If I can't have you

Chapter 4

He was fine. He was sitting and talking like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't been involved in a life threatening car crash less than a week ago. But Nico couldn't fool Levi. Levi who spotted when he winced as he shifted in his bed. Levi who noticed when he tended as Link examined the cage that surrounded his leg, keeping his bone straight. Levi who would gently wake him up and hold him when he had cried out in his sleep and let him soak the material of his jacket as he cried.

God, he knew he was lucky. Many would kick a guy while he was down and just leave him alone for the ride. He still remembered Billy, one of the football players back in high school who was diagnosed with cancer just a few weeks before prom. His girlfriend, Anna, had dumped him almost as soon as he told her and to make it even worse for him, she turned up to the prom on the arm of his best friend. But Levi wasn't like Anna. Levi had stayed while Anna had ran. Levi loved him, even though he had never said those words out loud, he loved him, Nico Kim, enough to stay with him in the hard guy. God did he love the small, clumsy intern curled up on a chair next to time. But perhaps the snoring made him love home just slightly less.

He was tracing patterns into Levi's hand, which had been resting on the bed, when he heard the creak of the door. He looked up to see Taryn and Dahlia slipping into the room. He gave them a small smile as they crept their way over to where a sleeping Levi lay. They gently picked him up between them and with a quick glance and nod directed towards Nico before leaving the room. They were probably going to get him home and in his own bed, which was probably a good idea in Nico's book. He lay, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, before allowing himself to drift into a dream less sleep.

Levi woke up to discover that he was not where he has fallen asleep. All the things his mum had taught him as a young boy about kidnappings and abductions ran through his mid, terrifying the word out of him until Taryn hustled into the room, holding a breakfast tray that smelled like Levi's idea of heaven. As Taryn set the tray down on the bed that Levi occupied, he took the opportunity to take in his surroundings at which point he realised that they were not as unfamiliar as he has initially believed. In fact, he recognised where he was, having slept here on a number of occasions.

'Taryn, my dear and wonderful friend, care to explain to me why I'm currently in my boyfriends bed despite having fallen asleep in the chair next to his bed.'

'Long story short, my midget friend, is that Dahlia, Casey and I decided that the best way to get you to stop trying to outstink the Yetis was to kidnap you and bring you here, purely out of convenience because it's so close to the hospital.'

Levi pulled a face at Taryn, an action that he knew was childish, before grabbing the first food item that his hand can into contact with off the tray, which happened to be a croissant, that judging by the temperature, was fresh from the oven. Letting out a shriek of pain, Levi dropped the croissant to the bed getting crumbs all over the duvet, something that Nico would kill him over if he ever found out about it, and providing Taryn with the opportunity to let out a cackle of laughter that Levi was sure that she saved especially for haunting him in his nightmares. As she wiped the tears from her eyes, her phone chimed with an incoming message. Levi watched her as she pulled it from her back pocket and watch her face drain of colour.

Levi didn't react initially when he saw Taryn's face. He sat there for a few seconds, his mind racing through the endless possibilities of what could have occurred to make his friend react like that. His mind kept falling back to Nico but his boyfriend had been fine the last time that he had seen him, laughing and smiling. And even then, Amelia had said that his scans were fine and that there was nothing internally that they needed to be concerned about. But he knew it had to be about Nico. Nothing would have made the blood drain from Taryn's face that fast and have her look at him with sympathy clear in her eyes.

Before Taryn could register what he had planned, he launched himself across the bed, arm outstretched out in an attempt to grab her phone. Unfortunately, his athletic prowess decided to make an appearance and he tumbled over the edge of the bed, having gotten his feet tangled in the sheets of the bed. Cursing as he attempted to untangle his feet, he saw Taryn power down her phone, slip it into her back pocket and, with a large sigh, walk over and help him get back onto his feet.

'Taryn, please tell me what happened. I know it's about Nico so please don't try and lie to me.'

'The thought never even crossed my mind,' she responded dryly. Levi poked his tongue out at her, his gratis lighting up for a split second before a serious expression came over them.

'Please, Taryn, just tell me. No joking about it or dodging around the topic. Just tell me.'

'I'm sorry Levi, but I honestly think that I shouldn't be the one to tell you. I mean, I haven't even got all of the information. Casey texted me and that's all that I know. Don't you dare walk out on me Levi Schmitt.'

This last part was spoken to Levi's back as he marched to the door and yanked it open. He could hear Taryn's footsteps behind him and her voice calling out to him, although what she was saying was unclear to him. He slipped into his shoes and moved to take his car keys before they were swiped out of his hands.

'Taryn, what the hell?' He could hear himself saying before he felt himself getting bundled into his smal, battered Ford Fiesta. Taryn slid into the drivers seat and as the engine was turned on, stated 'As if I would place my life in your hands and let you drive to the hospital in this state. I value my life far too much for that.' Levi didn't respond, just watched her put the car in gear and pull out of the driveway.

By the time they reached the hospital, Levi was becoming frantic again. He opened the car door and leapt out of the car before Taryn had a chance to pull the car to a stop. He could hear Taryn calling him again but the only noise that was filling his ears was the sound of his trainers on the floor as he ran into the hospital and traced the familiar route back up to Nico's room.

As he got closer he could hear shouting and the sound of people running. He reached the door in time to see Nico's bed getting transported out of the room and wheeled off in the direction of the OR. For a brief second, he caught a glimpse of Nico and his knees almost bucked. His boyfriend was pale and seemed to be a completely different person from the man who had been laughing with him just a few hours before hand He made a move to follow them before a pair of arms grabbed him. He struggled against the arms before twisting round to see Link looking at him with tear filled eyes. Before Levi had a chance to even open his mouth, Link jumped in with 'I'm sorry Levi, he had a seizure. A bad one. We have a serious problem on our hands.'