My Love Untold

Hospital Bed

I felt my fists clench as I stared down at my injured best friend. Levi was tossing and turning, letting out sounds of pure sadness and hatred. I let out a breath, trying to stay calm as I watched Petra do the same on the other side of his bed. He had been surrounded by Titans when I found him, and I had done my best to protect him while Jean pulled him to safety. Petra had been busy looking for Ymir, so I had taken care of him until she could return. I watched as Levi began to sweat, and I quickly reached for the towel that I had left in a bowl of cold water.

"Petra, take the cloth off of his forehead," I instructed her. She looked at what I was doing and quickly understood, taking the cloth and wringing it out in a bowl of her own. I squeezed out excess water and replaced the old cloth with my new one. As I did so, he let out a gut-wrenching scream and I ground my teeth to keep from yelling out in surprise. I covered my ears to block the sound and tears started to cloud my vision upon hearing his pain.

Suddenly the noise stopped. I blinked away the tears and looked over at his bed. Levi was sitting up in bed, his arms shaking as he balled up the sheets in his fist. I heard him mumble something, but I couldn't tell what it was. Petra snapped out of the daze before I could, quickly moving to sit on the bed.

"Levi," she said softly, taking one of his hands in hers trying to calm him down. His eyes snapped open and he searched the room, confusion evident on his face.

"You were taken out by a Titan. Jean brought you here as soon as he could," I said, trying to bring him up to speed. His eyes widened as he looked over at me, and I noticed relief fill his features. I continued, "Petra found Ymir. She was mostly fine, but she was starving and one of her arms was broken." I thought he had ignored me as he analyzed my face and arms.

"Where is she?" he asked me as if he could read my thoughts. I pointed towards another bed in the infirmary where Krista was sitting. He nodded and turned his attention back towards Petra, almost as if he had just remembered that she was there.

"So it wasn't as bad as you thought it would be?" he asked her, causing her to give a small smile. I felt my brows furrow, not fully able to comprehend how he could have fallen by the hands of a Titan. He was the strongest person I knew. Was he really defeated that easily?
"What happened out there?" I asked him, trying to figure out the events prior to his blackout. He grimaced.

"I'm not entirely sure. I couldn't let the Titans get to the rest of you for the sake of the mission, so I tried to take them down. I don't remember much else after seeing the first Titan," he said. Petra's hand raised to cup his cheek in a comforting act, and I nodded, adopting his story into my own knowledge of the events earlier that day.

"You should go check on Krista and Ymir," he said, directing his attention to me. My gaze shifted to Krista on the other side of the room, and I nodded. I gave Levi's arm a squeeze before walking over.

Krista sat straight up in her chair, bags under her eyes and tears stained her cheeks. I couldn't tell if the tears were from sadness from seeing Ymir in her current state or happiness from finding her. I knelt down to match her level and looked over Ymir in her infirmary bed. Her left arm in a sling, she had a variety of cuts and scratches along her body.

"How is she doing?" I asked.

"She hasn't woken up, yet. They think that she may have eaten something poisonous," Krista responded, her eyes still trained on Ymir. I felt a drop of water hit my hand and I looked up to see Krista crying.

"She's going to be okay," I said, my tone filled with a type of confidence that I did not have. Krista nodded slowly.

"I have so much to tell her," she said.

"And you will." Krista sniffed and wiped her eyes. She tore her eyes away from Ymir and looked towards Levi and Petra. I followed her eyes and noticed Petra walking over to me. "I think she wants you," Krista said softly. I nodded and stood up, giving Petra a questioning look. She grabbed my arm and pulled me aside. My gaze shifted to Levi, part of me thinking that something was wrong. However, all I saw was Levi chuckling softly, holding onto his shoulder and side.

"What's going on, Petra?" I asked her, curious about what could have happened in the few moments I was gone. She looked at her feet, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Levi needs to bathe," she said. My face went blank, unsure of why she was telling me this. She looked up at me and cleared her throat. "I still haven't- I mean you've seen more of him than... me." I felt my eyes widen as I started to understand.

"You want me to bathe him?" I questioned. She slowly nodded. I let out a slow breath before looking back at Levi. My mind went to work trying to figure out the best way to wash him without seeing too much. Giving Petra a short nod, I watched her walk back over to Levi, giving him a sweet peck on the lips before getting her stuff together. I let out a low groan before making my way towards Levi's bed.

He gave me a warm smile, almost making me forget that I had just signed up to give him a bath. Almost.

"How do you feel?" I asked, trying to delay the inevitable. He looked down at his scratched up torso before raised an eyebrow at me.

"I've been better," he said. "Did Petra ask you something?" My eyes narrowed at him as he held back a smirk. I was tempted to run and grab a medic to do it, instead of me, but another part of me legitimately wanted to help.

"She told me you needed to be cleaned up. I assume it's to keep the injuries clean," I started. He looked down at the sheets for a split second before meeting my eyes once again and I saw the remnants of a smile. "Do you really need help bathing though?"

Giving me a knowing look, he slowly said, "No. I don't need help bathing. I knew Petra wouldn't do it, and I need her to handle the people that may have been injured out there." I nodded, looking him up and down.

"Do you need help with anything else?" I asked him, gesturing to his bandages. He shook his head, already moving to get out of the bed. Instinctively, I moved to help him up, but he waved me away.

"I can walk on my own," he said, curtly. I crossed my arms, following him towards the bathroom, just in case. I knew he couldn't reach the bandages on his back, especially with an injured shoulder, but I knew that occasionally he felt the need to prove himself. I simply waited for him to realize that he may need help.

He closed the door behind him, so I leaned against the door frame, taking the opportunity to take a look around. I had always hated the infirmary. The smell of sickness wafting its way through every vent and hallway. The deaths that had occurred when the medics were doing nothing more than trying to save lives. I'd never known anyone who liked the infirmary, but being a part of the military meant that I had to become quite acquainted with it. I knew every wing and knew the names of over half the medics.

A young girl - most likely a nurse - walked over to Krista and started talking to her, probably telling her that she had to go home. I saw Krista nod before standing, giving Ymir's forehead a soft kiss before walking out.

The door behind me opened, bringing my attention back to the bathroom. Levi stood there, a towel wrapped around his waist and annoyance filling his features. I raised a brow at him, waiting for him to finally ask for my help. He rolled his eyes.

"I can't remove the bandages on my own," he grunted. I smiled.

"And...?" Levi's eyes met the floor.

"And I need your help." I nodded and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.