Chapter Text
Robby walked back into the Pitt after closer to five months, not three, standing more upright and breathing a little easier. He does his best to slip in unnoticed, not actually back yet, his official return date scheduled for next week, but he had a couple of meetings, and honestly, he had missed the noise and the chaos. Robby was just there to say hello. Dana clocked Robby immediately but smiled as she shook her head, having already received a text from him letting her know he was dropping by and saying hi. She kept quiet about his presence, and he gave a silent thanks. He caught Santos at her charting.
"Robby, fuck," She scoffed, "You're actually back."
"Uh, thanks?" Robby didn't take it personally as he watched the tension drain out of her, and a look of happy relief filled her eyes for a moment. He knew what to expect with Santos, and he was grateful for it. "I mean, I can leave again-"
"No," she ground out. "If I have to work with these people any longer without someone who gets it, I will actually go insane...or into Pedes or something." He couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Are you back for good?"
"Not for another week, just popping in to say hi."
She didn't believe him for a second. Of course, she didn't believe him; he didn't know why he tried to be honest. She smirked, and he cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah, things have definitely changed while you've been gone. It's gotten...interesting."
Robby had been receiving regular updates from Jack, from Baran, from Dana. He knew all the major changes, anything too large that they didn't want Robby walking back into blind for whatever reason. Robby also had the sense that those were not the changes that Trinity was talking about. "I'm sure."
A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention; he saw Dennis move into his line of vision, focused as he sat down at a different computer and started charting without looking around. He looked...different. Stockier, more assured of himself, still very much possessing what Jack once called his 'homegrown baby face,' but he looked older. His hair had grown out, and he had put on some muscle. He looked the same but still vastly different from what Robby remembered of him months ago as he climbed into Amy's truck. Trinity followed Robby's line of sight and sighed audibly.
"I assume he's one of the changes."
"Yup." She popped her P for emphasis, "and you won't believe how either." This brought Robby's attention back to Trinity.
"Oh?"
"Trust me." She assured dryly. "If you were glad to be back before, you might not be after."
Robby didn't like the swell of concern and worry that welled up at the thought of the younger man possibly being in trouble. "Going out on a limb and thinking it has something to do with Amy?"
He watched as she paused, mouth opening and closing again. Robby was forced to watch Trinity think of an answer, and his concern grew. "Oh, you're really out of the loop, huh?" She asked. It did not make Robby feel better.
"Apparently."
"Yeah, no. Huckleberry upgraded." She snorted. "Don't have to worry about her or the farm anymore. So that's a fucking plus, I guess."
Curiosity was now fully mingled with the worry; in fact, it was starting to win out. "Upgraded?"
He wanted to pry more, his eyes drifting to Dennis, only to notice the man pull out his phone, look up, find what he was looking for and give a small smile. Robby followed his line of sight, and any questions he had for Trinity died on his tongue at the sight of Frank, his Frank dressed in street clothes, with a toddler in pyjamas and brightly colored rain boots on his hip, a diaper bag hanging off his shoulder and a car seat, complete with a baby in his other hand.
Frank stopped in front of Dennis, placing the car seat down on the hub desk. "Hey, how did it go?"
"As well as can be expected. This one is definitely grumpy, and she's not afraid to make it known." Frank replied dryly while Dennis unbuckled the car seat with practised ease, nodding.
"Yeah, getting a new tooth can do that, huh?" Dennis addressed the baby, who was dressed in a cheerful onesie and settled her easily against him. "What did the doctor say?"
Frank kissed the toddler's head, now fully supporting her weight with two arms. "Ear infection, as expected, so we're officially talking about getting tubes." Dennis pulled a face but said nothing. "You still have charting?"
"Give me like fifteen minutes, and then I'll be good to go. What are we thinking for tonight? Don't know about you, but I'm okay not cooking." Dennis was still holding the baby. Frank shifted his weight but didn't let the little girl go. Penny, Robby's brain sluggishly supplied as he stood there watching, unable to comprehend what he was unfolding in front of him.
"Mexican?"
"Perfect."
"I'll order while we wait. Can I leave her here with you? I just need to run to the bathroom." Dennis snorted, looking vaguely insulted, and Frank rolled his eyes with a smile, turning his attention to Penny. "Hey, sweetie, can you stay with Den for a moment?"
Penny didn't say anything, just nodded silently and reached out for Dennis, who easily took her with one hand, still holding the baby with the other. Dennis adjusted his hold on both and sat down, making sure both girls were on his lap, starting to speak in a low and soothing voice to Penny, who was nodding, while the baby gummed on Dennis' fingers, the resident looking extremely unbothered by the baby’s actions.
Robby turned hopelessly to Trinity, unable to speak. "Uh huh." She nodded. "Told you, upgraded."
He had so many questions but couldn't find a way to voice a single one of them, or even to make a sound. "Turns out Frank's a fucking carrier." Robby was thrown by Trinity's use of Frank's first name more than the fact that Frank was a carrier. He had known that for years, even if he had forgotten it numerous times.
“Yeeeaahh,” she drew out, clearly not impressed. “That would have been great for everyone else to know before Dana got Frank to stay late after he apparently clocked out that night to help with Baby Jane Doe for a bit."
Robby did a double-take, looking at the adorable baby in Dennis’ arms. “That’s Baby Jane Doe?” He had spent more than one night wondering what had happened to her on his sabbatical.
“Auden Langdon, now.” Robby didn’t bother hiding his surprise. “By the time anyone realised what was happening, she was fully imprinted on him. Took less than four hours, apparently.”
He could only nod. Robby knew that happened between abandoned infants and carriers, that there were studies on imprinting onto a carrier for survival, and it wasn’t uncommon for children under three to imprint quickly when they felt safe. Fuck he should have paid better attention to those articles.
He cleared his throat. “And Whitaker?”
Trinity looked even less impressed now. “Offered to help Frank move some of Penny’s leftover baby things from storage into his apartment, the crib and shit,” she waved away, “didn’t want Frank to possibly re-hurt his back.”
Robby was slowly starting to see the picture being painted before him. “Oh.” Jealousy started to slowly burn the lining of his stomach.
“Pretty sure he dumped Amy sometime after, and has been helping Frank since. I’m starting to think he can do better.”
Something protective twinged in Robby’s chest at Trinity’s comment about Frank. “Whitaker?”
“Frank.”
Once again, he was surprised at her response. She shrugged. “I still don’t like him, but his kids are cute.” She muttered.
She had a point; they really were, but Robby was too busy drowning to verbally agree. “Told you,” she said, “changes.”
“Uh huh.”
He offered lamely, looking back at Whitaker to find the younger man looking directly at him, Robby’s former baby Jane Doe in one arm, and a little girl that looked both too much like Frank and not enough like Frank, tired, sick and putting her full trust in the man who she was resting her little body against, the man Frank it seemed trusted so completely, smiling at Robby in sharp victory.
What the actual fuck?