Work Text:
Because your kiss, your kiss is on my list
Because your kiss, your kiss I can't resist
“Tongue?”
Samira Mohan let out a laugh, stepping out of the elevator and into the hub. Jack Abbot followed closely behind as he tried to match her stride.
“Absolutely not,” she said without looking up.
“Come on. Just a peck once a month?”
She cringed down at the tablet in her hands, focused on scrolling through patient charts. “I’d prefer we not.”
“Forehead kiss?”
“I’m sure Myrna would love one,“ Samira teased.
“Samira!”
She swung around to face him once they reached the central counter. She braced her right arm against the surface as she raised her left hand and interlaced her fingers to blink up at him with a look of exasperation.
Jack placed his hands behind his back and prowled slowly toward her, the black sleeves of his scrub top tightening around his biceps. “We have been together for over two years.”
She nodded with her eyebrows raised, biting her bottom lip as she waited for his final plea.
He leaned in, looking down at her with a smirk. “I’d like to kiss my girlfriend goodbye.”
“And I’d like a lumbar puncture, but it’s only seven in the morning,” she sighed wistfully with her eyes straying toward the board.
Jack snorted at her dismissal. He pulled one hand from behind his back to pressed his thumb to his lips, then he reached out to firmly press it against her dimple.
Samira swatted his arm away and lightly smacked his chest. “Clock out already!”
“Why the rush? You’ll miss me,” he snarked back and flashed her, her favorite sideways grin before turning towards the break room.
Samira’s teeth tore into the steaming skin of her bratwurst. She hummed in disappointment at the LED scoreboard that flickered across Madison Square Garden.
“Fuck,” she muttered. A missed foul shot coincided perfectly with a glob of spicy mustard plunging straight onto her white Tshirt.
“Samira,” Jack’s voice called from behind, but the Knicks had just snagged the rebound.
She swiped a thumb through the seeping yellow stain on her shirt and popped it into her mouth, only releasing the digit to scream at the players along with twenty thousand other fans.
“Come on! Call the double dribble!” she growled.
Jack sighed and murmured under his breath, “I should’ve known better than to bring you to visit my cousin during the playoffs.”
He scanned the crowded concourse for extra napkins, but the dispenser was empty. Samira was unbothered by the stain and turned to chat with the long silver-haired gentleman sitting at the high top next to them, checking in on his superstitions. “Are you sure you did your luck routine right before jump ball?”
“Trust me,” the old timer winked at her and pointed down at his pants. “The lucky underwear hasn’t done me wrong once this whole season.”
A plastic rim was suddenly pressed to her bottom lip, Jack’s voice instructed her. “Try it before the ice melts.”
Samira’s eyes stayed fixed on the court, but the crisp, cool cider was a welcome relief against the muggy air. Jack pulled the cup back after she took a few gulps, and she licked her lips.
“Yum,” she said as she glanced him over briefly. “See? I’m sufficiently fed and not dehydrated. Will you relax and watch the game?”
“They’re not the Celtics,” Jack muttered, his lip curling with mock disdain. His chest leaned closer into her back, caging her in his arms as he turned his attention to the game.
“What else did you think we’d be doing in the middle of New York in June with Josie’s apartment the size of a closet?” She laughed and side eyed the slight pink dusting his cheekbones.
“We were just fine at her apartment last trip,” he whispered lowly against her ear.
“Because we could barely go outside without freezing, and she was in Europe,” Samira countered.
Their minds drifted back to December, to the rhythmic creak of the pull out couch and the sight of snow encasing the city.
“Face it, Abbot,” she teased before lightly nudging him with her elbow. “They’ll be our NBA champions in the next hour.”
“Careful, Mohan,” Jack warned with a playful glint in his eye. “Twenty bucks says they choke in the fourth quarter.”
“You’re on.”
Back in Pittsburgh, the ER hub had slowed down just enough for a crowd to form around Mateo’s propped up iPad, the device actively streaming the game live.
The night shift nurse clapped at a smooth drive to the basket, while Langdon watched carefully from his rolling chair, and Whitaker leaned in with interest. Victoria smirked while watching Trinity fake a massive yawn as she passed by, rolling her eyes once she saw what the boys were drooling over.
