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Samira hunched over the table, steadying herself. Releasing the tension in her shoulders, she rolled her neck and focused on the sight in front of her.
“Angle a few degrees to the left- perfect,” Robby whispered behind her. “You’ve got this. Remember, less pressure than you think.”
She took a deep breath and nodded, sweat pooling atop her brow. Why was it so hot in there? She corrected her stance again and loosened her arms. Everything was riding on this.
“Anytime now,” Garcia rushed across the table. Samira gave Robby a final glance, and he reassured her with a nod.
With a swift and decisive motion she struck her cue into the white ball, sending the eight ball ricocheting off the rail and into the pocket.
A roar erupted from the bar, and before Samira knew what was happening Robby was grabbing her shoulders and flinging his arms around her- whooping and hollering all the while. The warmth of his hands on her back sent pride surging through her as she remembered what was going on.
The Pitt had beaten Surgery in the championship round of the unofficial PTMC pool tournament, and she had made the winning shot. Garcia groaned and Walsh slammed her credit card onto the bar. Trinity struggled to conceal her excitement as she halfheartedly consoled her girlfriend.
“I knew you could do it, Mohan!” Robby cheered, walking her to the bar. “Anything you want, on me.” He nodded toward the bartender.
Samira rose an eyebrow, “Pretty sure Surgery is paying all night.”
He shook his head, “No, the first one is on me. I need to buy you a drink after that.”
She felt her cheeks go warm with gratification, and called out ‘vodka soda, please,’ to the bartender.
“Top shelf!” Robby tacked on. They settled themselves on barstools while they waited, the server inundated with half drunk medical professionals.
“So I’ve gotta ask- where did you learn to play like that?” Robby asked, taking a swig from his beer.
“My father,” Samira answered reflexively. “Well, sort of… Not really actually.” She put her elbow up on the bar and leaned her head onto her hand.
“There’s a story there,” Robby sat forward on his stool.
The bartender slid a glass to Samira and she fiddled with the lime on the rim, squeezing its juice over the ice. She took a long sip through her straw. “He loved playing pool. He was so good. There was a table in our basement and he’d play every night after work.”
She looked into the glass, watching the bubbles fizz to the top of her drink. “I only really took up an interest after he passed… It made me feel closer to him. I taught myself in high school and always played at bars during undergrad, but I’ve obviously slowed down since. I’m a little rusty”
“Not from my point of view,” Robby chuckled. “He would be proud of you,” he shook his head quickly, inhaling deeply. Before he could change his mind he said what he really meant, “I’m proud of you.”
Samira’s breath caught as relief and fulfillment flooded her. For a moment she was angry at herself for letting his words carry so much weight. Despite herself and all she’d accomplished tonight on her own, his validation was a heavy weight off her back.
“I don’t tell you enough, Samira. You’re an excellent doctor,” He finally caught her eye, angling his head to be level with hers. “I’m sorry for being hard on you, but it’s because I know you can do better.” He took a sip of his beer, then looked down at his hands, rubbing them against each other in self soothing motions. “I can do better too.”
Another anvil of tension lifted, and Samira realized it wasn’t the validation she was looking for- it was this. His admission- his apology- was worth more than any silly pool tournament.
To her surprise, Robby kept going, something between them unmoored. “Truthfully, I see myself in you. A lot. I was so eager and so passionate about advocating for my patients, until I ended up in an administrative position and then your focus gets clouded by schedules and bureaucracy and Press Ganey.” He rolled his eyes. “I miss when it was only about the patients.”
Samira pondered this, stirring her drink absentmindedly.
“In case no one’s told you lately, you’re an excellent doctor too, Robby.”
His ears went red and he smiled toward his lap. Grabbing his beer, he held it up to her. “Cheers.”
She clinked her glass against his, echoing, “Cheers.”
Robby trudged through the PTMC parking garage, navigating up the winding path to where he parked. He’d forgone his motorcycle in favor of the heat of his car, as this was the first night in Pittsburgh it dipped below 30 degrees. Rounding the corner he found Mel, one of his residents, sitting on the ground behind her car in defeat. Her trunk was open, many of the contents splayed on the concrete next to her.
“Dr. King?” Robby asked, pausing in front of her car. She startled, surprised to see him in the near empty parking lot. “Everything okay?”
She scrambled to a standing position, pawing at her face and wiping away the tears welling in her eyes. “I have a flat tire and I don’t have a spare in my trunk but I thought I did but it turns out I don’t.”
Robby peeked around to the front of her car to see her driver’s side tire flush with the ground.
Mel continued, “I’m already late to pick up Becca- my sister- and we’re supposed to go to a restaurant tonight like we do every Friday night-” she was beginning to pace now, “And at this rate we’re probably going to miss our reservation and it’s going to throw off the whole night.”
