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“Oh good,” Yolanda said when Emery walked into the OR suite. “It’s been a while since we’ve been to Lilith Fair around here.” Yolanda actually didn’t mind Emery’s music taste when she was in charge of the music in the OR. It was miles better than Doctor Miller’s heavy metal or, worst of all, Doctor Shamsi’s insistence on silence.
Emery just glared at her, “Says the Hot Topic employee.” And that’s why Yolanda had to keep making fun of her, because Yolanda’s own music taste could never catch a break.
Maybe if she’d known when she was in high school that she was basically pavloving her own concentration to work best while blasting pop-punk music whenever she was writing an essay, she would’ve made a different choice of music taste that her future colleagues would’ve respected more. But then again judging by the way everyone constantly roasted each other here, there may not have ever been a correct choice.
“Why were you the intern I decided to adopt out of every resident who’s come through this place?” Emery said as they prepped the room. “I could’ve taken that one tall, really shy guy who started with you. The one who used to visibly tremble whenever I spoke to him. Terrible surgeon prospect, but at least he wouldn’t have incessantly mocked me.”
“He almost passed out during a procedure,” Yolanda rolled her eyes. “I think he switched to podiatry.”
A sneer curled at Emery’s lips, “That sounds about right.”
“I guess you’re stuck with me,” Yolanda said and Emery almost smiled, Yolanda could see the way her lip twitched.
“Unfortunately,” Emery said before turning her attention to the task in front of them.
After the surgery, Yolanda could still feel the adrenaline buzzing under her skin. Her shift was basically over, but she needed something to channel this excess energy into. What she really wanted was someone to channel her energy into. Specifically, she couldn’t keep her mind off of the fact that Trinity Santos was only a few floors away, wrapping up her own shift.
She’d been attracted to Trinity ever since the other woman’s first shift, had been maybe a little too forward with her attraction during her first shift, but Trinity had clearly enjoyed the attention and things had seemed promising right up until Trinity dropped the bomb on her about Langdon’s drug abuse and Yolanda hadn’t reacted well. It was something she still regretted, the way she’d immediately turned on Trinity, who had trusted her enough to try to confide in her.
Contrary to popular belief, Yolanda was fully capable of being humbled. She’d felt it when she’d realized that whatever the fuck Langdon had been up to with drugs had been serious, not just some overblown gossip from a brand new intern. A week ago, when Yolanda had heard through the grapevine about his sudden sabbatical, she’d known. There was no way the man would have voluntarily stepped away from work and there was also no way Robby would sideline his favorite resident without a very good reason.
Yolanda had apologized a couple days ago in the best way she knew how: she’d let Trinity take over the chest tube insertion for the next patient who needed one. They’d also talked it out, but Yolanda had always been one to weigh actions as more meaningful than words. She’d also started testing the waters, flirting lightly, nothing nearly as heavy-handed as that first day, because after everything she’d wanted to give Trinity the chance to come to her.
But she’d never been the type to sit around waiting for things to happen to her. So, despite her resolution to leave the ball in Trinity’s court, she found herself waiting by the ED lockers for Trinity to wrap up her shift.
“Hey,” she said as soon as Trinity appeared. The other woman jumped slightly, and Yolanda wondered if this was a terrible idea.
“Doctor Garcia,” Trinity said, staring wide-eyed at her, “did you need something?”
Realizing that she should have thought about what to ask, Yolanda took the straightforward route, “Do you have any plans after work?”
“Uh— no,” Trinity’s brow furrowed. “Why?”
“I was wondering if you’d want to come over to my place,” Yolanda said, making sure to hold eye contact, to make the intention clear.
“Really?” Trinity asked, an adorable pink flush staining her cheeks. “You’re asking what I think you’re asking?"
“Yes. I’m asking you to come home with me,” Yolanda said, letting a wicked smile spread across her face.
“Okay. Yeah— yes,” Trinity said, stumbling over her words in a way that just made Yolanda smile wider. “Just hold on, I’ve gotta go tell Whitaker.”
“Whitaker?” Yolanda asked, confused what the med student had to do with any of this.
“We live together and I’m his ride. I’ve just gotta give him my key so he can drive himself home,” Trinity said.
That was certainly unexpected. “Alright, I’ll meet you outside,” Yolanda said, nodding toward the back doors that led to the staff parking garage. She didn’t want to hang around the lockers any longer than necessary.
“Be right there,” Trinity said, taking off at a speed close to a jog.
It took less than five minutes for Trinity to burst through the door, a look of relief crossing her face when she caught sight of Yolanda. Like she’d been worried that Yolanda might have changed her mind.
“How’d you end up living with Whitaker?” Yolanda asked as she led Trinity through the parking structure toward her car.
Trinity shrugged, “We were talking at the end of our first shift and his living situation was both temporary and shitty and I had a spare room. So now we’re roomies.”
Yolanda sensed there was more to the story, but it wasn’t really her business.
“He’s actually a pretty good roommate so far,” Trinity continued. “Quiet, unobtrusive, cleans up after himself. Better than most of the girls I lived with during college. Do you have any roommates?”
“No,” Yolanda said. “And I really don’t miss it.” She’d never enjoyed having anyone else in her space, had hated the endless butting of heads over chore charts and overnight guests.
“Do you have any crazy stories?” Trinity asked, throwing her a grin.
“During med school I was living with someone who never wore pants in the apartment. Ever. Like, I told her my parents were coming to town for the weekend and that they’d be coming by the apartment after we had dinner and then we get there, walk in the front door, and there she was. Chilling on the couch in her fucking underwear.”
“What?” Trinity snorted, “That blows all of my stories out of the water.”
“She was a real character. But at least she never brought a surprise kitten home, like the woman I lived with for my first six months here in Pittsburgh.”
“A surprise kitten?” Trinity asked, disbelief in her voice.
