CHAPTER XXXI
"Watch out!" the soldier shouted as he threw himself to push the rookie out of the way without hesitation.
As soon as they landed hard on the ground, he used his own body to serve as a shield during the explosion. To what followed several exclamations coming from the recently graduated cadets, mostly out of fear but amazement as well.
Jean opened his eyes and looked to the guy, one of the many new faces that had joined their ranks; a ginger-haired fool that seemed to have crap in his head instead of a brain because he'd been trying to impress his fellow comrades by showing off his, apparently, mind-blowing skills. The problem was he forgot that once the detonation mechanism of the thunder spears triggered, he should have escaped away from it immediately. But he obviously forgot such important piece of information while bragging about his enviable aim to the rest of the group he'd been assigned to supervise for the past hour.
"Tha… thank you" the boy stuttered, understanding how close he was to die though not that it was his own fault, according to the goofy smile in his face.
"You bastard!" he bawled him out, standing up and glaring angrily at him. The explosion would have blown his entire torso, head included. No that he uses it, he said to himself "You could have killed someone!"
"That... It wasn't my intention" the guy mumbled, clenching his fists, and looking down. For one second, he thought it'd been out of remorse for his actions but the embarrassed expression in his face showed nothing but concern for his reputation rather than his comrades' safety "You're overreacting, man".
"And you're an asshole" he hissed, grabbing him by the lapels and lifted him off the floor.
The whispering coming from the small crowd to his right observing both didn't help. When he darted his eyes to them, he noted many still shocked for what had just happened, others to see him lose his temper while the rest were expectant to see if he would beat the hell out of the guy.
"C'mon man, it's not a big deal. Nothing happened, okay?" wrong choice of words. Especially when he saw him shrug and kinda laughed, treating everything as a trifle.
The young soldier looked at him furiously, but the idiot still didn't get how grave this was. Unexpectedly, that stupid careless expression changed to a neutral one before looking down the instant everyone got silent; more than enough to understand there was someone behind him.
"What the hell is going on here?" No, not that voice! He paled and let go of the red-haired jerk and turned to the man.
Jean straightened up on the same spot to greet his superior; hands behind his back and tried not to stare down or his boss would surely scold him for acting like a puny officer.
There was no need to look at the cadets. He'd heard the clear sound of a perfect formation coming from where they stood; not surprising, considering who the man was.
"Captain Levi" he said, already knowing a long time would come to pass before being entrusted with something like this again "I regret to report that we had a problem with one of the spears, but we fortunately had no serious consequences".
"Is that so?" he inquired as his eyes glanced to the redheaded fool to the right and like three feet past him. The rest of the viewers watched the scene in absolute silence "Mechanical or human failure?" Of course, he knew. He probably saw the truth written all over his face.
"This, er..." Jean began to say, aware that he should be telling the truth, but he hated the idea of acting like a snitch in front of those rookies; he'd lose what little respect they had towards him.
"With your permission, sir" he heard out of the blue. He couldn't turn to look but he'd recognized that voice.
When the Captain looked at that person, he dared glancing towards and confirmed his identity. The guy had stepped to the front of the group and walked to come stand next to him, keeping his back as straight as his, waiting for his superior to grant the permission to continue. Jean looked at the man and noted his inquisitive eyes on him first, then at his comrade, giving his permission with no need to voice it.
"Officer Kirschtein put himself in danger to prevent a fatality when our comrade failed on activating properly the detonation mechanism of his spear, sir".
Well, that was hell of a way to twist the truth, but he was secretly thanking Marlo for coming up with something like that so quick.
He remembered being glad to see him in the ranks early in the morning. There had been no time to talk but it wasn't surprising to see he was one among the dozen that quit their former division to now wear the Wings of Freedom on their backs.
"I see" the Captain commented, turning his eyes to his right side once again, fixing them on the idiot named Floch as he walked towards him.
"Ah!" Jean turned automatically at the cry of pain and contemplated the lad falling on his knees and clutching his stomach, as if he were trying to hold his insides.
He felt somewhat guilty for that because whether that was a punch or a kick, it surely hurt, but then he recalled the boy's stupid actions as well as the punishment that was going to fall on him and so, the feeling faded.
Captain Levi stood beside him, observing him crawl with his usual stony expression for a minute and then turned to the rest of the group that didn't even seem to be breathing at the moment; frozen like statues, their eyes were the only thing that seemed to be alive, showing both fear and amazement. It wasn't a surprise though; Mikasa was the one who effortlessly got to follow the man's moves, but it was always impressive to see that from up close. He was certain that many of the new cadets probably missed what happened and only glimpsed a blurry movement.
All of a sudden, his train of thought got interrupted the instant he saw the man now turning to stare at him, as serious as ever.
Jean wanted to look away and give up already to this task but he really couldn't; doing so made him feel like he considered himself a mediocre when commanding and he knew he was better than this. That was how he endured the man's scrutiny during the entire minute he held his gaze, evaluating him without saying a word, until his eyes moved to where the silly cadet was now standing.
"Listen to me, brats…" he said, talking to the fool but actually addressing everyone there "Whoever decides to try another stupidity or act without following instructions, will regret it" Captain Levi emphasized, glaring at the idiot with disdain, letting him know he knew what happened there "Your bright companion here will serve as an example for two weeks. He'll be mopping the bathroom floor before dinner every night, and also clean the urinals with his tongue" the man stated, no need to raise his tone; that murderous look assured this was no bluff.
