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 3: DECEMBER 16th

Levi and Erwin had spent the night at the hospital. After they had eaten at the hospital cafeteria, Levi wanted to return to Isabella's room. He wanted to stay close to her, and since this was where she was, this was where they would stay too. She had been fortunate enough to be given her own small room, so while the four of them in the room was quite crowded, they did the best they could so that Erwin, Levi, and Furlan could all stay.

The night passed without incident. Levi had slept cuddled up in Erwin's arms and Erwin had slept on the chair in the corner. Furlan had gone home that night to clean up and give Levi and Isabella some time alone. Erwin noticed that Furlan didn't speak to him, and that he only spoke to Levi if he absolutely had to.

Isabella had commented on this as soon as Furlan had left, having noticed the tension. "I think it's just because he's close to Flagon," she tried to reason, but Levi shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it." He mumbled, "I want to talk about you."

Isabella had been more than happy to change the subject. She informed them that she wanted to take them up on the offer to visit Indiana in the summer time, but she had finally gotten a promotion at the station and didn't want to start her new position with a leave. That was at the start of summer, and also happened to be when her headaches began. What started as a routine check up at the doctor's turned into a dentist's visit, then a specialist's, then a 'minor surgery.' Before she knew it, her liver was failing, she required dialysis, and Furlan was fussing over her every day.

"He broke up with his girlfriend," She informed Levi. "So, he's been here every day. At every appointment."

"The one from Alaska?" Levi asked, then waved a hand at Erwin from across the room. He had been standing in front of the window as he spoke to Bella. "Long story. He spent Christmas with her last year."

Erwin nodded, trying to follow along. It was important to him to be involved in the lives of Levi's friends, especially since Levi had put such an effort into being involved with his.

"Yeah. She came to stay with him for a bit in the summer. Right around the time I got promoted." Isabella nodded. "But she left early because he broke up with her. Said things just weren't working out. I mean, it's been a great help that he's able to help me, but I'm worried for him after his breakup."

"That's shitty," Levi replied, bowing his head. "He was with her for two years. I really thought she was the one."

"So did I," Isabella replied. "Guess not though."

"Does he talk about it?" Erwin asked, then reconsidered asking his question as the room fell quiet and Levi and Isabella looked at him with astonished expressions. "I just… well, I was wondering, if he spoke to either of you about it. Like, why… would it not… be working out?" He asked, hesitating to explain his thoughts.

To Erwin's surprise, Isabella and Levi both began to laugh out loud. He wasn't sure why they were laughing, just that they found his question comical.

"I like him," Isabella told Levi, pointing at Erwin.

Erwin blushed, feeling the tips of his ears heat with blood. He wasn't sure what it was he said to receive Isabella's approval, but he was grateful that he got it.

Levi came over to sit in Erwin's lap, then yawned behind his hands.

"No, he never speaks about it." Isabella replied, turning on her side to face them as she lay in bed. She made a face about the abdominal pain, then waved a hand for Levi to stay where he was. "He gets angry if I try to bring it up. Says that it's not important or that I shouldn't worry about it."

Levi nodded. He glanced to Erwin, wondering if this was something that would explain Furlan's behaviour towards him.

Erwin shook his head, then shrugged.

Isabella had yawned at that point, making it clear they were all going to sleep soon. And so Furlan had arrived in the morning to find Levi curled up on Erwin's lap, both in the chair in the corner, and Isabella asleep in bed. He sighed and took the other chair in the opposite corner, staying close to Isabella and far away from Levi.

The morning nurse had come by after they had woke up to take Isabella's vitals and then spoke to Levi about the risks of surgery if he were to be found a donor. Levi and Erwin had no questions, so the nurse then took Levi for the tests. Erwin had gone with him, standing across the room from him as they poked his arm with a needle and drew some blood.

"How long before we know the results?" Levi asked, eager to find out if he could help Bella skip the long wait on the donor list.

"Well, it can take a few days." The nurse had replied, "But we'll inform you as soon as we know."

Levi nodded, understanding the tests would take time.

"She has time," Erwin comforted him, rubbing his shoulder as he led him back to the cafeteria. They went for breakfast then, needing to take care of themselves, and then they headed back to Isabella's room.

Isabella was glad to see them and spent the day talking to them about Indiana. She hadn't travelled much, besides visiting Ireland several times to see her extended family there, so she offered whatever stories she could about them in exchange for any stories Erwin had. Erwin found her stories of staying in medieval cottages interesting, so he tried to get her to tell him as much details as she could. Levi had heard most of these before, but he was happy to see his boyfriend and his sister getting along so he didn't interrupt.

