Archive of Our Own ^beta

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It happened in a split second. One second Levi was reaching for something in the back, Nico smiling at him. The next: Nico’s head was throbbing, probably from smacking into the steering wheel. With a groan, he lifted his head off the steering wheel. He reached a hand up and felt his forehead. The wetness surprised him. He pulled his hand down and looked at his fingers that were red. He sighed and looked out the windshield. He felt his heart stop. “Oh, my god!” He exclaimed, trying to unbuckle his seat belt. Levi was on the hood of the car lying on his stomach. He started panicking when he couldn’t get it to unbuckle. “Levi! Levi!” He yelled still trying to unbuckle. “Levi!” He cried out. Nico looked around and started to reach into the glove box. He pulled out a pocket knife and started sawing at the seat belt until it finally broke apart. Nico got it off him and went to open his door only to find it was stuck. “No! No! Just-just hang on, love!” He yelled to Levi who still had yet to move or speak. “Come on!” He tried to push the door, but still failed to open it. He looked up and saw that there was a tree blocking his door. He sighed in defeat and reached for his phone. He dialed the number.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergen-”

“I’ve been in a car accident, my fiancé was thrown from the car and his unresponsive and I can’t get out. My door is jammed. I-I-I can’t hel-”

“Sir, I’m gonna need you to calm down. Can you tell me your name and the name of your fiancé.”

“I’m Nico Kim and he’s Levi Schmitt. I-I hit a tree and spun out. He’s-he’s unresponsive and-and I think he’s unconscious. Oh, my god. I-I think he’s dead.” A sob escaped Nico’s mouth. 

“Mr. Kim, I need you to calm down, okay? Breath with me. In,” they took a deep breath in. “Out.” They blew the air out. “Very good. Now, can you tell me where you are?” Nico looked around. He saw trees and road. He couldn’t find a sign. 

“N-no.” He sputtered out. “Can-can you bing my location off of my phone?” 

“I can.” There was a pause before the operator spoke again. “I’ve sent fire and rescue, they should be there wit-” The line went silent.

“Hello? Hello?” He pulled his phone from his ear and saw the charging simple pop up. “Shit.” He muttered. He turned his attention to Levi. “Levi, can you hear me? Levi?” He called him. Nico looked around and decided the best option he had right now was to climb into the passenger seat and try that door. That’s what he did. The door failed to open, but there was no tree. Nico paused for a second before grabbing the headrest from the passenger seat and taking the metal rods and smashing them into the window. He watched as it shattered. He climbed out through the window and raced to Levi. “Levi.” He whispered, feeling for a pulse. He almost cried when he felt it. It was weak, but it was there and that was enough. “You’re gonna be okay, Levi, I promise.” He bent down and kissed Levi’s forehead. A sob escaped his mouth. He held his forehead against Levi’s. “Just stay with me, okay? Just stay with me, please.” He grabbed his hand. “Just stay with me, okay?” He could hear the sirens in the distance. “See, they’re coming. You’re gonna be okay. Just keep breathing.” Nico started petting his hair as the sirens started to get louder. Eventually the fire truck and ambulance both were in sight. The fire truck stopped behind Nico’s car while the ambulance moved closer to the car. Nico looked over and saw Ben and Andy jump out. As two paramedics jumped out of the ambulance.

“Doctor Kim?” Andy asked, as her and Ben raced over to the duo. “What happen-”

“Is that Schmitt?” Ben asked, staring down at the surgical resident. He stood, frozen, over him.

“Warren, move so we can get the kid. Herrera, look after him.” One of the paramedics, Nico recognized as Stephanie, demanded. Andy nodded and walked over to Nico. He watched as the paramedics began their work on Levi. Nico stood and watched, numbly. He could hear Andy talking to him.

“Um, I’m sorry, what?” He asked, looking at her. 

“I asked what happened. How did you crash, Doctor Kim?” Nico thought for a moment. He looked at the ground as the thoughts came to him. 

“Herrera, Warren, let’s go!” Stephanie shouted to them. Levi was in a gurney. When Nico saw his body he felt the wind get knocked out of him. “Doctor Kim, get in the ambulance.” She ordered, Nico climbed into the ambulance after Stephanie. 

The ride to Grey-Sloan was bumpy and felt like it would never end. Levi’s stats were low and he was barely breathing. His torso and arms were messed up and his left leg was destroyed. Nico kept staring at it wondering if Link was gonna be able to save it. Oh, he thought. Link isn’t there. He’s out of the country… I’m head of ortho until he gets back. A sob escaped his mouth. Stephanie put her hand on his leg. The ambulance doors were thrown open.

“Twenty-nine year old male, was thrown from a car. He was found unconscious at the scene. His BP keeps rising and falling. Possible femur fracture.” Bailey and Meredith were the first two doctors at the scene. Stephanie took a deep breath. “It’s Schmitt.”

“What?” Both Meredith and Bailey exclaimed looking down at the familiar face.

Bailey sighed. “Okay, okay.” She muttered to herself. Two residents and Owen came out to the ambulance. “That leg looks nasty. Let’s page head of ortho! Get him in trauma one!” Bailey called, leaving with Levi. Meredith right behind her until Nico exited the ambulance.

“I'm head of ortho.” 

“Doctor Kim?” Meredith asked, walking over to him. “What happened?” Nico stared at the doors. “You know what? I’ll page Amelia and we can get her to look at that nasty cut. Let’s go inside.” Nico nodded, numbly, following behind Meredith. She sat him down in a chair in the E.R. She sat next to him and gave him a smile. 

“Doctor Grey!” Bailey yelled, walking over to the duo. “I need an orthopedic surgeon. Kim, let’s-”

“I-I-I can’t. It’s Levi. I can’t operate on family.” Nico replied, looking at his shaking hands. Bailey and Meredith shared a look.

“Well, Kim, you’re gonna have to today because I don’t really have any other option.”

“Except we do.” Bailey looked at Meredith. “Let’s call Callie.” Meredith said. “She may be Schmitt’s best hope and she’s closer than Link since he’s over in England and he deserves the best. Callie is the best.” Bailey and Meredith exchanged looks before the chief sighed.

“Go! Make the call.” Meredith smiled and looked back at Nico before taking off. That’s when Amelia arrived. She narrowly missed getting run over by Meredith.

“Woah. Why’s she rus-”

“Doctor Shepherd,” Bailey started, “I need you to look at Doctor Kim’s head and then I need you to go into trauma one and look over Doctor Schmitt, okay?” Bailey barked. Amelia froze for a second before continuing. She grabbed gloves and made her way over to Nico and looked at his forehead.

“You have a small laceration. I’m not worried about it, but you’ll need stitches and a head CT. I’ll have a resident stitch you and once they’re done, you can go down to CT, okay?” Nico stared blankly past her. Amelia followed his gaze which led her eyes to trauma one. She could hear lots of shouting and she froze as she watched Meredith leave the room and collapse to the ground and cry. Amelia looked back at Nico who was also frozen. “I-I have to go look at him. I’m sorry, Doctor Kim.” Nico kept his eyes on Meredith. Amelia sighed and ripped off her gloves and grabbed a new pair before racing into the trauma room. “What happened?” She asked Owen.

“Him and Kim were in a car accident. I have no idea what happened. Did Kim talk to you?” Owen asked has he inserted a breathing tube. 

“No, but… he’s a mess. I know that much. He doesn’t even have anyone here. His family are all in New York and Link is in England and-” Amelia stopped talking when she looked down at Levi’s leg. “Oh, my god.” Bailey, Teddy, and Owen followed her gaze.

“Yeah. It’s pretty bad, but Meredith already called an Ortho Surgeon.” Bailey replied, reassuring Amelia.

“Did someone page Ortho?” A voice asked, entering the room. A tall man entered with a beaming smile. 

“Who the hell are you?” Amelia asked. The man chuckled as he started examining Levi’s leg. “I’m serious, who are you?” 

“I am an Orthopedic Surgeon and you are a Neurosurgeon.” Amelia, Owen, Bailey, and Teddy all shared a look. “This leg is nasty, but if we get him into the O.R. now I’m 87 percent sure I can save it. So, let’s pack it up, shall we?” 

Owen and Amelia had a silent conversation before he started speaking. “Okay, listen I don’t know who you are-”

“Doctor James Moser.”

“Whatever. Schmitt isn’t ready to go up into an O.R. I just now got him intubated. I nearly lost his airway. Doctor Altman needs to get an Echo and I’m sure Doctor Shepherd would like to get a head CT.”

“I would.” Amelia butted in. 

“Surgery can wait.” Owen went to move Levi’s bed, only to have James stop him.

“Listen, Doctor Hunt, you are a great surgeon and I am a great surgeon, but I am a great Orthopedic Surgeon and you are a great Trauma Surgeon. Now, I’m saying that Doctor Schmitt needs to be taken into surgery or he will lose that leg.”

“Yeah, which will be unnoticed if he dies from a brain bleed or needs heart surgery because his heart muscles were damaged!” Amelia exclaimed. “Get out of our way.” Bailey took a deep breath.

“Enough!” She shouted. “Schmitt is an incredible surgeon. He cannot be a surgeon if he is dead. He can, however, be a surgeon if he loses a leg. I’ve seen it done. Doctor Moser, I trust your judgement, but he needs an Echo and a head CT, so excuse us.” They pulled Levi’s bed out of the room and started to head to CT.

Meredith sat on the floor, crying. She covered her face with her hands when she saw Bailey, Teddy, Owen, and Amelia leave with Levi. A sob escaped her mouth. “Oh, my god.” She cried. “Not again. I can’t-I can’t do this again! I can’t lose another person I love, please!” She cried, getting louder with each word.

“Meredith?” A voice sounded through her. She turned her head and saw Jo. Another sob escaped her mouth. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

“It-it’s Schmitt.” She sobbed out. “Him-him and Kim-they were-they were in a car accident.” Meredith heard Jo’s breath hitch. “Jo, I can’t lose another person that I love. I can’t!”

“Who’s he with, Mer?” Jo asked, guiding Meredith to sit down.

“Amelia, Teddy, Bailey, and Owen.”

“There you go, he’s in good hands. They’ll do everything they can to save him, okay?” Meredith shook her head.

“I-I called Callie. She said she’d find a way to get here within the day, but, Jo, what if-what if it’s not enough?” Jo pulled Meredith into a hug.

“Let’s not think about ‘what-ifs’.”

Nico felt numb while the resident stitched his head up. “All done. Looks good, I think.” Nico looked at her and stood up. “Doctor Kim?” She called. He ignored and started to wander around the hospital. The crash came back to him.

“Is that your phone?” Nico asked, looking at his boyfriend. Levi sighed and nodded. “Who is it?” He asked, his lips twitching into a smile.

“My phone’s in the back seat.” Levi stated rummaging through a bag in his lap. Nico looked at him for a second before looking back at the road.

“You should check to see who it is.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing.”

"Fine.” Levi sighed and undid his seat belt. Nico watched him as he reached into the back to grab his phone. Nico’s smile softened. That’s when he heard the loud honk. His eyes turned back to the road and he swerved out of the way of a truck and the car spun out. Once he was able to gain control, it was too late.

“...Kim?” His name brought him out of his trance. He ended up walking to the O,R. floor.He walked down the corridor until he saw Bailey and Owen working on a patient. Amelia looked like she was in the middle of doing a CT. Checking for brain injuries, of course. Classic Amelia.   “Doctor Kim?” One of the scrub nurses asked. “Are you alright? Maybe you should sit.” She reached out to grab him and he moved out of her way.

“I overheard Hunt tell another doctor that Levi couldn’t be taken in surgery.” Nico said, numbly

The nurse followed his gaze. “Oh.” She muttered. “Yeah, Schmitt started seizing and blood started to come out into his urine drain so they made the decision to get the CT in the O.R.” Nico nodded. “Doctor Kim, you really should sit.” She reached out for him. “Please.” He shrugged her off of him. He heard her talking to another nurse before she walked away. He reached for the door handle only to have a hand grab his.

“You don’t wanna do that.” The familiar voice said. Nico followed the hand and his eyes fell on the familiar face.

“Le-Levi.” He stuttered out. Levi smiled at him. “No, you’re in there.”

“Yeah, but you also hit your head pretty hard. You should probably get a CT.” Nico choked and stepped back. He fell against the wall and stared at Levi. “Wow. Look at them work. They’re great. It’s like watch-where’s Doctor Grey?” He asked, turning to Nico.

“I don’t know. She,” he swallowed, “she went to call an Ortho Surgeon who used to work here and then she stumbled out of your trauma room and basically looked like a mess.” Levi nodded and turned back to the O.R. “Levi, I-I’m sorry. I took my eyes off the road-”

“For one second?” Levi was facing Nico again. “Isn’t that all it takes? One second. How many patients do we see in a day from distracted driving. I mean, really, Nico.” Levi shook his head. “And all because you wanted me to see that Link picked the wedding venue for us. He paid for it, too. Should that make it better?” Nico gaped.

“How do you-”

“Because I’m not stupid and you’re not subtle.” 

“Doctor Kim?” Nico turned his head and saw Richard. “Are you alright?” He turned his head back to where Levi was once standing only to find him gone. He turned back to Richard. “I just saw Meredith and Jo. They told me what happened. How about we take a walk?” Nico nodded and followed.

In the O.R, Amelia got the results from the CT. “Well, look at that. He has a brain bleed.” Groans erupted in the room. “Normally, I’d say we need to wait until we have the Echo to continue, but we don’t have much time. I mean,” a groan left her mouth, “he shouldn’t even be in surgery. Teddy,” she called gaining the other girl’s attention, “do you think you could do the Echo while I fix the bleed?”

“Yeah.”

“Awesome. Here’s to hoping his heart is fine ‘cause if not, we’re screwed.”

Meredith sat with Jo in the chief’s office. Jo was holding onto Meredith and rubbing her back as she sobbed into her shirt. The door opened and alerted the duo to another presence. Meredith lifted her head and let out a sob when she saw it was Nico and Richard.

“How is he?” Jo asked.

“I-I-”

“Yeah, how am I?” Levi’s voice taunted. “Tell her. Tell Doctor Meredith Grey that you probably killed her favorite resident.”

“We don’t know. He’s still in surgery.” Richard answered. “Nico, why don’t you take a seat next to Jo.” Nico nodded and sat next to Jo. The group sat in silence for a few minutes.

“It’s kinda stupid, but whenever something happened to my family, we’d all gather around, hold each other’s hands, and say the serenity prayer.” Nico said, wiping his eyes.

Richard nodded and spoke. “That’s not stupid at all, Doctor Kim. In fact, why don’t we do that?” Jo looked at Meredith and the duo stood up and were soon followed by Nico. They all took each other’s hands. Nico took a deep breath.

“God,” they started, “grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Meredith sighed and wiped her eyes.

“I should be in there with them.” 

“Meredith,” Jo started, “you just had a mental breakdown over this. It’s better if you stay here with us.” Meredith took a deep breath and sat back down. “Nico, you’re staying too.” Nico shook his head.

“No, I-I need to be there for him.” Levi smirked next to him.

“It’s kinda too late for that. Oh! Do you think I’ll get to keep my leg?”

“I have to go.” Nico muttered, walking away. Richard grabbed his arm to stop him. “Let me go, Doctor Webber.”

“You need to stay here.”

Nico saw red. He ripped Richard’s hand off of him and twisted until he heard a pop. He released his hand and continued leaving the room. He looked around and saw Owen running towards him.

“Kim, Schmitt just got out of surgery. Amelia fixed the brain bleed and thankfully his heart is fine. Do you know where Doctor Grey is? Amelia said she had a breakdown after leaving the trauma room.”

“She’s in there with Webber and Karev.” 

Owen nodded. “Schmitt’s in the Orthopedic ICU. Room: 5.” Owen headed into the office and Nico started to make his way to the ICU. He started off in a walk and then sprang into a run. When he got there Taryn and Casey were there holding his hands. 

“How is he?” Nico asked.

“Bailey and Major Hunt were able to fix most of his injuries, but his leg,” Casey paused as his eyes fell on the wound. “They’re waiting for Doctor Torres to get here before they go any further.” Taryn looked at Nico then looked back to Levi.

“Seems kinda surreal, right? I mean, you did this to their best friend. The person they’ve gone through their internship with and most of their residency with. You look like a real ass ri-”

“Can you just shut up!” He yelled, turning to where Levi was standing, behind him, only to find him gone.

“I’m sorry, Nico, this must be so hard for you.” Taryn replied. “Please, sit. He’d want you here.” She held out her hand and Nico was about to take it.

“Doctor Kim!” Bailey yelled, entering the room. “In. My. Office.” She gritted. Nico sighed and followed her. Taryn and Casey shared a look. Nico followed Bailey silently. He could hear her talking, but didn’t have the energy to respond. When they got to her office, she opened the door and pushed him in. “Is there a reason why Doctor Webber's shoulder is pulled from it’s socket, Doctor Kim?” She spat.

“Miranda, now, maybe you should cal-”

“No, Richard, he attacked you! Please tell me why, Doctor Kim.”

Nico looked around the room. Meredith and Jo were gone now, but Owen was still there. “He grabbed my arm and told me to stay, I can’t sit still when someone I love is hurt and it's because of me!” He started at a whisper and ended with yelling. “The man I love is lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life because of me! Because I took my eyes off the road! Because I wanted to surprise him with a wedding venue. Ugh! I'll never forgive myself!” Nico started sobbing. He collapsed on the floor. Bailey, Owen, and Richard shared a look. Bailey stepped forward and crouched down next to him.

“Doctor Kim, take my hand.” He lifted his head and looked at her hand. “Take my hand.” He did. She pulled him up. “Listen here, Doctor Kim, I will do everything I can to save him, because I also love him. More than a decade ago, I lost one of my favorite residents and Sch-Levi, Levi reminds me so much of him.”

“Who was he?”

“His name was George O’Malley and he was a great man.”

Meredith was running and Jo wasn’t far behind her. When Owen said Levi was out of surgery, she jumped up and started racing to see him. Orthopedic ICU. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5! She ran into the room and stopped when she saw him. Taryn and Casey were still there, holding his hands. She heard Jo come in behind her.

A sob escaped her mouth. “Levi.” She cried. She took a step and Casey moved out of the way so she could hold his hand. “I’m here. We’re gonna save you, I promise. I love you, Schmitt. Please, don’t die. You can’t be a great surgeon if you die.” She picked up his hand and gave it a small kiss. Jo placed a hand on her back.

“He won't die, Doctor Grey. Levi’s a fighter. He’s always been a fighter.” Taryn said. Meredith looked at her. 

“Um, I have a surgery. Jo,” she turned to the girl, “will you assist me. Parker, you too. Helm, stay with him.” Taryn nodded.

“Yeah, of course, Mer.” Jo replied, hugging her. “Come on, Parker.”

Casey nodded and watched them walk out of the room. “Keep me posted and page me if he wakes up.”

“Of course. Go.”

Taryn sat in the room for hours when the door opened again. She looked at the door and saw a tall woman with an ultrasound walk in. “Taryn Helm?” She asked. A male doctor came in and stood behind her. Taryn nodded. “Hi, I’m Callie Torres.” Callie held out her hand for Taryn to shake. She looked at her own hand and dropped Levi’s hand to shake Callie’s. “You can go. Get some food in you. I’ve got it from here.”

Taryn nodded and stood up. “Thank you, Doctor Torres.”

“Please, call me Callie.”

Taryn nodded and smiled before exiting the room.

“Doctor Torres, I think we can save the leg, but Schmitt needs-”

Callie turned to him. “I’m sorry, who are you?” She asked, turning the ultrasound on and spreading gel over Levi’s leg.

“I’m James Moser. I work here. I’m an Orthopedic Surgeon.” He answered. 

Callie started moving the wand up and down his leg. “Get out of here, Doctor Moser.”

“Excuse me?”

“You say you’re an Ortho surgeon, but you’re not a very good one because not only did you fail to see an infection spreading throughout his leg, but you also failed to get an ultrasound of his leg, which if you did you would have seen that there is no heartbeat. This leg is dead. So like I said, get out of here.” She stated, wiping the gel off his leg. James stood there. “Go!” This time she yelled. He nodded and walked out of the room. Callie looked down at Levi. She ran her fingers through his hair. “I can’t save your leg, Levi, but I can save you. I don’t know if you remember Arizona, Doctor Robbins, but she was talking about you while we were on our way. She remembers you when you were an intern. You saved a woman’s life by making yourself a human blood bank. I think that’s heroic and brave.” She smiled down at him. “I’m gonna go talk to Chief Bailey and let her know that I have to amputate.” She looked down at him before pushing the ultrasound off to the side and making her way to the door. She made her way out of the ICU and to the chief’s office. When she finally made it, she walked in without knocking and saw Meredith and Jo holding hands, Bailey sitting at her desk, and another man standing off into the corner. She closed the door and gained Bailey’s attention.

“Doctor Torres.” She rose out of her seat. Jo, Meredith, and the other man turned to face Callie. “Did you do a workup on Schmitt?” She asked.

“I did. The leg, it has no heartbeat and it’s growing an infection. I have to amputate.”

“That’s the only option?” The man asked.

“Who’s he?” Callie asked.

“I’m-”

“His name is Nico Kim. He’s also an Ortho Doctor and Schmitt’s his fiancé.” Meredith answered. “Before you amputate, you need his permission. He’s medical directive.”

Callie nodded and turned to Nico. “The infection is really bad and it’s spreading really fast. I’m worried that if I don’t amputate soon, it’ll kill him. I checked for a heartbeat and was unable to find one. I need to amputate, but I need your permission. You're orthopedic surgeon. You know how this ends if I don't amputate.”

Nico took a deep breath and slid down the wall. “Looks like I don’t get to keep my leg.” Levi snorted, looking at him. Nico stared at Callie.

“Do it. Cut it off. I can’t lose him.”

Callie nodded. "Callie!” Owen ran into the room followed by Teddy. “We need to get Schmitt into the O.R. now. I just got a page from Parker. He’s coding.”

“Okay. We’re amputating the leg. Nico, I promise I’ll do everything to save him.” Then her, Owen, and Teddy were gone. Bailey sat back down and Meredith released a sob.

“Maybe I’ll die.” Nico turned his head and looked at Levi. Nico turned his head in confusion before feeling his body fall to the ground.

“Nico!” He heard Jo yell before everything went black.

When he came to he was in the MRI machine and he was being pulled out. Amelia’s face was the one he saw when he was fully out of the machine. “Hey, look who’s finally awake.” She helped him sit up. “Can you tell me the year?” She asked. 

He thought for a moment. “2020.” He answered,

Amelia shined a light in his eyes. “Good. What month is it?”

“Uh, November.”

“Yep. Day?”

“Um, if it’s still the same day as I passed out, it’s the fourth.”

 “Good. And your name?”

“Nico Kim.”

“Squeeze my hands.” She held out her hands. He squeezed them. “Good. Your pupils are dilating slowly so I’m gonna say concussion. Your CT and MRI didn’t show any brain bleeds or anything I’d be worried about. You know what to do with a concussion, right?”

“Yeah.” Amelia gave him a smile and handed him back his phone. She started to make her way to the exit. He got off the table. He was still in the clothes he passed out in, which was good. “Um, Doctor Shepherd?” She turned to him. “How long was I out?” He asked.

“About an hour and a half.” Nico opened his mouth to speak. “No, he’s not out of surgery yet.” He closed his mouth and nodded. He watched Amelia walk out of the room and sighed. He made his way to the door and started wandering the hospital when his phone started to ring. I didn’t even charge it. I’ll have to thank Doctor Shepherd . He answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Nico! I never got a response from Levi. Is he upset with the venue?” Nico didn’t look at the name and wished he did. Link sounded so sad. 

Nico stood there and debated between telling him the truth or not. “No, he loved it.” He answered, faking a smile as tears pooled in his eyes. “He’s on Doctor Grey’s service today and she’s keeping him busy so he hasn’t had time to respond.” He chuckled.

“But, wait, I thought you guys had off today.”  

Shit. “We, uh, we did, but there was a major trauma that came through so we just decided to stay.” He heard Link hum.

“I taught you good.” Nico smiled. “Anyways, I gotta go, but in good news, I’m coming home tomorrow and so is the little baby. Oh, he’s so excited. He can’t wait to see his mommy and his uncle Nico.”

“Awesome. Listen, man, you take care, okay?”

“Yeah, you too and tell Levi to call me when he’s free. I’d really like to hear his thoughts on the venue. Alright, bye, Nico.”

“Bye.” Nico hung up and slumped against the wall, a sob left his mouth. His phone rang again and another sob left his mouth. He looked at the caller ID. Amelia Shepherd. He answered. “What?” He cried.

“Levi’s out of surgery, but, Nico-”

Nico hung up and started racing down the halls. He ran down the stairs and kept running until he ran through the doors that said Orthopedic ICU. He counted the room numbers and said a silent prayer that he was still in the same room. He barged into the room and saw Taryn, Casey, and Meredith sitting in the room. Levi was in the middle of the room, laying in the bed, but not intubated. Nico released a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he saw that. “How long has he been out?” He asked.

Meredith lifted her head. “Only a few minutes. Callie said he should wake up soon.” Casey and Taryn were each holding one of his hands. Nico sat down next to Taryn. She gave him a small smile. The group was sitting there for a few minutes when the door opened again. Nico looked and saw Amelia enter.

“Any changes?” She asked. Meredith answered with a monotone ‘no’. Amelia nodded. “Um, there’s a patient in the pit, who came in with head trauma, which one of you wanna come with me?” 

The room was silent for a minute before Casey spoke up. “I’ll go.” He said, standing up. 

“Alright, but I was actually thinking you could go assist Doctor Altman with another pit patient.” Casey nodded. “Helm, how ‘bout you come join me, yeah?” 

Taryn looked at her, looked at Levi, back to Amelia, and then Levi again. She sighed and nodded. “Okay, I could use the distraction.” She kissed Levi’s hand and stood up.

“Meredith,” Amelia started, getting the girl to look at her, “Owen also asked me to grab you.” Meredith cocked her head in confusion. Amelia pointed her head at Nico. “He said he needs a General Surgeon consult.” Meredith nodded and stood up.

“Yeah, okay. Nico, will you be okay here by yourself?” She asked. Nico looked at her.

“What?” Meredith opened her mouth to repeat herself. “Oh, yeah, I’ll be fine. Go.” She nodded and the four of them left the room. Nico moved seats and grabbed Levi’s hand. He gave it a kiss. “I love you so much and I am so sorry that this happened to you and I know it’s my fault. I promise I’ll do better.” His eyes went down to Levi’s legs. He took a deep breath and moved the blanket and sure enough his left leg was amputated just below the knee. He put the blanket back down and sobbed into his hand. He kissed Levi’s hand again and pushed their foreheads together. “I’m so sorry. I am so sorry.” He cried. A sob escaped his mouth. His breath hitched when he felt the hand around his tighten a little bit. “Levi?” He whispered, pulling his head away.

Levi groaned and Nico cried a little bit. “What-what happened?” He croaked. Nico cried and kissed Levi’s lips. “Tha-that’s sweet, but,” he cleared his throat, “what happened, babe?” He asked. Nico sighed and leaned back.

“I’m so sorry, love. We-we, um, we were in a car accident and you flew through the windshield and, um, you-they-she-Doctor Torres, she had to amputate your leg. I am so sorry. It was life or death. I’m so sorry. You would’ve died and-”

“Shhh.” Levi shushed him. “I’m okay.” He pulled Nico into bed with him. Nico hugged him tight and sobbed into his head. “I’m okay.” Levi whispered.

Chapter Text

Nico smiled, holding a coffee, and walked into Levi’s room. He was moved out of the Orthopedic ICU and up to the Rehabilitation floor. “Good morning, handsome.” Nico greeted and sat his coffee down. Levi looked at him and smiled. Nico pressed their lips together. “I miss you.” Nico muttered against his lips. Levi let out a laugh. “How do you feel?”

Levi blew air out of his mouth. “Uh, my head hurts, I feel like I’m gonna throw up, and I'm starving so, please, move the coffee.” Nico whispered an apology and picked up the coffee he had sat down. Levi looked at his cell. “It’s almost eight, I figured Callie would be here for rounds.” Nico gave him a look. “Hey, it’s a simple surgery. She’s just removing my little nub. We’ve done so many of these together.” Nico sighed and nodded.

“I know, but I don’t wanna lose you. I love you.” Levi pulled Nico down for another kiss. A knock on the door interrupted the duo. Callie entered with Taryn and a few other residents and interns.

