Chapter Text
By some miracle, Dennis places into PTMC for his residency program. However, in the two months that it takes for the decision to be made, he finished out his time at the Pitt pulling his hair out at the idea of these being his final weeks here.
He and Robby very pointedly don’t talk about the possibility that he could be leaving. Instead, they fill that unsaid space with egregious amounts of sex— to the point that Dennis is genuinely shocked no one has caught on yet.
They’d created a sort of system: marks only allowed under clothes, and less sex at the hospital. The ladder being the hardest to accomplish, but somehow the most rewarding. Having to ride a life saving high with only tentative glances, getting harder to hold in with each successful case. It was the most addictive game of cat and mouse Dennis had ever played.
And when they were finally off shift, they’d sometimes barely make it to Robby’s truck before they’re ripping and pulling each other apart at the seams.
So when the letter finally does arrive, confirming that Dennis didn’t have to leave the Pitt, or Robby, he immediately pulls out his phone and sends a picture of it to the man, no words needed.
He doesn’t wait for a reply, bursting into Trinity's room next and ignoring her complaints by shoving the paper into her face. He watches her read it, then burst into a yelling mess of celebration, going as far as to hug Dennis in excitement. She’s breaking away and rambling plans before he can process it, though he’s smiling wider than he has all year. “Oh my God Huckleberry, we have to text everyone. We need to go out- no stop with that face you’re not squirreling away again. That mystery man of yours already gets all your time, you owe me.” Dennis shuts his mouth at that because she’s right. Besides, she already has her phone out and texting possibly everyone they know.
And, given that Dennis had already worked his “last” shift at PTMC three days ago— the card they’d written him now magnetized to the fridge— he has no excuse of being busy to dodge the plans she makes for that night.
Dennis tries his best not to check his phone, knowing full well Robby is still at work and likely won’t even see his text for the next few hours, but he fails miserably. Trinity insists on dressing him up for the night and he’s checking his phone so often, she threatens to shave his hair off if he doesn’t stay still. He’s sat frozen after that, letting her finally cut his hair into a shoddy mullet in their tiny apartment bathroom.
When she’s done, Dennis hates to admit that she was right, and that this is exactly what he needed. But she reads it loud and clear on his face through the mirror and she gloats the rest of the night.
“Huckleberry your hair looks so good!” Javadi, who meets up with them after her shift, touches the little curls at the back of his neck. They’re meeting at a dive bar near the hospital so the rest of the day shift can come by and celebrate if they want. Apparently Robby was invited too and Dennis feels completely normal about that.
“Yeah that was all me.” Trinity slaps him so hard on the back he stumbles a little. “Saved this little farm boys life. And I dressed him! Look how normal he looks.” Dennis flushes as they start pointing out all sorts of details about what Trinity had put him in, and he feels like a dress up doll to his two evil step-sisters. Still, he doesn’t have the heart to contest because he can admit he looks pretty okay. New haircut and a tight shirt does that to a man, he supposes.
More of his coworkers start filing in after that; Mohan with another comment about his hair, McKay with a tight hug and congratulations, even Dana pops in just to say she’s proud of him before heading out to see her family. That one means the most to him so far. Maybe he’s still stunned by the idea of a happy mother and he flocks to her praise unreasonably because of it. A shot is shoved into his hand before he can delve too deep into that.
A lot of his favorite nurses stop by and say congrats, Jesse even gives him a cool nod and Dennis feels pretty good after that— even more so by the two extra shots that go down in the meantime.
Dennis ends up pleasantly drunk on the makeshift dance floor of their shitty dive, Trinity, Mel, and Javadi all circled with him each with colorful drinks in their hands and dancing just as badly as him.
A hand lands gently onto his shoulder but Dennis jumps half a foot anyways. It’s Robby. Fresh out of work and exhausted, Dennis is almost pavlov’d to jump his bones right where he stands. It’s a near thing with all the alcohol in his system but he refrains as his three very aware coworkers are looking at them.
“Robby!” He doesn’t even last a second and is hugging the man tight around his waist. Fuck.
He feels the doctor laugh awkwardly and pat him platonically on the back before pulling Dennis off him as nicely as he can. Dennis pouts, but it’s wiped away when he realizes Robby is wearing his glasses again. Dennis is delusional enough to believe he’s wearing them for him.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Robby starts, and Javadi kindly waves him off, saying he isn’t. Her speech is slurred and Dennis suddenly wonders how she was even allowed in here— or allowed to drink. A fake? Oh how the star child has fallen. “Just wanted to stop by and say congratulations, Dennis. Or Dr. Whitaker, I should say.” Dennis would be a liar if he said he didn’t get a little excited at Robby calling him doctor. A lot excited. His body subconsciously sways towards him and Robby has to put a firm hand on his shoulder to both hold him up and maintain a friendly distance. By the way the man grips him, Dennis gets the idea that Robby isn’t as collected as he seems. “I’ll get out of your hair. Don’t want to interrupt your fun-“
“No stay! Stay. Dance with us.” Dennis’ voice is whinier than he’d expected. Robby’s grip tightens.
