping standards in Heaven were interrupted by the realization that this couldn't possibly be Heaven.

There were bright, rectangular light fixtures set into the paneled ceiling above: the source of the Heavenly light, obviously, which didn't seem too Heavenly. The anxious whispers around her were much too ominous to be angelic, and Silena didn't think that you got to Heaven feeling like you had sandpaper in your throat.

She cleared her throat to no avail, which made the whispers stop. Silena couldn't seem to hold her head in any direction but back. She was thankful when a pair of slim hands lifted her head and several pillows were propped up behind it.

This revealed her non-angels: Pieck, Porco, and– strangest– Reiner Braun. It was Pieck who had lifted her head, the two men standing a good distance from her bed and looking uncomfortable.

"I'm so glad you're awake," Pieck breathed, a tight-lipped smile on her face. "I knew you would, of course, but still. It was so scary."

As Silena looked at her best friend, she couldn't help but tear up. She opened her mouth to speak but no words would come out past her impossibly dry throat.

But, thankfully, words weren't necessary. With a squeak that covered a sob, Pieck pulled her into a tight hug. The movement caused an awful pins-and-needles feeling to travel down Silena's body, but she tried her best to stay stoic.

It wasn't until Silena attempted to raise her arms to reciprocate that she realized she didn't have any. With a jolt, her eyes widened, accidentally making contact with Porco. Nearly more painful than her lack of limbs was how quickly he averted his gaze.

Intuitive as ever, Pieck broke away to say, "They'll grow back. Your legs too– best not to look for the moment. Regeneration takes energy, and you're only now getting it back. It might take some time, but you'll be up before you know it. Here, I'll get you some water. Your throat must be dead."

She'd punctuated this with a reassuring smile, but Silena missed it as she completely ignored Pieck's advice. As Pieck took a glass of water from the side table and slowly began to siphon it into Silena's mouth, natural curiosity led her to look down at where her legs were supposed to be. Covered by a thick cotton blanket, the stubs of her legs ended much sooner than they were supposed to.

First and foremost, she was disturbed. Silena had obviously never experienced this type of healing, and she had a morbid sort of fascination in the healing process. How did it not hurt at all? Silena couldn't find it in herself to look away.

Pieck cleared her throat a little awkwardly. Knowing her, she had Silena's thoughts all figured out and was trying to get her focus away from her regenerating limbs.

"Your family wanted to be here," she said, which was a very good way to get Silena's attention. With a pang, she realized she hadn't thought about her mother or Aunt Adele since she saw Pieck and Porco. Shouldn't they be at the forefront of her mind at a time like this? Especially when she hadn't seen them since before the city was leveled.