“Doctor Kim, Schmitt, am I interrupting something because this is what we have on-call rooms for.” Callie joked. Everyone in the room let out a laugh.

“Good morning Doctor Torres.” Nico greeted.

Callie gave him a smile. “Okay, who’s presenting?” She asked. A small girl stepped forward with the tablet in her hands.

“Levi Schmitt. Hospital day: fifteen. He was brought in after a car accident where he was ejected from the car. Neurosurgery found a brain bleed and fixed it immediately. He had blood in his abdomen and it was drained in surgery. His left leg was growing an infection and after only a few hours the leg was dead and there was no heartbeat. Doctor Torres amputated. However, a few days after the surgery, Levi started showing symptoms of infection again and his white blood cell count was elevated so he was taken into surgery again to see if there was any missed infection. There was, so more of the leg was amputated. Today Doctor Torres will be going in and amputating the rest of the leg to avoid any more infection.” She recited. 

Callie gave her a smile. “Very good, Emma.” She turned to Levi and Nico. “You both know the drill. I wish I didn’t have to do this. It’ll make it a little harder walking with the prosthetic, but I just don’t want you to have to worry about the infection any more. I wish there was another way. Also, Doctor Kim, is that coffee?” She asked.

He nodded and handed it to Callie. “It is, would you like to try a sip?” She laughed and took it. She took a sip and handed it back to Nico.

“Hm,” she hummed, “you have very good taste.” The group laughed. “Okay, we will be back in an hour to prep you.” Callie smiled at the duo before walking away.

Levi rolled his eyes. Nico sighed and sat next to him. “After this you’ll only be here for a few more days and then we can go home and my mom said she’ll try and visit, plus we can start planning the wedding. Which we really should since Link booked the place.” Levi nodded.

“I’ll be off for a bit so I guess that’s what I can do when I’m home alone all day. How’s your head doing?”

“Hurts, but I’m resting. No lights and no phones for a bit. Oh and Link said him and the baby will finally be home today.”

Levi snorted and laughed. “Finally?” He asked.

Nico nodded. “Yeah. It just sucks that Amelia had to fly out there. She dragged Alex with her.”

“Aw poor baby. He must’ve caught something bad for them to be out there so long.” Levi snuggled up against Nico. “You promise you’re gonna love me through this?” He paused and sucked in a breath. “I mean, it’s gonna get dark. I’m gonna be a mess. I may never mentally recover. Are you sure you wanna deal with that? You have an out. I’m giving you an out.”

Nico kissed his forehead. “In sickness and in health. Till death do us part, right?” Levi let out a small laugh as tears slid down his face.

“We aren’t married yet.” 

Nico hugged him a little tighter. “I still love you. I’m not gonna stop just because things get tough.” Levi sighed.

They held each other for the rest of the time before the nurses showed up and prepped him. Nico walked with them. “This is as far as you go, Doctor Kim. Say your goodbyes here.” Callie said. Nico looked at Levi.

“I’ll be here when you get out.”

“I know. See you soon.” 

Nico bent down and kissed Levi. They pulled away and he watched Callie and the nurses leave with him. He sighed and looked at the doors. He took a deep breath and made his way into the waiting room. He sat down and pulled his phone out. He texted Jo and Meredith. 

Me: Callie just took him back. Shouldn’t be too long.

He sent the message and got a quick text back.

Jo: He’ll be fine!! Meredith and I are going into surgery. She also said he'll be fine.

Nico smiled at the message and pocketed his phone. It was almost the holidays and he was holding out for a little hope that Levi would be discharged so they could celebrate the holidays together. They had just celebrated their second year anniversary when the car accident happened. He shook the thoughts from his head. Nothing negative today, he thought. Levi doesn’t need that. Good things. Link is coming back today… But he probably doesn’t know about the accident. Levi and I are getting married and we are happy and I love him. He smiled to himself.

“Good morning, Doctor Kim.” A voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw the girl he recognized as Arizona Robbins, Callie’s ex-wife who is now her girlfriend. “Mind if I sit here?” She asked. Nico shook his head.

“Make yourself comfortable, Doctor Robbins.” She smiled and sat down.

“Please, call me Arizona.” He nodded. “So we’ve talked here and there since Callie and I got here. I was hoping you and I could chit-chat while Levi’s in surgery.”

“Okay.” 

“So I want you to be prepared that he’s gonna hate you. It’s hard, but-”

“What?” Nico exclaimed, turning to face her. “He doesn’t hate me.”

“Nico, can I be real for a second.”

“No! Not if you’re gonna be like that.”

“Listen, I had my leg amputated and Callie made the call. It’s what broke up our marriage. I’m not saying he doesn’t still love you because I still love Callie, but part of me also hates her. He’ll hate you too. Just be prepared for that.” Nico looked away from her and looked at the ground. “Nico-”

“You’re out of line, Doctor Robbins. It’s Doctor Kim and I’d appreciate it if you would get away from me.” He heard her sigh before he heard her heels click on the floor. He turned his head and watched her walk away. He sighed and stood up. “Why the hell would someone say that to another person? I mean, seriously.” He muttered to himself. He paced back and forth before his phone rang. He looked at the Caller ID and smiled. He answered his phone. “Back in the states yet or are you calling to say it’ll be another week?” 

“Nope. Amelia, Alex, my handsome boy, and I are getting ready to board in New York, thankfully. That trip from London to here was pretty taxing,” Link let out a laugh. "Just wanted to call and let you know. We still gotta fly from New York to Ohio then to Illinois to Nebraska and then the last flight to Washington. We probably won’t get back to either late tonight or early tomorrow.”

“Thanks for telling me. When you get back, we need to talk.”

“Nico Kim, are you breaking up with me?”

Nico laughed and shook his head. “You know what? I am.” Link laughed. “No, um, we just need to chat, okay?”

“Oh, sounds serious. Okay. I’ll see you soon. Bye.”

“Bye.” Nico hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. He looked at his watch. He still had a lot of time to kill so he decided to wander into the pit. He hadn’t been cleared by Amelia yet, but he thought maybe the noises would help him relax. Ironic that the sounds of pure hell would soothe him. He laughed at himself. Owen and Teddy were hard at work and so was Casey. Nico smiled. I s he gonna go into cardio or trauma? Won’t know till he decides. He laughed to himself again. He was right, though. The sounds of the pit were relaxing. He smiled. 

Casey walked over to an intern and talked for a minute walking away. He looked over at Nico and gave him a small wave before walking over to him. “Levi out of surgery?” He asked. Nico shook his head.

“Nope, not yet.” They both laughed. Casey’s pager beeped and he looked down at it.

“Shit.” He muttered. “I gotta go. Keep me posted.” He started running in the direction of the O.R. floor. He entered O.R. three’s scrub room and took off his coat and put on a scrub cap. He grabbed a mask and entered the room. “What the hell happened?” He asked, holding the mask up against his mouth. Callie groaned and stopped chest compressions. Taryn picked up for her.

“I don’t know. I was removing the rest of his leg and his blood pressure plummeted and then his heart stopped. Doctor Parker, you can’t be here. I paged trauma.”

“I am trauma.” He paused and looked at the heart monitor which showed flatlines. “To hell with this. If Taryn can be in here then I’m scrubbing.” Casey ran back into the scrub room and tied the mask to his face. He washed his hands and entered the room. One of the scrubs nurses wrapped him in a coat and put gloves on him. “Here, Taryn, let me do chest compressions. You,” he turned to Callie, “figure out what’s wrong I-we,” he started compressions, “we can’t lose him. Now, please, think, Doctor Torres, what could have gone wrong and how do we fix it?” Callie looked at Levi and sighed. 

“Um, uh, the only thing that I can think of is his heart. The infection, it-it must’ve or-” She stopped speaking and looked him over. “Maybe it spread to his heart. Someone page cardio!” Callie yelled. She continued looking at him. She couldn’t get her brain to think.

“We can’t wait for Major Altman to get here. I’m cracking his chest.” Casey stopped compressions and grabbed a scalpel.

“Like hell you are, you’re a resident!”

“And you’re an Attending! I’ve cracked numerous chests, this one’s no different.” Taryn looked between them.

“We’re losing time, Doctor Torres. Parker is good. He’s trained under Hunt, Altman, and Pierce. He knows what he’s doing.” She said. Callie sighed again.

“Do it, crack him.”

Casey pulled down the sheet and pressed the scalpel against his skin. He watched as the blood slid down his friend’s body. He felt a shiver run down his spine, but continued. In record time, Casey had Levi’s chest cracked and was staring at his heart. He released a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“That’s one healthy heart.” He heard a voice behind him. He turned around and saw Teddy. “I got it from here, Parker, but thank you.” Casey nodded and stepped back. Teddy stepped in front of Casey and started massaging it. “Well, Schmitt, you’ve got a beautiful heart, but it’s not working so we’re gonna figure out why.” 

 Callie sucked in some air. “Will is heart-”

“Schmitt’s heart isn’t beating, two of his best friends are in this room, and one of his mentors. I’m gonna get his heart beating again and Parker and I are going to leave. If I get another page for this O.R, I’m pulling him out of this surgery and he’ll wait for Link to get here. Paddles.” A nurse handed her the paddles and she hooked them up to his heart. “Charge to twenty. Okay, clear.” Everyone moved back. A shock rang out through the room. Teddy looked at the screen for thirty seconds. “ Charge to forty. Clear!” Another shock and Teddy watched as Levi’s heart started beating again. “Okay, his heart is back, let’s not lose it again, Callie. Come on, Parker.” The two walked out of the room and threw away their gloves, masks, caps, and coats. They walked out of the scrub room. “Callie is a great surgeon, she knows what she’s doing. Go back to the pit. If she pages you again you page me and I’ll meet you in the O.R, okay?” Casey nodded. “Okay, go.” They both went different ways and Casey walked back to the pit.

Owen sat at his desk and looked up when Casey walked by. “Where were you?” He asked. 

“I got paged to O.R. three for a code blue.”

“O.R. three. That’s Levi’s O.R. Is he okay, Parker?” Casey turned around and saw Nico.

“Yes, Major Altman and I were able to get his heart beating again.”

“Well, why’d his heart stop?”

“Unfortunately I don’t kno-”

“Parker, I am not a patient!”

“Right now, you are, Doctor Kim. I suggest you leave and go sit in the waiting room.” Owen interjected. Nico looked between Owen and Casey before sighing and nodded. He started to exit the pit when he saw Callie walking towards him.

“Doctor Kim,” she started, “let’s go talk privately.” Nico took a deep breath before following her into a private room. “Okay, so we had some problems, but I was able to remove the rest of the le-”

“Can I see him?” 

“Um, before you do,” Callie sighed and looked at the ground, “the complications were really severe,” she looked back up, “he’s alive, but I put him into a medically induced coma. I wanna give him more time to heal. I’ll leave him in for a week, but three at most. He’s back in the Orthopedic ICU. Room seven.” Nico nodded. 

“Your girlfriend, Arizona.”

“What about her?”

“She spoke to me earlier and she-she was out of line. Tell her that I don’t wanna see her again.” He said, before exiting the room. He started off in a walk and as he neared the Ortho ICU he sped up into a run. He ran right into Levi’s room and stared at him. He was on a vent and had a central line in his chest. Nico felt water form in his eyes. He sat down next to Levi and picked up his hand. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He cried. He heard the door open and turned his head.

“Hey.” Taryn choked out, Casey next to her. “Doctor Torres really did do her best.”

“Doctor Torres seems great but her girlfriend,” Nico sucked in some air, “well, her girlfriend is a different story.”

“How is he?” Another voice filled the room. 

Nico looked at her. “He’s alive, that’s what matters, Doctor Grey.” Nico answered. Taryn and Casey sat down on the opposite side of Nico and Meredith sat next to Nico. “How’d your surgery with Doctor Karev go?” He asked.

“It went really good. Just a simple appendectomy.” She reached up and grabbed Levi’s arm. “He reminds me so much of George and my sister.” She whispered.

Casey and Taryn shared a look. “Doctor Pierce?” He asked 

“Who’s George?” Taryn asked.

Meredith looked up at the two of them. “No, not Maggie, her name was Lexie and George O’Malley. Him-”

“Bailey mentioned him to me the day of the accident.” Nico muttered.

Meredith gave him a solemn look and continued. “Him and I met when we were interns and we actually lived together before he married Callie. He-”

“Wait, Callie was married to a man?” Casey asked, joining the conversation. “I thought she was a lesbian.”

Meredith let out a chuckle. “No, she’s bi. That’s how Sofia was brought into the world. Her and Mark Sloan slept together and boom, baby.” She laughed. “George was a lot like Schmitt. Big feelings and nowhere to put them. If George and Lexie were alive, I think they’d fight over him.” She smiled, fondly. “Also, Nico,” she gained his attention, “Callie is good, but I think it’s hard for her to work on Schmitt. She loved George and she probably sees what I see. On top of that, she hasn’t worked at this hospital in years and then I call her and beg her to come here and help him. She’s probably feeling very pressured.” Nico nodded and turned his head back to Levi. Hours passed while the four of them sat there and stared at his face. A knock on the door interrupted Meredith’s thoughts. She turned her head and saw Callie and Jo. Jo pointed to the hallway. Meredith nodded and dropped Levi’s arm. “I’ll be right back.” She whispered to the group. Nods and ‘okays’ left them. She smiled and stood up. She walked into the hallway making sure to close the door. “What’s up?” She asked.

“Meredith, I didn’t want to say anything to Doctor Kim, but I have a bad feeling.” 

Meredith raised an eyebrow and turned to look in the room before looking back at Callie. “What do you mean?” She asked.

“I don’t know how to describe it other than we missed something. That’s what it feels like, but I don’t know. Teddy and I both got a look at his heart, it looks great. I just-I don’t know.”

Meredith nodded. “Amelia gets back tomorrow, I’ll call her and tell her to come here and we’ll take him into surgery. Okay?” Callie nodded. “Okay, I’ll go make that call then.” She walked away from the two and started to pull out her phone. She hit Amelia’s name and listened to the phone ring. 

“Hello?” Amelia answered. Meredith could hear the smile in her voice.

“Hey, um, Callie took Schmitt into surgery today and he-”

“She what?” Amelia interrupted.

“She took Schmitt into surgery.”

“Today?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Because I told her that I had a gut feeling, like-”

Meredith sighed. “Like there was something more wrong with him?” She heard Amelia groan. 

“What happened?” 

“She had to put him in a coma.”

Amelia sighed. “We touch down in Nebraska in an hour and then we have a three hour flight back to Washington. I’m coming right there. Do not let anyone touch him, okay?”

“Okay. Anything else?”

"Yeah, also, Link doesn’t know yet so don’t let Nico or anyone else tell him anything. I didn’t want him worrying with his surgery and then the baby got sick-just don’t tell him, okay?” 

“Got it. Stay safe.”

“You too. Keep me updated with his condition.”

“Will do. Bye.”

"Bye, Mer.” Meredith hit the end call button and shoved her phone into her pocket and started running. She didn’t know where Callie would be right now, but hopefully she was where she thought she was. Meredith burst into the Chief’s office and saw Callie, Bailey, Richard, Owen, and Teddy.

“Hey, remember that feeling you said you had?” Meredith asked as soon as she entered the room.

“Yeah?” Callie responded. 

“I just called Amelia and she told me that she had the same feeling. Like there was something more wrong. A gut feeling.” Meredith stated, feeling tears well in hers.

Bailey looked at her. “Meredith, isn’t that a bit hard to believe?” She asked. Meredith looked at her.

“His heart stopped.” Teddy said. The room filled with ‘what’. Teddy sighed. “In surgery, his heart stopped. Parker cracked his chest and his heart looked fine. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it.” Bailey sighed.

“His heart stopped?” Owen asked.

“You knew.” Teddy looked at him. Owen opened his mouth. “Parker was in the Pit, so he definitely told you.”

Owen sighed. “Yeah, now that I think about it, he did.”

“Okay, we’ll have nurses monitoring him all night and all day, okay?” Bailey stated, looking at everyone. “Okay. Meredith, go sit with him and Nico. I’m assuming Parker and Helm are in there too.” 

Richard looked at Owen and Callie. “Give them a few minutes to sit with their friend and then page them.”

“Amelia said she’ll be back late tonight or early tomorrow. She’s gonna take a look at him as soon as she gets back.” Meredith walked out of the room. When she closed the door, she looked into the room and sighed. She started making her way back to the Orthopedic ICU. It was only a few floors down so she opted to take the stairs. When she entered the ICU, her body felt heavy. When she finally reached room seven, she stared into the room. She watched Casey and Taryn engage in conversation. Nico was holding Levi’s hand. She knocked on the door before walking in. 

“Hey, Doctor Grey.” Taryn greeted. Casey gave Meredith a small smile, which she returned. She sat down next to Nico. “What did Doctor Torres want?” Taryn asked.

“Oh, she just wanted to go over something from Schmitt’s chart. It was nothing. Don’t worry about it.” She said in a hushed down. Taryn nodded. A pager went off.

Casey picked his up. “Shit." He muttered to himself. "I gotta go. Keep me posted.” He stood up and kissed Taryn's cheek before exiting the room. Meredtih stared at the door for a minute before her gaze turned back to Levi. She looked at Nico and leaned back in her chair. 

“When I first met him, I thought he was annoying.” Nico and Meredith turned their attention to Taryn. “I mean, he talked and talked and talked and talked and never shut up, but right now I’d give anything to hear is blubbering. I’d give anything to hear him go on about DnD.” She wiped her eyes and grabbed his hand. “He’s my person.” A sob escaped her mouth. “If he was awake right now, you know what he’d say? He’d probably say ‘chin up, Taryn. You’re not allowed to cry over my body. Everything is gonna be okay. Just sit back and relax.’” She said, making her voice lower to mock Levi’s. Meredith and Nico laughed.

“When I first met him, he was a med student. Well, we called them Sub I’s. He was so annoying, but he found Megan Hunt’s donor abdomen.” She paused and made a ‘tsk’ sound. “But prior to that he dropped a foreign object into a patient. Then I picked him to assist in a splenectomy and he gave that woman blood. God, I hated him. I didn’t think he’d make it past his internship, but now I see him going so far.” Meredith smiled.

Nico looked at Meredith and then Taryn. “When I met him, he was adorable and nerdy and quirky and that’s totally what I’m into. I didn’t think I’d ever want to marry him.” He paused and looked at the hand he was holding. “Speaking of, does anyone know where the engagement ring is? They took it off for surgery and I haven’t seen it since.”

“I’m sure one of the nurses knows where it is.” Meredith reassured, putting a hand on the small of his back. He nodded and yawned. She looked at Taryn who was also mid yawn. “Why don't you two find an on-call room and get some sleep? I’ll watch him.”

“I wanna be here with him. I have to be.”

“I wanna stay, but-” Taryn’s pager interrupted her. She looked at it and groaned. “But I’m still on Doctor Torres service and she’s taking someone into surgery. Keep me posted.” She stood up and left. Meredith looked at Nico and gave him a smile.

“And then there were two.” She joked. Nico looked at her and gave her a smile. She stood up and reached into a cabinet and pulled out two blankets. “One for you, one for me. We both need some sleep.” 

She wrapped one blanket around Nico. “Thank you, Doctor Grey.” She smiled at him again and wrapped the blanket around herself and sat down. Nico laid his head on the bed and closed his eyes. Meredith leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. In a matter of minutes both of them were asleep. Nico woke up when he heard a noise. He lifted his head groggily and looked up. “Shit!” He exclaimed when he saw Levi’s heart monitor was flatlining. He jumped out of his chair. He climbed on top of Levi and started chest compressions. “Doctor Grey! Doctor Grey! Meredith!" He yelled, startling the surgeon awake. She looked at Nico. “Call a code blue!” Meredith stood out of her chair and ran into the hallway.

“I need a crash cart!” She yelled. Nurses raced into the room with a crash cart, Meredith right behind them. “Someone hand Doctor Kim scissors!” A nurse handed Nico scissors and he cut the hospital gown from the abdomen up. Meredith grabbed the defibrillators. “Charge to 200! Clear!” Nico jumped off Levi and watched as Meredith pressed the defibrillators to his chest. Levi’s body surged up. They waited a second, staring at the monitor. “Charge to 250! Someone page trauma and cardio! Clear!” She did it again. Nothing. “Charge to 300! Clear!” Again. Nothing. Meredith looked at the screen. “Come on, Schmitt. Come back to us.”

Chapter Text

Meredith groaned. “Charge to 360! Clear!” This time when she pulled the defibrillators off his chest, the heart monitor picked up again. “We got him back.” She announced. The nurses exited the room.

“What the hell happened?” A voice asked from the doorway. Meredith and Nico turned to look at them.

“Link…” Nico breathed. “He, uh-”

“His heart stopped, again.” Meredith answered.

Amelia ran into the room. “I wanna get him up to CT and make sure we didn’t miss anything.” She pushed the railing up. “Meredith, come with me.” Meredith nodded and unlocked the bed. The duo started pushing the bed out of the room, leaving just Nico and Link. Link sat down in one of the chairs.

“I meant, what the hell happened to Schmitt? Why’s he in the hospital?” He asked. Nico sat next to him. “And how come Amelia knows?”

“How was your big surg-”

“Don’t change the topic, Nico.” 

Nico swallowed hard. “There was a car accident a few weeks ago. He-he was fine and then Torres took him into surgery,“ Nico looked at his phone for the time, “yesterday. Wow, I didn’t think Grey and I were asleep that long.”

“Why aren’t you doing rounds with the residents and interns.” 

“I have a pretty bad concussion. Doctor Shepherd hasn’t cleared me yet, so…” Nico trailed off, staring at the floor. The two sat in silence for a little when the door opened again. Jo walked in.

“Where’s Schmitt?” She asked, looking at Nico and Link.

“Amelia just took him up to CT. What’s up, Jo?” Link asked, standing from his chair. Jo sighed.

“Um, I actually just wanted to talk to Levi. Well, at Levi.”

Link looked back at Nico then looked at Jo. “Is everything alright? Is something wrong?” He asked. Jo sighed and closed the door.

“You gotta promise not to tell Alex yet. He came here and passed out in an on-call room and I haven’t had the time to-”

“Jo, you’re blabbering.” Link said.

“Right.” She looked at Nico and then looked at Link. “I’m pregnant.” Link and Nico both gaped at her. 

“Oh, my god!” Link exclaimed, picking her up and hugging. “Jo, this is-”

“Amazing.” Nico added, standing from his chair. “Congratulations, Doctor Karev.” 

“How far along are you?” Link asked.

“About twelve weeks.” She smiled. Link hugged her again. When the duo pulled away she said “please, don’t tell Alex. I wanna tell him when he’s awake and alert.” Link smiled and shook his head at her.

"What?” She asked.

“You’re gonna make such a great mom.” Her and Link shared a laugh. She looked over his shoulder at Nico, who was also smiling. She opened her mouth to speak when Link’s phone rang. “Yes, Amel-What? Oh, my god. Are you taking him into sur-Yeah.Yeah. Okay. Okay. Keep me updated.” He hung up and placed his phone into his pocket.

“What? Is Levi okay?” Nico asked, stepping forward.

“Um, Amelia-she-the brain bleed she fixed after the car accident, she thinks it developed into an aneurysm. He has an aneurysm, she’s taking him into surgery right now to fix it.”

“Oh, my god.” Jo muttered. She lifted her hand and placed it over her stomach.

Nico noticed. “Doctor Karev,” he started, “you don’t need the added stress of this right now. Why don’t you go talk to the Chief? Let her know what’s going on?” Jo nodded and wiped at her eyes before leaving the room. Nico sighed and kicked the wall. “This is all my fault!” He yelled. Link put a hand on his shoulder. “I already popped someone’s shoulder for doing that, you wanna be next?” He exclaimed. Link took his hand off his shoulder.

“Nico, this isn’t your-” Nico threw a punch at Link’s jaw, knocking him to the ground. 

“Don’t-don’t say it!” Link grabbed at his jaw.

“Go out there and have one of those nurses page Jackson.” Nico glared at him. “Now!” 

Twenty minutes later, Jackson and Link were looking at his X-rays. “Nico didn’t break your jaw, but he did bruise it. It’ll be sore for a few weeks until it’s healed. I’ll prescribe some pain meds, but that’s all I can do.” Link nodded. “Why did he punch you? I mean, Nico’s had his moments when he’s angry, but he’s never physically hurt anyone that I know of.”

“Um, I tried to tell him that the car accident wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t having it.”

“Oh, you mean the one that brought Schmitt in, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Jackson sighed. “How was your surgery in England?” He asked, changing the subject.

“It was good,” Link started, “was done in an hour, but then Scout got sick so I stayed there and when I told Amelia, she flew her and Alex out to check on him, so…” He laughed as his voice trailed off. “Nico told me he has a concussion, so I’m just a little bit worried about him.”

“That would explain the aggression…” Jackson muttered. Link nodded and made his way to the door. “Hey,” the other man started. Link turned to him. “If he starts showing signs of aggression again, page me or Hunt and we’ll sedate him.” Link sighed and nodded before leaving the room. Nico was leaning against the wall.

“Well,” Link started, interrupting Nico’s thoughts, “you didn’t break my jaw, but you did bruise it, so, thank you.”

“I’m sor-”

“Don’t apologize. I don’t wanna hear it right now. Jackson told me if you get out of control, I’m supposed to page him or Hunt so one of them can sedate you. I really don’t wanna do that, but I will if I have to, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Did you hear anymore updates from Amelia about Schmitt?”

“Uh, no.”

Link nodded. “Okay.” He started walking down the hallway. “We’re going to the Chief’s office.” Nico didn’t move. Link turned around. “I said ‘we’, right?” Nico opened his mouth to respond. “Let’s go.” He nodded and started following Link. When they got to Bailey’s office, Link knocked and then entered. 

Bailey, Jo, and Owen turned when the duo entered. Bailey groaned. “Okay, this is still a hospital. Why are none of my surgeons working? Lincoln, find an on-call room to sleep in until Shepherd is done with her surgery. Kim, go wait in the waiting room. Hunt, go back to the pit. Karev, go with Kim and wait. Now, please, get out of my office.” Jo and Owen walked over to the door and walked out. Link followed behind them. Bailey noticed Nico standing there. “Kim I’m not-”

“Where do you get off commanding me around like that?”

Link froze and turned around.

“Oh, you wanna know where I get off commanding you? I don’t know, Doctor Kim, maybe it’s because I’m the chief.”

“Nico, come on.” Link reached out to grab Nico’s harm.

Nico pulled his arm out of Link’s grip. “Don’t touch me.”

“Doctor Kim, I’m gonna let this slide because your boyfriend is in surgery and Shepherd still hasn’t cleared your concussion yet, but if I see you one more time today, I am gonna tell you to go home. Get him out of my sight, Lincoln.” Link grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the chief’s office. Nico pulled his arm from Link’s grasp and started walking away, almost walking into Jo.

“Shit!” She exclaimed. 

“I’m sorry, Karev.” He muttered, continuing to walk away.

Jo watched him walk away. “What’s up with moody pants?” She asked when Link walked up behind her. 

“Concussion, maybe? Or maybe it’s because of everything going on with Schmitt. I paid for their wedding venue.” Jo turned to face him and covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her laughter, but lifted her hand and laughed. “What?” Link asked.

“I’m sorry.” She laughed again.. “I’m sorry, but you paid for their wedding venue? What ‘cause Nico’s salary as an Orthopedic Surgeon and an Attending at Grey-Sloan Memorial wasn’t enough?” 

Link smiled and rolled his eyes. “No. It’s not that. I wanted to do something nice for the two of them-”

“So you just went out and bought their wedding venue?”

“Well, when you say it like that-”

“It sounds crazy?” Jo let out another laugh.

Link rolled his eyes again. “I was gonna say stupid, but your word sounds better.”

Jo shook her head. “Did Schmitt at least like it?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Link started, “it’s outside, like he wanted, and it’s booked for June…” His voice trailed off and his smile fell.

“What?” Jo asked.

Link sighed. “I, um, just thought that he might not be awake for that.” Jo hit his arm. “Ow! What was that for?” 

“Take your negativity somewhere else. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet-”

“Thanksgiving is next week.”

“He’ll probably be awake in a week or even sometime today and even if he’s not awake until January, he’ll still be able to get married in June-”

“He’ll need months of physical therapy.” Jo hit him again. “Can you stop doing that?” He rubbed his arm.

“Can you stop being negative?" Link gave her a look. "You know what? Go and be negative somewhere else, please.” 

Link opened his mouth, but sighed and nodded. “I’m gonna go sleep. Please, sit with Nico and wait.” 

