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It was pretty normal for Melissa King to look anxious. In fact, most of the Pitt started to worry if her facial expressions weren’t some mix of anxiety, bubbly happiness and confusion. But, when Mel approached the nurses station with a look of pure fear mixed with something unrecognisable - lust, or was it love - Trinity knew something was up. There was only so much fidgeting she could sit through before she had to break the ice.
“What’s up with you, Melfeasance?” Trinity didn’t look up from her paperwork, her voice its regular flat tone that only her friends knew was a front she put up. Mel was delighted the first time she went to the bar with the other women from the Pitt and got to hear the happy, still sarcastic, cadence of Trinity’s real voice when she’s safe and happy.
“Hmm?” Mel looked up, her stethoscope still wrapped around her hands. “I have a problem.”
A rare smile broke across Trinity’s face. She dropped her paperwork. “Is it finally me?”
“What’s wrong?” Samira’s voice sounded from behind them, clearly approaching the nurses’ station to find out whatever random gossip Mel had for them.
Mel nervously swallowed, looking around the ER to check everyone’s positions.
“Dr Langdon.” She whispered, leaning in closer to Trinity and Samira to really make sure nobody else would overhear or be able to eavesdrop.
“Never mind.” Trinity sighed, rolling her eyes and turning back to her computer.
Samira, on the other hand, had a knowing glint in her eye. “Him again, Melanoma?”
Mel really wished people would stop picking up on Trinity’s annoying nickname habits. It was nice to have friends to surround her with though and nicknames are a fun, intimate gesture that people give when they’re finally comfortable with one another-
Never mind.
Not her concern right now.
Dr Langdon.
“He didn’t shave.” She was still whispering, shooting a look around the ER once more. Her eyes caught on where Dr Langdon was stood near Trauma 2 and a blush spread furiously across her face.
“Okay?” Samira followed her gaze, giving Frank a small wave. “And?”
“Samira!” Mel whisper-yelled, her eyes widening. “He. Has. Stubble!”
“Ew.” Her friends said in unison. Samira was shaking her head, partly out of confusion and partly out of intrigue. Mel tried to ignore the dramatic groans and vomit sounds coming from Trinity.
“No. Not ew.” She looked down again, fidgeting with her fingernails. “Very much not ew.”
Dr Robby broke the group up before they could continue their conversation any further and the rest of the day was stressfully jam packed, as the ER usually was. However, no matter what cases she picked up, no matter how much Mel tried to avoid Frank Langdon, he always managed to spontaneously appear somewhere near her.
She went to treat a 4 year old with fever, nausea and stomach pain? Frank was behind her, randomly bringing in ginger ale and ice chips to help “ease the patient”, as he said. She got called for a STEMI with Robby? Somehow Frank would appear in the middle of the procedure, claiming someone needed an attending and that he could finish the STEMI with Mel. It certainly didn’t ease her nerves when she spotted Trinity actually talking to him for once, whispering as she looked in Mel’s direction.
Finally, the day shift came to a close and Mel stood in her t-shirt and leggings, staring at Frank as he finished passing off his cases to Dr Abbott and the rest of the night shift.
“Oh lord.” Samira snuck up behind her, making Mel jump out of her skin. “This really has you wound tightly, huh?”
“Why does it look like that?” The blush returned to her pale skin as she dragged her fingers through her unwinding braid, eyes never leaving Frank’s face.
“Why does what look like what?” Trinity joined the duo, her black duffel bag slung over one shoulder. She looks in confusion at Mel’s transfixed gaze. “Slow-Mo. What’s wrong with her?”
Samira said nothing, only pointed in Frank’s direction. He had finally spotted the three of them staring, one more intensely than the others, and shot a quizzical look at Mel. She whipped around so fast she nearly fell over.
“We need to go.” Her face was crimson red. “Right. Now.”
“Drink?” Trinity offered, shoving her hands in her navy windbreaker.
Samira took a look at Mel, her hunched shoulders, the beads of sweat on her forehead and the lip she was chewing on so hard it might bleed, and nodded. “Drink.”
