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The first time Office Parker Ellis met Doctor Mel King was when the officer brought a suspect in for stitches. Mel had picked up the top of the board and was surprised to find a man in handcuffs sitting on the bed with a uniformed officer on his left. There was a straight slice across the man's bicep and they didn't seem the type to even uncuff him for his medical needs, as much as Mel would have liked to. It didn't hurt to ask.
"Can we uncuff him? Please, officer?" Maybe if she asked nicely she'd have a chance. Mel had to at least give it a shot. It would certainly make her life easier but what the officer said was what she'd end up working with.
"Not if you like having your throat untouched. That's how he got the slice. Self defense on his wife's part. Allegedly." The officer's voice was smooth and even and it made Mel look up just hearing it.
The officer was tall, strong, with captivating eyes and that soft and velvet voice and…well, Mel had a job to do so that was irrelevant. The uniform didn't help with the focus but Mel did her work, pulling out everything she'd need and asking the man if she could stitch him up. She started her work under the careful eyes of the cop, numbing and then working stitch by singular stitch.
"I'm Officer Ellis with the Pittsburgh PD. I'd offer to shake your hand but they're busy." Parker immediately thought the doctor was cute; light brown eyes, glasses, blonde hair tucked safely into a braid, and entirely focused on her work.
"I'm Doctor King, but you can call me Mel. Everybody does." The woman's voice was a little distant but that was entirely understandable given what she was currently doing and just how dialed in she was. "It's very nice to meet you, Officer Ellis."
"I'm just Ellis." She paused. "Or Parker, I guess, that's my first name. I'm just used to people shouting 'Ellis' at me, call it a cop thing." Parker shifted from one foot to the other, refusing to move from her sentry position with her hands loose by her sides. She looked a woman ready for anything. She wouldn't put it past this man to try and lunge for the doctor, handcuffs be damned. But nothing happened. It went as smoothly as it could possibly go, leaving Ellis to haul the man up by his good arm.
"I'm just 'King' half the time so I understand. Parker, then. It was really nice meeting you, Parker." Mel wished she had the courage to ask for the woman's number. Maybe one day the resident would get there, would be brave enough to ask out a pretty woman. Maybe eventually but not today.
Parker would have asked for Mel's phone number if she hadn't been on the clock; as it was she didn't have the time or the ability to pull out her phone and ask.
The two women had no idea they were attracted to each other, or had similar goals in mind.
—
Mel was heading down on the halls and passed Parker on a gurney, holding some reddened gauze to a cut along her shoulder that was just deep enough to need stitches. Santos was on the stool and starting to reach for the first needle as Mel walked by.
"Oh! Parker!" Mel's voice held traces of delight that vanished. "What did you do to yourself?"
"Got in the way of a knife." Parker shrugged. "It comes with the territory." The nurses had already had her strip out of her uniform shirt and ballistics vest, leaving her just in her sports bra. Not for the first time Mel wished she wasn't so pale; she could feel the flush creeping into her face.
"I can fix that for you. Trinity, I can do this one." Mel was trying to get the point through to Santos, staring holes into the woman's eyes. Please let me do this. The doctor was trying to communicate with her friend telepathically. "You know this is going to be a case where charting matters, right? I don't mind. You can go do something else."
"You rock, Melatonin. I'm out, officer. Later." Trinity didn't bother to say goodbye to Mel as she left.
"Melatonin?" Parker sounded confused. "I thought your name was Mel?"
"It is. Santos gives people less-than-nice nicknames as a sign of weird affection. That's one of mine. Melanoma is another one." All of the required equipment was already out and ready for her so she pulled up the stool and some gloves. "Parker, maybe next time be a little more careful." There was no reason to lecture the cop but Mel couldn't quite help it. "The city needs you functional. We always need good cops."
"How do you know I'm a good cop? I could be rotten to the core and you'd never know." Parker winced as the numbing needle punctured her skin and that familiar burn crept along the site, right until it stopped hurting. Getting stitched up was giving her an opportunity to study the doctor without being observed; the other woman's attention was zeroed in on her work.
"I'm generally pretty good at figuring out who's good a person and who's a bad one. You probably are too." Mel had learned that skill in the depths of the Pitt. She'd learned it was a necessity for a doctor; she needed to be sure she'd be safe. Everyone got treatment but Mel needed to know who to have backup for. There had been that one incident where she'd been knocked over by a criminal hiding out the in the ED and Mel had promised herself to be better at sussing out friend from foe. The doctor's voice was quiet. "Was it a near miss or were you generally safe?" She knew officers on the job were never safe; it was part of the job description. "You're very calm about all of this."
