Archive of Our Own

Walkin' through a crowd, the village is aglow

Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats

Everybody here wanted somethin' more

Searchin' for a sound we hadn't heard before

And it said

“Welcome to New York” Frank whispered excitedly, squeezing her hand and distracting Mel from her place in the song. Indeed the plane was just touching down and Mel could see past him out the window to a skyline of tall buildings and city lights in the distance. The late afternoon sun was catching and turning every reflective surface into something so dazzling it was almost blinding. She focused instead on Frank’s face as it was turned towards her, dazzling in its own right with the way his blue eyes sparkled with a boyish wonder. Mel was looking forward to the long weekend in New York City for the medical conference they would be attending along with Dr. Abbott and Dr. Mohan entitled Radical Empathy: The Patient-Centered Approach. She had chosen to go to learn to further harness her own bleeding heart into something that could benefit marginalized populations in the ER. Dr. Abbot was gearing up to present at a seminar on working with the Veteran population. Dr. Mohan was antsy to attend a workshop on managing burnout. Dr. Langdon was to attend a presentation on addiction that was strongly encouraged by both his therapist and HR. He was more than willing to attend and was optimistic that it would even be enjoyable, but she suspected he was mostly looking forward to the vibe of the conference itself. Not that he wasn’t a serious doctor who went to serious events – he was, and Mel respected him immensely for it – but the format of this conference was more up his alley than even the content itself. The convention center it was held in boasted more information tables and interactive booths and interview panels to come and go from than even Mel’s data oriented brain could handle, and letting Frank Langdon loose in the thick of it was the medical nerd equivalent of bringing a kid to a candy shop and giving them free reign. They had plans to meet back up at various panels and workshops they all wanted to attend, and had a few outings planned to typical must-see spots throughout the weekend, but a good portion of it left them in a free-for-all which was more than okay with Mel. 

The plane taxied for a while and when they exited the aircraft they quickly located Dr. Abbott and Dr. Mohan at baggage claim. Mel herself had only packed a carryon as she usually did for shorter trips, but Dr. Abbott needed the extra room of a checked bag for the materials for his presentation and Dr. Mohan was a chronic overpacker, so they all waited together as the luggage carousel ejected suitcases onto the belt. As they chatted about the flight and the conference and made general small talk, Mel felt Frank’s hand come to rest on the small of her back – a move not unnoticed by Dr. Mohan judging by the wiggle of her eyebrows – and she was suddenly grateful for the discussion they had had about this when they had first found out they’d all been approved to attend the conference a few weeks earlier.

“Do we really have to tell our boss?” Frank had said for quite possibly the hundredth time, wrinkling his nose with a general distaste for authority, particularly authority that was friends with Robby, who he still wasn’t fully on the best of terms with. 

“It’s not telling our boss, it’s telling Samira.” Mel said with a practiced eyeroll. The first few times Frank had shown reluctance to her idea to tell Dr. Mohan and Dr. Abbott before the conference that they were together, Mel had been a little wounded. They had agreed not to tell their coworkers as a whole yet to avoid the drama and the paperwork and everything that came with it which was just fine by Mel as she only tentatively considered anyone other than Samira a friend worthy of the news anyway, but this felt different. Frank disagreed and said it wasn’t any different to tell just some of their coworkers vs all, but the assertion created an easy assumption on Mel’s part that he was somehow ashamed to be with her and things snowballed from there. Now Frank was stuck on his worry that telling the two of them was as good as telling Robby and the rest of the ER and opening them up to all the gossip that came with it, and Mel had dug in her heels that it would be weird not to tell people they were spending an entire weekend with.

“...yes, telling Samira who will then tell our boss.” Frank repeated.

A thought occurred to Mel then. A foolproof thought really, and she smiled as such. “Okay, that’s fine, we won’t tell them.” She said lightly.

Frank stopped in his tracks, looking suddenly confused. “We…won’t tell them?”

“Nope!” Mel said brightly. “But since they won’t know, that means you’ll have to stay a respectable distance away from me all weekend so they don’t figure it out. We’ll have to get separate rooms, you can’t buy me dinner, definitely no hand holding or touching, that would be a dead giveaway.”

Frank looked well and truly caught, his face frozen as he thought about the consequences of winning this argument. His love language was absolutely physical touch, and the impending lack of it was clearly not sounding appealing. “Well maybe if you wanted to uh…we could…it might actually be…” he stumbled over his words, backtracking.

Mel smiled widely, the metaphorical cat with a canary. “I’ll text Samira and see if she’s free to get dinner tonight so we can talk.”

“You do that” Frank said, narrowing his eyes as he realized he had been tricked. There was no anger behind it though, and he kissed her on the forehead as he walked away.

Mel unlocked her phone to text Samira.

Mel: What are you doing tonight? 👀

Samira responded almost immediately.

Samira: Idk what am I doing tonight? 👀

Mel: Getting dinner with me at La Taqueria?

Samira: 6pm?

Mel: See you then

When Mel pulled in at 5:49 she saw Samira already walking towards the door – they were both chronically early people – and she hurried to catch up. They were seated immediately and as they got settled Samira wasted no time.

“To what do I owe the last minute dinner invite?” she said curiously.

