Chapter Text
Robby comes back from his sabbatical, not exactly in a better place (because that would mean actually working on himself rather than fleeing all over the country) but at least a little less stressed.
The wonders of cutting off…
He doesn't know what to expect. Al-Hashimi has had the time to implement a lot of changes and learn how the Pitt and its people work. As her reports to him are dry and professional, they do not tell him much about how well she has integrated herself into the day to day work. Or how the Pitt in itself is running now.
He is relieved to see Jesse is back, faithfully at his post. Relieved to see his ED is still standing. That Dana is still there and Emma has made a place for herself in their merry troup despite the terrible first day she'd had.
His conflicting feelings about Frank rear their ugly head as soon as he catches a glimpse of him but the man barely glances in his direction, deep in talks with Mohan, the two of them focused on her pad while they switch from one patient to the other. The alpha in Robby bristles at that, snarling his rage.
How dare he? Howe dare the fucked-up omega he allowed back into his Department not acknowledge him?
The more rational part of his brain allows room for a logical explanation. For the fact that Frank is busy and might not even have remembered that today is Robby's day back, that he does not owe him his attention actually. Not anymore.
All he owes the Head of Department is to do his job and not make any more waves.
The rest is up to Robby now.
He is surprised, more than surprised actually, to find the Shark in his ED on the other hand. Not just find him there but to look like his appearance here is a common, if not still terrifying, occurence. Interns evade him like the plague, shooting fearfully glances towards him, and nurses and auxiliaries seem to have perfected the art of walking without ever coming within ten feet of the hulking alpha.
He leans towards Jack, who is observing the man like a particularly displeased owl. “Do we already have a need for a surgeon? The day is barely starting.”
Jack throws the Shark one last, disgusted look before scoffing at Robby's question. “No. He is just coming to get Langdon.”
Robby's thoughts come to a crashing halt.
“What? Why? Does Langdon need an ortho?!” Thoughts of Frank's back and the pain he'd dismissed before their relationship went up in flames suddenly rear back to the surface.
But Jack only sneers, not able to stop himself from glaring daggers at the surgeon, pheromones rising at a perceived challenge. From where he stands, the Shark shows his teeth, his own inner alpha responding to the aggression rolling off of the veteran. Robby grips his friend’s arm, all thoughts of Frank relegated to the side at the display. “Jack, what the fuck?!”
Frank chooses that moment to come out of his last patient’s room. His head rises in surprise at the cloying, tangy smell invading the ER but, to Robby's absolute horror, he makes a beeline for the surgeon ! To the attending's side Jack stiffens and bares his teeth, fury rolling out of him in waves. And yet, Frank doesn't seem to head his clear warning, doesn't even seem to feel it!
To Robby, it is like being trapped in a really bad film. Unable to understand the plot or its conflicts. He can only watch, mouth slightly opened in shock, blinking stupidly as the Shark curls an arm around their resident the moment Frank is within touching distance, bringing him to his side and nosing at his hair while he murmurs something to the omega.
And Frank…
Frank fucking melts against him. His sweet omega scent turning imperceptibly softer, overlapping the clash of alpha pheromones and soothing the fraying nerves of their colleagues caught in the crossfire.
Something hot and disgusted and ugly claws its way into Robby's throat, snarling to get out.
He can't remember Frank ever smelling this sweet, the scent of a happy and fulfilled omega wafting strongly all over the ED. Its impact clearly visible on everyone, from their workers to their patients.
The truth of that statement hits him hard.
He can't remember Frank ever smelling this sweet.
Jack is livid, knuckles turned white by how harshly he is gripping the counter.
Then, Park the fucking Shark, terror of Departments, HR’s uncontested worst nightmare, slayer of interns, smiles the sweetest, most besotted of smile to Robby's reject, before bending his knees to gathers the omega in his arms in one swift swoop!
Frank’s surprised bark of a laugh resonates in his ears. “B! What are you doing?! Put me down!”
“Nope. You're off the clock. Have been for the past 10 minutes. We're leaving.”
He doesn't give him the chance to protest, marching straight for the locker room, making a show of his strength when he switches Frank to a one arm hold (though the omega is also helping him a lot by clinging to him) to open the door. Only settling the man back onto the ground when they are inside.
Five minutes later they are out. Frank stopping by Mohan’s side just long enough for the woman to assure him she'll take care of his patient’s handover and shoo him off the premises, a fond look on her face.
“What the bloody hell was that?!” Robby explodes.
Jack only gives him a chilling look. “Welcome to hell, brother.”
Xxxx
It looks like Robby’s first day back just had to include a date on the roof.
Jack had slept in one of the on-call room, apparently not able to stomach the idea of going to their place and find it empty of both Frank’s and Robby’s scent. And while one would be very quickly remedied, the other is clearly approaching the “never happening ever again” statute with big steps.
When Robby had finally been ready to go home the room had been empty. He had immediately thought about the roof.