The young soldier didn't have to turn to guess how disgruntled the redhead's face looked right then. Given his previous behavior, he was surely shamefaced right now. And mortified.
"But sir..." dear God, is he really going to complain? Jean's eyes widened at the audacity. This fool most certainly had no idea to whom he was talking to. But as soon as that happened, he heard the Captain's footsteps moving and now saw him walking away from them "Please... Doing that is unhygienic" the redhead continued and this time, the man stopped.
"Unhygienic would have been to have everyone here all covered in your fucking guts" he replied as he turned to face him, then at Marlo and finally to that fool, narrowing his eyes when he did "You know, I'll allow you to use a toothbrush instead of your tongue; just because I don't want to see you puke in the middle of the mess hall".
"Yes, sir" his subordinate heard, noting that guy's resignation, comprehending this was the best he'd get.
He breathed out, more relaxed when the veteran turned to leave again, only he wasn't moving. He watched him turning his face to the left. What now? he wondered, fearing this was it; his own very special kind of punishment was coming.
"Marlo" the Captain called, and he noticed the guy to his left straightening up, solicitous to whatever his boss would say "Take these lazy brats to Moblit's group so they watch once again how to use the spears. I'll check everyone's progress once I return and I'll know if they slacked around or not" he said to him in his deadly calm tone, aware of the audience hearing every word. And though he wasn't seeing his eyes, he could have sworn the man surely looked exasperated. He saw him move his head to look to the front again "Follow me, Jean" he ordered and started walking away for real this time.
The young man sighed, discreetly clenching his jaw as he took a deep breath before obeying. However, as soon as he moved his leg, he felt all of his weight upon his limb, and saw himself falling down. The only reason he didn't hit the floor was the former MP, who'd quickly grabbed him by the arm.
"Tha-thanks" Jean stammered, surprised by what had just happened and only then he finally looked down.
What the heck! He cursed on the inside when he noticed a red stain of the size of an apple on the fabric of his trousers, a couple inches above the outer side of his knee, where a shard of metal got stuck right in the middle of it. He touched it but when he was about to remove it, Marlo shook his head no.
"We don't know how deep that is. Wait until the paramedic checks it first, man" he advised, pretty much whispering so no one else got that "Do you think you can walk like this? I could carry you".
"Don't worry, I'm fine" he assured to the black-haired soldier with a confident smile, but it was the resolve in his eyes what assured him he was alright. Only then, Jean went back to seriousness "Do as the Captain says" Marlo nodded and helped him standing up straight before going back to his group.
Shit! his mind cried at the piercing pain every time he moved his leg to continue walking behind the Captain, who hadn't stopped but his pace at least wasn't fast; he most likely realized of the wound even before he did. So, thinking away the pain, he followed the man to the medical care post without saying a word.
He saw him sticking his head inside the opened tent but then turned to him, now visibly mad.
"Get inside here and wait" he commanded, giving a quick glance to his wound, and then left. But judging by the way his eyes scanned the surroundings, he knew he'd been trying to locate where their paramedic was.
He did as told and took a seat on a small chair inside there and so, the minutes passed. He had no idea how long it was until the man came back with a somewhat young cadet that seemed nervous but as soon as he set eyes on his leg, he relaxed. Right after a brief examination, he spoke directly to the Captain.
"Sir, I'm afraid I can't do much for him except remove that and bandage the area to keep the bleeding at bay, but it'd be best to take him to the hospital. He needs for someone more qualified to treat the wound" he said, pointing to the piece of metal "That could bring complications in the future or an infection, but I'm not certain" he explained, worried. Not that much about his leg but his superior, who was very annoyed "I told you I'm only the paramedic's trainee. My boss is at the hospital with two other severely injured" the poor guy explained, trying to appease the soldier's irritated glare "I'll take him there as soon as possible" he offered, and Jean could tell the lad was very scared to give such answer to the Captain.
"No need. I'll do it myself" the man said in a resigned tone as he stared to his leg with a stoic face, making both him and the trainee even more edgy.
He saw his boss nodding once at the guy, beckoning him to better start working. And so, the guy did what he could after helping him remove all the gear, especially the reinforced full-body belt.
"All ready, sir" the paramedic assistant said after finishing with the bandages.
"Good. If anybody asks about us, tell them where we are" the man instructed when he finished, before walking out of the tent yet when he was about to, he turned to address him "Stay here. I'll go get a transport".
By the time he boarded the cart with the subject's help, he saw the Captain removing the sheaths on his thighs, then sat at the front and grabbed the reins to be on their way. He imagined they'd be heading to Trost, where the nearest hospital was.
"I'm sorry, Captain" he said after some time, apologizing for the poor performance on his first time as a guide. He looked to his leg and noticed the stain had gotten bigger, probably out of the clattering of the cart. "There's no excuse…" he managed to say but shut his mouth the instant the soldier looked to the side, and he got to see a real annoyed demeanor there.
"No, there's none" he said and looked to the front, back at the road "Neglecting yourself to save someone who's not taking this seriously was stupid. If that brat had been the only one to die, it'd have been quite a lesson for the rest. We're soldiers, and we're at war. You know it, so don't get yourself hurt while trying to save people who hasn't realized that" the man said. And despite that was rough, it didn't sound like he was mad at him.
