It was a long wait. Levi drank endless cups of shitty coffee from the coffee machine and Erwin refused to drink or eat at all. Levi desperately needed a cigarette and Hange had already been outside multiple times for one. Erwin had insisted that he go smoke but Levi, in demonstration of his steadfastness, refused. So Erwin sat, his eyes on the door and Levi drank coffee, and paced, and everyone waited.
It was a long, long wait. Finally, about two hours later an exhausted man came out. He was fully gowned up and a mask hung below his chin. Erwin stared at the blood on his gown in horror.
"Mr. Smith?"
Erwin could only nod. Levi took his hand.
"Your son has been moved up to the ICU. You'll have to check with them to find out when you can see him."
"Is he OK?" Levi asked.
"Apparently he was hit on the driver's side door. His left leg was broken in several places and he broke three ribs on his left side. One rib punctured his lung, causing a pneumothorax—a collapsed lung—so he's on a ventilator."
Erwin moaned.
"We repositioned the rib and repaired the lung. He also struck his head on the driver's side window. There's a nasty cut and bruising but his head seems fine."
Erwin began sobbing again, into his hands. "Oh dear god."
The doctor patted his shoulder. "Your son is alive, Mr. Smith. Two of the other people in the wreck weren't so lucky. Go up to the ICU. Take the elevators up to four. The ICU is up there. Follow the signs."
The man turned and went back through the doors.
Everyone moved up two floors. The ICU waiting room was tiny and Erwin earnestly and tearfully thanked everyone and insisted that they go home.
"I'll get Levi to phone everyone as soon as there is news."
"Yeah," Levi said, "They won't let any of you in the ICU anyway. I'll call when he gets moved to a room."
They waited some more. Levi paced, drank shitty coffee, and paced some more, only taking brief bathroom breaks. Levi bought food out of a vending machine and insisted that Erwin eat a few bites and drink some juice. A very somber, very sweet, and quiet hospital worker brought them blankets and pillows and a few words of comfort.
"We have people on staff—social workers and our chaplains—who can help you cope if you'd like to give them a call." She handed Levi a piece of paper and indicated the telephone in the corner. "The extensions are on there, if you need them."
She drifted away like a ghost.
Levi inspected the paper and looked at Erwin. "Do you want to talk to anybody? I could call the social worker or … the chaplain. Are you religious?"
Erwin shook his head. "I was raised catholic, but never practiced after I left home. I … I let Eren choose his beliefs. He's atheist, I think."
Levi, an atheist himself, nodded. "So no chaplain. Social worker?"
Erwin shook his head. "I've got you." he smiled a watery smile and Levi's heart just melted.
He squeezed Erwin's hand. "That's right."
Erwin finally dozed off and Levi covered him with one of the thin hospital blankets.
An ICU nurse arrived, finally, and Levi shot out of his seat.
"Mr. Smith?"
"I'm Mr. Ackerman, his husband. Let me wake him—"
"No, don't. Let him sleep." she whispered kindly. "I'm so sorry it took so long. That accident had us slammed. We won't be able to let you visit your son until early tomorrow."
Levi's face fell. "How is he? Is he OK?"
"He is doing well but he hasn't woken up."
"He's …?"
"In a coma." her hands came up quickly at the look of horror on Levi's face, "But that's not unusual after all the trauma he's suffered. He's still intubated and we want to get him fully settled before we let him have visitors."
Levi nodded slowly.
"Our visiting hours start at seven am. You're welcome to stay here or you can go home and we'll call you."
"We'll be staying," Levi said firmly.
The nurse patted his arm. "Try not to worry, Mr. Ackerman. Your son is doing well considering. The doctor will be back here early and will be able to talk to you in more detail tomorrow."
Levi let Erwin doze as long as he wanted then told him the news when he woke. He then called Mike and Nanaba, Hange and Moblit.
Mike and Hange had gotten a motel room nearby and Moblit and Nanaba had returned to Ellway. Mike, Levi, Hange, and Erwin had crews or staff of people who could cover them in their jobs but Moblit and Nanaba were the only employees in their business.
Mike and Hange went to the local WalMart and bought changes of clothes and toiletries for Erwin and Levi and brought them by the hospital.
Hange dropped a black duffle bag next to Erwin with their stuff and they all sat down to talk for a bit. Hange had even brought a pizza and drinks. They slipped two pints of liquor to Levi—a pint of bourbon for Erwin and a pint of whisky for Levi. Levi was so grateful.
Hange and Levi took a much needed smoke break while Mike and Erwin spoke quietly. Levi took hits off of the whisky bottle on the sly while they smoked.
"Thanks for everything, Hans. You're a good friend."
"You know it. The best!" They grinned and he punched them lightly on the arm. They took a drag off of their cig. "Do you think Eren will be OK?"
Levi worried his lip. "I'm not happy with the coma thing but the nurse said it was common."
"Well, I'm confident. I was talking with some of the people in the waiting rooms and apparently two people died in the crash and five people are here in the hospital, four of whom are in the ICU."
"Fuck, that's horrible. What happened, do we know?"
"The semi truck's driver fell asleep at the wheel. He'd been on the road for 27 hours straight."
"Shit! That must have been scary as fuck! Poor Eren."
"The truck driver woke up in the middle of things and managed to wrestle the truck off the road but then it tipped over—you saw it—and they say he might not make it."
"God, Jesus!" Levi scrubbed his face with both hands.
They stubbed out their cigarettes and went back inside and down the long hallway (the tiny smoking area was a little rooftop area off of the fourth floor.)
"Hey," hange said, "Why don't you go in the bathroom and get cleaned up before we go back to the motel."
"Good idea," Levi said and bent to rummage in the duffle bag.
"I don't suppose we could convince you two to come back to the motel with us?" Mike asked Erwin. "Get some proper rest?"
Erwin shook his head immediately. "Something might happen in the night."
Mike nodded understandingly.
Levi gathered up his toiletries and a fresh shirt and went to the bathroom. He hoped it would be alright to freshen up in there. He guessed he wouldn't be the first. He washed his hands and face and brushed his teeth, then shaved. He really didn't strictly need to, he never grew much facial hair, but it made him feel better. He stripped off his shirt and soaped his underarms quickly and rinsed them.
Afterward, he meticulously cleaned the sink and pulled on his fresh shirt. Ahh, much better.
He examined himself critically in the mirror. He looked like shit. His already pale skin was unnaturally so and he had deep purple swaths under his eyes from stress and not sleeping. He realized that he hadn't eaten anything either.
Back in the waiting room, he put his hand on Erwin's shoulder and Erwin covered his hand with his and looked up at him.
"You wanna take a turn in the bathroom? Freshen up a bit? It'll make you feel better."
Erwin considered it, finally he gave in. "Come get me if …"
"I will, I promise."
Hange and Mike left, promising to be back by seven am.
"Please be careful driving," Levi told them.
Levi woke suddenly, not knowing where he was, and immediately groaned. Sleeping slouched in a chair all night had made him stiff and sore. He stretched out slowly and stood up, fumbling for his phone. Five am. His internal alarm clock was incredibly precise. He checked on Erwin who had been asleep with his head on Levi's shoulder but he was still out like a light. He looked around the small room. A woman was sitting near the door, quietly crying with a box of those coarse hospital tissues on her lap and a couple was asleep in chairs across the room. Levi crept out and to the bathroom. He pissed, washed his hands and then his face and went down the long hall to the tiny smoking area.