Chapter Text
Trinity felt the tiny glimmer of good humor she still had easily vanish when Robby yelled at Langdon. The two had been acting like dogs lately, and it was exhausting for everyone, especially after twelve-hour shifts like they were on. But there was a kind of silent recognition from Santos toward the older man, she watched as he moved toward the ambulance bay and pondered for a moment what Dennis, who was off for the next two days because of the wedding of someone she didn't care enough to remember and whom he was the best man for, would do.
And Santos hated, deeply hated that all the sarcasm, all the irony, all the combative posture she maintained was just a way of keeping people at bay and that she terribly cared about the bunch of idiots she'd been working with for almost two years.
She saw how Mel went to comfort Langdon in the break room, and if anyone could have rolled their eyes out of their sockets, it would have been her. She didn't understand how Frank Langdon's lost puppy act was so effective with Mel King. But still, she didn't care about it—not outwardly beyond an eye roll—but still looked in the direction of where Robby had gone.
And maybe it was a terrible choice, especially since she stood up and started walking towards where the man had gone. But Dennis, half-drunk, told her about Robby's total breakdown on their first day at the hospital, and Santos wasn't stupid, she saw the man slowly spiraling even after only four weeks of sabbatical.
"Your sabbatical was such a big mess that you had to come back early?" Santos asked, seeing the man standing looking at the street and positioned herself next to him. Robby was much taller, and yet he looked small in his somewhat pathetic posture, huddled inside himself like a shrimp.
"I didn't see the point in hitting the road with this going on." He indicated the hospital, and Santos looked between him and the hospital for a moment.
"Shit is always going to happen, it's an emergency room." She spoke casually, and he snorted.
“Sure, because I can leave Al-Hashimi coordinating you guys like you’re numbers, Langdon at risk of a relapse, Dana afraid of patients hurting the team. Everything seems functional in a shitty emergency.” And Santos would be impressed by the truths, if it didn’t actually seem like if Robby didn’t open up, he was going to explode.
“There’s one thing about places: they always outlive the people.” Santos spoke calmly, and Robby looked at her. “At least that’s what they told me when the orphanage became too much.” And it was a vulnerability, Trinity Santos didn’t go around exposing herself easily.
“Orphanage, huh?” He asked, almost as if she were a patient he was evaluating, but there was this personal quality to it.
“My mother was deported when I was 14. Since I was half American and half Filipina, they put me in an orphanage because my father was arrested trying to defend my mother.” Santos offered in a dry, curt tone, trying not to show how much it hurt her. “A fucking mess. My dad got out two years later and managed to get me out of that shitty system. Today he lives with my mom in Vigan.” The brunette then scratched the back of her neck and cleared her throat to look up and meet Robby’s eyes. “I can easily see someone who’s on the verge of suicide, Robby.” He opened his mouth to protest, she noticed. “I was there, I did it, it wasn’t worth the 12 minutes I was dead.” The dryness of her words made the man close his mouth quickly enough for his teeth to chatter, and Trinity looked away from him to look back at the street.
“Trinity…” He began, and she noticed that when he wanted to get emotionally close, it was her first name.
“You need help, Michael.” She offered, and he sighed.
“My psychiatrist thought I needed to go back to work. That’s why my sabbatical ended early.” He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and swayed slightly. “I spent the first two weeks voluntarily admitted to a clinic, but Jack could only visit me up to a certain point.” She didn’t say anything more than that. “But at the end of the second week they said I was a little less… At risk. And the psychiatrist is seeing me three times a week.” He spoke hoarsely.
“The medications are ridiculous, aren’t they? Especially in there. I still take sertraline for my anxiety.” She grunted. “Shitty side effects.”
“Finally the headache subsided, it’s ironic that my medication that helps with my anxiety made me more anxious.” He said with a snort and Santos nodded. “I’m on 100mg.” He offered.
“Every day I take 50, but right after…” She hesitated. “It increased to 200 and it took a while to return to a more normal dose, I felt numb, dizzy, shaky, and the whole list in the first few weeks. It gets better.” She spoke knowingly.
“Okay.” He spoke softly.
“But it gets better if you have support.” Her tone was calm. “You need more friends besides Jack Abbot.” Trinity spoke softly, and he made a thoughtful hm.
“Robby, we need you in trauma 1.” Someone spoke through the door, and Robby sighed.
“I’m coming.” He said and waited a moment before starting to walk and stopped without looking at Santos. “Thank you, Trinity.” He spoke hoarsely, and Santos heard the door open and close. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her scrubs and grunted slightly.
It took her a few minutes to return inside the emergency room, and she barely arrived before being bombarded with cases by Dana. And she loved the craziness.
And there was something Langdon told her that stuck with her, that the Pitt employees were all crazy with ADHD, but she disagreed. Emergency room doctors were people who organized themselves in chaos. And that made sense to her. The chaos, the speed at which everything needed to be done.
Another hour passed with the usual madness, and finally she managed to sit down to start filling out the charts. Then she saw Al-Hashimi enter a room with Langdon and again noticed how curt she was being with him, and contemplated what made the woman who had previously defended the man start treating him so harshly.
“Do you drink?” The sudden question made Trinity’s eyes leave the door of trauma 2 and look at Robby, who was leaning against the counter.
“Less than I already have, more than I should.” She spoke sharply, and he made a low sound. “Is that a criticism?” She grunted.
“An invitation.” He offered, and she raised her eyebrows at him.
“You don’t rock my boat—” She began, and he shook his head.
“I was told I needed friends, and maybe friends who understand what I…” He stopped speaking when McKay and Javadi passed by them. “Be able to tell me things, and I’ll listen.” He spoke and looked at her. And there was a condition in Michael "Robby" Robinavitch: the man knew how to make a pitiful puppy dog face. And Trinity had a weakness, which she would never admit, for the messed up and lost.
"Okay. I choose the bar." She grunted and he nodded. And in moments he was called to another emergency and Trinity continued writing. "Shitty shift." She grunted and focused.
********
"Are you and Robby friends now?" Dennis asked suddenly and Trinity, who was just drinking a glass of water in the apartment's kitchen, jumped.
"Holy shit, Huckleberry, do you want to give me a heart attack?" She asked in a grunt and Dennis had the decency to blush.
"I'm sorry, I thought you heard me come in." Whitaker said awkwardly.
"Tired of playing farm with Amy?" She asked sharply and he hesitated for a moment.
“She had an appointment with Theo.” He spoke softly, and she made a thoughtful sound. The silence stretched for a moment. “You and Robby?” He offered, bringing the topic back up.
“What about me and Robby?” She grunted dryly, and he winced for a moment.
“Are you… Dating?” He asked, and she made a very genuine face of horror.
“Good heavens, if I wanted an old man to warm my bed, it wouldn’t be Robby of all the damn people in the world. And I like women, Huckleberry, older women, but not to the point where I need to worry about coronary blockages.” She barked, and he winced again. Trinity wondered deeply how a doctor as competent and brave as Dennis was at Pitt could turn into such a mess.
“Uh… Right.” He said and scratched the back of his neck.
“We’re friends.” Santos offered after a good few moments of awkward silence, and Whitaker, who was starting to get distracted, made a questioning sound. “Robby and I. We’re friends. I don’t know, birds of a feather and whatever the hell that means.” She grunted, and Dennis was probably the person who knew the most about Trinity Santos in that hospital.
“Oh… And how’s that going?” He asked, leaning against the kitchen counter, and Trinity grunted.
“He’s a fucking mess.” She sounded sharp and then turned to the refrigerator. “Sandwich?” She offered, and Dennis made a positive sound. “Make some coffee, I like your country coffee.” She followed, and for a moment Dennis just obeyed, and the two focused on that task. “Robby is getting better, but it’s a slow process, getting out of a depressive crisis like the one he was in requires more than medication and a psychiatrist. He basically realized that his life revolved around a survival mechanism within the hospital, and now he’s rebuilding.” She spoke as if it weren’t a big deal.
“Do we need to worry about him?” Dennis spoke softly.
“Keep an eye on him, yes, if he has another crisis like the one you saw or starts spiraling like he was before the sabbatical. But at the moment… I think he’s more stable. He’s been eating better, sleeping better from what he told me, and he’s trying to reconnect with the friends that depression made him drift away from, like Duke, Dana, and Abbot. But you know how it is…” she made a random gesture.
“He needs time.” Dennis spoke softly, and she made a uh-huh sound. “And you two are friends.” He affirmed.