“Didn’t expect to see you back here so quickly.”
The other alpha only just glances at him. Robby walks up to him. “What happened to therapy?”
“I quit.” Ice floods Robby’s veins at the unexpected turn of events. Jack had looked so certain of his decision when they’d last talked about it.
“Jack…”
“Did you know he can purr?” the veteran cuts him short, his mind somewhere else. “I’d nearly convinced myself he couldn’t, with how we’d never heard him. Turns out he can. Just not with us.” Robby can taste the bitterness on his tongue, now fully aware of who he is talking about.
And just… The thought of Frank purring, safe and happy and satisfied…
Frank, who had never purred with them.
Jack is right. It fucking stings. It smarts, somewhere deep within.
“He has the most soothing purr.” This is the voice of someone still in love. Of someone who is deeply regretting his choices. “Why didn’t we help Michael?” he asks, oh so low. “When did we start putting ourselves above him?”
Robby only swallows, wishing he could give him an answer.
“He was right not to feel safe enough to be able to purr with us. Look at us! When’s the last fucking time we put him first? Did we ever?”
“That’s not fair Jack. We did factor him into our decisions. Into our lives. You can’t do that to yourself.”
“Can’t I?! We abandoned him! We never took the time to make sure he felt secure with us. Taking his presence in our bed for fucking granted! And when you sent him to rehab!” he laughs, bitter and angry and so full of regrets. “Fuck! I did exactly what he must have been afraid of! I didn’t just prioritized you, I fucking followed your lead! Ten months, Michael! We fucking threw him away! No wonder he never trusted us enough to come to us!”
Robby takes a sharp breath. He knows what Jack is doing! Knows that Jack is in pain and taking it out on them both! To have someone share part of the blame. They’ve both done that before. But for a while, they’d had Frank to mitigate.
The moment the thought is born in his mind it hits him.
Yes. They’d had Frank in the middle.
Be it at home or at work. Frank had often found himself having to bear the brunt of their blowout.
Robby’s short-clipped nails are digging into the soft flesh of his palms and he is pretty sure he’ll find blood there if he looks at it.
Jack is right.
No wonder Frank had never felt safe enough to come to them.
Jack’s voice rises again, bitter and choked with heartbreak. “I never should have followed your stupid decision. I should have gone to see him. Should have done a lot of things differently.” Then he turns around, finally facing Robby as he steps over the railing and comes back on safe ground and his eyes hold a thousand regrets.
“I look at him. Every day. Every night. At each change and each major event, watching Park the fucking Shark do better than either of us ever did. And I want it to hurt! I look at the happiness we never provided and make myself bleed just thinking about it. Because I don’t know if I can forgive myself.”
The end of his tirade destroys Robby. “I don’t know if I can forgive you.”
Xxxx
It becomes a habit. A twisted game of self-harm and guilty regrets to watch the Shark do better than them.
To stare at his lingering hand on Frank’s waist. At the peck-of-the-lip kisses he bestows on the omega without a second thought or the barely there brush of his lips on Frank’s hand before he leaves for the Ortho Department.
At the lunch boxes he finds in the fridge, Frank’s name written in the surgeon’s atrocious handwriting and the snacks he makes sure his partner will find when the man’s ADHD has him all frazzled and trying to parse through too many informations at the same time, so much so that he forgets to eat.
At the way he is so attuned to Frank’s moods that he can feel his distress even from several Departments away, sometimes even before Frank himself realizes he is having a hard time. Coming down as soon as he can on these days and not hesitating a second to scent him, the possessive act of protectiveness a settling comfort for an omega who had always been refused any outward act of recognition and kindness until now.
At the mating mark, pink and still fading on Frank’s trapezius.
Robby doesn’t know which one he wants to kill the most these days. Park or himself?
He tortures himself with each and every rumble of his resident’s throat, with the sweet, heady pomegranate scent that the omega is not trying to downplay anymore, but rather uses in full force to help him with their patients. The inherent comfort of a caring omega calming a lot of their younger charges and putting parents and most adults in better conditions to trust him.
Of course there is always that one asshole who is going to make crude comments and grabbing hands, or the one who won’t want to be treated by an omega because they’re not “built for the job”, or whatever the fuck that’’s supposed to mean. But they are also still these assholes who won’t want to be treated by a woman, or a person of color, or “worse” a woman of color!
It’s not fair, but that’s what it is.
And the fact is that Frank is thriving now in a way he has never thrived under Robby’s sole mentorship. Sure he had been challenged, and he had loved it! But it looks like he’d been suppressing a lot of who he truly was too.
And as Robby hears the man purr into a new baby Jane Doe’s ear, bouncing the crying baby with light, practised movements and letting his scent swathe the poor thing, all the while checking her temperature and articulating a treatment plan for Whitaker to implement… he can’t fully suppress the burning bolts of jealousy smouldering deep within him.