Eren grunted, not capable of coherent speech as his pain dilluted his sharp temper. He was delirious. In his right mind, he won't like being coddled like this. By Mikasa, especially.
His eyes rolled at the back of his head, but he stubbornly pried them open, not wanting to gave up to his lethargic state.
"Is it okay to bathe him now? The pre-op will start soon." the young nurse inquired.
"Yes, please."
The three nurses rolled his bed into a special bathroom where there is a bath tub and drawers, made especially to bathe immobile patients like him. Mikasa followed to calm him down by rubbing his forehead and murmurring soft reassurances.
The bed was successfully deposited next to the bath tub. They filled them up to several centimetres, tested the heat and decided to put Eren on that.
Eren didn't seem to realize his surrounding fully, or the height of the situation, indeed.
"Roll him up to one side and get the robe off." the older nurse commanded.
With ease, the younger nurse pushed his shoulder, which was also helped by Mikasa who stood on Eren's side and cupped the back of his hair so that he didn't roll back. Eren's hospital robe was only secured with a ribbon at the back of his neck. For ease of opening, the back was made hollow.
Eren looked at her with glazed eyes as though questioning what happened but just didn't utter a single word.
The nurses pulled the ribbon at the back of his neck and stripped him down to his undies. It was nothing special for them, as they work with professionalism ease. Mikasa tried to focus on consoling Eren to distract herself on looking at his body.
Eren's body was well toned though not so big from bunch of training and battle. But his skin was pale and his right thigh was swollen from the inflamation that he has battled for days now.
They pulled his underwear down but he groaned when that touched his injured thigh. The older nurse decided to give it more try but Eren's cry become harder as it was very painful.
"Just cut that thing off." Mikasa suggested. The orderlies complied.
Eren looked quite miserable with his whole body exposed and his groin stark naked. He seemed to realize his state now as he blushed and tried to fold himself into fetal position and shield his manhood unsuccessfully. Mikasa kept rubbing his forehead and murmurred to distract him and partially, distract herself.
"We need to shave him as well, as a standard hygiene procedure for the surgery."
It was not a question. He must comply no matter. Mikasa swallowed at how much shame he must be in now. Or he doesn't fully understand?
One of the younger nurse straightened his body so that his hand can no longer cover his groin and he lied supine, his manliness in full display. She separated his thigh and stood between them. She put a pad under his buttocks and rubbed some cream on his pubic hair. He moaned when the cool cream touched his skin.
Eren moaned at the shame, and Mikasa shushed him. This was one of the reason Armin didn't dare going inside. He can't picture looking at Eren so bare.
"..c-cold.."
"Ssh..I know" Mikasa searched his eyes to catch his attention. "Just be patient, it'll all be done."
The nurse cleaned his upper, brownish hair and held his penis and turned them so that she could clean underneath that. Eren looked away, not daring to look at how the nurse did that. Shame filled up his face but he said nothing. Mikasa tried to distract him by posing a conversation but it seemed useless. He was too out of it or distracted.
After it was done, they carried him into the bath and cleaned his lethargic body. Starting with his hair, in which he leaned his head on the bathtub side all the time. His shoulders, his armpits, his stomach. His swollen thigh got special attention for not being touched as much as possible. They even cleaned his private area to make sure the cream was none left.
Eren was not redressed. He was laid bare after being dried and a drape was placed over his body. His shoulders peeked under the thin sheet. He was hair-dryed. He looked even more tired by the little ordeal. Sometimes his eyes closed as though he was asleep but then opened and gave her a glazed, distracted look. Mikasa hoped he won't suffer for any longer after the surgery.
After all of it finished, his hair was placed on a surgery cap and they decided to set a catheter on him.
"The surgery will last 4-6 hours. Maybe more. We don't want him peeing all over the theatre." the younger nurse tried to explain but Eren who heard this blushed a little as it was shameful to be incontinent like a small kid. She was quickly shushed by the older, serious nurse.
"Green, can you do that?" the older nurse commanded the other nurse who was silent all this time.
"Yes I will."
She picked his penis and noted him for apparent pain that might be caused.
She quickly pushed the small tube inside his penis, all the while Eren moaned in pain..or ecstasy?
"Hold on, Eren. It's going to be fine." Mikasa consoled.
