Halfway to Whole: Chapter Ten
Summary: When you're just trying to avoid your unrequited crush, but you end up with him taking you to the ER instead. Eventual Rook/Lucanis, modern teacher AU, 5.7k.
Also on AO3.
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Lucanis cannot shake the feeling that Camina is avoiding him.
Fall Break is over, and almost a week has gone by. She's as responsive as she always is to his texts, but it's more sporadic than it used to be. He's barely seen her around the PDC. He's asked Neve about it in a way he hopes doesn't betray why he's asking, but he's pretty sure she picks up on it anyway. She waves away his concern, tells him that she and Camina are both busy with an upcoming professional development day, and that Cam has been doing her rounds to meet the new teachers around the district.
His worries seem unfounded, though when Friday night rolls around, and with it, M&M at Davrin's. Camina still offers to pick him up, and things seem the same as they always have. Still, something just doesn't feel quite right.
He brings it up with Alicia, but even she can't help him pinpoint exactly what it is. Suggests that he's simply being overanxious, especially since he hasn't figured out what to do about his feelings for Camina anyway. Perhaps he's reading too much into everything, trying to find meaning where there is none.
By the time the following Wednesday afternoon rolls around, time is dragging. He's trying to convince himself to get another task done before wandering over to Camina's cubicle to say 'hi' when a woman walks into his and Rana's office. She looks familiar, all dark hair and enough Botox and filler that it makes it nearly impossible to guess her actual age. She might be thirty-five or fifty-five, he's not sure. Her dark hair flows over her shoulders, too long to be entirely hers, and her dress is too expensively tailored to fit in at a suburban district office.
She smiles, and it's a sharp thing. "Hello. Lucanis, isn't it?"
He nods, wishes Rana were here to handle whatever this woman wants. "Yes."
She extends a hand, and he reluctantly takes it. "Zara Renata. I'm a member of the school board."
Ah. He remembers her now. He tends to avoid the board members. They're only here a few times a week anyway, and when he's lucky, he only has to deal with Rana and the superintendent, Maevaris. "Nice to formally meet you. Can I help you with something?"
She withdraws her hand and nods. "Yes, normally, I would've just sent you an email, but I was already in the building, so I thought I'd just pop in. The numbers aren't looking great for the passage of the bond, you know."
He knows. The district has proposed a bond to voters for the building of a new high school, retrofitting old ones, and a myriad of projects across the district. Most residents don't seem very enthusiastic about their property taxes going up. He sees the need for the bond, wishes the district PR team were doing a better job selling it.
"Yes, the latest numbers don't look favorable," he replies.
Zara doesn't look terribly upset about it as she runs a perfectly manicured nail across the top of his cubicle. "They don't. Unfortunate as that may be, I want to be prepared with alternative solutions. Some of these projects need to happen either way, so I'd love to do a deeper dive into some of the places where we can trim a little of the excess."
Lucanis doesn't really like the direction of this conversation, but it's also his job to provide financial reports and help with this sort of thing. "What kind of report are you looking for?"
"I'd love to see more about the operational costs of some of our secondary services. I'm curious most specifically about our adult education and transitional programs and the ones focused on special education: Minrathous Tech, Warden Center, and of course, Lighthouse Alternative."
"You're looking at cutting excess, and you're interested predominantly in our schools that serve non-traditional students and students with disabilities?"
Her eyes narrow, but she waves the concern away. "I'll be looking into all sorts of solutions, but why don't we start there, Lucanis?"
"When do you need this by?"
He doesn't like the way she smiles. "End of the week would be wonderful."
"I'll get it done."
"You've been ever so helpful," she says, and there's something sinister about her gratitude. It makes him feel a little dirty having talked to her at all.
He forces a smile. "Glad to hear it."
"Have a lovely afternoon, Lucanis," she says, and finally turns and leaves.
He waits long enough that she won't still be in the hallway, and then he beelines it over to Camina's cubicle, needing to unpack whatever the fuck that was with someone immediately. When he walks in, Neve isn't there, and Camina sits at her desk, face pale, eyes closed, and her head resting in her hand.
"Are you alright?" he asks, stopping short.
Camina breathes shakily. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine. What's wrong?"
She shakes her head and leans back a little in her chair. He notices she's got her hand pressed into her right side, and she keeps breathing out through her mouth with intentionality. "It's nothing. Really." There's something of pleading in the tone, and he feels as though he should drop it when she winces.
He steps around the cubicle to get closer to her, where they can speak more privately. "You don't have to tell me, but can I do something for you?"
