AN/ Hey! Hope you enjoyed last chapter and all the ones before that.

I skipped the car convo between Liz and Hayden :( Ik, i'm sad too. But only because not too much is said, and what is is mentioned here. The convo where actual good, juicy and new stuff is said I promise will be in here and not be skipped!

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-En of AN-

Nikolas was sitting in the hospital.

The hospital.

How had it all gone so wrong. Moments ago he was in his home at a party. Moments ago she was upset with him but she was safe.

Even longer ago than moments ago he found himself in an ideal situation. While confusing it was all so right. He was with her and her daughter. He was watching her smile-damn, she loved that little girl- as she watched her daughter enjoy life. He wanted to believe she was enjoying life too. At Wyndamere and more importantly with him.

It snuck up on him, but it shouldn't surprise him. He was so infatuated with her once before, back in London and Greece. He meshed with her so well. Two people who did bad things but weren't bad people. Who wouldn't judge the other, and didn't. She never demanded he go back to Port Charles when she found him on a plane to his new life. She empathized, and she didn't judge him.

Now he had nothing but time. Time to sit here and wait in this awful place. Don't mistake him, General Hospital had an amazing staff and great medical facilities at hand. But the problem lied in the fact it was a place of awful things. Death was a big one.

He laid his head in his hands and just tried to breathe. He could do that right? One breathe at a time. But each breathe took effort and felt like it lasted a life time. It was taking forever. Was that good news? Bad news? He just wanted news- well, the news he wanted at least.

He's tapping his foot on the tile as he does his best to not fidget in the chair he somehow managed to find after they told him he had to leave her. To just sit and wait. Wait for what? Wait for the end of something finally good? Or wait for the chance at relief.

Suddenly Elizabeth and Hayden step off the elevator and spot him immediately. He doesn't notice them, doesn't notice anyone as his mind occupies him completely.

"Nik," Elizabeth calls. "Nikolas."

Nikolas finally looks up after the second time she addresses him. She sees his face tear stained, and the eyes they fell from full of despair. She didn't realize this would do this to him.

Sure she knew they put up a front before, but this wasn't that. This was raw emotion. After she spent all of June in Europe with Nikolas, Ava, and Franco on a hunt for Hayden she grew confused at the situation. What were they? More than she thought. More than they started as.

They must have some sort of unspoken agreement- maybe only unspoken cause neither understands. Maybe too stubborn. Probably both.

"What's going on?" Liz asks sitting next to him, grabbing one of his hands in hers for comfort.

"That's the problem!" Nik exclaims. "I don't know what's happening!"

Liz worked there. She could probably pull a few strings, maybe even see for herself. But from what she say, they don't need distracted or bothered. She also wasn't sure she wanted to give the news depending on what's happening.

"Well, if were gonna be here long i'll grab the coffee," Hayden says exhausted, offering Nik a small smile that said 'hang in there' before she headed for the crappy cafeteria coffee.

"Look i'm not gonna push and try to ask you a bunch of questions because this isn' the time or place," Liz told him looking him in the eyes. Both of her hands now gripped his. "I just wanna know how you are, and what I can do."

Nikolas doesn't know how to answer. Liz didn't expect him to.

"I don't know." Nik shakes his head, moving his eyeline from hers to staring down the room to nothing.

Liz let's him process things for a while, her attention kept soley on her dear friend.

"She was fine..." Nik states. "And now she's not, and I can't go back and fix it, stop it, to tell her I lo-" Nik stops himself mid thought too upset.

"You what?" Liz urges.

"Doesn't matter." Nik says, not willing to admit it to her. "What matters is, I failed her."

"Oh Nikolas," Liz makes him look at her again. "You didn't do anything wrong-"

"I didn't do anything right!" He bursts out, placing his head in his hands again, sighing and trying to calm himself down. Liz doesn't deserve to be yelled at. She helped. In turn he hates feeling so helpless himself.

Liz takes a deep breathe. Maybe there was no point convincing him right now.

"Maybe this isn't just about her being hurt physically." Liz suggests.

He whips his head immedialty to look at her. What was she insinuating?

"Maybe it's about her being mad at you!" Liz continues.

Nik is speechless. Was it that obvious she was mad at him? I guess the avoiding him was a good start for Liz to figure out. Either way he had no time for this.

"I need to see her, or-or get an update, or anything!" Nikolas declares standing up.

Liz grabs his arm stopping him from causing a scene.

"Nikolas, I know your upset but you can't go yell at people for information they just don't have yet."

"Do you know they don't have information?" Nik challenges.

Liz shakes her head in defeat. She doesn't know for a fact. She does know whatever he does, he needs to stay calm- a weakness of his- or he'd get kicked out of the hospital. She did not wanna see what he'd do if he got kicked out before knowing anything about Ava.

"Exactly! No one can stop me from getting news!" He counters. "I'm her husband, they can't just shut me out and ignore me!"

Nikolas begins to walk away towards the nurses station.

"But you aren't!" Liz calls out.

He stops in his tracks, having only made it a few feet. How did she know?

"Hayden told me." She answers before he can even ask.

He can't get into the whole Hayden thing right now, he didn't want to even acknowledge it. Ava was his wife, not Hayden. Screw whatever piece of paper or laws said otherwise.

All he can think to say is "It's not fair." His, voice cracking as he finally starts to break down again.

Liz immediately stands and embraces him. He needs a friend. And a hug. And she's so happy to give him that.

He's right though. Nothing is fair. Not the fact that they aren't technically married despite him enjoying their time together so much. Not the fact that she was stabbed before he could make things right. Not the fact that she thinks this was all fake to him. And certainly not the fact he never got the chance to tell her how he feels. Because if it wasn't obvious when he lost her as a wife, it was obvious now that he could be loosing her forever. He loved her.