#(lite)

Part 1 in case you haven’t seen it but are interested

My poor boy clearly pushed himself too hard in such delicate condition, Buzz is too upset and focused on the mission to notice (for now)

Get banana'd loser.

Ch. 2

For: @chase-me-round

AN: Robby & Reader met during readers third year of residency in emergency medicine approximately three years before season 1

I did minimal research on being a resident so please let me know if I got anything glaringly incorrect

Nick is the radiologist ✌🏻

This is a long chapter.

Tag List: @thesandbeneathmytoes

Let me know if you want to be added to my tag list, or turn on notifications for my posts!

☤

Three years ago:

Your hands are shaking as you lean against the wall outside of the ambulance bay, and you take a deep breath, reaching up to gingerly touch your bruised cheek.

"Jesus Christ," Robby mutters, and you flinch, despite yourself. "Hey," he murmurs, coming to a stop in front of you, "let me see -"

"I'm okay," you assure him, turning out of his grasp, and he sighs. "I'm sorry -" you blurt and Robby's brows draw together.

"What the hell are you sorry for?"

"I should have known," you mumble, as Robby takes a step closer, blocking you against the wall, "he was showing clear signs -"

"Stop," Robby shakes his head, carefully taking your chin in your hand, and you hate the way your heart picks up at his touch, "this wasn't your fault -" he pulls his penlight from his pocket, and you roll your eyes before looking at him.

"Both pupils react normally," Robby murmurs under his breath, "EOM's intact."

"I could've told you that," you snap, pushing his hand away and he says your name, looking at you with his, sad eyes, and you shake your head.

"I just want to make sure you're okay -"

"I'm fine Robby -" you bite the inside of your cheek, to stem the tears that are still threatening to fall. "I just don't think emergency medicine is for me."

"No?" Robby wonders, eyes dropping to your mouth.

"No."

"I've seen you with a scalpel, you do good work -"

"I got accepted."

Robby reels back like you hit him. "At Virginia Mason?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to accept it?" He's looking just past your shoulder.

"Maybe," you shrug, "it's an excellent hospital, and with my parents spending most of their time in Arizona, there's really nothing keeping me here."

Robby's eyes snap to yours.

Except for him.

You stare at him, desperate for him to say the one thing that would change your mind. The word you know he'll never say.

Stay.

You stand there for what feels like forever, before you shrug your shoulders, swiping your cheeks with your hands.

"I should go back inside -"

Robby's hands fall to his side, and you let out a breath, moving to slip past him, and he catches your hand.

"Give me a reason not to," you whisper.

"You likely have a slight concussion -"

"Michael -"

He takes a step closer, and to anyone observing, it would just look like you were involved in a conversation, and you press your hand against the rough wall, as he leans in, "Virginia Mason doesn't deserve you," his breath stirs your hair.

"And PTMC does?" You joke, even though your voice is shaking, and his fingers flex against your wrist, and you reach up to fist your hands in his scrubs. "Robby -"

"I can clear you for light duties -"

You exhale slowly, "whatever," you mutter, shoving past him.

"Go find Dr. McKay in triage!" He calls and you flip him off over your shoulder as you head through the sliding doors.

"There you are," Dana calls, gripping an ice pack wrapped in a towel, she meets you halfway, guiding you over to a chair.

"I just needed some air -"

Dana leans in when you sit down, "he got you pretty good -"

"Holy shit," a familiar voice says.

"You should see the other guy," you quip, as Dana presses the ice pack against your cheek.

Jack bends down to look at you, "what happened?"

"A drunk in north two," Dana interjects.

"Ahmed caught him before he could really hit me."

"Hmm, I'd feel better if you got checked out."

"Okay," you nodded.

You end up waiting an hour before heading upstairs for a CT scan, and you caught up on charting as you waited for the results.

"Jesus," John mutters, taking a sip of his iced coffee, "that looks like it hurts."

You shrug, glancing up as Robby makes his way over to you.

"Your results are clear -"

"I told you -"

"Still," he starts, and you set your hands in your lap, "I would feel better if you helped McKay -"

"Sure thing, Dr. Robinavitch," you nod, not missing the way he swallows at the formality. "I'm just going to finish this chart if that's okay?"

He's next to you in less than a second, and he says your name, stroking your arm, and you shift to the left.

"I'm almost done," your smile is all teeth, and you finished your chart, signing off before you stand up to head off to triage.

