Archive of Our Own

A year ago, Langdon would never have imagined how much his life was about to change—not because he thought he would never divorce Abby, or because he never believed he could become sober—but because he became someone he had never been seen as before. And it all happened because of one person, one woman who arrived at the same hospital where he worked and, within fifteen hours, completely changed Langdon.

Langdon had never been described as a kind person, much less a patient one. His parents used to describe him as a very restless child, his high school friends described him as a “good-looking boy,” and his coworkers called him the “ER Playboy.” None of those people would have described Langdon as patient or kind—but she would. Melissa King, his best friend.

Mel was one of the main reasons Langdon hadn’t given up on everything—that was a fact—and not just because she had supported him from the very first day he came back, or because she always treated him with admiration, but because she stood by him during his worst moment: his divorce from Abby.

Langdon hadn’t grieved as much as someone who had been married for six years probably should have, but he still felt the pain of losing something that had once been special to him. He couldn’t see Penny and Tanner very often, and Mel was always the first person to notice how disappointed that made him feel as a father.

During the divorce process, Langdon would spend entire nights at Mel’s house watching Grey’s Anatomy and complaining about how medically inaccurate the procedures were. He loved spending that time with her. It had become a routine: picking Becca up from the community center every Friday, eating whatever Mel had made (which was usually frozen pizza), watching Elf until Becca fell asleep, and then leaving Frank and Mel alone late into the night watching Grey’s Anatomy while Frank rested his head on Mel’s lap, complaining about how Meredith and Derek never seemed to get a chance to be together. Mel always laughed secretly, but she listened to every one of Frank’s murmured complaints.

That had become Frank’s routine, and although it wasn’t what most people would call a family, he was very happy with Mel and Becca.

Over time, Frank and Mel became practically one person. Everyone in the ER talked about how they seemed inseparable in every possible way, and it even annoyed some of their coworkers. Yolanda rolled her eyes every time Frank and Mel were in the same room because she knew they would end up making some joke about history—usually something extremely specific about the Napoleonic era that absolutely nobody understood—and it drove her crazy.

Whenever she walked into a trauma room and Mel and Langdon were both there, she would usually say, “ER Ken and ER Barbie are back…” while rolling her eyes.

Even Dana constantly interrupted them whenever they spent too long talking while charting because, according to her, “If you two keep this up, the country’s death rate is going to rise.”

Either way, Frank and Mel were practically one person, and they loved it.

⸻————————————————————

After the divorce, Langdon grew even closer to Mel. Everyone who was part of his life knew who Mel was—either because he talked about her constantly or because he had introduced her to them—and the second option eventually happened with Penny and Tanner.

One weekend when Penny and Tanner were supposed to stay with him, Frank hadn’t planned anything special. So he did the one thing he always did when he was desperate: call Mel.

Frank had always had the habit of asking people if he could call them whenever he needed them, but with Mel he never had to do that because he knew she would always answer. Mel was always available whenever he needed her, and that was one of the reasons she was listed as his emergency contact.

Langdon heard the ringing tone for two seconds before Mel answered. They always video called each other, and every time they talked, Mel looked different—sometimes with wet hair, sometimes without her glasses, sometimes wearing some ridiculous Star Wars pajama shirt with Han Solo’s face printed on it (which he constantly made fun of even though it was honestly one of the coolest things he had ever seen a woman wear), or even wrapped in a towel.

He had never told her this, but he always preferred video calls because he loved seeing all the different versions of her. It always made his day better.

“Hi, Frank,”—Mel said, propping her phone up on the edge of the sink while washing a plate that already looked perfectly clean.

She was wearing a white shirt with a design showing two atoms that were clearly doing something Frank couldn’t identify. Her hair was in a slightly messy braid, something she never wore at work.

This version of Mel was something only Frank got to see, and his life became a lot more fun whenever he realized that. Work Mel seemed organized and composed, but the version he was looking at right now felt much more like the real Mel.

“Wait a second, what’s that shirt?”—Frank asked with a smile, moving his phone closer to his face to get a better look. “Are those two atoms?”

“It’s awesome, isn’t it? I got this shirt in high school!”—she said excitedly. —“One atom is giving an electron to the other atom.”

“Mel… that’s ridiculous,”—he said, lying.

Frank used to wear exactly that kind of shirt in college, which had often been the source of jokes from his friends. But he didn’t need to tell Mel that because she already knew. Yolanda constantly sent Mel pictures of Frank from his college days. The two of them claimed it was one of their favorite hobbies.

“I’m buying you one too! We can wear them at work and match!”—Mel said with a grin as she placed the plate on the drying rack.

Frank laughed in acceptance. He didn’t doubt for a second that she would actually buy it because Mel was simply like that. She loved being in charge, and Frank loved following her lead.

“Uhm… Mel, I’m seeing Penny and Tanner tomorrow. What do you think we should do? I didn’t plan anything. I was thinking about taking them to the park, but Abby said Tanner’s been feeling a little sick lately and probably won’t enjoy it.”—Langdon says keeping his voice tone up as he talked.

“I don’t know… have you thought about a theater? Or maybe a circus?”— Mel suggested as she picked up her phone and headed toward the living room.

“I thought about that too, but Penny hates sitting still, and Tanner probably wouldn’t stay in his seat either,”—Langdon said casually rubbing his eye.

“Then… why don’t you bring them here? I think they’d love it! Penny likes making friendship bracelets, right? Becca has tons of beads, and we still have some of our childhood toys that I think they’d absolutely love.”—Mel plans while she was smiling gently.

She was still looking at him with the same intensity she had shown the day he approached her in the break room with a patient’s puppy during her first week at the hospital. He could still vividly remember her face lighting up when she said, “A thousand?” That was exactly the expression she wore now, and he immediately recognized her excitement.

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble, Mel? It’s your day off, and I don’t want to bother you with this kind of—”

“I don’t have much to do, Frank. You know I wouldn’t mind. I love kids,”— she interrupted gently.

“Then…”—he took a deep breath, building a smile on his face— “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“see you tomorrow!”—Mel said smiling.

A few seconds later, Frank ended the call, wondering how Penny and Tanner would react to meeting Mel.— He shouldn’t have been nervous. Mel was just a friend.—But he still felt differently.

He wanted his children—the people he loved most in the world—to like the person he trusted and admired most in the world. And the thought of them not liking her was almost unbearable.

———————————————————————
Contact: Mel

Frank: I’ll be there in a few minutes!
12:07

Mel: Okay, look what I’m making!
Mel sent a photo of a lasagna.
12:10

Frank: You’re not going to heat up frozen pizza?
12:10

Mel: Shut up, Frank Langdon!
12:11

Seen by Frank 2 minutes ago

Frank smiled like a school boy as he drove carefully, laughing at Mel’s message from two minutes ago while Penny and Tanner sat in the back seat. Penny was in a child seat; however, Tanner was sitting beside her, playing with an Iron Man action figure.

Penny didn’t like sitting still and felt uncomfortable in her seat, so every five minutes she would call for Langdon in tears.

“Dada,” Penny said softly, crying.

“I know, sweetheart. We’re almost there, okay?” Langdon said, reaching his arm back to gently stroke Penny affectionately.

Five minutes later, Frank had arrived.

