Chapter 36 - Losses

                                    

                                          
Lara's eyes were puffy from crying so much.
	They were all at the entrance of the Forest of Giant Trees, awaiting the return of Levi, his squad, Mikasa, and who knows, even Eren, too.
	Hange was sitting on the ground, with Lara lying on her lap, while stroking her hair. Hange's eyes were also puffy.
	From what they counted, many soldiers were lost, especially those on the right flank, which is where the Female Titan had come from, bringing with her a herd of Titans.
	Müller, a female soldier who had accompanied Lara since she was rescued and who once had her life saved by the girl, was now gone. Just like many other soldiers that Lara had deep friendships with. She felt like there was a lump in her throat and an emptiness in her stomach.
	Then, they heard a rustle of leaves coming from the Forest, and from its entrance, Mikasa and Levi appeared, who carried a passed-out Eren in his arms. Levi quickly placed the boy on the ground, which from what Lara could see, was encased in a very slimy cocoon.
	The instant Eren touched the ground, all soldiers desperately gathered around him, to know about his condition. Mikasa was the first to do this, of course. The commotion was so great that Levi ended up being practically shooed away from there.
	But, Hange and Lara didn't go to Eren. They went to Levi, who had an expression of deep agony and was limping a lot.
	"Daddy!" exclaimed Lara, running to meet him.
"Levi!" said Hange, with tears in her eyes, holding him, for he was about to fall.
	The girls helped him get a good distance from the agitation that surrounded Eren. Bracing his arms around Hange and Lara's necks, Levi looked back, seeing how everyone almost climbed on top of each other to see the boy.
	"So only you two came to check how I am?" he asked, looking tired. "Wow, what a good reputation I have..."
	"Levi," said Hange, "you'll always be the most important to us."
	He gave her a sad smile and felt a warmth in his heart.
"Daddy," said Lara, helping him to sit on the ground, when they were pretty far from the others. "What happened?! Did you hurt your foot?"
Levi grimaced in intense pain.
	"Let me see this," said Hange, as she grabbed Levi's left foot, who let out a grunt of discomfort.
	"I don't think it's broken," he said, gritting his teeth. "But I believe I ruptured something. I tried to save Mikasa from being slapped by the Female Titan and I ended up landing badly."
	The girls made the same expressions that Levi did, as if the three of them were feeling the same pain. Hange gently analyzed Levi's foot, while Lara stroked his hand to relax him.
	"You're right," replied Hange. "This is not good... It's dangerous if I take off your boot now, 'cause then you won't be able to put it on again. When we get back to the HQ, you'll go straight to the infirmary. But, I believe you'll need to bedrest for a long time, because soon, it's going to be very swollen."
	"Bummer..." mumbled Levi.
	"We'll take care of you, daddy," said Lara, smiling. "Just like you both took care of me when I broke my foot and my rib."
	"Thank you, baby," Levi gave a sad smile and ruffled her hair.
	"Where's your squad?" asked Hange, gently putting down his foot.
	Levi lowered his head and ran his hand over his face. He felt the pain hit his chest hard, which hurt even more than the pain he felt in his foot. Slowly, he shook his head in denial.