Chapter Text
9:05 PM July 4th
In truth, Dr Melissa King had no idea how her evening would go from here. Admittedly, her day left her with the feeling that she was unraveling at the molecular level but now she just got invited to a nice night out.
One, Trinity probably wasn’t leading her to an elaborate Carrie-esque humiliation ritual but sometimes Mel’s mind wandered to the worst possible outcome, especially on days like this. From how she described things, her day went pretty bad too. Not as bad as getting sued, but certainly bad. Two, things went well enough during the rooftop fireworks watch party that maybe hypothetically getting to know her outside of a professional setting might be an enjoyable experience, she’s never done karaoke before, never actually been to any kind of drinking establishment before, but most people liked those things so it wouldn’t kill her to have a night without having to take care of anyone
As Mel was lost in thought, Trinity walked with her up to the front of the hospital “Right, I need to drop off my car, get into a new outfit and maybe splash some water on my face before we can go, want to meet me there or…”
“Oh. I could go with you, I took the train anyway” Mel said excitedly
“Good. Convenient. You’ll pick the music when we get there but do not touch any of my playlists” Trinity Santos was hard to read for most people, for Mel her moods seemed downright cryptic, she seemed excited that she was here, but now as she led Mel to her car she also seemed to be even more guarded than usual
Not long after getting in the passenger seat and strapping in Mel’s ears were bombarded with a screeching voice and even louder guitar strings
“Shit sorry” Trinity hurried to the volume knob and lowered it “Not everyone’s into that” Mel looked over to the viewscreen in the middle of the dash and all she could tell was that the band’s logo looked like the inside of a tumbleweed. After that they were off
9:25 PM July 4th
Trinity parked her car in the basement structure of her apartment complex and there was a brief moment of quiet before she spoke
“So uhm… Do you want to come in or wait by the lobby? If you wanna pre-game I have...”
“I’d love to see how you live” Mel blurted out, immediately unsure if that was the right way to put it
“Okay” Trinity said leading her to the elevator
The first thing Mel noticed about Trinity’s 7th floor apartment was the clutter. Which is to say Mel took comfort in the routine of organizing her living space but Trinity (And possibly Dennis) had other priorities from the looks of things.
Then she took in everything else. On her left side from the entrance there was a thoroughly modern kitchen with several plants hanging from chains “Trying to grow my own spices, I’m getting mixed results, Huckleberry has been no help because apparently corn growing is different from gardening” Trinity said pointing at the kitchen
To the right side was the living room with a nice light green fabric couch planted in front of a television displayed by an entertainment center that also had a vinyl record player and several stereos, though both were currently covered in discarded clothes, mostly shirts. Further to the right was a balcony with several more plants in pots scattered around it
“See you again in a minute” Trinity said, going down the central hallway to a door with a big T on it, Mel assumed there was another room with a D on it that she couldn’t see at the moment
While Trinity readied herself Mel took a moment to step out to the balcony. She immediately concluded that the view was better than the one from her apartment, the city lights were much less intrusive and the view of the… Wait which river is that? She made a mental note to check sometime because she barely paid attention to the ride there, either way its presence had a calming effect that she was sure she could use if nights like this keep happening
Mel didn’t hear Trinity leave her room and get almost directly behind her to ask “Ready?” Which made her jump just a little
“Tense? You need this more than I do Melodius” She tapped Mel’s shoulder like a bored cat.
She turned to see her in a deep red silk off-shoulder top that made her feel cataclysmically underdressed for whatever night out this would be, and grey cargo pants with laced boots that made her feel whimsically overdressed for whatever street fight Trinity wanted to get into. Either way Mel felt wholly unprepared for whatever’s going to happen tonight.
“The Lyft will get here in five minutes, so we should head down now” Trinity said
9:45 PM July 4th
Mel and Trinity got out of the Lyft in front of a place called Breaking Point, the first thing she noticed was the big placard LIVE MUSIC MON-FRI KARAOKE SAT BRUNCH SUN 9-12.
