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September, 2025. | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“…Starting with second-year resident Dr. Melissa King, fresh from the VA.” Announced Dr. Robby.
“Everyone calls me Mel. I'm so happy to be here.” She said, a gigantic smile on her face.
As the rest of the medical students introduced themselves, Mel tried not to get annoyed by Dr. Langdon’s eyes piercing holes in her back and focused on Mohan who smiled supportively at her.
She smiled back.
“…Your senior residents are Dr. Collins and Dr. Langdon. You report to them, and they report to me. Okay? Great. Senior residents, you got your sign-outs?” Robby continued
“Yep.” The senior residents agreed.
“Ok. Let’s do this.”
Rounds are made, cases are distributed and Mel noticed the way Langdon lingered by The Hub, eyes stuck to the board.
He only jumps lightly when she approaches him, a couple inches in between them.
“You know, the whole thing of pretending we don’t know each other and everything, is that we are not supposed to act like know each other.” She whispered, not looking at him. “You practically jump every time I get less than two feet away from you.”
The agreement was: nobody could know about Frank and Mel. Well, nobody except for the ones who already knew.
For the rest of PTMC, they were Dr. King and Dr. Langdon. It was her first day. They are meeting for the very first time.
“I do not.” He mumbled in response.
“You literally did it just now.” She pointed it out.
Langdon rolled his eyes in that boyish manner of his. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“Uno reverse card, jackass.”
He hissed.
“You kiss our kids with that mouth?” he said teasingly.
“My kids.” She mutters through gritted teeth.
He turns slightly towards her, a shit eating grin and leans in. “Our kids, Dr. King.” He whispers in her ear. “You didn’t make ‘em all by yourself. And believe me, I remember those nights way too well.”
September, 2013. | Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The first time Mel King sees Frank Langdon she’s eighteen years old and it’s the hottest day of September.
She was dragged out of her dorm by her roommate, Samira, and ended up at a frat party – one she did not want to attend. At all.
“This girl at my social sciences class mentioned it and since we were both boiling in that room…” it’s what Samira said as they stood in front of Alpha Delta Phi.
“I don’t think I’m gonna like this…” Mel mumbled, staring at the mass of drunk college students and sweaty bodies.
Samira placed a hand on her upper arm. “Listen, if you need to go, just tell me and we’ll be out the door and crammed back into out stuffy dorm within minutes.”
As soon as Mel and Samira met, they knew they were meant to be best friends. That once in a lifetime sort of connection, that doesn’t necessarily shake your world at first. It’s a silent addition to your days, slowly creeping into your life and it’s like it has always been there. Like a love parasite.
Samira was Mel’s love parasite. (And she liked to think she was also Samira’s.)
Mel smiled at her friend. “Thank you.”
They pushed past a few shirtless frat boys and sorority girls in tight tiny bikinis. “Garcia said they’d be in the backyard.” Samira exclaimed due to the loudness surrounding them.
“They?”
“Oh, there!”
Samira pointed at a girl and a guy – friends perhaps. Definitely not a couple.
The girl had curly hair and a slim figure exposed by the black bikini and short jean shorts, while the guy had very dark hair, piercing blue eyes and skin so pale Becca – Mel’s twin sister – would’ve probably joked he was one of the Cullen’s.
(Six weeks after that, Mel would have her nails dug into the pale skin of his back, and that hypothetical comment would come back to her.)
“Garcia!” Samira exclaimed.
“Mohan! Thought you wouldn’t come.”
“Well, East Quad’s been feeling like a giant-sized oven, so I had to drag us out of there.” They laughed. “This is Mel King, my roommate.”
“Oh, you’re the brilliant one, Mohan’s all about. You’re also pre-med right?” Garcia asked.
“Yeah.” Mel smiled. “And so are the two of you?”
It’s the first time the guy has made eye contact with her, and something about him just screams douchebag frat boy.
“Yup.” He replied, taking a sip of his beer, diverting his eyes somewhere else.
Garcia rolled her eyes. “Forgive pretty boy over here, he’s the frat’s president, so if something goes to shit, it’s on him.” she smacked his shoulder like a comrade.
“Geez, Yoyo, you just know how to make a guy’s day better.” He forced a smile and kept glancing around the yard, like there’s an alarm going off inside his brain.
Then Mel finally knew who he was.
He was Frank Langdon – UMich’s hockey team captain and president of Alpha Delta Phi, the dream of every heterosexual girl on campus.
Even though he had a girlfriend.
The same girlfriend who threw herself onto his arms just a couple seconds later and shoved her tongue down his throat as the rest of them just stood there awkwardly.
“Oh God, get a room!” Garcia explained. “There are children here!”
Mel and Samira exchanged glances. They were the children?
The girlfriend – Abby Davis – peeled her half-naked body from his, and Mel noticed how bright was the neon pink bikini she wore. Her hair was dark like Langdon’s but her eyes were a deep shade of green.
“Nice to see you too, Yoyo.” She said, her nasally voice making Mel twitch.
“Mel King, Samira Mohan this is Abby Davis and I wish I could say she’s usually more polite than this, but my mom taught me that lying is a sin.”
Abby eyed the two girls from head to toe, with a bitchy attitude that got Mel raising an eyebrow at, then turned back to Garcia.
“And you’re such a saint.” She muttered ironically. “Frankie, honey, could you help me with something inside?”
By the way she brushed Langdon’s arm, Mel had an idea of what she needed help with.
“Yeah.” Langdon replied. “Sure.”
Mel couldn't help but grimace at the sight of the two of them practically running inside the house.
And in that moment, she decided she despised Frank Langdon.
Garcia made a disapproving sound.
“I’m sorry you guys had to see this.” She said. “Now, how ‘bout we have some fun?”
The second time Mel King saw Frank Langdon he was in her biochemistry class.
The third time, she’s on her morning jog while he’s on his way to practice.
After that, he was just sort of everywhere.
And it was getting on her nerves.
