The Pitt Sideblog

Dennis lit up like a Christmas tree anytime another hybrid came into the ER, and he made it his personal mission to check in carefully with each and every one of them. He usually ended up pressed against them, nuzzling if he could get away with it, and who the fuck were any of them to deny Dennis a little bit of comfort from people like him?

But Dennis was...

He was different to Cooper. Jack tried not to do Dennis the disservice of infantalising him or coddling him because he happened to be bright and cheerful and have soft ears and a cute tail. He knew Dennis was fucking good at what he did. He knew Dennis was fitter and faster and probably had the capacity to do more physical damage than probably any of the humans in the hospital. So he tried, he really, truly, tried not to think of him in any different terms than he'd think of his other colleagues.

But Dennis was theirs. He was cheerful and bright, and he stopped to save bugs from being stepped on, and he wasn't ashamed of crying with and for their patients, and he fundamentally seemed hardwired to believe that people were good and worthy beings. He felt things so deeply.

Dennis was not going to understand Cooper, and Cooper was not going to understand Dennis.

He was too late, because of course he was.

He was treated to the sight of Dennis' frantically-wagging tail go up against the stiff tail held still at Cooper's back.

"Hi!" The tail wag softened slightly as Dennis glanced through to the bay where Cooper's sergeant was being treated.

"I'm sorry - would you like to tell me what happened to your friend?"

"My sergeant. Not my friend."

Dennis blinked, ears flicking back for a split second and tail halting in its wagging.

"Oh - um. I'm sorry. Would you like to talk to me about what happened to - to your sergeant?"

"I already briefed the doctors. You a doctor?"

"Oh - no, I'm a support -"

"Yeah, no. I'm good."

Even from across the floor and busy as he was, Jack could see Dennis droop. His ears trembled a little as they flopped down to the sides of Dennis' face. His tail stuttered and halted, and he clutched the hem of his scrub top.

"Oh. Okay. Um, that's no problem. We don't have to talk."

It took Jack just a second too long to realise the intent behind the words.

Hybrids were usually much more reliant on and receptive to touch and scent than humans. On the rare occasion they did get hybrids in the hospital, they often didn't really want to talk that much. Jack had seen Dennis soothe tense lines and too-wide eyes simply by gently pressing himself into the side of the other hybrid, and leaning his weight there. Sometimes, if things were quiet and they were behind a curtain or in one of the bays with a functioning door, he had seen them engage in gentle, subtle nuzzling and scenting with Dennis, who was all too happy to let his eyes droop slightly and allow himself to be sniffed and nestled in tighter.

He was too late to intervene when he saw Dennis carefully try to slot himself into Cooper's side, but he crossed the floor quick enough to catch the aftermath.

The little yelp Dennis let out was soft, but it felt like it pierced something soft and delicate inside Jack. The kid stumbled as one of Cooper's big hands shoved him firmly away from him.

"Back the fuck up, puppy." There was a hint of a snarl to his voice, a flash of sharpened teeth.

"I'm - I'm sorry -"

"I don't know what you're used to -"

"Cooper!" Jack's voice was doing a better impression of a bark than he'd heard from most hybrids, and he saw Cooper stiffen and then saw his shoulders slip back from hostility to something more like parade rest.

"Sergeant Abbot."

"Doctor Abbot. We're not on base anymore, Cooper, and you'd do well to remember that. You're in my emergency department, and you have just put your hands on my subordinate."

"Jack..."

Dennis' protest is soft and muted, his head bowed in the face of Cooper's stiff shoulders and frozen tail.

"Sorry, Sergeant - Doctor Abbot."

Cooper's hands were clasped behind his back, and he was looking just past Jack's left ear. Jack stared back, straight into the eyes that knew they shouldn't meet his.

"Not to me. To him."

Cooper's throat bobbed with one single swallow, and then he dipped his head ever so slightly to angle in Dennis' direction, eye settling just above the place where Dennis' hair was shorn slightly shorter.

"I'm sorry, pup."

"Dennis."

"I'm sorry, Dennis." Short, clear, and without hesitation. Jack nodded.

