He says as much and Abbot makes a sympathetic face cos he gets it. “Well, I have no leg to stand on when I say this, but: you don’t have to go home, you just can’t stay here. You’ve been on for 48 hours.” Then his eyes light up as he spots something.

“Hey! Dr. King. Where are you off to?”

Frank and Baran turn to look at the locker area where Mel in an incredible 17th century style dress, is frozen halfway through shoving her things into her backpack. “Uhm the ren faire?”

“Take Langdon!”

She looks at Frank, confused but not reluctant. “You wanna go?”

Mel is so touched. She doesn’t read it as romantic, because why would Frank make a move via a card, but having written confirmation that she makes him as happy as he makes her is so comforting.

She hugs him, thanks him for the card, says sorry she didn’t get him anything. And Frank, the idiot, thinks this is her letting him down gently, and he slowly gets sadder all day long until Cassie asks him what’s up. He says he shot his shot and got turned down. Cassie, who has functioning eyes, can’t believe Mel turned Frank down, and asks him to elaborate.

“Langdon… Mel is a brilliant doctor, but social cues are not her thing, you know that. Have you considered that maybe that was too subtle?”

Frank hasn’t and the idea of going to Mel and being more clear and getting turned down face to face makes him queasy, but when she waits for him after work so they can go to their cars together, he does do it. Mel is floored, and very very interested, so it does all work out for them.

Mel is such a relief because she a) likes his default and b) just doesn’t guard that kind of thing.