“Yeah,” Yolanda said. “I came home from work and she’d adopted a kitten that had already been returned to the shelter three times. Now, I love cats, but I swear that was not a kitten. It was the spawn of satan. I got a good amount of suturing practice out of that living situation, though.”
“Fucking hell,” Trinity laughed, “where were you finding these people?”
“Craigslist,” Yolanda said dryly.
“Well that explains it,” Trinity joked as Yolanda pulled her car into her building’s parking lot.
“After that, I lived in a tiny ass studio until I saved up enough to move to this current apartment,” Yolanda said as they left the car and Trinity followed her inside. “It’s still on the small side, but it’s at least cozy instead of decrepit.”
“This is cozy,” Trinity said when they walked into the apartment, glancing around as Yolanda locked the door. They took a moment to hang up their coats and bags and toe their shoes off.
Yolanda turned around, about to ask Trinity if she wanted anything to eat or drink, but before she could say anything she was being pressed against her own front door. For a moment Trinity paused, looking up at Yolanda, waiting for permission.
Tracing her fingertips along Trinity’s jaw, Yolanda tilted her chin up to capture her lips in a heated kiss.
Trinity matched her energy, diving into the kiss with the same sense of confidence that had intrigued Yolanda from the moment they’d met. She nipped at Yolanda’s lower lip, pressing closer until their chests were touching, and her thigh slid in between Yolanda’s putting pressure directly against her cunt. Trinity’s hands slid under her shirt, skimming the line where her sports bra sat over her ribs.
Pulling back just enough to speak, Yolanda said, “I’m pretty sure I was the one who propositioned you .”
“I’m trying to be a good guest here,” Trinity replied, trailing kisses down Yolanda’s neck.
“Fine,” Yolanda breathed, “but I have a perfectly good bed.”
“Lead the way,” Trinity said, taking a step back, hand wrapped around Yolanda’s.
The hall leading to Yolanda’s bedroom was short, it was maybe ten seconds before Trinity’s mouth returned to hers but those seconds felt too long.
This time when Trinity’s hands found their way under her shirt, Yolanda didn’t stop her. Instead, she helped Trinity pull the scrub top over her head, dropping it on the floor. Her sports bra quickly followed and Trinity was staring at her with an expression akin to awe.
“You can touch me,” Yolanda said and Trinity blinked at her like she was snapping out of a trance. She stepped closer to Yolanda, kissing her again, her hands traced up Yolanda’s sides until they were cupping her breasts. Yolanda felt a jolt of arousal as Trinity pinched at her nipples and her own hands grabbed Trinity’s hips, pulling her even closer.
Yolanda stepped backwards, pulling Trinity along with her, until the backs of her knees hit the edge of her bed. She sat down, trying to pull Trinity into her lap but Trinity stopped her.
“Can I eat you out?” Trinity’s voice was thick with want.
“Fuck yes,” Yolanda replied and Trinity grinned at her before dropping to her knees.
Trinity fumbled for a moment with the tie on Yolanda’s scrub pants.
“Hey,” Yolanda said, covering Trinity’s hands with one of her own, “there’s no rush.”
Looking up at her, Trinity bit her lip and nodded. Her hands were steadier the next time she pulled at the knot, undoing it easily, and Yolanda lifted her hips so that Trinity could slide off both her pants and her underwear along with her socks.
Yolanda propped herself up on one arm so that she could watch as Trinity settled between her legs, hands gripping her thighs.
Making eye contact, Trinity leaned forward and began placing kisses along Yolanda’s thigh. One of her hands moved so that she could run a finger along Yolanda’s cunt and Yolanda gasped with how good it felt to finally have Trinity’s touch where she wanted it.
Trinity’s tongue followed the path of her finger, making Yolanda shudder. Her hair was falling across her face when the looked up at Yolanda. With the hand she wasn’t leaning against, Yolanda pushed Trinity’s hair back from her face, tangling her fingers through it.
She gasped when Trinity’s tongue circled her clit, “Fuck, that’s so good.” Her fingers tightened their hold in Trinity’s hair almost unconsciously and Trinity moaned against her cunt, the vibration or it taking Yolanda even higher.
That reaction from Trinity pinged something in Yolanda’s brain and she immediately had to test the theory. “You're doing so good,” she said and Trinity’s breath hitched and she shifted her weight. Yolanda loved being right.
It was easy to keep up a steady stream of praise, to continue riling Trinity up as Trinity’s tongue continued to stroke her. When Trinity’s lips wrapped around her clit, sucking gently, Yolanda came against her mouth, shaking and swearing.
“Come here,” Yolanda said, sitting up to encourage Trinity to get back on her feet. Trinity obliged, swaying slightly, propping her arms against Yolanda’s shoulders as Yolanda’s hands wrapped around her waist to keep her steady. “So you have a praise kink?” Yolanda said as she began to slide her hands under Trinity’s shirt. She couldn’t believe the other woman was still fully dressed.
“What?” Trinity’s voice was distant, she blinked down at Yolanda and her eyes were dark with arousal.
“You get off on being praised,” Yolanda said, thumbs tracing circles against Trinity’s hipbones. She leaned forward to place a kiss to the slope of Trinity’s neck.
Trinity’s voice still had a heady, dreamy quality when she said, “Doesn’t everyone like that?”
Unable to stop the smirk that spread across her lips, Yolanda said, “No, they don’t. At least not this much.” She punctuated the point by sliding her hand down the front of Trinity’s pants, finding her dripping wet, just as she’d expected.
“Shit,” Trinity gasped, her hips bucking into Yolanda’s hand.
“Let’s get you undressed,” Yolanda said, reaching for the tie of Trinity’s pants.
It was quick, fumbling Trinity’s clothes off, laughing when she got tangled in her sports bra and Yolanda had to help her out of it.
They were both still smiling when Yolanda pushed her back onto the bed and leaned down to kiss her. She loved tasting herself on Trinity’s lips, feeling the way Trinity’s breath hitched when Yolanda’s hand found its way back between her legs.
