Work Text:
"Sir, can you step aside?" the TSA agent said, holding out a hand to stop Robby from moving forward.
Robby bit back a sigh. He'd known his backpack would get searched. It was stuffed with medical supplies.
He was on his way home from California after attending a national emergency medicine conference. The main reason was to see a new ring-cutting device the hospital was considering purchasing. He'd spent the entire weekend in convention halls, networking, sitting through lectures, and talking shop.
Robby was bone tired.
As the TSA agent methodically unpacked his backpack, the metal detector suddenly beeped. Robby turned his head to look, along with the many other patrons.
A broad-shouldered man in camouflage stopped immediately, raising his hands before anyone could tell him to.
"Sir, I need—"
"It's my leg." The man rolled up his right pant leg, revealing a polished prosthetic.
The agent frowned. "I need you to remove it."
"What? No." The man's voice sharpened as he took a step back, shoulders squaring. "I'm not taking my leg off."
"Sir, don't make this more difficult than it needs to be."
"Hey." Robby stepped forward before he'd really thought about it. Every TSA agent in the area turned toward him. Eyeing him up and down.
"It's against the law to require him to remove a prosthetic," Robby said evenly. "It's considered an extension of his body."
Without realizing it, he'd drifted just enough to put himself between the agents and the man. The man's shoulders tightened.
"I've got it. Thanks." He bristled.
He slipped around Robby and walked toward the inspection area the TSA agent indicated without another word.
"Dr. Robinavitch?"
Robby turned to the other agent.
"Your bag's all set."
The TSA agent held out his wallet and backpack, impatiently. Robby accepted them with a nod, slinging the backpack over one shoulder.
✈︎જ⁀➴
By the time the plane leveled off, Robby was ready to sleep for a week.
He leaned his head against the window, one AirPod in while the other charged in its case. Flying still made him nervous, despite doing it more times than he could count.
He closed his eyes tightly.
The seatbelt sign had barely blinked off before the announcement came over the intercom.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if there is a doctor or other medical professional on board, please ring your call button."
Robby opened one eye. Of course. He swallowed thickly, pulled the AirPod from his ear, and pressed the call button.
A flight attendant appeared almost immediately.
"You're a doctor?"
"Yes, ma'am. Emergency medicine."
He stood, a little too quickly. The cabin shifted beneath him, his hand found the aisle seat's headrest. His iron grip ceased on slightly when the flight attendant started speaking again.
"Thank god. We have a passenger who isn't feeling well."
Robby grabbed his backpack from the overhead bin and followed her toward the back of the plane.
✈︎જ⁀➴
As soon as he stepped into the galley, he recognized the boots. Then the camouflage pants. The prosthetic was the solidifying piece.
He was on his back on the floor, a flight attendant supporting his head. His face had gone ghost white, sweat dampening the hair at his temples. A tremor ran through his whole body.
"Hey, man." Robby knelt beside him. "Didn't think I'd see you again."
"You know him?" the flight attendant asked.
"No. Not really." Robby gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"What's your name?"
"Jack," he rasped. His eyes blinked several times before finally settling on Robby.
"Okay, Jack. I'm Dr. Robinavitch. Tell me a story."
Jack swallowed. "My heart... just started going crazy."
"When?"
"Five minutes ago. Maybe less."
"Chest pain?"
"Not really. It feels tight, like..." he struggled for the word.
"Short of breath?"
Jack nodded.
Robby pulled his stethoscope from his backpack and listened to Jack's chest. Lungs sounded clear but his heartbeat was fast.
✈︎જ⁀➴
He helped Jack sit up, taking the ice pack a flight attendant handed him and placing it gently against the side of Jack's neck.
"Dizzy?"
"Yeah."
Robby found his pulse. The beats were too fast to be considered normal.
"Is your heart normally this fast?"
Jack gave a weak laugh. "I don’t think so."
"What medications do you take?"
"None. Promise.” He held up his hands in surrender.
"Any heart problems?"
"No."
"This ever happened before?"
Jack hesitated thoughtfully. "Maybe once. Couple years ago."
"And?"
"I was in a helicopter, I didn’t have time to assess."
The flight attendant appeared beside him with the emergency medical kit. "Do you want the AED?"
"Not yet." He looked back at Jack. "I think you're experiencing supraventricular tachycardia. SVT."
Jack frowned. "I've never heard that before."
"Your heart's electrical system is stuck in a loop. It's beating a lot faster than it should."
"Can you fix it?"
"I'm going to try."
Jack smiled weakly. "Comforting."
Robby almost smiled back. "Take a deep breath."
Jack did. Robby moved forward to pinch Jack’s nose.
"Now hold it and bear down. Like you're trying to lift something really heavy.”
Jack's face flushed immediately.
"Keep going," Robby said quietly. "...Fifteen... sixteen... seventeen..."
Jack let the breath go, panting. Robby checked his pulse. It was still racing. "Come on..."
"What?"
"We're going again."
Jack groaned. "Starting to think you're enjoying this."
"Not even a little." Despite himself, Robby's mouth twitched.
Jack took another deep breath and bore down again. Robby kept two fingers on his wrist. He felt it the second it happened. The rhythm slowed beneath his fingertips.
"There you are," Robby murmured.
Jack blinked. He took one slow breath. Then another.
"I feel... normal…better."
"Good." He realized how close he was to Jack. He suddenly backed up, nervously rubbed his neck. “This can happen from the air pressure, you’re going to be okay.”
Color had already begun creeping back into his face.
The flight attendant looked between them. "Do you need us to divert?"
"No, he’s stable for now."
✈︎જ⁀➴
As if the plane had been waiting for the moment to interrupt, it jolted. The flight attendants instinctively grabbed nearby handholds.
Robby, unfortunately, did not. He stumbled sideways, catching himself awkwardly on the galley wall. His stomach lurched with the movement. He squeezed his eyes closed for a second.
"Hey."
Hands settled on his shoulders. Warm and steady.
"You okay, brother?"
Robby laughed softly. "I'm supposed to be asking you that."
Jack's grip stayed where it was.
"I've been on hundreds of flights." Another bump jostled them. Robby’s hands tightened into fists. "We've never crashed before and it's not happening today," Jack said.
For reasons Robby couldn't explain, hearing it from him actually helped.
One of the flight attendants leaned over. "Dr. Robinavitch, do you need us to divert?"
Robby glanced back at Jack, checking him over one last time. His color was better, pulse steady. "No, we’re okay."
He stood, legs still a little wobbly.
"We’re stable. I'd like paramedics waiting when we land, but unless something changes for him, I don't think we need to divert."
Robby held a hand out to Jack, helped lift him to his feet. As Jack stood, his pant leg shifted just enough for the prosthetic to catch the light.
✈︎જ⁀➴
"We're going to move your seats," a flight attendant said. "If that's alright. We'd like someone to keep an eye on him."
Jack looked at Robby.
"If you don't mind."
"I don't."
They settled into their new seats as the cabin slowly returned to normal. Passengers were reading, watching movies, pretending they hadn't spent the last ten minutes trying to eavesdrop.
Robby reached into his pocket and pulled out his AirPods. He slipped one into his own ear. Then looked over at Jack. "You like classic rock?"
Jack shrugged. "Depends."
Robby held out the second AirPod. "You've earned half the playlist."
Jack smiled as he took it. He tried to hide his blush as Robby’s knuckles brushed against his own.