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It all happened so fast. One minute she was typing lab orders into the computer and the next she was on the floor. She remembered Dana yelling something she couldn’t quite make out and Langdon picking her up and placing her on a bed and rushing her to a trauma room.
The chaos around her was just noise, she was unable to orient herself to the words spoken around her as she dozed in and out of consciousness.
She didn’t know how much later it was that she opened her eyes and saw Robby at the other side of the room she was now in.
“Dr. Robby?” She took in the pale walls of the PTMC patient room that surrounded her. “What happened?”
He rushed over to the bed, taking his pen flashlight from his pocket. “Good, you’re awake. You scared us Samira.”
She repeated her question, “What happened?” She was trying to rack her brain for the sequence of events that led her to be in a hospital bed right now.
Robby was already examining her again, light shining in her eyes. “Do you know what day it is?”
“Tuesday. 6 hours into my shift.” She responded quickly. “Robby, just tell me what happened.”
He nodded. “Patient attacked you. Apparently he needed to be admitted with Psych and we missed it.”
It started to come back to her, the patient arguing with her about the labs he needed and suddenly he was up and pushing her backwards. Luckily, she didn’t remember the pain of the impact.
“You have a concussion. Nothing more, thankfully.” Robby went back to the computer and started typing. “Dana called your emergency contact and he said he’s on the way. She said he sounded quite distressed.”
Robby looked down at her through his glasses, like he wanted the answer to a question he didn’t actually ask.
Andrew was on his way here. Oh God, she thought. So far, she had very intentionally kept her two worlds separate, never mentioning Pope to anyone at the hospital. It’s not like she was ashamed of him. It’s just she knew how her coworkers would react, especially McKay who has been telling her to get a life for ages.
“What room is the patient in again?”
“South 15. Don’t worry he’s restrained and has a guard on him now.”
“Yeah, I’m not worried about the patient attacking again, Robby.”
Would Pope do anything in such a public setting? She didn’t think so, but then again she was hurt and it was someone else’s fault and Pope was a little bit unpredictable when it came to protecting those he loved. Her specifically.
Robby’s eyes widened and rubbed the back of his neck. He took off his glasses and made his way to the chair next to Samira.
“Your emergency contact, he’s your…?”
Samira wasn’t necessarily in the mood for a heart to heart with Dr. Robby but she maybe just implied that her boyfriend would hurt a patient so it was looking like she had no choice. “My boyfriend.”
“Right.” Robby looked deeply uncomfortable, which Samira found a little bit amusing, despite the circumstances. “And you feel…safe…with him?” Robby was looking everywhere but at Samira, which she also found amusing.
She chuckled. “Yeah I do.”
It was then that the door to her room burst open and in came Pope, followed by an indignant Dana. “Hey dude, you can’t just-”
“Samira.” Pope had that sad puppy dog look in his eyes that she just loved. He ignored Dana and looked at her like there was nothing else in the room. He lowered himself to the bed and wrapped his arms around her as best as he could with the position she was in. His cheek rested against her sternum. Samira brought her hand up to his head to soothingly play with his hair, like it was the one that was hurt and not her.
“I’m okay, Andrew, I promise.”
Dana threw her hands and backed away. “Not my problem anymore.”
Samira could feel Robby’s gaze on them from the chair, she looked over at him and gave him a look that said “See?”
He raised his eyebrows as if to say “Point taken.”
Pope rose from his place against Samira’s chest and she saw the instant that his face switched from puppy dog to guard dog.
“Dr. Robby, I take it.” He kept his eyes locked onto Robby.
Memories flicked through her brain of all the times she came home after a late shift and crawled into his arms complaining about her boss. And she now distinctly remembered the time that Pope had asked her if he should “take care of him” for her.
She reached out to grab his hand to squeeze it as a way to tell him that it was fine.
Robby stood up and offered his hand out to shake, which Pope ignored.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Doc.” The way that Pope said ‘Doc’ sounded like a threat and Samira had no doubt that it was.
Robby shot her a look and Samira took it to mean, “Help me out here.”
“Andrew.” She pulled at him until he was forced to sit down at the edge of the bed. “Dr. Robby was just telling me what happened.”
“And?” He was back to puppy eyes, looking at her like she was the only thing in the world.
“She has a concussion. She’ll need to rest for a few days and then she can slowly work her way back up to all her normal daily activities.”