Trinity was so wet that it was easy to slide two fingers inside of her, to fuck her with even, steady thrusts as she writhed beneath Yolanda.
She looked beautiful, spread out on Yolanda’s bed, that pink flush running all the way from her cheeks to the top of her breasts. Yolanda broke their kiss to suck one of Trinity’s nipples into her mouth, making Trinity whine. Trailing kisses across Trinity’s chest, Yolanda moved her attention to Trinity’s other breast before returning to her mouth.
Yolanda kissed her deeply, biting lightly at her top lip, increasing the pressure when it made Trinity’s cunt clench around her fingers.
As Yolanda continued fucking her, Trinity’s mouth dropped away from hers, pressing against her collarbone as she came with a a noise that was close to a sob.
Yolanda held her through the aftershocks, laying down next to her to keep Trinity’s head against her shoulder.
“Fuck,” Trinity breathed with a small laugh, “that was—”
“Yeah,” Yolanda said, stroking her fingers along Trinity’s spine. She was more than ready to fall asleep there with Trinity pressed against her, but Trinity seemed to have other plans and she pulled herself out of Yolanda’s arms and climbed out of bed.
“Leaving so soon?” Yolanda tried not to sound disappointed as she watched Trinity hunt around the floor for her clothes.
“Yeah, gotta be up bright and early. As you know,” Trinity said as she pulled her pants back on.
“Can I at least drive you home?” Yolanda asked as she watched Trinity’s hands shake slightly as she tied the drawstring on her pants.
“Nah, my place is barely a ten minute walk from here,” Trinity said with a shrug, “I’ll be fine.”
“Could I at least give you my number and ask you to text once you’re home safe?” Yolanda tried not to sound too desperate as Trinity finished getting dressed.
“Alright,” Trinity’s hand dug into her pants pocket and she held her phone out to Yolanda who entered her number.
“You’re sure you’re good?” Yolanda asked as she handed Trinity’s phone back.
“I’m great,” Trinity ducked forward to press a quick kiss against her lips and Yolanda had to stop herself from reaching out to try to keep her there. “This was fun. We should do it again sometime.”
Yolanda would take that for now, “We should.” Trinity grinned at her as she headed for the door. “Don’t forget to text,” Yolanda called after her and Trinity just threw her a lazy salute as she left.
Clearly Trinity trusting her sexually didn’t yet translate to emotional trust, and that was something Yolanda could understand. Yolanda had rarely had trouble compartmentalizing sex and feelings to separate spheres of her brain. She was more than willing to give it time, whatever pull she felt towards Trinity was worth exploring, there was no need to rush the other woman into anything she wasn’t ready for.
She knew that she’d fucked up on that first day. Trinity had seen her as someone trustworthy and all Yolanda had done was shut her down. Harshly. It made sense that it might take time for Trinity to let her guard down again. What she needed was to continue being consistent.
If she kept showing up for Trinity, taking care of her, just being there, hopefully she could prove that she was trustworthy. That what happened the first day was well and truly behind them. Yolanda was perfectly capable of being patient when she had a goal in sight.
As much as she’d like to stay in bed and go straight to sleep, Yolanda knew that was a bad idea. She was hungry and really needed to shower and change her sheets.
Begrudgingly, she dragged herself out of bed and stripped the sheets before making a quick sandwich and putting something mindless on the tv while she waited for the confirmation text that Trinity had made it home safely.
Yolanda considered running a necessary evil. She’d never enjoyed the activity, probably never would, but surgeons needed to have good stamina and it was the one exercise that she could do anywhere, no matter the schedule she was working. In another life, she’d be a regular at a pilates studio downtown. Group fitness classes were much more her speed, and she tried to drop in on classes when she could. But all of the good studios in the city had waitlists and no-show fees and it was too hard to swing when she could never be sure when work would need her to come in early or stay late.
But mornings like this, when Emery was able to join her for a run through the park and the air was crisp, made running less painful.
“Looks like you had a fun night,” Emery said, with a significant look at Yolanda’s clavicle. That was enough to ruin Yolanda’s good mood.
“Shit,” she said, grabbing her phone to try to see for herself. And, sure enough, there was a hickey blooming just under her collarbone at the top of her left breast. At least it was low enough that it would be easily covered by her scrub top.
“You don’t usually go out on work nights,” Emery said, giving Yolanda a probing look. When Yolanda didn’t respond, she sighed. “The intern? Really?”
“Shut up,” Yolanda said with an eye roll. “Unless you want to talk about the real reason you’ve been picking up more mid-shifts?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Emery said stonily. “Now are we gonna run or did you come all the way out here just to stand around talking?”
Yolanda smirked as Emery turned and started down the path. It always felt like a feat when she managed to actually get under Emery’s skin.
They’d become friends back during Yolanda’s first year of residency when Emery was completing her final year as a senior resident. Emery’s snark and coldness had immediately endeared her to Yolanda, who had come out of medical school realizing how uncompromising women had to be to succeed in the surgical field. She’d followed Emery around like an annoying kid until Emery had cracked and taken her out for a drink to answer all of her questions about residency and they’d been close ever since.
Emery challenged her, pushed her, made her a better surgeon. But, for all of her posturing, she was also a caring friend.
The first time Yolanda had lost a patient, Emery refused to let her go home alone. She’d brought Yolanda back to her place and had set her up on the couch with thai takeout and wine and had insisted that Yolanda could wake her up if she needed to talk to someone.
Yolanda had always had a decent support system with her parents and her sister, friends from both undergrad and med school, but they were all scattered across the country. At that point she’d barely known anyone in Pittsburgh and it had meant more than she could say to have someone in the same city as her who actually cared enough to make sure she was okay.
But Emery was still far from an open book. During the rare occasions when she let something slip, like a passing comment about a certain third year emergency medicine resident, Yolanda couldn’t help continuing to pick at it. It helped even the scales a bit because Emery had so much dirt on Yolanda that it really wasn’t fair.