And that’s how the three of them ended up at Hidden Harbour, their go to Friday night spot that wasn’t the karaoke bar, with Trinity texting Whittaker to be their DD later on in the night. Samira ordered a cosmopolitan, Trinity was on her third beer and Mel sat nursing a vodka lemonade, swirling the ice cubes around with her straw. Samira and Trinity had both noticed the way Mel had been looking at Frank Langdon as of late - the entire PTMC must’ve noticed by now - but they hadn’t seen her be this flustered.
“What’s happening to me?” Mel spoke like she was afraid of the answer. “Why does his stubble look so good? Like really good. I can’t even act normally at work anymore!”
“Trauma.” Trinity slammed down her beer bottle, the last drop sliding down her throat. “You’re experiencing trauma. There’s no way that man is having this effect on…anybody.”
Samira took a sip of her cosmo, glaring at Trinity and smiling at Mel. “I’m sure it’s not that bad, Mel. He probably didn’t even notice. I didn’t.”
“Don’t lie to her.” Trinity snorted as she made her way back up to the bar.
She returned after a few minutes with another beer, another cosmo and a shot of vodka. Samira raised an eyebrow as she pushed the shot towards Mel with a smile. When Mel just stared at her, she nodded, nudging the shot glass closer. Mel shrugged, quickly downing the burning liquor, chasing it with a sip of her vodka lemonade. The dizziness and heat in her body, however, was a result of more than just the alcohol.
“He asked me three questions today and I answered all of them wrong.” Mel continued her wailing, downing more of her drink to give her confidence. She had never had friends to admit things like this to, and never really had any feelings to admit either, so she needed the extra help to get further out of her comfort zone.
“What made you do that?” Samira laughed. “You’re normally so present at work.”
Mel looked down. “I was looking at his face.”
“His face has, unfortunately, always been there.” Trinity said, sarcasm lacing her voice.
Mel shot her head up, shaking it violently. “Not like this.”
“So,” Samira jumped in to offer something more helpful. “Tell him he looks nice.”
It was laughable how quickly Mel’s jaw dropped at the mere suggestion.
“I’d actually rather be intubated.” She finished the last sips of her vodka lemonade in record time. “Trinity, another please?”
The dark-haired girl sighed but Mel could see the small smile playing on her lips as she got up from the table once more to approach the bar.
“Mel, come on.” She said, putting her hand on Mel’s shoulder. “You’d be fine.”
She shook her head once more. “I’d combust.”
“Why is that?”
“I’d say ‘you look nice’ and he’d probably say ‘thanks’.”
“And?”
“And then I’d die.”
Trinity placed a glass in front of her once more. It looked like another vodka lemonade but in a much bigger glass than Mel’s previous one. She grimaced as she took a sip. Of course Trinity would order her a double shot.
“Little dramatic, Mellefluous.” Trinity took her seat.
“I don’t think it’s dramatic enough.”
“Besides,” She continued over Mel. “If you die because of Langdon, I have no other choice but to murder him. Literally.”
Mel almost looked scared before she realised Trinity did not mean literally and was in fact joking. The night ended soon after that and Whittaker, as promised (forced by Trinity), came to pick the three of them up and drop them home. Mel unlocked the door of her apartment after dropping the keys at least twice, pushing the door open with shaking hands and unsteady legs. The image of Frank flashed into her mind almost immediately and she cursed herself for the pang she felt in her chest and between her legs.
“Stupid Frank Langdon and his stupid gorgeous facial hair.” She muttered to herself as she placed her keys in the bowl by the door before making her way to the kitchen for a glass of water - much needed after the four shots of vodka from the bar.
Mel stumbled her way to her bedroom, feeling around in the dark until she found the cord to turn her lamp on. The orange glow of her lava lamp filled the room with its warm, cozy light. Mel let out a relieving sigh as she pulled off her shirt and bra, glad to be back in comfy, more tolerable clothes after a long day, both physically and emotionally. Almost the second she bundled herself into bed, her phone buzzed, ringtone blaring out through the room. She figured it was Trinity or Samira calling her with advice or even Whittaker, who had no doubt heard about the whole event in the car on the drive home with Trinity. Mel practically choked on air when she read the contact name.
Frank Langdon.