“Nothing better than a suicidal person to keep watch over another.” She said in a sing-song tone.
“Trin….” And Dennis’s tone suggested he wanted to say something serious, which made her turn to him and look not very impressed. “I’m sorry if my absence didn’t help, I know I’ve been focused on the farm situation with Amy, but you’re my friend and you reached out to me when nobody else did.” He continued, and she wanted to make an exasperated expression at the melodramatic moment. “And if you need me, I’m here.” He offered, and she wanted to sigh.
That was one of the reasons why Trinity Santos called Whitaker Huckleberry. He was a sweet boy, a kind boy, and reasonably honorable. He worked hard and was thoughtful. One of the few good men Trinity had in her life, and that made her not be rude, but rather sigh.
“Noted, Huckleberry.” And it was more than she usually offered, and the two went back to making coffee and sandwiches.
“Movie tonight?” He offered.
“Yeep. You can even choose, I’m nice like that.” She said casually, and he gave a small snort mixed with laughter.
“I thought you were going to ditch me to go out with Robby.” He offered.
“He’s having dinner with Dana tonight.” She retorted, and he made a slight sound of amusement.
“Yay, I’m the second option.” She wanted to laugh at his ironic teasing, but only suppressed a smile, and again the silence, only this time it was comfortable.
**********
“You’re unbelievable.” And no, it wasn’t a compliment, especially coming from Langdon.
“Oh, geez, thanks.” She replied very ironically and started walking with him on her heels.
“You could have killed the patient.” He said, practically herding her into a less crowded area.
“Oh, you had the decency not to yell at me in front of everyone this time.” She said, unimpressed.
“God, your arrogance is impressive.” He said, very annoyed and in a tone loud enough to attract attention, and Trinity wanted to grunt.
“Look, golden boy, I had an attendant in the room. One who instructed me and said I did a good job. But you decided to come up to my face again and yell at me when the patient is fine.” She indicated the patient’s room, who was stabilized after a risky procedure.
“He could have died because of your arrogance.” The phrase almost made her eye twitch at the way he was testing her and treating her like she was unstable.
“We’re in an emergency, Langdon. People die all the time.” She spoke sharply. “If you take your head out of the arrogant clouds you live in, you’ll see that I’m not on my first day anymore.” She spoke dryly.
“Maybe you should, so you’d learn to be a more decent person. That’s why nobody likes you and everyone talks badly about you.” And that caught her off guard.
“Langdon, go get some air.” Robby’s phrase broke how disarmed Trinity was by the sentence. But Frank grunted something that Trinity didn’t hear and he walked away. “Come on.” Robby spoke softly and she followed without much hesitation when he gently guided her by the arm.
And entering the tiny kitchen made her grunt slightly and Robby looked at her for a second.
“He didn’t tell the truth.” He tried.
“Which part? The part where everyone hates me, where I’m not a decent person, or where everyone talks badly about me?” She spoke sharply, and there was a slow silence.
“All of the above. You’re a good person, Santos. People like you, and yes, there are people who talk badly about each other, but those who like you aren’t among them.” He offered, and she gave a snort mixed with laughter.
“And you came to be my hero in shining armor?” She asked sarcastically, and he snorted.
“I’m not even close to that. But he, well… There’s bad blood between you two, and he doesn’t hide his disgust at you being here any more than you hide your disgust at him.” He offered.
“Oh, perfect. Langdon robs the hospital, and I’m in trouble for ten months. He comes back, and everyone’s happy, and now he’s a poor wretch.” She grumbled and rubbed her eyes. “He hates me because I noticed he was stealing, besides being a fucking addict. I’ve lived with addicts long enough to spot one.” She grunted.
“I know. That’s why I’m saying you didn’t do anything wrong. Dr. Lee praised you for the procedure.” He said, and they looked at each other.
“You promised not to create a weak point because of our friendship, Michael.” She spoke softly, and he nodded.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Santos.” He said, then opened the door for her. “Try not to argue in front of the patients.” It was a small scolding, and more for show now than for real, Trinity had good overall approval ratings, and she wasn’t causing that much trouble.
“Are you okay?” Whitaker asked gently as she approached.
“Brilliant. Langdon is an idiot, and I get scolded for not arguing in public.” She muttered ironically. “A fucking jerk.” She grunted under her breath and sat down to fill out the charts. Trinity’s worst nightmare.
“He just cares…” Mel’s voice made Trinity’s eyes rise to the woman who was a year older than Trinity and had the same look as always, hair tied in a braid, glasses, the pink t-shirt under the scrubs, and Trinity’s eyebrow raised.
“You don’t need to keep defending your boyfriend, Melatonin. Everyone knows the prince doesn’t do anything wrong to you.” And look, she didn’t like being harsh with Mel, but the way the blonde defended Langdon all the time was simply delusional.
“He’s married.” Mel said, confused and clearly unhappy with the statement that she and Langdon were dating. “And we all make mistakes, Trinity, we’re human.” She tried softly. “But I mean he cares about you.” And that made Trinity burst into laughter loud enough that she had to cover her mouth with her hand.
“Sorry, sorry.” She spoke generally and continued laughing under her hand, which made Mel look confused as she stared at the woman, awkwardly standing in front of the brunette. "You're funnier than I thought you were." She said, wiping her eyes slightly, and Mel seemed confused.
"I know there were problems between you two... Not that I know what the problems were, but..." She stammered, and Trinity found her sweet. Mel was tough, an exceptional doctor, and yet she was extremely sweet in her awkward and kind way. "I don't know what joke I told." And Mel's small, neurodivergent mind seemed confused.
"Langdon caring about me. Damn, excellent way to show it. Yelling at me and looking at me like I'm a puddle of mucus." She said ironically. "But it was worth trying to defend him. I found it brilliantly funny." Trinity said and turned back to the chart, and Mel remained there, which made her sigh and look at the woman. "What was that?" It was a demand.
“We never went out again after that karaoke.” The blonde said, and Dennis, who was next to her, coughed, but Trinity glared at him.
“Right.” She replied, not knowing what to say.
“Dr. King, we need you.” Parker said loudly, and Mel jumped to her feet, stepping back and glancing briefly at Trinity over her shoulder. The brunette just grunted and covered her face.
“Karaoke with Mel, you replaced me?” Dennis said quietly, slightly amused.
“You’re playing farm with Amy…” She replied sharply, and his smile faded slightly.
“Right. So it was my fault.” He said quietly.
“Yes, Huckleberry.” She grunted and looked at Dennis. “She’s one of the good ones, I don’t want to break the girl.” And that was said quietly, with Santos getting up to grab any case he could. She couldn’t hate Melissa King’s sweetness, and boy, she hated herself for it.
********
The dry sound of a heavy glass mug being placed in front of her made her jump slightly and cover a yawn with her hand.
“Doesn’t even look like you just got off a 15-hour shift.” The way the older man with long hair in biker clothes spoke made Trinity roll her eyes. Duke was funny.
“I picked one with whiskey for you.” Abbot’s voice made Trinity look at him and then at Robby.
“Damn, impressive, I’m in a biker bar with three old guys drinking some dubious quality boilermaker.” She grunted and Duke laughed loudly.
“The beer’s good, sourpatch.” The nickname he gave her rang out and she rolled her eyes.
“If three old guys is your Friday night plan, you’re in trouble.” Jack, as Trinity had learned to call him, spoke playfully and she rolled her eyes.
“A lesbian and three old men. What a combination.” She teased and Robby rolled his eyes.
“At least it’s a decent boilermaker.” He offered, and she gave a low laugh.
“At least that, it’s enough that I’m the sweetheart of this group, if you provided me with bad booze I’d leave.” She said, and they laughed together.
But at times Duke, who was more talkative, started chatting with Santos, and it was easy. Hanging out with the old guys was easy for Trinity, they had thicker skin when it came to her sarcasm and were protective, so it worked for her.
“I saw you and King talking. Actually, no, let me correct that.” Jack said with a mocking smile. “I saw King get a laugh out of you, the kind that only happens when you’re already half drunk.” He stated, swirling the glass of whiskey that he claimed to like to drink slowly to dissolve the alcohol in his dry cells.
“Mel’s innocence made her say something so absurd that it was comical.” Santos said, shrugging disdainfully. “She said that the golden boy Langdon cares about me, that’s why he’s hard on me.” She said, and Duke was the first to react.
“The guy you had a problem with? The same one who made you fall into a shitty spiral?” He indicated Robby.
“My shitty spiral isn’t entirely Langdon’t involved, even though he helped.” Robby spoke, taking a sip of his beer.
