valka

This is Dana‘s favourite time of the year with the interns.

The time of year they realise that Dr Walsh and Dr Abbot are married. Generally happens roughly six months in to their time in the ED. Abbot and Walsh don’t come into contact as much as you think, so it takes time for the puzzle pieces to fall into place and the interns realise that the arguments and the weirdly coded discussions that they just think they’re not quite smart enough for, are actually as coded as they sound. First it’s Mohan, technically she doesn’t figure it out, Dana herself actually takes pity on her, seeing her develop her crush on Dr Abbot, she has warned him more than once about being a flirt, but it gets to a point Dana worries the poor girl will act on it.

So she drops it into conversation that Dr Abbot is married and to squash whatever the girls is thinking, save her the humiliation of asking. Though Danas seen it happen all before and Jack always lets them down as nicely as he can.

But its Robby who drops the bomb that he’s married to Walsh, joining the end of Dana breaking the news hearing her mention Abbot being married.

Mohan walks away quickly, with the reasoning that her patient needs her, embarrassed to be called out, even accidentally by her boss.

Next is Dr King and Dr Whittaker together, it a rare occurrence that its Dr Walsh herself that exposes the relationship but it had been a long night and they had been working on a young girl who didn’t even make it up to surgery.

When Walsh arrived to consult things turned for the worst, the sounds of screams and sobs of the mother watching behind the glass.

They had worked for hours and tried everything but nothing worked.

They all stood there frozen as the girl was covered and wheeled out, their minds catching up with what’s just happened.

Walsh moving first aggressively stripping herself of gloves and coverings that were covered in blood, the rest follow suit silently copying her movements, Dr Abbott leaving the room first as they hear the call from the desk, all four of them needed to go to the ambulance bay they have another coming in 3 minutes ‘it’s going to need all hand on deck, so you too Walsh’

Quickly they all reach outside putting on new gloves and tying each other into new sterile gowns, King doing Whitakers while watching, Abbot tying Walsh’s first, rubbing both of her shoulders as he finished, Dr Walsh returning the favour but as she tied the know in the back, it was as if she forgot they weren’t alone she leaned into him, her forehead slowly hitting the centre of his shoulder blades, in an almost backwards hug but her hands were pulling him in by the forearms.

Later Mel would recall the moment in her memory, that it felt like it was in slow motion, Dr Walsh’s backwards hug, to Dr Abbott swinging around and embracing her tightly, both silent in the actions.

The moment breaks with Abbot making eye contact with the two students, nodding forward to the ambulance than less that a second later pulled into the bay loudly. Abbott and Walsh instantly separate, professional faces back on, Dr Walsh quickly wiping her face  with her sleeve before the doors of the ambulance opens.

Whittaker off handedly mentions the moment to Pearla, while writing up the notes, Mel glares at him, as if trying to beam the message in to his brain to stop talking.

“I didn’t think they even liked each other”

Pearla’s response was a small snort and eye roll “they have been together for years’

The shocked faces of Whittaker and King as Pearla walked off were the highlight of Dana’s shift, she’d wished she’d had a camera.

Langdon and Mackay knew of course, they had started just before Walsh went on maternity leave.

During her last month, refusing to late leave early, she would sit with Dana waiting for the ED to need surgical consults – no longer comfortable enough to stand for long surgeries, she was assigned specifically to hang out downstairs by the Head of Surgery.

Dana still thinks this was the result of bribe or manipulation from Jack, something underhanded, as it was an unusual assignment.

To be fair she didn’t blame him, for the bits and pieces she had heard and gathered from Emery herself and small comments from Robby, it hadn’t been the easiest pregnancy, and Robby mentioned quitley they had experienced a loss in the past.

What it meant was the older residents had been around for proud dad Jack, showing people the photos of the new born every chance he got.

Dana now realising that Walsh had only just returned from Maternity leave when Pittfest happened, she can imagine after all that the pair had gone home to care for a small child. Hers were all somewhat grown now.

Dr Javadi already knew before her first day – it had been at a Gala benefit her mother had dragged her too, to start making ‘contacts for placements’.

Trying to sway Victoria down the surgery route, she was pulled making a bee line to where Walsh and Abbot we sitting, Dr Shamsi speaking to her daughter as she pulled, ‘these are the Drs Abbots” Pausing to correct herself “oh no Walsh and Abbott, I keep doing that. Dr Walsh is one of the leading trauma surgeons at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital where I work, I think you should introduce yourself, you would be a good fit for the program sweetheart”

Before Javadi could respond they had reached the table, While her mother is doing the introductions Victoria observes the pair, relaxed the Man has his arm across the back of the woman’s chair, she missed who’s who and is caught in an awkward pause. Emery takes pity on the girl jumping in asking her questions under the assumption that what her mother has said is true and Victoria is interested in trauma surgery.

She wonders if Drs Walsh and Abbot remember the interaction when she see them again, wants to ask but not wanting to jog their memory of her mother forcing her upon them and her barely able to string an sentence together so she keeps her mouth shut.

Its Santos gets the real ‘surprise’ moment that Dana loves, catches them in the on call room, the two pulling a double, Santos having a dramatic moment that Dana has noticed happens when working with a specific type of adult males (yes she has locked in on this correlation).

Dana suggests she has a 15 min lay down, forgetting that Abbott and Walsh had gone in there maybe 10 minutes prior. The moment Dana remembers, Santos opens the door – Dana watches the shock, surprise and excitement wash over Santos’ face as Dana quickly walks towards her, just in case Santos dramatic mood turns more into more of a scene, but it doesn’t Santos looks back at Dana silently as she reaches her and then back to the couple, Dana is now able to see through the open door that the two are sound asleep limbs wrapped around each other, ensuring neither fell off the twin bed.

They both watch the couple for a few more beats before Santos closes the door, which surprises Dana.

“how about a cup of coffee instead” Dana pats her arm and lets Santos lead the way to the breakroom.

The funny thing after all these years, is neither Abbot or Walsh ever question people just knowing they are together, they just roll with it. In all her time with them in this hospital she doesn’t think she has even heard them outwardly tell people.

But after six months roll round the new ones all know to leave a seat next to Abbot when their sitting in the park or that Dr Walsh will always forgive Dr Abbot after a disagreement during patient treatment, even if things get overly heated.

Now the 6 month marker passes, Dana looks forward to her next mile stone and it’s a relatively new one, also related to the couple.