Chapter Text
7am-8am
Melissa King was a wonderful mood. She was on her way to an 8:00am start at ‘The Pitt’ but despite the early time currently, she was feeling great about the lengthy day ahead of her. The early may sun was shining through the windows of Langdon’s car, as the building caused shadows that blocked it from view only to find its way back some seconds later. The window was cracked to allow the summer city smell of hot tarmac and the trees of the Allegheny park, but also a soft breeze as the unlikely pair made their way to work.
The two doctors had be ride sharing for around a year now, starting just about a month after Langdon had gotten out of rehab and it was working splendidly, they alternated each week who drove them in and who chose the soundtrack (Mel going for ‘Hot Girl Rap’ as Mohan had dubbed and Langdon opting for classic rock with a hit of metal). It was a no brainer that allowed for Mel to spend more time and money on Becca as it was cheaper and easier, but up until recently she was unsure on what Frank was getting out of the deal. When he had first offered, she had been taken aback because, sure they were cordial, but Mel had only ever viewed them a polite co-worker, at a push friends.
But as the months went on it became evident that Langdon, in some way that she couldn’t quite understand, needed her.
Not in any particular way that scared Mel, as it often did frighten her being wanted, but instead in a way that lay a sense of calm over the quite friendship that she had felt before.
This sense of calm quickly developed into something more than just enjoying the peace that Langdon brought her in the short car journey to and from the hospital. It morphed into feelings the Mel knew she would have to abandon if she wanted to maintain a friendship. Because Langdon was married with kids. There was no way she would mess up one of his few support systems, only to fulfil this little juvenile crush she had on her superior, to then lose another support system.
So, she did the only logical move, she pushed it down and ignored it, attempting to preserve the friendship the Mel truly cherished with her whole heart. Pretending that the feeling she got when he brushed behind in the trauma bay was purely platonic, or when he smiles at her when they pass each other and say hi even when they don’t really have time to talk especially on a busy shift, it doesn’t feed her delusions or how she gazes at him from across the hospital floor, particularly when his trying to figure something out and has this expression on his face that she was truly only admiring because she could admit that the man was conventionally attractive, come on now, she isn’t blind.
Unfortunately for Melissa King, she doesn’t do things halfway. She is an all-or-nothing kind of girl, and so by no fault of her own and all fault to the way Langdon’s hair looked in the morning, she fell head over heels for him, haplessly fixating on every minute detail of him.
It was bad. Mel had obviously had intense crushes in the past, but they have never affected her quite like the infatuation with Langdon had done. He was the last thing she thought about when she went to sleep and the first thing she thought about when she awoke. There was nothing that she could possibly do to get him out of her head.
Her only saving grace is that she wouldn’t allow herself to pursue a married man.
However, that barrier was not as strong has she had hoped, as around a month ago, after a seemingly normal shift, on the way to Mel’s car Langdon dropped a bomb on her.
‘Me and Abby are going to get a divorce.’
And with that plain and simple sentence, Mel built up idea of reality completely shattered, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Her state of shock was so deep that she didn’t even notice his poor grammar usage.
‘What.’ It came out as a whisper barely heard by Langdon, as he had continued on his way to the car and their ticket to freedom, but still he turned around to face her.
‘Yeah, we thought it would be best for the kids, you know considering the job, my addiction and well…’ The confidence he had spoken with his first statement had completely disappeared by the time he tried to finish the second one. His hand was cautiously motioning between the pair of them, attempting to communicate a message that Mel refused to believe there was any truth to.
‘And what Frank, why else are you leaving your wife?’ her voice demanding the answer she so hoped would leave his mouth.
She waited, the only noise the sirens speeding towards the E.R. they were about to leave and the wind that gave a cold chill to her skin causing goose bumps that had absolutely nothing to do with the current scenario.
‘You, Mel, I left her for you.’ he said, tentatively.
Mel’s brain went suddenly very quiet, trying to process and decide what to do with this new information. But it was a quick decision and before she knew it, she was in Langdon’s arms, grasping onto him as if they wouldn’t have any time do so after this. They stayed like that for a while, just holding the other and enjoy the closeness that both of them had craved for so long, yet denied themselves, existing with together in the dimly lit car park. Potentially not the desired place to have a romantic confession, but it worked for them, just as long as they in the others company.
