Chapter Text
You always knew you had a high tolerance for certain things, for pain, for alcohol, and apparently for sedatives… in some way.
It was your day off, well, it had to be since you needed to have an endoscopy done urgently. Of course, the easiest way would be to have it done at the hospital where you work, your insurance covers it, and it was relatively close to your home, so you could leave and as soon as you woke up, the nurses would call your contact to come pick you up.
The problem is that you woke up too early and too disoriented.
You put on your clothes, almost like pajamas, and when you realized it, you were already taking the elevator to the emergency room, without realizing that you were acting automatically as if it were a work day.
As soon as you entered, with somewhat bewildered steps, Javadi was the first to greet you, with an intrigued and confused look.
“I thought today was your day off.”
“Is it?” you asked in sincere doubt, as if she could know the truth. “Well, I don't think I'd be here if that were the case.”
Dana appeared in your field of vision and, overcome with happiness, you waved at her and shouted her name, attracting her attention and, well, the attention of the rest of the department. She looked at you, clearly confused and concerned, and approached you with quick steps, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
“What are you doing here?” She put her hands on your shoulders, staring and analyzing you, already knowing that something was obviously strange.
“I work here...” Your voice came out with a small, stupid chuckle.
“I see.” Dana sighed and shook her head, stunned by the interaction, and something told her that it wouldn't end anytime soon.
You were good friends with Cassie, well, as far as coworkers could be, obviously there was something more on your part, and maybe she had already noticed, but you never had the courage to clarify things or just ask her out in circumstances other than a simple happy hour. You were so into her that you would even agree to babysit Harrison in the middle of random conversations.
She walked by with a tablet in her hand, checking some patient's tests, but stopped and took a few steps back, looking at you, between Dana and Javadi.
“What are you doing here?” she approached, asking with a smile beautiful enough to make your brain melt more than usual at that moment. “Weren't you supposed to have a procedure today?"
“You here, Dr. McKay?” forcing a smile, trying to draw attention to yourself, you leaned one arm on Javadi's shoulder.
Cassie crossed her arms doubtfully and stared at you. It was supposed to be an analysis, but it only gave you more ammunition for desire.
“God.” Dana sighed, putting one hand on her forehead. “Did you come here from the exam? Who was picking you up, hon? Are they here yet?”
You roll your eyes at Dana, still with a silly smile on your face, your support for Javadi now being more necessary than just a (pathetic) attempt to seduce your favorite doctor.
Dana doesn't wait for an answer and pulls a wheeled chair from the nurse's station, sitting you down there.
“This is a problem,” she sighed again, turning to Cassie and Victoria.
“Why are we talking as if they`re not there?” Javadi said, finding the situation very comical, but restraining herself.
“What's the emergency contact on the medical form? You call them directly from here or just dial the department to let them know someone got away.” McKay commented, tucking the tablet under her arm and shifting her gaze between Javadi and the head nurse. The three turned around when Dr. Robby shouted for Dana's help with something a few feet away. “I can do that.”
Dana was going to say something very comforting or scold you for your recklessness as soon as the three turned back to you, but now there was only a wheeled chair staring at them.
“Jesus Christ.”
–
Trinity Santos was your next victim. She was sitting at one of the computers near the curtain-covered rooms, making charts.
“Santos, I have something to confess.” Your voice was clearly altered.
So was your mind, because you didn't notice her loud sigh when she stopped working on the patient report to look at you.
“What are you doing here?”
“Funny girl, I need something.”
If she hadn't already noticed how your voice sounded more idiotic than usual in her opinion, she would have berated you for the comment.
“I really don't need to be doing this right now.” Trinity got up after closing the computer and walked toward one of the rooms, almost trying to escape from you.
“No, listen, listen.” You took long strides to catch up with her and tripped over your own feet. It wasn't enough to make you fall, but it was definitely enough to get the attention of Santos and anyone else around to hear you almost knock over one of the sandwich carts.
She looked around and nudged the first figure she recognized, grabbing Mel's shoulders as she walked by, focused on something else entirely. Dr. King turned to look at her and then at you.
“Oh, hi, L/N,” she smiled. “I didn't know you were coming today.”
“We have a situation, Doctor King,” Santos said as if it were an investigation about to begin.
“What?” Her eyes moved to Trinity and then to you.
“I think-”
Before she could continue, Javadi sighed behind you, placing her hands on your shoulder and guiding you to the chair in the nearest room, and of course the other two doctors followed, at least to hear the initial prognosis.
“What's going on? Work injury?” King was already getting ready to put on her gloves before Javadi moved her hands up to stop her.
