Better Not Knowing
I've seen a grand total of 2 episodes of the Pitt, and the clips of Park the Shark, and my brain cannot leave the ideas of having Buck date every one of LFJr's characters.
So here's a little Park the Shark/Evan Buckley from an outsider POV
Summary: Dennis has page Dr. Park for for an orthopedic surgical consult. He learns something new about his colleague.
Read on AO3 here
Dr. Park is the orthopedic surgeon on call when they get a medevac carrying a complex, unstable pelvic fracture. Dennis hates having to page for him. Despite knowing the man is probably the best surgeon for the job, Park's predatory energy scares the shit out of him. Dennis has learned the best practice is to only speak when spoken to and keep his responses limited to "Yes, Sir."
They’ve ruled out internal bleeding, the patient's pain is under control, and they have the x-ray and CT-Scan completed, so it's time to call Dr. Park down for consult and get the ball rolling for surgery.
The patient, Freddie Gundy, is accompanied by his friend. They'd been rock climbing, but the anchor point Gundy had been using had given out and he'd fallen twenty feet. The friend had been the one to call 9-1-1 and apply field dressings to stabilize the pelvis. Probably why their patient is in good a shape as he is.
They'd kicked the friend into the waiting area while they'd done their initial assessment and provided Freddie with pain management, but he's insisted on waiting in the hallway until Freddie was moved for surgery or his next of kin arrived.
When Dr. Park steps in the room it feels like the temperature drops and even the machines quiet down in his presence. Park circles the gurney like a shark circling prey, acknowledging Dr. Robby, ans Dr. Santos, but no one else.
"Patient has a complex, unstable pelvic fracture. X-Ray suggests vertical sheer, and CT confirms there's damage to the vasculature," Dr. Santos reports, handing copies of the tests to Dr. Park.
"No retro-peritoneal hemorrhage, but significant internal bleeding," the Shark remarks, speaking more to himself than anyone else.
"Freddie's pelvis was immobilized in the field, which probably contributed to his relatively stable condition," Dennis feels compelled to point out, but he's wishing he'd swallowed the words even as their passing his lips.
The look Park shoots him makes him wish the floor would swallow him immediately. There's no comment, though. When he speaks, it's to the attendings. "He's going to need DCO."
"I'll book the OR, and let the ICU know we're going to need a bed," Dr. Robby confirms, and Dr. Park leaves without another word.
The words come when Park is out of the room; just outside the door, in fact. Dennis doesn't try to listen, but he's leaving the room and finds Dr. Park standing just outside, looking down at the friend who'd come in with their patient.
"Buckley," Dr. Park says by way of greeting.
"Dr. Park," the friend , Buckley, acknowledges, lips quirking up in the first semblance of a smile Dennis has seen on the man's face since arriving.
"I thought you'd know better than to attempt free soloing," Dr. Park points out, the smile on his face sharp and pointed.
"First off, free climbing," Buckley corrects, smile still friendly, but the words are tight and pointed. Despite the smile, the exhaustion he's feeling is written all over his posture. "We use lines. It was just a fluke accident. It's not like we were going cave diving."
Park snorts, clearly amused, but then his expression sets again, focus and determined. It's a sharp contrast to the softness in his tone when he says, "I'll take good care of Freddie."
Buckley looks up at him, shoulders slumped, but a faint smile crosses over his face. "I know you will."
Reaching out, Park grips Buckley's shoulder with a firm hand. "I'll see you in the waiting room then. You can wait there for Freddie's family."
"Thanks, Brendon."
Dr. Park strides out of the ER, past the doors, with Buckley's eyes remaining fixed on him.
The whole exchange leaves Dennis feeling of kilter. There's a backstory and context he's missing, some piece of Park the Shark lore he doesn't understand. It sticks with him for the rest of the shift.
There's donuts brought into the staff room in the mid-afternoon. Not a cheap dozen from Dunkin's, but several boxes from a local bakery that Dennis has been meaning to try out. There's a smaller box fo vegan and gluten free donuts as well, showing their mysterious benefactor is considerate as well.
Dennis grabs a fruit-filled one that happens to be huckleberry of all things. He polishes it off before anyone else can comment.
"Who brought the donuts?" he asks Dana when he's out of the break room.
Not looking up from her charting, Dana answers him. "Buck, the lead physio from Ortho is friends with our fall victim. He brought them to say thank you for the work we did."
"That was nice of him," Dennis acknowledges, even as the name rings a bell, then goes about finishing his day. He snags another donut before he leaves, cramming the whole thing in his mouth before making his way out the staff entrance. He's still chewing when he spots the friend from earlier, Buckley, sitting on a bench outside.
Before he can think better of it, Dennis approaches. "How'd the surgery go for your friend?"
