Sunlight {Levi x Fem!Reader} [COMPLETE]

37: Resident of the Heart

  A/N: Hello again everyone! :)))) I'll get straight to it and let you all know that I've dedicated this chapter to 'Frightened' by Toby Lightman. Though this chapter deals with an extremely sensitive topic, I think that the moments that Y/N and Levi share with each other really resonate within the lyrics to this song. I hope you all are doing well and enjoy this chapter!

*THIS CHAPTER DISCUSSES A VERY SENSITIVE AND DISTURBING TOPIC REGARDING A MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS THAT YOUR CHARACTER IS REVEALED TO HAVE*

  You approached Levi's bedroom door and knocked on it. You heard shuffling before the door had opened. You smiled at him endearingly.
  "Erwin said he was going to do my x-rays. I wanted you to join us. Are you busy?" You asked Levi, hoping he would be willing to go with you.
  "No, and sure." He replied. Your chest started pounding as you stood there, remaining calm. You still weren't fully used to your feelings, but a part of you didn't want to fight them anymore either.
  "Honestly, if you had said you couldn't come along, I would've been fucked because I have no idea how to get to the room where the x-rays are held." You mentioned, making Levi chuckle softly before walking off ahead of you. You followed, walking next to him.
  "Since we're being honest, I would've come regardless if I were busy." Levi replied, you looked at him, showing a small smile.
  "Anything to get out of paperwork, of course." Levi admitted to the reason he would've come along. While you and him were on the same page of your feelings for each other, hearing Levi say those words made you feel saddened. It didn't make sense to you at all. You weren't the kind of person to get upset easily over something trivial like such as that. You reminded yourself of it being a new experience for you, and that you needed to give yourself time. Having some understanding was key. It was after all the personality that Levi had to not be all that open with his emotions very often. Hearing Erwin and Hanji explain that you, and only you, that you were the one person out of everyone that Levi knew to have such a positive and warming effect on him. For him to be capable of trusting you so much and easily, was remarkable to many of the soldiers in the Survey Corps, including yourself.
  "Something wrong?" Levi asked suspiciously, making it known that you weren't hiding your emotions very well. You wanted to shake your head, smile at him and say that everything was fine, but you stopped yourself. You continued walking with Levi and looked around before locking eye contact with him.
  "Yeah, something is wrong." You mentioned, taking a deep breath after admitting how you were truly feeling for once. Levi gave his attention to you.
  "But I don't want to talk about it right now. Can we discuss this after the x-rays?" You asked, gazing at Levi. He nodded without hesitation.
  "Of course." Levi stated with a firm, deep voice. You both made your way into one of the vacant old rooms in headquarters that was turned into an experimentation and procedural room. The room was mainly occupied by Hanji at the times that she needed to use it. You viewed your surroundings, intrigued by all the sights you were exposed to. Many vials filled with unknown and unlabeled liquids of many different shades of colors. A large table with an overhead monitor attached to it. As you approached the newly introduced material, you saw that there was an odd looking, human-sized tray atop of the table. You looked at Erwin and Hanji.
  "Nothing to worry about. It won't hurt at all. The machine up here scans your body and reveals photos of your body that can tell us whether or not your bones are in the condition they need to be. It's called radiography." Hanji explained with ease. You were fascinated with the creation in such technology. You knew that there were many things discovered when everyone found out that the citizens behind the three walls weren't the only existence of humans, but to you, actually witnessing it before your eyes was almost too crazy.
  "You'll need to dress yourself in this after removing your clothing." Hanji handed you a thin dress-looking gown and escorted you into a room for changing. You came out and prepared yourself nervously.
  "As I mentioned, there's nothing to fret over. You are safe. You will just lay flat on your back and sit still. Remember to breathe obviously and let the machine do its job." Hanji reassured you of any leftover anxiety that you had over the technology. You laid down on the table as instructed.
