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“Dr. Abbot and Dr. Robby, you’re both here for day shift today?” Whitaker asks seeing the two senior attendings standing together at the board getting sign out from Shen
“Yep, I decided to be a nice person and provide some help to you guys today. Nothing like ruining my sleep schedule” Jack said
“You chose to be here all on your own, so don’t start complaining now” Robby says with a stern voice
“I’m not, just answering the kid’s question” Jack tries to argue back
“You’re always complaining”
“Ohhh, if that’s not the kettle calling the pot black, I don’t know what is”
“Just focus on the job please Dr. Abbot”
“Sure thing, boss”
The two just go back to their respective tablets, getting prepped to treat the incoming wave of patients who spent the night in the chairs waiting for treatment.
“Ahh the sun and the moon are here today, we are experiencing a rare eclipse” Dana joked seeing her two favorite doctors
“What?” Robby said looking up from his tablet and over the top of his glasses at the nurse
“Do I want to know?” Jack joked
“Well, Cap, you’re the sun because you work day shift and Abbot, you’re the moon because of night shift”
“How creative of you” Robby says rolling his eyes
“Where does the eclipse part come in?” Jack asks curiously
“We call it an eclipse when the two of you are on shift together because just like a solar eclipse, getting to work with both of you on the same shift is rare”
“Who’s we?” Robby asks
“The nurses, orderlies, doctors, security, pretty much everyone”
“Aww that’s actually really sweet”
“Jack, don’t encourage her please”
“Aww sunshine, lighten up, it’s going to be a good day” Jack says patting Robby on the back
“I’m going to treat patients. I suggest you do your job too Dr. Abbot” Robby says rolling his eyes and heading to the facial laceration in North 6
———————————————————————————
“Does any one speak Russian or Yiddish?” Perlah asks the staff
“Why?” Mel asks
‘’Well, we have a woman in South 12 who doesn’t seem to speak English. I think her native language is either Yiddish or Russian, but no translators are available and she needs to be treated”
“Uhmm, I can try. I grew up around my Russian Jewish Bubbe, so I know the basics” Robby says shyly
“Dr. Robby, you speak other languages?” Javadi asks shocked
“Uhmm, a little” Robby says blushing, embarrassed by the attention he is getting now that everyone has turned to stare at him
“Well, a little is better than nothing, let’s give it a shot” Perlah responds, trying to save the doctor from any further embarrassment
“Alright, Perlah, lead the way”
The two head over to the bay, with Robby lagging a little behind Perlah, he can’t believe he offered to do this. If he can’t communicate with the patient, his staff is going to think he is a failure, well if that’s not his inner insecurities coming out, geez. On the walk over, Robby is attempting to jog his memory on both Russian and Yiddish terms his Bubbe taught him
———————————————————————————
Jack finishes up treating a little boy with an ankle sprain in North 3 and heads out of the bay.
“Hey Slugger, where is Robby? He seems a little off today” Jack asks as he walks towards the hub where the stack of tablets are. Looking up at the screen he decides that the next case he will take is the patient with a suspected concussion in South 11
“He’s in South 12, there is a patient who doesn’t seem to speak English. I think I upset with the eclipse comment”
“Alright, so he’s in there with a translator? Don’t worry about the eclipse thing, he’s just being sensitive, I actually kinda like it”
“Thanks soldier, I didn’t mean to upset our guy and no, there’s no translator in the room, none were available. Robby says he can speak a little Russian and Yiddish. Those are the languages, Perlah got it narrowed down to” This stops Jack in his tracks
“He doesn’t speak Russian?”
“Well, Cap said he knows a little and offered to give it a shot”
“Interesting”
———————————————————————————
Jack heads to South 11 lingering outside the door for a minute noticing that the door of South 12 is cracked, he can hear Robby talking to Perlah. He heads into the bay holding his patient and starts his work-up for a concussion. As he is treating his patient, he can hear Robby’s conversation through the wall, it’s probably not HIPPA compliant for the walls to be this thin, giving the patients the opportunity to overhear the care of others, but in this moment he is grateful.