He could see the reddish bricks of Mel’s apartment building. He knew exactly which window was hers because sometimes he would throw little pebbles at it just to annoy her. The window was open, but he couldn’t see very well inside, so he lowered his head to get a better look. He failed.

After several minutes trying to find somewhere to park—one of the things he hated most about visiting Mel’s place—he finally found a spot on the corner.

Frank picked Penny up, holding her gently with his left arm while holding Tanner’s hand with his right.

“Dad, where’s her house?” Tanner asked, trying to look up at Langdon.

“We’re almost there. It’s right over there!” he said, nodding forward.

Penny was lying against his chest, a little sleepy. Langdon knew that didn’t mean much because within three minutes she would probably be running around or playing with something she definitely shouldn’t be touching.

Frank took out the key to Mel’s apartment that she had given him a few months earlier. Becca used the same key, but since Mel was usually the one who picked her up, she had given the key to Langdon because he was generally the person who spent the most time there. In short, she had simply given him Becca’s key.

And he loved having her trust, even if it was only hers.

During the two years he’d known Mel, he had lost the trust of several very important people in his life, but having Mel’s trust felt like a gift amidst all that suffering.

When they reached Mel’s door, Frank knocked just to be safe.

Mel opened it after thirty seconds.

“Hii,” Mel said with a gentle smile.

“Hii, Mel. These are Penny and Tanner,” Frank said, looking at his children before looking at her.

Mel knelt down to Tanner’s height.

“Hi, Tanner. Your dad told me you like Marvel, right? I have something you’re going to love! I’m a Marvel fan too, and my favorite character is Doctor Strange! Who’s yours?” Mel asked with a warm smile.

“I like Iron Man. He’s really cool,” Tanner said happily.

“He is!” Mel replied with a smile as she stood up and moved closer to Penny.

“Hi, Pen. Your dad has told me a lot about you too! I have a surprise. Do you want to come see it with me?” Mel asked, opening her arms toward Penny.

Penny hesitated for a second, and that was exactly what Mel had expected, so she knew exactly what to say.

“You’re going to love it, I promise,” Mel said gently.

Penny slowly pulled away from her father’s chest and moved into Mel’s arms.

Mel adored children, and Frank knew that very well, so he knew exactly what her reaction would be.

As Penny settled into her arms, Mel parted her lips and smiled, looking both shocked and delighted.

Frank laughed and closed the door behind him while holding Tanner’s hand.

Mel carried Penny to the living room and pointed to a large box sitting on the chair in front of the couch—the same couch where Frank usually slept.

“Do you know what this is? A whole bunch of beads so we can make friendship bracelets! Your dada told me you love them. My sister loves them too!” Mel said, watching Penny’s reaction carefully.

Penny smiled and hugged Mel.

At that moment, Frank knew Mel was going to become one of Penny’s favorite people, and that was going to cost him dearly.

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Exactly one hour later, Mel was finishing lunch while Frank helped her. Penny and Tanner were playing in the living room.

They were completely comfortable and didn’t seem like they were in the house of a stranger they had met only two hours earlier, and that made Frank happy.

“I’m so happy Tanner and Penny liked you,” —Frank said with a smile while washing dishes, something he absolutely hated doing.

Mel walked over beside him, placing the lasagna dish on the counter.

“Me too! I loved spending time with them,” —Mel said, smiling at Langdon.

“Tanner has your eyes, and Penny looks so much like you,”—Mel said with a smile.

“Why do you think they’re so good-looking?” —Frank asked, giving Mel a look that only she understood.

She shoved his arm while laughing.

Frank loved moments like these, and at that moment, that was all that mattered to him.

“By the way, can you stop making me wash dishes? You know I hate doing this,” —Frank said reluctantly because he already knew Mel would disagree.

“But you still have to do it,”—Mel replied with a grin.

“Alright then, Dr. King. Whatever you say!”—he said while drying the dishes he had washed a few minutes earlier.

Frank had always been very good at being confident. However, with Mel, everything was different.With her, everything seemed to operate under her control.Mel had always been the more confident one between the two of them, and that had always been a fact in their friendship. She was always the one deciding what to do or how to act in every situation, and Frank always went along with it. Even their coworkers found it strange how differently Frank behaved around Mel, and how that confident man became a completely obedient one when she was around. And Surprisingly, he didn’t mind at all.

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Mel watched Penny, who was standing in front of her, leaning against the living room table while making a bracelet with purple and pink beads.

Tanner sat beside Mel, making a blue and green bracelet.

Mel watched them carefully as they worked, helping whenever they needed it and smiling gently.

“Mel, can you help me, please?”—Tanner asked, holding both ends of his bracelet.

“Of course,”—Mel replied with a smile.

She didn’t smile simply out of kindness, but she smiled because Tanner had called her by her name.Tanner sounded just like his father when he said it, and that made her genuinely happy.

Mel tied the loose strings together and handed the bracelet back to him.

“Here you go!”—Mel said warmly.

Tanner looked at the bracelet for a few seconds before putting it on his right wrist.

“What do you think, Aunt Mel?”—Tanner asked proudly, showing her the bracelet.

Mel smiled at the bracelet and then at him.

“It’s the most beautiful bracelet I’ve ever seen—”

She was interrupted by a small hand resting gently on her shoulder.—Penny was holding out her bracelet, asking Mel to help her too.

Penny was four years old and didn’t like talking very much, so Mel knew this was an act of trust and affection.

Mel smiled at Penny. — she’s so much like her father— Mel thought.

“Of course,”— Mel said, smiling as she tied the two ends of the bracelet together.

Mel handed the bracelet back to Penny affectionately. Penny took it and immediately handed it back to Mel with a smile.

“Is this for me?”—Mel asked, her expression changing.

Penny nodded.

Mel smiled, looking genuinely excited.

Mel loved receiving gifts that people had made themselves, and the bracelet wasn’t just an accessory—it represented a relationship that would continue to grow in the future.

“Let’s go show your dad,”—Mel said, picking Penny up and looking at Tanner, gently inviting him to come with them.

Tanner followed them into the kitchen, where his father was drying dishes.

“Dada!” Penny said excitedly.

Frank placed the last plate into the cupboard, closed it, picked Penny up, and smiled.

“We were making bracelets,”—Mel said excitedly.

Penny and Tanner proudly showed the bracelets they had made for themselves.

Frank smiled.

“Wow, they’re beautiful!”—Frank said smiling softly

Mel looked at Tanner and then at Frank, smiling broadly.

“Look what Penny made for me,”—Mel said excitedly, holding up her arm beside her face.

Frank smiled because he knew how much that meant to both Mel and Penny.

Penny usually made bracelets for people she admired, and he knew that because everyone in the family had at least one bracelet she had made herself.

“Welcome to the family, Mel King,”— Frank said with a smile.

———————————————————————

Frank was lying with his head on Mel’s right thigh. The two of them were sharing a yellow blanket, the same one he usually slept with. Mel’s legs were covered, but Langdon could still smell her peach-scented perfume. He loved the scent in her hair, and he loved how her body smelled like a fruit he didn’t even like, yet because it was her, it somehow became a wonderful scent.

