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There were two things wrong with this shift.
First, Robby was supposed to be driving himself and his boyfriend home. They should be picking up takeout and sprawled on the couch together, forgetting their hellish shift. Robby shouldn’t be here, working overtime, making his own boyfriend, the love of his life, Dennis Whitaker, catch public transport home.
The second thing wrong with this shift was worse. Dennis Whitaker should not be the patient. He shouldn’t be lying on a gurney, surrounded by paramedics, flashing lights, and a constant flurry of voices yelling.
Dennis could tell he was hurt, but God, for the life of him, he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong. He was a doctor, for goodness’ sake. There was a fog thick in his head, concussion maybe. Something was pulling at the edges of his vision and making the fight to stay awake even harder. His fading consciousness was stopping him from piecing it together.
The doors to the Pitt burst open.
“We’ve got a male, late twenties, vehicle versus pedestrian, brief LOC, GCS of 13 while en route—”
“Trauma bay 2 is open” Robby interrupted, not looking up as he snapped on a pair of gloves.
“We found some ID, name is Dennis Whitaker” the paramedic announced as they rolled the gurney toward the open bay.
Robby froze mid-step, chest tightening. No. Not Dennis. The entire emergency department suddenly felt ice cold.
Dana rounded the desk, an “Oh, Christ” escaping her lips, voice barely audible. There was no denying it now. It was Dennis. Her hand went to find a place on Robby’s back to offer some comfort, which only seemed to push the man into action.
“Move, people!” His voice was sharp, loud, effectively silencing the distressed ED and forcing his colleagues into action, eyes wide and hearts racing.
Once they had Dennis transferred off the gurney, Robby finally had time to assess his condition.
Dennis was pale. Blood crusted at his hairline. A bruise bloomed along his jaw. Oxygen tubing hung loosely under his nose. His lashes flickered as he stirred, groaning as Langdon shined his penlight into his eyes.
“Pupils equal, reactive” he said, glancing up at Robby, studying the worry in the older man’s face. The tension in his shoulders.
“Hey, bud, can you tell us your name?” Langdon followed up, looking back down.
“…Dennis” the younger man managed to choke out.
“Do you know where you are?”
Another delay.
“The hospital…”
“That’s great, Dennis. Do you know which one?” A new voice entered the conversation, causing Robby to flinch slightly. Jack Abbott suddenly appeared next to him.
“…I think… I work here…” Dennis frowned.
Robby nodded. “Dennis, look at me”
Dennis’ gaze drifted slightly left.
“Stay with me. Squeeze my fingers.”
Robby held out both hands.
The right hand squeezed immediately. The left followed slightly weaker. Delayed.
Robby’s eyes flicked up “Did you notice that?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah” Jack replied “Left’s sluggish”
“Okay.” His tone sharpened, but didn’t rise “Dennis, can you lift both arms for me?”
Dennis tried. The right arm came up. The left trembled halfway, then dropped back to the mattress.
The room shifted.
“Headache?” Robby asked.
“Yeah”
“Scale of one to ten?”
“…Eight”
“Any other pain we should know about, buddy?” Langdon cut in.
“…I don’t know…” Dennis swallowed hard “I’m gonna throw up”
“Shit! Turn his head”
He gagged, but nothing came up.
“Okay. Okay” Robby said, voice steady but faster now “Den, do you remember what happened?”
“…Guy hit me”
“Do you remember falling?”
A long pause
“…No”
Robby straightened
“Alright. We’re getting a stat non-contrast CT of his head and C-spine. Call radiology. Let’s move”
“Copy”
As they adjusted the lines, Dennis’ eyes drifted closed again.
Robby tapped his cheek lightly “Den? Den! Open your eyes”
They opened, slower this time.
“What’s my name?” Robby asked.
“…Doctor”
“That’s not what I asked”
Abeat.
“…Robby”
Good. But his speech was thickening.
“Repeat vitals” Robby ordered.
“BP 129 over 78”
“Heart rate 120”
“He’s tachycardic”
“GCS 12 now” Perlah said quietly.
Shit.
Robby’s jaw tightened “We’re not waiting. Let’s go. Keep talking to him on the way”
They unlocked the bed and started moving fast down the hall.
“Dennis” Robby said, walking beside him “I need you to stay awake for me.”
“I’m tired”
“I know. You can sleep later”
“Just… five minutes”
“Nope” Robby said firmly “Not yet”
Dennis’ left hand slid off the side of the bed. Robby caught it before it fell.