South 12
“Dobroye utro, g-zha Pavlova. Gut morgn froy pavlov” (Good morning Ms. Pavlov)” Robby does the greeting in both Russian and Yiddish to hopefully determine which language the woman prefers
“Zdravstvuyte, doktor” (hello doctor)
“Vy predpochitayete govorit' po-russki?” (Do you prefer to speak in Russian?)
“Da” (Yes)
“Itak, menya zovut doktor Robinavich, no vy mozhete nazyvat' menya doktor Robbi. Segodnya ya budu vashim lechashchim vrachom. Chto privelo vas k nam?” (Okay, my name is Dr. Robinavitch, but you can call me Dr. Robby. I am going to be treating you today. What brings you in?)
“U menya sil'naya bol' v zhivote, toshnota, oznob, i ya ochen' volnuyus', potomu chto v moyey moche byla krov’.”(I have severe pain in my stomach, nauseous, chills, and I’m really worried because there was blood in my urine)
“YA sobirayus' provesti neskol'ko testov i vyyasnit', chto proiskhodit?” (I am going to run some tests and figure out what is going on?)
“Perlah, can you please run a CBC, urine tests, and order an abdominal ultrasound”
“Yes, Dr. Robby”
“Khorosho, gospozha Pavlova, ya slegka nadavlyu na vash zhivot, chtoby opredelit', gde bol'no. Ne mogli by vy lech' na spinu i nemnogo pripodnyat' rubashku?” (Alright, Ms. Pavlov, I am going to press on your abdomen a little to see where the pain is. Can you please lay back and lift your shirt up a little?)
The patient lays back and Robby presses on her stomach, which causes her to yell out in pain
“Eto bol'no, doktor” (That hurts doctor)
“YA znayu, i mne zhal'. Dumayu, u vas kamni v pochkakh, no my provedom neskol'ko analizov, chtoby ubedit'sya. Perla voz'mot analizy krovi i mochi. YA poproshu odnogo iz svoikh studentov-medikov sdelat' UZI i vyzvat' urologa na konsul'tatsiyu. YA vernus', chtoby soobshchit' vam rezul'taty.” (I know and I'm sorry. I think you are suffering from kidney stones, but we are going to run some tests to be sure. Perlah here is going to take some blood and urine. I am going to have one of my med students perform an ultrasound and call for an Urology consult. I will be back to let you know the results)
“spasibo, doktor” (Thank you doctor)
“Perlah please run the blood and urine tests. I will send Javadi in to do an ultrasound and page Urology because I am fairly confident this is kidney stones. Let me know if you need me”
“Sounds good”
South 11
“Hello Ms. Stephans, my name is Dr. Abbot. What brings you in today?”
“I hit my head after falling off a ladder”
“Alright, well your head CT is back and there doesn’t look to be a brain bleed or any skull fractures. You have a pretty bad concussion, but nothing super serious. I will have a Neurologist come in and check you out, but then you will be good to go. I will start the discharge paperwork, so you can leave as soon as Neurology sees you. Sound good?”
“Yes, thank you doctor”
“Of course, I hope you feel better soon”
Jack exits South 11 and sees Robby standing at the hub talking to the nurses. He slides up next to his husband, whose focus is on the tablet in his hands as he is half listening to the nurses talking around him.
“Dr. Robby, I didn’t know you spoke Russian”
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, Princess”
“Yeah, Cap, you are just full of surprises”
“Yep, Dana I am. Are you surprised you don’t know everything about me?”
“No need to have an attitude with me Robinavitch”
“Mmm”
“You saved the day Dr. Robby. If it wasn’t for you, she would still be sitting here untreated”
Jack starts to slow clap drawing attention to his presence “What a superhero you are Dr. Robby”
“Please don’t start” Robby says glaring at Jack
“What, you don’t want the recognition?”