The young soldier couldn't grasp the importance behind those words, the meaning they had to his boss. Because Levi didn't hold him responsible for what happened, except for acting recklessly in the urge to save that moron's life. Although, he couldn't blame him, it was part of his nature to care for others, even more when under his care. In any case, despite having him injured, the event at least helped him earned the respect of those who witness everything; something he usually got either out of fear or after time working together, as it happened with his current team. But Jean's style was different, and only emerged under extreme situations but it was there, unlike the rest. Connie and Sasha were good soldiers but lacked maturity; Armin had a lot of brains but doubted himself way too often; Mikasa was the best fighter of them, but she always lost focus whenever Eren was compromised; and Eren, the brat was emotionally unstable and already had a lot on his shoulders. So, regardless of his youth, Jean had what it took to be a good leader in the future, and he'd decided to groom him in case he perished and they survived.
Could I make a decision like that? he couldn't help questioning what he'd just said while contemplating the view around them, feeling somewhat guilty because he didn't think himself capable of letting something like that to happen on his watch. Sure, the guy named Floch was a jerk but that's how some people ended up when being bullied, ignored, or ridiculed as a kid; when they grew, they somehow needed to believe themselves special or acknowledged to fit in and be accepted. And that was no crime, right? No, but what if he'd killed you or any other with that slip? his mind counterattacked. The young soldier sighed and looked back to where his superior was, knowing that the idiot wasn't going to forget this day, nor Captain Levi's disciplinary lessons.
"Sir" he called, and knew he had his attention despite the man showed no response "Hange said that only certain groups would be carrying thunder spears during the battle, but if that's the case, why training the cadets on how to use them?" he saw no point, unless…
"I'll assume the explosion affected you momentarily 'cause you rarely ask stupid questions" the soldier retorted sarcastically. Then he stopped talking, so he chose not to push the subject and wait for an answer. One that came five minutes later "We have a slight idea of what awaits us there, so we must be ready for all the possibilities. That includes us dying, so it'd be really idiotic to only have a certain amount of people knowing how to use those" he said, his eyes still fixed on the road "Many of these punks don't seem even capable of putting a spear up a titan's ass, but if they're the last standing, they have to die trying".
"Makes sense" he accepted, much more conscious of the possible outcome now.
Am I going to die there? he wondered, still shocked at his decision to join the Survey Corps months ago; his old self was screaming on the inside, terrified at the idea of going out there. Until he remembered he wasn't the same person, not to mention he had a personal business with Reiner and Bertholdt. He had no way to prove this, but after Annie's mess, he suspected they too were involved in Marco's death somehow. And he wanted to know before making them pay for that.
"Oi, stop whatever shit that's going inside your noggin. Don't forget is not working right" the man's irritated voice brought him back to present. He saw him taking a glimpse at him, so he tilted his head in confusion and the Captain turned to the front once again "Look at your leg, you idiot. Stop straining your muscles unnecessarily" he checked his left thigh and grimaced at how big the bloodstain now was, covering that side of his left leg all the way down.
Jean nodded in silence as he got rid of the gloomy vindictive thoughts, choosing to focus instead on the gratitude for the man giving his back to him. He knew he could have sent anyone else with him but when it came to his squad, Captain Levi was surprisingly protective over them; it was something they all had already noticed, despite how strict and apparently indifferent he was.
He half smiled at the memory of those days when he'd thought the soldier to be heartless when he actually cared more than most, but he'd never say. The man unconsciously showed all that through his actions, his commitment, and the way he kept ordering them not to die.
Nothing else was said during the rest of the way, and by the time they reached the hospital, the Captain had approached to the back of the transport and helped him come down. What he wasn't expecting was watching him offer his shoulder to help him walk inside there.
"Don't waste my time here, brat" the soldier scolded at the evident indecision. He surely couldn't understand why he felt so self-conscious at his unexpected gesture. He may care but that didn't mean he'd be this considerate "Last warning or I'll drag your ass inside the hard way".
Jean finally reacted and placed his left arm around his shoulders; it wasn't easy considering the height difference, but heavens forbid him to ever say that out loud. Despite this being awkward, relying his weight almost completely on him had been truly advantageous to move, making pain bearable; he wouldn't have gone that far had he tried walking on his own.
Upon arriving at the main counter after spending ten minutes lined up, they were greeted by one of the two nurses there, the youngest one apparently though both seemed fairly young, one or two years older than him. She started by asking one thing after another, including the reason of their visit while she filled a form on her desk, and he couldn't help looking furtively at Captain Levi, visibly annoyed at this bureaucracy when the reason was at plain sight. Fortunately, he said nothing and allowed him to answer everything the nurse requested.
"Alright, officers. Please follow me" the young woman said and told her colleague she'd be right back. Jean saw her carrying his file under her arm and stepped out of her desk.
Fortunately, she led them through a corridor on the same floor, to the east wing of the facility. When they reached the penultimate door to the right, the woman held the door opened for them and as soon as both entered, Jean felt relieved to see the room was unoccupied.