“Hey. Squeeze”
It took longer this time.
The hallway lights flickered over them as they rushed toward CT. Monitors beeped in uneven rhythm.
“Hang in there” Robby murmured, more to himself than anyone else.
Because the thing about head injuries.They can look fine…until they’re not.
“You’re not gonna collapse on me, are you?” Jack’s voice cut through the quiet, interrupting Robby’s anxious pacing. Jack hadn’t allowed Robby to follow any further, being one of the few to know of the relationship between the two.
“He’s stable” Jack continued before Robby could ask “C-spine was clear, no active bleeds or lesions. Just a severe concussion, some nasty bruising and a couple of broken ribs that’ll put him out of action for a while”
Robby let out the breath he was holding, both hands rubbing the back of his neck
“Shit, okay, okay. That’s good”
“They’re getting him settled in a room now for monitoring. You’ll be able to go see him in a few, brother”
“Thank you, brother”
Dennis woke hours later. The lights were too bright. The ceiling seemed too close. His ribs screamed with every breath.
With no one around, Robby allowed himself to lean in close to his partner, Dennis’ friends not yet allowed to visit, a limit on the number of people in the room.
“Easy… you’re in the hospital”
Dennis blinked at the man holding his hand. Something tugged at his memory, but it refused to settle. He pulled his hand away.
“Don’t touch me! I… don’t… I don’t know you” he said, voice trembling, breath picking up.
Robby’s chest dropped “You…you don’t remember me?”
“I… I think… you work here?” Dennis faltered “Why are you here? Where am I!?”
Dana rushed in to the sound of monitors picking up, trying to settle the now distressed Dennis.
Robby slipped out into the hallway, giving them the room, not wanting to cause his boyfriend any more distress. His knees nearly buckled as he caught himself against the wall.
Jack was already halfway to him, he must have heard the commotion.
“What’s wrong?”
“He doesn’t recognise me,” Robby said, voice tight.
Jack hugged him firmly.
“It’s just the concussion. You’ll get through this. He’s safe. You’re safe. Breathe”
Robby’s eyes burned.
“What if he doesn’t remember us? What if he wakes up and I’m just…his boss again?”
“You wait” Jack said firmly “You’re not erased. Emotional memory is stronger than you think. He just needs time”
Dana stepped out of the room a few moments later.
“I just gave him a dose of Lorazepam to calm him down. He should sleep for a while”
She gave Robby a sympathetic look “You doing okay, hun?”
“As good as expected when the man you love nearly dies and now doesn’t know who you are” Robby spat out, still focusing on his breathing.
“I’ll send in a few of his friends in a little while, see how he copes with that. I know you love him, but it might be best to give him some space just for a little while” Dana said, giving Robby’s arm a gentle rub, as Jack nodded in agreement.
“Let’s go get some air, brother” Jack said, a hand on Robby’s shoulder, steering him down the hall.
A few hours later, Dennis’ friends Dr’s Trinity, Victoria, and Mel hovered near his bedside. Over time, Dennis’ panic had calmed into confusion.
“He’s really out of it” Trinity whispered
“Is this normal?”
Victoria added
“Yes” Dana said calmly “Concussion can do this. Just… give him time and reassurance”
Robby watched from the doorway, helpless.
Dana, Jack, Langdon, and the other doctors all coordinated silently, in shifts almost, monitoring his vitals, offering quiet encouragement.
Dennis was hesitant of the other doctors, not 100 percent sure who they were, but feeling familiarity, he felt safe with them. Every now and then, his eyes locked onto Robby just outside the doors. The older man refused to leave, not even going to eat.
“Robby cares about you” Trinity said gently. It was her turn to sit with him. “A lot. You’re safe”
Dennis blinked, slowly recognising. Fragments of memory returning in snippets, late-night coffee in the on-call room, a hand brushing his waist when no one was looking, laughter.
Eventually, night came.
Robby dismissed everyone, getting ready to settle in for a long night. He knew most of the staff must have figured them out by now, but couldn’t find it in him to care. HR already knew, that’s what mattered most.
Dennis was restless, his sleep broken, waking up occasionally in distress, which Robby easily soothed.
By morning, a smidge of clarity returned. Dennis looked at Robby, fully blinking awake.
“Hi” Dennis said softly.
