Work Text:
Santos has been weird all day. Now usually I would think it’s because she’s avoiding me cause she’s been like that since I got back to work. Which makes sense considering she turned me in for stealing medication.
But she’s avoiding everyone. Including Whittaker which considering they were roommates up until two months ago when Robby decided to abandon us is weird.
I walk over to Dana who’s messing with something behind the nurses station. I lean against the counter. “Can I help you Dr. Langdon?” She asks.
“Yes, is it just me or Dr. Santos being weird?”
“She’s always weird around you,” she reminds me.
“I mean she’s being weird towards. Everyone even Whittaker,”
“He did move out to live at Robby’s. Maybe that’s why she’s weird towards him,”
“Maybe, but she’s being weird towards Mel and McKay as well,”
“Could be a bad day. She dealt with an abusive father earlier. That could be the reason,” I shake my head. No one else knows this but I saw her take that scalpel two months ago and chose not to say anything. Maybe I should have cause now I’m getting a weird feeling.
“Is she alone? I mean she has Garcia right?” I ask remembering something that Princess said about those two.
Dana scoffs. “Didn’t you hear? They broke up. Why are you asking these things anyway?” She asks.
“Just a feeling,” with that I tap the counter before walking off.
Something is wrong. I know it is.
I don’t think she’s addicted to drugs, but that scaple. God, i understand what it’s like wanting to drown yourself in something.
That’s why I turned to drugs. Maybe her drug is pain. And cutting isn’t any healthier then drug use.
I respond to patients while also looking around for her at the same time. I eventually find her over with the medicine. “Hey, Santos can I talk to you for a minute?” I ask. She doesn’t look at me.
“Is this about a patient?”
“No, this is about The drug thing,”
“I thought we were over that,” she says, locking the case back.
“We are, but I just wanted to make sur-“ she interrupts me.
“I said we’re fine. I’m not mad. I’m glad you got help,”
“Thank you, but if you ever need me or anything. Call me. Let me know. I owe you that,”
“Thanks for the offer, but if I’m in trouble you’re not the person I’m going to call,” then with that she walks off and I close my eyes.
What do I do? I don’t want her to be alone tonight. I’m a doctor who works in the ER. I know how this goes.
She acts fine and gets more and more distant until she eventually ends up back here as a patient fighting for her life instead of as a doctor trying to save lives.
I pull out my phone and send a text to Abby.
Me: how do you feel about me dragging a coworker over for dinner?
Abby: who?
Me: Santos.
Abby: remind me which one that is again.
Me: the lesbian who turned me in.
Abby: yeah, she can come over. Is everything ok?
Me: not sure. Kind of worried about Her. Being around people might Help her I don’t know.
Abby: well I hope she likes stir fry.
Me: thank you.
Abby: she saved your life. If dinner is what she needs then she’s more then welcome to come over. Besides, I’d like to have another girl in the house who isn’t our five year old.
I smile at the last text. I swear that women is a saint.
Throughout the shift I keep an eye on Santos. She seems out of it. Like she’s not completely here. Towards the last hour of our shift I drag her into the breakroom. “What now?” She demands.
“You’re coming over and having dinner with my family tonight,” I answer. Crossing my arms.
“What?”
I step closer and whisper so no one over hears. “I saw you take that scapel,” her face goes blink. “I know Whittaker moved out and you and Garcia broke up. I know you’re by yourself when you get home. And I can tell you’re spiral cause you’re getting the same way I would before I would shoot up,” she doesn’t say anything to any of that. “We both know how this goes. We’ve both seen patients come in who overdose or cut too deep. Sometimes they make it. Sometimes they don’t. I don’t want to see you come in here on a stretcher. Because you’re trying to kill the darkness inside yourself. So come to my house tonight and have dinner with me and my family. My wife is looking forward to it. You can eat and leave if you want. But at least comes,”
“I don’t have a choice in this do I?”
“No, no you don’t,” I answer.
“What is for dinner?”
“Stir fry,”
“Shrimp?”
“No idea. I’ll send you the address,”
I get home and Santos doesn’t show up for ten minutes and I begin to worry thinking she decided not to listen and went through with whatever she wanted to.
But then there’s a knock on the door while I’m setting the table. When I look up santos is standing there holding a pie while Abby stands behind her. “Felt weird coming empty handed. Hope you guys like apple pie,” she says.
Abby takes it from her. “Thank You. I love pie,” Abby goes to put it in the fridge.
“I was starting to think you weren’t coming,” I comment.
She shrugs. “Been awhile since I ate with someone. Whittaker was always at the farm and never really ate with Mel and Garcia was a hook up pretty much,” she explains.
I finish setting the table. “Well the more the marrier,” Abby says, coming back in.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Abby asks.
“No thank you. I’m ok,”
“Are you sure? We have coffee,”
“I’ll take some,” I say answering my wife.
“I wasn’t talking to you. You can get your own,” Santos holds back a smile at that.
“Ow,” I respond with.
During dinner the kids ask her a bunch of questions. Mostly about insane things we see at work. “She once had a patient that was blue,” I say answering One of their questions.
“I also had one that manged to tie himself to the bed,” Santos adds to that. Passing Abby the butter. After dinner she stays awhile playing with the kids.
“Though you didn’t like kids,” I state to her when she’s getting ready to leave.
“Never said that. I said I wouldn’t want to work in peds. Besides you’re kids arnt bad,”
“You’re not the one raising them,”
“No,” her expression then turns serious. “Thank you. I needed that,”
“Yeah, when i said if you ever need anything to call. I meant it. If you ever need to come over let me know. Alright? I got you just like you had me. Now get home safe,” she nods and leaves. Then stops.
“Good night Langdon.”
“Good night santos,” and then she’s gone.