It wasn't that big, but the ivory white color of the walls made it look spacious, and the fact that it wasn't excessively furnished also helped. There were two identical examination tables, the first close to the entrance while the other was by the window at the other side of the room, and in between both he saw one big storage cabinet full of medical supplies. Which, in turn, had a side table to its left and another to its right; surely to be used by the personnel. And lastly, four regular chairs; two at the outer sides of the examining tables, and the other two located at the opposite wall, where he'd just noticed a clock at the top, between them.
"You may leave your personal belongings and your jacket over there, Mr. Kirschtein" the nurse receptionist pointed to the chair that was next to the window "Someone from our medical staff will be here shortly" she assured him with a friendly smile.
One that vanished as soon as she turned to the Captain, who after helping him stand, decided to retreat and took a seat on the chair in front. He seemed bored to him, nevertheless that posture of his, crossing his legs while resting his ankle on his knee and arms folded might be intimidating to her.
"Uh, sir?" she spoke haltingly, and he only looked discreetly to them as he removed his piece of clothing "You may wait for the officer in the guest room".
"I don't think so" the soldier replied in seriousness, lifting his chin, and pretty much daring her to contradict him "I want to see by myself whatever your people will do to him. Detailed reports are mandatory" he said, and he saw the lady displaying a tight smile, holding back tension and anger but she was trying to act professional.
"I understand" No. She didn't but he could see she was indeed shirking the responsibility now that she was about to leave them "You may discuss that with the person that'll be treating the patient then".
Meaning better leave this for someone else to deal with. Which was funny, considering it'd make no difference; people rarely went against Captain Levi. And though it was no lie that there was a report to file, the man could have perfectly asked him to do it, since he was the patient and who'd been responsible for this anyways. He just wants to make sure you're in good hands, his mind offered as he took a seat on the examining table, knowing that to be true.
The lady slightly bowed her head to both and then disappeared behind the door. Jean set his eyes at his superior, now lost in thought while staring to the buildings outside that window without paying attention to him for the moment. The young soldier shrugged and gazed at the clock, calculating he'd stolen around an hour from the man's time since they left old HQ. Just chill and wait, man, he told himself, sitting now straight, his legs dangling as he also stared to the outside, trying not to overthink.
He knew several minutes had passed since they entered there, but Jean was trying not to gaze at his boss, who most certainly was beginning to lose his patience. Enough had been to watch him out of the corner of his eye seconds ago, when he stood and walked to the other side of the room, near the entrance. He'd thought he was going to go outside and ask what was happening, but he never heard the door's hinges, so he was still there. He didn't mind waiting, for his leg no longer hurt like before and the bleeding had stopped after staying still for some time, or so said the dry looking blood, but when he checked what time was now, Jean got super nervous to see they'd been there for over fifty minutes, so it wasn't hard to figure how irked the man was.
He pretended to give a quick glance all around the room and finally saw the soldier leaning his back on the entrance wall, arms crossed, chin down, and apparently sleeping.
Five minutes after that, he glimpsed a flash of movement through the door's observation glass, however, the small square merely allowed him to see that person's shoulder before perceiving two knocks and the sound of the knob rattling when turned. He knew Captain Levi noticed that too; his senses were extremely good and yet he didn't move an inch.
When the door finally opened, he saw a woman coming inside, but since he wasn't that close, there were only a few things he could tell about her so far, such as her height, almost identical to Captain Levi's or perhaps like half an inch taller; her braided hair was dark yet not black, and the way it fell over her shoulder made her look young but reliable, although that maturity could be an effect of the glasses she wore, as it usually happened with most people he'd come across. Besides, she looked different wearing a white shirt and dark pants under the white apron everyone there used; those were manly attires, but they seemed alright on her.
The woman was carrying his file in her hand and a pen in the other, and he saw her stop next to the other examination table, taking a look at the clock on the wall to write something in the document, absolutely unaware of the Captain's presence, who'd been playing a statue the entire time. Until now that he decided to speak up without changing his posture. Jean noticed the woman tilting her head right before turning to where the voice came, behind her.
"Should I send a prize to whoever runs this place now that they finally sent someone?" he said, sarcasm all over his words. And though most of the time it was fun to watch him torment other people over silly things, this wasn't amusing at all.
Oh, no… Jean flinched and took his palm to his forehead, feeling so sorry and embarrassed already. The Captain never got sick, so he doubted he'd ever attended a hospital before; this wasn't like just coming in and out, as he probably thought it'd be yet this poor woman would be the to suffer his rage.
"Perhaps you should" Jean's mouth fell open in shock at the audacity of her retort; she didn't falter, raised her tone nor moved. She just stood there, holding his file under her folded arms, and judging by her reaction, he bet she was staring with curiosity at the man leaning on that wall "As a kind reminder of the current situation outside our jurisdiction that has left us understaffed".
Jean feared the worst. The woman clearly didn't know who she was dealing with, and ignored he was only pissed because he wanted for someone to aid him soon, especially after all the blood he lost. Too bad he had no way to warn the lady that his boss didn't like to be challenged, even less rebuked in front of one of his subordinates. But to his utter astonishment, the only response he saw from the Captain were his eyes opening wide as he straightened up to look straight into hers with disbelief, and then his brow creased while his jaw clenched. Maybe he was delusional after such a stressful morning but despite his first expression barely lasted for three seconds, he could have sworn the man got stupefied, although the biggest shocker here was that she'd managed to embarrass him. And she's still breathing, but not for long idiot. Help her! his mind shouted.
