His Wounded Heart Beats For One (Levi x Reader Fanfiction)

3: Testing Patients and Patience

"What does he expect from me?" you laugh. "I'm not even a qualified doctor."

"You might as well be," Thea admits. "You've done more of this work than most of us, you know."

"I...I guess." You sigh, challenged with providing an accurate evaluation of yourself. "Anyways, I'll go see the others. Will you be alright?"

"Absolutely," Thea promises. "Go do what you have to do."

You return to the hallway, scanning the activity in the area. Near Erwin's door, you see Oscar about to enter. "Oscar!" you call.

"Yeah?" He stops just outside, waiting for you.

"If the Section Commander wakes up, can you come let me know? I'd like to see how he's faring. He's at risk of concussion."

"Yeah, of course! I'll find you if he does."

"Thank you! I appreciate it." You wave to him as you hurry to the next room on your list, the room with Leon inside. "Excuse me," you call as you knock and open the door.

Clark is at Leon's bedside, your superior tending to one of Erwin's squad leaders. His body hides Leon's face, but you still remember how thickly Leon's jaw had been bandaged. "Good, you're here," Clark says without facing you.

You come to Leon's bedside, looking him over. His short brown hair juts out from the overabundance of gauze encasing his head, bandages that hide most of his facial features. His hazel eyes are the only indicator of his emotions, but their blankness and refusal to meet yours speak volumes of his turmoil.

His bandages sag with the blood staining them, blood that hasn't slowed in the hours he's been suffering. You're surprised he's still conscious, though he's likely to faint at any moment.

"We need to take these off." Clark tugs at the white gauze while reaching for nearby scissors, a bit hesitant about revealing the wound underneath. He snips through the cloth gingerly, peeling it off Leon's bloodied beard. You assist in removing the dressing, Clark careful to keep a hand under Leon's jaw.

A pained groan comes from Leon unexpectedly, followed by a swift apology from Clark. "I'm sorry, Squad Leader. Please keep holding still. We can't move your head too much." Clark holds Leon unshakingly.

"What is it?" You set the bandages on a nearby counter and step closer to Leon, hoping to see what injuries were sustained.

"Fractured jaw," Clark reports. "Clean through the bone and teeth. It's in two." Maybe it isn't best to detail the patient's afflictions directly in front of him, but the Scout seems too dazed to care. "Infection is likely. This wound came a day or two ago."

Awful news. Open wounds are one thing to treat, but infected open wounds are next to impossible to handle. Especially with injuries as heavy as the ones the Scouts sustain. Medicine is barely effective at best, and hopes of rescuing those from the brink of death fade quickly once infection is confirmed. "Okay," you respond without emotion. "What's needed from me?"

You help Clark in washing off the blood on Leon's face and in flushing out his mouth as delicately as possible. Leon's lost his fight to cry out, only wallowing silently in pain that you're trying to avoid inflicting. The blood coming from Leon's gums has slowed, and Clark is quick to stuff cotton along the fracture site.

"An intraoral splint would be best," Clark deduces. "But we don't have one. The most we can do is keep the jaw secured with bandages."

But it might not be enough. You know that, and so does he. "I'll write to my colleague in Trost. I'll write to other districts, too. We can find a specialist if we stress the urgency enough."