Dennis stumbles on his own feet.
All four doctors go to catch him but he doesn’t fall, catching himself on Robby’s shoulders. Wide, strong shoulders-
“Maybe I should take you home.” Dennis snaps up at the words. Robby is looking at him so professionally, then turning to the other three. “Would you all like rides home? I can’t in good conscience leave my staff drunk without a safe way back.” He’s serious and genuine and Dennis should not be thinking what he’s thinking about right now.
“No, no we’re okay! Jesse is our DD for the night, don’t worry Dr. Robby- I mean, just Robby?” Mel is speaking for her much drunker counterparts and Robby clearly only agrees given Mel’s more sober state. Dennis could’ve sworn he’d seen her matching their drinks, was she that much of a tank? A part of him believes it.
Robby nods. “Fine. But text in the groupme once you’ve all gotten home safely.” They all nod but don’t have the heart to tell him that only the old people in their staff use that chat. “I’ll drive Dennis back.” Dennis is nodding without even giving a proper reason as to why. “I’ll see you all on Monday.” They wave them both goodbye as Robby starts to steer Dennis out of the bar by his shoulders. Dennis wonders faintly why Trinity had been so quiet.
The cold air feels great on Dennis’ hot skin, he pinches the front of his tight shirt and pulls it away from his sweat slicked chest, sighing in relief. Robby is frozen behind him, but dares to learn closer, and breathe warm air out against the shell of Dennis’ ear. Dennis shudders and doesn’t feel the cold air much anymore. “Let’s take you home.”
Dennis stumbles his way into Robby’s truck and collapses against the familiar polyester of the front seat. Robby climbs in after him and the truck rumbles to life. Dennis doesn’t realize he’s closed his eyes until Robby kisses the tip of his nose and he startles. Robby’s already pulling back and backing out of the spot by then with a grin on his face.
The drive is short, or maybe Dennis is falling in and out of sleep throughout it. Either way, they do inevitably pull into his apartment complex and Dennis partly wishes Robby were a worse man, and had taken him back to his beautiful brownstone.
“C’mon baby, let’s get you inside.” Dennis shudders at the name, one he hears so often he hadn’t realized how foreign ‘Dennis’ had sounded on Robby’s lips at the bar until now.
Dennis lets himself be helped out of the car and up the three flights of stairs. He’s partly sobering up, and he proves it by unlocking his door first try (something he rarely succeeds at sober if he’s honest).
He uses the excuse of removing his shoes to lean up against Robby. Then he pulls the man by the hand under the excuse that he would get lost if he didn’t; nothing to say of their 1000 sq ft of total navigable area. Robby entertains him anyways, lets Dennis pull him into the living room and plop them both down on the shitty pink couch. Dennis halfway crawls on top of him out of reflex, legs on Robby’s lap and his head on his shoulder. Robby sighs, like he hadn't planned on staying, but curls his hands around the boy’s thigh anyways.
They sit there for a while, Dennis listening to Robby’s heart beat, Robby drawing patterns against Dennis’s thigh, hip, waist. It’s nothing for them, at this point, but Dennis can’t make his breath fall easily.
He turns his head up and kisses once at Robby’s jaw. Twice. He lets out a sigh that sounds a lot like a warning, but grips him tighter nonetheless. Dennis continues, trialing his way slowly up his face, through his soft beard, and finally landing on his lips. In the end, neither put up much of a fight and succumb to the familiar. Dennis opens up for Robby just how he likes, pliant and willing, letting the man take and taste as much as he wants. Robby tries to devour him, slow and deep. He pushes Dennis onto the couch and follows him down, never breaking.
Dennis maneuvers his legs open, feels Robby slot perfectly between them. He curls his arms around his neck and pulls Robby infinitely closer, not searching or pushing for more or faster, but to maintain the solid weight on top of him— the crushing pressure of their mouths and chests and hips.
Robby trails his hand south and pushes its way underneath Dennis’ shirt, hiking it up and he shivers agains the cold air of the apartment.
“Robby-“
The front door opens.