While Frank complained about a neurosurgery he had just seen on Grey’s Anatomy, Mel was reading a book about political controversies during the Cold War, a topic she always brought up whenever they talked about history.—History was one of their favorite subjects.— Frank loved talking about World War II and how it influenced the Cold War, while Mel loved talking about the Napoleonic Wars (She was more interested in colonialism). She hadn’t cared much about history after the nineteenth century until Frank encouraged her to learn more about the Cold War, and now they talked about it all day long.

“Mel, look at how they did this craniotomy! This is ridiculous!”—Frank said, pointing indignantly at the television.

Mel looked away from her book for a moment before returning to the same word she had abandoned three seconds earlier.

“Grey’s Anatomy wasn’t made for doctors. It was made for people looking for entertainment,”—Mel said while silently reading.

“But they don’t even try to pretend this is a hospital!”—Frank said, raising his voice slightly.

“Shh,”—Mel whispered, looking at Langdon.

“Becca’s sleeping!”— Mel warned him.

“Ok,”—Frank whispered, obeying her.

Silence settled over the room, broken only by the sounds coming from the television, until Mel whispers: “Why do you still watch it if it annoys you so much?”—she asked curiously.

Frank lifted his head and looked at Mel while still resting against her leg.

“I want to see Meredith and Derek end up together,”—Frank said with a laugh before laying his head back down on her leg.

Mel smiled and calmly returned to her book.

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Frank always snored whenever he finished an exhausting shift, and Mel always complained about it. Deep down, though, she thought that his slightly open mouth and the way his eyebrows stayed tense while he slept were one of the most adorable expressions she had ever seen.

Mel looked at the clock on her phone. —It was exactly 3:00 a.m. —She locked her phone and looked at Frank, snoring softly with his mouth slightly open while the moonlight illuminated his face.

Mel immediately smiled.

Mel turned her phone back on and took a picture, laughing quietly and feeling strangely proud that she got to witness moments like that. Mel reached beneath the blanket they were sharing and grabbed the remote, using it to turn off the television.

She looked at him for two more seconds before gently using both hands to lift his head from her leg.Carefully standing up, she picked up her phone and book with her right hand. Mel calmly covered Frank with the blanket while he remained asleep, and after watching him for three more seconds, she decided to leave, turning her entire body toward the hallway. Just as she was about to take her first step, she felt Frank’s hand—firm and strong—grab her arm.

Mel knew Frank was strong, but he had clearly used more strength than someone half asleep normally would. It startled her because she hadn’t expected it, though it didn’t hurt.

“Mel… stay with me,”—Frank pleaded in a rough voice.

Mel didn’t move.

She looked slightly surprised, and that made Frank shift nervously, afraid of her answer. His eyes remained closed, but he seemed awake and anxious.

“Just five minutes,”—he whispered.

“Just five minutes…”—Mel replied, giving in to her own desire to stay.

Mel gently took Langdon’s hand and lay down beside him, resting against the arm that was stretched across the pillow. They moved closer to one another as though their bodies were already accustomed to finding each other. Mel could feel Frank’s warm breath against her forehead and the gentle movement of his arm against her back. Langdon’s shoulders were broad and strong, making her feel small in his embrace. Frank held her gently, and it made her feel comfortable in his arms.

Before long, Mel felt a deep wave of sleep wash over her, and she fell asleep while still feeling Frank’s warm breath against her face.

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“Mel? Frank? What happened?” Becca murmured, sounding alarmed.

Becca’s voice echoed through Mel’s mind as she slowly woke up. Mel opened her eyes gradually and found Langdon’s embarrassed face only inches from hers.She could feel his arm around her waist, and that startled her.

When Mel realized that the five minutes they had promised each other had somehow turned into five hours, she immediately sat up, startling Frank, who had woken when she accidentally pulled the blanket away with the force of her movement. Mel desperately searched for her glasses on the couch, moving frantically as her hair fell across her face. When she finally found them, she quickly put them on and looked at Becca, who was standing in front of them.

Mel took a deep breath and smiled.

“Good morning, Becca,”—Mel said, looking at Becca and then at Langdon, appearing confused.

“What happened?”—Becca asked, still waiting for an explanation.

“I… Frank and I were watching TV, and we accidentally fell asleep,”—Mel said, sounding nervous.

Frank stared at both Becca and Mel at the same time, confused and quiet. Becca and Mel both knew that Frank struggled to defend himself right after waking up, so they avoided involving him in the conversation.

Mel didn’t look at Langdon after answering Becca. Instead, she stood up and walked toward Becca while saying: “I’m going to take a shower, and then we’ll go to your facility.”

As she passed her sister and headed toward the bathroom, Becca looked at Frank and laughed sarcastically. Frank laughed along with her, still trying to fully open his eyes.

Becca had the same sense of humor as Frank, and they both loved laughing during awkward moments like that.

———————————————————————

12:00 p.m., last Saturday:

Mel, Becca, and Frank were in the living room of Mel’s house. Mel was reading a book that Santos had recommended, sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, facing Frank directly. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the small table in front of the sofa, staring at Becca while she chose which card to play.

Becca looked carefully at the three cards in her hand, while Frank looked at his ten cards and then back at Becca’s reaction.

“You’re cheating,”—Frank accused her.

“It’s not my fault I’m so good,”—Becca said, placing down the card she had spent minutes deciding on.

“I’ve never been this bad at a game like this,”—Frank said, sounding shocked.

“Don’t lie!”—Becca said, laughing sarcastically.

“Rebecca King!”—Frank said, laughing.

“Do you remember on our last thanksgiving? We played Tennis for two hours but you were so bad at it that I got bored of winning”— Becca affirms calmly

“You don’t have to be so rude”— Frank replies

“Im not being rude, im being accurate”— Becca affirms confidently

“Mel,do you see how rude your sister is?”—Frank says turning dramatically toward Mel

Without looking away from her page, Mel lifted a finger.

“You two need to stop”— Mel ordered unbothered

“The betrayal in this house is unbelievable.”—Frank says dramatically touching his own chest

“Yet you keep coming back,”—Becca pointed out.

Frank loved moments like these. Being around Becca was effortless. She understood every joke, matched every sarcastic remark, and somehow always managed to make him laugh, even when she was insulting him. Their friendship was one of the best things that happened to Mel’s life, but she never told anyone. Becca and Frank brought joy and balance into her life, and after years of living without the warmth of a family, she had finally found it in them—and in the countless foolish jokes they never seemed to run out of.

Those were the kinds of days when Mel didn’t have to worry about anything, and that made her even more content. She read her book peacefully while Frank and Becca battled each other in Uno. Mel could concentrate even with noise around her, so she didn’t need to call their attention when they were shouting or laughing. Mel was so focused on her book that she didn’t notice how quickly time had passed, and before she knew it, she was reading the final sentence while Becca was putting pink glitter in Frank’s hair as he watched Grey’s Anatomy sitting beside her.

Becca had loved playing with Frank’s hair ever since he started coming over to their house. Frank didn’t really care what Becca did to his hair, and sometimes he would even leave it that way for a few days.

“Frank, we’re working tomorrow. Do you really think you’ll remember to get all that glitter out of your hair?”—Mel said, placing her book on the counter and picking up her phone to check the time.

Frank looked at Becca as if asking her to defend herself, but Becca didn’t seem to care.

“Becca… you heard your sister,”—Frank said in an ironic tone.

“Okay, just wait a minute,”—Becca said, placing a star-shaped hair clip in his hair.

