Chapter Text
Standing outside of a rundown hotel building was not the most ideal way to spend your night; especially in a sketchy part of the neighborhood. The street light would flicker occasionally debating whether to fight the urge to die and leave Dennis in the dark, again. A job opportunity had opened up for Dennis. He had decided to take it and next thing he knew he was traveling to New Jersey; Princeton, New Jersey, to be exact. He had asked his roommate and colleague, Trinity Santos whether or not she had received the same email or not. She had said no and seemed perplexed as to why he had asked. He was not looking for a new job. He enjoyed the fast-paced work environment of the Pitt and possibly lusting over his bo–
No, he can’t think of his boss like that.
It was unprofessional.
That was why he decided to say fuck it and spontaneously take the job interview for a position that he wasn’t entirely sure what it entailed. He knew the hospital he was traveling to was unique for a reason. They had a whole department settled for just one man and that department did not exist in any other hospital. He had planned to let life take the wheel and see where it lands him. It had already fucked him over by embarrassing himself in front of his boss on the man’s last day before his three-month sabbatical trip. Was this why he had decided to throw away his common sense and drive 336 miles to Princeton, New Jersey?
Now, he thinks about it. How the hell did the person get his email address, let alone pick him out of any other capable doctor? Dennis was just a first year resident in Emergency Medicine. He lacked experience compared to other well-seasoned doctors. He shook his head and took a step into the skeptical looking building. He was greeted by a bright shade of red from the walls and an uncomfortable orange-brown reception desk. Whoever chose the combination was not in their right mind. Well, who is anymore?
Definitely not, Dennis.
His eyes traveled to the lady sitting at the front desk. She was more focused on peelings of paint from the wall than the awkward standing man in front of her. Her eyes were unstable. Her nails picked at the red paint, creating a pile of shreddings on the counter. Maybe it would be a wise idea to not go the cheap route, Dennis thought.
He cleared his throat.
“Excuse me, ma’am? I’d like a room for the night.”
The lady looked up and simply pointed to the book resting on the desk.
Dennis took a step forward and glanced down at the book. His eyes traveled across the information and picked up the pen. It was an old-fashioned method compared to what bigger hotels use nowadays. He repeated the same saying over, “It’s only because it’s cheap, and we are tight on money even with our first pay check.” He scribbled down his name and contact information besides a room number. Dennis Whitaker, XXX-XXX-XXXX. He handed over the money, hesitantly. The lady paid no attention to him, only to the paint shavings on the wall.
Dennis took his duffel bag and walked to his room. The hallways were dimly lit with old lightbulbs, not the LED lightbulbs. The hotel had a weird smell to it. It closely resembled rotten eggs. Dennis pinched his nose and quickened his pace. He finally made it to his room, Room A-8. He realized that he never received a way into the room. He attempted to open the door and surprisingly the door opened. That was a major violation in privacy, Dennis frowned.
The room was in worse shape than the National Debt. Maybe that was an understatement. He’s lived on the streets, shelters, or even park benches. But, this took this onto a whole new level. The definition of cheap suddenly felt like a golden ticket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The place hadn’t been taken care of at all. He realized that he was grateful for what Trinity had done for him the night of their first shift. He had a roof under his head, food, running water, and a friend if Trinity dared to even call him that. Trinity would have scolded him for even thinking of staying in this hotel room and risk returning home with bed bugs or worse. He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Dennis found himself spending the night in his car, outside of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. It briefly reminded him of his first shift in PTMC and the room on floor eight. He was now 200 dollars in the hole and already regretted leaving Pittsburgh for some stupid job interview. Dennis rested his head against the steering wheel. A red mark resting against his forehead. His phone lay to the side, awaiting for Trinity to see his text messages. He was sure that the woman was off her shift or she was possibly with Garcia. Dennis wished that he could have a relationship as well, maybe with his—
What was he thinking?
Dennis hit his head against the steering wheel, letting out a strand of soft curses when pain blossomed up. The quietness never used to bother him until now. He realized how lucky he was to have friends, friends. He could never imagine having this many friends, especially when he was back in Broken Bow. He was lucky to have someone to talk to that wasn’t his mother or their family dog. Dennis hadn’t thought about his family since he started his rotations. The pit in his heart reminded of its location to Dennis.