Robby is off of him in record time, and Dennis can barely pull his shirt back down before he’s locked eyes with Trinity, standing in the doorway, key still in the handle.
It’s silent, and he can only imagine what Trinity sees: Dennis, fresh out of the bar and still smelling of sweet liquor, and their chief attending on top of him with large, explorative hands. Maybe Robby can imagine how bad this looks as well, because he maneuvers Dennis’ legs off of him and stands up to leave without a word. Dennis catches his hand. Robby looks back at him painfully.
They share an heavy look, then Robby shakes his head once, and leaves.
Trinity, still in the doorway, makes room for Robby to exit but says nothing, just watches him with her eyes until he’s out of sight down the stairs.
Dennis takes a moment to fix his hair and smooth his clothes as best he can, sitting up and crisscross on the couch to be as presentable as possible, like it’ll distract from the reality of their situation. The door creaks shut, and Trinity takes off her shoes, shucks off her coat, and moves to the couch methodically. Dennis feels like a teenager caught making out with another boy— though he can imagine if that were truly the case back home, it wouldn’t be so quiet. Or gentle. Because as Trinity finally sits down and looks at him, it’s not anger or even disappointment he finds there, it’s concern.
“It’s not what it looks like.” Dennis is scrambling before he has his thoughts in order. What can he even say? He wishes Robby were here to tell him.
Trinity shakes her head and rubs her hands down her face. “Then explain it to me. Because this, all looks pretty bad.” She’s waving her hands around, exasperated, and it’s clear they’re both too tipsy to be having this conversation right now.
“Yes, yeah I know how it looks but it’s all completely consensual-“
“How can it be consensual if you’re drunk, Dennis?”
“I’m not-“
“You had like five drinks-“
“-well it’s not like I’m usually drunk!”
Silence.
Dennis pulls his lip into his mouth like it’ll pull the words back in. Up until now, maybe he could’ve lied it off as a stupid one time make out with his boss, no HR needed, just a little mistake and everyone moves on. Now he’s blown it.
“There’s been other times?”
It’s too late to deny it now. “Yes.”
Trinity outwardly groans and falls back into the couch, grumbling something under her breath. “How could you be so stupid?”
Owch. “What the fuck? I’m not being stupid.” Dennis, sitting on a pink couch with kiss bruised lips from his consistent, unlabeled affair with his boss, is suddenly aware of how stupid he’s being. “Okay it’s stupid but we’re being safe.“
“Like making out in a common space, much less our apartment at all!” Trinity gasps and sits up straight. “Have you brought him back before?” She looks down at the couch, newly disgusted. “Oh my God have you tarnished the couch before and never told me?“
Dennis has to laugh, and Trinity awards him with a punch to the arm. “No, he’s never been here before. I promise.” He tacks on the last part given the still skeptical look on Trinity’s face and the way she’s still eyeing the couch oddly. “We go to his, after work and such.” Dennis doesn’t add to the fire by mentioning where most of their tryst took place at first.
Trinity fidgets with her fingers and clearly stews on it for a while. Dennis lets her. He can’t imagine what he’d think too if the roles were reversed. Then, “How long?”
Dennis hesitates. “Since PittFest.”
“That was our first day!” Trinity sputters.
“Well, I mean technically it was the day after that we-“
“Ew, no I don’t want to hear it.” Dennis grins a little, and watches the cogs in her head work on overtime, combing through every moment she’d ever seen the two men together. “Was it Robby? The one who gave you those bruises on your jaw a few months ago?” It’s serious again, and Dennis is getting whiplash.
“Yes- stop, before you freak out I already told you it was consensual.” He’s saying the word so many times at this point it feels like a sound.
“You say that but-“
“But nothing! I don’t know how else to convince you. We kinda hooked up one time after work, don’t give me that face, and it spiraled after that and we just, haven’t stopped. That’s it.”
“That’s it?” Trinity clearly doesn’t believe him. And though what he said is mostly the truth, he can’t help but disbelieve it himself.
“That’s it.”
Trinity chews on it again, and Dennis can only wait, and hope she doesn’t report them to HR. He doubts it, but he’s seen Trinity rip people apart for less.
“I don’t like it.” Trinity concludes.
“I know.”
“It’s unprofessional.”
“Yup.”
“And grossly unethical.”
“Very.”
She sighs for the nth time, but this one feels more granting, and final. “But I suppose you two are grown adults, and now that you’re a resident it’s not like he’s even writing your internship reports.” Dennis smiles and she glares at it. “But don’t go thinking I’m suddenly okay with this, I’d much rather you not risk your entire career for some guy.” Dennis doesn’t argue that Robby isn’t just some guy to him. “If you get caught, it’ll be you who suffers from it, not him.”
