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They only had enough coverage for two attending physicians to go to AAEM annual meeting each year, the five day conference for emergency medical practitioners. The two they did send would come back excited to show off new techniques and talk about up-and-coming research, and everyone in the Pitt would absorb it like sponges. Many ER chiefs insisted on going every year and would bring just one other attending, so it could be a decade before an attending could return, but Robby preferred everyone to have a chance to go, though he would go through the program to select any must-see presentations and trainings for them to go to.
He had a schedule. It was a good system. Everyone liked it. But it did mean the Jack attended the conference with Ganjawala, and Robby had last attended with Shen.
The last time Robby and Jack went to AAEM was before they started dating. They had been colleagues and friends, sure, and Jack had been forced to watch as Robby was mobbed by dozens of med students, residents, physicians, and even administrators. Maybe they just wanted a job or to ask him a question, but a number of them had interest in their eyes and smiles that lingered.
This year, Jack wouldn’t have to grit his teeth and take it.
“You are aware that you get as much attention as I do?” Robby asked, neck outstretched as Jack adjusted his tie.
“I doubt it.” Jack patted the straightened tie, then his hands ran downward, tucking themselves between Robby’s shirt and jacket. “You’re the chief. I’m just an attending with one leg. Most of the interest I get dissolves or becomes a fetish when they realize, you know. It’s all fake.”
“And you think interest in a chief of the ED is genuine?” Robby settled his arms on Jack’s shoulders, drawing him in. He pressed their ears together.
“Does it matter?”
“It could.”
“I just don’t like how they look at you, is all. They’re predators.”
Robby laughed, clapping his hands on Jack’s shoulders as he pulled away. “I’m not a bunny, Jack. I can hold my own.” Jack glowered at him. “Besides, I’ve got the ring this time.” He held up his hand and wiggled his fingers. “And you’ll be there looking at everyone like you want to murder them.”
“I don’t want to murder them,” Jack said quickly. “I just want them half a step back. Or a full step, I’m not picky.”
“Didn’t realize you were my bodyguard as well as my husband.” Robby planted a kiss on Jack’s lips. “Now come on. Into the breech.”
Robby and Jack held hands on their way to the elevator, on the way down, and as they entered the wall of noise that was the reception. Robby was immediately accosted by several bright eyed medical students, but they kept far back enough that Jack decided to track down a bartender. His hand was lonely as he went, but he soon had it filled with champagne flutes.
“Gah, the reception is always so loud! It’s a miracle no one ruptures an eardrum.” Jack turned to see Dr. Williams, who had done her residency with Jack.
“Becca!” He exclaimed, carefully wrapping one flute-filled hand around her shoulders. “You’re doing well.” He glanced at her tag. “UCLA? How are the beaches?”
“So many surfing injuries,” she groaned. “You here with anybody?” She turned to the bartender and raised a finger.
“Robby? You remember him.”
“He’s chief now, right?”
“Yeah, and he’s—“
“One moment, sorry.” She told the bartender her room number and took a sip from her glass. “I’d love to chat with him. With you both, really. I’ve heard phenomenal things about how your department handled an MCI. 120 victims but only six deaths? Mad props.”
“Yeah, of course. Let me…” Jack could always find Robby in a crowded room. Something about the way he stood, the slight hunch at he bent down to listen, or maybe the way Jack’s heart seemed to thrum as his gaze drew closer to Robby to ring out his joy once it landed on the man he loved.
Robby was surrounded, as usual, and he was hard to spot, but Jack’s heart rang out, beating ever louder as he led Becca over to him.
“Here you go, brother.” Jack appeared by Robby’s elbow, handing off the champagne.
“There you are! Got lost on the way?” Robby wrapped his arm around Jack’s shoulders.
“Ran into an old friend. You remember Becca?”
Jack could see on Robby’s face that he did not, but Robby played it off. He let go of Jack’s shoulders to shake her hand. “Becca! Good to see you! It must’ve been, what, a decade?”
“Has it been that long?” Becca could have a 100 Watt smile if she wanted to, and she turned it on Robby now.
“Since Jack and I attended AAEM together. Anyway, we were all talking about mass cas response.” Robby gestured to his circle of admirers, who did not seem to care about mass cas response. “Jack was the ED primary during PittFest. I was just helping out.” Robby took Jack’s shoulder and shook it, smiling at him like a shared secret.
“Robby’s being modest,” Jack protested automatically. “We would’ve lost a dozen more without him there. There’s a reason why he’s chief of the ED.”
“Because you didn’t want it, you mean?”
“I’d be terrible at it. But organizing a MASH unit? That I can do.” Jack and Robby started talking about their strategy, how they tried to mediate that it was the first day for a number of med students and residents, and how a number of people knew someone at PittFest and how that impacted the response. Jack kept Robby’s breakdown out of it and just focused on the medicine, especially when Robby said something self-deprecating. Robby’s hand was on Jack’s shoulder the whole time, and Jack couldn’t help how he glowed under it.
