#usermindempty

The first date you had with Dr. Jack Abbott was at a nice restaurant. You two hit it off instantly, and no one in the world could make him laugh the way you did. Something about your energy really complemented his. You would be chipper and fun and full of life, while he’d be groaning about the amount of patients he had on his plate. You were never too chipper for him, though. You were just chipper enough. You knew when to be serious and when he needed a good laugh to brighten his day.

You remembered the first time he lost a patient while you two were together. You sat with him on the roof after his shift as he contemplated life. You held his hand and kissed it gently as you both sat in silence for what felt like hours.

“Thank you,” was all he said before he stood up, helped you stand up, and you both drove your separate ways home.

There were also times when you weren’t chipper. Then it was up to him to cheer you up, though he wasn’t as talented at it as you were. But he was there for you, and that’s all that mattered. Through ups and downs, he was always there, and before you knew it two years flew by.

**

You felt your phone buzz in your pocket when you realized something. Jack was late for his shift. He was supposed to be there ten minutes ago. You pulled out your phone and saw a text from Langdon, something about getting a drink with a few of the doctors after work. You replied with an excited “yes” before you texted your boyfriend.

You asked him why he was late, and he simply replied with “traffic”. Your heart stopped racing when you read the text. He was fine.

When he finally did enter The Pitt, you were there to greet him with a big smile and a tight hug.

“Good morning,” you all but squealed.

“It’s seven in the afternoon,” he grumbled. 

“But you just woke up, so for you it’s morning,” you reasoned. “I love you.” You got on your tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips.

“I love you, too,” he replied

**

“Why not?” a patient asked you the next day. He had been trying to get you to go on a date with him for the past two hours and wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

“Because, like I’ve said many times now, I have a boyfriend,” you repeated slowly.

He completely ignored your reason and continued to ask you out again. You simply rolled your eyes at him with a scoff.

**

You were outside taking a much-needed (very quick) breather when someone came up behind you.

“Hey, nurse,” the man snarled before punching you square in the face with his right hand. You fell to the floor in pain, blood gushing from your nose.

“Fuck,” you exclaimed.

After lying there for a moment, you picked yourself up carefully off the pavement and headed inside.

When Robby saw you, he came rushing over.

“Oh my god,” he exclaimed, seeing the blood on your face. “Grab some ice,” he told Mateo, who hurried to do so. Robby ran up to you and held your face in his gloved hands so he could get a good look at your face. “What happened?”

“Just got punched, I’m fine,” you said. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

“Come sit down.” He guided you to a chair nearby and got down to your level so he could examine the injury. “Can you go get Ahmad, please, Dana?” he asked her before she nodded and left.

“I’m fine, Robby, really,” you persisted.

“Did you hit your head?”

“Yeah, I think so,” you answered honestly. “But I didn’t black out or anything, just a bloody nose.”

“I’m gonna apply pressure,” Perlah said before pressing a cloth to your nose.

“Okay, okay,” you winced. “I’ve got it.” You replaced her hand with your own.

“Any trouble seeing? Any double vision?” Robby asked you. “What about a headache?” 

“No trouble seeing, I‘ve got a bit of a headache, yeah,” you said.

“I’m gonna grab you new scrubs,” Nurse Kim said, and she left to do so.

“You’re gonna need a room,” Robby said.

“C’mon, Robby, I don’t need a room, I’m fine!”

A nurse ran to go and prep a room.

“Follow my finger,” Robby instructed, holding his pointer finger in front of your face. “Right, left, up, down. EOM is intact.”

“Who did this?” Ahmad asked you. 

“Just a pissed off patient but he split so just forget it,” you said, sounding on the verge of tears.

“Hell no! I want a name,” he persisted.

“Harrison Elliot,” you admitted.

“The asshole that was hitting on you?” Mateo asked, and you nodded.

“I’m calling the cops,” Ahmad said as he left.

Robby pulled out his flashlight and waved it in front of your eyes. “Pupils are equal and reactive,” he said. He shone the light up your nostrils before saying, “No septal hematoma. Tell me when it’s sore.” He began applying light pressure to your face, starting at the cheekbones and heading for your nose.

As he got closer to your nose, you gasped in pain and asked him to stop. 

“Tender at the nasion. CT head and maxillofacial,” Robby said.

“I’ll give them a heads up,” Mohan said before she left as well.

Dana began wiping the blood off your face and neck as you asked Robby, “Is that really necessary?”

“You have at least one facial fracture,” Robby said. “With the headache and the fall, I want to rule out anything intracranial.”

“I’m fine,” you assured him, but he just shook his head with a small smile. 

“Want me to call Jack?” Robby asked.

“Hell no, I don’t want to worry him.”

“I think he has every right to worry about you if he wants.”

“Don’t call him, Robby,” you said, and he nodded.

**

“Jack’s gonna be worried,” Robby commented when he visited your room.

“I’ll just tell him I bumped into a door, he’ll believe that, right?”

“Sure,” Robby scoffed. “CT results came back, you’re free to get back to work… or go home.”

“I don’t wanna go home,” you said.