"I'm sorry, Miss" Jean intervened before the man got to talk. He'd been deadly silent for the past twenty seconds, but he knew he was probably working on a very long, and especially mean, list of insults for her "You see, Captain Levi brought me here because he's just worried about my leg. I stupidly hurt myself during training and we've been inside this room for quite some time. That's all, ma'am".
He knew she'd heard him, but the woman didn't take her eyes away from the Captain, who unlike her, did turn his gaze to him to dedicate him a furious glare that promised one good punch later.
"I apologize for the delay, officers" he'd been so worried at the man's expression that he missed the tiny understanding smile and the way her face softened at the man before finally turning to him and bowed her head apologetically "I'm afraid there's an emergency in Krolva District. A contagious but non-lethal flu is affecting their population, and even medical staff has been compromised. Therefore, part of our teams are now there" she explained with kind professionalism as she walked towards him "Of course, that's no excuse, and you're entitled to fill a complaint in the hospital record later" she was standing to the left of his examining table, but he saw her turn to his boss for an instant.
The way the lady emphasized the word complaint led him to believe she was reprimanding the soldier in the politest manner, and Captain Levi's narrowed eyes showed he knew so, yet he crossed his arms once again before looking away, displeased but mute. He sure sees scaring her away won't help us get out of here sooner, he said to himself, while watching her turn back to him.
"You're Mr. Kirschtein, right?" she asked as left his file onto the side table, facing him with an honest, gentle smile when he nodded in silence "I'm Ms. Stoltz, and your nurse for today" she introduced herself, and he somehow felt like a little boy at that moment, because she was pretty but a little intimidating as well. He observed her opening the one drawer in the nearest furniture and took out disposable gloves and a wooden tongue depressor "Please, say ah" she requested, and he obeyed.
He felt the way she pressed the spatula onto his tongue to examine his mouth and throat, and all he could do was try to remember if he'd brushed his teeth appropriately that morning. As if she'd comment anything about it, man, his inner voice mocked him. And it was right, because the nurse quickly moved on to check his eyes, making him a little nervous but it fortunately didn't last long.
"I'm aware you're not here for a disease" she said, looking to his leg "But we still need to corroborate that, Mr. Kirschtein" he nodded again and continued to follow her movements. It was then that he panicked at the sight the thermometer she was holding in her hand now.
No! he screamed on the inside, remembering the times he got sick as a kid and his mother called the local healer. Had he not been terrified of what she was about to do, he may have noticed a resemblance she had with the man he saw a couple times, years ago. But both his fear and the fact that her eyes weren't brown made it impossible. Her last name wasn't any help; given how spoiled he was, he never paid that much attention.
"What are you going to do with that?" he asked and judging by her perceptive expression, he knew his face showed his fear. Even if that had been a life-or-death situation, he refused to cooperate; it'd be so humiliating to have her do that, let alone with the Captain there "I promise I'm not feverish, Miss!" the young soldier assured and tried to get up but she placed her palms on his shoulders and stopped him.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" he hadn't been paying attention to the man, so he never saw him move back to the chair he'd been sitting on before. One thing was for sure though: he sounded quite vexed. Jean turned his face in his direction, unable to express the horror to go through this "Do as asked or you'll regret it" his boss warned.
"Please officer, let me treat the patient as I see fit or I'll have to ask you to wait outside" the woman suddenly said, calm but firmly, and the soldier just snorted, turning his angry face to the view outside. Jean looked back to his nurse and when their eyes met, he felt incredibly aware of himself. She wasn't doing anything except looking at him patiently "Mr. Kirschtein, I need to confirm that. And I need your help to do this so please, unbutton your shirt and allow me to put this under your armpit" now it was inevitable; he knew he was blushing a little, but she didn't seem to notice "You must hold still for two minutes to get an accurate result, alright?"
"Huh? My armpit?" he repeated in confusion "That... ain't that a rectal thermometer?" he needed to make sure this was no trick, but the half-smile on her face showed nothing but sympathy and honesty.
"No. It's not, sir. Those are mostly used with children" his nurse confirmed, still holding the object in her hand.
A weak smiled appeared on his face before he followed her instructions, now only anxious for having his torso half naked. Jean saw her coming closer to put the object where she'd said, and he only hoped the thing didn't reflect the heat he was feeling going up his cheeks. Describing her only as pretty before had been a total understatement from his part, especially with those magnificent gray eyes hidden behind those rectangle glasses.
Of course, Captain Levi hadn't been stunned for something like that. No, he was positive that what got him this quiet was the fact that the woman wasn't the kind of people who back down for anyone, just like him. The young soldier glanced in his direction and blinked several times as he tried to understand a vein throbbing in the man's neck and how abruptly he averted his eyes. Did he blush too? He wondered, as he turned his eyes to the nurse, who was checking a pocket watch at the moment, and he kicked himself internally for getting all delusional out of nervousness.
"All right, Mr. Kirschtein, you may put your shirt back on now" she said after retrieving the object "I'm very happy to see you were right. There's no fever so, we'll treat that wound right away" she commented and put the thermometer back in her pocket. She approached the storage cabinet, opened it, and bent to take out a surgical tray, in which she was putting all sorts of things "According to the file, you don't suffer of allergies to any medication, is that correct?" he heard her ask in the meantime.
