Chapter Text
When Frank Langdon signed the divorce papers, he had made peace with the fact that he was going to be alone most of the time. He and Abby had decided that they would still be friends, but she had made it pretty clear that she needed some space first and took all of their friends with her. They all had really been her friends anyway, only tolerating him for her sake. Outside of that, he did not have many people of his own. His relationship with Robby was still taut as a bow string, and while he had managed to claw back some of his relationships at work, he did not really see any of them outside of the Pitt.
He had expected, therefore, to return to his lonely apartment, get into bed, and stare at the ceiling until he, hopefully, fell asleep. And yet, when he pushed open his door, the lights in his living room were on and he could hear the sound of the TV and familiar chatter. Donnie, Jesse, and Mateo were lounging on his couch, watching the most recent Penguins game. Cass was leaning against his counter, looking down at her phone, “I’m thinking pizza. You like pepperoni, right, Frank?”
“Ah, yeah?”
“Good” Frank hovered beside her as Cass made the order. She looked up and smiled, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder, “We decided we couldn't let you wallow alone. You gave me a key, remember?”
And that was that.
At least once a week, more if their shifts allowed, they all got together and did something. Most of the time it was playing pool at a local pub, but occasionally they branched out. Cass had once made them come to one of Harrison's school shows and they were some of the loudest supporters there, bringing out a shy smile on the kid's face. Mateo, a lover of music, had convinced them to go to a few concerts. They once went to an ice hockey match in person and diagnosed the players’ injuries from their seats in the stands.
Between therapy, NA meetings, their hang outs, and getting the kids every second weekend, his life started to feel more full.
The Pitt Betting Discord update
New Private Channel “Langdon’s Love Life” created by P. Dela Cruz
Permissions: J. Abbot, P. Alawi, L. Aldridge, M. Diaz, D. Donahue, P. Ellis, Y. Garcia, V. Javadi, J. Kwon, V. Mandel, C. McKay, D. Miller, M. Olsen, J. Prescott, O. Rivera, T. Santos, J. Shen, K. Tate, J. Van Horn, J. Watkins, D. Whitaker, A. Zidan
P. Dela Cruz: Rumour has it that Langdon is officially divorced. Can someone confirm?
D. Donahue: Can confirm. He’s handling it pretty well.
J. Van Horn: We're proud of him.
P. Dela Cruz: So… How long until he makes a move on Mel?
A. Zidan: Place bets below
Y. Garcia: $50 on less than a week. That man is a lesbian at heart and he’s down bad.
J. Van Horn: $20 on him denying it for at least 3 months.
C. McKay: Nah, Frank is the smartest idiot I know. $30 on him not even realising that he’s in love with her. Some one is going to have to tell him.
P. Alawi: $30 on him being a coward and Mel making the first move.
J. Shen: That new EMT has been talking to Mel every chance he gets. $20 on saying nothing until he gets jealous.
D. Donahue: $40 on him randomly blurting it out after Mel does something bad arse during a trauma.
Things at work had started to improve for Frank too. In the four months he’d been back, people were starting to trust him again. Dana had taken pity on him and taken him under her wing. While he had always respected the charge nurse, she now filled the niche that Robby had abandoned when he threw Frank out all those months ago. He found support and strength in her like never before. On the more difficult days, when his back ached and he was forced to sit down more frequently, she’d ruffle his hair as she walked past. He’d pretend to be annoyed, but he loved it.
He got on well with Whitaker, but only when Santos wasn’t looking. The newly minted doctor had probably changed the most while he was away, being much more decisive in his practice and a lot less sticky. They’d pretty quickly developed an understanding around morale and the tram's wellbeing, tag teaming to get people to actually look after themselves, especially while Robby was away.
Then there was Samira. With everything that happened last year, Frank was forced to repeat his R4 year, but he was glad to do it. It could have been so much worse. Samira was now his peer and took her role as a senior resident very seriously. They worked together pretty well, working the Pitt like seasoned pros and successfully guiding their troop of med students and junior residents to do their duties well. Samira would bump her shoulder against his as they stood side by side, looking at the boards. The friendly touch made me smile more than pre-rehab Frank would have liked, but post-rehab enjoyed having good relationships with people more and more.
And finally, Mel.
Mel was his constant supporter in ways that he was trying hard to deserve. The morning after his divorce, she'd brought in a massive batch of baking into the break room, claiming it was for a morale boost, but he knew it was for him. She had made his favourite - chocolate chip cookies - after all. When they had a moment alone, he gave her a quick side hug and made sure to thank her. She'd just smiled and hauled him off to work another case. The next week, she made brownies.
