Ratings: T
Warnings: Medical
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story: living (or passed) human beings or fictional characters. These events never happened, according to history or as the original author intended them. This is a work of fiction and is not intended to offend. For entertainment purposes only. Thanks.
Author's Notes: Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all my readers! Happy Birthday to Levi, as well.
Chapter 2: DECEMBER 12th - Midday
It was warm in Bakersfield for December. Erwin wasn't used to wearing a t-shirt so late into the year, but they had no choice but to take off their jackets after they landed. It was a cool sixty-three degrees, (seventeen Celsius), so their thicker winter jackets would only suffocate them.
Erwin raised a thick eyebrow as he glanced at Levi at a stop light. He was amused to be wearing blue-tinted sunglasses in the middle of December and wanted to make Levi laugh since the point of their visit was rather unfortunate.
"What?" Levi asked, unable to hide his smile as Erwin pulled at his t-sleeve teasingly.
"I just… this is so strange." Erwin replied, grinning. "I can't believe I'm in a t-shirt in December."
"Can you imagine how I felt coming to Santa Claus?" Levi retorted with mirth. "It was insane to be driving and suddenly sliding because of this… weird, white foam falling from the sky."
Erwin laughed aloud, recalling how Levi had driven his rented SUV into a snow bank. "Thank god you did slid off the road, because I may not have met you otherwise," he teased Levi.
"Yeah, because you wouldn't have noticed me if I didn't nearly run you over as you casually shovelled snow off the sidewalk." Levi snickered.
Erwin laughed. He was glad to keep Levi in high spirits as they had driven to Furlan's apartment. He followed Levi's directions, but Furlan hadn't answer his phone the entire way there. Once they arrived, Levi didn't recognize any of the vehicles parked along the street to belong to Furlan. Undaunted, Erwin parked the car in front of the building and turned off the ignition.
"Let's go see if he's home." He encouraged Levi.
Levi didn't seem too eager to follow Erwin out, getting the feeling that Furlan wasn't home, but he was hopeful that perhaps he had gotten a new car or was just out running errands. He followed Erwin into the gate of the apartment lot, stopped at the front door, and dialled 204 on the intercom box. The screen displayed the number 204 and the name Church, F., so Levi was confident that Furlan hadn't move and not informed him.
The intercom rang and rang. After ten rings, it beeped twice and hung up.
"No one's home." Levi informed Erwin, turning to face him with his hands in his jeans pockets. "therwise he would have answered."
Erwin frowned. He pushed his hair back from his face with one hand, resembling more of a male model than a pharmacist in the moment. It made Levi wary of having a hot boyfriend in a warm city on Christmas. He unconsciously stepped closer and reached out to take Erwin's free hand.
Erwin gladly wrapped his fingers around Levi's. He looked over his head to the intercom on the brick wall of the building. "Well, uh, is there a neighbour we can try? Someone in 203 or 205 that might have seen Furlan-" He stopped talking as Levi began to laugh.
Levi shook his head. "While the neighbours in Santa Claus may be caring, or nosy," he shurgged and laughed once, rolling his bright eyes. "People in Bakersfield really don't care where their neighbours go. I lived in my building for years with my uncle, and not one of them realized he had passed away."
Erwin grit his teeth, then let out a short whistle. "Hm, well, that complicates things, doesn't it?" He replied.
Levi nodded. He wrapped his arms around Erwin's waist, hugging him without saying anything.
Erwin was surprised by Levi's reaction. He wrapped his arm around his shoulders, holding the smaller man to his side. "Hey," he whispered. "We'll find them. There has got to be someone who knows where they are. Can you think of anyone that would know if they needed to be somewhere today? Maybe took the day off for something?"
Levi looked up and his eyes shimmered with hope. "Zackly, maybe? It's a long shot. But my… my old boss. He's the one that sent me to Indiana last year."
"He might know where Furlan is?" Erwin asked, rubbing Levi's shoulder.
Levi shrugged. "If Furlan still works there. If Furlan still lives here. I mean." He sighed heavily, his voice tainted with worry.