She sighs. "I just need to get home. Get some heat on it."
"Do you want me to take you home?"
She shakes her head. "I'm fine. This has happened before."
Well, he hates that for her. "I'll help you get out to your car then."
She nods, looking too tired to argue. When she bends over to put her laptop in her bag, he sees her wince again, sitting back in her chair and sighing. "Fuck. Something's wrong."
Well, he's glad she's finally admitting that. "And that would be?"
"It's probably just a cyst…I get them sometimes. It sucks, but there's not much to be done, but…I don't know. When I bent over…it felt maybe like it ruptured? The pain was really sharp. Felt weird."
Mierda. "I'm going to go get my keys, and then I'll take you home or to the ER. Wherever you want to go."
"Not the ER. They won't do anything for this, and I'll just pay a few hundred dollars for them to tell me I'm fine and to take more ibuprofen."
He frowns at that. If money is the issue, he'll happily pay a few hundred dollars for someone to tell him she's fine. "You're sure?"
She nods. "Not my first rodeo."
He hurries back to his desk. Rana is still gone, so he shoots her a quick text and grabs his phone and keys. He half expects Camina to have tried to get herself home while he was gone, but it's a testament to how much pain she must be in that she's still sitting in her chair when he returns.
He picks up her bag. "Come on, let's get you taken care of."
She nods, following him. She moves a little gingerly, but he can tell she's trying to appear as fine as possible. When they get to the parking lot, that's the only time he sees her composure crack a little. He helps her into his car, and rushes around to the driver's side.
"Is there anything we can get for you on the way?" he asks, feeling rather helpless.
She winces as his car bounces a little on a small pothole. "I think…something feels wrong. This isn't like the last few times. I…"
He immediately pulls over, and Camina looks near tears. "What do you want me to do?"
She leans her head back against the headrest and closes her eyes. Then she sighs and looks at him. "Let's go to the ER."
He's relieved to hear that. "I can do that."
The hospital isn't far, and he drops her off at the entrance before parking. When he gets inside, she's still at the desk answering questions and filling out forms and paperwork on a tablet. Luckily, the place is pretty empty.
"I brought your bag, in case we're here for a while," he says quietly as he approaches.
She nods before handing the tablet across the counter and putting her driver's license and insurance card back in her wallet. The receptionist informs them they'll be called back in a minute, so he helps her to a nearby chair.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
"Worse," she replies bleakly.
"And this has happened before?"
She nods. "I've got PCOS. So I get cysts on my ovaries sometimes. The medication I'm on is supposed to help, but —" She shrugs. "This feels weird, though. Way worse, too. You really don't have to stay, though. I'm fine here on my own now. I can get a rideshare or something after they tell me I'm being overdramatic about a cyst."
He's never seen her so much as complain about a headache, but he can't imagine they'd be here unless she was in a lot of pain. "I don't think you're being overdramatic. And I don't mind. I don't want to leave until we know you're going to be okay."
Whatever argument she has planned is cut short by a nurse appearing with a clipboard and calling them back. They're led through a quiet and mostly empty ER to a small room where the nurse tells Camina she can get comfortable on the hospital bed.
The nurse is an older, balding man who smiles gently. "So we're dealing with some abdominal pain?"
Camina nods. "Yeah, it might just be a cyst, but I don't know. Something feels off. Usually the pain isn't…this much or this constant."
"When did it start?"
"Yesterday….morning?"
"Okay. Could you be pregnant?"
"No."
The nurse nods. "We'll do a quick urine analysis to rule that and anything else easy out. Come with me."
Camina looks distinctly unthrilled as she disappears with the nurse, and left alone, Lucanis pulls out his phone to search up whatever the hell PCOS is. Polycystic ovarian syndrome. He's never heard of it before, has no idea what it even means. He quickly realizes that it seems tied to menstruation…and suddenly understands her reluctance to tell him what was going on. He resents that a little, but admits that she doesn't owe him any explanations just because he came upon her in pain.
It isn't long before Camina returns, collapsing gingerly onto the bed. "Sometimes, I hate healthcare."
"I'm sorry."
"The first question, the first place they go for every symptom is pregnancy."
He shrugs. "Seems slightly more hopeful than cancer, which is what the internet always seems to think any time I search up anything."
She looks only mildly amused. "Is it?"
The nurse returns a moment later. "Great news, you're not pregnant."
Camina spins a finger around. "Hooray."
