S C H M I C O || A collection of short stories

when all is lost, then all is found

Levi knows he should have told someone. He should have told someone, anyone, but other people had needed help more than he had. 

Taryn was dying, Blake was dying, Casey was having a PTSD episode, a man and woman were dying in the car that had caused this whole mess. His injury didn't seem like much. 

Until it was. 

When the car had shifted, bringing down more debris and weakening the structure of the bar even more, a piece of debris has hit Levi. He thinks it was a brick, or a beam, he wasn't quite sure at the time. It all happened so fast. Either way, he knew it hurt and he knew that he was hurt. 

Levi was trying his best to work through it, but the pain in his stomach kept growing, and growing, and growing. 

"Levi, we need you in Helm's surgery," Meredith instructs as she passes him, grabbing his attention away from his thoughts. He nods, following along behind her. With every step, it felt like he would blackout at any second, pain searing through his abdomen. He places his hand over his stomach for a brief second as they enter the OR.

They prep for surgery in silence, neither of them really knowing what they should say to each other. Half of Levi thinks he should mention to Meredith that he was injured too, but he discards the thought when he raises his eye line, seeing Helm on the operating table in the other room. 

His injury could wait just a bit longer. 

"Right, let's get in there," Meredith lets out a sigh as she watches through the window as the nurses talk to Helm. Levi purses his lips together as he switches his gaze to Meredith. She looks worried. Terrified, even. That didn't help calm Levi's nerves. 

Just as Levi is about to enter into the OR, Link and Nico walk through the door, ready to prep. Nico instantly smiles at Levi, who smiles back as best he can. 

The pain he feels begins to get significantly worse. He hopes it doesn't show in his face. 

"She's going to be fine, Levi," Nico reassures as best he can, hoping it would help calm Levi. He could tell that Levi was on edge; he would be too, if it was Levi in that situation. "Link and I promise to do our absolute best."

Levi nods in response, feeling almost too nauseous to respond verbally, though he knows that Nico and Link would do their very best. He had no doubt about that, ever. For a second, he glances at Helm and Meredith, who are chatting away. Before he heads in, though, he wraps his arms around Nico's waist in a hug. 

It takes Nico by surprise, but he instantly hugs back, pressing his nose into Levi's hair. They stay like that, swaying slightly as they hug. It feels nice and warm, and most importantly, safe. Levi wishes he could stay there forever, where everything was okay. 

Where no one hurt, and no one was dying.

Nico mutters a small 'I love you' into Levi's hair just before they part, Levi heading into the OR with Meredith as Nico stays behind to prep with Link. 

Something in Nico's gut is telling him that something isn't right, that this isn't just nerves. Something is telling him that Levi is keeping something from him. Even so, he begins to scrub in, occasionally glancing up through the window into the OR. 

"Are you okay?" Link asks from beside him, breaking the silence. 

Nico sucks in a deep breath and thinks for a second. He wasn't injured at all, but witnessing something like that is more than traumatizing. Seeing Levi so upset isn't helping the cause much, either. 

He nods, "Yeah, I'm okay. I was one of the lucky ones."

"I can't even begin to imagine how terrifying that must have been."