"He does." Erwin replied. "The intercom shows his name. He's around here somewhere. Let's just… stay here and wait. And you can call Zackly and ask if he saw him. At least then we can figure out a bit of a plan."
Levi nodded. He usually wasn't one to panic, but seeing Furlan not home and not answer his calls was something that gave Levi reason to panic. Furlan and Isabella had never told Levi what it was she was sick with, for how long, and how it affected them. He knew they did it to protect him, since he was still grieving his uncle's passing, but it was beginning to feel ostracizing. He hoped that they weren't excluding him because he moved away; it was something they were both hesitant to discuss when he returned in January to pack his things and sort his lease out. He was glad to leave this information out of the story he told Erwin, which centred instead on how his friends were happy that he met someone and was taking initiative in his life.
Erwin sat down on the metal bench that was outside the apartment building's front door and patted the space beside himself. Levi took a seat as well, pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and began to search through his contacts for Zackly number. He hadn't changed his phone since he left for Indiana, so he still kept his old contacts from Bakersfield in it, which made the list long and messy.
He found Zackly listed under the name "BOSS MAN" and dialled, hoping that it wasn't too close to the holidays for Zackly to be out of office. He wasn't sure if he had his cell phone number somewhere, so he was hoping to catch him where he knew he was at this time of year last year.
As if on cue, Zackly answered on the sixth ring, greeting Levi was the sound of him chewing a marshmallow. "Hello?" He asked, then chewed some more. "This is Zackly."
"Zackly, hi," Levi greeted him, sounding excited to finally have heard from someone in his past life. "It's Levi Ackerman."
"Our run-away star journalist," Zackly responded in a teasing tone. "What can I do you for, Ackerman? Coming back to Bakersfield any time soon?"
"Actually," Levi replied, "I'm in Bakersfield, right now. I'm looking for Furlan Church, but I'm having trouble finding him. Would you happen to know where he is? He's not answering my calls."
"Furlan, eh?" Zackly replied, then sighed. "Well, he's taken a few holidays this month. He's been taking care of Magnolia, so he's probably at the hospital-"
"She's been going to the hospital?" Levi repeated in disbelief. "God, she's that bad and they didn't even tell me?" He frowned.
There was a pause from Zackly's end of the line as he realized he had given Levi more information than he knew. As a journalist, this was a horrifying mistake. Zackly sighed heavily. "Levi," he sighed his name. "This is something you should hear from them."
Levi leaned forwards so that his elbows rested on his knees and his head rested in his hands. He nodded but said nothing. He knew Zackly couldn't see him nodding, but it was hard to form words when he felt numb.
"Go to the hospital. If they aren't there, then they are likely at Isabella's." Zackly continued. "And for the love of god, boy. Come visit us at the office before we all go on holiday. It would be nice to see you after so long."
Levi nodded once again. He managed to stammer out a "th-thank you, boss," before he hung up the phone.
Erwin rubbed his back and watched him with concern. This didn't appear to be the sound reaction of someone whose close friends had remained close to him after his sudden move several states over. It was a reaction of fear and confusion, which was understandable given his friend's illness, but there was no hope or fondness in Levi's reactions. There was a hollow emptiness in Levi's reactions that made Erwin suspect more and more that the last interaction he had with his friends had been negative.
"What did he say?" He politely asked his boyfriend. He was seated closely beside Levi, so he had heard Zackly mention the hospital. But he wanted to give Levi the chance to process this information alone and not have his boyfriend hovering about the entire time.
"He said that we might be able to find them at the hospital," Levi replied, then sniffed. He quickly ran the back of his hand against his cheeks to catch any tears that may have escaped from his eyes. He disliked crying, and he hadn't expected it to be one of his reactions when hearing about the hospital, but he understood why he was crying.
Levi felt as though he were already grieving. Isabella may not be so ill that she was terminal, but he didn't know that for. He was worried about her, but he was also worried about why he wasn't kept informed. He was closer to her than Furlan had been, so it bothered him that they both decided to keep information about her illness from him when she could possible die. It was as if they were punishing him for moving to Indiana or that they were choosing to leave him behind.