“You still haven’t called him?”

“He’s probably asleep, I don’t wanna wake him up.”

“If it were me, I’d wanna get woken up,” he told you, knowing Abbott and therefore knowing he would want to know you were hurt. “You aren’t burdening him, just give him a call.”

“That poor man needs his sleep, believe me,” you laughed a little.

“For once in your life, don’t be chipper about a situation and call your boyfriend.

“Fine,” you sighed. 

You didn’t end up calling him, but Robby figured as much.

**

The whole day changed when there was a rush of emergency patients due to a fire nearby. Night staff was called in early, which meant you would have to face Jack sooner than you thought.

“Abbott! So happy to see you,” Robby exclaimed when he saw him.

“How many burn victims so far?” he asked.

“Not sure yet. And I thought today’s big event was gonna be that meathead punching Y/n.” When Robby realized what he said, he watched as Abbott’s eyes practically bulged out of his skull. 

“What?” Jack exclaimed loudly. “Where is she?”

“I’m right here,” you sighed from behind him. “And I hoped Robby wouldn’t tell you.”

“Oh my god,” he muttered when he saw your bruised face. “Baby, what…” he trailed off as he traced his thumb down your cheek and cupped your face in his hands. Carefully, he kissed you deeply before he muttered, “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine, I promise,” you told him as he looked at you with such worry that it made your heart hurt.

“You don’t look fine,” he whispered.

“Excuse you, I always look fine,” you chuckled, teasing him. That did it, that made him crack the smallest of smiles.

“See, now there you go making me all happy when you know damn well I should be mad about this.”

“Aw, you love me.”

“I do love you,” Abbott said before he leaned down and kissed you again. “And it’s because I love you, I’m gonna make sure you get the proper care you need. CT scan?”

“Already got one, I really am fine,” you said.

Bucky remembered every bad thing he did as the Winter Soldier. Like scars on his soul, he remembered watching the life drain from their eyes. He remembered every grueling torture session Hydra subjected him to.

He hated how well he remembered his past, and it haunted him nightly. The only thing that was keeping him sane was… you.

He had met you several months ago during the mess with the Sokovia Accords, but he’d only really known you a couple of weeks now. The moment he re-met you, your kind nature swept him off his feet. Up until then, he’d only received kindness from the Wakandans and Steve. But here you were, a stranger who only knew his worst sides, yet you were so gentle with him, so soft-spoken.

**

“Morning sunshine,” you chirped from the compound’s kitchen, pouring yourself a cup of coffee. “How’d you sleep?” you asked Bucky as he sat down at the kitchen island, facing where you stood.

“Slept fine,” he replied. His eyes were tired, burdened with the memories of the nightmares last night had taunted him with. He kept his focus on you. He watched as you stirred creamer into your coffee and as you blew on it through pursed lips to cool it down.

“You okay?” you asked, noticing how intensely he was watching you. 

“I’m fine,” he repeated the word.

“Uh huh, sure hun.” You nodded your head. “Want some coffee?”

“Yes please.”

“Coming right up.”

You grabbed a Stark Industries mug from the cabinet and poured him some coffee. After asking if he wanted any you poured in some creamer as well. You slid the cup across the counter and your fingers brushed his knuckles as he took it.

“Thanks, doll,” he said. He wasn’t just thanking you for the drink, he was thanking you for the fingerprints you left on his right hand, the hand that now held the warm cup of coffee. “How’d you sleep?” he asked, wanting to keep the conversation going but unable to think of a topic change.

“I slept fine,” you replied in a lowered voice, mimicking his. The impression worked because he let out a short laugh.

**

Bucky thought about this short interaction all day. He thought about it as he trained in the gym and as he took a quick shower afterward. He thought about it as he fell asleep that night; he thought about your soft hand brushing his calloused one. He tried to focus on the thought of you as he drifted off the sleep, yet his dreams were still plagued with ghosts of his past.

The next few mornings went about the same.

“How’d you sleep?” you’d ask.

“Fine,” he would respond.

You would ask him if he wanted coffee and he always did. You’d give him the cup and each time lightly brush his hand with the tips of your fingers.

It was barely an interaction. But to Bucky? He looked forward to it. He looked forward to the soft touch of your hand, he looked forward to the smile lines that would deepen when he made you laugh, and he looked forward to the brief conversation the two of you shared each morning.

One morning was different for Bucky, though. He could barely get himself out of bed; images of his dreams still swirling in his mind. He all but collapsed onto the kitchen chair as he sat to speak with you.

“Whoa, you don’t look so good, Bucky. You alright?” you asked, your voice laced with concern and kindness. 

“Just didn’t sleep great, that’s all,” he grumbled, slightly slurring his words.

You shrugged it off and began making his coffee just how he liked it. When you handed it to him, your fingers brushed against him like they had done mornings prior. He savored the moment of skin-to-skin contact before it was broken again.

He thanked you and began sipping the coffee. You watched him intently as he did so.

“What’s wrong, Bucky?” you asked him after a beat of silence.

“Nothing’s wrong,” he protested.