The nurse laughs. "The doctor's going to come in and do a quick physical exam, and then we can probably get you on some pain meds to make you more comfortable while we figure out what's going on."
The doctor comes in after that and does a couple of strange things, like knocking on the bottom of Camina's feet and then pressing on her left side before releasing the pressure. Camina winces in pain.
The doctor nods. "Well, Camina. I don't think it's a cyst. I think you might have appendicitis. We're going to need to do a CT scan to confirm."
Camina just looks tired. "Okay."
The doctor glances at the nurse, and then at her watch. "Let's get her changed and an IV put in. We can do a dose of meds while we get the CT lab booked."
The nurse pulls out a hospital gown from the nearby cupboard, so Lucanis stands. "I'll step out to give you some privacy."
***
"You've really never broken a bone?" Lucanis asks incredulously.
Camina shakes her head. "Never. This is only my third time in the ER ever. The first time was for this." She points to the scar that runs across her nose and cheek.
They've been in the ER for a couple of hours now because nothing happens quickly here, despite the fact that the ER is virtually empty, and she's pretty sure the nurses are holding some sort of taco party in the room next door. She's seen a lot of ER staff walking by her room with plates of food, which reminds her that she hasn't eaten since breakfast…which she puts down as another weird symptom. They've got her on pain meds, though, so she's feeling marginally better. They took her back for a CT scan about forty-five minutes ago, where the contrast they pumped through her IV made her feel like she was peeing her pants. She was assured that she did not, in fact, pee her pants, which was a relief because that might be the only thing more embarrassing than the fact her unrequited crush she's been doing her best to avoid is the one who brought her into the ER.
"I've wanted to ask about it," Lucanis admits from his seat beside her bed. "But-"
"But there's no nice way to ask 'what's wrong with your face?'"
He laughs, and she tries to strangle the pleased feeling in her chest. This is why she's been avoiding him. Because they're friends, and she wants desperately to be a good friend to him. Not pining after him like some lovesick teenager. She'll get there with time and distance. Two things she doesn't seem to have tonight.
"There is nothing at all wrong with your face. I just figured there was a story behind it."
She hopes that he cannot see her blush. "There is. It's a silly one."
He looks around and then leans in conspiratorially. "It would appear we have nothing better to do."
"Well, Will and I got really into Mario Kart as kids. You know the OG one on the Nintendo 64?"
He grins. "I'm familiar."
"So, we were like…seven maybe? It was Will's idea, but we sort of…roped the neighborhood kids into all tricking out their bikes to be like the race karts. Our neighborhood was shaped like a horseshoe, so it was kind of perfect for it too. Anyway, racing was all fine and good, but we wanted to make it more like the game. Obviously, no banana peels or shells to drop, so we thought…what would be an easy replacement? Rocks."
"I can see where this is going."
She smiles. "One kid — Carter. He and I were neck and neck, but he tossed a rock out, and I hit it on my bike, landed right in the gutter, and hit my face on the curb. The black eyes and road rash were epic. Took nine stitches to close this up. What about you? Any epic injuries?"
He shakes his head. "Nothing like that. I broke my arm in first grade. Illario pushed me off the monkey bars at school. I went right back to class, it wasn't until I got home that Caterina noticed my arm was swollen."
She has about a million questions, but she's kept from asking them by the crackle of a radio. "We've got a confirmed case of appendicitis."
Her eyes snap to Lucanis's. "Are they…?"
"It could be someone else."
She glares at him. "Because the ER is so full of people this evening?"
He sighs.
The triage nurse who's been helping her, Rick, comes in. Turns out, he's the parent of one of her former students. That was a fun bit of information to learn immediately after she'd accidentally flashed him her ass because the hospital gown they'd given her was missing the ties in the back. He's trailed by the doctor from earlier, who looks too young to be given any amount of authority. This is the weird bit of getting older: she keeps expecting the people she goes to for help to be older than her. It's off-putting.
Dr. Lesley stands at the foot of her bed. "Hi Camina, so I just reviewed your CT, and it looks like you've got appendicitis."
And there it is.
It's a relief, actually, to hear that there is, in fact, something wrong with her. She feels vindicated, actually. She was in pain, and she wasn't wrong to come to the ER. Appendicitis is like a real emergency, right? Something conclusive they can point to instead of handwaving at her and telling her that it's just hormones. It wasn't an overreaction. A weight lifts off her chest. And very quickly, reality sinks in. This is going to be expensive, isn't it?
"Okay, so how do you treat that?"
