Chapter Text
January
"Dinner tonight?" Frank asked casually, like Mel wasn't stitching his arm.
He had fallen running after his kids in the park on their day off, and ended up at her apartment, bleeding all over his clothes.
Mel had almost had a heart attack when she saw him, dropping the empty baking tray she was holding.
__________________________________________
"What the hell!" She'd snapped the moment he walked through her door. "Are you okay?!"
"Tripped over a branch" He said with a grimace. "I think I'm going to need stitches."
"Why didn't you go to the hospital then?" She was already taking the cloth that was stopping the bleeding to assess his injuries.
He has a couple of scratches on his arm, and a bigger cut that needed to be sewn up.
"And go to work on my day off? Could you lend me your suture kit? Yours is way better than mine."
"I'll do it for you."
__________________________________________
"If you're feeling better," Mel answered, finishing the last stitch, her jaw tight.
"I'm fine, it was four stitches. Perfect work, by the way." He complimented her, examining the suture.
"Thanks". She said, walking to her bathroom to put the suture kit back in her medicine cabinet. Frank followed her.
"You're mad." It wasn't a question.
Well, at least he knew that. She was mad at him. Quite so.
"Why? If it is because I didn't go to The Pitt, I know I should've. I shouldn't have made you work on your day off."
She nearly gasped in frustration. He was so good at reading her, and yet so bad when it came to her feelings towards him.
"I am mad" Mel stated, while Langdon looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to say why.
Because you don't take care of yourself as well as you'd like. Because I'm afraid that whenever you're in pain. Because I know you're always in pain, even when you don't say it. Because I trust you, but I've read every article about addiction.
"You could've gotten hurt" she said, finally, quieter.
His expression softened immediately.
"I'm okay."
She walked past him before he could say anything else, grabbing the ingredients for the cake she’d been making earlier. She was a stress baker.
"Not the point"
Because all she could think about was pain. And what pain did to him.
What it had done to him.
"I'm okay" he reinforced, standing on the other side of the counter. "But I'll be more careful. I promise."
She exhaled, some of the tension leaving her shoulders.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Okay then. We can get sushi"
His smile came back brighter.
"I'll get you all the sushi in the world if you tell me what you're baking."
_________________________________________
Later that night, they were sitting in front of the TV, eating chocolate cake and watching reruns of Modern Family.
Mel was feeling drowsy, her head slumped against Langdon's shoulder while he played with her hair.
She loved these moments, where it was just the two of them. She could be herself, fully.
No one understood Mel King as well as Frank Langdon, and that's why he was her best friend.
Mel spent most of her life feeling lonely, but she could barely remember what it felt like when he was around.
"You're drooling" Langdon snaps her out of her thoughts.
"I'm not" she buries her head deeper into his arm. He was a comfortable pillow.
"Yes, you are." He tickles her stomach slightly, making her yelp.
"Stop!" That has the opposite effect, and eventually, they teased each other to exhaustion.
February
"He what?!" Mel exclaims, nearly spilling her coffee (if you could call that coffee).
"He asked me out" Samira answered, barely controlling her excitement.
She and Mel had gotten closer a few months ago, when Samira invited her for brunch, and now they were kind of best friends- don't tell Langdon.
Samira has had a crush on Dr. Abbott forever, but she never thought something could actually happen between them, because of their age gap and all, but now he'd asked her out.
Safe to say they were both freaking out.
"I'm so happy for you! I knew he wouldn't resist you being dropped off by your handsome friend at night shift. He must have felt personally attacked."
"Well, I hope he did, because now my friend really wants Jesse... is Jesse straight?"
"I have no clue."
"Ugh. But anyway, what do you think we should go shopping for this weekend? I need to buy something for my date"
Mel considers. She hates malls, but Samira isn't a fast fashion person either. She also heavily dislikes most thrifts- too overstimulating. She usually gets most of her clothes online.
"Why don't you send me pictures and I'll help you choose?"