“Are you sick?” you asked. You walked around the island table and stood closer to him. “Can I touch you?” you asked as you brought your hand up to cup his cheek.

He couldn’t believe his ears. You’d just asked for his consent to do something to him; something as gentle as touching his cheek.

He couldn’t get the word out fast enough; “Y-Yes.”

You quickly put your hand on his cheek and furrowed your brows with concentration. You then put the back of your hand against his forehead.

“You don’t seem to have a fever,” you commented.

It was official; Bucky was in heaven. He was relishing in the feeling of your touch. Your left hand on his forehead, your right hand resting on his shoulder. He felt like he had been in darkness for ages and had only now begun to see pure light. 

It was over too soon when you pulled back.

“Maybe you need some more sleep, Bucky,” you suggested.

**

It’d been two weeks since Bucky’s favorite moment with you. Since then he’d barely gotten alone time with you; it was always interrupted by Sam or Steve coming into the kitchen for breakfast. 

He cursed the timing; he’d sit down just as Sam and Steve entered the kitchen, completely disrupting the routine he had going.

Today was no different.

“Morning gorgeous,” Sam exclaimed when he walked into the kitchen. “You make me those pancakes again?”

“You know it, stud.”

Bucky hated the “will they, won’t they” tension you two seemed to have going. He didn’t know you both swore up and down it was platonic flirting.

“You’re too good to me, baby.” Sam smiled widely.

Bucky stared daggers at him, wishing the earth would swallow himself or Sam up whole, anything to put an end to this torment.

But then you glanced his way and suddenly all his annoyance dissipated. The color of your eyes, hair, and lips under the harsh kitchen lighting made him feel like the luckiest man in the world just to be in your presence. 

“Bucky, you want some?” you offered him a plate with two pancakes. He happily accepted yet your fingers didn’t brush his hand when you gave it to him. Stupid plate, being big enough for two people to hold onto at the same time. 

He began eating the pancakes along with Steve and Sam.

“Goddamn these are good,” Sam practically moaned dramatically. “You are an angel, woman.”

“Oh stop it,” you laughed off his comment. Bucky hated feeling so jealous of Sam. 

**

The next time Bucky touched you was during a sparring session in the gym. Several trainees along with Sam, Steve, Wanda, and Nat were paired up and fighting each other. You were partnered with Bucky, Steve was partnered with Wanda, and Sam was partnered with Nat.

You threw a punch and he blocked it just as you expected, you kicked at him and again he blocked it. 

After a while, Steve yelled “Switch,” which meant it was Bucky’s turn to play offense. 

As he was punching you missed a block and he punched you square in the cheek with his vibranium hand.

“Fuck,” you gasped, covering your right cheek with both hands. “Oh fuck, that hurts!”

Bucky hadn’t felt such pure, immediate guilt in so long.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” he said quickly. “Shit, fuck, I’m so, so sorry!”

“It’s okay, not your fault,” you said between pained gasps. While you were a trained fighter and Avenger, you weren’t a super soldier. And without powers, a vibranium punch hurts like hell.

Bucky wanted to punch himself in return for hurting you. He wished to take the bruise forming on your cheekbone and give it to himself instead.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, sounding defeated.

He had been so excited to be partnered with you for training, he had been looking forward to it for days (Steve put the pair schedules up early) but now he wished you had been paired up with Sam instead.

“Let me kiss it better,” he could imagine Sam saying if he had made the same mistake. The bruise wouldn’t be half as big if it had been Sam’s left hand instead of his own. He could imagine Sam would pull you into a hug to express his apologetic sorrow, yet Bucky assumed you’d rather not get a hug from himself.

“Not your fault,” you told him again. You could tell by the expression on his face what he was putting himself through. “Make it up to me by walking me to the freezer for some ice?”

He was shocked by your words. You wanted him to accompany you to the gym’s kitchen? You weren’t going to immediately run to Sam and ask him for help instead?

“Of course,” he said. “Anything you need.”

“Ice that wound, Y/n,” Steve said from a few yards away.

“Already on it, Cap,” you replied.

**

You sat on a bench inside the gender-neutral lockers with Bucky on your left. You held the ice up to your cheek as you both stayed silent for a while.

“I’m really sorry, doll,” Bucky whispered, wanting to break what he felt was an uncomfortable silence.

“I forgive you, Bucky,” you said. You wished he could understand it wasn't his fault, but at the very least you wanted him to know you forgave him. “Besides, it was kinda my fault for not blocking that punch, I should’ve seen it coming a mile away.”

“I thought I went too quickly,” he admitted.

Truthfully, he hadn’t in fact thrown too quick of a punch. In reality, you had been distracted by the color of his eyes under the gym’s harsh lighting. The way they shone such a beautiful, bright blue had you so mesmerized you failed to block the (fairly slow because Bucky was going easy on you) punch.

“Not at all, hun,” you assured him.

Again you both sat in silence. You didn’t mind it, you didn’t mind Bucky’s company. Bucky, however, felt awful about the silence and thought it was a sign you didn't want to talk to him. 

“Can you do me a favor?” you asked. “It’s kinda a big one so feel free to say no.”