September, 2025. | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“I have a lethargic four-year-old, no PMH, no antecedent illness, no fever or vomiting. Parents just couldn't wake him up this morning.” Mel approached Langdon and Robby with a frown on her face.
“What room?” Langdon asked, mimicking her expression involuntarily.
And case sold to Dr. Langdon!
Robby eyed them back and forth. He was one of the only people in that hospital who knew about Mel and Langdon’s history and showed some concern when Frank approached him to tell him about Mel working at PTMC.
Of course, they had to deal with HR and reassured him a handful of times that they could be professional while working together.
“Oh, south 15. There's no nuchal rigidity, no skin lesions, no focal neuro. He looks well fed and cared for.” Mel replied.
“DKA from new-onset diabetes?”
“No, BG 85. CBC, BMP, UA, and UDS ordered.”
Mel felt antsy while Frank examined the sleeping boy. Part of her couldn’t help but picture Tanner or Penny laying on that bed, in that situation. She could feel the mother’s distress as if it was her own.
“Can you wake up for me, Tyler?” Langdon asked. “He's not usually this sleepy?”
“No, and he barely flinched for the blood test.” The mother replied.
“He wakes up at 90 miles an hour and doesn't stop till he passes out at night.” The father added.
Mel smiled softly. “I have two of those.”
“Really?” the mom frowned. “You look so young.”
She can only shrug. That was most definitely not the time to enter the ‘teenage pregnancy’ subject, especially when the father of her children was right there.
They continued to ask procedure questions, and the parents seemed to grow more and more concerned.
“Hasn’t bumped his head recently?” Mel asked, a slight frown
“Not that I'm aware of, but he does love roughhousing with Drew.” The mother said.
“But he never gets hurt.” The father added almost nervously.
Mel fought the urge to glance at Langdon.
“Oxygen level is normal. Good pulse and blood pressure. No signs of infection. We're gonna start with blood and urine tests, check for any metabolic abnormalities.” He brushed past her and a familiar tingle ran through her body.
She smiled at the concerned parents and followed Langdon out of the room, a little too stuck inside her head.
That could be Tanner. That could be Penny. – her brain echoed again and again and again.
A hand held her right elbow, grounding her.
“Mel.” His voice was dangerously soft. “It’s not Tanner. It’s not Penny. They’re at school. They’re fine.”
She looked at him. Those deep blue eyes filled with reassurance. She took a deep breath and nodded, pulling away from his touch.
October, 2013 | Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Frank Langdon sort of became a regular in Mel’s routine, much to her annoyance. In the mornings when she’s jogging and he’s on his way to practice. In two of her classes. In the hours she’d spend at the library, and he’d be just a couple of tables away from her.
Still, they wouldn’t interact. The aversion Mel felt towards him seemed to be mutual, given the fact he developed the habit of staring at her, eyes tight, like he was profoundly judging her whenever they were in the same room.
She couldn’t get away from him and his frat boy antics. Especially after Garcia took her and Samira under her wing and made it her life’s mission to make sure they’d have fun.
And she was quite devoted to that goal.
On Halloween, Alpha Delta Phi threw another party – of course – and Garcia didn’t invite them. She stated they were going. No other option.
So, on October 31st, Mel squeezed into a Tinkerbell costume – tight green dress that was extremely uncomfortable, itchy wings, and since her hair wasn’t thick enough for a bun, she had to wear it down – and marched into the frat house, hand in hand with Samira, who wore a Wonder Woman costume.
“Where’s Garcia?” Mel yelled into Samira’s ear due to the loud music.
“I have no idea.” She replied. “But I think I see Langdon!”
Mel groaned and rolled her eyes, following her friend’s gaze. And Frank Langdon’s staring right at her, in a pirate costume.
“Don’t see Abby though.” Samira commented.
Mel snickered, turning back to her friend. “Believe me, if they had broken up, Garcia would’ve already thrown a fucking party by now.
Samira giggled. “You’re right.” She said. “But he seems pretty interested in us tonight.”
Mel turned once again, and his eyes were stuck on her. Like a moth drawn to a flame.
“Well, that’s his problem.” She shrugs.
“Oh my God, look at you guys!” Garcia screams over the loud music, embracing the two girls tightly.
She was dressed as a fireman… firewoman? And definitely already had a handful of drinks in her.
“Well, well, well, looks like Melissa Elizabeth King owns something other than sweatpants and oversized hoodies.” She joked.
Mel rolled her eyes. “Jokes on you, Garcia. I bought this just for tonight.”
Yolanda laughed.
“‘Course you did, King.” She wrapped her arms around their shoulders. “How ‘bout we find something for you ladies to drink?”
“Oh, we’re-”
“Langdon!” Yolanda screams, interrupting Samira. “Dude, ya got anything other than ass tasting beer?”
“Fuck you!” he screamed back.
“Well, aren’t you a sweetheart!” she replied.
She dragged the freshmen to where Langdon stood against the wall. Mel pretended she didn’t notice the hungry way he eyed her.
“C’mon dude, these two gorgeous ladies want something to drink. And you may be an ass, but you never deny girls some good time.”
Samira bit the inside of her cheek at the sexual innuendo, and Mel was sure she blushed from hairline all the way to her pinky toe.
Langdon rolled his eyes.
“Actually, I need to go to the bathroom.” Samira muttered.
“I’ll come with you.” Mel said.
“No, Melly, you wait here and I’ll take Mira to the bathroom.” Yolanda pointed to Langdon. “You keep an eye on her. I actually like her.”
“Aye, aye Captain.” He nodded and took another long sip of his beer.
Mel stood there awkwardly, a few inches between them, refusing to make eye contact. “You don’t like me.” he stated after a second.
She snickered.
“That’s an understatement.” She muttered.
“Why?”
She shrugged. “I tend to have issues with obnoxious asshole with even more obnoxious bimbo girlfriends.”
He laughed. “That’s not very feminist of you.”
“I’m aware, thank you very much.”
Langdon leaned off the wall, taking a step closer to her.
“So, you don’t like me because of my girlfriend?” he asked.