She's pretty sure it means surgery, but she can't have surgery right now. She's got school in the morning and meetings on Friday. Maybe she'll be able to schedule it for sometime next week.
Dr. Lesley's face tightens, and Camina knows she's about to give her bad news. "You need emergency surgery. I've already talked with our surgeon on call, and he's going to slot you in tonight ahead of his other scheduled surgeries."
"Tonight?" She's unable to contain her disbelief. What do they mean she's going to have surgery tonight? That's ridiculous. She glances towards Lucanis, as if he might have something to say, some argument to the contrary, but of course, he's simply looking between her and the doctor respectfully.
"With how long you've been in pain, and the level of inflammation, we really do need to operate. I'm worried about it rupturing, and if it does, it will be much worse than if we can get it out now."
Well, fuck. "How long will I be here?"
"You'll probably stay here until sometime tomorrow when the surgeon clears you to go home."
Shit. "Okay."
Dr. Lesley smiles reassuringly. "Now, we need to go over some questions ahead of surgery."
When the nurse and the doctor finally leave with a promise to be back to take her to pre-op soon, she scrambles into action. She immediately calls her neighbor, Holden, to see if he can keep Aphra for the night. He and his daughter, Mila, often help her out with Aphra, especially on long days when she's stuck at the school.
"Can you hand me my laptop?" she asks Lucanis.
He retrieves it. "What else do you need? How can I help?"
She shakes her head. "I just need to make sub plans."
"You're about to have emergency surgery. Do you really need to worry about sub plans?"
This is certainly the strangest place she's made sub plans, but it has to be done. "Yeah. Need to book a sub and also get plans made. The kids show up even if I don't."
"Teaching is weird. Tell me what I can do to help," he says, there's a pleading note in his voice, eyes fixed on hers.
"Do you want to call Will so that you can go home?"
He frowns slightly at the request but nods. "I don't mind being here, but I can definitely call her."
She's got too much to do to unpack any of whatever the fuck that was. So, she just summons a smile and gets back to work, requesting a sub and trying in some way to salvage what of her lesson a substitute might be able to do.
Lucanis puts his phone down. "She…uh…didn't answer."
Shit. Of course, she didn't. Will is notorious for putting her phone down and immediately forgetting about it. "Hopefully, she'll call back soon. I'll shoot her a text, so she knows what's up."
"Can you call Bellara, put her on speaker? I need her help getting some copies made tomorrow."
Lucanis nods and dials Bellara. Bellara has about a million questions, and this is why she wanted to call Will. She would have just been able to spring into action without the interrogation. She gives Bellara the faintest outline of what is going on, and she's very relieved when Bellara immediately understands what she needs help with in the morning to get her sub set for the day. She even promises to check in on her classes to ensure everything goes smoothly since she definitely didn't leave her classroom set up for a sub.
With the sub plans for tomorrow situated, she calls Will again to no avail. "I'm really sorry she's not answering," Camina says. "You really can go. I'll be fine."
He's already been here for a couple of hours, and she's sure he's bored out of his mind and wants to go home. He'd said he wanted to stay until they knew what was wrong with her, and now they do, so he's free to go.
"I'm not leaving you here alone," he replies as though she's the one being ridiculous. "Is there someone else you want to call?" The question is asked a little too lightly, almost reluctantly.
Her parents are in Neverra, and she can't imagine they'd be very concerned about the turn of events of her evening anyway. Her mom might ask if there was anything she could do, but they both know that from that far away, the answer is no. The next person she always put down as an emergency contact before Will moved here was Varric…so no, there's no one else to call.
"No," she says quickly, feeling a prickle of embarrassment. People usually call family in situations like these, right? They usually have siblings or grandparents or cousins or aunts and uncles…someone to show up and be there. That lack…it usually doesn't bother her. Besides, she knows that Will would be here in an instant if only she'd check her damn phone.
"Then I guess you're stuck with me."
"This is such an imposition. This is not what you had planned for your Wednesday night."
"Well, you know me. I had big Wednesday night plans."
"I figured," she manages a laugh. This whole situation is rather ridiculous. Her appendix has declared mutiny on her body, and she's lying in an ER bed being kept company by the one person she's been trying to avoid. "Thank you."
The smile he gives her is gentle. "You're welcome."
She resists immediately diving into her phone to look up how much an appendectomy is going to run her. She's got decent insurance through the district, but still…she tells herself she's got savings, it'll be fine. That is a problem for Future Cam anyway.