Erwin watched Levi with heaviness in his heart. He placed his arm around Levi's shoulders and then gently guided the smaller man into a hug.
Levi took the opportunity to safely break down against his boyfriend. He made a single, choked sob, then let a few tears fall.
"Shh," Erwin whispered, soothing Levi as he rubbed his back. "Let's go to the hospital then," he encouraged. "They'll be happy to see you, Levi."
Levi nodded. He wasn't entirely sure if they would be glad to see him, but he knew that he would be glad to see them.
Even though Erwin drove the speed limit and took his time to find it, it was a quick drive to the hospital. He parked the car in the visitor's lot and paid the parking on his credit card before he took Levi's hand and led him into the enormous building. They headed to the information desk, then asked the nurse there where they could find a patient named Isabella Magnolia.
Levi held his breath. This was how he would find out what his sister was afflicted with. It was a punch to the gut to think that if Erwin hadn't flown him out to California, his friends wouldn't have shared this information with him. His boyfriend, who they ridiculed, and a stranger were going to help him discover why his sister was in the hospital.
"She's in the NICU. Room 34-40" The nurse informed them, then provided them with instructions for how to find her room.
Erwin held Levi's hand the entire time, feeling every tremble and every chill his lover felt. He knew it wasn't easy to be here and learn all this without any support, and he himself knew what it was like to be in a hospital without any support at all. The feeling was all-too-familiar, reminding Erwin of when he had lost his father. His ex-girlfriend had visited a few times, but she never stayed to hold his hand through the difficult news. Erwin didn't take that for granted when it came to Levi. Levi had held his hand through difficult times even since they gotten together last December. He planned to stay and hold Levi's hand, even if it meant flying around the world with him.
Levi, who was usually so independent, had wrapped his arm around Erwin's, linking them so that they stood closely together. They made their to elevator and took it to the third floor, before finding the non-intensive care unit and asking the nurses at their station were room 34-40 was.
A nurse had asked them for information about who they were and who they were here to see. Levi informed them that he was Isabella's step-brother and had brought his boyfriend with him to visit when he heard that she was sick.
The nurse nodded and gave them a sympathetic smile. "I'll contact a doctor to come and talk to you," she informed them. "You must have many questions."
"Loads." Levi replied with a sigh. He didn't want to tell the entire hospital that Furlan had kept him out of the loop, so he thanked the nurse and turned to Erwin. He squeezed Erwin's arm and looked up at him with anticipation.
"They didn't support the move, did they?" Erwin asked, his voice low and matter-of-fact. He didn't seem to take personal offence at it. Instead, he sound understanding.
"No," Levi confessed, then sighed. "They told me not to move. And that you were a fling." He closed his eyes and looked upwards, willing himself not to cry in front of all the doctors, nurses, and patients of the NICU. "They wanted me to stay and work things out with Flagon."
Erwin scoffed as he heard Flagon's name. The man had nearly cost him his relationship with Levi last year. And from what he gathered, Levi's ex-boyfriend was too immature and selfish to understand how to properly be in a relationship. It was insulting to him to hear that Levi's friends would support him in a relationship that was so toxic rather than have him move to Indiana, where he was genuinely happy.
"Whatever they think, we'll handle it together." Erwin replied, reaching out to tuck a lock of Levi's dark hair behind his ear. "Okay?"
Levi nodded, then sniffed. He buried his emotions deep inside himself, something that he was good at doing. His face was a well-composed mask. He squeezed Erwin's hand, knowing that he couldn't hide the emotion he felt from Erwin; the man was always able to read it in his eyes. Yet, he was composed enough to finally see his friends again.
Erwin led Levi to room 34-40. The door was ajar, so they pushed it open and entered.
Isabella was a small woman, similar to Levi's body. Her short stature and slim build made her look comical in the large hospital bed. She had vivid red hair that was cut to her collarbones and styled in two pigtails, and her mouth dropped open as she recognized Levi.