“Sure,” he replied. “Anything for you, Y/n,” he wanted to say.

“My hands are getting really numb, would you mind holding the ice pack for a bit?”

“Okay,” he said. You turned to face him, moving your left leg so you were straddling the bench as Bucky did the same with his right leg. The two of you now faced each other as Bucky asked; “Can I touch you?”

That warmed your heart and you nodded.

He reached out his vibranium arm and cupped the ice pack against your cheek as you let go of it. You smiled warmly and put your hand overtop his.

“B-Better?” he asked, his nerves running wild.

“So much.”

**

The punch had sent your relationship with Bucky back lightyears. Every time you talked with him he couldn’t help but stare at the swollen bruise he’d caused.

It bothered you how guilty he still felt even after you willingly took the blame. You could tell he was losing sleep over it so one night you decided to confront him while he stayed up past three AM.

“Bucky, what’re you doing up so late?” you asked, walking into one of the living rooms and seeing him sitting in the corner reading a book. “Is everything okay?”

You took a seat near him on the couch, your brows furrowed with worry.

“Could ask you the same thing, doll,” he retorted.

“I’m serious, Bucky, I’m worried about you.”

“You’re worried about me? Why?”

“Cause I’ve noticed how tired you are when you talk to me each morning, and I notice how you strain yourself trying to focus when you look at me.”

“You don’t have to worry ‘bout me, I’m fine.”

“I know I don’t have to, Bucky,” you said softly. “I worry about you because I care about you.”

“You… care about me?” he asked, barely above a whisper.

“Of course,” you replied quickly and reached out your hand. “Can I touch you?” He nodded and you rested it on his knee. “You matter, Bucky. Your health matters. And if you wanna talk about whatever’s keeping you up, I’m here for you.”

Bucky couldn’t take his eyes off your hand. 

“Thank you,” was all he could choke out. 

**

He eventually began to open up to you. Bit by bit, night by night, you were truly getting to know the great Lieutenant James Barnes.

The more you got to know him the deeper in love with him you fell. You felt selfish for wanting to kiss the pain away, but you couldn’t help it. All you wanted to do was hold him tight till he fell asleep in your arms. But that’s not what he wanted, you assumed. He seemed to be barely okay with the brief touches up till this point.

Whenever you could, whenever you weren’t too exhausted, you would stay up with him. A couple of times you both ended up sleeping on the couch because you fell asleep and Bucky didn’t feel right moving you without your permission. He hadn’t intended to fall asleep next to you, but it happened anyway.

One night you went to speak with him like you had done before but this time was different.

You stood in front of where he sat and when he looked up at you the light caught the glint in his eyes and made you aware of his tear-stained face. 

“Can I touch you?” you asked, just as you had done time and time again.

“Always,” he replied. You cupped his face with your hands. 

“Is this okay?” you asked, hands moving to tangle with his hair. 

“It’s more than okay,” he replied, leaning on your stomach as he brought his hands to rest on your hips. “Thank you.”

He wasn’t merely thanking you for staying up with him, but for the fingerprints you were leaving on his very soul. The lingering feeling of your soft touch on his trauma-filled skin.

You had started dating Langdon after you briefly met him through your brother. You had stopped by the hospital to drop off baked goods for the doctors and nurses when you first spoke to him.

Robby introduced you two, and he didn’t think much of the interaction, but Langdon was instantly smitten. He kicked himself for being so infatuated with his boss’s sister, but what could he say? You were drop dead gorgeous, and it didn’t hurt that you were a damn good baker too.

You worked about ten minutes from the hospital, so it wasn’t unheard of for you to drop by and say hello to your brother while dropping off food for him and his team. You owned a very well-liked cafe and would often bring over any extra food to The Pitt. 

When Langdon first saw you (and he would tell you this later on), he felt the calmest butterflies in his stomach. The kind you get when you see someone you want to be around all the time, and never get anxious while doing so. It was a new feeling for Landon, so who could blame him for falling head over heels in love with you by the fourth week of dating? 

You were quick to fall for him, too; it wasn’t a one-sided thing. If your brother hadn’t been so preoccupied with his work that first day, he would’ve been able to tell by the look in your eyes that you were falling for Langdon.

You weren’t sure which drew you in quicker: his jawline, chisled by the gods, or his bright blue eyes, blue as a wild ocean you could get lost in. Whatever it was, his kind heart and loving nature sealed the deal for you by date three. 

And by the time you both said your ‘I love you’s, you knew he was the man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with.

**

“Coffee’s here!” you announced, walking into The Pitt with several cups of fresh coffee.

“Thank you,” Dana said, helping you put the coffee on the front desk counter. “I’ll let the team know.”

“Is Langdon around? I’d like to talk with him before I head back to our place,” you said.

“I think he’s helping a patient,” Dana said.

“I always have time for my girl,” Langdon interjected, coming from a patient’s room. He took off and tossed his disposable gloves as he walked up to you. “How are you?” He leaned in and kissed you quickly, not giving you a second to answer.

“Better now,” you said when he pulled away.