“I will.”

“Thank you.” Link pulled her into a hug. They pulled away and started walking down the hallway, separately. Jo turned around and watched Link walk away for a second. She turned around and started her way to the waiting room. When she reached it, Nico was sitting there with tears in his eyes. She sat down next to him.

She placed her hand on his back. “You okay?” She asked. 

Nico cleared his throat. “What, um, what’re you hoping for? A boy or a girl?” He asked. Jo looked at her stomach and smiled.

“A girl.”

Nico smiled. “Girls are great. Levi and I have been talking about adoption since the engagement. We both want kids, it’s just deciding if we wanna adopt a boy or a girl first.” He let out a chuckle. “You got any names picked out yet?”

“Nope, but I’m sure as soon as I tell Alex and Helen, they'll have a few.” He nodded. “Do you and Levi have any names picked out yet?”

“Um, yeah. It’s kinda stupid, but if we adopted a baby girl we were gonna name her Calliope. We just really liked that name. I loved that name…”

“Does it have a special meaning for you?”

Nico looked at her and his smile fell. “I had a friend in high school, she was my beard and I was hers.” The duo let out a small, quiet laugh. “Um, senior year of high school, we were, um, coming back from a party.” He let out a dry laugh. “And, um, well-” He took a deep breath. “I was driving three of our other friends and she was in a car with four of our friends. I didn’t know at the time, but our friend that was driving her was drunk. He ended up playing chicken with a train. Everyone in the car died. It was a few weeks before graduation. Her name was... Calliope.” Jo gave him a small smile.

“I’m sorry. That can’t be easy. Did I ever tell you about Heather Brooks?” She asked. Nico shook his head. “She was an intern with me. She was quirky and smart and she would’ve made a great Neurosurgeon. Sometimes I like to think that she would've become a Neurosurgeon.” She smiled at the thought.

“Was?” 

Jo look at him. “She died while we were interns. She was electrocuted during a super storm.”

Nico snorted. “What a way to go.” He looked at Jo. “I’m sorry, that was-”

“Terrible?” Jo laughed. “Yeah, we made jokes too. Sometimes it feels like this hospital just brings death and destruction.” She laughed again. Nico nodded. “What time is it?”

He looked at his phone. “1:27. Wow. Did not feel like I slept for four hours.” Jo looked up. "Sometimes hospitals just feel... weird during the morni-" Jo interrupted Nico's rambling when she lightly hit him. “Wha-” He looked at her and she pointed. He followed her finger and saw Amelia and Meredith were walking towards the duo. They stood up. “Doctor Grey, Doctor Shepherd.” He greeted.

“I was able to clip the aneurysm, but when I took him into surgery, Doctor Grey had found large amounts of bruising along his rib cage. Upon further examination, we found that three of his ribs were broken. We must-”

“That’s not possible. Parker and Altman had cracked his chest. They-they would’ve been able to see if his ribs were broken and they would’ve fixed it. Torres, she-she closed his chest. They-”

Jo put a reassuring hand on Nico’s shoulder. He looked at her then back to Meredith and Amelia and nodded for them to continue.

“We must’ve missed it when the accident occurred since we were focused on the brain bleed and the leg and abdominal bleeding.”

“Schmitt didn’t exhibit any symptoms of even one of his ribs being broken, let alone three. I’m assuming it was because of being on pain meds since the surgeries. Doctor Shepherd and I both agree that we’re gonna leave him in a coma for a month.” Nico sucked in air and felt tears fall down his face. He nodded. Amelia and Meredith turned to walk away, but Meredith turned back. “Oh, I spoke to one of the nurses and they were able to get this.” She reached into her scrub pockets and pulled out a ring. She handed it to Nico and gave him a smile. “He’s in Neuro. Room: ten.” Nico nodded and turned to Jo.

“Go. See him.” He nodded and ran to the Neuro unit. He ran into room ten and looked at his fiancé.

“Levi…” He breathed. He was intubated and had a bunch of tubes hooked up to him, but he was alive. Nico grabbed his hand and kissed it. He looked at his hair. Amelia had shaved a small patch of it and there were staples. She opened his head . He ran his hand through what hair Levi had. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I should’ve been paying attention. I should’ve never taken my eyes off the road.” A sob escaped his lips and he kissed Levi’s hand. “Jo’s pregnant. Isn’t that great? Her and Alex are gonna make great parents, right?” He kissed Levi’s hand again. “When you wake up, Meredith and Link are gonna have to throw her a gender reveal and a baby shower. We’re also gonna have to start planning the wedding.” Nico let out a dry laugh. He leaned forward and pushed his forehead against Levi’s. “I love you.” He whispered.

Going into the next week, Amelia cleared Nico to go back to work. Over the course of the month Levi was in the coma, Nico spent every moment he could with him. What time he didn’t spend in the O.R, he spent at Levi’s bedside. Him, Taryn, and Casey each took turns staying with him. If Nico had a taxing day and needed to sleep in a bed instead of a chair Casey or Taryn would be there to hold Levi's hand. Amelia checked him twice a day. December twenty-third was when she walked into Levi's room to talk to the three of them.

"Doctor Shepherd." Casey greeted. Taryn gave her a smile and Nick kept staring at Levi. Amelia sighed.

"Tomorrow morning," she started, earning Nico's attention, "I'm gonna attempt to pull him out of the coma." Casey and Taryn nodded.

"Okay." Nico muttered. His grip on Levi's hand tightened. "Okay... Okay... Okay..." He repeated to himself

December twenty-fourth at 9:43 was when Amelia gathered Nico, Casey, and Taryn into Levi’s room. “I’ll pull him out of the coma." The group in front of her nodded. "This will go one of two ways. Either he’ll wake up and we’ll remove the tube or-”

“Or everything will go wrong.” Casey finished for her.

Amelia sighed. “Let’s be hopeful. Are you guys ready?" She paused for a second, took a deep breath and then continued. "This can be a very unsettling thing to watch so if you guys need a minute to prepare, I understand.” Nico took a shaky deep breath and grabbed Levi’s hand. He looked at Casey and Taryn who both gave him a nod. He nodded at Amelia. “Okay, then let’s start.” She injected medicine into his I.V. A minute went by when Levi’s eyes slowly opened. “Hi, Levi, it’s Doctor Shepherd.” Levi’s eyes shot over to Taryn and Casey then back to Amelia. “I know you’re scared, but I-” The heart monitor started beeping. Amelia looked at it. "He's panicking and hyperventilating." Nico tightened his hold on Levi's hand. Levi's eyes shot over to Nico. “Levi-I-shit, he’s trying to breathe over the tube. Someone grab me a sedative!” She yelled. Casey ran out of the room and to the nurse’s station. One of the nurses quickly handed him a vile. He muttered a 'thank you' before running back into the room. He handed the vile to Amelia, who had grabbed a syringe. She started to put the medicine into it. She released air bubbles and injected it into Levi’s I.V. “Levi, I just gave you a small sedative. It’s gonna help you calm down so you don’t breathe over the tube, okay?” She spoke to him. He gave her a weak nod. Within a few seconds he was calm. Amelia looked around the room. "Alright, I'm gonna turn off the ventilator." Levi nodded. She took a deep breath and turned it off. “Alright, I’m gonna remove the tube. You know the drill. Hold your breath. One, two, three, cough, okay?” Levi weakly squeezed Nico’s hands. Then released and squeezed three separate times. Nico laughed. “What?” Amelia asked.

“He said ‘I love you’.” He smiled. Taryn and Casey shared a look. “I’m sorry, continue.”

“Don’t be.” Amelia gave Nico a small smile. “Alright, Levi, hold your breath.” He did. “One… two… three… Cough.” He did. She pulled the tube out. He made a choked sound. “Very good, Levi.” Levi opened his mouth.

“Don’t try talking.” Taryn said. “You’ve been intubated for more than a month. You’re gonna need speech therapy and-”

“And lots of physical therapy. You suffered a traumatic brain injury that was more severe than we had originally thought.” Amelia finished. Levi lifted his hand and winced. “We found you had some broken ribs.” He made a grab motion. Taryn, Casey, Amelia, and Nico looked around.

“Oh, my notebook!" Nico raced over to the desk and grabbed his notebook and a pen and handed it to Levi. Levi weakly wrote on it then flipped it around. “When do I get to eat some pizza?” Nico read and then the room filled with laughter.

“We’ll take the feeding tube you have out later today and then maybe we can try something more like jello.” Amelia smiled. Levi flipped the page and started writing he showed her. “What if it’s blended? Levi, ew.” She made a face. “That’s nasty.” He gave her a smile. “I’m gonna go let everyone else know you’re awake.” She turned to walk out the door, Casey and Taryn following her. She turned around to face Nico and Levi. “Oh! And Jo has some exciting news for you, so I’ll make sure she stops by.” Her, Casey, and Taryn left the room and made sure to close the door.

“How do you feel?” Nico asked. Levi wrote and showed Nico. ‘Sore and hungry’. Nico laughed. “I’m sure.” Levi started writing again, he showed Nico. ‘Do you know what Jo is telling me?’ “I do, but I’m not allowed to say.” Levi rolled his eyes, but smiled. “Here, scoot.” Levi moved over weakly and Nico laid next to him. “I love you so much.”

Chapter Text

Over the next two weeks, Amelia, Callie, and Link started to help Levi adjust to his body. He had started speech and physical therapy. He was released from speech therapy after the first week. Physical therapy was a different story. The therapists told him he was moving along great. When he wasn’t at PT Link had some ways of helping him keep in shape.

“Come on!” LInk, yelled, a smile on his face as he jogged in place waiting for Levi to catch up in one of the hospital’s wheelchairs. When Levi caught up to him, he gave him a high five. “Woo!” Levi let out a huff of air. “You’re doing great, Schmitt!”

“Doctor Lincoln,” one of the nurses called, pulling his attention from Levi to the nurse's station, “while we appreciate that you’re getting Doctor Schmitt active again, there are other patients in this wing. Just try and be a little considerate.”

Link nodded. “Right, sorry.” He got behind Levi’s wheelchair. “Nico’s in surgery, let’s go see him.” He said, pushing him into an elevator. Levi let out a laugh.

“No, let’s not bother him. Oh! We should go to the Cafe and get some food.” 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Nope, we’re gonna go see your future husband do his surgery.” Levi sighed and let the older man push him. They exited the elevator and made their way to the O.R. floor.  Levi groaned when Link pushed him into an O.R. gallery. When they got there, Link parked Levi by the speaker. “Can't believe I just got yelled at. Yelled at by a nurse” He huffed

Levi let out a laugh “I can. Those nurses don’t normally like surgeons.” He paused. “What’s he doing?” Link sat down. 

“Some kid fell when he was roller skating and broke his tibia pretty bad. So he’s putting in screws and stuff.” Link let out a laugh and looked at Levi. 

Levi pressed the speaker button. “You look like you’re doing great, Doctor Kim.” Nico and some of the nurses looked up.

“Hey, what’re you doing out of bed? Link, he should be resting. He has physical therapy in an hour.” Nico scolded.

Link stood up and walked over to the speaker. “When he’s not doing PT, it’s great to be active. Helps strengthen the muscles.” He flexed at the end of his sentence getting laughs from some people in the O.R.

Levi laughed with them. He paused and thought for a moment before he started speaking again. “He got yelled at out by some of the nurses on the Rehab floor.” He heard the room fill with more laughter. “How do you know when I have PT when you’re in the land of time standing still?” 

“Because…” Nico paused and sat his tools down. “I am done.” Levi’s smile fell. “Laurens, you can close. I’ll come get him after I scrub out.” He turned around and looked at Link, who nodded. 

“Wait, I didn’t agree to this. Nico. Nico!” Levi yelled to his fiancé. Nico didn’t even spare him a glance before walking into the scrub room. Levi sighed and crossed his arms. He looked over at Link. “I hate you.” Link gave him a smile. When Nico came up to the gallery, he gave Link a hug.

“Thanks for watching him while I was in surgery.” He whispered.

“Yep. Have fun, Schmitt.” Link’s pager went off. He picked it up. “Good timing. I just got paged for a consult.”

“For who?” Levi asked.

“Scout Shepherd-Lincoln.” Nico and Levi rolled their eyes. “Bye guys.” Link patted Nico on the back while he walked out of the gallery.

Nico got behind Levi to push the wheelchair. “Wanna get ready for PT?” He asked, kissing Levi’s cheek. Levi shrugged off his kiss. Nico paused for a second.

“I can push myself.” Nico sighed and nodded.

“I know.” Levi started pushing himself towards the elevator. 

“And I should be pushing myself to help with getting my strength back.” He gave Nico a smile. Nico hit a floor button.

“Yes, but your ribs haven’t healed all the way so,” he got behind Levi and turned him around and pulled him into the elevator, “you shouldn’t be rushing yourself.” Levi let out a little laugh. 

“Link let’s me push myself.” He argued. Nico rolled his eyes.

“Does he? I’ll have to have a talk with him then.” Levi let out another laugh. Nico smiled. “What?” He asked. Levi grabbed Nico’s arm and pulled it to wrap around his upper body.

“You’re still here.” He whispered.

Nico kissed his lips. “I’m still here.” The elevator dinged open and Nico pushed Levi out and down to the Rehab wing. He flashed his I.D. card and the doors swung open. He continued pushing Levi until he reached his room. “Home sweet home.” He joked earning a hit from Levi which only made him laugh more. Nico reached under Levi’s leg and picked him, placing him gently on the bed. “We have some time to kill.” Nico walked over to the closet and grabbed a bag. Levi groaned. Nico laughed again and pulled out a notebook. “Time for wedding planning.” Levi rolled his eyes.

“Do we have to? I'd rather die.”

Nico shook his head. “We have a location, a date, the guests. Now we just need to decide on who’s walking us down and who’s gonna be our groomsmen and best men and then we’ll be done.”

“Taryn’s mine, definitely.” Nico looked up from the notebook and smiled.

“Okay.” He said, writing down in the notebook. “I think I’ll ask Link to be mine.”

“Don’t you have any, can you grab me some water?” Levi asked. Nico stood up and walked over to the sink and filled a cup up with water. He walked over and handed it to Levi. “Thank you.” He took a sip. “Don’t you have any college friends to be your best man?”

“Nope. None as close as him. One of them will be a groomsman, though. Does that count?” The duo laughed. “My mom and dad will probably walk me down. Maybe even Ty. What about you?”

Levi was silent for a minute. “Hm, I always assumed my mom would, but I haven’t talked to her since I moved out. Wow. It’s been a year now.” He looked at the floor and sighed. “I’m sure she’d love to walk me down the aisle, though. I am still her son.” Nico nodded and kissed him. He looked down at his watch. “Time to go?” Levi asked and Nico nodded. “Alrighty, lift me up, lover boy.” Nico laughed and lifted Levi up and out of bed to place him back in his wheelchair. 

They started their trek to the Physical Therapy floor. When they got there, they talked with the woman at the desk and made their way to the waiting room. They sat and talked for a little bit before they were called back.

“Good afternoon, Doctor Kim, Levi.” The instructor greeted, shaking both their hands. “I’m Nadia and we’ll be working together and actually we have a bit of a surprise for you, Levi. If you could wait a moment.” Levi and Nico shared a look as Nadia walked back into a room she came out holding something and Levi felt tears slide down his face while he smiled. “This is gonna be your leg.” Nico squeezed Levi’s shoulder, reassuringly. “Would you like to try it on?”

“Yes.” He nodded his head. “Yes, yes, please.”

“Alright, Doctor Kim, I’m just gonna take him back into a changing room.” Nico watched Nadia push Levi back into another room. He stood there for a few minutes before Nadia exited the room, pushing Levi again. When he came out, he had a pair of shorts on and Nico could see the prosthetic leg. “Alright, we’re gonna take this bad boy for a test spin.” She parked the wheelchair in between the bars. “I’ll stand in front of you to help you walk and you can tell me how it feels, okay?” Levi nodded. She moved to stand in front of him. “On three then. One… Two… Three.” She had grabbed his waist and hoisted him up. He quickly grabbed the bars to support himself. “Go ahead and take a step with that right leg.” He did. She stepped with him and smiled. “Good job! Remember that your left leg is gonna drag, okay.” He nodded. “Okay, let’s step again.” He took another step with his right again. He continued until he was halfway across the bars. He turned to look at Nico, who had tears running down his face. He gave Levi a thumbs up. “How we feeling?” Nadia asked.

“Um, good, really, really good, but it’s, um, just really hard-”

“To walk with the prosthetic?” Levi looked at Nadia with tear filled eyes. He nodded. “Yeah, that’s normal. You’ll get the hang of it, though, I promise.” Levi started to feel winded and numb.

He nodded again. “Can-can I-um-I…” His voice trailed off as he lost his balance and slipped

“Levi!” Nico yelled, jumping forward. Nadia had a tight grip on him. So when he started to fall, she was able to catch him.

“It’s okay. I got you. I got you.” She reassured a shaking Levi. He nodded. “Alright. Why don’t we sit you back down?” He nodded again. Nico sighed and wiped a hand across his forehead. Nadia helped him walk backwards into the wheelchair. “That was really good, Levi.” He looked up at her with tear filled eyes. “You’ll get a paper on how to-”

“Can you just have someone send it up to my room?” 

Nadia and Nico shared a look. “Of course.” She smiled. “You did really good, Le-”

“Nico, can you push me back to my room.” 

“Yeah. Thank you, Nadia.” Nico said, pull Levi out from the bars. She nodded. Nico pushed Levi  out of the room and towards the elevator. “Levi, you are making great pro-”

“Please, just shut up.” Nico opened his mouth to speak and sighed. They reached the elevator and Nico hit the ‘up’ arrow.

“You’ve been distant.” He said, turning around and pulled Levi into the elevator. Levi leaned forward and pressed number seven.

“I wonder why.” Levi muttered to himself.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Levi, did I do something to upset you?” Nico asked right when the elevator dinger and the doors opened. Someone walked in. The elevator was filled with silence. The person looked at Nico and smiled. He smiled back. The doors opened again and Nico pushed Levi out. “Levi, if I upset you, can you please just tell me.” Nico pushed Levi to the double doors. He swiped his keycard and the doors opened. He pushed Levi into the wing and then into his room. 

“Can you just help me get this thing off.” Levi asked as Nico was picking him up and placing him on the bed. 

“Ye-”

“Actually, we can help him.” Nico and Levi looked over to see Amelia and Arizona. “Callie needs you in the pit, Doctor Kim.” Arizona said, smiling. He sighed. He kissed Levi’s forehead and left the room. “Alright, let’s get that leg off.” Arizona said. Levi nodded. Amelia stood by the door with crossed arms. 

“How’d PT go?” She asked. Levi looked up at her as Arizona started to loosen the leg. 

“I fell, but Nadia caught me.” Arizona looked over at Amelia and they shared a look. “I’m fine. I just feel like-”

“Shit?” Arizona finished for him, pulling his leg off. 

He nodded and smiled at her. “Yeah. God, I am so grateful for Nico. He’s being so patient for me and I don’t even want to be in his presence.”

Arizona stood up with the leg and walked over to the cabinets and put it down. “I was like that too after the plane crash.” She turned around to face him. “It gets easier. Trust me.”

“You were in a plane crash, I was in an accident. What you went through was,” he sighed, “traumatic. What I’m going through is-”

“Just as traumatic.” Amelia interrupted. Arizona and Levi looked at her.

“Except, it’s not.” He said. Amelia sighed.

“If someone drowns in twenty feet of water, are they dead?”

Levi cocked his head in confusion. “Yeah.”

“Now what about someone who drowns in two feet. Are they still dead?” Arizona smiled. Levi looked from her to Amelia back to Arizona and then back to Amelia. 

“Yeah.”

“It’s not a competition about who suffered more. You suffered, Arizona suffered.” Amelia answered. Levi opened his mouth and sighed. “Now,” she walked over to his bed. “Someone wants to see you.” Her and Arizona smiled at each other. 

“Who?”

“It’s a surprise.” Arizona answered. Levi groaned, but nodded.

“Yeah, sure, get me out of this room.” Amelia reached under him and scooped him up. She sat him down in his wheelchair. She started pushing him out of the room. Arizona right behind her. They made their way out of the Rehab floor. They walked over to an elevator Arizona pushed the ‘up’ button. They got on the elevator and pressed floor nine. The elevator dinged and Amelia pushed Levi out. 

“Why are we going to the burn unit?” Levi asked as they neared the double doors. Arizona and Amelia shared a look. Amelia swiped her kaycard and Arizona opened the doors.

“You’ll see.” Amelia replied. Arizona let out a laugh. Levi counted the rooms as they went by. Room ten was the one Amelia pushed him into. “Sasha, Doctor Robbins and I brought you a present.” She said, entering the room. A woman on the bed looked at the three of them. 

“Doctor Schmitt?” She greeted, pulling herself into a sitting position. 

“Sasha Hedway?”

“Yeah! How you doing? I overheard Doctor Avery asking one of the nurses how you were doing.” Levi smiled and looked at the ground. He looked up again. “I wanted to ask him why, but figured HIPAA, you know?” The small group laughed.

“I’m good.” He answered. Sasha nodded.

“Good. What happened? I see you’re missing a limb. You weren’t like that for my surgery.”

“Well-”

“Schmitt was in a car accident. He had to have his leg amputated. He did good for the first few days, but developed another infection and an aneurysm. We missed a few injuries, so Doctor Grey and I made the hard decision to keep him in a coma for a little.” Sasha nodded along to what Amelia was saying. 

“Yeah. What about you, what happened?” Levi asked, gesturing to the burns on her arms. She laughed.

“Car accident too. My husband wasn’t paying attention. Our car caught on fire. Doctor Avery doesn’t think I’ll be here long.”

Arizona stepped forward. “I don’t mean to sound stupid and all, but I wasn’t able to ask Doctor Shepherd this, but how do you know Schmitt?” She asked. Sasha’s smile grew a little more.

“He took out my appendix with Doctor Karev several months ago.” Arizona nodded as her pager went off.

“Oh, I gotta go.” She looked up and smiled. “Take care.” She exited the room. Amelia looked at Levi. 

“I got stuff that I gotta get done, but I’ll have someone come get you in a bit.” Levi nodded. She smiled before exiting the room. She made her way out of the burn unit and to the elevator. She hit the first floor. The elevator began its descent. The doors opened and she stepped out and started walking. She stopped in front of the daycare and smiled before walking in. Scout was attempting to roll over when Amelia walked in. She looked at the woman who was working the daycare and gave her a smile before picking Scout up. “Good afternoon, Ashley.” Amelia greeted her.

“He’s getting better at crawling.” Ashley spoke. Amelia looked at her. 

“Yeah. Hard to believe he’s almost ten months.” Scout latched onto her hip and she started bouncing him. 

“Are you signing him out today or is Doctor Lincoln?” Ashley asked. 

“Link is today. I have a few more things I gotta do, but Link’s got one more surgery and then he’ll be down.” Amelia kissed Scout's forehead before she sat him back down. “Ugh, it’s just so hard to say goodbye to him. I just love him so much.” Ashley chuckled. “Alright, I gotta go. Mommy loves you Scout.” She said, blowing a kiss to him before going to leave. She walked out of the daycare making sure to shut the door. She looked inside the daycare window one last time before she walked away. She walked into her lab and looked at her equipment. Amelia opened her phone and sent a text to Jo. 

Me: I took Schmitt to visit an old patient. He’s in the burn unit. Can you take him back to his room and page Koracick to take him to CT

Jo: Yep

She sat down and sighed. She started looking over her paperwork. She stared at her notes, adding more and erasing some. She was pulled from her thoughts when a knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. 

Meredith stood at her door. Two bags of food in her hands and a big smile on her face. Amelia cocked her head in confusion. Meredith walked into the room. She sat the food down and exited the room. She came back in a matter of seconds holding a bottle of champagne and four glasses.

“Meredith, what is this?” Amelia asked. Before her sister-in-law could respond, Maggie entered the room.

“Are they here yet? Did I miss it?” She asked, excitedly and sat next to Amelia. 

Amelia looked from Meredith to Maggie and then back to Meredith. “What’s… going on?” She asked. Meredith gave her a big smile and reached into the bag and pulled out some food. The door opened again and Alex and Jo entered. “Hey, did you get Schmitt back to his room?” Amelia asked Jo.

“Yes, I did and I paged Koracick too. I can handle a little responsibility.” She joked. The group let out laughs.

“So is there a reason I’m here, Jo? Because not that I don’t love seeing you guys, I’m still a Chief.” Alex said, looking at each girl. “What’s with the champagne and why’s there only four glasses when there’s five of us?” He asked. 

Jo took a deep breath. Amelia looked at Meredith and smiled when she finally realized what was going on. “Because,” Jo started and grabbed his hands, “one of us can’t drink for the next nine months.” She placed his hand on her stomach. Alex cocked his head in confusion before looking down. When he looked up, Jo was smiling at him.

“You’re not-”

“I am! I’m pregnant!” Jo exclaimed as Meredith opened the champagne bottle. Alex smiled and pulled her into a kiss. “We’re having a baby.”

“How far along are you?” He asked in between kisses. 

“About nineteen weeks.”

“You’ve kept it from me this long?”

Meredith handed him a glass of champagne. “Honestly, I can’t believe she kept it from you this long either.” She joked, taking a swig from her glass.

“Hey, shut up. I chickened out every time I tried to tell you.”

With one hand, Alex lifted her scrub shirt a little and looked down at her stomach. “You’re starting to show.” He whispered. Jo nodded. He looked back at her. “Good luck not drinking.” He said, before taking a sip of his champagne. Jo rolled her eyes and hit him lightly. The duo laughed. Meredith handed a glass to Maggie.

“You want some?” Meredith asked Amelia.

The other girls shook her head. “Nope.” Meredith chuckled and nodded. “You got any names picked out yet?” Amelia asked.

“Not a single one.” Jo answered. “But… Now that you know, we can start talking about names.” Alex pulled her into a kiss.

“Nope, don’t do that here. Go home and have celebratory sex, okay?” Amelia said, making a waving motion. Alex sat his glass down.

Alex and Jo looked at her. Jo rolled her eyes. “You know what? We are. We’re gonna go home and have sex everywhere.” Amelia and Meredith fake gagged at them. “Have fun.” She stuck her tongue out as Alex pulled her out of the room. Maggie, Meredith, and Amelia laughed. Meredith and Maggie drank the rest of their champagne. 

“Alright. I gotta go home and take care of the kids. Amelia, what time should we expect you back at the house?” Meredith asked. Maggie looked at Amelia.

“Oh, actually, I am staying with Link and Lucas tonight.”

Maggie and Meredith shared a look. “Are you and Link back together?” Maggie asked.

Amelia made a face. “What? No.” She answered.

“Well, you have been spending a lot of time together since he’s been back from England.” Meredith pointed out. Maggie nodded. 

“That’s because we have a baby together and because I’m on Schmitt’s case and he’s worried about him.” Maggie and Meredith shared a look. “How are things with you and McWidow going?” Amelia sat back in her chair and smirked at Meredith. Maggie let out a gasp.

“You and Hayes?” She asked. Meredith glared at Amelia.

“We’ve been dating for a few weeks. Things are fine and that’s the last time I tell you anything.” Amelia laughed at her. “We’ll leave you to your mood.” Meredith said, pulling Maggie out the door. Amelia rolled her eyes. 

Up on the Rehab floor, Levi sat on his bed staring at the ceiling. He blew air out of his mouth. He ran through the steps of a splenectomy in his head, his mouth moving. When he finished the surgery in his head, he groaned. A knock on his door interrupted his pity party. “Come in!” He shouted. Two nurses entered, one male and the other female.

“Doing rotation.” One of the nurses, the female, responded. Levi nodded and watched as they brought a monitor in. The one nurse started talking and Levi ignored both of them. Before he knew there was only one nurse in the room.

The male nurse walked over to Levi. Levi saw his name. ‘Mitchell’. “Is there anything you need, Doctor Schmitt?” Mitchell asked. Levi sighed.

“Yeah, um, can you page Ortho and see what time Doctor Kim is getting off?” 

“Of course. Is there anything else you want? Koracick is coming in soon to take you to CT so I just wanna make you comfortable.”

Levi gave him a smile. “I don’t need anything else right now, but thank you, Mitchell.” Mitchell smiled at him before exiting the room. Levi frowned and sighed when he left. He looked around his room, which was engulfed in darkness aside from the light that shined in from the nurses station. He sat in the silence and counted the minutes. Three minutes. That’s when the nurse returned.

