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It's been a relatively quiet morning in emergency room standards- Mel has managed to keep up with her charting between patients, which has felt like a rarity the last few weeks with how busy they'd been post-New Year's Eve rush, and she's chatting with Mohan when Dana's head pokes around the corner.
"Got a brand new trauma comin' in. Car got t-boned, ambo'll be here in three," the blonde charge nurse says, and they both nod, jogging after her towards the trauma bay doors. Mohan shrugs one of the jackets hung from the hooks by the door on over her scrubs, but Mel's got a thermal on beneath her own, and the chill of the January air feels good against her cheeks.
Dana rubs her against together, blowing hot air against her fingertips and then rubbing her arms against her arms through the thin yellow gown covering her.
"Jesus it's cold," she complains, and Mohan makes a noise of agreement as Mel shrugs.
"It's a nice break from inside," she replies, and Dana arches an eyebrow. Before she can reply, the ambulance pulls up, and all of their attentions are pulled to the vehicle.
The paramedic opens the back door, jumping down into the snow with a soft crunch. She looks over at them, brows furrowing.
"Figured there'd be more of you," she said, and Mel frowns. "Didn't they tell you over the radio? Pretty sure this guy works here."
The world goes quiet in Mel's ears as the two paramedics get the stretcher down to the ground, and the patient's face comes into view- as Frank's face comes into view, bloodied and bruised where it was secured in a neck brace. She freezes, unable to move; watches in slow motion as Mohan leans over Frank, assessing his injuries, while Dana takes report from the paramedics.
Sound crashes back down around her as the stretcher is wheeled past her, and then she's jogging behind them, trying to speak around her heart hammering in her throat. Her ears catch on the tail end of the paramedic's report.
"- can't rule out a spinal injury, he was unconscious on arrival. Impact was on his side, car couldn't stop and slammed directly into him. Airbags deployed, broken nose that'll need to be set."
"Any good news?" Dana asks, and Mel can hear the strain in the older woman's voice as they get the stretcher into Trauma 1, parking it and slamming the breaks into place. "Mohan, get Robby. We're gonna need more hands."
Mohan nods, and darts off as Mel takes over her position beside Frank's head. Her touch is gentle as she waves a flashlight over his eyes, holding the lids open and watching his pupils dilate.
"Pupils reactive," she announces, proud that her voice doesn't tremble. Her touch is gentle as she prods at the clearly-broken nose, bone shifting beneath split skin and spilling more blood. "Definitely a break here. No reaction to pain."
"Fuck," Santos' soft utterance announces her arrival, and Mel turns her head to find her typing away at the computer. "Labs in yet?"
"Put the orders in, Santos," Robby says, yanking on gloves as he stepped into the room. "I want everything. Surgery here yet?"
"I'm callin' 'em now. That leg looks nasty," Dana says, phone cradled between her ear and shoulder. "Anyone got Abby's number?"
"I- um. I do," Mel says, and Dana's expression doesn't hide her surprise, but the person picking up on the other end stops her from responding.
"Get surgery down here. Langdon was in a wreck. We need a surgical consult," she says, attention drawn back to the phone, and Mel pushes the anxiety down into her belly.
"Javadi- I need blood drawn," Robby orders, fingers still pressing to the bleeding wounds near Frank's hip, gloves stained red. "Santos, how are those orders coming."
"In," she answers, and tugs on a pair of gloves. "What do you need?"
"We can't sedate him until we know why he's still unconscious."
"I'm calling CT right now!" Dana calls, phone still pressed to her ear. "Garcia is on her way down, be here in two."
Robby nods, face set in concentration- Mel turns her head, and finds Whitaker and Joy standing anxiously just outside the curtain. Worry stains each of their expressions, and something swells just below her rib cage.
"Mel. I need you up here," Dana's voice brings her attention back, and Mel hurries to join her near Frank's face. "We're gonna stablize his neck, get him out of this brace so Garcia has more space to examine him."
Mel nods- lets her training kick in, and pushes away the fact that she's holding Frank's face in her hands, that it's Frank's jaw beneath her fingers. Garcia breezes in, but there's none of her usual banter- she's uncharacteristically down to business, starting at Frank's hip.
"This needs to be set," she states frankly. "We can do it here without surgery. Robby?"
Robby nods, and Mel controls her breathing as they get into position to pop Langdon's hip back into place. Santos nods, steadying her stance, and then there's a sharp, sickening pop as the bones are shoved back into place. Frank finally groans, shifting, and Robby looks up sharply.