“What’s all this?” Robby asked, coming out of the same room Langdon was in and doing the same thing with his gloves.

“I brought coffee for you guys and the nurses.” You smiled at your brother.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do all that,” Robby said. “What’s the occasion?”

“Well, you already know this, but…” You held up your left hand and showed off a gorgeous engagement ring.

“We’re engaged!” Langdon exclaimed.

“No way!” Dana gasped. “Let me see the ring!” You held out your hand, palm down, so she could get a better look as the other nurses and doctors came rushing over to see what all the fuss was about.

“Ooh, I smell coffee,” Dr. McKay said as she came up behind Robby. When she saw the ring, she exclaimed, “Oh my god! Y/n!”

As the hour passed, more and more doctors and nurses congratulated you and Langdon when they got a chance. 

Before you left, after you said goodbye to your fiancé, your brother stopped to talk with you.

“You know, I couldn’t be happier for you and Frank,” he said.

“Thank you.” You smiled at him.

“You gonna be safe getting home? It’s raining pretty hard out there.”

“I’ll be fine, I promise,” you told him.

**

The shift was almost over, only two hours to go before Langdon could rush home to you.

“Car accident, woman in her early thirties, man in his late forties, six minutes out,” Robby was informed.

“Understood,” he said.

The last six minutes of peace that Langdon and Robby would have that day passed quickly before you were wheeled in on a stretcher.

“It’s…”

“…Y/n,” Robby finished Langdon’s sentence.

Langdon’s whole world stopped as Robby’s shoulders dropped.

“Pulse was weak, but we lost it,” the EMT doing chest compressions said.

“I-I,” Robby stuttered, completely frozen with fear. 

Dr. Collins and McKay had to step up and take over for him and Langdon. Collins replaced the EMT and started doing compressions.

She called out medical terms that you (had you been conscious) would never understand, but Langdon and Robby did. It meant there wasn’t much hope for you.

“Robby, Robby,” Langdon exclaimed, trying to get his attention. “W-We need to help her, we can’t just sit back and do nothing!”

“Y-Yeah,” Robby choked out.

Robby and Langdon started to help McKay and Collins, but quickly learned there was no use in their being there, they were both too shaken up to be of any help.

They instead both chose to help the other car accident victim (the driver of the other car), once you had a pulse and things were looking up.

**

Langdon and Robby’s shifts were over, they should’ve been going home. Langdon should’ve been in his car listening to your favorite music as he drove home to you. 

“How is she?” Langdon asked Dr. Abbott when he came out of your room. 

He simply shook his head, “It’s not looking good.”

“Give it to us straight, how bad is she?” Robby asked.

“Her pulse is very weak; she had a punctured lung, as you know, due to her broken ribs. What worries us the most is the head trauma; she has a pretty severe concussion from when her head hit the window. It could go either way at this point, there’s no way to really know yet. She could wake up and be okay, or–”

“She could not wake up,” Robby finished his sentence. “Oh my god.”

“No,” Langdon shook his head, “no! There must be something we can do, we can’t just…”

There was a beat of silence as they all just looked at each other, each of them hoping for the same thing.

“Oh, Langdon, here,” Abbot said and handed him a small container with your engagement ring. “We had to cut it off her broken finger.”

**

When you opened your eyes, the first thing you saw was Langdon sleeping on the chair next to your bed. His head rested on his fist, his elbow rested on the arm of the chair. Soft snores escaped from between his lips as you smiled to yourself.

“Hey,” you said quietly. Langdon stirred awake, and his eyes opened wide when he saw you were awake.

“Oh my god,” he mumbled, and he stood up. He leaned down and kissed you quickly. “Thought I lost you for a minute there.”

“Can’t get rid of me that easily, babe,” you giggled as he pulled back. 

“I’ll go get Robby,” he said before he left the room. He came back with Robby in tow, who hurried to hug you as best he could.

“You had us really worried there, Y/n,” Robby said.

“How are the people in the other car?” you asked.

“He’s fine,” Langdon said, moving the chair closer so he could sit down and hold your hand at the same time. “His brakes gave out in the rain, that’s why he hit you.”

“I’m glad he’s okay,” you said.

“We’re glad you’re okay,” Robby added. 

“Besides the two casts, I feel fine,” you shrugged, referring to your left arm and left leg, both in casts. “Where’s the ring?” you asked when you realized you were no longer wearing it.

Langdon took the container out of his pocket, and your eyes welled up at the sight of your damaged ring. 

“Hey, what matters is you’re okay,” Langdon said when he noticed you were upset. “That’s all that matters.” He leaned in and kissed you, placing his hand on your cheek for added support. “I love you.”

“How many hours left in this shift?” Langdon sighed and leaned next to you against the front desk.

You checked your watch; “Four hours and twenty-seven minutes,” you answered his question.

“So excited to get the fuck outta here,” he said.

“What’re you doing after work?”

“Nothing much; just me, my dog, my TV, and take out.”

“Ah, sounds like a dream, Langdon,” you said.

“Oh, it is, for sure,” he laughed. “I noticed you haven’t eaten in a while, so I got you these from the vending machine and the food cart.” He handed you a sandwich and a pack of sour gummy worms.