“Langdon is a little… Complicated.” Jack said thoughtfully. “But I don’t think he doesn’t care, but I don’t know, using that as an excuse to yell at others is a bit extreme.” He said easily.
“You care about me and you yelled at me.” Robby scoffed.
“Yes, Robby, it comes from a place of brotherly love and not some weird thing.” He indicated Santos, who was watching with fascination as the three of them simply accepted her as one of the bros.
“Do I need to beat up this Langdon guy?” Duke asked, looking directly at Trinity, and it was almost sweet that he offered.
“Dude, I’ll beat up Frank Langdon myself if I need to, you can rest that open chest of yours after a complicated surgery.” She indicated, and he grunted, taking a sip of the water he was drinking.
“I never thanked you for helping me these past few days, thanks Trin.” He grumbled, and she made a random gesture with her hand.
“What did she do?” Abbot went out with them less often, but he still clearly cared about the other three.
“Duke had a leak in the wall and then he’s calling Santos of all people.” Robby teased lightly.
“I tried to call you but you were working. She wasn’t.” Duke spoke slightly sharply and Jack laughed.
“Do you know how to do plumbing?” Abbot asked, looking at Trinity with amusement.
“I’m a lesbian, Jack, every self-respecting lesbian knows how to do a little bit of everything half-done. Or half a dozen things exceptionally well.” She said and he chuckled.
“Fair enough.” His smile was wide and Robby looked curious.
“But the truth…” Sahe hesitated for a moment. “My father was a plumber, he and my mother took turns looking after me. If I wasn’t at the diner with her, I was with him. And he would take me to the calls at night because my mother worked late and I couldn’t be left alone.” She offered. “I learned a lot from him about that.” She spoke softly and cleared her throat. “That pays a lot for my medical school.” She said softly.
“You don’t have any loan debts?” Jack asked curiously.
“I won a pretty hefty partial scholarship and then a merit scholarship, my dad and mom helped me with money as much as they could, I left college with 80,000 in debt I think. He helps me pay a reasonable amount even though I say I had a good payment plan, but the old man is stubborn and sends me money every month. I pay two installments with his help and in another two and a half years I’ll be debt-free.” She spoke confidently and Duke whistled.
“The sourpatch is impressive indeed.” He said amused and she rolled her eyes.
“I know.” Her sarcasm made him laugh.
“Looks like we have a golden girl.” Jack teased.
“God forbid, the last golden one is an addict and the second is playing house on the farm.” And Robby grunted. “You have bad taste now, men, Michael. Your female protégés are better.” She scoffed.
“That’s because you have a weakness for the fair sex, Trinity.” Robby scoffed.
“And who doesn’t?” Jack said, raising his glass, and Trinity clinked hers against his.
“A toast to women.” She said, and Duke laughed and raised his own glass, and Robby just rolled his eyes and did the same.
**********
“Dana, do you have a hair tie?” Santos asked in a soft grunt, and Dana looked at her over her glasses.
“You ran without one?” She asked, already pulling the hair tie from her wrist and handing it to her.
“Thanks, I had a pretty crazy morning.” Santos grumbled and tied her hair up. Then she sighed and looked at the board, trying to find something to do.
What distracted her was the metal click in front of the counter, and she saw the metal mug that Santos always brought coffee to work with. The red mug that she loved.
“You left it on the counter.” Robby grumbled, the two looked at each other, and then the man walked away to a stretcher, entering with Mohan.
“Forgot it on the counter?” Dana asked, and Trinity just made a random sound. “Which counter? Robby’s house?” And the doctor didn’t answer, she just picked up her mug and then gave a small smile, because it was full and she left it in the place she always left it.
It took half an hour for Robby and Santos to find a peaceful moment during their shift.
“Your expensive coffee is totally worth it.” Trinity teased lightly, playfully, when it was just the two of them, and he snorted.
“I could have given you a ride.” He said, and Santos rolled his eyes hard.
“Pfft. I needed to go home and get my things. Sleeping wasn’t an active option at that moment but it happened.” She grumbled and saw Dana approaching. “Mommy lioness is coming.” Trinity said, walking away and then going to fill out charts. But still, she saw Dana say something to Robby, and he actively laughed, and then Dana pointed in the general direction of Pitt, and then Robby’s eyes met hers, and she just snorted and went back to typing.
And more time passed in the day, cases came and went, some left, and some were still there. And she knew something was going to happen when Dana approached her while she was having coffee.
“Santos, I have a question.” She stated dryly, and Santos looked at her without really moving. "Are you sleeping with Robby?" And the bizarre question made Santos blink twice, and then the brunette's laughter came out so intensely that the older woman was even confused.
"No." She stated directly, and Dana looked confused for a moment.
"If you're not sleeping with Robby, why were your things at his house?" Dana asked, and then the sound of someone tripping made the two look at the door, and Dennis and Mel were there, looking at her.
"Damn it, no, I'm not sleeping with Robby." Santos said directly and grunted.
"Then why are your things at his house?" And this being repeated by Mel made Santos cover her eyes and grunt.
"We're friends." Santos said sharply, and this made Mel and Dana look at her. "Robby and I are friends." she grunted. "I slept on his couch, and that's why my mug was there." Santos said, bringing her hands to her face and grunting.
“Okay.” Dana spoke slowly.
“Is that all?” She asked sharply, and Dana let out a “uh-huh” and moved away from the younger one. Then her hands lowered, and she looked at Dennis and Mel.
“So… Robby?” Mel asked shyly.
“Friends.” Santos grunted.
“Isn’t it strange being friends with the boss?” She asked shyly.
“He’s a guy, like any other guy. Just like Huckleberry here or the golden boy you adore.” She scoffed, and Mel huffed.
“You need to stop calling him that.” Dennis said awkwardly.
“Langdon and I are colleagues and friends.” Mel said, adding, “Probably less close than you and Robby.” She stated, and Trinity stood up.
“Keep your opinions to yourself.” Santos said sharply and left the break room.
There were eight more hours on duty, and Santos just threw herself into several cases as much as possible, luckily few with Robby involved, but still, there were stares from the team, but Santos ignored them, she wasn't doing anything wrong by being friends with Michael. She reaffirmed herself.
And she knew that at the end of the day, the shit hit the fan. She saw Langdon and Robby arguing, and Robby walked away with stiff steps.
"You're going to screw everything up." Langdon said loudly, and this made several people look at the scene. Trinity saw Jack approaching, and she stood up too.
"You have no idea what you're talking about, Langdon." Robby spoke clearly, stiff with the accusations.
"We're your subordinates here, Robby." And Trinity saw how Robby was spiraling in a moment of mental crisis.
"Enough." She said, weaving between the two. "You talk too much about what you don't know, Langdon." She spoke sharply and saw how confused the younger man became.
"Are you being coerced?" Langdon asked, and for a moment Trinity acknowledged the concern Mel had expressed, yet she still dismissed it.
“You’re completely blind.” Santos spoke sharply. “Robby is our boss and my friend. In that order when we’re inside the hospital. I can maintain my professionalism. You should too.” She spoke sharply and saw Jack guide Robby away and she moved away from Langdon, who seemed somewhat embarrassed.
Mel approached her and didn’t try to say anything, but she still stayed around. Until Trinity saw Jack signaling to her and approached after grumbling to Mel that she would be right back.
“What happened?” Trinity asked quietly.
“Try talking to him. Maybe you’ll help more than I can.” Abbot spoke hoarsely, and Santos entered the room and then saw Robby sitting on the floor. And she just sighed, approaching and sitting beside him. And there were people passing by and even saw Santos there.
“So…” She said quietly.
“Langdon asked if I was favoring you.” He grunted.
“Haha, what a joke, you’re harder on me than on everyone else because of our friendship.” She scoffed, and he chuckled softly.
"Apparently, our friendship is frowned upon." He said, looking away.
"I've always had strange friendships." He chuckled softly and nodded.
"I'll inform HR about our friendship and reaffirm that it's a friendship. They might question you." He offered.
"I'll make it very clear that I'm very lesbian." She said easily, and he nodded. "We can go together if you want."
"No. I'll go, and if necessary, they'll talk to you. I need you here, helping." And he seemed a little less dejected.
"We're friends, Michael, everything will be alright." The reassurance actually made him relax, and then his head fell to her side, their shoulders touched. And his temple met the side of her head, and he took a deep breath.
"Thank you." He said softly, and she scoffed slightly, but still, it was something lighter.