“What, can’t I just want a girl’s night?” Mel said lamely.

“You can…” Samira said “...with approximately two weeks' notice and a planned itinerary.”

Mel blushed and had no comeback for that. Samira was right, she was not a spontaneous girls night type of person and she knew it. This was, she supposed, the downfall of having a friend who knew her well.

“So let’s hear it.” Samira pushed, after they had their orders in and drinks in front of them.

“It’s nothing really, I just wanted to make sure we had a chance to talk before we left for the conference this weekend.” Mel said evasively. Just because telling Samira had been her idea didn’t mean she knew how to broach the subject. She could see the wheels turning in Samira’s head as she decided which of her own conclusions to jump to.

“Are you…” Samira’s eyes sparkled dangerously as she sipped her margarita. “Are you sleeping with Langdon??”

Mel just about choked on her agua fresca. “I mean, technically??” she sputtered out.

“Technically?” Samira questioned, leaning forward.

“Well I mean we’re sleeping together in the literal bed sharing sense but not…like that. Well I mean also not not like that but…” Mel trailed off vaguely.

“So let me get this straight, you wanted to get together to tell me that you and Frank Langdon sleep together but you’re not having sex?” Samira asked, amused.

“I wanted to get together to tell you that Frank and I are together, so we don’t have to hide it while we’re with you guys all weekend at the conference.” Mel clarified.

Samira looked both amused and relieved. “Well that makes this a lot easier then, because Jack and I are together too, and also avoiding telling the gossip factory that is our place of employment. We definitely have sex though.” She said matter of factly, and Mel really did choke on her drink that time.

“But wait, wait...” Samira started as though Mel wasn’t currently fighting for air. “Do you mean to tell me you two are actually together now – finally, by the way – but you haven’t slept together?” she said, putting the word “slept” in air quotes.

Mel cleared her throat. “Still not the point but…yes.”

“Care to enlighten me on how you have a hot doctor boyfriend but no sex life?” Samira prodded boldly, and admittedly it was a fair question, one that Mel found herself wondering lately too if she was being honest.

“It just…hasn’t happened.” She shrugged. “I think we built things on such a strong foundation of friendship that we were acting like a couple in every other way for so much longer than we were ready to admit, that now neither of us know quite how to take that final leap now.”

Samira considered that for a moment. “Okay, I can see it I guess. But like…New York though??” she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“New York.” Mel agreed.

They spent the next hour eating dinner and debating everything from seminars they wanted to attend at the conference to the pros and cons of dating a fellow ER doctor (pro: competency, con: hours that didn’t always match up) and when Mel finally got back to the apartment, Frank was waiting up for her, reading in bed with the lamp on.

“How’d it go?” he asked immediately.

“Don’t worry, she’s not telling anybody other than Abbott, and he’s not telling anyone at all.” Mel said confidently.

“How can you be sure?” Frank asked, sounding skeptical.

“Because they’re having sex with each other.” Mel answered nonchalantly as she walked into the bathroom. She heard a sputtering from behind her as Frank spit out the water he had been drinking, hopefully back into the cup and not onto the bed.

Back in LaGuardia airport, Mel noticed Abbott take Samira’s hand as they waited for their luggage and she smiled to herself. It was nice to mutually share in each other’s secrets, and she found herself preemptively glad for the company of the other couple. The one downside to her and Frank agreeing to keep their relationship status under wraps for the time being is that it severely limited their ability to get out and do things with other couples, since pretty much all their friends were from work. It’s not that their life was boring or lacking in any way; they went out for pizza with Becca, took the kids to the park, and went on plenty of dates just the two of them, but another couple to do things with would be a nice addition, Mel thought.

Frank ordered an Uber while they waited and by the time the bags had made their way around, the car had arrived to take them to the hotel, which was thankfully only a few blocks from the convention center so they didn’t have to deal with the hassle of renting a vehicle and maneuvering it around the Manhattan traffic. Even just riding in the Uber made Mel anxious enough with the sudden stops and sharp turns and their driver yelling at the other cars, and she squeezed Frank’s hand the whole way. When they finally made it to the hotel miraculously unscathed, it was almost 7pm and Mel could feel her patience waning and overstimulation setting in. They had far underestimated the chaotic time suck that was New York City traffic, and as much as they all wanted to explore and make the most of their time in the city, the travel day exhaustion was clearly catching up with all of them and the conference started bright and early the next morning, so when Mel suggested that maybe they call it an early night, the other three jumped on the idea.

“I’m sure somewhere with New York style pizza delivers. That’s almost like exploring the city if we’re having authentic food and looking through the windows in our room while we eat it, right?” Frank reasoned, leaning heavily against the wall in the lobby of the hotel after they checked in, and Mel knew they all must be as exhausted when even Frank’s Golden Retriever energy was flagging.

Jack made a noise of agreement and Samira nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh my God, the idea of a hot shower and fresh pajamas and eating pizza in bed with some trashy TV on sounds like actual heaven right now.” Samira groaned, and Mel was inclined to agree.

