Chapter 1: Chapter 1 ~ The First Day
Chapter Text
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7:00 AM - PTMC
Dennis POV
Dennis couldn’t believe it was finally the day, the first day of his ED rotation at PTMC! He was in his fourth year of medical school, hoping to match with PTMC for residency. He always knew he wanted to work in an emergency department, and this was his chance to make a good first impression. If he could get some letters of rec from the staff there, it would increase his chances. He is determined not to let his circumstances interfere with his work or family. After all, if no one knows, no one can interfere. He quickly finds his locker and changes into scrubs. He can’t believe he’s finally here, PTMC learning from the best of the best in terms of Emergency Medicine. It also feels nice to have a secure place to leave his backpack, here at least he doesn’t have to worry about it being stolen. He puts his stethoscope around his neck and steels himself for the day ahead (and if he happens to snap a quick selfie to send to his moms and aunts, who’s gonna tell?).
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7:00 AM - PTMC
Robby POV
Robby was already exhausted, and his shift hadn’t even started yet. It was going to be a long day, the anniversary of Adamson’s death, new med students and interns, not to mention his current task of hunting down his wayward partner, who had a tough night in the ED. Dana immediately found Robby in the ED and let him know that Jack had had a rough night and was “getting some air” in their usual spot, a.k.a. the roof.
“Good morning, Jack,” Robby greets softly as he walks toward the edge of the roof.
“What are you doing here?” Jack asks with his back still to Robby.
“Working.”
“I thought we decided you were gonna take today off.”
“Can’t miss the new interns and med students,” Robby replies, eyes crinkling in a soft smile.
“Whatever, you’re just a stubborn son of bitch.”
“What happened, Jack? Dana mentioned it was a tough one last night.”
“Of course she did,” Jack sighs, running his hands down his face before taking a deep breath.
“I uh I had a 39-year-old vet, survived three tours, got hit by some drunk while crossing the street… I spent the last two hours coding him.”
“That’s always a tough way to end a shift,” Robby sympathises.
“It wasn’t just that…”
“What do you mean?”
“His mates were with him, an Alpha and an Omega. The Omega kept begging us to save him while the Alpha tried to keep him calm. The Omega was 7 months pregnant-” Jack takes a shaky breath before continuing, “A vet survives war, came home to settle down with his mates, start a family, and he dies before their kid is even born.”
“I’m sorry. I imagine that was a hard conversation to have.” Robby shoves his hands in his sweatshirt’s pockets, not sure what to do with them right now.
“What if that had been us? We haven’t even met our mate yet. What if we never do? What if they or we die before we can?” Jack is spiralling, and rightly so. Robby had thought the same thing before; it’s hard to be bonded Alphas waiting for their third. And with this job… there’s always the fear that when they do finally meet their third… it could be too late.
“I don’t know what to tell you, sweetheart. We’ve had this conversation before, and it always ends the same way. Us waiting for our third. We don’t have much choice other than to wait.”
“I know, I just, we’re almost 50, Michael. I’m 45, you're 47. Are we ever gonna have a family?”
“We’re gonna do everything we can to have a family. But I can’t make you that promise. Just like how you can’t make me that promise either. Neither of us knows how this will play out. We just-ugh-we just have to take it as it comes.” Robby reassures with a gentle hand rubbing Jack’s tense shoulder. “C’mon, we’ve got lives to save and med students to terrorise,” Robby jokes. Jack huffs in annoyed amusement before joining Robby on the other side of the bars. They walk down to the Pitt together with Jack, filling Robby in on what went down last night, who’s still waiting for what, etc.
“Oh, and the Kraken is still boarding with us.”
“Still?” Robby asks as they exit the elevator into the Pitt.
“Psych claims they don’t have the beds. He’s catching some Zyprexa Z’s at the moment, but God help you when he wakes up.” Jack says as the round the desk, getting ready to check out.
“Dr Robinavitch?” A shy voice asks from behind them. It’s a young omega with blond hair contained in a braid. She’s accompanied by a young beta female and a timid-looking omega male based on their scents.
“Yup, that’s me.”
“Hi, I’m Dr Melissa King, but everyone calls me Mel. I’m a second-year resident, I just finished a rotation at the VA hospital, and I’m so excited to be here.”
“Talk to me at the end of the day,” Jack grumbles from behind the desk. Robby gives him a look that says, ‘shut up and stop trying to scare away the new kids,’ but Jack’s not paying attention to him. Instead, Jack’s eyes have locked onto the small male omega standing slightly behind Mel.
“What’s your name, kid?” Jack asks softly.
“Oh me?! Hi, um, my name’s Dennis, Dennis Whitaker. I’m an MS 4.” Dennis greets shyly, avoiding eye contact.
“Dr Abbot, this ray of sunshine here is Dr Robby, but it sounds like you knew that already. I’m the night shift attending.” Jack greets him softly, reaching out a hand to shake. As soon as Dennis touches his hand, Jack knows. Hell, everyone probably knows from the way Jack’s posture shoots straight up, and his nostrils inhale the captivating scent of his and Robby’s Omega.
“Oh crap-” Whitaker says, eyes going wide before promptly swaying slightly and passing out. Luckily, the Beta girl standing next to him has quick instincts, so Dennis doesn’t hit his head.
“Jack, what the hell did you do to the kid?!” Robby exclaims, running over to examine Dennis. He checks his pulse, which has steadied. As soon as Robby touches Dennis, it feels like his body is full of static electricity, his Alpha demanding he protect the med student at all costs.
“I think it’s just the shock,” Mel offers timidly.
“Shock of what?!” Robby exclaims, checking Dennis’s pupils, equal and reactive.
“Umm,” Mel and the Beta girl look between Robby, Jack, and Dennis, unsure of what to say.
“He’s ours,” Jack states with a slight grumble from his chest.
“What do you-wait, seriously?! Of course he is,” Robby exclaims, slapping a hand to his forehead in disbelief. How had he not realized that? Robby takes a second to sniff their mate, and that’s when he catches that sweet scent of an Omega, but the scent is too powerful to be just any Omega. This was their Omega. They finally found him, and he’s one of their new med students, who also happened to pass out from the shock of being mated to them. At least he wasn’t brought in on a gurney, Robby thinks wryly.
“Ok, Robby, I’ll take over. You round up with the other newbies and residents, and I’ll get him settled on a bed while we wait for him to wake up. Don’t give me that look-I can handle this.” Jack says.
“Ok, but don’t leave until we’ve had a chance to talk, please. The three of us.” Robby clarifies, he waits for Jack to nod in agreement before leading the new resident and med student over to the main desk for the morning meeting. Jack scoops the kid into his arms - he’s really fucking light - oh well, Robby will have him gaining weight in no time with how he cooks. “Dana, what’s open?” Jack calls to the charge nurse.
“South 13.” She responds immediately.
“Thanks!” Jack walks over to the room, the kid still passed out in his arms. He looks even younger when he’s passed out. He’s so pale and skinny, Jack can’t help the ball of worry that forms in his chest.
“It’s okay, Omega, take your time. Just wake up for us, sweetheart.” Jack murmurs before pressing a soft kiss to the kid’s forehead.
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Dennis POV
When Dennis first wakes up, he has trouble remembering what happened. He knows he’s at the hospital, in the ED, but other than that, he can’t remember much until he looks to his left to see a grey, curly-haired man holding his hand and watching him carefully.
“Dennis, you okay, kid?” The man asks.
“What happened?” Dennis asks as the curtain opens up and another man enters. This man is much taller and broader in the shoulders than the other, but there is no mistaking the fact that they are both Alphas. And from their black scrubs and ages, he can only assume they are his new attendings. Great, he passes out on the first day of his ED rotation in front of two attendings. So much for that good first impression he’d been hoping to make.
“What do you remember?” The bigger man asks him softly.
“I started my ED rotation today, met Mel, Victoria, and Trinity in the locker room. Mel decided to introduce herself to the attending-oh, that’s you,” Dennis realises as he looks at the larger man. “You’re Dr Robinavitch!”
“Dr Robby or Michael, please.” Comes the automatic response.
“And you-you introduced yourself to me, you’re Jack Abbot. The ED attending. Oh god, I passed out in front of my attendings less than ten minutes into my shift!” Dennis exclaims, covering his face with his hands.
“Hey, hey kid, it’s ok. Remember what made you pass out yet?” Jack asks as he gently grabs one of Dennis’s wrists and carefully strokes Dennis’s hand in soothing motions.
“I just remember shaking your hand and then feeling a buzz, almost. Like a mild electrical zap and like I wanted to-,” Dennis cuts himself off, ears reddening at the tips.
“Like you wanted to?” Jack prompts with a smirk.
“Jack,” Robby warns, he wanted to tease the kid too, but now is not the best time. “Apparently, we aren’t just your attendings. We’re also your Alphas.” Robby says with a smile, causing his eyes to crinkle up in the way they only do when he’s genuinely happy.
“Huh?” Dennis looks up at them in confusion. They both give him a second to catch up. His eyes suddenly widen, and his cheeks flush slightly. “Oh, that makes sense. Wait, does that mean I can’t work in the ED?” Dennis panics; he’d been waiting for this for years, both working in the ED and meeting his mates. He just never thought it would happen on the same day.
“Well, he’s definitely ours,” Robby says with a chuckle, running a hand through his beard.
“We won’t be able to give you performance reviews or recommendations, but other than that, it should be fine. Trust me, it’s not the first time mates have worked togather and it won’t be the last. There’s a whole protocol to follow, but seeing as you two have to work today, I will bite the bullet and talk to Gloria before heading home. But more importantly, how do you feel?” Jack asks, eyes softening every time he looks at Dennis.
“Umm, I’m fine, really. This wasn’t necessary. I just-it was a lot, I didn’t expect, I didn’t expect to meet you guys today. I-Are you sure this won’t interfere with me working in the ED?”
“Don’t worry about that right now, sweetheart,” Robby reassures, running a hand through Dennis’s hair in an attempt to soothe him.
“Can I start work yet?” Dennis asks, focusing on something he feels comfortable dealing with right now. Two Alpha attendings mated with him? Too much to handle right now. God, what were his mom and aunts going to say? He’s fairly certain both of his mates are either the same age or older than his moms.
“No concussion, good vitals, I see no reason right now to not let you start, but if you feel lightheaded or dizzy, let someone know, preferably me, and take a break. Promise?” Robby gives Dennis a stern look, and Dennis nods enthusiastically, like an excited puppy getting to show off its tricks.
“Alright, looks like you guys have this under control. Dennis, when is your next day off?”
“Wednesday, two on two off.”
“Ok, Robby’s got Wednesday off too, I’m on the night shift that night, but we should be able to meet up during the day, if that works for you?”
“Meet up?” Dennis asks, confused.
“To talk about our… situation. Figured it’d be easier to talk about it on our day off rather than now or at work.” Jack clarifies.
“Oh yeah, of course, yeah, that makes sense. Umm, I don’t have any plans, so just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there.” Dennis agrees immediately.
“We’ll make more concrete plans tomorrow. Have a wonderful first day! I will see you two tonight at hand-off. Wish me luck with Gloria, I expect a great date as a reward for being the one to deal with HR.” Jack teases, ruffling Dennis’s hair before exiting the room. Robby follows but turns before he leaves.
“Stay put, just give it another 5 minutes. I don’t want you passing out on me again. I will be back to get you, and then we can get started. You missed rounds, but that’s ok, you’ll get plenty of practice later. I’m gonna walk Jack out. Stay put.” Robby gives him a stern look on that last part before exiting the room, leaving Dennis alone with his tornado of thoughts.
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Robby POV
“Keep an eye on him today, keep him close by you. I don’t want him getting hurt.” Jack says as soon as Robby approaches him outside the room.
“Already was planning on it, babe. I don’t want him getting hurt either.” Robby promises, giving Jack a quick peck on the lips.
“I wasn’t kidding about date night. If I’m the one dealing with Gloria, I expect some kind of reward.” Jack says as he steps into the elevator.
“Our Omega not enough of a reward?” Robby asks sarcastically, placing his hands on his hips.
“You know he is. But you still owe me,” Jack winks as the elevator doors close.
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Dennis POV
Five minutes. It’s just five minutes. He’s waited for things longer before. Food for one, especially in his first year or so of life. It wasn’t easy finding enough food in the middle of winter in the Canadian Wilderness for a dozen or so teenage girls, two teen boys, an adult man, and an infant. He waited years to attend college, then med school. Hell, it took him three months to hear back from med school. He can wait five minutes, right?
He actually found them; part of him is still in shock. He always kinda figured he would have more than one mate. It wasn’t necessarily uncommon, but it wasn’t the norm either. But given the amount of throuples in his extended “family,” Dennis figures it makes sense.
There were three secondary genders: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. All were respected and had protected rights nowadays, but a few hundred years ago, Omegas were still viewed as needing constant protection and being too “fragile” for certain careers or activities. Thankfully, that was no longer the case. Hadn’t been even in his mothers’ lifetimes. Omega males can get pregnant, similar to Beta and Omega females. Beta males can’t get pregnant, nor can Alpha males. Most Alpha females can’t get pregnant either, but they can impregnate their mates, occasionally you will hear of an Alpha female getting pregnant and carrying it to term, but it’s still rare. Most Alpha females don’t get pregnant, and if they do, most never carry to term successfully. Everyone has a mate, at least one. Mating is a deceptively simple practice; the bondmates will feel an instant pull towards each other, and the first time they touch is generally when people actually realize it. It’s said to feel like a static buzz radiating through your entire body, and as it fades, you’re left with an overwhelming feeling of rightness. Scents also can help identify bondmates; they usually share a similar scent and will find the scent of their mates intoxicating, especially when they first meet.
Historically, it was believed that only Alpha/Omega and Beta/Beta pairings were acceptable; there still were multiple partners, but unless it was an Alpha/Beta/Omega pairing, it was frowned upon. In the last couple of centuries, multiple partners with various secondary genders became more normal. That’s not to say that no one held those beliefs anymore, but it was never spoken about. It became a very alternative and frowned-upon view to have, even in Broken Bow, Nebraska.
He’d spent his first year in the Canadian Wilderness, the next 2 and a half years were spent in New Jersey while his moms and aunts attempted to reclaim their lives, before finally his mothers decided to move to the middle of nowhere (aka Broken Bow) to escape the tabloids and gossip that still surrounded the Yellowjackets. After it came out that the Yellowjackets had come back all mated, in various groupings, to each other, the tabloids and gossip columns couldn’t get enough of guessing who was with whom. Anytime his moms even stood near a teammate or teammates, there was a story about how their throuple/quads/etc. came to be, and speculation about who his “real” parents were. His moms had enough and got a restraining order against most of the tabloids and changed their last names before leaving New Jersey to ensure their new lives would not be disrupted.
Most people felt sorry for the Yellowjackets; it was a terrifying and tragic occurence and that happened to such young people. Young people who managed not only to come out the other side but come out the other side together, most having found their mates in each other, and even one couple who had a baby and survived. It gave most people hope, and they enjoyed seeing the Yellowjackets succeed. But success doesn’t sell magazines as well as juicy gossip and scandalous rumours.
Over the years, most of the other Yellowjackets had changed their names and moved to Nebraska as well. His aunts, Lottie, Nat, and Misty, were the first. After Aunt Lottie’s psychiatric files were released by the tabloids, Aunt Lottie, Aunt Nat, and Aunt Misty changed their names and moved to Broken Bow, too. Then Aunt Tai and Aunt Van, Aunt Mari and Uncle Travis, even Uncle Ben and his mate Paul, ended up moving to Broken Bow. He’d been raised in the country, next to all his cousins from his various aunts and uncles. His cousins were his siblings; his moms never had any more children. They always claimed that they already had the perfect child, so why mess with perfection? He’s pretty sure it was the trauma from his birth that kept them from having more children; whether it was psychological or physical, he didn’t know.
Multi-partner pairings were common in his family; it makes sense he ended up with two partners, but two Alphas who also happen to be his attendings? Two of the best attendings who work in his dream department at his dream hospital. How can this not affect his chances? Will he even be allowed to match here for residency? What happens if he matches out of state? Or even in Philly? He doesn’t want to leave PTMC, but what if his mating status affects his chances of staying at PTMC? What are his cousins going to say? What are his moms going to say?
“Hey, how are you doing in here?” A tender voice asks, shaking Dennis out of his thought spiral.
“Oh, I’m fine, really. I could have gone back to work as soon as I woke up. I’m ready to go,” Dennis insists, scrambling to his feet and off the bed as quickly as possible, stumbling slightly only to be caught by Dr Robina-Robby, Dr Robby.
“Take it easy, kid, are you trying pass out again?” Robby scolds softly. Robby puts his hands on Dennis’s shoulder and looks him directly in the eye, “Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m ok. Don’t worry. I’m ready to get started.” Robby gives him a careful visual exam before nodding reluctantly.
“You’re sticking close to me today-” Dennis begins to argue that it’s unnecessary, but gently places a hand over Dennis’s mouth, stifling his protests. Robby gives him a firm look, “That’s not negotiable. You stay near me. If anyone gives you a bad feeling or seems like they might be aggressive, please excuse yourself and find me immediately. If you think even for a second your safety is at risk, you get me. Keep me updated in between each case. Do you understand?” Dennis feels the Omega in him preening at the overprotective demands of their newly discovered Alpha; the rational side of him is irritated at being treated like a child.
“I understand. I can take care of myself, sir, trust me.” Dennis assures him, causing Robby to frown, before Dana calls for them to prep for an incoming cardiac arrest. Robby shakes it off and instead steers Dennis into the trauma bay by the back of his neck. Dennis can’t help but lean into the touch despite his irritation at Robby’s overprotectiveness.
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Robby POV
“Hey, Dana,” Robby greets as he approaches the main desk. She turns and meets his gaze.
“Hello to you. So you and Abbot finally found your third. And he’s a med student. How old is he?” Dana asks. She rests her elbow on the desk and leans towards him. Robby rolls his eyes at Dana.