*******
"Didn't you like being my friend?" The conversation at the end of the day made Santos, who was already having a strange day, look up. Trinity was waiting for Robby to get off work.
And seeing Mel there, already in her street clothes, was unexpected but not unprecedented. And she herself was in street clothes. Mel's red sweatshirt and jeans made Trinity's eyes travel up the blonde's body.
"What?" The brunette asked, slightly confused by the question.
"Didn't you like being my friend?" And the question came with the same confused tone, and for a moment Trinity remembered Melissa wearing a green t-shirt, shaking her hair and singing at the top of her lungs. And she couldn't really answer, since Robby appeared walking out of the hospital.
"Duke said there's pizza." He said suddenly, approaching while fiddling with his cell phone.
"There's going to be pizza?" And that made him raise his head to then see Mel there, which made him clear his throat, and he looked at Santos, who made a small grimace.
"Do you want to come, Mel?" he asked, and she looked at Robby and then at Santos.
“I like pizza.” She offered easily, and Robby nodded.
“Are you driving?” He asked the blonde, and the woman shook her head.
“I walked.” Mel informed him, looking awkward.
“I thought you were going to see Becca.” Trinity replied after a moment of silence.
“I was. But she wanted to go stay with Adam and his family.” She spoke in a somewhat sharp tone. And Trinity knew that her sister’s relationship with the boy wasn’t the easiest thing for Mel to absorb.
“I’m going home to take a shower and change…” Trinity offered. “You can come with me, and then we’ll go to Duke’s?” Santos actively decided that if Mel wanted to go with them, she should go. Everyone’s shift there had been kind of a mess.
“Okay, if it’s not too much trouble.” Mel said awkwardly, and Trinity stood up from where she was sitting.
“Come on, Michael, you’re my ride home.” She grumbled, and Robby didn't say anything, but Trinity and Mel still sat inside Robby's SUV. The brunette in the front seat and Mel in the back. And then, Robby's car radio started playing, and Trinity opened the window to let the night breeze begin to blow.
"You and your obsession with the wind." Robby said in a hoarse grumble.
"You and your eternal bad mood." Trinity retorted casually, and Robby grunted a small laugh, and silence fell for a few minutes.
"Do you have therapy early tomorrow?" He asked, clearly forgetting that Mel was there, and Trinity made a clearly displeased sound. "Sorry." He grunted.
"Tomorrow at ten." Trinity grumbled. "And yours?" The question was low.
"The day after tomorrow in the evening." Robby said quietly.
"You like to drink after opening your heart." She tried to joke, and he snorted slightly.
“Mine is tomorrow afternoon.” Both Trinity and Robby looked at Mel in different ways. The brunette turned to look at the blonde, and Robby glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
“Are you part of the therapy crowd too, melatonin?” She joked, and Mel giggled.
“Therapy is good.” Mel replied, and there was a small smile from Trinity.
“It took me a long time to recognize that yes, therapy is good.” Robby said, slightly embarrassed. “Trin convinced me that it would be good to find someone who could help me.” And the way he called her made Mel’s eyebrows furrow slightly.
“She’s right, therapy helps a lot.” Mel offered, and the conversation slipped into a less awkward silence.
“Jack called me last night, apparently he had a trigger from his wife’s death.” Trinity informed Robby, who sighed.
“The anniversary of her death is coming up, it’s hard for him.” She nodded.
“He told me, and then he asked if we wanted to go play darts and crash at his house when we were out.” She spoke easily, and Bobby made a thoughtful sound. “I asked for time off, Huckleberry will cover for me since he owes me two shifts of the wedding day.” Her speech was very clear about what she had chosen.
“I’ll see if I can get someone to cover for me, it’s a tough day to be alone.” He said, and Mel didn’t say anything this time. And it took another two minutes for Robby’s car to stop on Santos’s sidewalk, and she got out with Mel in tow.
And Santos liked the apartment she lived in. It wasn’t a very big place, but it was good. It had two bedrooms with bathrooms, a living room with a small bathroom, and a kitchen. The building had a tiny gym that Trinity used three times a week and a good enough laundry room. So there were no complaints.
“Do you have a car?” Mel asked suddenly as she walked with Trinity.
“Yes, but I ended up crashing on Robby’s couch. So I went with him to the hospital. The advantage of old guys is that they love driving me everywhere and that saves me gas.” She said with slight amusement.
“Old guys?” Mel asked, stopping half a step behind Trinity as the brunette opened the door.
“Duke, Jack, and Michael. The three antiques.” And that made Mel laugh slightly.
“I never imagined you’d have three much older male friends.” And it wasn’t judgmental, no, Mel rarely sounded judgmental, she was more curious, intrigued, and Santos’s response was to shrug.
“I’ve always had male friends, that age difference is new. But honestly, the three of them are a mess, I like messy people because they’re sincere.” Trinity said and covered her mouth to yawn. “I’m going to take a quick shower, if you want anything from the fridge feel free, the TV remote is on the coffee table. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She spoke easily, and Mel stopped awkwardly in the living room, but nodded, and Trinity then moved to the bathroom in her own room.
And indeed it was a quick shower, overall, Trinity Santos was a practical woman. So she washed her hair and dried it, leaving the bathroom twenty-five minutes after entering. And she knew there was a high chance she would end up sleeping on Duke's couch, considering they would probably be drinking, and she didn't drive drunk.
When she left the room, there was no sound from the television, but rather sounds coming from the kitchen, and she followed the noise with curiosity. Entering the kitchen to see Mel washing the dishes from what Trinity ate before going to Robby's wasn't exactly the sight she expected.
"Are you cleaning?" She asked with slightly arched eyebrows, and Mel jumped slightly and turned to look at Santos.
"I was waiting and saw the dishes and thought I could wash them?" She offered almost hesitantly, and Santos might perhaps give a curt reply, but as someone who hated washing dishes with all her might, she sighed.
"You didn't need to, but thank you." And that, as it was said, seemed to relax Mel slightly. "I didn't ask, but do you want to take a shower and change clothes?" She asked slowly, and Mel shook her head.
"I showered at the hospital and put on clean clothes, I'm fine." The answer was quick, not cutting, but like someone who didn't want to bother her.
"Right... Do you always shower at the hospital?" She asked, seeing as Mel went back to finishing washing the dishes she was washing.
"Yes, it saves me water." The sentence was spoken, and Mel was silent for a moment, and there was this twist that Santos didn't try to stop, she had already noticed that it was how Melissa processed things. "I'm saving everything I can because I need to pay for things for Becca, and it's a little difficult, so I try to do as much as I can at the hospital to save money at home. I charge my phone there, I shower there, and things like that."
“A smart move, the hospital already keeps us awake and insane, which isn’t a good thing. I don’t like the water pressure there, but I’ve showered a few times.” She offered, trying not to sound too judgmental, and apparently succeeded as Mel relaxed.
“Yes, it helps a lot, but now with Becca being with Adam most of the time…” She contemplated. “I’m trying to learn how to deal with the time I have for myself now.” And it wasn’t a very happy statement, which made Santos tilt her head to the side.
“What’s the problem with Adam’s situation?” She asked curiously and saw how Mel’s shoulders tensed and she clearly took a deep breath.
“I don’t know anything about him.” She grunted, and Santos watched as the sponge began to be rubbed harder against a spoon than possibly necessary. “Becca won’t let me meet him or his parents, she claims they’re having sex and that she loves him, but she didn’t want to introduce him to her only sister. And I technically need to know the situation.” Mel spoke almost quickly.
“Why do you need to?” Santos didn’t know much about Becca and Mel, Langdon was the one who took care of the woman’s sister when she was hospitalized.
“I have a power of attorney for decisions.” And Santos made a small, thoughtful sound.
“Is Becca legally incapable?” The question came not very delicately, but it was Santos after all, and that didn’t seem to affect Mel.
“No, she’s considered capable of making decisions, I serve more as a support role in case she can’t make decisions or wants me to make decisions.” She spoke softly and sighed, and there was a grimace from Mel. “I know… I should support her, but…” She hesitated.
“Maybe you should see Becca as an adult woman and not as someone who depended on you, that’s the change that’s affecting you so much.” She suggested, and Mel fell silent at Trinity’s words. And Mel squirmed slightly and dropped the spoon—excessively clean at that point—into the sink forcefully.
“She’s my only family and she doesn’t talk to me, she calls me all the time but avoids telling me things, I’m the only person in her family and she’s avoiding me.” The words carried a heavy pain and Trinity looked at Mel for a moment. “I feel alone.” She whispered and the brunette sighed, moving closer and their shoulders touched lightly, and Santos didn’t try to find solutions, there really weren’t any.
