Brian and Drystan sat in the waiting room, both interested in the game Brian was playing. “I’m going to go take a walk to the car.” Drystan stood up to walk away when Levi came hobbling out fast. “Levi.” Brian looked up, letting his character die. “What’s the news?”

“Cast is coming off.” Levi flopped in the chair next to Brian. “They say it looks healed.”

“They?” Brian questioned.

“Yep, the doctor needed a second eye. So they called in a second doctor.” Levi looked up at Drystan. “Your dad says hi. He was walking by apparently when he heard me and Michael talking to the two doctors. So yeah. Time for the cast removal. Just need to wait for them to call me back.”

Michael appeared, shaking his wet hands. “Well, I’d be concerned too. Normally it takes six weeks for a bone to heal, not three.” 

“It’s not my fault I heal fast,” Levi grumbled as he shrugged his shoulders.

Michael gave an amused sigh. “Figure out how you want your pizzas. We’ll be driving to pick up some for dinner.”

Drystan hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to get some fresh air. Never liked the smell of hospitals.”

“Okay.” Michael watched as he left the waiting room and turned to Levi and Brian. “So, pizza toppings?”

Levi’s name was called at that moment. Standing up, Levi pointed to the nurse waiting with his braced arm, “You guys figure out food. I can do this alone.”

“I’ll be right there. Just let me get Brian and Drystan’s order. Don’t forget the cane!”

Levi gave a groan at the reminder. “Fine!” He hobbled over, and the nurse smiled at him. “He has to take a call, and he’ll be right in.”

“Okay. Follow me.” They moved to a room where the nurse helped Levi up on the exam bed. “They’ll be here in a moment.”

“Can I see my hospital records?”

The nurse paused and gave him a questioning look. “Sure, let me go get them.”

“Thank you.”

She reappeared and passed him the hospital records. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” Levi gave her a beaming smile.

“You're welcome.”

As soon as the door was closed, he quickly opened the thick folder. “It has to be here.” He was flipping through the pages when the door opened, and Michael walked in. He took one look at Levi and raised an eyebrow.

“The original birth certificate is not going to be in there.” Michael took a seat in one of the chairs.

Levi glared at Michael, who shrugged. When he finally found the paper, he gave a frustrated growl. “Why is it blank?”

“I told you. For our protection.”

“But you know!”

“I do.”

“Then why not tell me.”

“For our protection. Levi, we can’t go looking for them until one of them lets us know it’s safe.”

“But,” Levi grew quiet as he looked up at the ceiling of the exam room.

“They’ll reach out.”

“How are you so sure?” Levi looked at him. “Don’t you care?”

“I do. But the thing about his promises is that he never breaks them.” Michael looked at his hands. “It took me a long time to figure that out.”

“I’m still mad.”

“Okay.” Michael gave a soft smile.

“Everyone lied to me. I had to find out by accident. Mom didn’t even know dad was going to tell me the truth in a letter. She was… she was also mad.” Levi sighed. “I don’t think he wanted me to find the letter that way. But I just lost dad and then the attack in the alley. I was stuck in a hospital bed wondering why.”

“It’s an awful feeling.”

“At least your real mother raised you!” Levi snapped.

“No, but the feeling of being abandoned is the same. I showed up on his doorstep eight years after I was born.” Michael sat up and looked at Levi. “I want to tell you more. I do, but I can’t.” Looking at the wall, Michael closed his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t ever want to see you that scared again.”

Levi watched as Michael pressed fingers against the webbed burn. “I will do the same things again to make sure you don’t ever experience that fear again. And I will make sure you are safe no matter what happens. That is a promise.”

Levi looked away, his hand coming up to scratch at the skin of his arm. Michael caught his hand, stopping the motion. “Let go.”

Michael released his hand and sighed. “I want to tell you about them. And one day we will talk about them. I promise, but not now.”

Looking away from Michael, he crossed his arms over his chest. Levi opened his mouth to say something when the exam room door opened. 

A nurse walked in with a pushcart and multiple tools. “Good afternoon Mr. Sharpe. You ready to get the cast off?”

Levi nodded, “Yeah, it’ll be great to scratch my leg again.”

“Do you want me to walk you through the steps?”

“I’m good. It’s not the first time I’ve broken a bone.”

The nurse looked mildly concerned, but Michael spoke up from his seat. “He’s dabbled in different forms of hand-to-hand fighting.”

The nurse nodded in understanding. “Okay, let’s get started.”

Michael thanked the nurse as Levi quickly started walking away. “Levi, wait!” He quickly took off after Levi, who was limping away, not even using the cane given to him. “Damn it, Levi.” A nurse hissed at him about his language, and he quickly apologized. “Levi, use the cane, at least!”

Levi gave a groan and slowed down to use the cane. Michael caught up with him, “Really, you're moving like they’ll drag you back into an exam room.”

“I want to go home and take a proper shower and actually wash the smell of plaster off my skin.”

Michael gave him a frown. “Pizza first.”

Levi sighed, “Fine!” They walked out into the waiting room to find Brian playing his game. He looked up, and Levi lifted his cane. “I’m free!”

Brian jumped up, “You’re free!”

“You're both weird,” Michael said as he walked past them to the nurses’ station. “I need to schedule a follow-up.”

Levi stuck his tongue out at the back of Michael’s head before looking around. “Where’s Drystan?”

“Out by the car. Needed fresh air. He doesn't like hospitals.”

“Okay.” Levi walked over to Michael. “Keys to the car.”

Michael handed the keys over without looking at Levi. “Yes, she was wondering if it could be on that day.” He turned to Levi. “I’ll be right there.”

“Okay.” Levi snagged the keys and walked away with Brian trailing after him.

They were exiting the hospital when Drystan ran up. “Where’s Michael?”

Brian stood straighter at the sight of the worried Drystan. “What’s wrong?” Even Levi was looking concerned. “Is everything alright?”

“Maybe we should wait for Michael.”

Levi held the keys up. “But car keys.”

Brian was looking out at the parking lot. Even in the late afternoon, the lot was full. He turned to Levi, who was trying to convince Drystan that they should wait in the car. Drystan was not going to budge. Not if he was worried for Levi’s safety.

He looked down the sidewalk to find someone watching them. Levi turned to Brian only to find him distracted, and he looked in the same direction. “Brian?” The man gave a grin making his hackles raise, and then walked away. “Brian!”

Brian looked at Levi, then Michael.

“Why don’t we head out and get the pizza?”

Brian reluctantly walked away after everyone. They made it to the car when Michael stopped. Drystan shifted from foot to foot, nervous. Michael pulled the note off his car and looked it over. Levi looked at the unamused look on his face and asked. “Is everything okay?”

Crumpling the paper up, Michael smiled at Levi. It looked forced as he handed the letter to Brian. “It’s just a prank. Throw that away.”

Brian uncrumpled the paper and fought the growl. 

Found you.

Michael glanced at him with narrowed eyes, and Brian walked off to throw the paper away. Only when he got to the trash can, he quickly took a picture of the note. He stuffed the paper into his back pocket and sent the picture to Kevin. Hopefully, they didn’t need Laik. Levi had mentioned what had happened between that Cain guy and Laik.

Looking over to where he had seen the man standing, Brian gave a growl. He wouldn’t ’t let anything happen to Levi. Not on his watch.