He saw understanding reach the eyes of some of the listeners as they glanced between the two of them, eyes lingering on the hand. Some of them left, but others seemed even more interested.
“I’ve heard that you refer to your ED as the Pitt. Don’t you think that term has negative connotations?” One of the administrators around them asked.
“Oh, our Chief Medical Officer doesn’t like it, but I think it has an endearing quality.” Robby’s eyes crinkled, and Jack wanted to kiss the ridges.
He held himself back, barely. This was a contentious conversation that Robby was tired of having, so he turned it into something ridiculous. Robby loved ridiculous. “I work nights usually, and we refer to our staff as nightcrawlers. Same thing.” Jack shrugged. “Terms that build camaraderie improve outcomes. Nobody comes to an ED to sing songs together, you know?”
“Well, except the drunks,” Robby chimed in. “And certain head wounds.”
“We could re-brand as Pittsburgh’s wounded choral, but the name’s a bit long. And then everybody would be singing! It’d be impossible to take vitals!”
A chorus of laughs rung out around them, and some of the people clustered even closer. Robby took a small but significant step back.
“Hey, I’m going to go get more champagne. Want some, Jack?”
“Sure.” He handed his flute off.
“I’ll come with!” One of their entourage offered.
“No, no, I’ll be back soon.” The smile didn’t reach Robby’s eyes this time. He turned on his heel and left. Some people looked like they’d follow him despite his request, so Jack had to take emergency action. He picked the most eager.
The name tag that read Dr. Archer Gonzales, R2, and Jack said, “Dr. Gonzales, tell me.” He wracked his brain. “How much effort should you go into to avoid criking outside of a mass cas? It’s a bit of a debate in the Pitt. Some folks want to crike every time, but others try to avoid it since it leaves a highly visible scar.”
Dr. Gonzales’ eyes darted around. “Uhhh. Scars do suck.”
“But we as doctors have an obligation to our patients. What do you think, Dr. Williams?” He turned to find Becca had left.
Fuck.
“Dr. Agsten?” He named another attending with them, and he listened with half an ear as he scouted for Robby’s lanky frame.
It took a bit of searching and some responses on autopilot before he saw Robby’s head ducked so that Becca could say something to him without shouting. Robby usually backed away when someone got within a foot of him, but there he was willingly six inches from Becca.
“Excuse me,” Jack told the group, then he left. It took some weaving to get to Robby, and the next glimpse he caught of them showed them both laughing.
Not on his fucking watch.
Jack maneuvered his way over and tried to be casual as he appeared at Robby’s arm.
“Hi!” He said creatively.
“Jack!” Becca swatted him playfully. “How come you didn’t tell me you were married! And to the chief, no less! Why wasn’t I invited?”
Jack’s mind went completely blank. That’s what they were talking about? Not… other things?
“It was right at the start of COVID,” he said slowly. “We were all in masks and we all took an hour off work to do it. Our charge nurse and the former chief were our only witnesses.”
“The photos are terrible,” Robby said. He handed Jack his champagne flute before pulling out his phone. He clicked the favorites folder. At the top was a photo of the four all in N95s, smiles denoted by the crinkles around their eyes. Robby, Jack, and Monty had thrown sport coats over their scrubs while Dana had a cardigan on. They were clearly just outside the county clerk’s office. Robby’s swiped and the next photo was Jack and Robby in front of the brick wall for the municipal building. Jack’s N95 was hanging off one ear while Robby had wrapped the ear loops around his wrist. Their first kiss as a married couple.
“We’ve been talking about renewing our vows at some point, maybe have a reception or something, but it seems kind of silly at this point.” Robby tucked his phone away and reached for Jack’s hand, tangling their fingers together. “So many of our friends are in medicine, it’s not like they could get the time off.”
“We don’t need everyone there, baby. It can be small. But it’d be nice to have photos with masks off,” Jack murmured. “Dana would love to officiate.”
“We could have it overlapping a shift change so day shift and night shift could both come?”
Jack kissed Robby, uncaring that it was a professional conference. It was the goddamn reception, not the actual conference, and everyone should know they’re together. It was short and small, the sort of thing they might exchange during handoff if things weren’t too hectic, but that they could even do so was a miracle in and of itself.
“You’re both so cute,” Becca said, her hands clenched in front of her face from glee.
Robby blushed and ducked his head, but Jack just smiled at her. “I’ll be sure to let you know if we decide to renew. Now if you’ll excuse me, my husband and I pretty much never get five days with matching sleep schedules. The days are for the conference, but…” He trailed off significantly and threw back the rest of his champagne.
“Of course,” Becca said quickly. She gave Jack a hug and shook Robby’s hand.
Jack didn’t release Robby’s hand the entire way to the elevator, on the ride up, or through the hallway to their room.
Once in the privacy of their hotel room, their hands had better places to be.