“Does everyone know?” He chuckles.
“Everyone who works in this ED.” She responds truthfully, with a small shrug.
“Dennis is 29, according to his records. Yes, he is a med student. But Jack is going to let Gloria know and get the HR part over with, or at least start it.” Robby answers.
“Coward.”
“What do you mean?”
“You just sent Jack so Gloria wouldn’t yell at you. You owe that man.” She states as she jokingly waves a finger at him.
“So he’s told me. Oh, by the way, the other med student passed out. I told her to stay in the lounge while we filled out a work comp report. Could you eyeball her and make sure she’s ok?”
“Sure thing, but she’s gonna miss the arrival of the living dead.”
“How many?”
“Three but one died en route,” Dana replies, pointing towards the entrance doors where the paramedics are wheeling an old woman in with a LUCAS performing CPR.
“Whitaker!” Robby shouts, spotting Dennis walking towards the desk. Dennis startles a bit and looks up, relaxing as soon as his eyes land on Robby.
“Let’s go, you're on this with me,” Robby instructs, pulling on a pair of gloves.
“Yes, sir,” Dennis replies out of habit. Damn this kid. So fucking adorable. Jack was gonna love that. Robby asks the paramedics for the details as they wheel the woman toward the bay.
“What is that?” He hears Dennis whisper to Samira.
“LUCAS chest compression system,” she replies.
“Robotic CPR,” Langdon clarifies. Once they’re in position, they lift the woman onto the hospital gurney. Once the woman is settled, Samira glances over towards the paramedics.
“Was there an advanced directive?” She asks them.
“No, full code per the nursing home,” the female paramedic replies, shrugging her shoulders.
“Seriously?” Langdon asks in disbelief. Robby glares at him.
“Stop!” Dana calls, “Nursing home just faxed the DNR, you can stop.”
“LUCAS off,” Samira calls as she stops the machine.
“What a waste of time,” Langdon grumbles. “Who the hell works at that place?”
“A nurse. Taking care of 60 patients.” Robby corrects sharply. Robby loved Langdon, hell, the kid was practically a son to him and his favorite resident, but he was not going to allow his students to be disrespectful to other professionals. Professionals who like them were given an impossible workload and even worse pay.
“She called the ambulances so she could take care of her other patients,” Dana explains, a bit more gently than Robby but still reprimanding. Robby and Dana quickly chat about moving the patient to the viewing room for family, as they wrap up, Langdon tries to duck out of the room. Robby throws his arm over the doorway to block him. Frank pouts but turns back to face the room.
“Something we like to do around here, when able to, is to take a brief moment of silence when we lose a patient. To respect their humanity and to remember that this was someone to somebody. Child, parent, mate, friend.” Robby explains. Dennis nods along while Dana makes the sign of the cross.
This Is How We Do It starts blaring from Dennis’s pocket. The poor kid scrambles to extract his phone from his pocket and silence it. Langdon and Mohan look like they’re barely holding in their laughter, and even Dana has to hide a smirk.
“I am so sorry,” Dennis rushes, cheeks going pink. Poor kid looks like he’s about to combust from embarrassment.
“Maybe leave it on vibrate while you’re working,” Robby recommends softly, patting Dennis’s shoulder on his way out the door, a hint of a smile on his face. When Robby exits, he sees the med student waiting outside for him.
“Dr. Robby, I just wanted to apologise for any trouble I might have caused-”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. It happens. How about you go help Dr. McKay in triage?” Robby suggests, eyes scanning the board.
“I don’t need special treatment,” she assures him.
“Good, I don’t give it.” He replies before glancing over to see Dr. Shamsi in the hallway. “Wow, Abbot put in for a consult hours ago. You’re lucky they didn’t perf.”
“I’m here to see my daughter.” She replies.
“Is she a patient?” Robby asks, face twisting in confusion.
“You’re talking to her.”
“Oh, gotcha, cool,” Robby replies awkwardly, looking between mother and daughter. The girl does not look very thrilled to see her mom down here. Robby is suddenly very grateful that he’s never had to work at the same place as his parents.
“Let me know when you’re ready to present your next case.” He says as he leaves to go anywhere that isn’t next to the mother and daughter, he has a feeling it would get even more awkward.
---
7:30 AM
Jack’s POV
Deep breathe, Jack, you can handle this. It’s just Gloria; she doesn’t ride Jack nearly as hard as she rides Robby about Press Ganey scores and protocols. And besides, it isn’t as if this is the first time a supervisor has found themselves mated to a new employee. Soulmates tended to have similar professions; experts love to argue whether this is because soulmates share similar values or if it has something to do with proximity and getting soulmates together. There are tons of theories on it, but the fact is that it happens a lot. Hell, it happened last week with one of the new ICU nurses and the attending doctor. It was a pain in the ass, a ton of paperwork, but they still could work together. He and Robby just wouldn’t be able to give performance reviews or letters of rec, but Dennis can get those from Shen or Ellis. So why was Jack hesitating at Gloria’s door?
“Oh, Dr Abbot, can I help you?” Gloria asks as she opens her door, shaking Jack out of his own thoughts.
“Can we talk for a couple of minutes?”
“About what?” Gloria asks, narrowing her eyebrows; she’s always so suspicious, though in fairness, Jack’s about to dump a mountain of paperwork on her. Jack just motions towards her office, and with a sigh, she steps aside and gestures for him to enter.
“Have a seat. How much paperwork are we talking about? And was it you or Robinavitch? I know he sends you in first to smooth things over for him.” Gloria asks, taking her seat across from Jack, who follows her lead and sits in front of her desk hesitantly. God, it’s like being in the principal’s office, no wonder Robby hates it.
“It’s nothing bad, but there is a good chunk of paperwork involved. And it involves both of us…” Jack trails off, voice breaking off a bit at the end. Gloria raises her eyebrows and tilts her head, waiting for him to continue, “and one of the new med students on rotation in the Pitt.”
“Jesus Christ, Abbot, you and Robinavitch are killing me. What’s their name? How old are they? Please tell me it isn’t Dr Shamsi’s daughter?!” Gloria practically begs at that last part.
“Dr Shamsi’s daughter is a med student? When were you gonna share that with Robby and me?” Jack asks, confused and mildly amused, at least it’s Robby and not him having to work with Eileen Shamsi’s daughter on her first day. Eileen Shamsi was not someone to mess with, and he pitied the person or persons mated to her daughter; she had to be one of the scariest mothers-in-law ever.
“I told Dana-not the point, if it’s not her who is your and Robby’s third?” Gloria asks while she starts pulling up the necessary forms on her computer.
“Dennis Whitaker, MS 4. He’s an Omega. According to his medical records, he’s 29, didn’t give a birthdate though…” Jack was too busy worrying about his new mate; he hadn’t even asked Dennis why he didn’t have a birthdate listed on his medical records.
“Why were you looking at his medical records? Need I remind you that HIPAA still applies to mates until they have officially bonded-”
“He passed out. I was treating him as everyone else was busy, and my shift had basically ended. He just got overwhelmed at finding out his new attendings were also his mates. I was just checking his medical records to see if there was an underlying condition we were unaware of,” Jack explains quickly, cutting off Gloria’s lecture. She glares at him but shakes her head at him, not willing to expend the energy arguing with him.
“Is he interested in emergency medicine?” Gloria asks, glancing up from her computer.
“Definitely, it was all he would talk about when he woke up. He was terrified he wouldn’t be able to work in the ED because he was mated to us. Sounds like he’s been planning on emergency medicine for a long time.” Jack lets out a low growl at the last part, the Alpha in him not loving the idea of his mate being in danger, which was always a possibility in the ED. “We assured him it wouldn’t affect his education or ability to work at PTMC.”
“Of course not. But as I’m sure you know, you and Robby will not be allowed to supervise him; he should report to Shen or Ellis, who will conduct his performance reviews and write him letters of recommendation. PTMC and the medical schools prioritise placing mates at the same hospitals. I can guarantee Dennis will match here for residency, assuming he wants to.” Gloria replies robotically. She’s definitely had this conversation a time or twenty.
“We are aware. Are we allowed to work cases with him?” Jack asks, absentmindedly cracking his knuckles.
“It wouldn’t be fair to his education to prohibit him from working with the two best attendings in the emergency department. But if I hear anything about favouritism or you two monopolising all of his time, we will be having another conversation. He needs a well-rounded education and a variety of teachers. You two also need to keep your emotions in check. I won’t have unnecessary Alpha posturing. Understood?” She fixes him with a stern look over her glasses.
“Understood. What’s next?” Jack agrees, though the Alpha in him is ready to ignore Gloria the second he thinks Dennis might be in trouble.
“Well, I get the paperwork started today for HR, hopefully tomorrow or whenever you all work next, we can get the papers signed and wrap this up. Thank you for telling me right away, it makes the process go much smoother and quicker this way. Let me know if you have any questions; otherwise, I will track you three down when the paperwork is ready for you.” Gloria explains as she stands up to walk Jack out.
“Have a good rest of your day, Gloria,” Jack says, giving her a quick smile before heading out. Well, at least that part's over. Nothing else he can do now but go home and try to get some sleep before rushing back here early to try and squeeze in whatever extra time he can get with his mates before they clock out. Before he leaves the hospital, though, he shoots Robby a heads-up text about Dr Shamsi’s daughter.
Jack: FYI, the other med student is Shamsi’s daughter.
Robby: Figured that out when she checked in on her (and me)
Jack chuckles. Well, at least he tried. Dana purposefully kept it a secret.
---
8:00 AM
Dennis POV
Dennis couldn’t believe his phone had gone off during the moment of silence. God, how was he gonna live that down? Robby tried to be nice about it, but Dennis knew he let him down, not just as a med student and doctor, but as his mate. He’s shaken out of his shame spiral by a soft thump on his back. Turning around, he sees Santos, the Omega intern, who’s very much an act first, think later kind of girl, sort of like his Aunt Natalie.
“So what’s the deal with you and Dr Robby, Huckleberry?” Trinity questions, as they stand side by side, examining the board, looking for their next patient.
“What do you mean?” Dennis asks, voice wavering slightly.
“Umm, why is he directly supervising you? Why is he constantly manhandling you around here? Why is everyone gossiping about you, him, and Abbot? They personally examined you after you passed out. And stayed with you until you woke up, or at least Dr. Abbot did. Dr Robby technically did rounds with us, but his head was clearly elsewhere. He barely kept himself from running off to your room as soon as rounds were done. So spill, Huckleberry, what’s the deal?” Trinity asks with a smirk on her face.
“Why are you calling me Huckleberry?”
“Where did you grow up?”
“Broken Bow, Nebraska.”
“I rest my case. What do you even do there?”
“My moms run a sustainable farm along with my aunts. We even keep bees for honey; we also have goats, chickens, horses, dogs, and cats. We have a lot of animals. But it’s great, and my whole family lives right next to each other.”
“God, you’re a farm kid?”
“Sure, I guess,” Dennis shrugs, not exactly from a typical midwestern family.
“Jesus, you are such a Huckleberry. Now stop distracting me and spill, what’s the deal with the med student and the attendings?” She asks, arching her eyebrows dramatically and resting her chin on her hand.
“Not here,” Dennis mutters before dragging Trinity over to an empty room and closing both the door and the curtain. Trinity gave him shit, but they were forming a sort of camaraderie, and honestly, Dennis just needed someone to talk to. Dennis felt he could trust her to keep a secret. And she was an intern; she had been a med student only the year before, and she would probably understand the pressure he felt. It’s not like he could talk to his moms about this; they would just start plotting ways to hurt Robby and Jack if they ever did anything the Yellowjackets didn’t like. And besides, they grew up with their mates, and were stuck in the Wilderness with them for two years; it’s not the same as meeting your mates as an adult at work.
“Dr Robby and Dr Abbot are my mates,” Dennis hisses, wringing his hands in front of his chest.
“Shit. Way to make a first impression, Huckleberry. I guess that makes sense. You should’ve seen their faces when you went down. Dr Abbot literally swept you off your feet. It was like something out of a Disney movie. You were their damsel in distress,” Trinity teases, gently pushing his shoulder. She reminds him of his cousin Sabrina, Aunt Lottie, and Aunt Nat’s oldest daughter, who was a few years younger than him, but she was always the ringleader; she was an Alpha who loved to push her mothers’ buttons. Dennis just liked having a friend close to his age who lived less than a mile away and was with him almost every day of their childhood. He went along with whatever Sabrina wanted, which tended to get them into trouble.
“Shut up, Santos!” Dennis hisses.
“Oh, come on, at least you’ll get a chance to see some killer procedures. And honestly, they aren’t bad, looking for being forty-something - and men. Could be worse.” Trinity shrugs.
“I’m not embarrassed that they’re my mates. I’m just-I mean, c’mon me? They’re smoking hot and wickedly talented doctors. I’m awkward and clumsy when I’m nervous. How can I be their mate?” Dennis confesses, feeling a weight he didn’t know was there lift off his chest.
“Huckleberry, they’ve got a smoking hot Omega with his whole life ahead of them. They just won the jackpot. Don’t worry. Besides, I think you already have them wrapped around your little finger. I think you could ask them for anything and get it, no questions asked. They were so freaked out when you passed out. Dr Abbot actually made the shocked Pikachu face, I swear to God. And Dr Robby was practically vibrating during rounds, kept looking around and checking his phone, and he bolted the second he could.” She gives him a supportive pat on the shoulder.
“Really think so?” Dennis asks softly, causing her to chuckle.
“You three are hopeless. We should get back out there, wouldn’t want Dr Robby to panic and come looking for you, Huckleberry.” Dennis nods in agreement, and they quickly exit the room. No sooner had the door closed behind them than a hand was on Dennis’s shoulder; he knew immediately who the large, warm hand belonged to.
“There you are, c’mon, we got a cardiac arrest coming in,” Dr Robby says, steering him off towards Trauma One. “Santos, you too, let’s go!” Robby calls out over his shoulder at the smirking intern, who is flustered for a few seconds before snapping into action and chasing after them.
---
The cardiac arrest went well; they managed to stabilize the patient, and he was waiting for a bed upstairs. So he was available to help Dr. Collins when an unhoused man came in unresponsive. Dennis grew up on a farm, so he’d been pretty desensitized to smells and unpleasant sights. He mostly took care of the animals, so he got used to pungent smells quickly. He wasn’t even really bothered by the body odor of the man, but the liquor smell was crazy strong; Dennis felt like he was getting drunk just breathing in the smell.
“Man, this guy is wearing the spring, summer, and fall collection,” Donahue comments as he cuts the man’s clothes off. Dr. Collins is trying to get a response from the patient, checking his pupils, and Dennis is grabbing his notebook from his pocket to start jotting down notes about the case, until he’s startled away from his task by Donahue and Collins screaming.
“Oh woah, holy shit,” Donahue screams as he does a ridiculous little dance to try to avoid the rats. Honestly, if Whitaker wasn’t the new guy around here, he would have busted out laughing. Between Donahue’s dance and Collins wagging her finger at the whole situation, they were making it really difficult not to break out in hysterical laughter. But he doesn’t want to start that way with his coworkers; he wants to be friends, not a bully or the smart-ass med student.
“What the hell?!” Collins shouts as she backs away from the patient into the corner of the bay. Whitaker simply puts his hands up and backs away, not making a sound, so as not to scare the rats more. It’s not like they asked to be brought to the ED afterall.
“Whoa, what’s wrong over here? What’s going on?” Dr. Robby asks, practically sprinting over to the bay from the other side of the hall. As soon as he catches sight of Dennis standing over there, he’s on him. Gentle, strong, warm hands rest on his shoulders while Dr. Robby looks him up and down quickly before meeting his eyes again.
“Are you ok?” He asks seriously, hands tightening on Dennis’s shoulder ever so slightly, not painfully but definitely firm, keeping Dennis directly in front of him.
“I’m fine. The patient just tested positive for rats.” Dennis explains with a chuckle.
“No.” Is all Dr. Collins says before booking it out of the room. Dr. Robby just watches her go with a smirk.
“Is she ok?” Dennis asks cautiously. He wasn’t scared of rats, but he understood being afraid. If she actually has some kind of phobia, he’d feel bad about laughing at her, even if it was just in his head.
“Oh, she’ll be fine. Just has a little bit of musophobia. Dennis isn’t familiar with that one, Robby must guess as much from his expression, because he quickly explains. “Fear of rats and mice. She’ll be fine, just needs a minute. How about I take over as senior physician, and we work on this one together?” Robby offers.
“Really? I mean, yeah, that’d be great,” Dennis stumbles over his answer, which he hopes Robby finds cute rather than awkward. Robby grabs a pair of gloves and resumes the exam, asking Dennis to weigh in on what the vitals could mean and the potential diagnosis. Dennis feels a sense of rightness overtake his body. His Omega’s preening at getting one of their Alphas undivided attention and working alongside him. He wonders if it’s the same for Alphas and Betas, if they feel so comfortable with their mates so quickly; he knew what his family was like, but his family wasn’t really a great litmus test for what’s ‘normal’.
Dennis can’t help but feel… content and peaceful, even in the chaos of the ED, with one of his Alphas by his side. He hopes they feel the same, or at least something close to what he feels.
---
Dennis POV
After finishing up on the unhoused man with Robby, Dennis figures he should swing back around to check in on Mr. Milton, his gallstones patient. When Dennis walks up to the gurney, he sees Mr. Milton lying there with his eyes closed.
“Mr. Milton? Did you fall asleep?” Dennis asks, shaking him gently first. When he doesn’t get a response, he shakes a little harder and then does a sternum rub with no success. He feels for a pulse, and there’s nothing.
“Oh shit, shit, shit! I need some help here!” He calls before adjusting the gurney to flat, ready to start CPR. Donahue comes running around the corner almost instantly.
“When did you check on him last?” He asks, already grabbing all the supplies they’ll need to try to get Mr. Milton back.