Mel smiled and opened her phone’s camera. She loved taking pictures of Frank whenever she could, and Frank knew exactly what her next move would be. Mel stood up and positioned herself in front of Frank and Becca, who were already prepared.

“Smile,”—Mel said, smiling with them as she looked at the camera.

Becca and Frank obeyed and smiled at Mel’s phone.

Mel sat down again while looking at the photo of Frank and Becca smiling. She smiled at her phone and immediately set it as her wallpaper, replacing the previous wallpaper, which had been a picture of Frank and Becca smiling at the picnic they had had the week before.

Mel turned the screen toward them so they could clearly see it and said: “You two look so cute.”

“Mel, delete it!”—Frank said, raising his eyebrows.

“You know everyone’s going to see that! If Santos sees this picture, she’ll call me Barbie for years,”—Frank said seriously.

Mel laughed, still looking at the phone screen proudly while staring at Frank and Becca’s faces on it.

“She won’t see my phone. I barely even use it at work,”—Mel said, smiling.

“But one day she will,” —Frank argued dramatically, moving his eyebrows.

Mel smiled as she stood up and headed toward her room, causing Frank to stand up and reach for her phone. They were clearly playing around with each other, so Becca just laughed while standing there and watching them struggle against one another. Frank tried to grab Mel’s arm while she dodged his hand, laughing at him while he laughed too.

“Seriously, Mel,”—Frank said, laughing and trying to take the phone while Mel moved her hand away, holding her arm above her head.

Mel smiled as she watched Frank try to grab the phone. She knew that if he really wanted it, he could get it in seconds simply by holding her arm, but Frank wasn’t like that, so she took advantage of the moment to tease him. Mel kept moving her hand away while he came closer, almost embracing her.

“Mellissa King…”—Frank said, still smiling.

And then, when Frank moved closer, their faces were so near that if he leaned in just a little more, their lips would touch. Neither of them moved, and they appeared startled, but in reality, they had both felt the same thing—the desire to kiss each other.

Langdon looked at Mel’s lips as if nothing else existed for a moment. The desire he felt at that instant spread across his entire body, making him shiver. Mel, on the other hand, didn’t stare at Frank’s lips the way he stared at hers, but her eyes drifted between his eyes and his mouth.

Mel could feel Frank’s body against hers while every fiber of her being tingled. She felt warm and looked slightly flushed, embarrassed. Her smile faded into an expression of focus and fear of doing something that Becca clearly didn’t want to witness.

“Mel?”—Becca asked while staring at Frank’s and Mel’s expressions.

Frank and Mel snapped out of what seemed like a dream they had shared and immediately turned toward Becca, who looked alarmed. Mel was the first to step away from Frank, hiding her phone behind her back while Frank tried to recover from the shock.

“I… I won’t show anyone…”—Mel said, looking at Langdon and then at Becca, trying to recover from the discomfort she had felt when she moved away from Frank.

Langdon clasped his hands behind his back because he felt a tingling sensation, as if his hands could act on their own, and the risk of losing control and touching Mel again was too great.

Langdon swallowed hard and looked away.

“Okay,”—Langdon said, apparently nervous.

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Mel and Frank obviously seemed strange after that moment. Throughout the entire day, Mel avoided looking at him or being near him, thinking that at some point her body would betray her. However, Frank accepted and understood the desire he had felt in that moment. It was not the first time Frank had felt the urge to kiss her, so he knew how to control himself and ignore his desires.

Mel in the other hand knew how to hide her feelings and desires very well, since she had a certain amount of experience with it. Since she was young, Mel had learned how to suppress her desires because of her sister. However, she only learned how to repress her own feelings when she met Langdon.

Two years earlier, when Mel met Langdon, one of the first things she noticed about him was his wedding ring. Frank did not talk much about his relationship with Abby (especially with her), but she felt that relationship had always been a barrier to her feelings. Mel did not see the affection she had for Langdon as love, but rather as an unrealistic crush. She liked how charming and funny Langdon was from the first time she met him, and she loved how he seemed to care about her, but she never wanted to interfere in Langdon’s life and always tried to ignored her own feelings no matter what.

When they started growing closer, Mel buried those feelings completely, promising herself that they were friends and would never be anything more than that. However, in that moment, with him so close to her face, those feelings had returned, and that frightened her.

From another perspective, Frank had accepted his feelings a long time ago, but he preferred having her as a friend rather than confessing his feelings and losing her completely. He was afraid of ruining everything the way he had with Abby, and if he did that, he would hate himself forever.

Frank discovered his feelings during one of the most embarrassing moments of his life, and that explained why he suppressed his desire to be with Mel.

———————————————————————

Eight months earlier, before divorcing Abby, during an ordinary shift that Frank remembered as vividly as if it had happened yesterday:

Everything was different. Frank and Mel were still at the beginning of their friendship, but they were already very close. Every patient Mel cared for was also Frank’s patient. They shared everything at work, and it even irritated their colleagues, who usually rolled their eyes whenever Langdon and Mel were in the same place; and on that day it wouldn’t be different.

“Male patient, twenty-nine years old, conscious and oriented. The laceration is superficial to moderate, with no bone exposure and no apparent tendon involvement. The bleeding is under control, but there is still some minor capillary bleeding along the wound edges. We asked for a x-ray and there’s no fracture on his bones,”—Mel presented the case to Frank while he examined the patient’s injury. The patient wore an expression of agony.

“When are you going to give me anesthesia? This hurts a lot,”—the patient asked, looking directly at Frank.

Frank looked at Mel, who was taking some needles on the table next to him and then back at the patient.

“We’ll provide that when we begin suturing,”—Frank said gently, smiling at Mel and then at the patient.

“Mel, I will see two patients, could you start suturing without me ?”— Frank says gently

“Of course”— Mel smiles
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An hour later, Frank had finished treating two patients and immediately thought about Mel and the patient they had seen together. He walked back to the corridor where he had been with Mel two hours earlier. The curtain was closed, so Langdon already knew Mel was inside suturing the patient’s leg.

Frank was about to pull the curtain aside for a clearer view of what was happening when he heard Mel laugh. The kind of laugh he usually only heard when he made a joke that only the two of them understood.

Suddenly, he felt his blood boil.

Frank stopped in front of the curtain, trying to listen to the conversation. Every time Mel laughed louder, he imagined giving the patient a traumatic brain injury.

Mel was mumbling something about the French Revolution, and Frank could feel his entire body burning with irritation.

Why was she talking about something that was uniquely their topic? She had never talked about the French Revolution with him—Frank thought.

He pulled the curtain open aggressively, intending to interrupt the conversation. Mel was suturing the patient’s leg, just as Frank had expected, and the patient seemed very pleased, which only made Frank even angrier.

“How are you, Mel?”—Frank asked, closing the curtain behind him and looking at her attentively.

Mel looked at him for three seconds before turning her attention back to the half-open wound on the patient’s leg.

“I’m almost done. I was just about to tell Mr. Mendes that in a few hours he’ll be able to go home,”—Mel said, passing the needle through the man’s skin.

“You can call me James, Dr. King,”—the man said with a smile.

Mel did not look at him, but she smiled and acknowledged his words with a nod.

