Hey dear lovelies!
Thank you SO much for all your support and kind words <3
And I realized too late that I was almost done with the chapter anyway.....
Oops :D
AND Another big change with this: Some of you might've noticed already, but this is now officially an OC story!
The name of the OC that will play in here is "Nina Williams". I hope you will give her the same admiration like i do <3
Anyway.....enjoy!
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Mikasa P.O.V.
Just in time, I managed to prevent Nina from hitting her head on the hard ground as she fell. With a jump forward, I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me while my other hand reflexively protected her head from the impact.
Everything happened so quickly and I was once again grateful for my good reflexes.
But what the hell just happened here ?!
Nina collapsed on the floor, panting heavily, and I saw the light disappearing from her eyes until it finally died and she passed out. To say that I was worried would be the understatement of the year!
"Nina! Wake up! Come on, wake up! " I shook her shoulders, patted her cheeks, but no response. Only then did I realize how hot she was. I touched her forehead and inhaled sharply. It literally burned with fever!
Her face was bright red from heat, sweat ran down her cheeks and forehead like a river.
"Shit ..." I cussed. Why did this stupid girl come here in her condition?
I should have insisted that she goes home to take care of herself. I should have put my threat into action and carry her home over my shoulder.
And then also the emotional stress with Levi! What the fuck is going on here?
Levi had never mentioned in one word that he ever wanted to part from Nina, and then all so suddenly? Something was completely wrong here.
I will have a serious talk to that midget as soon as Nina is taken care of. I demand answers and Levi will give them to me.
If I take all of this into account, it's no wonder that my friend is in such a bad condition. A broken heart is a good breeding ground for diseases of all kinds.
I felt so sorry for her, although I did not know yet what had happened between her and Levi. The news came so surprisingly and unexpectedly that I am still completely shocked. The two were a perfect couple. A match made in heaven. Hearing that they had split up now and that Levi was obviously the one who took the step left me stunned. The midget can brace himself because I'll come for him and pull the truth out of his filthy mouth, cousin, or not!
I ignored the turmoil that was building up around us and heard how other athletes were already running to get the manager. I stayed behind and stabilized Nina as best I could. There were bunches of people around me, some to gawk, and some to actually help. Some athletes that I have known for a long time brought blankets to protect Nina's body from cooling down, although I was not sure whether she would actually cool down so quickly with this fever.
Some of the larger, more muscular athletes formed barriers with their bodies to keep troublemakers and gawkers at distance.
The manager came to me a little later and I gave him short feedback on the situation, which prompted him to call an ambulance.
I internally agreed with him. My friend's condition was critical. She had a high fever, was weak, a shadow of her previous self. She looked almost like a walking corpse, so pale, sickly, even a little emaciated. She probably hadn't eaten for a while, which I can understand.
With a broken heart, you usually can't and don't want to eat anything, and if there is an illness on top of that, it's like a physical and psychological worst-case scenario.
The turmoil in me and around us grew louder, but I didn't take my eyes off my friend for a second, held her tightly in my arm, and patted her cheek in the hope of waking her up again, but she was passed out.
I was so worried that Nina could suffer permanent damage from her ruthless behavior.
My heart was racing with excitement and fear, but I kept admonishing myself to keep my cool. It doesn't help anyone if I lose my head now.
The ambulance was on the way, the manager and other athletes protected us from prying eyes, and thanks to the blankets Nina could not cool down. There was nothing I could do now at the moment.
Only a few painful, slow minutes later I heard sirens from outside, saw flashing blue lights, and it didn't take another 3 minutes as the crowds around me were pushed aside to make room for the paramedics.
"Thanks for your help. We take over from here," said the incident commander in a calm but serious voice and took my position next to Nina when I was forced to let go.
While one helper started to check and control vital functions such as pulse and breathing, two other helpers took over the supply of medication. Before I could grasp what was happening, Nina already had an intravenous access in her forearm, which was immediately connected to a drip. I couldn't see exactly what they were giving her, but I trusted in their medical knowledge that it was right for my friend. Maybe a means to stabilize her circulation? Or to lower the fever?
Who knows...
The paramedics gave each other short, concise instructions, and it was indeed as precise as clockwork. Years of experience, it seems. All the more secure and comfortable I felt knowing my friend in capable hands. All the while when at least four men and women were busy taking care of Nina, a fifth medic stayed with me and asked for any information that might be helpful for the treatment. And so I told him everything I knew, from her weak, sickly appearance until the moment she collapsed.
I exhaled in relief when after a few minutes, which felt like hours, Nina was lifted onto a stretcher to prepare her for transportation. Then I got involved again.
"One moment! I want to come with you! She is my friend and I want to know where you are taking her. " I reasoned while grabbing the commander's arm to gain his attention.