Levi immediately noticed that Isabella's bright green eyes seemed to pop from her face as they widened. It was her skin tone that he was immediately disturbed by, as it tainted yellow in colour.
Furlan had been standing beside Isabella's bed, laughing with her about something when Levi and Erwin entered. In contrast to Levi and Isabella, Furlan was a tall man. He had dirty blonde hair that hung around his face in three sharp points, and his sharp silver eyes narrowed as he saw Levi.
"What happened, Bella?" Levi gasped, breaking the uncomfortable silence that descended around them. "I heard you were sick. I-"
Levi said nothing more, coming over to stand at her bedside, opposite to Furlan. He hadn't let go of Erwin, so the blonde came along with him to stand at his side.
"I- I am." Isabella replied, her voice soft and sweet. She sounded apologetic. "But you didn't need to come, Levi. It's nothing that they can't fix."
"You're yellow." Levi stated flatly, as if this were something he couldn't believe. "Yellow, Bells. That's… that's something to be worried about."
Isabella giggled. "I know," She replied. "It is pretty cool though. I look like one of the Simpsons."
Furlan snorted at her reply and placed a hand over her's.
Levi frowned. "It isn't funny." He stated, glaring at Furlan. "And it isn't cool. You are sick. I get it's scary, but it's not something to just say they can fix."
Furlan frowned now. His silver eyes held Levi's. "And you think you have any right to just come back here and take charge?" He asked, his voice stern and quiet. "What gives you the right to come all the way back here from god-knows-where and lecture us on Bella's illness?"
Levi's eyes narrowed and he let out his breath with a huff of disbelief. "I'm her step-brother." He stated, as if this was a fact that should be obvious. "My uncle legally adopted her. We took her in. She's my family. Who the fuck are you to tell me that I have no right to care about her? To tell me I have no right to come and help her when she needs it?"
Erwin squeezed Levi's hand, trying to calm his boyfriend down. There was more tension between him and his friends than Erwin had anticipated.
"Look," he interjected. "We're all here because we're worried about Isabella. Arguing about who has the right to worry about her isn't what she needs right now."
"And who are you, the man he left the state for?" Furlan replied, his question full of venom.
"Yes." Erwin stated firmly, intending to shut down all discussion of his and Levi's relationship. "I am the man he wrote the Christmas article because of. The one he left the state for. The one he's living with right now. And the one he's in a very happy relationship with. I'm that guy. My name is Erwin Smith," He held a hand out to Furlan, "And I am a pharmacist. I live and work in the town of Santa Claus, Indiana. I was born there, I was raised there. And I am in love with your friend, Levi. Who the fuck are you?"
Furlan's face drained of all colour at Erwin's sharp tone. Each sentence the blonde spoke was another jab that he couldn't counter. He sharply inhaled, then glared at Levi. "You're gonna let your boy-toy speak to me that way?" He asked.
"You started it." Levi replied sharply. "I am happy. I am happy with Erwin. And you can't just… try and be happy for me. You would have known him if you gave him a chance. He tried to talk to you on the phone. We invited out. We even offered to pay for your plane tickets. You didn't want to get to know him. So really, he has every right to ask you who in the fuck you are, because you never gave him a chance to learn."
Isabella held her breath. She watched them all fight over her, feeling anxious as she heard the two sides. She had been upset with Levi when he returned in January and given her his apartment to sub-lease, only to leave the state. But hearing that he was happy now made her own feelings seem twisted and selfish.
"I'm sorry, Levi." She began, filling the tense silence with her own soft voice. "We were so upset when you left that we… we took it out on you. And on Erwin. And it wasn't right. And then when I got sick in August, we didn't know how to tell you because we were the ones to distance ourselves first. You did what you could to fill the distance. And we never met halfway." She lifted her free hand and dropped it, wanting to hold Levi's but not being able to reach it.
Levi immediately put his hand on top of her's. He squeezed her hand and his expression softened. "I still care." He replied, his voice wavering with emotion. "I mean, I would have been here in August if I knew that you were so bad, Bella."
