Work Text:
February 3rd, 2025
A moment not tending to patients or being busy with charting was a rare thing in the pitt. The small instances of quiet you didn’t spend quickly eating something usually involved partly getting to know what you could from your new coworkers with light conversation and gossip. Though your preferred past time was pestering Dana whilst sitting beside her in central and annoying Robby when he gave you the time of day.
The scarce stillness is good change of pace and you take advantage of it this time by stealing some of Dana's chamomile hand cream to spare your hands from the dryness of the cold winter and constant change of gloves and frequent use of hand sanitizer. She steals it back shoving the tube inside one of her treasured drawers before Robby could steal some too and piss her off further—his reaching hand floating mid air for a second before he decides that not complaining about it is the only option.
You both sit around her looking miserable pretending to do something only actually waiting for instructions—Robby feigns reading some documents Gloria burdened him with earlier until Dr. Abbot comes in to relief him from more work and you're left to pretend decluttering your phone storage of useless files is a fun activity before it's time to head home.
"Okay party people, who can we send home in the next 20 minutes? We need the beds and triage is only getting busier. Who's getting the boot before the night shift starts?" Dana holds a tablet in hand looking at you and Robby expecting pro-activeness of two people who would rather be anywhere but at work right now.
Robby sets down the papers he wasn’t reading, rubbing the side of his face and fixing his glasses to eye the board. "The bandages of the burn patient in 19 were just changed, they should be good to go if their IV is done. The one in 15 was supposed to get labs back 20 minutes ago, I'll get right on that."
"I need more than two out, Robby. Let's get these people home."
"I know, let me think." He squints at the screen.
"Rooms 12 and 3 should also be good to go, hand lac treated by Mckay just waiting on discharge instructions, she probably had to get back to triage and got stuck there, and road rash treated by Mohan finishing meds should also be done by now."
"There we go, who else?" You sit quietly before they send you on something you would rather not do.
Mckay timely walks up to the counter asking you to take the discharge papers to 12, dropping another bomb before heading back to chairs. "I need someone in Room 17 for a minor abscess drainage, not looking or smelling pretty for the record." Oh that's just great.
Dana and Robby pause, looking right at you expectantly.
"You know, your glasses really suit you, Robby." You smile pushing them back up his nose and he pushes your hand away.
"Flattery won't get you out of seeing that patient." His ears still pink at the compliment.
"Worth a shot." You take the discharge papers for Room 12 and the last breath of 'fresh' air before heading to the nightmare drainage in 17.
Twenty something minutes later with Room 17 now empty you're met with Robby giving Dr. Abbot the last details of which patients still need something and which ones are waiting for beds upstairs.
Abbot pauses their conversation once he sees you. "You're looking a little rough, you good?"
"Thank you Dr. Abbot. Purulent clean up in isle 17 does that to a person."
"That'll do it." He taps your shoulder lightly.
"Okay." Robby claps a little too loudly getting a look from Dana and Lena before they get back to their conversation. "I'm only waiting on the dude in Room 8 to leave. I discharged him myself 10 minutes ago but he’s surely taking his sweet ass time to get changed and leave."
"The idiot who was a dick to Princess, earlier? I saw him through the window when I was coming back from 17, he's in his phone still in the hospital gown, are you kidding?" That fucker.
"Let me try to talk to him, he is being difficult on purpose."
"Ye of little faith, boss. I can handle him." You decide.
"Are you sure? I don't want to aggravate him again." Oh sweet, sweet Robby.
"No need. I'll aggravate him, alright." You leave on a mission armed with nothing but exhaustion and a very fake smile.
You knock and don't wait on a response before opening the door. "Do you need any assistance, sir? With your gown or discharge instructions?"
"No, I've got it, thanks." The fucker continues to click away on his phone ignoring you. You meet Princess' eyes on the nurse's station through the other door checking on you, you've got this.
You decide to organize the glove boxes on the wall dispenser as you stall, there’s nothing to organize. "You know, it's a good sign you got sent home already."
"Oh yeah? Why's that?" He couldn't be more disinterested.
"Just between us, previous patient in this room had this weird rash and all these mysterious symptoms, we're still trying to figure out what’s going on with him. He’s in a secluded area on a different floor quarantined right now just in case cause we don’t know if it's contagious or not. Looks like it might be, but don’t worry we sanitized the place pretty good before you came in." He looks up from his phone absolutely disgusted, good. "Alright, if you don't need help I'll see if anyone needs me." An even faker smile and a nod to Princess later and you're out walking back to the hub to finish up and leave.