He turned to me briefly and ordered his colleagues to continue before turning back to me.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you can't go in the ambulance. It is too narrow for another person and you would only be in the way while we try to treat your friend. We bring them to the university clinic in the west of the city, you are welcome to drive behind us there and wait for further information. "
"I Agree. I'll follow you then. "
"Good. But with enough distance and without hindering us. We cannot take care that you follow us. "
"Roger that."
With this, the incident commander turned around and joined his team again, which was about to get the stretcher with Nina onto the stretcher inside the elevator. I took advantage of this brief moment and sprinted into the changing room to get my things out of my locker. I still had time to change later, first, it was important to know Nina was safe and fine.
With my bag under my arm, I ran out towards the exit, jumped down the stairs as if there was a price for how many steps you could jump at once.
At the bottom, I saw the ambulance and how the emergency services were loading the stretcher, the blue lights still flickering while hordes of onlookers had gathered there too.
I ran to my car as fast as I could that I had parked at the far end of the parking lot. For the simple reason that the largest places were there. One reason why I liked this fitness center so much.
As one of the few, it had parking spaces large enough for my car, a dark brown Toyota Tundra.
A muscle package from a car, a powerful pick-up truck that drove as softly and smoothly as a cloud. Except for the tropic, of course. I don't want to go out without my macho anymore, and Eren also liked him very much, even lovingly nicknamed him Arnie, based on Eren's favorite actor, bodybuilder, and governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger.
From a distance, I unlocked Arnie with the remote and the flashing signals gave me an idea of where I had parked him. I threw my bag in the passenger seat and closed the door behind me as I jumped into the driver's seat, where I just fished my phone out of my jacket.
When the engine rumbled after I pressed the start button, I lost no time and parked out, while my clever Arnie automatically connected and synchronized with my phone via Bluetooth.
As soon as I turned Arnie around, I saw the ambulance drive from the parking lot with the loud siren howling and I had trouble keeping up.
As instructed, I kept enough distance to the ambulance when I followed, down from the parking lot and up the main street towards the university hospital in the west.
When I was a good distance from the car and was sure I couldn't lose sight of it, I was finally able to take the next step.
"Hey, Arnie. Call Erwin Smith." I used voice control in my car to call Erwin because he had no idea what had happened. My car dialed the number and automatically switched to loudspeakers. The calling tone rang four times before I heard the redemptive sound that my call got accepted.
"Yeah? Mikasa? What's happening? I'll be there soon, no need to rush. "
"Shut up and listen! I'm on my way to the hospital right now. The ambulance is taking Nina there. She collapsed and had a high fever. Do you know anything about this?"
" WHAT!? Nina collapsed? Hospital? How bad is it?"
"I don't know yet, but I'm sure it's not a normal cold. She looked very weak and battered when I saw her and she didn't want to listen to me when I told her to go home. "
"Shit ... I think she really wanted to stay because she wanted to see me."
"You can blame yourself later. How is it now? "
"I'll be right there. Where do I have to go?"
"University Hospital, Western city."
"On my way."
Before I could ask for Levi he hung up. The fear in his voice confused me. Of course, it's normal to be worried and scared when a close friend is sick and even has to go to the hospital, but Erwin almost panicked. I had a strange feeling about it. As if Erwin knows more about Nina's situation than it seems, but at the moment I had to concentrate on other things. I can ask Erwin later.
After half an eternity we finally reached the hospital, where the ambulance followed the emergency room signs. I started to worry again because it meant that Nina hadn't woken up yet.
I searched for a parking space as close as possible to the main entrance and ran frantically inside where I registered at the reception and reported why I am here.
The lady behind the counter was friendly, but couldn't give me any more information because Nina had only just arrived in the emergency room, but she gave me the coordinates where I could go to be as close as possible to my friend and where I can wait for information soon, but first I had to wait for Erwin.
By sending a short message to him, I let him know that I was waiting for him at the main entrance.
A short "OK" came back just a few seconds later.
I was sitting on a bench in the entrance area with my elbows on my knees, head dropped down and hands clasped while I waited impatiently.
So many things went through my head.
I was very worried about my friend who was now in the emergency room and who was suffering from god-knows-what. I couldn't get the high fever and her corpse-like appearance out of my head.
Was it really only the illness that was to blame for her condition? Or was the separation from Levi the trigger?
I knew that Nina was very emotional and very sensitive to certain things, the separation was probably part of it, so I didn't dare to imagine how much my friend actually suffered from it.
Then Erwin's reaction on the phone. He almost panicked when I told him what had happened and couldn't hang up fast enough.
I didn't know why, but my feeling told me that something was wrong here and that Erwin or even Nina knew the answer, but first I want to know how my friend is doing and whether she will soon be better.
With a loud sigh, I leaned back into the bench and stared at the ceiling, trying to silence my thoughts for the time being.
