Kate :)

Hey, all!! I lowkey want to start this as a fanfic writing / short drabble thing, so here's my ao3 for anyone interested: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliascovennn

I'm going to transfer my two dana evans x emma nolan (the pitt) fanfics here that I've made thus far, and I plan to crosspost in the future.

The Pitt: Dana x Emma

Dana cares for Emma after a particularly terrible shift at the PTMC.

This one-shot deals with a patient physically assaulting nurse Emma so skip this one if you’re not comfy reading about that. All my love to you always, Kate :)

Good day, Enema truthers! (Or Demma, or Evanolan, whatever.) I’m back at it with more age gap yuri *insert cheers from everyone here* and this time I’m writing about a post-shift situation.

A little McEvanolan appears if you squint, though the main ship here is still Demma.

I started writing this before the code hula hoop at the end of the 5:00 episode, and I fear I may have accidentally predicted the future. (I was hoping going over the STAMP acronym at the beginning of the season wasn’t foreshadowing but apparently it is.)

I used this headcanon generator for inspiration! https://perchance.org/character-headcanon-generator-improved

“Dana instinctively cleans messes in their own house as well as other peoples’.”

---

This shift had been particularly gruelling. A reluctant mother brought in her son who had gone septic from untreated pneumonia and refused much treatment for a while, vastly decreasing her son's chance of survival from the infection.

Emma was assigned to this particular case with the help of Dana, who was handling more patients than usual today in addition to her charge nurse duties. Anyone in her position would be a little on edge. Though Dana has worked in medicine for over three decades, sometimes the job still has its ways of getting to her… especially when a combative patient comes for one of her nurses.

And the mother of the septic child chose the worst one to mess with (in Dana’s opinion): Emma.

It all happened so quickly, Emma’s braid was yanked by the mother after the nurse had suggested Zofran for the child’s nausea (a totally benign medication, by the way), and the surprisingly strong mom was having none of it. Twisting Emma’s head into the metal side of the hospital bed made a significant amount of noise so thankfully the entire emergency department was alerted almost immediately.

First on the scene was Doctor McKay, as she was treating a patient in the next room over. She opened the door to the exam room so forcefully that it made a slight dent in the wall, briefly startling the assaulting mother and giving Emma a chance to wriggle out of her grasp.

Dana followed closely behind and caught Emma as she stumbled to the ground, holding her tightly in her arms as Emma’s eyes filled with tears. Dana’s voice hurled insult after insult at the assailant as she dragged Emma out of the patient’s room and behind the counters in the central area.

“Shh, look at me, look at me. Where are you hurt?” Dana asked frantically, earnestly scanning for any obvious signs of injury on the new nurse.

“Head, Dana,” Emma whispered, tears falling from her eyes, dotting her skin with moisture. The left side of Emma’s head was beginning to swell, though no obvious lacerations were apparent.

“Cassie, assess her while I stabilize her head,” Dana commanded. The doctor whipped into action, kneeling down next to the both of them.

“Spontaneous eye response, pupils are equal and reactive,” Doctor McKay assessed, shining a pen light into the young nurse’s eyes.

“I’m in the PTMC, my name is Emma Nolan, it’s 2026.” Emma managed to say between sobs. Even in this state, she was still trying to be helpful. Can’t take the nurse out of the girl.

“Good, good. Shake your arms and legs for me?” McKay continued. Emma did so, and both Dana and Cassie sighed with relief. “GCS of 15, overall it doesn’t look too bad… turn your head for us?” Emma obeyed, wincing slightly.

“Point to it for me, dear,” Dana said, still not convinced her counterpart was in the clear for any immediate attention. Emma raised her hand gingerly and did as she was told.

“Blunt trauma to the left parietal area, diffusing a little from the focal point,” McKay acknowledged. Dana nodded along, agreeing. “You can let go of her neck now,” Cassie whispered so only Dana could hear. It took Dana a second to process this, as she was still intently in “nurse mode” as Emma affectionately called it. Emma reached to grab Dana’s hands and hold them there, though, and so Dana’s hands remained firmly in place.