Eren suddenly felt like his bladder was full but as the tube thrushed fully into his urethra, the feeling was gone. He sighed.
The nurse placed to other end of the tubing into an urine bag. The preparation was done.
"I am sorry but for the pre-op, we must allow no visitor." the nurse called Green said to Mikasa when they were on an elevator to reach the operating room.
Eren was asleep, or maybe just closing his eyes. His body was swathed in blanket and an IV pole was next to his bed.
"It's okay. I'll wait outside." Mikasa answered.
The elevator stopped and they rolled Eren into the pre-op theatre. Just before they closed the door completely, Eren opened his eyes to look dazedly at Mikasa.
"You'll be fine, Eren." Mikasa crouched and kissed his cheek spontaneously. She was even surprised at her act but realized it was purely in a term of friendship.
The older nurse scowled as Eren is 'contaminated' by her kiss, no longer sterile after all the baths they done.
She kept a mental note to swab his cheek in alcohol to make sure her germs didn't exist.
Eren said nothing as they rolled him into the operating room.
After the sign at the operating room changed, she sat at the bench nearby and waited for Armin or someone to accompany her waiting.
Inside, Eren became a little more aware since he didn't have Mikasa to watch over him. He was all alone. There was a large machine, and some devices but he didn't know what they were for. He could care less. "Good morning Mr Yeager." a man in light green robe, cap and masker greeted him. "Are you comfortable?"
Eren just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. After all, he hadn't say anything today.
"Good. Let me start the IV. It won't hurt, okay?"
Eren paid special attention on his gloved hands which drew a special white concoctions on a needle. The doctor pushed the contents to a port on his IV so that he won't feel pain. But he can feel the drugs slowly entering his bloodstream and slowly, his hands tingled and his eyes drooped. He felt very relaxed.
Looking at his compliant reaction to the anesthesia, the doctor continued, "I'll start the mask, okay?"
Not expecting a reply from a slowly sedated Eren, a clear mask descended into his mouth and nose and some air was blown into it. It smelled nothing at first but slowly, they were compromised with drugs to make him asleep.
His eyes were staying awake to see what the others did to him but it became so hard. Come on, he wanted ho have a control on himself.
"Okay, now count with me? One."
"One."
The gas was swirling in his mask. It became harder to stay awake. He tried to wiggle his toes but found out he's already numb.
"Two"
"T..wo" it was becoming harder to focus. His surroundings were spinning wildly and lurched. He became a little nauseous because of the sweet smell.
"Three."
"Th..r..ee"
"Four"
"F..our"
The anesthesiologist smirked. He was certainly a stubborn one.
"Five."
"Fi..." and Eren's eyes rolled upwards and finally closed.
After a while, he touched his eyelids to make sure that Eren was totally under, unresponsive. He took off Eren's mask and pried his mouth open to feel around his teeth. A little bit drool wet his gloves. Eren was very compliant in his anesthetized state.
With his torch, he searched for Eren's epiglottis and aimed intubator down his windpipe to ensure some oxygen is driven during the anesthesia.
He snapped the device and pushed them on Eren's throat, with Eren totally asleep and submissive all the while. The doctor left the longer end to peer outside his mouth and attached them to a ventilator. He can't breathe on his own due to the anesthesia. Eren's mouth will be open throughout the surgery.
He then pried Eren's eyes open and gave them some eyedrops to make sure they didn't get dry after the surgery. He taped them shut.
Eren looked quite vulnerable with such open mouth, taped eyelids, unconscious and totally naked save for the sheet-that will be pulled out soon.
After everything was done, the anesthesiologist moved away and the surgeon took control.
He and several nurses positioned Eren so that the surgery may be performed easier. The surgical light was positioned directly above Eren, particularly on his operated feet.
The surgeon rolled the sheet around his feet and pulled them up to his hips, making his feet, thighs and hairless groin uncovered. It was a good thing he was deeply sedated, else he will be so ashamed.
"Sheet please." he ordered the nurse. A white, small sterile cloth was produced and he lifted both his limp feet on a stirrup, spreading them a little apart and placed the small cloth just barely covering his privates. He secured it with a tape on his hip and pelvic area. One of the nurses swabbed Eren's injured foot with brownish antiseptic way beyond the wound. His upper thigh was also swabbed until it almost reached his small cloth.