  "Erwin, Levi and myself will be standing in the little room over there while I work the machine in order to ensure that we get proper photos of your bones. If we stayed in the room, its a high possibility that the radiation of the x-ray can scatter and enter our bodies. It isn't harmful, but over time it can be." Hanji explained thoroughly, making you understand. You nodded. In response to your comprehension, Hanji headed into the small room and started up the machine as Erwin and Levi followed. They all watched in from the room as photos were taken of your leg. The overhead machine scanned your entire body. Seeing the light and how swift the machine was moving on its own made you uncomfortable. You remained calm however, ceasing any movements you were eager to make. Once the machine stopped, you remained laying down until further instruction.
  "You're good to go Y/N. You did excellent." Hanji stated excitedly. You sat up, exhaling greatly.
  "Would you like to see the photos after you finish getting dressed?" Hanji asked, you nodded. While you dressed yourself, Hanji, Erwin and Levi observed and discussed your x-rays. You heard mild mumbling coming from outside the changing room you were in. When you came out and headed into the small room with the three of them, you were amazed by what you saw. They were actual photos of your bones. Your skull, your chest bones, your thigh bones, your feet. You couldn't take your eyes off of the x-rays. Hanji was excited to see that you were so hypnotized over the technology. It reminded her of her own reaction when the machine was first introduced to her.
  "Everything seems to be in order. As you can see, your articular cartilage connected in between the femur and the crest of your ilium isn't fatally damaged. It is actually healing very nicely. Your hip will be back to normal function in a week or even less. Just limit yourself to most activity, don't walk too often, slow down your pace a bit and make sure you stay away from running, stretching and heavy lifting. You don't want to end up separating the cartilage or damaging your femur any further." Hanji explained to you, pointing to each bone and detail as she brought it up.
  "Your spine is a tad bit different from the ones I've seen. We've done x-rays on many of the soldiers and I haven't seen a spine much like this. It doesn't feel painful when you sleep or get up in the morning, does it?" Hanji asked you. You recalled if what she asked was true. You shook your head.
  "No, not at all." You answered honestly and plainly, hoping Hanji would come up with some reasoning to dismiss the thought that something could be wrong with your body.
  "Well, I'm sure it's nothing to-" Hanji paused suddenly while her eyes scanned the rest of your x-ray. Her eyebrows rose upward, revealing a shocked and concerned expression. You watched Hanji as Erwin asked Levi to step outside for a moment. You didn't think anything of it. You just stared at Hanji, waiting for her to reveal what the complication was that made her react the way she did so suddenly.
  "Oh my." Hanji spoke in a shocked tone, almost refusing to tell you what was happening. You grew rather impatient.
  "What is it?" You demanded an answer. You weren't going to take silence as an answer. Hanji looked at you with knitted brows.
  "Do you see this right here?" Hanji pointed to the lower center of where your pelvis was. You nodded, looking closer at it. It seemed to be a darkened spot with lighter layers surrounding it.
  "That's your uterus. That dark spot is called a Lithopedion." Hanji explained, awaiting further explanation, you nervously followed her every movement. Hanji walked out of the room and gathered some large books and notepads with her handwriting. She scanned through one of the books along with a notepad.
  "A Lithopedion is what is produced when a fetus eventually calcifies in the uterus after dying, if not discovered right away. During a pregnancy term when the baby dies, if it's too big to be absorbed by the body, it stays in the uterus and solidifies over time. It can go on for decades without being noticed. There have been several different cases through the years after we've discovered this kind of technology. It's extremely rare, but it can happen. If I'm right, this is a direct result to the abuse you succumbed to, and the poor treatment you were given in the Underground." Hanji explained. You weren't sure how to react at first. There was a slight ringing in your ear before you had felt tears run down your face. Hanji panicked.
  "It isn't your fault, honey. These things can happen and we can remove it from you once I get an idea of how old it is." Hanji explained. You weren't paying attention to what she was saying. Your thoughts were racing around your head all at once. Hanji grabbed a hold of your shoulders. You locked eyes with hers. Yours were held open lazily as her's were filled with sorrow and empathy.