In the midst of their assessment, the three missed all the hubbub that ensued concerning getting the mom out of the hospital and into handcuffs. Thankfully, a reaction from the PTMC security team was swift. Emma was swiftly moved to a patient bed, Dana emphatically at her side.

“Only an hour left in my shift and this had to happen,” Emma joked, trying to lighten the mood. Dana was visibly shaken, perhaps even more than Emma herself.

“I should have been there for you,” Dana whispered, reaching to hold Emma’s hand (the one not connected to the pulse ox reader). A beat of silence followed, only the steady beeping of Emma’s heart rate filled the room.

“I’m a big girl, I can handle myself. I’ve been here for over six months.” Emma attempted to comfort her mentor, squeezing Dana’s hand in hers. This attempt at lightheartedness didn’t really work, as evidenced by the frown that took root into Dana’s face.

“I know. But you’re still my responsibility,” is all Dana could say.

The remaining 45 minutes of their shift passed rather agonizingly for Dana. Every free moment she got, she was in Emma’s room. “Free” was subjective. No moment in Dana’s day was truly free of responsibility, but she moved Emma to a room directly next to her desk so that any slipping into Emma’s room for a brief checkup could be efficient.

Emma was improving minute by minute. She insisted on only taking Tylenol for the headache and Zofran (ironically) for mild nausea. It turned out that Emma was also dehydrated, a testament to how hard she was caring for others–and not taking care of herself as she did so. Dana would lay into her for that another time, though. In her eyes, the poor girl had experienced enough for one day.

Emma started to doze off. But, like the ever-protective person she was, Dana was having none of that. “You can’t sleep for a few hours after a head injury, you know that.”

“It’s been a long day, Dana. I just need a little nap, I promise,” Emma tried to reason.

“Not on my watch, hun. I’ll stay in here and talk with you to keep you awake.”

“Dana, no. You have patients to care for and an emergency department to run,” Emma responded.

“My shift ended, yours has too. I’m off the clock now. Any chaos out there is none of my business until tomorrow,” Dana said, gesturing to the main part of the emergency department. “I’m in here with you, and I’m not leaving.” Emma’s heart melted a little bit, but she still felt inclined to resist.

“Go home, I’m stuck here for the next three hours at least–”

“Absolutely not. You’re not driving tonight after this, I’m taking you home.”

“But if I’m cleared–”

“No.”

“Okay. Thank you, Dana.” Emma smiled and scooted over, making room for Dana to sit in the patient bed alongside her.

“Not exactly an act of romance, but I’ll take the chance to lay down” Dana joked, climbing in. “Yikes, I forgot how uncomfortable these beds are. No wonder people want to get out of here as quickly as possible.” Emma laughed in response to Dana’s quip as she draped the thin blanket over the two of them.

“I should’ve had you turn off the lights before you got in here with me,” Emma said.

“You’re drowsy already, that’s a definite ‘no.’ Also, the two of us together off the clock is suspicious enough in the workplace, don’t want to add any additional speculation by having us alone in the dark,” Dana chuckled.

A small series of knocks sounded on the door before Doctor McKay let herself in. “Hey, I’m headed home. Just wanted to check on you one last time before I clocked out. You doing okay?” Emma nodded, thankful for the follow-up.

“Can I… give you a hug?” Emma asked the doctor. Cassie hesitated a moment before agreeing, and she walked over to the bed and wrapped Emma in her arms the best she could given both Dana’s proximity to Emma and all the monitoring wires. “Thank you for taking care of me today.”

“Of course,” Cassie said sincerely. “When one of our own becomes a patient it’s rough on everyone. I’m glad I could help.” She released Emma from the hug and let herself out of the patient room with a small wave.

…

Emma’s observation period is up now, and Dana is preparing to drive Emma home.

“This is all that you needed from your locker, right?” Dana asks, holding up a white floral duffel bag.

“Yes, thank you,” responds Emma, sitting up.

“Still feeling okay? No new nausea or other symptoms?” asks Dana (for about the hundredth time at this point).

“None,” Emma asserts, still happy to answer. She knows that Dana is doing all this because she cares.

“Good, let’s get you home.”

The two exit the hospital doors and a cool night breeze draws shivers to Emma’s bare arms. Dana notices, of course, so she takes off her hoodie and drapes it over the young nurse’s shoulders.