Frank had his phone out as they retreated towards the elevators, and Mel knew like she knew the sky was blue and the grass was green that if she looked at the screen it would be a Google search along the lines of “best New York style pizza delivery near me.” Mel smiled as they got in the elevator and he became fully engrossed in his search. One of the things she loved about Frank was that she felt like she could turn the overactive part of her brain off when she was with him, and that he clearly preferred it that way so no guilt was even necessary. He loved taking care of her once she finally figured out how to get past her own mental hurdles and let him. Not that she didn’t pull her weight in the relationship, she did at least her fair share of communicating with Abby to solidify schedules for Tanner and Penny’s activities and making grocery lists and cooking meals and going to the pharmacy and all of that, but it was nice to know that after years of being the only adult capable of taking care of things, she didn’t have to carry that responsibility alone any longer. When Mel had an exhausting day, Frank ordered her favorite food to be delivered before she could even start trying to talk herself into finding the energy to cook. By the time she even realized how tired she was on days where she couldn’t quite get herself to wind down, Frank was dimming the lights and turning down the TV volume and bringing her some tea to help her settle. When she thought she must be down to her last pair of clean scrubs because laundry hadn’t quite made it high enough on her to-do list that week, magically she opened her dresser drawer to a fresh stack. When Frank saw something that needed to be done — especially if it lifted any sort of mental weight that would otherwise fall on Mel — he did it. Sure enough, by the time they got off the elevator and said goodnight to Samira and Jack, Frank triumphantly turned his phone screen around to show her that a pizza with both of their favorite toppings would be there by the time they had a chance to settle in. Mel unlocked the room door through the hotel app on her phone and flicked on the lights, surveying the space. It looked like any other hotel room; king sized bed, desk, mini fridge, tv, coat closet, and a bathroom off to the side, but in her exhaustion it felt extravagant. She told Frank he could take the first shower so she could unpack some of her stuff and hang up the outfits she wanted to wear to the conference, and he was happy to agree. 

Normally Mel felt self conscious sharing any sort of intimate space with a man outside of actually having sex. Her mind was a constant loop of ADHD induced insecurities. Were her comfy clothes too ratty to be wearing around a man she found attractive? What was proper bedtime etiquitte? Was there a prescribed appropriate amount of cuddling once it was time for bed? And on and on. But it was a testament to what she and Frank had that she had never felt any of that awkwardness with him. She took her turn in the shower after he was done, and when she came out of the bathroom in a pale blue set of sleep shorts and a matching t-shirt he was sitting on the bed in pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt, the pizza box sitting in front of him waiting for her. Normally Frank slept in his boxers and Mel slept in one of Frank’s shirts, but when they weren’t home she tried to be a little more presentable with how she slept, much to Frank’s disappointment. What if housekeeping comes to the door? She reasoned, though he always brushed it off; he liked seeing her in his shirts.

“Scoot” Mel commanded as she approached the bed, and Frank looked confused for a second before she nudged him forward so she could sit behind him, leaning back on the headboard with her legs bracketing his body. She reached under his shirt, starting to massage his back where she knew it got sore when he had been sitting for a long time. Frank groaned appreciatively, leaning into her touch.

“Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?” He said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

“Mmmm, maybe” Mel considered, “but I always like hearing it.” She said, pressing a kiss to his shoulder blade as she finished working out the knots in his back. 

He handed her a piece of pizza when she was finished and they ate in companionable, exhausted silence, tossing out the box when they were finished and falling asleep almost as soon as Frank turned out the lights.

****

Welcome to New York, it's been waitin' for you

Welcome to New York, welcome to New York

It's a new soundtrack, I could dance to this beat, beat forevermore

The lights are so bright, but they never blind me.

Frank woke up the next morning in the way that was perhaps his favorite of all possible ways to wake up; with Mel wrapped in his arms. The sunlight streaming in through the window had her waking up too before their alarms could even go off, and they got ready quickly, meeting up with Abbott and Samira in the lobby to grab some coffee and something to eat while they walked.

They arrived at the convention center at 7am even though nothing started until 8am, wanting to be early enough to explore the layout before the events started so they knew what they might want to come back to when they had the time, and they were quickly glad they did. Everywhere Frank looked there was…something. Booths and people and signs and doorways into even more. It itched his brain in a way that felt just right. He was able to let his childlike energy run wild in a place like this. Not that he really had to suppress it these days. With Abby, remarks about his tendency to let his inner child run free were said often, and with exasperation and distaste. To her credit Frank didn’t think she meant it to be cruel, she just didn’t have the patience for the way he was wired to be in constant motion both mentally and physically. With Mel though, when she compared his energy to that of a child it was said with wonder and fondness. It didn’t phase her when he flitted between topics of conversation or bounced his leg restlessly when he had to wait for something. She simply handed him a fidget toy without even looking up from her book or absorbed the onslaught of information he threw at her with a bemused smile on her face. She had seemingly endless patience and it was never for a moment lost on him how lucky he was to be with someone who made him feel so thoroughly seen and loved for exactly who he was.

“I’m glad they have each other.” Abbott said, bringing Frank back down to earth. He had been too distracted by everything around them and his own meandering thoughts to notice that the older doctor was still standing next to him while Mel and Samira had wandered off. He followed Abbott’s gaze and saw the two women talking animatedly as they wove between the aisles of information booths. “I was worried about Samira, when all she was doing was working. It’s been nice for her to have a friend who gets her.”