Out of everyone, Mel’s friendship meant the most to him. He had been so scared that she'd be gone when he returned to the Pitt, but there she was, excited to see him. When negative thoughts started swirling in his head, the memory of her shouting his name and bouncing up to his side forced the darkness away. She was like his own personal sunshine.
Since that disastrous second shift together, he’d given her his number and started texting one another when things got quiet at home. It started out with them sending documentary recommendations to one another and morphed into something else. Their last shared day off, he’d spent half the day checking his phone to see if she’d replied to his silly jokes with her sillier ones. And yet, Frank wanted more. He wondered if he could convince her to come out one night with the others. He wanted to imbed Melissa King into every part of his life, if she’d let him.
An opportunity arose not even two weeks later. Frank had stayed behind one night, helping Ellis calm a young mother whose toddler had stuck a Barbie shoe up his nose. When they finally got the little piece of pink plastic free, he'd trudged off to the lockers, daydreaming of the leftovers in his fridge at home. Before he could open the door, however, he paused as he could hear a raised voice inside. Was that Mel? He hurried inside to see her end a call on her phone and throw it into her locker, anger coming off her in waves.
“Woah, Mel, are you okay?”
Mel jumped and her anger evaporated, turning into something else - shame? “Doctor Lang- Frank- I… I didn't realise anyone else was still here.”
“It’s okay” Not wanting to spook her, Frank gave her his best positive patient satisfaction score-inducing smile, “Grab your stuff. Let's get out of here.”
They headed out to his car and he drove them a few streets away from the hospital, reducing the likelihood that someone they knew would see them sitting there. The last thing an emotional Mel needed was an audience, and judging from how her hands were twisting together, she was trying to bottle up a pretty big emotion. He turned to her, “alright, Sunshine, what was all that about? I don't think I've ever heard you shout like that at anyone before, not even that dingus, who tried to grope Emma and you ‘accidently’ dropped your tablet on his head. Want to talk about it?”
He could see her blush. Even in the dim light of the streetlights outside, her cheeks glowed a soft pink, “It's nothing. We've just come off a twelve hour shift. I don’t want to burden you with my problems.”
“Mel, you could never be a burden. Talk to me. I'm happy just to sit here and listen, or I can try to give you some advice? Whatever you need” Frank said, while hoping desperately that she would trust him enough to support her.
“You'll listen?” Her voice was so small and he suddenly hated the world for making Melissa King feel so unheard.
“You have my undivided attention.”
She sighed and began. The person on the phone had been Becca, backing out of their Friday night movie plans yet again. Mel laid out all of her fears and frustrations before him. How they'd always been close and done everything together. How after their mom died, Mel helped their dad care for her younger twin even though she was only a teenager herself. How she put her own needs aside because Becca needed the attention more. Then when their dad died, she was alone and taking care of Becca even though she was in med school. How she felt selfish for wanting more from her life. How she felt like she sacrificed so much, but would do it again because she loved Becca. And, finally, how guilty she felt for being angry with her sister, who had lied, but was allowed her independence. Frank listened, nodded, and gave her encouragement when appropriate. When she started to cry, he simply offered his hand, which she took. His thumb ran over the back of her hand as she talked, a small show of support. It was heartbreaking. He had known Mel was under a lot of pressure, but hearing her actually talk about it… he wanted to take her into his arms and protect her from the world. She needed a friend just as much as he had when Cass and the others came together for him.
Mel sniffed beside him and used her other hand to wipe away some of her tears, “Thanks Frank, it feels good to actually just talk about it, and… not feel judged for it.”
“Any time. Thank you for confiding in me.” He smiled and comfortable silence enveloped them, her hand still in his. After a few moments’ hesitation, he took his shot, “If Becca is allowed her independence, then you are too, right? Feel free to say no, but… tomorrow night after work, I'm going to play pool with Cass and some of the nurses - definitely Donnie and Jesse, and maybe Mateo, if he's not on shift. He hadn’t confirmed last time I checked. Would you like to come with us? The place is pretty quiet, the only music is from an old jukebox, and the lighting is not too bright. It might be a good opportunity to build a life outside of being a caretaker?”
“I-” She looked at him confused, but nodded, “Yeah, I'd like that.”
“Cool. To new beginnings”
Frank dropped Mel back at her car and pulled away, smiling to himself. Another lost soul to add to their friend group.