"My partner got there in time so it all worked out. It's why we work in pairs. Freaking out doesn't solve anything." The cop took a deep, steadying breath as the suturing needle bit into her skin despite her not feeling a thing. She was also significantly downplaying the incident and it was still under her skin as much as the needles were. "Does it make sense if I say I've done this before?" Parker wasn't calm at all; she was nervous as a cat about to kitten. The woman she'd been crushing on (and thought she'd never see again) was right here and carefully sewing up the slice in the skin of her shoulder. Parker hadn't thought she'd see the doctor again, much less be worked on by her, so she was just soaking up the moments she got, even if she was hurt.
"I suppose it does." Mel's voice was a little distant (as what happened as she worked). "You're still very calm. I wouldn't be." If anything she would be a wreck; she didn't handle any type of physical confrontation well. "I can struggle with the aftermath of things but that's why I'm a doctor, not a cop." This meant she would likely need to go to court to testify about Parker's injury; she'd need to chart like she was going to court, too. If her work was going to be scrutinized as part of a case it needed to be perfect. Even a comma in the wrong place could wreck the whole thing. "Very different type of pressure."
"Fair enough. Neither job is for just anybody, a lot of people can't handle the demands." As an understatement of the year. Parker gave her a smile that showcased even, white, teeth but she was struggling to pay attention, especially when she could smell the woman's shampoo from where she was. Fresh and floral, which seemed very fitting for her.
"Why do you always come here? Not that I mind." Mel was trying to keep her focus. Parker smelled woodsy and almost like water in a stream. Something cool and smooth with a hint of underlying sweet. King wasn't sure if it was a scent or just body wash or soap but it worked for the cop and kept part of Mel's brain going in a different direction and continually distracted. "This is the second time you've ended up here with me."
"This is where my beat is." Parker would have shrugged if she'd been able. "You're smack in the middle of it, actually. We patrol the general area. My partner's back in the waiting room, he isn't a fan of doctors and I told him I'd be good."
"Not everybody is; white coat anxiety is real. I won't take it personally." The doctor took a chance and looked up, smiling at her. "I'll take it you don't mind?"
"Not when my doctor's pretty as you." Parker was determined to find the lay of the land here, where this thing between them could go. Because Parker wasn't crazy; something was here.
Mel flushed to the roots of her hair. "There are definitely more attractive doctors here than me." Trinity, for example, and Samira. "But um- thank you, I guess." She sounded almost confused at the compliment.
"I haven't seen 'em. Besides, who says I'm looking?" This was familiar ground for Parker. "I think the pretty one is right here, anyway." Ellis was satisfied to see her smile. God, that was a beautiful smile. The other woman was a bubble of sunlight on a dark day.
The resident had never considered or even been interested in a police officer before. If anything they spooked her; there was no reason why, they just made her uncomfortable. Well, everyone except for Parker, for all that this was the second meeting and the woman was hurt. There was something about this officer that made her feel centered.
"You're a flatterer." Mel couldn't hide her smile even as she finished her work. "Good as new, Parker."
"No rest for the wicked, Mel." The other woman hopped up onto her feet as soon as she could even as her radio crackled to life.
"You're going back out right now?" Mel couldn't keep the surprise from her voice. "You're hurt."
"Unless I get a note." Which Parker wouldn't ask for directly, not when there was something else she would much rather ask.
"I can give you a doctor's note, I'm more than happy to write one. And you need your discharge instructions so hang out for a second." The doctor was tapping things on her tablet. "I'll get that for you, and some antibiotics." Mel walked out without waiting for confirmation; she walked like a woman with knowledge that anybody would remain sitting as long she told them to. This was her world and she ran it with efficiency.
*
Parker had her shirt back on and was holding her vest by the time Mel got back and the tear in the fabric was a clean one, if bloodied.
"Make sure you take all of these. You're taking three days off whether you want to or not, Officer Parker Ellis, because I said so. Starting now. Besides, it won't be the last time I see you, I promise." Oh God was that her attempt at flirting? Shoot her now. Mel handed over the antibiotics first, then the instructions. Finally she handed over the note giving Parker those three days off. "Keep it dry for around 48 hours, don't soak it in anything. No hot tubs or baths or anything like that after you can get it wet. Come right back if it gets red and angry, starts to hurt, or if you spike a fever."
