Of course he would never admit that to anyone but Robby, and he’d quickly shut down any doubts anyone else had. That didn’t matter. What mattered at all times was you.

You were perfect in every way possible. From the way you looked, the way you treated your patients, the way you worked with others. You were easy to talk to, kind, respectful, and had not one bone of malice in you. No one could complain. You were a literal saint.

His eyes instantly found yours as he stepped in for the shift switch off, watching as you lingered and talked to Mel who looked like she was genuinely appreciating the distraction. You didn’t seem to notice him yet, and he was fine with that, the last thing he’d want is to interrupt a meaningful conversation.

“You’re staring again, brother.” Jack has to force his eyes away from you at the sound of Robby’s voice, giving him a small lopsided grin. He quickly straightens up, turning towards Robby at the sound of your laughter to keep from immediately looking over.

“I tend to check on my residents when I arrive. You might want to do the same.” He retorted lightly, glancing over at a nurse as she turned around the corner towards the computers.

“You saying I neglect my residents?” Robby asks with slight mock offense, resting a hand on his chest. He nods over to Dana as she makes her leave, which catches Jack’s attention who glances over his shoulder to offer the nurse a silent smile.

“I would never say that.” Jack trailed off slightly, giving Robby a certain look to which he just chuckled and shook his head.

The two of them simultaneously look your way as you finished your conversation with Mel. Jack’s already pushing off the counter as you found the corner and make your way towards a nearby board. He gives Robby a quick pat on the back before disappearing completely from his field of view as a nurse calls out for him.

“Hi sweetheart.” Your head nearly snaps off as you quickly turn around, bringing your attention down as you look up at Robby. Giving him a bright smile and a polite nod, you step back half expecting him to tell you to follow him.

“Oh, hi Dr. Robby. H’you doing?” Your eyes follow him as he gives you a little shrug, patting the counter before pushing off of it. He approaches you, giving you a tiny smile before glancing up at the board himself.

“Good. Long day, but… nothing too bad,” you nod slightly, glancing up at his side profile as his eyes dart along the screen. You subconsciously turn your body to face him, before hesitantly turning to mimic his stance as you face the board too. “Let’s hope it’s still like this.”

You hum softly, staring up at the board as you’re looking through available patients before turning at the sound of his footsteps departing. “Leaving already?” You ask curiously to which he hesitates for a moment, looking around for someone you’re unsure of before tucking his hands into his pockets.

“If I stay any longer, I might jinx the place’s peace.” He says lightly, shrugging away the question as he walks backwards. You roll your eyes playfully, shooing him away before quickly waving the air from his bad luck.

“Fine, fine. Have a good night, Dr. Robby!” You wave him away as he grins down at you, waving over his shoulder with quick, wide steps out the building.

When you turn around you nearly bump into Jack, who quickly provides a steady hand on your shoulder to walk around you. “Oh, Dr. Abbot! I was just gonna look for you.” He pauses mid-stride, glancing back over his shoulder at you. Giving you a small nod for you to walk with him, he slows down his step just enough for you to fall into step beside him.

“What’s up?” He looks up from the chart in his hand, flipping a page as he stops just in front of an unoccupied room.

“I just wanted to update you on the patient from last night, the one with the uhm…” you trailed off, snapping your fingers together as you tried to remember the condition of the twelve year old patient. “The aden— ameb…”

“Appendicitis.” He corrects gently, watching the way you quickly nodded and echoed after him.

“Right, yes,” you sighed heavily, shaking your head to yourself at forgetting something so important as that. You looked up at him, as he kept his gaze on the paper in his hand, but you could feel the attention shift toward you. It was a subtle shift, the same familiar way he does when he’s listening but trying his best to not look. “Well, the surgery went well, and she’s currently set on a diet of lime jell-o and apple juice.”

He nods slowly, gently nudging you to walk with him as he redirects you back to the board. The two of you weave through the controlled chaos of the unit, swerving around a small group of nurses who were busily chatting while they had the opportunity to. “Sounds like a child’s dream.”

“Certainly was my dream.” You snickered to yourself, looking up at the board again at the extremely slow roll of patients. You quickly looked over at Jack as he cleared his throat, holding the clipboard out to you.