“Get your ass moving, Garcia,” Emery called out behind her. Working out with Emery was also like having her own personal drill sergeant.
Yolanda hated lingering by the ED lockers like some lovesick puppy, but, there was never a guarantee that Trinity would see a text with the way the ED was constantly busy. So here she was, eyes trained on her phone screen as she tried to look casual.
“Trinity’s still doing patient handoffs.” Yolanda looked up from her phone to see Whitaker pulling his bag out of his locker. “She got stuck with a few difficult cases at the last minute, but she shouldn’t be too much longer.”
“Thanks,” Yolanda said, realizing there was no point in trying to deny why she was hanging around the Pitt.
Whitaker gave her a tight smile and stood a few awkward feet away from her. Because they were waiting for the same person. Yolanda wanted to bang her head against the wall, but instead she said, “So the two of you are roommates?”
“Yeah,” Whitaker said, looking surprised she’d decided to speak to him. “I’m really grateful she let me move in with her.” His tone held a level of sincerity that made her pause.
Raising an eyebrow, she asked, “You need that much gratitude for a rented room?”
“Well, I’m not really renting the room. She’s letting me stay for free, so, yes,” Whitaker tilted his head. “Did she not mention that? She was just calling me a Dickensian urchin to Doctor Ellis the other day.”
“No… she never mentioned that,” Yolanda said. Every time she thought she had a grasp on the mystery that was the inner-workings of Trinity Santos, she was thrown another curveball.
Whitaker’s face held a considering expression that Yolanda thought must mirror her own, but before he could say anything else they were interrupted by the woman in question.
“Hey,” Trinity said and Yolanda was pretty sure she wasn’t imagining the way her grin widened and her eyes lit up when she noticed Yolanda waiting for her. “You looking for me?”
“Sure am,” Yolanda said, feeling a smile that was far too fond spread across her face.
Trinity just grinned back and opened her locker. She grabbed her bag and unclipped her car key from the carabiner she used as a key ring.
“Catch you later, huckleberry,” she handed the key off to Whitaker. “Don’t burn the apartment down while I’m gone.”
“I forgot to put water in my microwavable ramen one time ,” Whitaker said with a long-suffering sigh.
“And I had to use the fire extinguisher and buy a new microwave,” Trinity said, but she didn’t sound angry. It reminded Yolanda of how she and her sister used to tease each other. She turned to Yolanda before Whitaker could respond, “Let’s go.”
Yolanda was trying to not read into the way Trinity never stayed over.
They’d slept together a handful of times now and every time Trinity still left almost immediately after. She’d also still never been to Trinity’s apartment, but she supposed that made sense. Yolanda didn’t need to run into Whitaker when she was doing a walk of shame since sleepovers weren’t a thing with her and Trinity.
The last thing she wanted to do was to push too hard, to scare Trinity off when the other woman clearly had trouble being vulnerable outside of the actual act of having sex.
Maybe she could channel her stupid, sappy feelings elsewhere for now, she realized as she was standing in line at a café near the hospital, waiting to place her coffee order.
Before she could overthink it, she ordered a second coffee. Every time she and Trinity had eaten together they’d had very similar tastes and Yolanda was hoping that would extend to coffee as well.
Once she had the two paper cups in her hand, she carefully pulled the café-printed label off of one and used the sharpie she always carried in her bag to write SANTOS in careful block letters. Just her name, no embellishments.
She only faltered when she walked into the bustling chaos of the Pitt, suddenly realizing that the act of bringing Trinity a morning coffee would undoubtedly set off the gossip mill that the ED thrived on.
But by some stroke of luck, not a single person seemed to notice her as she approached the hub. Hardly anyone was there. Dana had her back turned, answering a question from someone in street clothes, either a patient or a family member. Princess was at a computer, gaze trained to the screen as she spoke to someone on the phone. And the only doctor around was Mohan, who was off to the side, staring at the patient board.
With all of the cowardice she suddenly felt, Yolanda dropped the coffee on the counter, right near the spot she knew Dana would return to, and she ran. Not literally, but she walked briskly, purposefully, toward the staircase so that no one could corner her while she waited for the elevator.
Yolanda wasn’t so lucky the next time she bought Trinity a coffee. Dana spotted her immediately, watching her with eagle eyes as she approached the hub. She glanced around the room, hoping to spot Trinity, to make less of a scene but she was nowhere to be found.
“What brings you down here bright and early, Doctor Garcia?” Dana gave Yolanda a knowing look.
“Is Doctor Santos around?” Yolanda kept her tone clipped, professionally detached.
“She’s triaging in chairs,” Dana looked at the two cups of coffee clutched in Yolanda’s hands and a smile spread across her face like the fucking cheshire cat. “But I can give that to her when she gets back.”
“Thanks,” Yolanda said, placing the cup meant for Trinity on the counter.
“No problem. You’ve actually helped solve a mystery for me. I’d been wondering who her coffee fairy was. Not many people manage to sneak around down here,” Dana winked at her and it took everything in Yolanda not to glare. If there wasn’t already some sort of betting pool going about her and Trinity after Yolanda’s heavy-handed flirting that first shift, there definitely would be now. And it was entirely her fault. “Have a good one, Doctor Garcia.”
“You too,” Yolanda gritted out before taking calm, measured steps toward the elevator. There was no way she was going to give the impression she was trying to escape. At least she’d dropped her own belongings upstairs first this time, it made her feel a little less conspicuous as she walked through the bustling halls.
In addition to the coffees, Yolanda also involved Trinity in ER surgical procedures whenever she could. More chest tubes, a crike, really anything that Trinity happened to be around for.
She tried not to be too obvious about it, tried not to be too blatant in her favoritism, but she wanted Trinity to know that Yolanda trusted her.
