Work Text:
Mel is finishing sending a respiratory distress patient up to the ICU when Frank grabs her attention from the gurney being transported to the elevators.
“Dr. King, can I get your help on something?” He’s leaning out of the break room doorframe, half of his body still inside.
Her brow furrows, confused about what he could possibly need help with in the lounge, but she follows him anyway. She’s never been good about saying no to him.
“Can you shut the door for me?” he asks over his shoulder, heading towards the fridge.
She softly latches the door closed, and when she turns around, he’s there, a handful of confetti falling between them. He has a paper plate with a slice of coffee cake—her favorite—in one hand, and a small, goofy smile on his face. Her cheeks warm under his attention.
“Congratulations to PTMC’s newest ED Attending Physician,” he says softly. The same way he sounds when he tells her he loves her every morning.
She’d been refreshing her email for a week, willing something to come up about her application. Every person she talked to told her she had nothing to worry about, that she had great standing at this hospital and every single person loved her, but she was who she was, and the anxiety still won out in the end. Multiple times, Frank had to take her phone out of her hands and place it on his nightstand so she couldn’t reach it in bed.
“How did—”
“I have my ways.”
Her eyes widen, nerves rising in her gut. “Frank, you didn’t—”
“No, Mel, I didn’t pull rank. Who do you think I am?” he teases. “Besides I don’t have any rank to pull with Robby anyway.”
It’s been two years and Robby still avoids Frank at every turn. They’ve come to something civil, professional, but after months of trying his best to return to how things were before, Frank gave up and accepted it would never be the same. Mel watched it all happen in front of her eyes. It broke her heart a little to watch the will drain from Frank’s eyes.
“Dana told me,” he continues.
“This feels like a breach of something.”
“You’d be surprised how willing people are to break rules for Mel King,” he smiles. “I got six months of an undisclosed romantic relationship to prove it.”
She feels herself blush. “Thank you.”
“Congrats, baby. I’m so proud of you.” He places the coffee cake on the table and pulls her into a hug. He’s warm and familiar and she loves him.
She rises on her tiptoes and kisses him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She feels him smile against her lips.
“God, can you two get a room?” They must’ve missed the door opening, because Santos is standing in the doorway, arms crossed in annoyance, and turning back to the Hub.
“We literally had one!” Frank calls after her. “You barged in!”