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Regulus was tired, he often was at 4 am. It was when his internal clock took over, and he had to push through one hour before he got back on track. When he finished his night shift, he would go home and lie down, ready to rest, only to not fall asleep because he missed his window.
It was that routine that made him hate night shifts, yet, he signed himself up for them more often than not. He covered for his co-workers who wanted day shifts instead, trading his away just for the nights that he knew did more harm than good for him.
But he liked them, there was peace working at night with fewer people. It got chaotic, it was an A&E after all, but it was manageable during the night. The day was a faucet that someone left on with a stream of people that poured in and flooded the place.
It was a relatively slow night, not too many people waiting, not too many critical conditions. Regulus had time for a 4 am dip where he could sneak away to the lounge and grab a quick coffee before he saw his next patient. He had time for it, and he patted Barty’s shoulder as he passed him.
“I’ll be back in five.” He murmured to him, and Barty spun with a happy grin, giving him a thumbs up.
“I’ve got it under control, darling.”
Regulus rolled his eyes as he always did because his best friend had a habit of calling him pet names and Regulus had a habit of not caring anymore. They had known each other for long enough that Regulus let it slide.
With a heavy sigh, he dimmed the lights in the lounge, tapping the coffee machine to life. It hummed and sputtered before it poured coffee for him in a cup. Regulus smiled softly as the smell filled the room, a welcome one compared to the sterile environment he had just left.
He clutched the cup in his hands, moving to the sofa and taking a seat. He leaned back against the cushions, sinking into the feeling with some content before he sipped his cup. He hadn’t had a break since he started at 7 pm. He had really needed a moment to himself now that it was calm.
The morning flock of people would fall in soon. The people who called in sick from work with a migraine or abdominal pain and Regulus would do a thorough examination for a problem that would be solved with some paracetamol.
Better safe than sorry, that was what Regulus always thought, but it was the same every morning and maybe he should hurry the people he knew were fine along to make space for others. The wait times were ridiculous from time to time.
He sipped his coffee in small mouthfuls, savouring the bitter taste. He drank it black, it was perfect.
A moment of peace in the stressful hell. A hell he loved, cherished and nurtured happily, but a hell nonetheless. Regulus was on the board, he was the department leader, and he had worked his ass off to get where he was as young as he was. No one was ever in their thirties with his titles, but Regulus was.
And he was proud.
He knew what he wanted to achieve, and he was happy to be there.
The peace he had made around himself suddenly broke, the door to the lounge swinging open.
Lily Evans stepped inside, her ginger hair tied back in a high ponytail. It swung as she moved and shut the door again.
Regulus paid no more attention to her, sure she was also there for a much-needed break. Regulus and Lily had never been the closest, and a lot of it had to do with who Lily married while Regulus focused on his career. He never dated, never really wanted to because of his life goal, but that didn’t make it hurt any less when he lost any chance he had with James.
Lily was a wonderful nurse, though, with glowing recommendations, so when she applied for a job at Regulus’s department, he couldn’t do anything but hire her. Sirius had even sent her his way and talked her up until Regulus had disturbed rest with dreams where he offered her the job.
“We need to talk.” Lily sounded serious, and Regulus’s thoughts shifted. She wasn’t there for a break, she was there for him. He gave a curt nod, and Lily sat down next to him. “So, you know how tonight has been a pretty slow night?”
“Aware of that, yes.” Regulus put his empty cup on the coffee table to give Lily his full attention.
“I decided to take the downtime to do an inventory of the medication. I was looking through the logs, who’s been in and out, what they’ve taken and for what cases.” Lily pulled out a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Regulus. He accepted it, carefully opening it to read what it said. “I took out the logs of how much we should have and how much we do have and–”
“Missing morphine and fentanyl.” Regulus read the numbers written. It wasn’t a lot, only two vials of each, but any miscount was problematic. “Okay, did you check the backlog? Who’s been in?” Lily opened her mouth before it fell shut again. Her green eyes moved between Regulus’s in some sort of panic. “Evans, I will look myself, but if you have the information now, you can spare us a lot of time.”
“Crouch has logged taking vials and putting them back.” Lily whispered. “Evidently, he never put them back.”