Robby understood Mel’s predicament- he knew a small change to Becca’s routine could cause discomfort for both sisters. He was also sensitive to the fact that she just finished a twelve hour shift, and was now tasked with managing another emerging crisis.
“Okay. We can figure this out,” Robby clapped his hands together. “We’ll call a tow, I can go grab Becca, you stay here and wait with the car.”
Mel shifted on her feet, nodding but hesitating. Robby sensed this was not the right solution. “Or- you could take my car and go get Becca, I’ll wait with the car here…” He trailed off as Mel began to let out a soft moan, wringing her hands.
Robby sighed, “You know what, here’s what we’re going to do. You and I will both go get Becca, we’ll grab takeout from the restaurant, and I’ll drop you at home. I know a guy- he’ll come take care of the car- you don’t have to worry about it.”
“Are you sure?” Mel seemed unsatisfied with allowing Dr. Robby to go through that much trouble, but she also knew it seemed like her only option.
“Of course, happy to do it.”
Mel bit her lip and nodded, following Robby to his car. She climbed into the front seat and for a moment Robby hesitated. Should he turn on the radio? As a courtesy he offered the heated seat, which she accepted.
The pair sat in awkward silence, only interrupted by Mel giving directions.
When they arrived, Mel exited quickly, explaining that she’d like to prepare Becca for their slight change of plans. Robby offered to call in their takeout (spaghetti and a pizza) while she did. He tacked on a meatball sub for himself, Italian takeout sounding amazing at that moment. He got out of the car and leaned against the passenger side, waiting for the girls.
To Mel’s relief, Becca was excited by the change, thrilled to finally meet Dr. Robby, whom her sister revered in her stories about work.
“I call shotgun!” Becca exclaimed, skipping to the passenger door that Robby held open for her. “Hi Dr. Robby!”
“It’s nice to meet you, Becca,” he smiled. “Mel has told me wonderful things about you.”
“Mel has told me wonderful things about you!” She countered, climbing into the car.
Robby felt his cheeks grow warm, and when he spied Mel in the rearview mirror he saw hers doing the same.
“She says you’re a great teacher,” Becca continued, fiddling with the radio. Robby was about to attest to Mel’s excellence as a student, but was drowned out by a pop tune filling the car. “I love this song!”
“Not sure I’ve ever heard this one,” Robby nodded his head along to the beat. It was certainly catchy, but admittedly not his style.
“It’s BTS! Mel and I love Kpop!” Robby wasn’t exactly certain he knew what Kpop was. “What kind of music do you like, Dr. Robby?”
“Just Robby is okay,” he corrected gently. “I like a little of everything. Some blues, classic rock, indie…”
“Do you have any favorite movies?” She questioned. “Mel and I usually watch movies on Friday nights. My favorite is definitely Elf!”
Robby nodded appreciatively. “Elf is definitely a good one- been a while since I’ve seen it.” He considered the last time- a Christmas Eve spent with Jake and Janey. It was probably one of the only Christmas movies he’d seen. They pulled up to the restaurant and Robby parked the car.
“You should come over and watch it with us tonight!”
Robby smiled, truly touched by the invitation. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your sister time.”
“Mel wouldn’t mind!” Becca said, rather convincingly. Robby contemplated, then turned to see Mel’s reaction in the back, expecting her to shut down the idea.
She was propped up against the window, eyes closed and fast asleep. Becca giggled then moved to wake her but Robby stopped her before she could, placing a finger to his lips. “Let’s let her sleep.”
He paid for their food (his plan all along) and started toward Mel’s house, thankful Becca could provide direction. It didn’t take long, he listened happily as she talked his ear off the rest of the drive. When they arrived he sent her upstairs to start the movie, taking the opportunity to rouse Mel.
He shook her shoulder gently and she startled awake, looking confused.
“Hey,” Robby whispered. “You fell asleep. Becca is upstairs plating the food and starting the movie.”
“Oh my gosh,” she unbuckled her seatbelt and scampered out of the car. “I’m so sorry Dr. Robby, thank you so much for the ride.”
“Not a problem at all.” He scratched his beard then pointed his thumb toward her apartment. “Becca invited me in for dinner and your movie night. I don’t want to intrude or make you uncomfortable, but if you want to take some time for yourself inside I’m happy to keep her company for a bit.
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, considering. Her sister time with Becca was incredibly important to her, but she’d be lying if she didn’t think a warm, silent shower sounded amazing.
She shook her head. “You’ve already done so much already. I don’t want to be an imposition.”
“Not an imposition at all. You’re allowed to take breaks, Dr. King.”