You hesitate for a moment, glancing between his extended arm and the board before carefully grabbing it from his hand. You glance down at the report, reading over twice before looking up at him as he speaks. “Go ‘head, take him,” you stare at him in momentary confusion, glancing towards the room before looking back at him with a wide smile but he’s quickly cutting you off as you’re getting ready to thank him. “Buttt, come grab me to present.”

You nod quickly, doublechecking the report. “Okay, I will. Thanks.”

You quickly make your way towards S8, making sure your presence is known to the patient as you gently knock on the door. Inside, your patient is an older male, maybe in his late forties, early fifties. He’s sitting upright, breathing a little too fast, hands twisting in the blanket as his eyes frantically find yours.

“Hi sir, I’m one of the residents here, I’ll be helping you today,” you gently close the door behind you, quietly approaching him. “I’m just here to check your vitals, and ask you a few questions. Is that okay?”

The man stares at you for a moment, taking a forced heavy breath before wiping the sweat from his brow line. “Can I get some water? I’m dying here.”

You hesitate for a moment, searching the cabinets and drawers for a thermometer before turning back to him. “I’ll let your nurse know you’re thirsty, and she’ll come with a cup of water. But I just have to check your vitals so your doctor has a basi—”

The patient sighs, smacking his lips together dryly before nodding again. He motions for you to take his temperature, quickly dabbing away the sweat there with his sleeve. You’re quick to check his vitals, taking his forehead temp, listening to his lungs, asking him to rate his pain. You try to get his histories and notes down quickly, not wanting to drag on his discomfort but also allowing yourself enough time to get the proper information.

By the time you step back into the hallway, a nurse is already making her way into the room, offering you a polite smile as you slip around her. You’re slowly looking around for Jack, eyes immediately falling on Dr. Ellis as she quickly walks your way. You tuck the clipboard under your arm, clearing your throat as you side step to walk with her. “Excuse me, Dr. Ellis, have you seen Dr. Abbot anywhere?”

She looks down at you with a small grin, giving you a little shake of her head as she motions down the hall to a room. “He’s with a patient right now. Why? What’s up?”

You nibble on your bottom lip as you glance over at the room he’s in and then back at her before motioning to the clipboard. “I just had a patient with a fever of 100, a cough, pleuritic chest pain, crackles on the right. I was supposed to present but..” You shrugged slightly, turning back to Dr. Ellis as she nods for you to continue.

“And?”

You hand her the clipboard, eyes glued onto her as she reads through what you’ve written and what you’ve noted. “I’m thinking it could possibly be pneumonia? I want a chest x-ray and labs.”

She nods once, giving you an approving smile. “Good. Order them,” she turned slightly towards the nurses’ station before looking at you again. “I’ll go in and introduce myself if Dr. Abbot’s still with his patient in five minutes.”

You blink twice, eyes following her. “You— don’t need to re‑do the exam or anything?”

She glances back at you, raising an eyebrow at you before leaning forward slightly. “I trust you. Don’t forget to order those labs.” You nodded as she walked away, letting out a little sigh of relief.

You lingered in the hallway, slowly making your way towards the nurses’ station to study the board. You set the clipboard down, neatly running your hand over the sheet of paper before looking up at the nurse who entered S8 with a small paper cup of water. Your attention diverts towards Jack as he exits a nearby room, eyes finding yours before stopping at a nearby computer.

You turn back to the screen of the board, glancing his way from the corner of your eye as you slowly inched your way towards Jack. You’re already stepping closer before you realize you’ve done it— drawn in by the gravity he carries. He’s settled into the chair, chart resting against the countertop, reaching for another file as he types in the computer. He hums softly at your close proximity, blinking up at you as you leaned against the desk. “So whaddya got?”

“Forty five year old male, fever, chest pains, crackling on the right,” he nods at you, typing away in the computer as he looks down at his own clipboard. “I put an order for labs and an x-ray.”

He looks at your reflection in the computer as he turns in his seat to stare up at you. The corners of his lips curled up into a pleased grin, nodding again as he slowly stands upright. “Good, that’s good. Let me know the results.”

He doesn’t send you off right away, just gives your lower arm a gentle squeeze before turning to grab the clipboard from the desk. “I’ll go in and introduce myself. You already did the heavy lifting.”

You hesitate, already moving to follow him. “Do you want me to come with you?”

He quickly glances over at you, giving you a small grin before shaking his head. “No. You’ve done your part. Go put in those orders.”