“You should tell her that.” She offered and Mel shook her head.
“She’s happy.” Mel whispered. “If I tell her that, she’ll think I’m being excessively cruel or something, but she’s just setting boundaries, and I should be happy that she’s able to assert what she wants so clearly and autonomously, for years Becca was emotionally dependent on me and I should—” She hesitated and stammered. “I want to be happy that she’s autonomous.” The tone was low.
“But you haven’t reached that point yet.” Mel nodded, speaking of Trinity. “And brooding over this alone isn’t helping you.” She contemplated it, and there was another nod. “Well, we can’t change what’s already happened, but finish rinsing that spoon and leave the rest there, I’ll wash it when I get home, we have pizza to eat and soon the old guys will start bombarding my phone thinking I died on the way.” Trinity sounded as harsh as possible, but still, it didn’t seem to affect Mel.
“You like them.” She stated, and Santos scoffed.
“Quick, Melatonin, or I’ll leave you here.” And it was a weak defense, but still, a defense.
********
“The sourpatch brought her girlfriend!” Duke shouted from the kitchen of the house he lived in, and Santos grunted.
“She’s not my girlfriend.” She retorted, and Duke looked at Mel with slight amusement.
“Eh, she’s clearly a level above yours.” He teased, and Santos grunted, giving him a firm punch on the shoulder. “Hey, don’t hit the recently operated man.” The tone was dramatic, and Santos grumbled.
“It’s been two months, Duke. You’re almost better than me.” Santos grumbled. “You might not remember Duke, Mel, he was hospitalized the day the golden boy came back.” She spoke calmly and opened Duke’s refrigerator. “Look at real food in this fridge, an early Christmas miracle.” And there was a disgruntled sound from Duke.
“Nice to meet you, Mel. I don’t remember you in the hospital, but Robby kept me locked in a room like I had the plague.” He said, shrugging. “And yes, sourpatch, food, you’re nagging me about that.” He grunted, and Mel chuckled.
“You can’t live on beer and pickles.” Santos said, actually pulling out a jar of pickles and opening it without much trouble, and moving to get a container for the cucumbers.
“You’re quite comfortable here.” Mel said to Santos. “And sorry, I don’t remember you, but I tend to forget patients who aren’t problematic.” She said awkwardly to Duke with a low laugh, and he nodded.
“I like this one, Robby, she said I’m not even problematic.” Duke shouted towards the inside of the house and Robby came out of the bathroom with a frown.
“Did I have a stroke or did someone tell you that you’re not problematic?” He teased his friend, who huffed.
“I’m a good man.” Duke said and Robby approached, leaning on the counter.
“Sure, if that’s what you believe.” Santos said provocatively and Duke threw his head back.
“Look who I always have to deal with, Mel, they both share the same spirit animal. Two grumpy black cats.” And that made the blonde give a light laugh and push a strand of hair that escaped from her braid behind her ear.
“At least they’re honest.” Mel said lightly and then Duke began to talk at length with Mel about something that Santos didn’t really try to follow deeply, the man liked to talk and Mel seemed to be enjoying the attention she was receiving.
“Is everything alright?” Robby asked, rubbing the back of his neck, and Santos tossed a piece of pickles into her mouth and looked at him with arched eyebrows as if asking what he was talking about. "Mel being here." He spoke softly, and Mel laughed at one of Duke's jokes, who seemed very pleased to make the woman laugh.
"She needs support, from what I understand." Santos said in a grumble. "And we need someone else to listen to Duke's jokes." And it was again an easy line, and Robby nodded, picking up a pickles with his fingers, and the two just stood side by side watching the conversation.
And Mel was socially awkward. Santos accepted this without any problem, and it was especially a very Mel-like trait. She was clumsy, sometimes too honest, but overall she was a good person, she was kind and thoughtful. She actively listened and tried to participate in conversations, and perhaps that was why Duke was educating her about motorcycles.
"I've never ridden a motorcycle." Mel said, and this seemed to horrify Duke.
“My God, we need to sort this out. How come you’ve never ridden a motorcycle? Even the sourpatch has ridden one.” He indicated Santos who looked at him with slight amusement.
“You ride a motorcycle?” Mel asked, raising her eyebrows at Trinity.
“She does me the favor of riding Serendipity weekly.” Duke spoke easily. “Keeping the oil warm and stuff like that.” He joked.
“Serendipity?” Mel questioned, and Trinity sighed.
“Duke’s Harley, since he’s still recovering from surgery, the motorcycle is out of commission. Jack doesn’t ride motorcycles, and Robby is still forbidden by the doctor.” And that made Mel look at Robby, who flinched slightly.
“The doctor still thinks motorcycles are too high a risk for my bad thoughts.” He grumbled, crossing his arms and looking at Trinity. “We’re even.” He grumbled, and she raised the longneck she was drinking in agreement for the mutual exposure that had happened that day.
“That’s really cool. I’ve never ridden a motorcycle. Becca always got mad when any of my college friends offered.” She shrugged. “College ended, my friends moved away, and I’ve never ridden a motorcycle.” She repeated, and Duke looked at Santos, and there was this pleading look in the older man’s eyes that made Trinity sigh.
“I’m taking Serendipity out of the shop on Saturday for a ride, if you want to come.” She offered, gesturing with her hand, and Mel smiled broadly.
“Yes! I want to.” She started very enthusiastically, and then when Santos looked at her, her tone softened to a shy one. “Just tell me where I need to be.” She said awkwardly.
“I’ll pick you up at home.” Trinity said dryly, and Mel nodded.
“Okay!” And Duke chuckled softly at the blonde’s cheerful tone. And the scene itself only made Trinity slide further onto the sofa and take a sip of her beer while pondering what hole she’d gotten herself into.
*********
“Dr. King, we need you!” Someone’s words made Trinity glance quickly from the board to the trauma room, and she wanted to roll her eyes when she saw Langdon and Parker there.
The two had a predisposition to want Mel around. Which was great for Mel’s learning and unfavorable to Santos’s opinion of Langdon and Parker. Even if Ellis was fun.
“Will you help me with an assessment?” Trinity’s eyes went from the scene in trauma room two to the new nurse.
“Nurse Nolan.” Santos recognized and accepted the extended chart, quickly reading the case and looking at the woman with a raised eyebrow.
“He likes to yell.” Emma said, and Trinity sighed and pointed the way.
“Lead the way.” She said this tiredly but still, with thicker skin now, she would serve as support for the newcomer. Dana just nodded in approval when she saw Trinity following the other nurse. And the doctor wanted to roll her eyes at Dana’s mama bear moment.
And it wasn't as unexpected as Trinity had hoped: a grumpy man yelling, some very harsh words coming from the doctor, and a corrected demeanor that allowed Emma to draw blood and start an IV, and Santos to perform some physical exams.
"We're going to do blood tests since your ultrasound came back negative for appendicitis. The blood tests revealed more, and if necessary, we'll order an MRI or CT scan. Call if you need anything, otherwise I'll come back to check on you in a little while." She spoke somewhat blasé but still politely, and the man swallowed hard and nodded. "Did the pain medication help?" She pressed.
"Yes, yes. Thank you." The man grumbled, and Santos nodded, leaving the room with Emma and closing the door behind him.
"The tests will take about an hour or two. We'll try to check on him every half hour to see if he's okay, and if necessary, we'll adjust the pain medication or do another intervention." Santos spoke professionally, and Emma nodded.
“Okay. Thanks for coming with me.” She said, and Trinity snorted slightly and nodded, moving to fill out the chart before the madness got any worse. And for the first time in weeks, she managed to finish writing down everything she did with the patient until Robby walked past her.
“Santos, Mohan with me.” He spoke quickly and moved to a small woman on a stretcher who appeared to be bleeding.
And she didn’t hesitate, moving quickly while Mohan answered some of Robby’s questions and she did the patient’s physical exam and gave various precise medical information.
And Santos loved, in every way, the madness of an emergency. She went from a possible appendicitis case to gushing blood and a patient needing to be stabilized with her, Mohan, and Robby trying to find where the bleeding was coming from.
“Fuck, I found it.” She grunted, half her forearm inside the patient and pinched where the blood was coming from, and in moments the pressure began to rise.
