Chapter Text
The first thing Trinity notices when Dr Garcia corners her in the locker room was the fact that she was shirtless, with nothing but a thin sports bra to cover herself. The second thing was the way the light glinted off of the diamond studded ring that hung on a silver chain around Dr Garcias neck.
The woman in question smirked down at her, leaning against the lockers and looking far too pleased at the way Trinity froze under her stare. The intern swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry as she struggled to keep her eyes focused upon the surgeons face.
“Back again so soon, Dr Santos?” Garcia kept her voice low, her eyes never leaving Trinity’s. “What - was the unsanctioned REBOA and the scalpel you dropped into my foot not enough for you?”
The younger woman winced at the reminder, still smarting from the dressing down she had received from Dr Robby and Dana earlier after she had stepped into the ED for her second shift. She had only just avoided being assigned a nurse to act as a sort of babysitter, instead being left with strict instructions regarding the hierarchy of the ED and a clear warning if she disrespected it again.
She hadn’t thought anyone would be able to make her feel like a chastised child this far into her twenties, but under Robby and Danas disapproving stares the entirety of her confidence had withered away.
Still - she had a job to do. Even if everyone saw her as nothing but trouble.
“I don’t quit that easily.” Trinity replied shortly, quickly tugging her shoe on and standing to make a break for the door. Unfortunately, Garcia shifted as she did and Trinity found herself mere inches away from the other woman,
Her breath hitched as Garcia tilted her head, eyes flitting down to stare at her lips before dragging them back up to meet the younger woman. Trinitys gulp was audible as the resident cocked an eyebrow and she could only pray that Garcia could not hear how her heart thumped in her chest as her brain finally registered just how close they were.
The ring around her neck was all too prominent, mocking her very existence as it taunted her from its silver chain.
“No, I don’t suppose you do.” Garcia murmured, a smirk playing on her lips.
Trinity remained frozen in place when the surgeon moved away, until the sound of a locker slamming shut brought her back to the present. Turning around, she had to squash the twinge of disappointment that ran through her when she saw Garcia pulling her top over her head, her taut muscles disappearing beneath the fabric.
Another ring had joined the one around her neck, clinking together as the resident twisted her hair up.
“See you out there, trouble.” She called over her shoulder as she strode out the room, an air of satisfaction surrounding her.
Trinity groaned and thudded her head against her locker.
She was so fucked.
Trinity kept quiet as they gathered near the nurses station for handover, simply flashing a quick smile in response to Mels greeting as she stopped between her and Whitaker.
She tuned their conversation out though, her mind still focused on what had just happened. Or more accurately, on what she had just seen.
One of Trinitys first rotations as a medical student had been in surgery. She had been incredibly excited for it, had turned up on her first day ready and eager to see the inside of an operating theatre.
“Alright!” Robby clapped his hands, gaining everyone’s attention as hushed conversations died down around them. “If we could get through this quickly!”
She had been paired with one of the surgical residents, an older woman who had apparently been a scrub nurse before she went to med school. Before she and the other students were allowed to step foot near a theatre, that resident had spent a good twenty minutes explaining how important it was that they were thorough and careful when scrubbing in.
“Hold on a moment Robby, Shen is still in with a patient.” Abbot sighed, gesturing to Central 7 before he dropped into the seat beside Dana.
Before letting them into the scrubbing area, the surgical resident had then handed each of them a little chain and pouch, laughing slightly as they each eyed her with confusion.
“I’m here, I’m here, no need to stress.” Dr Shen said as he strolled over, looking far too cheerful to have just finished a twelve hour shift.
It was for their rings or other jewellery, she had explained. You couldn’t exactly wear much jewellery while operating, but so many of the surgical staff were loathe to simply leave such sentimental pieces in their lockers or at home. So they strung them around their necks. It kept them close to their hearts, she had joked.
“Oi, everyone shut it before I start assigning you to vomit duty!” Dana’s voice ran out, a hush quickly settling over the gathered staff in the wake of her threat.
Trinity had not noticed any rings around Garcias neck that first shift, had checked the moment she realised the older doctor was flirting with her. But she had seen them, clear as day with her own eyes in that locker room. Yet Garcia had flirted with her, even after she dropped a scalpel in her foot.
“Ok, now that we are all here!” Dr Robbys voice dragged Trinity out of her spiral and she breathed out as she turned to focus on him. She could not and would not let this mess with her work. “It is good to see everyone. For those of you who were here two days ago, I hope the day off you were granted was enough to recuperate from the MCI.”
Dr Abbot and a few of the nurses scoffed and Trinity could see Perlah rolling her eyes from behind the desk. The hospital had been ever so gracious by giving all who had worked the MCI the next day off, as if that was enough to wipe the chaos and agony they had been faced with from their psyche.
“I know, I know.” Robby chuckled wryly, a sardonic grin on his face. “But it is what it is and we have work to do alright? Now…” He hesitated, scanning the crowd to look for someone.