Furlan bit his lower lip, not sure what to say. He didn't appear to be as apologetic as Isabella about how he reacted to Levi's departure, and he was still defensive towards Erwin.
Erwin was silent as well. He held Levi's hand and hovered protectively, but he offered a kind smile to Isabella. He was genuinely glad to see them patch up their friendship and talk things out, even though Furlan didn't appear ready to.
"More friends have arrived, I see." An unfamiliar voice cut into their conversation. "Hello, I am Doctor Reiss, Bella's under my care. Do you have any questions for me? The nurse mentioned that you may have some."
Levi turned to speak to the doctor. He had shoulder-length silver hair and bright purple eyes. "Uri!" He greeted him, then left Erwin's side to hug the doctor.
Uri chuckled and hugged Levi, then let him go.
"I am so glad that you are taking care of her," Levi informed him, then took Erwin's hand again. "I'm here with my boyfriend, Erwin." He motioned to the blonde. Then he looked to Erwin. "Doctor Reiss looked after my uncle for a time."
"I did. I am sorry for your loss, Levi. It's been a hard year for your family." The doctor nodded.
Levi said nothing. He reached out with his free hand to squeeze Bella's hand instead.
"What is wrong with her, doctor?" Levi asked.
"Same as why I saw your uncle, Levi." Doctor Reiss explained in a gentle tone. "Isabella has liver failure. Unfortunately, we have exhausted all our options. She is going to need a transplant."
Levi squeezed Isabella's hand as he finally heard the diagnosis. "So she's on dialysis?" He asked.
"Three times a week." Doctor Reiss replied. "And she is doing well. But the sooner we find a donor, the better it will be."
"What caused this?" Levi asked, his voice shaky. "She was healthy. She was perfectly fine. She doesn't drink. She-"
Doctor Reiss held up a hand. "This is actually a complication. A side effect from another surgery-"
"Another surgery?" Levi repeated, then turned to Isabella. "Really? Why wasn't I informed of this?" He asked, his voice strained.
Erwin released Levi's hand in favour of wrapping his arms around Levi's shoulders from behind and holding him against his body. He wanted Levi to feel comforted, so he did the best he could to hold him together. It appeared to work. Levi's heavy breathing began to slow.
"Well," Doctor Reiss replied, "It was a simple operation, Levi. Isabella came into the ER a few months ago when her liver began to fail. It was a side effect of some strong pain medication she took after she had her wisdom teeth removed in August. Now I know your family and Isabella's birth parents all had some issues with alcohol and substance abuse. It is possible that her mother used during pregnancy and it affected her development. It wouldn't be possible for us to know if this is the case, or if she was just born with a weak liver. And it most likely would have happened at some point in her life. It's just a blessing that it was the pain medication that was just too much, because then we can catch it and she meets the requirements for the transplant list."
"So we're just waiting?" Levi asked, "That's all that we have left to do? Wait for a donor?"
Doctor Reiss nodded. "We've done all we can to save the liver and it's just too weak."
"I tried," Furlan spoke up then, his voice strained with worry. He had heard this information many times over, since he had taken Isabella into the ER in August when she began to vomiting, complaining of stomach pains, and having tremors. It disturbed him to hear it over and over, with no solution in sight. "I got tested to be a donor." He clarified, meeting Levi's eyes.
"What do you, tested to be a donor? You- you only have one liver." Levi replied, surprised by this information.
"Yes, but the liver is a remarkable organ, Levi." Doctor Reiss interjected. "A person could donate a part of their liver, and the liver would grow back into a full liver in both the donor and the recipient."
"Test me then." Levi replied sharply. "If I'm a match, I can donate."
"You would be willing to donate-" The doctor narrowed his purple eyes at Levi.
"Yes!" Levi replied, enthusiastically. "It would save her life!"
"It is a long recovery, Levi. You would need time off for at least a month, maybe two." Uri explained.
"I don't care," Levi replied. "I'll do whatever I can to help."
Uri nodded. "I'll have a nurse come by with some papers," He replied, "And then we'll set you up with the blood work."