Frank had never been the jealous type and usually joked whenever another man flirted with Abby, but this man made him lose his mind. The thought of someone else making Mel laugh or touching her romantically made his blood boil. Frank was very good at many things, and one of them was controlling himself when he was angry around Mel, but in that moment he wanted to explode for no reason at all.

Frank crossed his arms and positioned himself behind Mel, watching her work.

“Dr. King… what do you like to do in your free time?”—the patient asked, ignoring Langdon’s presence and watching Mel attentively.

“Well, I generally don’t have much free time, but sometimes I spend time with my sister and read…”—Mel replied, sounding slightly confused.

“What kind of books do you read?”—the man asked looking at her attentively.

“I mostly read history books… I read a lot about geo-colonialism and independence wars in different countries,”—she said, sounding more engaged in the conversation while still focusing on the leg.

“I haven’t read about geo-colonialism since college. Now I find it boring, but I read more about the Cold War. I think you’d like it. Why don’t you give it a try?”—the man suggested kindly.

“I’ve already tried getting her to read about the Cold War, but she isn’t interested in history after the nineteenth century,”—Frank answered coldly, responding to the patient while looking at Mel.

Mel smiled and looked up to have a good vision of Langdon.

“I never said that. I just think the Cold War is more of an old political conflict than history,”—Mel replied.

Langdon pulled a face reserved exclusively for her—the one he always wore when he was mocking or silently judging her opinions. Mel let out a laugh before turning her attention back to the patient.

“I’d love to learn more about the Cold War!”—Mel affirmed kindly.

“I have some great recommendations for you if you’d like,”—the man said with a gentle smile.

That irritated Frank, since he was the one who recommended history books to Mel all the time.

“Do you like coffee, Dr. King?”—the man asked, still paying close attention to her movements.

Frank could feel all your body shake and your temperature rising. A second later, he felt the words leave his mouth in a slightly harsh tone.

“She avoids caffeine,”—Frank muttered rudely.

Frank clearly wanted to prove to the man that he knew Mel and understood her preferences. Mel knew how to distinguish every tone in Frank’s voice, and she immediately realized he was not being kind.

Mel smiled at the patient and then looked at Frank, her expression changing while she was turning her head back to Langdon’s direction.

“Dr. Langdon, I think you have more patients waiting for you. I’m fine here. You can go see your patients,”—Mel affirmed harshly.

Frank felt offended, but he knew that if he did not obey her, he would probably feel guilty later. However, because of his stubbornness, he ignored her.

“No, I don’t have many patients waiting. I can stay here until you’re finished,”—Frank replied, crossing his arms stubbornly.

Ten seconds later, Mel was still staring at him in disbelief.

All three heard the curtain open, and there stood Dana, about to tell Frank something as she looked at the three of them.

“Dr. Langdon, the patient in south Two is still waiting for you,”—Dana said politely, waiting for a response.

“Tell him I’ll be there soon. I’m almost done here,”—Frank replied, looking at Dana and then at Mel.

“He’s getting impatient,”—Dana said, noticing something strange in Frank’s expression.

“I think it’s better if you go, Dr. Langdon. Everything is under control here,”—Mel said, watching him carefully.

“Alright then… I’ll be back,”—Frank replied, directing the statement more toward the patient than Mel, trying to reassure himself that he would not leave the man alone with her for too long.

Frank turned around, pulled the curtain aside, and left in a hurry.

—
—
—

Twenty minutes later, Frank returned to the area where the patient and Mel had been a few minutes earlier, but he couldn’t find them. Frank went to the nurses’ station and stared at Dana, looking confused as he said:

“Where are Mel and the patient with the cut on his leg in South 16?”

“He left a few minutes ago. As for Mel, I don’t know… she’s probably taking care of another patient,”—Dana said, also looking confused as she watched him closely.

“Why are you asking about her? You’re usually the person who knows where she is,”—Dana asked genuinely.

“I’ve been busy with a few patients and haven’t spoken to her since then,”—Frank said as he took a deep breath.

“But did you see if the patient gave Mel anything, or what happened to him after that?”—Frank asked while taking another deep breath.

“No. Why?”—Dana asked, frowning.

“He was treating her strangely… I didn’t like him!,”—Frank affirmed stressfully.

“Did he show any aggressive behavior toward her?”—Dana asked, apparently concerned.

“No… he… he was flirting with her,”—Frank said, using his left hand to cover his face in frustration while controlling his breathing.

“Langdon… seriously?”—Dana said in disbelief.

“Yes… I just want to know—” —Frank was interrupted by Dana, who seemed stressed.

“Frank Langdon, go take care of some patients before your wife actually files for divorce. We can talk about this later!”—Dana said sharply.

“You’re very rude, you know that?”—Frank said with a laugh, ignoring the fact that she was right. In that moment, Abby could be thinking about divorce.

At that point, Frank and Abby’s arguments had already become routine, and divorce was a subject that was frequently mentioned during those fights. Because of that, Frank didn’t seem offended and even found it easy to ignore Dana’s insults.

“You haven’t even seen me being rude yet,”—Dana said with a ironic smile, but Frank couldn’t see her because he was already turning away to attend to a patient, just as she had asked.

-
-
-

Frank held a large cup of boba between his fingers as he walked through the front doors of the hospital. He hated the entrance of that place—it was humid and smelled like illness, and also it made him feel claustrophobic. He quickly walked down the hallway, hoping nobody would shout, “Are you a doctor?” or “When am I getting out of here?”.

Frank opened the triage door with one hand while holding the damp cup.

“I want one,”—Donnie muttered as Frank walked past him.

“This one’s for someone else, but I’ll buy you another one tomorrow, I promise!”—Frank said, turning to look at Donnie while continuing to walk.

Frank turned back to get a clearer view of the hospital. When he reached the center of the department, his eyes were already searching for her. The hospital was full of people who weren’t interesting to Frank’s eyes, and whenever he found the person who was, he felt something in his body alerting him. He felt that alert when he saw Mel sitting in front of a computer, focused. She was charting, and Frank knew that because whenever she was concentrating, her eyebrows lowered and her mouth tightened.

Frank walked over to her and used the boba cup to get her attention.

“Hi, Mel,”—Frank said, placing the cup in front of her while resting his arm on the desk.

“Boba!”—Mel exclaimed excitedly, taking the cup and drinking through the straw.

“Where did you find this?”—Mel asked with a smile.

“I found a mall nearby that sells boba,”—Frank said, smiling and clearly lying, since the mall was about twenty minutes away from the hospital. He had searched on Google, and it was the closest place he could find.

Mel looked at him and smiled while sipping her drink.

“Did… did you talk to the patient with the cut on his leg?”—Frank asked, waiting carefully for an answer.

“Oh… yes, he left few minutes after the appointment,”—Mel replied while holding the boba cup in her right hand.

“And… did he say anything about coffee?”—Frank asked, sounding curious.

“Coffee?”—Mel asked, frowning.

“Did… did he ask you out?”—Frank asked quickly, looking embarrassed.

For a moment, Mel didn’t react. She pulled the straw away from her lips and set the cup down.

“No…”—she replied, looking confused.

“So he didn’t ask for your number or anything?”—Frank asked, sounding relieved.

“Oh… no…”—Mel said, still looking confused.

“Okay then… I have a patient in South 4. I’ll see you there!”—Frank said with a smile as he turned toward the room.