Mel rolled her eyes. “Why are you so eager to know why I don’t like you?”
He shrugged. “I’m curious, Mel King. We have exchanged only a handful of words, and you decided you hated me.”
“Correct.”
“I’m starting to think you don’t really hate me.” Mel frowned. “I think you’re jealous.”
She cackled. “Me? Oh please.”
“Yeah you. You’re jealous, because you want me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, and I’m thinking it’s the other way around.”
He shrugged again. “I do.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t have a crush on you, King. I’m not going to profess my undying love for you, chill.” He took another step closer. “But I do think you’re hot.”
“Oh.” she muttered.
“And I do want to fuck you.”
Oh fuck.
“Yeah?” Mel asked.
Langdon nodded.
This time, she got closer, bodies nearly touching, close enough for her to feel the heat emanating from his body, but not enough to release the tension that curled on her lower stomach.
“Right now?” she whispered, lips closer and closer to his.
“Fuck.” He breathed out. “Right fucking now.”
Mel grinned. “And what are you going to do about it?”
He dragged her upstairs.
His bedroom was the only one locked and seemed like the biggest one in the house. His bed was king-sized (yes, he did joke about it) and messy: pillows and duvet scattered around.
He kissed her hungrily as soon as the door closed behind them, hoisting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed her against the door.
“Wait.” She mumbled. “This is a one time thing.”
He stared at her, a little dazed. “Yeah. Of course.”
“No strings attached. No bullshit. This is one night of sex and that’s it.”
He nodded. “That’s it.” Langdon pulled down the zipper of her dress. “And no one knows about it.”
She scoffs. “Yeah, ‘cause I’m so eager to tell the entire faculty that I had sex with Frank Langdon.”
He grins. “Own, King, you know how to make a joke!”
“Shut up.” And she kissed him again.
In a matter of seconds, she was half naked on his lap. Hips moving, searching or more friction. Lips swollen from how hard he was pressing against her. His warm hands touching her cold skin, sending shivers throughout her whole body.
And all she could do was whimper against his mouth.
“You’re so beautiful, sweetheart.” He mumbled against her lips.
He descended his kisses to her neck, and Mel involuntarily jerked her hips, searching for relief.
“Please, Langdon” She pleaded.
He grinned against her skin.
“Please what, King?”
“Please touch me. Please, Langdon” She whimpered.
His hands began to roam freely on her body. Fingers leaving a ghost trail on her ribcage and thighs.
More. More. More. – is all she could think.
Mel King was officially completely intoxicated by Frank Langdon. And every touch made her increasingly addicted.
He kissed her collarbone, then her cleavage, exposed by the green lace bra she wore underneath the costume. Her fingers slipped under his white shirt, nails scratching his abs. Frank moaned against the top of her breasts.
“Off.” She tugged at his shirt.
“You are going to be the death of me, Melissa King.”
They pulled away just enough for her to remove the piece of clothing. But before she could touch him again, he grabbed her wrists. “Equal rights, babe.”
His fingers easily unclasped her bra, pulling it down her soft arms, exposing her breasts to him. “So pretty.” He whispered before kissing her left breast.
Mel threw her head back and moaned. “More.”
“Patience is a virtue, Melissa.”
“Fuck patience.” She groaned
Still, he took his time, kissing the other breast, then kissing her stomach. He flipped them around, placing her on the bed, supporting his weight on his arms and admiring her.
“Tell me what you want, baby.” He said.
“Please, Langdon. Just eat me.” she cries.
He kissed his way down her stomach, then her clit over the fabric of her underwear and Mel moaned, rocking her hips.
He hooked his fingers on the sides of her underwear and pulled it down tortuously slow.
“You’re so wet for me, baby.”
Then he licked her, kissed and ate her like a starving man. Mel’s hand flew to his hair, holding him in place, grinding against his face.
Langdon wasn’t much of a religious person. But he did find religion in Melissa King’s lips. Her hips became his altar and if needed, he’d spend hours and hours on his knees for her.
(Three weeks later she stared at a positive pregnancy test.)
(That same day, Abby Davis broke up with him in front of the whole hockey team)
…
(After that, Mel King and Frank Langdon are bonded for life.)
September, 2025. | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“What is this that I hear about you getting a dog to your kids?” this time, Frank doesn’t jump when Mel approached him.
They stood by The Hub, eyes darting around to check if anybody was paying them any attention.
He stared at her, mouth slightly agape for a heartbeat. “Listen…”
“Frank, Tanner’s eleven, Penny’s eight. What in God’s green earth makes you think they can take care of a puppy? Especially when you and I spend most of our time working.”
“We co-parent two kids. We could co-parent a puppy too.” He smiled but Mel just stared at him, arms crossed. “Come on, Mel. The kids have been asking for a puppy for so long now, and Becca also agrees it’s a good idea.”
Her jaw dropped. “You’ve been scheming this with my sister?”
Behind them, someone cleared their throat. “Labs on your sleeping kid are back.” Perlah handed Mel the tablet and walked away with a frown on her face.
“We gotta be more careful.” Frank commented.
Mel’s eyes darted through the results, eyebrows furrowed. “All 100% normal. What are we missing?”
“Is he waking up?” Langdon asked the parents, holding the door open for Mel.
“No, he's... he's still fast asleep.” The father replied.
“Most of the lab results are in, and they look great. No abnormal blood count, no, uh, electrolyte abnormalities, no diabetes, no, um, kidney disease, so...” Mel said, double checking the results.
“Good. So... so what's wrong with him?” The mother looked even more concerned.
“We're still trying to figure that out.” Langdon replied, sitting down by Tyler’s bed.
Mel searched through her brain for all types of possibilities, while Frank examined him once again.
“Did he, uh, have a playdate yesterday, by chance?” she asked.
The mother denies.
“No, he had preschool, but he was fine when I picked him up.”
“Any kids in his class ill?”
“No, my phone tree would have lit up if someone else was sick.”
“He eat anything this morning?” Langdon asked, looking inside the boy’s mouth.
The mother frowns. “No. Why?”