As the holidays loomed closer, Trinity seemed more and more exhausted. Yolanda had waited for her to mention anything about plans she may have and was surprised when Trinity dropped the fact that she was pulling two weeks of night shifts to cover the ED.
It took a lot for Yolanda to hold her tongue about that. Trinity was a grown woman, if she wanted to work a bunch of nights when she already seemed constantly tired that was her business. It wasn’t Yolanda’s place to lecture her. Maybe the holidays were a hard time for her, hopefully someday she might get to the point where she felt like she could confide in Yolanda again about that.
But for now, all Yolanda could do was kiss her goodbye and wish her good luck on the night shift, knowing that she likely wouldn’t see of hear from Trinity for the entire two weeks.
Yolanda had managed to get three days in a row off between Christmas and New Year’s and she used the time to take a quick trip to her parents’. It was a whirlwind trying to squeeze in time with everyone in her hometown and she arrived back in Pittsburgh even more exhausted than when she’d left, but she was still glad she’d gotten the chance to visit.
It said a lot about her family, though, that going back to the hospital actually felt like a break from the chaos.
Yolanda made sure to pick up an extra coffee on her way in the first morning that Trinity was back on day shifts. She knew how hellish it was trying to get back on a normal sleep schedule after working nights for any length of time.
“Well, well, well,” Dana said as Yolanda approached the hub, “the coffee fairy strikes again. Your girl got pulled into a STEMI in trauma one, but I’ll make sure she gets it.”
“Thanks, Dana,” Yolanda said, not taking the bait that was laid out by Dana referring to Trinity as her girl.
Another risk of dropping off a coffee in the Pitt, beyond Dana’s teasing, was that Yolanda could get pulled in for a consult before she’d even really started her day. But it was hard to say no when McKay had looked downright relieved to see her, to get her opinion on a young boy who’d been brought in after falling down the stairs while getting ready for school. It was a quick consult, the kid would ultimately be fine but he’d need ortho surgery for his wrist.
Yolanda headed out of the room, hoping to make it back upstairs without anyone else stopping her. But then she spotted Trinity holding her cup of coffee, staring up at the patient board, and she couldn’t stop herself from approaching.
“Doctor Santos,” she greeted and Trinity whipped around, looking startled. Yolanda couldn’t help the thread of fondness that slipped into her voice as she said, “Nice to have you back working days.” The dark circles that had taken up residence under Trinity’s eyes were still there, but otherwise she seemed no worse for wear after working nights. Something in Yolanda settled as she took her in.
“Yeah, it’s nice to, uh, be back,” Trinity’s cheeks flushed slightly as she tripped over her words.
Yolanda couldn’t fight a smile or the way her gaze swept over Trinity's body, thinking about just how far down her pink blush could go. “See you later,” she said, letting her voice drop low, just to make Trinity blush a little more before she walked away.
Throughout the shift, Yolanda saw Trinity a few more times in passing and each time she tried to prod at Trinity just a bit, get her riled up as subtly as she could. Standing ever so slightly too close, making sure to hold eye contact when she praised Trinity’s work, a single brush of fingertips across Trinity’s lower back as she walked away. It was a fun little game and she could tell by the petulant looks Trinity kept shooting her that it was working.
At the end of the shift, instead of waiting at the ED lockers she waited outside the back door, wanting to tease Trinity just that bit more.
She mildly regretted the decision as her fingertips started to go numb while scrolling on her phone, but luckily she wasn’t waiting too long before Trinity and Whitaker walked outside.
“Hey,” Yolanda called and Trinity turned.
“I thought you left,” Trinity said, eyes narrowed.
“I was just getting some air,” Yolanda said, smirking at her and understanding suddenly flooded Trinity’s face as she understood exactly what kind of game Yolanda was playing.
Trinity unclipped her car key and handed it to Whitaker, whose hand was already extended. He waved awkwardly at them and walked toward the parking lot.
“How was the night shift?” Yolanda asked as she and Trinity made their way to her car.
Trinity gave her a look, but answered, “It was pretty good. I really like all of the staff, but I don’t think I could handle the sleep schedule long term.”
Yolanda hummed in agreement, “It’s tough.”
“Did you, uh, do anything for the holidays?” Trinity asked, a hesitant quality to her voice.
“I spent a couple days at my parents’,” Yolanda said. “It’s always chaotic, but it was nice to see everyone. Other than that, I was just working.”
“Nice,” Trinity said before lapsing into silence. Yolanda didn’t say anything else, noticing the way Trinity was twisting her hands together out of the corner of her eye.
She wasn’t sure exactly what the vibe was between them. Trinity seemed a little on edge, almost nervous, and Yolanda worried that she may have pushed too much with her teasing throughout the day.
But as soon as they were through the door to Yolanda’s apartment, Trinity was on top of her.
“Doctor Santos,” Yolanda feigned shock, feeling relieved that Trinity’s restless energy in the car apparently hadn’t been nerves after all. “Whatever has gotten into you?”
“You’ve been teasing me all fucking day,” Trinity said, pushing the collar of Yolanda’s scrubs aside to press a biting kiss just under her collarbone.
“Have I?” Yolanda kept her tone innocent.
“Shut up,” Trinity groaned, pressing her against the door, placing a biting kiss to Yolanda’s lips.
“What is it with you trying to fuck me against my door?” Yolanda asked when Trinity’s lips traveled from her mouth to her neck.
“Are you going to let me this time?” Trinity asked, sliding her hand down the front of Yolanda’s pants to cup her through her underwear. “You’re already wet enough.”
“Fine,” Yolanda said, it wasn’t like it was a hardship for her to give into Trinity. “Show me what you’ve got.”
Yolanda could feel Trinity’s grin against her neck as Trinity pushed her underwear aside before slipping two fingers straight into her cunt.
“Fuck, just like that,” Yolanda said, cupping a hand to Trinity’s jaw to pull her back into a kiss.
