huckleabbot

His lips lock around one, and he's immediately rewarded with a light moan from his omega. Robby's chest is more plush than it was when they were young, something Jack's knot is grateful for, and it's become one of Jack's favorite things to play with.

The first time they did this after so many years, Robby had been hesitant to strip at all, but after some gentle coaxing from Jack, he'd taken his shirt off, and the alpha's mouth had started watering at the sight. By the time he'd gotten to his pants, Jack was so hard he couldn't think, and humiliatingly, he'd popped a knot in his own fist the second Robby spread his naked legs.

Robby's confidence has grown since then to say the least.

"That's it," he whispers. "You got it, Alpha."

Jack moans around the hot skin. He's always loved hearing Robby call him that. They were some of his favorite memories to call on particularly lonely nights. Jack massages Robby's other breast and, not for the first time, imagines how swollen they would have gotten during pregnancy. A small rumble erupts from his chest, and he grinds his hard dick against the mattress.

"So good," Robby sighs. His blunt nails rake through Jack's messy curls. The sweet smell of his slick grows stronger, making Jack deliciously dizzy.

He nips hopeful bruises across Robby's chest and gives his other nipple the same attention, enjoying the way Robby rubs up against Jack's stomach at the same rhythm of his sucking.

"Come on," Robby says lightly. "Keep it moving."

Jack groans unhappily. Of course, he wants to continue his path downward, but he needs to make sure every inch of his soon-to-be mate is appreciated properly.

Robby tsks and worms his hand under the waistband of his pants. Fine by Jack, he'd love to wring more than one orgasm out of him tonight.

Except Robby's hand doesn't stay for long. He brings his slick-covered fingers up and holds them a few tempting inches away from Jack's nose. They smell so good. Sugary and needy. Jack takes them in his mouth immediately and hums at the taste. He lets Robby push him down, only letting his fingers slip out once the source begins to overwhelm his senses.

Jack throws Robby's jeans to the side as if they've personally offended him, and buries his face in Robby's crotch. His thin cotton underwear does very little to suppress the scent, and Jack can faintly taste the slick bleeding through.

Soft whimpers fill the room as Robby digs his fingers further into Jack's hair.

Reluctantly, Jack pulls away from Robby's covered pussy to kiss along his furry belly while he peels away his underwear. Once it's gone, he sets his hands under Robby's knees and pushes them to his chest.

"I'm not as young as I used to be," Robby says.

Jack stares at him. Robby's potent scent is making him dizzy. "I'm going to take care of you."

Robby's nails scrape his scalp. "You always do."

That's all he needs. Jack dives into Robby's soaking cunt and licks a long, thick stripe along the outside. It's like drinking warm frosting. If Jack could live off Robby's slick, he'd never taste anything else. He laps happily at Robby's warmth, dipping his tongue inside and drinking every drop of slick.

"Jack, Jack," Robby pants. His hips jerk back against Jack's face, grinding his little omega cock against his nose. Jack loves hearing Robby say his name. Each time is a spell cast, sending him deeper into the primal need to pleasure his omega. He wants to make Robby remember nothing but him.

He can feel Robby's orgasm building. Even after decades, the telltale signs of his summit have remained the same. Legs quivering, sharp whines, and an almost painful grip on his alpha.

Robby's release is delicious like the rest of him. Jack slurps down every bit of slick and licks his wet chin as he looms over his sated omega, who is panting stunningly, boneless in their nest.

Jack crawls up, taking in the beautiful sight below him. His heavy cock swings between his legs, tapping at the tempting heat between Robby's legs.

There's a blissful glaze coating Robby's eyes. Jack wishes he could keep him that way forever. He pushes two fingers inside Robby and nuzzles at his swelling scent gland.

"Do it," Robby says. "Come on, Alpha. Bite me."

Jack shakes his head. "Need to knot you."

"Then do it." A soft kiss finds its way to Jack's cheek. "We've waited long enough."

Jack chases the kiss and presses Robby's lips against his own. He pulls his fingers out and lines himself up. His heartbeat thuds in his ears and throat. "I feel like I'm dreaming."

Robby's front teeth poke out adorably behind his smile. "It's been a long time since I let myself dream of this." He runs his hands across the expanse of Jack's back. "My perfect alpha."

The tip of Jack's cock catches at Robby's entrance. It takes all of his strength to hold himself back. "You'll mark me too?"

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"More than anything."

Robby kisses his scent gland. "How could I resist?"