Dana sidles up next to him, and Robby jumped when she speaks.

"What did you do?"

"What makes you think I did anything?"

"She was fine a minute ago," Dana muses, turning sharply to look at him, "tell me you didn't give her shit -"

Robby scoffs, watching you gently touch McKay on the shoulder and your laughter drifts across the ED, and he shakes his head. "I asked her to work Triage with McKay."

"Who's going to take over her patients?"

"I will, and I'm sure Frank wouldn't mind."

Frank's brow furrows.

"Okay, you've got a discharge in south four!" Dana calls, winking at Frank who grabs the chart wordlessly.

Robby sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"You've got a wound debridement, in trauma two!" Dana calls and Robby nods, heading down the hall.

"Hey," Emery says, bringing you back to the present, "are you almost ready?"

"Yeah," you nod, holding up your eyeliner pen, "I just need to finish my makeup."

Emery wonders into the spare room, to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Is that what your wearing?"

"Yeah," you nod, you hadn't bothered changing out of the clothes, your denim wide legged pants and Liev lilac crop top was fancy enough for Howl After Dark and it wasn't like you were dressings up for anyone.

"It's hot as hell outside," Emery reaches for the bigger of your two suitcases.

"Em ..." You sigh, and she gives you an innocent look that makes you laugh. "My clothes are in my other suitcase."

"Jesus," she breathes, "what's in here?"

"My knickknacks," you reply capping your eyelids pen. "I don't trust UPS -"

"No that's fair," Emery grunts, opening the zipper, so she can pull it open. "Keep your denim shirt," she mutters, immediately digging into your clothes, "in case they have decent AC," you set down your mascara, watching her pull out a black mini skirt and a white ribbed tank top. "Now we're talking," she grins, carefully laying them out on your bed, and she grins pulling a pair of knee high black boots out. "Vintage, nice."

"I bought those last year," you scoff.

"That's what you're wearing," she declares, "show Robby about what he's missing."

You snort, quickly picking up your mascara.

"Wait ..." Emery sits up, "unless he already knows." You hate how easily you blush, "holy shit, when?!"

"It was once -"

Your hands tremble, as you shakily apply your mascara.

It's something you've desperately tried to forget. The feel of his hands on your body, the way he panted your name against your neck - it still wakes you from a dead sleep, heart in your throat, heat pulsing between your legs, impossibly wet.

"You've been holding out on me," Emery laughs, falling back against the bed. "So... was it good?"

"Oh my god, Emery -!" You snap, tossing your half empty make up bag at her and she catches it easily.

"The man is good with his hands -"

"We’re not having this conversation!"

"Why not?" Emery huffs.

You turn to give her a pointed look, "was Nick any good?"

You watch colour flush Emery's cheeks, "that's ... none of your business."

"Exactly," you quip turning back around to add some gems stones to your eyelids. "There," you grin, "now get out, I have to change."

Emery groans as she sits up, leaning down to press a kiss to the crown of your head before leaving, and you bite your lip, glancing back at the clothes she left laid out on the bed.

And you pull your shirt over your head, tossing it onto your suitcase, before standing up.

You'd gained weight in Seattle, not enough to be noticeable to anyone but you, and you push your pants off, so you can stand in front of the mirror in your bra and underwear, and you run your hands over your full tummy, and over your thick thighs.

You'd always been "big", taking after your mother, but it had never been an issue for Robby - he'd never made snide comments about you getting desert, or the fresh pastries you bought weekly, like some of the other assholes you'd dated.

He'd used the word Rubenesque, and you hit him hard, but he'd caught your hand, assuring you that he was serious, and when you got home you had a text with a handful of screen shots of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, and if tears filled your eyes, that was due to the sangria.

You get dressed quickly, rummaging through your bag for your Mosaic Nano Strathberry purse - it wasn't anything especially fancy, but it was the most expensive purse you owned, and maybe you'd bought a second purse in khaki green, but you could certainly afford it now that you were making 'doctor money'.

You bend down to zip up your boots, before finishing the look with gold jewelry and your favourite little ring with a sapphire stone.

Emery is sitting on the couch when you step into the livingroom, she's wearing a pair of black denim pants and a red silk top, and she turns off the TV.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

☤

"I'm just saying, the best way to get over someone is to get under someone -"

You laugh, "okay -"

"I'm serious," Emery glances at you as she pulls into a parking spot up the street from Howl. "Just let me know, and I can crash at Cassie's place."