Dennis did too, but it was much more subdued, and his eyes made a valiant effort to meet Cooper's. Jack put his hand on the nape of Dennis' neck and squeezed, thumb finding the soft skin behind Dennis' ear and stroking.

"That's okay." He gave Cooper a weak smile, got a blink in return. "I shouldn't have assumed."

"C'mon, Denny. Let's go see what the day shift left for us in the fridge." Because Jack had no desire to listen to any self-flagellation tonight.

He steered Dennis away from Cooper and forwards the breakroom, fingers squeezing soothingly into the tense muscles of Dennis' neck.

He kicked the breakroom door closed behind them.

"C'mere, sweetheart."

He opened his free arm, and Dennis melted into his chest with no hesitation.

"I'm sorry."

"No, we've already done that." He kept a thread of steel in his tone as he strokes Dennis' ears. "The only person who needed to apologise was Cooper. It was a military apology, but it's the best one anyone will ever get from him."

Jack snorted, petting Dennis' back when he tilted his head against Jack's chest.

"I probably owe you an apology too, kid."

"No -"

"Yes. I know what military jackasses are like. Pun maybe intended." He wiggles his finger under Dennis' chin where he's ticklish, smiles at the quiet giggle and squirming it produces. He lets them sit in the newly-gentle silence for a while, lets Dennis process his clearly-swirling thoughts.

"Thank you." Dennis murmurs into Jack's neck. "For coming to - help."

"But?" He prompts gently, makes sure his tone is soft and inquisitive and nothing more.

"But you...you didn't need to be mean to him."

Jack can't quite stifle the laugh that punches out of him into Dennis' hair.

"Honey, that wasn't mean -"

"You'd never speak to me like that."

"You're damn right I wouldn't. And nobody else is going to either."

At Dennis' doubtful silence, Jack gentles his voice, leans in so he can murmur quietly into his soft, fluffy ear.

"I know it sounded rough, Denny. And you're right, I wouldn't talk to you like that. But Cooper's a military man, through and through. That's how he communicates. It's how he's been trained - how we were all trained."

Dennis nuzzles closer into the crook of Jack's shoulder. He stays silent, but presses his nose to the warm skin and allows himself what Robby calls his little 'butterfly sniffs.'

"When you're in that environment, everything is short and sharp and clear. No room for any niceties or even basic politeness most of the time. And if you fuck up, you're told you've fucked up in no uncertain terms. You get to the point where you - you want that clarity, that bluntness. Cooper's feelings aren't gonna be hurt, honey. He was given feedback and an instruction, and he's content with that."

Jack can feel Dennis' body slowly starting to relax, inch by inch, leaning a little more of his weight into the hold. He smooths both ears back and gently pins their tips together at the back of Dennis' head, grinning at the indignant whine he gets. He presses an apology kiss to Dennis' forehead, keeps his voice low.

"It's nothing you did wrong, Denny. Cooper's just been trained to think of everything as a potential threat when he's wearing the uniform. Kinda like your vest, y'know? You know that when you're wearing it, you have a job to do. It's just unfortunate that a lot of military assholes don't know when to use common sense and pick up on context clues when they're dealing with civilians."

"They tried to make me into a police hybrid, for a while." Dennis murmurs sleepily, snuggling further into Jack's hold like he hasn't just dropped a fucking bombshell.

"They tried a few different things, once they figured out I had a good sense of smell. I wasn't any good at any of them."

There's so many thoughts swirling through Jack's brain right now, and he finds it irritating and inappropriate that one of the most prominent ones is a desperate desire to call Robby and tell him what Dennis is saying.

"You're good at this, Denny. So fucking good at this. I promise you."

There's something like a small, soft smile being pressed into his chest, just above his heart.

He very nearly dropped the bike as he skidded to a halt in the ambulance bay. Hitting the kickstand with his foot was muscle memory at this point, and for that he was glad as he tossed his helmet to the ground and sprinted towards the bay doors. People were calling his name left and right, but his only concern was getting to Jack and Dennis.

“Thank Christ you're here,” Dana exclaimed as Robby stopped his prowl at the central hub. His chest rose and fell quickly as his breath puffed out in short bursts. “He took Dennis up to the eighth floor.”