“Just wanted to update you, Doctor Schmitt. I called Ortho and Doctor Lincoln said that Doctor Kim has another surgery in an hour and then he’s done for the day.” Levi nodded.

“Thank you and you can call me Levi. I’m a patient now.” He smiled. Mitchell nodded and exited the room. Levi’s phone went off and he grabbed it.

Nico: Want me to come up and sit with you before my next surgery?

Me: No, get some rest before the surgery. Don’t need you killing anybody

Nico replied with a laughing emoji. Levi smiled down at his phone. His phone buzzed again. He opened the chat.

Me: Hey, I know we haven’t talked since I moved out, but Nico and I are getting married in June. We haven’t set out official invitations yet, but we will be next month around Valentine's Day. Just wanted to let you know. 

Mom: When can we meet? I need to talk to you.

Levi looked down at his phone. He typed out a message and sent it. 

Me: I’m free towards the end of the month if that works for you.

Mom: Okay.

A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts. The door opened and Tom walked in with a wheelchair. Levi put his phone on the stand next to him. Tom walked to him and helped get Levi in the chair. 

“You know the drill, right?” He asked. Levi nodded. Tom nodded to himself and pushed Levi out of the Rehab wing. He walked over to the elevator and hit the ‘down’ button. He backed up and pulled Levi into the elevator. He hit the floor button. The elevator dinged and Tom pushed him out. They entered the radiology floor and Tom pushed him to CT. He got Levi on the table and placed a lead blanket over him. Tom exited the room. Levi looked at the machine, arms at his side, and let a small tear fall down his. 

The next few days were filled with physical therapy and pain and each day had Levi feeling worse and worse. He sat in his bed a week after his CT showed more injuries to his brain. Amelia had taken him into surgery twice in the week. Earlier in the day, Amelia did another CT and reassured Levi that everything looked good and would continue to look good.  He sat in his hospital bed with tear filled eyes. He sobbed into his arm in an attempt to quiet his sobbing so that Nico didn’t hear him from the bathroom. He did. Nico sat on the toilet hearing Levi sob. He covered his face with his hands as his own tears slipped down his face. He sighed and flushed the toilet to make it seem like he actually used it. He turned the water on and splashed his face. He looked at his reflection and dried his hands. He opened the door and left the bathroom. 

“Hey.” He whispered, greeting Levi. Nico leaned on the bed and wiped Levi’s eyes. “I love you.” He whispered into Levi’s hair. Levi sobbed again and Nico kissed his head. “I know, baby, I know.” Another sob erupted from his throat. Nico bit his lip and looked up at the ceiling. He sucked in some air and rubbed Levi’s hair. “It’s gonna get easier, I promise.”

“When?” Levi croaked. When? That’s a good question, Nico thought. It’s only been a few weeks, he needs to give his body time. Nico sighed.

“It will, baby, I promise.” He reassured, continuing to stroke Levi’s hair. “It’s gonna get harder before it gets better, okay?”

Levi looked at Nico. “I know.” He sobbed again. “But-but I can’t walk. I know I’ve only had the leg for a week, but there’s nothing for it to grab onto. There’s no nub. Walking is never gonna be easy again. I might as well kiss my career as a surgeon goodbye.” He started sobbing again. 

Nico kissed Levi’s forehead. “I love you.” Levi let out another sob. A knock on the door pulled his attention. Nico looked at Levi to confirm to let them in. Levi nodded. “Come in!” Nico yelled towards the door. The opened and in walked Callie and Link, both with bright smiles on their faces. 

“Hey, boys.” Calle greeted the duo.

“Why-” Levi choked on a sob. “Why do you guys look so happy?” 

Callie and Link shared a look. Link started speaking. “Okay, so since I’ve been back, we’ve been talking-”

“Link brought up his surgery in England-”

“I told Callie that I had a guy’s arm who lost his arm in a bad helicopter crash. He wanted me to help him fit a prosthetic better. His arm was cut off at the shoulder and with a donor, many hours working with other great surgeons, a little over an hour in the O.R, and a great group of doctors and nurses, I was able to transplant an arm to his shoulder. He had an arm from his shoulder down to his elbow.”

“They used a man who was the same blood type and-”

“Remember how Meredith was able to do an abdominal wall transplant?” Link asked. Nico and Levi shared a look before looking back at Callie and Link. Levi nodded. 

“It’ll be similar to that except with a leg. Basically-”

“Link and I will find a man with the same blood type as you-

“And ethnicity and we think-

“We think,” Callie took a deep breath, “we think that if we do this surgery you’ll have a better quality of a life.”

“It’ll only be to about your knee, possibly a little more below, but it’ll help you walk a lot better in a prosthetic.” Link finished. 

Levi took a deep breath in. “Do you think you can do it?” He asked. They both nodded.

“We wouldn’t have come to you if we weren’t a thousand percent sure.” Callie answered. Link nodded. 

Levi looked at Nico and they had a silent conversation. Callie and Link’s smiles fell. Nico sighed and looked at the ground before looking back at Levi. He nodded. Levi gave him a smile and turned to look at Link and Callie. “No one ever succeeded from not trying.” Link and Callie smiled again. “Let’s do it.”

Chapter Text

It took another full week for Link and Callie to find the perfect match. When they did, Levi was quickly prepared for surgery. He took a deep breath as he was pushed into the O.R. Callie looked down at him and he could tell she was smiling even though he couldn’t see her lips through the mask. “Nervous?” She asked. Levi chuckled and nodded. 

“Just don’t kill me this time.” He joked. 

Callie rolled her eyes. “Just for that I might.” She put the brakes on and parked him right by the table. He turned his head and looked at it. “I’m gonna go scrub while you get put under. Link will be here soon.” She gave him one last look before leaving the room. Levi took a deep breath.

“Alright, Doctor Schmitt.” His anesthesiologist, he recognized as Emma Tomson, said. “I’ll inject you with the medicine, okay?”

“Yeah.” Levi nodded. Emma smiled at him before she pushed the injection. 

“Go ahead and count back from ten.”

“Ten, nine, eight… Seven… si-”

When Levi came to he was being pushed down a hallway in his bed. He groaned and closed his eyes. “Look who’s awake.” He heard Link say. He opened his eyes and turned his head to the right and saw Link. He turned his head to the left and saw Callie. “How you feeling?” Link asked. Levi let out another groan. Callie and Link looked at each other and laughed. Link stepped away from the bed and opened a door. Callie pushed Levi into his room. Taryn, Casey, and Nico all greeted him.

“Hey.” Nico kissed him. Levi kissed back before groaning. “How’d it go?” He asked Callie and Link. They looked at each other and smiled. Callie pushed the blanket off of his leg.

“That, Doctor Kim, is a nub.” She answered. Both Nico and Levi looked at it. “You should have normal function in it.” Tears filled Levi’s eyes. 

“Thank you.” He whispered to Link and Callie. He looked at Nico and gave him a kiss. 

The next two weeks Levi spent walking with his new prosthetic. He was discharged a week after the surgery. He kept up outpatient physical therapy. He was in his and Nico’s apartment rearranging a bookshelf when Nico had gotten home. 

Hearing the door open, Levi turned his head. “Hey.” He greeted his fiancé with a kiss. “How was work?” He whispered against Nico’s lips.

“It was hectic.” Nico kissed him. “I miss having you by my side.” Another kiss. “I love you.” Levi giggled against his lips.

“I love you too.”

“Levi?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you marry me?”

Levi pulled away and smiled. He looked down at his left hand and held it up, showing Nico his engagement ring. “I think I already answered that.”

“Right.”

“Yeah.”

Nico bent down and placed another kiss on Levi's lips. “You know that you mean everything to me, right? Like, I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for the tough times and the easy times.” Levi’s smile grew. 

“I know.” He paused to kiss Nico a last time before pulling away. He walked into their kitchen. “Don’t forget, I’m meeting my mom for lunch tomorrow.” Nico followed him. “I’m really excited. It’s been way too long since I talked to her.” Nico gave Levi a smile.

“She’s coming to the wedding then?”

Levi paused. “I, uh, don’t actually know if she is or not. I’ll assume she is.” He gave Nico a smile and opened the fridge. He started gathering ingredients. “Will you help me make dinner?” He asked. Nico laughed and nodded.

The next day, Levi took a deep breath before entering the little café down from Grey-Sloan. He looked around a bit before he saw his mom sitting at a booth drinking a coffee. He smiled and walked up to the counter. 

“What can I get you, Doctor Schmitt?” The barista asked with a smile on her face.

“Just the usual, Wendy.”

“Alright. Will that be for here or to go?”

“Uh, for here. Thank you. I’ll be sitting over there.” He pointed to the booth where his mom sat. The barista nodded. He paid and she handed him his receipt. He took another deep breath and walked over to the booth. His mom looked at him when he sat down. 

“Hey.” He gave her a smile and reached for her hands that were on the table. She pulled away. “Is everything okay, mom?” He asked. Just looked down at the table and then back at him.

She turned and picked up a box and sat it down on the table. “You left some things at the house when you left.” She said. Levi looked at the box.

“Oh, that’s fine. I’ll just come get it after the wedding. Speaking of, are you coming?” He asked, a full smile still on his face. “Nico and I just finished making the guest list and his parents are gonna be there. Oh, his parents are great. Mom, you’d-”

“I’m not coming.” Myrna finally said. Levi’s smile fell.

“What?”

“I’m not coming. The only reason why I asked you to come here is because I needed to give you that stuff.” She paused. “I’m moving.”

“Oh, that’s awesome. Where to?” 

“Far away from Seattle.”

“Nico and I can help you mo-”

“I mean…” She paused again. “I mean, I’m moving away from you.” Levi felt his heart shatter. “I changed my number and got a new phone. When I leave, my old phone and number will no longer work. So, after this you and I will no longer have contact.”

“Mom-”

“Don’t.” She interrupted him. “Don’t call me that when you choose Nico over me. You are my son and I love you, but I can’t love someone who would date someone the same sex as them and then choose that person over their family.”

“I’m sorry if what I did offended you, but…” His voice trailed off.

“Nico is going to leave you because of how messed up you are. A person can only handle that for so long.” Levi looked down as he felt tears started to swell in his eyes. “When he leaves you, you will be all alone. You won’t have me or anyone else. That will be the consequence of your actions.” A few tears slid down Levi’s face.

“I’m sorry-”

“Stop crying. Grow up. You’re gonna be thirty soon.”

Levi stood up. “I’m gon-” Myrna grabbed his arm. He turned and looked at her.

“I’m not done talking yet.” He looked at her and nodded and sat back down. “I love you with every fiber of my being, but how do you love someone who treats you like that?”

“Mom, please-”

“I mean, imagine carrying someone inside of you for nine months only to have them turn out the way you did.” Levi looked at Myrna as she continued talking. Her lips were moving, but he felt too numb to hear. He was pulled away when the barista sat his coffee down. He looked at her, she was smiling.

“Sorry, that took so long, Doctor Schmitt. Ho w are you feeling today?” Wendy asked. 

Levi smiled. “Oh, uh, um, I’m really good. Wendy this is-”

“An acquaintance of his.” Myrna said, holding her hand out for Wendy to shake. Wendy gave her a smile. “I’m Myrna.”

“Nice to meet you. I’ll let you guys continue you’re talking. Bye, Doctor Schmitt.” Wendy walked away and Levi looked at the table, his smile falling.

“As I was saying, I thought I raised you to be better. You lived in my house for more than eighteen years. I thought I taught you better, but all you have ever done is disappointment. That’s all you did when you were a baby, that’s all you did in middle school, and high school, and college, and med school. I thought when you got the job at Grey-Sloan that being there would teach you something, but nope. Not you. Not Levi Schmitt.” She picked up her coffee and took a sip. “When I found out you dropped your glasses in a patient, I felt embarrassed to be your mom. I mean-”

“I have to go. I,” he looked down at his phone, “I have surgery with Karev. Um, thank you for, um, bringing me my stuff. I will let Nico know that you can’t make it. Wherever you move to, just… I hope you'll be safe.” He gave her a smile before grabbing the box and standing up. He made his way to the exit, leaving behind his food and drink behind, completely untouched. Levi stepped outside the café, he placed a hand over his mouth as sobs erupted from his body. He put his hand on his leg that had been amputated and rubbed it to ease some tension he started to feel. He took a deep breath and decided he’d walk to Grey-Sloan. He tucked the box under his right arm and started the walk to the hospital. It was only about two miles from the café. The more he stepped the more Levi felt like he was floating. When he reached the halfway point, Levi didn’t even feel like he was walking. He was floating now. He looked up and stepped off the sidewalk. He heard yelling behind him, but he rolled his eyes at it. Until he felt someone grab his collar and quickly pull him across the road to the other side causing him to nearly drop his box. “What the hell?” He turned around and saw Andrew, who had his hands on his knees and was panting? “DeLuca?” Levi asked.

“What the hell was that, Schmitt?” Andrew asked while trying to catch his breath. 

“What are you talking about? You pulled me.” 

“Yeah because the light was still green when you started walking across the street. I mean, come on, dude. Pay more attention to your surroundings.” Levi nodded and opened his mouth to apologize. “You drop things in patients, lose patients, and apparently you can’t pay attention.” Andrew muttered to himself. It was still loud enough that Levi heard it. He closed his mouth.

“Um, I’m, uh, I’m sorry.” 

Andrew rolled his eyes and continued walking. Levi let Andrew get a couple feet away from him, before he started walking. It felt like forever when he finally reached Grey-Sloan. He entered the hospital and quickly made his way to the Residents’ Lounge. He sat down on a bench and placed the box down. He heard people enter and laughing. The laughter stopped and Levi heard someone talking to him. He stared at the lockers in front of him. The person continued talking. He could tell their voices change from concern to frantic when Levi didn’t respond to them. He heard the door open and someone leave. He felt a hand get put on his right knee. The person raised their fingers and started snapping in his ear. He continued to stare at the lockers in front. He heard the door open and frantic talking between the people. The hand on his knee was gone and someone appeared in front of him. It was Amelia. Levi saw her lips moving, but couldn’t make out the words she was saying. She stopped talking and turned her face to the people behind Levi. She said something to them and then the door was opened again. It was just him and Amelia. She spoke again. Levi made out the word okay from the way her lips moved. She asked if I’m okay, he thought. Amelia’s face changed from serious to concerned. The door was opened again and Levi saw Amelia look behind him and talk to whoever was behind him. Someone behind him said something. Levi watched as Amelia sighed and nodded. She stood up and the person who took her place was Nico. Nico gave Levi a smile and reached to grab his hand. Levi ripped his hand back and stood up. He looked around the room. Hannah and Blake were the two who had entered the lounge. Amelia asked him a question.

“I’m so-sorry, Doctor Shepherd, what was that?” He asked back. 

“Are you okay?” She repeated. Levi opened his mouth and closed it. He looked at Hannah and then Blake and then Nico. He looked back at Amelia and faked a smile.

“Yeah, I am. Just… spaced out.” He answered. Amelia and Nico shared a look. “Really, I’m fine.” 

“Uh, you sure?” Blake asked. “I mean, you were really out of it. That type of ‘spaced out’ is what doctors might call dissociation.” He put air quotes around spaced out. Levi laughed at him.

“I’m fine, Simms. I’m just tired and sore. I’ve been through a lot.” While Levi was speaking Nico spotted the box by the bench. He looked at it and picked it up. “I just need to go home and-”

“Is this stuff from your mom’s house?” He asked. Levi turned and looked at him. “Why’d she give this to you? We could’ve just-”

“I’m gonna go home.” Levi snapped. “Can you bring that since you have the car?”

“Yeah…”

“Thank yo-”

“Levi, are you sure you’re alright?” Nico asked. Levi sighed and looked at Hannah, Blake, and Amelia.

“Can you guys give us a moment?” He asked. They all shared a look before exiting the lounge. Levi turned to Nico. “I’m fine.”

“I know you’re saying that, but you aren’t acti-”

“Oh, shut up.” Nico stepped back. “God, you aren’t listening to me. I. Am. Fine. Now please let me go home.” Levi spat out. Nico watched him exit the lounge. Levi navigated his way through the hospital, doing his best to fight back tears. 

When he reached the exit to the hospital, he sighed. Instead of leaving, He turned around and went back into the Residents’ Lounge. He opened Taryn’s locker and grabbed her keycard. He left the lounge and started to walk down the stairs. He used the keycard to access the O.R. floor. He walked around for a bit and decided to go into the gallery of O.R. three. There wasn’t anyone else in there except him. He stared down at the surgeons work. When he heard them talk he realized he was in the gallery of Meredith and Cormac. Levi groaned.

He heard the duo down there talking. He stood up and was about to exit the gallery when- “Schmitt?” The familiar voice of Meredith Grey made his stomach churn. He sighed and turned around and pressed the speaker.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“What’re you doing up there?” Meredith asked. 

“Got bored.” He laughed.

He could see Meredith smile, even with the mask on. “Link told me you were having lunch with your mom today. We’ll have to talk about it when I’m done with surgery. I’ll have someone page you when I’m done.”

“I don’t have my pager.”

“Then she’ll have someone text you. Doctor Grey, can we please continue our surgery.” Cormac said. Meredith laughed and nodded. Levi took his hand off the speaker and let his smile fall. He exited the gallery and bumped into someone. 

“Sorry.” He muttered before walking away.

“You okay?” He heard the person ask. He looked up and saw Jackson. “Schmitt, you look… you don’t look good. What’s wrong?” Jackson asked. Levi rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but Jackson beat him to it. “I just got out of surgery. Why don’t we go somewhere more private.” Levi tried to protest, but Jackson wrapped an arm around Levi’s shoulders and guided him out of the O.R. floor and to one of the main floors. He pulled him into an on-call room and checked to make sure no one else was in it. “Alright, Schmitt what’s going on?”

“Let’s not do this, Doctor Aver-”

“Jackson.” Jackson corrected. Levi cocked his head in confusion. “Right now you can address me as Jackson. I’m not being a doctor right now, I’m being a friend.” Levi laughed. “What?”

“With all due respect, Doctor Avery, we aren’t and never have been friends.”

“I consider you a friend.”

“No. You consider me what I am, someone who is below you. A resident. A resident who lost a patient, a resident who let a guide wire slip, a resident who dropped a forgein object into a patient, a resident who ratted on Meredith Grey and caused her to get fired.” Levi looked at the ground. “And right now you probably need to feel better about something so you thought ‘hey, I see Schmitt. He looks down. Why not find out why because I’m down.’ Just leave me alone.” Levi exited the on-call room and made his way to the hospital exit. He was almost out when someone called his name.

“Schmitt!” He turned around and saw Jo. She was halfway through her pregnancy and her belly was starting to show, but when she had her scrubs on you couldn’t tell. “Hey, you heading out?” She asked. 

“Yeah, I was-”

“Great. I can give you a ride back to your apartment.” 

“That’s great, but I-” She was already out the doors beckoning for Levi to follow. He sighed and reluctantly followed her to her car. He climbed into the passenger seat. Jo got in and started the car. She pulled out of Grey-Sloan’s parking lot. She began the drive to Levi and Nico’s apartment. They sat in silence for a few minutes, but when Jo stopped at a red light she spoke.

“How’d lunch with your mom go?” She asked.

He thought for a moment. “It went really well.” He lied. “She apologized about the whole thing about me being gay.” Jo smiled.

“Really? Levi, that’s awesome. I’m glad your mom is back in your life. Is she coming to the wedding?”

“She said she’d love to be there, but she won’t be able to make it.”

“Aw, why?”

He looked out the window and thought for another moment. “She’ll be out of town. She said she could rearrange things so she could be there, but my mom very rarely, if ever, goes away. So I told her to go.”

“Aw, that was really sweet of you, Levi.” Jo pulled into a parking lot. “Alright, this is your stop. Be safe.”
“You too.” He smiled at her and exited the car. He walked into the apartment complex and stared at the elevator for a second before deciding to take the stairs. He walked up the seven flights of stairs and silently patted himself on the back for being able to do that with a prosthetic leg. He pulled out his keys and realized he still had Taryn’s keycard. “Shit.” He muttered. He groaned and pulled out his phone to text her.

Me: Hey, I was at the hospital today and I didn’t have my keycard so I have yours and I accidentally brought it home. Sorry.

He sent it and and pushed his key in and unlocked the door. He walked into the apartment and locked the door behind him. Levi threw the keys on the coffee table and slid down the wall. He put a hand over his mouth and sobbed. He put a hand on his chest.

“Oh, god.” He sobbed. “No, no, no!” Another sob escaped his mouth. He pulled out his phone and called his mom’s number. It went to her voicemail. “Mom. Mommy please, please. I am your son. You-you are all I have. Mommy, please.” Another sob. “Please, don’t do this. Please, mommy.” He cried into the phone. “You’re all I have. You’re it. A mother is supposed to love her child no matter what. Please.” He released another sob. “Mom, please. I am begging you, please come to my wedding. I can’t do this without you.”

Nico walked into his apartment and turned the light on. He made sure he locked the door. He sat Levi’s box down on the coffee table. He saw food sitting on the bar and it made him smile. “Of course.” He walked over and saw what Levi had made. French Toast. His smile fell. Levi’s comfort food. He sprinted into the bedroom and saw Levi was laying in bed. “Hey, you awake?” Nothing. He sighed and walked back into the kitchen. He grabbed a ziploc bag and put the leftover French Toast in it. He placed it in the fridge and stripped out of his clothes. He walked into the bathroom and started the shower. When it felt warm enough, he walked in. Sighs left his mouth as the hot water poured over his body. “Ooh, after the day I’ve had, that feels so good.” He muttered. He heard the door to the bathroom open, rustling, and then he felt arms around his waist. “Hey.” He greeted Levi. Levi just kissed his back. “You okay?” He asked. Nico turned around to face him. “Levi, your leg can’t get wet.” Levi pulled the taller man down to kiss him.

“Please.”

“Wha-”

“Kiss me. Kiss me and don’t stop. Don’t stop even if I’m crying and begging you to. I don’t wanna feel.” Nico opened his mouth to speak, but Levi cut him off with a kiss. Nico pulled him off.

“I love you and sex sounds great right now, but sex because you don’t wanna feel? That-that doesn’t sound great. Levi, what’s-” He stepped out of the shower and Nico listened to him as he grabbed a towel and left the room. Nico sighed and continued to shower. When he was done and dressed, he walked into his bedroom and slipped in next to Levi. He kissed his fiancé’s forehead. “I don’t know what happened to you today, or why you seemed so depressed, but I am here for you. I love you.” He wrapped his arms around Levi’s waist. Levi placed his hands over Nico’s doing everything he possibly could to muffle sobs that were threatening to escape his mouth.

Chapter Text

Meredith looked at her phone as she walked, walking straight into someone. “Sorry.” She said, still staring at her phone.

“No, you’re not.” The person retorted. She looked up and saw Cormac. She gave him a smile. “What’s so interesting about that phone?” He asked, smiling back.

“It’s less interesting and more confusing. I got a text from  Nico and I’m just trying to decipher it.” She answered. Cormac raised an eyebrow and sighed. 

“Here, let me see it.” She handed him her phone. “‘Taking a day off. Levi’s not doing well. Already called Bailey. Just wanted to let you know.’ I think he’s telling you that he’s not coming in today.” Meredith hit him lightly, getting a laugh from him. 

“I know that, I just-” She sighed. “I never got to talk to him about how his lunch with his mom went and Jo told me she gave him a ride home so I asked if they talked about it. He told her everything went great, so I just don’t understand.”

“Maybe Schmitt caught a bug. Just because he’s not feeling well doesn’t mean anything mental. He could just have the flu.” Meredith sighed again.

“Yeah, I just-I don’t know.” Cormac and Meredith’s pagers went off. “To the pit we go.” She said, looking at it. Cormac shook his head and laughed as they took off.

Levi sat in bed with tear stained cheeks. Nico knocked on the bedroom door. “You can come in.” He did. “Nico, you don’t need to knock.”

“I know, I just want you to feel as comfortable as possible. I made more French Toast.” He handed a plate to Levi. “How’re you feeling?”

“Still like shit.” He joked, letting out a little laugh. Nico let out a small chuckle too. “I’m sorry that I snapped at you yesterday.” Nico got into bed next to Levi. “I really don’t wanna talk about it, yet. Can you respect that?”

Nico nodded and kissed Levi’s forehead. “Yeah. You’ll tell me when you’re ready. Of course I can respect that.” Levi gave him a smile. 

“Thank you.” 

Jo sat in the waiting room and fidgeted. “Why are you so anxious?” Alex asked, letting out a laugh. Jo hit him.

“Because he’s getting a checkup and I mean, what if there’s something wrong?” She asked. Alex laughed. “What?”

“Did you just call our baby a he?”

“Yeah. Mom’s tuition.” Alex shook his head and laughed. “What? You think it’s a girl?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Jo Karev.” A nurse called. Alex and Jo stood up and followed him to an exam room. “You know the drill, Doctor Karev. Change into this gown and get on the bed.” The nurse gave the duo a smile before leaving. Jo took her shirt off and put the gown on. 

“Help me with my pants?” She asked. Alex laughed and helped slide her pants off. He tied the gown for her and she climbed onto the bed. The two sat in silence for a little bit before Jo spoke “I can’t believe you think it’s a girl. Mom’s tuition knows everything.” Alex laughed again.

“It’s a girl. I’m always right about these things.” Jo hit him when Carina came into the room.

“Hello, Jo, Alex, are we feeling?” She asked, sitting down. 

“A little queasy. Thank you for asking, Carina.” Alex answered earning playful glares from the two girls. 

Jo sighed. “I’ve had a little morning sickness, but not a lot. He’s not kicking too much. Should I be worried about that?” She asked. Carina shook her head.

“Nope. Every little baby is different. Are you doing kick counts?” Jo nodded. “Good, Keep doing that. If you notice that he’s,” Alex snorted earning a glare from Carina, “kicking less, call me and I’ll come in and do an ultrasound. Lucky for us that Arizona is still here, so should anything be wrong, she can help.” 

“Thank god for that.” Jo joked.  

“Alright, scoot your butt back.” Carina reached up into a cabinet and grabbed a blanket. She placed it over Jo’s groin and then pulled her gown up. She put the gel on Jo’s stomach and grabbed the ultrasound wand. “Are we interested in knowing the sex today?” She asked, looking at the couple. Alex and Jo looked at each other. They had a silent conversation. Jo turned back to Carina.

“No, but we’re gonna have Link and Meredith throw us a gender reveal party so you can just put it in an envelope and give it to one, or both, of them.” Carina nodded and looked at the screen. “How’s he looking?”

“Good. He’s growing nicely. He looks a little small for how many weeks you are, but every little baby is different. You know, nothing for you to worry about, okay?” Alex and Jo nodded. Carina took the wand off and wiped Jo’s stomach. “He looks very healthy so far. Great heartbeat. Just keep doing kick counts, okay?” Jo nodded. “Alright, have a good day.” She smiled at the couple before leaving the room.

Levi stared at the wall in his and Nico’s bedroom. It was a white painted wall. When Levi moved in, he and Nico started talking about painting it because Levi had said it was ‘boring’ and ‘plain’. Levi was pulled from his thoughts when Nico came back in. “So, Carina just sent the sex of the baby to Link and Meredith. I know what it is, you wanna know?” He asked, smiling and waving his phone. Levi laid down and pulled the covers over his head. “Levi?” Nico called. Levi felt a dip in the bed. 

“Please, don’t touch me. Just-Please, go to work, or to a movie, or for a run, just please leave me alone.” He sobbed. Nico let his hand hover over him and then Levi felt the weight lift off the bed. He heard the door open. He peeked through the covers to confirm Nico had left. He shoved his face into his pillow and sobbed when he saw he was gone. “I’m so stupid.” He cried. The sobs shook his body. “She was right.” He sobbed out. 

Nico stood outside the door with his forehead pressed against the door. His silent sobs shaking his body. He stepped away from the door and pulled out his phone to text Jo.

Me: I don’t know what to do. He won’t get out of bed and he’s barely eating. I don’t mean to put this stress on you especially since you’re pregnant, but I really don’t know what to do. You drove him home yesterday, did something happen with his mom? Please, help me. 

He pocketed his phone and sat down on the couch. He could still hear Levi’s sobs each one breaking his heart more. He shoved his face in his hands and cried.

As Jo walked through the hospital, she read the text Nico sent her. As she was staring at it she felt someone pinch her shoulder. “Ow!” She exclaimed, turning to face the person who pinched her. She didn’t expect to see a laughing Meredith and Cormac. “Jerks.” She muttered to them, turning her attention back to her phone.