He removes a small piece of green gelatin-like substance from the boy’s mouth.
“It looks like some sort of gelatin. Any chance he could have gotten into some bath beads or laundry pods?”
“No, there's no such thing in our house.”
“What about gummies?”
“No, we're very strict about candy. Right?”
Mel wanted to snicker. Her house was filled with junk food – not something she was proud of, but also kind of inevitable when you have an eleven and an eight-year-old.
The father’s eyes grew big. “Oh shit. Danny.”
Mel and Langdon froze at that.
Usually, nothing good comes after an ‘oh shit’, especially when you’re a parent and your kids have picked up the habit of swearing in the house.
(Mel blamed Frank. Frank blamed Mel. Samira blamed both of them.)
“What about Danny?”
“Your brother, he... he gave me some gummies he got in Cleveland. They were in my coat pocket.”
The two doctors exchanged glances. Oh, shit indeed – they both thought.
“Are you fucking serious?” the mother asked fuming with anger.
“Pot gummies?” Mel asked.
The father nodded.
“Let me call the lab. Maybe the tox screen is back.” Langdon said, in an attempt of calming things down. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed. “Hey, this is Dr. Langdon from the ED. Can I fast-track a lab on a little boy, last name Jones, first name Tyler, tox screen?”
“Get the fuck out! I mean it.” The mother screamed, pushing her husband away each time he took a step closer.
“Why don't we step outside, and maybe you can help me figure out how much he may have taken.” Frank pulled the husband outside of the room.
Mel tried to grab the mother’s eyes. “Listen, I know this not gonna help right now, but he’s gonna be fine.” She assured. “Now that we know what’s going on, we can treat him properly.”
The woman nodded, quick, shallow breaths escaping her throat.
“How old are yours?” she asked softly.
Mel’s lips turned into a weak smile. “My boy’s eleven and my girl’s eight.”
The woman looked at her surprised.
“Teen mom.” It was all the explanation she gave.
Yolanda Garcia was Mel’s favorite person in that ER – it’s a tie with Samira. She can’t really pick between her two best friends.
Even though Garcia met Langdon before she met Mel, she was extremely supportive during both of Mel’s accidental pregnancies – she also shared the title of godmother with Samira. And they pretend to not compete for the kids love. (They do.)
“Lots of swelling. I can't see the cords.” Mel said.
They were treating a trauma. Male, twenty-three years old, e-scooter, no helmet, neck versus handlebar.
“To the right. The left.” Langdon instructed “Yeah, it really distorted from the trauma, and the edema's only going to get worse.”
“Which is why we should crike.” Said Garcia.
“You don't crike a laryngeal fracture.” Langdon pointed it out, then turns to Mel. “Don't listen to Edwina Scissorhands here. If they can't cut it, surgery doesn't know how to fix it.”
“The contusion is high at the thyroid cartilage, so you just stand there looking pretty, ER Ken, and let me fix this.” Garcia pushed.
When Jesse announced the ox levels are down to eighty-five, Robby instructs for a crike.
“I've never done a crike before.” Said Santos, one of the interns.
“No. Mel will do the crike.” Langdon said. “You've already had a busy morning. Glove up, Mel.”
“No, I'm doing the crike, doctor.” Garcia stated.
“You would be doing it, doctor, if it wasn't an odd day. Surgery gets even days, ED gets odd days. You know this. For crikes' sake.” He joked.
“That's because you're all fucking odd down here.” Garcia mumbled.
Mel would’ve laughed at the teasing if she hadn’t been so nervous to perform a crike and if the father of her children wasn’t practically pressed against her.
Langdon and Garcia alternated between instructing her and teasing. To the point where she was getting a little over stimulated.
“Are the two of you done fighting?” she asked, same tone she used with her kids.
“We're not fighting, Mel. This is playing. You know Langdon's too soft to fight.” Garcia teased.
Santos raised an eyebrow at that.
“Oh, yeah, I have nothing but respect for Dr. Garcia. In fact, I think she would make a wonderful hostess at Applebee's.”
Mel scolded him with a look, but all Frank can do is give her one of his classic boyish grins.
She took off her gloves and gown, pumping some alcohol in her hands. She took a deep breath and marched towards The Hub, searching for a new case.
Langdon quickly fell into step beside her. “You did amazing back there.” He bumped his shoulder against hers.
“You should cut Santos some slack, y’know?” she said. “The only person you were remotely nice to today was me. And you shouldn’t be.”
Langdon rolled his eyes. “What? Is it my fault that my baby mama’s the second-best doctor ‘round here?”
“I fucking hate when you call me that.”
He smiled.
And Mel walked away before her heart could do something stupid like skipping a beat – or two.
Looking for Langdon for help was almost like an instinct. Involuntary. Like breathing.
They were a team – even if they liked it or not.
“I think this guy's got scurvy.” She said, approaching him, the tablet resting against her hip.
Langdon frowns.
“What is he, a pirate?”
“No, he's an unhoused man who lives almost exclusively on dollar store ramen. There's perifollicular hemorrhage, gingivitis, bleeding gums, and, um, yeah, no fruit or vegetables in his diet.”
“I suppose that could do it as long as you've ruled out piracy. No parrot, no peg leg, doesn't reek of sweat and rum?”
Mel smirked.
“Well, now that you mention it, there was a smell.”
Frank nodded teasingly.
“Probably a pirate. Tell him to pick up some vitamin C next time he docks at a dollar store.”
“Joke?” she asked, eyes tight.
“No, Captain Scurvy's got a vitamin C deficiency. Cheapest way to fix it is with a daily supplement.”
“Captain Scurvy is another joke.” She pointed it out.
Frank smiled.
“I'd like to think so.”
“It's a good one.”
She didn’t like to stroke Langdon’s ego, but it had been a good joke.
They stood still for a second, smiling at each other. Mel’s chest tightened with the memory of a twenty-year-old Langdon, dressed in a Jack Sparrow costume, the kisses in his room at the frat house. His hands against her skin.
