Trinity Santos is way out of her depth here. Now, it was no surprise to anyone that she wasn't the type of person you can go to when in need of comfort, but she cannot stand to look in the eyes of that sad Nebraskan farmboy for one more second without doing something.
The previous day had been really tough on Dennis. Honestly, Trinity isn't even sure she would've realized that something was up if he hadn't opened up to her about his uncle that had "drank himself to death" while they were drunk themselves a couple weeks back. That's not a thought she's willing to linger on. The shift had ended with a multiple victim MVC caused by drunk driving. Robby, being Robby, assigned Dennis a leading position in the treatment of said drunk driver. He coded 30 minutes after arrival, too much blood loss.
When they got to the apartment, some might say home... they won't, Dennis was dead on his feet. Trinity was certain that she had never seen him quite so drained. There was no life to him. No color in his face, no blue left in his bright blue eyes. He mumbled something about taking a shower and practically stumbled the whole way to his room.
As soon as he was out of her line of sight, she scrambled for some way to make herself useful to him. Deciding to make dinner, she fumbled her way through frying a couple eggs and cutting up some fruit. Something familiar, something easy that wouldn’t upset his stomach, because she knows how bad his homesickness gets after a shift like this. She feels a little weird for knowing that, for knowing him.
She walked the plate to his bedroom door and softly knocked, and there was a grunt of what she took as the okay to go in. He was lying in bed with his head pushed into his pillows, blocking out the world. She felt so helpless, quietly putting his dinner on the nightstand with a, "I'm gonna go out, be back in a bit. Do you need anything while I'm gone?" At the grunt of what she imagined to be a no, she skittered away to change and sprint out the door before she suffocated from the borderline unbreathable air of the apartment.
It was 9:34 when she got in her car, figuring that she could get 3 good hours of a mind-clearing drive. He doesn't usually sneak into her room from nightmares until close to 2 AM, not that she has become familiarized with his night time behaviors, but it wouldn't hurt to be back a little early just in case.
She plays her music loud. Her version of mind clearing is just to be unable to think at all, and cranking a song that's 160+ BPM at full blast is what's going to clear her mind best. Well, that and some other kinds of music...
She got back to the apartment at 12:27, feeling refreshed. On her way to get ready for bed, she peeked into the room of her stray and found that he hadn't moved a muscle, eggs left untouched. She wasn’t the slightest bit offended, and just ate the cold food herself before hopping in the shower.
When she walked out of the bathroom, Dennis was already lying on her bed in the same position he was in on his own. She walked over and sat next to him in the bed and pet his hair for a second, just to signal her presence. He faintly whispered an apology for not eating the eggs, having realized the plate was gone when he woke up. Her heart broke a little as she told him, "It's all good, the rat that lives in the linen closet took care of 'em for you."
She say with him until she was sure he went back asleep and then finished her night time routine. She checked the time as she climbs back into bed, 2:03. Perfect, she would get a good couple hours of shut eye before they had to get up for work.
She didn't sleep. At all. She couldn't take her eyes off him. What if he woke up and didn't feel comfortable enough to wake her for company? What if she had failed to make him feel comfortable enough to do that?
At 5:45, her alarm screeches. Dennis stirs awake, and immediately heads for his room to get ready. Trinity stays in bed for just a moment longer. She might actually have to call in sick or something, for trying to work in the state she's in wouldn't be fair to her patients. She crashes out of her room 2 minutes before they have to be out the door, and he looks her up and down. Damn it, her worrying about him is making him worry about her.
They get in the car, and the worst possible thing happens. Her phone automatically connects to the car and the music she was driving around listening to the night before starts playing so loud that car is practically vibrating. The "song” is none other than the Riff-Off from the first Pitch Perfect movie.
She, half asleep and not having settled into the driver's seat yet, frantically starts pushing buttons until the volume subsides. It's too late though because when she looks up, she is met with the biggest grin she has ever seen on Dennis Whitaker's face.
He's laughing so hard that tears start to form in his eyes. His smile doesn't leave until at least 5 minutes later when he's finally able to catch his breath. She missed his smile in those 10 hours she didn't have it. Unfortunately, his joy is at her expense. All she can do is hide her face, that is no doubt flushed a deep red, and deflect.
"If you utter a word about what just happened, I will tell the entire department about the time I caught you dancing to Milkshake while doing the dishes."