The day passed without any news. Isabella gave Levi and Erwin the key to her and Levi's apartment, and they left in the afternoon to clean up. They returned in the evening, wanting to spend as much time with Isabella as possible, then stayed the night again.

Furlan had taken to avoiding them altogether. It was hard to ignore the fact that shortly after Levi entered the room, Furlan would leave it. He didn't enter again until after Levi had left. It wasn't that he was holding Levi to spending time away from his sister, it was just that he avoided being with Isabella when Levi was there.

Levi was confused by Furlan's actions, but he wasn't the only one. Erwin and Isabella both agreed that it was strange. Even Mike had commented that it was bizarre when Erwin and Levi spoke to him over the phone. They had called him while at Isabella and Levi's apartment for the second evening of their visit. Erwin was glad to speak to his friend about how strange everything was while Levi was in the shower, and Levi was glad to speak to Mike as Erwin explored the apartment's view and layout, amused by how Levi had lived while in California.

Erwin still hadn't adjusted to the idea of Christmas in a sunny place. The weather had continued to be bright and warm, and Erwin was surprised to see things like red gift bows, Christmas trees, and pine garlands popping up throughout the hospital. Outside, people had decorated palm trees with multicoloured lights and some storefronts had painted their windows with cheerfully animated summer items wearing Christmas hats. There was also the occasional Christmas cactus and even some holiday themes that leaned towards the idea of Saint Nick and the North Pole, but it all seemed so strange for Erwin to see. Despite growing up in a town called Santa Claus, where the jolly man in red could be seen year round, it still felt like there were celebrating Christmas in the middle of July.

Levi found Erwin's reactions to be amusing and welcomed them as a distraction whenever possible. He tried to spend as much time with Isabella at the hospital as possible, but his anticipation was easy to detect. Each time a nurse entered, he would look hopefully to their hands, hoping that he would see a file folder in it. He was eager to have his liver confirmed a match for Isabella, so that they could perform the surgery and get her home.

"I want you to spend Christmas in your own place, Bella." Levi had told her. He had started to decorate the apartment for a few minutes every night Erwin and him went there to freshen up from the hospital. "I want you to be able to enjoy the holidays, and the rest of your life, in the comfort of your own home."

Bella remained positive throughout the days after Levi's test. "They're taking their time, which is a good things," she would remind him whenever he grew impatient. "Maybe it means that they're booking an OR?" She suggested, hoping it called Levi down.

The third day after Levi's test, and the fourth day that Erwin and him had been in Bakersfield was a day that Isabella had dialysis. Levi wanted to go with her, but the nurse didn't allow him.

"We only have so many machines and so much room," He explained to Levi. "But she'll be monitored the entire time. We'll take good of your sister, don't worry."

Levi sighed. Since Isabella wouldn't be in her room, he figured that it would be best to get out of the hospital for a bit. He held Erwin's hand as they walked to the car, hoping that they would get the news from the hospital about his liver soon.

"Where would you like to go?" Erwin asked him, trying to distract him from the stress he felt.

"I don't… you know, I don't really know." Levi replied, stopping to stand beside the passenger door of the car. He realized that he had no plans other than seeing his friends while in California. "It's funny. You would think that after all this time away, I would have a million places I wanted to revisit." He chuckled softly, amused by the irony.

"Well, maybe you could show me where you worked?" Erwin replied with a shrug. He opened the car door for Levi and smiled at him brightly. "Where it all started for you, being sent to Indiana."

Levi snorted with amusement. "Sure, why not?" He replied. "Zackly invited me to visit before the holiday closure so I might as well take him up on it."

Erwin nodded and then leaned into the car to kiss Levi's cheek. "Sounds good," he replied.

He walked around the car, slipped inside, and turned the ignition on. Levi punched the address into the GPS on the rented Civic's dashboard, then called his former boss to let him know he was dropping by.

Zackly was overjoyed to hear that Levi was going to visit and arranged to meet with Levi and Erwin, so he was waiting for them in the front entrance when they arrived. He hadn't seemed to change from the previous year, remaining the large, grey-haired, spectacled man that he was known as. The only difference was that the grey in his beard had turned to a fine silver, with some mixed strands of white.

"Ackerman," He greeted Levi, holding out a hand to shake. He extended his hand to Erwin as well. "And you must be the man that stole him away to Indiana."

"Erwin Smith, yes." Erwin confirmed with a grin. He didn't want to admit it, but he was liking all the attention he received for being known as 'the man that stole Levi away.' It made him feel proud to not only be the man that Levi fell in love with, but to hear about how loved and appreciated his boyfriend was, as many of the people saying this truly missed him in Bakersfield.