“Like 30 minutes ago, I was waiting for his labs to come back,” Dennis explains as he hops on the gurney and starts CPR.
“What’s going on?!” Robby asks as he runs up the scene.
“It’s my gallstone guy, you saw his EKG,” Dennis tries to explain, panicking. Shit, shit, shit, I fucking killed a patient on my first day. Why did I think I’d be a good doctor?
“Unknown downtime, he was sleeping in the hall,” Donahue informs Robby.
“Crap, crash cart! Now! Let’s go!” Robby shouts as he, Donahue, and Jesse move the gurney into a bay. Mel runs in behind them and takes over bagging for Donahue.
“Hold compressions,” Donahue says as he lifts the paddles to check the heart rhythm. Dennis stops and backs up immediately. “Asystole.”
“Resume compression, push an amp of epi.” Robby orders, voice calm.
“Slower tempo,” Robby reminds Dennis when he starts going too fast.
“Pupils are dilated and fixed,” Jesse informs from the head of the gurney.
“He’s been down a long time,” Robby observes. It’s like a knife through Dennis’s heart when he hears that. Not only did I kill a patient, but now my Alphas are gonna be so disappointed in me. I let them and Mr. Milton down today. Not to mention Mr. Milton’s family.
---
9:00 AM
Robby POV
“Ok, Dennis, that’s enough,” Robby announces, voice hesitant. Poor kid lost his first patient. And he’d done everything right. Even gotten a EKG, and it was normal. Hell, when he was a med student, he wasn’t sure if he would have even ordered the EKG.
“No, please, another minute,” Dennis pleads, eyes desperate. Robby lets out a deep breath.
“Ok, sure. One more minute. Then we call it,” Robby acquiesces, watching Dennis carefully. His Alpha bristles at the look of desperation and fear covering Dennis’s face, but Robby pushes it down. He can’t be Dennis’s Alpha in this moment; that wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Dennis. He needs to be his teacher, helping him through the bad parts of the job instead of protecting him from it.
“Five minutes since last epi,” Donahue informs the room.
“Ok, that’s it. Hold compressions,” for a second, Robby thinks Dennis is going to ignore him and keep going, but then he stops and steps back. The monitor flatlines as soon as Dennis stops.
“Time of death 9:13 AM,” Robby announces as Donahue shuts off the monitor and moves the blanket to cover the patient.
“He took his mate out for dinner last night…” Dennis mutters. He’s sweating and shaking from the exertion of the CPR.
“Ok, everybody take five. Check on your other patients, get some coffee. Kiara will meet us over here in five to debrief.” Robby dismisses the staff. Dennis doesn’t move. Robby walks over and gently places a hand at the base of Dennis’s neck.
“Walk with me,” Robby asks in a hushed tone. Dennis just nods. Robby navigates them to the staff lounge, hand firm on Dennis. Once they reach the lounge, Robby checks that it’s empty and then shuts the door behind him.
“How are you doing with this?” He asks Dennis as he guides him towards the sofa. Dennis sits without argument.
“Not-not good. I killed my patient-”
“No. No, you didn’t.” Robby corrects firmly.
“Yes, I did, I should have checked on him sooner. I should’ve had him on a cardiac monitor. Then we would have caught it right away.” Dennis insists. Robby shakes his head.
“He had a normal EKG, normal labs. What indication was there for a cardiac monitor?”
“But-”
“Dennis, no doctor in the world could have caught this. You did everything right. And that can be the hardest part of the job, doing everything right and still losing your patient. Doctors are still human,” Robby says, taking Dennis’s hand in his and giving it a quick squeeze.
“How do you do it?”
“Time. And knowledge. 150,000 people die every day in this world, and you got one of them. You learn to live with it, you learn to accept it as much as your own mortality. And find balance if you can.”
“So you’ve found balance?” Dennis asks hopefully.
“Uh, no, not even close. But having partners and co-workers who understand is really helpful. Jack goes to therapy, not just for this, but for his PTSD too. He finds it helpful. Everyone has their own coping strategies. Just give yourself some time to figure them out.” Robby soothes; he removes his hand from Dennis’s before sliding his arm across Dennis’s shoulders. He pulls the younger man in tight to his side and gives him a soft forehead kiss.
“This helps,” Dennis murmurs, nuzzling his face into Robby’s neck for a moment and just inhaling his Alpha’s scent.
“I’m glad,” Robby says honestly. They relax for a couple more minutes like that before Robby shifts slightly.
“Ready to jump back in?” Robby asks.
“I don’t know,” Dennis whispers, shyly.
“It’s easier if you just grab the next patient and focus on them,” Robby advises, standing up and stretching before offering Dennis his hand to help him up. Dennis eyes the hand cautiously before grabbing it and following Robby back to the floor.
---
Dennis POV
They walk over to the board together. “Why don’t you take Central 14? Mr. Fulton just needs some Mylanta,” Robby suggests, voice soft.
“Yeah, sure.” Dennis agrees before walking over to Perlah.
“I need some Mylanta for a patient. Where can I find that?” He asks her. She glances up from her charting on the computer.
“Well, you can put in a pharmacy request, but that takes forever. Just check the medicine cabinet in the staff lounge if you want it done anytime soon,” she suggests with a smile before resuming her charting.
“Where is that again?” He asks, voice barely above a whisper.
“I can show you,” a cheery voice from behind him says. He grabs his chest in a brief moment of panic before he turns to see Dr Mohan standing behind him.
“Sorry, kid, didn’t mean to scare you, c’mon lets go,” she says. She waves for him to follow her before heading down a hallway.
“So, I heard you lost your first patient today,” she starts as they turn into the staff lounge.
“Yeah, it was awful. Especially since it was my fault,” he mutters, avoiding eye contact. He walks up to the medicine cabinet and grabs the bottle of Mylanta.
“That’s not what I heard. I heard you were extra thorough, in fact. But that sometimes makes it worse. We’ve all been there, hopefully the rest of your shift gets better. Make sure to shake the bottle before you give it to him,” Samira says, before remembering that no one ever puts the cap on all the way, “Oh, but make sure the-” she tries to warn him, but it’s too late. Dennis is covered in the milky white liquid.
“Crap,” Dennis grumbles under his breath. Time to hit up the scrub machine. This was really not his day.
---
Robby POV
“Hey Dana, can you do me a favor?” Robby asks as he walks up to the board.
“What’d you need?” She asks, glancing up over her glasses.
“Can you keep an eye out for Dennis? We talked, and I’m gonna be keeping a close eye on him, but if you notice anything, please let me know. He’s having a tough time with it, blaming himself.”
“Should he?”
“Should he what?”
“Should he be blaming himself?”
“No, he did everything right,” Robby states firmly. “He found the gallstone, ordered the right labs, and even got an EKG. Labs and EKG were normal. He was resting in the hallway for maybe 30 minutes. I wouldn’t have caught it.”
“Sounds like he’ll fit in perfectly with you and Abbot,” she teases with a smirk on her face.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know exactly what it means. Both of you love to blame yourselves for things that are completely out of your control.” She states like a fact.
“Just keep an eye on him, please,” Robby asks, rubbing his beard and letting out a sigh.
“Of course, you ok?” She asks, giving him the once-over.
“Nick Bradley’s results are in, and I have to go tell his parents that their 18-year-old son is brain-dead.
“Fuck,” she hisses under her breath. “Want some company? I could come with you.”
“Nah, I can handle it, just really hate having to give news like that.” He says before heading over to the Bradleys’ room and closing the door carefully behind him.
---
10:00 AM
Dennis POV
“Whitaker, get over here,” Dana calls from the nurse huddle. Dennis walks over quickly, excited to be of use, hoping to redeem himself after what happened with Mr. Milton.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Dennis asks.
“We need some help with Mr. Krakozhia in Behavioral Health,” Dana explains. “Perlah’s got the head, Kim’s got the right arm, Larry’s got the left leg, Donnie’s got the right leg, I call the left arm, and Whitaker, you’ll inject.” Everyone nods in agreement before walking over to the door, readying themselves to face the Kraken.
“IM injection mid-anterior left thigh, got it, kid?” Dana checks with Dennis, who nods in understanding. “Everybody ready?”
“As ready as we can be,” Donahue mutters, cracking his knuckles.
“Alright, let’s go,” Dana says before opening the door. This makes the Kraken scream even louder and start thrashing around more than he was before.
“We’re here to help you, Mr. Krakozhia.” Dana tries to soothe as she runs over to the left arm. Somehow, the guy manages to pull his dick out and starts pissing straight at Dennis.
“What the hell? What do I do?” Dennis yells, stunned, before snapping out of it and plunging the syringe into the guy’s thigh.
“Congrats, kid, you earned your yellow wings,” Perlah teases from the head of the bed, not only did she have on a face mask, but also a shield. Why hadn’t Dennis thought of that? He’s fairly certain some of the pee got in his mouth; he knew he should have kept it closed, but he was so shocked by the situation, he couldn’t help it if his jaw literally dropped. Dennis was soaked in urine; he needed to wash off and change scrubs…again.
“We need to monitor him for twenty minutes. After that, the Haldol will kick in,” Dana explains as she comes and plucks the syringe from Dennis’s fingers.
“Do I need to be here for twenty minutes?” Dennis asks.
“Why? Got a hot day with Robby?” Dana teases as she walks towards the door. Dennis’s face falls, and he’s about to beg for her to let him go when she holds up a hand, cutting him off before he even starts. “Kid, I’m messing with you. Go change your scrubs and wash up. You did a good job, thank you for helping. Robby was too much of a coward.”
“Thanks,” Dennis calls as he jogs out of the room and over towards the scrub dispenser. Twice in one day, seriously?
---
11:00 AM
Robby’s POV
Fuck, it was not a good day. He’d just had to tell the Bradleys their son was brain dead, and then he’d had to extubate Mr. Spencer in the same room he’d had to with Adamson. Then Princess came and told him it was time, that Mr Spencer was dying, and he needed to go in and pronounce him dead. He’s just finished checking on Langdon and Santos with the seizure patient when he was walking by an exam room where Dennis was, along with Samira. His eyes immediately zeroed in on the blood on the wall.
“What happened in here?” Robby asked as he opened the door and walked in, eyes immediately scanning Dennis. He’s covered in blood, which makes Robby’s heart beat faster until he realizes that it wasn’t Dennis’s blood.
“I am so sorry-” Dennis starts before Samira cuts him off.
“Whitaker here just made an excellent catch and may have saved Mr. Chazen’s life,” Samira states.
“Really?” Robby asks, a proud smile covering his face.
“Really?” Dennis questions, voice doubtful.
“Really, Mr. Chazen had a cut arteriole under a ballotable vesicle. Had Mr. Chazen gone home without debridement, it could have eroded, resulting in uncontrollable hemorrhage.” She explains succinctly.
“Excellent work, Whitaker. I’ll walk you to the scrub exchange,” Robby offers, selfishly wanting a little extra time with Dennis. And also wanting to check in on him and see how he’s handling things. Dennis nods and hands things off to Samira for discharge. Robby holds the door open for him, and as soon as they are out of the room, Robby’s hand is firmly on the back of Dennis’s neck.
“You don’t have to walk me to the scrub exchange, I’ve already had to change twice.”
“Seriously?” Robby asks with a chuckle. “How?” Dennis’s cheeks and ears get a little red.
“The first time I spilled Mylanta all over them, I didn’t check the cap before I shook it. The second time was actually your fault, I hear.” Dennis accuses.
“Oh, really? How so?” Robby asks with a smirk covering his face.
“Dana told me you were too chicken to help with the Kraken, and apparently, when he’s off his meds, he pees. I was covered in pee.” Dennis grumbles, a slight pout covering his face.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Robby apologizes. Part of him feels bad, but another part of him finds it kind of hilarious how Dennis went through scrubs. His Omega was having a rough day, too, it seems.
“It’s ok, I’m only teasing,” Dennis says, glancing around quickly to check that they are alone by the scrub machine. Once he confirms it’s just the two of them, he pops onto his tiptoes and presses a kiss to Robby’s cheek, making Robby smile.
“How’s it going with Dr Mohan?” Robby asks.
“She’s great, she’s been pushing me to get over my nerves with patients. Mr. Chazen wanted her to sew him up, but she backed me up and told me I could handle it. She’s a good teacher, ” Dennis says. He grabs a patient gown from a nearby rack and slips off his scrubs, covering himself with the gown before he walks over to exchange his scrubs.
“That’s good to hear. I’m hard on Samira, but she’s an amazing doctor. But I also know she can be better; she just needs to be pushed. Sounds like you did a pretty good job too,” Robby compliments.
“It was Mel and Dr Mohan, really,” Dennis insists, as he tugs the scrub pants up and slips off the gown to pull the scrub top over. It’s just him and Robby after all.
“Dr Mohan is a good teacher, she doesn’t lie, if she says you made a good catch, you made a good catch. Take the compliment, sweetheart. You’re too hard on yourself.” Robby encourages, cupping Dennis's cheek with a warm hand.
“Ok,” Dennis agrees. Robby gives him a smile before dropping his hand. “We need to get back to the board, see who needs our help next.” Dennis nods, and they both walk back to the board. Before they can reach it, though, some paramedics enter the main doors and call for an assist. Robby motions for Dennis to follow him, and they walk over together.
“What’ve we got?” Robby asks, pulling on a pair of gloves.
“17-year-old Travis Johnson had a tonsillectomy 10 days ago, and started spitting blood around an hour ago.” The female paramedic informs.
“Hi, Travis, my name’s Dr. Robby. How much blood have you spit up?” Robby greets as he approaches the gurney.
“A couple mouthfuls,” he replies.
“Can you open up for me?” Robby asks, Travis nods, and opens up. It’s still not clotting, at least not fast enough, kid needs TXA. “Whitaker, Jesse, we’ve got a post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage, let’s get him into the Trauma 2. Jesse, nebulize TXA quick as you can.” He instructs. Jesse and a couple of other nurses begin moving the gurney into the Trauma Room. Robby gently places his hands on Whitaker’s shoulders to hold him back.
“This can go south pretty fast. You think you can handle that?” Robby asks, looking Dennis directly in the eye.
“Oh well-” Dennis looks like he’s about to opt himself out, but Robby’s not going to let him. He knows Dennis can handle this. And he doesn’t really plan to stray too far from here anyway, so if Dennis needs help, Robby can get there quickly.
“I know you can,” Robby cuts him off. And guides him towards the trauma room.
They get Travis settled in Trauma 2 and start him on TXA. Thankfully, he starts to clot pretty quickly, so Robby leaves Dennis in there to watch him. Unfortunately, the respit doesn’t last long, and Robby hears a commotion from Trauma 2. He runs in and sees Langdon and Dennis trying to stop the bleeding. Dennis is panicking a bit and is covered in blood once again. Jack and Robby were going to have to invest in a few dozen scrubs for their Omega, it appears. Langdon, however, is calm; they’ve already ordered two units of blood, and he’s attempting to get an airway. But Langdon can’t see anything because of all the blood. Robby decides to try a retrograde intubation, and just as it seemed like it wasn’t going to work, Langdon finds the wire and uses it as his guide for inserting the tube. Robby was feeling very justified in giving Frank his recommendation for the ED Fellowship. He was pretty confident that Frank would get it.
“Excellent work Dr Langdon, just what they want to see in the next ED Fellow,” Robby says.
“Oh, there are probably a ton of candidates for the single spot.” Langdon brushes it off.
“Well, I know that they prefer to prompt from within and choose someone who keeps their composure during stressful situations. Someone like you, you did a great job in there just now, and you were teaching the whole time. Which is all part of why I recommended you for the ED fellowship,” Robby explains. Frank’s smile is blinding.
“Seriously?! Thank you, Robby!” Frank gives him a bear hug.
“You wanna thank me, get back to work,” Robby says with a chuckle and gives Frank a pat on the back.
“Yes, Captain,” Frank says with a mock salute as he exits the room.
“Dennis, you did great work in here, too. I know you were scared, but honestly, that just makes me prouder; it’s hard to face your fears. But you did it and came out the other side better for it.” Robby praises, Dennis blushes, and just nods. “Good work. Stay with the patient until the OR, keep applying pressure until you're up there, and they tell you. And grab some new scrubs on your way back,” Robby chuckles, causing Dennis to glare at him.
“Yes, sir,” Dennis said with a bit of a bite to his tone. Seems their Omega does have a little bit of an attitude… thank God. Robby just smiles at him and shakes his head before leaving the room.
---
12:00 PM
Dennis POV
Dennis was munching on a sandwich at Robby’s work station. He’d told him he could use it whenever he wanted, while he finished up some charting. Suddenly, a petite hand lands on his shoulder, making him look up, Santos. But she wasn’t her usual self; she seemed… nervous, and her eyes looked a little glassy.
“Huckleberry, do you have a sec?” She asks, looking around nervously.
“Sure,” he says. She shakes her head at him.
“Not here.” She grabs his arms and pulls him off into a newly vacated room.
“Don’t laugh. And you have to swear this stays between us. We are each other’s work confidantes. I don’t spill your secrets, you don’t spill mine. Deal?” She asks, her tone has an edge to it that he hasn’t seen in her before. She seems desperate and a little vulnerable.
“Deal. I won’t say anything to anyone,” Dennis promises. He’d already trusted her with some of his stuff; it’s only fair he do the same for her.
“I dropped a scalpel, and it landed in Garcia’s foot. And Dr Langdon, Dr Mohan, and Dr Robby were all there.” She blurts out, taking a deep breath once she finishes. “Oh, and I’m pretty sure Dr Langdon hates me.”
“Wow, that’s…rough,” Dennis agrees. “Why do you think Langdon hates you?”
“He’s riding my ass about every decision I make and everything I say. He got pissed because I did a trigger point injection without him, which went fine by the way, and then I put a patient with a small pneumo on BIPAP and made it massive. I get that I should have told him and that I made a massive mistake, but I was raised to shoot first and ask questions later. And now, no matter what I do, he’s going to hate me.” Trinity explains, voice cracking a bit at the end.