After the 5th ring, she finally answered, fumbling with her phone in a way that would make her embarrassed had anyone been there to see it.
“Hey!” Frank’s voice rang out cheerily through the phone. “Santos told me to call you. Are you doing okay?”
“Fucking Trinity.” She muttered to herself, unfortunately still loud enough for Frank to hear.
“Did you not want to call?” His voice deflated. “I can just go?”
“NO!” Mel yelled far too loud to be considered normal. “No, it’s fine. Did she give you a reason as to why to call?
“Her exact words were,” Frank paused for a second, pulling up Trinity’s text. “And I quote ‘Go and talk to your woman before she drives the rest of us insane’.”
Mel dropped the phone. She was going to kill Trinity Santos. Approximately 30 seconds of silence went by and she could hear Frank’s voice through the phone asking where she had gone. Scrambling to pick her phone back up, Mel felt her face uncontrollably heating up, just like it had been doing all day when she was in Frank’s presence. Turns out he didn’t even need to be physically present to make her flustered.
“She told you to call your woman,” Mel hoped she didn’t sound as breathless as she felt. “And your first thought was to call me?”
“Well,” Frank coughed, clearing his throat. “Seeming as I am now divorced and the only woman I associate with most of the time while at work…is you…I assumed you were my woman.”
“Oh god.”
“What? Is that wrong?”
“No, I guess not.” Mel managed to squeak out. “Did Trinity say anything else?”
“She did also say you’ve been acting weird all day.”
“Mmm…I haven’t.”
Another silence stretched between them. Mel was getting hotter and more flustered by the second, not helped at all by the quiet sarcastic laughter she could hear coming from Frank’s end of the phone. A text from Trinity appeared on her lock screen.
Trin: Did he call you yet? Good luck Melatonin!
She quickly typed out a response - ‘I’ll deal with you later’ - before she was brought back to reality by Frank’s voice saying her name.
“Mel.” His voice only reminded her of the stubble near his mouth. “Come on.”
“Okay, I don’t know, maybe a little?” Even she knew it sounded unconvincing.
“What’s wrong?”
“Too much.”
He didn’t respond straight away to that one. If you could hear human thought, Mel would’ve heard the ticking and whirring and buzzing of his brain, running through each possible response until he landed on the one he had never been courageous enough to go through with.
“Do you wanna come over?” He pretended not to hear her gasps, unsure if they meant something good or bad. “So we can talk about it, of course.”
She took a breath but it was much shallower than she needed it to be. Her head felt fuzzy but she figured alcohol and lack of oxygen were not the only contributing factors, as much as she tried to tell herself they were.
“I can’t.” Her chest tightened once more.
“Why not?”
Of course, he would want to know why not. Frank Langdon and his stupid, annoying, perfect, wonderful need to check on her and make sure she was okay and comfortable.
“Um…” Mel dragged the syllables out, trying to think of an excuse. “Becca’s staying over.”
He scoffed. “Becca is at the centre this Friday with Adam.”
“How could you possibly know that?” She quipped back, knowing that she had indeed complained about it for a full 10 minutes when Becca told Mel she wasn’t coming home. “Okay then. My cat is sick.”
He scoffed again. “You are deathly allergic to cats, Mel.”
She covered the phone’s speaker, screaming swears at the ceiling of her apartment much louder than she meant to, probably loud enough to wake her neighbours. Definitely loud enough that covering the speaker did nothing to hide the audio from Frank.
“I have to walk my goldfish.”
She blinked, staring at the wall as the absurdity of the excuse set in.
“....what?”
Well, no going back now.
“He’s very energetic!” Mel spoke in a defensive tone, the same one she gets in the ER when she has to justify another misunderstanding of social cues or jokes.
“Mel.” He didn’t even bother dignifying her statement. “Are you drunk?”
“Yes!” She blurted out before covering her mouth. “I mean…no? I’m just…busy.”
“Oh yeah?” The playfulness had returned to his voice. “Doing what?”
She flopped onto her bed, hiding her face in the pillows. “Things.” She mumbled into the phone.
“Like making up increasingly concerning lies?” It was his turn to quip back now.
Mel groaned but couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe.”