Frank nodded, absorbing the fondness in the other man’s eyes as he watched her. He had never felt like he had much to talk about with Abbott, but maybe that was changing. “Yeah, they seem really good for each other.” He agreed. “I’m glad Mel had Samira to talk to while I was gone. A lot of people at work don’t really get her.”

Abbot thought for a moment, seeming to choose his words carefully. “I know you and Robby haven’t quite made it back to smooth sailing, and if you ask me it’s not in small part because you’ve done work on yourself now that he can’t bring himself to do, and maybe it’s not my place, but I wanted you to know that I respect the hell out of you for what you’re doing; getting clean, making amends, doing the work.” Abbott said sincerely, still looking straight ahead instead of at Frank as he spoke.

Frank found himself glad for that, as he had to take a second to compose himself before he responded to the unexpected praise. He had earned back the respect and general camaraderie of most of their coworkers fairly smoothly upon his return, but aside from encouragement from Mel and sometimes Cassie when he needed the boost, it wasn’t often that someone made a point to recognize that what he was doing wasn’t easy, as much as it was worth it.

“Thanks, man.” He said finally. “It really does mean a lot. I know I made my own bed with all that shit, but I’m trying to be someone worthy of the second chance I got. Worthy of her.” He nodded towards where Mel was laughing at something Samira had said.

“Amen brother.” Abbott chuckled. “I wonder all the time what I did to deserve a woman like Mira. I don’t know what she sees in me, but I’m sure not gonna take it for granted.”

Frank nodded again, thinking that maybe the two of them had more in common than he first thought.

The first presentation Frank had on his list for the day was the one he had been pushed towards by both HR and his therapist; Addiction in Emergency Medicine: Staying Clean in a Tempting Environment. It felt a little on the nose and Frank couldn’t tell if he felt vindicated or uncomfortable that the situation he found himself in was common enough to earn its own presentation. The woman speaking seemed genuine though, and not like she was approaching it off of some therapeutic high horse though, which was a good start.

She began by listing off some statistics that Frank had become intimately familiar with on relapse rates of addiction and the importance of a strong support system, especially with how stressful and demanding their work was. She followed it up by having them each write a list of the people in their life who they would be disappointing if they gave into the temptation of “just this one time…” 

Mel was easily at the top of Frank’s list. She had been by his side every single step of the way from the day everything changed with his addiction being found out, and he couldn’t bear the thought of letting her down now. Tanner and Penny were also on the list of course, but they were still young enough that they didn’t truly understand what was going on in the first place. He paused for a moment and then wrote Becca. Mel’s twin sister had easily endeared herself to him from the day they met with her abrupt honesty and her genuine humor. He made a conscious effort to show up for her in any way he could to earn a spot as someone she considered family, not just some guy who was seeing her sister, and he didn’t take that lightly. He never wanted to do anything that would take the trust she had for him and turn it into something wary and unsure. Sure, his sponsor and Cassie and maybe even Abbott and Samira now made their way onto the tail end of his list, but it was unfailingly Mel and Becca and the kids that kept him going each day. As the presentation went on and he took notes on little phrases that stuck out to him and reminders he would use in his daily life when things got hard, he reflected on how lucky he was that instead of losing everything to addiction, he had gained something so wonderful.

As Frank exited the room afterwards, Mel appeared at his side as though his thoughts had summoned her. He beamed down at her and she returned his smile, telling him about the panel she had just listened to on intersectionality and asking him about the presentation he had just finished sitting in on.

“Have I told you lately how grateful I am for you?” Frank said in response to her asking how the presentation went.

Mel looked confused, like that didn’t really answer her question.

“They had us list the people who kept us going when things were hard, and you were at the top of my list.” He explained. “All those times you visited me in rehab when I had no one else, treating me like I was more than just a fuck up, helping me pick out an apartment so I had somewhere to go when I left, decorating it with me and creating memories there so it actually felt like a home…you were my friend then when I had nothing to give you in return, before either of us realized what our relationship would become, and that will never not mean the entire world to me. I just…I need to tell you that sometimes. I need to make sure you know.” Frank said earnestly.

“I know honey, I do.” she said, stretching up to kiss him softly and squeezing his hand as they began to walk towards a room down the hallway where Abbott would be having his Veterans seminar next. The three of them all unanimously decided to make time in their days to attend in support of him and from the look on his face when they showed up, it touched him more than he would ever admit. It struck Frank then, the way they all needed each other. Abbott, who hid behind his grizzled exterior and often was alone with his feelings until Samira came along and softened him. Samira, who was too single minded and focused on work to remember to make time for a life outside of it until Mel came along and gave her a friend. Mel, who was burning herself out caring for everyone all the time with no one caring for her in return until she met Frank and found someone who saw her. Frank, who was in the middle of being tossed into the deep end of the hardest thing he had ever done in his life until Mel came along and showed him a gentleness that he had forgotten existed. They were an island of misfit toys in a way that somehow brought out the best in each of them.

They all stood up and clapped louder than anyone in the room when Abbott’s seminar finished, and he joined them to spend the rest of the afternoon wandering the booths and collecting random swag that was being offered by vendors. Samira brought up the website for a local deli she had found reviews for on TikTok and showed the group as they walked, and that settled their decision on where to go for dinner.