“Good job, Trinity.” It was Garcia's voice that made Santos' eyes widen, and for a moment the two women looked at each other. "Now, I'm going to take the patient to the operating room, will you come with me?" She indicated Trinity, who glanced at Robby quickly, and the man shrugged, which made her sigh and nod.
Walking with Garcia, the patient, and a nurse to the elevator was unpleasant. But the nurse left, leaving the two women and the patient slumped inside the narrow elevator.
"You never answered my messages about me coming to your house again." Garcia said, and Trinity didn't really want to answer. "What's wrong, Trinity, all this because of Langdon?" And the tone was a little mocking Trinity.
"You made it clear that if it was about sex and instant noodles, you'd be the right choice, but if it was about Langdon, I should get a therapist." The sentence came out sharply. "Ding, ding, ding, I got a therapist." She growled, and Garcia looked at her in surprise. “I’m not a stress ball that you can decide to squeeze whenever you want, and I’m definitely not going to be someone’s bed warmer. I made it clear that I wanted a relationship, and you treated me like a cheap whore and an easy fuck. So fuck you, Yolanda.” She said, and the elevator opened, which made Garcia stand there for a moment. “Your patient is going to die.” She practically spat and pushed the stretcher against Garcia, which made the woman frown and pull the stretcher away, and for the first time, Garcia shut up and let Santos leave with the elevator.
The elevator opened again at Pitt, and she got out muttering to herself, and that’s when she narrowly avoided someone walking by.
“Hey, watch out.” She grunted and looked at whoever it was, seeing Mel and Langdon there.
“Sorry.” Langdon grumbled and moved half a step closer to Mel, and Trinity wanted to roll her eyes.
“I sent you my address, does tomorrow at 3 work for you? Becca has a presentation until 1 and then we’ll eat and I’ll drop her off at Adam’s.” She spoke quickly, and Trinity’s eyebrows rose.
“Uh.” She began and cleared her throat. “Yes, sure, 3 works fine. I’ll pick you up.” She said and saw how Langdon looked between glances with arched eyebrows.
“Okay! I’m excited.” She said, walking away, and that left Langdon and Santos behind.
“Are you going out with Mel?” He asked awkwardly, trying to find a topic between them, and she rolled her eyes.
“Yes.” She just answered dryly, and he shifted slightly.
“In a date?” And the question sounded almost judgmental, but Santos just snorted.
“Get your head out of your ass.” She grunted and walked away. “Have a good shift, Dr. Langdon.” And the forced cheerful tone made Dana and Robby look at her in confusion, but Frank stood there watching Santos walk away.
*********
Trinity liked Duke's motorcycle. It was smooth on the streets, vibrated between her legs like a purr, and was deliciously easy to accelerate. Duke had said she had to be careful with the speed, and she was mindful of that.
And parking in front of the apartment complex where Mel lived was reasonably easy with a spot out front. She got off the motorcycle and picked up the extra helmet she had brought for the woman to use, she deduced that they wore the same size, so with the helmet resting on the seat and her leaning against the motorcycle wearing jeans, a black t-shirt, a leather jacket, and sunglasses, it was almost too intense a lesbian pose, even for her.
“Ah, oh, wow, you look beautiful.” Mel's voice made Trinity's eyes widen, and she looked at the blonde.
Mel was almost as usual, wearing a denim jacket over a thin sweatshirt and jeans with sneakers.
"Are you sure you want to go?" She asked, watching Mel's gaze slide over the motorcycle and then focus on her.
"Yes. Yes, I want to ride a motorcycle. I'm just a little..." She stammered. "Nervous." The sentence was uttered, and Trinity nodded.
"Here, a helmet for you. Since you don't have glasses, I suggest lowering the visor." She offered, and Mel took the black helmet and quickly put it on, tightening the strap and lowering the visor as instructed. "Okay, I'll get on the motorcycle and stabilize it with both feet. We're the same height, so you should be able to reach the ground too, but when the motorcycle moves, I'll do the stabilizing, and you keep your feet on the footrests. Understand? I don't want to have to patch up your fractured leg." It started with instructions and ended with something very Santos-like, concern disguised as sarcasm.
“Noted: do not put my feet on the ground unless you say so.” Mel said, and Trinity shook her head slightly in amusement, but got on the motorcycle. “Where are we going?” The blonde asked, still very excited, and the brunette sighed.
“I was thinking of enjoying the lawn at the Allegheny Observatory, it’s a 20-30 minute ride or so.” She offered, and Mel nodded. “Sounds good?” She asked almost gently.
“Yes, I love that park.” She said, smiling broadly, and then Santos gestured for Mel to get on the motorcycle.
And there was an almost dry intimacy in having Melissa King clinging to her waist, the warmth on her back, and Mel’s breath brushing against the nape of her neck. Especially when the motorcycle accelerated, starting to move, and Mel snuggled around her, her thighs pressing against Trinity’s sides.
And even though the brunette acted as if she hated the world and everyone, there were impossible exceptions, and hating or even pretending to dislike Mel was practically impossible.
The woman didn't try to speak, she could sustain a moment of silence even though she clearly sometimes wanted to say something and held back. But at that moment, while the world seemed to rush away from them as the motorcycle moved along, Mel seemed to simply enjoy the moment, the silence, the wind, and Pittsburgh in the best way possible.
The silence was comforting, especially with the two of them just gliding easily through the streets. They entered the park and continued the gentle curves, the green of the trees unfolding around them and the cooler air indicating the changing season.
And when Trinity parked in front of the observatory and turned off the motorcycle, she wanted to laugh when Mel didn't move.
“You can put your feet on the ground, Mel.” The words were spoken simply, and the blonde let go of her and then leaned on the ground. And Trinity felt a shiver as the woman's warmth faded, and then she stood up. “What's the verdict, Dr. King?” The question was asked casually as Trinity took off her helmet and got off the motorcycle.
“That was a lot of fun. Thank you for not going fast.” She spoke very sincerely and took off her helmet. Trinity picked it up and put both in the motorcycle's compartment, and she couldn't say why, but she started to follow Mel, who began to walk slowly around the observatory.
The woman seemed very relaxed at that moment, and Trinity didn't know whether she should interrupt or not.
“I talked to Becca.” The words were spoken by the blonde in an almost awkward way, but still slightly confident.
“Oh? And?” Trinity blurted out, not really knowing what to say.
“Talking to Becca is very difficult.” Mel offered, and the two continued walking side by side. “She got angry, very angry, because she thought I was trying to control her life.” The blonde continued, shoving her hands into her sweatshirt pockets and sighing. “It was hard to explain to her that I felt left out, and she, in true Becca fashion, said I was still her sister.” The blonde grunted and stopped walking abruptly. “She said she doesn’t want me to meet Adam yet because I’ll scare him away.” And that seemed to anger Mel. “He’s special enough to put his dick inside her, but not to meet the only sister she has.” The sentence came out very automatically. “Sorry, I was rude!” And Santos felt like she was watching the unfolding of a soap opera that her mother liked to watch when she was little and the world seemed less chaotic.
“Who would have thought, Melatonin, you have claws.” Trinity said almost mockingly, but still. “Your anger is understandable, I’d say. I don’t have siblings, but it must be frustrating to be left out. And as someone who is often considered scary, I must say you’re as dangerous as a ladybug.” She teased lightly.
“I don’t want to be a ladybug.” Mel spoke suddenly. “Ladybugs have a huge rate of sexually transmitted diseases among insects.” She said, and Trinity stopped walking to look at Mel. “One of the most studied cases involves a fungus called Hesperomyces virescens. And it’s transmitted through contact and sexual relations between insects.” And the very Mel-like way she put it all made Santos chuckle softly.
“Okay, okay, you don’t want to be a ladybug. What do you want to be then?” the blonde seemed to ponder the question.
“I don’t want to be too harmless, I can be a… Puppy.” And Trinity had to actively suppress a laugh.
“A Golden Retriever then.” She offered, thankfully Mel didn’t seem to notice it was a little teasing.
“Okay, I accept.” Mel spoke so easily that Santos just shook her head slightly in disbelief at the woman's simplicity, and the two continued walking.
And it was almost embarrassing how easy it was to spend a few hours with Mel in the park walking on the green grass and talking about simple things. Santos wouldn't admit it verbally, but Mel was pleasant. So driving the woman back home was extremely simple, Mel stuck to the rules given by Santos, and the return to the woman's apartment was without much difficulty.
And when Mel got off the motorcycle and took off her helmet, Trinity did the same, and the two looked at each other. The brunette felt completely awkward saying goodbye, even though it was something so simple.