Dennis isn’t smiling anymore, and soberly nods. “I know.” This time, it’s quieter, and less sure.
She punches his arm again, just as quiet and unsure. “Just be careful. Please.” Dennis nods again, stress-chewing on his lip. “Oh, and no more sex on the couch.”
He properly groans this time. “You’re so dramatic we were not having sex-“
“Gross, God don’t make me remember it. It’s like I can still see it behind my eyes.” She’s comically waving her hands in front of her face like a mirage. They laugh stupidly at each other, and Dennis feels like this was probably the best outcome, all things considered.
Robby avoids him like the plague.
Dennis spends his last full week off work waiting for a call back or even a read receipt on the several messages he sends. He fills the empty space Robby leaves with bad TV with Trinity, and medical studies, and anything to distract from the creeping reality of his situation. By the end, Dennis can’t wait to get back into the Pitt because at the very least, Robby can’t avoid him there.
Plus, after a week straight of nothing but lazing about, waiting for his residency to start, the farm boy inside him is dying for some hard labor. And the ER does nothing if not deliver.
First day back, officially a Doctor, Dennis feels the difference immediately. Nurses ask him for more information yet help less, he’s expected to see even more patients at an even faster pace, but the amount of traumas he’s put on diminishes greatly. Well, the last one may just be a side effect of Robby’s continued avoidance of him.
Dennis doesn’t know what he was thinking, he can’t even get two words in with Robby without them being pulled away by something infinitely more important. Still, that doesn’t stop him from trying.
“Robby-“
“Doctor.”
“Sorry, Dr. Robby, could I just-“
Dennis is essentially chasing after him. Robby is walking quickly towards the trauma bay, feigning ignorance as he prepares for the MI inbound. The doors slide open and as they finally make it outside, Robby does inevitably have to stop. Still, his eyes are on the road watching for the ambulance.
“Robby, please can we just talk about this?”
“We’re at work, Dr. Whitaker.”
It’s the first time Robby’s even said his name today. Dennis takes that as a win. “Sure okay, then how about after?”
“I’m busy.”
Dennis has to laugh. “You’re never busy.”
Robby finally looks at him, sharp and cold, and it reads a lot like then maybe you don’t know me. Dennis subconsciously takes a half step beck.
Robby’s face softens, small but noticeably. Regret maybe. He opens his mouth to speak, but it’s the ambulance siren that fills the space instead.
Like a switch, suddenly neither of them care about much of anything other than the patient.
The doors slam open. “65 year-old male, cardiac arrest at a restaurant with this wife.” The EMTs are speaking before his gurney wheels even touch the ground. “We shocked once, no epi, ROSC. Heart rate 105 and bp 92 over 50.”
“Is he going to be okay?” An old woman from inside the ambulance starts clambering out of the back as well, holding a cardigan closely around her body.
Dennis has an ear to the rest of the read out, but stalls slightly to reassure the woman. He gives her a tight smile and motions for her to follow them through into the ER. “He’s in great hands.” Is all he says. She’s nodding like she believes him— wants desperately to believe him. Dennis wants to believe it to.
The slam of the board hits the new gurney in Trauma 1 and Dennis is focused once more. “Some bystander was performing CPR on him before we got there. Probably saved his life.” Is the last thing the paramedic says before leaving.
The old man is mumbling something, clearly confused but can respond somewhat to Dennis’ questions. “Let’s get an ECG, see just what we’re working with here please.” Dennis is talking and moving like a doctor, a real proper doctor, just like the ones he’d dreamed of while shoveling cow shit out of the stalls back home.
Faintly, over his own heartbeat in his ears, Dennis hears Robby explaining some of the tests he’s doing to the altered man and his wife— the wife who was let in the same time the ECG was. She’s gripping her husband’s hand, frail but strong and it has Dennis looking away.
“ST segment elevations in lateral leads.” Dennis reads out what he’s seeing on the screen, a little confused. “But there’s also reciprocal changes in the expected inferior leads, and ST segment depressions in II, III, and aVF.” Robby steps up behind him and checks the sheet as well. He’s shaking his head, a pinched look on his face.
“What’s wrong with him?” The frail woman asks, pained and hurried. Dennis imagines what his mother would look like at this age; in this situation. Would she cry for his father like this woman does so earnestly? Dennis knows the answer and shakes the useless thoughts from his head.
“Could this be something more isolated? The OM branch?” Dennis had done extensive research regarding anything MI after Mr. Milton. A long shot, but if the entire artery was closed, they’d know it, so maybe a branch sever would make sense.