"Let's begin." the surgeon asked the scalpel and started the surgery.
Eren woke up to an insisting nausea rolling in the depth of his stomach. He could hear voices but can't summon the strength to open his eyes. The beep of a machine, the steps of someone walking in the room..
He was so numb. He tried to wiggle his fingers, but he still can't feel anything. And he can't see. It's frustrating him.
He suddenly registered there's something shoved inside his mouth and kept it from closing. His lips and throat was quite dried because of it. His gag reflex kicked in and he coughed suddenly.
He was wondering where this is.
"Mr Jeager is waking up." someone mentioned. Shortly after, a nurse prodded at his cheek.
"Can you open your eyes for me?"
Eren tried but he found out he couldn't. The panic kicked and he coughed harder.
"Okay..it's okay." she rubbed his bare shoulder. He was naked, save for the thin sheet, just like when he went to the operating room.
"I see that you can already breathe on your own. I'll take this off your mouth. Try not to cough okay?"
He was panicking because he can't see what's happening to his body. Their words just barely made sense to his muddled mind and he's not in control to what they did to him.
He felt she pried his mouth open and slowly took the tube from his mouth. The way it passed through his throat just prompted him to gag. After it was taken, he coughed hard.
"It's okay, take it easy. You'll recover just fine."
After that the nurse was suddenly gone and he slipped back to the strong anesthesia.
He was in and out for the next several hours. He remembered nothing during those times.
He woke up coherent later when they had already transfer him in a hospital room. He realized belatedlly that he was naked save for the blanket fabric directly on him. He can already open his eyes but it was all big blurry objects. Two people sat in either side of him. One was light haired, the other dark haired.
"Eren?" Armin's voice. He was the first to notice. The dark haired person turned to him and looked close at his eyes to find recognization. It was Mikasa.
"Can you see us clearly? Are you dizzy?" Armin ranted. Apparently he's very happy and nervous to find Eren has woken up.
However, his vision swayed and lurched. The light hurts his eyes. And his nausea got the better of him.
"Pu..puke.."
Panicked, Armin pulled Eren into half-sitting position. Eren have no strength to support himself.
Mikasa said nothing but produced a carton bag for him to quench his nausea. Armin supported Eren's shoulder and neck so that he can vomit sideways. Nothing goes out since he was already prohibited to eat anything few hours prior to the surgery. Only some clear bile filled Mikasa's bag.
He dry-heaved for a moment before slumped forward to Armin's supporting hands.
"Are you okay, Eren?" he inquired. "Of course not, Armin. Put him back. He'll be very nauseous during these times." Mikasa tersely replied, afraid he'll suddenly puke again.
Armin slowly smoothed out Eren's pillow and eased him back. Eren sighed.
"..'m fine" Eren whispered. "Thirsty."
"Sorry but they can't let you drink yet. Ice chips, then."
Mikasa went out for a while to retrieve them.
"How...long was I out?" Eren rasped.
"It's 7 at night now." Armin replied. Eren's eyes closed for a while. Armin thought he's out again but a few seconds later, he pried them open. At that same time, Mikasa walked through the door with a bowl on her hand.
"Here." she sat on her chair and put one flat ice chip on his mouth. He grimaced at the sudden coolness.
"The surgery was successful. However, recovery may take a few weeks. You'll be off duty for those times." Mikasa informed. Eren blinked at her distractedly.
"Ugh.." he suddenly grimaced.
"Eren?"
"..hurts.." he furrowed his fine eyebrows and started to tremble.
"I'll ask the doctor to give you the painkiller." Armin stood and offered.
"No need, Armin." Mikasa herded. She moved over to the IV Pole and adjusted one of the screws manually. Both Eren and Armin eyed her warily. She quickly sat down on her seat.
"What did you do?"
"Adjusted the morphine drip."
"Hey, don't do that! He'll overdose."
"He won't." she insisted. Hearing her stubborn argument, Armin moved to the IV drip and turned the morphine drop rate back into its half carefully. But those few extra drips of morphine has done its job marvelously. The tension caused by pain on Eren's face has smoothed out. He sagged more into his bed, his eyes dazed and half-lidded.
"Look! He's drugged."
"He's already drugged anyway. Don't panic, you'll distress him." she admonished quietly. Eren eyed her dreamily but said nothing.
