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It started out simple enough with a cup coffee waiting for you at your locker. Taking a sip, you reveled in the feeling of warmth that fought off the Pennsylvania winter and let out a sigh of satisfaction, as the drink was prepared just to your liking. You made a mental note to thank Trinity, thinking this had to be her doing, especially considering you spent all yesterday morning complaining to her how your coffee machine broke and you were now severely caffeine deprived. You thought nothing of the messily doodled heart drawn on the side of the cup before chugging the rest of the drink and tossing it in the trash. It was Valentine’s Day after all—hearts were fucking everywhere.

Spotting Trinity across the ER, already typing away on the computer, you approached her and subtly bumped your hip against hers. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“What coffee?” She replied, not bothering to even take her eyes off the screen.

“Never mind.” You brushed it off with a shrug, figuring then it must have been Victoria or Dennis. “Good luck with those charts,” you said, giving her a pat on the shoulder before making your over to the nurses’ station, not noticing Trinity’s eyes peel away from the screen to follow you intently.

“Hey, angel,” you greeted the charge nurse, who was surprisingly sitting down at her desk, the nickname causing her to fondly roll her eyes.

When you’d first called her that, Dana nearly spit her coffee out, the term of endearment and also your audacity catching her off guard. When she asked where the hell that came from, you merely shrugged. “Perlah, Princess–” you pointed at the two other nurses before landing on her– “and angel.”

Despite the stern glances she threw your way and even the occasional whacks to the head or kicks to the shin, you kept calling “angel” and the nickname stuck. But it was reserved only for you, something Robby had learned the hard way.

If anybody asked Dana why you were allowed to call her by a nickname, particularly one so affectionate, she would tell them it’s because she didn’t have the energy to keep telling you not to. But deep down, she knew it was because she had a soft spot for you, one that continued to grow as the two of you continued to banter, pushing the boundaries of flirting.

Of course, the whole department noticed. It’s not like the two of you were subtle with the way you danced around your feelings. Perlah and Princess had placed a bet months ago on who was going to make the first move and when it was going to happen, most of the residents also putting their money down. But when neither of you did anything, and with Valentine’s Day around the corner, the whole team—even Robby and Jack—who were all tired of watching the yearning looks and sickening pining, decided to take things into their own hands and devised a plan.

“(Y/L/N),” Dana responded, trying to keep her tone professional, the slight twitch in the corners of her mouth betraying her.

“Any Valentine’s Day plans?” You asked with a teasing grin as you took the tablet she was holding out for you with practiced ease. Too caught up in your own bubble, as so often happened when you were around the older woman, you didn’t notice Princess motioning something to Whitaker.

“If you count making sure you lot don’t kill anybody and trying not to lose my damn mind in the process, then yeah I got plans,” Dana sassed, causing you to chuckle as you skimmed the file she’d pulled up for you. “You?”

Shaking your head, still quite amused, you started to reply, “No, I–”

“Hey, (Y/N),” Dennis cut in, though you couldn’t actually see his face, as it was hidden behind a huge bouquet of red roses. “Someone asked me to give these to you.”

“What?” You let out a nervous laugh, a faint blush creeping up your neck as you felt several eyes turn to you. “Who?”

Dennis simply shrugged. “There’s a card,” he supplied before scurrying back to work.

As you untucked the small piece of card stock from the loosely tied string, Dana watched curiously over the rim of her glasses. She could feel a knot forming in her stomach, and she refused to admit the green monster was making an appearance.

“Who’s your admirer?” Dana asked, trying to put an air of nonchalance into her voice as she turned her focus back to her computer screen.

“It doesn’t say.” You frowned as you read the note, which said: Hope you enjoyed the coffee, signed only with a heart.

“Ooo from your lover?” Princess quickly rounded the counter and plucked the card from your hand. “And they got you coffee?”

Dana clenched her jaw, not liking this feeling boiling in her chest. She didn’t know you were seeing anybody. If she had, she wouldn’t have let you in, let you call her “angel”, and, even if she’d never admit it, flirted with you.

When the two of you first started this…well, whatever it was, Dana was hesitant. You were this bright young woman, full of life and potential. She didn’t know what you could possibly see in her, a divorced fifty-something-year-old woman who spent more time in the ER than in her own bed. But as the months went on, and you continued to linger by the nurses’ station with that soft smile you seemingly reserved for her, Dana let herself indulge.

Now, watching you accept a bouquet of roses from your lover—according to Princess, who practically ran the ED’s gossip mill—Dana felt more humiliated than jealous, not that she wasn’t also envious of whoever occupied your time. She should have trusted her instincts from the beginning. She never stood a chance.

