COMRADES • Eren Jaeger

CHAPTER 20: Double Crossers

EIGHT BEDS, EVEN PATIENTS, and you were wearing Liberio Hospital's standard medic uniform that consisted of a flowy white skirt, a baby pink button-up shirt, and an apron that was tied together along with a white bandana around your head.

True to your word, you followed Dr. Jaeger as he went about the conjoined hospital room, pushing a cart full of medical equipment behind him as he spoke to the bed-ridden Eldian patients and made round check-ups. He used the stethoscope you found in his clinic to listen to their heartbeats.

Whenever he had something that needed to be listed down, you were already ready, pen and paper in hand. Around you, multiple doctors, nurses, and co-medics steadily tended to these patients, and despite having been shadowing in the hospital for nearly a full month, everything still amazed you.

They had stiff beds with wheels on the legs and collapsible sides. In your first few days at the hospital, you had made the mistake of labelling it as a trolley and caused the other medics to laugh at you. As you followed Dr. Jaeger around past the semi-crowded hospital room, you noticed that their eyes seemed to linger on you as they passed by them. By now, you've learned to get used to the terribly-hidden attention on you now that you'd been in the hospital for a few weeks.

"She's the amnesiac girl from that island," you'd hear their whispers. "A native of Paradis. Don't you think we ought to send her to the mental hospital before she works among us first?"

"Don't mind them," Zeke told you when you complained about it to him. "Just take your revenge by being the best medic you can be."

If you weren't so keen on keeping your dignity, you would gladly admit that medicine was not your strongest suit. You were decent, but not the best. And you hated it. Still, there was only so much you could do to contribute to Eldian society in Marley. Zeke joked that it was because you were obssessed with being noble; you responded by rolling your eyes at him.

To your delight, Dr. Jaeger handed to you a brown file folder that contained the vital stats of a certain patient in Room 104. The number sent a little bell ringing in your head, but of course you did not know what for. Instead you opened the file and thumbed through the thick papers, reading over the medical reports of the patient assigned to you.

"His name is Kevin Gerstner. About thirty-three years old. Poor sap was admitted two weeks ago complaining about having broken all his ribs after falling down a long flight of stairs," he explained to you, pointing at all the information written on the medical chart. "His medic called in sick, so I expect that a young volunteer like you should have no problem dealing with it. Make it count."

"Will do, Doctor Jaeger," you said, pleased that he had finally trusted you with your very own patient for the first time. "He'll be fine under my care."

"He's got to be healed in time for war," Dr. Jaeger explained. "Gerstner is a soldier, you see. Part of an infantry that's gonna be sent for sea alongside Zeke. If he isn't healed, he won't be able to go."

You took the medical chart from him and smoothened your apron before heading out the large hospital room, past the busy hallway of healthcare workers, and climbing a few stairs, two steps at a time, to get to the private wards. 100th... 101st... 102nd... 103rd... 104th.

A small patient name and number was taped to the wall alongside with the names of the workers assigned to him.

KEVIN GERSTNER

Rib Fracture

Assigned Medic: L/N, Y/N

You took deep breaths to gather your confidence before knocking. "Come in," a raspy voice replied, muffled by the wall before you slowly opened the door.