She looked down at her shoes, overwhelmed by the appreciation she felt for him. “Thank you, Dr. Robby.”
“Just Robby is okay,” he corrected again. She nodded, leading him upstairs.
Becca was on the couch, waiting to press play on the movie.
“You guys get started without me, I’ll be right back,” Mel started toward the bathroom, but Becca didn’t seem to mind, eager to show her favorite movie to her new friend Robby.
Settled on the couch, Robby checked his phone to find a text waiting for him.
Car is all good, brother. Where am I bringing it?
Robby typed out the address, adding Thanks Jack, I owe you one.
“Dr. Trinity Santos?” a tall woman in a suit was striding toward Trinity with purpose, apparently on a mission. Her heels clacked on the linoleum, each step a ringing in her ears. Dr. Robby followed behind, one hand in his pocket, the other sipping from his travel mug.
The clacking stopped as the professional looking woman passed them both then about faced. She took a turn eyeing them both. “Dr. Robinavitch, Dr. Santos?”
Robby raised an eyebrow and slurped his coffee, eyeing the woman back. “You’ve both been named in a lawsuit against PTMC.”
Robby nearly did a spit take, chuckling and shaking his head. Trinity on the other hand felt like she was going to puke. “Are you serious?”
“Very,” the woman said, surveying Robby with annoyance. “I’m on the legal team here at PTMC. You’re both being sued alongside the hospital by a Mr. Jonathan Miller, for emotional distress.”
Robby stopped laughing, standing up straight. “Shit.”
All of Trinity’s organs seemed to pause. Her breath hitched and her heart skipped a few beats as her brain struggled to process the information she was given. Shit was right.
The lawyer continued flippantly, “He’s claiming your actions caused emotional and physical distress, and contributed to his wrongful arrest and the loss of custody of his daughter.” She handed them each a thick file folder. “I’ll be in touch to schedule meetings with you both to determine next steps.”
Trinity looked from the lawyer to Robby, who now looked as uneasy as she felt. “He wasn’t charged?
The lawyer was looking down, tapping out a text on her phone. “I don’t have all the details yet, but probably not, no. I need to run- any other questions?”
The answer was, of course, yes- but before either could say anything she was waving goodbye and clacking back down the hall.
Trinity felt like she was breathing air through only a straw. Her hands clammed up and suddenly the ED was sweltering. She wanted to scream as loud as she could till her throat went raw; to kick something over and over until her toes bled; to be held so tightly she imploded.
“Air,” she muttered under her breath.
“C’mon,” Robby’s hand was at her back, making her flinch involuntarily. He withdrew and pointed ahead of him. “I know a spot.”
Six Months Earlier
Trinity worked her suture through the taut skin, wrapping it carefully around her forceps and tying a neat knot. “So,” she started. “Was your pumpkin at least going to look cool?”
The teenage girl on the bed in front of her laughed. “Probably not, no.” She was carving pumpkins with her family when the knife she was using slipped, slicing open her palm in the process. “It was just a pattern from one of those dumb books you find at the grocery store.”
The girl’s dad mumbled a moan disguised as clearing his throat, then put his face in his hands.
Trinity sighed, annoyed. “Hey, Mr. Miller, why don’t you grab Sadie something from the cafeteria? A juice or something to get her blood sugar up.”
“You know what, good idea,” He stood quickly, wobbling for a moment. “Will you have someone get me if anything changes?”
She shook her head, “It won’t, go ahead. I won’t be too much longer.”
He nodded and exited the room, looking relieved. Sadie rolled her eyes. “Thanks, he gets really queasy about blood and hospital stuff.”
“I can tell,” Trinity tied off another stitch. “It was nice of him to wait with you as long as he did, I guess. He seems like a good dad.” She nearly forced out the last part. It was hard for Trinity to give a man a complement, even if he deserved it.
Sadie shifted in her seat, mumbling a noncommittal, “Yeah.”
Dr. Santos arched an eyebrow, spidey senses tingling. She was extra sensitive to a response like this from a teenage patient, she knew, but now she needed to be sure she didn’t just praise a man for nothing.
She pressed further, half joking, “That wasn’t very convincing. Everything okay at home?”
Sadie nodded. “Yeah… For me it is, yeah.”
“For you?”
Sadie chewed on her bottom lip. “Something happened, and I think I need to tell someone… but I don’t want anyone to get in trouble.”
Trinity finished her stitch and set down her tools, now hyperaware of the turn the conversation had taken. She looked her patient in the eye, ensuring her focus. “Sadie, you’d only get someone in my trouble if they were doing something wrong. You can tell me.”
Tears welled in Sadie’s eyes. “Nothing has ever happened to me. Ever. But the other night my friend was sleeping over and my dad was in our room in the middle of the night. I woke up and heard them talking. I went back to sleep but the next morning my friend was acting really off, and she didn’t want to come over and carve pumpkins with us today. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it and I’m really worried something weird happened.”
