A/N: Auggie proved his own point in episode 3.09. Spoilers for anything up to there. I had hoped this would turn out better, or deeper, but it isn't coming together that way. No plans for this to go any further, but who knows? It was originally meant as a one-shot anyway!

He sat by her bed, going over everything he could remember. He had gone through everything she had said to him for the past week, several times. He was looking - figuratively - for anything she may have told him that would give him a clue of how to help her.
They had planned to talk, there were many plans to talk. But things always got in the way. Her missions, her off-book missions, and his pride.
His pride. Was it his pride that got them to this hospital room? Was it pride that kept him from going to Allen's with her, when she asked? He was certainly upset. There was no way he could have pretended otherwise. The sound of her shoe killing the mic tore at his insides, and when she asked, there was no way he could exchange stories at the Tavern as though nothing was wrong.
Hell, he still wasn't sure if they would let him into Allen's. How had that place stayed in business without him and Annie?
He thought through the last real conversation that he had with Annie. This time he focused less on the discussion about Simon, and remembered how it started. Annie wanted him to go with her to get a beer after a busy, stressful day.
If he had agreed to go to the Tavern, would Annie have been shot? Would she have told him something that would help him defend her?
He knew better than to play the "What if?" game. He also knew better than to let the stress of this job get in the way of a night at the Tavern.
He had proven himself right.