Chapter Text
“We will get to you in a minute sir, just please put that used condom in the trash and not in my face.”
Is what you hear the first time you step into the PTMC. With loud sirens coming in and out and people frantically running to get the help they need. The noise was unbearable, is what someone with no ambition would say.
You are a smart girl; the moment you walk into a room everyone knows the intelligence you hold despite the shrugged shoulders and bright undereye bags. It's not obvious to you, of course it isn't. You spent most of college either crying or screaming at textbooks. Life wasn't going to come easy to those who begged, even if you did try.
The ER was a loud and rude awakening; you had made it through the exams and gross frat guys, next was the real thing. Feeling the acceptance once the sliding doors open, you know what your future holds.
Emergency medicine wasn’t your first choice, your parents had forced you to pick something harder rather than a clinical residency, and why not listen to them! What could go wrong?
“Somebody call security, he’s flinging that wrapper around.” The receptionist on the left yells, the condom almost flying towards your direction. Letting out a small yelp, you quickly move to the side, to dodge any possible residue of sperm landing on any part of your body.
Okay, maybe a lot could go wrong, but still! A lot of people have fought for this position, why complain?
You really wanted to make a good first impression, like any medical student who is just starting, but of course the universe hates you and is against everything apparently.
Wanting to look well acquainted, you got in your car thirty minutes early to begin. The car in question cannot handle going over fifty speeds. Which made you twenty minutes late. Not only that but the second you stepped out of your car, a woman came yelling in your face because her dog was sick. Confusing the ER with a huge veterinarian hospital, you’d hope she found the veterinary clinic, but you highly doubt that.
Standing the middle of it, you wipe your hands down on your leggings, a book tucked underneath your armpit, a paper in the other and a backpack that could probably kill if it were to fall on someone's toes pinching your shoulder, but you couldn’t feel it anyways, the adrenaline coursing through your veins, you could practically feel nothing.
Walking by the sick patients, some bleeding, three throwing up, one lone nurse running around in the waiting room, taking vitals to make sure they didn’t miss anything.
Having this sight in front of you is making the thoughts in your head linger, maybe listening to your parents isn’t always a good thing, you end up in places like these.
You gulp down whatever is in your mouth, too dry to taste anything anyways, with shrug of your shoulder and tight pursed lip, you walk to the right of the desk, an older woman waving her hand at you, signaling you to wait your turn.
You try to shake your head no, trying to make her understand that you were not in fact a patient, just a confused medical student who had no idea where to go. Obviously, she cannot see that, but you assumed by the cleanness of your face and the way you held your things a bit tighter when the man with a used condom almost flung it at your face.
With sweaty palms you push yourself away from the counter, looking around for anyone who can save the embarrassment of you walking around mindlessly, not wanting to look like a lost cause or someone who doesn’t already know what to do.
You spent one year in dermatology, so currently living in the chaos of the ER was a bit unwelcomed at the moment. Your hand finds your lonesome rubber band on your left wrist, snapping it against your skin to bring yourself back to reality.
This was a very real-life thing happening, your body shudders.
Making quick steps to the now empty spot near the receptionist, you start to explain your issue and why you’re actually at the PTMC. Untucking the piece of paper that had all of your info on it, you show it to the older woman behind the glass, confirming your name. “I’m a med student, I don’t know where to go really-” And before you can finish, a man runs in behind you, pushing you out of the way, angry his child wasn’t receiving the care he needed despite the injury being nothing but a minor abrasion to the knee.
Before you can grab ahold of something, maybe the corner of a counter or even a person! But no, you had to fall on the cold tile. You buttock area shooting pain to your lower back. Book and paper gone from your hands, embarrassment not dying down.
You groan, not because of the pain, everyone has taken much worse falls than this, but because of the fact you were able to get pushed by a man on your first day and not see it coming. They teach you this in nursing school, how could you have missed that? You sigh, slowly getting up and retrieving your book and paper, rolling your eyes at how you must have looked falling. In a crouched position now, you sigh trying to regain balance for a moment. A frown located on your lips.