“No, no, they had an endoscopy and came down here thinking they had to work.”
Santos failed miserably to contain a laugh. “Oh, so they`re under anesthetics, that makes sense.”
“How did they let someone leave an endoscopy and go down to the emergency room?” Mel asked, putting her hands together and rubbing them.
Javadi didn't know how to answer, shrugging her shoulders uncertainly. She picked up her cell phone to tell Cassie and Dana that she had found the fugitive.
“Look, nice chat, my nice friends, but I need you to call my girlfriend.”
They looked at each other and then at you. In all the time you've been working with them, you've never mentioned going out with anyone, let alone dating.
“You don't have a girlfriend,” Trinity said, narrowing her eyes at you.
“Oh, excuse me?” Your tone came out as if what you had just heard was an offense. “I think I would know if I didn't have a girlfriend.”
“Um, okay.” Santos was about to have an incredible day with this interaction. She approached and sat down next to your chair on one of the wheeled stools. “So what is-”
Cassie enters and stands next to Javadi, arms crossed and striking a pose that makes you blush. You completely miss Trinity's question.
“Oh hello Doctor McKay, I know you.” you say, dragging out the last ‘u’.
Cassie leans in, voice lethally sweet, the kind of tone that makes interns flee. “Yes, Y/N. You know me, because we work together every day. You know all of us.”
You look at all of them and chuckle. Like actually giggles. “Oh god, you sound like my girlfriend.”
The entire room falls so quiet you can hear the fluorescent lights buzzing. Cassie's mouth works, but she seems entirely at a loss for words. Trinity looks like her Christmas has arrived early. Mel covers her mouth with both hands, trying (and failing) not to visibly vibrate with the surprise, and Javadi looks like she's contemplating switching her focus from Emergency Medicine to Psychiatry.
Mel pipes up from her position next to your feet, trying to get the situation better. “So you have a girlfriend, Y/N?”
"Oh yeah, oh yeah, I have a beautiful girlfriend." You move your eyes to Mel like she just said the greatest words. “She is amazing, really fun, I will probably marry her one day.”
The gasp echoes through the trauma bay, from Trinity or Javadi, and Cassie’s hands pause in her forehead. Her expression flickers between professional concern and personal panic before settling on exasperation, she already noticed how your eyes are looking at her since you entered the ER today.
"Oh my god, you are serious." Trinity wheezes, clutching her stomach.
Javadi, tears in her eyes from suppressed laughter, nods sagely. "Are they also concussed?"
"Oh she is so beautiful." You murmur as you feel the tears in your eyes. "I'm trying to keep it a secret but I'm so bad at secrets."
You turn to Trinity at your side.
"Look, look, her name- Look, I will smell, I mean spell, I mean saying the letters, one by one, so you can call her alright?" You say with a dizzy voice again. "Look C, oh no wait I mess up, M-C-A-S-S-S, oh wait I put one more, it's S and I and then eh, it, do you got it?"
There is so much nonsense in your words. Javadi presses two fingers over her lips, shaking her head. Mel stares at the ceiling as if looking for divine intervention. Trinity and Javadi are both openly laughing. Cassie, meanwhile, closes her eyes like she's praying for patience or possibly for the ground to open up and swallow her so she can avoid this entire conversation. Finally, she takes a deep breath and opens her eyes again.
"Listen" her voice very carefully controlled, "What is your 'Girlfriend's name?"
"McKassie." You mutter as you look at her like it's obvious.
There is a long, heavy pause during which every single person in the trauma bay stares dumbfounded at you (and at Cassie in particular) for entirely different reasons. Javadi is biting her lip to keep from laughing. Even Mel looks somewhat entertained. Trinity is literally leaning against Javadi, wheezing. Cassie's expression is carefully neutral, but the tips of her ears are turning a very interesting shade of pink, and her eyes look like she's fighting a losing battle to keep from either collapsing in giggles or throttling you.
Cassie's hands still crossed like she can’t quite bring herself to believe what you just said. Then Trinity murmurs, very quietly "You are so screwed" and a chorus of smothered laughter breaks out across the room. Cassie doesn't say anything at first, just stares at you for a long moment like she's searching for any hint of a joke.
"Did you get it, doc?" You move your eyes back to Trinity. "Are you laughing at my girlfriend's name?" You say like you are pissed about it and it only makes her laugh even more.
“Oh no, no, not at all.”
Cassie's head drops and it takes an almost comical amount of visible effort for her to school her expression into something that resembles 'professionalism' again as she lifts her head.