"My life isn't that fun, Mel. No pretty girls in hot tubs for me to begin with, even without the stitches. Been living the true single life over here. HBO and take-out." Ellis winked at her and Mel blushed again, cursing the pallor of her skin because it made her so damn easy to read.
"Come back in ten days and I'll take them out, okay?" God dammit, Mel. Try. Say something, anything. "Don't be afraid to ask for me when you get here, alright?" Mel was still too afraid to ask for her number. The woman was probably flirting with her and Mel just still wasn't sure, and asking felt like an imposition. Or like hanging herself out to dry. It would be exposing a nerve and not giving it protection.
"Count on it." Parker held out a hand. "Now I can shake your hand. I'm officially Parker."
Mel shook it in return, letting her fingers linger across the officer's palm far longer than necessary.
"And I'm officially Mel. Well, Melissa, but like I said, everybody calls me Mel." Mel offered up her own easy smile. "Take it easy, Parker, okay? Don't try taking those out by yourself or going anywhere else. I'm already looking forward to it." That was a little better, right? It was certainly closer to the end goal and if the woman was coming back maybe she'd ask for the resident in particular.
"Wouldn't dream of it, sunshine. Promise." Parker replied, and walked away before Mel had a chance to ask about it.
—
Mel was really hoping Parker would ask for her specifically to get her stitches out, and maybe this time she could be brave and ask for her number. Dana came and approached her, Spectralink in hand.
"You've got a visitor in Chairs, Mel. Someone named Parker? Triage can take out those stitches if you want." Dana raised a brow at Mel's fidget and smile.
"Parker's here? Yeah, I'd be happy to take them out. More than happy." Mel was trying to wrangle her face under control and wasn't doing the best job of keeping the smile off her face. "I don't mind, Dana."
"If you're sure, kid." Dana gave her a scrutinizing look with a raised brow and spoke into her phone. She knew. Dana could tell exactly what was beginning to happen here. "Yeah, send her back. We've got this one."
*
Parker was wearing a tight black racer back tank top (presumably for access to the healed wound) and jeans today and Mel's heart almost stopped at the sight of her. Something about Parker got under her skin and made her nervous as a kid around their first crush. Toned shoulders and arms, locs up in a bun with looser fit jeans and boots…it was a vibe that worked for her. And it also worked for Mel.
"Mel!" Ellis waved at her from South five with a small smile on her face.
Mel snagged a sterile set of suture scissors and tweezers on her way over.
"How'd they hold up on you, Parker?" Mel adjusted both the stool and the bed before she sat down and pulled over the tray that held the rest of her supplies. "Do you mind if I get started? It should be quick and easy."
Parker bit her tongue. Her first response had been an unhelpful one. I wouldn't be quick, sunshine. It was entirely unhelpful and she wasn't sure where the doctor landed on the spectrum of sexuality. Sometimes it was obvious and easy to tell but Mel was a harder read. Hell, she was hard to decipher right now because Parker had only met her a handful of times. Give them a little more time to get acquainted and Mel would be an easier to figure out. The cop thought the doctor was trying to flirt with her. Maybe not well but the effort was there, or so Parker surmised.
"Go for it." It wasn't uncomfortable but it was definitely odd. "They held up well, the three days off was a nice bonus so thanks for that." Parker paused slightly. "I got to sleep in three days in a row."
Mel gave her a gratified smile. "Glad to know I'm doing something right…" There was a soft tapping sound as the thread dropped into the plastic tray. "Aside from the stitching, I mean."
"You're doing a lot of things right." Like holding and keeping Parker's attention. This time she would ask for a number. This time she was off the clock. This time…well, this time would be the key. She was used to occasionally asking out a straight woman by accident but she was fairly sure Mel had tried to flirt back a little. It hadn't helped that until today they were both on the clock. This time around it was only Mel who was working; Parker felt a little more justified in asking the woman out. Part of that was there was no telling when she'd come by this way again and part of it was that she really wanted to ask this woman out.
Tools were placed down onto the tray and Mel took off her gloves.