"That's right, Miss" he corroborated.
"Excellent" she said, now standing on her tiptoes to get what looked like bandages from the shelving at the top "I imagine confidentiality prevents you from explaining what happened, but since the wound is exposed, it won't be a problem, unless it's infected" she said, placing the tray on the side table.
Jean didn't say a thing and merely stare back at her while resting his hands resting on his thighs, palms up. He would have told her, but she was right. It was then his eyes followed a sudden movement coming from the chair where Captain Levi was; the man had come closer without saying a word, and he saw him take something out of his pocket and left it next to him. Jean looked at it and noticed a folded hanky with a couple stains of dried blood. The man moved close to the window, leant on the wall, and fixed his eyes on something out there.
"It was caused by an explosion" the soldier explained, and Jean grabbed it, unfolding it in front of the woman. To whom he hadn't been paying attention once again, hence, he missed the proud sparkle in her eyes "Our paramedic extracted it 'cause he said the material could cause more damage or an infection".
"Thank you, Captain" his nurse muttered, observing the piece of metal with approving eyes while he was still astonished by the fact that his boss had kept that inside his pocket; him, the biggest clean freak he'd ever known "That was the right call" she said, adjusting her glasses and addressed him this time "Now, sir, please extend your leg on the surface of the table" he did as requested and saw her pointing to a spot about three and a half inches above the wound "I'm afraid I'll have to cut the fabric from here and all the way down. And I recommend you do the same to take off what's left of your trousers once you get home, as well as not wearing tight pants for a week at least, after cauterization".
"How long 'til he's able to come back to work?" the Captain inquired, still not turning to them.
"Well, to be honest, that depends on how deep the wound is but judging by the size of that fragment, maybe two weeks" the nurse said while first cutting the bloody bandages carefully but with confidence "It's necessary if you want him to be in optimum conditions" he saw her disposing of those in the nearest trash can and then gave a quick scan to his leg before moving to take his boot off "Sometimes it takes less, if the patient's healing process is good. We'll know for sure once Mr. Kirschtein returns to the hospital in a week for his medical".
"You better behave these days, or I'll get your ass back here with different kind of injuries" the Captain threatened, barely turning to him with a clear warning in those lethal eyes of his. He saw him concentrating on the outer view, but then his eyes caught something else; the woman slowly shaking her head as she grabbed a small flask of alcohol, another with an uncolored liquid that seemed to be water, gauze, medical clamps, and a considerable amount of cotton from the tray. He'd have explained to her that the man treated them a little harsh but meant no real harm, however that was impossible with him right there.
"All right, sir" his nurse looked at him with the scissors in her hand "I need you to be very still as I cut the fabric. It might tickle since some of it has sticked to your skin because of the blood".
Jean nodded once and watched her work; it was such a fortune that she was just as quick and rigorous as before. She started with a vertical cut by the inner side of the leg opening and then go up, until she stopped eight inches above his knee. After that, she proceeded to make a horizontal cut, asking him to bend his leg a little, so she could reach the back side of his pants, to remove all of it. And to his horror, this was like taking off his shirt all over again; he couldn't help the nervousness and the tickling when he felt her gloved hands directly on his skin, making him giggle.
"I'm sorry for the tickling" she said as she grabbed gauze and soaked it in what he thought, was water, which she used to clean all the blood. The nurse repeated the process and then did it for a third time though this time, she used the antiseptic "Dried blood usually is appealing for several insects, especially flies. You'd be surprised to see the things we've had to remove from patients who've been careless" she was doing some small talk to distract him, and he was really grateful for that; it truly helped not to think of how embarrassing this was.
"No problem, ma'am. I thought I no longer was this ticklish, but I guess some things never change" Jean commented, with a smile that was childlike and friendly as he scratched the back of his neck. "Thanks for cleaning my leg so the bugs won't come any closer, by the way" she glimpsed to his face and responded with a kind smile herself before examining the wound now.
The young soldier's great mood vanished as soon as he heard Captain Levi clearing his throat. He gazed to where he was and saw the man looking daggers at him, probably imagining he was having a good time; had he been any other person, he'd have even reckon that stare as a resentful one but again, it made no sense after their previous conversation on their way there.
"Mr. Kirschtein, I'll now clean the wound, suture it, and inject you to prevent infections and swelling. That should help as well with the discomfort for a couple of hours" his nurse explained as she grabbed the necessary from her tray "If it hurts too much, do let me know".
Jean gave an affirmative nod and concentrated on observing her hands, which was incredibly relaxing because the nurse was indeed, very skillful. It wasn't long before she covered all what she'd mentioned; the most painful part had been at the beginning, when she opened the cut a little to clean it. After that, he felt his leg going numb, so the suturing went quite smoothly.
"I have to say you've been a very good patient so far, Mr. Kirschtein" she congratulated him after the injection that stinged a bit.
"I'd say it's all on you, Miss" he smiled charmingly at her, unconsciously trying to make a good impression while he rubbed his leg, and in return, he got a soft smile that showed nothing but appreciation for his statement.
"Ahem" both of them turned to the coughing sound coming from someone still standing by the window.