“Dr. Langdon, Dr. King, this is Arthur Carlson from Children, Youth, and Families. He'd like to speak to the parents of Tyler Jones.” Dana, the head nurse, approached the pair.
“Right, right. Uh, Mel, would you mind showing him to Kiara and the family?” Langdon asked.
Mel nodded.
“Mm. Yeah, right this way.” She gestured with a kind smile on her face.
“Hm, Hi, Kiara.” Mel approached the social worker. “I would just like to ask you about Tyler. Boy who ate the marijuana gummy?”
“He’s fine. Admitted to pediatrics for overnight observation.” Kiara responded. “The parents on the other hand will most likely need couples counseling, or a divorce attorney. But he’ll be fine.”
And of course, Frank chose the moment when family arrangements are mentioned to approach them, practically vibrating with excitement.
“STEMI with me, Mel.” He said.
Mel nodded. “Right behind you.”
She waved at Kiara and followed Langdon, who handed her a pair of gloves – her size, she didn’t even have to ask.
“Dana, what's open?” he shouted.
“Trauma two.” The head nurse responded.
“All right, keep it that way.” He turned to face Mel while still walking. “Our target door to balloon time for STEMIs is 51 minutes.”
“Ambitious.” She mentioned, looking around to make sure he wouldn’t trip and fall.
“But doable, as you're about to find out. Let's go.”
It turned out that working with Frank was much more fun than Mel expected. Of course she wouldn’t mention that to him.
An ambulance gets stolen and a betting board is made. And Mel overhears Langdon telling Dana that his wife wanted a Birkin.
First lie: Langdon was single, since he claimed that the only people that mattered in his life right now were his kids.
Second lie: Even if he were talking about Mel, she never, ever, talked about getting a Birkin.
She would talk to him after finishing the case Samira requested her help with. A non-stop crying baby, no one really knew why.
Mel softly tapped the baby’s belly, to help her calm down while Dr. Mohan finishes the exam.
“Diagnosis made.” Mohan announced.
“What is it?” the mother asked, concerned.
Samira and Mel exchanged glances. The string of hair wrapped around the baby’s tiny toe.
“Hair tourniquet.” Mel responded.
“Mother's wet hair can wrap around the toe multiple times. When it dries, it tightens and cuts off circulation.” Mohan explained.
“My hair? I... I showered before nursing her.”
“Easy to miss, Mom. But we caught it early, so there won't be any permanent damage to the toe.”
While Robby and Samira explained to the mother their next steps, Mel kept softly humming to the baby, in a continuous failed attempt to calm her down.
She and Samira left the room to grab what they needed to remove the hair, easily falling into rhythm together. “You did a good job back there.” Samira said.
Mel smiled. “Well, I did go through the same thing with Penny, remember?”
Samira laughed. “Oh God, how could I forget? It took us hours to see it.”
During Penny’s – Mel and Langdon’s youngest – first few years, Samira insisted on living with Mel and the kids, since they were still in med school and Mel refused to live with Langdon.
It was great. It worked. Samira was practically an extra parent. But as the kids grew up, they felt the need to have their own space.
But Samira would still visit frequently, and the kids loved her.
“What do you think of The Pitt so far?” Samira asked.
Mel shook her head softly. “It’s been… an experience.”
“Yeah, working with your best friends what a torture!” Mohan joked.
Mel rolled her eyes. “You suck! You know what I mean.”
Samira giggled softly. “Of course I know what you mean, silly.” She bumped her hip against Mel’s. “Soulmates, connected brains. You and I are practically one, Melissa Elizabeth King.”
Yeah. Love parasites.
How could Mel ever forget it?
June, 2016 | Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“A gap year? Are you fucking kidding me?” Mel asked.
“My mom already gave me the whole speech, spare yourself, King.” Frank replied, turning his back to her and focusing on the dirty dishes on the sink.
She scoffed.
Their lives had turned a whole 180 in just a year and a half. Mel found out she was pregnant just a few weeks after their ‘little secret’ and nine months later Tanner – no middle name – King-Langdon came into the world with Frank’s dark hair and Mel’s green-ish brown eyes.
Now he was almost two years old and was his parents’ – and his aunts’ – biggest joy. He giggled like Mel and whined like Frank. A scarily perfect mix of the two of them.
Being young parents was even scarier. Mel had turned twenty-one just three months ago and Frank was freshly twenty-three. But they had all the support they needed.
Theresa King – Mel’s mother – was shocked when her daughter called her at three in the morning to tell her she was pregnant. But she loved Tanner from the first instant she saw him.
At first Becca was hesitant. The idea of becoming an aunt meant the rupture of something familiar. But she grew fond of Frank – too easily to Mel’s annoyance – and when Tanner was born she insisted on being the first one to hold him.
Frank’s parents on the other hand were quite more hesitant. His father refused to acknowledge the fact that he had a grandson, while his mother – the sweet Eloise Langdon, who had so much sympathy for Mel and her family – learned how to be a grandmother in a slow, yet steady, pace.
His siblings had different reactions. His older brother, Andrew, cackled when he found out Frank had gotten a girl two years younger than him pregnant.
“Thank God it wasn’t Abby” the twins, Cody and Claire Jane – CJ – said.
It was very obvious they loved Mel even more than they loved Frank, and he was ninety percent sure it was because she braided CJ’s hair and would give great advice to Cody when it came to girls – why wouldn’t his brother come to him to talk about girls?!
But the greatest support came from Yolanda and Samira.
Yolanda who would try to babysit whenever she could. And Samira who did not hesitate to move in with Mel officially – not just dormmates, but flat and life mates. Soulmates, kindred spirits, the whole thing.
They had a good system that they agreed to reformulate around the time Mel
And to Mel’s surprise, the reformulation meant Frank taking a whole year off.
“Frank, you can’t just… drop off med school.” She pointed it out; hands planted on the kitchen counter.
He sighed, turning off the sink. “I am not dropping off, Melissa. I’m just taking a sabbatical!”
“Bullshit.”
