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Samira chuckles at the command, shaking her head lightly, letting the few curls that escaped her hair clip flow with motion as she clicks the seatbelt in place across her body.
Jack had become a prominent figure in Samira's professional career. With Robby on sabbatical and Al Hashimi only filling one of the two positions, the rotating door of attendings to keep the ED afloat was exhausting to follow. But when Jack was able to fill in for the day, it felt like taking the first deep breath in after staying underwater for a few seconds too long.
She didn't feel the need to flinch when she felt eyes on her patient assessment. She didn't have to prepare a speech on the reasoning behind the panel of tests she ordered. She didn't need to rush her style of practice that allowed the patients to feel heard.
So when Jack offered a ride home to Samira, she took the opportunity to turn what was a good shift into a good day, since she can bypass the walk home in the sticky balm that filled the summer air.
When her gaze returns to Jack, disbelief filters through her as she feels his intense stare bounce from her face to her hair clip.
"Are you serious?" Samira wiggles slightly in the passenger seat, facing his body.
The corner of Jack's mouth lifts a little, giving Samira a brief sense of comfort amid how tense the cabin of Jack's car feels. "As a heart attack."
His left wrist hangs at the top of the steering wheel, while his right forearm rests on the middle console with his palm facing up, patiently waiting for compliance. Confused by his insistence, she feels the need to reassure Jack that there's no need.
"I'm okay, it doesn't hurt my head at all." His eyebrows furrow as his gaze continues to stare into her eyes, making her face feel hot from the undivided attention. "I would like to think I'm a pretty safe driver, Mohan."
He sighs, and before Samira can question his motive, his hand goes to the back of her head and delicately removes the hair clip, releasing her curls from the tight twist. "But I'm not driving you home with the possibility of these plastic prongs getting jammed in the back of your big, beautiful brain."
He snaps the clip open and closed a few times, emphasizing his notion as he places it into the cup holder.
"Oh."
The realization of Jack's strong concern for her safety washes over her, the warmth from her face flooding her body. Her hands immediately go to her hair, feeling it unravel and expand into the frizzy mess she tried to tame early that morning. Her thoughts go blank, not knowing what to say back after the underlying submission.
At surface level, it would be nothing more than the concern from a coworker. But after getting closer with him, she's come to realize that the social butterfly that is Jack Abbot, didn't confide his inner thoughts about her, as much as he does about everything else. Hearing his subtle opinion of her brought an involuntary smile to creep onto her face mouth.
"Plus," his eyes drop to her mouth but quickly moves to look through the car's back window, his arm swinging to the back of her seat as he starts reversing the car. Samira's big beautiful brain was no longer operating when her eyes danced at the contraction of Jack's biceps.
"I get the privilege of finally seeing the Pitt's smartest resident let her hair down, and who wouldn't want a front-row seat to that?"