Jack sinks inside slowly, despite what his instincts tell him. He savors every inch and adores the way Robby's neck cranes. The skin calls to him like a siren, but Jack is determined to mate Robby as he knots him.

Hard nails scrape raw lines into Jack's back, sending electric tingles through him. Jack takes a deep breath and does his best to settle himself. This is not the time to lose his grip on himself. Though, Robby is making it difficult.

He rocks back against Jack and releases sweet noises in Jack's ear.

"Omega, please." Robby arches into him with a wanton moan, and Jack almost bites a hole in his tongue to avoid cumming at the sound. He grips Robby's hip firmly. "Please, Mikey."

After a still minute, Robby asks, "Do you want me to present? Might stop me from getting in the way."

"You're not in the way," Jack says. "We're mating."

"You know what I mean."

"Everything you're doing, I love." Jack laughs shallowly. "I love it too much. I'm trying not to make a fool of myself, but you're too pretty."

Robby's following blush only makes Jack weaker. He tilts his head back and smiles shyly. "Whenever you're ready."

Jack was ready thirty years ago.

He thrusts into Robby as if he can make up for all their lost time in this one night, caging him in, never to leave the safety of their nest again, and keeping a firm grasp on his hips. His nose trails along the tempting length of Robby's neck and lands at the base where his scent gland begs to be bitten.

Each pump coaxes more of his knot, and before long, he's catching on Robby's tight, hot hole. His jaw aches from the restraint, but only when the knot latches and he feels Robby's second release coat his thighs does Jack sink his teeth into the flesh of his mate.

Robby shakes through it. Gasping and clawing at Jack's shoulders. A bright red ring is left around his scent gland, a mating mark, a physical representation of their love.

Well, the second one. Jack supposes their pup is the first.

Ideally, Jack would give his mate as much time as he needs to recover from the onslaught of endorphins that come with a mating, but he's too eager to be attached in the same way and ends up desperately nudging his own gland against Robby's lips.

Robby's own instincts take over, and he latches himself to Jack with ease. The rush is even more overwhelming than any words could describe, and despite his age, Jack's knot releases a second wave inside his omega at the sensation.

When his mind finally returns to his body, Jack notices a pink tint left behind on Robby's teeth and laughs. He kisses him and licks away the leftover blood.

"That was good," Robby says.

Jack agrees. Though now that his nerves are calming, he's noticing how much weight he's put on his residual limb. If he'd been thinking clearly, he would've put a pillow down to avoid the extra strain, but he takes in Robby's lovesick expression and decides one night of aching is worth it.

He rolls them onto their sides and traces his thumb over the fresh mark on Robby's neck. "I can't believe you're real."

Robby pushes their noses together. "I get it," he says. "I'm half worried if I fall asleep, I'll wake up alone. Like I've been hallucinating these last months."

"No," Jack says instantly. He pulls Robby impossibly closer and kisses the bite. "We're real."

Jack double-checks the kitchen and the bathroom. Once the spotless counters have been wiped down once more, he runs the vacuum through the house for the third time in as many days and realizes halfway through the living room that he's at risk of sweating through the one shirt he's deemed appropriate to reunite with the mother of his pup. He delicately drapes the shirt over the back of the couch and continues to pick up the nonexistent dust.

He mows neat lines into the carpet until an electric shot zips through him in the form of a tap on his shoulder.

Jack whips around and is met with John, who's wearing a no-good smirk. "Decided against the tie, I see."

A small snicker comes from over his shoulder, and Jack's heart sinks like a brick. Standing in the living room, in all his fifty years of beauty, is Michael Robinavitch, bright eyes gleaming at Jack and a pretty blush glowing on his cheeks as he takes in Jack's naked chest.

Jack swears under his breath and shoves the shirt on. He'd given John a key to use whenever he pleased, but of course the first time he's willing to use it is when Jack can conveniently make a fool of himself.

"Sorry, I um, I thought I had more time."

"I don't mind," Robby says.

"Ew, Mom."

"Hush. I didn't mean it like that." But the damage is done; Jack's cheeks have flamed to match Robby's own in tandem with small pride swelling in his chest. "Hi, Jack."

It's as if Cupid's arrow has reburied itself in Jack all over again. "Hi, Mikey."

Robby's glow becomes impossibly more radiant at the same time that John's jaw drops. "Mikey? I didn't know people called you that."

"One person called me that," Robby corrects.

Jack's palms itch. "I, uh, I got you these." He brushes past Robby to the kitchen and grabs the bouquet of sunflowers. "I thought I'd be able to answer the door with them."