“Looks… Lively” Mel said letting her nervousness show. It would be bad form to get overstimulated from crowds and loud noises after her friend went through all this to invite her, so she tried to steel herself
Trinity put an arm over her shoulder “Just stay near me then” She led Mel to the front entrance
“ID’s please” The bouncer said to the both of them, Trinity had her wallet already out, Mel needed another second to get it
“I was gonna say, Melissa, you don’t look like a Yolanda” He said looking Mel over for a moment
“Oh I’m done with trying to drag that woman here” Trinity shrugged before taking back their cards
”He seemed to know you” Mel said as they went through the front doors.
“Yeah I’ve been coming here since I was an MS4, usually once a month, more than that if I need it, the atmosphere’s a little straight for my tastes but they have a good selection and good accoustics. And there’s a table” She said leading them to it
Trinity just plopped down, it took Mel another moment to settle in
“Now I know she’s been here before, but have you?” A server approached them “She has not, we’ll see how she handles it” Trinity said
“Right, I’m Mindy, and your table gets 12% off because I owe you my sister’s life” She said, Trinity silently mouthed Pittfest to Mel
“Oh, well I work with her, today was awful and she said I needed this” Mel said
“Good.” Mindy handed them a tablet “We have a few slots open in the next two hours, put in what you want to sing and when on there and I can take your drink orders while I’m here”
Trinity turned to Mel “So… Meliora, I was thinking we start with a duet, then you do one, then I do one, should take us to about midnight and then we see how drunk we are after that” She said
“I can do that… Wait I usually get your nicknames, what’s a meliora?” Mel asked
“Well technically it means Better Things but what it really means is a few songs off my recommendation list.” Trinity said
“My conversational latin is a little rusty I guess, anyway, how well do you know Alanis Morrissette?” Mel asked
“Oh we’re really in our feelings tonight” Trinity laughed
“Right, good and your orders?” Mindy asked
“It’s a mezcal kinda night. And I could murder a plate of chili fries” Trinity said, Mindy turned to Mel who stammered out “Um oh I would…”
“The lady will need to start things slow, get her a pint of Iron City for now” Trinity said ahead of her
10: 20 PM July 4th
“Remember, we’re here to have fun not win a grammy” Trinity said “So move how you want to move, sing as loud as you want. Do not feel an ounce of self-consciousness. We are cringe but we are free”
They took the stage and suddenly she had never felt more self-conscious than any moment before that, and yet, when Trinity started with “I want you to know” She could feel every ounce of it slough off in an instant. The hell with it. She gestured to Trinity and pointed to her braided hair and silently mouthed Could you? She understood and ripped away her hair tie and her last bit of restraint flew away behind the stage
10:25 PM July 4th
“Ok can I just say it? That felt amazing” Mel was practically vibrating in her seat
“I know right, like the last 17 hours just fell off your body” Trinity was smiling in ways Mel never saw before, and she suspected if she had a mirror she would be too. Trinity was right, this was exactly what she needed
10:40 PM July 4th
Of course, this whole time there’s been a question at the back of her mind that she never had the courage to ask, but now with a little alcohol in her system she had to go for it
“Before your turn, can I ask you a difficult question?” Mel started
Trinity dramatically slammed her second shot of mezcal for the evening, then took a deep breath before saying “Dr Garcia and I were never serious, I spent the last month hoping against hope that we would get serious, and now I feel like an idiot for trying” The smile dropped and now Mel was really concerned her actual question would mean kicking her while she was down
“Actually… It’s about you and Dr Langdon” Mel half expected Trinity to throw something at her for daring to ask
“He’s your friend and I don’t want to ruin the night” Now she was looking downright mournful
“Well I think my night would go easier if I knew than if I kept worrying” Alright, maybe the alcohol was giving her some confidence
“Fine. Might as well rip the bandaid off” Trinity visibly steeled herself, she tensed her shoulders and sat up in a straight line. “Let me start by asking, why do you like him?”