"Lovely to finally meet you," Zackly replied, "Although, I do not appreciate you stealing away one of my best journalists." He teased. Zackly seemed to be in good spirits, most likely since the holidays were around the corner and he was able to take an extended vacation, as he did every year.

"Understandable, sir." Erwin replied with a smile. "But I can't say I regret that."

The two men laughed. Levi blushed and found the entire interaction between Zackly and Erwin rather formal. It was a surprise to him that he found himself comparing Zackly to a fatherly figure. He assumed the awkwardness he felt would be the same as if Erwin had met his father, or in case, his uncle. He wasn't sure if this was something that Zackly intended to cause, knowing that Levi had no father figure that was alive for Erwin to meet, or if his former boss had just felt somehow responsible for their relationship.

Zackly insisted having lunch with them, so they headed across the street to a small sushi restaurant. They made small talk about Indiana for a time, and then Levi decided to steer the conversation back to Bakersfield and Isabella.

"She told me she got a promotion just before this all started to happen, the medical issues." He began.

"Yeah, I gave her your old job." Zackly chuckled, taking a sip of his diet Cola. "She's young, eager. Not tied down yet with any boyfriends or pets. And she's a good writer. I needed a field reporter I could count on, and she's certainly the one."

Levi beamed at Zackly's praise of his sister, glad to hear that she had filled in his position. He knew that she would have been excited, and while he was proud of her, he wondered why she didn't call him and inform him of her promotion right away.

"She worked the job for three weeks, and then she started having these headaches. It moved so quickly after that, the wisdom teeth, then the pain killers. She was admitted in August, but she was in and out for some months." Zackly waved a hand as he spoke, confirming what Bella and Uri had told Levi at the hospital.

"And Furlan?" Levi asked, trying to approach the topic from a different angle. This was the information he wanted to find out from Zackly.

"Furlan?" Zackly repeated, then blew out his cheeks. "Furlan's been… a big support for Bella." He nodded. "Big support. I mean, he took a lot of days off for her appointments. Been there, every step of the way. He comes in to work everyday, but he adjusted his schedule so he can see her every morning."

Erwin nodded, following along with Zackly's explanation. "Sounds dedicated," he commented, choosing his words with care.

Levi glanced at Erwin, trying to read the expression on his face. The blonde appeared to be considering something, but Levi wasn't able to discern what.

"Mighty at that," Zackly agreed. "Mighty at that."

"Something doesn't add up," Levi told Erwin, gazing at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. They had returned to the apartment to freshen up after having lunch with Zackly and planned to head back to the hospital afterwards. It had been five days since Erwin and Levi had slept in a bed, having slept curled up together in the chair beside Bella's bed since they arrived.

"What do you mean?" Erwin asked, stepping out of the shower. His soft blonde locks were wet and hung messily in his face.

"With Furlan," Levi mumbled. "Something doesn't add up," he repeated.

"He likes her," Erwin stated, as if this were obvious. "I just can't seem to find out why that means he has to dislike you."

Levi turned to look at Erwin, raising a thin eyebrow in objection. "What makes you say that?" He asked, confused by how confidently Erwin had stated it.

"Levi, he's there every day for her and she's not his girlfriend." Erwin chuckled, as if this made it obvious. "She's not his sister. I mean, I get that you were all close before, but he dumped his girlfriend without any reason. Sure, they may have not been working out, but don't you find it odd? He never talks about ending a two-year relationship with his best friends since… what, you guys were teenagers when you met?"

Levi bit his lower lip, trying to follow Erwin's logic. He had to admit it was convincing. He nodded, then resumed drying his hair.

"They would be the first people I turn to if that happened." Levi admitted. "But Bella had just gotten sick."

"And maybe that's why he didn't tell her he's in love with her?" Erwin shrugged, taking another towel off the counter and beginning to dry his hair with it. "Or maybe he doesn't want to tell you that he likes her, since you're her brother and all. It might make things weird between all of you, and he might not be ready to handle that."

"Well, he's making it weird already!" Levi laughed, then sighed. "It makes sense, what you're saying. I just… It's so hard to think that he's willing to fuck up everything just to bury his feelings for her."

"Maybe he's hoping that she'll notice him when this is all over?" Erwin suggested in a tone of uncertainty. "I mean, he probably doesn't want her to think that she's a rebound after his break up. Or that she should be pressured to give him an answer while her liver is failing. Regardless of the reason, he's dedicated." Erwin's voice changed pitch towards the end, becoming a lower, quieter statement, as if there was something else on his mind.

Levi met Erwin's eyes in the reflection of the mirror, picking up on the distracted tone of his voice. He held his gaze for a moment, letting Erwin know he noticed, before he dropped his towel into the laundry hamper and left the bathroom.