“It’s just day one. It’ll be ok, do you wanna hang with Dr. Mohan more? We can like switch or something,” Dennis suggests, unsure what else to do or say.
“No, I can handle it. I just needed to get it out,” Trinity says with a head shake. “Now I can shove it in a box and move on. Suppress it.”
“I’m not sure that’s the healthiest choice. Have you thought about talking to Robby?” Dennis suggests that it’s all he can come up with in the moment.
“Fuck no. I’m no nark. I can take it. I’ve dealt with worse. It’s just kind of been a crazy day, and that combined with Langdon…” she trails off. “Plus, my ladder fall patient, his wife told me she put progesterone in his coffee to kill his sex drive. He’s been molesting his 15-year-old daughter, I told Kiara and Robby, but the mom and daughter won’t say anything officially. Robby and Kiara had to report the mom, and the dad is gonna get off scot-free. I know it’s not their fault, but I can’t talk to Robby right now. Not that I would want to anyway.”
“That must have been really tough. I don’t know what I would have done. It’s not your fault, though, none of it. Anyway, I really wouldn’t mind working with Langdon more. He’s been fine with me, you could work with Dr Mohan, she’s a really great teacher. And if it’s bad, you should go to Robby. I’d go with you.” Dennis tries to encourage her, but she shakes her head.
“Dennis, I really don’t mean any offense by this, but not all of us have two attending mates we can rely on to protect us. If I nark, no one will want to work with me, I’ll be a whiny brat who makes trouble for residents. I don’t want that reputation. But I wouldn’t mind working with Dr Mohan a bit more. She’s hot,” Trinity says bluntly. She stared off into nowhere for a minute before coming back to herself.
“Deal, hang in there. At least you haven’t had to change your scrubs four times.” Dennis offers.
“What have you had to change them for?” Trinity asks with a giggle.
“Mylanta spill, the Kraken peed on me when I was giving him his meds, then I got an arterial pumper under a blister, and I had a kid who had a post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage that spat up blood on me.” Dennis lists them off.
“Poor Huckleberry. Do your daddies know you had so many accidents?” Trinity asks in a mock baby voice with a giant smirk on her face. Dennis feels his cheeks heat up and avoids making eye contact, hoping in vain that Trinity will let this go.
“Holy fucking shit! Huckleberry, do you have a daddy kink?!” She whisper-screams at him.
“Fuck off, Santos,” Dennis mutters before walking out of the room. He hears her laughing even after the door shuts.
Chapter Text
---
1:00 PM
Dennis POV
“Code STEMI, Trauma 2. Code STEMI, Trauma 2,” the intercom called out.
“Whitaker with us!” Langdon calls as he and Robby meet the gurney. Maybe switching with Santos would be easier than he thought.
“Brought in by a coworker after 10 minutes of substernal chest pain with diaphoresis,” Mateo informs them, handing Robby an EKG.
“I’m Dr Langdon, this is Dr Robby and Whitaker,” Langdon explains to the patient.
“Harvey Chang,” he replies.
“Harvey, you’re having a heart attack,” Langdon informs him, voice even and calm.
“I figured,” Harvey nods.
“Have you ever had a heart attack before?” Langdon asks. Robby shows the EKG to him and Whitaker.
“No.”
“Are you taking any medications, Mr Chang?” Whitaker asks.
“Metformin and rosuvastatin,” he replies as the nurses help him get out of his shirt. Langdon orders the medication, and Mateo administers it quickly.
“Harvey, we are gonna get you up to cardiology. They can open up that blocked artery and stop this heart attack. We’re gonna prep you here so they can get you in immediately,” Langdon says as everyone works to prep him.
“No murmurs and radial pulses are symmetric,” Dennis reports. They attach the monitors to Mr Chang’s heart, and they alert for V-Fib.
“Whitaker, start chest compressions. Charge to 200,” Langdon orders. Dennis takes a deep, shaky breath before he begins. He’d failed at this already today. Dennis gives Langdon a look as he performs compressions. Langdon offers a sympathetic smile.
“Best way to face your fears, kid,” he promises.
“I can think of better ways,” Dennis argues. When the first shock isn’t successful, Dennis resumes compressions, and Langdon calls for the LUCAS.
“Whitaker, you’re on LifePak; you need to learn this.”
“Set to 200 joules asynchronous, then press charge,” Perlah instructs, with a kind smile.
“Pause compressions.” Langdon orders, the monitor still reads V-fib. “No pulse. Clear.”
“Clear,” Perlah calls
“Clear,” Dennis says, but he forgets he’s running the LifePak until Perlah prompts him.
“That’s your cue, Whitaker,” she says.
“Oh yeah, shit,” he says before hitting the button. When Harvey’s heart doesn’t respond to the first shock, Dennis feels his own drop; we’re gonna lose him, too.
“He’s not coming back, is he?” Dennis asks, voice hollow. Robby shoots him a concerned look.
“We’ve still got a ways to go,” Robby assures him. They start setting up for another round of shocks, and Perlah pushes EPI.
“Ok, Whitaker, if he’s pulseless, we clear it and then shock-shock. I’ll go first, and then you hit it as fast as you can.” Langdon explains calmly but quickly.
“Got it,” Dennis replies.
“Charging both to 200,” Langdon says.
“Charged,” Perlah confirms.
“Pause compressions,” Langdon instructs. Perlah quickly shuts off the LUCAS. “Pulseless, clear for the one-two punch.” Dennis watches Langdon and hits it as fast as he can.
“Nothing, resume compressions. What’s next, Robby? That was our Hail Mary,” Langdon asks looking at the attending.
“We’ve got one more, activate ECMO,” Robby orders. Langdon nods and gives the orders for everyone to prepare for ECMO and to call the ECMO team to come down. Thankfully, the ECMO team gets there quickly and gets Harvey started on ECMO. Dennis stands back by Langdon and Robby to watch the team work and ensure they have enough space to do their thing. Langdon is walking Dennis through the procedure; meanwhile, Robby is keeping a close eye on Dennis, worried about how he might take it if Harvey doesn’t make it.
“Why didn’t we try ECMO on Mr. Milton, my gallbladder guy?” Dennis asks.
“For ECMO, there needs to be CPR within five minutes and an initial rhythm of V-fib, V-tach, or PEA,” Langdon explains softly. Dennis nods in understanding.
To Dennis, it feels nothing short of miraculous when they are able to successfully hook Harvey up to the ECMO machine, and he stabilizes. He’s taken up to Cardiology almost immediately, and it sounds promising that Harvey will make a full recovery.
“Are you ok?” Robby asks Dennis in a hushed voice after the ECMO team leaves with Harvey.
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Dennis answers.
“Alright,” Robby huffs, not really believing him. “Let’s go find some patients to save,” Robby says as he wraps an arm around Dennis’s shoulders and walks him out of Trauma One and back to the board to look for a new case. When Robby’s arm rests on Dennis’s shoulders, he can see the tension leave the med student’s shoulders almost instantly. Dennis leans into the warm touch of his Alpha; it grounds him.
---
2:00 PM
Dennis POV
“Drowning victim here!” Dennis hears a paramedic shout as they walk through the ED doors.
“Amber Phillips, six years old, found in a home pool with an unknown downtime. Asystole on the monitor.” The other paramedic informs. Dennis and Mel run in after Dr Robby and Dr Langdon. She’s so little, is the first thought in Dennis’s head. Please don’t die is the second. The paramedics and nurses quickly transfer her from the EMS gurney to the hospital one. Robby begins compressions as soon as she’s in place, and Mel immediately takes over bagging her.
“Whitaker, take over compressions,” Robby orders. Dennis jumps into action immediately and switches out with Robby for chest compressions. He has to fight the irrational part of his brain that’s telling him he’s hurting the little girl when he first starts.
“Any family coming in?” Robby asks.
“Grandma and little sister,” the paramedic replies.
“She’s really cold,” Mel observes as she begins listening for any heart and lung sounds.
“Get a core temp,” Robby instructs. Mateo quickly grabs the thermometer and gets a rectal temp.
“Good breath sounds bilaterally,” Mel says.
“Should we use the LUCAS?” Dennis asks.
“No, she’s way too small for that,” Langdon replies.
“Rectal temp is only 85,” Mateo announces.
“We need to get her up to 90 if we have any chance of restarting her heart.
“250 ccs of heated saline, set up the Arctic Sun, and we need continuous core temp monitoring. Mateo prep another epi,” Langdon orders.
It goes on for what feels like forever, Mel and Dennis switching out every couple of minutes. At some point, Robby brings in the parents to sit with her. Then the phone rings, Mateo picks it up, and his face falls briefly before he schools his expression and thanks whoever is on the phone.
“Potassium’s back, 12.2,” Mateo informs the room calmly. Dennis and Mel share a look, knowing what it means but hoping they’re wrong. They hold onto that until Robby crosses over and kneels by the parents. He softly explains to them that no one has ever survived with a potassium level over 11, Amber has died, and they can’t get her back.
Despite his best efforts, Dennis feels tears burn in his eyes. He blinks them away and continues CPR until Robby places a hand on his shoulder and tells him to stop. Mateo flips off the monitors when they start beeping, and they give the parents some space to say goodbye to their daughter. Mel leaves to go talk to the little sister, with a bear she had asked Javadi to grab from the hospital gift shop. Dennis isn’t sure what her plan is, but he hopes whatever it is helps the little girl process the loss of her big sister.
Dennis may have been an only child, but he was absurdly close with all of his cousins. He imagines seeing Ana or Christopher like that, his youngest cousins at ages 13 and 12, respectively. Ana was Mari and Travis’s daughter, and Christopher was Tai and Van’s son. If any of his cousins were to die…he’s not sure how he would move on. Especially at that age, his family had been his whole world. What’s a little kid do when part of their world vanishes for no reason?
“Alright, let’s give mom and dad some time. We’ll meet up in the lounge to debrief in 5 minutes.” Robby orders the staff that’s still in the room and motions for them to exit. Dennis hesitates, but Robby places a warm hand on his shoulder and guides him out of the room. Everyone else has dispersed by the time they get into the hallway, needing to take a couple of minutes before talking as a group.
“How are you doing?” He asks Dennis.
“I’m fine,” Dennis replies. As he answers, he tries to convince himself to believe the words he’s saying.
“Try again,” Robby says, hand still holding Dennis’s shoulder, it’s like a security blanket in a way, warm and comforting.
“I mean, it sucks. What else is there to say? It’s not fair that a little girl is dead. And she was just trying to save her sister. How do you move past that?”
“I don’t know if I’m being honest. All we can do is our best, and sometimes it feels like a losing game. But there are times when you get a win, you convince a rape victim to press charges, you’re able to get an addict to try rehab, you save a kid from an MVC or a drowning. Those are the moments that get you through the shit ones. I’m sorry you haven’t had many of those wins today, sweetheart.” Robby says, voice soft.
“It’s not your fault. I’m gonna go check on Mel, she went to talk to the little sister. Meet you in the lounge for the debrief?” Dennis asks, needing a task to focus on before the debrief.
“Of course, if there’s anything I can do, please let me know,” Robby says. Dennis nods in agreement. Robby gives Dennis’s shoulder a quick squeeze before heading towards Kiara.
---
3:00 PM
Dennis POV
The debrief gets interrupted by a fight breaking out in chairs. Dennis knows it’s part of working in an ED, but it’s really hard to transition from that to treating patients. He keeps seeing the little girl’s pale face and the looks of devastation on her parents’ faces when Robby informs them their daughter couldn’t be revived.
Things get a little exciting when a patient’s dog, Crosby, if the owner’s shouts are anything to go by, gets hold of one of the rats from earlier. Dennis doesn’t even think; he just acts on pure instinct when he throws a blanket from an unoccupied bed over the dog and the rat. Somehow, he manages to get the dog to let go, and Crosby sprints over to his owner. Dennis gets his hands around the rat and quickly snaps its neck, silencing the screams.
Langdon starts the slow clap, shooting Dennis an impressed, if slightly flabbergasted smile.
“Nice work, Whitaker,” Langdon praises him. Everyone is clapping for him now. Including Robby, who walks by and gives Dennis a proud smile.
“I’ll have to tell Gloria we have a human bloodhound down here. She’ll be happy at least one of the rats is taken care of,” Robby jokes as he gives Dennis a pat on the back. Robby walks off towards the board. Dennis is about to follow when a smaller hand lands on his arm, holding him in place.
“Nice job, Huckleberry, who knew all that farm boy business would come in handy,” she teases, but her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Everything ok?” He asks after handing the dead rat over to Esme to deal with.
“Yeah, I just got read for filth by Langdon, but it’s fine,” she attempts to assure him, but he can see the glassiness in her eyes.
“You don’t look fine,” he counters softly, not wanting to upset her or make the situation worse.
“It’s just, I can handle hardass teachers, generally I prefer them. But it’s like no matter what I do, he’s going to be pissed off at me. It would have been fine if it had just been us, but he did it in front of Dr Mohan and Dr Robby. It was embarrassing,” Trinity admits, voice barely audible.
“Wait, he yelled at you in front of Robby and Mohan? Did they say anything?” Dennis was going to be so disappointed if his mate actually just let an intern get berated needlessly in front of everyone.
“Dr Mohan tried to stop him, but he just talked over her. Dr Robby really only heard the last bit, and then he made Langdon leave with him. God, day one, and I’m the problematic trainee.” Trinity grumbles, shaking her head.
“It sounds like Langdon is the problematic one. I bet Robby tore into him in private. At least I hope he did. You might just be an intern, but you still deserve respect.” Dennis assures her. He’ll have to ask Robby about this at some point; he doesn’t think it’s fair that Langdon is such a good teacher to the rest of them and horrible to Trinity.
“Dr Mohan said something similar,” she says with a small smile covering her face.
“What’d she say?”
“That it was completely inappropriate for Langdon to speak to me that way. Oh, and she said I’m good at emergency medicine,” Trinity replies, a pale blush covering her cheeks.
“Do you like her?” Dennis asks, surprised.
“Shut up, Huckleberry,” she snaps as she walks away and toward a patient room. Dennis just shakes his head at her nondenial denial.
---
4:00 PM
Robby POV
Robby had just left Dennis and Langdon to take care of their burn patient; he planned to be back for the intubation, but that was before he saw his best nurse walk in from the ambulance bay covered in blood.
“Jesus fucking Christ! What the hell happened?” He asks as he runs up to her, worry crossing his face.
“It’s ok, I’m ok,” Dana tries to brush him off, but he’s not having it; he guides her over to the desk where Mateo has already pulled out a chair for her. Princess and Perlah are right there as well, ready to help with whatever Dana needs.
“What happened?” Princess asks, voice calm.
“Just got punched. Took a little fall. I’m fine,” she insists.
“Who punched you?” Javadi asks, her voice shaking slightly.
“Just an unhappy patient,” Dana replies.
“A patient hit you?” Javadi asks, shocked.
“Happens all the time,” Mateo informs her.
“I got my cheek broken,” Princess says.
“I lost a tooth,” Mateo shares.
“We’ve all been assaulted,” Perlah states bluntly.
“Javadi, go get Ahmad,” Robby commands. Before he pivots into doctor mode, “Did you hit your head?” He asks Dana as he puts on a fresh pair of gloves.
“Probably, but no loss of consciousness,” she replies, already anticipating his next question. Kim gives Dana a Kleenex and goes to get her fresh scrubs.
“Any vision problems? Blurry or double vision?” Robby asks.
“No, I’m fine,” Dana tries to assure him. It’d be a lot more convincing if her face and scrubs weren’t caked in blood.
“Headache?”
“A little,” Dana admits. If she’s admitting it, it must be pretty bad.
“We need to find her a room,” he tells Perlah. Dana tries to argue with him, but he ignores her protests.
“Dave, move North 1 to the hall,” Perlah instructs, stepping into Dana’s role for the moment. Robby checks Dana’s vision and deems it satisfactory when Ahmad walks up.
“What the hell happened?” He asks Dana, frowning as he takes in her appearance.
“Just an upset patient. He bailed, though, so it’s fine. Forget it,” Dana tries to convince him, but Ahmad isn’t having it. Dana finally caves and gives the name.
“Driscoll, Doug Driscoll.’
“That asshole from chairs?” Mateo clarifies, Dana nods in response.
“I’m calling the cops,” Ahmad says, walking to his office. Mateo grabs a wheelchair quickly, while Robby finishes up the neuro exam.
“Pupils equal and reactive, no septal hematoma. Tell me when it’s sore,” he instructs her as he begins carefully palpating her face. She only cries when he gets close to her nose. “CT head and maxillofacial,” he orders Dr Mohan, who turned up at some point.
“Is that really necessary?” Dana asks stubbornly.
“There’s at least one facial fracture. Given that you were hit in the head and fell, I just want to rule out anything intracranial.” Robby explains.
Perlah is recruited to run things for Dana while she’s examined, though she doesn’t look thrilled by the promotion. Robby sends Dana off with Mohan and Mateo to be checked out and heads back into the burn patient’s room.
“Are we ready to intubate?” He asks as he walks in and dons another pair of gloves.
“Wife should be here any minute, and then we can go ahead and intubate,” Langdon explains. No sooner does he say it than the wife walks in, pregnant and terrified.
“Teddy,” she cries as she walks to his side.
“Teddy, you have severe burns covering most of your body. The inside of your throat has also been burned. To be safe, we need to put in a breathing tube; you won’t be able to speak,” Langdon explains to Teddy and his wife.
“We need to do this now before his throat swells. If we wait, we may not be able to get an airway. If there’s anything the two of you want to say to each other, now’s the time to do it,” Robby warns, voice gentle.
“Can I kiss him?” The wife asks, tears spilling from her eyes.
“Of course,” Robby replies, he knows this will probably be their last conversation and kiss.