“Hi” Robby whispered, the man exhausted, only managing to get one or two hours of sleep.
Dennis studied him. “You’re Robby”
“Yes”
“I don’t remember everything” Dennis admitted “But I think I know how you make me feel”
This time, Dennis hadn’t flinched away from him, hadn’t ripped his hand from Robby’s hold.
The younger man drifted back to sleep.
“What happened?” Dennis’ voice jolted Robby out of his daze. He’d been drifting in and out.
“You were hit crossing the street” he explained “You lost consciousness briefly. You’ve got two cracked ribs and a concussion . You stayed overnight”
Dennis processed that slowly. His gaze drifted to their hands again.
“You don’t usually hold your employees’ hands, do you? You’re my boss right…?” he asked faintly.
His breath left Robby in a shaky exhale “No and yes, among other things” he admitted.
Dennis’s brow furrowed deeper. Something was trying to surface. Something important
“Should I know you more?” Dennis whispered.
Robby’s composure finally fractured. He leaned closer, voice low.
“Yeah” he said, unable to stop himself “You should” His voice cracking.
Dennis flinched slightly.
Robby closed his eyes
“I’m sorry. You’re injured. It’s not your fault”
Dennis studied him again, this man who looked like he was barely holding himself together.
“Did I… upset you?” Dennis asked.
“No” Robby said instantly. “You scared me”
The honesty slipped out before he could dress it up in professionalism.
Dennis went quiet at that.
“You were in the trauma bay” Robby continued, voice softer now “I didn’t know if you were going to wake up”
The words lingered in the air between them. Something shifted in Dennis’s expression. Not full recognition, but instinct. His thumb moved slightly against Robby’s fingers.
“Sorry,” Dennis murmured.
Robby let out a short, broken laugh.
“Don’t apologize for getting hit by a car”
“Are we…?” Dennis began.
Robby’s heart stopped.
“Are we important to each other?”
It wasn’t a clear memory. But it was something.
Robby leaned forward, brushing his thumb gently over Dennis’s knuckles.
“Yeah” he said, voice breaking despite his best effort “We are”
Dennis nodded faintly, like that made sense.
“Okay” he murmured.
And this time, when his hand tightened around Robby’s, it wasn’t confusion. It was instinct. Recognition wasn’t fully back. But the feeling was.
They decided to keep Dennis in for one more night. His memory still not back, his concussion still going strong.
Sometime during the day, Jack and Trinity managed to convince Robby that he stunk and needed to go home. Shower, change, and actually eat something that didn’t come from a vending machine. Maybe even have a decent nap. They’d take good care of Dennis while he was gone, and he’d be back in time to watch him overnight.
It happened at 2 a.m. They’d hit a regression.
The hour when the hospital went quiet, when machines hum louder, when thoughts feel heavier.
Dennis woke up gasping. The ceiling felt too close. The air too thin. His ribs screamed when he tried to sit up.
“Hey! Hey, easy sweetheart”
A figure moved beside him.
Dennis recoiled instantly “Don’t” he snapped, voice sharp with fear “Don’t touch me”
Robby froze like he’d been physically struck. No, not this again. He couldn’t go through this again. The progress they had made that morning instantly erased.
Dennis’s eyes were wide, unfocused, panic flooding them.
“Where am I?” Dennis demanded.
“You’re in the hospital” Robby said carefully, keeping his voice steady even as his heart pounded. “You were hit by a car. You’re safe”
Dennis scanned the room wildly “Why are you here?”
The question wasn’t confused. It was suspicious.
Robby felt the floor drop out beneath him
“I…” He swallowed. Keep it simple, don’t overwhelm him “I work here. So do you.”
Dennis shook his head, breathing too fast ” No. No, I don’t know you”
The words were quieter this time. But infinitely worse.
Robby stepped back immediately, hands raised slightly in surrender “Okay. That’s okay. I’m stepping away”
Dennis’s chest heaved. Eventually, his eyes drooped, the panic catching up with his still-healing mind and body.
Robby watched from the doorway as Dennis slowly lost his fight with consciousness, his heart rate settling.
He stayed in the hallway for a while again, sending one of the night shift nurses in to check on him when he heard Dennis stirring. He couldn’t go in yet. He didn’t want to risk upsetting his partner again.
Early morning came, finding Robby still in the hallway. He was sitting on the floor next to Dennis’ door. His head was tilted back, eyes closed, listening to the busy hospital as day shift arrived and handover happened around him.