“I don’t–” you started to correct Princess that you weren’t seeing anybody, but before you could finish your sentence, Robby’s booming voice interrupted you.

“(Y/L/N), put those flowers in some water, then come find me.”

“Duty calls.” You gave the two nurses a polite smile before rushing off to find a place for your flowers, which were starting to feel like more of a distracting burden than a pleasant gift.

Once she saw you were out of earshot, Princess leaned over the counter, her eyes noting Dana’s every move. “Did you know she was seeing someone?”

“Enough gossip,” Dana scolded as she briskly moved around the desk, effectively putting an end to the conversation. “Back to work.”

As the charge nurse went off to one of the trauma bays, Perlah approached the nurses’ station. “What’s with her?”

“It’s working,” Princess replied in English before quietly switching to Tagalog. “She’s jealous.”

---------

Two hours into your shift and you had almost forgotten about your secret admirer, a man with a screwdriver sticking out of his leg and a woman with a broken wrist taking up most of your focus.

As you stood at a laptop, trying to catch up on your charts in between patients, Victoria appeared in front of you wearing a mischievous smile, her hands hiding something behind her back.

“What’s up?” You finished typing a sentence before looking over the screen at the younger woman.

“I have something for you,” she sang as she revealed a ribbon-adorned box, which you eyed cautiously.

“What is it?”

“Chocolates,” Victoria answered before quickly turning on her heels and leaving you to finish your charts with many questions.

Slipping off the bow, you opened the box, your attention solely on the typed-out note that sat atop an assortment of truffles.

Thanks for being you xx – D.

Nothing too flashy or cheesy. Just short and simple.

You thought of all the people in your life whose name started with a D, your mind immediately going to one person. You didn’t want to give yourself a sense of false hope, but you knew with one hundred percent certainty that you could rule out Dennis, bless his gay heart.

That only left Dana, the woman who’d held your affection from the first moment you’d met her. To say you had a crush on the older woman would be an understatement, and also juvenile. Rather, you were more head-over-heals in love with her.

You didn’t mean for it to happen. There were a multitude of reasons that constantly ran in your head as to why you shouldn’t have these feelings, her being older than you and basically your superior being the main two. But falling in love with Dana Evans was hard to avoid. All the times you felt her piercing yet knowing gaze on you and every time her hand grazed yours, you fell just a little bit deeper. Before you knew it, you were too far gone.

Never in a million years did you ever think your feelings would be reciprocated. You figured Dana only entertained your flirting because she was bored or enjoyed having something else to do other than scold the med students. Besides, you were only a third-year resident, and she was in charge of the whole entire department. You considered yourself lucky she even spared you a second glance.

“Are those chocolates?” Perlah interrupted your momentary spiral.

“Yeah.” You pocketed the note before holding out the box, the sweets now on full display. “Want one?”

Looking around to make sure no one was watching, the nurse stepped forward and reached out to grab one. “Wait.” She stopped, pulling her hand back and pointing at you. “Are these from the lover Princess said you have?”

You groaned. You loved the pair of nurses—you really did—but their gossiping would send you to an early grave one of these days.

“I am not seeing anyone,” you whispered between your teeth, not exactly wanting your love life, or lack thereof, to become public knowledge.

“These chocolates beg to differ.” Perlah raised her eyebrows at you.

“I-” You tried to explain but to no avail, the other woman smirking at your stuttering.

“Hey, (Y/L/N),” Samira called out, her hands busy tying up a patient’s wound and you being the first doctor her eyes landed on. “A little help over here?”

You looked at Perlah, then down at the box of chocolates in your hand, before looking back up at the other woman.

“Go.” She rolled her eyes as she took the box from you. “I’ll pass these around.”

With a small laugh, you quickly thanked her. “Save at least one for me!” You threw over your shoulder before you entered the bay where Mohan needed you.

Perlah could only shake her head at your antics before spotting Dana leaning against a desk, tablet in hand as she scanned a lab.

“Oh, they’re making this way too easy,” Perlah muttered under her breath as she approached the other nurse.

“Want a chocolate?” She asked casually, holding out the box.

“Chocolate?” Dana scoffed with a disbelieving look when she noticed the heart-shaped bonbons. “Since when are you so big on Valentine’s Day?”

“I’m not.” Perlah shrugged and put the lid back on the box, sensing the charge nurse wasn’t going to take one. “These are (Y/N)’s. Someone gifted them to her.”