If it had been anyone else, Mel might have refused or complained, but it was Frank, and she trusted him, so she simply nodded in acknowledgment.

At that moment, Frank didn’t know the exact definition of what he had felt that day, but after months of knowing Mel, he realized it was fear of losing her and mainly jealousy. With that conclusion, Frank naturally understood that he was in love with Mel, and those feelings only grew as he got to know her better.

———————————————————————

Frank lay on the couch staring at the dark white ceiling. He was still thinking about all the times he had wanted to kiss her, but a few hours earlier he had realized that if he had been any closer to her, he wouldn’t have been able to control himself. Frank shifted on the couch feeling uncomfortable, but after hearing a sound coming from the bathroom, something inside him needed to know who it was. He got up, moving the blanket aside.

Frank walked slowly because he knew Becca was a light sleeper, and any noise would wake her up. The light was still off, and that detail alone was enough for him to know it was Mel, because whenever Becca used the bathroom, she usually turned the light on. Frank stopped in front of the bathroom when he saw Mel. He immediately felt a chill. Mel seemed surprised to see him. Her eyes looked dark, and he could see her slightly messy hair in the moonlight. At that moment, Frank was grateful that Mel’s apartment was bright enough for him to see her face clearly. He loved seeing her hair down, and that was one of the privileges he had from practically living at her place.

Frank felt that chill run through him again, and the urge to kiss her spread through his body once more.

“Frank… what are you doing here?”—Mel asked, apparently surprised.

“I…”—Frank couldn’t finish the sentence because two seconds later his lips were against hers.

They moved together, one against the other. Both intentionally moved closer until they crashed into each other. Mel quickly grabbed Frank’s shoulder to reach his height.

“Can I?”—Frank asked while touching Mel’s waist.

Frank’s lips were still touching hers, and he felt her nod in confirmation. He immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. Mel’s leg hooked around his waist, bringing them even closer. They continued kissing as if it were something they had wanted to do for years. He could smell the peach scent of her hair everywhere. Frank stepped into the bathroom and closed the door with one hand. He lifted Mel onto the sink counter, gently touching her.

Frank kissed her all over, from her face down to her upper chest. Neither of them spoke; they simply acted. When Mel felt Frank’s warm breath against her neck, she also felt his hand moving between her thighs.

“Frank,”—Mel whispered.

“Please,”—Frank said, lifting his head so he could clearly see her face.

“I can’t make noise,”—Mel said seriously.

Frank looked at her, his expression revealing how badly he wanted her. He looked like a begging puppy, and Mel hated when he did that because he always got what he wanted.

Mel kissed him, and he kissed her back. That was enough for Frank to do what he had asked twenty seconds earlier.

His fingers moved slowly along her thighs. Mel’s breathing became tense, and Frank noticed because she had started breathing through her mouth and could no longer kiss him properly. Frank smiled as he made her feel good—it was one of his favorite things in the world.

Mel moved her head back and forth while trying not to cry out. She whispered, “Frank,” while he continued. When Frank noticed the change in her breathing, he suddenly heard a noise. Mel immediately looked at Frank, and Frank looked back at her. Both of them seemed to be trying to solve the problem through telepathy, though Frank knew Mel would ultimately handle it.

Frank pulled his hand away while Mel slowly climbed down from the sink. They were still standing close together, but Mel hadn’t noticed because she was focused on the sound. She still felt flustered as she moved, unable to think much about what had just happened, while Frank continued staring at her without any particular expression.

“I’ll talk to her. Stay here,”—Mel whispered as she walked toward the door.

Frank couldn’t say a word. He could only think about what had just happened. He remained standing there motionless for five minutes until he realized that Becca and Mel had already finished talking and gone back to the bedroom.

———————————————————————

At 6:25, Langdon woke up sore and slightly tired. He got off the couch and folded the blanket. He could see his reflection in the television and knew he looked more exhausted than he did after a twelve-hour shift. His hair was sticking up, so he ran his right hand through it. His eyes hurt and his mouth was dry. Frank stood up, yawning and rubbing his face, trying to wake himself up.

Walking down the hallway, where he could see Becca’s bedroom door closed and Mel’s open, he headed straight for the bathroom door. The bathroom was closed, but a second later it wasn’t. Mel was opening it. She had already braided her hair and was wearing blue hospital pants and a T-shirt that read, “You Are Here,” with an arrow pointing toward a drawing of the universe. That made Frank smile because it was his shirt, one that Mel loved, and he had given it to her when she said she thought it was cool.

“Frank,”—Mel murmured, looking slightly startled.

“Good morning, Mel,”—Frank murmured with a smile, though he seemed nervous.

He tried to ignore the tingling in his hand and the burning ache in his chest when he saw her standing in the same place where they had kissed six hours earlier. Damn, this was going to be difficult. Seeing her and trying to fight his feelings would be the hardest thing.

“I… I want to use the bathroom,”—Frank replied, even though he knew that was what he should do, not what he wanted to do.

“O-okay…”—Mel said, blushing as she bit her lip.

Frank tried to move first, but Mel was faster and crossed the hallway a little quicker than usual. While Frank got ready for work in the bathroom, he heard Becca’s bedroom door open and Mel mumbling something about Becca’s facility. Frank took a deep breath while brushing his teeth, trying to find solutions for his life.

Mel had always been Langdon’s priority since the day they met, and everyone in his life knew it. Langdon had always been the kind of man who cared most about his family, but when he met Mel, that rule changed. Everyone around him noticed how his actions and reactions shifted whenever Mel was involved.—He automatically became more responsible, gentler, and more caring—,But at that moment, it was about him and her. It was about whether he could make her happy. Frank would always prioritize Mel’s happiness, and if her happiness depended on him, that was something he feared because he was afraid of disappointing her.

When Langdon came out of the bathroom, ready for work, the first person he saw was Becca sitting at the table eating cereal and smiling at him. Langdon smiled back and crossed his arms.

“Good morning, Becca! How did you sleep?”—Frank asked, looking at her and then at her bowl of cereal.

“Very well, thanks… and don’t even think about it, Frank!”—Becca said with an ironic smile while wrapping her arms around her cereal bowl.

“I wasn’t going to do anything… I swear!”—Frank said, smiling at her.

The two of them had very similar senses of humor, and sometimes it was strange how Becca always seemed to know exactly what Frank was going to do.

“Here,”—Mel said as she walked over to Langdon carrying the blue bowl he usually used.

“I love you, Mel King,”—Frank said as he took the bowl and sat in the chair next to Becca.

Mel laughed, even though at that very moment she was wondering a thousand things, and one of them was whether Langdon loved her.

———————————————————————

After Langdon dropped Becca off at her facility, the car was completely silent—not that awkward kind of silence, but the kind of silence that had a story behind it, and it was killing Frank from the inside.

Mel stared out the window, apparently a little more tired than she usually was in the morning. Mel had always been a morning person, and Frank often said it was almost annoying how easily she woke up full of energy, but on that particular day, she seemed more tired than usual. What bothered him was that he didn’t know whether it was because of what had happened the night before or something else he didn’t know about.

“Mel, are you okay?— Frank asked, looking at Mel for four seconds before turning his attention back to the road.

Mel looked back at him, still leaning against the seat.

“Yes, I’m just a little tired,”—Mel said with a gentle smile.