“Because I learned more about medicine from my first day with him than the last two years before that. He made me feel safe and acknowledged in ways no one else has in my life” Mel started to beam, which was already starting to make her feel guilty
“Well, think of my first day with him as the opposite, at every turn he belittled me and lorded his authority over me, more than once he directly insulted and subverted me, so yeah, maybe I felt a little cathartic release that I shouldn’t have when I pieced it together that he was stealing benzos. And yeah, I know, he needs to heal in a safe environment without dealing with me and my less than charming personality, but I still don’t think he really understands what he did wrong” Trinity said
Mel absorbed that “A lot of people get the wrong impression of you because, well you kinda said it, you can be a little... abrasive. Maybe if he saw what I’ve seen he’d understand”
Something resembling a curious grin went across Trinity’s lips “And what have you seen?”
“You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met” Mel said. Now Trinity laughed like it was the funniest thing anyone has ever said
“Didn’t expect you to be a kiss-ass after a few beers” She said when she was done laughing
“I mean it. I’ve seen how you are with kids, you’re honest when no one else will be, and most importantly of all, if you lined up everyone else in our hospital and told them a student doctor was sleeping in an abandoned wing half of them would shrug and go back to work and the other half would call security. If there’s another person on this planet who would open their home for someone they met that morning, I haven’t met them”
Trinity decided somewhere halfway through that little speech that the floor was really interesting right about now. Sometimes people confused Mel, and this was one of those times, what about any of that was worth feeling ashamed of?
“Maybe you haven’t seen enough either” Was all Trinity said in response
Mel decided to let this go for now. Pulling on this thread was clearly dragging the mood down
11:05 PM July 5th
“Oh look, it’s my turn” Trinity took to the stage
The song began with an aggressive instrumental beat, and Trinity danced accordingly, which Mel found utterly captivating. Three-ish hours ago she said something about primal scream therapy and now she was seeing and hearing it as Trinity screamed and sweat like her life depended on it. Despite the energy her performance was giving off, Mel could see an unmistakably practiced precision to her movements, so she made a note for sometime after this to ask where she learned to dance. After asking her what this song was. She kept saying something about squares and levels and she wanted to get out her phone to find out but decided that might be disrespectful.
“I’d like to know how to move like that.” Mel asked innocently when Trinity sat back down
“Oh you know, it’s more of a feeling than training. Well maybe I learned a few paralel skills back in… Never mind, doesn’t count. Really it’s just a feeling” Trinity said, and Mel could not tell if it was the mezcal or exhaustion making her less articulate. Possibly both.
“I mean I could probably teach you a few things, if you want” Trinity said innocently, as if she could say anything innocently.
Someone on stage was doing a really off-key version of The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, but Trinity saw the opportunity and held her hand out to Mel.
“Wait what are you…” Mel started
“May I have this dance madame?” Trinity said smirking just before she took another step across the table and suddenly and without warning tripped over her chair and ate absolute shit
“Oh my god are you ok?!!” Mel rushed to Trinity’s side. She slowly propped herself up on her elbows
“What’s the prognosis Dr Melodrama?” She smiled as Mel looked her over.