Your eyes follow him as he turns to leave, glancing down at your clipboard before letting out a little sigh. He stops and turns around last second, just within arm’s reach. His expression softens just a fraction as he watches you make your way towards the nurse’s station. Dr. Ellis appears from seemingly nowhere, arms crossed as she looks at him with a knowing smile.

The shift kept moving around you, it was light and easier than your last shift. Four patients, four presentations with Jack, twelve hours of stolen glances and five ‘good job’s. Not that you were counting, put you were definitely putting those in your praise piggy bank. The world keeps moving around you, silent synchronization meshing into something more vulnerable.

You’re busy talking to Dr. Ellis about a patient you had earlier, a little kid with a bad eczema rash. You’re entirely unaware that Jack had been watching you from the opposite corner of the nurse’s station, leaning against the counter as he not so subtly looks down at the time on his watch.

Morning shift was already starting to file in. Dr. Ellis gives you an appraising nod and a quick fist bump as a goodbye before making her way out the building. You linger by a nearby board, and just as Jack takes a step towards you, Victoria comes up to talk to you. He does a quick u-turn, nearly bumping into Robby who’s also just walking it.

Robby steadies Jack with a hand on his upper arm, giving him a worried look before glancing over Jack’s shoulder to the sight of you and Victoria giggling together. Jack rolls his eyes at Robby’s teasing grin. “When are you gonna pull your big boy pants on and talk to her outside of the shift?”

Jack looks over his shoulder at the sight of you laughing comfortably with Victoria, before shrugging slightly at Robby. “Maybe when she isn’t a social magnet.”

Robby shakes his head at his friend’s obvious hesitation, thinking for a moment before turning back to you. He calls your name, getting your attention with a short wave of his hand as Jack turns around. You excuse yourself from your conversation with Victoria, quickly approaching the two of them.

“Morning, Robby,” you greet him with a wide smile, looking between Jack and Robby before tucking your hands into the pockets of your scrubs. “Sleep good?”

“Like a baby.” Robby grins down at you as Jack is more focused on staring at your side profile than attempting to take part of the conversation.

“How was the shift?”

“Oh, it was good? Yeah?” You subconsciously look over at Jack, who gives you a slight nod. “Yeah, it was good.”

Robby slowly looks over at Jack, tilting his head slightly before looking at you with a hum. “Let’s hope we get that good vibe.”

You wave at Robby as he makes his way to speak to Dana. You watch him leave before turning back to Jack who was no longer looking at you. “When’s your next day off?” He asks suddenly, blinking up at you as he steps forward.

You raise an eyebrow at him, opening your mouth to respond before looking up at the ceiling as you thought. “Uhm,” you trailed off, not even registering the warmth of his hand hovering over the small of your back as he subtly guided you out the building with him. “I think… on Friday?”

“Yeah?” He mumbled slightly, eyes darting down to where his hand lingered against the fabric of your scrubs before stopping you once you got too close to the street.

“Why’d you ask?” You look at him curiously before looking left and right along the street.

“Do you drink?”

You fix the sleeve of your undershirt, peeking over at him before giving him a small, confused smile. “Oh, well not really. I’ll have a drink with my friends if I’m at a bar or something but it’s typically not my thing.”

He stares at you as you speak, really listening to what you said before nodding. “That’s good.” He speaks quickly, eyes shifting along your face before taking a small step closer to you.

“Dr. Abbot? Why are you asking all these questions? Am I getting quizzed or something?” You teased lightly, laughing at your own joke with a shake of your head. He smiles down at you, and if this were a cartoon or some cliche romance movie, he would’ve had love hearts circling around his head.

“You can call me Jack, hun.”

“Oh, right. Jack,” you let the word sit on your tongue before stretching your arms out in front of you. “Are you just trying to get to know me better or—”

“Do you want to grab pizza on Friday?”

You look up to him in surprise, looking around as if this were some prank being played on you. He watches the confusion on your face before letting out a quick laugh.

“Sorry, I probably should’ve clarified. Do you want to go grab pizza on Friday with the rest of the night shift?”

“Oh, oh, for a second I thought you were asking me out or something.” His laugh dies down slightly, studying the shyness on your face as you slowly nodded.

“Don’t worry, I’ll save that for another day.”

Before you could even get a chance to respond, he waves at you in a silent goodbye as he makes his way to the parking lot. You stand there with furrowed eyebrows, trying to comprehend what just happened.