Work Text:
A quick glance towards the clock, it's short of 5pm, told MC that she'd been on the clock for nearly twelve hours. A wanderer alert near her apartment started the day early but if she were totally honest with herself MC preferred it that way. During the last couple of weeks she'd piled up more overtime than the months prior.
“Oh, you're still here?”
“Hey Tara, wrapping things up for today. Or do you have something that needs to be checked out?”
Tara, her friend from the Data Analysis Division, passed by the desk as MC was picking up her things to leave for home. Before the other woman could answer MC’s phone rang.
“Excuse me.” It was a very familiar ringtone for a very special person.
“Zayne!” The last person MC wanted to speak now least see, yet she maintained her usual cheery self.
“I'm calling to remind you of your appointment today.” Stern, cold doctor mode. MC suppressed a sigh.
“Uhm…. about that…” The appointment, she had it totally forgotten. Hastily MC tried to come up with a valid reason to reschedule.
“You're not going to tell me you can't make it, right? We rescheduled already twice! As your primary care physician I don't need to remind you how important the regular check ups are and you're nearly a month overdue.” Despite that Zayne wouldn't see it, MC pouted and failed to deliver a suitable comeback. He had seen right through her.
“Sigh, where are you now?”
“HQ.”
“If you don't want to be late you better leave now. I'm waiting for you.” That last sentence was delivered not in his stern doctor voice, the one that didn't allow talk back from his patients, but the warm, soft one reserved for her and only for her. Guilt nagged at MC because they were both aware she was avoiding him. She had her reasons!
“...I'm on my way.” In the end MC could only admit defeat. After ending the call she turned towards her friend, still standing nearby.
“Sorry, forget what I asked before. I have an appointment I forgot.”
“That's ok. How's Dr. Zayne doing?”
“Working overtime as always. Guess we're two peas in a pot.” MC put on a bright smile, but Tara could see it didn't reach her eyes. Worried, she couldn’t help but say
“Don’t over do it.”
“Nah, I'm fine. See you tomorrow!” With a last wave to her friend MC left.
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Traffic during rush hour was hell and as a result MC was running late. As she hastened through the hallway towards Zayne’s office a nurse called out to her from behind.
“Excuse me, may I help you.” Originally MC thought she knew all the nurses working at the cardiology division, but this face was new.
“I have an appointment with Dr. Zayne.” So MC decided to keep it all business-like.
“I’m sorry, Miss…” The nurse had a slightly apologetic expression.
“MC”
“Miss MC, but Dr Zayne had an emergency surgery to attend to. If you follow me to the front desk, I can reschedule your appointment.” After the predicament of not knowing MC’s name was solved the young woman returned to her previous behavior. A dog wagging its tail happily was the picture that came to mind as MC looked at the other woman.
“Uhm…” The cardiology staff knew MC was more than just a patient to Zayne so typically they just let her through to his office where she would wait for him.
“I’ll just wait at his office…”
“That won’t do, Miss MC. If you insist on waiting then there’s the waiti…”
“It’s ok. Hey MC, work finally giving you some time to relax?” The young nurse was interrupted by Yvonne, the nurse MC often talked to when she came over and had to wait.
“But…” The nurse tried to talk up.
“The patient in 810 called, check up on him for me.”
“Yes.” Being able to read the room, the young nurse went off towards her new task but not without a last, skeptical glance at MC.
“Nah, work is as busy as ever. But if I stand him up again, Zayne’s going to be really angry with me.”
“Tell me. With these recent wanderer attacks we’ve been pretty swamped with patients. Anyway, I’ll let Dr. Zayne know you’re here.”
“Thanks, Yvonne.” The two women parted their ways and MC finally entered Zayne’s office. The room was illuminated by the setting sun, yet it seemed cold without its owner. With a sigh MC plumed on the couch. Maybe she should take a nap. Wasn’t Zayne always nagging that a person’s status influenced heart rate fluctuations? One didn’t need to be a doctor to see that MC wasn’t at her best. Too much work, too little sleep. With another sigh she pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her library, looking for something that would keep her awake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Keep me updated on his status at all times.”
“Yes, Dr. Zayne.” Having just finished the emergency surgery, Zayne left his assistant with further instructions before heading to his office. He stopped by the front desk.