  "I know it isn't my fault, I just didn't expect to hear about something like that." You responded once your mind was sound enough to speak. You took a few deep breaths while you gazed at the x-ray. You ran your fingers across the image over the darkened area around your uterus. Erwin entered the room without Levi. It donned on you that Erwin must have known what the the spot was, giving him the reasoning to exit the room with Levi.
  "Where's Levi?" You asked. Erwin looked over at you.
  "I sent him to his office to complete some paperwork." Erwin answered. You didn't say another word. You just kept looking at the x-ray. Erwin and especially Hanji became rather concerned.
  "I need to think on this for a while. I'll get back to you tomorrow, okay?" You didn't give Hanji the option to pry or to continue with medical procedures for the day. You needed to rest and have time to process everything. Hanji nodded slowly, understanding completely
  "Okay, take your time and rest your leg for the rest of the evening." Hanji expressed, leaving you to nod as well, then leave the room entirely. After shutting the door, Levi greeted you. You jumped, out of surprise.
  "Sorry." Levi apologized for startling you.
  "I thought Erwin sent you to your office?" You asked him, wondering why he was still there.
  "He did, but I decided to stay and wait for you." Levi made it known to you how much he cared and worried for you, even if he never verbally stated so.
  "He told you, right?" You asked, not beating around the bush. Levi looked up at you as you started walking outside of headquarters. Levi followed.
  "I had an idea of what it was before we left. Erwin and I are both just as educated on the medical side of things. It wasn't hard to find out what it was once I saw it." Levi mentioned.
  "It." You responded. Levi darted his head towards you, wanting to expel the thoughts you had.
  "I didn't mean the baby." Levi state quickly. For some reason, a pit in your chest formed after he reassured you. It didn't hurt or feel unsettling. You started to feel like his words were having a healing effect on you. You began to start thinking clearer.
  "I know this can't be easy, but I will be there for you for whatever happens." Levi expressed his intentions with you as you both headed further toward the forest.
  "I know you will. Thank you." You reassured Levi.
  "It's just not easy to process all this right now." You admitted, your voice was cracking. Levi instinctively grabbed your hand in his, allowing his fingers to glide across the palm of your hand and reach around the back, squeezing lightly.
  "Even though you're technically supposed to be resting your leg, I'll make an exception. It wouldn't be a good idea to be cooped up in your room by yourself after hearing this kind of news." Levi openly admitted. You were taken aback.
  "What about the paperwork?" You asked, directly referencing what Erwin specifically told him.
  "It will still be there when I get back. Besides, he didn't directly say so, but I bet the reason he told me to head down to my office was to be away from you." Levi continued to admit more details he figured out for himself. You furrowed your eyebrows, confused.
  "Why would he do that?" You asked.
  "It isn't against either of us personally, or even about the relationship we have, he just fears this getting out for anyone, or even for the Military Police to get their hands on. He's just thinking of you and your privacy. He knows that I would never jeopardize your safety again so I'm sure he'll let his paranoia go eventually." Levi explained.
  "He really is confident in your ability to protect me, huh?" You made an attempt at a bad joke, but Levi was clearly in a serious mood.
  "For as long as I live." Levi shamelessly revealed to you, shocking you to your core. What did he just say? You asked yourself.

  A/N: The next few chapters including this one will deal with sensitive, depressing and unsettling topics as I mentioned earlier. This chapter, and the diagnosis that your character is given was thanks to the medical study I am in, as well as a direct inspiration to an episode from the show Nip Tuck with Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon. I also was made aware that this story is number one in the Ackerman hashtag. That is incredible! I'm happy that everyone enjoys my story this much! Thank you! I am so grateful to all of you for giving this story a chance and continuing to engage and love it! I hope to read what you all think of this chapter. Stay safe everyone!! <3333333