“What happened to being subtle at work?” asks Emma jokingly, though she is grateful for the warmth.

“We’re not in the hospital anymore, sweetheart. Come on, my car’s this way,” Dana says as she steers Emma with her arm across the younger nurse’s back. Dana insists it’s for stability, but Emma thinks it’s more to comfort Dana than to provide much physical support to her.

“Come on, honey. You’re safe now,” Dana tells Emma as they get situated in the older woman’s car. It smells lived in, not dirty but not brand new. Emma sinks into the cloth seat and drums her nails on the center console, focusing on the feeling of the leather on her palms.

“I want to talk about it. Is that okay?” Emma asks, not quite meeting Dana’s eyes.

“Of course. Here?”

“My house, please. I’ll make you some coffee if you’d like” Emma insists.

“You have had an absolutely shitty day. Nothing for me. I promise,” Dana answers as she starts to back out of her parking spot. She twists her body into the middle of the car watching as she slowly starts the car in reverse; Emma finds her closeness comforting.

They reach the intersection to turn out of the hospital parking lot and Emma gives the appropriate directions to her apartment, putting them in Dana’s phone. Dana’s been there before, but doesn’t know the route by heart yet. It’s only a ten minute drive and Dana notes this to Emma, promising that it’s not out of her way to drive the younger nurse home… especially after the day Emma’s had–the day they’ve both had.

Emma directs Dana to park in her designated spot since her car won’t be occupying the space tonight, and they gather their respective bags. Well, Emma tries to grab hers but Dana is too quick.

“Nope, I’m on bag duty today,” Dana says before Emma can protest. This is in reference to what Emma does sometimes to Dana after a shift that’s been hard on her joints–her back, particularly. Usually Emma would fight to say that she can handle herself, but the day has worn her down to practically nothing.

She wordlessly leads Dana into the elevator and presses the button to her floor, the elevator doors enveloping them in this enclosed space together. As the elevator starts to rise, Emma leans her head against Dana’s shoulder and wraps her arms around the older nurse. Neither of them say anything, they don’t have to. They both watch the number on the elevator climb until floor 6–Emma’s floor.

The door opens and a cool breeze hits the pair as they step out into the empty hallway. They walk more slowly than usual, Dana making sure to carefully analyse Emma’s steps in case she starts to stumble. Upon reaching Emma’s front door, Dana automatically retrieves Emma’s keys from the front pocket of her duffel bag and unlocks the door herself.

“I don’t need to be babied, Dana,” Emma insists as they enter the apartment.

Dana sets their bags on the floor next to Emma’s couch and responds: “I know you don’t. But I’m here and I can help, so let me.” The younger nurse stands in her entryway still, debating whether to change her clothes and climb into bed or just call it a night by letting the couch absorb her tired body.

Deciding for her, Dana opens her arms invitingly. Like a magnet, Emma walks over to her and relaxes into a kiss worth a thousand words. “Work clothes off, yeah?” Dana asks quietly. Emma nods against Dana’s shoulder and begins to lead Dana to her bedroom. A fresh clothes basket lies on top of Emma’s bed. (She meant to put away her clothes before she left this morning but didn’t get a chance to do so.)

“I’m sorry–” Emma starts, but Dana is already opening her dresser drawers and placing her clothes in their designated spots. “Dana, stop!” Emma raises her voice slightly and Dana pauses.

“Let me. Your pink sweatshirt with the flowers on it, do you want that one?” That’s Emma’s favorite so she reluctantly nods. Dana sets it aside as she finishes placing the rest of Emma’s shirts into the drawer. “Pajama pants, obviously.” Dana states matter-of-factly, placing the blue and pink plaid fabric next to the sweatshirt. Lifting up an uncharacteristically navy t-shirt from the pile, Dana starts laughing. “I was looking for this shirt, you know!”

Emma starts to apologise, but Dana cuts her off: “Navy looks beautiful on you, sweetheart. Want to wear this one now?” A small smile and a nod tells Dana all she needs to know. “Here, the makings of your comfortable outfit. I’m going to put on my street clothes, too,” Dana says. “Think about taking all the stress off in addition to your clothes. You’re no longer ‘Nurse Emma’ anymore,” Dana does little air quotes and draws a giggle from Emma. “You’re just mine for now. Is that okay?”

