Chapter Text
Dana’s on her phone as she packs up her locker, practically yelling into the microphone.
“Of course I’m picking you up from the airport. Jesus Christ. Who do you think I am?” They do this dance every single time she visits.
The voice at the end of the call is jovial but combative (as always). “Are you crazy? Your airport is the worst; no way I’m letting you drive in there. You won’t come out for three hours; I won’t even be able to find you.”
“Goddamnit, woman, just go the pickup spot we meet at every time and stop fuckin’ arguing with me!” Dana hangs up before she can get another word in. She closes her eyes and sighs deeply. It’s going to be an amazing week, so long as she can survive the hyper-Italian tendency to bicker over absolutely everything (and nothing). Her brief moment of zen is interrupted by the opening of another locker. Dana’s eyes flick open.
Dr. McKay smirks at her from across the room. “You all right there, Dana?”
Cassie looks tired but still good – how does she do that? Dana wonders – and she must have overheard some of that call – how couldn’t she – because she’s looking at Dana with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. Dana tries not to over-interpret the attention. She is constantly trying not to over-interpret Cassie’s attention.
“I will be. As soon as I can get out of here and get on the road.” Dana packs up the rest of her bag, her eyes shifting between her things and Dr. McKay as she shrugs on her coat.
“Somewhere to be tonight?” Cassie closes her locker and leans against it, appraising Dana.
Dana smiles. “Yeah. Picking up a friend of mine who’s coming to stay.”
“Oh right! That’s why you’re off mid-week, right?”
Dana’s a little taken aback that she remembered that. She smiles broadly. “That’s right. After tomorrow.”
“Well, you’ll be missed around here. I hope you have a restful time off.” Cassie pulls her hair down and throws on her coat. “Can I walk you to your car?”
Dana laughs at that. It’s not a long walk, but the company can’t hurt. Especially this company. “Sure. What a gentleman.”
She can’t be sure, but as Cassie smiles and breaks eye contact, she thinks she’s blushing.
Dana doesn’t tell a lot of people that she spent her summers in Philadelphia. Most people don't think of an old broad as ever having been a kid at all, so it doesn't come up much. Her Uncle Pat had secured her a job at the local summer camp there for 5 years straight and they paid better than any part-time serving job in town, plus after volunteering at the hospital during the year, she’d been a shoo-in for camp nurse. She was good at it too.
Camp Pitch Pine was also where she’d met her best friend of nearly 40 years, Melissa Schemmenti. Hell, Dana was the one who gave her her first cigarette. Melissa has since quit smoking, but once a visit, she breaks her fast to light one up with Dana, like a little ritual from their youth.
Of course, they don’t get to see eachother a whole lot, being cities apart, but they make time twice a year to spend a week in eachother’s bubbles, filling their week with laughter and nonsense and silly touristy bullshit until they’ve filled their cup to the brim. It’s never enough, but it’s worth every minute of planning (and arguing).
Dana pulls up to the pickup loop and checks her phone. Before long, she notices the trademark red hair of her good friend. She smiles before she’s close enough to see the hat she’s wearing. Dana storms out of the car towards her.
“You take that goddamn thing off right now! You tryin’ to get me killed?” Dana grabs for Melissa’s ballcap, but Mel dodges, playing keepaway.
“What’s your problem, Evans? You jealous?”
“The Pirates have a better record this year!”
“Not for long. I don’t want anyone here thinking I actually live in this godforsaken place. Besides, I had to see the look on your face, and it was worth it!”
Dana finally manages to snatch the hat off Schemmenti’s head and then frisbee toss it as far as she can manage. Melissa shrieks in mock outrage, “How DARE you!”
But before Dana can make a joke or offer a jibe back, one of the airport security guards starts heading their way. “Excuse me, ma’am. You can’t be parked there so long, and you can’t be throwing articles of clothing around the Arrivals gate.”
Dana and Melissa exchange a conspiratorial look and then both make a break for the car, Melissa tossing her suitcase wildly into the back seat, and then Dana peels out before security can reach them.
As they pull away, they cackle like they’re 16 again. Some things never change.
Melissa launches into their gab-sesh immediately, recounting her flight in, specifically how many drinks and snacks she was able to con out of the short flight just by hailing different flight attendants. “Rubes, all of ‘em, it was perfect. One time I put my hat on and got two different pretzels from the same guy. I swear, the object permanence on these pollos.”
Dana chuckles, “Just can’t help yourself, can you?” As she says this, someone cuts her off and she leans on the horn and flips them off out the window.
Melissa adds her own commentary, “God I hate this city. You’re lucky I love you enough to visit.”
Dana shakes her head and jabs back, “Oh and Philly’s so great? Are you still teaching out of a mall because your school was declared ‘uninhabitable’?”
“Hey! I really liked my time at the mall. I recaptured my youth.”
“Sure, sure. Barb sent me a picture – she thought you might need a psychiatric intervention.” Dana laughs.
“Awww, I didn’t know you and Barb still texted!” Melissa coos, ignoring the remark.
“You’re surprised I like your friends? Besides, she’s better at regular updates than you are.” Dana casts her a sidelong judgmental look.
Melissa squints. “Just make sure she’s not sharing too much identifying information. The feds can’t be trusted.”
“Oh my god, Schemmenti. You think the feds give a shit about how much you’re scamming airline staff?”
“Well, no, but I partake in a variety of extra-legal activity, and I don’t need the heat.”
Dana just shakes her head. God, she’s missed her.
They pull into Dana’s shortly after 9pm. Melissa orders food on the way so it’s arrived nearly at the same time they do. They’ve got a well-oiled tradition down for the first night – more Chinese food from Lao Sze Chuan than they can eat, plus good wine, which Melissa has safely packed into her suitcase. Maybe more wine than clothes.