“You always have energy in the morning… are you feeling anything else? Maybe a fever?”—Frank asked, still looking at the road while frowning.

“I’m fine, seriously!”—Mel said with a smile, even though she was lying.

Mel’s head throbbed harder with every passing minute, and with every street they drove through, a different wave of nausea made her feel miserable. Mel wasn’t used to telling people when she was sick, and she was never quick to realize when she wasn’t feeling well. She was the kind of person who never cared about her own health, only other people’s. This always happened to her: having anemia without realizing it, becoming dehydrated because she forgot to eat, having low blood pressure, and many other problems caused by her lack of attention to herself.

She had never gotten used to the fact that she had someone she could tell everything to—she had Frank—and because of that, she never truly told the truth about how she felt, not because she wanted to hide it, but simply because it had become a habit.

———————————————————————

Frank was walking down the hallway, holding one of the medications he had personally prescribed for his patient, when he suddenly saw Dana running toward him, looking worried.

“Frank, it’s Mel…”— Dana didn’t need to say anything else. Frank had already taken off toward the center of the hospital, clearly concerned as he tried to find Mel.

Frank hadn’t seen Mel since the last patient they had treated together at 2 p.m., and that worried him because she could be in any condition. He couldn’t think straight and was sweating as if he had just run a marathon.

“Frank, over here!”—Frank heard Princess’s voice as she pointed toward the bed in front of her.

Langdon hurried toward the bed, not thinking about how quickly everything had happened, only about how Mel was doing. He saw Mel lying on the bed, pale. Her mouth was dry, and she looked even more exhausted than she had that morning.

“Mel…”—Frank said, letting out a deep breath of relief while still looking worried. He sat down in the chair beside the bed and watched her.

“I’m fine… seriously! It was just a scare,”—Mel said while resting her arm on the bed so Princess could check her blood pressure.

“Princess, what happened?”—Frank asked, ignoring Mel because he already knew what she was going to say.

“She was walking and fainted in South 15. She has hypotension, and she also has a fever. We gave her a dose of ibuprofen to bring the fever down, but she’s still very weak,”—Princess said while organizing some supplies on the counter.

“Have you ordered blood work and a cardiac evaluation yet?”—Frank asked, looking at Princess attentively.

“I don’t need any tests… I’m fine, Frank!”—Mel said, looking at Frank and then at Princess, who was removing the blood pressure cuff from her arm.

“Yes!”—Princess replied as she left the room, leaving Mel and Langdon alone.

Langdon stood up and turned off the light, knowing it would make Mel more comfortable. He sat back down and gently placed the four fingers of his right hand against her forehead.

“Do you have a headache?”—Frank asked as he pulled his hand away from her forehead.

“I’m fine, Frank, I swear!”—Mel said, her voice quieter than usual as she tried not to exert herself.

“I’m going to get you some water. Your mouth is—”—Frank was about to say “dry” as he stood up when he felt Mel’s hand on his arm. A shiver ran through him, and he looked at her.

“Stay here,”—Mel said as her hand rested along Langdon’s arm.

Frank obeyed, sitting back down in the chair he had been in moments earlier.

“I’m going to ask Robby if you can take the rest of the day off,”—Frank said, crossing his arms.

“That’s not necessary. I’m fine!”—Mel exclaimed, frowning.

“No, Mel, you’re not! I’ll be getting home early anyway. I’ll take care of you after work,”—Frank said, furrowing his eyebrows. He usually did that whenever he was planning something, Mel remembered.

“Frank, please—”—Mel said as she tried to sit up.

“Mel, please… let me take care of you,”—Frank asked gently.

“O-okay…”—Mel said, settling back into the position she had been in moments earlier.

“You look like the Ghost of Christmas Past from A Christmas Carol,”—Langdon remarked, knowing she would laugh because it was an inside joke from a book Mel had been reading during Christmas week, when they had spent an entire night watching the movie adaptations and laughing about how ugly the ghost looked.

“Langdon,”—Mel said, laughing quietly.

“I’m serious, Mel. You need to tell me when you’re feeling sick… you have no idea how worried I was when Dana told me,”—Frank said, still sitting in the same position and speaking seriously.

Mel remained still, looking at him attentively. She nodded in acknowledgment. The two of them stared at each other for thirty seconds without saying a word, as if their eyes were already speaking for them. Langdon wanted to talk about the night before, but this wasn’t the right time.

“We need to talk about…”
—Mel began, trying to gather her thoughts, but she was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

Robby stepped into the room, casually crossing his arms and smiling at Mel.

“Mel, Dana told me what happened. Go home. You’re not well and you need to rest,”—Robby said, crossing his arms and looking energetic, as though he already wanted to leave the room.

“I’m—”—Mel tried to speak, but Langdon interrupted her.

“No, Mel, you’re not! I’ll take care of your patients. We don’t have that many patients apart anyway,”—Frank said with a shrug, looking at Mel.

Mel wasn’t calm at all. The whole situation bothered her, and she felt guilty for being sick. But she knew Langdon was trying to comfort her, so she decided to take a deep breath and accept it.

-
-
-
-

Two hours later, Mel was already at home, exhausted and very, very ill. She felt a little stronger because of the ibuprofen and the vitamin Dana had made her take, but she still felt horrible inside. She took a cold shower to lower her body temperature and changed back into her pajamas. She picked up her phone to check for notifications and immediately noticed Mohan’s and Trinity’s messages grouped together as if they had been sent at the same time.

Mel opened Trinity’s message first and immediately laughed, even though her entire body ached. She could already imagine Trinity saying: “Did you have a heart attack? I hope you’re alive, I don’t want to deal with Langdon without you,” and that made her genuinely laugh.

Mel thought for a moment about what she would reply and typed: “I’m fine, it was just a scare.” Mel loved Trinity’s jokes, even if most people thought they were silly. Trinity was one of her best friends, and having her close was very important to Mel because she brought out a side of her that Mel never knew existed. They loved spending time doing the most random and crazy things imaginable—going to karaoke during the week, spending entire days at the mall looking at clothes Trinity hated just to try on outfits they would never wear, going out to completely different places with new people, and much more. Trinity was the most creative and fun person Mel knew, and that friendship made her happy in a special way.

Mel lay down on the bed, now looking at Mohan’s message, which said: “Are you okay? Robby and Dana just informed everyone that you went home because you were unwell.” Mel typed almost immediately: “I’m fine, it was hypotension, but I still don’t feel very well.”

Mohan, on the other hand, was someone who brought calmness and softness into Mel’s life. Mohan was caring and gentle, a perfect balance to Mel’s energy and kindness. Mel could tell Mohan the truth without fear of being judged, and that was one of the things that defined their friendship.

Mel turned off her phone and placed it on her nightstand, leaving it face down. She turned over and closed her eyes, disconnecting from the world for hours.

When Mel woke up, she was drenched in sweat as if she had been in a sauna. Her braids had loose strands, and her shirt was sticking to her body. She picked up her phone to check the time—7:50 p.m. She opened her notifications and saw that Santos had replied with a sticker of Whitaker making a strange face, and Mohan had also replied, saying: “I will come to your house tomorrow.”