This caught Dana’s attention, her eyes widening just slightly and her shoulders tensing.

“Well–” she plastered on a tight smile as she stood up straight– “be sure to put them aside for her. I’m sure she’ll want them later.”

Before Perlah could even agree, Dana was gone, whisked away by the chaos of the ER.

“Yup, definitely jealous,” Perlah mumbled, tucking the box of chocolates under some charts before getting back to work.

---------

The rest of your shift, you did your best to focus on work and push your secret-perhaps-not-so-secret admirer to the back of your mind. But when the little gestures—your go-to sandwich order already paid for at the cafeteria—and the small presents—a stuffed Jellycat, which just so happened to be a “Pink Angel Leaf”—continued to bombard you, forgetting became quite a difficult task.

You couldn’t stop the downward spiral in your mind, your thoughts immediately going to Dana. While your suspicions hadn’t been confirmed, the gift giver never explicitly revealing themselves, who else knew your coffee order to a tee, or that you liked your sandwiches without tomatoes, or let you call them “angel” for goodness’ sakes.

It didn’t help that every time you accepted a gift a chorus of teasing and prying erupted from the entire department. Too busy trying to deflect Trinity’s innuendos and Mel’s persistent questioning, while also dealing with your own inner turmoil, you missed the way Dana’s eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. However, that wasn’t to say you didn’t miss her.

In between patients and surprise Valentine’s Day gifts, you’d barely seen her at all today. You knew you shouldn’t be upset. That’s just how it was in the ER some days, and Dana had a million more important things to do than chit chat with you. Still, you were allowed to miss her.

By the time you made it to the end of your day, you were exhausted. Muscles you didn’t even know you had were sore, and you could feel a headache creeping up your spine. As you approached your locker, you sighed when you spotted yet another pink sticky note. Plucking it off the metal door, you quickly read it, your heart pounding against your chest.

Come find me. – Angel

You swallowed the knot forming in your throat, the signed nickname confirming the identity of your admirer.

Taking a deep breath, you stuck the Post-It on the inside of your locker door before quickly changing into some normal clothes—a simple pair of black jeans and a grey crewneck. As you pulled your hair out of its ponytail, you hummed with relief, some of the tension from the day falling with your locks. You grabbed the note, read it once more before folding it up, tucking it in your back pocket and following its instructions.

Reentering the ER, you immediately spotted the charge nurse, who was leaning against the counter of the central workstation, likely taking inventory of the cases before Lena arrived for the handoff.

“Hey cupid.” You approached her with an easy smile, doing your best to ignore the rapid rate at which your heart was beating.

Dana paused, her features forming an incredulous expression when she realized you were talking to her. “Are you talking to me?”

“Angel, cupid.” You shrugged as if to say what’s the difference. “It’s Valentine’s Day, Evans. Get in the spirit.”

Ducking her head, she bit back an amused smirk. Dana tried not to let her eyes linger too long on you, but the way you looked so at ease in your street clothes made it difficult.

“Cupid’s a god, not an angel,” Victoria quipped as she rose from the workstation next to you and rounded the desk, acting as if she hadn’t just been eavesdropping.

“Thanks, Javadi,” you retorted, causing her to simply raise her hand and call back, “Anytime.”

“So–” you turned your attention back to the older woman and hoped she couldn’t hear the nerves bubbling up in your voice– “since you don’t have any plans, wanna grab a drink?”

You did your best to sound casual, like you weren’t laying your whole heart out on the line and asking the ED’s charge nurse on a date, but as soon as the words left your mouth, you swore the entire room went quiet. Rationally, you knew that was impossible in the ER, but you could definitely see at least five of your co-workers out of the corner of your eye still and watching.

Dana, however, didn’t miss a beat. “Don’t you got a date?” She snarked, her eyes still locked on the screen.

“What?” You frowned, your confused tone causing her to finally look up.

“A date.” She spelled out with that patronizing tone she used on the med students. “You know, with that person who’s been sending you those gifts all day, practically marking their territory,” she grumbled that last part under her breath.

On any other day, you would’ve fired back with some sassy comment, but you could tell this wasn’t Dana’s usual teasing, her voice low and almost hurt.

“What?” You repeated, your thoughts spinning a million miles an hour as everything came crashing down. “I thought you sent me all that stuff.”

Dana froze as her heart dropped to her stomach. You thought she sent you roses and chocolates, wrote you little notes all over the ER, and got your coffee and lunch order exactly right. Not that she wouldn’t do any of those things—she absolutely would—but Dana had no clue as to what you were talking about. Why would you think she did all that?

Then it clicked.