He dried his hand and turned to face her again. “You’re starting your senior year in the fall, and that is something you need to dedicate to. While you do that, I do my job as a parent.”
Mel pressed her palms against both her eyes.
She was exhausted.
Even with all the support in the world, an almost two-year-old still required so much attention. Now he managed to sleep through the night, but instead of sleeping as well, Mel would clean the house, do dishes, study. Basically anything other than taking some time to herself.
“I can’t just ask you to pause your whole entire life because of my education.” She muttered.
She opened her eyes to see Frank stare at her, mouth agape, looking somewhat offended.
“I’m not pausing my life, Melissa. The kid sleeping just down the hallway is literally half of me.” he pointed to the darkened hallway.
Samira said she’d be crashing at a friend’s house (secret boyfriend no one knew who it was, but Mel, Langdon and Garcia all had bets on it) that night, so it was just Mel, Frank and Tanner at the girls’ place.
He went around the counter, standing centimeters away from Mel, placing his hands on her upper arms.
“Tanner is my life, Mel. I love him so much it’s like…”
“You’re suffocating in a good way?” she completed, voice weak.
He snickered. “Yeah. Something like that.” He nodded. “So, I’ll take the sabbatical, you’ll graduate and next august, we’ll be at UPitt. Just like we planned.”
Mel bit the inside of her cheek. “Don’t laugh.” She mumbled.
He frowned. “At what?”
She gulped.
“I genuinely think that was the hottest thing you’ve ever said to me.” she muttered.
Instead of laughing, a gigantic, amused smile grew on Langdon’s face. He took a step closer, his hands reaching for her hips.
“Yeah?” he asked.
Mel knew that tone.
That tone was what gave her the sleeping little bundle of joy that was just down the hallway.
They didn’t sleep together after that Halloween party. But it didn’t mean the tension between them just vanished.
And at that moment, the flame was being fed, growing eager to take over their bodies.
“Yeah.” She responded in a whisper.
He leaned closer, their noses touching. “We’ll have to be quiet, Sweetheart.”
Mel hummed in response and just pulled him closer. Fireworks exploded as their lips met, and their hands grabbed whatever they could to make them touch more. Get closer.
He was intoxicating. And for a brief second Mel had forgotten about that. But now, his body pressing hers against the counter, warm hands roaming through her body, she thinks she’s fucking stupid for ever forgetting about it.
(Five weeks later they sit at the floor of her bathroom, three positive pregnancy tests staring right back at them.)
(Eight and a half months later, they welcome Penelope Eloise King-Langdon – her mother’s middle name and his mother’s first name – with honey colored hair and piercing blue eyes like Frank’s.)
(Six months after Penny’s born, Theresa King passes away.)
September, 2025. | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“Hey.” Langdon said, approaching Mel who was sitting on the stairs, just outside the ER.
“Hi.” she whispered.
“You okay?” he sat on the steps, right next to her, not even an inch between them.
Mel just nodded.
She was dealing with a case of possible abandonment. An eighty-six-year-old woman, Ginger, who might have been abandoned by her daughter, Rita, her primary caregiver.
And it was rubbing salt on some pretty deep wounds.
Since her mother died, Mel not only was a mother to two children, but also her sister’s primary caregiver. It had been a stressful moment in their lives, considering Tanner was not even four years old and Penny was a baby, and it took some time for them to readjust.
Now, Becca lived at a full-time facility, where she managed to develop some sense of independence and ‘adulting’. She was happy and would spend the weekends with Mel and the kids, either assembling puzzles or re-watching one of their favorite movies. (Mel liked to think it was the universe’s way of giving her vengeance for all the times she had to watch ‘Elf’ with her sister.)
Still, Mel couldn’t help but feel like she was abandoning her sister.
“Kiara told me what’s going on with your patient. I’m sorry, Mel.” He said.
“Thanks.”
Frank placed a hand on her knee, getting her attention. “Becca’s happy, Mel. You are not abandoning her.”
Damn Frank Langdon and his ability of just knowing what’s going on inside her wild jungle of a brain.
She licked her lips, eyes stuck to her fidgeting slim fingers on her lap.
“Question.” She said.
“Answer?” he replied.
She smiled at that. “Whenever you mention your ‘wife’, are you talking about someone you made up, are you talking about me or about a new girlfriend I don’t know?”
“You know I wouldn’t date anyone without checking with you first.” He assured, warm hand still on her knee.
“Answer the question, Francis.”
He snickered. “Depends on the context, Melissa.”
“The bet. You said you needed to win the bet because ‘your wife’ wanted a new Birkin bag.”
Frank blushed. Mel smirked. “Answer the question, Francis.” She pushed.
“You’re ruining the surprise, y’know?”
She frowned.
“What surprise?”
He took a deep breath. “The kids have been bugging me to help them with your Christmas gift.”
“It’s September.”
“We have very anxious children.” He shrugged. “And hm, Tanner’s been all about this Lego set…”
“The Colosseum one.” Mel completed softly. And he nodded.
“Did you watch Gladiator with them?” Frank asked.
“I might’ve.”
“Penny’s been quoting Joaquin Pheonix for weeks now.”
They laughed.
They didn’t hate each other. Might not even ever have hated each other – they had two kids to prove that – but even though they had their differences, they crossed bridges and learned how to be a family. Together.
She nudged his knee with hers. “Thank you, Frank.”
“Always, Sweetheart.”
And her heart skipped a beat.
The universe seemed to be testing Mel at all costs.
Amber Phillips was a six-year-old girl, her and her younger sister were being babysat by their grandmother.
Amber was found at the bottom of the pool. The underwater time was unknown.
Mel and Kiara took the little sister and the grandma to the family room. The parents had just arrived.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Amber was declared dead. Asystole, potassium was 12,2.
The mother’s screech was heard from across the ER.
Everyone seemed to loose their breaths for a second.
Instead of allowing herself to cry, Mel was determined to help Amber’s clueless little sister, Bella.
“You're a very good artist.” Dr. Collins commented looking at the little girls drawing.