“My favorite! Thanks, Langdon,” you exclaimed.

“Anytime,” he replied and got right back to work.

Robby noticed the little interaction and furrowed his brows as he watched you head to the break room for a quick lunch.

“What was that about?” he asked Langdon, walking up next to him.

“Y/n hadn’t eaten yet today,” Frank replied nonchalantly. “Her blood sugar’s probably low, I was just being nice.”

“So you bought her candy?”

“I knew she wouldn’t bother eating unless I lured her in with sour gummy worms,” Frank chuckled. “Smart, right?”

“Uh… yeah. How’d you know she likes sour gummy worms?”

“Everybody does.” Frank shrugged before being called to help a patient.

“No, they don’t,” Robby mumbled to himself.

**

“Hey, it’s not your fault,” you told him. You reached out and held his hand in yours as you repeated the words. “This was not your fault.”

“I know,” he said, but you knew he didn’t believe himself. Frank had just lost a patient, a ten-year-old car accident victim.

You asked if he wanted a hug, and he replied by wrapping his arms around you. You returned the gesture and squeezed him tightly.

“Wasn’t your fault,” you said again.

“Thank you,” he mumbled.

After a minute or two, he pulled away from the hug. He thanked you again before he went to help another patient.

“What was that about?” Dana asked you, her brows furrowed.

“What was what about?” you asked half-heartedly, looking up at the screens to pick out a patient.

“Why were you hugging Langdon for so long?” she asked.

“Oh, he lost a patient,” you replied.

“So you had to hug him for that long?” she chuckled a little. 

“He needed the comfort.” You shrugged. “Ooh, nose job gone wrong? I’ll take that one,” you said and went to go grab the patient.

“These two, I swear,” Dana scoffed with a laugh, shaking her head with amusement.

**

“If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?” Frank asked you.

“Ooh, that’s a tough one. I’ll get back to you on that,” you said before being whisked away to help a patient. 

“What’s up with you and Langdon?” Samira asked. 

“What do you mean?” you asked, focused on the patient and not fully paying attention to Dr. Mohan.

“Why are you and Langdon going back and forth with so many questions?”

“Oh, we’re playing this game where we ask each other a question every time we see each other. It helps pass the time.”

“Huh, strange game…”

“We’re friends,” you started, still fully focused on the patient, “we just want to get to know each other better.”

**

There was one patient no one wanted to take because they’d met him before, and all he did was hit on the women working there the whole time. You reluctantly took him as your patient (without Langdon knowing), and you had begun to despise him. His rude comments and gestures were only getting worse.

“C’mon, sweetheart; you, me, a bottle of wine at my place? Whaddaya say?” He smirked and reached out to touch you.

“What the hell is going on in here?” Frank exclaimed, much louder than he intended, and gained the attention of everyone around him. 

“Nothing–” the man started, but Frank cut him off.

“You listen here, Dr. Y/l/n is not here to date you, and by the looks of it, she doesn’t want to be here at all. Now you are gonna man up and take a ‘no’ like a normal person, or I will escort you out myself.” Langdon stood there, fuming mad. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” the man gulped.

“Yes, doctor,” Langdon corrected.

“Yes, doctor,” the man replied.

“Is everything okay in here?” Robby poked his head in. 

“Everything’s fine,” Langdon said.

**

Kiara wanted to talk with you briefly after the incident, although you told her you were fine.

“I’m sure you were happy when Dr. Langdon came to your rescue,” she remarked.

“Yeah, he’s a great friend,” you said.

“I’ve been meaning to talk with you about that. You know you’re allowed to date your coworkers, right?”

“Are you asking me out?” you teased.

“I meant,” she laughed a little, “you and Langdon.”

“Oh, we’re just friends.” You furrowed your brows.

“Sure,” Kiara said. She said something else before she left, but you weren’t really listening.

Hold up… did you like Langdon?

Meanwhile, Dana was busy scolding Frank for his behavior with the patient.

“Come on, Dana, you know I was doing the right thing, standing up to that guy,” Langdon scoffed.

“We all know how annoying that man is, but you can’t threaten a patient!” Dana exclaimed.

“I was only doing what no one else had the guts to do,” he replied. “Ask anyone, they wanted to do the same thing!”

“Come on, Langdon, you’d only be reacting like this if you had feelings for Dr. Y/l/n!”

“I–” Frank stopped. Hold up… he did have feelings for you, strong feelings. “I don’t have feelings for her?”

“Sure, kiddo,” Dana said in a playfully condescending tone before she turned to walk away.

“We’re just friends!” he called out after her.

“Well, your ‘friend’ is in the breakroom if you wanna go talk to her,” Dana said, using air quotes as she continued to walk away.

“Shit,” Langdon mumbled to himself. 

“Go,” Robby said to him.

“Huh?”

“Go talk to her, I’ll cover your patients.”

“Thank you.”

**

“So… that was something,” Langdon said, as he walked into the breakroom and found you staring at the vending machine. 