They parted ways after they ate and wandered around the city sightseeing together for a few hours; Abbott and Samira had plans to check out some exhibit that interested neither Frank nor Mel, so they decided to leave them to their alone time while they headed back to the hotel.

“How about when we get back we check out the pool?” Frank said in what he hoped was a casual tone as they walked back from dinner, but the amusement in Mel’s eyes told him he hadn’t been successful in feigning ambivalence.

“You wanna play mermaids?” she asked with a smile.

“Yes please” he beamed, joyful at her willingness as always to indulge his whims.

They changed as soon as they got back, and when Mel stepped out of the bathroom in her swimsuit, Frank felt like it was a little bit hard to breathe. It was a halter style one piece suit, practical and very much authentically Mel in that aspect, but the bright red color and cutouts at the sides were doing something to Frank. 

“Come on, let’s get going while we still have time before the pool closes” Mel said, leading the way out the door, oblivious to Frank’s plight.

Mel had clearly been joking about the whole playing mermaids thing, but that’s exactly how she looked floating in the water. The way she swirled her hips to rotate her body as she drifted near him and the way her golden hair shone in the pool lights as it spread out in the water around her had him transfixed. He fully understood now why so many men had crashed their boats on the rocks when they saw the sirens calling to them in those stories.

“Frank” she said sternly, and he refocused. “Are you going to just stand in the water, or are you going to swim with me?”

He pushed off the wall then, joining her in the deep end but not nearly as gracefully. 

“Do you wanna race?” She asked mischievously when he got close to her. 

Frank was not exactly swim team material but he found himself nodding dumbly, willing to do anything she asked.

They lined up to start and as soon as Mel said go it was obvious that he stood no chance. She moved effortlessly through the water, gliding past him as he tried fruitlessly to remember the technique of a breaststroke from his swim lessons as a kid. She had lapped him before he made it halfway and he gave up, standing up in the water where it reached just below his shoulders. “Okay, no fair.” he panted. “I feel tricked. What are you, a lifeguard or something?”

“Yes.” Mel said matter of factly, treading water calmly in front of him, and of course she was a lifeguard. “I had to pick a summer job in high school anyway, so I figured why not get one where I could get Becca into the pool for free?” She explained.

“Right, yeah, makes sense.” Frank agreed, and he found himself being lured in again by the siren song of her voice as it echoed around the otherwise empty pool room and the rhythmic motion of her lithe limbs in the water and the halo of her hair around her. He thought it was his imagination that she was drawing closer to him until he realized she was mere inches away, staring up at him with her lips deliciously parted. He reached out, drawing her in the rest of the way with a hand at her back until they were chest to chest. She was breathing hard, though one look at how her pupils were blown black as she looked up at him had him realizing that it wasn’t from the exertion of swimming laps. 

His restraint gave way and he crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her deeply. Her gasp of surprise turned into one of pleasure and she wrapped her legs around his waist instead of continuing to tread water, so her hands were free to run through his hair. She nipped at his lip and chased his tongue with hers. Frank was in ecstasy, feeling her hands roam his body as she kissed him with an intensity he wasn’t accustomed to. Far too soon, he felt her pull back from him just enough to look into his eyes and he didn’t think he could possibly be more turned on than he was in that moment looking at her heavy lidded eyes and kiss-bitten lips.

“Frank” she said in a breathy voice that had his cock twitching with want. “We should probably take this back to our room.”

Their surroundings – their very public, glassed-in surroundings – came crashing back to him and he nodded, suddenly all too eager to get her alone and away from the eyes of anyone else. Nothing he wanted from her right now was fit for the public eye. They scrambled out of the water and Frank blindly grabbed some extra towels as they chased each other back to their room, every mischievous glance from Mel almost making him trip with eagerness.

Somehow they made it back to their room without incident and the second the door shut behind them they were tangled together again. He had her pressed up against the door and she was sighing in his ear as he sucked a mark into the skin above her collarbone. She nipped at his earlobe and his hips jerked forward where she was pressed against him, both still fully clothed in their swimwear. She smiled against his skin at the effect that had on him and he knew she was mentally filing that one away for later.

Savor it. A voice inside his head insisted above the gasping of breaths and the roaming of hands and her hot tongue pushing between his cold lips. This is everything you’ve been waiting for. This is Melissa King. Don’t rush it. But the voice was drowned out by the feeling of nimble fingers at the waistband of his swim trunks and the soft moan that escaped her as he licked hungrily into her mouth and the hypnotizing sight of her peaked nipples as he peeled off her wet swimsuit.

It wasn’t until he was on top of her on the bed, noses brushing and breath mingling and his achingly hard cock pressed against her thigh when he drew back and met her heavy lidded gaze and the significance of it all came crashing down on him. He stilled for a moment, taking it all in. He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help himself. The center of his world was laid bare underneath him and he still couldn’t believe his luck sometimes that she had chosen him to allow into her orbit. Her gaze softened into something sweeter as she took in his expression. She reached a hand up to cup his cheek and he leaned into it, grounding himself in her like she was gravity itself. She was gravity for him. She was everything that kept him steady, even in this.

“I love you” she whispered against his mouth, more of a gentle reminder than a declaration.