It looked like the one Penny made. The one that was stuck to Mel’s fridge with a cookie-shaped magnet.
“Thanks.”
“Um, Bella?” Mel started.
“Yeah?”
“What have you heard about Amber?” she asked.
“She's really sick, but the doctor and the nurse is trying to make her better.”
Mel gulped.
“That must make you sad.” She said. “You know, I have a sister too, and I don't like it when she's sick.”
God, thinking of Becca definitely didn’t make her feel any better.
“She saved me.” the little girl said, not taking her eyes off the colored card.
Mel and Collins exchanged looks.
“She did?” the senior resident asked.
“I fell in the pool. She helped me get out, but then she couldn't get out. I'm making her a card.” Bella replied.
Mel bit her bottom lip hard.
Yep. The universe was most definitely testing her.
She returned to see Bella a short while later.
“I finished my card.” The girl said.
“Oh. It's beautiful. I love it.” Said Mel, a genuine smile growing on her face without much effort.
“Thanks. Can I see Amber now?”
Mel took a sharp breath.
“Um, not quite yet.”
“What is that?” Bella pointed to the teddy bear Mel had in her arms.
“Oh, uh, it's from the gift shop.”
“For Amber?”
“For you and for Amber. Um, but you get to name it.”
“I think her name will be Bear.”
Mel laughed softly.
When Tanner was six, Robby gave him a bunny plushie. It was mid-pandemic, Frank was working front line, crashing on Robby’s couch, while Mel and Samira were quarantined with both kids.
When Tanner opened the box, with Frank watching through face time, he squealed with joy and hugged the bunny as tight as he could.
“What are you naming him, buddy?” Frank asked.
“Bunny!” Tanner replied, excitedly.
Mel and Frank did their best to not burst out laughing.
“Bear. All right.” Mel said. “Um, since you can't see Amber right now, but I bet you got a lot of things to tell her, Bear is going to help.”
The little girl frowned.
“How?”
“Well, um, if you tell Bear everything you want to tell Amber, then I'll take Bear and sit her on Amber's pillow, and then she'll tell her everything you said. What do you think of that plan?”
Bella smiled.
“I like it.”
“Yeah? OK. Do you want to give it a try? There you go.” She handed her the teddy bear.
“Hi, Amber. It's me, Bella. Thank you for saving me. When you come home, I promise I won't touch your toys without asking. And I'll try not to fight, because you're my best friend in the whole entire world. I love you.”
Mel took a deep sharp breath.
“Amber is going to be so happy with that.”
Nick Bradley was a young boy who had an accidental fentanyl overdose. Nick was also an organ donor. Apparently, it had taken a while to convince his parents to grant his last wishes of donating his organs after he was officially declared brain dead.
In the end, they did a walk of honor. All the staff honoring the young boy.
Mel felt like throwing up.
His parents cried. Grief was taking over them, but there was also gratitude.
She stood, frozen, watching the hospital bed being rolled down the hall, Nick’s parents walking behind him. Langdon was right next to her, just as frozen.
Her heart pounding on her chest. Her ears rang. His pinky touched hers.
She gulped. “How are you supposed to just… move on from this?” she whispers, mouth dry.
The mere hypothetical thought of losing her kids made her feel like dying. Literally.
Mel walked, talked and breathed for her children. It was like someone took a piece of her heart, gave it two legs and free will. Losing them meant losing part of herself.
“You don’t.” Frank replied, tangling his pinky with hers. “Not really.”
Mel looked up at him. His ocean deep blue eyes were filled with sorrow. She must have been looking just as bad.
The ER started its usual buzz once again. The world kept spinning. But Mel was unable to shake off the awful filling at the bottom of her stomach.
“Hey.” Said Langdon, his hand hovering close to her back, not exactly touching. “How ‘bout we give the kids a call? CJ must have them by now.”
When Frank’s sister moved to Pittsburgh, their lives got a little easier since they had someone to rely on when it came to pick ups and drop offs while they, Samira and Yolanda were on shift.
Mel nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
They headed to the ambulance bay, away from all the loudness.
Frank dialed his sister and put the call on speaker.
“‘Sup, loser?” CJ greeted.
“Hey, C.” said Mel.
“Melly! My favorite human being!”
Frank rolled his eyes. “Kiss ass.”
“Yeah yeah, what do you need?” CJ asked.
“Are the kids there?”
“Yup. Tanner’s getting ready for soccer and Penny’s changing for ballet, why?”
“Can- can we talk to them? Please, C.” Mel pleaded.
CJ must’ve sensed something was off, because she was moving even before Mel finished asking.
“Hey guys! Mom and dad are on the phone!”
“Mommy!” Penny squealed from afar. They heard her quick footsteps getting closer to the phone. “Hi mommy! Hi daddy!”
Mel’s eyes filled with tears. “Hi, honey. How are you?”
“I’m great, mom!”
“You’re changing, baby?” Frank asked, bringing the phone slightly closer to his lips.
“Yup. I’m wearing my blue tutu today!”
Tears ran down Mel’s cheeks. Her sweet girl. Her sweet innocent baby girl who smelled like marshmallows and dreams, and somehow always had a little glitter on her.
Penny was a honey-haired version of Fancy Nancy. So determined, so sweet and so kind.
“I bet you look gorgeous, baby.” Frank said. “Where’s your brother?”
There was a brief pause before Penny screamed with all her being: “Tanner! Mommy and daddy wanna talk to you!”
Mel and Frank laughed softly.
“Stop screaming!” Tanner exclaimed.
“Then hurry up!”
Tanner’s footsteps were louder and stronger than Penny’s, thumping against the hard wooden floor.
“Hey, mom and dad.” He spoke into the phone.
“Hey, buddy.” Said Frank. “Um, your practice ends at..?”
“Four-thirty.” He replied. “Why?”
“No reason, honey. Your father’s just… remembering.” Mel said. “We love you both so much.”
“Is everything okay?” Tanner asked.
Oh God bless her sweet, kind, empathic boy, and his very pure heart.