The sound of the door next to him clicking softly shut roused him from his light, almost sleep.
A body leaned against the wall next to him.
“He panic again?” a familiar voice asked gently. Jack.
Robby nodded once, jaw tight. “Woke up about 2 a.m. in a panic. He didn’t recognise me, still” he said, and that was somehow harder to admit than anything else “I thought maybe we were getting somewhere yesterday morning.”
Jack’s expression softened
“Concussions are messy. You know that”
“
I know” he whispered “But he looks at me like I’m a stranger”
That broke him. The tears came quietly, not dramatic, not loud. Just exhaustion and fear finally spilling over.
“He’s calmer” Jack said gently “Asked if you were okay”
Robby’s head snapped up “He did?”
Jack nodded.
Robby swallowed. That was something.
After a quick visit to the nearby restroom, Robby splashed his face with water and took a few deep breaths. Get it together, he thought, staring at himself in the mirror.
Moments later, Robby hesitantly stepped back into Dennis’ room.
Dennis was sitting up slightly, looked at Robby carefully. Not afraid. Just studying.
“Hey” Dennis said slowly.
“Hi”
A long pause.
“You’re Robby”
“Yes”
Dennis nodded faintly
“I don’t remember everything” he admitted “It’s like… fog. But when you talk, it clears a little. I feel safe, annoyed a little, but…safe”
A weak, almost disbelieving laugh escaped Robby.
“Yeah” he whispered “That sounds right”
Dennis shifted slightly, wincing at his ribs “You looked really upset earlier”
“I was”
“Because I didn’t recognize you?”
Robby hesitated “Yes”
Dennis watched him carefully, “I’m trying” he said.
That was enough to steady something inside Robby.
He stepped closer this time, slowly, giving Dennis time to object.
Dennis didn’t.
“You don’t have to remember all of it tonight” Robby said softly. “I’ll wait. I’ll be here”
Dennis studied him again, nodding.
Clarity didn’t come all at once. It took time. Patience.
Eventually, Robby was allowed to take Dennis home. Robby himself given extra time off to care for Dennis at home. Bruises had faded, ribs slowly healing.
Robby was sitting at the dining table, morning coffee cupped in his hands. It had been a long week. Dennis’ memory getting better each day, so much so that they had started sharing a bed again, Robby no longer banished to the couch.
“Hey” Dennis said softly, shuffling into the kitchen. Bed hair in full force.
Robby looked up instantly.
“You look terrible” Dennis added. There was something different in his eyes.
Robby huffed a wet laugh
“Well, you have scared ten years off my life”
Dennis reached for his hand first this time “I’m sorry I forgot you”
Robby laced their fingers together, breath catching
“You didn’t” he said “Not really”
And that was the truth.
“Welcome back, Whitaker!” Mateo shouted across the ED.
Dennis laughed quietly, but the laughter was warm. Many others came up to him greeting him, welcoming him back, hands patting him on the back.
He looked up at Robby, fully recognizing his partner before him now. The panic, the concussion, the fog, long gone.
“Ready for your first patient,Dr Whitaker?” Robby asked, voice teasing but low.
Dennis smirked, finally confident “Let’s do this”
And with that, they stepped into the chaos together.
Their coworkers had caught wind of their relationship. But shock had long faded. Instead, there were nods of approval, gentle teasing, and a new sense of normalcy. Everyone accepted them, it was impossible not to.
The hospital was quieter than usual.
Dennis sat at the small break room table, a lukewarm cup of coffee in front of him. His ribs still ached a little, but it was faint now, almost laughable compared to the panic of the last few weeks.
Robby appeared in the doorway, holding a fresh cup of coffee, eyes soft and just a little nervous.
“Mind if I join?” he asked.
Dennis shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Please”
Robby slid in across from him, and for a moment, neither said a word. They just watched each other, fingers brushing over the table. They were both here. Both real. Both present.
“You know” Dennis said after a sip, voice teasing “this coffee is terrible”
Robby laughed, relief spilling into the sound “Some things never change”
Dennis grinned fully this time “Good. At least something is consistent”
Their hands met across the table, thumb brushing thumb. No fog. No panic. Just this moment.
“Here’s to surviving everything” Robby whispered.
Dennis squeezed his fingers gently “Thank you, Michael”
Outside, the hospital continued its ceaseless rhythm.
Inside, for Dennis and Robby, there was peace.