After a while them pulled back, keeping their foreheads touching as Langdon’s hand snaked up to Mel’s cheek, cupping it as his other wrapped around her waist, with his vibrant eyes darting around her face, landing on her lips and then up to her eyes.
‘May I?’
And words failed Mel as nothing more than a slight whimper left her lips which was complete inappropriate for a first kiss, causing her cheeks to flare more then they already had. Instead opting to shake her head in agreement, and it wasn’t long until Langdon’s lips met her own. It was slow at first, gentle and tender that allowed Mel to relax into it, enjoy the moment instead of stressing about everything but the present happenings. As it was ramping up, a stern cough came from behind them, and they turned to see a patient they had stitched up earlier that day glaring at the pair of them. The three of stood there for a bit just staring at one another, until the past patient moved on.
Mel and Langdon looked back to the other and laughed, both of them wearing a flush on their cheeks.
And then they just gazed at each other, admiring the others beauty.
After what felt like hours, standing in the carpark, Mel suggested that they finish their short journey to her car. Langdon looked like he had been broken from a trance, awoken from a dream state, nodding slowly as he moved towards the car.
The drive back was borderline silent, the only thing with holding the awkwardness was Flo Milli’s new song. Unfortunately, the lack of conversation kick started Mel’s brain to start overthinking, as on their normal ride to and from work the car was filled with constant discussion and unfiltered amusement. As much as she wanted to be with Langdon, she valued their friendship more than anything and the fear that she might have just ruined it plagued her deeply. So, when she pulled up to his apartment complex, and he didn’t immediately get, her anxieties got the better of her, and she started profusely apologizing, attempting to withdraw any damage done to their relationship. Frank tried the quieten her, hoping to get a word in, to speak his mind, but she kept on going, rambling on, seeking to compel how much badly she wanted this but if it meant getting in between them, then she would disregard any notion of it in an instance and that they could forget all about it a go back to being friends, or even just friendly co-workers if that what he wanted.
It was at this point, Langdon head whipped up and he finally interrupt Mel.
‘I would actually like nothing less than going back to being friendly co-workers.’ He said softly, causing a smile to spread Mel’s face as they once again observed the other.
Then Frank looked down to his hands intently, and it was his turn to overly expiated what his true feelings were. Details about Mel that she hadn’t even noticed herself that he had, from how when she was thinking to hard about something and her face would screw up but then she would figure it out and relax so that her glasses slip down her nose, to the absence minded congratulatory touches after saving a patient and how she was towards him after he came back, while many of the other doctors and nurses had ostracized him she had shown him nothing but kindness, approaching him as if he had never left and giving him no special treatment.
‘I want to try this and give it a chance, Mel, please, just give me a chance.’ He spoke with a tenderness that Mel was all to use to.
‘I mean it would be nice to try.’
Langdon huffed ’If you could potentially say it with a little more conviction, just for my sakes, that would be great.’
‘Ok then, yes Frank I would take great pleasure in giving you a chance.’
It was now Langdon’s turn for a smile to spread across his face. ‘Cool, nice so do you want to come inside then?’
A moment of impalpable silence.
‘Umm, no thank you, I don’t really want to have sex right now.’
‘That was not at all what I was suggesting, Jesus Christ Mel, I would take you on a date first at least.’
‘Oh, good,’ and then a little quieter ‘,a date sounds nice.’
‘Yeah, it does, how does next Tuesday work for you?’
‘I’m covering the first half of Whitaker’s night shift, next Thursday?’
They went back and forth like this for about ten minutes trying to find an aligned gap in their busy schedules, until they found one that worked.
And that date was last night, and so as Mel reminisced on the beautiful evening in the passenger seat of Langdon’s car, she turned to look at the man sitting next to her, allowing herself to admire his looks, his demeanour and his presence, coming to the daunting realisation that she was so far gone for this man and that was no turning back now.
‘What, why are you staring, have I got toothpaste on my face?’
‘No, I’m just taking a mental image so that when we go in a pretend, we are just colleagues, I can still remember you just like this.’
Frank just beamed, kissed her forehead, pulled back and clapped his hands
‘Right let’s get this hell of shift out of the way.’
‘This shift isn’t going to be hell; it’s going be quick and quiet one.’
‘When I tell Dana you speak like that, she will have you hung, along with the rest on the nurses.’
And with that they stepped out of the car, making their way towards their one and only PTMC, expecting the worst but still forever hoping for the best.