She's afraid her friend is going to think she's being a bitch or something- like the girls in high school used to- but Samira only nods.
"Deal" and takes a sip of her (actual) coffee. "As long as you're not ditching me for your boyfriend"
Mel stares at her friend, confused.
"I don't have a boyfriend" she states.
"See, you claim that, but you and Doctor Langdon spend every waking hour together. He sleeps at your house. And I see the way you look at him."
"We're just friends."
"Keep telling yourself that"
__________________________________________
Samira's words were playing on loop in Mel's mind. How did she look at Langdon?
She never paid attention to that. Did she stare? Was she staring now?
"You're staring" he whispers. Shit.
They're debrieing a road rash, but her mind was elsewhere.
"I was not"
He grins.
"I know because I was staring back"
March
"Auntie Mel!" Penny screeched, jumping to hug Mel. Tanner did the same. "I loooove your hair!"
"I love yours!" Mel kissed both of their cheeks.
Frank was standing at her doorframe, grinning like an idiot.
"Why are you standing there?"
"Nothing, just watching" he said, coming inside, finally.
They were going to an amusement park together later that afternoon, but Mel had promised to bake cupcakes with them before.
She loved Frank's children, they were adorable and super polite- which made sense, considering the dad they had- so they'd hang out together every other weekend, when Langdon had them.
She was apprehensive when he first suggested for her to meet them, thinking that Abby would be upset, but after she met her she was super chill about it (and about their divorce in general. It had really been amicable.)
"Is Becca here?" Tanner asked, plopping on her couch. They loved playing Roblox together.
"She is in her room, she's been waiting for you."
He smiled excitedly and ran over to Becca's room, iPad in hand.
"Can we make cupcakes now?" Penny asked, already running over to the kitchen, making Frank and Mel laugh over her excitement.
"Go wash your hands first" Frank demanded, and Penny grimaced but did what he'd asked.
Mel couldn't stop herself from noticing how unnaturally quiet Frank was that day, leaning more against the walls.
"Are you okay?" She inquired.
He nodded, and she dropped it, but noticed him grimace when he bent down to pick a baking tray from the cabinet under the sink later, and the way his face dropped when Penny asked him to pick her up so she could see the cake baking in the oven.
He was not okay.
"Penny" Mel called "why don't you go watch cartoons in my room while the cupcakes bake?"
"Can I watch Barbie?"
"Sure!"
Once Penny was inside Mel's room, she turned to Langdon, who was doing the dishes.
"Your back is hurting." It wasn't a question.
"It's nothing"
"Don't lie to me"
Frank took a deep breath, turned off the faucet, and patted his hands dry.
"I'm not"
"Why didn't you use the dishwasher then?"
She knew the answer. He'd have to bend to use it, and bending worsened the pain.
"I don't want you to worry about me" he admitted, coming to stabesidedes her on the counter.
She smiled humorlessly.
"I'll worry less if you tell me the truth"
At least that way she could take care of him.
He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands, defeated.
"I'm in a lot of pain."
Frank's voice was earnest, barely above a whisper, as if he didn't want her to actually listen.
Mel could feel her heart break.
She placed a hand on his shoulder and then placed a kiss in the same place.
She wished she could do more about it, like go back in time and prevent him from ever getting injured.
But she couldn't, so instead, she put a heating pad in the microwave.
"Why don't we have a movie night instead of going to that amusement park? I'm sure the kids will understand. We could tell them we're having a slumber party." She said, going over to her bathroom to pick up the cooling spray she always kept there.
Please, don't leave where I can't see you.
April
"You're going to feel a little pinch" Mel said, injecting the anesthetic into her patient's arm, a good-looking guy in his late twenties, who got cut while working at his woodshop.
He didn't even flinch.
"So, is being beautiful a prerequisite to work here, Dr. King?" The guy asked.
She smiled awkwardly but didn't answer, focused on her work.
"Are you doing anything after work?"
"Not really" she answered absentmindedly, finishing up the sutures.
It was obviously the wrong answer, Mel's inability to lie proving itself to be a treat once again.