Emma's eyes can’t help but start to fill with tears again, so she kisses Dana again.

“You okay?”

(Dana Evans x Emma Nolan) (The Pitt)

After getting matching coffee orders (Emma's with a little more sugar, though), Dana drives Emma to the PTMC and tests the younger nurse on an exam she will have to help with today.

no dubious content here (from this fic, anyway)

I noticed a severe lack of Demma/Evanolan/Enema (I think “Enema” is funny so I’ll use that one I think… can you tell I’m studying medicine?) content on here. I simply could not let that stand. So… I present to you… some fluffy goodness that ensues before a shift at the good ol’ PTMC.

I used this headcanon generator for inspiration! https://perchance.org/character-headcanon-generator-improved

“Dana almost drank the lethal dosage of caffeine once.” “Emma is a passenger princess.”

-----

Emma can barely keep her eyes open in the passenger seat of Dana’s car at the early hour of 6:30. She can vaguely understand that she had gotten into her mentor’s car around ten minutes ago, but is barely conscious from then on. Emma had been up late studying last night in her small apartment and had only gotten around four hours of sleep. Today, she was going to be reliant on caffeine.

It seems that Dana is in a similar predicament, as when she pulls into the drive-through window, she orders the largest size of her usual coffee. Dana nudges Emma’s shoulder. “Whadaya want, hun?”

“Oh, umm, something sweet. I can’t handle straight coffee,” Emma manages to reply, eyes still partially closed. Dana asks for another of her usual but with a bit more sugar, deciding that this will have to do.

“We’ve gotta get you full of this caffeine soon, kid. You’re looking awfully lethargic.”

“Don’t talk medical to me until we clock in, please…” Emma sleepily answers. Dana shakes her head a little bit, feeling just a little sorry for her protogé. Not too sorry, though. This incoming coffee ought to jostle her awake, or she was in for a long shift. Dana drives slowly to the pickup window and gleefully accepts their drug of choice from the equally exhausted-looking coffee shop worker.

“Thanks, dear. Have a good one!” Dana says as she begins to drive away.

“I didn’t do anything, Dana…” Emma replies. All Dana could do was chuckle.

“Drink up, sweetheart. Wouldn’t want you falling asleep mid-procedure today. Something tells me it’s going to be a rough shift.” Dana glances over at Emma and gives her a quick once-over with her eyes.

“What makes you say that?” Emma’s interest was now piqued and she sits up straighter in the car seat.

“Nurse’s intuition. You’ll learn it someday. Or maybe it’ll just show up out of the blue, I dunno. Regardless, you’ve gotta get some of that in you before you’re in charge of people’s lives.” Emma sits up straighter and takes a sip of the aforementioned beverage.

“Ooh, this is nice, what did you get me? And how much? Do you have venmo? I can pay you back.” All of Emma’s questions just earn a chuckle from Dana.

“It’s a latte, vanilla. As for the price, it is none of your business. It’s on me.” Emma starts to protest before she is cut off. “Zip it, missy.” Dana stops at a red light and turns to face Emma. “I mean it.” Emma can tell that there was no getting out of this predicament with her paying Dana anything at all, so she politely shuts her mouth, a small smile growing across her cheeks. “There’s my girl, finally awake?”

“Green, Dana,” Emma points out. The traffic light had indeed flipped from red to green, but there is no car behind them so Dana doesn’t have to worry about being honked at. Not that she would have cared, of course. They could wait for her to finish whatever was happening with Emma first. Dana would make them.

They were almost to the parking lot of the emergency room now, and the time was nearly 6:45. Dana likes to get the lay of the land and attempt to situate herself before she is officially on the clock to work. Emma had never protested. In fact, she seemed exasperatedly excited at the proposition that she would come in a little early today. Dana was a little thrown off by her eagerness, but shook it off and attributed it to her younger companion’s naturally caring disposition. Whatever she wanted, Emma would do.

The two of them haven’t made any romantic moves towards one another as of yet, but forced proximity and high-pressure situations are both factors that contribute to heightened emotion and rushed thinking.