“Yeah. Everything’s okay.” Mel assured him. “Dad and I will see you guys later tonight, okay?”
“Can we grab some pizza when we pick Aunt Becca up?” Her son asked.
She laughed. “We’ll see what we can do. Love you both so very much.
“I love you, guys.” Frank added.
“We love you!” the kids responded in unison.
Mel took a deep breath in, pressing her knuckles against her chest. “Oh fuck.” She muttered.
“Hey, look at me.” Frank placed his hands on her upper arms “They’re fine. We’re fine.”
She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Just a few more hours to go.” She muttered.
He nodded. “Just a few more hours, and then we are getting all the pizza they want.”
“I said we’d see what we could do.” She itched her nose, making it even more red.
Frank smirked. “We both know we’re going to get pizza as soon as he asked.
She laughed. “Oh fuck. Does that make us bad parents?”
He laughed, pulling her closer, hugging her shoulders. Mel shoved her face on his collarbone.
“No. It makes us stupid. Those gremlins have us on the palm of their hands.”
That made her cackle loudly.
For the following five hours Melissa King was surrounded by blood.
There had been an active shooter at PittFest. PTMC would deal with most of the victims since they were the closest hospital.
For a brief second Mel was concerned with her kids. They were at their extracurriculars, and the city was a mess.
But there was so much blood. So. Much. Blood.
Blood and corpses and crying people and… and…
She’s outside with Shen – a night shift attending – when the first ambulance post-MCI arrived.
Fourteen-year-old boy found by his little sister.
Another great joke from the universe!
Mel jumped into the case immediately alongside Ellis – a night shift resident – and had to deal with the most annoying mother she had ever encountered. (And that included every mother at Tanner’s school that had ever looked down on her just because of her age.)
(Once, the father of one of the kids at Tanner’s class called her incompetent.)
(Frank did not hesitate to punch the guy.)
The boy needed a spinal tap, and the mother thought it was a great idea to ask Dr. Google about it!
Mel was itching to clock out and kiss her kids and take a long warm shower. But she itched to help the boy and his little sister as well.
So, when the father gave them the green light to perform the spinal tap, Mel and Ellis did not hesitate to start the procedure.
It turned out that the mother was unaware of the authorization because she demanded Mel to pull out the needle from her son’s back.
Luckily, she had just finished it.
She walked out of the trauma room, stopped by the lockers to grab her stuff and stood by The Hub for a second, allowing her brain to reprogram.
“Mom!” she heard.
She knew that voice.
She would recognize that ‘mom’ even if her memory was completely wiped out.
Mel turned just in time to drop all her stuff and catch Penny into her arms. She was wearing her blue leotard and tutu, with her fuzzy white jacket and dark blue boots.
“Hi, mommy.” Penny mumbled. “We were worried about you and daddy.”
Mel just hugged her daughter tighter, kissing her cheek.
Tanner stood a few steps away, still in his soccer uniform, messy sweaty dark hair even though his practice had ended over four hours ago.
“Come here baby.” She placed Penny on the ground, still hugging her with an arm, while she opened the other.
Tanner clinged onto her like a koala. He was getting taller each day, already reaching her shoulders. Mel kissed his forehead and closed her eyes.
That was exactly what she needed after that day.
“Daddy!” Penny detangled herself from her mom’s leg and jumped into Frank’s arms.
He released a relieved breath as he hugged her tightly. “Oh, this hug was exactly what I needed Penny Lane.”
Whenever someone asked Frank why they had named their daughter Penny, he would joke and say it was because of Kate Hudson’s character in ‘Almost Famous’.
That was their little inside joke. His especial nickname for his especial girl.
Tanner joined the hug, squeezing his father and little sister. Mel watched them, arms crossed.
“Wait, who did you guys come with?” she asked, slowly coming into her senses.
“We asked Aunt CJ to drop us off.” Tanner replied.
“Well, remind me to give your aunt anything she wants for the next ten months.” Mel joked, caressing his hair and dropping another kiss to his hairline.
Frank scoffed, placing Penny back on the ground. “Don’t. She’ll hold on to it.”
“Huh, I did not see that one coming.” It was Santos.
Her, Javadi, Whitaker and McKay watched the scene dumbfounded.
“You two married?” Javadi asked, doe eyes wide, mouth slightly agape.
Mel and Frank snickered. “Hell no.”
“All right, everybody! Listen up!” Dana grabbed their attention. “You got it, Cap.”
Robby took a step forward.
The entire crew gathered around. Mel and Langdon stood near to the wall, holding onto their kids.
“Today should never have happened.” Robby started. “It's impossible to imagine what would possess somebody to commit such a horrific act. It's the worst of humanity, but it brought out the best in the rest of us.”
Mel gulped, bringing Tanner closer, pressing his back onto her front. She noticed the way Frank tightened his arms around Penny.
“We saw our better angels come to the aid of our patients. Each of you rose to the occasion. And I... I can't tell you how proud I am of all of you. This place will break your heart. But it is also full of miracles, and that is a testament to all of you coming together and doing what we do best.”
They were crying. Of course they were.
“Thank you for everything you did here today. We saw 112 mass casualty patients come through here in the last four hours, and 106 of them are gonna live. None of us are gonna forget today... Even if we really, really want to. So go home. Let yourselves cry. You'll feel better. It's just grief leaving the body.” His voice broke.
As the group dispersed the King-Langdon family lingered for a second. “They’re gonna get some beer at the park.” Frank commented.
Mel scoffed. “I don’t think I can even form cohesive phrases, Francis.”
“Well, but we did promise these little munchkins we’d get them pizza.” He pointed it out.
She looked at her kids. “I don’t think they want it anymore…”
“We do!” they replied.
Langdon and Mel laughed.
“So, home?” Langdon asked.
Mel couldn’t really put her finger on what, but something changed that day. Maybe something inside of her. Maybe inside both of them.
But she knew they were no longer the same people they were fifteen hours ago.
She stared at him. Her daughter’s blue eyes, her son’s dark hair and smile.
“Yeah. Let’s go home.”