"Oh, God." To Jack's horror, tears spring in Robby's eyes.

"You're not allergic to them now, are you?"

Robby shakes his head. He cradles the flowers to his chest. "You're still the perfect alpha."

"Only for you," Jack jokes lightly. "I've had a lot of complaints over the years."

Robby raises his eyebrows. "A lot, huh?"

"No, no— I mean—"

"I'm messing with you." Robby rubs his shoulder, and a warm buzz spreads through Jack's arm. "I didn't think you'd been living like a monk."

"Well, I mean, look at you," Jack sighs. Robby is impossibly more beautiful in person than the one photo let on.

"Oh, please," Robby waves a dismissive hand. "I'm not—"

"He does alright for himself," John interjects. "They were all losers, but there were some handsome losers."

Robby's eyes pinch shut. "Thank you, baby."

Hope rises. "So... you aren't currently being courted?"

John answers for him. "Nope. Not for a couple years now."

"John," Robby bites.

"And he's got maybe two more years before menopause really kicks off, so—"

"John!"

"I'm just saying!"

Robby shakes his head. "We have a lot of talking to do before anything like that gets brought up."

"But it could be brought up?"

"Go for a walk," Robby orders. "A long one. Get us dinner or something."

John rolls his eyes and grumbles under his breath, but he still kisses Robby's cheek before he leaves. Jack gets a hug too; they've been doing that a lot. It's gotten them some odd looks at work, but Jack doesn't care. He'll let John be the one to tell people.

Once they're alone, Jack invites Robby to the couch. It feels like he's about to have a job interview in his own home.

"Sorry about him," Robby says. "He's become obsessed with us getting back together. Which," Robby sighs, "I imagine is my fault."

Jack's heart stutters. "Oh?"

"I— because it was my fault you weren't around when he was a pup," Robby clarifies. "I'm sorry about that, again."

Jack shuffles in his seat. "Why did you leave?"

Robby grimaces. "It seems silly now."

"Please."

"Your mother didn't like me." There's a sad air in his breath. "She didn't think I was good enough for you; no one did. You were this picture-perfect alpha, and I was too tall and gangly; I didn't have the right temperament. Everyone always said so, and it just got to me." Robby strokes the flower petals. "I thought I was doing you a favor. I didn't know I was pregnant at the time, I swear, but I didn't know what to say. 'Sorry for breaking your heart, pay for this baby.'"

Jack grips his hands together so tightly his knuckles turn white. "Well, I don't talk to my mother anymore."

"Is she dead?"

"Not that my brother has mentioned." Jack's jaw is so tight it hurts. "She kept saying how glad she was that we hadn't mated, and I was still praying you would change your mind. Haven't spoken to her in nearly twenty years."

"After all those years?"

"To this day."

Robby's tears return. "I'm sorry," he croaks.

Jack rubs his hands along his pant legs. "Did you ever consider telling me?"

"Constantly. Every doctor's appointment, after he was born, every milestone, every birthday." He gives a wet laugh. "I remember the first time he zipped his coat up on his own; I spent the whole afternoon debating if I should call you." Robby looks up meekly, then focuses back on the flowers. "And I did."

All the moisture in Jack's mouth evaporates. "You did?"

"Mhm. But you'd started your military service by then, so your number had changed."

"Oh, Jesus. I'm so sorry."

"That's not your fault," Robby says. "I never blamed you. This was all on me." A small smile curves across his face. "I used to pray our pup would be just like you. I spent my whole pregnancy imagining little curls and freckles, so as punishment, I ended up giving birth to my clone."

"I love it," Jack says. "You know I do. I always wanted a mini you."

"If I remember correctly, you wanted five mini-mes." He wears a full smile now.

"How could I not?"

"I can't believe you're even entertaining me right now," Robby admits. "It's proof you're too good for me."

Jack leans forward. He has spent decades hoping for this exact opportunity, and he's not going to waste it. "Before we ever met, if someone asked me to make my ideal mate, they wouldn't have been half as wonderful as you are. I couldn't have wished for a better mate, and I understand if you aren't interested, but I'd like the chance to prove that to you again." A nervous laugh rattles under his ribs. "I think our pup would like it too."

Our pup. He can't believe he gets to say that, to Robby of all people. It's a dream.

Robby wipes the stray tears off his cheeks. "You hear how crazy that sounds, right? I stole your pup from you."

"You did what you thought you had to," Jack corrects. "And John is perfect. You did perfect."