“I love you too” he said as he bent to press open mouthed kisses down her neck, sucking gently on her pulse and nipping at her collar bone as he travelled down her body. He sucked on each hardened nipple, spurred onwards by the way her breath quickened the farther down her body he went. Finally he made it to where he wanted most to be, and made unflinching eye contact as he licked into her where she was already so wet for him. Mel’s hips bucked upwards involuntarily at the contact and he gripped her hip as he sucked her clit. She gasped as she rocked herself into his mouth, breathy little sounds that had him moaning against her as he swirled his tongue around her clit.

“Just like that…don’t stop…” she moaned desperately, already so close to the edge for him.

Frank was intoxicated by the effect he was having on her, and wasn’t about to stop even if the world began to crumble around them. He was transfixed by the way his mouth on the most sensitive part of her was causing a flush to creep across her chest and had her hands grasping the sheets. He redoubled his efforts, keeping up the steady rhythm of his tongue that had her writhing until her gentle moans turned into a cry of his name as she came on his tongue. He worked her through it, easing into gentle kisses on the insides of her thighs as she came down from her orgasm until he felt her hands in his hair dragging him back up to her. He kissed his way up her body until they were face to face again and his aching cock pressed up against the wet heat where his mouth had just been. 

“Please Frank,” she whispered against his lips, “I need you inside of me.”

His hips jerked of their own accord at her words and he shifted to line himself up with her entrance. Their shared moans were captured in an open mouthed kiss as he eased himself inside of her, and Frank swore he saw stars. 

“Fuck…Mel…baby you feel so good” he panted, taking a minute to adjust to the equisite feel of her around him so this wasn’t over before it began. He hadn’t been this close this fast in longer than he could remember and it would be embarrassing if not for Mel grinning against his lips as though his need to pause not to blow his load as soon as he was inside her was a compliment.

He began to move inside her then, slow strokes that had her hips arching up to chase him when he withdrew. She locked her legs around him, changing the angle and making him moan deeply against her skin. As if that wasn’t enough, he felt her snake one hand between them to start rubbing her clit, and that might actually be the hottest thing that had ever happened to him, her taking charge of her pleasure as he fucked her. He pulled back to watch her touch herself as he slid in and out of her, and every nerve ending in his body felt like it was on fire. He was losing his rhythm as he became lost in the sensation, and he pressed his face into her neck as his thrusts took on a desperate pace. He could tell by the way she tensed underneath him that she was close, and the first clench of her walls around him sent him hurtling over the edge with her, crying out as he spilled into her over and over again. He had to remind himself to breathe as he laid on top of her, unable to remember another time it had ever been this good. Frank came to his senses some time later to Mel running her hands up and down his spine, humming something contentedly that he didn’t quite recognize but found hazily pleasant. He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck from where his head was resting on her shoulder. 

“Hey there” she said softly as she pressed a kiss to his forehead. She looked so relaxed, so peaceful as she gazed at him with so much love in her eyes.

“We should probably shower” he mumbled against her skin, eyes closing again at the comforting feel of her hands on his back. He was warm and comfortable and still riding the wave of post-orgasm bliss, but he was also becoming aware of the slightly unpleasant feeling of drying pool water and bodily fluids on their skin.

Mel wrinkled her nose. “We should, yeah. We smell like chlorine and sex.”

Frank huffed out a laugh at that but didn’t make a move yet to get up.

“Maybe you could wash my hair. I think that would feel nice.” Mel mused, and Frank perked up at that. Any chance to take care of the woman he loved was not one that he was about to pass up.

Mel laughed as he immediately rolled off of her then, taking her hand and helping her up from the bed.

“Lead the way” he said earnestly, and she did, smiling back at him as they walked to the bathroom.

****

The next morning at breakfast, Samira took one look at Mel and broke out in a triumphant grin, which immediately had her turning bright red. Frank preened beside her as he realized what was being said in unspoken words, and left them at the table to debrief as he filled up his plate at the breakfast line.

“Soooo…?” Samira asked impatiently, eyebrows raised.

Mel thought if her face turned any redder she might actually pass out. “So it turns out that swimming can be a very erotic activity.”

Samira’s eyes went wide. “You guys f–” she lowered her voice “You guys fucked in the pool?”

Mel yelped. “We did not fuck in the pool!” she whispered urgently, leaning across the table. “We…very quickly got out of the pool so that did not happen.” She added.

“You know what, hell yeah.” Samira nodded sagely.

It occurred to Mel that it was a testament to their friendship that this conversation was happening at all.

“Okay but the not-pool sex.” Samira said, getting back down to business as she eyed up the two men in line for the breakfast buffet and gauged how much time she had left for this conversation before they came back.

“The not-pool sex.” Mel nodded seriously.

“It was good?” Samira asked.

“It was amazing.” Mel emphasized. “I don’t think I’ve ever finished so quickly from–”

She felt a kiss being pressed to the top of her head and a bowl of yogurt with berries on top placed in front of her, effectively stopping her mid sentence.

“They didn’t have honey to go on top like you like, but I made sure to pick out the blueberries from the mixed fruit before I put it on there because I know how much you hate getting a random sour one while you’re eating.” Frank said, oblivious to what he just interrupted.