"Just go to sleep if you want." she stroked his temple to soothe him. Soon, he closed his eyes and comfort spread all over his countenance. He was asleep.
The next time he woke, the room was dark but there is little sunlight from the outside. Maybe it was early in the morning.
Eren shifted to look at his surrounding. Armin was slumped on his bedside. His head was resting against Eren's good thigh. A thin, white blanket was on his shoulders.
He looked around the room to search for Mikasa and saw her sleeping on the couch facing him.
The nausea has subsided to manageable level and he sighed.
The stitches on his foot started to give him needles of pain here and there. But he decided to keep silent.
Suddenly he heard a knock on the door. A nurse came in and announced her purpose; giving him sponge bath.
For that reason, she had to wake a drowsy Armin to perform her job.
"You can sleep on the couch, Armin." Eren suggested in a very whispery, hoarse voice. His voice has not improved since he was awake.
"No, I should go out. You deserve privacy." Armin glanced at the sleeping Mikasa. The thought of waking her crossed his mind but he did not have a heart for it. She was up until late that night. He quickly went out and shut the door before Eren could retort.
"I will place a pad underneath you. Would you please roll over to the right?" she asked. Eren wanted to protest since it was his newly stitched thight. The nurse suddenly rolled his body harshly according to her will.
Eren crunched his eyes in pain but cannot scream, only whispery fast breaths. As fast as she turned him, she put him back in his original position.
"Please understand, I have other patients too, so I cannot be too long." She said insensibly. Eren's heart suddenly plummeted. What did she consider him? A disabled person? Just a chore? And worse, he cannot speak loud.
"I will take your gown off." she announced and does not give him any chance to answer. He tried to swallow his embarrassement and not against to what she did.
She unbuttoned the straps behind his neck and slid down the cloth completely. Now, he was completely naked, his private parts are all exposed to the air. There's a long tube going inside his manhood for the urine catheter.
Eren was very embarrassed, he tried to curl and protect his private parts but he cannot do anything. It was like his body is very leaden.
The nurse straightened his body and quickly gave him the soapy water. She scrubbed hastily on his face, neck, arms, chest and all parts of his body.
The nurse's scrub suddenly touched his bandaged thigh. Eren yelped in pain.
"Sorry. But no need to shout." she chided in not even remorseful attitude.
His surgery site hurts so much, but he cannot move. Tears started to well in his eyes. He felt so incapable and weak. He only wish that it will soon be over.
After that, she rinsed off the excess of the soap and moved to his back part. Without asking his permission, she turned him to his side with practiced ease. Now, his back was facing the nurse.
She deliberately did not became wary of her mistake. Of course, now she just positioned his side stitches on the bed sheet directly. And it clearly hurt him.
"Aaggh...agh..."Eren was beyond speaking due to the pain. He fought turn back to his initial position, but she did not let him.
"S...stop..stop" he pleaded in a small voice, panicked. Tears started to flow freely on his face. He was very frustrated with his body, and the circumstances.
"Of course I will after I'm done. Now hold on a second!" the nurse hold him still without any difficulties and scrubbed his back area. His movement was very weak to begin with. His pillow was tear-tracked. Eren's bedcover was tangled on his feet and he tried to bring it up to cover his still exposed groin area with feeble movements. However, the nurse even put them on the floor.
She was surprised when she suddenly saw her hand was being held still by someone. The insolent nurse looked up to see a disheveled Mikasa who was obviously angry at Eren's treatment.
At the lack of movement on the nurse hands, Eren looked up and saw Mikasa was standing behind him. He was very relieved, but embarassed at the same time. He was buck naked, crying and very, very unsightly right now.
"If you think he's wasting your time, maybe you should go to your other precious patients." she said calmly in a carefully contained anger.
"Uh..Oh..No, I will finish this in a minute." she reasoned. Mikasa's scary. She scrubbed more hastily on Eren's back. It started to hurt his skin.
"Leave." Mikasa commanded. When she did not budge, the young girl shouted, "Leave,now!"
The nurse decided that it was no longer worth it, left the materials and got out of the room. Before leaving the room, she turned to them in a grim voice, "Put them on the nurse station after you're done."
Just after she's gone, hurried footsteps approached. It was Armin, certainly.
