Chapter Text
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Your love written on a blank check
Wear it around your neck
I was at a loss
But you come to me on a fault line
Deep inside a goldmine
Hovering like a moth
I lose a bit of myself
Laying out eggshells
I let my mind run wild
I don't know why I do it
But you just settle in
Like a song with no end
If I can keep up
We'll get right back to it
– Waxahatchee – Right Back to It
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Samira wanted a wedding until it was time to plan one. The logistics and complicated algebra of who gets invited and who gets a plus one were not the sort of problems she found joy in solving. And then there was the idea of Robby and her mother in the same room. It was enough to give her hives. Jack’s oft repeated “Whatever you want is what I want” was sweet, but also unhelpful and completely infuriating.
When she sat down to think about it, really think about it, she realized what she wanted most of all was to wear a killer red dress and be with people she loves. So they settled on a courthouse wedding just for them and then two parties: One in Pittsburgh that was mostly friends and one a week later in New Jersey that was mostly family – though some people were coming to both.
Keerthi, who insisted on helping her plan and pull things together; his younger sister who said the friend party sounded more fun, but then wrangled a work trip to be in New York around the same time as they’d be in Jersey. Samira found herself trying to convince Heather Collins, who was using their “wedding” as an excuse to do an East Coast catch up tour, to come to both since she’d be visiting a college friend and more family nearby. “Bring them all,” Samira begs. “There will be so much food.”
A few hours into the Pittsburgh party, but not so deep into the night that people are leaving or are completely drunk, Ellis shushes everyone and stands on a table with a microphone. The crowd, with Jack and Samira at the front, turns to face her. Jack gives a loud sharp whistle around two fingers and holds Samira in front of him, arms around her.
“As the only person here who is beloved by both the bride and groom --” Ellis starts and then is interrupted by boos and cries of “hey!”
Samira turns to the crowd behind her, yells out over Jack’s shoulder, “Not true, not true.”
Parker blows her a little kiss and picks up again. “I have been chosen to give the wedding toast.”
“And while congratulations are in order, we wish you best, blah, blah, blah. I’d like to turn this toast to us because you bitches weren’t fooling anyone this whole time and there are some people here who deserve a little recognition.”
“So first, Cassie McKay, vibe queen. Who assured many of us that we were not crazy, and, yes, there was definitely something there, probably even before you idiots knew.” Cassie bows to applause.
“To Dana and Lena who would not allow any betting - AT ALL - on the matter and enforced that shit like only a charge nurse can.” Dana and Lena raise their arms together like prize fighters.
“To Garcia, where you at Yo-Yo, to Garcia who caught you guys kissing in the stairwell and planning, maybe, your first date ever and didn’t say anything to anyone until the invitations for this came out YEARS, I’m saying years, later.”
Garcia shouts from the back, “Because I didn’t CARE.”
“Robby, Dr. Al, and my boy Shen putting up with your weird scheduling shenanigans; Samira swapping all those shifts trying to have time together and be all secret about it. They saw you.”
Samira looks back again and waves at Robby and Dr. Al-Hashimi who are standing together. “Thank you! I’m sorry!”
“Let’s not forget Mel - I think it’s sweet - King. Frank - leave them alone - Langdon, and Victoria Javadi who saved y’all from truly savage nicknames by pointing out that “mohabbot” means love in Urdu and Hindi.”
“What were these nicknames?” Jack calls out.
“They were all about you being old, trust” Parker claps back before going back to her speech. “And finally to me, your toastmaster general, who had confirmation from both parties early on –” and here the crowd erupts and Jack and Samira look at each other in surprise “-- but kept my big mouth shut.”
“So, Jack and Samira, never doubt that even as you love each other you are also loved by all of us. And while your union may make us” - and here Parker mimes having to throw up - “we’re very happy you two workaholics found each other since it finally means a little overtime for the rest of us.”