Levi nodded. He wound an arm around Erwin's waist, cuddling close to him and burying half of his face into the taller man's chest.
"And how are you during all of this Isabella?" Doctor Reiss asked, stepping over to check on her vitals. "Still feeling alright on the medication? I understand you had trouble with the last dose."
"I'm fine," She replied, her voice sincere. "I'm happy Levi came to visit."
"I'm sure you are." Uri replied, then smiled at them all. "I'll come back to check on all of you again soon," he informed them, then left the room.
The two friends turned their attention to Isabella as soon as Uri left. They both held one of her hands each, looking down at her with concern. Erwin rubbed Levi's shoulder, supporting him as he supported her.
"It's kind of you to get tested," Furlan stated, breaking the silence that had descended around them. He looked up to meet Levi's eyes. "And I appreciate that you offer."
"What are you talking, Furlan?" Levi replied, his voice full of offence. "Isabella is my adopted sister. Are you seriously suggesting that I wouldn't consider donating to her?"
"It's just-"
"No, it's not just." Levi retorted, cutting him off. "You're treating me like I'm a completely different person just because I moved to Indiana. I'm sorry that I broke up with Flagon. I'm sorry that it just didn't work for me in Bakersfield. I'm sorry that my uncle died and none of you stepped up to support me! But I'm not sorry that I am happy, in Indiana, with Erwin! And you need to get over that! Isabella is my sister! No matter where I live on this planet!"
Levi turned on heel and stormed out of the room, angry at Furlan for suggesting otherwise.
Erwin glared at Furlan, then nodded and smiled kindly to Isabella, before he rushed after Levi.
He caught up with him easily, his long strides easily closing the distance between them. "Tea?" He asked, knowing that Levi enjoyed the beverage.
"Please." Levi replied. "I'm sorry. I want to be there for Bells, but I just can't stand Furlan judging me-"
"He's not over it," Erwin stated, then shrugged. "He's not over it and I think… I think it's because he was comfortable with you and Flagon, Levi. Everything was in it's little box and he felt safe."
"What?!" Levi gave Erwin a look of disbelief. They had walked to the elevator then, so he pressed the button to call it. "Things were awful! I was unhappy!"
"I know," Erwin replied, rubbing Levi's shoulder as they waited for the elevator to arrive. "But things were fine to Furlan. None of you had it easy, did you? With Isabella in foster care and your mother passing away. I imagine Furlan didn't have the easier life to fit in with you two."
Levi frowned, following Erwin's logic. The elevator arrived with a small ding to announce its arrival and then the tall metal doors opened. He entered them and Erwin followed, then he hit the button to go to the main floor.
Erwin pressed on in Levi's silence. "It doesn't make how he's treating you right. It isn't. But I think that's just how Furlan is coping with the situation. He leaned on you for a lot of things, didn't he? Viewed you as the leader of the group?"
Levi nodded, letting Erwin break him down.
"And then you changed. Piece by piece. You lost your uncle and were grieving. You broke up with Furlan. Then you left the state. It was too much for him."
Levi turned to face Erwin and looked up at him, his eyes full of defiance. He appeared to want to say something to Erwin, but then he decided otherwise. "He needs to realize that I can't be his anchor, Erwin." He said instead, "And I tried to stay connected. You saw how much I tried."
Erwin wrapped his arms around Levi, hugging him tightly. He wanted to ask what it was that Levi had decided not to say, but in this moment he knew that his boyfriend's emotions were fragile and prying wouldn't be supportive. "I know," he replied instead. "I know."
The elevator reached the main floor and the two men pulled apart and headed out, quickly stepping around the few men and women that were waiting for the elevator to go up and visit their loved ones or make their own appointments.
Levi headed towards the cafeteria, wanting to get away from Furlan for a little bit, but wanting to remain close by for Bella. "I just hope I'm a match for Bella." He continued, ending the conversation on Furlan.
"I do too," Erwin agreed, following Levi's lead on the conversation and trying to cheer him up. "It would make this my first Christmas in Bakersfield."