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

somewhere only we know

A week had passed since the accident in Joe's bar. No one had been quite the same since. Everyone was trying to put on a brave face, some struggling more than others were. Blake and Helm were still in as patients, as much as they both begged to be allowed to get up and help. No one could blame them; doctors really were the worst patients.

No one talked about it. At least, they tried not to. It would accidentally come up in conversation every now and then, which would put a damper on the whole mood. Some patients who came in would mention it, too, which didn't help either.

Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, Nico had been really shaken up by the accident. He didn't know why it shook him up so much, nor did he want to find out why it did. Half of him thinks it's from when Levi collapsed in the OR. That feeling had been so much more painful and so much worse than seeing a car hanging into Joe's bar.

When he'd been told that Levi had this broken-heart syndrome, that it was caused by stress, he partly blamed himself. He knew this had to be a long-term thing, that he probably added to overtime. He didn't want to admit he may be the reason Levi collapsed. That wasn't something he ever wanted to think about.

"Hey, are you okay?" A voice snaps him back to reality, and he blinks a couple of times as he searches for the origin of the voice. He turns his head to the side, to see Levi standing beside him, face twisted with worry.

He clears his throat and nods, changing his attention back down to the chart on the nurse's desk. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

It doesn't seem to convince Levi much, though he hums in response. Most of the time, he loved having Levi on his service, though there were times where he wishes he wasn't. This was one of those times. Levi knew him too well, and knew when he wasn't telling the truth.

Nico continues to scan over the chart, having to read it a few times over to really be able to take in the information before him. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other and lets out a short sigh.

"Taryn said she's really thankful you saved her leg," Levi pipes up, hoping to ignite some sort of conversation from Nico. No response. "I think she quite likes your company."

"Yeah?" Nico tries his best to respond, though it seems blunt. He mentally curses himself for it, when he sees the look of confusion Levi sports.

He just hums in response, tapping his fingers on the surface of the nurse's station. Nico purses his lips together and has a mental battle with himself for a moment or two. Then, he picks up the chart and holds it under his arm, using his other to nudge Levi. It grabs his attention and he raises a brow.

"We've got one more patient to check up on," he starts, beginning to walk away. Levi follows after him, having to walk a little faster to keep up with Nico's larger strides, "then how about we get some lunch?"

Nico doesn't need to look at Levi to know he's trying to hold back a grin, but ultimately failing. They walk together until they reach the patient's room, where Nico enters in first, Levi hot on his trail.

Levi hopes he can get to the bottom of why Nico is acting the way he is. Perhaps he can find out over lunch.

-

Levi was pretty unsuccessful in decoding Nico's odd behavior. Every time he had tried to bring it up in conversation during their lunch, he had somehow managed to avoid it completely or change the subject. After a while, he had just given up trying.

Levi remembered something that Link had told him a while back, something about Nico; don't push him, let him come to you.

So, that's what he would do.