"That was so much fun. I enjoyed spending Saturday in the park with you. We should do it again." The blonde said with a wide smile, and that made a small flutter in Trinity's stomach.
"Yes, that sounds nice." The brunette said awkwardly and squeezed her helmet lightly. Then Mel handed her helmet to Santos and leaned in, kissing Trinity's cheek suddenly.
“It was a nice date, I had fun. Have a safe trip home.” And with that, she stayed behind. Trinity Santos watched Melissa King walk into the apartment complex, her cheeks slightly flushed from a small kiss on the cheek.
“Fucking unbelievable, you’re amazing, Trinity.” The brunette grunted to herself and decided to leave instead of standing there like a tree.
********
“Is Mel coming with us today?” Robby asked, stopping beside her as she looked at the painting.
“No, she’s going out with Becca.” Trinity said, almost pouting, and Robby looked at her with amusement. “It’ll be me and the old folks at the biker bar.” She grumbled, and this time he laughed.
“You’re relieved because Mel got really popular last time.” He teased, and she scoffed at his comment.
“Don’t be an idiot.” She grunted, and they both stopped side by side, but it was still true. Mel had gone out with them a few times, more yes than no in the last three weeks.
And on the last trip to the bar, the blonde came along, and Trinity hadn’t expected the woman to have so much fun.
“She’s a monster at the pool.” Jack said, stopping on the other side of Santos, and the brunette groaned in displeasure.
“I saw. I was there.” She grumbled, and Jack chuckled softly. And indeed, seeing Melissa King learning to play pool with a bunch of biker men and systematically beating each one in just a few rounds because it was all about angle and strength was almost ridiculous. But Mel earned the respect of the club and was being lightly shaken by some men who laughed, and as she smiled awkwardly, Santos had to rescue her from there, pulling her away from the men who, despite being more robust and stronger—and some clearly armed—deeply respected Trinity.
“Your girlfriend has skills.” Jack teased, and Trinity groaned.
“She’s not my girlfriend.” Her grunt was very unfeminine or even elegant.
“If that’s what you’re saying.” He said and patted Trinity on the shoulder twice.
“You’re a very useless lesbian, Trin.” Robby’s words were very close to the personal tone he used when it was just the two of them, and she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut with the heels of her palms.
“Why are you two driving me crazy at the end of my shift?” She spoke clearly displeased, and Robby laughed, repeating Jack's action and giving Trinity two pats on the shoulder.
"You're blind as a worm..." Robby teased her and walked away, and Trinity just uncovered her eyes and saw Dana looking at her over her glasses.
"What?" She growled, and the woman looked at her appraisingly.
"Nothing, Dr. Santos." Dana spoke in a tone that said yes, something was brewing in the woman's mind but not being said, and Trinity grunted.
"What does a girl need to do for someone to come in bleeding and needing immediate help in this place?" She said to herself, wanting to entertain herself, but her eyes still searched for Mel, whom she had seen very little in passing during those long 11 hours on duty.
"I need help here." And Langdon's voice carrying a woman sounded, and she contemplated.
"It works." She grumbled, despite hating Langdon, she was honest with herself in accepting that he was a good doctor, and despite not liking how things had turned out, he had been sober for almost a year and getting tested more than once a week. She detested the man, but she was going to be professional.
And working with Frank Langdon wasn't necessarily bad medically. It was just terribly uncomfortable, with that tension of him always expecting her to fight with him or him always reacting defensively even though she was professional—at Jack's request.
"You did well." He said when everything stabilized and it was just the two of them there and the patient still knocked out by medication.
"I know." She spoke slowly, and he tensed and grimaced.
"Look, can we talk?" He asked, and she closed her eyes. "Mel asked me to talk to you." And that made her grunt and ponder quickly.
"Speak quickly." And it wasn't a tremendous cut, but still an opening.
“I don’t need you to answer, but… I was an idiot with you… No… I wasn’t just an idiot with you. I abused my position.” He began, and she crossed her arms. “When I realized you were right, I tried to discredit you to protect myself. I put your career at risk—on your first day—because of something that was my fault.” And there was a thick layer of shame there. “You did exactly what a doctor should do. And I did the opposite. I don’t expect you to forgive me. But you deserve to hear it from me, without any excuses: you were right, and I was wrong. And I’m sorry for how I acted.” He spoke, and for the first time it wasn’t a victim mentality, it wasn’t him playing the victim, and she could even accept that he admitted his mistakes.
“I don’t know if I can forgive you, but this is the first time you’ve admitted to me that you screwed up.” She spoke, not harshly, but still dryly. And then she pondered. “A truce here professionally for Mel’s sake, and you never yell at me again unless I’ve screwed up.” She grunted, and he looked at her, his mouth opening and closing. “Deal?” She said sharply.
“Deal.” He spoke quickly, and as bizarre as this conversation began, it ended. And as he left, Santos only saw Mel, and when the two looked at each other, the blonde smiled at her.
*******
It was early, very early if Trinity was honest with herself, especially considering she felt somewhat worn down at the edges after drinking with Jack, but she was still fully functional after having two cups of coffee and sleeping a good few hours in the man's guest room. And for a brief moment, the brunette's eyes met Robby, who seemed to be in a similar state to Trinity, still worn down by alcohol. But yesterday had been a difficult day for Jack, he wanted to drink, and drinking at home was safer. So Robby and Trinity spent the night with him.
But anything Trinity could say was cut short when arms went around her waist, and it took her a moment to recognize Mel King hugging her tightly and clearly uneasy about something that Trinity couldn't quite pinpoint. But still, the brunette's arms went around Mel, and the woman pressed herself closer to her. Trinity looked around for a moment and saw how Langdon looked at the two of them and seemed visibly worried about something.
"What happened?" She asked quietly, just loud enough for Mel to hear, and the woman shook her head and snuggled even closer to Santos. And for a moment Trinity considered that two bodies could occupy the same space since Mel was practically trying to get inside her. And over the blonde's shoulder, she saw Dana approach Robby and say something that made the man's eyebrows furrow in clear annoyance, and then Langdon approached him, saying something that made Robby nod and run a hand over his face. It wasn't even the first hour of the day's shift and this strange situation was already happening.
"Mel, I need to talk to you." Robby said in a delicate tone, approaching, and Mel clung even tighter to Trinity.
"Can I come with you if you want?" The brunette offered, and this time there was a positive nod. And yet, when Mel pulled away, the blonde's hand met Trinity's, intertwining their fingers in a touch that was too intimate for a hospital emergency where they both worked, but Trinity let it happen while Robby guided them both to the family support room.
"I'm so sorry, Dr. Robby." Mel looked embarrassed, almost withdrawn, and Robby's disbelieving look was enough for Trinity to know that whatever happened wasn't the blonde's fault.
"Mel, you don't need to apologize, you didn't do anything wrong." He spoke gently, his mouth practically in a line. "HR has been notified of what happened and is taking the appropriate steps. The police will arrive in a few minutes to take your statement, even though the cameras caught everything." He spoke in a low, gentle, but still slightly harsh tone.
"I didn't mean to, but he..." Mel stopped and clenched her fist, and the fingers that were in Trinity's tightened.
"Mel, you stopped a grown man who was hitting a young girl who is pregnant. It wasn't your fault that he's a bad person." Robby spoke so firmly, and Trinity's eyebrows rose, trying to fully understand what had happened. “You did the right thing, you identified the problem, asked for help, and helped the injured patient. The police need to be called, and HR will send legal counsel to represent you. None of this is your fault, the patient wasn't even yours.” Robby spoke firmly, and Mel nodded. “Stay here for a few minutes, try to breathe and calm down, okay?” He spoke gently, and she swallowed hard. There was this silent communication between Robby and Santos. The younger brunette simply nodded, staying behind as Robby walked away, leaving the two alone.
“He started slapping her, calling her a whore for getting pregnant in secret.” Mel spoke softly, her head drooping and her hand still against Trinity's. The brunette just sighed, pulling the blonde so they both sat on the sofa that was there, and it was almost sweet how Mel curled up into herself and rolled over to practically spoon against Santos's side.
“You stopped it. That's what matters. How is the patient?” She asked gently.
“It’s okay, some bruises but she and the baby are fine according to what Dr. McKay said.” Mel spoke hoarsely and Trinity pressed herself against the blonde, putting an arm around the doctor’s shoulders and pulling her close.
“You’re safe, and the patient is too, you were very brave, Melissa.” The words were so atypical of Santos’ usual tone that Mel just sighed and snuggled against the brunette’s neck.