She rounded the desk and joined him as they beelined for the stairs, throwing a “Perlah, you're in charge!” over her shoulder.

As they burst through the doors to the stairwell, Robby’s nose twitched. The smell was faint, but present, and struck straight through his heart as it confirmed what Dana had told him.

-

The phone call had woken him up - he’d been enjoying a nap in the sun on one of his *very* few days off. The house was empty, Jack having picked up a TEMS shift and Dennis busy in the Pitt, leaving Robby solo for a day of relaxing. Until his phone rang.

“You need to come quick,” Dana’s voice had been frantic. “Abbot got exposed to something in the field- they brought him here and he broke through security.”

“Woah, slow down!” Robby shot straight up, already starting to gather his gear. “What happened? What was Jack exposed to?”

There was a commotion in the background of the call.

“I don't know,” she breathed, “I don't know but he looked feral, Robby. Actually feral.”

Robby cursed, slipping his gloves on as he jammed his feet into his boots.

“Where is he now? Is he safe?”

“Ahmed followed him up to the eighth floor - they’re barricaded in one of the patient rooms.”

Robby paused. “They?”

He could hear the beta woman swallow on the other side of the line. “He grabbed Whitaker too.”

-

Jack’s scent was normally warm and spiced: cloves and ginger and nutmeg. But the scent that drifted throughout the stairwell as Robby took the stairs two by two had turned hot - the spices burning and charring in Robby’s nose. Dennis was there too, not quite as prominent, but even the traces that were present were wrong. His normally mild scent of hay and sun-baked earth turned acrid like a burning field.

As they reached the eighth floor, Robby stopped to turn to Dana, who had been leading him diligently towards where his mates had hidden.

“Go back down there - I need you to figure out what he was exposed to. If it's still contagious or not.”

Dana shook her head, “Robby… Abbot was so far gone when he came in. He might not recognize-”

“Go, Dana.” Robby commanded once more. “If you don't hear from me in the next half hour… call for feral control. But otherwise, keep everyone off of this floor.”

He watched as Dana’s jaw clenched. He knew the beta was conflicted - Jack and Dennis were as much her pack as they were his. But they were his omegas. His to protect. Dana was a smart woman. She knew better than to get between an alpha and his omegas - even if he was putting himself in danger.

“Keep your ringer on- I'll call you as soon as we know what it is.”

With that, Dana fled down the stairs, leaving Robby alone on the eighth floor to find Jack and Dennis.

He stalked forward, moving as quietly as possible as he listened for any sounds of distress. The burning smell grew stronger the further down the corridor, Dennis’s scent underneath it becoming more noticeable as well. Trusting his instincts, he followed the scents to a room at the end of the hall. He could hear it then, as he stood outside the closed door: a low rumbling. A warning sound.

Robby did his best to calm himself as his hand reached towards the door. He didn't expect the door to be unlocked; the turn of the handle making him flinch. The growl grew louder. The door squeaked open a crack and Robby’s breath hitched in his throat.

A sliver of light from the hallway shone into the patient room, falling on a tangle of two familiar bodies. Dennis lay curled across Jack’s lap, clutching Jack’s arm in his hands. Jack held Dennis just as tightly, one arm framing Dennis’s chin and reaching up to the back of his head while the other pulled him close to his chest. Another forced growl drew Robby’s attention higher- his breath catching in his lungs at the sight of Jack’s eye illuminated by the slit of light. It was completely black, the hazel irises that Robby knew and adored swallowed entirely by overblown pupils. His lip was curled up, showing off his short but razor sharp fangs. Robby watched as Jack’s arms tensed around Dennis, pulling him impossibly closer. A whimper came from Dennis and Robby couldn't help but take a step forward, which was very obviously the wrong move.

Jack snapped his fangs at Robby, the persistent rumbling reaching a boiling point as he snarled at the alpha.

Instinctively driven to correct the omega, Robby let out another snarl in response. Instead of shrinking back like an omega normally would, Jack bristled even further. Robby didn't miss the way that Dennis cowered away from both of them.