“How’s the surgery?” Yvonne looked up from the computer screen inquiring about the status of the patient. Depending on it she might take extra precautions for the upcoming shifts as she herself was already on a double shift.
“As expected, he’s still in critical condition.” Yvonne nodded, knowing that meant Zayne would stay despite his shift having already ended hours ago.
“MC should still be waiting in your office, I haven’t seen her leave.”
“Thanks. I’ll leave everything to you and Greyson.”
“Yes, Sir.” Another kind of code: Do not disturb, except in emergencies. She watched after him, brows furrowed and couldn’t help but worry.
“So another night spent in your office instead of going home, huh?” Mumbling to herself Yvonne returned to the task at hand.
Zayne opened the door to a dark office. For a moment he thought MC went home, taking the chance to continue avoiding him. Then he saw her slumped on the couch like a question mark and her phone at her feet, obviously it had fallen down when she fell asleep. In the sparse light coming in from the surrounding houses through the large windows she looked frail. Carefully he stepped closer not wanting to wake her up when he saw the signs of a nightmare. First clenched, cold sweat on MC’s forehead and an expression on her face that clearly stated she was in pain. As he reached the couch Zayne could hear murmur coming from her lips.
“Cal…, …ait! …n’t go!” That was all he needed to know. Zayne immediately knelt down by her side, first gently shaking MC’s shoulders.
“Wake up.” When she didn’t show any signs of waking up he shook harder, to no avail. The nightmare had her in his claws. Even through her uniform jacket he could feel how cold she was. So he took off his lab coat and draped it over her shoulders like a blanket. If he can’t wake her up the least Zayne could do was keep her warm by holding her tight and gently rubbing MC’s back.
“It’s just a nightmare. I’m here now.” Whispering with a soft voice he could only helplessly watch. His own experiences had taught him the hard way that there's little an outsider can do once you are within the clutches of a nightmare.
MC’s cries, now muffled by his body, continued for what felt like an eternity. Finally a jolt went through her body waking her up. Zayne never stopped caressing her back.
“Shhh, I’m here.”
“Zayne?” The voice still weak, MC immediately tried to get some distance between them.
“Don’t move.” Zayne wouldn’t allow it.
“Just stay a bit longer. You’re still cold.” Foggy from the nightmare her brain wanted to put up more resistance but MC’s body already surrendered into that embrace she’d refused herself for so long. She even wrapped her arms around his waist which brought a slight smile of relief on Zayne’s lips for a second before his expression turned into a mix of worry and sadness. Like that they didn’t move for some time, not saying anything, and only when Zayne thought MC had warmed up he loosened his embrace.
“Feeling better now?” MC only nodded. Zayne then tried to make her look at him. The only thing he achieved was MC burying her face deeper into his chest.
“Do…t …ook, …gly.” Scrapes of words reached his ears.
“By ugly you mean worn out from that nightmare or the panda face you cultivated over the past weeks?” His teasing words had the desired effect. MC now glared at him, cheeks puffed.
“Just as I thought.” Zayne continued, he pinched her chin tenderly. “Pale as a ghost and bags big enough for my weekly groceries shopping.”
“As your main sources of nutrition are the hospital cafeteria and take out, those bags have to be very small.” On that come back, that so much was just like her, Zayne chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” MC poked his shoulder and then she leaned back, her arms crossed and pouted.
“You.” With a sigh Zayne stood up. Obviously MC had shaken off most of the nightmare now, so he thought it was time to get some answers.
“With all that effort you put in to go out of my way I didn’t expect you to actually stay today.” He stretched his legs then sat down next to her on the couch, leaving some space between them. The serious tone, many would call it cold, and the distance Zayne had put between them now told MC he was mad at her. As expected. The gaze fixed on the floor MC nibbled at her lower lip, not sure how exactly to bridge the gap. Zayne didn’t move nor said anything more. He just waited for her. His presence put on some pressure yet she couldn’t name any other situation she’d felt more safe than when she was with him. Finally MC looked up. Worry and fatigue were written into the sharp contours of his face. A pang of guilt shot into her stomach.
“I’m…” sorry? No, those words weren’t enough. MC took a few deep breaths.