A nurse, the same one that was assessing patients at least three minutes ago you note, comes rushing down to look at you. “Holy shit, are you okay?’ He gapes, raising his eyebrows and an amused smile forming on his lips. Crouching down to your height, running his hands on your lower back.
“I’m good, no harm done.” You mumble, a small whimper coming out of your mouth as you pull yourself up. The male nurse follows suit and shakes his head in acceptance.
“Are you sure, you’re groaning like something’s wrong, and legally we’re supposed to check you out.” He stares at you, then looking at you up and down, assessing any possible injuries again once he can see you better. You shake your head again. “I promise I’m not hurt; you can sue me.” You say sarcastically, he lets out a short laugh, now he’s standing beside you looking at the paper in your hand.
“Med student? You’re like what twelve?” He raises an eyebrow at you, faking skeptically. You roll your eyes playfully and smile. “If only…” You trail off, looking down at his ID to confirm your squinted assumption of his name moments before. “Mateo.” You hum, shrugging to yourself as you play with the corner of your paper out of habit.
“If you don’t have anywhere showing you around, I can show the ways of the crawlers.” He glances at you before looking back down at your paper again. You don’t question the crawler thing yet.
“That would be great!” You say almost immediately not wanting to come off too relieved to get out of the waiting room or spare another poor look at the condom guy.
Mateo nods. And with a wave of his hand, you two are off into the world of the Pitt. And honestly, you’re expecting the worst.
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“This is where you’ll put your stuff.” Mateo smiles, a fake one pointedly, but who can actually smile in place of screams, death, and blood.
You let out a small thanks. The locker is on the bottom, very used, it's dented and you can tell someone had fun with their stickers. The locker was very loved by many students like you. You can tell they were students by the way some have drawn profanities only a half mature person would write in such a place like this.
Pushing down the stuff in your locker until you reach the very metal back. You won’t need these items until much later in the shift or when you’re finally leaving, which feels like days from now, you sigh softly.
Looking at your various filled notebooks, extra tees, and textbooks you forgot to take out, you can feel the sense of reality more now than anything. Your hands finally feel like yours.
In the distance you can hear yells of, “code blue!” and rapid paces from doctors, nurses, residents. You can always tell which one is a doctor and a nurse by the pace of their steps. Nurses always tend to go faster because they take their time getting to know their patients. Most of the time doctors rarely learn names let alone what your favorite color is. This doesn’t apply to children; doctors are known to have the biggest soft spot for children especially in the ER.
Mateo gives you a moment to slip in your designated scrubs, your black leggings sitting comfortably on your skin, the matching thin fabric of your long-sleeved undershirt seems to finally fit right once you feel yourself in the scrubs. People believe once you put on your uniform for your job and everything starts to fall into place, maybe the job is a right fit, like the clothing. But who could tell when all you can hear is your uneven breathing at the fact you might like the job.
The plan was to stay a year at the ER, then start a residency at a hospital in New Jersey. Of course, not all plans go through and people change. However, the stubborn person you are, you were almost positive that nothing was going to happen. Nobody could convince you otherwise.
Mateo looks you up and down, nodding at your appearance then dragging you along again for the ride. “You are the night shift baby.” He smiles. Mateo has been here for a while; he has the energy and routine that only a person who knows every little hiding spot and regular patients possible. You aspire to have that level of comfortability later in life on shifts and to be yourself around others on the job.
“You’re going to do some basic things, like sutures, IV’s, rectal exams-” He pauses, halts in his movements and turns to you. “You have done a suture right?” He tilts his head, to which you sheepishly shake your head, scrunching your nose at the fact that doing a year of dermatology wasn’t the best choice knowing you were going to the ER.
“I’ve practiced on pig's feet?” You smile awkwardly, your hands finding your right thumb's cuticle in a moment of nervousness. Your uncle had sent you pigs feet the second he found out you were practicing sutures, said he did it his year of residency at an ER in Chicago, you tried to deny them, but they somehow ended up in your fridge anyways. You won’t admit it to anyone, but they helped greatly.