The world split under Regulus’s feet. For a moment, he fell into the void, his organs spinning around in his body and twisting in on themselves. He wanted to scream, cry, and throw up all at once. He wanted to protest, yell, it wasn’t true.
It couldn’t be true.
Regulus blinked back to reality, his heart hammering hard in his chest. He felt tears bubbling somewhere behind his eyes, sure they would pour once he was alone.
“I will look into it.” Regulus answered, his voice too stable for the way he was sure his vocal cords were working themselves into a knot. “Thanks, Evans.”
Regulus stood, hurrying out of the room with hasty steps to check the logs. To recount. To do anything for it not to be true.
Lily was good at her job, and Regulus trusted her to do her job, but she could be wrong. She had to be wrong. Just this one time, she had to.
He went up to the locked medication cabinet, pressing the display to show inventory. The numbers stared back at him, the same ones that were printed on the paper in his hand.
He scanned his card, unlocking the morphine. He counted the box.
Two vials were missing.
He bit the inside of his cheek before he opened the fentanyl. The box opened. He counted.
Two vials were missing.
Regulus wasn’t sure how he moved. His head spun as he rushed to the main computer to check the logs, check who had been in there and taken the vials, never to put them back. He begged it not to be true.
He logged into the system, and he checked.
Barty Crouch.
Barty Crouch.
Barty Crouch.
Barty Crouch.
“Fuck.” Regulus tore at his hair, not sure if it was real. There had to be a reason, Barty wouldn’t do that. He would tell Regulus if he slipped, or he would have told Evan, and Evan would have told him.
Someone would have told him, so there had to have been a mistake. Barty was tired and he logged it wrong. He forgot to put the vials back and he left them out somewhere. Someone else used his card.
Something had to have happened.
Because Barty wouldn’t do that.
He wouldn’t.
“Back from your break?” Barty came up beside him. “I just took in a kid to 203, he’s coughed all night. No fever anymore, but he’s had one. Do you want me to take a culture for pneumonia?”
Regulus barely heard him as he closed down the logs. He spun slowly, meeting Barty’s eyes. His dark brown eyes that looked nothing but happy and joyous.
Barty loved working nights, he thrived doing it. Days were his weakness, nights were his element. He was never tired working nights, he was the energy the whole department needed. He wouldn’t have ben tired with the logs, Regulus couldn’t picture it, but something must still be wrong.
And if he had done this…
He couldn’t have.
“What?” Regulus blinked as he tried to find what Barty had told him.
“Needed a bit longer break, I think, Reg. You’re pale.” Barty pouted slightly, reaching out to feel his forehead. “Don’t tell me I have to get a bed for you too, ay?”
“Pneumonia?”
“That’s what I asked, yes.” Barty leaned back against the desk. “What do you think?”
“Longbottom can do a culture.” Regulus said, loud enough for Frank to spring into action with a thumbs up.
“What? But it’s me patient.” Barty whined as he watched Frank go into room 203. “That was unfair. I was ready to do the culture.” Barty turned back to him. “You know I do a hell of a job with collecting samples.”
“I know.” Regulus beckoned. “We just need a chat.”
“Oh? Aight.” Barty put his hands in his pockets as he joined Regulus right by his side. “What’s it this time? Did someone complain about me? You know I’m not taking out me piercings just because some lady thought they were unhygienic.”
“It’s not about that.” Regulus opened the door into the men’s locker room. If Barty had taken anything, it would be in there. One of the logs was for that day, the others further back. It had to be a misunderstanding.
“You wanna shag in the shower or something? Think that’s gonna wake you up? You know I’m an engaged man now, Reggie, this ship is sailing.” Barty joked, but Regulus could see he was nervous. He knew him like the back of his hand. They grew up together, they studied together, they fought life together.
Barty was his everything. Regulus had helped him through so much shit, which was why he was so sure this must be a misunderstanding. Lily must be wrong somewhere, the system must be wrong somewhere, because Barty would never do that.
Not after everything.
“Barty, quiet.” Regulus stared deep into his eyes and Barty’s jaw tightened. Regulus took out the paper again and handed it to Barty. “We’re missing medication.”
Barty gave no reaction, nothing flashed on his face. Regulus could read him, he was quite good at it, and it worried him when he saw nothing.