“Having nightmares for most of my life I thought I was used to them. But when I had this one… I… I couldn’t handle it. Instead I ran away as best as I could. Buried myself at work and even when they sent me home I patrolled the streets or went to the gym. At least until they kicked me out ‘for my own good’.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?” Zayne was hurt and she couldn’t blame him. Avoiding his gaze for the nth time since she started her confession her eyes found the snow globe she’d gifted him not on its usual spot on a shelf but on his desk where he would always see it. And think of her. MC felt happy about this and even more guilty at the same time.
“I really don’t know.” The best answer she could give and the least helpful one. There was no explanation on why MC did what she did, or her overly tired brain had forgotten. “As long as there was work I didn’t need to think about it. When there wasn’t and I allowed myself to fall asleep, I woke up after two or three hours, max, from this nightmare. So I threw myself into work again.”
Zayne sighed, he knew what it meant to have nightmares. The kind you rather run away from by staying awake at any costs. He wanted to hold her tight and tell her everything was going to be ok. But he denied himself this notion. Instead he waited for her to come to him on her own.
“Then why today? Only for the appointment with your primary care physician?” Was all he said. MC shook her head, she never differentiated between Dr. Zayne and Zayne, her boyfriend.
“No! When you called earlier to remind me, yes my first thought was to run, again. I was aware that I started to look overworked with every passing day. So of course you would be mad at me.” MC leaned a bit closer, slowly bridging the gap without much thinking.
“And you were right! So I avoided you too. It looked so much easier than to confront myself.” Now that she poured nearly everything out, MC felt better. As a result her body slumped down, all remaining strength drained.
“But then, during the call…when you said ‘I’m waiting for you.’ I suddenly felt so stupid for staying away. So when I arrived here, it never crossed my mind even for a split second to leave.” With every new word MC's voice became more of a whisper and showed how tired she really was.
“Then what are you still waiting for?” Zayne couldn't hold back anymore. He had never been mad at her in the first place, sad she didn't lean on him for help, yes, but that was to be expected from his strong hunter who thought to solve everything on her own. For a second MC stared at Zayne, eyes opened wide. Then she threw herself into his waiting arms.
“I’m sorry. So sorry for being so stupid!”
“You are not stupid as long as you remember: You can always lean on me, that doesn't mean you're not strong. It's also a sign of strength to seek help.” MC nodded heavily.
“I'll do better next time. Promised!”
“Pinky promise?” Zayne held his pinky out towards MC and she immediately hooked hers into it.
“Pinky promise!”
“With that out of the way you should sleep. I wasn’t joking when I said you’re pale as a ghost.”
“What about you?” While Zayne had called her a panda face he himself didn't look like he got much sleep either.
“I have to stay in case something goes wrong with my latest patient.”
“Well, then…” MC made herself comfortable by his side.
“I'll stay too.” Zayne chuckled helplessly.
“Let me get the blanket, else you’ll catch a cold.” After he had extricated his body from her hug, Zayne went to a built-in closet where he kept next to several changes of clothes a blanket. It was a gift from MC, together with the couch. When he wanted to protest that his old one was totally fine, she just looked at him for a few seconds and then said ‘When I can't prevent you from sleeping here I can at least make sure it's comfy.’ So in the end he caved and accepted. When Zayne returned to MC she had enough awareness to take off her boots. His own shoes placed next to hers, they made themselves comfortable underneath the blanket. For two people it was crowded but they didn’t care.
“Ummm … Zayne?” MC’s voice started to get slurry.
“Yes?” A quiet whisper to not disturb her falling asleep.
“Tomorrow is … you know, that day. Will you… uhm… come with me?” It took MC her last effort to speak now.
“Do you really need to ask? Of course I'll accompany you to the graves.” Tomorrow would be the annual day of death for her family, the sole reason for her overly extensive nightmares. As the elephant in the room finally had a name MC sighed with relief.
“Now sleep, I’ll watch over you so you won't get any more nightmares.” MC wanted to ask what about him but could no longer muster the strength allowing herself the rest her body so desperately yearned for.
“As you’ll protect my sleep.” Zayne entwined their fingers as MC was already fast asleep. With a kiss on the crown of her head he said good night and let her steady breath carry him into his own rest.