"I didn't. There were so many times where I fucked him up, so many times where you could've handled things better than I did."

"You can't look at that young man and say he isn't good. You know you can't."

"He gets it from you."

"How much leave do you have saved up?" Jack asks. "I bet a shitload; you never liked taking time off."

"Well..." Robby shrugs.

"Stay here for a while. In a hotel if you would prefer, but stay and let the three of us enjoy each other. We don't have to go any further than you want; we can just be cordial, but I would like some time with all three of us."

Robby bites his bottom lip. "Okay."

A weight drops from Jack. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I've wasted enough time."

“Let’s get you cleaned up first,” Jack says. He ignores his aching knees and lands on the concrete to take Carter's shoes off for him, then leaves them on the curb. Jack places his hands on Carter’s shoulders and guides him to the bathroom.

"Thank you," Carter mumbles. "I could've done that."

Jack shakes his head. "I wanted to." Would've been nice to do it when Carter was five, but he'll take what he can get.

Carter rinses his mouth out in the sink and stares at Jack through the mirror. "When were— You and my mom, what..."

"Uh..." Jack scratches the back of his head. He laughs even though nothing about this is funny. "We met our last year of pre-med, courted for most of med school, and right before we graduated, he ended things."

Carter gives a small, shaky nod. "That adds up." He curls over the sink. "Oh, my God," he sounds like he might throw up again. Jack's hands retake their place on his pup's back. His pup.

"It's okay," Jack says. "Everything is going to be okay."

Wild, red-rimmed eyes meet his own. "I am going to kill my mom."

"I'd prefer if you didn't."

"You should want to kill him," Carter stresses. "I've told him about you. And I know for a fact he's looked on the hospital website; he's seen your photo. Fuck." He whips out his phone, but before he can make the call, Jack grabs his wrist.

"Not here," he says. "We should be somewhere more private."

Carter releases a heavy sigh but agrees. "My roommate isn't working today."

Heart pounding in his chest, Jack offers, "You could... come to my place."

They end up standing awkwardly in the entrance of Jack's home. He's now realizing how unwelcoming his house is; no photos on the walls, minimal decor, at least it's clean.

"This is neat," Carter says. He's being excruciatingly polite because Jack is sure the signed helmet his buddies gave him when he was discharged is of no interest to him. Still, telling Carter a bit about his military time fills the silence for a while, so he takes it.

To his surprise, Carter is genuinely enthralled. "That's awesome," he says. "I'm hoping to join Doctors Without Borders one day; maybe you can give me some tips on combat medicine before I go."

Absolutely not. Jack just got his pup; no way in hell is he sending him to get his own leg blown off. It must show on his face because Carter rolls his eyes.

"You're taking that as well as Mom did."

“Maybe wait until after your residency before thinking about that.”

Another eye roll. “Sure.” He sighs. “I’m calling him.”

“You should eat first,” Jack says. “It’s been a long day; you don’t want to have this conversation angry.” After decades of praying he’d run into Robby, now Jack feels sick at the thought of talking to him.

“Fine,” Carter says. “But I’m still going to be angry.”

Watching Carter eat the dinner he made gives Jack a foolish swell of satisfaction. He cleans his plate and thanks Jack softly; it takes a lot of strength to suppress the urge to kiss the top of his head or reach out for Carter at all. He’s so wonderful. Jack’s perfect pup.

Of course he’s perfect, Jack thinks; he’s Robby’s.

Jack is broken out of his daze when Carter’s phone begins ringing loudly. Before he can say that this isn’t a conversation to be had on speaker, the beautiful rasp that’s haunted Jack’s memories for nearly three decades sings through the house.

“Hi, baby. How was work?”

Jack’s mouth waters at the sound. He doesn’t know if he’s going to be sick, cry, or attempt to jump through the phone.

“Big day, Mom. Very big day.”

“Yeah? How so?”

“Well, first, guess who I’m sitting with.” He holds the phone out to Jack, who gapes like an idiot.

“Uh…” his breath stutters. “Hi— uh, hi, Robby. How have you been?”

Jack isn’t certain what an appropriate conversation starter is when speaking over the phone to an ex who gave him a pup he didn’t know about until an hour ago, but he grimaces at his faux-casual tone.

A long silence stretches between them.

“John,” Robby says, finally. “Take me off speaker. Now.”

Their pup huffs, but does as he’s told. Jack twiddles his thumbs and pretends not to listen to the half of the conversation he’s privy to. Instead, he focuses on the low, unintelligible hum of Robby’s voice.