Trinity walked to where Victoria was perched against the nurse’s desk, keeping her one eye on the patient board and the other on the tablet.
“Tell me, Crash,” Trinity yawned again, for real this time, and shook her head to clear the sleep deprivation. “Is Samira in tonight? I’ve got a weird vascular case, and I think she’d be the better face to face consult once the patient is back.”
Victoria squinted as she tried to recall the gossip of the week.
“Oh!” Victoria perked up, eyes glowing as she gave Trinity her full attention. “She’s away for the weekend with Dr. Abbot! They’re in NYC visiting his sister? Or maybe his cousin?”
Trinity waggled her eyebrows, glancing at the time. “Ooh la la. A private getaway in the city. What do you think they’re up to right now?”
There was a beat. Both girls exchanged a knowing look and said in unison, “Sex.”
Mateo snorted loudly from his station, sneaking a quick glance at Victoria’s shimmering doe eyes before looking back at the screen.
Trinity cut him off with an icy glare. “Explain your chuckles, Mateo.”
He raised a hand in mock defense. “They’re at the game. Abbot texted me two hours ago asking if I’d pick Brunson or Towns for MVP.” He snickered. “He’s trying to impress Samira even though he hates the Knicks.”
The girls laughed, joining in on the amusement. Victoria glanced back at the I-Pad screen. She giggled as the stadium’s Kiss Cam segment had begun, but the giggle turned into a strangled choke when the camera panned to the next couple.
“Wait, is that?” Mateo asked, he was already two steps ahead of Victoria.
Trinity gasped and took two long strides toward the desk. Her nails dug into Victoria’s arm as she pulled them closer. “Holy shit! Ask and they shall appear!”
The entire pit stared as Samira Mohan appeared on the screen, completely oblivious to the duty she’d just been assigned. Her curls were down and her glasses on. The white Tshirt she wore featured a glaring yellow mustard stain right in the front.
Jack noticed the glowing pink and red heart overlay instantly. A slow smirk spread across his face as the arena cheered. Samira was reaching for her drink for another sip when Jack’s hand intercepted the cup and set it firmly on the floor.
Back in Pittsburgh, the hospital staff held their breath collectively.
Before Samira could question the intense look on his face, Jack leaned in. Both of his hands framed her face and tilted her head up as his lips met hers.
It was basically a frame from a romantic comedy.
Jack coaxed her mouth open, and a bewildered Samira melted into the kiss. Her fingers flew up to grip the front of his jersey as she kissed him back with some surprising heat.
When she finally pulled away, her cheeks were burning and her heart slammed against her ribs. Jack casually picked the cider back up before taking a triumphant swig as the broadcast cut to commercial.
The crowd in the pit let out a chorus of deafening whistles and hollers. It was so loud that Dana barked at them to shut up from the ambulance bay.
Mateo shook his head in complete disbelief. “The old man’s got serious game.”
“That was hot,” Princess whispered to Perlah.
It took less than sixty seconds for the notifications to flood in.
Over in room eight, a recovering patient looked at his phone and cracked a grin at Perlah. "Hey, isn't that the smart doctor who helped my heartburn yesterday? Looks like she's having a much better night than me!"
In the concrete city, Samira’s phone buzzed endlessly against her hip.
Trinity: I expect this level of passion in your shift handoff on Monday 🫡
Victoria: [meme of screaming actor] WE SAW EVERYTHING YOU LOOKED AMAZING!! DISREGARD THE MUSTARD
Mel: [GIF of confused cat]
Before Samira could process the onslaught of notifications, a tall strawberry blonde figure slammed onto the high top beside them. She was barely grasping three lukewarm beers and looking absolutely bewildered.
“What the fuck was that?!” Josie yelled over the crowd noise. “My mother just sent me a Facebook link with a video of you two sucking face on national television!”
Samira groaned and hid her burning face in her hands. “Kill me now. Just leave my body on the ice after the game.”
Jack wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side with a quiet chuckle.
“Okay,” he conceded, pressing a comforting kiss to the top of her head. “Maybe now I understand your apprehension towards PDA.”