“Morphine and fentanyl.” Barty hummed before catching his lip ring between his teeth and chewing on it. “Have you checked the logs?”
He looked up, holding the paper back for Regulus who took it and pocketed it again.
“Be honest. Have you stolen anything?”
“What? Me?” Barty snorted. “Are you serious?”
“Answer the question.” Regulus’s voice hardened. It couldn’t be true, not after everything.
“Of course not, Reg? Where’s this coming from? You think I would do that?” No, Regulus didn’t. Or, maybe the reason he felt so uneasy was that he did believe Barty could do it, he just didn’t want it to be true.
Not again.
“I want you to open your locker.” Regulus turned his head. He couldn’t bear to see the look of betrayal on Barty’s face. He wouldn’t feel betrayed if he was guilty, he must be innocent. Regulus’s being screamed that he was innocent.
“Really, Reg?” Barty chuckled, breathy, heavy as he reached for him. Regulus felt his touch. “Look at me, Reggie, what are you saying?”
“I’m asking you to open your locker.” His voice remained calm as he met Barty’s eyes, big and glossy.
“You…You know how hard I worked to get me license back. Do you really think I would throw that away for a quick high?” Barty clung to him, his nails curling into Regulus’s bare arms. “You know me, you know how I’ve fought. You think I would do something like this again?”
It was the begging that got to him. The clawing. The desperation.
“I don’t want to believe it, Barty.” Regulus shook his head. “There is no one who wants to believe you're innocent more than me.”
“Then believe me. Reg, I haven’t stolen anything.”
It was the begging that got to him. The clawing. The desperation.
Because if Barty were innocent, he would already have opened his locker.
Regulus pushed him back before he slammed his fist into the locker.
“Open your fucking locker!” He screamed, his voice shrill as spit flew from his lips. His body shook as Barty cowered. He moved slow, but he grabbed the lock. He spun the numbers until it popped open.
Regulus tore the door open, praying he was wrong, praying he wouldn’t find anything.
He tore out everything, finding nothing.
He turned to Barty’s bag. He opened it and tipped it upside down until a vial fell out of it.
He stared at it as it rolled over the floor and stopped at his feet.
It stared back at him. He read the label. Morphine.
“I can’t believe I let you back in here.” Regulus whispered, his voice quiet. “After everything, and you fall right back into it. You swore it would never happen again. What happened to that, Barty? Have you been high at work?”
Barty looked terrified, his eyes still glued to the floor.
“Answer me! Are you risking people’s lives just because your junkie arse can’t stay away from drugs?!” Regulus stepped over the mess on the floor, coming right up in Barty’s space. “Answer me!”
He grabbed a bunch of Barty’s scrubs and shoved him up against the lockers. Barty was taller and he was stronger, but Regulus had never been so furious in his entire life.
Barty still didn’t speak, and Regulus already knew why. He knew nothing he said would get him out of it.
“After everything! I’ve helped you through it so many times, and you didn’t think to come to me?” Regulus shook him before he let go. Barty’s legs crumbled under him, and he fell straight to the floor in sobs. “I would have helped. Given paid leave. Anything.”
“I’m sorry.” Barty sobbed, but it was too late for apologies. Barty knew that too. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“Does Evan know?” Barty shook his head and Regulus sighed. “You know I’m going to have to fire you, right? I can’t have you high at work.”
“No, please.” Barty reached out, grovelled on the floor as he wrapped himself around Regulus’s legs. “You know how much I love me job, Reg. We can forget about it. I can return the vial. We can forget about it. Please, I worked so hard, you know I worked so hard. I can’t lose my license again, they won’t give it back a third time.”
“If you had told me, Barty.” Regulus couldn’t look at him, tears in his eyes. “If you had just told me you were thinking about it, you know I would have done everything for you.”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I don’t even know why I slipped. Reg, please.”
“I’m gonna phone Evan. He’ll pick you up. I don’t want you alone, but you’re done.” Regulus shook his leg and Barty fell into a ball on the floor, screaming and crying as he clutched his own body.
The pit in Regulus’s stomach grew and his heart broke every second that passed.
But he turned his back, walked out of the room, and phoned Evan, waking him up but getting him on route to collect his fiancé.
The rest of the shift had never felt so empty.