"There you go, Parker. No problem." Mel stood as the officer did, noticing for the first time how much of a height difference there was. Not a lot, but enough that the doctor had to tilt her head to look at the other woman. The boots didn't help that, not when Mel was in regular sneakers. "Parker…" Mel trailed off for a second unsure of how to proceed from here but Parker picked up what she was putting down.
"I'd like to take you to coffee, Mel, if that's alright. I think you're really interesting and I'd really like to get to know you better." Parker was pulling out her phone. She was just confident enough that she thought she was reading things correctly (especially as the doctor blushed again) and the warmth of her smile reached her eyes.
"I'd like that, Parker. I'd like that a lot." There was a certain amount of relief that swept through her. Mel didn't have to do the hard bit, Parker had done that for her. The resident put her name and number into the cop's phone and received a corresponding text message.
"Great. I'll text you, okay?"
—
The next time the women saw each other was not for coffee. They'd been talking relentlessly until they could coordinate that coffee date but there was a hiccup. There had been a mugging in the lot of PTMC and their security team called to file a report on it. Parker and her partner pulled up to PTMC and hurried inside to find none other than Mel leaning heavily against one of the other staff members who had her arms around the doctor. Parker's heart sank.
"Mel, please tell me this wasn't you…" Parker wasn't prepared for the way the blonde threw herself at the officer, almost in tears, and she staggered slightly under the unexpected impact. The cop rubbed her back lightly under the stares of the entire department. This was uncomfortable but her own discomfort didn't matter at the moment. Ellis kept rubbing circles into her back. "It's okay, we're here now. I'm here. You're good." At least Parker knew why her last text had gone unanswered.
"It was horrible, Parker." Mel's voice was soft and it hurt to hear it. She sounded so vulnerable, almost young.
"I know, sunshine. I know." All Parker could do was hold her through the process.
He'd taken just about everything including her phone but not her work badges or her car. Mel was lucky that she'd told the man she'd walked, not driven, or he might have taken the car, too. As it was he had the keys to it. Parker's partner wrote down all the information and collected Ahmad's report as she held the woman in her arms, bulk of the vest be damned.
"Do you have your house keys?" Parker's voice was soft so at first she wasn't even sure she'd been heard.
Mel shook her head minutely. Her spare key to her car was thankfully at home. One less thing to replace.
"Then I'll take you home. I'm off shift now anyway, this was our last call. We just need to swing by the station. Gotta drop off my stuff and get my car but I'll stay with you until a locksmith gets there and we can get those locks of yours replaced." Parker's mind was more than made up and she refused to let Mel face a strange man this late by herself after having been robbed by one. It wasn't necessary, not when she was around to help. If it had been daylight hours she could have gone to a store and swapped out the locks herself for a fraction of the time.
The use of the word 'we' hadn't gone unnoticed by either Parker's partner or Mel's team, nor had the way Mel had bolted for Parker despite Trinity and Dennis both being right there (Santos wasn't usually a hugger; this seemed like a good time for an exception to the rule). Abbot and Robby had raised their eyebrows at each other and exchanged a glance.
"I'm here, Mel." Ellis hid her sigh and rising anger at whoever had made Mel feel this way. It was the kind of anger that crept up on you slowly but the odds of them finding the man now were slim. Her anger didn't help anybody; certainly not Mel.
*
Parker had been true to her word. The woman had stayed late into the night, waiting all the way through Mel calling her landlord and explaining the situation, getting permission to change out the locks and a promise of reimbursement. The officer had stayed until two in the morning, the earliest the smith could get out to them.
Mel's apartment was warm and cozy, and the two of them finally got a chance to talk without anyone around or looking over their shoulders, and with both of them off of work and out of their respective uniforms. Having Parker there was proving to be a tonic to the anxiety Mel was currently living in; the day had been fairly traumatic. She also had Parker write down her phone number for later. The doctor needed a new phone and that likely meant a new number. Everyone else's number could be gotten at work (and she had Becca and Middle Hill memorized) but if Parker left without leaving hers, Mel might not remember it. She would have to go to the station or Parker would have to come to the hospital. Mel had gotten used to their easy back and forth and she didn't want to lose that.
Mel watched from her window as the other woman climbed into her car and headed to God only knew where, for God only knew how little sleep. Parker had stayed with her throughout the whole ordeal, making her feel secure until she was secure with new locks and keys to boot.
Maybe the next time they met up it could actually be for that coffee date.
