It wasn't as hot as it had been and Levi realized, with a start, that it must be well into September now. He hadn't really noticed. It was still dark out, very quiet and still but somehow bustling as hospital employees moved around and cars in the parking lot came and went. The day was overcast and it looked like rain. He made a note to check the weather and call his set crew. If it rained then nobody could work on outside sets or outside shoots. He had gotten a text from the director of the film who had reassured him that he and Mike could take all the time that they needed. Their staff and crew were working along fine without them temporarily.
The outside air felt really nice and was fresh in his lungs. This was South Carolina's 'big' city, (Levi didn't know about Charleston and Greenville-Spartanburg) it's capital and the air was so clean. He breathed it in in huge droughts, though he missed the pine-laden air of the state park and the distinctive earthy/fishy smell of the lake.
He thought he might be able to live on the lake. Stillwell was nice, pretty quiet. He could stand the drone of the boats and the jet skis and the only sounds he'd heard in Moblit's and Erwin's subdivision was the purr of lawn mowers and the occasional sounds of kids playing.
Kids.
That made him think of Eren. Shit, he really loved that kid and he was genuinely torn up about him being here, in the hospital, never mind what it did to Erwin. It absolutely devastated him to see Erwin so upset. He rubbed his chest absently where he could feel the heartache.
He stubbed out his cigarette and headed back inside, wondering, with a smile, what Eren would think about his and Erwin's fake status as husbands.
Erwin was awake and a bit panicky at Levi being gone. "I thought maybe you'd left."
"You know I'd never leave you."
Erwin sat back in the chair with a sigh. "No?"
"No," Levi said firmly. "You need some of that bullshit they call coffee?"
"Yes, please."
They sat and spoke quietly or played on their phones as the minutes ticked away. Erwin checked the time obsessively and Levi didn't say anything. The closer it got to seven the more nervous Erwin got.
Levi put his phone away and leaned into Erwin. Erwin wasn't looking at his phone at all except to check the time at this point.
Levi took his hand. "Erwin, you know that Eren's gonna look really bad, right?"
All of the color drained out of Erwin's face and he stared at Levi.
"He's just been in a major accident and he's all beat up. He'll not look like himself until he heals a bit. Don't let it startle you."
Erwin was on edge. On a knife's edge. This was his kid. His only kid and he had no other family. He and Eren had been through so much. Erwin's tenuous grasp on reality snapped, like the stem on a wine glass. Dramatically.
He shoved Levi away. So hard that the smaller man almost fell off his chair.
"Erwin?!"
"What the hell do you know about it?!" Erwin screamed.
The couple in the back of the room awoke abruptly. The woman by the door uttered a little moan.
"What the hell, Erwin?!"
"You don't know crap about it! You don't know what it's like to almost lose your son!" Erwin stood, fists clenched by his sides. He was shaking with rage. "My only child! My baby!"
People came from everywhere, nurses, the hospital volunteer who worked in the ICU waiting room, and Mike and Hange who were coming down the hall when they heard Erwin's raised voice.
"Erwin!" Mike roared. Hange rushed to Levi who was white as a sheet.
"None of you know what it's like!" Erwin shouted.
"Mr. Smith …" a nurse said soothingly.
"I want you out of here!" Erwin said, "I want you gone!"
Hange got Levi stood up and pulled him from the room.
"You have no idea!" Erwin shouted from inside the waiting room.
Hange called an Uber and they went back to the motel where she and Mike were staying. Levi was shaking uncontrollably.
Hange quickly packed her stuff and ran to the motel office to book another room. There wasn't another available so they got a room across the street at another motel.
Hange helped a shaky Levi onto his bed. Levi immediately pulled the spread around him into a cocoon and laid on his side.
"Can I get you anything, Levi? A drink?"
"Whisky," the cocoon said.
Hange went out to find it.
Things were easier to find in Irmo (Irmo was the actual town they were in, not Columbia, as Levi had thought) with liquor stores, bars, and restaurants aplenty. Hange stopped to eat and grabbed liquor and some food for Levi. They also texted Mike to tell him where they were.
When hange got back to the motel, Mike was there too.
"Shit, I'm so sorry Hans," Mike said.
"Oh, don't worry about it Hun! I just moved rooms because I wasn't sure if Erwin would need to room with you! How is he?"
"Totally unreasonable. He tried to kick me out too. I think the only thing that calmed him down was the nurses threatening to call security and have him escorted from the building." Mike fiddled with his goatee in agitation. "It's the fear that's talking, I think."
"I agree."
"Make sure you call me if you need anything. I don't want you wasting money on Ubers."
They patted his arm. "I'll be OK. Thank you, though!"
"How is Levi?"
"Bad. I think Erwin really shook him up."
"He's—I don't want to make excuses for him—but he's just suffering now …"
"I understand, although I think he was way too hard on Levi."
"I agree! And I told him so. I think he just lashed out at the first person he saw."
"Did he get to see Eren?"
"Yeah. I went in with him—told them I was his brother—and Eren looks bad. He's in a coma and all hooked up to machines. His face and his leg are all messed up. It's awful."
"We need to just give him time. It's his kid. He's devastated."
"He had to see Marie—his wife—die and I think it fucked with his mind."
"I can understand that. We just need to be patient. Let him know we're here for him."
Mike gripped their arm suddenly. "Thank you, Hange. You're a good friend. Tell Levi what happened. Try to explain."
"I'll take care of it," Hange assured him.
Hange put the whisky and a glass and the Bar-B-Que she had bought him on the bedside table and otherwise ignored Levi. After a bit he sat up slightly and sloshed an entire glassful of the whisky in and drank it before bundling himself up again.
Hange sighed and put on the news on the TV.
By midnight Levi had drunk three full glasses of whisky and was sat up in the bed, his lower half still wrapped up in the spread and watching the show Hange was watching owlishly. He slopped another entire glassful into his glass and took a sip.
Hange hadn't tried to initiate any conversation (although they were itching to) except to ask Levi if he needed anything. Levi hadn't done anything except drink and tack unsteadily to the bathroom and back.
He'd looked in the bag of Bar-B-Que and then shoved it away. To Hange's knowledge he'd not eaten in two days.
At one o'clock Hange was starting to doze off. She'd texted with Mike and Moblit on and off and tried sending Erwin some texts before giving up. She was getting sleepy.
"Well, I'm gonna turn in," she said. Levi blinked. He was completely shit-faced.
"How'ssEren?" he asked suddenly.
Hange sat up in bed, awake now. They told him everything including the latest updates. Levi nodded and said nothing else.