"I'm not kicking you out of your own house!"

"Please, you deserve it after the shit Robby put you through."

"Who says I haven't?" You mumble, Emery's face brightens.

"Mark?" She wonders, as you step outside.

"Yes."

"Oh, he was cute -"

"I might've cried?" You admit, and Emery chokes.

"Oh, honey," she wraps her arm around your waist.

"Yeah, being hung up on someone kind of put a damper on the whole relationship -"

If you could call a handful of dates a relationship. Mark was sweet, but you felt so guilty that it had ended before it really got started.

"Okay," Emery reaches up to fix your hair, before she pulls open the door.

Howl is thrumming when you step inside - music pulsing from the speakers as you blink against the dim light.

"John said they're over by the stage!" Emery shouts, and you spot him immediate, he's holding a bright blue cocktail, leaning down to speak to Yolanda, who's face brightens when she sees you.

"Bitch!" She cries, Rishi forward to greet you, and the scent of lychee and vanilla floats over you as she wraps her arms around you.

"Hey," you laugh, as she pulls you in for another hug, as Emery mouthes 'she's drunk', and you push her away as you pull back to look at her.

John calls your name, as Dana and Perlah make their way over.

"It's good to see you," you murmur, wrapping Dana in a hug.

"It's good to be seen, kid."

You glance towards the table where a group of kids are talking over a couple of party buckets.

"God, they're babies," you laugh and Emery snorts.

"That was you, not that long ago."

"God, don't remind me." John hasn't let your go, and you glance up at him. "Congrats, by the way, on making attending."

"Cheers," he grins, letting you go, "let me buy you a drink!"

"Okay!"

"Well, look who it is." A familiar voice says, and your face brightens when you see him, holding a beer, wearing a smirk that's all too familiar.

"Jack!"

He catches you around your waist, and you press a kiss to his cheek, and his scruff scrapes your chin as you pull back.

"Hey."

You swallow, glancing over at Robby, biting your lip as Jack lets you go.

"Hi," you call, giving an awkward wave.

"I'm glad you got in okay," he murmurs, leaning in as you hold out your hand, and he blinks. "We're shaking hands now?" You quirk your head, and he takes it.

"Prick," Emery coughs, as John pushes a beer into her hand.

"Here," he grins, pushing a party bucket into your hands, and you glance down at the bright blue cocktail.

"What -?"

"You're not working tomorrow," he shrugs, and you take a sip, grinning as citrus bursts across your tongue.

"So," Yolanda grins, leaning down to take a sip of your drink. "How was Seattle?"

"Wet," you and Emery reply in unison.

"Sounds about right," Jack snorts.

"So," you lean against his arm, glancing at the table where the residents are sitting, "who are they?"

"Oh, the kid with the mullet is Dennis, the one next to him is Trinity, the bean pole is James, and the one in his lap is Eileen's kid."

"Victoria?"

"Yep, and that's Mel, with Frank."

Your eyes zero in on his left hand, which is missing it's gold band, and you look at Jack.

"A lot has happened since you left."

"No shit, Frank's divorced?" You smack his arm, not missing the way Robby's watching you. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It didn't come up."

Frank glances up, smiling, and you swallow.

"Did you want to meet them?"

"Sure," you reply, tucking your hair behind your ear as his hand settles at the small of your back, and you don't miss the knowing look Emery shoots you.

"Hey," Jack calls, and everyone glances up at you. "This is -"

"Doctor Bennett?" Mel says.

"Yes, but please, call me Emma."

"Hi," Trinity waves, and Dennis nods, as Victoria unfolds herself from James' lap to make her way over.

"Emma!" Victoria cries, wrapping her glittery arms around your neck.

"Hi!" You held her close, remembering her question from a year ago.

"How did you know that you wanted to be a surgeon?"

It was a difficult question, but you didn't want to give her a bunch of meaningless platitudes.

"I'm good at it," you'd admitted, flushing, "and I'm actually excited to go to work in the morning."

Which was still true, a year later, despite the long hours and difficult surgeries. You'd send Victoria flowers when she'd texted you about deciding on Psychiatry - a stupidly huge bouquet, to hopefully offset some of her mother's disappointment.

You knew how important it was to have someone in your corner. Even if you didn't speak to said person anymore.