"Y/N" she says slowly through gritted teeth. "You do realize you are basically rambling aloud about your 'girlfriend' to an entire trauma room full of colleagues who know damn well that you don't have one, yes?"
You giggle as you give her a side eye. "Uhm, excuse me? Ask my girlfriend Cassie and she will tell you then, huh." You murmur like you are offended again. "Don't have a girlfriend..." You repeat her words in disbelief of the audacity.
That brings the room to a screeching halt. Every single one of the others falls silent, staring at you and Cassie with wide eyes. Trinity and Javadi exchange quick, incredulous glances. Mel covers the bottom half of her face with a hand that does nothing to disguise the way her eyes keep darting between you and Cassie.
Cassie herself has gone white, but whether from shock or suppressed laughter or something else, no one could really say. And then she whispers, very carefully, "Did you hear what you just said?"
"Is it bad I'm talking about her?" You say a bit awkwardly as you look at Cassie, your eyes narrowing in sudden confusion.
Cassie inhales sharply, like she’s bracing herself, before slowly releasing it. When she speaks, her voice is impressively level, but her fingers twitch like she’s resisting the urge to strangle you.
"No, It’s not bad." A pause. "It’s just very unfortunate timing."
Mel makes a high-pitched noise. Trinity claps her hands over her mouth, shoulders shaking.
Cassie pinches the bridge of her nose. "Call the department. Now."
"This is the greatest day of my life." Trinity whispers.
"I'm sorry, doctor." You say lower as you stare up to the ceiling and you notice Javadi using her phone. "I just really like her."
Cassie hesitates, eyes dropping to the floor like she's trying to gather her thoughts. She looks almost surprised by your words or maybe how sincere you sound for someone who's been rambling about a fictional girlfriend for the last ten minutes that happens to be her… or at least have her name.
Mel pats your shoulder with a kind smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure she'll appreciate the sentiment."
"Thank you, doctor." You murmur to Mel.
Trinity and Javadi exchange shocked glances again. And Robby appears after the whole commotion, muttering under his breath "What the hell is happening?"
Cassie stands with her hands on her hips, staring down at you. A moment passes in silence, interrupted only by the sound of the ER in the background.
"We'll wait until you're back to normal, when you remember you do not actually have a girlfriend, to have a very awkward conversation about this."
–
You woke up a few hours later in the same chair with a huge headache and dizzy.
Cassie's glances at you when you groan, her arms crossed and standing as your eyes focus on her clearly. "Finally decided to wake up, huh?"
"Jesus..." You look around, taking note of where you are. “Uhm, Why exactly am I in the ER?"
"Oh, yeah. You decided to talk a walk minutes after you got out of the endoscopy. You were-" She takes a deep breath, eyes darting away from yours. "You were rambling quite a bit. Saying… some things."
You notice how her expression changes and get a little concerned. "Jesus, did I say shit about someone? God, it's probably Ortho, I always talk shit about them in my head..."
Cassie almost laughs at that, shaking her head.
"No. No, you- you weren't talking crap about anyone. You were… Well, to be blunt, you were rambling about your 'girlfriend'. A lot."
"Oh." You get a bit calmer and then you remember. "I don`t have a girlfriend."
She looks like she's trying very hard, and failing, not to laugh. Her fingers pause against her temple. "Well, yesterday you had one and you wouldn't shut up about her."
Cassie snorts, shaking her head as she notices how you almost try to hide yourself in the chair. She looks a mix of exasperated, incredulous, and a little bit… what could it be… touched? "Sorry, I think every doctor in the trauma bay heard about your 'girlfriend' yesterday. You were not exactly soft-spoken." She hesitates, her voice softens. "You were saying some… very nice things about her."
"What did I even say?" You ask a bit anxiously. "Like word for word. Exactly"
You are now definitely worried about your true feelings getting out.
Cassie laughs, finally, fully, her fingers tangled lightly in her hair. She glances toward the door, ensuring no one's listening in, then leans down just slightly, close enough for her voice to drop low. "Just so you know… you should`ve just asked for a date." She pulls back quickly before you can react, straightening her scrubs with exaggerated professionalism. "Now, you're getting someone to get you home to rest. And no more dramatic confessions until after you've been medically cleared, please."
McKay`s smirk widens as she steps back, but not before squeezing your good hand briefly, almost fleeting, a silent promise beneath the teasing.
"Rest. Doctor's orders." She turns on her heel and strides out before you can respond, but the soft flush at the tips of her ears tells you everything you need to know.
(And when Trinity’s voice echoes down the hall with a gleeful "Sooo, when’s the wedding?" You think that’s a problem for the future you.)