“Thank you dear.” Mel said, turning to give him a quick kiss as he sat down next to her.

“Sorry about the honey, honey.” he responded with a cheshire grin, clearly having been waiting to use that one.

Samira made an exaggerated gagging sound. “Oh good, so you’re going to be even more gross together now, perfect. Good luck hiding that at work.” She scoffed, but any judgement was cancelled out by Jack walking up to the table and setting down some waffles in front of her.

“I made sure to get you the real maple syrup, not the fake kind you think is gross, and I put the fruit on the side so it didn’t get all syrupy.” Jack said as he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“What was that you were saying, Samira?” Mel said innocently.

“God we’re all awful.” Samira said after a beat, bursting out laughing. Mel and Frank were quick to join her, leaving Jack in momentary confusion at what he walked into before his eyes crinkled and he let their amusement wash over him as well.

They ate their breakfast then, keeping up a lively banter that was growing more comfortable and genuine as the weekend wore on. Mel felt like her proverbial cup was overflowing. As someone who had always struggled to form relationships she felt like she had won the lottery with the group that surrounded her now, laughing and walking to the convention center to spend the day being medical nerds together. It really felt like a dream.

Mel’s focus for the day was a roundtable discussion on caregiver burnout. It was the last full day of the conference and she was both energized by the content and experience as a whole, and simultaneously ready for them to return home to real life. It both elated and soothed her to no end to realize she finally had a life that was so well rounded that she missed it when she was gone. As she listened to various people give their stories of burnout, she was reminded that things hadn’t always been that way. The sharing of stories came around to her before she could get too deep in her own thoughts.

“I’m Dr. Melissa King, Mel to most people. I work in the Emergency Department at PTMC. I relocated to the area because I am the primary caregiver to my sister, Becca. For a long time, I felt like a hypocrite giving patients advice on burnout. I remember talking to a woman who had brought her mother with dementia into the ED, and the advice I gave her was really just what I wished someone would give me; permission to take care of myself. I had no family or friends in the area to rely on, and it was…hard for a while. But I learned to let people in who genuinely wanted to help. I made friends. I met my boyfriend. I found out that things do get better, but only if you let them. Only if you let people in and quit insisting on doing it all yourself.” She finished, and saw the others in the room nodding. 

As the others shared and gave advice and referenced research and studies about being caregivers in their personal and professional lives, Mel continued to think about how much her life really had changed in the past couple years. What she had shared was succinct and meaningful and clearly struck a chord with the others around her so it had done what it was meant to do, but the reality of it was so much more. 

Mel remembered starting at PTMC and feeling completely unmoored. She knew no one and had nothing to show for the move except the better quality of life she knew it meant for Becca and that alone was worth it. It was lonely though; putting on a brave face for Becca, knowing she’d be working long shifts with people who never seemed to quite see her, and sitting at home in between wondering what else there was supposed to be. But then her very first day Frank appeared, all blue eyes and confidence and boundless energy and by all counts the least likely person to take the time to notice her, but he did. He sat there on the floor with her and told her that her sensitivity was a strength. That she was needed. And she believed him. Something about him felt like a port in the storm of that very long day and she believed him. And then he was gone and it felt like a betrayal she couldn’t quite name, and the feeling was entirely disproportionate to the time they’d spent together. She just needed a friend, anyone, so badly. And then there was the MCI and he was back and then gone again and days passed and she finally found out why and it was just like Mel not to let that go. So then there was rehab and the visits that showed her that he needed someone at least as badly as she did and for the first time she had a life outside of work and Becca. When he graduated from inpatient rehab there were pizza nights and movie marathons and Frank’s adjustment back to work and his divorce and Mel meeting his kids and him meeting Becca and all the little moments that enmeshed them fully in each other’s worlds. There was their accidental Halloween couples costume the night that she confessed to needing to figure out who she was again outside of just being a caregiver, and her breakdown over the anniversary of her parents’ death that pushed her fully into giving the entirety of her heart and her trust to the man who had more than earned it. There was all of that and now there was this conference and their friends and sex in hotel rooms and New York style pizza and never ever enough words to fully describe the room it all took up in her heart.

Mel left the roundtable discussion feeling so overwhelmingly grateful for it all and needing to seek out Frank to at least try putting what she was feeling into words. As though he held a homing beacon to her heart, Mel was able to locate him almost instantly in the crowd, immediately stepping into the tight embrace that the look on her face must have told him she needed. He smelled like bergamot and cedar cologne and laundry detergent and coffee and home. She inhaled deeply and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“You okay?” He said softly, checking in with her as he always did.

“Yeah,” she said, not yet ready to let go. “I just…I love you. You know that, right?”

“Of course baby.” He answered immediately, sounding slightly concerned. “I love you too, so much.”

Mel pulled back then, just enough to look him in the eye but not to totally detach from his embrace. “The roundtable just got me thinking how much you’ve changed my life…how much we’ve changed each other’s lives…and I’m just so grateful for all of it.” She told him, voice thick with emotion.

His face softened. “I am too. I never knew it could be this good.” Frank admitted, brushing Mel’s hair back from her face.

She smiled up at him, pulling away from the hug then and taking his hand in hers so they could go find their friends.