The man in front of you chuckles, scratching the back of his head as he sighs in thought. “Man, I’ve only heard that B.S from…” Mateo stops himself, he shakes his head, looking down for a moment acting like he is trying to recollect himself but in actuality he is trying to capture the resemblances between you and the man he had in mind. Ignoring that lingering thought, he claps his hands looking up now again. “Since you are definitely going to need help, you can either call for me, Ellis isn’t usually doing anything, Shen, anybody who is around really.” He points to each one of them, quickly noting their faces in your mind.
Before you can ask a question about where you’ll be going for most of the night, Mateo is on the run again. You let out a small internal scream; you catch up to him as fast you can.
When you reach him, he’s still talking away like you were with him in the few seconds you were gone.
Mateo continues to talk about where to find certain things and which one of the staff members he doesn’t like that day. It was Garcia. You pretend to understand.
While on the tour, you notice some very tired residents, one with her hair tied back letting out low rumbling’s to the unfortunate curse of charting, another blonde woman who is talking to whom you presume is Ellis by Mateo pointing her out seconds ago already. The blonde woman is talking rapidly while Ellis is rubbing her arm up and down in soothing matter. You smile at the sight.
You take your time taking in the ER, noticing the way everyone seems to be so in pace. Two ladies talking in a different language, another in a patient's room laughing to their rants, and the charge nurse who is currently kicking out day shift.
Mateo notices your gaze and huffs out a laugh. Making a full turn, he goes to face you. And in the most serious way possible, he stares you down, just so he knows you’re listening.
“Day shift is crazy and they will stay after their shift is done, do not under any circumstance ask them to do anything.” He starts to point out everyday shift member without looking, because that is how long they have stayed that way since God knows when. Not moving from their spots in hours. He has mesmerized their placements. “My girlfriend is on the day shift.” He sighs loudly, running a hand down his face as he replays the annoyance everyday in his life.
Mateo makes an exaggerated sound, using a high-pitched silly voice to imitate his girlfriend you can assume is probably moping around somewhere along with the others. “Everyday it's, ‘Mateo I’m too tired, T, why do my legs hurt, Teo I’m going to quit.”” He twirls his short length hair and lets out a small girly giggle and rolls his eyes. “Seriously, if you do see her, tell her I said to go home because this–” He points to the nurse's bay, where many struggling staff members fight their way through either charting or gossiping. “Is where I leave you.” He frowns sarcastically, “go out, fly my baby hen.” He says dramatically, throwing his hands up and bowing to you. You smile and laugh softly.
Something about the place gives you an odd gooey sense of home. These people know each other and are willing to know more about them.
You never really felt that way, people came and went. It was a ritual and humanizing. It gave you the character you needed. Boyfriends and girlfriends always found someone better, you were always on your feet. That is probably why healthcare seemed to call to you but the thought of finding something worth staying felt unrealistic and would most likely never happen. So, you push whatever good feelings you have and replace them with what you felt in high school. The same dreadfulness and regret, deep down cognizant having a home was bullshit, and everything ends somehow.
“I don’t know if you heard me but just a quick reminder, you have three attendings.” He mentions that must have been when you had fallen behind. “For the day shift, you have Dr. Robby, he's an asshole but we’re trying to get him medicated.” You tilt your head in curiosity, and half in humoring the guy.
“For the night shift you have two, because the other peepaw couldn’t handle it.” He leans on a counter pointing to one holding a very large plastic cup of coffee from Dunkins. “That is John Shen, he is cool, will go golfing with you, but not at all into the theatrics of the ER, he just wants his bonus.” Mateo points to Shen, who then stares at Mateo suspiciously, then with a confused look on his face once his eyes land on you.
“The other one is Jack Abbot, not as cool as Shen, but he’ll show you around if you beg him enough.” He points to Jack Abbot talking to Robby who is currently rolling his eyes because Jack had suggested he go home.
“That’s peepaw.” Mateo whispers to you, nudging your shoulder. You smile again, letting out a breath of laughter. “Abbot will probably want to meet you and show you to do your sutures because he wants people he can trust y’know, which is why he doesn’t have Santos on his team, she stole Abbot’s favorite green mug.” He notes, crossing his arms acting as though the mug was a true tragedy, fake sniffling now, he salutes the air. You furrow your eyebrows and grin at his theatrics.
