Through Darkness Comes the Light

Chapter Five - Of Hopes and Regrets

Eliza regained consciousness to the sound of silence and the smell of lemons. Her body felt weak and heavy. She felt something around her neck and raised her arm to feel what it was, but it caused an immense pain the radiate from her shoulder and down her arm.

"I wouldn't do that, dear," a woman said from Eliza's right. "I don't want you to open up that wound. I'm going to put it in a sling once you start feeling a bit better. Jostling that arm could permanently damage the tendons."

"Who are you? Where am I?" Eliza rasped out.

"I'm Doctor Hanada," she said. "You're in the infirmary. I don't want you to speak for at least five more days. The damage to your vocal cords is extensive and the only way they'll heal is if you rest them and don't talk. I've also bandaged the cut in your throat and your broken ribs. Other than that, you just have a few bumps and bruises. You were pretty lucky from what the Corporal told me." Eliza heard the doctor's footsteps retreat and a door close. She must have left.

As Eliza's awareness started coming back to her, she could feel the slight pain of the cut in her neck, the pain in her ribs when she breathed and at least a big bruise on the leg that hit the tree branch in her fall. She felt something warm resting in her right hand. She twitched her fingers and felt someone else's fingers tighten around her own. Eliza furrowed her brow in confusion. Why was Levi here?

The door to the infirmary opened and closed again. Sharp footsteps approached Eliza's bed and walked passed the foot of it. She heard the creak as someone's weight was set onto a chair and lavender wafted over to her.

"It's good to see you awake, Eliza," Erwin said. "You gave us a bit of a scare."

Eliza opened her mouth to respond, but he stopped her. "Don't even think about it. I know the doctor already told you not to speak."

Eliza closed her mouth; she felt a faint blush spread across her cheeks. "Sorry," she mouthed.

"You're pushing it, kid," Erwin said, his displeasure evident in his voice. Eliza could practically picture his facial expression and she grinned. She tilted her head toward Levi and furrowed her brow in confusion, hoping Erwin understood what she was asking.

Erwin chuckled lightly. "Levi has been sitting here for the last day and a half, holding your hand the whole time. The only time Hanada could get him to leave was when she changed you out of your uniform and when she rebandages your ribs. It's cute, really. Your wounded shoulder bled through his cloak and onto his uniform and the clean freak didn't even go change until he determined you weren't going to die in the ten minutes it would take him to go take care of it."

Eliza heard the chair creak as Erwin shifted. "Anyway," he continued, "We haven't found any evidence of who attacked you, but your anchoring cables were definitely cut, so it's leading to some inquiries at Headquarters."

Eliza turned her attention to Levi, gently pulled her right hand out from under Levi's; not without some struggle, his fingers kept tightening around hers every time she moved it. Finally, Eliza turned toward Erwin and mimed writing.

"Ah," he said, getting up and walking somewhere in front of her. He walked back over to her bedside and set a pad and a pen on her lap, making sure he set them next to each other so she could feel both of them.

Eliza grabbed the pen and wrote, most likely sloppily since she couldn't see, 3DMG and Wall-worshippers. She set the pen down and she felt Erwin grab the pad off her lap.

"Hmm," he said. "It's just as we thought." He was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, Eliza."

Eliza gestured for the pad back. Erwin set it on her lap and she scribbled, "Don't even. I volunteered for this." She shoved it in Erwin's direction.

He picked it up and sighed. "I know, but you wouldn't be here if I hadn't asked."

Eliza rolled her eyes and looked in his direction. Her expression conveyed the feeling "seriously?" She knew that Erwin knew that if she hadn't wanted to do it, knowing exactly what could happen, there's no way he could have gotten her here.

Erwin chuckled. "I know what you're thinking and I supposed you're right. Thank you, Eliza." He put the pad back on her lap.

Levi started to stir; Eliza could hear the rustle of his clothing and his breathing started getting shallower.

"And that is my cue to go get some paperwork done," Erwin announced. His footsteps neared the door and he opened it. "If you need anything, you know where I am," he said and the door closed with a soft click.

~

Levi felt consciousness start rearing its ugly head as he began to wake up. He groaned as he woke up enough to feel the pain in his muscles from falling asleep sitting in the chair he'd been occupying for a day and a half, catching an hour or two of sleep leaning over on the infirmary bed.

He rubbed one hand over his face, still not opening his eyes. He curled his fingers around Eliza's hand to reassure himself that she was still alive. To reassure himself that he hadn't failed like he'd failed so many years ago, but all his fingers met with was air.

Immediately wide awake, heart pounding in his chest, he bolted upright in a panic. His eyes immediately went looking for the person that had occupied this bed for the last few long, grueling hours, fearing the worst.

His steely grey eyes met Eliza's clouded blue ones. He scanned her for injuries and breathed a sigh of relief. She was okay. Relatively speaking anyway.

"Are you alright, Levi?" Eliza's raspy voice sounded concerned.

Levi cleared his throat and nodded. Then realized his mistake and said, "I'm fine, brat. You're the one that ding-dong-ditched Death. And you're not supposed to be talking, now are you?"

Eliza rolled her eyes but didn't say any smart-ass comments back.

"Now we get to find the bastard that did this to you," Levi said. "I found you too late. Do you remember anything that might be useful?"

Eliza nodded and circled the 3DMG and scratched out the Wall-worshippers she had written down for Erwin. Levi didn't need to be knowing about that quite yet. She also scribbled, Already talked to Erwin. Then she passed the note pad over to Levi, tapping the words she had circled.

Levi picked up the pad and read it. He set it back down. "At least we have something to go on." He stood up, the chair scraping against the wood floor. "I'm going to track down Erwin and see what the next move is so we can find out who did this to you."

Eliza scribbled on her note pad and tugged on Levi's sleeve. He picked up the pad and read it. Sleep first. Levi rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, brat."

Eliza fixed him with a stern stare. It looked like she knew him well enough to know that he had only slept because his body forced him to.

Levi sighed. "Fine. After I talk with Erwin."

Just then Hanad opened the door and strolled in, carrying a syringe. "It's time give you some pain meds, hun," she said, walking over to Eliza's bedside. "It'll make sleepy, so don't fight it." She sterilized Eliza's shoulder as Levi moved to the foot of the bed so he didn't impede the doctor. Dr. Hanad injected the syringe into Eliza and bustled right out again.

Levi stayed for a couple more minutes until the meds kicked in and Eliza's eyes started to close. Then he grabbed his uniform jacket off the back of the chair and walked out of the infirmary, closing the door softly behind him. He had a bone to pick with Erwin.