“There are no sour gummy worms in this vending machine,” you pondered out loud, wondering where Langdon had gotten the bag from earlier.

“No, but the one on the second floor has them.”

“You went all the way to the second floor just to make sure I ate something?” you asked.

“Yeah.” Langdon stood in front of you. “There’s a lot I’d do for you.”

“Really?”

“I think I have feelings for you,” he sighed. “I’m sorry, I know that’s not what you want to hear.”

“I think it’s exactly what I wanna hear, Frank,” you admitted. “I think I have feelings for you, too.”

“So… what do we do now?”

“You could kiss me, if you wanna.”

His face lit up before he leaned down and kissed you deeply. His hands went to your hips as yours went to his cheeks. You stayed locked in the passionate kiss for what felt like hours before you both broke away.

“I think you might be my best friend,” Langdon whispered, making you smile widely.

You assumed bumping your head on the bedside drawer in the night would hurt, but you didn’t expect to wake up with a splitting headache that made your eyes sensitive to light.

“Shit,” you mumbled.

“What’s wrong?” Robby asked.

“Nothing, just a headache,” you said, sitting up in bed. “You headed to work?”

“Yep, I’ll be back at seven thirty probably,” he replied.

“Okay, love you.”

“Love you too.” 

With that, he quickly kissed you goodbye before he left.

You took some Tylenol for your headache before going about the rest of your day.

**

“How long have you had the headache for now?”

“Uhm…two days?” you replied.

His eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, why?”

“C’mon, you’re getting an MRI,” he said.

“Robby, I don’t need an MRI,” you protested, but he wouldn’t have it.

You headed to The Pitt for your MRI. This was a big deal because you’d never been to Robby’s work before. It was a huge deal.

“You must be the famous Y/n!” Dr. Abbott exclaimed when he saw you and Robby walk in together. 

“Yeah, that’s me,” you laughed him off, your cheeks warming with embarrassment.

“She hit her head two days ago and still has a headache. We’re here for an MRI,” Robby told him.

“Yeah, I’d say that’s a good idea,” Abbott replied. “You know where to go.”

Robby put his hand on the small of your back and guided you to the elevator. You two went to the third floor for an MRI.

**

“Would you like your dad to step out of the room so I can give you the results?” the doctor asked. 

“Uh, he’s my boyfriend,” you informed her.

“Oh,” was all she said before an awkward silence fell upon the room.

“And I don’t mind him being in the room.”

“Well, you have a very minor concussion, but it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Okay,” you replied with a smile. “That’s great, thank you, doctor.”

“Can I see her chart, please?” Robby asked. The doctor looked at you, and you nodded, giving her consent to share your medical information. She handed your chart to Dr. Robby, and he looked over it with concern.

“Okay, that’ll be all then,” Robby said with a nod, handing her back the chart before she headed for the door.

“Sorry again for…” the doctor trailed off. “...You know.”

“It’s no problem, really,” Robby assured her with a smile.

“Damn that’s a first,” you said when she left the room.

“What? The concussion? I saw the results, it’s really nothing to worry about.”

“No, I mean her thinking you’re my dad,” you scoffed a little. “I mean, it was a little rude.”

“Come on, you can’t be that surprised. I’m two decades older than you,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, well, it was still rude.” You shrugged. 

“How about we go grab dinner and forget the whole thing,” he offered. “We’ll go to that Thai place you love so much.”

He hadn’t waited more than two minutes to call you. Seeing the death of that girl messed with his head, he could only think of the kids you two shared. He fiddled with the bracelet his son gave him as he found your number in his contacts and hit call.

“Hey, babe,” you answered quickly. You always picked up the phone as quickly as you could, especially if he was at work. You knew the kind of work he did took a toll on him, and the least you could do was be there for him when times were tough. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, just thinking of you and the kids,” he said. It was clear from his tone what was wrong; your husband lost a patient, and it hit a little too close to home.

“We’re thinking of you, too, Frank,” you said. 

“Can you put Tanner on the phone, please?”

“He’s getting ready for school.”

“Can you… Can you just put him on the phone for a second?” he begged. “I just want to hear his voice.”

“Of course, hun,” you folded quickly. “Gimme just a moment.” 

You called over your four-year-old son and handed him the phone.

“Hey, Dad!” he exclaimed.

“There’s my guy,” Langdon sighed. “How you doing, buddy?”

“I’m okay, want to hear a song I wrote?”

“I would love to hear your… your song,” he replied, still shaken up.

After singing his song and talking with his dad for a few minutes, Tanner returned the phone to you.

“Thanks, buddy.” You smiled. “How bad is it?” you asked your husband.

“Bad,” he admitted. “I can’t talk about it too much… how are you?”

“We’re okay,” you said. “I’m taking the kids to school, then heading to the gym for a yoga class, then–”

“You know I love you, right?” he interrupted you.

“Of course I do, Frank,” you said. “You know I love you, too, right? So much.”

There was a beat of silence. “Please keep talking,” he whispered. 

“About what?”

“Anything,” he breathed.