Trinity’s fingers were unrelenting as they fucked into her and Yolanda found herself close to the edge almost embarrassingly quickly. As soon as Trinity’s thumb pressed against Yolanda’s clit that was all it took for Yolanda to come around her fingers.
As Trinity pulled her fingers out of Yolanda’s pants, she gave Yolanda a look that was far too smug, taking those same fingers and sucking them into her mouth.
“Don’t be a brat,” Yolanda chided with an eye roll that just made Trinity laugh. “Or I won’t let you sit on my face,” she added and Trinity’s face went blank, fingers dropping out of her mouth as she looked at Yolanda.
“Seriously?” She asked, eyes wide.
Yolanda smiled, “If you want to.”
“If I want to?” Trinity echoed. “Of fucking course I want to. Holy fuck.”
“Let’s go, then,” Yolanda said, grabbing her hand to pull her back toward the bedroom.
“I’ve— I’ve never done this before,” Trinity said as they got undressed.
Yolanda turned to her, brushing the back of her hand against Trinity’s face, “We don’t have to if you’re having second thoughts.”
“I’m not,” Trinity said quickly. “I’m just a little nervous?”
“Nothing to be nervous about,” Yolanda assured her as she backed toward the bed, laying back on the pillows.
“What if you aren’t able to breathe?” Trinity asked, straddling Yolanda’s hips.
“I don’t think that will happen, but I’ll tap out if I need to,” Yolanda said, tapping her hand twice against Trinity’s thigh.
“Okay,” Trinity nodded, licking her lips thoughtfully as she continued to hesitate.
“Get up here,” Yolanda said, tugging at her hips.
Trinity shuffled up the bed, tentatively hovering over Yolanda’s face. That wouldn’t do, Yolanda grasped Trinity’s thighs and yanked her down.
“Fucking hell,” Trinity gasped as Yolanda’s tongue dragged along her cunt.
Yolanda felt a rush of satisfaction as Trinity settled against her, thighs bracketing her head. It was a full sensory experience being underneath her like this, surrounded by the warmth of her body, the scent and taste of her, the way she was dripping down Yolanda’s chin.
As Trinity’s hips started to grind against her tongue, Yolanda sat back and let it happen. She could feel Trinity’s thighs beginning to shake. Unable to say anything to encourage her to come, Yolanda just dug her fingers further into Trinity’s thighs, pulling her impossibly closer. The smooth rhythm of Trinity’s hips stuttered as she came.
“Oh my god,” Trinity panted as she collapsed on the bed next to Yolanda. “What the fuck?”
“That good?” Yolanda asked with a chuckle.
“My legs feel like jello,” Trinity answered, staring at the ceiling with a dazed look on her face.
Yolanda turned onto her side, brushing Trinity’s hair back from where it was stuck to her forehead.
“Thanks,” Trinity said, rolling to face Yolanda.
“My pleasure,” Yolanda said, “believe me.”
As Trinity looked at her, eyes roving across her face, Yolanda wondered if maybe this time she would stay.
But Trinity dragged herself out of bed seemingly as soon as she could manage standing again. And Yolanda tried to ignore how much it hurt.
Yolanda could tell something was off with Trinity as soon as she saw her approaching the lockers where Yolanda was waiting. They had barely run into each other all day, whatever cases they were each working on just didn’t seem to overlap and Yolanda hadn’t thought much of it. But now, seeing the slump of Trinity’s shoulders, the tired set of her face, Yolanda was concerned.
“Rain check?” Trinity said as soon as she was close enough to speak. “I just want to go straight home and sleep as long as possible.” Her eyes were trained on the floor and Yolanda’s stomach twisted.
Yolanda didn’t point out the fact that she had a perfectly good bed that Trinity could sleep in, because that was a boundary that Trinity had clearly set and she understood needing space. She practically itched with the desire to take Trinity home and get her settled on the couch with takeout and bad tv and a comforting arm around her shoulders.
But she pushed it down. Trinity wasn’t asking for comfort, she was asking to be left alone.
“Of course,” was all Yolanda said. She gave into her urge for contact with a quick squeeze of Trinity’s hand.
“See you tomorrow,” Trinity still wasn’t looking at her, dropped her hand almost immediately, and Yolanda tried not to let that sting.
“Get some sleep,” she replied, turning to leave before she could do or say anything she might regret.
The next day, Yolanda was getting ready to step into the OR alongside Emery to work on a trauma patient that had just come upstairs when Emery stopped her.
“I have to tell you something and I need you to not immediately freak out,” Emery said. That didn’t bode well, but Yolanda just nodded and Emery continued, “While I was down grabbing this patient from the ED I overheard that a patient assaulted Doctor Santos.”
Yolanda’s heart dropped, “What?”
“Sounds like she was alright, but I thought you’d want to know,” Emery said, closely studying Yolanda’s reaction. “You’re freaking out aren’t you?”
“Of course I am,” Yolanda hissed. “What do you mean ‘it sounds like she’s alright’? What the fuck?”
“Go,” Emery said, expression still impassive as she nodded toward the door. “You have barely half an hour left of this shift and I could do this procedure in my sleep. I don’t need a distracted resident weighing me down.”
“I can’t—” Yolanda had never left a shift early. Ever. She didn’t get to this level of her career by being anything less than a hundred percent reliable.
“I’m speaking as both your attending and your friend. I’ve got this. Go get your girl, take her home for the weekend, and come back here on Monday with your head in the game.” Emery reached out to squeeze her shoulder, which was practically a hug coming from her.
“Okay,” Yolanda agreed, already turning to the door.
There was no way she was waiting for the slow as hell elevator, instead she made a beeline for the stairwell and made it to the ground floor in record time.
She almost ran headfirst into Perlah, who stopped her with a raised hand.
“She’s in north five,” Perlah said with a small knowing smile. “Small head lac, no concussion.”
“Thanks,” Yolanda said and Perlah just nodded at her as she rushed toward the room Trinity was in.
