The Red String of Fate

Awake

"Not so fast," Nathalie's voice echoed in Levi's ears, and he was afraid to turn around. Terrified of what she was going to say, and what had happened in those last moments.

Was Anya dead? Had he lost her? Now that he had everything they had ever wanted, was he going to lose her, just as he had lost her so many times before?

"it's what she's going to want," Nathalie smirked, as she flung open the door further, as the nurses behind her rolled an unconscious Anya into the room. She watched as they moved her on to the bed, and Levi stared in front of him with his mouth agape - not able to fully process what was going on. Nathalie walked to the side of Anya's bed, and cupped her cheek for only a moment. "You gave me hell, you fucking stubborn bitch, but I love you,"

Levi's breath hitched as he looked down at her unconscious form. He couldn't believe his eyes. Just as he had accepted her death, his worst nightmare - the nightmare was over. She was there. She was alive. All the monitors and machines she was hooked up to showed signs of life. She was still connected to an array of tubes and monitors - but she was alive.

As he turned to look at Nat, he could see the exhaustion on her face as she crashed her body into Zeke's arms, and let out a sob as she wrapped her arms around him, "I thought I was going to lose her... I thought I was going to fucking fail,"

"Is.. she..." Levi started, tears flowing from his eyes and down his cheeks as he reached his hand down to hers, picking it up with such gentle care, as if she was made of glass, and placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand, "She's... going to live?"

Nathalie let out a sob, and nodded furiously, "she's going to live," Nathalie looked into Zeke's eyes, and then turned her attention to Levi, "She's going to lead a long, happy life,"

Zeke took a sharp breath in, "so... the- the curse..."

"It wasn't the damn curse," Nathalie started, blowing her nose in a tissue and tossing it in a nearby trash can, "It was all the trauma from however she miscarried the first time, and the rape, and ... just everything... the scar tissue... it had built up, and it ripped back open, and... God damn it," Nathalie gritted her teeth, her jaw clenched tightly, "when it ri-ripped open... it ripped everything open. She was gonna bleed out. It caused an obstruction in the uterus, we almost didn't get them all out...And then, then she started hemorrhaging... If it wasn't for Mikasa..."

Levi turned his attention to his cousin, still weak and sitting in one of the chairs. He choked back a sob, "thank you, thank you so much, you-you saved her..."

"It was nothing," Mikasa mumbled as she played with her hair, twirling it between her fingers

"Sh-she's gonna be in and out for a few days," Nathalie mumbled, "at least 5 days of being in and out, maybe more. Her body went through so much, she needs rest. I'm keeping her for the next two weeks minimum - the babies too - I'm assigning you a few nurses to help with them,"

"And we'll be here of course," Zeke chimed in, and looked down at his wife who was clearly exhausted, "Is there any way to get a room for him...He hasn't rested..."

"I can sleep in the chair," Levi sniffled, "I-I have to be able to watch over her..."

"That's what the nurses are for," Mikasa piped up, "you've been through a lot too, you should rest,"

He knew she was right. He knew that it was nearing 36 hours that he hadn't slept, and that the emotional exhaustion of everything was going to hit him soon enough. But still, he couldn't bring himself to leave her side for even a moment. What if something went wrong, and he wasn't there for her? What if something happened, and no one else noticed until it was too late? What if she woke up, and he wasn't there? "No," he shook his head, and placed another gentle kiss on her hand, "I have to stay with her,"