“The kids are loving the puppy! They’re coming up with names, too, and I have to say they’re pretty clever. My favorite one so far is ‘doggy,’” you chuckled, making your husband laugh as well. “I think we should call her Frankie, just to mess with you.”

“You’re so funny,” Frank said dryly.

“I know, it’s a gift,” you said. There was another beat of silence. 

“Do you think the dog was a good idea?” he asked.

“I think Frankie was a great idea!” you exclaimed. “She’s gonna be a lot of work, but I think it’ll be nice having her around.”

“That’s great, I was worried she was a bad idea,” he admitted.

“You tend to have some pretty good ideas, babe, so if you’ve got more, then keep ‘em coming.”

“I was thinking about stopping for some salmon for dinner on my way home, how about that?”

“That would be amazing, Frank!”

“Well, I’d better go, but I love you so much.”

“I love you so much more,” you countered.

“You’ve… huh?”

“This is so embarrassing,” you mumbled, more to yourself than to your husband. “I’m stuck on the floor.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine, the baby’s fine. I just can’t seem to find the leverage to get up.” You sighed. “I’m so sorry Frank but please could you… help?”

“I’ll be there in ten,” he said. “Love you, bye.”

“Love you more, bye.”

**

When Langdon got home, he found you lying on the hardwood floor of your living room. He reached out his hand and helped you up quickly.

“How’d this happen?” he asked as he pulled you into an awkward hug, your overstretched belly pressed against his abdomen.

“I guess you could say I fell for you,” you replied, wanting to break the tension so he didn’t worry about you.

“You’re hilarious,” he said flatly. He soon broke away from the hug so he could get a good look at you. “Any dizziness? Nausea? Blurred vision?”

“No? Well nausea yes, duh, but that’s what the Zofran is for.”

“Follow my finger,” he said and held his pointer finger up for you to follow as he moved it from left to right and back again. “You probably don’t have a concussion,” he stated.

“I know I don’t have a concussion,” you laughed it off. “I didn’t hit my head, Frank, I just slipped and couldn’t get back up.”

“Still, we should head to The Pitt and have Dr. Collins look at you, just to be safe.”

“I don’t need an ultrasound, hun, I’m fine.”

“Nope, you’re coming to the hospital with me, c’mon.”

“Let’s take separate cars though, I don’t wanna be stuck in ‘The Pitt’ while you save lives for hours,” you said, using air quotes to be more dramatic.

“One of us can Uber home,” he protested. “C’mon, let’s go.”

**

When you got to the hospital, Langdon guided you through the traffic of people to get you to Heather.

He called out her name when he saw her.

“Mrs. Langdon! How lovely to see you. How are you?” Dr. Collins exclaimed. 

“I’m doing pretty good, though this pregnancy is kicking my ass.” You smiled and gave her a quick, small hug.

Langdon hurriedly explained what happened to you as Dr. Robby walked up.

“Mrs. Langdon! To what do we owe the pleasure?” he asked, a huge smile plastered on his face. “Don’t tell me you’re here to drag Frank home early?”

“No, Robby, nothing like that,” you chuckled. “Frank insisted I come over–”

“She slipped on the hardwood floor and couldn’t stand back up, she had to call me to go and help her up,” Frank exclaimed.

“He is making it sound much worse than it was,” you said. “I’m fine, really.”

“Well an ultrasound wouldn’t hurt,” Robby said, assuming it was what Frank wanted. 

“See? Told you so!” Frank nudged your arm playfully.

“Really? You’re going with ‘I told you so’?” you laughed.

“Collins, please?” Robby gestured for her to get going with the ultrasound as quickly as possible.

“Of course, right this way,” Heather replied.

Frank walked behind you as you followed Dr. Collins to a space where you could do a quick ultrasound. 

You sat down on the chair and Heather started the ultrasound.

“Your baby looks good,” she said. 

“You’re sure?” Frank asked.

“Yep, healthy baby boy,” Collins replied.

“See? Told you so,” you said smugly, making your husband laugh and shake his head.

“Can I see your flashlight?” he asked Dr. Collins and she handed him the small device. “Look at my nose,” he said.

“Can I look at those gorgeous blue eyes instead?” you asked, wiggling your brows up and down. 

He couldn’t help the sheepish laugh as a slight blush began to warm his cheeks. It didn’t matter how long you two had been together, you still made his heart skip a beat when you said things like that.

He continued with the quick exam to be sure you didn’t have a concussion.

“Babe, you’re treating me like one of your patients,” you chuckled, brushing away his hands.

“Fine, I’ll let Dr. Collins give you the full once over just to be safe. Heather, you alright with that?”

“I really must restate there’s zero need for all of this, honey,” you said.

“I’d be happy to,” Heather said. 

“Thanks,” Langdon said. “I’m gonna get back to work, call me when you’re all done. Love you.”

“Love you too,” you grumbled before he kissed you goodbye.

**

“She’s perfectly fine. Slight bruising around her tailbone, but nothing that won’t heal on its own,” Dr Collins told Langdon about ten minutes later when she was finished with the brief exam.

“Thank you–” Frank was cut off by his phone buzzing in his pocket. He answered it quickly, seeing it was from you.