She turned her phone face down again and got out of bed. She went to the bathroom, let her hair down, and took off her glasses almost immediately. She washed her face, dried it, and put her glasses back on. She walked into the living room and lay down, picking up her book. She stayed like that for two hours until she heard a noise at the door. By then, her book was almost finished, and she was in an interesting part about the Berlin Wall and its details, but her attention shifted to the sound.

Mel closed the book and placed it on the coffee table before standing up. She stopped in front of the door while the person outside tried to open it.

“Frank,”— Mel said, slightly surprised.—“You came very early. Most of the time you stay there a few more hours,”—she said, looking at him and then at the two large bags he was holding in one hand.

“I know, but since you’re at home, it didn’t make sense for me to stay there,”—Frank said casually, placing his keys on the table near the door and then the bags.

“What is this?”—Mel asked, looking at the bags.

“Vitamins and food,”—Frank said, heading to the kitchen sink to wash his hands.

“But I don’t need—”—Mel started, but couldn’t finish because Frank snapped.

“You need food and vitamins to get better. Did you eat today?”—Frank asked, walking toward her while drying his hands on his pants.

Mel looked at him as he picked up the bags from the table. She had actually forgotten to eat, and if she said she hadn’t eaten anything, Frank would probably freak out, so she lied.

“Uhm… yes,”—Mel said, bringing her hands together.

“I’ll help you,”—Mel said as she walked toward the kitchen.

Mel struggled slightly to take a pan from the cupboard. When she reached it, she placed it on the counter next to Frank, who was at the sink washing one of the vegetables he had bought.

“Mel, no, go rest!”—Frank ordered.

“I don’t need to rest, I slept the whole day,”—Mel said, looking at the bag in front of her while wondering why Frank had bought one kilo of chocolate when Becca couldn’t eat it because of her diabetes.

“Frank Langdon, are you seriously buying chocolate for Becca?”—she said, staring at him seriously.

“I… I… I bought it for myself,”—Frank said, clearly lying, because two hours earlier he had called Becca asking what she wanted from the store, and she had said “dark chocolate,” begging him not to tell Mel.

“You don’t like dark chocolate,”—Mel said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“She asked for it, okay? Just a little! By controlling how much sugar she eats, her diabetes can be managed,”—Frank said, picking up an onion and preparing to cut it.

“You know she never controls it. You can’t just do everything she wants all the time, you know that?”—Mel muttered, putting items away in the cupboard next to her.

“I can’t say no to a King woman”—Frank said, looking at Mel with a teasing frown.

“You’re not funny, Langdon,”—Mel said, going back to his side while putting a piece of meat in the pan.

“You’re lying,”—Frank said confidently.

And that was how half of their night went—talking, laughing, and cooking until they finished everything in the kitchen again.

Frank was washing the dishes while Mel was clearing the table. They had just eaten, and Langdon looked like he was about to fall asleep right there from exhaustion. Mel went into the kitchen and looked at him while he washed the dishes. She could easily read Frank’s expressions and understood how tired he was. By then, it was already 11:00 p.m., and he hadn’t even gotten ready for bed. Mel took the sponge from his hand, and he looked at her.

“I’ll wash them. Go get ready for bed,”—Mel ordered.

“No, Mel, I’ll do it, it’s quick!”—Frank insisted, trying to grab the sponge, but couldn’t reach it.

“No, Frank, you need to rest for tomorrow’s shift. Go sleep!”—Mel ordered again.

At that moment, their shoulders were touching, and that urge to touch her came back again. Frank’s thoughts became clouded as that feeling spread through his body. He didn’t care about his shift, or his aching back, or whether they would ruin their friendship—he just wanted her.

Mel looked at him for a moment and let go of the sponge when he looked back at her. For a second, they mirrored the same movement they had shared in the bathroom the night before. They collided, as if they had finally done something right after years. Mel stood on her toes to reach Frank’s height. The height difference frustrated Frank because it kept him from getting closer, so he lifted her by the waist and placed her on the counter. He touched her gently, kissing her intensely, moving from her face to her neck and collarbone while she held his shoulders.

“Frank, it’s better if we don’t do this here,”—Mel said, almost out of breath.

“Okay,”—Frank replied, holding her waist the same way he had the night before in the bathroom.

Mel couldn’t say anything else, as Frank pulled her closer and kissed her again, cutting off her words completely. He moved quickly, as if he had been holding back for a long time. He opened the bedroom door with one hand while holding her with the other and gently laid her on the bed.

Frank paused for a moment, looking at her as if trying to memorize her. A quiet smile crossed his face before he leaned in again, kissing her with more intensity, his emotions spilling over into every movement. His touch was careful but desperate at the same time, like he couldn’t quite decide whether to hold back or give in completely.

———————————————————————

Mel felt Frank’s warm breath against her forehead, as well as his warm body close to hers. She could feel his right arm beneath her head, acting like a pillow, as she slowly opened her eyes and got a clearer view of his face in front of her.

It was easy to memorize Frank’s features—bright blue eyes, thin pink lips that matched his thick eyebrows and black hair (which Becca loved, and Mel didn’t judge her for, since she also enjoyed running her fingers through it whenever she had the chance).
Mel tried to ignore the weakness in her legs and the overall discomfort in her body. She reached out for her phone on the nightstand. —06:30.—She startled and quickly sat up, feeling slightly dizzy. She was wearing Frank’s shirt from his previous shift and nothing else, but that didn’t worry her as much as the time did.

“Frank,”—Mel said firmly, touching his shoulder.

Frank was still lying in the same position she had seen him in when she woke up—arms stretched out, eyes closed, mouth slightly open, clearly asleep. And that was what Mel loved most about him: his clumsy, attractive way of being, even while sleeping. She shook his shoulder firmly, waking him immediately.

“Frank, we’re late,”—Mel said, putting on her glasses and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“But… what time is it? My God, you look beautiful,”—Frank said, slightly confused but now alert.

“Frank, seriously! it’s already 06:32!”—Mel said, getting out of bed, but she was pulled back by Frank’s hand.

“Just five more minutes… stay with me for five more minutes,”—Frank said, holding her as she lay back down, giving in.

“Frank…”—she whispered.

“Mel, it’s just five minutes. We’re not going to be late because of five minutes,”—Frank argued.

“But we need to see the night shift patients and—”—Mel tried to continue, but Frank was too stubborn and had already closed his eyes, gently running his fingers through her hair, stopping her from continuing.

“Alright, we’ll deal with it later,”—Frank said, holding her close.

Frank had always been unnaturally rushed when going to work while he lived with Abby, and that had once been seen as one of his flaws. People interpreted it as ambition or work addiction, but after separating from Abby, he realized it was actually a desperate need to escape the situation he was in. Neither of them had been happy in that relationship, and even with all their efforts, it was never going to work. But with Mel, everything felt easier and less complicated. Even their smallest arguments made sense, and being with her felt right to Frank. Being with her made him happy, and he didn’t want anything in the world to interfere with that—which was why he had stopped caring about time. And it was all because of her.

“Mel, I want to stay like this forever,”—Frank whispered, resting his chin on her head.

“Like this? Lying down?”—Mel whispered against his chest, closing her eyes.

“No, I want to be with you forever,”—Frank said, pulling back slightly to look at her.

Mel smiled genuinely and said, “Me too.”

Frank leaned in again, gently kissing her forehead before closing his eyes and whispering, “I love you, Melissa King,” as they both drifted back to sleep.