Not even 30 seconds later he's storming out without even tying his shoes or buttoning his shirt, exiting through the ambulance bay doors lightly tripping and cussing out to whomever wants to hear. "Fucking hospitals." His only stop being the hand sanitizer dispenser closest to him on the way out, frantically rubbing the gel on his arms and neck.
Robby and Jack eye the scene and then your satisfied smile. "It's been handled, you're welcome."
"Thank you, I owe you one." He owes you multiple.
"I take debit."
"I don't know if I have anything on me." He runs his hands over his pockets.
"I also take food."
"Protein or chocolate bar?" He still dares to ask.
"What do you think?" He should know better by now.
"Chocolate bar."
"Hand it over, Robinavitch." He does and you'll accept the half crushed kitkat for now.
"How did you get him to leave?" Jack cuts in impressed.
"I can be scary when I want to."
"You're terrifying." Robby responds, now chewing on a half crushed protein bar himself.
"Don't flatter me too much, I'm not pulling a double today."
"What did you say earlier, worth a shot? You're good at dealing with difficult people, is what I mean." He realigns the forgotten documents to probably shove in his backpack ruining them anyways later.
"Yeah, why is that?" He's too tired and you're not tired enough not to annoy him a bit before leaving.
"I meant that as a compliment." He's removing his glasses looking even more done, good. This is revenge for the abscess.
"I'm not taking it as one." He suddenly looks back at you realizing you're faking offense just fucking with him. Abbot watches the interaction with a smirk.
"You're messing with me." He nods to himself accepting defeat.
"Course I'm good at dealing with difficult people, Robby. You're my boss, after all." You smile and squeeze his shoulder lightly. Abbot's laugh at Robby's befuddlement as he claps him on the back the last thing you hear as you wave then bye heading for your locker to get your things to escape the hospital.
February 13th, 2025
It's mid shift when you're drinking coffee with Dana and Dr. Collins sharing some Valentine's heart shaped pastries when Langdon comes up beside you tapping the counter rhythmically, you stop him with a crumb coated hand and he steals a bite from the ripped paper bag on the counter.
"Hey, who did you ask to trade with for tomorrow?"
"Dr. Ellis. And not just tomorrow but a few nights."
"I asked her too." What can you do about it?
"I asked first. Sucks to suck."
He shakes his head pointing to the pastries before leaving to find another case. "Those things will kill you." He's so ungrateful.
"Soon, I hope." Heather laughs at you.
"You never give him an inch, do ya?" Dana finishes her coffee throwing the cup away ready to get back to work.
"You can't negotiate with terrorists, Dana. That's like, rule number one of having coworkers." She scoffs at your antics. "Besides, I traded to get my much needed over eight hours of sleep before I go more insane and Parker has a date. He wants to attend a race, running is a sacrilegious waste of time. We have much more noble reasons."
"Course you do."
"Do you have plans?"
"Going to dinner with Benji."
"That's sweet. What about you, Heather?"
"Takeout date with my couch and a bottle of wine."
"Those are the best." You cheers tap her coffee cup and finish your sweet, looking at the board for your next victim.
"I could use a break from yesterdays mess."
"Agreed." Dana nods tiredly.
"What happened yesterday?" What did you miss?
"Full moon." Ah, they weren't so bad in your old hospital.
"Didn’t peg you two for being superstitious."
"Update us on that when you're not off during one."
"Alright. I'll check on the Mono kid in 9, love is in the air."
February 14th 2025
In one moment everything was a fine as it could be, your usual seasonal related injuries plus a few holiday themed ones sprinkled about—the fair share of second hand embarrassment inducing sex injuries and whatnot—in the next there's a mess of back and forth exchanges between Trauma One and Two.
From one side the desperate voice of an agitated patient with not enough regret shouting trying not to seem guilty whilst being held back by staff, and on the other side charged silence and the chaos of multiple doctors and nurses doing what they could to save the life of the second patient, the one that should've never been in this situation to begin with. A pointed 'Shut the fuck up' from Abbot slightly startling you and making the frantic man quiet down for the time being.