“Who are you texting?” Meredith asked, leaning over Jo’s shoulder.

“Nico. He said Levi won’t get out of bed and is barely eating. He’s asking me what I think he should do.” She lifted her gaze to look at Meredith and Cormac.

Meredith hit Cormac. He winced. “I told you!” She said to him. Jo cocked her head in confusion. “A couple hours ago, Nico texted me to let me know that he wouldn’t be in because Levi wasn’t feeling well. I just don’t understand what set him off.” Jo sighed and typed out her message.

Nico heard his phone buzz, but he couldn’t stop pacing back and forth. “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” He whispered to himself, holding his hands together. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” He picked up his phone to see Jo texted him.

Jo: Honestly, I don’t know what to tell you. He said things with his mom went good. Maybe he’s just down. Just be there for him. That’s what he needs right now.

At the end of her message there was a heart. He smiled and replied with thanks. Nico put his phone on the coffee table and walked over to the bedroom. He sighed before entering. He climbed into bed with Levi. “Can I hold you?” Levi didn’t move, but he nodded. Nico moved towards him and held him. “I love you.” He whispered into Levi’s hair.

Amelia smiled down at her work. “Aha. Easy peasy.” She said, picking Scout up to give him a kiss. “See changing diapers doesn’t have to be that hard.” Link walked into the room and laughed.

“Okay, so it doesn’t have to be hard, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is.” Amelia turned to him and scoffed. She walked to Scout's' play pin and sat him in it. “Amelia,” Link started. Amelia stood up and faced him. “What are we doing?” She turned to look at Scout.

“Raising a baby?”

Link and her both let out a chuckle. “No, I mean, us. What are we doing? You stay here almost every night to take care of Scout. We work together a lot and, Amelia, I’m-”

“Don’t say it.” She put a finger over his lips. “Please, don’t say it. Don’t tangle the cheese in front of me if you're just gonna rip it away.” Link put his hands on her waist. “Link...”

“Amelia Shepherd, I am wholeheartedly in love with you.” 

She stared at his lips for a moment before she sighed and grabbed his face. She pushed her lips against hers. When they pulled away to breathe Amelia was the first to speak. She pushed their foreheads together. “If we do this, it’s all hands on deck. We’re doing this for the long game.” Link smiled and pecked her lips.

“The Long game.” Amelia smiled and pulled him into another kiss. 

The next time Nico got out of bed it was 16:34. He walked into the living room and picked up his phone. “Four missed calls from Link. Great.” He sighed before calling him back. 

“Hey!” Link’s voice greeted. “Guess what?” 

Nico let out a little laugh at how excited he sounded. “What?” He asked.

“Okay, this stays between you and I, not even Levi can know, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Amelia and I are gonna give it another go.”   Nico smiled.

“That’s great, Link. Congrats to you guys.”

There was a pause. “You okay?” Nico thought for a moment. He turned his head to look at the bedroom door that was closed. “Nico?”

“Um, no. I didn’t go into work today. Levi,” he stared at the door, “he’s not good and I don’t know why. He told me to go somewhere else, like a movie, or a run. I have to go in tomorrow, but… I can’t leave him here alone and I don’t know what to do.”

“I’ll go.”

Nico’s face changed from concern to confusion. “What?” He asked, turning away from the door. 

“Yeah. I’ll go. I’ll pull a ‘Meredith and Jo’ and lay in bed with him all day, until you get back.”

Nico sighed. “Link, you don’t hav-”

“Nico, he had a run in with Jackson yesterday. He was telling me about it. The things he said about himself… Let’s just say they weren’t too kind.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I know he’s always been insecure about his surgical skills, but the way Jackson said he spoke about himself… it was just stone cold. Please, let me make sure he’s okay.” 

Nico sighed and turned to look at the bedroom door again. “Okay. I’ll take care of your rounds tomorrow. Thank you.” They said their byes and Nico hung up. He put his phone back on the coffee table and walked into the bedroom. He leaned against the door frame. 

“Who was that?” Levi croaked which was followed by a sniffle. 

“Link.”

“Oh… cool…”

“You wanna talk about it yet?” Nico stood there and watched Levi’s shoulders rise and fall. A minute went by with still no answer. “Levi?” The only response Nico got was Levi moving further away from him in the bed. Nico sighed and nodded. “I’m gonna sleep on the couch tonight, okay?” Nothing. “I’ll go start dinner.” He walked out of the bedroom and closed the door. 

Levi turned to look at the door. He pulled himself into a sitting position and grabbed his phone.”Seven missed calls from Doctor Grey, fifteen texts from Karev, four texts from Link, and two from Amelia.” He muttered to himself and opened his call button and pressed ‘mom’. 

“The number you dialed has been changed, disconnected, or is no longer in servic-” He hung up and threw his phone across the room. He brought his knee up to his chest and sobbed into it. His phone started buzzing from across the room. He sighed and stood up and hopped his way to his phone. ‘Doctor Grey’ was the contact name that popped up. He hopped back over to his bed and sighed. He sat down and answered the call. 

“Bout time you answered. I was starting to get worried.” She laughed through the phone. “I have a couple minutes before my next surgery. Can we talk?” Levi sighed again and looked around his bedroom. “Schmitt?” He stared at a window. “Schmitt?” Meredith called again. His hand slowly fell from his ear into his lap as he continued to stare at the window. “Levi?” He pressed the ‘end call’ button. Levi kept his eyes on the window. He was pulled away when he heard the door open. He turned his head and watched Nico enter the room with some food.

“That was quick. You’re getting faster.” He joked as Nico handed him his plate and down next to him. Levi picked up a spoon and started to eat his corn.

“I was out there for an hour.” 

Levi nearly dropped his spoon and turned to look at Nico. “Hm?” 

“I was cooking for an hour. I got a phone call from Doctor Grey thirty minutes ago. Said she called you, but you never responded.” Levi put his spoon down on his plate. He handed it back to Nico and stood up. “Levi?” Nico asked, watching Levi hop his way to the door. “Where you going?”

“Um, I’m gonna sleep on the couch. That’s where a surgeon like me belongs.”

Nico watched him leave the room. “Levi?” He called. No answer. He sighed and continued to eat his dinner, pushing Levi’s plate over to his side of the bed. 

The next morning, Levi was huddled on the couch with multiple blankets. Nico walked out of the bedroom with a bag slung over his shoulder. “I’m going.” He told Levi.

“Have a good day.” Levi responded. Nico looked down at his phone.

He looked up. “I love you.” He stood there for a minute. Silence. Nothing. He sighed and started to make his way to the door. A knock interrupted him. He opened the door and released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Oh, thank God. He’s on the couch. Thanks again, man.”

“It was no problem. Have fun at work.” Link slapped Nico on the back as he walked out the door. Link closed the door and walked over to the couch. “Alright, get up.” He commanded. Levi looked up at him

“He left me with a babysitter. Great.” He muttered, shoving his face into the blanket.

Link stared at him for a solid minute. “You know you’re a good doctor, right?” Levi groaned and shoved his face into his blankets more. “I mean, you’re the resident who-”

“Who lost a patient, dropped a foreign object in a patient, lost a guide wire in a pati-”

“You’re also the resident who ditched his DnD costume to be a sunflower with a patient. You got a bunch of residents, fellows, and attendings together so a man could have one last dance with his wife-”

“Yeah, two small things compared to the dozen of mistakes I’ve made.”

Link sat down and put his hand on the small of Levi’s back. Levi picked his head up and looked at him “We’ve all made mistakes. Your mistakes have never killed anyone and, honestly, Schmitt, I don’t think they will. Is that what’s going on? You don’t think you’re good enough to be a doctor.”

“I know I’m not good enough to be a doctor.” 

“Who put that idea in your head, Levi?” Levi pulled himself into a sitting position. “Levi?”

“It doesn’t matter because it’s true and I know it’s true.”

“Except it’s not. You’re really compassionate. A lot of doctors wouldn’t do the things you do for patients. You go above and beyond.” Levi nodded. “You care. That’s already what separates you from other doctors.” Levi reached up to his face and wiped tears that spilled down his face. “Come here.” Link sighed opening his arms. Levi stared at him for a moment before hugging him tightly. Levi sobbed into Link’s shoulder. Link just rubbed up and down his back, whispering reassuring words in his ear. Eventually Levi’s sobs died down into quiet whimpers. He kept a tight hold on Link and the two stayed like that for a few minutes. “Levi, why don’t you tell me why you think you’re such a terrible doctor?” Levi sighed and nodded.

Taryn was looking at a patient’s file when she felt a hand on the small of her back. She dropped and turned around, smiling when she saw Casey. “Hey.” She greeted. He gave her a smile and looked at the patient file. 

“You’re doing rounds with DeLuca?” He asked. She nodded. Casey laughed. 

“What?”

“Nothing.” He looked at his own tablet. “Carina and Taryn sit-” She silenced him with a slap to his shoulder. He laughed at her and pulled out his phone. “I’m with Doctor Pierce, so that’s awesome. Have you heard from Levi. It’s been a few days since I’ve heard from him.” Taryn pulled out her phone.

“Uh, we talked two or three days ago. Well, not really talk, but I had to go over there and grab my keycard from him.” Casey cocked his head. “He didn’t have his and wanted to go into a gallery.” He nodded. Taryn’s pager went off. “I’m gonna go have fun checking on women and thei-” 

“No, you’re not. Hi, Parker. Helm, DeLuca and I decided to switch. You’re with me today in fetal surgery.” Arizona greeted the duo. Taryn let out a sigh of relief. 

“Oh, thank god.”

“Thank god?” Arizona asked.

Casey’s pager went off. “That’s my cue. Good luck, Taryn.” Taryn rolled her eyes at him.

“What do you mean ‘thank god’? Are you, like homophobic cause I can go grab Maggie. She punched a homophobe once, you know?” 

“No, I just-wait… Doctor Pierce punched a homophobe?” Arizona nodded. “Oh, hell yeah. What I meant is that I have a little crush on Doctor DeLuca.” Taryn said, picking at her fingers. Arizona started laughing. “So, I’m grate-why are you laughing?”

“I think every gay or bi woman in their right mind as had a crush on Carina. Myself included.” Taryn started to laugh with her. “Here’s my patient’s file. Let's go.” Arizona handed Taryn a tablet and smiled. She followed Arizona as they made their way to the women’s part of the hospital. 

Jo groaned, lounging around in the break room. Meredith walked in and raised an eyebrow at her. “Hey, why are you just laying around and not doing anything?” She asked, sitting down, coffee in hand. 

“Because my feet hurt and I can’t tie my shoelaces.” Jo groaned.

“Yep,” A new voice joined the duo, “worse part of the pregnancy, right, Mer?” Amelia joked, crouching down and tying Jo’s shoelaces. “There. Think of another excuse.” Jo groaned again. Amelia and Meredith shared a look and laughed. 

“Do you at least have someone covering your rounds?” Meredith asked, sipping her coffee.

Jo nodded. “Yeah, um, what’s her name. Resident, dark hair, hangs around Simms.”

“Brody?” Amelia tried. Jo pointed and nodded. “You know what’s so weird?” Amelia asked. “Seeing DeLuca walking around here as an attending. It just... doesn’t set right in me.” Meredith laughed.

“Two years and Parker, Helm, Brody, and Schmitt are gonna be walking around in the dark blue.” Jo added.

“If Schmitt’s still here.” Meredith muttered to herself. Amelia and Jo looked at her. “What? Oh, no! No! Callie wants to offer him a fellowship. Says she’s liked what she’s heard now she just wants to see him in action. If she likes what she sees she’s gonna bring him back to New York with her and Arizona.” Jo groaned.

“Great. So we just lost two doctors.”

“Why two?” Amelia asked.

“Because I’m assuming wherever Schmitt goes, Nico goes. So now we’re down two doctors.” 

Meredith shook her head and stood up. “That’s if she offers the fellowship and if he goes.” She smiled at the duo before walking out of the room.

“Levi…” Link pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.” Link held Levi as they sat in silence. The only sound filling the small apartment was Levi’s whimpers. “You have to tell Nico.” Levi pulled away and shook his head. “Levi-”

“No, no I can’t. Neither can you. If he knows-he’ll hate me and he’ll leave and I-I can’t lose him, Link. I can’t. I’m finally happy. We’re getting married in June. We have a guest list. We’re getting ready to send out invitations. If he knows how broken I am, he’ll leave and-” Levi broke off into sobs. Link pulled him into another hug. 

“Levi, this isn’t my specialty. I mean, I’m good with hugs, obviously, and I’m good with talking to people, but I’m not good with abandonment.”

“You’re right. You should probably go into work.” Levi sniffled and made an attempt to get up, only to have Link stop him. 

“No, what I meant was, There’s someone else you can talk to about this kinda stuff. Jo seems to be pretty good at being abandoned. Why don’t you talk to her?”

“Because hers was worse than mine. I’m just being over dramatic. I’m pretty good at that.” Levi stood up and started to hop his way to the bedroom. Link stood up and followed after him. They spent the rest of the day in bed. When Nico got home, Link met him in the living room.

“How’d today go?” He asked, taking his jacket off and throwing it on the couch. Link swallowed. “Link?”

He looked at the bedroom door. “It’s not good, Nico.” He patted Nico on the back before walking to the door and leaving. Nico watched him walk out the door. He turned and looked at the bedroom door again. His heart dropped and he walked into the bedroom. Levi sat in the bed staring at the wall.

“You okay?” He asked. Levi just responded by laying down and covering his head with the blankets. Nico sighed and climbed into bed. He kissed Levi’s head. “I love you.” 

The next morning, Nico got ready and stared at Levi. “I’m going, okay? Jo’s on her way and she’s excited to spend the day with you per Link’s recommendation.” He laughed. Levi didn’t respond. Nico sighed. “I love you.” Nothing. He walked out of the bedroom and the apartment, making sure to lock the door. He walked down the stairs and out of the building. He got into his car and drove to Grey-Sloan. He sluggishly walked into the attendings’ lounge. He shrugged off his bag and jacket and started changing into his scrubs.

“No, Schmitt again today?” A voice asked. Nico turned around and saw Andrew. “I mean, I know he’s off, but figured he’d be around to at least support you.” He let out a chuckle. “Typical Schmitt. Always does something stu-” Nico saw red and stood up. He shoved Andrew up against a wall. “What the hell, Kim?!” He yelled.

“Don’t finish that sentence, you hear me? Do. Not. Finish. That sentence. Because if you do, so help me, I will break every bone in your body in the most painful ways possible.” He let Andrew go.

“I’m gonna tell HR.”

Nico turned away and continued getting dressed. “Go for it. I’m defending the man I love, who is an excellent surgeon.”

“I never said he wasn-”

“It was implied.” Nico slammed his locked shut and walked out of the lounge. He muttered curses to himself and started rounds. 

Around 13:42, he sat down for lunch. He was used to eating by himself ever since the accident. That didn’t make it any easier. He sighed and ate his lunch when he saw a bunch of doctors running in the direction of the pit, Meredith one of them. He stopped her.

“What’s going on?” He asked her.

“Suicide attempt.” She continued running. Nico felt something bad in his mouth. He threw his food away and followed after. He grabbed a trauma gown and gloves and went outside where Owen, Maggie, Meredith, Bailey, and Casey stood. Bailey looked over at him.

“No. You work with bones not trauma. Get back inside.” She yelled.

“Do you know who it is?”

He turned his head when he saw the ambulance pull up. The driver of the ambulance jumped out. “Mid to late twenties, male, white. His BP is low, but still within normal range.” She opened the doors and Nico felt his entire body calm down when they pulled out someone who wasn’t Levi. Bailey, Owen, and Maggie raced off with the patient.

“Aren’t you two going with?” He asked. Casey and Meredith looked at him and then Nico heard another ambulance pull up. He turned to go back inside when he heard a familiar voice.

“I was gone for two seconds and when I came back he was unconscious on the floor and his pill bottle was empty.” He turned around just in time to see Casey helping Jo out of the ambulance. “I’m not sure what happened.”

“It’s okay. Doctor Grey and I got this.” Casey reassured. Him and Meredith ran off with Levi. Nico watched them go. His body started to feel numb and he collapsed to the ground. He stared at Casey and Meredith as they raced Levi into the hospital. He sat on the and felt a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m really, really, sorry, Nico.”

“They gave him a dose of Narcan on the ambulance. His O2 is-”

“Pretty low.” Meredith finished for Casey. He nodded. She grabbed her stethoscope and listened to his breathing. “Yeah, he doesn’t sound good. Parker, go ahead and call psych. When we get him back, I want a room prepared for him.” 

“Yes, ma’am.”

Meredith looked at Levi and grabbed a vial of medicine and injected it into his IV. “Why would you take an entire bottle of pills? What are we missing, Schmitt?”

Chapter Text

Levi sat in a chair. A therapist sitting opposite of him, asking him questions. He stared at her and realized she was staring at him “I’m sorry, what?” He asked.

“Levi, I asked ‘why did you take those pills’? What made you come to that conclusion? That dying was better than living.”

Levi groaned. “I didn’t wanna die. I’ve told every therapist this. I just-”

“I know, I know.” She interrupted. “You just wanted to stop feeling. Okay, let me rephrase, why did you wanna stop feeling? What happened?” 

He was silent for a minute. “I don’t know. Maybe I realized that I didn’t deserve anything that I have. I have a great fiancé, a great job, a great overall life.”

“Okay. Why don’t we talk about your life. Are you and your mom close?” 

He froze. “I think we’re done for today.”

“I see. Were you and your mom close?” 

“I-I don’t wanna talk about her.”

His therapist nodded. “Did you two have a falling out or-”

“I’m-I’m gonna go back to my room.” He stood up and grabbed his crutches and walked over to the door. He opened and left. He did his best to walk back to his room, but when he was brought up, they took his leg away. He opened his door and sat down on the floor. His entire body felt numb. A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts one of the doctors entered.

“Hi, Levi. You know who I am, right? We’ve spoken here and there the past day. I’m Doctor Connelly.” Connelly held out his hand and Levi stared at it. He pulled himself off the floor and onto the bed. Connelly retracted his hand when he realized Levi wasn’t gonna shake it. “Anyway, I wanna prescribe some pills to help with depre-”

“No.” 

Connelly stared at him. “I’m sorry?”

“I have to be here for seventy-two hours. Right now I’m getting ready to go on forty-eight. Meaning, in one day I’ll be gone. I don’t do pills for happiness.”

Connelly sighed. “I see.. Um-”

“Please, go away.” 

Connelly did, leaving Levi alone with his thoughts one final time. 

After the seventy-two hour admission, Levi was sent home and told to see a therapist. Connelly gave him the paper, he threw it away. 

Over the next two weeks, Nico and Levi got their wedding invites sent out and were currently sitting in a fancy restaurant celebrating Valentine’s Day. Levi picked up his glass of water and took a sip. “Wow. Ever since you’ve become an attending, we’ve been living like kings.” He joked, taking a bite of his steak. 

Nico laughed and reached across the table to wipe some juice off Levi’s face. He leaned back and smiled. “How are you doing?” 

“Good. Callie and Doctor Shepherd have been talking and they said I should be ready to go back next week. Which is exciting because I miss being in the O.R. What about you?” 

“I’m good. You know who we should visit tomorrow?” Nico said, biting into his steak. “Hm, this is delicious.” Levi laughed.

“Who?”

“Your mom.”

Levi’s heart sank. “You know, I’d love to, but she’s out of town.” Nico pouted at him.

“That sucks.” 

They sat in silence for a little bit, eating their food. “Okay, so you know how we agreed to not talk about work on this date?” Levi asked. Nico stared at him for a minute before nodding. “Okay, well, I can’t do that. I need to tell you about this surgery that Karev let me watch today.” Nico grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth.

“Thank god.” He chuckled. Levi laughed with him. “Because I performed an awesome surgery today too.” He took a sip of his wine. “But you, go first. This is the happiest I’ve seen you in weeks.” 

“It was just a Partial Colostomy, but being in the O.R. again and standing there. It’s such a rush.” He took another bite of his food. “And,” he chewed, “that rush was so good. It never gets old.” Nico smiled at him. “Now tell me about this awesome surgery that my amazing finacé,” he reached over the table and grabbed one of Nico’s hands, “performed today.”

“Compared to you being back in an O.R. again, it’s kinda stupid.” Levi gave him a look. He nodded. “It was a Rotationplasty.” Levi opened his mouth and smiled.

“That’s why you didn’t wanna talk about work tonight.”

Nico sighed. “If you were cleared, I would-”

“I know, I know, babe.” Nico squeezed Levi’s hands. “It just seems like I’m never gonna get to do one of those.”

“You will. If not in your residency then definitely in your fellowship and absolutely when you’re an attending.” Levi chuckled and took his hands back to continue eating. “Speaking of, I know your fellowship is still two years away, but you should probably start looking where you wanna apply to.” 

“Yeah. I hear Grey-Sloan Memorial has great fellowship options.” Nico laughed

“If you’re applying for Ortho I don’t think there’s anyone here. You don’t have to stay here for me. Where do you wanna go?” He asked. Levi thought for a moment,

“I wanna stay here.”

“Levi, I-”

“Everyone is here. Taryn, Casey, Doctor Grey, you. My whole world is here in Seattle.” Nico smiled and Levi grabbed his hand and kissed it. They finished their meal and paid before leaving. They walked on the sidewalk that was covered in snow. Levi looked up and smiled. “My favorite season.” He said. Nico looked over at him and wrapped his hands around his waist. “What are you-” Nico cut him off by pulling him into a kiss. He pulled away and they rested their foreheads together. 

“Levi Schmitt.”

“Hmm?”

“Will you marry me?”

Levi let out a small laugh and pecked Nico’s lips. “Yes.” Nico went to kiss him when his phone went off. He pulled away from Levi and grabbed his phone. He groaned when he read it. “What is it?” Nico showed him. “‘Massive trauma. Multi-car pileup. All hands on deck’.” Levi looked at Nico.

“I gotta go.”

“I’ll come with.”

“Levi, you hav-”

“I’m sure I can do something to help.”

Nico sighed and nodded. They started to make their way to Grey-Sloan, which was a good thirty minute walk from where they were. When they got there, the waiting room was filled with people with minor injuries. “Wow. I don’t even wanna see what the pit looks like. Come on.” Him and Levi raced into the pit. The doctors were all hard at work. “Link, where do you want me?” He yelled towards Link as he put on a trauma gown and gloves.

“Uh, trauma three. Horrible spine fracture. Amelia could use the help.” He answered back as he set someone’s shoulder. “You’re good.” Nico raced into trauma three leaving Levi to stand by himself.

“What about me?” He asked. Link stood up and walked over to him.

“Have you told Nico yet?” Levi shook his head. Link sighed. “I’m clearing you now because we need help, but you have to tell him before you're officially cleared, understand?” Levi nodded. “Okay. Get a gown and gloves and go assist DeLuca in trauma two.”

Levi nodded and grabbed a gown and gloves and walked into trauma two. “What we got?” He asked. Carina looked at him. “Carina?” He asked.

“Yes. Link cleared you?”

“Just for now. He said DeLuca. I thought he-”

“Meant my brother? Well, looks like you’re stuck with me. We have a woman who is twenty-seven weeks pregnant. She was hit pretty hard in the abdomen. We’re gonna have to perform an emergency C-section. We’re moving to the O.R. You coming with?”

“Yeah. Let’s move it.” Carina pushed up the railing and started pushing the bed, Levi on the other side. 

“Am I gonna lose my baby?” She asked, looking from Carina to Levi. “I’m not gonna lose her, right? It-it’s a girl. We were gonna name her Madison. Please, I can’t lose her. She’s my everything. Please.” 

“Ma’am, Doctor DeLuca and I are gonna do everything we can to save you and your baby, alright?” The woman grabbed Levi’s arm as they pulled into an elevator. 

“If it comes down to my life or hers, please, choose her.” She looked at Carina. Levi and Carina shared a look.

“Hopefully, we won’t have to choose, right, Doctor Schmit?” Levi nodded and gave the woman a smile. The elevator opened and they pushed her onto the O.R. floor. They got her into O.R. three. The anesthesiologist was giving her sedation while Levi and Carina scrubbed.

“What’s her name?”

“Amber Johnson.” Levi nodded and grabbed a mask to put over his mouth. “See you in there.” Carina winked before walking into the O.R. Levi sighed and tied his mask and scrub cap. He walked in and was given a gown and gloves. “Alright, how are you feeling, Amber?”

“Terrified.”

“Doctor DeLuca is very good at what she does.” Levi reassured. Amber smiled at him

“Actually, Amber, Doctor Schmitt is gonna perform this surgery. I’ll be with both of you.” Amber looked at her then Levi, who was wearing a poker face. He nodded and switched positions with Carina. “Whenever you’re ready, Doctor Schmitt.” Carina grabbed Amber’s hand.

“Scalpel.” One of the nurses picked up a scalpel and handed it to Levi. He made his first incision. “Suction.” One of the interns suctioned. He made another incision and then another, Until he was staring at the womb. He made the last incision and looked at the baby. He stared at her when he realized something was wrong. “She’s not breathing.” He said, his voice calm. “The umbilical cord is wrapped around her neck.” His voice remained calm and steady,

“What?” Amber exclaimed, starting to panic. Carina tightened her hold on Amber’s hand. She looked at her. The back to Levi. “Will-will she be okay?” She asked.

After a few seconds in silence with Levi messing around her womb, he finally pulled the baby out. “Can you close?” He asked, standing and racing towards the baby warmer. Carina let go of Amber’s hand and started the process of closing her. Levi started to do chest compressions on the baby. “Come on, Madison.” He said to her. 

“Doctor DeLuca…” Amber started. “I, uh, I feel really tired.”

Levi looked over at Amber before looking back to the baby. “DeLuca, I’m having a hard time getting a hard beat.” He called.

“She’s bleeding out.” Carina called back. “Amber, I need you to keep talking to me.” 

“Madison… Is-is she-”

Amber’s heart monitor flatlined.

“Bag her!” Carina yelled. “Starting chest compressions, I’m trying to get her bleeding under control.” 

“I need a bag for Madison too.” A nurse handed him an infant bag before giving one to the intern that was helping Carina and Levi. “We’re so close. So close, Madison. Just breathe.” Tears started sliding down Levi’s face. After a few minutes. He heard Carina sigh.

“I’m calling it.” Levi heard the flatline as he continued bagging the baby. “Time of death: 20:07.” Levi continued bagging Madison. “Doctor Schmitt, it’s time to call it.” He shook his head. 

“No, there’s still time.”

“Schmitt, time of death.” 

A sob escaped his mouth. “She’s gonna make it, DeLuca.” 

“Levi.” Carina put her hands over Levi’s and pulled them off the baby. "Time of death."

Another sob escaped his mouth. “Time of death… 20:08.” 

Levi walked into the scrub room and ripped off his gown, mask, cap, and gloves. He opened the door and walked out of the scrub room and into the hallway, He took a few deep breaths and wiped his face. He started to make his way out of the O.R. floor when he felt someone put a hand on his shoulder he turned around and saw Callie.

“Hey, Torres.” He greeted. “Am I being cleared?”

“Link, said you’re keeping something from Nico, He didn’t tell me what, but if you’re keeping things from people, I don’t think Link or I or Amelia can clear yo-”

“Wait, no, I did tell Nico.” He lied. “I’ve just been down recently. Nico and I were out for Valentines’ Day. I told him, I promise.” 

“Oh. Okay, then I guess I can clear you. Head back up to the pit and see where Owen can put you.” Levi nodded and made his way to the elevator. He hit the first floor button and felt it move. The elevator dinged open and he made his way to the pit and grabbed another pair of gloves. “Doctor Hunt,” he called, “where do you want me?” He asked.
Owen looked at him. “Bed four. Sew up that head lac. CT’s already been ordered. Have an intern take him up.” Levi nodded and made his way over to the patient. He looked at his file. His stomach fell.

“Mister Johnson, hi, I’m Doctor Schmitt, I’m gonna stitch up your head and then one of the interns will take you up to CT, okay?” He nodded. “Good.” Levi started his stitch.

“Please, call me Allen.” Levi nodded. “So, I’ve been trying to get an update from one of these doctors, but they don’t know. Maybe you do. My wife, Amber, was on the passenger side when we got hit. She took all the damage. Do you know what happened to her?”

“One of the doctors took her down to surgery.”

“Oh, okay.”

Levi smiled at him. “Daddy!” He heard a kid yell. He turned his head and saw a little kid running towards him and Allen. She had a sling on her shoulder. “Look! Doctor Cormac and Doctor Kim said I only sprained it!” She yelled.