They get Teddy knocked out and intubated quickly. Fortunately, the Burn Unit is able to take Teddy sooner than expected. After Teddy and his wife are moved out of the room, Langdon turns to Dennis.
“Before you grab your next patient, call Kiara. Have somebody go upstairs and talk to the wife,” Langdon instructs softly. Dennis furrows his brow in confusion.
“Why?”
“We wanted to give her hope, but the truth is Teddy’s more likely to die in the next week from an infection than he is to see his kid be born,” Langdon tells him. Dennis’s face drops. “Call Kiara.” Langdon reiterates before he leaves the room.
“He’s gonna die?” Dennis asks, voice squeaking a little.
“It’s highly likely, but we don’t know for sure.” Robby replies.
“Dammit!” Dennis hisses, clenching his fists at his sides. “I thought he was going to make it,” he confesses as he picks at his fingernails.
“I know. He could still make it, you know. It’s not likely, but we still do all we can to save them; sometimes they surprise us.” Robby offers weakly. He doesn’t want to give Dennis false hope, but he also doesn’t want the kid to become overly cynical. Dennis just nods and, checking that the coast is clear, wraps himself around Robby. Dennis buries his face in Robby’s neck and takes a couple of deep breaths before breaking away.
“Thank you,” Dennis mutters.
“Anytime, sweetheart,” Robby vows. They head out into the hall and stroll over to the board, time to look for new patients.
---
5:00 PM
Dennis POV
“Whitaker, you’re with me, patient in Central 9,” Samira calls as she walks past the board. Dennis stumbles over his feet to follow her.
“Ivan Pugliesi, age 55, has had a day of abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea,” Nurse Kim informs them before telling them his vitals.
“I’m Dr Mohan, and this is student doctor Whitaker. Do you mind if he helps us out today?” Samira greets, voice cheery.
“Yeah, no problem,” the guy waves it off. “I would have called my own doctor, but I live in New York, and I’m just here for my daughter’s wedding. Have either of you kids ever been out to New York?”
“Oh yeah, I spent a couple of years growing up in New Jersey, my moms and aunts were constantly taking me into the city,” Dennis replies.
“I thought you were from Nebraska?” Samira asks, giving him a confused look.
“Yeah, we moved there when I was around 4. But my moms were born and raised in New Jersey,” Dennis clarifies. He and Samira quickly proceed with the rest of the exam before Dr Mohan decides to start with Zofran before giving any opioids. He asks her about starting morphine, but she is firm about not starting that yet.
“Why aren’t we starting him on morphine?”
“Remember how I said you get good at spotting the fakers? He is exhibiting every sign of opiate withdrawal,” Samira explains.
“But he said he doesn’t do drugs, which is what he would want us to think if he’s an addict. You’re good at this,” Dennis says.
“Thanks,” Samira replies with a smile before explaining her treatment plan to Dennis. It’s a bit unconventional, but she seems pretty confident in it, so Dennis listens to her. He hesitates a little when she tells the patient she can give him a morphine like drug - BUPE.
He begins to regret it once Dr Robby gets involved and is pissed at Dr Mohan for her…unconventional approach.
“He still hasn’t admitted any opiate use?” Robby asks.
“No, but again, he exhibited every symptom, and now he’s 100% better,” Samira explains.
“Pretty sure it was just a few hours ago I asked you why you didn’t consult me first, and I specifically told you to never do that again. But instead you went behind my back and-”
“And I did it again,” Samira finishes for him.
“You did it again, for fuck’s sake,” he groans, rubbing his beard with his hands. “Is anyone honest anymore, or are we all just bullshitting our way through?”
“Umm, I think-” Dennis starts in an attempt to smooth things over.
“That was rhetorical, Dennis.” Robby cuts him off sharply. Turning back to Samira, he asks, “Why did you not come and find me?”
“You were kind of busy,” she justifies.
“Really? Do better Dr Mohan.” He scolds, voice tight.
“Yes, sir,” she responds.
“Using BUPE was unconventional, and while it wasn’t dangerous, it is going to raise some questions from Gloria, which I really don’t need more of right now. I expect this from med students, even interns, but you are an R3, you know better,” He explains before walking over to the patient's bed.
Mr Pugliesi is wrapping up a phone call with his daughter. Once he’s finished Dr Mohan asks, “How are you feeling, Mr. Pugliesi?”
“Oh, a million times better. Thank you.” He replies instantly. “Would I be able to get a little bit more of that medicine? Just for the few days I’m here? I’d like to be able to walk my daughter down the aisle without shitting myself.”
“The medication you were given wasn’t morphine, it was something called buprenorphine or BUPE,” Robby begins.
“Yeah, she said that,” Mr. Pugliesi agrees. “Whatever you call it, Doc, it worked great!”
“It’s a medication that is specifically targeted to treat opioid withdrawal,” Robby explains. Mr. Pugliesi gets pissed at that, and Robby has to step in between the angry alpha and Dr Mohan when Pugliesi gets in her face and calls her a liar.
“Dr Mohan- Doctor, will get you ready for discharge and can walk you through our proposed treatment plan. If you don’t want that, you are free to go once your discharge papers are in.” Robby says, voice hard, leaving no room for argument.
“Whitaker, come with me,” Robby says as he leaves Samira in the room with Donnie, just in case Mr. Pugliesi loses his temper again. Dennis quickly follows Robby to the empty staff lounge. Robby closes the door before turning to look at Dennis.
“Why didn’t you come get me?” Robby asks him softly, voice more sad than mad.
“I thought Dr Mohan knew what she was doing. She seemed confident in her plan,” Dennis explains awkwardly.
“Next time someone is about to do something unconventional like that, make sure you tell me, or Jack, if you’re working nights. This department cannot handle much more scrutiny from Gloria,” Robby explains, fingers massaging his temples.
“Yeah, yeah, of course, I’m sorry-” Dennis starts, but Robby holds up a hand, cutting him off.
“You didn’t know, it’s your first day. You wanted to have your Resident’s back. I respect that. Just next time, try to let me know what’s going on,” Robby asks, sounding tired.
“Absolutely,” Dennis nods before giving Robby a gentle hug. Robby presses a kiss to Dennis’s temple.
“Go find Dr Mohan and a new case,” Robby says after a couple of minutes. Dennis nods but holds on for another few seconds before breaking away and walking out to find a new case.
---
6:00 PM
Robby POV
It was not a good day; he had hoped that meeting his soulmate would outshine everything else. And it did, but he still had to extubate an old man and watch his children say goodbye to him, not to mention telling the Bradleys their 18-year-old son was brain dead and the 6-year-old girl who died drowning to save her little sister. Dennis had a rough day, too; he lost his first patient, Mr Milton. Dennis did everything right, and Mr Milton still died. That’s the hardest part of this job, doing everything you possibly can to save someone, and it still isn’t enough. Dennis had been with Robby for the 6-year-old and had also gotten peed on by the Kraken. It was the shift from Hell, and then shit really hit the fan.
He’d just sent Collins home and was trying to find out where Dennis was when Dana caught him. She had a look that told him it was bad and not just a regular shift bad, really bad.
“There’s been a shooting at PittFest. Initial numbers are upwards of 70 injured. Probably more, we’re gonna be getting most of them. Gloria’s already calling in backup,” Dana explained quickly and efficiently.
“Shit, make sure Gloria has some staff waiting to come in to relieve us in a few hours. Are Donahue, Mateo, and Jesse getting the emergency bins?” She nods. “Good, have them set up in Behavioural Health, that will be our supply area. Gather everyone at the desk, nurses will have to help move patients out to urgent care or family medicine. We need to get ready as quickly as possible, ambulances could start showing up in a few minutes. Where’s Whitaker?” Robby can’t stop himself from asking. Poor kids already had a rough first day, and it's about to get a whole lot worse for everybody. Dana smirks a little as soon as the question leaves his mouth.
“I think I saw him sneaking into the staff lounge to visit Crosby. Seems like the puppy likes puppies.” Dana teases as she walks off to start gathering personnel. Robby shakes his head and wanders off towards the staff lounge. He enters quietly to find Dennis sitting on the floor, petting Crosby.
“Hey, kid,” Robby greets, giving Crosby a quick head scratch before sitting down beside Dennis.
“Hey, Dr Robby.”
“Just Robby or Michael to you, kid. Especially when it’s just us. Are you doing ok? You’ve had kind of a crazy day.” Robby asks, placing a gentle finger under Dennis’s chin to make him look up.
“Yeah, I’m fine. What’s a code triage?” Dennis asks curiously.
“Heard about that already, huh? There’s a shooting at PittFest; we have a mass casualty incident happening. I was coming to get you. We’re gonna go over everything at the main desk.” Robby explains as he stands up. “C’mon, let’s bring Crosby back to his papa, it’s about to get even crazier down here, and we don’t want this little guy caught in the crossfire.” Robby scoops Crosby up and immediately receives kisses for his trouble. Dennis lets out a deep breath before standing up and following Robby out.
Gloria is already waiting at the desk and gives the two of them a suspicious look, but given the current situation, she wisely decides to keep her comment to herself. Dennis takes Crosby from Robby and heads towards Mr Purnell’s bay.
“I take it you heard?” Gloria asks, and Robby gives a stiff nod.
“Everyone down here needs to be taken upstairs. We aren’t gonna have the room down here for the MCI and all the other patients. They’ll get better care upstairs than being ignored down here.”
“Agreed.”
“Reinforcements? Surgery? Anaesthesiology?”
“Covered, we already have the next day and a half planned out shift-wise, your team won’t need to be in tomorrow or Wednesday. But until we get a handle on this today, I can’t promise anyone’s gonna be getting out of here tonight. I know you were only supposed to be scheduled for 12 hours, but…”
“Don’t worry about that. We can handle it. Family members, survivors, what’s our game plan for them?”
“Cafeteria, Kiara, and I will be in there along with other social workers and administrators to help families and friends reunite with their loved ones and identify victims. We’re gonna shut off all the TVs so as not to cause more of a panic. What else do you need?”
“Prayers, wouldn’t hurt,” Robby replies before running a hand down his face. This fucking shift.
“Amen to that. I’ll keep the press off your back. Call me directly if there’s anything else you need or if I can help with anything.” Gloria heads off towards the cafeteria to start setting things up.
“What’s going on?” McKay asks Robby as soon as Gloria is gone.
“Alright, everybody, listen up!” Robby shouts, getting all the staff’s attention. “There is an active shooter at PittFest. Initial numbers are not good. We are in Mass Casualty protocols now. As the nearest trauma center, we will be getting the majority of the victims. We need to get all of our current patients out of here, urgent care, family medicine, or they go home. Call your loved ones now if you need to. Soon enough, cell service will be overrun, and you won’t be able to get through. Get something to eat and drink now. Use the bathroom while there is time. Meet back here for the full briefing in five minutes. Whitaker with me.” Robby dismisses the staff, all except for Dennis. Jack walks through the ED doors right as Robby wraps up his speech.
“I’m so fucking glad you are here, babe,” Robby says to Jack, giving him a strong hug.
“Heard it on the police scanner, how many are we expecting?” Jack asks as Dennis walks over to them.
“I thought you said you were gonna quit doing that?” Robby questions, only half joking. Jack really needs to learn to take care of himself. Though who the hell is Robby to judge, he’s been edging closer and closer to a full-on breakdown all day.
“Dr Abbot, good to see you,” Dennis greets shyly.
“What is this, Dr crap kid? Abbot or Jack. Get in here,” Jack quickly pulls an unsuspecting Dennis into a tight hug. “How’s your first day, kid?”
“A little crazy but sounds like it’s only gonna get-” Dennis is cut off by the blaring sound of This is How We Do It, his mom’s ringtone. Robby gives him a smirk.
“Thought I told you to turn your ringer off?”
“Sorry, sir, it’s my mom, she’s-”
“You don’t have to explain, kid. Take it now while you can. Make sure she knows you’re ok. Hell, tell her your Alphas are with you. We won’t let anything happen to you, ok?” Jack promises, giving Dennis’s hand a quick squeeze. Dennis gives him a grateful smile before picking up his phone and walking off into an empty hallway.
“Let’s get ready,” Robby claps his hands as he and Jack walk towards the makeshift supply room.
---
6:15 PM
Dennis POV
“Are you safe?” Is the first thing out of Jackie Whitaker’s (formerly Taylor’s) mouth. “Where are you?” is the next.
“Yes mom, relax, I’m at work. At the hospital, where I’m supposed to be. I’m safe.”
“Is he ok? Is he eating enough?” He hears his mama ask in the background.
“Shauna, there is a fucking mass shooter on the loose, and you worry about him eating enough?!” His mom shouts to his mama before continuing, “How far from it are you? Have you heard anything about fatalities yet?”
“Mom, calm down, put me on speaker for mama,” Dennis requests gently. His moms tended to assume the worst, fair enough considering their history.
“Ok, you’re on speaker, baby,” Jackie tells him softly.
“I’m ok. There has been a shooting at PittFest, a music festival. PTMC is the closest trauma centre, victims will be arriving any minute, and we have no idea how many there are or how long this will take. I might not be able to call you or text you for a while. I’m safe, we have security-”
“Like that helped Dana,” Santos snarks, walking by.
“Who’s Dana?!” His moms ask at the same time.
“Thanks a lot, Santos.” Whitaker hisses in her direction.
“Anytime, Huckleberry,” she gives him a wink before donning her PPE.
“Dana’s our charge nurse; she got punched by a patient earlier, but it’s not a big deal-”
“A patient punched her?! I want to talk to your boss, NOW.” Jackie Taylor was never someone to mess with, but you really didn’t want to get on her bad side when it came to her son’s safety. She took the phrase mama bear to the extreme.
“Mom, that’s not necessary, they’re busy,” Dennis groans as he sees not just Robby but Jack approaching him. Dennis feels his cheeks go flame red when he sees his new mates.
“You ok, kid?” Jack asks, glancing at Dennis up and down, concerned.
“Is that your boss? Put him on!” Mom insists.
“Umm, my mom wants to talk to you…” Dennis explains, scratching the back of his neck and refusing to make eye contact with either doctor.
“You got this, babe?” Robby checks with Jack, who nods instantly. “I’m gonna make sure Shen and Ellis are ready in triage.”
“No problem, kid, I’ll talk to her.” Jack agrees, holding his hand out for the phone. Dennis hesitates before passing his phone over.
“Hello, Ma’am, I’m Doctor Jack Abbot. I’m one of Dennis’s ma-” Dennis’s eyes go wide, and he tries to stop Jack from saying more, but it’s too late. Jack just looks at him, confused. Dennis grabs the phone from him and puts it on speaker.
“You’re his mate? And his boss?” Jackie demands.
“One of?” Shauna wonders in the background.
“Yes, Ma’am, I thought Dennis had told you. I’m sorry for the confusion. I’m one of Dennis’s attending. My partner Robby is also Dennis’s mate and attending. We will be close by the entire time, and I promise you we will ensure Dennis’s safety. We won’t let anything happen to our Omega.” Jack vows, voice dropping any hint of joking or teasing.
“Anything happens to him, and I hold you two personally responsible.” Dennis’s mom threatens. “Call us back once this craziness is over, okay, baby?”
“Yes mom,” Dennis agrees before hanging up the phone. “I’m sorry about her, she insisted on speaking to my boss and-”
“Sweetheart,” Jack gently cuts off Dennis’s ramble, “It’s ok. I understand. I can’t imagine what your moms are going through. At least Robby and I are with you here. Let’s go.” Dennis follows Jack back to the main desk to get their assignments.
---
7:00 PM
Robby’s POV
Robby had just stepped outside to check in with Ellis and Shen in triage when he saw a pickup truck pull up filled with people in the bed of the pickup. He catches a sharp, bitter scent; terror is the only fitting word for what that scent could be.
“What’ve we got?” He asks, running over to help.
“There are six injured back here, two leg GSWs, both pink, two have superficial injuries, both yellow, a torso GSW, possibly cardiac, red, and a head wound that’s bleeding a lot and has lost consciousness. Help with the torso GSW,” Ellis directs. Robby sees the woman right away. A young man is holding onto her tight, applying as much pressure to the entrance wound as he can.
“Hi there, I’m Dr Robby. Can you help me move your friend so we can help her?” Robby asks as the gurney is wheeled over. The man nods instantly and helps Robby and Shen scoot the woman onto the gurney. He maintains pressure on the wound the whole time.
“She’s my mate,” he corrects, eyes not really seeing anything, voice completely void of any emotion. Shock, Robby’s brain supplies.
“We’re gonna do everything we can to save her. Are you hurt?” Robby asks as he and Shen begin wheeling the young woman into the ED.
“Just my leg,” he says with a shrug. Shen slaps a yellow band on his wrist and directs him towards Dennis and Mel. “Please save her, we just met. Today, at PittFest, please,” he begs before Dennis coaxes him into a wheelchair.
“We’ll do everything we can,” Robby vows, as he and Shen continue to the Red Zone. “Dana, with me!” Robby calls, and Dana is there almost instantly.
“What do we got, Captain?” She asks, jumping into action.
“Upper left quadrant GSW, possibly cardiac,” Robby explains. After that, it’s a whirlwind of blood transfusions, CPR, etc. Robby does everything he can, more than he should have given the circumstances, if he’s honest. He’s about to start a third blood transfusion when he sees Dana stare up and over his shoulder. He turns and sees Jack standing slightly behind him.
“Third unit?” Jack asks gently.
“I gotta save her, this could make the difference,” Robby replies stubbornly.
“She’s gone, Robby, the bullet tore through her heart. You can’t keep up with the blood loss. Even on our best day, I don’t think we’d be able to save her. We have hundreds of patients who need you, who need that blood. If you put all your energy into saving her, we’ll lose a dozen more.” Jack says softly, placing a gentle hand on top of Robby’s, stilling his compressions. Robby looks between Jack and Dana before he takes a deep, shuddering breath.