“Alright, here’s the rundown of the day,” Dana begins, parking the car in her designated spot. It wasn’t really hers, but she parks there every day and nobody dared to throw off the charge nurse’s rhythm. “We clock in like normal, and today I think we’re going to have to do a few FAST exams. An hour ago, there was a five-car pileup on the freeway in our zone. I got a news alert. But I expect that most of the people involved have been brought in and initially treated. I want you to practice one of these today. Okay?”

Emma nods and begins to list off some fast facts (if you’ll excuse the pun) about this procedure. “Alright… ‘FAST’ stands for ‘focused assessment with sonography in trauma’ and it’s used to see if there is any free-flowing pericardial fluid in patients who have experienced blunt traumas.” Dana gives a grunt of acknowledgement as she unbuckles her seatbelt and pulls it out for Emma to see.

“With car crashes, seatbelts can absolutely cause blunt trauma to someone’s torso area. Bruising is common across the chest and abdomen, where the seatbelt lays on the body.” Emma drinks in the information, entranced. “Organ lacerations are less common, but they can happen. In individuals who have experienced a crash like this, it’s important to see if anything was dislodged through imaging like an ultrasound, especially if they have a seatbelt sign. What’s that, Emma?”

Ready and eager to respond to her prompt, Emma answers: “The bruise a seatbelt leaves behind. If there is bruising, it’s necessary to check for seatbelt syndrome.” Dana turns towards Emma again, letting the seatbelt lay limp and retract into the car.

“Excellent job. Now on me, point to where it’s most important to check first if I came into the ED after experiencing a car crash,” Dana encourages.

“Well, check for obvious signs of bleeding, head and neck injuries. I’d immobilise your head and neck first in case of whiplash or any fractures. Like this.” Emma moves to cup her hands around the sides of Dana’s neck and holds her head steadily. They are significantly closer to one another than before, as only the center console kept them from really touching. “I would ask you questions about the mechanism of injury, including what seat you were in when you crashed and how the cars collided. Or how you hit an object, or whatever.”

Emma is purposefully avoiding looking into Dana’s eyes so that she doesn’t get distracted. Rather, she focuses on watching how her hands hold up Dana’s head. “Good, good. Say I’m experiencing cardiac symptoms. Where would you focus the ultrasound?” Dana is also not making eye contact with Emma, but looks to her watch to check the time.

“Well, subxiphoid to avoid direct pressure,” Emma responds confidently.

“And where would that be?” Dana asks, gathering courage to stare directly into Emma’s eyes.

“Right… here,” Emma says as she presses her pointer finger to the lowest point in Dana’s sternum just above her diaphragm. They both inhale a little too quickly for the other’s liking, and a shared moment of awkwardness ensues.

“6:53. Better go inside, come on,” Dana says, breaking the silence and shifting away from Emma’s finger. “Don’t forget your coffee.”

“Oh, right,” Emma whispers, grabbing her coffee and retrieving her bag from the back seat. They both try to shake their thoughts of what happened in the car away as they near the doors, matching coffees in hand. To add insult to injury, Dana opens the door for Emma and follows behind her in an act of kindness that shouldn’t be seen as inherently romantic… but Emma has a hard time quieting the thoughts and blush that has certainly creeped up her cheeks.

All romantic thoughts fade quickly, though, as a naked patient sprints right past the two of them, orderlies following closely behind him. Dana chuckles and moves deeper into the emergency department. “A little early for that, don’t you think?” She asks rhetorically.

Emma doesn’t understand the concept of a rhetorical question so soon after being drilled in the car and she gives a quick affirmation as a response. “You kids and your eagerness to please. Let’s get situated.” Dana sets down her things at her usual desk while Emma tries not to think of that sentence as suggestive… but she fails miserably.

The young nurse watches as her superior downs a considerable portion of the coffee in one gulp. “You judging?” Emma shakes her head enthusiastically.

“Impressed, that’s all.” She holds her own coffee and starts to drink quickly.

“Whoa, there. Don’t want you too jittery to give an IV. Slow down a little. We have a microwave, ya know,” Dana says as she grabs Emma’s cup to tip it away from her face. “Get your bearings, we’ve got things to do!”