“Annie, shh. We’re in a hospital.” Allen shushed. Levi laughed at the two as he finished the stitch. 

“Alright, we’re done. Michaels!” He yelled. One of the interns ran over. “Take him up to  CT.” The intern nodded and unlocked the bed.

“Oh! Doctor Schmitt, I know it’s out of your pay grade, but could you watch my daughter?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”

Levi looked at Annie as she watched them take her dad away. “Annie?” He said, crouching down to her level. She nodded. “I’m Levi, I’m the doctor who looked at your daddy’s head. How’s your arm?” 

“It hurts, but I’ll be fine.”

“Come on. Let’s go wait out in the waiting room, okay?” She nodded and he grabbed the hand that wasn’t in the sling. They sat down in the waiting room. “How old are you?”

“I’m five.”

“Wow. That’s so old.” Annie smiled at him. “Do you have any siblings?”

“No, but my mommy has a baby in her tummy!” 

Levi’s heart sank. “Yeah, she does.”

“Mister Levi, Doctor, Sir, I was wondering, Could I be a doctor too?” 

Levi chuckled. “Anyone can be a doctor.” She smiled. Then something grabbed her gaze. Levi followed her eyes and saw Carina standing with her dad. Her dad turned back and gestured for her to come to him.

“Goodbye, Doctor Levi, sir!” She waved, running towards her father. Levi watched the interaction for a minute. He watched their expressions change and immediately stood up and left the room. He started at a walk and then broke out into a sprint. He raced into an on-call room and slammed the door. He sobbed into his hands. 

“Schmitt?” A voice asked. Levi turned his head and saw Amelia laying on the top bunk. “Are you-”

“I’m, uh, I’m… I’m sorry. I-” He broke off into another sob. “I didn’t realize anyone was in here. I’m really sorry.” He went to open the door when Levi saw Link walk in. His heart sank. 

“Schmitt?”

“I’m-”

“Did you talk to Nico yet?” Levi looked anywhere, but his eyes. “Cause Callie said you did. Were you in an O.R. after I told you I wouldn’t clear you until you told Nico? Did you lie to Callie to get into an O.R?” Link’s voice was stern and hard. Almost fatherly. Levi wanted to laugh at that. He was a father now. Levi took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry-”

“Sorry isn’t good enough! You could have killed someone!”

Levi let out a dry laugh. “‘Could have’” He let out another dry laugh. “Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I did kill someone. Two people actually. A mother and her baby. She had a husband and another child. Sweetest girl ever. Nico actually looked at her arm.” 

“Levi,” Amelia had climbed off the bed and was now standing behind Levi, “are you alright?” She asked. Levi’s smile fell and he looked at Amelia and then Link.

“No… I’m not. I should go.” He shimmied past Link and exited the on-call room. He started to make his way back to the main part of the hospital. He looked around. The waiting room was back to being the waiting room. No more crash victims were there. Just families waiting for their family. He took a deep breath when he saw Nico standing at the desk looking over papers. The sun was starting to come up. How funny. Just several hours ago, they were out having dinner. Now? They were doctors again. Saving lives, helping people. Levi started walking towards Nico. He put a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “Hey.” He greeted. Nico turned around and kissed him.

“Hey. You can go home. I’m just looking through some things.” Nico had a big smile on his face. Levi didn’t wanna take that away from him. Nevertheless, he put his hand on top of the clipboard gaining Nico’s attention again. “What?” He asked.

“I lied.” Nico laughed and when he saw Levi’s expression, his smile dropped. 

“What? What do you mean you lied? About what?”

Levi took another deep breath. “Last month, when I went to see my mom, I lied. I told you she couldn’t come to the wedding because she had other plans. That’s not true. She can’t come because she disowned me. She told me she couldn’t love me because of what I’d done and who I loved. She-she-” Levi’s voice broke off into sobs and Nico went to wrap an arm around him. Levi stopped him, “She said she was moving away from Seattle. Away from me. She hates me. My own-” Another sob. “My own mother hates me.” Nico wrapped his arms around Levi, pulling him tightly against his body. Sobs shook both of them. Nico placed a kiss on the top of his head. “What do you do when the person who created you, hates you?” He sobbed out.

Chapter Text

Levi sat in the therapist’s office. He was wearing long sleeves and sweats. His leg was underneath him while his prosthetic hung off the couch. He was picking at the skin by his fingernails. 

“So, Levi, what was your childhood like?” His therapist, Claire, asked.

“Uh, it was great. My mom taught me how to ride a bike. She taught me how to read and how to cook and-”

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’m noticing a common denominator here. You and your mom were close, right?” Levi nodded. Claire wrote down notes. “What about your father? Were you close to him?”

Levi thought for a moment. “No, I didn’t know him. I mean, he was there when I was younger, but he and my mom divorced while I was young.” Claire nodded and wrote down more notes.

“Did your mom ever tell you why they got divorced?” Levi shook his head. “Okay, alright. How did she react when you wanted to go to medical school?” 

“When I was in my second or third year of college was when the Seattle Grace-Mercy West shooting happened.” Claire nodded. “She wasn’t too thrilled when I told her I wanted to be a doctor.” He let out a low chuckle. “She said ‘you’ll end up like those doctors at Seattle Grace who died’.” 

“And how did that make you feel?”

“Less than, I guess? I mean, she hated the idea of me going away to college and then going away to Med School and then leaving altogether.”

“So one could say she was controlling?” 

“I guess. I just never really noticed it.”

Claire nodded. “Most don’t until they’re older. They start to see the signs and make connections. Some never do.” She wrote down more notes. “How would she react if you misbehaved?”

Levi took a shaky breath. Claire reached behind her and grabbed a box of tissues. She sat them in front of Levi. He took one. “She didn’t react negatively, but she would threaten to lock me in my room. Did-did I do something wrong to make her hate me?”

Claire shook her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Levi. Some parents just aren’t selfless enough to have children.” Levi nodded and wiped his eyes. “When your mom told you you couldn’t be around her anymore, how did that make you feel?”

“Numb, I guess.”

“Did you do anything destructive afterwards? Like, hurt yourself, lose your temper, hurt someone else?” 

Levi thought back to when he was walking to Grey-Sloan from the coffee shop and he almost stepped in front of a car. “Yeah, I think.” Claire nodded and wrote down notes. 

“Okay, what do you mean ‘I think’? You’re not sure it was destructive or…?” 

“Um, when I was walking to the hospital, I stepped out in front of a car. I didn’t see it. I wasn’t hurt thanks to another doctor, but a small part of me thought, maybe-”

“Maybe if you’d been hit it’d be for the better?” 

“Yeah…” 

“Okay.” She wrote down notes. “You were recently in a car accident, correct?” Levi nodded. “You’ve been laid up since, correct?” He nodded again. “Did you ever have suicidal thoughts while laid up? I mean, before the whole mom thing?”

“Yeah. I’ve had them a lot recently, too.”

“Have you-”

“No. No, Nico’s been home with me since I’ve told him. He hasn’t let me leave his sight.

“But if he wasn’t there. Do you think you would’ve hurt yourself?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do. It should be in my chart that I overdosed a couple of weeks ago.”

“It is, but that was then. This is now and I’m worried about now. Okay?” Levi nodded and she wrote down more notes. She looked at her watch. “We’re out of time for today, but I’ve got some homework for you. Every time you have those thoughts, write down the day, time, and month. Write down exactly how you feel and what you want, okay?” He nodded. “Alright, I’ll see you next week.” He nodded again and stood up. He gave her a smile before exiting the room. He walked to the waiting room, where Nico was sitting, waiting for him. Nico turned his head and smiled at Levi. He stood up.

“You ready to go?” He asked. Levi nodded, reaching for Nico’s hand. Nico gave it a squeeze and the two walked out of the office and into the car. They put their seat belts on and Nico looked at Levi. “Hey,” he started, gaining the other’s attention, “I love you.”

“Even if I fail my residency?”

“You’re not gonna fail.”

“And if I do?” 

Nico sighed. “I’ll still love you.” Levi nodded. Nico started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. The drive from the office to their apartment was silent. They walked into the apartment building and into the elevator. They exited the elevator and walked to their apartment. Once in, Nico asked “I’m gonna get dinner started. Is there anything that you’re in the mood for?”

“Um, dumplings if it’s possible?” Nico smiled at Levi and kissed him.

“Of course.” Nico made his way to the kitchen and Levi sat on the couch. He stared at the blank TV. Nico gathered his ingredients and looked over his cookbook. He looked up and noticed Levi staring at the TV. “Levi?” He called. No answer. He put his cookbook down and walked over to him. “Levi,” he stood in front of the TV, “want me to turn it on for you?”

Levi shook his head and looked up at Nico. “No, I’m just-”

“Spacing out?”

Levi was silent for a minute. “Yeah.” He finally said. Nico nodded his head. 

“Want me to call someone to come hang out for dinn-”

“Who’s gonna walk me down the aisle?” Levi asked, looking through Nico. “I always thought my mom would, but…” He broke off into a sob. “Guess that’s out the door.” His sobs faded into hollow laughs until he stopped. He looked up at Nico. “Yeah, um, call whoever. Taryn, Casey, Link, I don’t care. I’m gonna go lay down in bed.” Levi stood up and walked into the bedroom. Nico watched him and sighed. 

He went back into the kitchen and continued to make dinner. He sent a text to Amelia and Link, inviting them over for dinner. An hour later, once dinner was finished and plates were set, he heard a knock on the door. He looked over to the four plates before nodding to himself and walking over to open the door.

“Hey!” He greeted the duo. “No Scout?” He asked once they were in the apartment.

Amelia shrugged off her jacket and handed it to Link to hang up. “No. He’s with a sitter. Plus, I thought this was more of an adult dinner anyway.” She chuckled. Nico closed the door.

“Where is Levi?” Link asked, looking around the small apartment

“Bedroom.” 

“I will go check on him.” Amelia said, giving Link a kiss before walking towards the bedroom.

Link and Nico walked towards the kitchen. “How’s he doing?” Link asked as him and Levi sat down. 

“He’s, uh, he’s not good. He had therapy today.”

“That’s good. How’d it go?”

“We don’t talk about his therapy.”

“Why not?”

Nico sighed. “It’s jus-”

“Look who’s up.” Amelia said, walking into the room, Levi right behind her. She gave him a smile and sat next to Link.

Levi pulled at his sleeve. “I know you worked hard and I know you invited Link and Amelia, but can I just skip dinner? I’ll grab something from the cupboards.” Link and Amelia shared a look.

“Well, uh-um, do you-do you want me to bring it in? You don’t have to eat out here.” Levi shook his head and walked over to the cupboard and pulled out some chips. He sat down on the couch and pushed up his sweatpants. He pulled off his leg and sat it by the coffee table. He stood up and started hopping to the bedroom. 

“You want he-” 

Nico put a hand on Link’s arm and shook his head. ‘Don’t’ he mouthed. Link nodded. They watched Levi hop into the bedroom. Nico sighed and took his hand off of Link’s arm. “I’m sorry. I thought that-”

Amelia reached out to him. “He’s in the best part of it. It only gets worse from here. It’s gonna get bad and dark and awful. The more he goes to therapy the more she’ll uncover. The more he’ll get down and he’ll eventually hit rock bottom and when that happens, he’ll need you there to catch him. Cushion the hit. Can you do that, Nico?” Nico opened his mouth, but Amelia kept going. “If you can’t. If for even a second you think you can’t then you need to get out now. Leave this relationship behind, stop planning your wedding. Ask him to move out. He shouldn’t be with someone who can’t help him.”

Link and Amelia looked at him. Link cleared his throat and started eating. “I love him.”

“Yeah,” Link started, chewing, “but,” He swallowed, “do you love him enough to stand by him through what may be the worst months of his life.” He picked up another dumpling. “I don’t mean to guilt you, but he was there for you after your patient died and he was there for you when you came out to your parents.” Nico nodded.

“Between us, I’ve been seeing a therapist.” Link and Amelia shared a look. Amelia opened her mouth. “I know, I know. I didn’t tell anyone. Hell, Levi doesn’t even know. Ever since the accident I’ve had trouble eating and I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. I was frustrated with myself. It was hard. Devastating. My therapist, he’s good. He’s helpful. I don’t know how to help Levi. I didn’t…” His voice trailed off and he sighed.

“All he needs is support. From you, from us, and from his friends. Do you know if Parker and Helm know yet?” Link asked. Amelia took a bite of her food and looked at Nico.

“No. I-I don’t think he’s told them. I don’t know if he wants to or not,  but I’m not telling them. He-he should be the one to tell them.” 

Amelia gave him a smile. Her phone binged and she looked at it. A groan left her mouth. She stood up and wiped her mouth. “I have to go. Koracick needs my help. Nico,” she turned to him, “you’re thinking too much into this. All Levi needs is support from you, okay?” She gave him a smile and made her way to the door. She grabbed her jacket and walked out the door, leaving the duo alone. Nico sighed.

“I’ll get this put away. You can go.” He stood up and grabbed the two plates that were vacant. Link stood up and grabbed the other two plates. Nico looked at him. “What are yo-”

“When I first met Levi, he was annoying, small, insignificant. I told myself ‘he won’t last long’. Now?” Link let out a chuckle and placed the plates down. He grabbed Tupperware containers and dumped the plates into them. “Now, he’s gonna go so far. Be a great surgeon in whichever specialty he decides.” He took the two plates from Nico and did the same thing. “He’ll definitely win a few Catherine Fox’s. He’ll succeed.” Nico smiled and took the dishes. He placed them in the fridge. 

“If he ever gets back to work.” Link let out another laugh. He slapped a hand on Nico’s back.

“You’re worrying about the wrong things. Do me a favor and stop for a minute. Stop thinking about work and being a surgeon and him being a surgeon. Pretend that neither of you are surgeons. Just… be.” Nico nodded. Link gave him a smile and made his way to the door. He turned and looked at Nico. “Just be there for him.” He walked out the door, leaving Nico alone. Nico looked over the apartment and sighed before walking into the bedroom.

Chapter Text

The break room was filled with attendings and residents. It was decorated for a gender reveal. Jo looked around the room. There was a chalkboard with ‘boy or girl’ guesses. She picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a line under ‘boy’ and smiled. She felt an arm wrap around her.

“Still going with boy?” The voice asked. She turned around and saw Alex. She gave him a small smack. “I’m telling you it’s a girl.”

“And I’m telling you, mother’s intuition.” Alex laughed and kissed her. “Either way, I’ll love him with my entire body and heart. He laughed against her lips.

Taryn and Casey stood off in a corner by themselves, eating cupcakes. “Is Levi coming?” Casey asked. “Nico isn’t here either.” He noted. Taryn shrugged and pulled out her phone.

“Last text was ‘on the way’, but with him.” She shrugged again and threw her wrapper and plate away. Casey nodded and threw his garbage away. The door to the break room opened and Levi and Nico walked in.

“Great!” Meredith yelled. “We can cut the cake and see if Alex is right or if the mother’s intuition wins.” She winked at the duo. Everyone gathered around the cake. Alex and Jo both gripped the knife and cut. They pulled the piece out. Both of them gasped. 

Alex chuckled. “Mother’s intuition, right?” He said. Jo looked at him and smiled.

“I don’t even care. We’re having a baby girl!” She exclaimed, hugging Alex. Alex hugged her back. Applause filled the room. Alex and Jo kissed, 

“As touching as this is,” Levi started as he walked over to the cake, “but don’t you guys all have jobs?”

“Says the guy who ruined the cake at our wedding.” Jo shot back, a smile on her face. Levi held up his hands. She laughed. “But he’s right. Go start rounds and,” she grabbed Alex’s collar, “you go to Pac North and be a hell of a chief.” She kissed him. He smiled and made his way to the exit.

“Richard, Owen, come hither.” Owen and Richard followed him. The rest of the group all left the break room until Levi and Jo were the only ones left. She sat down on a chair.

“Did you know?” She asked. “I know that Link told Nico I just didn’t know if he told you.” Levi grabbed a drink and sat next to her.

“I did not know.” He smiled at her. “When you went to see your mom and she left, how did-how did you feel afterwards?”

“Well, I was in bed for weeks. I felt like I was drowning. It felt like I was all alone, but just as I was about to run out of air, my friends grabbed me and helped pull me to the surface.” Levi nodded. Tears started to burn his vision. “It’s been exhausting, hasn’t it?”

“I’ve been going to therapy and I spent those three days in the psych ward and Nico, God, Nico, he’s been-he’s been great. More than what I think I’ve deserved.” Jo nodded and placed a hand on his thigh. “I’m sorry. I’m just being over dramatic. What you went through. That-that was worse.”

“Traumas should never be compared, but if we are, I think yours is worse than mine.”

“Wha-”

Jo held up a finger. “Growing up, I never knew my mom. I was in and out of foster homes for years until I moved into my car. So, when she left me, I wasn’t losing a relationship. I would’ve gained one, but I didn’t. Yeah, it hurt, but she lucked out on having a pretty badass daughter.

“So I’m just being over dramatic?”

Jo sighed. “No. You and your mom had a relationship. She raised you, she helped you grow into the person you are today. She helped shape you, so when she left, you lost everything. For most of your life it was you and her and then all of a sudden it was just you. Standing alone in a room that had your mom, but it doesn’t anymore.” Levi thought for a moment.

“But I’m not alone.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“In that metaphorical room? I’m not alone. It’s dark and I can’t see or hear, but if I take a step or reach out, I’ll bump into someone. Someone who has a light and is willing to lend it to me. When it first happened, I felt so alone, but over the last few weeks, I know that I’m not alone and it feels so good.”

“Sounds good to me.” A new voice said. Levi and Jo turned their heads to see Claire standing in the doorway. “You were late for our session so I texted Nico to see where you were. He said you probably forgot so I drove here. I’m glad to see that these few weeks of therapy have really helped you. I thought we’d have to do this for a few more months, but I’m gonna clear you for surgery if you think you’re ready.”

Levi looked at Claire and smiled. “I’m ready, but are we done meeting then?”

“No. Not even close. Same time next week?” He nodded. “Awesome. See you then, Doctor Schmitt.” She winked at him and waved some papers. “I’ll drop these off at the Chief’s office.” Levi nodded and watched her walk away. He turned to Jo.

“You’re having a girl and I’m performing surgery again.” Jo gave him a smile. He leaned over and pecked her cheek. “I’m gonna go put on my scrubs.” Jo clapped and watched him walk out.

Twenty minutes later, Levi was walking the halls of Grey-Sloan. He fixed his stethoscope and smiled. He saw Link and walked over. 

“Hey.” He greeted. “Guess who’s therapist cleared him for surgery.” He said. Link looked at him and smiled. “Where do you want me?”

“Uh,” Link looked over his iPad, “I don’t know. Ortho is filled right now.” Arizona walked by the duo and gave Levi and Link a smile. “Robbins!” Link said, gaining her attention.

“Yes?”

“Schmitt just got cleared, can he be on your service?”

“Wait, I’m not that big on-”

“Yeah, absolutely. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time together when you were an intern, but now we can get to know each other.” She smiled at him. Levi looked from her to Link and nodded. “Alright let’s go.” She handed him an iPad and led him into a room. Two parents and their son were in the room. The mom was laying in the hospital bed.

“Good afternoon, everyone. Doctor Schmitt, please present.”

“Lucy Goslin. Age: twenty-eight. Lucy is twenty-five weeks pregnant and she has EDS which makes carrying a baby to term more difficult. Her baby has Spina Bif-”

“Is my mommy okay?” Lucy’s son interrupted, staring up at Levi.

“Leo, please let the doctor finish.” Lucy’s husband said, grabbing his son and pulling him back. Levi raised a hand to stop him. He bent down to be eye level with Leo. 

“Your mommy is very strong, Leo, and this surgery is pretty easy.” He stood up and walked over to Lucy. “We’ll go into your mommy’s tummy right here,” he pointed, “take your little brother out. Fix the problem and put him back in.” Leo nodded. Arizona smiled at Levi. “And then in a few more weeks, you’ll be a big brother.” Leo nodded again and gave Levi a big smile. “We good?” He looked around the room. Lucy and her husband nodded. “Okay, your surgery is in an hour. See you then.” He gave them one last smile before him and Arizona walked out of the room. Arizona closed the door.

“You’re really good with patients. You ever think about going into Peds or Fetal Surgery?” She asked as they started walking out of the floor.” Levi shook his head.

“No, I’d much rather go into Ortho.”

“Oh! Isn’t that what Nico’s specialty is?”

“Yeah. I kinda fell in love with Ortho and him.” He chuckled. Arizona smiled. “What?”

“I just think that that is a perfect love story. Almost as perfect as the girl who fell out of a plane and the girl who cut her leg off.” They both laughed. “So, how did it happen? You and Nico?”

“Um, well, he was a fellow and I was still kinda an intern. He was arrogant and handsome and made me realize I was gay. He said he couldn’t do the shame spiral thing, but failed to tell me his parents didn’t know.” Arizona nodded. “He made me become more confident and I love him.”

“I think that’s beautiful.” 

Amelia walked into her lab and sat down. SHe sighed and started looking over her research papers. A few minutes later and a knock pulled her from her thoughts. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my beautiful girlfriend.” Amelia looked up and smiled at Link. He leaned down and pecked her lips. “What are you working on?”

“Eh, not really much. I’m just kinda wasting time until my next surgery in an hour. What about you? You got anyone cool on your service today?” She asked. Link sat down next to her.

“Nope. I gave them all to Torres and Nico, so I’me free today. Oh, but I guess Schmitt got cleared today which is really confusing and Bailey said Doctor Shiko dropped by and gave her the papers. So, he is cleared for surgery.”

“Oh, cool. He’s with Callie then?” Link shook his head. “Then who’s he with?” She asked.

“Um, Robbins. Ortho was completely filled and I couldn’t bump a resident for him. Makes me look like I’m giving him special treatment.” Amelia laughed. “What?”

“But you have given him special treatment.” Link groaned. “You can’t run from it. You adore him.”

“Maybe just a little.” He laughed and pulled her into a kiss. His pager went off.

“Such a cock block.” Amelia breathed. Link laughed and looked at it. “What is it?”

“It’s 911 from Nico. I’ll be right back.” He kissed Amelia before taking off. He raced towards the Ortho floor and saw Nico standing at the nurse’s station. Link walked over to him “You paged 911, I thought someone would be dying on a table.” Nico turned around.

“Just a small problem.” He showed Link the tablet. “I’m not sure how to approach this.” Link looked at the tablet. “It’s a tumor, but the tumor extends over the entire leg.”

“You don’t have a game plan then?”

“No.”

“Tell the family about it and then when you and Schmitt go home, have him help you come up with the game plan.”

“Okay. You cleared him?”

“His therapist did.”

Nico nodded and turned his attention back to his tablet. He looked at Link and gave him a smile. “He’s a pain in my ass, let me tell you.” Link and Nico laughed. 

“All the best relationships are. I know Amelia is a pain in mine, but… I love her. Have you and Levi finished planning the wedding?”

“We haven’t had time. I’ve been busy here and he’s been busy with therapy.” Link nodded. “Honestly, I don’t even know if he still wants to marry me. I know I’ve been an ass in the past, but…” Nico trailed off.

“Listen, the best advice I can give, listen. If he wants to postpone the wedding, postpone it. If he wants to call it off, call it off.” Link started walking away.

“What if it’s not what I want?” Link sighed and faced Nico. 

“Nico, you’re a great doctor, but a selfish person, He has given up stuff for you, again, and again, and again. So, if he asks for something, just do it. Relationships are compromise and you don’t do much compromising.” Nico opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Link walked away.

“You are doing good, Lucy.” Arizona said. “Alright, Doctor Schmitt, I think we can close now. You did an excellent job.”

“Thank you, Doctor Robbins.” He smiled at her. “How are you feeling, Lucy?” 

“Good, but tired. That’s the medicine, right?”

Arizona and Levi chuckled. “Yes, that’s the medicine.” She answered. “Doctor Schmitt, why don’t you close?” Levi nodded. Him and Arizona switched positions. “You know, Doctor Schmitt’s specialty is gonna be Ortho.”

“Really?” Lucy asked, turning to look at him. “You’re so good with kids, I would've thought you’d go into something involving kids.” Levi laughed.

“Well, I still get to work with kids, I just work with bones.” Arizona and Lucy laughed. “But maybe, I’ll choose differently. I still have two years left of my residency. It may change. Lucy, we’re done here.”

“Great job, Schmitt. Lucy, a nurse will take you up to recovery and I’ll come see you in a bit.” Arizona looked down at her before her and Levi made their way to the scrub room. They took of their gowns, gloves, caps, and masks and threw them in a linen bag. They started washing their hands. “How are you doing?” She asked. Levi looked at her. “The leg. When I first got back into surgery it was really hard to stand for that long.”

“Oh, my little nub feels sore and I’m gonna go home and have my great fiancé rub it.” The duo laughed. Arizona turned off the sink.

“Callie used to do that for me. I, um, I owe him an apology.”

“Why?” Levi grabbed a towel and  started drying his hands. He handed it to Arizona.

“I may have spoken out of line to him the day of your surgery. I shouldn’t have.” 

Levi nodded. “Just say sorry. He’s pretty good at accepting apologies.” Levi gave her a smile and made his way out of the scrub room into the hallway. He walked two steps before he found himself hitting the ground. “Shit!” He exclaimed when his head hit the ground. “Ah, ow…” 

“Levi!” He heard Arizona yell from behind him. “Are you okay?” She asked. She put a hand on his shoulder and heard him laughing. He rolled over onto his back and laughed. “You okay? Your forehead is bleeding…” Levi let out another laugh and reached up to touch his forehead. 

“That ever happen to you? You do a kickass surgery and then forget you don’t have a left leg and take a step and then boom on the floor.” Arizona opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, I, uh, I had that happen to me.” She stood up and held her hand out to him. “Come on. Let’s get you up and get that head looked at.” He grabbed her hand and let her pull him up.

Nico stood in the kitchen, holding a cookbook, and mixing food. He turned his attention to the door when he heard it open. “Hey.” He greeted Levi before turning back to his pot. Levi smiled and threw his coat on the couch. “Heard you got back in the O.R. today. How’d it go.”

Levi stood in the entryway pondering. “I fell.” Nico turned around and looked at Levi. He noticed the band-aid on his forehead. He turned the stove off and put the cookbook down.

“Wh-what happened?” 

Levi’s smile grew. “I got back up.” Nico opened his mouth and closed it. A smile worked its way to his lips. “I was thinking,” Levi walked over to Nico and wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist, “with the wedding coming up, you know what we should do?”

Nico pulled away. “We’re still having the wedding?” He asked. Levi chuckled.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t we?"

“Because of everything that’s been going on and…” Nico sighed. “If you want to postpone it, we can.” Levi let out another chuckle.

“Life is tough, but the sooner I marry you, the happier I’ll be.” Nico looked down at Levi and smiled. He pressed his lips against Levi’s. “So anyway, I was thinking, we should buy a house. You and I. Get out of this apartment and move into a house. A house with a yard and rooms. Enough for a family, maybe?” Levi bit his lip, a smile just barely on his face. Nico’s smile widened and then fell. “Nico-”

“I haven’t told you, but ever since the accident, I’ve… been going to therapy. Mostly because I couldn’t sleep at night. Sometimes I couldn’t even look at you, not because you did anything wrong, but because I-” Levi put his index finger over Nico’s mouth.

“I’m gonna stop you right there. One,” he moved his finger away from Nico’s mouth and held it up, “the accident wasn’t your fault. Two,” he put his middle finger up, “I’m okay and, yeah, I wasn’t for awhile, but right now, I am. And three,” he put his ring finger up, “I’ve known about the therapy since February.”

“You’ve known for a month.”

Levi laughed and put his hand down. “Yeah, sorry. I wanted you to tell me when you were ready.”

Nico smiled. “I love you.” He kissed Levi’s lips. 

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Let’s do it. Let’s get a house where we can raise a family.”

Chapter Text

One Month Later

Levi flipped through his book and wrote down some notes. He picked up a piece of a candy bar and bit it. He put it back down and wrote down more notes. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around and saw Nico. He gave him a smile before turning back to his book. Nico kissed his cheek and leaned over his shoulder. Levi took another bite of his candy bar.

“What are you up to?” Nico asked.

“I’m working on something for Doctor Torres.” He said with a mouth full. He swallowed and turned to Nico. “I know we said we’d look at some more houses today, but I promised Doctor Torres I’d have this stuff done before our surgery tonight so I’m gonna have to take a rain check.” He gave Nico a smile. “You understand, right?” Nico sighed.