Buckley seems startled, and he looks up from his phone to meet Dennis' eyes. "Dr. Whitaker. Hi. Freddie's out of surgery and set up in the ICU with his wife. It'll be a few days before they can complete the internal fixation, and a long road to recovery, but his doctors are confident he'll walk again."
"I'm off the clock now," Dennis points out, still feeling strange when people call him doctor. "You can just call me Dennis. And I'm glad to hear your friend is doing okay. Dr. Park may not have the best bedside manner, but he really is one of the best."
Buckley's expression does something complex, but it settles on wildly amused. "He definitely is."
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name when Freddie was brought in," Dennis comments, wondering why he feels like he's stuck his foot in his mouth.
"Evan Buckley," the other man replies, holding his hand out to shake. Dennis does, and shakes it maybe a tad too excitedly. "Most people just call me Buck, though."
The pieces start to click into place. "Buck from Ortho. You brought the donuts."
Buck keeps smiles, despite the exhaustion he's obviously feeling. "Guilty. You guys did such a good job with Freddie. I wanted to thank you."
"I guess that explains why you knew to stabilize your friend's hips," Dennis points out, puzzling it out. He realizes this man is incredibly kind and thoughtful, and wonders not for the first time if he's gotten into the wrong specialty.
"That, four years working as an EMT while I was in school, and being married to a surgeon who is also an adrenaline junky," Buck rattles off with a smile, and Dennis is suddenly filled with an impending sense of dread, as all of the little pieces of information he's picked up today finally slot together.
As if summoned, Dr. Park steps out of the hospital, out of scrubs and dressed in more casual clothing. His hair his still slicked back, and with way the harsh overhead lights illuminate the sharp angles of his face, Dr. Park looks positively menacing.
Dennis wants to cower in place. Buck's face lights up at the sight of him, though, and he stands up off the bench, even as he's calling out in greeting. "Brendon!"
Dr. Park doesn't even acknowledge Dennis as he walks up to Buck and slides an arm around Buck's waist. He presses a quick kiss to Buck's cheek and gives him a one armed hug before stepping back to pass an assessing eye over Buck. "Evan. You still hanging in their okay?"
It's like Dennis isn't even there anymore. Buck's full attention is on the Shark, and in return, Dr. Park's laser focus is on Buck, running a critical appraisal on the man while he talks.
"Doing alright," Buck admits, and instead of being uncomfortable under Dr. Park's stare, seems to melt under it, tension Dennis hadn't even noticed Buck had been carrying in his shoulders easing away. "The adrenaline crash happened a few hours ago, so I've been able to digest what happened."
"Do you want to head home to rest, or do you still want me to drive you out to pick up your car?" Seeing Dr. Park offering care and compassion to a living human being is like being in the twilight zone. Nothing really changes about his demeanour, but there's a softness around his eyes that looks entirely out of place for what Dennis knows about the man.
"I managed to catch a nap in the on call room after Freddie's wife showed up," Buck tells Dr Park, pulling back and lacing their fingers together. "I'd rather grab it now then have to leave the house when we both have the day off."
Dennis couldn't tell you how Dr. Park make his smile go both warm and sharp at the same time, but it leaves little to the imagination regarding what he's planning on using the day off for. It's uncomfortable, standing there watching the interaction like a strange sort of voyeur. He shifts his weight, preparing to extricate himself from the situation, but the sound of gravel draws their attention back to him.
Dr. Park looks him up and down, only his eyes moving, and his mouth moves to form a frown. It's both condescending and dismissive. It feels like a slap when Dr. Park asks, "Do I know you?"
Feeling like his tongue is too big for his mouth, Dennis can't respond. Buck rescues him. "This is Dr. Whittaker, one of the residents who was helping with Freddie in the ER."
"Hmm," is the only response from Dr. Park, his mouth tightening with a little tick that seems to express so much disdain without saying a word. Then his attention is back to Buck, already starting to walk away. "Ready to go, Evan?"
"I'll catch up in a second," Buck tells him, then turns his focus back to Dennis. "Don't take it personally. Brendon is very task oriented, and doesn't really notice anything else. The focus is what makes him a great surgeon. Also one of the many things I love about him."
And then Buck winks, so there's no question regarding how Buck enjoys that focus.
Dennis feels his whole face flush red, but Buck has already turned to follow after his husband. He's left standing like a gape-mouth fish, watching the couple go, when Trinity approaches.
"You okay there, Huckleberry?" She bullies, jabbing him lightly with her elbow.
"Did you know Park the Shark is married?" He asks, still trying to wrap his mind around it.
"The fuck he is," Trinity scoffs, and walks off into the night.
Her reaction, and his own sense of disbelief at the whole encounter makes him wonder if he imagined the whole thing.