"Santos. Ativan. Now. He's gonna panic, and he'll throw the hip back out of place," he orders, and Santos nods, darting off to the omnicell to pull the med. "Langdon- hey, Frank, look at me. You were in an accident."
Frank's breathing is uneven, eyes darting over the ceiling as panic sets in, and Robby grips his shoulder.
"We're gonna give you some ativan, keep you calm, okay?" Robby says, and Frank gives a jerky nod. "Are you in pain?"
"Yeah," Frank grits out, and his fingers flex uncontrollably against the bloodstained sheets. Robby nods.
"We're gonna get you something, okay?" he says, and Frank grunts in agony.
"No- no narcs," he gasps, and Robby studied him.
"You sure? This is gonna hurt until we get better imaging," he says, and Frank nods frantically.
"No narcs," he repeats, and Robby nods.
"Javadi- acetaminophen drip. Get a ketorolac vial too," he says, and Javadi nods, following in the same direction Santos had to pull the meds. Robby frowned, looking at Frank's wrist. "We'll need to cut this off."
He's looking at the slim beaded bracelet on Frank's wrist, and Mel's stomach plummets.
"No, you can't," she says before she can think, and suddenly every eye in the room was on her. "Just- let me."
She scurries over, and carefully lifts Frank's wrist, gingerly slipping the jewelry over his bloody fingers. Without a though, she slips it onto her wrist, settling it beside the matching one that was already there. Robby's eyebrow lifts.
"Mel?" he asks, and she shook her head rapidly. "Mel. Do you need to step out?"
"I'm fine," she bites back, and takes a breath to release the snap in her voice. "I am fine, Dr. Robinavitch. I promise. I would rather be here."
Robby is quiet- Santos returns, ativan drawn up in a syringe, and passes it to Robby.
"I know this is technically a narc, but you need to slow your blood pressure," he tells Langdon- there's a pause, and then Frank nods, pain etched in the lines of his face. Robby injects the med into the IV Princess had gotten in, and Frank relaxes in increments until his eyes flutter shut and his breathing slows, the beeps of the monitor spacing further apart.
Mel watches, throat tight, until the stats level out, and then she blew out a breath.
"Go call Abby," Dana tells her softly, touching her elbow. "Let her know what's going on. She'll wanna prepare the kids."
Mel nods jerkily, and casts one final glance at Frank before she excused herself, tossing her bloodied gloves into the trash as she pulled out her phone.
The CT scan rules surgery out- the fractured ribs would heal themselves, and once they'd reset his hip, it had stayed in place. Frank was cleaned and bandaged up, transferred to med/surg for the night, and after Mel clocks out, she takes the stairs up to his floor. She'd changed into her street clothes but kept her badge clipped to her hoodie, and the charge nurse doesn't give her any trouble as she slipped into his room.
Frank is sleeping as she set her bag down, and she leaned in, kissing his cheek softly. He rouses at her touch, blinking heavy eyes open and smiling at the sight of her.
"Hey," he whispers, voice rough, and she smiles faintly.
"How do you feel?" she asks, and he shrugs, groaning at the movement.
"Like I got hit by a truck," he replies, and Mel frowns.
"That isn't funny," she says, and Frank's fingers find hers, lacing them together and squeezing. "Did you talk to Abby?"
"Yeah. Told her to keep the kids until I'm home," he replies, and Mel nods, stroking a gentle hand through his hair.
"You scared me," she whispers, and Frank's face falls. His hand lifts, cupping her cheek, then sinks into the hair she's left loose, wrapping the blonde strands around his fist.
"Didn't mean to," he whispers back, and brings Mel's forehead down against his, their noses brushing. "Can I have my bracelet back?"
Mel's lips curl up faintly, and she pulls away only enough to tug the bracelet from her wrist- Frank presents his, and she slips the beads back where they belonged. It had been a project with the kids- Penny had gotten into bracelet making, and they'd spent a Saturday afternoon all making bracelets. Even Tanner had joined once Frank had pointed out the darker colored beads, and so they'd all made matching bracelets. Mel and Frank never took theirs off.
"Need anything?" she asks, and Frank shook his head.
"You should go home. Sleep," he starts, but Mel shook her head.
"I have the next two days off. I'm staying," she tells him, and hardens her stare. "Apparently I have to keep an eye on you."
Frank smiles at that, and lifts a hand to tap his lips. "Alright. But kiss me first. Please."
Mel smiles, and fulfills his request. He was injured, after all. She pulls away, touching his cheek, and then furrows her brows.
"Oh. And Robby wants to see us once you're healed up."