“Yeah, I understand. I hate that I understand, but I understand.” Levi kissed Nico’s cheek. “I’m still gonna go and look at the houses. Get some pictures. Let me know how your surgery goes.” Nico kissed Levi and stood up. “Bye. I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

Levi watched Nico walk out of the skills lab and sighed. He turned back to his notes and book. He continued this until he heard a knock on the door. He turned his head and smiled when he saw Callie. 

“How are you doing?” She asked, arms crossed, smile on her face.

“Good. I got these notes you asked for.” Callie nodded

“Okay. Let me see.” He handed them to her. She looked them over and nodded. “Wow, Schmitt, you are good at what you do. This-this is impressive. What year resident are you?” 

“Third.”

Callie nodded again. “Impressive. Arizona said some things about you, but this is amazing. Alright, let’s go get ready for surgery.”

Nico walked around the house, a smile playing it’s way to his lips. “What do you think?” His realtor, Mike, asked. Nico looked at him.

“It’s nice. The bathrooms and bedrooms are great. The fireplace in the living room. It’s beautiful.” Mike nodded.

“Perfect place to start a family and to raise one. You and your girlfriend will love it.”

Nico looked around the living room. “Boyfriend and, yeah, I think he will.” Nico nodded to himself. “Do you mind if I get some pictures for him? He was going into surgery.”

“No, not all. Get some pictures.” Mike gave him a smile and walked into the other room. Nico started taking pictures of the living room and kitchen.

“Doctor Schmitt,” one of the scrub nurses started. “You have a text from Doctor Kim.”

Levi looked at her from his place. Scalpel in hands and headlamp on his hand. Callie and him locked eyes for a moment.

“Is it urgent?” He asked, before looking back down at the patient’s right arm.

“I don’t believe so. He said ‘kitchen’.” Levi let out a little laugh.

“Is that like an inside joke for you and Doctor Kim?” Callie asked, putting down her scalpel ”Bovie.” One of the interns used the bovie where she pointed. One of the scrub nurses handed her another scalpel.

“Uh, no. We’re looking at buying a house and he probably sent me pictures of the kitchen.” He let out another laugh before he groaned.

“You okay, Schmitt?” Callie asked.

“Yeah, it’s just my leg. I've had a lot of phantom limp pain lately.”  Levi groaned again. Callie thought for a minute before turning to the intern.

“Uh, Lee,” Callie started, gaining the his attention, “you’re gonna take a scalpel off of that table and stab Doctor Schmitt's left foot.”

“What? You’re not serious?” Lee asked, picking up the scalpel. Levi looked at her. Lee took a deep breath before bending down and stabbing Levi’s foot. “Okay. Done.” 

“Alright, Doctor Schmitt, take a look at your foot and tell me if you're still having pain.” Levi looked down and smiled underneath his mask. “Feel better?” She asked and he could hear the smile on her face. He looked back up and nodded. 

“Yeah, thank you. Where’d you learn that trick?” He asked, continuing his work on the arm.

Callie chuckled. “Something Owen taught Arizona when she got back into surgery after her amputation. Alright, how’s your arm looking?” She asked. 

“Good. I think this bone is done.” He looked up at her.

“Great. Then we are done. I’ll close, you can go update the family.” He nodded and walked out of the O.R. He threw his gloves away and made his way to the waiting room. 

“Mrs. Johnson, Mr. Johnson.” He called. Two people stood up and started walking towards him. He gave them both smiles.

“How’s our daughter?” Mrs Johnson asked.

“She’s good. Doctor Torres and I just finished the surgery. She’ll be taken to recovery and then you can go see her, okay.” They both nodded. “Good luck.” He started making his way to a linen closet. He threw his cap and coat into it. He opened his phone and started going through the photos Nico sent him. “Wow.” He muttered to himself. He texted Nico back.

Me: it looks perfect. What’d you think seeing it in person?

Nico: I loved it. It’s got five bedrooms, not including the master bedroom, beautiful kitchen with an island, a fireplace in the living room and master bedroom. I think you’ll love it. And the yard is big enough for a pool and maybe a swing set 

Levi smiled and walked into the break room. He sat down at one of the tables.

Me: How much?

Nico: two million

Levi sighed and his smile fell. He dialed Nico’s number. It rang before Nico answered. “Two million dollars?” Levi asked before Nico got a word out. “Nico, it’s beautiful, but there’s no way we can afford it.”

“I can afford it. I can buy it.” Levi groaned. “I know, I know, you wanna buy it together, but I can buy it.” He sighed . “I think you’re gonna love this house. This is the house, Levi.”

Levi took a deep breath. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay. Buy it.”

Levi could hear Nico’s smile through the phone. His smile grew. They said their goodbyes and Levi hung up. He placed his phone on the table in front of him and continued smiling.

“Careful, Schmitt, keep that on your face and it’ll get stuck.” A voice greet, laughter evident in the tone. Levi turned around and saw Meredith.

“What are you still doing here? I thought you and Doctor Hayes had a date?” Meredith rolled her eyes and sat down. “That bad?” 

“No, Schmitt!” She laughed. “I got called in for surgery. What’s with the smile? You look like you slept with a hanger in your mouth.”

Levi laughed. “Uh, I think Nico and I just bought our first house with a fireplace in the master bedroom.” Meredith’s mouth opened into a smile. “Uh, yeah.” He laughed again. “It’s expensive, but looks… so pretty.”

“A dream house?”

“Hm?”

“A dream house. It’s what Derek and I called our house that he built for me and the kids. It was perfect.”

“Was?”

Meredith’s smile grew a little more. “After he died, I couldn’t really stand to be there, but it was everything.” Levi nodded. “Schmitt, can I ask a personal question.” He nodded. “Do you know who’s gonna walk you down the aisle?”

Levi sighed and tears started to fill his eyes. “Um, myself?” The duo let out laughs. “Honestly, I try not to think about it when I do I start to cry.”

Meredith nodded. “Can I propose something then?”

“Sure.”

“Can I walk you down the aisle?”

Callie groaned and sat down in the attendings’ lounge. “Sore?” A voice asked. She turned around and saw Link. She chuckled. 

“Yep. Schmitt and I just did a three hour arm repair. So, yeah,” she chuckled again, “I’m sore. Arizona and I are leaving tomorrow night. Will you keep me updated about Schmitt? He’s good now, but will have his days. God knows Arizona does.”

Link nodded and sat down next to her. “He’s a good kid. He was a good kid when I first met him. I’m glad you were able to save him and I really haven’t thanked you for that. So... thank you.” Callie chuckled again. 

“Yeah, well, couldn’t leave him hanging.” Callie felt tears in her eyes. “God, he reminds me so much of George.” She wiped her eyes.

“Who’s George?”

She looked up at the ceiling. “He was my husband until he wasn’t and then he was gone and I still miss him. He would’ve been a great Trauma Surgeon and every time I look at Schmitt, I-I-I see him and it’s so hard, but George would see him and would love him.” She wiped her eyes. “Do me a favor. Keep an eye on him.” 

“I will.” Callie stood up and grabbed her bag. She made her way to the door. “Doctor Torres,” Link started, gaining her attention, “good luck in New York.” She smiled at him before walking out the door. 

Levi walked into his apartment. He threw his bag on the couch and smiled at Nico, who was in the kitchen cooking. Nico turned around and smiled at Levi. “Bought the house. They said we could start moving in as soon as next week.” Levi nodded. “Why are you so happy?” He asked. Levi walked over to Nico and wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist. 

“Doctor Grey is gonna me down the aisle when we get married.”

Chapter Text

Link looked down at his patient’s chest. “Doctor Lincoln,” he heard Teddy start, “she was your patient. Time of death?”

“Time of death 16:15. Can you close?” Teddy nodded. “Thank you. I’ll go update the family.” He sighed and sat down his tools exiting the O.R. He walked into the waiting room. “Mrs and Mr Johnson?” He called. A man and a woman stood up and walked over to him. “Can we go somewhere more private?” They followed him to a private room. “Ma’am, sir-”

“Our daughter was a patient under Doctor Karev. Can we please speak with him?” Mrs Johnson said.

“I’m sorry Doctor Kare-”

“Is our daughter okay?” Mr Johnson interrupted. 

“Sir, your daughter came in with multiple broken ribs and a broken leg. We did everything we could, but, sadly, one of her ribs punctured her heart and our Chief of Cardio couldn’t save the heart. I’m really-”

Link was falling to the ground from the punch Mr Johnson had thrown. “Where is Alex Karev?!” He yelled. Before Link could answer, security came running in to restrain Mr Johnson. Mrs and Mr Johnson were escorted out of the room. 

“You okay?” A voice asked. Link turned around and saw Levi.

“Shouldn't you be home, putting stuff away?”

“I’m heading there now. Wanna join me?” Link nodded and stood up. He grabbed his jaw. “Think it’s broken?”

“No. Just bruised.”

Levi started hanging clothes in the closet. He picked up a box and moved it from the bed onto the floor. “Have I ever mentioned how much I hate moving?” He yelled into the other room. “I mean, who likes packing and unpacking. Not me.” He muttered the last part and then laughed. 

“Where do you want this, Schmitt?” He heard a voice ask. He turned around and saw Jo standing in the doorway holding a box.

“Jo!” He exclaimed, grabbing the box from her. “You are seven months pregnant! Karev will kill me.” He sat the box down on the floor.

“I’m not a china doll.” She shot back.

“No, you are more precious than a china doll.” A new voice said. Link, who was carrying a box. “Where do you want this?”

“Uh, that goes in the bathroom.”

“Which one?”

“The one in here.” Link nodded and moved towards the master bedroom’s bathroom. Levi picked up a box off the floor and placed it on the bed. He sighed and started going through it.

Hours later, Nico and Levi laid on their couch in the living room with the fireplace on. Levi’s leg was off and on the floor and Nico was holding Levi in his arms. The two enjoying the other’s company. Nico kissed Levi’s head. 

“I can’t wait until we have a family.” Nico smiled. Levi nodded. “My parents are visiting tomorrow. Are you ready for judgement day?” Levi laughed.

“I can deal with them.”

“Nico, I wish you would call us before making such a big purchase!” His mother, Ali, yelled. Nico sat on the couch with his head in his hands. “I mean, this house must’ve cost at least a million dollars! And for what? For some-some boy?” 

“Mrs. Kim,” Levi started, “I can pay for this too in a couple of-”

“Please, son, be quiet.” Nico’s father, Jon, interrupted. Nico groaned. “Nico, your mother and I just want what's best for you and buying a house for your boyfriend, I mean-”

“Okay,” Nico stood up from the couch, fist clenched at his sides, “I didn’t buy it for Levi, I bought it for us . I bought it for our family.”

“What family?” Ali laughed. “You don’t have a family.”

“It’s for the family we want to have!” He yelled back at her. “I want to have a family with him and I wanna spend my life with him. This house is one step to the next part of our lives. You can support me or you can leave. I’m done trying to please you.” He took a deep breath and left the living room. His mother stood gaping at where her son had stood. She turned to Levi, who was picking at his fingernails. 

“You.” She said, pointing at Levi. “You did this to him.” 

“Ma’am, I’m sorry-”

“You took my little boy away from me.”

Ali-” Jon started.

“No! He took away our son, Jon!”

“Ali, Nico made his decisions, He is not a child anymore.” Ali turned to her husband. “You’re not gonna yell at Levi. He doesn’t make anyone do anything. Levi, I’m sorry for my wife yelling at you.” 

“It’s fine.” 

“Maybe we should go, Ali.” Ali and Jon shared a look. She rolled her eyes and made her way out the door. Jon turned to Levi. “Tell Nico we said ‘bye’ okay?” Levi nodded. Jon turned to the door and followed his wife out the door. Levi watched him close the door. He stood in the living room for a minute.

“They’re gone. You wanna head into work?” He called. Nico appeared in the doorway.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Nico picked up his and Levi’s bag and made his way to the door. Levi walked out and watched Nico lock the door. Nico wrapped an arm around Levi as they made their way to the car. Levi got into the passenger side and Nico on the driver side. They drove to Grey-Sloan. When they got there, they went their separate ways. Levi walked into the resident’s lounge. He smiled when he saw Casey and Taryn.

“Hey.” Casey greeted. Levi opened his locker. 

“How did Nico’s parents react to the house?”

Levi laughed while he changed. “Oh, they hated it.” He pulled his shirt on. “Who’s service are you guys on today?”
“I’m with Hayes.” Taryn answered, texting someone on her phone.

“Doctor Pierce. Who’re you with” Casey asked, grabbing his stethoscope.

“Take a guess.”

“I wanna say Karev?” Taryn interjected, making her way to the door.

“Ding ding ding!” He followed. They walked outside the resident’s lounge. “We still on for lunch tonight?” 

“Yep.” Casey and Taryn answered. “Bye.” They waved to Levi. Levi sighed and walked towards where he was supposed to meet Jo. He smiled when he saw her standing at a nurse’s station.

“Good morning, Doctor Karev.” She turned around and smiled at him. She handed him an iPad and they made their way to rounds. 

“Present.” 

“Maya Larson. Age: twenty-four. Maya came in with lower abdominal pain. After a quick CT and ultrasound it was shown she had a mass on her. After a biopsy, it was found that the mass was cancer. Today we will be performing a splenectomy.” Maya and her girlfriend were holding hands.

“It’s a quick surgery and very easy. I mean, Schmitt could do one.” Jo and Levi laughed. Maya and her girlfriend shared a look.

“You look easily seven months pregnant. Are you sure you can do this, Doctor Karev?” Maya’a girlfriend said. Jo gave her a smile.

“I may be thirty weeks, but I can still perform a kickass surgery. Besides, this is my last day of surgery. After today, I’m on maternity leave.” The group laughed. 

“You’re in good hands, Maya.” Maya nodded at Levi. “Trust me, Karev is good.” Maya smiled.

“Okay, Doctor Schmitt and I will see you in an hour. Okay?” Maya nodded again. “Alright, bye.” Jo and Levi waved and walked out of the room. She leaned against the nurse’s station and groaned. “God, a part of me is glad for maternity.” She groaned again. “My ankles feel like balloons.” Levi groaned. “Can you do rounds without me?”

“Uh… I don’t think that’s how rounds work.” He replied, clicking on the iPad. Jo groaned again and they left the nurse’s station and started walking down a hallway. “If you want, you can page another gener-” Levi’s pager went off. “Sorry.” He muttered to her before he picked it up. He stared at it for a minute before he heard more pagers went off.

“What is that?” Jo asked, looking at her pager. “Oh.” She muttered. “Okay.”

“I don’t know understand why are they call-”

“Shh. We are gonna walk to the nearest on-call room and we are gonna stay there and wait. Okay? Do you have your phone?”

“Uh, yeah.” He answered feeling around his coat. “Why?”

“Listen to me clearly. We are in a lockdown. You are gonna turn your phone off or on silent mode. We are gonna stay here and wait.” Levi nodded and turned his phone off.

Nico slid the blade across the patient’s arm when he heard the pagers go off. “Nancy, why are all the pagers going off?” He asked the nurse, looking at her through his headset.

“Um, it’s nothing, Doctor Kim. Just continue your surgery.” Nico nodded and looked down at the arm and continued.

Meredith ran into the chief's office. “What is it?” She asked as soon as the door closed. Bailey looked at her. “Bailey, why is there a lockdown? Tell me it’s a false alarm. Tell it’s for something stupid.”

“Meredith, I need you to stay calm.”

“Bailey, is this what I’m thinking it is?” Bailey went silent and Meredith’s blood went cold. “Bailey…”

“Yes. Yes it’s what you’re thinking. Yes, there’s a shooter in the hospital.”

Link and Amelia walked into an on-call room. The duo laughed. “It’s probably nothing. They call lockdowns all the time, right, Amelia?” Link asked, against her lips. She nodded.

“Yeah, they do. More time for sex then.” A shot rang. Link held Amelia close. “What the hell was that?”

“A gun.” Link whispered. He opened the door and peered out. “Shit!”

“What? What is it?” Amelia asked.

“There is someone with a gun out there.” 

“Oh, my god.”

“False alarms get called all the time, though, right?” Levi asked, standing in front of the door.

“Well, yeah, at other hospitals. At Grey-Sloan, lockdowns are taken seriously.” Jo answered, laying down. “We just wait and hold out hope, okay?” Levi nodded. “For now, relax. Lay down.” He sighed and looked at the door for a minute. He turned the lock and sat down on the other bed. 

Meredith paced back and forth. “What do we do?” She asked. “I mean, the last time there was a shooting in this hospital, my husband got shot. So, what do we do?!” She was yelling and her eyes were starting to tear up. 

Bailey held her hands up. “We are gonna take this one step at a time. We are gonna hope this lockdown keeps the shooter at bay. The last time there was a shooting, we didn’t have all the keycard accesses we have now. The doors with keycard access will be locked, okay?” Meredith nodded.

Casey was in surgery when Teddy appeared in the door. “Excuse me, Doctor Pierce, can I borrow Parker for a minute?”

“Uh, yep. Just bring him back.” She joked, not looking up. Teddy beckoned for Casey to follow her. 

“What can I do for you, Major Altman?”

“Okay, listen to me, there is a lockdown and a shooter in the hospital.” Casey’s eyes widened and he turned to look at Maggie. “No, no. Look at me.” He did. “How long until Maggie is done?”

“A good twenty minutes.” 

Teddy nodded and looked at Maggie. “Okay. You are gonna go back to that table and assist Maggie and when she’s done, only when she’s done will you tell her. You all will stay in this O.R. in an O.R. Lockdown protocol says that if you’re in an O.R. when a lockdown is called you stay in that O.R. Can you do that?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay. Stay safe.”

“You too.”

“You’re really good with kids, you know that, right, Helm?” Cormac said, walking next to Taryn, who looked at him and smiled.

“Yeah, it’s weird. I’ve never cared for Peds much, but I think I’m starting to fall in love with it.”

“Peds can be hard, seeing all those sick children.”

Taryn nodded. “Yeah, but sometimes you get to see them get better.” The duo’s pagers went off. Taryn looked at hers. “Oh, um, we’re in lockdown?”

“What?” Cormac asked, reaching for his pager. “We are.” He grabbed Taryn’s arm and pulled her into a supply closet. “We need to wait.” She nodded and felt sick.

“Are they still there?” Amelia asked. Link shook his head and walked out of the on-call room. “Link!” Amelia yelled. She looked around before following him. Link and Amelia saw a nurse with a bullet hole in his head.

“Oh, my god.” He muttered. “We have to find Scout.” Link started to make his way in the direction of the daycare until Amelia grabbed him.

“No, no, no.” She said. “Because of what happened back in 2010, there are certain steps and precautions put into place. Anyone working in the daycare will keep the kids safe, don’t worry. He’s safe.” Link looked at her for a minute and nodded. 

Nico looked at the bones, smiling to himself. “I don’t get older, I just get better. Uh, Ash,” he called to his resident, “close. I’m gonna go find Levi.” The nurses all shared a look.

"I’m sorry, Doctor Kim, but we can’t let you leave this O.R.” Nico laughed.

“What? Why?”

“Protocol says so.”

“What protocol?”

“Lockdown protocol.”

“What do you mean ‘lockdown?’” He asked. “Why’s there a lockdown?”

“We don’t know, sir. Do you still want me to close?” Ash asked. Nico sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, go ahead.” Nico pulled up a swivel chair and sat down on it as Ash started to close. “Nancy, can you hand me my phone, please?”

Maggie closed the chest and smiled down at her work. “I think this surgery was successful. Alright.” She looked at everyone. “Why are we all standing here? Let’s get this patient to recovery.”

“We’ve all been ordered to stay here.” Casey answered. Maggie looked at him.

“Why?”

“Because the hospital is in lockdown and there’s a shooter out there.” He answered. Murmurs sounded in the O.R.

“Um, okay. Okay!” Maggie yelled. “Listen up! We are all fine. No one can access the O.R. floor without a keycard and any floor that needs a keycard to be accessed will be locked until the lockdown has been called off. We are all safe.” She yelled and smiled.

Levi paced back and forth. “Will you please sit down, Levi.” Jo groaned. Levi bit his fingernails, ignoring Jo. “Levi, we can’t do anything here. Please sit down.”

He turned to Jo. “I’ll be right back.” 

“Levi!” He quickly unlocked the door and raced out, closing the door behind him. He looked at the door and sighed before walking. His shoes made a soft noise on the floor. The sound echoed through the quiet hallways. He fixed his white coat and sighed again. He peered through hallways and moved. He got to a staircase and peered through the window before opening the door and making his way down the staircase. He gripped the railing tightly. His hand started turning white. He heard another door open. He held his breath. He closed his eyes when he saw someone round the corner.

“Schmitt?” A familiar voice said. He opened his eyes and saw Link and Amelia. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Schmitt, what are you doing here?” Link asked, grabbing Levi’s arm to pull him down the rest of the stairs. 

“Um, I just-”

“We should keep going.” Amelia interrupted. “We’re doing our best to get to the O.R. floors. You coming with?” Levi stared at her for a solid before nodding. “Okay.”

Nico stared at his phone. “Did Levi go into surgery yet? Does anyone know?” He asked, looking around the room. His resident had finished closing and was now sitting opposite of him. One of the nurses looked around and picked up a piece of paper.

“No, Doctor Schmitt wouldn’t have gone into surgery until 9. The lockdown was called an hour before. He’s probably safe, Doctor Kim.” Nico nodded.

“Why isn’t he answering his phone then.” He muttered to himself and looked down at his phone. He typed another message.

Jo stood up from the bed and opened the door before leaving the on-call room. She yawned and started making her way through the hospital. She dialed a number and listened to the phone ring.

“Yes, beautiful?” Alex’s voice greeted her. Jo chuckled.

“Do you know anything going on at Grey-Sloan? They ordered a lockdown and I don’t know why. Thought maybe you knew something.” She walked over to an elevator and stared at it.

“Uh, no, I don’t know, but I’ll give Mer a call and ask her, okay?”

Jo smiled. “Yeah. Just call me back. Bye.”

“Bye.”

She put her phone back in her white coat and sighed. She stared at the elevator before making her back to the on-call room. She placed her hand on the door, ready to open it when “do you know where I can find Doctor Karev?” A voice interrupted. Jo turned around and saw a woman standing in front of her. The woman had a smile on her face. Jo’s  hand lingered on the handle for a second before falling into her pocket.

“Uh, yeah, I’m Doctor Karev. How can I help you?”

The woman laughed. “I’m sorry, I meant the male Karev. Do you know where Alex Karev is?”

“He doesn’t work here anymore.” The woman’s smile fell. “He got a job at Pac North, I’m sorry, but we have a new Peds surgeon and he’s just as good as Karev. Right now we’re in lockdown, but after this is over, I’m sure he can look at your child.”

“No, no, that’s okay, though, thank you.” And she turned around. Jo watched her walk away before entering the on-call room.

Casey sighed and stared up at the empty O.R. gallery. He looked back down to his phone. “I’ve been talking with Taryn, but I can’t get a hold of Levi.” He said, turning his attention to Maggie, She looked up from her phone and smiled. 

“His phone might be off. He might be in surgery, don’t assume the worst.” Casey nodded. “Besides,” she looked down at her phone, “for all we know, Bailey could have got the shooter. Let’s go with the facts.”

Meredith paced back and forth in Bailey’s office, biting her fingernails. “Okay, do we know what the shooter wants? When Derek got shot, the shooter was there for him. Is this the same? Should we be worried about that? Bailey-”

“Meredith, right now I am trying to think. I don’t know. We’ve lost patients, yes, but none of them have pursued legal action, so I don’t have a clue what they could want.” Bailey looked around the room. “Meredith, I don’t know what to do.”

Levi, Amelia, and Link reached the galley floor. Link pushed against the door. “It won’t open. You need a key and right now the hospital is on-” Amelia didn’t finish her sentence when Link lifted his leg and kicked the door open. He looked at her and smiled. Her and Levi shared a look before entering. Link stared down at the person in the O.R. before pressing the speaker.”

“Nico,” he started, causing the man to look up. “How’re you guys doing?”

Under his mask Nico was smiling. “We’re doing good. All just a  little bored. How’s Levi?” Link looked back at Levi who gave him a thumbs up.

“He’s good.” Nico nodded. His smile fell when a woman walked in. She looked around the O.R. gallery. Amelia followed his gaze.

“Ma’am, you can’t be here.” Amelia said, grabbing her arms, ready to pull her out. The woman looked at Link.

“You.” She muttered, gaining Link’s attention. Link stepped away from the speaker and walked over to her.

“Doctor Shepherd is right, ma’am, you can’t be here.” It took Link a second, but he recognized her. “Mrs Johnson?”

“What’s going on, Link.” Nico called. 

Mrs Johnson reached into her purse and before Nico knew what was going on, a shot echoed throughout the gallery.

Chapter Text

A shot rang out and Nico’s blood ran cold. Then another shot rang out followed by another. Everyone in the O.R. stared up at the gallery. The woman looked down at them before running out. Nico looked around the room. Tears started filling his eyes. “Levi, Levi!” He yelled. A bloody hand reached up to the glass and Nico saw Link’s face. 

“Pa-” Blood poured from his mouth. “Page Bailey.” Link’s eyes rolled into the back of his head before he fell to the ground with a loud thud. 

Someone page Bailey and Hunt.” With that, Nico raced out of the O.R, his resident following behind him. He grabbed the handle of the door, swiped his card, and pulled. 

“It’s not gonna open.” Ash said. Nico sighed and looked at him. 

“Go grab my phone and bring it to me.” Ash opened his mouth. “Now!” The resident nodded and raced to the O.R. He came out with a phone in hand. Nico took it from him and dialed a number. The phone rang before someone picked it up. 

“Hello?”

“Casey, it’s Nico.”

“Are yo-”

“Amelia, Link, and Levi were shot-”

“Oh, my god. Are th-”

“When you were an intern and the hospital got hacked, how did you access the blood supply?”

“ I used an open heart defibrillator, but Nico-”

“Ash, go grab the open heart defibrillators.” Ash nodded before running back into the O.R.

“Nico, are they okay?”

“I don’t know.” Ash ran back out with the defibrillators. “Okay, now what do I do?”

“Open the swipe panel.” He did. “ Hook them up. Now charge them to 400. Let them shock. ” The shock sounded out and sparks flew. Nico pulled them off the door and grabbed the handle. The door opened. “Did it work?”

“Yeah. Thank you, Casey.” He hung up the phone and turned to Ash. “I got this. You go back in there and page Bailey, Altman, and Hunt. Understood?” Ash nodded. “Good, go.” Nico grabbed the defibrillators and raced up the stairs. He repeated the process at the top. He raced to the O.R. gallery. The door was wide open. He ran in. Link was on the ground sputtering blood, Amelia holding her white coat to his chest. Levi was holding his white cold to Link’s leg. Nico scanned the room and saw blood soaking through Levi’s scrub top. He took a deep breath and ran over to him. He pulled his scrub top off. 

“Doctor Shepherd and I are holding pressure on the wounds to stop him from bleeding out, but if we don’t get him to an O.R. to control this bleeding, he’s gonna bleed out.

“Levi-”

“I’ll be fine. Link’s in worse shape.”

Casey put his phone down. “Who was that?” Maggie asked.

“Amelia, Link, and Levi were shot.”

Maggie looked up from her phone. “What?” Casey’s hands were shaking. “Parker?” Her voice was distant. “Parker?” He stared out the O.R. window where the scrub room was. They’re gonna die, they’re not gonna make it. Oh, my god. Tary- “Casey.” Maggie was in front of him, holding his hands. He looked up at her. “What are the facts?”

He swallowed. “Amelia, Levi, and Link were shot.” 

“Okay, and what else?”

“Nico is there.”

“Alright and isn’t Nico a good doctor?” Casey nodded. “He is a great doctor. He’s quick on his feet and he’ll know what to do.” He nodded again. Maggie gave him a smile. “Those are the facts, okay?”

“Okay.”

Taryn and Cormac had abandoned the closet and made their ways back to the main part of the peds floor. Cormac gave Taryn a smile before they walked into a patient’s room.

“Doctor Hayes, I thought Elena was supposed to go back for surgery an hour ago?” Elena’s mother asked. Cormac nodded.

“She was, but something has happened and now we’re pushing her surgery back, but don’t worry. Her surgery is still happening, we’re just not sure if it’s happening today.” Elena’s mother held her daughter close and nodded. Cormac gave her a smile when three gunshots went off. The hallways echoed with screams. Soon so did the room. Elena grabbed on to her mother.