Seeing patients in hospital beds every day could never desensitize her to seeing someone she actually cared about laying in a bed in a sterile room.
“I heard what happened, are you okay?” Yolanda rushed across the room to get a closer look.
Exasperation bled into Trinity’s voice as she said, “Yeah, I’m fine. No concussion, just a small head lac that McKay patched up already. What are you doing down here?”
“Checking up on you,” Yolanda said, unsure why Trinity seemed so confused. She reached out to ease Trinity’s hand away from her forehead where she was holding an ice pack. “Who did this?”
The wound was small and the line of dermabond was neat, Yolanda couldn’t fault the technique there. Relief flooded through her as she realized that Trinity really was alright.
“It was a patient who was fully out of it. He woke up scared, disoriented, not his fault.” Yolanda took a seat next to the bed as Trinity returned the ice pack to her face. “You really didn’t need to come rushing to my bedside,” Trinity said and there was something strained in her tone. Yolanda reached for her free hand, ready to assure her that of course she’d come rushing to her bedside. That she cared about Trinity and her safety and well-being and she would always show up if Trinity needed her.
But before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door and Dana poked her head in.
Dana immediately clocked the way Yolanda was cradling Trinity’s hand. Yolanda saw the way her eyes darted over the scene in front of her before she began smiling like a cat who’d eaten a canary. This fucking department. Everyone always had to be involved in everything. Up in surgery everybody just minded their own business, with the exception of herself and Emery of course. Not that Yolanda had been doing a great job of keeping her business discreet, but still.
“Hey. I was just coming to check in on our girl, but I can see she’s in good hands,” Dana said. And she fucking winked at them before she left.
Yolanda turned back to Trinity, “Let me take you home.” It was much a plea for Trinity to allow Yolanda to take care of her as much as it was to just get the fuck away from this hospital.
“Your shift isn’t over. I’m good, really,” Trinity just had to be as stubborn as she always was. Yolanda bit back a sigh.
“Doctor Walsh came in early today, they don’t need me upstairs. Please don’t argue with me,” Yolanda couldn’t help but feel a thread of desperation winding through her. All she wanted was to be sure that Trinity was okay, to have her safe and sound at home.
“Okay,” Trinity sighed, “let’s go.”
Yolanda stood up and reached out to help Trinity ease herself off of the bed, making sure she seemed steady on her feet before letting go. She followed close behind Trinity as they made their way back out to the floor of the Pitt.
It would have been asking for too much to make it all the way out to the parking lot without anyone stopping them, because again, everyone in the ED was in everyone’s goddamn business.
Though, it warmed something in Yolanda to see other people fussing over Trinity, to know that her colleagues down here were looking out for her.
Trinity was quiet on the way back to Yolanda’s.
When they got inside, Yolanda was finally able to enact her stupidly domestic fantasy of tucking Trinity onto her couch. She ordered some thai takeout for them and let Trinity put on some sitcom that Yolanda hadn’t seen before and wasn’t following.
She stayed close as they sat on the couch, not wanting to be too far from Trinity as she remembered the sense of panic she’d felt when she’d heard about her being hurt.
The longer they sat there, the antsier Trinity seemed to get. She kept shifting in her seat. Right as Yolanda was about to ask if something was wrong, Trinity turned to her and pulled her into a kiss.
“We don’t have to do this tonight,” Yolanda said softly, cupping a hand against Trinity’s face. She didn’t want Trinity to think that Yolanda inviting her over meant they had to have sex, even though that was usually how things went.
Trinity nudged her face against Yolanda’s hand, leaning into the touch, “I know. But I want to. I just want to get my mind off of this entire terrible day.”
She looked at Yolanda with an expression that was almost pleading and Yolanda found it impossible to deny her anything.
“Let’s take it to the bedroom,” she said. After the day Trinity had had, she deserved more than a quick fuck on the couch.
“Get undressed for me,” Yolanda said once they were in her bedroom. If Trinity wanted to take her mind off of the day, Yolanda wasn’t going to make her have to think about anything.
Trinity immediately began to strip, desperation clear in how quickly she moved.
“Now get on the bed,” Yolanda said and Trinity did. She was so beautifully compliant and Yolanda needed to reward her for that. Yolanda pulled her own clothes off before settling on the bed to lean over Trinity.
“I know you’ve had a rough day. Hell, a rough week,” Yolanda couldn’t keep the tenderness out of her voice as she stroked Trinity’s cheek. “I want to take care of you tonight.”
“Okay,” Trinity’s breath shook slightly, but there was nothing but desire on her face as she stared up at Yolanda.
“Good,” Yolanda said, leaning down to kiss her.
Yolanda let Trinity draw it out for a moment, let Trinity’s hands wrap through her hair, keeping her close.
But she had a plan. Before they could get too carried away, Yolanda broke the kiss in favor of trailing her lips down Trinity’s neck to her breasts. She took her time, sucking one of Trinity’s nipples into her mouth while her hand rolled Trinity’s other nipple in her fingers.
Trinity squirmed beneath her, making gorgeous little noises as Yolanda brought her mouth to Trinity’s other nipple. She could tell just how worked up Trinity was getting from the way her hips shifted against the bed, and she finally kissed her way down Trinity’s stomach.
Licking Trinity’s cunt open, she savored the sharp, heady taste of her against her tongue. She pulled out all of the moves she knew Trinity liked best. Tonight wasn’t about teasing, she just wanted to give Trinity the pleasure that she deserved.
Eating Trinity out was always a turn on, Yolanda couldn’t help moving one of her hands between her own legs, circling her clit as Trinity swore beneath her.
She moaned against Trinity’s cunt and Trinity came with a sharp gasp. Instead of pulling away, Yolanda continued. One orgasm wasn’t enough, she needed Trinity to be satiated .
As Yolanda continued working her own clit, it didn’t take her long to come. She only paused for a second to catch her breath before continuing to suck at Trinity’s clit.