“Okay.” Frank said in the same sarcastic voice he used when Princess or Perlah made a witty comment in Tagalog. “Guess I’ll go shave then.”
Mel’s heart stopped beating. Is she a doctor and knows that that’s not physically possible seeing as blood was still rushing to every part of her body and she was painfully aware of her breathing, mainly because she was hyperventilating? Yes, she is and she does know that. But she swears she felt her heart stop. What the fuck had Trinity said to him?
She sat up in bed, staring at her phone screen. The hang up button was right there and then they would never have to talk about it again. Frank would shave and then they would be at work on Monday and everything would be okay because she wouldn’t be distracted anymore. And yet, a smile blossomed across her face as she tried to find the right words to say, the alcohol still in her bloodstream giving her a surge of false confidence and making her heart swell lovingly.
“Mel?”
“DON’T!” She yelled far too quickly.
Frank burst out laughing on the other end of the line.
“Oh wow.” He breathed out. Mel wished she could see his face. “I genuinely thought Santos was fucking with me.”
“I wish she was.” She groaned again. Frank was laughing once more - she wasn’t sure if that was good or bad but at least he wasn’t yelling - and Mel tried to prepare herself for whatever he might say next.
“Why can’t I shave, Mel?” A smile danced on his lips. She could envision the familiar glint in his eye he always got when they were joking around together.
“Because.”
“Because?” He repeated. “I’m reaching for the razor.”
“BE THERE IN TWENTY!” Mel screamed into the phone, pressing the end call button and pulling up the Uber app. Luckily, since Becca was staying at the centre this weekend, she had some extra money and scheduled an Uber right there and then to Frank’s apartment. A text from him popped on her phone.
Frank
I live 30 minutes away.
Mel
I’ll be there in 20 anyway.
Don’t touch your face.
She packed a bag, rather presumptuously but the alcohol was starting to wear off a little and Mel could feel exhaustion creeping in. The Uber pulled up only a few minutes later and Mel loaded into the back seat, sliding her bag into the seat next to her. She confirmed the address with the driver and pulled up her group chat to text Trinity and Samira.
Mel
Guys.
Trinity
If you tell us about his facial hair one more time I swear.
Samira
Don’t be mean, Trin.
What is it?
Mel
I’m on the way to his house.
…
Trinity
YOU’RE WHAT?
Samira
YOU’RE WHAT?
Mel is typing.
Mel stopped typing.
Mel is typing.
Mel stopped typing.
Mel
It’s Trin’s fault.
She told him to call me.
Samira
TRINITY!
Trinity
What?
She was never gonna do anything about it if I didn’t.
I was sick of hearing about Langdon.
Mel
What do I do when I get there?
I didn’t think this far ahead.
Samira
Sober Mel would be ashamed of
your lack of planning.
Trinity
What were you planning to do?
Mel looked out the car window, watching the streetlights go by. She recognised the roads from other times she’d been to Frank’s apartment and knew that they were getting close. Her heart started hammering in her chest and a wave of anxious nausea enveloped her.
What was she going to do?
She had spent the better part of their shift avoiding Frank, or at least trying to, and she knew he’d noticed. It was hard not to notice when they were normally attached at the hip and all of a sudden Mel was taking every other case except ones with Frank and going to every other senior resident instead of him. Now, she was in an Uber currently pulling into the driveway of his apartment complex. She knew his apartment number but he’d still have to buzz her in so that would give her time to think and-
Never mind.
Mel saw a figure standing by the front door. As the headlights lit up the complex’s entrance, the figure was illuminated and it was undoubtedly Frank, leaning against the limestone wall with his hands in his pockets. Annoyingly casual compared to the trainwreck of emotions Mel had been going through. She mumbled a thank you to the Uber driver, hauling herself and her bag out of the car. Frank’s face broke into a smile when he saw her, still somewhat stumbling, up to the front door. He shot a look at her bag and broke into an even bigger smile. Mel’s gaze was solely concentrated on the lower part of his face.
“Hello to you too, Melissa.” He had a soft amused smile on his lips, watching as she blushed from the use of her full name. “How’s my woman doing?”