—
The day for their actual, honest to God coffee date had finally arrived.
Parker had gone and dressed up for it anyway with a black button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black jeans, and her boots. Well, as dressed up as Parker got for something casual like this. Mel was also dressed up in her own way; a sparkly t-shirt, her best jeans and the cleanest pair of converse she owned.
Mel entered the crowded little cafe and Parker waved her over to the small table she'd managed to claim, with two comfortable and padded leather chairs, one on each side. She found her way over and to her surprise Parker stood and gave her an exceptionally warm hug.
"It's really good to see you outside of work. I almost wondered if you wore anything but scrubs." The teasing was soft and let Mel in on the joke. "You look great. C'mon." Parker left a book on the table as a claim and actually took the doctor's hand, marveling at the callouses that were in different places than her own. Different jobs, different expectations, both difficult and demanding. Both required weekends, holidays, and the occasional night shift. Blood, sweat, and tears went into both professions.
The line moved too quickly for conversation, leaving Parker to order just a plain coffee with milk and for Mel to order a hot chocolate before Ellis paid and they moved to the end of the bar to wait.
"So no coffee?" Parker leaned against the wall, watching the other woman intently.
Mel wasn't used to such scrutiny outside of work. At work people studied her, and her work, all the time. Outside of work? Not so much.
"Not really a caffeine person." The blonde shrugged slightly. "It makes things harder at work but I manage."
"How on earth do you function? I can't be a cop without coffee. I'm breaking a cardinal rule by putting milk in it." Parker shrugged slightly at Mel's glance. "Black coffee is God in my station. We don't even carry milk, I drink it black there. This is our little secret."
"Our secret, hm?" Mel gave the other woman a small smile. "I like the sound of that."
They gathered their drinks before heading back to the table where they spoke for hours about anything and everything. By the end of the date they had both gotten life stories as well as career ones; how they got started, what it was like doing the work they did. How they both touched death and trauma, what it had been like on both sides of Pittfest; Mel running her section and Parker as part of the manhunt. How they both lived for helping others on the worst days of their lives. Parker learned all about Becca and her importance in Mel's life, and Mel's role in Becca's as well as how you couldn't get one without the other.
All in all, they found out how well matched they were.
"Hey, sunshine?" Parker's voice cut through Mel's momentary distraction.
"Sunshine?" Mel was slightly confused. "Why 'sunshine', Parker?"
"You're basically a ray of sunshine." The officer shrugged. "Every time I've seen you, you just light up my day. So…" She gestured gently to snag Mel's full attention again with a soft smile. "Sunshine?"
"Yeah, Parker?" Mel glanced over to where Parker was smiling at her.
"Want to go for a real date? I know we both work late and our days off are complicated but I'd love to take you for a real meal, whatever meal that is." Ellis reached over past her empty coffee cup to gently reach for Mel's hands, linking them together. "More than just coffee. Let me take you out properly." Something in her was deeply satisfied at Mel's blush. They were absolutely adorable on her.
"I'd love that, Parker." Mel squeezed her hand. "I really would."
It was later, after Parker had walked her to her car, that they kissed for the first time. Parker was soft and undemanding, happy to let Mel lead if that was what she wanted. She didn't want to spook the doctor but based on how heated their kisses quickly grew while against the doctor's car, that wouldn't be a problem.
Mel took her time at first, she was always one to savor that first sweet, initial kiss. It didn't stay sweet for long.
Eventually Mel remembered they were in public in the middle of the afternoon.
"Promise me you'll take me to dinner or lunch? I'm counting on it, Parker. You can't kiss a woman like that on the first date and not follow through with a second." Mel's arms were still looped around the other woman's waist. "That would just be mean and getting my hopes up for nothing."
"Hopes, huh, sunshine? I fully plan on following through. All we gotta do is coordinate." Parker kissed her again before opening her car door for her. "I promise, okay?"
Mel paused before getting into her car. "I like you, Parker."
"I like you too, Mel. A lot." She chuckled slightly. "And healthcare and LEO's go hand in hand. It's practically tradition."
"LEO?" King was unfamiliar with the acronym.
"Law enforcement officers. Usually we tend to date nurses but I'll take the change from the status quo." Parker leaned in for one last kiss goodbye. "I'll text you, but don't be a stranger, okay?" Ellis waited for her to leave the lot before getting into her own car and turning the other direction.