It was Tuesday morning, nine days since he'd been admitted, and Erwin was currently on his twice-a-day walk while Levi was getting his physical therapy. His walk now took him around the ward twice and down three floors (by elevator) to a small outside smoking area that he walked around several times. Because of his Covid diagnosis he wasn't allowed anywhere else and both the elevator and the smoking area was designated specifically for the Covid patients.

Erwin often let his mind wander to Levi as he walked. Levi seemed to want to talk to him more and that delighted Erwin and made him sad at the same time. How would he talk to him when he was discharged? He supposed he could text or call but that wasn't the same as seeing his face, watching for his small smile, laughing at his daily outrage over tiny things. Just that morning he'd had a fit over the toothpaste the hospital provided; it didn't have fluoride.

The two floors that Erwin passed (and wasn't allowed on,) as he walked, floors 3 and 4, were the NICU and labor and delivery respectively. On the second floor, the 'Covid elevator' (which was the freight elevator normally) let out behind glass doors at right angles to the regular elevators. Because of this, Erwin often saw—through the glass—both very pregnant mothers coming in and tiny tiny babies going home.

Erwin fairly burst in the door to their room a few minutes later, his smile blinding.

"I was in the elevator and there were babies on the second floor, Levi. Two of them!"

Levi scowled. That seemed to be his go-to look, his resting bitch face.

"Whoop-de-doo," he muttered.

"You're always in such a bad mood after physical therapy!"

"It fucking hurts.'

"I know. I had to do it too, remember?" Erwin flexed his left arm that had been dislocated.

Levi put his broken arm, which was casted with the elbow bent, over his chest and crossed his good arm with it. "Not the same! You didn't have it smashed into a million pieces."

Erwin looked at Levi's leg with its external fixators poking out of his skin. He had gotten used to the look of it by then. "OK, you got me there, but it's not in a million pieces." He crossed to his bed. "What are you ordering for lunch? This will be your first regular meal."

"The fajitas, I think, although I've been feeling a little pukey lately."

"You should tell the nurses. The fajitas do sound good. I'll get that too."

Erwin made himself comfortable on his bed and picked up the menu. "Are they chicken or beef?"

"Chicken. What's your deal with babies, anyway?" Levi asked.

Erwin looked up. "I like babies! I'd like to have my own one day."

"Babies are disgusting. They're messy and they smell."

"Adults can smell and cats can be messy," Erwin countered.

Levi looked briefly outraged. "You're not even married yet, are you?"

"Nope. Haven't found the right guy, yet."

Erwin knew what he had said the instant he said it. There was no taking it back. He looked very, very slowly up at Levi.

Several emotions flitted across Levi's face and Erwin's heart raced. "You're gay?"

Erwin swallowed hard. He didn't want to drive Levi away. He just nodded.

There was a long pause and Levi scratched his jaw under his stitches. "Oh, that's OK, then."

"It is?"

Levi shrugged. "Yeah. I'm bi."

Erwin was floored. Levi was bi-sexual. He and Levi could possibly, maybe, in an alternate universe, date.

Erwin's doctor came by before noon. The plastic surgeon's nurse was there taking the stitches out of Levi's face. Levi cut his eyes over at Erwin's doctor.

"Good news, Mr. Smith! Your last test came back negative. You are officially free of the coronavirus. We'll be releasing you early tomorrow morning."

Erwin carefully put on a cheerful face. "That's wonderful! Thank you."

After the doctor left, Erwin avoided looking at Levi.

They had gotten into the habit of rolling the privacy screen toward the TV, down by the ends of the beds, so that they could see each other and talk freely. The nurses couldn't remove it entirely due to HIPAA constraints—and rolled it back when doing actual healthcare on either of them—so this served as a compromise.

Erwin would rather that the screen was between him and Levi right then. He knew he looked disappointed.

Levi noticed it. He was rubbing at his scars on his face.

"Well that's a good thing, right? You'll get to see your dog."