“You didn’t shave.” She spoke with an airy quality in her face. Moving closer to Frank, she dropped her bag to the ground, reaching up on hand to run across his cheek.
“You really like the stubble, huh?” He snaked his arms up to hold her waist. Mel would combust on the spot if not for the alcohol still buzzing through her. “This was your problem all day?”
Mel dropped her head, pulling her hand away in embarrassment. She leaned her head against his chest. It was the closest they’d ever been and Mel’s heart skipped a beat.
“Maybe.” She mumbled into his shirt.
“Mel.” Frank hooked his hand underneath her chin, pulling her head up so she was looking into his eyes. “You spent twelve hours avoiding me because I forgot to shave?”
“I…wouldn’t call it avoiding.” Mel tried to look down again but his hand held her in place. She felt as if she was drowning in the bright blue of his eyes.
“Oh really?” He led them inside now, the door buzzing as it swung open. Mel moved to the stairs instead of the elevator and he followed. “I said ‘good morning’ and you said ‘thank you’.”
She just shrugged, breathless from Langdon or the stairs or both. A furious blush was still painted across her cheeks. They walked the rest of the way in silence. Frank had Mel’s bag in one hand and the other resting on the small of her back, only letting her go once he had to open the door to his apartment. He pulled her gently inside, not sure if she was still in reality or not, and flicked the lights on. As soon as the door closed, Mel leant her body against it, eyes drifting closed. Frank couldn’t help but admire her.
“You know,” He started, caging her body against the door with his own and enjoying the squeak she let out in response. “You could’ve just told me it looked nice.”
“No.” Her voice was impossibly high, her eyes still closed. “That would’ve required eye contact.”
“But my eyes are so pretty.” He whispered. The soft breath tickled Mel’s face as he moved his hands to her waist once more.
Every touch between them felt electrified. Frank could feel her milky skin through the thin cotton of her shirt. In a moment of courage, he slipped his fingers underneath the fabric, delighting in the way she gasped as he smoothed his fingers across her stomach and waist. Mel hooked one hand around the back of Frank’s neck, one hand running over his stubble once more, her breath hitching as she felt it on her fingers. She tried to be embarrassed as she saw Frank watching her.
“I just like feeling it on my fingers.” She whispered, swaying slightly in his arms.
“Would you like to feel it on your lips?” He whispered back.
The whole world seemed to stop as Frank craned his neck and softly placed his lips against Mel’s. He pulled back, searching her face, breathing heavily against her. They just stared at each other and Frank almost thought that she was upset. He’d wanted this for months. In fact, every time he walked Mel to her car at the end of her shift, he nearly went for it. He always chickened out and regretted it the next morning when she waved at him enthusiastically. She was more enthusiastic than anyone he had ever met and his heart swelled just thinking about her.
Mel pulled him back down to her level, breaking him out of his thoughts, smashing their lips together once more and giggling into his mouth when she felt his stubble against her face. Frank’s tongue flicked out against her bottom lip and it took everything in him not to moan when she opened her mouth wider to let him in.
Next Monday morning, Mel strolled into her shift on cloud nine. Trinity and Samira swarmed around her in an instant.
“Melissa King!” Trinity declared. “You didn’t text us back all weekend.”
“Yeah, Mel,” Samira added on. “We almost thought Frank had murdered you or something.”
Mel flashed them both a bright smile, rosy pink dusting her cheeks.
“He did not murder me.” Her voice was giddy, turning to a whisper as they approached the nurses’ station. “We kissed. And then I stayed at his house for the whole weekend.”
They spoke in hushed giggles (mostly from Samira) and groans (mostly from Trinity) until Robby’s morning announcements and rounds with the night shift finally shut them up.
“Melpractice,” Trinity approached her after a few hours, finally getting a spare moment around 9am. “Did you murder Langdon instead? He’s still not here.”
As if by magic, Langdon sauntered into the ER at that very moment. He locked eyes with Mel almost immediately, giving her a smile and a wink as he walked passed. Trinity rolled her eyes at the grin plastered across his face. Mel’s jaw dropped open.
He still hadn’t shaved.
“Oh my god, Trin.” Mel groaned, hiding behind her clipboard. “He’s trying to kill me.”