Robby opened his mouth to speak when his phone chimed in his pocket. He reached into his pocket slowly, telegraphing all of his movements as Jack tracked him like a hunter tracking his prey. Not glancing away from the omegas in front of him, Robby hit ‘accept’ and ‘speaker’.

“Please tell me you've got a lead on what this is,” Robby pleaded, watching as Dennis’s head turned slightly for him to assess Robby out of the corner of his eye.

“It's some kind of viral bio-weapon,” Dana explained frantically over the phone, “It’s attacking the frontal lobe and putting victims in a feral state- omegas AND alphas.”

Robby cursed under his breath. Being in close quarters with the two omegas had amplified the burning smell. Robby swore he could feel the heat in his nose.

“Okay, what's the treatment? The reversal agent?” Robby barked. His head had begun to ache, making him snap out the last word.

“Someone from the CDC is on their way,” Dana reassured, which did very little for Robby. “They're saying it's transmitted through scent so you should be fine up there as long as Abbot and Whittaker both still have their scent patches on.”

Robby felt sick as his eyes trailed from where Jack and Dennis were crouched to the pile of shredded plastic coated cotton pads.

“Fuck,” Robby drawled. He retrained his eyes on the two omegas, finally spotting the inflamed scent glands on Jack and Dennis’s wrists and necks. Even more concerningly, he watched as Jack’s nostrils flared, his head tilted towards Robby.

“They still have their patches on, right? Robby?”

Robby pulled his shirt over his nose and mouth, fully knowing it was probably too late. His breath started to become shallower, faster as visions of Tyvek suits and ventilators filled his head. He had to get what little information he gathered out as quickly as he could.

“Okay, Dana, listen to me. Call Gloria: tell her to put the hospital on lockdown - nobody in or out until there's an antidote available. Evacuate the seventh and ninth floors to somewhere else. All alphas and omegas need scent proof masks. Affected persons are going to develop a burning, smoky smell. They need to be fully quarantined. The eighth floor needs to be completely locked down - call facilities and make sure they shut off air circulation as quickly as possible.

Robby winced, a red hot flash of pain spearing through his head just behind his eyes. His shirt slipped out of his hand as his legs shook, prompting him to prop himself up against the doorframe. His vision began to blur, but he could still make out the shape of Dennis slowly removing himself from Jack’s lap, the two of them gravitating towards the alpha with flared nostrils.

“Robby-”

He cut Dana off with a low groan, heat spreading through his veins as he felt sweat begin to gather at his brow.

“Promise me-” he choked, falling further into the door frame. Jack was less than a yard away, his growls fading into a low keening sound that forced Robby’s body to loosen. “Fuck- Dana promise me you won't let them separate us.”

Robby didn't hear Dana’s response.

His phone slipped from his hand as the acrid burning smell suddenly vanished as if a strong wind had blown the smoke away. In its stead were Jack and Dennis’ scents, pungent and unadulterated as Robby filled his lungs with the air that carried them. His vision cleared as he dropped to his knees coming face to face with his omegas. Jack’s keening ceased and he pressed his face into Robby’s neck, mouthing at the sensitive scent gland there and pressing his own scent into every inch of skin he could get his hands on. Dennis did the same on Robby’s other side, his purr harmonizing with Jack in a way that dissolved any remaining tension in Robby’s muscles. A rumbling sound erupted from Robby’s chest before he pushed the two omegas farther into the room.

The three mates piled together, licking and scenting each other until their scents were indistinguishable from each other. They lie tangled together, content and satisfied, numb to the fire licking through their veins and creeping through the air ducts to the rest of the hospital.

“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.”

The moving process was slow, and Trinity was slightly furious about the amount of rent she had to pay during the moving out period, but they did it. Dennis, with his belly ever growing, was banished from helping carry things in, relegated to organising things. And there were many arguments as well, moving in with one person is hard enough, let alone a couple with a baby on the way. They fought over what should be thrown out or sold, where shit should go, hashing out expense agreements (Robby is firm on paying for everything - he earns the most - but trinity refuses to be indebted to him), and general roommate shit.