Guardian

Chapter 18

1778.

The cannonball hit the ground beside Lydia, dirt showering her as she rushed to aid the wounded. She nearly tripped over the body lying on the ground before her, but quickly sank to her knees to get to work. He was young, probably not even yet an adult, but yet had felt an eagerness to fight for his blooming country.

Lydia's hands worked quickly as she patched him up, cautiously tuning out the sounds of battle around her. It was strange that she should feel so peaceful when there were men dying all around her. But the sounds of battle had become second nature to her and her hands no longer shook as she aided the injured on the battlefield as opposed to in the tents the nurses had set up.

The young man groaned beneath her touch and his eyes fluttered open, his first thought being that he died. His ears were ringing, drowning out the sounds of fighting, and he looked at the gorgeous woman before him, believing that he was looking straight at an angel.

Lydia flashed him a smile upon seeing that he was awake and assured him that he was going to be alright, but all he could register were her lips moving. At his confused expression, Lydia squeezed his hand in reassurance, then finished bandaging up his wounds.

-

(Olivia's POV):
I stayed with Avery and Lily until the arrangements had been made and assured them that I would be there for them should they ever need anything. Now I stood at my apartment, guilty that I got to go home to my pets when Avery would never get to do that again. With a shaking hand, I opened the door of my apartment and made a beeline for my room, knowing that I was going to crack soon.

I vaguely heard Loki say something, but his words were mere noise to me. My entire body felt numb, like I needed to cry but I couldn't get the tears to come out. I stared at myself in the mirror, realizing how disheveled I had become. The bun that I had thrown my hair had completely fallen apart, my eyes looked as though I had been crying for hours, and my face was ashen.

A knock on my door caused me to jump and it took me a moment to realize what it was I had heard. I groaned, knowing that it had to be Loki, who was the person I wanted to see least.

So I pulled the door open, "Loki, I'm really not in the mood for whatever it is you want. Please, can this wait until morning?"

"No, it can't," he argued, pushing the door open more so that he could come inside.

I debated leaving the apartment altogether, but knowing that there wasn't anywhere that I would go, decided to get this over with. My mouth opened to speak, but the words disappeared when I saw the mug that Loki was offering me.

"Tea?" I asked, the word slipping out before I could stop it for its stupidity. The tea bag was still floating in it, of course it was tea.

Loki simply shrugged as he pressed the mug towards me and I hesitantly took it in my hands, sipping the golden liquid. I was still uncertain about what he wanted and only became more confused when he took a seat on the foot of my bed.

"Did you need something or were you just proud that you managed to boil some water and throw a teabag in it?" I snapped at him, just wanting to be alone.

"I think you should leave the sarcastic remarks to me, darling. They don't mesh well with your caring tendencies."

"You don't know who I am, Loki, so spare me the assumptions, will you?"

He shook his head, "it was not an assumption, Liv. Sarcasm is a great tool to keep people shut out, I of all people should know. But you aren't like that, Liv, at least you do not want to be. It is clear that something has happened, will you tell me what it is?"

"It's nothing that concerns you, if that is what you are worried about."

His fingers wrapped around my hand, "Liv, you are upset. Tell me why."

"I-I just lost a patient, that's all," I managed to get out, my chest hurting with the repressed emotion that I had been burying all evening. "I'm fine, I promise. I just want some sleep and to be-be left alone, that's all."

The first tear managed to escape, warm on the skin that it slid down. Loki stood and wiped it away with his thumb, still holding my hand in his other. "I'm not going anywhere."

His words of reassurance finally broke me. As the sobs rattled my body, I seemed to lose any strength that had been keeping me upright. Loki caught me as I sank to the ground and sat me down on the foot of my bed, kneeling before me with my hands in his. He waited patiently for my tears to die down, knowing that it was pointless to get information out of me until I could form coherent words.

"I'm sorry, Loki," I muttered, taking one of my hands from his so that I could wipe away the tears streaming down my face. "You must think me laughable with how often I have broken down in front of you."

"You have been hurt, Liv, there is nothing to laugh at. You said you lost a patient?"

I drew in a shaky breath and nodded, "I know what you're thinking, Loki. I know, I shouldn't be this emotional over the loss of one animal, I mean it's not like I haven't been able to save everyone I've had to work on. But Lily, her birth was the very first thing I did at the clinic. Her mother was my first patient and then, when Lily was the only pup that the owner kept, I continued to care for her. She was only five years old, she should have lived so much longer if it weren't for human idiocy. And having to tell her owner that I had failed, it-it was unlike anything I had done before. It was like I was telling them that their child, their own flesh and blood, had been murdered and there was nothing more we could do. And I know that I save more lives than I lose, but it still- it still hurts when it's someone that means so much to you."

Loki repositioned himself so that he was sitting next to me, his right arm wrapped around my shoulders with his left hand still holding mine. I let my head rest against his shoulder as tears streamed silently down my cheeks.

"I am truly sorry, Liv, I cannot imagine what it feels like to lose an animal you hold so dear. But please acknowledge that you did all that you could to save her and for that, I am sure the owner is most grateful."

Loki and I sat there for a while longer, neither of us speaking more and Loki lazily drawing circles on the back of my hand. The movement was so slight, yet it was oddly comforting. It was not until my stomach rumbled that Loki looked down at me and asked if I would like him to make some dinner.

"No, I can do that, you don't have to-"

Loki cut me off and assured me, "Liv, I wish to do this for you. You have had a long day, it is the least that I can do. Besides, I do believe that I am getting the hang of cooking."

I sighed, "I guess you can make dinner, but only because I know it would be pointless to argue with you."

Loki's smirk returned to his face, "that it would be, my dear."

-

(A/N): Ah look, caring Loki! I highkey almost forgot to post today and was about to go to sleep, but here it is! I really hope you enjoy it!