Dana tore her gaze off of you and scanned the room, realization dawning upon her as she noticed the way everyone—even Robby—was watching the two of you, their spying disguised by meaningless busy work.

“I–” She cleared her throat before taking a deep breath, her hesitancy worsening the crack in your heart. “I think we’ve been set up.”

You followed her eyes and saw the picture she’d seen—your friends crowded around each other in pairs or threes, pretending not to eavesdrop but too obviously doing so.

“Oh.” You blinked back the stinging in your eyes, missing the way Dana’s expression softened as you shrunk into yourself. You should have trusted her instincts from the beginning. You never stood a chance.

As you started to take a few steps back, wanting nothing more to go home and never show your face here again, Dana panicked. Here was her chance. All she had to do was grab it.

And so she did.

Before she could even think twice about it, Dana grabbed your wrist softly, the contact sending a shock up your arm. “Wait,” she said quietly, though, like everything else she said, it wasn’t a request.

“Dana,” you sighed, mentally drained from all this back and forth, but made no effort to pull your hand away.

The nurse couldn’t think straight, the suddenness of it all clouding her mind, but she knew she wanted you, and Dana Evans was never one to shy away from getting what she wanted.

Cautiously, she took two steps forward so she was now sharing your air, her eyes searching yours for any sign that you didn’t want what she was about to do. When she saw your pupils were fully blown and your lips were parted, Dana gently cupped your jaw and kissed you.

Ignoring the eruption of cheers and hollers—somebody, most definitely Trinity, yelling that someone owed her fifty bucks—from your co-workers, you savored the feeling of Dana’s lips on yours, the softness of her touch causing you to nearly melt. The kiss was brief, both of you more than aware of your surroundings, but the glint in Dana’s eye and the blinding grin on her face told you what you needed to know.

“That enough Valentine’s Day spirit for you?” She teased as she lightly poked your side, causing you to whack her hand away.

“I guess you really are cupid.” You played along, a stupid smile decorating your face as you fought the urge to kiss her again.

“Still not an angel!” Victoria called out, and you just rolled your eyes.

“She is to me,” you shouted back as your hand fell to the small of Dana’s back. The charge nurse could only chuckle, her whole body relaxing under your touch.

“What the hell did I miss?” Lena’s voice cut through the chaos, the night nurse putting the pieces together as she noticed you and Dana standing closer than normal while Whitaker slipped Trinity a few bills and Princess subtly held out her hand for Perlah to high-five her.

“Nothing,” Dana answered with a lightness the other nurse never saw on her face at the end of a shift. “But let’s hurry this up because I got a date.” Handing the Lena the tablet, she shot you a wink, and you chuckled, not minding the warmth that flooded your cheeks.

As Dana slipped back into her role of charge nurse, discussing the current status of the pit, you ambled over to the gaggle of residents and nurses.

“So, do we get a shoutout in your wedding vows?” Trinity joked with a wiggle of her brows.

“Ha ha ha.” You playfully shoved her shoulder before looking at the rest of your co-workers. “You’re all trouble.”

“You’ll all be in trouble soon,” Abbot’s low voice interrupted. “Get back to work,” he said before turning to the day shift residents, “or go home.”

As the group quickly dispersed, Trinity whispered to you, “He’s just upset he lost the bet,” and you stifled a giggle.

“Santos, don’t you have some charting to catch up on?”

“Right.” She nodded shortly before pulling you by the arm over to an empty station. “Come on, you can help me while you wait for your angel,” she sang.

“Do you want my help or not?” You raised a brow, causing the other resident to make a zipping motion across her lips. Leaning against the edge of the desk, you kept Trinity company as she typed away, not helping much as your thoughts wandered to a certain blonde.

Once the two charge nurses finished the handoff, the quickest you’d ever seen them do it, Dana approached you, a smirk dancing on her lips. Ignoring the charting resident, she pressed a kiss to your cheek and whispered in your ear, “Let me just get changed and we’ll grab that drink, okay?”

“I’ll be here.”

Dana smiled because she knew you would be. Giving Santos a polite nod, she slipped past you and down the hallway towards the locker room.

“Worth it?” Trinity asked quietly, and you knew she was referring to the months of pining and waiting, having been a first-hand witness to it all.

As your eyes followed Dana’s retreating figure until she was out of sight, you thought back to just minutes ago—to the feeling of her skin on yours, her lips on yours—and you were certain you wouldn’t do anything differently (yes, even “Project Cupid” as you would later learn the plan was called, despite Victoria’s insistence that Cupid was not an angel).