The back of Trinitys neck burned and she shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting around the room to see if someone was watching her. Groaning to herself when she saw nothing, she shook the feeling off and turned her attention back to her attending.
“As you may have noticed Dr Langdon is not with us. He will be here in a few hours, but until then Dr Ellis has so kindly agreed to stay on.” Trinitys heart skipped a beat at Dr Robbys words and her gaze snapped to where Dr Ellis was standing. The night shifts senior resident waved quickly in response, before everyone’s attention turned back to Robby.
Well, Trinity tried to turn her attention back to Robby. But her eyes kept wondering without her permission and she couldn’t help but glance over to where Ellis leaned against the desk, her head tilted as she listened attentively. It was only when she glanced over and realised she had been caught that she managed to stop, fighting down her blush as she pushed the image of the older woman’s amused smile and warm eyes out of her mind.
She could feel eyes on her all through rounds, but every time she snuck another glance Ellis was paying rapt attention to whomever was presenting.
Trinity had just finished trying to convince herself that she was imagining it, preparing herself to tune back in to whatever it was Mel and Whitaker were discussing when a shadow fell over her and she felt a warm presence at her back and a sunny voice pierced the air.
“Dr Santos!” Trinity immediately regretted when she whirled around, a sharp pain piercing her temple as it made contact. Horror coursed through her as Ellis staggered back with a wince, rubbing her chin.
“I am so sorry!” The intern rushed to apologise, her hands hovering between them uselessly as her eyes flitted over the older woman. “Are you ok, do you need an icepack or…?”
Ellis had bent her head, a hand over her mouth and for a heart stopping moment Trinity thought she had brought her to tears before Ellis looked up and she realised that her shoulders shook not from crying but from laughter.
“Damn Santos, you got a hard head!” Ellis chuckled, grinning softly at her as Trinity felt her shoulders drop in relief. “I should be asking you that though. You smacked your head against my chin pretty hard.”
Quickly, the intern shook her head, then winced when the quick movement sent a spike of pain just behind her eye. “I’m ok.” She uttered hastily, voice cracking slightly when the older woman’s eyes narrowed at her, undoubtedly noticing her pained expression. She cleared her throat and continued “Really I’m fine! I’ve taken far harder knocks than that.”
Ellis simply raised an eyebrow, her former cheerfulness clouded by her obvious concern. Ignoring Trinitys protests and waving off Whitaker and Mel, she gently guided the younger doctor into one of the empty rooms, settling her onto the bed and pulling the curtains closed.
“Really, Dr Ellis you don’t need to check. It barely hurts and I can get back to work.” Trinity argued half heartedly as the senior resident continued to brush off her objections, before squirming in her seat and staring down at her hands when Ellis levelled her with a disbelieving stare.
“Yes, a nasty bruise blooming across your temple and an obvious headache totally supports your theory.” The woman said dryly, arching an eyebrow in her direction. “Besides,” she added, “hospital protocol dictates that any head knocks get checked for concussions, no matter how fine you claim to be.”
Trinity slumped at her words, but she kept quiet as Ellis rummaged through the drawers, running the steps of various procedures through her mind in order to calm her nerves.
There was a time when she would have been mentally reciting the moves of her bar routine rather than how to do running stitches, when she would have run through her floor routine instead of how to do an intubation. But those days were long behind her now.
A hand beneath her chin pulled Trinity from her thoughts and her breath caught as Ellis pulled her head up so that their eyes met. Ellis quirked a smile, eyes dancing in the light as she tilted Trinitys head to the side, her fingers gentle as she brushed them over what Trinity was sure was a rapidly developing bruise.
“Well,” She said, her voice quiet as she pressed lightly against the reddening skin. Trinity shivered as her fingers withdrew, though the hand on her chin maintained a steady grip as she flashed her penlight in Trinity’s eyes. “There doesn’t seem to be any damage other than a bit of a bruise.”
“See?” Trinity muttered, but there was no bite to her words. Not when she found herself eye level with the other woman’s collarbone, unable to appreciate the closeness to such a beautiful woman as her eyes were drawn once again to a a pair of silver rings threaded on a chain. They swung from a different residents neck, but their presence spurred the same confusion and panic as Garcia’s had.
It was only the curtain being drawn back that saved Trinity from doing something embarrassing, though Ellis seemed unbothered by the fact that someone had walked in on them and made no move to drop Trinitys chin.
“Do I need to file a report for workers comp or sexual misconduct?” Ellis sighed as Robbys voice cut through the air, finally withdrawing her fingers from Trinitys face with one last caress along her cheek as Robby stepped into the room. The man in question raised an eyebrow at them, crossing his arms and giving a pointed stare when Ellis didn’t move away.
Ellis shrugged, unfazed by their attendings scrutiny. “I was simply following hospital protocol and checking that Dr Santos didn’t have a concussion. You know, like I’m meant to as a senior resident.”
“I wasn’t aware that checking for a concussion required doctors to get so close to their patient.” Robby replied dryly, eyeing them both as they made no move to seperate. “You must show me the updated guidelines before the end of your shift, Dr Ellis.”