Guard dog again, eyes on Robby. “How did this happen? How did you let this happen?”
Robby passed a quick glance at Samira before returning his gaze to Pope. “A patient, uh, shoved her. And she fell.”
Pope quickly stood again. “She fell? Are you kidding me? What kind of operation are you running her, Doc? You leave your best doctor with a dangerous patient?”
“Well, we didn’t know this patient was dangerous. We have it handled now. He’s now restrained and under guard.”
Samira squeezed his hand again. “It’s okay, Andrew. Occupational Hazard. Sometimes aggressive patients are just part of the job.”
He ignored her. “Where is this patient?”
“I cannot tell you that.” Robby shook his head.
“Hmm.” It almost sounded like a growl.
Whitaker burst into the room. “Robby, trauma incoming, we need you.”
“Coming, Whitaker.” Robby looked at Samira and she offered a small nod which was good enough for Robby. He left to take care of the trauma, which left her and Pope alone.
He leaned into her again, head in the crook of her neck. She wrapped her arms around him and settled her chin on top of his curls.
“You’re gonna tell me who did this?” He whispered into her neck. With anyone else, it would’ve been an order, but with her, he always asked.
“No. I’m not.”
“I can’t just let someone who hurt you keep walking around on two feet.”
“You can and you will.”
Pope whined. “He hurt you.”
“What did I tell you about hurting and/or killing people for me?”
“To not do that?”
“Exactly.” She was aware of just how absurd this conversation was. If you had asked her a year ago what her ideal partner was, she would not have described anything near Pope (a criminal with a myriad of childhood issues that desperately needed to be worked on) but somehow he snuck his way into her heart, enough that she could look past his somewhat violent tendencies. He was a product of his environment and he would never do anything to hurt her, and that was good enough for her.
The door opened and Pope snapped his head up. Guard Dog. McKay was paused in the doorway, taking in the scene in front of her. Samira knew how ridiculous it looked, this beefy, scary man staring her down while practically curled up in Samira’s lap.
McKay spoke with a confused edge to her tone. “Just wanted to check in on you, Samira. How are you holding up?”
Samira nodded. “Good. I just want to go home at this point.”
“I’ll check in with Robby if we’re good to discharge you.”
“Thank you.” McKay left the room and Pope stood, looking around the room as if he was casing it.
“At least just tell me his name, you know, in case I happen to run into him, just so I can scare him a little.”
“Not happening, honey.”
He frowned. She loved him so very much. He was so cute when he was pouting. While yes, Samira never wanted to see this patient again and would probably punch him back if she could, it was also her duty as a doctor to care for the people in this hospital, including this patient.
Robby came back into the room and made an effort to be on the other side of the room than Pope. “Dr. Mohan, you’re all good to head home. Please stay off your feet for a few days okay? We need you back here as soon as you’re ready.”
“She’ll come back when she wants to and not because you need her, Doc.” Pope muttered.
“Yep got it!” Robby was too chipper with his reply to actually mean it. “I’m assuming,” he looked over at Pope, “your boyfriend can drive you home.”
“Yeah.” Pope replied, looking at Robby like it was ridiculous to even question it.
“Doesn’t hurt to ask.” Robby wheeled the chair he brought up to Samira’s bed. “Can you stand up on your own?”
“That won’t be necessary.” Pope nudged his way past Robby and scooped up Samira and gently sat her in the wheelchair, carefully adjusting her shirt and hair once she was settled.
He wheeled her out into the Pitt and by the slowness of his movement, Samira could tell even from the chair that he was looking around trying to spot someone with restraints and a guard.
She tilted her head back to look at him and immediately regretted it because of the wave of dizziness that crashed through her from the movement. He stopped with her sudden movement and knelt down next to her.
“Okay?”
“Yeah.” She reached up towards his face and cupped his cheek in her hand. “Stop looking for him.”
“Sorry.” He turned his face so that he could kiss the palm of her hand, lingering for a few seconds inhaling her scent.
“Let’s go home, yeah?”
“Okay.” He got back up and resumed pushing her towards the exit.
Later that night, lying in bed with Andrew asleep next to her, she got a text from McKay.
So your boyfriend’s a bit intense
Hot (those muscles, seriously?)
but intense
Samira smiled at her phone and turned to take in the freckled body of the man next to her. She took a broken man and was unbreaking him step by step. And she was rewarded by being loved so fiercely; she wouldn’t trade it for the world.