“Where did you land?” Mel asked, it happened so fast she couldn’t catch any really important details, like if she hit her head or not. Wouldn’t that be a funny thing to have in common with somebody she quietly mused to herself
“Left shoulder, and maybe left hip” Trinity said barely audible over the music
“Ok. I’m going to examine real quick for breaks or sprains. We don’t have any of our equipment so it’s gonna have to be real quick and rudimentary” Mel squeezed sections of Trinity’s arm, then down to her hip joint
“Prognosis is two gross looking bruises tomorrow, but you’ll be fine. Also you’ve had enough” She said standing back up and offering her hand
Trinity took it and stood up “Second opinion. One more drink. Just one.” Mel really didn’t have the willpower to argue
11:35 PM July 4th
Now it was Mel’s turn. She had a few reliable songs she could recall by heart at a time like this, though a few of those would give people a negative impression if she, a young white woman from Brackenridge sang them in a public setting. So she settled on Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” more or less because it was on her mind a few hours ago
Remember, we’re here for fun Trinity’s words echoed in her head a few times just before the music started. So she sang her heart out, moved like the floor was on fire, and she could feel the turmoil of the day just wash off of her. Definitely not winning any awards, or new friends for that matter, but she had fun
A loud “WOOOO” came from Trinity when she was done and she headed back to their table where they had just one more drink, really (Not really)
12:35 AM July 5th
“Thank yoooo Aliciaaaaaaa” Mel pulled Trinity out of their shared Lyft. She genuinely contemplated if she should tell their driver to take her to PTMC to get her stomach pumped to save her from alcohol poisoning. Deciding she would probably be fine after some bedrest and lots of water in the morning, and also knowing the two of them would never hear the end of it from Dr Ellis, she wrapped Trinity’s arm over her shoulder and helped walk her to front door of her apartment complex. Admittedly her own blood alcohol level was probably just over the legal limit to drive, but she was good enough to take an elevator and walk fifty-or-so paces to Trinity’s apartment
Once at the elevator, Trinity took her phone out of her pocket “Have to…For you” Her thumb moved around the screen, but she did not actually enter her PIN, or much of anything really
“You paid for everything tonight. I can figure out a way home when I get you to bed” Mel said when the elevator doors opened.
Mel was pretty sure if she looked down she’d see that she was fully dragging Trinity’s feet behind her, but right now all that matters is putting one foot in front of the other and not letting go.
“Bed? You mean… Dr Meeeelllll. Was this your plan all *Hic* along?” She laughed just as the elevator made it to the 7th floor
“Just making sure you don’t hurt yourself” Mel said. Trinity responded by drunkenly muttering something that Mel realized must be in Tagalog
Getting her door open was an ordeal onto itself. Trinity insisted on doing it herself, batting Mel’s free hand aside when she tried to help, then accidentally poking it with three wrong keys off her keyring before finally getting it. Then another twenty long steps to her bedroom
“Wait, H?” Mel asked, noticing the door opposite hers had a big H on it
“Yooooo knoooow. Huckmlehberry… Like I always say” Right. The newly minted Dr Whitaker. Her roommate and frequent collaborator, she knew that. Alright maybe six pints were more than enough
“He can get a D when he pays rent… Hehehe… Bet Amy’s getting D right now” Another laugh to herself
Mel opened the door to Trinity’s bedroom, and Trinity reached over to flip the lightswitch
“Where the ma…maj…” Trinity stopped herself as some clarity returned to her eyes “Bathroom” She said in a low and quiet voice
Mel quickly deduced the master bathroom was directly in front of them, opposite Trinity’s bed, and picked up the pace a little to get her inside, where she quickly slipped out of Mel’s grasp and fell to her knees in front of her toilet.
Trinity hacked up a disgusting slurry of several meals (Really more like snacks, as is the life of those in emergency medicine) and traces of distilled agave juice into the bowl, and seconds later Mel realized she was supposed to hold her hair back. Too late now
“Oh I am so sorry” Mel went to the sink to wet a washcloth before kneeling next to Trinity, who put her index finger directly in Mel’s face to stop her right there. Then threw up even more disgusting sludge before finally turning to Mel, who did her best to clean some very foul looking and smelling chunks from her face and hair. Why is the smell always the worst part? She mused, admittedly her time in medicine has built up a tolerance that she did not always have.
“I need to lie down” Was all Trinity said, and Mel took her arm again and walked her to bed
Getting her boots off was less of an ordeal than opening the door, Mel suspected she fell asleep a few seconds before she even put her down on the bed, so she didn’t fight her to do it herself at least, tucking her in also went without incident and she started to loudly snore a moment after getting wrapped in her blanket.
The whole day, both the good and the bad started to weigh heavily on Mel. She sat down on the floor and set her back to the side of Trinity’s bed. Just a moment to calm herself and she’d get her phone out and order a ride home. Just a moment and
7:30 AM July 5th
The sun was shining bright through the windows, and Mel stirred awake in a deeply unfamiliar place.