After a few minutes, Carter holds the phone out. “He wants to talk to you.”

Jack takes it with quivering fingers. “Hello?”

There’s a shallow curse through the phone, then, “Hi, Jack. Long time, no see.”

Hearing Robby’s voice, hearing the man he’s always dreamed of as his mate, say his name again brings tears to Jack’s eyes. “It’s really you.”

“That it is,” Robby sighs. “I’m sorry this is how we’re meeting again.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Jack says immediately.

“Sorry is the least I should be,” Robby mutters. He takes a deep breath. “So… what do you think of our pup?”

Jack can’t help but laugh. He wipes his cheeks roughly as the tears trickle down. “He’s perfect. Robby, he’s the best thing in the whole world; you should see him at work.” From the corner of his eye, Jack sees Carter’s posture straighten. “You did so good.”

“He just looks like me,” Robby says. “His personality is all you.”

“No. Everything I loved about you is in there.”

A sharp sob breaks through the phone, and Jack wishes so badly he could reach through the screen and hold Robby like no time has passed at all.

“I’m so sorry, Jack,” he cries. “I thought I made the right choice at the time; I really did.”

“What did I do?” Jack asks between tears. Poor Carter is pretending to be interested in the spice rack to avoid his newly found father’s sobbing. “What made you think I wouldn’t want him?”

“Nothing,” Robby sniffs. “I knew you would. I didn’t know I was pregnant when I left. I found out two weeks after, and it—“ He chokes on his own breath. “It felt too late to come home by then,” he croaks.

The tears burn Jack’s face. “It wasn’t.” He glances at his pup, who has moved on to inspecting his cereal options. “It’s still not.”

“Jack—“

“Could we meet in person?” Jack’s leg bounces anxiously. “I’ll pay for your ticket and a hotel if you’d be willing to.”

“I can afford it myself,” Robby says.

“No, I know.” Jack’s cheeks burn. “I, well, I just—“

“You never let me pay for anything,” Robby teases. “My alpha: the perfect provider.”

Jack’s heart stops when Robby calls him his alpha. He doesn’t care that it’s a joke; since the moment he saw him in the dining hall all those years ago, Jack has been nothing but Robby’s. “Please let me.”

There’s another beat of silence, filled by Jack’s heartbeat thrumming in his ears, then Robby says, “Thank you, but I’ll pay for it.”

Jack deflates. Maybe Robby has mated in the years since Carter’s graduation, or he’s being courted now, and his current alpha will snap at Jack to back off. “Okay.”

“I’ll book a flight and text John the details.” He sighs again. “I really am sorry, Jack.”

“Don’t be,” Jack says again. “I’m handing you back to Carter, uh, John.”

John says his goodbyes and shifts from foot to foot, picking at the hem of his scrubs. “So, should we play catch or something?”

Jack smiles, raw and exhausted. “We can do whatever you want.”

“Dr. Abbot,” the department head says. Jack hadn’t even noticed her, all his attention was wrapped in the ghost standing in front of him. “This is Dr. Carter. He’s one of our MS4s.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jack rasps. He shakes the ghost’s hand, they’re softer than Robby’s ever were, but that warm smile is exactly like he remembers.

“Nice to meet you too,” Carter says. “You know, it’s funny, my—“ The doors of the ambulance bay spring open and shouting overwhelms whatever he says.

“I’m sorry?” Jack needs to sit down, but there’s never a chance here.

Carter waves him off. “Not important.” He heads off to the trauma and Jack follows foolishly behind.

Every time Carter is on Jack’s shift he spends the whole time staring at him, wondering if he actually is his Mikey’s pup. He must be, the odds of someone else having a pup that looks exactly like him down to the crinkle by his eyes when he smiles are slim to none. Jack imagines what Robby would look like now. Stunningly beautiful, he’s certain. Those lines Jack loved would be permanently etched on his face, and he bets his thin waist has fattened sweetly with age. Jack would give anything to have seen him pregnant.

When they were courting, Jack would curl behind Robby and rub his palm over his stomach, picturing how it would feel when it expanded to grow their pup. Now, he lays in bed alone between shifts and tries not to vomit at the thought of some other alpha getting that instead.

He does the math on Carter’s age and pinches the bridge of his nose to stop himself from crying. How soon after their courtship did Robby get pupped? Was there some other alpha waiting for him while Jack thought they were planning a life together? Or worse, had already taken Robby while he was still Jack’s?

Pathetic as it is, he can’t stop the tears. Fifty years old, spending his day off sobbing in bed over an omega that had forgotten about him when their lives were still intertwined.