Lucanis seems to sense something of her anxieties. He leans forward. "Are you still in pain? I can try to get the nurse back-"
"No. I feel…okay enough now, actually," she cuts him off. No part of her wants to admit that her utmost concern in this moment is how much this is all going to cost. She's just been on her own a long time, and she's never had to ask her parents for help; she doesn't want a damn thing from them. Lucanis grew up with money, and she's not sure he'd understand this particular anxiety. "I'm just….worried. I've never had surgery before."
"Not even for your wisdom teeth or something?" he asks.
"Well, I don't think that counts."
He concedes on that. "It is a little different."
Rick returns, knocking joyfully at the door. "Are you ready for the ball?"
"Are you always this excited to send people off to get sliced open?" she asks. Minus the ass flashing, she does like Rick. He's been great this evening.
Rick starts maneuvering her hospital bed around. "I am when it means they're going to feel much better afterwards. You can walk back with her, and then we'll take you to the waiting room," Rick says to Lucanis.
Lucanis picks up her bag and follows them dutifully. "Sounds great."
Rick is chatty the entire way to the OR, but then he parks her bed and leaves her and Lucanis in the hallway to go speak with the OR team. It hits her then that this is really happening…she's about to have surgery and…Maker, she's not usually one to get scared, but she can't help the anxiety that twists in her stomach.
Some of it must show on her face because Lucanis crouches down to her level. "Hey, you're going to be fine. I'll be here when you get out."
"Will you keep my phone? In case Will calls?" Her voice sounds small as she holds her phone out.
He nods and takes it, but doesn't pull his hand away. It seems like there's more he wants to say, something bigger happening in this moment. She's sure her heart rate is already up with stress, but whatever is happening sends it higher. When his thumb brushes gently across her knuckles, she's so surprised she very nearly jolts at the contact.
"I-I'll take care of everything."
She's frozen, staring ridiculously into his brown eyes and unable to come up with words, with anything to say. He sounds so sure, so certain, so reassuring. She's not used to anyone trying to take care of her, knows she's bad at accepting help. She wants to express something of that without betraying how much she cares, how in too deep she already is —
"Hey, there, Camina, right?" A new nurse appears with a smile, coming out of the operating room.
Lucanis snatches his hand away, as if they're two teenagers being caught doing something they shouldn't. She recovers enough to speak. "Yeah, that's right."
The nurse walks over and drops the rails on the side of her bed. "Alright, if you'll come with me, we'll head into the OR now."
Is she just going to walk right in? Great. The nurse takes care of her IV pole for her, which leaves her hands free to keep her hospital gown closed in the back, so that she doesn't flash Lucanis and the entire hospital hallway.
She glances back at him just once as she goes, and he stands there, looking the very picture of calm. "See you soon," he says, as if she's heading into a meeting or something rather than walking into an operating room.
***
It's not like it is in the movies or t.v. shows. No one has asked him weirdly probing questions about his relationship to Camina to justify his presence at the hospital. There had been no awkward attempts at explanations, no lying about what they are to each other. He'd half expected it, actually. Had tried to come up with what he'd say, what answer he'd want to give. He hadn't ever settled on anything, too worried about the risks…thought perhaps it might be better to let her take the lead. And then…it simply hadn't been relevant.
It had been easier to feign calmness when he was with Camina. She does a good job of hiding her anxiety, but he knows her well enough now to see through the bravado. He could see that every new piece of information had her panicked, and who could blame her? She'd gone into the ER in pain and found out over the course of a couple of hours that she needed emergency surgery. She certainly hadn't planned for that when she woke up this morning.
But now that he's alone in the OR waiting room, well, mostly alone, there's still the passing nurse and other hospital visitors, his calmness erodes, his own anxiety rising at every way this place feels familiar.
The hospital isn't much like any of the ones in Treviso he'd taken Caterina to, but it doesn't matter. The too-clean antiseptic smell is the same, the energy of people waiting and hurrying and moving with purpose is the same. He can feel his heart rate climbing as he tries to remind himself that this isn't like bringing Caterina in, and that Camina will be entirely fine.
But it is one thing to try to reassure himself that it will be fine when what he really wants is someone else to tell him it will be fine, to assure him that there's nothing that could go amiss with this routine surgery.
He scrolls through his contact list, trying to figure out who to call. Bellara is already looped in on what's going on, and Davrin would certainly know what to say. But he doesn't call them because they're not really who he wants to talk to in this moment. His finger hovers over the contact name, and before he can overthink it, he presses down and holds the phone up to his ear. It rings long enough that he's almost sure it's going to roll to voicemail.