Trinity’s fingertips traced Mel’s shoulders and then to the base of her skull, and the sigh that escaped the woman was almost relieved by the touch and surprised at the same time. But she still melted against the brunette and the two stayed there for almost ten minutes until Mel pulled away and seemed slightly displeased.
“We need to work.” She spoke hoarsely and Santos nodded.
“Are you with Langdon again today?” The brunette asked slowly.
“I don’t know, I wasn’t with anyone, I had just arrived.” Mel spoke softly and Santos nodded, and with a sigh the blonde stood up and stopped awkwardly in front of Trinity who just stood up slowly. “Thank you for staying with me.” She spoke softly and it was so quick that for a second the brunette questioned herself if it had happened. Since Mel leaned towards her, she pecked Trinity’s lips and turned away without hesitation to leave through the door. And Santos, she could only stand there looking at the door blinking slowly like an owl.
Did Melissa King just kiss Trinity Santos in the family support room at the beginning of a shift?
********
Trinity felt her eye twitch, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly when the day decided to turn upside down, maybe it was the monumental moment of Mel kissing Trinity and her having no one to talk to because Robby seemed to have fleas in his pants running back and forth.
“A gas line explosion, it can’t get any crazier than this, can it?” Dennis said, stopping beside Trinity. The two were having a very intimate moment where even Dana wasn’t at the nurses’ station and Santos was still trying to gather his thoughts.
“Melissa kissed me.” She blurted out very suddenly, and clearly Santos’s mental filter gave up for a good moment, as she had been thinking about it cyclically ever since it happened. Dennis, blessed soul of the Nebraska man, stopped moving and opened and closed his mouth, clearly surprised.
“She what?” He asked, and Trinity nodded, not wanting to repeat the phrase. Dennis just blinked a few more times and cleared his throat. “Did you kiss her back?” The question seemed so easy, and Trinity grunted and shook her head. “Why not?” And again, Trinity liked Huckleberry, but even she hadn’t yet rationalized what happened.
“I wasn’t expecting that, and it wasn’t a… Something… Deep. It was practically just a peck.” She said sharply.
“And you… Did you like it?” He asked almost hesitantly, and Trinity closed her eyes, she was avoiding exactly that question.
If she had liked the small, tiny kiss that seemed like an emotional release, what did that mean for her friendship with Mel? She wondered, and her eyes searched for the blonde who was talking to Victoria about something, and yet, her brown eyes met Trinity's, and there was that small, shy smile escaping Mel. And as tough as Trinity tried to seem, she felt her heart skip a beat for a moment.
“Yes.” The answer came almost without thinking, and she closed her eyes at her own confession and grunted. “Quiet, Huckleberry.” She growled sharply and harshly, and Dennis's mouth, which opened to answer something, closed, and he nodded. “This is a fucking mess.” Her growl was almost unfriendly, but she looked at the board and tensed. “I'm going to check on my patient.” And with that, she left Dennis behind along with Mel talking to Victoria.
And the day dragged on, there were many burn victims and debriding wounds was definitely not Trinity's favorite thing. And with the number of patients there, everyone was at some point removing burned skin from wounds and patching up patients.
"I'm definitely going to become vegan." The phrase spoken in the hallway made Trinity look at Mohan, who was slightly green, and the two looked at each other for a moment.
"You hate the emergency room." It was a fact, not necessarily rude, but still Santos, it sounded a little harsh and Mohan opened and closed her mouth for a moment and seemed unhappy. "Look, it's not a problem that you don't like the emergency room, there are dozens of medical specializations." She spoke in a less harsh tone and Mohan sighed.
"I'm having trouble finding a residency, getting into residency. Some are outside of here and I didn't want to leave." She said and Trinity scratched her chin slightly.
"Which ones are here that you might be interested in? It's not rocket science, by now you should more or less know what you like." She offered, trying not to be too harsh, and Mohan sighed.
"Everyone keeps telling me to go to geriatrics, Robby said I would benefit from a slower pace. Al-Hashimi also mentioned geriatrics." She offered, and Santos agreed, Mohan had a good profile for dealing with problematic elderly people.
“Look, if you say I said that, I’ll deny it.” Trinity spoke rudely, and Mohan looked curious and slightly uncertain. “Geriatrics is difficult. Robby might say it’s a slower pace, but still, these are complex cases that usually involve more than one underlying disease that drags on. These are people who are repeatedly marginalized because of their age, people whose complaints are ignored and scorned because of their age, people who are made invisible by the system and because many find the elderly irritating, useless, or problematic. It’s a slow pace because these are cases that require detailed attention.” And the two looked at each other. “I think such a neglected population would benefit from a doctor as attentive as you.” And with that, Santos simply turned on her heels and moved away.
And Trinity saw how the police approached Mel, who was with the hospital’s legal department, and it was a quick conversation, as far as she could tell. And in fact, there wasn’t much room for anything, Mel saw something, intervened, and called the police. From what Dana told Princess, and Trinity heard, there wasn't much the man could do. He was caught red-handed on camera, for Santos, Mel's testimony was more procedural than necessary for a conviction.
The blonde's eyes searched around and then fixed on Trinity, and there was this small gesture from the blonde with her hand, indicating the side door that gave access to the ambulances, and Trinity sighed, closing what she was doing on the computer and moving to where Mel indicated. And for a moment Parker and Santos looked at each other, the older woman was intrigued by whatever was happening, and Santos didn't give much room to be asked anything. She just slid out and waited for Mel to appear.
"Trin?" The question came when Mel came out and didn't see the brunette leaning between the green spaces that were there.
"Here." Trinity answered almost dryly, and Mel jumped slightly and turned to look at the brunette.
"How are you?" The question came as Mel approached.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that, Melissa?" The way the blonde reacted to the name was almost fascinating to Santos, as the woman shuddered and blushed slightly.
“I’m fine.” Mel stated and kicked the ground lightly. “I get nervous about the police coming to talk to me, but they reaffirmed that my testimony probably wouldn’t be necessary in front of the judge because there were cameras and the girl’s testimony. But still, they asked a few questions, I told them what happened, and they dismissed me after getting my contact information.” Mel shrugged slightly.
And then there was the movement, Mel took a half step forward and there was the touch. Mel’s fingers found Trinity’s name tag and played with the clasp for a moment, and Trinity, who was leaning against the wall, just stood still with her hands at her sides.
“And how are you?” The question was repeated, and the two looked at each other, still with the tips of Mel’s fingers sliding along the edge of Santos’ scrub.
“I’m fine, today was a crazy day, and I think I’ll abstain from eating meat until tomorrow.” She grumbled slightly, and Mel gave a small giggle.
"Burning victims never bothered me much, but yes, there's a very strong smell to it." Mel spoke softly and took another half step forward, which made their bodies practically touch in a gentle brushing that happened depending on the movement.
"Ah, a very brave little pup... Burning ones isn't for everyone." And Santos wanted to punish herself for her voice having lowered an octave as she approached. She was clearly developing... Feelings. She realized it, but at that moment there was no escape, not with a green area on each side of them and Mel closing the only way out. And perhaps most importantly, Santos didn't think it was necessary to find an escape route.
"What are you going to do tonight?" The question came almost innocently, but still, Mel's other hand gently held the hem of Santos' scrub.
"Nothing much, do you want to do something?" The question came faster than Santos would like to admit, and Mel blushed slightly and nodded. "What do you want to do?" She asked again in a low tone.
“I want to cook, and cooking just for myself is boring, so do you want to come over to my house and I’ll cook?” And it was a tempting offer, considering Trinity’s systemic laziness in cooking after shifts.
“Sounds like a great offer, are you driving? I came with Robby.” She indicated, and Mel nodded again.
“Yes, I’ll wait for you after your shift then?” The blonde asked, and then someone coughed near the two of them, which made Mel take a big step back and the two of them looked in the direction of whoever coughed. Seeing Whitaker there.
“What was that, Huckleberry?” Santos asked sharply, and Dennis continued to stare away, his cheeks flushed, as if he had clearly seen something he wasn’t supposed to see.
“Dana’s looking for you, Trin. And McKay wants to talk to you, Mel.” He said and coughed again.
“Oh, yes, she wanted to explain something about an exam!” Mel said in a clearly excited tone and hurried into the hospital. Which left Dennis and Trinity there.
“I—” Dennis began, and there was a grunt from Santos.
“Quiet.” Santos cut him off sharply, and he nodded, and she could only go into the hospital looking for Dana.