His phone ran, jolting him out of his own self-pity. His ringtone for Trinity was “Dancing Queen" by ABBA for the times they spent in gay bars and clubs. She danced a lot. Even when intoxicated, her hips moved to the beat of the upbeat music. He thought the song was fitting for Trinity even with his “old person” music taste according to Trinity. He fumbled to answer the phone.
“Huckleberry, how is the life of New Jersey treating you?”
“Good…?”
“That did not sound positive enough to pass the vibe check.”
“Trinity–”
“Something happened in the span of 336 miles that I allowed you to travel for the sake of a measly job interview?”
Dennis sighed. Somehow the woman was an expert at reading his emotions to his dismay. He didn’t want to worry Trinity especially after all he has done for him. He was forever in her debt. He looked up at the lit-up hospital building that he’ll be entering in the next twelve hours for his interview.
“I may have blown an eighth of my paycheck on a questionable hotel, so that’s a start.”
Trinity sighed on the other side of the phone. He could visibly picture her frustrated face. He felt guilty that he made her worry about him. It was his first time having so much money to his name after being homeless and still drowning in student debt. He felt like a financially incapable teenager or maybe that’s what Trinity thought.
“Are you 100-percent positive that you want to go ahead with this job interview? A lot of us at the Pitt will miss you, especially that one attending~”
Her tone was teasing.
“Robby will not miss me, Trin!” Dennis exclaimed, flustered.
“I did not know that attending was Robby?” Trinity had caught him, “Mind sharing to the class, Huckleberry?”
“I have nothing to say other than what you think is wrong about me and him,” Dennis said.
Trinity did not seem to believe a word that Dennis said. “You know he asked about you on his last day,” she briefly mentioned.
Dennis remained silent on his side of the phone. Robby had asked about him? That was new and surprising. His heart beat slightly faster at the thought Robby was asking about him to Trinity of all people. Wait, Trinity… That was the one person that can single-handedly ruin everything he set himself out to be in front of. He had finally become a doctor and reached a point where he felt more comfortable in Pittsburgh. He had become slightly more confident with his longer curls that don’t look like a poor haircut, his muscles from farm work have returned, his bags under his eyes weren’t as prominent as before, and he felt comfortable with everyone in the Pitt for the most part.
“What did he ask about?” Dennis asked her, his tone hesitant.
Trinity seemed fond about the question because her tone changed to amused in the matter of seconds. He could picture her smirking as she ruffled his feathers. It was a bond that was similar yet different from his older brothers. Trinity was like a sister to him whether or not she or he wanted to admit that.
“Well, he wanted to know more about your personal life.”
A beat flickered between them.
“He wanted to know about my personal life?”
“Yeah, so I told him about your farmboy life with Amy and her baby.”
“What? I’ve told you that there’s nothing between us besides helping her out.”
“And how are you helping her out?”
Dennis was baffled at her commitment to thinking he was seeing Amy. “You know the usual stuff with fixing up farm machinery, feeding the animals, and fixing broken fences,” he responded.
He knew his tone was desperate at this point. He was praying to any god out there that she did not put the thought in Robby’s mind that he was fucking with a newly widow and playing daddy for her baby. He knew it was stupid to strive to perfect in their attending’s eyes, but he was that kind of stupid. He couldn’t help but be enamored by Robby’s presence from the very start. Trinity had helped Dennis realize that the stern teachings of his parents and the Bible did not define who he is. He learned that it was okay to look at other men the same way that men looked at women. That lesson blossomed into a small crush of his attending who is double his age, and she knew he was gay.
Trinity did not comment on what he had said, instead she brought up something completely different correlating with Crash, Victoria. He listened to her talk about her day in the Pitt. He heard all about the cases that she and others saw for the day. He felt a ping of longing to be back in the Pitt with the others and with Dr. Robby. He really did wonder why he even attempted to think he could possibly go for this job interview with the lack of experience on his hands compared to other doctors. He was a fresh doctor right out of med school who is trying to pave his way in life.
Their conversation lasted for another thirty minutes before they had to reluctantly end the call. He stared at his phone screen, searching for comfort in his lock screen of his friends: Trinity, Mel, Samira, and Victoria. He smiled softly at the photo they had taken for when they went out clubbing when Mel had some time away from playing caregiver for her sister. It was a fun night regardless of the numerous amounts of alcohol consumed and the awful hangover afterwards. Those were good times.
Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital was a unique hospital. Dennis was guided to a classroom that resembled an old-school high school classroom with other doctors. He felt oddly out of place. He had forgotten the most important wardrobe apparel, the white lab coat. Everyone else in the room wore a white lab coat except for him. Dennis clutched the paper number in his hands as he awkwardly located his seat. He sat next to a man who had brown skin and dark hair. He seemed like a friendly man just from his presence. Dennis eyed the man’s number, “6.”
They exchanged a brief smile before turning away. He seems like a nice guy, Dennis thought. Dennis took the piece of paper and placed it on his abdomen. He was the No. 7 which he assumed meant he was going seventh in the interview lineup. He had noticed that a few seats were not filled. They were supposed to be here by 9:30 and it was 9:20 when he walked in. There were at least 40 seats in this classroom and he would be going against that many people? That was insane.
Time seemed to fly by slowly waiting for the rest of the applicants to come in and the supposed doctor they were supposed to be getting interviewed by. He fiddled with his tie that Trinity convinced him to wear for the purpose of killing their interviewer with good looks. The analog clock sitting on the top of two large chalkboards read 9:30. Everyone seemed to be anxiously awaiting for the door to open.
The door opened at 9:35 and a familiar figure walked in with his motorcycle jacket and sunglasses. Dennis felt his heart drop in the matter of seconds. The man was tall, had a beard that was starting to turn gray, and strong shoulders. Holy shit, that was his chief attending, Dr. Michael Robinavitch, Dr. Robby!
“Dr. Robby!” Dennis exclaimed aloud, flabbergasted.
Robby looked up at the sound of his voice and simply nodded in Dennis' direction. He had absolutely no clue what was going on, but everyone in the room was looking at Dennis now. A blonde haired woman who had straight hair and dressed professionally was staring at him. Her number was “24.” She gave Dennis the impression she belonged here. All the eyes were getting to him. He cowered down into his chair, making himself look smaller than he actually was. The stares weren’t helping his sporadic thoughts about Robby’s sudden appearance.
Several questions ran through his mind.
- Did Dr. Robby receive the same email as him?
- Why was his boss here at a job interview?
- Why isn’t he on his sabbatical?
- Is this coincidental?
Robby sat down in the empty seat closer to the door. Dennis noticed that the man was labeled as “30” from his paper. He desperately needed to text Trinity right now or even the group chat with his friends as well because why the hell is his boss who is supposed to be on vacation here at a job interview? His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps accompanied by a clicking noise on the tile. A man walked in who used a cane on the wrong side of his leg. Dennis had a bad feeling about this man and for what was to come.
The man opened up to the group with a smirk, “This will be the longest job interview of your life.”
Dennis looked at the man then had the realization that this was not an ordinary job interview. This man, who dressed nothing like the doctors in front of him, was different from the rest. There was an underlying method to his intentions. Dennis was not sure if he should be here. All of these other doctors–especially Dr. Robby–were more talented, experienced, and worth the position.
The man continued, “I will test you in ways that you will often consider unfair, demeaning, and illegal. And you'll often be right.”
Dennis paused at the word, illegal. Medical Malpractice? Holy shit, this day is feeling more and more like a dream. He had to pinch himself to check if he was still sleeping in his bed at Trinity’s. Unfortunately, it was not a dream much to his dismay. He was still here with his boss at a possibly career-destroying job interview. This was a nightmare; a terrible one at that. He had just started his career as a licensed medical physician. Now, he was going to ruin his life because he couldn’t just say no. Maybe Dr. Robby was right, his empathy was going to be the death of him.
“Look to your left,” Dennis turned his head to the left as commanded. “Now look to your right.”
“By the end of six weeks, one of you will be gone, as will 28 more of you.”
Six weeks… He did not have enough days to take off especially when the Pitt was already severely understaffed as it was with Dr. Robby taking a sabbatical. Dennis put his face into his hands and regretted his idiocy. The air in the room was tense. It dawned upon him that this was no regular job interview. It was a battle for survival, a gameshow. This man in front of them saw them as just pawns on a chess board. He couldn’t help but feel a hint of excitement in the dark cloud of misery in his chest.