Robby’s is shaking his head, but parses the idea anyways. “Not likely. Let’s wait on those cath labs and we’ll know more.” Robby pats him on the back twice as he walks past, completely habitual, yet Dennis revels in it anyways.
Dennis has time to check in on two of his other patients— a GSW to the shoulder and a kidney stone, respectively— before Robby is calling him back in.
It’s mostly empty, with Mel and Trinity hurdled around the test results and Robby nodding him over. The patient and his kind wife had gone to surgery for a splint. He’d seen them go up, and the wife had given him the tiniest little thumbs up he’d ever received, it made him a little queasy.
Dennis finds a spot and reads the results on the screen carefully. “100% obtuse marginal artery occlusion?” Dennis asks, genuinely surprised. He was right.
“Isn’t that pretty rare? The rest of his left circumflex arteries look fine?” Mel asks, face so close to the screen, Trinity has to loop a finger in her scrub collar and pull her back a few inches.
Robby takes it as a teaching moment, and goes on to explain just how this can happen, pointing out all the different affected areas, and how this is in fact, very rare. “And yet Whitaker here is the one who got the jump on it. Great job, kid.” And after a week of isolation from the man, Robby’s praise feels like 10mg of oxy shot right into his IV— or what he assumes that feels like. Whatever.
As they disperse, Mel gives him a thumbs up on her way out, and Trinity just leaves with her tongue stuck out at him. He childishly returns it. Dennis has a big, proud smile on his face when he finally turns to Robby in the now empty room. His eyes are back to the familiar warmness Dennis hadn’t realized he’d missed so much. They’re crinkled endearingly in the corner. “I was serious, by the way. It was a great catch.” Dennis just nods, uncharacteristically shy. “I told you you’d make a good doctor.”
Dennis, embarrassingly, is deeply affected by his words. Like a dog trained to salivate at the ring of a bell, Dennis can’t help but weaken at the sweet, low tones of Robby’s voice as he curls on about how good he is. Dennis has to squeeze his thighs together just barely— just enough to keep his head on his shoulders and his blood up there too. Robby’s eyes flash down, then back up, always noticing. The brown of his eyes seems to darken and Robby takes the tiniest movement closer. “I’m not busy after work.” He admits.
Dennis has to roll his eyes, but is subconsciously leaning closer. Still a perfectly safe distance away, but the tension in the air is anything but. “Yeah I figured as much.” Teasing Robby is never a good idea if Dennis plans to walk the next day. But for this? Dennis supposes he can still work tomorrow with a limp.
Robby is squinting down at him, like Dennis is just a new puppy he hasn’t properly broken in yet. While Dennis doesn’t really have a thing for something like that, metaphorically or not, if Robby would just touch him, he could be down for anything right about now. The amount of power that gives Robby must be intoxicating, and his voice is nearly purring now, “How about I drive you home tonight-“
He doesn’t get to finish the thought, though, as the Trauma doors slam open behind them. They both jump like they’d been caught. He supposes they have, but truthfully, nothing had even happened. Yet. “Are y'all gonna stand here all day or free up this poor room for an actual patient?” Dana has one, lifted eyebrow so pointedly judging them, it has Dennis apologizing about twenty times as he rushes out of there. If Dennis had a nickel for every time they were interrupted, he’s probably be rich by now.
Before he can get far, he hears Dana lower her voice to Robby, “He’s here to see you. I put him in South 3 if you wanted some privacy.”
Dennis would be lying if he said he didn’t slow his pace as he walks away. “I don’t need this right now.” Robby sounds nothing like the man from earlier, sharp and mean and entirely exhausted. He scurries away after that.
Dennis, really truly, however, did not go to South 3 on purpose.
After his little eavesdropping, he guiltily headed to central and grabbed the most unassuming patient on there: some kid in chairs with a tiny face lac. It’s Lupe’s fault that he’s sent to South 4, honest.
And as he’s getting his ear talked off by the most concerned mother on Earth over her perfectly fine son, he really hadn’t planned on Robby leaving right as he walks by. Nor had Dennis expected Robby to be followed out, the man yelling after him as Robby blatantly avoids the scene.
The man stops as Robby rounds the corner out of sight, clearly fuming. So much so, neither of them even noticed Dennis standing just five feet off to the side.
The man runs his hands through his hair, frustrated and hurt. Then, he turns to head back in and stops cold when he sees Dennis. The mom and her son walk into their room like the commotion meant nothing, he supposes it wouldn’t to them. But it does to Dennis.
Because it’s Langdon who’s standing there, stopped like a deer in headlights.