Thinking this would be the end of the tour and you could actually get to know patients, maybe get a few sutures behind you, Mateo beckons you to follow him. ‘Relax, you’ll get your practice in kiddo, Abbot just needs something good right now, and what better way than to put a poor young med student on his shoulders.” He smirks, a mischievous glint in his eyes, slapping a hand behind your shoulder and dragging you to where the two attendings stand.
You feel nervous, who wouldn’t be if you were meeting the person who would be watching your every move and critiquing every action, even if you so much as lift your finger wrong eating a taco, you could be out. Tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, a bright fake tight-lipped smile, you quickly follow Mateo to the men standing there.
“You need to have a hobby.” Jack deadpans, looking up at the slightly taller man, arms crossed and a posture that says, “I always have the worst trauma in the room, but I’ll pretend that I don’t then randomly turn wise when someone needs even the slightest of help.”
Seeing the two men gives you a giddy feeling in your stomach, Jack Abbot wasn’t an ugly man, you were allowed to look. Picking at a chapped piece of skin on your lips, you barely have time to look up at him before he’s already staring at you. His expression of exasperation turns into one of intrigue.
Jack raises an eyebrow at the newer face, hands flexing on his side, spine leaning towards his left side, assessing you.
You can’t help but feel like a food item on display, you have a man who has the most perfect salt and pepper hair, while you’re standing there feeling nervous because of the fact, he is too handsome for his own good.
He’s too old for you, you understand that. That doesn’t help the fact the thought immediately entered your mind the second you locked eyes with him.
Feeling the sudden rush to your cheeks, you rapidly give the two men in front of you a small wave and a smile.
“Dr. Abbot.” Mateo smiles brightly, nodding his head towards your direction. “Meet the new med student.” He does a slight shimmy of his shoulder, wiggling his eyebrows. Only one can assume this was an ongoing joke between them.
“I can see that.” Jack sighs, taking another look at you before directing his gaze towards the younger man in front of him.
“She hasn’t done sutures.” Mateo grins wildly, hands grasping together to intertwine them and make him seem as innocent as possible.
Robby merely stands and watches the interaction; you smile at Robby too. Out of all the people here, you can observe that the ER has done this man absolutely no justice whatsoever. The thought and sight make you giggle ever so slightly, odd to see such a strong-willed man be taken down by an ER. You hope that won’t be you in the not far future.
Jack slowly blinks at Mateo, running his tongue against his cheek, feeling the bitemarks he left from forgetting to eat and his body confusing his own flesh as a meal.
Sighing again, he goes back to you. “I am Jack Abbot, welcome to the crawlers.” He exclaims, a small but actual genuine smile, you don’t notice how his gaze runs down your legs and lips.
“You and your fucking crawlers.” Robby rolls his eyes, letting out a breath that almost sounds like a laugh. “Don’t listen to him sweetheart, this whole charade he has planned for you will disappear.” Laughing softly and shaking his head, his right hand finding the stethoscope around his neck, playing with the tubing.
“Oh, I’m sure.” You mumble sarcastically, nodding to Robby’s joke. At least you think it’s a joke. Sometimes Robby’s tone does not translate well with communicating or making jokes. That is why you float away from him rather than nearby.
“Do you know my student, Dr. Robby?” Jack furrows his eyebrows, his eyes still on you until the last second of his question.
And without missing a beat, Robby huffs out a breath in disbelief. “Know? I gave birth to this girl.” He scrunches his nose, reaching you and grabbing you by your shoulder. You let out a small fake scream of protest, acting like an ungrateful teenager whose dad is embarrassing them.
“This is my niece.” He smiles brightly, kissing the top of your head as you get smushed between his chest, playfully hitting him on the side of his ribs. “Ya’ stimk…” you grumble against him, weakly fighting against his hold.
Thankfully Robby has you in his hold, because you would have seen the disappointed look on Jack’s face and the surprise on everyone else’s.
This is going to be a mess.
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