Erwin struggled to keep his face neutral.

"I wish I could see Maria and Rose," Levi offered. Erwin could tell that he was trying to sound upbeat. Was he also upset that Erwin was leaving?

"I wonder where my damn meds are? My leg hurts," Levi said.

"Didn't you just take some a few hours ago?"

"Yeah, eight fucking hours ago. I'm hurting!"

They didn't talk about the Tylenol (which he had taken four hours ago) at all anymore, just the oxycodone. Erwin was worried a bit about that.

Levi pushed his bangs out of his eyes and Erwin noticed that his hair had grown longer. Despite only having known Levi for eight days he could tell; Levi had his hair in an undercut, or did. Now his longer top hair was falling in his eyes and the undercut was growing out. Erwin took a moment to admire how soft his hair looked—he'd've given anything to run his fingers through it—and how good the midnight black strands looked against his milky skin.

Erwin shook his head, clearing it.

"Can you get me some water?" Levi asked. "I've got cotton-mouth for some reason." Erwin hurried to the sink with Levi's cup of ice.

As he was putting Levi's water on his table, the nurse came in. "I've got your pain meds, Mr. Ackerman."

Levi brightened noticeably and immediately picked up his water and reached out his hand for the dose cup.

Erwin frowned. Had Levi always been so eager? So focussed on his pain meds? Was his leg hurting that bad, still?

Bright and early on Wednesday, Erwin was slowly packing his few belongings and the cards and bears and trinkets people had sent him. He'd changed back into the clothes he'd been wearing ten days before when he'd been admitted. Levi noted the faint smear of mud on one knee of his trousers and on the elbow of his shirt. It must have been from when he'd fallen and dislocated his arm.

Erwin and Levi were avoiding looking at each other.

It only took Erwin a few minutes to pack. All he had to do now was wait on the nurse to show up with the wheelchair. He sat on the bed, obviously dejected.

Levi fidgeted with the book of poetry, winding the tassel of the bookmark around and around his finger. The door opened.

"Are you ready to get out of here, Mr. Smith?" the nurse asked, pushing the wheelchair ahead of herself. Erwin couldn't even answer. He managed a sort of smile.

Ensconced in the wheelchair, his belongings on his lap, he finally looked at Levi. He held out his cell phone.

"I want you to keep this."

"I can't take your phone!"

"Petra left me a new one at the desk downstairs and put this old number into it under your name. I've already put my new number in this phone, so I've got your number and you've got mine. I'll call you every day."

You'd better you big dumb asshole, Levi thought. He just nodded.

"If you need anything,' Erwin said, "anything at all, just call."

Levi clutched the phone and swallowed and nodded again. He didn't trust himself to speak.

"Right," Erwin said, "Well, I won't say goodbye so … see you soon."

Big dumb gorgeous asshole. Don't leave. Don't leave me here alone.

"Wait," Levi said.

The nurse, who had begun pushing the chair, paused and Erwin looked at him expectantly.

"Take this." Levi held out the book of poetry.

"But, it's yours. It's important."

"I'll come get it back from you when I get out, OK?"

Erwin smiled like a field of sunflowers on a summer day. "OK. it's a deal!" The nurse started pushing again and Erwin spoke over his shoulder as he was being wheeled out, "I'm holding you to that!"

"Are you home yet?" Levi texted later.

[Erwin] "I literally just left the hospital!"

"I'm bored already."

[Erwin] "Ha ha! It's weird being out in the world again."

"Imagine how it'll be for me."

[Erwin] "Indeed!"

"Farlan texted. They have to move!"

[Erwin] "Oh, no, why?"

"Their landlord sold the apartment building. :("

[Erwin] "That's terrible!"

"I know. Isobel's pregnant and high risk. I just wish I could be there to help."

[Erwin] "I'm sure they understand."

"It still sucks. Are you home yet?"

[Erwin] "LEVI!"

"LOL. Txt me later, big dummy."