Trinity began trembling and Yolanda knew she was close. She sucked a little harder and that was all it took for Trinity to come again.
Once Yolanda pulled herself up the bed to lay next to Trinity, she pulled the other woman into her arms. They laid there for a few moments, Yolanda’s hand stroking up and down Trinity’s spine, when suddenly she felt Trinity’s breath hitch.
Trinity brought her arm up to cover her face and Yolanda felt a surge of panic.
“Hey,” she said gently, reaching out run her hand through Trinity’s hair. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I’m just tired.” Trinity said, but Yolanda could hear the way her voice shook.
“Trinity, please talk to me,” Yolanda sat back slightly, trying to get Trinity to look at her. When she finally did, her eyes were red-rimmed and watery and Yolanda’s stomach sank.
Trinity sounded miserable when she said, “I want to stay here.”
“Of course you can stay tonight,” Yolanda was scrambling to keep up with whatever was going though Trinity’s head. She’d thought it was clear that she’d brought Trinity home with the intent that she’d be staying.
“Not just tonight,” Trinity wiped at her cheek and Yolanda felt so, so lost. “I don’t want this to just be a hook-up anymore.
Yolanda felt mildly nauseated, “That’s what you think we’ve been doing?” How the fuck had she given Trinity the wrong idea this badly?
“I figured that even though I was trouble, I was at least good enough in the bedroom for you to keep me around.” That was… so much worse than Yolanda had expected.
“Shit,” Yolanda reached out for Trinity’s hand, holding it firmly. “That’s not— the only reason I never asked you to stay was because I never wanted to be pushy. I know how I can come across sometimes. I thought we were taking things at your pace.” She glanced at Trinity, feeling strangely nervous.
Trinity just stared at her, “You— what?”
“I’ve been trying to show you I was serious about you for a while. Who do you think has been leaving you coffee every morning that I start later than you? Have I really been suffering though Dana calling me ‘the coffee fairy’ for nothing?” Yolanda gave her a small smile.
“She kept saying that to me too, but she never mentioned you were behind it. It was really you the whole time?” Trinity looked like she was mentally putting the puzzle pieces together.
Yolanda laughed at the ridiculousness of it all, “Yes, apparently I should’ve been even more obvious.”
“Maybe I was being a little oblivious. I’m not— well, I guess I’m not used to having someone care about me.” Trinity looked at her with a sheepish expression.
“I’m starting to get that,” Yolanda said, feeling stupidly fond as she brought Trinity’s hand to her mouth to place a kiss against it. “But you want to try?”
Trinity nodded immediately, leaning in for a kiss. When she said, “Yeah. I really do,” her eyes were shining in a way that made Yolanda pull her back in immediately.
The buzz of Yolanda’s phone woke her up the next morning.
“Oh shit,” Yolanda said as she rolled over and looked at the screen. “I was supposed to meet Emery for a run this morning.”
She picked up the phone, “Hey, I’m sorry—”
But Emery interrupted her with a laugh, “I had a feeling you’d be a no show today. Don’t worry, I haven’t even left the house. I’m just calling to confirm you’re not answering my texts because you’re a little preoccupied and not because you’d dropped dead.”
“I’m definitely not dead,” Yolanda said.
“Glad to hear it,” Emery said. “Have fun and stay hydrated,” she added and Yolanda could hear the shit-eating grin in her voice.
“Fuck off,” Yolanda scoffed. “See you on Monday.”
Trinity was laughing when Yolanda put the phone back on the nightstand. “I didn’t realize you guys were that close.”
Yolanda turned back toward her, “We’ve been friends since I was an intern.”
“And you’re running buddies?”
“We are,” Yolanda said with a smile. “And don’t ever tell her I said this, but she kicks my ass.”
Trinity laughed again and Yolanda couldn’t resist pulling her in for a kiss.
“You know,” Trinity said, pulling back with a wicked glint in her eye, “since you’re missing your run, I can think of some other ways to get in some cardio.”
“Oh yeah,” Yolanda said, a grin spreading across her face. “What did you have in mind?”
They didn’t leave the bed until it was almost noon.
The Trinity who met her after work that Monday seemed almost like a new woman. Her entire being seemed lighter and she grinned easily as she bumped her shoulder against Yolanda’s.
“Hey,” she said, still smiling and Yolanda couldn’t help but smile back. “I’ve had such a weirdly good day.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, I’ll tell you about it. But first, I was wondering if maybe you want to come to mine tonight?” Trinity bit her lip, suddenly looking a little unsure. “I know we always go to your place, but there’s a new Real Housewives episode tonight and Dennis and I almost never get to actually watch live and I thought maybe you’d like to join?”
And that’s how she ended up on Trinity’s couch, eating pizza while Trinity and Dennis kept a snarky running commentary about the women on the tv. They kept grabbing the remote to pause the show and explain to Yolanda the backstories between all of the women, who they were rooting for, who they hated. The single episode was probably going to take them a couple of hours to get through, but Yolanda didn’t mind.
The two of them bickered like siblings over their pizza, Dennis stealing the crusts from Trinity’s plate when she didn’t eat them. Yolanda found them just as entertaining as she found the tv show. It surprised her how well Dennis kept up with Trinity in their ongoing verbal sparring match. He’d always come across as so meek when Yolanda had worked with him at the hospital.
It was surprisingly enjoyable, just hanging out watching tv with them. Trinity stayed nestled into her side, a soothing warmth against her, and Yolanda let herself relax into the touch.
Later, Yolanda found herself in Trinity’s bed for the first time, spooned up behind Trinity, just holding her. As much as she loved having sex with Trinity, this type of quiet, comfortable intimacy was just as nice.
Yolanda felt incredibly grateful that they’d finally managed to get here, to this moment of Trinity letting Yolanda into her space, into her life. She fell asleep easily with Trinity in her arms.