Work Text:
Dr. Abbot was still typing at the workstation near the hub when Dr. Mohan showed up, early as always, for the day shift. As usual, he had to hold back from looking at her as much as he’d like to, but he sneaked a few glances because he only had so much self control when it came to her.
She looked…a little tired already, which was not usual for her at the start of a shift. He didn’t have to wonder why for too long because Dr. McKay, who was at the neighboring workstation, called out to her.
“Samira, how did last night go?”
The senior resident groaned before answering. “Cassie, you can’t just set me up with anyone who you think fits ‘my type’.”
“What do you mean? Trevor is exactly what you described!”
Jack found himself focusing intently at the screen without a clue of what it said while his typing slowed down. He needed to know what Samira Mohan’s type was.
Cassie continued, “Mature—”
“I don’t mind older, but I didn’t mean older than my mom, Cassie.”
“But at least he’s still fit?”
“When I said I appreciated a man who kept fit, I didn’t mean a meathead with a fake tan.”
“Okay, so you want a pale, naturally fit man, got it.”
Samira rolled her eyes but also didn’t disagree. “And when I said I wanted someone who wouldn’t be intimidated by me, I didn’t mean someone who wouldn’t be interested at all in what I do. He didn’t even look at me most of the night and just scanned the room, probably looking for something better.”
Jack had completely ceased to pay attention to what he was doing at the workstation which chose that exact moment to time out from inactivity. He cursed under his breath and quickly reached for his badge to swipe back into the system.
Both McKay and Mohan looked at him then as if they had forgotten he was right there. He looked Mohan in the eyes and muttered a quick, “Sorry.” She flashed him a smile, the first since she had arrived, in acceptance of his apology. He couldn’t help but echo it back; she just had that effect on him.
Cassie noticed and grinned to herself. There was a reason she had chosen to sit next to Dr. Abbot this morning.
“Sorry it was such a bad blind date, but at least you got a free dinner out of it?”
“Cassie, he didn’t even pay for it. Said he’d heard that women didn’t like it when men paid for the date.”
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Samira. I don’t know what I was thinking setting you up with someone like that.”
“It’s okay. Thank you for trying. Maybe I’m just too picky. Maybe I’m just destined to be alone.”
“Don’t give up, Samira. You never know, maybe the person you’re meant to be with is right under our noses, and you guys just haven’t figured it out yet.” At that, Cassie looked pointedly at Abbot, who gulped. Apparently that was his cue; he knew he had to do something.
“Dr. Mohan, could you come with me to see the patient in North 3? I’d like to go over his handoff with you.”
“Sure thing, Dr. Abbot.”
As they walked away from the hub and out of earshot of everyone else, he leaned over and asked, “And perhaps we could grab a meal this weekend and talk about that paper I sent you?”
She paused in her steps and looked up at him, wanting to make sure she didn’t misunderstand what he was asking. He didn’t dare break eye contact.
“I’ll pay for it,” he quickly added.
“It’s a date, then,” she responded, dimples forming.
He released the breath he had been holding. “It’s a date,” he repeated in confirmation.