Trinity’s mind raced at the confession presented to her. Sadie’s word choice- ‘weird,’ rang through her mind. She still had at least one or two more stitches to finish but she wanted the both of them to be far away when her dad returned from the cafeteria.
“Sadie,” she reached for her good hand and squeezed it tight. “You did the right thing by telling me. I’m going to find Kiara, our social worker, and we’re all going to talk this through, okay?”
Sadie shook her head, unconvinced. “Is my dad going to get in trouble?”
Trinity stood, discarding her gloves, and answered honestly. “I don’t know. I will be right back.”
She left the room and nearly sprinted for dispatch to find anyone from security. With a one track mind, she didn’t consider finding someone to stay with Sadie in the meantime. Rounding the corner she could see from a distance that dispatch was empty.
“Shit,” she whipped around to the nurse’s station. “Where’s Ahmad?”
Dana didn’t look up from her computer. “What am I his handler? He’s around here somewhere.”
Trinity scowled, scanning the buzzing ED. There, exiting a patient room, was Kiara. Suspending the search for security, she jogged over to the social worker, resisting the urge to tug on her sleeve.
“Kiara, I’ve got a teenage patient who just confided in me that her father may be behaving inappropriately with one of her friends,” She spouted in one breath.
Kiara looked taken aback. “Okay. Where is the father?”
“In the caf. I’m trying to find Ahmad but I don’t know where he is and I left the patient alone,” Trinity continued on without missing a beat. She was already moving back toward Sadie’s room, Kiara in lockstep.
Not quite focused on what was in front of her and still scanning the crowded floor for Ahmad, Trinity crashed face first into what she would come to realize as Mr. Miller.
He looked nothing like he did before. His once jovial face was a mask of anger and fear. Trinity didn’t recall him being that tall, but now he towered over her. He pointed a finger at her, so close the tip brushed against her scrub top.
“What did you make her tell you?” his voice was an icy whisper, so low and rumbling it nearly knocked the wind out of her. She didn’t answer- so taken aback she didn’t know what to say if she could. A sharp crack rang through the air -she heard the sound before she felt the sting. Mr. Miller had struck her across the face, she’d realized. She barely had time to reorient herself before another loud crash erupted in front of her.
Dr. Robby had tackled Mr. Miller to the floor and was now straddling him. The two struggled for a moment before Robby cranked his arm back and delivered a closed fist blow to the man’s face. Ahmad and other members of security rushed over (finally) and wrenched the men apart. Robby let himself be pulled away, his point made.
Kiara brought the others up to speed, for which Trinity was thankful. She was still speechless, processing the scene in front of her. Robby caught her eye, raising his own eyebrows. “You good?”
She nodded, breathless. She reached a hand up to her cheek, wincing at the soreness. Robby stalked off and returned a moment later, ice pack in hand.
Present
Trinity burst through the rooftop door, the cool evening air exquisite on her burning skin. She made a beeline for the railing, balancing all her weight against it. Burying her face in her hands, she let out a single quiet sob. Just one was all she needed. She sank to the ground, bringing her knees to her chest and palming away any stray tears. The sun was setting over Pittsburgh.
Slowly, Robby approached from behind her. He positioned himself a few feet away, groaning slightly as he joined her on the ground, sitting with his legs crossed.
She scoffed and considered making a comment about how old he was, but refrained. The pair sat for a moment in silence, watching the clamor of the city from above as the day came to a close.
“I was fourteen,” she declared, breaking the silence. “He was my gymnastics coach and he did it to some of the other girls too. One of them was my best friend, and she took her own life. And so did he- before the trial.”
Trinity was staring at her shoes, toying with the laces. She didn’t want to see the look on his face that said ‘oh sweetie, you poor thing,’ that everyone else had when they found out.
She kept going, matter of factly. “And I’m not telling you for my own validation, or whatever,” she used a mocking voice, “I know, it wasn’t my fault, I’m the victim here blah blah. I’m telling you so that at least one other person here knows, because they probably should. So congrats, you’re that person.”
She stole a glance at Robby, who was leaning back on his palms, still watching the city below. He met her gaze, his face sincere.
“I’m sorry you never got the justice you deserved. And I’m sorry your patient may not either. That fucking sucks.” He cocked his head, doing that thing where he made sure the person he was talking to was understanding, “Thank you for trusting me to be that person.”
The rooftop was quiet again, save for the milieu of the city. The sun sank lower, blanketing them in a warm orange glow. Eventually Robby rose (with another groan) and offered his hand to Trinity. She took it, rising to her feet once again.