Work Text:
Victoria kept getting distracted throughout her shift, grabbing scalpels instead of needles, misfiling her charting, and referring to patients by the wrong names.
Well, It’s definitely hard to focus when she can’t stop thinking about the fight she had with her parents a few nights ago, it shouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary, they fight all the time, but it’s different this time, she got kicked out of her house for simply telling her mom that she thinks perusing surgery isn’t what’s best for her and that it’s her life so she can do whatever the fuck she wants with it.
She’s completely alone now, with nowhere to go, the pitt was her only sanctuary now. How tragic.
Hour 8 of her shift had just ended, and she had been yelled at 17 times at least. She sighed and slammed her head against the desk while filling in some patients' medical reports. Mateo was leaving a patient's room after putting him on some antibiotics and IV fluids. He noticed her and grabbed her ponytail as she was about to slam her head again.
“Vic? What’s wrong?” He said softly as he gently pulled her head back and then sat on the desk facing her. He slowly let go of her hair, and she sighed again, covering her face with both hands.
“I keep messing everything up, it’s worse than my first day ever stepping foot in the hospital.” She slowly lowered her hands from her face and kept nervously playing with them, never once making eye contact with him, too mortified that Mateo, of all people, was the one witnessing her crash out.
It’s not helping with her lingering crush.
“What’s stressing you out? Exams? Or the horrors of the day shit?” He said sarcastically, then chuckled at his own joke, expecting her to laugh at it too. His face changed to a more serious expression when she didn’t; she just sighed and kept fiddling with her hands.
“Victoria?” Mateo asked again, never getting an answer, it seemed like she didn’t hear him at all.
“Hey, what’s wrong, Vic?” He gently touched her chin to make her look at him. “N-nothing, don’t worry about it!” He’s so caring it made her blush, she wanted to change the subject and chat with him a little more before they got sucked back into work but well, she’s not that lucky.
‘Patient is 27 female, car accident victim, unresponsive and hypoxic with severe head trauma and a fractured humerus, she received CPR on the way, she needs immediate treatment.’
“Trauma 2 is available!” Nurse Dana yelled as Dr. McKay and Princess rolled the gurney to the trauma room.
“Javadi, we need you here!” Dr. McKay called as two nurses made their way inside as well.
“Duty calls!” Victoria gave him a quick smile before rushing to the trauma room.
The patient needed immediate intubation and blood transfusions, it took them a while to stabilise her and then send her for a CT scan.
Victoria never took a break, from one patient to another, she was dreading that with every patient she’s done with, that means her shift is getting closer and closer to its end and she will be back to her new miserable reality.
7:00 pm.
Dr. Robby called the day shift for a quick debrief on everything that happened today. And then they were free to go, free to do whatever they wanted to do.
Victoria headed to the locker room to change out of her scrubs and put on her casual clothes.
She felt a hand hold her shoulder as she opened her locker, she turned around to see that it was Mateo.
“Hey.” He had the same expression he had earlier, worried and nervous, but he looked much more exhausted now, of course after working for 12 hours with barely any breaks.
“Hey, Mateo.” she smiled softly at him, trying to seem somewhat happy and like the ‘normal’ Victoria he’s used to but he sees right through her.
“You’ve been off all day. What’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything right?” He took a step closer to her and whispered.
Victoria avoided his persistent eyes and looked back into her locker, checking what else she hadn’t packed yet
“Of course! I’m okay, I was just tired, you know how work gets overwhelming sometimes.” She couldn’t even fake a steady and relaxed tone, today was too long for everyone and she just wanted to lie down and throw herself a pity party.
“C’mon, I know you’re not okay. Why won’t you tell me what happened? I know it’s not just work.”
Victoria knitted her eyebrows in frustration and exhaustion, “Why do you want to know? It’s not like that’s gonna change anything. Just let it go, I’m tired, that’s it.” She shocked herself with how harsh she sounded, she wished she could take it back and apologise.
Mateo’s expression had only grown a bit more upset, but his eyes still seemed so warm and soft
“Victoria.”
She slammed her locker shut then stared at him with teary eyes “Fine, since you want to know so badly! My parents kicked me out of the house and I’ve been sleeping in a hotel for the past two nights and then they literally froze my bank account and I only have like $200 cash on me and I’m thinking of spending it all on getting drunk then passing out in my car, so yeah life is amazing actually.”
Mateo’s eyes widened with every word that came out of her mouth, he seemed at a loss of words.
“Now you know, and you probably think I’m pathetic.” She walked past him not bothering to hear what else he had to say, making her way to the ED’s exit door and into the parking lot, with no idea of where she was going or what she was going to do.
Her heart felt so heavy and uneasy as she made her way to her car. She needed to cry and scream and definitely sleep.
‘God, am I actually sleeping in my car tonight? All because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. Amazing job, Victoria!‘
“Victoria! God, are you ignoring me now?”
Victoria turned around in shock when she heard her name, she wasn’t expecting him to follow her after she yelled at him like that
‘What the hell?’
“Huh, what?” She muttered, not knowing what to say.
Mateo was panting, barely catching his breath, he probably ran all the way to the parking lot.
“Come with me.” He said while still trying to catch his breath, then he reached out to grab her arm.
Victoria’s brain almost got shutdown by his sudden touch, she wasn’t used to how warm and delicate his hands feel.
She shyly forced herself to look away and breathe before turning back to face him
“uh-Where?”
She wasn’t in the mood to do anything after everything she’s been through these past few days but it’s Mateo so of course she’s free to go wherever he wants to go
“My apartment.” Mateo said with the softest smile on his face.
‘WHAT?’
Victoria was stunned and speechless, her jaw almost touching the ground, Mateo just invited her to his apartment.
Mateo.
Mateo’s apartment.
He wants her to come to his apartment.
Victoria was totally freaking out at this point, stuttering and barely standing on her own
“W-what? What do you mean?”
“you can sleep in my apartment, I can’t let you sleep in your car.” He explained.
Oh, of course that’s what he meant.
God, he just felt bad for her.
“Oh, uh..I won’t actually sleep in my car, haha, i was just about to call one of my friends, it’s fine.”
Her cheeks heated up from embarrassment and she looked at the ground. Cursing under her breath.
“Who? if you’re thinking about crashing in Santos’s apartment then that’s a horrible idea, the couch is so stiff!”
“Why did you assume it was Trinity? It’s not! I have other friends.”
He laughed and his adorable dimples showed,
“Of course.”
“I do.” She insisted and looked up at him in a challenging manner.
“I didn’t say anything.” Mateo kept laughing at her expression.
“Your face did.” She complained.
It got quiet for a few seconds while they shared a strangely long eye contact before he looked away awkwardly.
“Well, you know I won’t let you stay here right? You’re coming home with me, Victoria.”