“The best, straight from Sicily,” she says as she offers the first bottle of red to Dana.
Dana fishes out her reading glasses and inspects the bottle. “This says it was bottled in Jersey.”
Melissa swipes the bottle back, puts her own readers on and shrugs. “Enh, when in Pittsburgh. You fools drink swill anyway,” Melissa laughs and Dana, like always, rolls her eyes.
Dana changes into sweatpants and a college sweater she inherited from one of her daughters.
For several hours they eat their Chinese food and just catch up. Dana relays the ins and outs of her quiet divorce. Melissa had heard some of the bigger headlines, but the minutia and the small disagreements along the way were new to her. Melissa’s sure to add in a “mother fucker” or a “seriously, dude?” in the right places. Supportive asides to reassure Dana that she’s not the villain in all this, even if she feels that way sometimes. After all, she’s the one who asked for the divorce in the first place.
She hadn’t really pictured herself divorced ever. It just wasn’t done in her family. Better to stay willfully chained to the person who no longer cared if you got punched in the face at work or if you made an extra effort in the bedroom or you took care of all the housework and childcare all the time until you disappeared from your own life. In some way, it wasn’t her that decided at all. Benji’s apathy had done so in spades. But still, she had been the one to say the words.
“Love and light,” Melissa starts, “Benji was never really my cup of tea so I never totally understood how he could be yours. You’re just so fun and dynamic and he just didn’t care enough. It was such a buzzkill. Plus, you practically raised the girls on your own, while holding down the insane job you have. So, what’s he good for?” She takes a sip of wine before adding, “How are the girls anyway?”
Dana smiles, proud. “They’re good. Really good. Sarah’s still in law school – she’ll be done in a couple years. And Rebecca’s doing picture editing – right now she’s on this big show I can’t remember the name of. It’ll be out in the new year, anyway. I’ll send it to you.”
Melissa adds her life updates soon after they’ve opened another bottle of “Sicilian” Jersey wine. Jacob is still living with her – “My bathroom has never been so clean, he’s kind of a germaphobe so it really works in my favour” – and she’s still dating the fire chief. But the newest development is that they’ve opened up their relationship.
“What?? Really?” Dana is in shock. Melissa has always seemed sort of traditional that way, but then when she thinks about every other way she cuts against the expected grain, maybe it’s not all that surprising.
“I’ve been married; I’ve done the long-term relationship and the tying down thing. We both like who we like, and I like being a free agent when I want to be. It’s not like I’m using that card all the time, but every once in a while, it’s nice to be able to ask someone new out on a date when I wanna.”
“That’s very… evolved of you,” Dana remarks over a sip of wine.
“I’m sure that’s the word you’re thinking. You can call me a slut, Evans, you never shied away from it before.”
“Hey! I resent that. What I used to call you was an incorrigible slut.”
Melissa cackles at that, delighting in Dana’s crudeness. It’s one their most common themes.
“So,” Melissa starts in and already Dana knows she’s in trouble. “She’s a divorcee, a hot blonde, a charge nurse, she has her own shiny new place now. Is she seeing anyone?”
Dana hesitates. Too long. And then she reaches for the dishes to clear them away, making busy work. Melissa goes after her like a shark after blood in the water, following her to the kitchen.
“Ooo! OH! That pause. That’s a yes!” Melissa says ecstatically.
“No! No. I’m not seeing anyone.” Dana says firmly (and too quickly). She loads the dishwasher so she can avoid looking Melissa in the eye.
“But you hesitated,” Melissa adds. “That means you want to be seeing someone. Or screwing someone, I’m not particular. Is it someone at the hospital?” Melissa darts around Dana trying to get her to make eye contact.
“I’m not doing this with you, Schemmenti.” Dana warns as she starts packing away the leftovers.
“Oh yes, you are! Come on, I’ve been open with you! Besides, you know I’ll just ply you with wine until I get a straight answer.”
It’s true that once Melissa is intrigued, she’s like a dog with a bone. But Dana really wasn’t planning on getting into this part on the first night she’s here. Maybe not at all.
“I bet it is someone at the hospital. That’s why you’re being cagey, because it’s a work thing. Especially since you never do anything fuckin’ else.”
Dana starts on the dishes, washing them absentmindedly. Trying not to picture blue eyes and messy bangs, a sideways smile.
“Yes, I do! I have hobbies.”
“Name one,” Melissa says. Dana does not respond.
“Stop trying to pivot!” Melissa digs into her memory for any names she can come up with and the first one that rises: “Is it… Robby?”
“Fuck no, what a long dark walk that would be,” Dana responds with a laugh.
“Oh my god the night shift guy? Abbot, right?" Melissa chuckles to herself. "That’s easy to remember. He’s hot.”
“Not a chance. I said I’m not doing this, Mel.”
“Come on, what are friends for if not talking about boys?” Melissa intonates like they’re teenagers again, poking Dana in the side.
There’s a long hesitation as Dana's hands still on the dishes mid-wash. And then an uncharacteristically quiet Dana says: “She’s not a boy.”
To that, Melissa screams in delight. “WHAT! What?! Oh my god tell me EVERYTHING.”
They stay up late into the night, trading details on crushes like they are back at summer camp. Dana sort of can’t believe she’s divulging as much as she does, but then it is really shitty wine, the kind you drink fast so it’s over, and that does something to her inhibitions.
In return, Melissa shares some of her open relationship exploits – including the not-so small fact that she’s dating women now too. Melissa shrugs. “I guess I’m a little less “mostly straight” than I thought.”
“Join the club,” says Dana.