Captain Levi had deliberately coughed to draw his attention, surely to remind him he'd been watching the procedure, as well as the unnecessary sickly-sweet compliment. Embarrassed, Jean lowered his head a little because he'd actually forgotten of his presence, nonetheless and to his absolute bewilderment, the woman addressed his boss this time.
"Seems these new generations are very well-behaved, don't you think, Captain?" Jean saw no smile when she spoke, only a somewhat teasing expression to the stoic one from the soldier. It was almost identical to the ones they were used to except it wasn't exactly the same, yet he didn't know how to explain it.
"Tch!" the man snorted, averting his eyes to the clock on the wall and this time came closer, to stand beside the examining table where he was and looked to the stitches before facing her "Does he need a crutch or something?"
This time, Jean saw a slight, enigmatic smile after she shook her head no and turned to where the tray was. He watched her getting some cotton balls and a flask of a dark liquid labeled as iodine, the same she started applying over the stitches and the skin around before covering them with a patch. The final part consisted in bandaging his thigh, or half of it to be more precise.
"You can go back to your normal life but not to your military duties yet. As I said, you need two weeks of proper rest and food to gain your strength back" she reminded and helped him lower his leg "I suggest you don't remove that patch until two days, just so you can clean the area with this and cover it again afterwards" she was showing him some gauze, that tiny bottle of antiseptic and a new patch that she put inside a small white paper bag "It's highly important you keep the wound dry for the first 48 hours, and don't forget to attend your check-up; the stitches will most likely be removed that day" she emphasized, looking at him and then to an extremely serious Captain Levi "Don't worry, Captain. Officer Kirschtein will be fully recovered in no time" she said in all earnestness, keeping a steady eye contact with the man.
"Good" he muttered, anticipating her movement the instant she tried to approach to the edge of the examination table to get his boot "Are you done, lady? Can we go now"
"Yes, you can" she replied, gazing at the boot first and then raised an eyebrow at the man, probably wondering what was that about, just as he did. Though as expected, there was no explanation coming from Captain Levi except he met her eyes with a nonchalant but defiant attitude.
His nurse tilted her head a little, surely as lost as he was but then Jean got even more disoriented when he saw her turn in silence to rearrange the items she'd needed; he could have sworn he glimpsed a tiny smile of amusement in her expression when she did.
The young soldier only realized he'd been staring at her for too long with an unusual interest when he perceived a painful pinch in his big toe, one that made him clench his teeth to stop himself from squeaking like a little boy. When he glanced in that direction, he only saw Captain Levi adjusting the boot back in his leg without paying attention to him.
"Come on. Can you stand on your own?" the man ordered, ready to step in and assist him as he did before.
"Yes, sir" he assured, staring to his half naked leg before supporting his weight very slowly on his right foot first, and then tried the other, marveled at how better that felt.
The Captain nodded, satisfied for the results and headed immediately to the exit after beckoning him to follow. He saw him grab the knob, but he hadn't started moving yet. The man looked at him with narrowed eyes, already exasperated although he said nothing about it. Now or never, dude, he said to himself, and stood in front of the woman, who'd been stocking the clean supplies back in the cabinet.
"Thank you very much, Miss" he said and bowed respectfully at her.
"You're very welcome, Mr. Kirschtein. It's been an honor" she answered, and this time he truly got to see a different type of smile, genuine and undeniably beautiful. Not that the few others he'd witness weren't, it was just that this one transmitted exactly what she'd just said.
She bowed her head towards them once before going back to her duties. And on his way out, he couldn't help thinking how uncanny was to be treated with such courtesy when you're used to Captain Levi's rough style. Whom, to his awe, had behaved unbelievably civil most of the time, making him both relieved and proud.
He'd been thinking about all that when, around thirty feet away from the door they'd just walked out, he stopped the instant he felt a slap in the back of his head.
"Ouch!"
"Did you get any of the shit I just said?" the soldier scolded him for not listening to him over the past minute. Jean ignored the frown in his forehead was out of thinking he was fantasizing about the nurse "I just told you to wait for me here. We forgot to ask something".
"What's that, Captain?" he voiced while still rubbing the place where he'd been hit but the man was already gone and opening the door.
Jean shrugged, trying to remember what they could have possibly missed, 'til it hit him: Captain Levi had been waiting for the best moment to strike, like an expert hunter stalking its prey. And you thought he'd let her insolence go that easily… he mocked himself, knowing the man was now going to put her in her place.
He chewed his nails in nervousness, weighing whether to stay exactly where he ordered or plainly disobey and deal with the consequences later. Are you a gentleman or a chicken? his inner voice asked, already knowing he'd go for the latter because that woman most certainly didn't deserve that; she'd been outstandingly efficient, and a nice, considerate person.
The instant he arrived by that door, he peeked through the door's observation glass and his eyes popped open at the image inside there.
They were standing near the examining table he'd been minutes ago, facing each other dead calm. The woman didn't even flinch at the way Captain Levi had just reached out to hold her chin up with his right hand, as if evaluating what to do about her with a prideful expression but hers remained serene, although her eyes dared him to try anything.
Jean had seen the gesture a few other times, but he was getting a very different kind of vibes from this, like a more intimate energy going on instead of just a disciplinary one. Damn, I can't hear a thing! he cursed his luck, wishing Sasha had been here; the girl had the best hearing in the world, and he was certain she'd have gotten whatever they were saying, because the two people there were having quite a conversation yet he wasn't even good at reading people's lips. One thing was for sure though: for the first time in his life as a soldier, he couldn't believe there was somebody out there with that terrifying capacity of showing no fear to that man's intimidating face.