“Time of death… 19:35,” Robby chokes out before excusing himself. Jack almost follows him, but is distracted by Samira shouting for his help. Robby couldn’t be more thankful for Samira than in that moment. He doesn’t want to talk about this. His breathing starts to accelerate, and his hands start to tremble.
It was all too fucking much. Can’t breathe. Can’t save anyone. Worthless. What if it had been Dennis? Robby’s thoughts are running wild. Her Alpha, he’d been so desperate for Robby to save her. How was he going to tell that poor kid that his mate is gone forever? Before they even got a chance to know each other or go on a date. Robby had failed once again. He couldn’t save her. He couldn’t save Adamson. He won’t be able to protect Dennis. He’s a failure.
Snap out of it. Not the time for a pity party. Not when people need him. But he can’t breathe. He just needs a minute. A quiet minute. Peds. The makeshift morgue. Before Robby was aware of his body moving, he was closing the door behind him to the peds room. He can’t even keep himself upright at this point, so he collapses against the wall with cartoon animals all over it. He grabs his Star of David and begins reciting a prayer in Hebrew. One of the few things he remembers from his grandmother’s lessons.
He was so engrossed in his breakdown that he didn’t notice the door open.
“Dr Robby, Robby,” the voice asks, gently shaking his shoulder. He knows that voice; it soothes something deep in his chest. But Robby still feels like he can’t take a full breath. He keeps reciting the prayer, needing something to ground him. “Michael!”
That makes him snap out of it. He looks up to see a terrified and sweaty Whitaker.
“Are you ok?” Dennis asks firmly. His hands are on Robby’s shoulders this time.
“I don’t fucking know…” Robby replies truthfully, forcefully wiping at the traitorous tears that escaped at some point during his breakdown.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Dennis offers gently as he carefully sits down by Robby.
“It was an Omega…fuck, just met her Alpha at PittFest and she gets shot through the fucking heart…I tried…I swear to God I tried like Hell to save her. But-” A sob shakes Robby’s body. Then a careful hand begins rubbing his back.
“You can’t save everyone,” Dennis soothes, letting a small amount of his Omega pheromones out to calm Robby down. It seems to work a little; Robby’s breathing has started to regulate. But he’s still shaking like a leaf.
“I can’t fucking save anyone. What if that had been you? Or Jack?”
“It wasn’t. There’s no point in thinking about the what-ifs. I’m right here next to you, and Jack is out in the hallway kicking ass and saving lives. He needs you. We need you out there.”
“I can’t,” Robby cringes at the way his voice cracks on the last word.
“Yes. You can. You have to. Without you, we’re fucked. We. Need. You.” Dennis insists, before injecting an Omega purr into his tone. “I need you, Alpha. I need your help.”
It’s not exactly ethical to use your secondary status as a way to manipulate your mates, but Dennis is running out of choices. The longer Dr Robby’s back here, the more people might die. Also, maybe he’s selfish, but he can’t stand to see his mate this distressed. If he can make it even a little better, he will.
“Omega,” Robby growls, deep in his chest, before pulling Dennis tight against his chest. Dennis lets him hold him for a minute before pulling back slightly to look in Robby’s eyes.
“We need your help, Alpha,” Dennis repeats, giving Robby his signature puppy dog eyes. Robby’s Alpha demands that he help his Omega. He stands up while still holding Dennis close to him.
“You ready?” Dennis asks carefully.
“As I’ll ever be.” Robby agrees, burying his face in Dennis’s neck for one last inhale. “Let’s go save some lives, kid.” Robby guides Dennis out of the makeshift morgue by the back of his neck.
---
8:00 PM
Dennis POV
No sooner had he and Robby exited Peds than Gloria was on them, or rather on Robby. Asking for updates, and when Dana let it slip that Robby approved unscreened blood donations, she really started laying into him. After the day they had, it’s no wonder he cracked. Dennis would’ve cracked when the MCI started if he’d had the day Robby had.
“Jesus, why don’t you go back to your micromanagerial tower and let us get back to fucking work,” Robby snaps. The ED gets oddly silent. No one breathes for a moment, but then they’re back to work, too many patients to stand around gawking. Gloria walks away, and Robby goes the opposite direction. Dennis sees Jack speed walking over to Robby.
“Get some air, babe,” Jack advises, placing a gentle hand on Robby’s arm. Robby meets his eyes and nods his head before heading out to check on Triage. Dennis isn’t sure if he should follow Robby out or give him space.
“Dennis? You ok?” Jack asks, and Dennis jumps a bit, not having seen Jack walk up next to him.
“Uh, yeah, should I…” Dennis trails off and gestures towards the doors.
“Nah, he just needs a little breathing room right now. You’ve got patients that need you, go take care of them. We can talk about it with him later,” Jack promises. Dennis nods and heads back to take care of his patients. They need him more right now.
---
9:00 PM
Jack POV
“Hey, has anyone seen Robby?” Jack asks around that night after most of the chaos had died down.
“I saw him head in to talk to the parents of that Omega who died. The one who just met their soulmate. Poor guy’s had a rough shift. First the old guy, then the brain-dead 18-year-old, and the 6-year-old who drowned.” Donahue comments, shaking his head. Fuck, only one place Robby would be after this shit show of a shift. The roof.
Jack doesn’t run per se, but he also doesn’t dilly dally on his way up to the roof. Ironic that they seemed to be ending the shift in the same place they started that day. Only in opposite positions. God, we really were fucking made for each other.
Once Jack arrives on the roof, he spots Robby immediately. Same spot Jack had stood in this morning. Fuck, I need to stop doing that to him. It sucks finding your mate like this.
“You’re in my spot,” Jack jokes gently. “GrubHub won’t deliver up here, but there’s a DoorDash guy who’ll come up here for $10, $20 if you order booze.” Robby shakes his head but refuses to answer any other way.
“I think I know why I can’t stop coming to work here. It’s who we are, hell, it’s who our soulmate is. How much more proof can you get that these are the careers we are supposed to have than all three of us choosing the same career path with no influence from the others? We save people, Robby, it’s what we do. And when we can’t, we hold onto it. We do better next time. We never forget our patients. We carry them with us forever.” Jack is still met with tense silence, Robby’s shoulders are twisted up with worry, with fear. “Who’s gonna help Dennis understand that if you aren’t here? Who’s gonna keep me on this side of the railing? Your patients aren’t the only ones who need you. What about Frank? Samira? Cassie? You’re not just their boss, you’re their teacher. I can’t imagine what it felt like getting that Omega on your table, today of all days-” Robby lets out a harsh scoff at that part. “But we found him. We finally found Dennis. Adamson always used to joke that with your luck, our Omega would be a student. We’ve been waiting for Dennis longer than you’ve known Adamson. It was a shitty day, but something good came out of it. And in ten years, when you think of today’s date, it won’t be a bad day. It’ll be the day we met Dennis. We have an Omega that we can help, that we can protect. It doesn’t erase today, but it helps it fade.”
“Where is he?” Robby asks, voice scratchy.
“I’m not sure. I came to find you.” Robby gives Jack a glare that would rival Medusa’s.
“Did you at least check in on him? Is he ok?”
“I haven’t seen him since earlier. I’m sure he’s fine. I got his number from him earlier; we can call once we get back down to the ED. Maybe he’s still there.”
“Why did you waste your time checking on me? It was his first fucking day. What if-” Robby growls, ducking under the railing and rushing towards the staircase door. Jack smirks. Why didn’t I bring Dennis up sooner? It would’ve been easier on my blood pressure.
Jack tries the whole walk (or jog) down the steps to ease Robby’s anxiety about Dennis, but it’s hopeless. Robby won’t relax until he finds Dennis. Once they get back to the ED, Jack begins trying to track Dennis’s scent. It’s still pretty strong, so he couldn’t have left long ago if he left. Robby appears to be doing the same thing, though he’s being far less discreet about it, simply following his nose through the waiting room and over to the side staircase. Robby and Jack share a frown before wordlessly agreeing to follow the scent up the stairs. Jack’s leg was gonna kill him in the morning.
They climb until they reach the eighth-floor, Dennis’s scent stops at the door. Once they enter, Jack realises this is the empty wing; Gloria and the admin were being too cheap to staff with nurses. Why would Dennis be up here?
“Do you hear that?” Jack whispers, gesturing down the hallway. Robby nods, and the two carefully walk towards the source of the noise. There’s a door ajar and a light turned on in one of the abandoned rooms. They gently push the door open and see Dennis, a shirtless Dennis, dancing around the room with headphones in.
“Girls, what’s my weakness? Men! Okay then, chilling, chilling, minding my business-” Dennis sings along as he spins around. Once he catches sight of them, he lets out a startled shriek and rips out his earbuds.
“Salt-N-Peppa, nice choice,” Jack comments.
“Holy shit!” Dennis’s eyes practically bug out of his head as he takes in the presence of the two attendings standing in his room.
“Dennis, have you been staying here?” Robby asks, voice cautious. Dennis’s whole body flushes at that question, between that and the sheer amount of stuff in the room, Jack is fairly certain this isn’t the first night Dennis has spent in the abandoned room.
“Well, umm, yeah, but it’s just temporary, and I can be out of here-”
“Do you have anywhere to go?” Robby cuts off Dennis's attempt at an explanation.
“Uhh, yeah, totally.” Dennis scrambles around the room, throwing whatever he can into his duffel.
“You are not a very convincing liar, kid,” Jack admonishes, sharing a concerned look with Robby.
“I can figure something out, really, it’s not-”
“You’ll stay with us,” Robby commands, injecting a hint of Alpha voice into his tone, hoping that will keep Dennis from arguing.
“That’s really not necessary, sir-”
“Dennis, Robby, or Michael, we’ve talked about this. And it wasn’t a question. We’ll talk about things more tomorrow and make more concrete plans, but you will stay at our place tonight. That’s not up for discussion.” Robby growls. Jack already knows he and Robby won’t be letting the kid leave; he’s theirs after all.
“You got everything, kid?” Jack asks, looking over the room quickly. The kid had successfully shoved everything into his duffel bag and backpack, it looked like.
“Umm, yeah, but-”
“Let’s go then. It’s been a long day, and I don’t know about you two, but I need a shower, food, and some sleep.” Jack grabs Dennis’s duffel and slings it over his shoulder. Robby grabs Dennis’s backpack and takes Dennis’s hand in his gently. Jack walks over to Dennis's other side and slips his hand into Dennis’s as they exit the room.
“Are you guys sure-” Dennis starts to ask on the way downstairs.
“We’re sure.” They reply at the same time, sharing a smirk.
---
Mel and Frank
Mel POV
Mel had just met Morgan, Trish’s daughter. Thank God for Lupe; she was wonderful for working with Kiara to identify the patients and reunite them with their families. Dr Robby was pretty great too for allowing them to start bringing the patients’ families back as it settled down. Mel was smiling as she walked into Trish’s room, “Hey Trish, I have someone here to see you,” Mel says before waving Morgan in.
“Oh, Morgan!” Trish cries, finally seeming to come out of her fog a little.
“Mom, oh, I’m so glad you’re ok, I was scared. I mean dad…” the girl trails off, probably not wanting to venture down that train of thought right now.
“I’ll give you two some privacy, please just press the call button if you need anything,” Mel instructs kindly before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her. She can’t help it; the second she closes the door, she feels the tears well up in her eyes. Dammit, she did not want to cry at work; she was a doctor, and no one wants to see their doctor cry. She tries to wipe the tears away, but they keep slipping out, suddenly she feels a large, warm hand on her shoulder, and her body feels like it’s buzzing, like she’d been zapped by an electrical socket.
“Mel?” A familiar voice asks. She turns to see Dr Langdon, with his perfect hair and gorgeous eyes. He quickly guides her out of the hallway and into the empty lounge by her shoulders.
“I’m sorry Dr Langdon, it won’t happen again?” Mel snaps back into work mode by habit.
“What are you sorry for?” He asks, tilting his head. He kinda looks like a puppy when he does that.
“I’m sorry for crying, I know it’s not professional, but I just-my patient and her daughter…” Mel stumbles awkwardly, hands rubbing together.
“Mel, it’s ok, I just wanted to see if you were ok, but didn’t you feel it?” He asks her, expression puzzled.
“Feel what? Oh, the zap, yeah, I kind of already figured we might be, well ya know,” she mutters, cheeks blushing a bit.
“Oh yeah?” Frank asks, a cocky smirk appearing on his face. “Why’s that?”
“Well, umm, I feel really comfortable with you. I have pretty much all day, and that’s not normal for me. It usually takes me a while to get comfortable with new people. And you-umm you smell really good,” Mel admits
“You smell really good too,” he says with a smirk, placing a hand on her cheek. Mel takes a deep breath before popping up on her toes to meet Frank’s lips. He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her closer to him, deepening the kiss. They pull apart a while later for air.
“I-umm-I have to pick up Becca. But you could, umm, you could come with. After she goes to bed, maybe we could talk about today or us or whatever you want. Or if you just want to go to your own place, I totally understand. You could have my bed, and I can take the couch. Becca refuses to share a bed.”
“We could share the bed,” Frank suggests with a smirk.
“Yeah, I-I guess we could,” Mel agrees, a smile spreading across her face. She sometimes got a little horny when she got stressed, and she finally met her bondmate. She’s an adult; she can do whatever and whoever she wants.
“Only if you want to, I’d be happy to sleep on the floor,” he says earnestly.
“No,” she responds a little too quickly; she winces at her own eagerness.
“Let’s go get out our scrubs and grab our stuff. Did you drive here?” He asks
“No, I took an Uber,” Mel says, “I was just gonna Uber to Becca’s and then walk home from there, that’s what I usually do.” Frank lets out a low grumble deep in his chest, his Alpha clearly not liking the idea of his Omega walking around at night with only her sister as protection.
“I’ll give you a ride home, but first, everyone’s meeting up over at the park for a drink. We do it after hard shifts, and today was, umm, today was hard.” Frank says.
“That sounds great, I’d love to.” Mel agrees, nodding enthusiastically. Frank chuckles at her excitement and wraps an arm around her shoulder. Together, they walk to the locker room; luckily, they aren’t very far. They unlock their lockers; coincidentally, they are right next to each other, and grab their bags. Frank pulls off his scrub top and pulls a zip-up hoodie over his undershirt. He wraps his arm around Mel again, and they walk out of the locker room together, heading to the park.
---
Samira and Santos
Samira POV
Samira was practically buzzing with energy; she felt like she could work for a week straight and not get tired. She’d been running around helping transport and monitor all the critical patients, but that was finally done, and she was desperately looking for something to do. Dr Ellis recognized the adrenaline rush for what it was and told Samira to take a break and go home to rest. But Samira didn’t want to rest; she wanted to be useful.
She takes an initial history on a girl who got a fork shoved up her nose after stealing some of her brother’s takeout. Unfortunately Dr Ellis catches her and orders her to go home. Part of her thinks Dr Ellis just wanted the case for herself.
Samira starts to feel a little shaky, and she’s a little sweaty, so she ducks into the bathroom to splash her face with some water. It doesn’t seem to do anything to help; her whole body is shaking a little bit now. Adrenaline crash. Her brain supplies, she feels like she’s about to start sobbing; everything she saw finally catches up with her. So many injured and dying people, and the blood, the ED was practically bathed in it that day. She’d never seen anything quite like it. Why would someone do this? How can someone do this?
The bathroom door opens, and Trinity Santos slips inside, looking a bit shaken herself.
“Hey, are you ok? Dr Mohan?” She asks the second she registers, Samira is crying.
“What? Oh yeah, sorry, I’m fine. I think my adrenaline is just crashing. It was a day,” Samira chokes out, trying to force a smile onto her face.
“Hey, it’s ok, let it out, you’re allowed to feel things Dr Mohan. It wasn’t an easy day for anyone, and you were in the red zone with Robby and Abbot. I can’t imagine the things you were seeing. As cool as some of the procedures we got to do are, what happened to those people is horrific; their lives are changed forever, our lives are changed forever. No one should have to see that much pain and blood and death. But we did, and we made it out the other side, so feel your feelings,” Santos says kindly. She reaches out both her hands and takes each of Samira’s hands in hers. Suddenly, Samira feels a zap jolt through her body, emanating from her hands where they rested in Trinity’s.
“Holy shit,” Trinity gasps.
“Agreed,” Samira exhales.
“Well, I must have been a saint in a past life to have scored you as a soulmate,” Trinity jokes with a smile.
“I think you are putting me on way too high a pedestal. I am called Slo-Mo after all. And I still have a ton to learn,” Samira argues, cheeks flushed.
“You are an incredible doctor, you're brave and smart and fucking gorgeous, God, when you drilled that Burr Hole into Ganja Grayson, I wanted to jump you then and there,” Trinity says boldly.
“You’re not so bad yourself. You did a REBOA solo on your first day as an intern. And succeeded, shit Dr Abbot even said you crushed it and saved her life. You were right about the hyponatremia in the MDMA overdose. You didn’t let Langdon’s verbal harassment get to you; you kept your head and focused on the patient. Your smart, you have great instincts for emergency medicine, and you are pretty fucking hot too,” Samira confesses. Trinity meets her heated gaze, and the next thing she knows, their lips are smashed together, and she’s never felt anything like this before from a kiss. She feels like her body’s on fire, but in a good way, and she feels so content, especially considering the breakdown she was moments away from before Trinity took her hands. They break apart for air and are both flushed; they share a smile.
“How about we grab our stuff and head out?” Samira asks, and Trinity nods in agreement.
“You can crash at my place if you want, it’s only two blocks from the hospital.” Samira offers, Trinity’s cheeks redden slightly, but she’s nodding before she’s even considered the implications of crashing at her soulmates. She certainly doesn’t regret it, though.
“According to the ED group chat, a bunch of people are meeting in the park for a beer before going home. You wanna go?” Samira asks after checking her phone on the walk to the locker room.
“Sure, sounds good,” Trinity agrees as they walk through the door to the locker room.
“Cool,” Samira smiles, clearly hoping Trinity would agree. They grab their bags from their lockers and intertwine their hands as they walk out of the locker room. Entirely ready for this shift to be over.
