Work Text:
Mel knew that Langdon was doing his level best to keep his hands to himself around her at the hospital, though he’d had varying degrees of success. In private, they had been very decidedly keeping their hands all over each other for the last three months. It had only been two since his divorce had finalized, and Mel did feel a little guilty about that particular timeline, but she had wanted Frank for so long. His kindness, his patience with her, the way he made her feel important, had overridden her better judgement.
So that night in August when he'd driven her home just to be sure she got there safe, she had ignored her better instincts and leaned across the console to kiss him.
He'd frozen at first, much to Mel's mortification, and Mel had been certain she'd read it wrong—that his interest in her was nothing like the heated pull she felt for him. For just a moment, guilt had dropped like lead in her stomach that she'd come onto a married man, even if he and Abby were technically separated.
But after a moment, Langdon had groaned, and wrapped his hand in her hair, anchoring his mouth to hers, and breathing her in like he was desperate. When she suggested he come upstairs to her apartment, he'd only been all too willing to follow her lead.
Since that night, they'd done their best to keep their relationship private.
Still, Frank was a tactile person—always in motion, sensory seeking—so it wasn't uncommon for him to find small ways to touch her.
They stood at the hub together and Frank's hand resting on her back, high enough for some shred of plausible deniability as he leaned over to look at the chart of a man experiencing upper right quadrant pain whose eyes had taken on a faint yellow tint.
"I don't really think you needed me for this one, Mel," Frank intoned. Mel imagined it might sound almost like a reprimand to someone who didn't know better.
"Sorry, Dr. Langdon," she answered, turning to look into his bright blue eyes. "I just thought you might take a look for me. You're the senior resident." Mel knew she was hamming it up a little, but from the way Frank's eyes went a slightly unfocused, he was feeling the effects of three days spent on opposite shifts as much as she was.
"You're right. I'm happy to take a look at anything you might want," he answered and Mel heard the double entendre in his words and couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you, Dr. Langdon," she beamed. "I'm going to run a liver panel."
"Great plan, Dr. King. Let me know if you need anything," he smiled, tugging on the tail end of her braid, giving her a wink as he turned to walk away.
Trinity looked up from where she was charting and scoffed. "What a scumbag."
It startled Mel. "What do you mean?"
"He had his hands all over you," Trinity explained.
If only, Mel thought quietly to herself. "Not really," she dismissed. She knew there was a good reason that Frank was not Santos's favorite person, but it always put Mel on the defensive.
Perlah chimed in from the nurses station. "Mel, you know that if Langdon is making you uncomfortable, you can always report it, right?"
Mel's brow furrowed. "Making me uncomfortable....."
Santos and Perlah shared a look. She'd never been the best person at reading expressions but she could have sworn there was pity.
"He was being suggestive and standing really close, Mel. I don't think you pick up on that kind of thing. But it was really scummy," Santos explained.
Frustration tightened Mel's throat. Of course they thought Mel hadn't picked up on Frank's innuendo, his proximity. What they hadn't picked up on was the fact that Mel had started it. She'd pulled him over and batted her eyelashes to goad him into it.
That was the crux of the problem. It wasn't that her coworkers were unkind to her. If anything they went out of their way to be patient and gentle with her. They didn't think she understood the reason for it, but Mel knew. They infantilized her. Poor, innocent Mel couldn't possibly understand romance or sex—couldn't possibly want it for herself.
Langdon had never treated her that way. Sure, he might like it when she played up the doe-eyed innocent thing during sex, but at work he didn't treat her like a child. He was patient and attentive with her needs but he offered support, never condescension. It soured her stomach that the one person that treated her like a grown-up, like she was bright and capable, was accused of being a creep for it.
"It's not like that," she assured them, her voice tight. For her, frustration had a way of turning into tears.
"Mel–" Perlah tried, her tone condescending, but Mel'd had enough.
"I have patients," she interrupted brusquely, punching the keys to log off before turning and walking away.
The ambulance bay was as good a place as any to catch her breath so she made her way outside. She leaned against the wall and pulled out her phone, opening up her lava lamp app when she heard the clearing of a throat.
"Everything okay, sweetheart," Frank asked, concern apparent in his eyes as he stood in front of her, tall and handsome and exactly what she wanted in that moment. He heart clenched at what people were saying about him.
"Everyone thinks you're a scumbag and I'm a child," she lamented.
He titled his head in question but his answer was cheeky. "You are definitely not a child," he assured her.
"They think you're taking advantage and I'm too naive to realize it," she explained.
Langdon looked around the ambulance bay before reaching to put his hands on Mel's hips and pull her close. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "They don't know you, Mel."
"They don't know you either," she insisted, looking up at him.
"I'm a divorced, recovering benzos addict, baby. Even before that, I was an asshole. People thinking I'm a scumbag comes with the territory," he shrugged, the kind of serenity people found in sobriety coming off him in waves. Mel was grateful he'd found it but she still felt out of sorts.
"You're not, but so what if you were. Maybe I like that. Maybe I'm a scumbag," she argued, her voice taking on a petulant lilt.
"Maybe you are," he chuckled. "Maybe I like it, too."
She leaned her forehead against his chest ,and he wrapped his arms around her. "Do you want me to talk to them?"