"Wh-what happened? Eren!" he exclaimed, not ready at seeing Eren's messy appearance.
"That's my line." Mikasa said sternly. "Come in, close the door."
Armin quickly followed her command and ran to Eren's bed.
"Mikasa..Eren..what happened?" Armin repeated.
"Where were you? The nurse is hurting him deliberately and I woke to his voice. I stopped her. Why aren't you here?"
"I was outside. Be-because she said she's bathing him so I..I t-thought he deserves some privacy. I didn't hear anything outside, I swear!" Armin was even scared to Mikasa. Tears welled on his eyes and he was clearly regretting his decision to go outside.
Mikasa closed her eyes and sighed. It was not Armin's fault actually. She should not blame him. It was just a moment of anger directed at the nurse.
"I'm sorry Eren." Armin kneeled so that he was on eye level with Eren. Eren was crying in hiccups. The shock made him unable to even reply to stop Armin to blame himself.
His face was messy with snots, tears, even drools that also wets his pillow. He also started to shiver due to the water on him and absence of any clothing.
Armin pulled some tissue and wiped Eren's face.
"Let us continue to bathe him." she announced. Armin stood and nodded at her instruction. Armin was to wash his private parts and Mikasa would be in charge of the rest. At last, after drying his body with a towel, she put a new hospital gown that the nurse brought with her on Eren.
He was still very weak and relied his weight totally on her supporting hand. Suddenly he cringed.
"Eren, do I hurt you?" she quickly asked.
"No, just a spasm...o..on my leg." he stuttered.
"I think your painkiller is used up." she deduced.
"But he can't even move." Armin argued.
"Tell me..are you more awake than yesterday, and felt like paralyzed?"
"Yes.."
"Then I think the painkiller is used up but the muscle relaxant is still on.." Mikasa pressed the bell to call a nurse on duty. Hopefully the one appearing on the last nurse..
"Mikasa, we forgot this." Armin pulled out an adult diaper from a stack on the nurse's things. It was shaped just like an underwear, but with more cotton padding inside, makes itu looks very thick.
Eren's face reddened at the tought of wearing that. it will make his buttocks and groin area very big underneath the gown. "Maybe it's better to leave it there. We don't know how to put it and not aggrevate his injuries."
Another nurse came in according to her request. She was young with black hair and kind face. She was as tall as Mikasa and looked thin.
"Good morning, need help?"
Armin explained their needs to her and she went out to take an injection for him. Not a few minutes later, Eren's face showed he was reprieved from the pain.
"Anything else?" she smiled. This nurse is very, patient. Not like the previous one.
"Uhm..actually, I think the old nurse should have put this on him." Armin said.
The nurse checked the clipboard on her hand an agreed with them.
"Yes, the doctor advised that he should already be off catheter."
The nurse started to draw the curtain around them to create a sense of privacy.
"Do you guys wants to see?" the nurse kindly asked them.
Armin felt that this nurse can be trusted. "Oh, no. We will leave." "No, don't." Eren, who was clearly traumatized by the last event, tried so hard to prevent it happening again. His friends was what stopping anything unwanted to happen.
"But..but are you really okay?" the nurse reconfirmed. Eren, whose face was very red in embarrasement nodded certain.
"I will wash my hands first." she gave them time to think. But after she got back, they did not change their decision.
"Fine." the older woman finally relented to their request. First, she rolled up Eren's gown until his shaved groin is shown. She asked him to fold his knees and have them raised apart in the air. The caretaker announced that she is going to take out the tubing out. Eren braced himself and felt his manhood being held firmly by the nurse's gloved hand and a long tube is being taken out from his penis. It hurts at first but finally it was out very quickly.
Then, she opened the straps of the diaper and placed some part behind his buttocks. She lifted the cheeks gently and put down his feet.
she secured the straps of the adult diapers and asked Eren whether he felt it too tight.
"No..it's fine..." he answered still dazed. She smiled professionally and slid down his gown to cover her work.
"Good then. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to press the button" the nurse excused herself and went out of the room.
As Eren has expected, the diaper is very thick. He cannot even join his upper thigh.
He wondered if he looked like a frog with his legs spread like that.
After one week staying in bed, Eren was finally released. But he would still need physiotherapy to let him re-learn how to move as agile as before. Both his two friends also help him a lot with his healing./pre