"Seven o'clock at Martin's, what do you think?" The man proposed, and Mel was taken aback.
It wasn't the first time she's been hit on by one of her patients, but they were usually less blunt.
"Are you mute?" He demanded when she didn't answer. She was not appreciating his tone.
"I, uhn, I..." Mel wished she could run, but was still halfway through suturing his arm. "I ca... an't"
"Sorry, I didn't hear you. Pick you up at eight?" She could smell alcohol on his breath. Her head was buzzing.
She couldn't rush through stitches and risk doing a sloppy job, but she really wanted to.
"You know, I like them quiet" He said, leaning way too close.
She was panicking, just about to scream, when she heard a familiar voice.
"Dr. King, do you heed help?" Langdon asked, and Mel sagged witg relief, nodding vehemently.
"Y... yes please." She answered, at the same time as the guy said "I think she's fine on her own"
Langdon didn't acknowledge him, coming to hoover behind Mel. Only one stich left.
The guy had leaned off of her face, which was an immense relief, but her emotions were still in tatters.
"Great job, Dr. King" Lagndon said when she finished. "I think Dr. Robby was looking for you earlier. Why don't you go find him while I give this gentleman follow-up instructions?" Frank's voice was cold as ice. The man recoiled.
Mel didn't think twice before bursting out the door, her heart racing, hands sweaty.
She pretty much ran out of there, trying to calm her nerves.
She was angry- at that awful man, for being a sleazy son of bitch, but mostly at herself. She should've left. Why didn't she leave? I'm sure people would understand, they wouldn't question it.
What if he tried to actually do something and she froze?
She was crying before she even realized it, sitting on the stairs where she usually went to hide.
Nothing had happened, but what if Frank had not arrived on time?
"Mel?" She heard his voice coming from behind her. It was like he had been summoned, and it only made her cry harder.
"Hey, hey, hey" he knelt in front of her, his voice soft like butter. He took her hands in his- she hadn't realized she'd been clutching them, leaving crescent moon shaped marks on her skin.
"I'm sorry" she sobbed.
"No, no, don't apologize. It's okay. It's okay"
It wasn't okay. She was hyperventilating, and it was getting harder to breathe.
"Talk to me, sweetheart" He ran his hands over her arms. "What can I do to help?"
She took a long, shallow breath.
"Could you, ah, hug me? Ahn, the pressure helps" she managed to say, despite feeling choked up.
Langdon embraced her immediately
He didn't say anything, he just let her cry, breathing steadily so she'd feel it and her own breathing normalized, running his hands through her hair, kissing the top of her head.
They stayed like that for several minutes- until she was no longer crying and even after.
Then, he sat next to her until she was ready to talk.
Until she was able to.
"I shouldn't have stayed there"
Langdon held her hand more strongly
"It's not your fault. Please, don't think it is your fault, honey. That patient was a dick. I've reported him to HR already."
"Still, I should've left. He was leaning over and I could smell alcohol in his breath and... I just kept stitching him up. I froze. And I know nothing happened, but what if it did? What if I were aware, in the street? Would I have frozen?"
She couldn't meet his eyes
"You didn't freeze, Mel. I could see it in your face, you didn't. And even if you did, it wouldn't have been your fault."
"I'm over overreacting"
"You're not. You've just been through a traumatic, very scary situation. It's okay to feel, honey."
Mel sighed. She was exhausted. That whole situation had been exhausting.
"I hate this."
Langdon kissed her forehead, so tenderly that she could barely feel it.
"Me too. I'm so fucking sorry this happened to you."
"Thank you. For being here"
"I'll always be there for you. Always."
She believed him.
May
"You snore" Becca said, kicking a sleepy Frank.
The three of them were watching a movie- not Elf, for Melissa's happiness- and Frank had dozed off not even halfway through, and slumped against Mel, sitting on the ground.
"I don't" he muttered with his eyes closed, making both of the King sisters laugh.
He sort of did.