"Do you really think having you talk to them on my behalf is going to convince them that I'm an adult who can think for herself?" she countered with a sigh.
"Point very well made," he acknowledged. "So, what do you want to do?"
She pulled back, wracking her brain for a solution but came up empty. "I'm not really sure."
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Your call. Always is. Just let me know what you decide."
Mel took one last deep breath, letting the smell of his cologne and the feeling of being so known and looked after settle her nerves a little.
"Deal," she agreed. "We should get back in there."
They walked back through the doors of the ambulance bay together and Frank headed to a computer.
Mel was about to make her way to a patient's room when Robby placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to startle. "Dr. King, can I talk to you a moment?"
Worry tangled in her belly that she'd done something wrong, but she just nodded, feeling incredibly small not for the first time that day.
"Mel, you know if someone is ever making you uncomfortable, you can come to me, right?" Robby asked, forcing eye contact, his expression serious.
Mel felt as though she might start tearing the hair from her head. She was so sick of being treated like a child.
"I know the HR protocols, Robby. No one is making me uncomfortable," she promised, trying her best to sound self-assured.
"You sure?" he pressed. "Because I saw you come inside just now with Langdon and you looked upset. And a few people have come to me with concerns that Langdon's behavior has been less than appropriate with you."
"How has he been inappropriate exactly?" she asked, bluntly. "Frank hasn't done anything wrong."
"Mel, you might not notice this kind of thing, but there's been some talk that Dr. Langdon has been interacting with you in a way that suggests...." Robby trailed off, his cheeks going pink and Mel reached her wits end. Robby couldn't even say to her face what everyone was so worried about. Apparently she was too naive to even be privy to the ways she was allegedly being harassed. Poor innocent Mel being preyed upon by big bad Frank Langdon.
"Suggests that he wants to fuck me," Mel supplied bluntly.
Robby's face went from a faint pink to fuchsia and he just stared at her, apparently at a loss for words so Mel continued. "It suggests that because he does. Which is fortunate because we've been having sex for the last three months. Sex that I initiated by the way, so if anyone should be written up for inappropriate behavior, it's me."
Mel worked hard to keep her tone clinical, detached, not like a petulant teenager spiting their parent, though truly she felt more than a bit spiteful.
"Well, that's not—I don't think I need to–" Robby sputtered, looking more out of sorts than Mel had ever seen him.
"You aren't going to ask Frank if I made him uncomfortable?" Mel pressed.
"Oh, I'm sure—"
"Dr. Langdon!" Mel called in a raised voice, turning toward the computer he stood at some fifteen feet away.
"Yeah, Mel?" he asked, earnest confusion on his face.
"Did you feel coerced into the sexual relationship I initiated?" she asked, braver than she really felt, powered by all the frustrations she nursed that no one took her seriously.
"Uhhh..." Frank paused, looking taken aback before composing himself. "No. Not even a little bit."
"Great. So, you don't want to report me to HR for inappropriate behavior?" she pressed.
"Nope," he answered, popping his lips on the p, a look of pride swelling on his face.
"Thanks," she smiled, quieter, just for him, before turning back to Robby. "Satisfied?"
Robby looked like he wanted to dissolve into the floor, but Mel stood her ground and waited for an answer. "I–thank you, Dr. King. That will be all," he nodded before glancing once more between Mel and Frank and scurrying off.
Mel breathed in deeply then exhaled, feeling proud of herself and more than a little liberated.
She watched Frank close out of the computer and make his way over to her. She suddenly felt guilty at having outed the two of them without talking to him about it first.
Frank stood before her, hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels in the cocky way he sometimes did.
"Well, that was one way to take care of the situation," he acknowledged, blue eye twinkling in delight.
Mel looked around and found that eyes all over the Pitt were on them, only diverting their attention when they met Mel's. She was overcome with the enormity and impulsiveness of what she'd just done.
"Was that too much?" she asked, brows furrowed with worry.
"Yes. Way too much," Frank answered, and Mel's eyes shot wide in horror. "Too much for me to handle. That was maybe the hottest thing I've ever seen."
Mel relaxed her shoulders and felt her face warm at the praise. "Really?"
"Really. I want to put you over my shoulder and drag you to a supply closet like a real scum bag," he answered, pitching his voice lower so one of the lingering onlookers could hear.
"Oh. Well. I think maybe I've pushed the limit for HR violations in a single day," she told him, but her body felt buzzy all over.
"That's too bad," Langdon lamented but his tone was teasing.
Mel stretched up on her tip toes so she could speak directly into his ear. "But when you take me home today, you can put me over anything you want." Mel sank back down and looked up at Frank, wide-eyed and batted her lashes.
Frank swallowed heavily, Adam's apple bobbing. "Fuck. Okay. Fuck. Now I just have to figure out how to finish this shift undistracted."
She smiled, keeping the innocent look on her face. "Dr. Langdon, if my sexual advances are interfering with your ability to work, you should probably report me."
"Yeah, like anyone would believe what a menace you really are," he answered, eyes incredibly fond.
"You could always try," she shrugged.
He glanced around before bending slightly to press a chaste kiss to her lips, apparently unconcerned with who saw.
"Nah," he assured her. "I'm right where I want to be."