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Doctor Mel King is hungover.
Well, hungover is a bit of a strong word maybe, but she’s definitely feeling the effects of the fruity drinks Trinity had encouraged her to try last night at the karaoke bar. She’d finally dragged herself out of bed 30 minutes before she needed to leave, rather than her usual hour, and stumbled into work with three-and-a-half minutes to spare. She hadn’t even had time to do her usual braid and had instead gathered her hair in a claw clip that she usually uses when cleaning her apartment or if she's showering and doesn't want to wash her hair.
(It’s not her preferred hairstyle - she finds that the hair at the front of her face falls out of it eventually, tickling her nose as she tries to do procedures, so she usually has to redo it a few times throughout the shift - but Langdon had grinned up at her from his computer when she’d walked in and told her he liked it, which had, for some reason, made her feel much better about it.)
Trinity had turned up two minutes after Mel with a Monster energy drink and a pair of dark sunglasses on, but had seemingly perked up a couple of hours into the shift after she’d been pulled onto a case involving a missing finger and a kitchen knife. Mel, on the other hand, has had a slew of routine cases - some stitches, two sprained ankles, and one inflamed appendix she’d already sent up to general surgery. Normally, she’d be hoping for a little bit more excitement at this point in her shift, but she’s grateful for the calm today.
(And even more grateful for the two Tylenol Dana had pressed into her palm between patients.)
She’s just finished dressing a burn on the arm of a toddler who’d had a run-in with his mom’s hair straighteners when her iPad buzzes under her arm. She and Javadi had ordered labs and a chest x-ray on a 58-year-old man with chest pain and a history of primary hypertension an hour ago, and the notification on her iPad tells her the results are in. She taps at the screen, reading them, then looks up, scanning the desks for Javadi. She locates the younger doctor, hunched over a computer, and bounds over to her.
“Good news!” She says brightly, despite the fact the Tylenol is definitely starting to wear off. “Mr Gutierrez isn’t having a heart attack-oh! Is that from Taylor Swift’s wedding?”
Javadi blushes, scrambling to switch the tab on her computer as she realises Mel is peering at the screen over her shoulder.
“Uh, yeah, sorry, I was just - like, I was between charts, I was just looking super quick. Sorry.”
“Did more pictures get released? I saw some of them last night, but I haven't looked yet today.”
Javadi blinks up at her for just long enough to make Mel realise she’s misread something.
“You’re not mad?” The younger doctor says after a few moments of silence, and Mel feels her shoulders loosen as she realises that Javadi thinks that she’s in trouble for scrolling Twitter on the clock.
“Oh! Uh, no, it’s fine, I don’t mind. I was playing Wordle earlier. But, uh, maybe just don’t let Dr Al-Hashimi see you.”
Javadi gives a little puff of nervous laughter, but visibly relaxes.
“Right, yeah. Thanks. What were you saying about Mr Gutierrez?”
“Just, uh, that he’s not having a heart attack. Pericarditis, just like you thought. Good job.” Mel turns the iPad round so that Javadi can see the test results. As she scrolls down the screen, looking pleased, Mel’s eyes fall back on her computer screen, opened to an empty tab.
“Great. I’ll come with you to tell him?”
Javadi hands the iPad back to Mel, who fumbles with it as she pulls her attention back off of the computer.
“Uh, sure.” Mel pauses, looking down at the iPad blankly for a moment, then decides that the patient can wait for five more minutes. “Are there, uh, are there any pictures of her wedding dress yet?”
Javadi’s eyes widen, but she shakes her head.
“No, not yet. Apparently her vows were 20 minutes long, though.”
“Really? Although, I suppose that’s not that surprising, some of her songs are really long.”
“Yeah, they are.” Javadi tilts her head. “I didn’t know you liked Taylor Swift.”
“Oh, yeah, I love her. Becca and I used to listen to her all the time when we were younger. And I used to listen to Midnights all the time when I was doing my final medical school exams.”
Javadi is grinning now.
“No way. I grew up listening to her too, I always thought it was so cool she was from the same state as me. Did you go to The Eras Tour?”
“Uh, no, I couldn’t - I was slammed with school and Becca would’ve hated it, probably, so I just - I didn’t get the chance to.”
“Oh. Right, yeah.” Javadi nods solemnly, and Mel panics momentarily as she realises the nice conversation they’d been having is starting to slip away.
“But we watched the movies and the documentary on Disney+!” She adds hastily. “Did you get to go?”
That seems to bring the conversation back to life, and Javadi’s whole face lights up.
“Yeah! I went to both of the Pittsburgh shows. Best weekend ever.”
“Oh, I’m so jealous. What were your surprise songs?”
“She did Mr Perfectly Fine and The Last Time on the first night and then, on the second night, she brought out Aaron Dessner - you know, one of her producers - and they did Seven and then she did The Story of Us.”
“I love Seven, it’s one of my all-time favourites of hers, I-”
“Mel! Javadi!” They both jump as Dana yells at them over the central hub. “Don’t you two have patients to see rather than sitting there yapping about God knows what?”
“Uh, yeah, sorry, Dana, we’re just going.” Mel calls over her shoulder, then turns to look at a giggling Javadi with a slightly guilty expression on her face. “Uh, we should probably go and speak to Mr Gutierrez before she puts us on chairs. Make sure you close that tab.”
Mel gets Javadi to take the lead on advising Mr Gutierrez of his diagnosis and treatment plan, observing quietly. It’s a pretty straightforward case, but she’s good - capable, efficient. She’s shaping up to be a great doctor one day, and Mel tells her as much as they leave the treatment room.
“Oh! Uh, thanks, Mel.” Javadi beams at her, her voice tinged with surprise like she hadn’t been expecting to be praised. “And thanks for letting me lead in there.”
“No problem at all. It’s good for your learning.” Mel holds the iPad out to her. “Let me know when you’ve finished his chart and I’ll double check it and sign off on it, okay?”
Javadi nods, taking the iPad and starting to type in the password, then pauses, looking back up at Mel.
“Have you listened to the new Olivia Rodrigo album?”