"Mikasa!"
My head snapped forward and I immediately looked for the voice that had called me. From the entrance, I saw Erwin running to me, totally out of breath, but the closer he got, the more I realized that he didn't look quite healthy either.
The first thing I saw was the blue eye, then the stitched wound on the head that was also taped with two plaster strips. Finally, the slightly swollen and slightly bloody lip. He looked like he'd fought someone, but who?
I had another bad suspicion, but I decided to put that aside for now.
"Erwin! Finally, you are here." I jumped up from my seat and ran towards him before he stopped, breathing heavily and holding his ribs with a face contorted in pain. What had happened to him?
"How ... how bad is it? Where is she? How is she doing?"
"First, take a breath and calm down. I don't know anything specific yet, but I've been told where we have to go to wait for more information. We can-"
"Then what are we standing around here for? Go ahead and I'll follow you. "
"What's wrong with you, Erwin ?! I don't know you so distraught and scared. What happened to the iron-hard, calm and composed commander you once were? I had noticed a change in you for a long time by now since Nina could come and go to your home, but this? I can't say you changed for the better, Erwin. And by the way: where is Levi? Does he know about this?"
So much for "postpone the questions". I finally wanted answers, and Erwin gave the impression that he knew exactly what was going on.
His fingers curled into fists, his entire stature trembled as he ground his teeth. And what made me most puzzled: He avoided looking into my eyes as much as possible. I caught him in the act, it seems. He definitely knew what's going on here.
"Tell me, eyebrows! I want answers. What the fuck is going on here? And where is my shitty cousin?"
His head shot up as I used his hated nickname. He knew I would lose patience with him if I ever used it.
"I don't know where Levi is. I wasn't able to reach him during the last days, but, can we discuss that later? I knew that at some point you would find out. I just didn't expect it to be so soon or under these circumstances. If it is okay for you, I would first see how Nina is doing and be sure that she is fine. Then I will answer your questions. "
Fucking finally! I was tired of this secrecy, especially not from Erwin. His conditions annoyed me, but I could understand them. I also wanted to know if my friend was fine and would rather go to her now than later.
"All right then. Then we first check on Nina and then it's time for answers. "
"Agreed." Erwin nodded and we shook hands to seal the deal. If I was certain about one thing, then that Erwin was a man who kept his word. I was all the more relieved when this chapter was closed for the time being.
I showed Erwin the direction and gave him the location inside the hospital where we should wait as we together marched in the direction said, with significantly faster steps than normal. Running was forbidden here, however, it was hard to hold us back. Erwin took such big steps that he always ran a bit ahead of me and I had to take 2 steps where he only needed one.
He was more than worried, it seems. Soon ... soon I would know the truth.
Erwin P.O.V.
It was clear to me that Mikasa or others from our circle of friends would eventually become suspicious due to the strange relationship that existed between me and Nina.
I fought against it for as long as I could, I held out and settled for bread crumbs instead of the whole loaf.
But at some point, I was just starving and I couldn't help but devour the delicious feast in front of my eyes as soon as the guardian of the pantry was out of the way.
Now I and Nina have to pay the price for it, but unlike me, the price she was paying was way too high.
When I heard that my beloved Nina is in the hospital, that she collapsed and seems to be very sick ...
It was like my whole world was suddenly breaking into a thousand pieces.
I almost dropped my phone when Mikasa gave me this message. For a moment I lost all feeling in my limbs and my heart stopped. An unprecedented feeling of powerlessness and terror seized my breath.
I left everything there and hurried here as quickly as I could, pushing aside all thoughts of a possible interrogation. Everything in me was circling around my loved one, around my Nina.
Mikasa was right that I knew more than I wanted to admit, and she was right that she deserved to know what was going on. After all, she is also a friend, both of me and of Nina. And she's also Levi's cousin. If I don't tell her, Levi will do it at some point, not immediately and after a lot of persuasions, but he would certainly mention it at some point, and his explanation would most likely be anything but diplomatic.
I had promised to explain everything to Mikasa on the condition that we look after Nina first, and I was more than relieved to know that she agreed.
I could have sworn we were chased through the whole hospital before we finally got to the right place. I let Mikasa do the talking because she knew better about the situation, but every minute that I wasn't with Nina felt infinitely empty and painful. She had collapsed, maybe she was even seriously ill! And the worst part was: I didn't even know why or how she was really doing.
We were told to wait in the station lobby for more information. We did that too, but minutes turned into hours.
Two painful hours, seventeen minutes, and 35 seconds to be exact. Two hours during which Mikasa and I stayed silent.
She read through all the magazines she could find, the turning of the pages the only sound that filled the silence.
I wagged my foot impatiently and just played around on my phone, clicked through the internet without any sense or reason before checking my watch again.
Two painful hours before a nurse came to us and spoke the words of redemption.