“Doctor Cormac.” The teenager said, her eyes pleading. 

“I’ll check it out.” Taryn said. Cormac went to grab her, but she had slipped out the door. Taryn saw two nurses and a doctor laying on the ground. All had bullets through the foreheads. A whimper left her mouth. She walked over to the nurse’s station and saw a few nurses hiding behind it. One of them put a finger over his mouth to shush Taryn. She nodded and swallowed hard. She felt something press against the back of her head. A small gasp left her mouth. 

“Turn around slowly. Arms where I can see them.” Taryn lifted her arms and turned around. The gun pressed against her forehead. She was face to face with an older man. Aging late thirties to early forties, she guessed. “Where can I find Alex Karev?”

“He doesn’t work here anymore.”

“What?!” The gun pressed harder against her forehead. “Where does he work?”

“Kansas.” The lie slipped out of her mouth quicker than she could catch it. “He-he left Seattle to go have a family with his wife in Kansas.”

“What hospital?” He spat. Taryn winced. 

“Shawnee Memorial.” 

The gun was removed from her forehead. He looked her up and down before pressing the gun to her abdomen and shooting. 

“Gah!” She screamed as she fell to the ground and grabbed her side. The man walked away leaving her on the ground. Sobs left her mouth as her white coat started to turn red. 

Amelia and Nico were standing over Link, trying to control the bleeding. “Damn, I can’t see anything!” Amelia yelled. She put down her tools. “Just hang on, Link.”

“Did you guys try-”

“Shut up!” Nico turned towards Levi, who was sitting in a wheelchair, holding his side, and yelled. “I don’t wanna hear you speak until you let me examine you. Until then, shut. Up.” Levi opened his mouth. “I’m serious.” Nico turned back to Link’s chest.

“Doctor Shepherd, suction, cauterize, and shove your hand in. That’ll control some of the bleeding until we can get Doctor Altman or Pierce in here.” Amelia looked at Nico. She nodded. Levi groaned, gaining the duo’s attention. “I’m sorry. I’m just-” Levi’s hand started to slip from his side.

“Ash!” Nico yelled to his resident. Ash ran over to Levi and put pressure on the wound. “Listen to me and listen clearly.” Nico had turned back to Link’s leg. “Take Doctor Schmitt to the O.R. next to us. I’m not sure who’s in there, but they’ll be able to help him. You will update me every time you can, understood?” Ash nodded.

“Nico, I’m-”

“Go!” Ash unlocked the chair and started pushing Levi. He pushed him into O.R. five and saw Jackson.

“What the hell… happened?” 

“The shooter was up in the gallery and shot Doctor Schmitt. Doctor Kim asked me to bring him in here.” Ash answered. Jackson sighed. “Did you finish your surgery?”

“Yeah. A while ago. Schmitt, are you okay?”

“Yeah…” Levi looked up at Jackson and spit up blood.

“Alright! Get him on a gurney! Ash, go back to Nico.” Ash nodded and left the room. An intern brought in a gurney. Jackson picked Levi up bridal style and put him on top of it. “Levi, blood type?”

“Uh, uh... “

“Does anyone here know Schmitt’s blood type?” 

“Doctor Avery, it won’t matter. We won’t be able to access any of the blood banks.” An intern said.

“Shit. That’s right. Um, okay. Someone get an IV started and start giving him some saline.” One of the scrub nurses ran over and started an IV. He got the saline hooked up. “Alright. Let’s give him a small ounce of sedation, Adams.” Adams injected medicine into the IV. “Alright. Levi, how you doing?” Jackson asked.

“You called me Levi.” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I did.” Jackson smiled beneath his mask. Levi laughed. “Okay, I’m gonna cut your shirt and see what I’m working with here, okay?” Levi nodded. Jackson cut Levi’s shirt and moved it off the flesh. “No.” He muttered, staring down at the wound. “Let’s see if there’s an exit wound.” The intern helped Jackson push Levi on his side.

“Ah!” Levi cried out.

“Sorry, sorry.” Jackson pulled the rest of the scrub top off. “I see one exit wound. Okay, let’s put him down, gently.” Levi felt his back hit the cold gurney causing him to shiver. 

“Avery,” Levi started, gaining the other’s attention, “am I gonna die?”

“No. No, you’re okay. You’ve just lost some blood.”

Levi laughed. “I’ve lost lots of blood, actually. It-” Levi sputtered up blood. One of the scrub nurses wiped his mouth. “It’s funny. Nico and I-we didn’t even plan on coming in today and if we didn’t mayb-” 

“No. You’re gonna be okay. Can somebody get Doctor Grey or Chief Bailey on the phone, please!”
Meredith bit her fingernails and watched Bailey pace back and forth. “This is all gonna be okay. We just have to-” Bailey’s sentence was interrupted by the phone ringing. Meredith and Bailey shared a look before racing to the phone. “Hello?” Bailey asked. “Yeah?”

“Who is it? The shooter?”

“It’s Jackson.”

“Yeah. I’ll send her down. Okay.” Bailey put the phone down. “Meredith, I need you to listen to-”

“What did Jackson want?”

“Meredith.”

“Sorry.”

“I need you to listen to me. Jackson has Schmitt in surgery. He was shot.” Meredith opened her mouth. “I’m not done. He needs you to get some blood so he can do a blood transfusion. You’re gonna do what Parker did a few years ago. Get the blood and then go into surgery with him, okay?” Meredith nodded. “Go.” She ran out of the room.

Taryn laid on the ground and gasped. She maneuvered out of her white coat and held pressure on the wound. She heard footsteps. 

“Helm?” A voice asked. She looked and saw DeLuca.

“Andrew.” She smiled. “Hey, I didn’t know you were on the peds floor.” She laughed. Andrew ripped his white coat and put her where Tarn had hers.

“You got shot?”

“Yeah. I did.” She slurred. “I’ll be okay. Why are you here?”

Andrew shook his head. “I had a surgery with peds today.” Taryn nodded.

“Andrea?” A voice called.

“Carina, here.” Carina rounded the corner and gasped. “Helm was shot. I'm holding pressure on the wound, but I don’t know how long she was bleeding for.” Carina nodded and raced over to them. 

“How do you feel?”

“Better now that you’re here.”

Meredith put a scrub mask on, washed her hands and entered the O.R. “Jackson, I got the blood.”

“Hey, Doctor Grey.” Levi greeted.

“He’s lost a lot of blood.” Meredith held up three bags. “Good.” Ash walked into the room. “What?”

“Doctor Kim wants an update.”

“Why can’t Doctor Kim come in and ask for an update himself?”

“He’s working on Doctor Lincoln.”

Jackson and Meredith looked at him. “What?” Meredith asked.

“Doctor Lincoln was shot in the chest and leg.” Jackson and Meredith shared a look. Meredith opened her mouth to speak. Ash was quicker. “Doctor Shepherd is with him.” Meredith closed her mouth and nodded. 

“Let him know that Doctor Grey just brought me blood and we’ll be closing and controlling the wound.” Ash nodded and left. Jackson and Meredith turned to Levi on the gurney. “How you feeling, Schmitt.”

“Like a million bucks.” He slurred. Jackson and Meredith laughed. 

“Let’s get the transfusion going. Are we knocking him out?”

“No!” Levi yelled. “No, I don’t wanna be under that again, please.”

“Okay.” Meredith smiled under her mask. “Let’s start.”

“You’re okay, Helm.” Carina reassured. “You’re okay. Here, hold my hand.” She held out her hand and Taryn grabbed it, weakly.

“Carina, I’m not seeing an exit wound. Bullet is still in her.”

“Oh, great. That’s just how my life goes, huh?”

“No, you’re gonna be okay. Tell her, Andrea.” Andrew was silent for a minute. “Andrea!” He looked at her. 

“Am I gonna die?”

“No. No.” Andrew said. “You’re gonna be okay. Just-Carina, switch me.” Carina moved towards Taryn’s back and Andrew moved to her front. He lifted her scrub top up to her shoulders. “Okay, Carina, I need to get Helm to a controlled environment-or-wait.” He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Hey, it’s DeLuca. I need a resident’s number.”

Nico removed the bullet. “Well, at least this is out. How’s your hand?” Amelia looked at him and sighed. “Fall asleep?”

“Yeah. Ash, do me a favor. Get Doctor Pierce or Altman on the phone.”

“Yes, Ma’am. I’ll page her and tell her to come here.” Amelia nodded and sighed again. Nico chuckled at her.

“Doctor Pierce,” one of the nurses called, gaining the attending’s attention, “you are getting paged to O.R. two.” 

“Oh, okay. Excitement, yay.” She stood up.

“Doctor Parker,” the same nurse called, “your phone is ringing.” Maggie looked at Casey then the nurse. 

“Who is it?” He asked.

“You don’t have their number saved.”

“Oh. Doctor Pierce you can go.” She nodded and left. Casey walked over to his phone. “Casey Parker, hel-”

“Casey, you wanna be a Trauma surgeon, right?” He recognized the voice as DeLuca.

“Doctor De-”

“Yes, or No.”

“Yes. Why?”

“Helm’s been shot.” Casey’s stomach dropped. Andrew was still speaking, but he couldn’t hear him.

“Wait, wait. Repeat.”

“Okay. There’s no exit wound and she’s bleeding a lot. I can’t control the bleeding. How do I help her without killing her?”

“Do you have anything around you?”

DeLuca looked up at Carina. “Yes. We have some stuff to hold pressure on the wound, but that’s it.” Andrew heard Casey sigh. “We can’t get to the O.R. I don’t know what to do. I’m a General Surgeon, not a Trauma Surgeon. You trained under Hunt. Just think.”

So he did. He looked around the O.R. “Where are you?”

“Peds floor.”

“Alright, here’s what you’re gonna do. Find some duct tape, there should be some in the nurse’s station.” Andrew nodded at Carina, who reached over and grabbed it. She tossed it to him. “What you’re gonna do is cover the bullet hole with the duct tape. It should stop the bleeding long enough to come up with a plan.” Andrew sighed before ripping off some duct tape. 

Maggie walked into O.R. two. “What’s up-” She looked at Nico then Amelia then Link. She looked around the room. Scrub nurses, residents, and interns all stared down at Link. She turned back to Nico and Amelia. “What happened?”

“Some woman shot him in the chest and leg. Nico was able to remove the bullet from the leg, but I’m not a Cardiothoracic surgeon. So, help.” Amelia forced a smile. Maggie nodded and walked over. 

“Nice call shoving your hand in there.” She said, while a nurse gave her gloves and wrapped a gown around her.

“Was actually Schmitt’s call.” Amelia responded, smiling beneath her mask. Maggie looked at her.

“That boy amazes me everyday. Alright, let me see what I’m working with.”

“I was wondering, if I die, who’s gonna take care of Nico?” Levi slurred. Meredith looked at him.

“Schmitt, you’re not dying.” She said. Levi looked at her as she turned her gaze back to his abdomen. 

“Taryn will have Casey, Blake and Hannah tend to lean on each other, so the only one who will miss me will be Nico. I’m not important to anyone else. No one who’s Nico won’t miss me.” Meredith opened her mouth.

“That’s not true.” Meredith and Levi looked at Jackson, who’s gaze stayed at Levi’s side. “I’ll miss you. Yeah, when I first met you, you were annoying, but now,” he finally looked at Levi, “now if I could go back moments ago and take this bullet for you, I would. I’ve survived one shooting. I shouldn’t have to survive another.”

“That makes two of us.” Meredith smiled. Jackson looked at her and nodded. “And, Schmitt, just for the record, I’ll miss you too.” Levi looked at her and smiled. She put down her tools and grabbed his hand. “Jackson and I are here, Levi.” He nodded as tears slid down his face. “No crying.” She wiped his eyes. He nodded.

“I wish Nico was here.”

“He’s in the O.R. over. I can send someone for him? Do you want that?” Jackson asked. Levi nodded. “Okay, okay.” He pointed at one of his interns. “Go.” She nodded and left. “He’ll be in here soon. Until then-”

“I’m here.” Levi looked at Meredith and nodded.

“How is she? Talk to me, DeLuca?” Casey asked, pacing back and forth in the O.R.

“Losing color. I don’t think she’ll make it.” Casey nodded to himself and wiped away some tears.

“Put her on the phone.” There was some shuffling. “Taryn?”

“Casey, hey.” Her voice was quiet. He wiped more tears.

“Hey. How are you?”

“Tired, really, really tired, but that’s okay. Carina and Andrew are holding my hands.” Casey nodded again. “Do-do me a favor: look after Levi. He-he needs someone who isn’t Nico. God, I love him like a brother. I’d give the world for him. Just… looked after him, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Thank you. One more thing, Casey-”

“Doctor Parker, the lockdown has been lifted.” He turned to a scrub nurse. She smiled. He turned to an intern.

“Go grab B positive from the blood bank and meet me on the Peds floor!” The intern ran off and Casey started grabbing a bunch of tools. “Tell Doctor Pierce that I’m sorry for leaving Anna, but Taryn needs my help.” The scrub nurses shared a look with the anesthesiologist as he ran out of the O.R.

Maggie removed the bullet and placed it on the tray. “Wow. That’s a nice size bullet, but it’s out now without any damage to his heart. You got lucky, Link.” Maggie laughed, looking down at Link. 

A pager went off. Ash looked at it. “Doctor Pierce, Doctor Shepherd, the shooter’s been caught. The lockdown has been called off.” He smiled at them.

“Good. Ash, get Link into recovery and make sure they give him A positive blood. He’s lost a lot.” Ash nodded at Amelia and unlocked the gurney and started taking him out. “Thanks, Maggie. I was starting to lose it. I wonder how Schmitt is.”

“You can go over now.” Amelia looked at Nico’s patient. 

“I’ll get this guy moved up to recovery for Nico. It’ll keep me less worried about Link.” Maggie nodded. “Thank you, though.”

“You know what we haven’t talked about?” Nico asked, squeezing Levi’s hand.

“Hm.” He answered, eyes fluttering opened a little.

“How many kids?” 

“Four.”

Nico laughed. “Four? I don’t know. That’s a lot. How about three?”

“No, no, no, no. I don’t want an uneven number. I want four. Two’s not enough and three is uneven. Four is… is perfect.” Nico kissed Levi’s hand. 

“Doctor Grey, Doctor Avery, Doctor Kim, the lockdown’s been called off.” A scrub nurse said. Jackson and Meredith shared a look.

“Thank you.” Jackson responded, smiling beneath his mask.

“Shit! Bovie!”

“What?” Jackson and Nico asked.

“The bullet must’ve hit the Celiac Trunk.” 

“Is that bad?” Levi slurred. Nico’s grip on his hand tightened. “Okay, so bad.”

“Yeah, yeah it is.” Jackson responded. “Meredith?”

“I think I might need to remove the spleen.”

“Meredith, we’d need to sedate h-”

“No, ju-just, get the bleeding under control, let’s get him into recovery and go from there. Please, Doctor Grey.” Nico looked at her with pleading eyes. She nodded.

“Okay, bleeding under control and then we’ll go from there.”

Casey ran up the stairs two at a time, passing people who were walking. When he walked into the Peds floor, Carina, Andrew, and Cormac were holding Taryn. The intern starting the blood transfusion. “Is she-”

“No, no, not yet.” Cormac answered. “But at least we can help now.” Casey nodded and placed the stuff they needed on the nurse’s station. “You’re gonna be okay.” He told her as they started to work on her.

Chapter Text

June 4th, 2021

Levi looked in his mirror and adjusted his tie. “I don’t know. White’s never been my color. How do I look?” Taryn walked into Jo and Alex’s bathroom and rolled her eyes. 

“Handsome. You’re about to be late to the wedding venue. You weren’t even supposed to get dressed until then.” It was Levi’s turn to roll his eyes.

“Levi, Taryn, are you two still here?” Alex called from the other room. Taryn looked at him and they walked out of the bathroom. “Why are you still here? I told Jo to kick you. We’re about to be late. Grab your stuff.” Levi sighed. Alex looked at him. “Helm, go, Levi and I will meet you in the car.” She nodded, gave Levi a smile, and left. “What’s wrong?”

“Nico can do better.”

“You wanna tell him that? Because last I checked, he didn’t think so.” Levi opened his mouth. “I’m not done so close your mouth.” He did. “You know what today is supposed to represent? It’s supposed to represent everything you and Nico have been through in the two-three years, which if you want my opinion is too soon to be getting married.” Levi laughed. “Listen, after Josh, and, Ripley, and the bar, and your uncle, and your mom, and your stuff, you guys deserve this. I mean, hell, if I could, I would’ve married Jo within the first few months of us dating. Nico loves you the way I love Jo. Now, let’s go.” Levi took a deep breath and followed Alex out the door.

Nico messed with his tie and sighed. He put his hands at his side before groaning, He tried to fix it. A knock interrupted him. “Come in.” His mother walked in. “Mom…”

“Here. Let me. Before a big event, you always got so nervous you couldn’t tie your tie the right.” She took the tie in her hands and fixed it. “You love him?” Nico sighed and grabbed his mom’s hands.

“Very much.”

“Then I guess I’d be a horrible person to  tell you not to marry him, huh?” Her and Nico laughed. “You could’ve told your father and I. We would’ve loved you no matter what.” Ali brushed some hair away from her son’s hair. “I know we’ve been hard on you, but we never wanted you to feel like you can’t come to us.” Nico kissed Ali’s hand. “I love you, my sweet boy.”

“I love you too, mom.” He smiled and pulled her into a hug.

Levi walked into his room and looked around. Jo came waddling in behind him. “How much bigger can I possibly get, Levi?” She asked, out of breath. “I actually think I’m gonna pop. My ankles are swollen and-” Jo had sat down and looked at Levi, who was crying. “Levi, what’s wrong?” Levi took a deep breath. 

“What if this is a mistake? Or, like, a glitch in the matrix and Nico and I were supposed to break up and him go work-Oh, god. I-I can’t do this.” He took off his tie and jacket.

 “Levi, don’t-put that jacket back on.” A knock interrupted the duo.

“Levi, how-” Meredith walked in. She stared at the jacket and tie that were now discarded on the floor. “Are you two having se-”

“No!” Jo and Levi answered together.

“Right, okay, what’s going on?” Levi sighed and sat next to Jo. “Levi?”

“I don’t think I can marry Nico. I don’t think we’re meant to be.”

Meredith sighed. “Do you love him?”

“Yes.”

“Do you wanna spend the rest of your life with him?”

“Of course.”

“Then, what’s the problem?”

“What-what if he doesn’t love me?”

Meredith thought for a moment. “I’ll be right back.” Levi nodded and watched her walk away. He looked at Jo.

“Don’t look at me. I’m thirty-nine weeks too pregnant to even be attending a wedding. Let alone, being supportive.” He nodded. 

“Turn around.” Meredith yelled through the door. Levi stood up and had his back facing the door. “Is he facing the wall?”

“Yeah.” Jo answered. The door opened and Meredith backed Nico into the room. 

“Jo, let’s leave them.” Jo glared at her. Nico and Levi laughed. “I was pregnant once too. I was pregnant during a super storm and after my husband died. We can leave them alone for a moment.” Jo groaned and held out her arms. Meredith grabbed them and pulled her off the couch. “We’ll be back.”

Once out the door, Nico grabbed Levi’s hand, keeping their backs together. “Doctor Grey said you’re having doubts.” 

Levi was silent. “Yeah, I am. I’m sorry.” Nico shook his head and his grip tightened.

“Don’t be. Look how far we’ve come and everything we’ve triumphed over together. We’ve come so far together. You and I.” Levi stared at the window and sighed. “What?”

“I’ve never really done anything adventurous before.”

“Like?”

“Like, climb out of a window and ditch my wedding.”

Nico opened his mouth to speak, but instead smiled. 

Meredith knocked on the door. “Jo and I are coming back in.” She opened the door and found the room emptied. “Wha-where are they?” Jo came in and laughed. “Jo, see if you can find them.”

“The pregnant lady?”

“Yeah, the pregnant lady.” Jo rolled her eyes and left. Meredith stared at the open window. The curtains were blowing from the spring breeze. She sighed and closed the window. 

Jo staggered out of the building. “Send the pregnant lady to find the two people who clearly don’t wanna be found.” She eventually made it to an old barn that was falling apart. She sighed and walked into it, hoping to rest a little. She sat on an old bail of hay, getting her dress wet. She groaned. 

“Hello?” A voice called out. Jo froze.

“Hi?” She called back.

“Jo?” 

“Doctor Karev?” 

Nico and Levi exited the shadows. Jo looked at them. “Why are you here? Your wedding is in, like, five minutes.” Nico helped her stand up. 

“We were gonna ditch our wedding, but saw this barn and said ‘hey, weird sex before we’re married.’” Levi looked at Nico.

Jo shook here head. "Didn't need to know that." Levi laughed.

"Sorry. We should probably get back to-” Nico felt his shoes get wet. They looked down. 

“I don’t think I’ll be at the wedding.” Levi laughed. “Nico, go find help.” He nodded and started to leave the barn when it started to collapse.

“Shit.” He jumped back. The entrance became blocked by the wall. “Yeah, weird sex in an abandoned barn. Smart move.”

“Please, tell me, your have your phones. Nico felt his shirt and jacket. He groaned. 

“Mine’s back in the room.” 

“My phone is still at the house.”

“Oh, god! Agh!” Jo squeezed Levi’s hand. “Somebody time this contraction.” She pushed out through gritted teeth. Nico looked at his watch. “It’s over. Time in between too.” He nodded.

“Jo, sit, let me see how dilated your cervix is.” Jo sat down on the hay bail. 

“Can you even do that?”

“Yeah, I’ve been on DeLuca’s service. I delivered a baby before.”

“By yourself-Oh! Contraction!” She grabbed Nico’s hand.

“Two minutes.”

“No, but it’s not hard. Um, Jo, she’s not waiting for anyone.”

“Why?” Nico asked.

“Because her cervix is dilated 9cm.”

“What?! Jo and Nico exclaimed together.

“Yeah, looks like you’re having this in a barn. Sorry.” Jo groaned. “You’re gonna feel the urge to push soon. Did you know you were in active labor?”

“No. I just thought it was ingestion. Contraction.” She screamed. “Oh, my god! Why would someone ever do this!”

“Wait, Nico, we’re gonna need something to suction the water out of her nose and mouth. We don’t have anything.”

“You also don’t have anything to cut the umbilical cord-oh! Ah!” 

Levi and Nico shared a look. “We’ll figure it out.” Levi said. He looked down and measured Jo’s cervix. “Jo, 10cm. You’re gonna start pushing.”

“No, no. I can’t, Levi. I’m not ready. I won’t be a good mom.”

“You got her, Nico?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, Jo, push.”

“Gah! Ah!” She screamed, squeezing Nico’s hand.

“You’re doing good. I see her head.” Jo stopped pushing. “Alright, let me give her a twist. Nico, take off your tie. I’m gonna dap her air holes.” Nico did and Levi dried her air holes. “Okay, push when you feel the next contraction.” She groaned and screamed. Soon the barn was filled with cries. Levi took off his jacket and wrapped her in it. “Welcome to the world baby Karev.”

“Oh, my god.” Levi handed her to Jo. “She’s so perfect. Hi, I’m your mommy. Jo," he started, gaining her attention, "you need to deliver the placenta. Nico, take her." Levi handed the baby to Nico and then made his way in between Jo's legs. "Okay, push again." She did. He pulled the placenta out. "You want this for anything?"

"Uh, no. Ew." Jo, Nico, and Levi laughed before Levi tossed the placenta on the ground. "I feel bad for the poor so who finds that." She laughed again. Nico handed her the baby. He looked around the barn and walked over to a side and kicked it. He hid his face in his arms. He looked and saw a hole. He kicked again to make it bigger and bigger. He walked over to Jo and Levi. 

“Want me to carry you?” She nodded and handed her baby to Levi. Nico picked her up bridal style. And they all exited the barn and started their way to the wedding venue. 

The guests were all sat and Nico could hear his mom yelling. Probably at Meredith, he thought. Taryn stared at them and started to speak. More people turned and looked at them. Alex, Meredith, and Carina raced over. 

“What happened?” Alex asked, taking Jo from Nico. 

“She had a baby.” Levi answered, showing him his daughter. He handed her over to Carina. 

“We should get these two to the hospital.” She said, cooing at the baby. Alex nodded.

“If for once a wedding could work for us, that’d be great.” Meredith laughed. “You two still getting married?” Nico looked at his mom and dad, who had their arms outstretched. Nico and Levi looked at each other and nodded. Nico walked towards his parents, each taking an arm. The guests stood up as he walked down the aisle. Meredith smiled at Levi and held out her arm. He smiled back and grabbed it. They started walking down the aisle. The groomsmen were all down there. Nico stopped and kissed his parents cheeks before they went to sit down. Meredith handed Levi to Nico. Bailey stood up and stood in front of them.

“Today we are gathered here to witness the union and everlasting love between Nico Kim and Levi Schmitt. If there is anyone here who would like to object to their union, speak now, or forever hold your peace.” Bailey paused. “Jackson, you gonna interrupt this wedding and run off with one of these two, or are you good?” The guest laughed.

“I’m good.”

“Okay. The grooms have written their own vows. Who would like to start?”

“I will.” Nico said. Link handed him a piece of paper. He stared at it before handing it back. “Wind storms, ambulances, elevators, dancing. Four words that remind me of you. I will forever think of you every time there is a wind storm, or I’m riding in an ambulance, or I’m in an elevator, or when I’m dancing. Of course, none of those things will be without you. When we met, I was arrogant, a dick, and didn’t deserve you or your love. I wanted to end, I didn’t wanna fight for your love. Then, when you were spending the night at Meredith’s I realized, I miss someone sleeping next to me. Not just anyone, I missed you. I missed your warmth and your 1am talks about DnD and how your eyes lit up when we talked about work and patients and, oh, my god, every time you had a patient who needed special treatment, or requested, you went above and behind. Your kindness speaks volumes about who you are. Wind storms, ambulances, elevators, dancing, there’s one thing to add to that list now.” He held up one finger. “Spring.” 

Levi wiped away some tears and Taryn handed him his paper. “You say wind storms, ambulances, elevators, dancing, and spring. I say, Josh, bar, Saul, Mariners, and amputation. These were the moments our relationship was tested the most. Each time we were tested, each time we aced. It took time, but we moved forward, not as individuals, but as one. We make each other better. You inspire me to be a great doctor. I got my leg amputated and was back in the games in less than a year. Then, of course, I got shot, speaking of,” he turned to Taryn, “how are you?”

“Good.” She smiled. Levi nodded and turned to the audience. 

“Link?”

“Now that I think about it, my chest hurts. Kinda right here.” He put his hand over his heart and groaned. He stood up. “Man, I think I should go to the hospital.” He collapsed. Amelia stood up and sat Derek on the seat. 

“Are you okay? Link?” 

He nodded and got on one knee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. “I have been happy for as long as we’ve been together. We’ve had our ups and downs, but Amelia Frances Shepherd, will marry me?” Amelia turned and looked at Nico and Levi, tears in her eyes. ‘I hate you’ she mouthed. Levi blew her a kiss. “Well?”

She nodded. “Yes. Yeah, let’s get married.” Link put the ring on her hand and stood up. He kissed her. Everyone clapped. “Continue Bailey.”

“Nico, do you take Levi as your husband, to have and to hold, through sickness and health, through rich or poor, through whatever life may bring, till death do you part?”

“I do.”

“Levi, do you take Nico as your husband, to have and to hold, through sickness and health, through rich or poor, through whatever life may bring, till death do you part?”

“I do.”

Bailey smiled. “I now pronounce you husband. You may kiss.” Nico pulled him into a kiss. He smiled in the middle of it.

Hours later, Levi knocked on the door before entering. “Hey.” He greeted Alex and Jo. Nico closed the door. “How is she?” He asked. Jo handed her to him. 

“She’s perfect.” Alex said, smiling at her. “There’s just something so perfect about babies.” He looked at Nico and Levi, who nodded.

“You guys decide on a name?” Nico asked, watching Levi bounce the baby. Alex and Jo shared a look.

“Yeah, her name is Brooke Heather Karev.” Jo answered. “And we’re actually wondering something, Levi.”

“Hm?”

“Jo and I wanted to know, since you brought Brooke into this world, if you would be the one to take care of her should anything happen to her.” Alex said. Levi looked at the duo.

“Really? Not Meredith or Link?”

“They’re backup backup.” Levi nodded and looked down at Brooke and smiled.

“Welcome to the world, Brooke.”