The idiot wanted to 'prove' to his girlfriend—hopefully ex once the poor unlucky girl is stable—that her deathly tree nuts allergy was just in her head. He cooked what she thought was a special Valentine's dinner, and trusting him to know what not to use she unknowingly ingested the allergens hidden in the dessert. The dickhead accidentally stuck himself with the EpiPen once she went into anaphylatic shock, later using a second back up pen that took too long to be found on her, then calling the ambulance that took both of them to PTMC. Him with his blood pressure to the roof and her barely breathing. Once stable she was taken to the ICU and he went to a separate floor away from all the bad looks and not at all hidden snark for the sake of everyone involved, staff and patients alike.
Abbot spots you in the hallway once that's done. He’s looking a little frazzled but you don't blame him, probably a mirror of him right now.
"How's that for your first official night shift? Not so bad so far?" Ironic or not, it's not the worst you've seen.
"The night is still young." He nods heading to central to find his next case.
From there on out your first official intentional night shift is basically smooth sailing, quick break to eat more love themed sweets with too much red 40—courtesy of Shen—from the break room included.
February 15th 2025
Dust settled and shift almost over, you sit by Lena waiting on the morning rush and staff change. Robby shows up a bit early, asking if you know where Abbot is.
"I haven't seen him in a bit. We finished a case and he kind of disappeared actually."
A critical patient is wheeled in and Robby gets gloves on the counter after shoving his bag in the hub for now. You offer help but he denies you.
"I've got this one, do me a favor though. I'm pretty sure Jack is on the roof, get him for me, will you? He might be on the wrong side of the railing, just a heads up. You've got this." All you get is a thumbs up and just like that he follows the gurney being wheeled to Trauma 2. Sure, great. No pressure at all. You mentally prepare yourself for the elevator ride and hopefully not too awkward conversation that awaits you.
Jack stands behind the railing this time. The night finally catching up to him as he feels the phantom warmth of the weak sunlight of a new winter morning. The weather is not as bad as the last few days and he doesn’t mind forgoing a jacket, the cold feels nice, distracting, it allows him to think. He breathes it in as he hears a heavy door opening and closing behind him. Expecting Robby, he is surprised to be met with your voice approaching instead.
"Robby told me you might be on the other side of the railing, thanks for sparing me the very motivating inspirational last minute lecture." You sound relieved and worried at the same time.
He waits until you're beside him resting your hands on the railing to answer. "There's always next time."
"Right. I'll keep that in mind."
He decides to bite the bite the bullet in the silence that follows. "I'm sorry for how I acted earlier, I didn't mean to scare you."
"There's nothing to be sorry for. I would’ve done worse if a malpractice lawsuit wouldn’t be involved in the process." If that wasn’t a joke, he wouldn’t blame you.
He looks at you for a second, you're facing the sun and he realizes this might be the first time he sees you in natural light when it's not gloomy or snowing and he has more than one second to actually notice you. The cold is biting your flushed cheeks and the wind moves the shorter strands of loose hair around your face. He follows the line of your goosebumps covered arms to your hands next no his on the freezing railing. Yours bare, his still bearing the ring that bought him to the roof on the first place.
He gives in to the old habit of running his thumb over it. "I would give—" He stops himself with another deep breath of cold air, swallowing his words and letting the ring go, returning his hand to the spot next to yours. "There’s people out there that would give everything to be with their loved ones again and he just tried to poison his partner for the hell of it."
Your hand almost touches his now, avoiding it by a hair's breadth.
You clear your throat, your turn to face him as he eyes the sun. "I heard her family came over once she woke up and they broke up. He’s banned from the ICU."
"He should be banned from the hospital as a whole."
You laugh at him but he is serious, something tells him you know it. "I hope she sues him, honestly. I'd testify on her behalf, throw in a restraining order for good measure."
"Yeah, me too." He really would. "You did good today."
You look at him questioning his compliment. "I expected my initial audition for the night shift to run smoother, but thank you Dr. Abbot."
"Don't let that go to your head."
"Too late." You smile at him before looking back to the skyline.
You take in the morning air now deliberately touching his hand for a second before pushing away and walking backwards towards the building. Your hand is warm and soft in spite of the cold. "Come on, let's get back downstairs. Robby is waiting for you with a gigantic flower bouquet and fancy chocolates."
He shakes his head before following you inside. "He wouldn’t dare."