---
Victoria and Cassie
Cassie POV
“Javadi, you good?” Cassie asks her med student as she walks into the locker room. Javadi is sitting on the wooden bench, facing her locker, just staring off into space.
“Huh? Oh yeah, I’m totally fine, no worries,” she rushes to brush off the concern.
“Hey, it’s not normal, what happened today. But you did an incredible job. You stood up to your mom, and you handled everything that was thrown at you. You were ready to find solutions instead of complaining about problems. You’re really good at emergency medicine. You think well on your feet,” Cassie says. She wraps an arm around Victoria’s shoulder, and then she feels it. The zap. Like a lightning bolt of affection zinging through her body. Javadi was her mate. The cute little med student who followed her around like a puppy all day.
“Well, wow,” Cassie breathes out in shock.
“Holy crap,” Victoria gasps. “I’m glad it’s you, you're the first person to really see me.” Cassie tilts her head, confused.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re the first person to encourage me to stand up for myself with my mom. To have confidence in my own abilities. You got me out of that appy case the second you noticed I was uncomfortable. You understood exactly why I yelled at that dad, you talked to me about it, instead of scolding me. You listen,” Victoria explains, cheeks rosy.
“You're amazing, Victoria, you thrive in the chaos, and you saved so many lives today. And you were great with Harrison. You have no idea what that means to me. I know it must be a little intimidating having a soulmate with a child, but for what it’s worth, he really loved you. He likes it when people talk to him like an equal, and you do that, you listen to him too. He couldn’t stop raving about the ultrasound you gave him. He thinks you're like the coolest person ever, definitely cooler than me,” Cassie teases.
“He’s a great kid. I’d love to spend more time with him. With your permission, of course.” Victoria replies. She opens her locker and pulls out her backpack.
“I think we’d all like that,” Cassie nods. She stands up to get her things from her locker as well. Cassie checks her phone and sees a text from Langdon.
“Hey, looks like everyone’s meeting up in the park across the street for a drink before heading home, wanna come?” Cassie asks, and Victoria looks down at the ground, avoiding eye contact.
“I’m not old enough to drink yet,” Victoria reminds her.
“No one’s gonna nark on you, after today, the least you deserve is a beer. Plus, you’re almost 21 anyway.” Cassie assures her. Victoria hesitates for a moment before nodding in agreement.
“Yay!” Cassie cheers, giving Victoria a bear hug. “Alright, let’s go!” Cassie exclaims when they part. Victoria follows her out of the locker room. What a day…
---
10:00 PM
Dennis POV
“Hey, Langdon just texted, everyone’s meeting in the park for a drink, wanna go?” Robby asks Dennis and Jack.
“I’m game, how about you, Salt-N-Peppa?” Jack asks Dennis with a chuckle.
“You aren’t going to let that go, are you?” Dennis says with a groan.
“You’re cute,” Jack teases, smirking.
“Isn’t it a little old school for you?” Robby asks curiously.
“It’s my moms’ and aunt's favorite. It was what they used to listen to as a team, before the plane crash,” Dennis mutters the last part. So much for not starting with the trauma dump…
“Plane crash?” Jack and Robby ask at the same time, making Dennis giggle.
“Uh, yeah, did you guys ever hear about the Wiskayok Yellowjackets? They were a girls’ soccer team from New Jersey, basically they got a private jet from one of the rich parents to take them to Nationals. The pilots went off route to try to avoid a storm system, but they still ended up caught in the middle. They never really figured out why the plane went down, but it did. My moms were both on the plane and survived 19 months in the Wilderness. So did my Aunts. That’s the cliff notes version anyway, sorry for the trauma dump,” Dennis apologizes.
“Hey, it’s ok, we want to know everything about you, sweetheart. We’re here to listen whenever you’re ready to share or want to talk about it.” Robby assures him.
“You game for drinks in the park?” Jack asks, changing the topic. Dennis flashes him a grateful smile.
“Yeah, it sounds nice,” Dennis agrees with a nod. The three of them walk side by side, with Dennis between Jack and Robby. They arrive at the park last, and everyone else gathered around. And paired up it seems. Victoria is cuddled up by McKay on a bench. Frank has an arm wrapped around Mel. And Samira and Trinity are holding hands.
“Well, well, well, look who’s decided to join us,” Dana teases. Donnie stands up and tosses a beer to each of them.
“What’s going on here?” Dennis asks, gesturing to the three new couples.
“Turns out you aren’t the only one who found your soulmates in the ED,” Trinity replies, bringing Samira’s hand up so she can kiss the back of it.
“Damn, Gloria’s gonna be pissed about all this paperwork,” Jack snarks. The group shares a chuckle at that.
“What’s with the luggage, Huckleberry?” Trinity asks him in a hushed tone.
“Oh, umm, my roommate brought me a bag earlier. I’m spending the night at Jack and Robby’s. They don’t really want to be apart tonight.” He bullshits his way through the answer.
“Fair enough, I’m crashing at Samira’s tonight. When do you work next?” She asks.
“Thursday, you?”
“Same, same for Samira too.” She responds. Dennis nods before letting out an embarrassingly loud yawn.
“Alright, I think that’s our cue,” Robby says. Jack agrees, and the three of them head over to the truck, which Jack had driven over so they wouldn’t have to go all the way back to the parking garage.
“Thanks for letting me stay with you,” Dennis says once they’re all seated and buckled in the car.
“You never need to thank us for taking care of you, sweetheart,” Robby reassures him. Dennis just nods, not really agreeing but also being too exhausted to argue. Dennis lets the movement of the truck and the soft rock music playing on the radio lull him into a light sleep. He’s safe, he’s with his mates.
Notes:
Changed the Chaka Khan song to Shoop by Salt-N-Pepper as a Yellowjackets reference (Pilot Episode Locker Room).
Chapter 3: Chapter 2 ~ Quality Time
Chapter Text
---
11:00 PM
Robby POV
“Dennis,” Jack whispers, standing on the running boards of the truck, leaning in to shake Dennis’s shoulder softly.
“He’s exhausted,” Robby observes.
“Aren’t we all?” Jack snarks. “Dennis?” He calls a little louder, which seems to do the trick. The med student flinches at the fluorescent lights in the parking garage.
“Where are we?” He asks, voice still groggy with sleep.
“We’re in the parking garage of our apartment. Think you can make it to the elevator?” Jack asks. Dennis nods and unbuckles himself before climbing out after Jack. Robby’s got his duffel, and Jack has his backpack. Jack shuts the door and locks up the truck. Together, they walk over to the elevator room, Robby holding the door open for Dennis and Jack, who press the elevator call button. It opens almost instantly, and they step in one at a time. Once everyone’s in, Robby hits the button for the penthouse and inputs a code.
The ride up is quick and quiet, the three men too exhausted to talk much. The elevator dings, and they step out into a hallway before approaching the only door on the floor. Jack slips a key in and unlocks the door, then holds it open for Robby and Dennis. Once everyone’s inside, Jack lets the door close on its own.
“Welcome to our home sweet home,” Jackie jokes. Dennis can’t help but glance around the massive apartment.
“Wow, you guys have a really nice place,” Dennis mutters, looking around the living room and kitchen areas. It’s an open-concept space, with gorgeous brick walls and a stunning kitchen. Deep, rich wooden cabinets, a butcher’s block island, a massive stove, and all of the appliances Dennis had dreamed of having. As a kid, he always helped his mama make food for everyone; it became his love language. All of the effort and love that went into preparing a wonderful meal for the people he values most in the world. This was the kitchen of his dreams; it reminded him a bit of the big kitchen they had back home in the ranch house. Dennis was practically salivating as his eyes roved over the stainless steel appliances.
“You ok, kid?” Dr Robby asks, waving a hand in front of Dennis’s face.
“Huh?” Dennis asks stupidly. Jack’s chuckle snaps him out of his daze. “Oh yeah, I’m fine, sorry, probably just tired. This kitchen is amazing. Do you guys cook a lot?”
“Not much, we mainly live off take-out. Sometimes one of us will cook on our days off, but that’s about it,” Robby answers, setting down Dennis’s duffel beside the sofa. Robby stretches quickly before collapsing on the sectional beside Jack.
“Feel free to put it to use,” Jack calls from the sofa, Dennis’s backpack resting by his feet on the floor. “For tonight, how about take-out? We’ve all had a long day, we can shower while we wait, and then we can talk about how you ended up living in an empty hospital room.”
“Do we have to?” Dennis groans childishly. He knows he’s acting like a little kid, but he’s too exhausted to care. Jack and Robby just share a soft smile as they watch their Omega flop onto the sofa.
“Yes, we do, but first shower, then food. We have a guest room with its own bathroom across from our bedroom. You can sleep in there tonight. You can put your stuff down in there and settle in, c’mon,” Robby grabs Dennis’s duffel and motions for Dennis to follow him down the hallway. Dennis gives a small huff but slowly stands up from the couch and grabs his backpack before following Robby.
“If you need anything, just ask, please. There are towels, soap, shampoo, and that kind of thing under the sink. There are extra blankets in the dresser if you need them. Any requests for dinner? Any dietary requirements or allergies?” Robby asks as he shows Dennis the room and the attached bathroom.
“Uh, no, I’m pretty easy. As long as it’s food, I’ll eat it. My moms didn’t raise me to be picky.” Dennis grins, thinking about them.
“Chinese ok?”
“Yeah, sounds great.”
“Alright, settle in, get a shower, I’m gonna go tell Jack to put in the order and get a shower myself. Anything I can get you right now?”
“I’m fine, Robby. Don’t worry.” Dennis gives him a soft smile that puts Robby a bit more at ease.
“Ok, let us know if you need anything. Food should be here in less than an hour.” Robby gives Dennis’s shoulder a quick squeeze before slipping out of the room and closing the door behind him.
---
Jack POV
“He all settled?” Jack asks as Robby appears from the hallway.
“Getting there. Chinese sound ok?” Robby wraps an arm around Jack’s shoulder as he presses a soft kiss to his forehead.
“Usual place? Sounds good to me.”
“Get a bit of everything. Not sure what he likes. I’m gonna hop in the shower if that’s ok?”
“Please, you stink. I’ll get the order in and join you.” Jack responds with a flirty wink before picking up his phone to place the order.
---
12:00 AM
Dennis POV
“Food’s here!” Jack calls down the hall. Dennis quickly scrambles off the bed to his feet and heads to the kitchen.
“Thank God, I’m starving,” Dennis says when he sees the dozen or so take-out containers on the island.
“You been getting enough to eat?” Robby asks cautiously, a little scared of the answer.
“Yeah, I’m fi-”
“Fine. Sure. C’mon, kid, grab some food and relax on the couch. We’ve been standing all fucking day.” Jack grumbles, taking his plate and settling himself on the sofa. Robby joins him quickly, and Dennis decides he really doesn’t have the energy to stand around much longer, so he grabs a little of everything and quickly joins them on the sofa.
“So, you call your moms back yet?” Jack asks, trying to ease them into conversation.
“No, I uh, I texted my cousins and told them I was fine but just really tired. My moms require more energy than I have right now.” Dennis confesses, running a hand down his face.
“Speaking of your moms, did they know about your-housing situation?” Jack can’t stop himself from asking.
“No. They would have lost their minds and moved here to keep an eye on me. They thought I was still living on campus. My housing scholarship fell through at the last minute, and I had just started my internal medicine rotation and heard about the empty wing, and well, I guess you know the rest,” Dennis shrugged, face flushing crimson. “It was just supposed to be temporary, but I haven’t been able to find anything I can afford that isn’t a drug den or infested with something. I didn’t want to tell my moms because then they’d think I can’t take care of myself. And then they’d try to convince me to move home or move out here themselves. They’re really overprotective.”
“I kind of figured that when I spoke with them earlier, which seems fair considering they were in a literal plane crash,” Jack observes.
“What are they like, other than overprotective?” Robby asks curiously, and Dennis visibly stiffens at the question. Robby’s quick to backtrack, “You don’t have to tell us if you aren’t comfortable,” he assures Dennis. Dennis shakes his head.
“Honestly, I should probably tell sooner rather than later anyway; it’ll be better if you hear it from me,” Dennis admits, taking a deep breath. “Alright, so the Yellowjackets. My moms are Shauna and Jackie; they grew up in Waskayok, New Jersey. They have been best friends since preschool, along with most of their soccer team. In 1996, when my moms were seniors in high school, the Yellowjackets won state and were set to play at Nationals. My Aunt Lottie’s dad decided to charter a private plane to take them out to Seattle for Nationals. There were some storms on the flight path, so the pilots decided to take them up through Canada to try to avoid them. It didn’t work. We never found out for sure what caused it; the black box was never found, and the flight recorder had been smashed, which is a story for another time. The pilots and the flight attendant died on impact. The head coach, Coach Martinez, my Uncle Travis’s dad, died too. He’d gotten up to help some of the girls put on their masks, and he got sucked out of the side when the door lock blew. They found him after the crash; he was, umm, impaled on a tree,” Dennis explains, taking a breath.
“Were there any other adults? Or was it just the kids?” Robby asks softly.
“Oh yeah, my Uncle Ben was out there too. But he wasn’t exactly in the best condition to lead a bunch of teenagers through living in the Wilderness.”
“What do you mean?” Jack questions with an eyebrow raised.
“Umm, my Aunt Misty had taken first aid a few times, she didn’t really have a lot of friends. She was the team manager. Anyway, it was a bad crash, a couple of the girls died too, my Uncle Ben, when they found him, one of the wings had landed on his leg. The girls tried to shove it off of him, but there was no way they could move that thing. My Aunt Misty was able to get a visual of the injury, though, and she knew, she knew he couldn’t keep the leg and live. She didn’t want to argue about it, so she found the ax from the plane, and while everyone else was at the fire she-she amputated his leg. Below the knee, good clean cut, she had a tourniquet ready and managed to keep it from getting infected. He’s still alive; he lives just down the street from where I grew up. But things got pretty dark for a while with him. He had some pretty intense trauma from it. He wasn’t even able to help when my mama went into labor-”
“Wait, how long were they out there?” Robby interjects.
“Oh, we were out there for 19 months total. Two winters.”
“What do you mean ‘we’?” Jack clarifies.
“I was born out there. During the first winter. My mama didn’t know she was pregnant until the rest of the girls got their periods. At first, my mama tried to perform her own abortion, with the underwire from her bra, but she couldn’t do it; it hurt too much.”
“Why did she try to do that?” Robby asks, confused.
“She thought I could be my mom, Jackie’s boyfriend’s. My mama had been sleeping with him before they left. She and my mom had some major drama happening during that time. When my mom caught her trying to end the pregnancy, my mama confessed everything. Then my mom told her it didn’t matter if Jeff was my dad, that I was her and Mama’s baby. That no matter what, they were gonna be the ones who took care of me. And they did.”
“Jesus, kid.” Robby sighs. “That’s a lot. No wonder they're so overprotective of you.”
“I know. I get it, I really do, but they’ve never trusted me to make my own choices.”
“Well, kid, in their defence, you were squatting in an empty hospital room,” Jack states candidly, pairing it with a gentle smile and hand on his shoulder to ease his point.
“Speaking of that, no one needs to know. You’ll stay here with us. If your moms ask, just tell them you’d rather stay at your Alphas’ place; we’re a 15-minute walk to the hospital. And we have a killer kitchen. Much better than med school housing.” Robby states, tone brokering, no room for an argument from Dennis on where he would be residing from now on.
“And if they give you shit for moving in with us so soon, blame us. Tell them we’re old school, overprotective Alphas who want you close by. Especially after a shift like today. I don’t know how I would even hope to sleep tonight if you weren’t under our roof.” Jack offers, placing a gentle kiss on Dennis’s temple, somehow both he and Robby had made their way over to sit on either side of Dennis on the sofa without him realizing, so focused on processing what they were saying.
“Wait, you like actually want me to move in? Like, not just for tonight?” Dennis asks suddenly after his brain catches up with his ears.
“Well, yeah,” Jack says with a “well, obviously” tone.
“You don’t have to stay here if you feel uncomfortable, but we would prefer to have you in the same apartment as us, and hopefully one day our bed, but if this feels like it’s too much-”
“I’d love to.” Dennis cuts Robby off quicker than he meant to, “Only if you both really want me to, though?” Dennis asks, shifting to face both men head-on.
“Absolutely,” Robby promises, giving Dennis’s hand a gentle squeeze.
“Without a doubt,” Jack states, taking Dennis’s other hand.
“Thank you,” Dennis says, eyes getting moister than he’d like.
“You never have to thank us for taking care of you,” Robby replies firmly.
“We take care of each other,” Dennis counters. He wanted to take care of his alphas just as much as they wanted to take care of him and each other.
“We take care of each other,” Robby concedes, giving Dennis a soft look.
“Speaking of taking care of each other, I think there’s something else we should talk about tonight, well, a couple of things, but I’ll start. Dennis, I’m sure you figured out after today that I was a combat doctor in the military. I lost part of my leg, sounds like your Uncle Ben, and I share a similar type of amputation,” Jack explains before rolling up his pajama pants and slipping off his prosthetic.
“I kinda figured from the crutches, I hope you had someone more experienced than a 18 year old girl to operate on you,” Dennis teases gently, getting a chuckle from Jack and a smirk from Robby.
“Well, we got tomorrow and Wednesday off before we have to report back to work. What a fucking day we had…” Jack trails off.
“Shit!” Robby exclaims, with a chuckle, a wide smirk covering his face. “I forgot, it was your first day, kid. Jesus, what a welcome.”
“That’s baptism by fire, baby,” Jack agrees.
“It was definitely an interesting first day. Never how I expected it to go, how are you doing with it?” Dennis asks softly, glancing up at Robby through his eyelashes.
“I’m fine, kid, don’t worry about me,” Robby claims, reaching a hand out to cup Dennis’s cheek. Dennis can’t help nuzzling into Robby’s palm.