As gruesome as it is to see Carter happily bouncing around the ED, Jack won’t deny that he appreciates the small distraction from his pity party. He often eavesdrops on Carter’s chatting in the hopes of hearing something definitive about his mother.

One day, he overhears Carter mention that his first name is John, which is salt in the wound, but it gives Jack enough to google him like a creep without risking his coworkers finding him digging into their student’s private life.

John Carter is an unfortunately popular name, but after an hour of searching, Jack finds an Instagram account under jcartera. Carter doesn’t post very much, but there is one photo that takes Jack’s breath away.

Michael Robinavitch, twenty-five years older than the last time Jack saw him, hugging his pup tightly as they celebrate Carter’s graduation. He’s even more gorgeous than Jack imagined. His eyes shine proudly, and his smile is just as hypnotic as Jack remembered.

He clicks the photo for a closer look, and takes it in like oxygen. His eyes dart to Robby’s neck; he can’t see a bite. What idiot wouldn’t mate Robby?

Jack scrolls to the next photo and it’s as if a knife is driven into his heart. Robby looks almost exactly how Jack remembers him, the only difference is the bit of weight remaining around his jawline, and baby Carter snug against his chest.

A heavy weight slams into Jack. He wishes so badly he could’ve been the alpha that gave Robby that smile; that they could’ve had a pup and treasured them together.

Or even Carter. He’s such a wonderful young man, Jack would’ve been happy to claim him regardless of who his actual father was. He was always so weak for Robby; Jack would’ve raised any pup of his if for nothing else than to keep his dream omega in his life.

Jack goes back to the graduation photo. There’s an account tagged on Robby’s shoulder, m.robby; Jack gnaws his bottom lip and considers if this is a bridge to far, but figures he’s already past inappropriate.

Robby’s account is even emptier than Carter’s. He’s posted the same graduation picture, and a photo of a sunset with no caption. Jack sighs and goes back to Carter’s account. He stares at the two photos and imagines a whole different life.

He sees that life every time Carter’s name is mentioned for the next month. The first break he gets from the taunting fantasy comes after hours of working on the victims of a six car pile up.

Jack is taking his first real breath since the trauma was called in, sitting alone on a bench outside the ambulance bay, when Carter comes out, cheeks red and hair sticking to his forehead.

“Oh, hi, Dr. Abbot,” he smiles. Jack wonders if Carter got his ability to bounce back from his father because Robby had a nasty habit of taking every lost patient to heart.

“Hey, Carter. How you holding up?”

“Been better.” He takes the spot next to Jack. “I’m really glad that girl pulled through. She had me scared.”

“You and me both.”

Carter hums. “Maybe it’s an Abbot thing.”

Jack’s eyebrows furrow.

“I’m making a joke,” Carter laughs. “Because we have the same last name.”

All the air evaporates from Jack’s lungs. “What?”

“Just, because we were thinking the same thing and both our last names are Abbot.” Carter shrugs. “It’s stupid. There’s a reason I’m a doctor and not a comedian.”

Jack blinks, hard and heavy. “I thought your last name was Carter.”

He shakes his head. “No, Carter’s my middle name. I went by it in school, and when I continued for this rotation to avoid confusion after I found out there was already a Dr. Abbot.” He frowns. Good God, he is the absolute spit of Robby. “I thought you knew.”

“No,” Jack says, breathless.

“I told you on my first day.”

Jack’s head is spinning. “I’d definitely remember that if you did.”

Carter, Abbot, John Carter Abbot, looks at him strangely before brightening. “Oh, yeah! The trauma came in and I forgot. Huh. Doesn’t matter, I guess.”

It does matter. It matters more than anything in the world. “Your name is John Abbot,” Jack says stupidly.

“Yeah?”

“My name is John Abbot.”

Carter’s frown returns. “But… I swear I’ve heard the other attendings call you Jack?”

“That— yeah. That’s the name I’ve gone by since childhood,” he laughs shallowly. He could wake up in a padded cell at any moment. “I’m named after my uncle, so I got called Jack to avoid confusion.”

“Oh.” Carter stares at his feet. “I’m named after my dad…”

Jack grabs the back of the bench to avoid giving himself a concussion when he inevitably passes out.

Carter at him with wide, somewhat frightened, eyes. “Do you… um, did you know a Michael Robinavitch?”

“Yes,” Jack whispers. His grip on the bench tightens.

All the color in Carter’s face drains. “How well?”

“Extremely.”