"So your phone does work," Illario says by way of greeting. The ire is earned. Lucanis has been really bad at calling Illario ever since he moved to Minrathous. He was bad about it before, too, if he's being honest.
He forces his voice to stay light. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, things just get busy." It's an old excuse, worn thin and threadbare.
"You and me both," Illario replies with little patience. "Look, I've got a client dinner in a few minutes. Do you need something? Are you in trouble?"
Lucanis had forgotten momentarily why it's so hard to talk to Illario: every conversation feels like a battle. Suddenly, he's struck by the ridiculousness of the whole situation. He called seeking reassurance for what? A friend Illario has never heard of who is having an extremely common surgery? It was stupid to call over something like this.
"No, nothing like that. I just…" He knows he's no great liar, but he tries anyway. "I just wanted to check in."
Illario's exhalation on the other end of the line is full of disbelief. "Check in, huh? Is this another one of those assignments from your therapist? 'Call Illario more often'."
It had been a mistake telling Illario he was seeing someone after…well. But guilt twists his stomach. He hadn't called to see how Illario was doing, not really. He tries again. "How's the company?"
"You're unbelievable, you know that? Six months of radio silence, barely a text after you move to an entirely different country, and then you call to check in and ask 'how's the company?'. The company is great. We're doing really well. We're on the ground floor of a set of condos in a tiny ski town that's just blowing up on the socials. Oh, and the Kortez family? They just bought another massive house on the Rivaini coast. Don't worry, I haven't run anything into the ground without you or Caterina keeping an eye on me."
He immediately regrets the question. It had just…felt like the safest topic. "That's not what I'm doing…I just-"
"How are you, Lucanis? Left the house this week, I hope?" Illario asks, mockingly.
Lucanis wants to snap back, wants to take a dig at Illario, too. He doesn't. "I've clearly caught you at a bad time. I'll try some other time."
"In another six months?" Illario asks accusingly.
"No. Sooner than that-"
"Look, it's actually good I've got you on the phone. I was thinking we should clean out the house, get it ready to sell. It's just sitting empty right now."
Something in his chest tightens. "Sell the house?"
"Unless you have a better plan or a desire to do something else with it."
Cam's phone lights up from where he'd placed it in her bag. Willow's name on the screen. "I have to go. Let's talk about this later."
Illario's frustrated huff is loud. "You called me, Lucanis."
"I know, I'm sorry. I'll explain it later. I've got to go." He doesn't even bother waiting for Illario to reply before her terminates his call and answers Camina's phone.
"Willow, it's Lucanis. I'm glad you called."
There's a hesitation from the other end of the line. "Lucanis, what's going on? Is everything alright? I've got a text from Cam that doesn't make any sense and a string of questions from Bellara."
He explains the situation as quickly and succinctly as he can. Willow swears quietly on the other end.
"Let me just grab my things, and I'll get over to the hospital right away," she says.
Lucanis has already thought this through, already has a plan. "Hold up. While Camina would no doubt appreciate you being here, there's nothing you can really do right now but sit around and wait. They said they'll probably release her tomorrow, and I was thinking you could take over for me then? There's really no point in both of us not getting any rest."
The truth is that being in the hospital with her is the easy part. There's nothing for him to do beyond providing reassurance and company. The real work will begin when they take her home. She'll need help doing basic things, at least the first day or so, and he doubts she wants him there to do any of that. It makes sense for Willow to be there instead.
"That would save me from making sub plans for tomorrow, and then I could get everything in order so that I can take Friday off," she concedes, sounding rather frustrated. "Are you sure you're okay to stay in the hospital with her, though?"
"I promised I'd be here when she got out of surgery," he replies simply.
There's a pause on the other end of the line. "I'm sure she really appreciates that. Will you keep me updated, though? I promise to keep my phone on me."
"Of course. I'll let you know the second she comes out of surgery, and then I'll keep you apprised of what the plan is tomorrow when they discharge her."
"If she's not discharged by the time school is over, I'm coming to the hospital anyway."
"Entirely fair."
"Do you need anything? Food, entertainment…coffee?"
He gazes sadly at the cup of coffee he'd bought from the nearby vending machine. It's so bad he thinks it might have been a crime to have charged actual money for it. "No, I'm alright. Thank you, though."
"You're good people, Lucanis," Willow says.
But he can't quite shake that conversation with Illario enough to believe her. "I'll text you."