The four of them decided that it wouldn’t be a trip to New York without a Broadway play, so after the convention wrapped up for the day they caught a contemporary version of Hamlet after eating dinner at an Italian restaurant that had some very well deserved five star reviews.

When they got back to the hotel room, Mel slipped her ballet flats off as she began shrugging out of her blazer. By the time she had contorted herself out of her pantyhose and pencil skirt and into comfier clothes, Frank was already stretched out on the bed waiting for her. She dimmed the lights so the only ones on were the bedside table lamps within easy reach before getting into bed and snuggling into his side, sticking her cold feet under her legs and wrapping an arm around his torso. 

As much as Mel truly did love nights out on the town and spending time with friends and date nights trying new things, nights like these where they got to spend time cozying up with each other and debriefing about life while something mindless played on TV awaiting their commentary were her favorite. They had made it through both seasons of the Gypsy Rose documentary that way and were currently working through the most recent episodes of Master Chef.

“I think we could make that, right?” Frank said, eyeing up some sort of Korean fried chicken on the screen.

“We can, but should we?” Mel asked, wrinkling her nose. “The whole apartment would smell like fried chicken for days.”

Frank considered it, looking thoughtful. “Fair point.”

“Oh we could try that though”, Mel pointed at a Beef Wellington another contestant was making.

Frank took his phone out and Googled more details about the recipe than the episode was showing, taking the idea seriously as he always did when she suggested something. “It has mushrooms and there’s no fooling Becca when it comes to those, and I don’t think Tanner and Penny would leave us alone long enough to make something that complicated, but it seems like a lot of work and a lot of food just for two people. We need friends.” He concluded.

“We have friends!” Mel insisted. “Samira and Jack are our friends now! We’ve been hanging out with them all weekend, we could invite them over and make food.”

“So dinner party, got it.” Frank agreed, opening the notes app on his phone and writing it down under his list of ideas for things they wanted to do together. It was a random and lengthy list that contained everything from ‘learn to make cake pops’ to ‘travel to Europe’. It was a work in progress.

He set down his phone and Mel took advantage of the unoccupied moment, leaning over to kiss him chastely at first but deepening it as he shifted his attention fully to her. She roved her hands over his body and he tangled his in her hair, deepening the angle of the kiss. She shifted to straddle him then, and as she felt his growing erection pressing against her through their clothes, all Mel could think was how her life might actually be perfect in this moment.

****

Frank woke up the next morning and decided that he had finally found something he liked even better than waking up with Mel in his arms; waking up with Mel in his arms naked. They had fallen asleep tangled up in each other after their second round of orgasms, and it might have been the best sleep of his life. She was currently resting her head on his chest, still breathing deeply in sleep, and he ran his fingers meditatively up and down her spine.

They were flying home later that morning, but Frank felt no sense of loss for the end of their work vacation. It had been an amazing weekend of sightseeing and absorbing new information and networking with other doctors he would never have met otherwise, but what had really made it special was the time spent with the people he was flying home with. It sounded cheesy even in his own head but it was true. He had some great conversations with Abbott that allowed him to get to know the man on a level he probably never would have otherwise, and he sincerely hoped they made the time to grow the newfound friendship once they got home. Samira had always been a friend to him, but getting to know her outside of work and seeing her bond with Mel was something Frank didn’t know he needed. And then, of course, there was what the weekend had done for his relationship with Mel. He wasn’t just talking about the sex either, though it went without saying that the sex was as amazing as he knew it would be. Every new experience they shared throughout the weekend brought them closer in ways Frank didn’t previously know he was missing. He loved seeing her dressed up. He loved watching her learn in a different environment than the ER. He loved seeing how she problem-solved and navigated new experiences. He loved how much more free and whimsical she became the more confidence she gained. Frank took pride in how she did these amazing things but still gravitated back to him through it all and trusted that he would be there beside her. It wasn’t lost on him how big of a deal it was for her to rely on someone in that way after a lifetime of being alone and he would never take that trust for granted.

As though thinking about her hard enough was enough to wake her — and it might be, she was a notoriously light sleeper — Mel began to stir, stretching and shivering where the cool hotel room air touched her skin. Frank pulled the blanket over them both and she snuggled into him underneath it.

“Good morning” she told him softly, her voice scratchy from sleep.

“Good morning baby” he responded with a kiss to her forehead.

They woke up slowly together, soft touches and quiet words and sleepy kisses until they were ready to pack their bags and face the upcoming travel day.

The ride to the airport was pleasantly uneventful, and they breezed through TSA and the boarding process that came after, chatting on and off with Samira and Abbott as they went.

They listened to the requisite flight attendant speech about emergency exits and oxygen masks and seatbelts as they taxied and Frank took Mel’s hand as the plane lifted off, causing her attention to turn towards him. Her eyes crinkled, fondness radiating from her expression as it always did when she looked at him, and God if he wasn’t the luckiest bastard that had ever walked this planet. “I love you” he said simply, gazing at her in a way that he could only hope conveyed the same affection with which she looked at him.

“I love you too Frank.” She answered, with a kiss to his palm. “Let’s go home.”

Like any great love, it keeps you guessing

Like any real love, it's ever-changing

Like any true love, it drives you crazy

But you know you wouldn't change anything, anything