“Don’t lie to him,” Jack growls in a steely voice.
“Jack-”
“You were on the fucking roof-”
“So were you this morning.” Robby retorts defensively. Dennis glances back and forth between the two before taking a deep breath and wrapping an arm around both men. Feeling brave right now, and seeing both men distracted, Dennis can’t fight the impulse to give each of them a kiss on the cheek.
“Clearly, you two need me,” Dennis teases. Robby and Jack suddenly straighten up and share an anxious look. “Wait, was-were you on the roof because of me?” He asks in disbelief.
“Not the only reason…” Jack grumbles, eyes on the floor to avoid Dennis’s critical gaze.
“Ok, Jack, you go first, then Robby. I need the full story from both of you,” Dennis demands with an air of authority one usually attributed to an Alpha.
“I had a vet come in last night. He was 39, survived 3 tours, and came back home to settle down. His mates were with him, an Alpha and Omega; the Omega was pregnant. They had only found their Omega a year ago. Dennis, you have to understand, we’ve been looking for you for damn near 30 years, our whole lives if we’re honest, it wasn’t always easy to keep the faith…” Jack trails off, cracking his knuckles anxiously. Dennis moves to the ottoman to face Jack (and Robby) head-on and places both of his hands gently on top of Jack’s hands. Jack’s eyes meet Dennis’s.
“I understand, Jack. I absolutely understand feeling hopeless. But I’m glad you finally found me. I’ve wanted to meet you two ever since I can remember. All I saw growing up was happy mates. And they pretty much all met their mates in high school, except my Uncle Ben. Even my younger cousins found their mates before me, most by the time they were halfway through undergrad. I know it’s not the same thing as waiting as long as you guys. Especially with what you see every day, I mean, seeing people get hurt for no reason must be tough. And I’m sure if I hadn’t met you guys, I would have definitely been worrying about whether something like that had happened to you, or would happen to you, before I could meet you. But you don’t need to think about that anymore, I’m right here.” Dennis promises, moving one of Jack’s hands to his chest, right over his heart.
“Does that mean you’ll move in permanently?” Jack asks, voice serious.
“I don’t want to be a burde-” Dennis begins, letting go of Jack’s hand, causing him to pout.
“Do not finish that sentence.” Robby cuts him off with a growl.
“He’s right. Please don’t finish that sentence,” Jack agrees immediately.
“But I don’t want to move in with you guys just cause you feel sorry for me. Oh, poor Omega Whitaker, he doesn’t have anywhere to live. I don’t want our relationship to start so unbalanced.” Dennis explains softly, voice barely above a whisper. Jack and Robby’s faces fall instantly.
“Sweetheart, that’s not what this is,” Jack clarifies.
“Dennis, you saw me in Peds. You helped me. You kept it between us. You were exactly what I needed at that moment. I broke, and you helped put me back together. You’re what got both of us off that roof today. For Jack, it was just the thought of you that was enough to keep him going. And as soon as Jack mentioned you tonight, all I could think about was making sure you were ok after that shit show of a shift. If you weren’t here tonight, I don’t think Jack and I would sleep. We like having you close by, especially after all this time. Besides, with as much as we work, we’d hardly see each other if we didn’t live together. Honestly, Jack and I are the ones being greedy. We get to have the best med student at PTMC, who just so happens to be our Omega, living with us.” Robby reasons, taking one of Dennis's hands in between both of his.
“Exactly, it’s selfish of us really.” Jack agrees immediately. He gently takes Dennis’s free hand and intertwines their fingers.
“Honestly, that’s a fair point about how much I’ll be working. I guess it makes sense, and it’s not like I have a lease to get out of,” He jokes dryly. “Yeah, I’ll move in.” Robby and Jack’s faces broke out into massive smiles at his agreement.
“But, I did want to talk about what happened in Peds more,” Dennis says.
“What’s there to talk about? I broke. Everyone needed me. The patients needed me. Fuck, you both needed me, and I fucking broke.” Robby argues, eyes glistening.
“You didn’t break. You had a moment. A human moment because you are human.” Dennis insists. “I needed one after Mr. Milton; we all needed one after the little girl who drowned. It’s not a bad thing. It means you still care.”
“He’s right, babe,” Jack agrees softly, rubbing a hand up and down Robby’s back.
“It was the Omega, the one that got shot at PittFest, she just met her fucking Alpha. She was so young, and sh-she reminded me of you, Dennis. I couldn’t help it. Every time I looked at her, I felt like it was you on my table, not-” Robby takes a shuddering breath, “not fucking breathing. You with a bullet torn through your heart, and I couldn’t fucking save you. I couldn’t save her. Or any of the other countless patients I’ve lost. I couldn’t save Adamson, I just felt so fucking useless.” Robby finishes, and a few tears have spilled out, but he swipes them away the second he feels them.
“You did everything you could. And sometimes it’s not enough. But that doesn’t make it your fault. Bad things happen; all you can control is what you do when the bad things happen. You saved so many more lives than you lost today. It doesn’t erase the losses, but it helps balance them.” Dennis consoles softly. “Finding balance, right?” He asks with a gentle chuckle.
“Are you seriously quoting me to me right now?” Robby asks, eyes crinkling as the corners of his mouth tilt up in a smile.
“Is it working?” Dennis questions hopefully.
“It is right now. I’m exhausted,” Robby confesses.
“Me too.” Jack agrees, running a hand through his graying curls.
“Me three. Time for bed, we can sleep in tomorrow, right?” Dennis checks anxiously.
“Yeah, we all have off tomorrow, or today rather, and Wednesday. Sleep in as late as you like, sweetheart,” Robby says, stretching as he stands up. Jack and Dennis quickly follow his lead before the three head towards the hallway.
“If you need anything, please just come get us,” Jack half pleads with Dennis, knowing there is little to no chance of that actually happening, regardless of what Dennis says.
“I’ll be fine,” Dennis insists. Seeing the look on their face at this response, Dennis quickly replies, “Ok, yes, if I need something, I will come get you.” He can tell from their expressions that they don’t really believe him, but they aren’t going to push it tonight. They’re all way too tired.
“Ok, night, sweetheart,” Robby says with a quick kiss to Dennis's temple before he continues down the hallway to his and Jack’s room.
“Night, kid, I mean it about getting us. I don’t care if you have a hang nail, stub your toe, or whatever; if you need us, come get us.” Jack states firmly, tone brokering no room for argument. Not that Dennis really had the strength or energy to argue right now. After Dennis nods in agreement, Jack envelops him in a strong bear hug and presses a gentle kiss to his cheek. Dennis snuggles in for a few moments before they mutually part, desperate for sleep.
“Goodnight, Jack. See you in the morning,” Dennis mutters before slipping into the guest room.
---
9:00 AM - Tuesday
Dennis POV
Dennis wakes up slowly, which is strange for him; usually, he’s shooting out of bed like a lightning bolt. It takes him a minute to remember where he is; he’s used to waking up in a small, cramped bed with scratchy hospital sheets. But today, he’s sprawled out on a comfy King-sized bed, with the softest sheets Dennis has ever felt in his life. He feels like he could stay here forever, but then he remembers whose apartment he’s in and his Omega lets out a small purr of contentment, knowing he’s safe in his Alphas’ home. His Omega is practically buzzing with excitement, urging him to get out of bed and go find his Alphas. Dennis hesitates for a moment, not wanting to intrude on Jack and Robby’s time together. Especially after yesterday. He might be a part of this relationship now, but for twenty-plus years, it’s just been the two of them. He can only imagine the history between them, especially if his moms and aunts’ relationships were anything to go by. Before he can decide to stay in bed or go find his Alphas, he hears a gentle knock on his door.
“Come in,” he responded reflexively. The door opens slowly, and he sees both Jack and Robby look in hesitantly.
“Hey, you’re awake, morning kid,” Jack greets with a smile.
“Hungry?” Robby asks, hands on his hips.
“Yeah, actually, I’m starving,” Dennis admits, sitting up and leaning against the pillows. He stretches his arms above his head and cracks his neck. “What time is it?” He asks with a yawn.
“It’s around 9:00 AM. You can always take a nap later, but why don’t we get some food into you?” Jack suggests.
“Yeah, I need to call my moms anyway, but I need some food before I talk to them. I always need extra energy to talk to them.” Dennis explains, hopping out of bed and padding out of the room, following Robby and Jack into the kitchen.
“We have some fruit in the fridge, yogurt, that kind of thing. I was gonna make some French toast if that’s ok, and bacon?” Robby checks with Dennis, who nods enthusiastically.
“I love French toast,” Dennis shares with a smile.
“How’d you sleep?” Jack asks as Robby starts grabbing the supplies for French toast. Jack grabs a cup of coffee and sits down at the island, watching Robby flit around the kitchen with a soft smile on his face. Dennis pulls out a stool from beside Jack and takes a seat as well.
“Great, actually, I haven’t slept that well since, well, since I was back home with my moms,” Dennis admits, flush creeping onto his cheeks.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Jack says with a smirk.
“So, umm, I can see if any of the others have room for a roommate-” Dennis starts, but he stops when he sees the way their heads snap in his direction.
“What?” Dennis asks, confused, they’re looking at him like he kicked a puppy.
“Why?” Robby asks, a frown marring his handsome face.
“Well, I just, I wanted to offer, I don’t want you guys to feel like you have to take me in-” Jack holds up a hand, silently cutting Dennis off.
“Didn’t we talk about this last night?”
“Well, yeah, but it was a long day yesterday. And sometimes it’s different when the person is actually there-”
“Did we make you uncomfortable in some way?” Robby asks, looking up from his cooking.
“No, absolutely not. I just, I’ve never moved in with someone before. I don’t want to force myself on you guys,” Dennis tries to explain. He wants to stay here; he finally feels like he has a home again with these two men. But he is terrified they’re only taking him in out of some misplaced Alpha-duty thing.
“You are not forcing yourself on us,” Robby assures him with a stern look.
“He’s right, remember we told you last night, we’ve been waiting for you for a long time. This guy gets really boring on his own. We need someone around here to spice things up,” Jack teases with a flirty smile.
“Are you guys sure?” Dennis asks, still anxious. He doesn’t want to ruin things with his mates by going too fast.
“Dennis, we are sure. I don’t want to have this conversation every day. We want you here, understood?” Robby asks.
“Yes, sir,” Dennis agrees, causing both Robby and Jack to groan and share a smirk.
“You're killing us, kid,” Jack teases as Robby turns back to finish up breakfast.
“Huh?” Dennis asks, slightly confused. He’d just agreed with them.
“Nevermind, what do you want to do today?” Jack asks Dennis as he takes a sip of his coffee.
“Honestly, I kinda just want to be lazy today after yesterday,” Dennis admits shyly.
“Really? Ok, we can work with that, just chill out, any favorite movies or shows?” Jack asks.
“Can we watch Ghosts?” Dennis asks excitedly. It’d become his comfort show during med school; he loved found family tropes. Hell, his whole family was basically a found family trope.
“No idea what that is, but sure,” Jack agrees instantly.
“Breakfast is served!” Robby announces, plating up food for Dennis, Jack, and himself. He hands Dennis his plate first, then Jack’s, and then he joins them at the island, seating himself on Dennis’s other side. They eat in comfortable silence. Dennis feels content having a lazy day with his Alphas. But he’s not exactly eager to call his moms; he knows they're gonna demand information about his mates, probably even ask to talk to them, so Dennis takes his time eating.
He procrastinates as long as he can, but finally, he gets up and starts loading his dishes into the dishwasher. Once his are loaded, he grabs Jack and Robby’s and puts them in there too; he doesn’t even realize what he’s doing until Robby speaks, “You don’t have to do that, sweetheart, we can get it.”
“No, you cooked, I can clean. Honestly, it’s kind of nice to be able to do dishes after living out of a hospital room for months,” Dennis admits. Jack shakes his head and smirks, while Robby just huffs in exasperation.
“You want to call your moms now or later?” Robby asks, walking towards the sofa and sitting down.
“I want to get it over with, otherwise I’ll be thinking about it all day. Plus, if I keep them waiting much longer, they might decide to drive themselves out here to check on me in person,” Dennis explains, earning chuckles from both Robby and Jack. They thought he was joking. Just wait until the day they finally meet Shauna and Jackie Whitaker, then they’ll realize how honest Dennis actually was with them.
Dennis pulls his phone out of his pocket and pulls up his mom’s contact information. He takes a deep breath before hitting the call button. It only rings twice before his mom picks up.
“Dennis? Are you ok? Why didn’t you call us last night?”
“Mom, I’m fine, honestly. I was just really fucking tired last night. By the time we got back to the apartment, I was ready to pass out,” Dennis hisses as soon as he catches his slip up, but knows he’ll have no choice but to power through. Plus, they were gonna find out sooner or later, better to just rip off the band-aid, right?
“What do you mean by 'we’? Are you living with a roommate now?” Jackie asks, in the background, he hears his mama bustling around the kitchen. “Is that Dennis? Put it on speaker, Jackie. I’d like to talk to our son, too, ya know,” Shauna scolds from the background. Jackie huffs but switches the phone to speaker.
“Hi, baby!” His mama greets him.
“Hey, mama. Back to your question mom, I spent the night at Robby and Jack’s place. None of us really felt like being away from each other after the shift we had yesterday.” Dennis explains, Jack and Robby tilt their heads at him, and Robby mouths All good? Dennis nods in reply.
“Are they pressuring you? You don’t need to speed through this relationship, sweetheart,” Shauna assures him.
“No one is pressuring anyone mama. Besides, they live way closer to the hospital, and it was late,” Dennis explains.
“So you’re not moving in with them?” Jackie asks for clarification.
“Umm, well, I’m not not moving in with them,” Dennis deflects.
“I’m switching to FaceTime, I want to talk to them. Dennis, how do I switch to FaceTime?” Jackie demands.
“I’ll do it, just a sec,” Dennis huffs. He looks over to Jack and Robby, “They want to talk to all three of us,” he warns. They both nod and pat the spot on the sofa in between them. Dennis moves to sit between before switching it over to FaceTime. His moms are sitting at their island in the kitchen of the ranch house. Seeing the home he grew up in gives him a zap of nostalgia.
“So these must be the Alphas strong-arming our boy into living with them after a day of knowing each other,” Jackie snarks with a scowl covering her face. Shauna gives Jackie a behave look, but it’s ignored.
“Mom, they aren’t strong-arming me into anything,” Dennis argues. Jackie gives him her typical bitch face.
“Then why are you moving in with them? You still have a year left of school. What about your dorm?” Dennis knows that Jack and Robby are fine with being thrown under the bus. But he doesn’t want his moms and Alphas to get off on the wrong foot. So he steels himself and decides to tell the truth.
“I wasn’t living in a dorm. I was staying at the hospital,” Dennis admits. Robby and Jack shoot him confused looks.
“What do you mean?” Shauna asks, with a puzzled expression.
“Why were you staying at the hospital?” Jackie questions, brow furrowed.
“My housing fell through a couple of months ago. I lost the scholarship,” Dennis confesses.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Shauna asks, face falling. Her doe eyes glimmer with unshed tears.
“We would have helped-”
“I know, I guess I just wanted to prove that I could make it on my own. Trust me, I get that it was stupid now. I was staying at the hospital until I could find an apartment, but all the apartments in my budget are either infested with something or drug hovels. So I just stayed in a room in the empty wing of the hospital, last night I got busted.” Dennis says with a chuckle.
“We were looking for him after the shift. We wanted to make sure he was ok, maybe give him a lift home,” Robby elaborates. “We followed his scent up to the eighth floor and found him dancing around to Salt-N-Peppa.”
“Well, at least he still has good taste in music,” Jackie snarks.
“We asked Dennis to stay with us. We weren’t going to leave our Omega homeless. Plus, it’s pretty boring around here. We could use some excitement around here.” Jack says.
“After the way he killed that rat yesterday, Dennis definitely qualifies as exciting,” Robby chuckles.
“The dog did most of the work, really, I just finished things,” Dennis argues, cheeks rosy.
“Ok, I get why you are living with them now, but if anything, and I mean anything, happens to my baby, I will end you,” Jackie vows.
“We will end you,” Shauna corrects her with a wicked smile.
“Understood. We just want what’s best for Dennis, even when he makes it difficult,” Jack agrees.
“Especially when he makes it difficult and puts himself in stupid situations,” Robby growls, wrapping a warm arm around Dennis. Dennis scowls a little but leans into Robby’s side.
“I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” Jackie states with a smirk covering her face.
“I agree, Dennis Whitaker protection squad,” Shauna chuckles.
Dennis feels his face get beet red, “I don’t need a protection squad. I can take care of myself.”
“But you don’t have to,” Robby assures him.
“You have people who care about you, it’s ok to lean on your people. Robby and I both leaned on you yesterday. You helped us get through something awful. Let us help you,” Jack pleads. Damnit, when they put it like that, he can’t really say no, can he?
“We’ll talk more later, remember you can call us anytime. Day or night, life is pretty boring here nowadays. Kaia, Aurora, and Javi are looking into colleges in Pittsburgh, by the way. Who knows, by this time next year, they might be out there hitting you up for free food.” Jackie says before signing off with a wave.
“Love you, baby,” Shauna says, blowing a kiss at him.
“Love you guys too. I’d love it if they came out here, even just for a visit. I miss them and you guys,” Dennis confesses. His moms give him soft smiles before hanging up.
“Alright, well that went better than I thought it would,” Dennis says with a relieved giggle.
“Ready to binge some sitcoms?” Jack asks with a smirk, and Dennis nods and cuddles into both of his Alphas. It's a good day.
---
nonperformativeclairofan on Chapter 1 Thu 08 Jan 2026 09:09AM UTC
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RikkiTikkiCathy on Chapter 3 Fri 09 Jan 2026 02:16AM UTC
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Claraedward01 on Chapter 3 Fri 09 Jan 2026 02:33AM UTC
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