"Only when you're tired" Mel stated, playing with his hair.
"Mel, sweetheart, we're ER doctors, we're always tired."
Mel and Becca look at each other, giggling.
"What?" He inquires
"You're always snoring" Becca answers.
_________________________________________
Later that evening, after Becca is already asleep, Frank and Mel are still on the couch, Frank's head on Mel's lap, both of them wide awake.
Mel had no idea what was playing on the TV, it could be a black screen for all that she cared- she was too busy watching Frank.
She knew he was handsome. There's a reason Garcia called him ER Ken. He was, objectively, very attractive.
That just had never been the forefront of their relationship.
So, as Mel examined the perfect angles of his face, she was downed by the scary realization that she felt attracted to her best friend.
"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice deep and rumbly.
Mel shivered.
That could not be good.
May
Mel was avoiding Frank.
She had been since she had that awful realization last month.
Maybe, if she didn't see him, she wouldn't feel like this.
Because no matter what, she couldn't ruin their friendship. It was the best thing she had.
__________________________________________
"I hear your reasoning" Samira said as they were doing rounds. Since she was avoiding Langdon, they were spending a lot of time together in the hospital. "I just don't think it makes sense."
"I cannot ruin this, Mira. He just got divorced, has a lot of his own things going and..on, and..." and he does not like me like that.
Samira sighed, looking at the patient. The day was awfully quiet, hence their gossiping session.
"You're so smart my friend, and yet, you don't see what's right in front of you."
"I'm clearly seeing the board, actually." She joked.
"I mean the man who won't stop making heart eyes at you."
"Langdon's not doing heart eyes at me. You're just seeing the world through rose-colored glasses because you're in love"
"That's not true. If Jack as much as glanced at me in beginning the same Langdon has looked at you since you met, my dry spell wouldn't have lasted so long."
Melissa shuddered.
"Too much information. Please refrain from telling me about your sexual encounters with Dr. Abbott or else I won't be able to work normally with him ever again"
That made Samira laugh.
"I'm serious! That could put our patients in danger!"
"Well, I will, if you pull Dr. Langdon out of his misery and stop avoiding him. Seriously, his foul mood is rubbing off on everyeveryone!"
"That's not.... Hi doctor Langdon!"
Honestly, his ability to be summoned should be studied. It was like he had spidey senses for whenever someone- whenever Mel- was talking about him.
"Dr. King. Dr. Mohan" He greeted, not unkindly. "Dr. King, can I talk with you for a bit?"
Mel tried to smile casually while she was coming up with a refusal, but, of course, Samira wouldn't let her "We're just finished, right, Dr. King? You said you were free, didn't you?"
She wanted to strangle her best friend.
"Yeah, ahn, Yes" she stuttered.
Frank nodded for her to follow him into an empty hallway.
Please let it be work work-relatedse let it be work work-related
"You're avoiding me"
Not work-related.
Mel felt her shoulders sag. She didn't like lying to him, but he made it quite hard.
"I'm not" she was looking at the ground- looking at him was too painful.
"You haven't been answering my calls"
His tone was one of a deeply hurt man, and something inside her cracked.
"I've been busy" busy trying to convince myself not in love with you.
"I know, and I don't want to sound demanding, but I miss you."
I miss you too.
"I'm sorry" she whispers
"I've been wondering, did I do something wrong? I know I can overstep sometimes."
"You weren't overstepping"
"So what did I do? Please, Mel."
Mel couldn't tell the truth. She hated lying, but telling him what she felt would ruin...
Hell, she was already ruining their friendship.
"I've had a lot on my mind lately" It was not a lie, she had a lot on her mind. A lot of him. "I didn't even think of it, I was just trying to stay away from everyone"
Liar liar liar liar
"Don't apologize." He stepped closer, his blue eyes deep as an ocean she'd gladly drown in. "I'm here, if you ever need to talk, okay? Please, let me in that beautiful brain of yours"
Mel could cry.
She was very much in love with Frank Langdon, and there was nothing she could do about it.