Robby ignores Jack, turning back to Perlah “Any update on the test results”
“Yeah, all tests indicate kidney stones”
“Alright, well Urology is in there now, so I will start her discharge papers”
“Sounds good”
The nurses all leave to go back to the various tasks they are needed for: starting IVs, taking temps, running labs, and ensuring a smooth flow of patients through the ED. This leaves just Robby and Jack at the hub
“You never told me you spoke Russian” Jack whispers to Robby
“You never asked” Robby says still staring at the tablet in his hands
“Oh, is that so? I have to ask for you to tell me things”
“Didn’t think, my ability to speech another language was pertinent information”
“Whatever Mike”
“Why do you care so much?”
“Because, it’s hot and I wish I knew sooner”
“Really?!?!? You find that hot”
“Yeah, extremely” Jack whispers as he leans closer to Robby’s ear and goes to kiss side of Robby’s head
“Jack, we are at work”
“Sorry, you are just so hot when you’re speaking Russian, Misha” This causes Robby to blush, few people know about the nickname his Bubbe used to call him growing up
“Go back to work Dr. Abbot”
“Ugh, you are such a tease”
——————————————————————————
Their shift ends and they head home, the drive is quiet, both of them tired beyond words. They park in the garage and head into the house. The kids aren’t home. Beau is away for a college hockey camp. Ellie is spending the night at a friend’s house and the twins are away on a field trip to Washington D.C. with their school.
“I’m going to go take a shower Mike”
“Alright, I’m going to whip up a quick dinner”
Jack doesn’t respond before heading upstairs to their room. Jack takes a longer shower than normal while Robby throws together a quick chicken pesto pasta. Robby can’t tell if Jack is really upset about him withholding the fact that he speaks Russian or if Jack is just surprised he didn’t learn this sooner. Robby used to work in some Russian and Yiddish phrases when he was speaking to his kids when they were growing up. He always thought Jack knew, but apparently not.
“Alright, brother the shower is open if you want to quickly rinse the Pitt off of you before we eat, go ahead, I can wait” Jack says as he comes downstairs wearing just a pair of sweatpants and drying his hair with a towel. He took his prosthetic off, so he is relying on his crutches to help support him as he moves through the house
“No need, I used the guest room shower. Come sit, I’ll bring a plate to you”
“Don’t need to tell me twice”
Jack takes a seat and is immediately overwhelmed with the smell of dinner wafting through the kitchen
“Smells good”
“Uzhin podan, lyubimyy” (dinner is served, beloved) Robby says as he places a bowl in front of Jack and takes a seat next to him
Jack is a little shell-shocked and can’t seem to find words
“What, cat’s got your tongue?” Robby jokes
“ummmm, I just don’t know what to say. I have no idea what you just said, but it was so hot hearing you speak Russian”
“For all you know, I just said ‘I hate your hair’ and you’re sitting here silent like I just professed my love for the first time”
“First off you would never say that and second, I don’t give a damn what you said, it was hot”
“ya tebya lyublyu” (I love you) Robby said as he leaned forward pressing a kiss to Jack’s lips
“Well, I hope that was like ‘I love you’ you or something. If so, I love you too and please keep talking in Russian sometimes. I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on me this long”
“It was ‘I love you’ and honestly I didn’t think you would care that I spoke Russian. It reminds me of my childhood. The only person I ever really spoke it with was my Bubbe and now that she’s gone, there hasn’t been a need, until today” Robby says blushing
“Your Bubbe taught you well, I bet she would be proud of you and all you have accomplished”
“Thanks, Jack that means a lot”
“It’s the truth, Rob, believe me. Now hurry up and eat, so I can take you to bed. Also, I will need you to keep sprinkling Russian into to our conversation, it’s doing more for me than I thought it would”
Robby blushing says “you don’t need to twist my arm, I’d do anything for you”
“Aww Misha” Jack says grabbing Robby’s hand and rubbing his thumb against the back of it as they eat.