[ i just had to chop this in half i'm sorry.

this is shit but hey content

warnings: language, character death, hospitals

i think in this au, the affair happened, they just didn't date afterwards?? if that makes sense

stay safe,
lew. ]

———————

By the time Lia got to the hospital, the sun had set, and visiting hours were almost over. But obviously, that didn't stop her from finding Logan's room and checking up on him.

He looked okay, thankfully. He had dozed off, Harry sitting beside him, their fingers interlocked. She cleared her throat when she entered the room, seeming to startle the younger man.

"I brought a change of clothes for both of you," she murmured, setting the bag down at his feet. "Plus there's cookies I made today."

"Thanks," he replied flatly. He reached up to push Logan's hair away from his face, causing him to smile even in his sleep.

"How's he doing?"

"He's okay. The doctors think—"

"He can hear you, you know," Logan murmured lowly, blinking open his eyes. "I've been awake a whole two seconds and haven't gotten a kiss or a hug from either of you. That's sad."

Harry rolled his eyes, but softly pecked his husband's lips. "Better now?"

Lia grinned and stood at Logan's other side, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. "Now you should be good."

"If my side would stop hurting, I'd be golden," he told them, using his free hand to lightly touch the bandaged wound.

She frowned, casting a quick glance towards the door before she asked, "Can't you, like, use your healing magic shit to help?"

"Don't you think he would've tried already?" Harry snapped, squeezing Logan's hand a little bit tighter.

Lia shrunk back at his sharp tone, crossing her arms over her chest almost protectively. "Sorry. I'll... just go. Get some rest, sunshine, I'll—"

Logan gently untangled his hand from Harry's and asked him, "Can you give me and Lia a few minutes, baby? I need to talk to her."

"I guess. I need to go call Ronnie anyway," he sighed. Before he left, he gave Logan a lingering kiss. Then, he disappeared down the hallway.

Lia remained frozen in place for a moment or two, until Logan gestured for her to sit down. She took the chair that Harry had just vacated, looking more than freaked out. "Is everything okay?"

"I just wanted to talk to you," he said calmly, idly messing with the IV in his hand. "If something happens—"

"Logan, you're gonna be fine—"

"If something happens, don't let Harry kick you out of the house. It's your home too, Lia." His voice was soft and comforting, and that fact alone was what made her get up and fit herself beside him in the bed on his uninjured side.

He seemed a little bit shocked by that, but quickly recovered, putting his arm around her. Quietly, she told him, "Don't talk about 'if something happens'. I don't want to have to go bargain with my mom's husband."

He just laughed, fondly kissing her head again. "I don't tell you this enough, but I'm proud to be your best friend."

His words made her heart ache a bit. "You're always gonna be my best friend. No one could ever replace you, sunshine," she murmured, resting her head lightly on his chest.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, then Logan told her, "You'd better get up, flower girl. Harry won't be happy with either of us if he sees this."

She sighed, but still got up. "I should probably get going anyway. Don't want the nurses and stuff to kick me out because I'm 'not immediate family'."

"Oh, come on. Why not do something stupid and potentially risky, like hide somewhere so you can stay?" Logan asked, unable to keep himself from laughing.

Lia rolled her eyes, leaning down to kiss his forehead again. "I'll bring you some flowers tomorrow morning. Is there anything you want brought from home?"

"I think I'm good. See ya tomorrow," he sighed. "Love you, Lia."

"Love you too, Logan. Take it easy."

—

The next morning, Lia walked into the hospital, a vase with yellow roses and alstroemeria in hand. She greeted the almost starstruck receptionist with a smile. "I'm here to visit Logan El-Amin, is he in his room?"

The receptionist's eyes widened considerably. "You can't go back there, miss. I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait out here with his husband."

The bewilderment was clear on her features as she searched for Harry within the waiting room. Even he looked anxious, tapping his painted nails against the arms of the chair he was in.

"What's going on?" She asked as soon as she sat beside him, setting the flowers on the floor in front of them. Her hands went into the pockets of her borrowed hoodie immediately, and she drew comfort from the fact that it was Logan's, and he'd pretend to be annoyed when he saw her.

"Something went wrong early this morning," he told her, sounding pretty detached. He didn't even look at her, his eyes trained on the double doors that lead to where she assumed Logan was. "They had to do emergency surgery. It was only supposed to take an hour or so, but..."

Much to his surprise (and hers too, honestly), she hugged him. Her voice was quiet as she told him, "Everything's gonna be fine. I mean, it's Logan, for fuck's sake."

What was more surprising than the hug in the first place? The fact that slowly, he returned the embrace. He remained silent, but he clung to the older woman for some semblance of comfort.

It seemed like another hour passed before the receptionist called them over, before they pulled away from the embrace. If Lia noticed the tears on the fabric, she didn't say anything.

"The surgeon will be out soon to talk to you, sir," the woman told Harry, who looked a bit skeptical.

"How'd the procedure go?" He asked, running his hand through his hair.

She shook her head. "I don't know. Like I said, the surgeon will be out to talk to you."

Gently, Lia guided Harry back towards the seats, giving the receptionist another smile, though this one lacked warmth. "It'll be okay, Harry. Think positive."

"Normally, they'll tell you, 'oh, your loved one is fine, the doctor will tell you how things went'. What if he isn't fine, Lia?"

The tremor in his voice prompted her to hug him again, and in passing, she realized the only reason he was allowing this was probably the hoodie. Stressful situations like this always seemed easier if you had the comfort of a familiar scent, at least in her experience. The bottle of her father's cologne in her room was a good example of that.

"Logan's not gonna let a little thing like a stab wound do him in, Harry. Take a deep breath. He's gonna be fine—"

The grim look on the doctor's face as he walked towards them brought their world crashing down.