Cornered

North 2

Reiner rode beside the wagon watching Sasha's efforts to treat Connie. He couldn't help wishing her success. He remembered their training days and how much energy the two of them had shown and possessed. So many times he had envied them their energy and wished that he could have even a portion of it. Seeing Connie reduced to this comatose state was hard to watch, but he took heart that Sasha and Krista hadn't given up on him yet. Though Sasha tried her best Reiner wasn't surprised when he glanced over hours later to find her asleep.

Smiling to himself, he rode over to the wagon seat and pulled himself up from his horse. The wagon driver glanced at him in surprise but didn't look away from the horses for too long. Reiner gently wrapped Connie's cloak around both him and Sasha before hopping back onto his horse. He glanced back at them occasionally throughout the day and was surprised in the afternoon when he looked over to see a brief flash of green eyes before they closed.

Curious he let his horse fall behind a little bit and watched Connie closely. Just as he was beginning to doubt that he had actually seen them Connie's eyes once again fluttered open briefly before closing. Reiner smiled. This must mean Connie was starting to come around. A glance at Sasha showed that she was still completely out of it. Reiner roused her at their midday stop and gave her some bread to eat. She ate like she would never eat again and he smiled as he ate his own meal. Krista showed Sasha how to feed Connie another spoonful of honey. Reiner could see Sasha was trying hard to be patient, but that the whole thing was difficult for her. It helped when Armin stopped by to apply more ointment to Connie's back.

"Sasha look," Krista gasped.

"What?" Sasha turned to her in surprise before glancing down at Connie. Reiner smiled when he saw that Connie was blinking slowly, but repeatedly this time. His eyes opened and closed but remained unfocused.

"Connie? Connie can you hear me?" Connie continued blinking for a few more seconds before his eyes closed and he stilled. Sasha looked up at the others worried. Armin was smiling, and when he caught Sasha's gaze his eyes brightened with excitement.

"That's a good sign Sasha, I know it probably doesn't seem like much but I think he's starting to come out of his comatose state."

"Really?" Armin nodded confidently.

"Yes. It's one of the things I asked the doctor about. Any signs of movement or response are good. It shows there isn't any brain damage in that area. It would be better if he was moving too but blinking his eyes is a good start." Sasha finally smiled, gently brushing the back of her fingers down the right side of Connie's face. They all returned to their mounts as Jean called that it was time to move on. Reiner stayed by the wagon and was happy to see that Sasha was awake and attentive for the rest of the day. Jean called another halt just before sunset. They set up camp and Reiner came to help carry Connie again. Armin met them at the wagon, holding a bundle of clothes.

"Don't set him down yet. Sasha, I need you to find another stream."

"Okay," Sasha said taking a moment to stretch her stiff muscles. She had been sitting in the wagon for far

too long. Once she started moving it helped a lot to loosen her wooden joints. Both Reiner and Armin followed her, Connie hanging limply in Reiner's arms. It took her a few minutes but she was at last able to find a stream. She was pleased with its size too. She turned to Armin.

"What did you need it for?"

"Well, I figured since we can't carry ice we could still soak his bruises in this stream. That will probably do more than just the ointment alone." Sasha nodded, and now that she knew why they were there she could see why Armin was carrying some of Connie's clothes.