All of a sudden, Jean abruptly deflected his eyes, turned and leant his back on the wall, trying to appease the commotion as he covered his mouth with the hand that wasn't holding the paper bag, all while he felt his face flushing real hard. He... Captain... Was he going to… kiss her? What!? he asked himself, trying to comprehend what his eyes evidently misunderstood. Hell no, that can't be! You're going crazy after the explosion, stress and blood loss today, man! Jean laughed nervously on the inside, still somewhat stunned but now convinced he got it all wrong. Captain Levi was harsh and headstrong, but the man didn't strike him as a harasser, let alone a pervert so, that just couldn't be the case; seeing him slowly approach her was just another way of trying to impose his will on her, to scare her. So, the first thing that came to his head was impossible because they didn't know each other and their exchange hadn't been the friendliest one, so that flirting aura was his stupid imagination. This is nothing but one strong ego trying to crush an unyielding one, he convinced himself.
Only then he dared to peep again and found them on the same spot, now fully convinced that he'd misinterpret the previous behavior at the current image before him. Captain Levi was standing there with his arms tightly crossed but his eyes had dangerously darkened, meaning he was madder than before. Still, the woman continued to hold his gaze while holding his file in a similar posture while saying something to him very seriously. He observed them for half a minute, until the soldier said something that finally jolted her, or embarrassed her; he had no clue but it's what her eyes expressed when they widened, and her cheeks turned red before apparently going speechless. His boss smirked triumphantly and then turned to leave. That means he's coming your way, genius… get out of there! his inner voice shouted.
As he walked fast to where he was supposed to be, the young man grind his teeth at the sudden movement. But that'd be nothing compared to the Captain's rage if he found him snooping on him… Man, that'd be one hell of a punishment!
When he got there, he sighted a small bench nearby and decided to take a seat in an attempt to look less suspicious. He started breathing in and out, trying to cool himself down and fortunately managed to do it by the time the door finally opened.
Did all that really happened? Is that woman going to accuse him of harassment or something? Jean wondered as he watched humanity's strongest soldier walking in his direction with that undaunted attitude of his; no trace of that competitive and dominant gaze of five minutes ago, nor worries or remorse of any kind.
"What is it, sir?" he asked, feigning ignorance, and curiosity by the time he was close enough "What did you ask?"
"About possible side effects and shit like that" he replied without hesitation, which he would have believed had he not seen what he did "The nurse said if you get feverish, diarrhea or if the wound constantly aches instead of itching, if it bleeds or you see pus coming out if it…" now there was a look of disgust on his face at the thought of that, pretty much the same face the man had when he knew they hadn't taken a shower "…you must get your ass back here right away".
"Oh, got it" the young soldier said and shrugged, trying to seem indifferent now "Did she say anything else?"
"Hardly" was all he said, and Jean knew he was referring to how he seemed to win the argument there because, despite he wasn't smiling now, his eyes shone exultant for a couple seconds and then he went back to their normal sternness "In any case, I don't feel like coming back here anytime soon so you better do as the woman said".
And out of the blue, Captain Levi offered his hand to help him standing. He took it without saying a word or he'd ruin his good mood, yet he gave one last glance to the room, hoping to see her next week, during his check-up and maybe apologize for whatever the man said to her.
"Do I wanna know the crap that's going on inside your head now that you're, again, ignoring what I say?" he heard this time, in a threatening tone.
"Nothing, sir" he responded, and followed him out of the building "I was just thinking about what the lady said, that I can do normal stuff but not training for two weeks… what should I do then?" he enquired, honestly worried about it.
He looked sideways to the man, noting the tension from a moment ago was gone from his expression and his jaw.
"You do what she said" the soldier replied, without looking at him.
"Rest?" he said with incredulity; he hadn't done that in years. Besides, that'd mean staying at HQ without any of his comrades, thus, it'd be terribly boring.
"Do you have a place to stay in here?" the Captain asked. He knew the answer, but Jean didn't know that. Since he didn't know if the boy had left his home in good or bad terms, he'd leave it up to him.
"I umm… My mother, sir. We've lived here since forever" he replied, not entirely understanding why the man wanted to know such thing.
"You may spend this week there or at HQ, whichever you want" his boss said, showing no emotion whatsoever "I cannot bring you with me now 'cause you'd be a pain in my ass in this deplorable state. I need you at your best".
Jean froze right by the cart outside, taken aback by this. Privates weren't allowed to leave military premises at will, only ranked officers could do such thing, so the Captain was offering that knowing he'd be the one to deal with the consequences if anyone complained. Am I really… going to have that? he wondered in disbelief, well aware that this might be the last time he'd probably see his family.
"Oi, make a choice quick 'cause I don't have all day" his voice helped him snap out of his musing. He looked at him with solemnity.
"Thank you, Captain" he said, and by the understanding nod he got in response, Jean knew the man comprehended what he meant, and how grateful he was for this opportunity to say farewell.
My sincere apologies for the delay, guys. I've just had a rough couple of weeks, so I couldn't write much but I hope you had a good time while reading this chapter.
Namárië
