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

4,619 Miles (part two)

She let him know that Levi was perfectly fine, that everything was going well and that it was just his appendix. It was a surgery which was easy to do and it was quick too. Taryn explained that he would be out soon and that all would be fine, yet that still failed to calm Nico.

He felt guilty for not being there for Levi, for not being able to be by his side and for not being able to help him recover. However, Levi was more than okay with Nico not being there, as it wasn't a major surgery. He'd be just fine in a few days. At the end of it all, Nico was just glad that Levi was okay.

It was the day before Nico was due to return and no one had seen Levi this elated for a good while. His smile was blinding and refused to fade, the thought of knowing he could be with Nico again soon making him extremely happy. He was absolutely buzzing and it reflected onto everyone else too.

"You look happy," Taryn sat herself next to Levi, placing her cup of coffee on the table. Levi nodded, stabbing his fork into the food in front of him. "I wonder why that could be?"

"In less than 24 hours, I'm going to be with Nico again after a whole damn year and... Taryn, I think I could pass out from how happy I am. Seriously." Levi wore a grin that stretched from ear to ear. Taryn hummed as she took a sip from her coffee, knowing that she desperately needed that caffeine.

"Yeah? Well, please don't faint. We all know what you're like with fainting, Levi. Or should I say, Bloodbank?" Taryn raised her eyebrows, a teasing grin on her face as she looked at Levi, who just glared at her. That was a nickname he'd long since outlived and Taryn wasn't about to be the one to bring it back. His fainting was totally justified in that moment.

"Hey, that nickname is not coming back, Neither is glasses, or anything else people may have called me." Levi wasn't about to relive his days as an intern. Sure, he made mistakes and did some stupid things, but he was an intern. What had they expected to happen?

"So what is the first thing you plan on doing when you see him?"

"Hug him. I made a promise to myself that I would hug him as soon as I get to see him again. I didn't hug him long enough when he left and I've hated myself every single day for it. God, I think I may be hug-starved."

"And sex-starved." Taryn makes sure to scoot her chair away from Levi as soon as she makes the comment, knowing that he would probably try to smack her for making such a comment. It was inevitable that Taryn would say such a thing and Levi should really have expected it. He just glared at her once more before returning to his food, happily munching away.

-

It was reaching the end of his shift and he was more than exhausted. However, his spirits were still high, knowing that tomorrow, he'd get to go to the airport to pick Nico up. He was thankful he had the day off to be able to spend the morning cleaning everything up. Levi was super excited for Nico to finally meet Samurai, as he was sure that the two would get along just fine.

It was quiet in the hospital, like it usually got in the evenings. Everyone just seemed so much somber so late into the day. Levi couldn't tell whether it was a blessing or whether it was creepy. Maybe it was both.

The minutes were dragging by, the clocks seeming to slow as Levi waited for time to pass, getting more and more impatient by the second. It was like the world was deliberately making everything slow to a near stop. The phrase 'time stands still' seemed to be all too real right now.

He was going over the charts of one of his patients, making sure everything was updated when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his attention to the person behind him, surprised to see Meredith. She was meant to finish ten minutes ago.