You watch Victoria scurry back over to the table, back to James' lap and you can't help the spark of jealousy it ignites in your belly.

Would things have been different? If and Robby had been allowed to be open about your relationship? Would he have been brave enough to ask you to stay?

You inhale sharply, taking a big gulp of your drink.

"Careful," Robby murmurs, hand warm against the small of your back, as you nearly stumble back into him.

"Sorry -"

"Don't be," his eyes crinkle as he smiles, and you carefully take a step to the right, biting your lip as his hand slips from your back. His eyes drop down your body, and you frown when he looks back up at you. "You look good."

"Robby -"

"What?"

"We're not -" you take another step back, "you don't get to do this," you mutter and you could slap the amused grin off of his face.

"What am I doing?"

"Michael -"

"Hey!" Emery grins, sliding her arm around your waist, "this is our song."

You glance at her, "yes," you laugh as Chappell Roan's Hot to Go blares from the speakers. "We're dancing?"

"We're dancing!"

You hand Robby your drink, as Emery pulls you towards the dance floor, where Cassie, and Princess are dancing with Dennis and Trinity.

"Oh my god!" You cry, "Cassie!"

"Hey!"

"Where's Harrison?"

"In the car," Cassie laughs, "no, he's with my parents!"

You can feel Robby's eyes on you as you dance, and Emery rolls her eyes.

"Let him look!" She scoffs, "you're too pretty for him!" You flush under her praise, "but Jack -"

Your eyes widen and you clap a hand over her mouth.

"What?" She wonders, eyes shining, "he's not your attending -"

Princess is watching the entire exchange eagerly, and you step on Emery's foot as you lean over.

"She's drunk!"

"I am not!" Emery snickers.

"Didn't he visit you?" Princess wonders.

"He had a conference," you sigh, rolling your eyes.

"Seattle is pretty far for a weekend conference," Cassie points out, with a knowing smile.

"I hate you!" You cry, glaring at Emery as the music swells. The last thing you needed was Princess yapping about you and Jack (like she needed an excuse).

"No," Emery shakes her head, "you love me!"

When the song ends you move to head off the dance floor, but Cassie grabs your arm, pulling you back.

"I need a drink!"

"You need to get laid!" Emery shouts as the music lulls.

You close your eyes, "why don't you say that a little louder -" Emery has the decency to look contrite as she ducks behind Princess.

Cassie just laughs as you head towards Robby, grabbing your drink before you head over to the table, dropping into the booth, next to Jack.

"What was that about?"

"Emery and her big fucking mouth," you snap, as Jack chokes on his sip of beer. "I need some air," you mutter. Setting your drink down as you head towards the door.

You're not angry, not even close, but the air of the club is hot against the back of your neck, and you take a deep breath, as the bouncer presses a stamp against the back of your hand as you take a deep breath as you head around the corner, reaching into your purse for your vape.

You lean back against the wall, letting your eyes close and you take a pull.

"That's a nasty habit," Jack laughs, and you roll your eyes.

"What can I say?" You shrug, "it's the stress." Jack settles back against the wall next to you, and you hold out your vape. "It's white grape, it's good."

"Yeah?" His fingers are warm against yours, and you watch him take a hit.

"How was your flight?"

You shrug, "it was okay, even though I'm pretty sure there were about six babies on the plane -"

"Oof," Jack laughs, "I'm sure they were all crying at the same time."

"Pretty much."

The silence is easy, and you watch cars driving past, and you swallow, as you feel Jack card his fingers through your hair.

"I've been thinking about you."

You look at him, leaning your face against his hand.

"Yeah?"

"It's good to see you," he murmurs, and you fist your hand into his shirt, as he leans in, stroking his fingers against your cheek.

"Jack -"

"What?" He smirks, and his breath is warm against your face, and your eyes drop closed as he leans in to close the distance, pausing just short of kissing you and you realize that he's leaving it up to you, to make the choice, and you stand on your toes to press your lips against his and you feel him smile as he wraps an arm around your waist.

You let out a shaky breath as he breaks the kiss, and you settle against his chest.

"I missed you," you whisper.

"I missed you too."

You exhale, letting him go to take another pull from your vape and Jack shakes his head, letting you go to make his way towards the door.

"Those thing's will kill you."

"Thanks, doc," you smirk, tucking it back into your purse to follow him back inside.

☤