“I’m sure you would be able to find them if you wished to, Dr Robby.” Ellis flashed the man an innocent smile as he rolled his eyes, his obvious exasperation seemingly having no effect on her. “Or,” She continued, a slow smirk spreading across her face, “you could ask Dr Abbot. I believe he was demonstrating such techniques to Dr Mohan a week or so ago.”
Robby closed his eyes, his brow pinched as he let out a long sigh. Trinity tensed as he opened them to meet her gaze, clenching the fabric beneath her as he levelled a knowing look on her.
“Are you sure you’re ok, Dr Santos?” He asked finally, eyeing Ellis sternly when she opened her mouth to assure him. Ellis snapped her jaw shut, inclining her head slightly in silent acknowledgment. “You can take a break in the staff room or in my office if you need to.”
“No thats ok.” Trinity said quietly, her eyes darting between the two older doctors. “I just have a slight headache and probably a nasty bruise. I can get back to work.”
Robby rocked back and forth slightly, arms folded across his abdomen as he considered them. Trinity found herself holding her breath, unsure as to why she felt the urge to duck her head when she hadn’t done anything wrong, despairing at the thought of Robbys disapproval. It wasn’t like she hadn’t faced that earlier that morning and that had been when he had combined forces with Dana.
Finally, Robby conceded. “Alright.” He said, already turning to leave. “I’ll check back in a few hours but you can return to work. Less paperwork for me anyway.”
“But,” Ellis added, finally stepping back once Robby had slipped out the door. Trinity firmly told herself that she did not mourn the loss of contact as she slid off the bed, moving for the door so she could get back to work before the resident could stop her. “You are going to take some pain relief and you will stick with me for the next few hours so I can keep an eye on you.”
“Ah ah.” Ellis interrupted before Trinity could even get a word of protest out. “Hospital protocol, Dr Santos. Besides,” She added with a slight smile. “I have rather a few patients I think you may be interested in and a KitKat with your name on it if you behave.”
Trinity ignored the way her cheeks heated at the older woman’s words, instead tilting her head in silent askance.
“Collins mentioned something about you wanting to do a chest tube?” That slight smile had bloomed into a full on smirk, their eyes meeting as Trinity tried to hide the way she perked up. “How about I teach you?”
Trinity rides the high of doing her first chest tube for the rest of the day. Even Langdon’s arrival and thus the subsequent departure of Ellis can’t temper her cheerfulness. It’s enough for her to put any thoughts of Ellis and Garcias rings out of her mind for a good while and hold off the
So of course, like everything good in Trinitys life, something had to ruin it.
It’s Langdon's words which bring her down from her giddy platform, though Trinity can’t really blame him for it. He hadn’t even been talking to her, too caught up in his and Garcias back and forth over their unconscious patient to even notice her entrance.
“Does your wife know you're flirting with an intern Yoyo?” She catches only the trailing end of it as she steps into the room, struggling with a rather stubborn glove as she rounds the end of the gurney but she goes cold as his words register. The room seems to freeze for a second as everyone glances between her and Garcia, who for her credit has not stopped her examination even as she turns a deathly glare upon Langdon.
"Oh she knows and she is all for it!" Garcias voice was cheerful, a stark contrast to the steely glint in her eye as she stared down Langdon. The man in question just smirked, either oblivious or uncaring of the minefield he had just stepped into.
His smirk dropped at her next words. "Does your wife know about your little crush on Robby?”
Langdon choked and across the room a tray of tools clattered to the ground as Robby tripped over his own feet. Everyone’s gazes snapped to him as he raised his eyes to the ceiling, rubbing his hands over his face before dropping his head and letting out a bone deep sigh.
“Right!” He said, clapping his hands as his face contorted into a grimace. “So, didn’t think I needed to explain this, but in the ED? The banter cannot escalate past teasing and into psychological warfare territory.”
Garcia shrugged, unrepentant as she stepped back to let the X-ray techs through. “Langdon started it.”
“And I’m finishing it.” Robby said firmly, pointedly avoiding meeting Langdon’s gaze as he stepped up to the monitor. “Yolanda, for your sake, your wife’s sake, and for my sanities sake, please stop flirting with my intern.”
“Not a chance.” Garcia scoffed, locking eyes with Trinity with a cocky smirk. “I’m having way too much fun for any of you ED oddballs to stop me.”
Trinity could feel the heat on her cheeks, fighting the urge to hide as one of the nurses let out a quiet snort at her words.
“Anyway,” Garcia continued, stripping off her gloves and striding towards Trinity. “This isn’t a surgical case, I am no longer needed here and I believe Dr Santos also needed a surgical consult so I’ll leave you cowboys to it. Come on Santos.”
Trinity could refuse. Could look to Dr Robby and take his silent offer of a way out. She could explain that actually that actually it was Dr Collin's patient not hers. Trinity could do anything but go off with the married senior resident who was so obviously flirting with her in front of two of her bosses and a multitude of gossiping nurses.
She followed Garcia out the door.