"Supposed to be an Adult, but fuck it, I need a minute."
First Chapter!!! i did cross post this on ao3 aswell, under my ao3 account called anniewasnothere143. ENJOY THIS IS MY FIRST EVER FANIC
Summary: Y/N L/N, never thought she would ever even consider moving to Pittsburgh, but when her favorite attending (her pseudo brother) tells her he's switching hospitals and would love his favorite senior resident to come with him (is he serious??), she can't say no, which leaves her here, moving from hot Miami beaches to windy, cold Pittsburgh, and where does she end up?, PTMC.
Baby, I tried to call you:
You've never had trouble adapting to your brother's random bullshit. You're an ER doctor for Christ's sake, you can take a bit of change, you're a big girl. But walking into work, you swear you can already feel how bad today's going to be. Now you know you're no oracle, not by a long shot, but today just feels like doom and despair wrapped up in a blanket. So imagine your surprise when you bump into a tall, built figure.
"There you are, I've been waiting for you for like 30 minutes," says a suspiciously familiar voice.
You look up to see that it's your brother who is looking up at you with the most disturbing smile a man can make at 7 in the morning. "I'm too good at my job for you to give a damn, and also, there was traffic since you forgot we live in a tourist-infested city," you say, looking up at him with a deadpanned face and a sarcastic tone.
"I missed you and your positive outlook on life. Did I ever tell you how much of an Amazing resident you are, and how you're my favorite sister forever and ever?" He says with a sly grin, looking at you, like he didn't just try and sweet talk you.
"Carlos, what the fuck are you on? It's seven fifteen in the morning-" he cuts you off by shoving a suspicously large sized iced coffee from your favorite coffee place downtown, right in your face. "Do you know how much I love you and your...presense" you say quickly as you grab the iced coffee and make your way around him to the locker room to put your duffle bag away."
"That's the reaction I wanted, now just hear me out and don't freak out...or hit me." You stop mid hallway, dread crawling up your spine. "Carli, what. did. You do." You turn, slowly shifting your head to glare at him. You've known Carlos Cruz since birth; your parents made sure of that since your grandparents were best friends, then your mother and his father were best friends, and now you're basically stuck with him because of generational bonding, it's like having a built-in best friend, but with all this information, it means you know him better than you know yourself so you know when he's up to absolutly no good.
"Why do you assume I did something? I'm not always the problem, you know," he says with an overly dramatic, exasperated voice while running a hand through his blonde curls.
"Yeah, all your exes would beg to differ," you say, trying to read him for any signs of what might come out of his stupid mouth.
"Jesus, knew you came in irritated, but didn't know it was this bad. I would've brought donuts too, or some Xanax pills to calm you down," he says with a smile. Your face starts to form a grin, but you quickly remember that he’s currently deflecting. "Okay, not funny, and you know why, so stop asking and just tell me what you did so I can fix your mess like always," you say in a frustrated voice.
"How would i now whats got your panties in a twist- Oh....." he looks up for a second like a though just rammed straight into his head at 90 miles an hour, "Shit- I forgot, your dad right? he still in the hospital?" he says with a gentle tone leading me down the hall to the break room instead of the locker room.
"Yup, another one of his guilty conscience calls begging me to come see him, still no apology though, which is funny because even on his deathbed that old man still can't see that he's wrong," you say in exasperation. looking around and taking in the chaotic ER, floor as nurses and other doctors run across the room like headless chickens, attending to traumas and other patients. You forgot it's winter break, and everybody, for some ungodly reason, wants to travel to Miami to escape the cold, chilling weather of wherever they might have come from. That's the one reason you prefer Miami, Florida, the weather, sure it would be Nice to have seasons every once and awhile hut better than freezing your ass off.
"He's a miserable old man, who is starting to regret not being in your life up until now, since everyone's already left him, just remember you owe him nothing, okay, and I'm ten toes behind you, if you need anyhting just ask." he says in a serious tone, staring at me with an affectionate expression.
"Thanks, but enough with the depressing stuff. What did you have to tell me, hot-shot?" you say, glancing up at him since you finally made it to the break room.
"Nothing much, just got a call from someone called Gloria in Pittsburgh, and she gave me an offer to come and work for her." You stay and stare at him for thirty seconds before breaking out in a smile and tackling him with a hug.
"Oh my God, Carli, that's amazing! why didn't you tell me before, you big idiot?" you say with a huge grin on your face. "Sad you're going to leave me here to deal with all this crap though," you say in a thoughtful tone before continuing, turning around to pick up your duffle bag you flung in the air due to excitement, "But that's life i guess dont worry ill man the fort while your gone." you about to continue until you turn around and see literal death and misery stare back at you with a happy grin.
"You won't have to man anything, because you'll be coming with me!" he says in a cherry tone and squeals while you feel your heart drop to your ass.
"What?" you say in a shocked and numb voice. There is no way, you heard that right, you, him, PITTSBURGH???. You know you said you wanted to move at some point in your life, but not to pittsburgh thats like giving up Cocaine for dollar store vapes, okay, you will admit not the best analogy, but you get the point.
"Before I stab you in the eye, with a scpale please, for the love of everything good and well, tell me I didn't hear you right," you say with your hand rubbing your eyes furiously.
"Nope, last i checked your hearing was 100% normal so you heard me nice and clearly, You, Me and a one way trip to Pittsburgh for however many years we decide to work their, i get a fully funded deparement and a nice pay raise and you get to continue you fellowship away from family drama, i think thats a win-win," he says in a extaic voice, hands waving ammicably in the air while talking.
"Carlos, I cannot go to Pittsburgh!" you say, dropping your duffel bag and grabbing a fistful of your hair while turning away from him in panic.
"I pinky swear it will be good for us!" he says, chasing after you with a pep in his step. "we despreatly need a change of pace, and you know it, you've been going off your meds more and more, and you're having more episodes!"
You turn abruptly, "Don't you dare call them that im not fucking psycho!" you say fianlly fucking done with all this nonsense. You feel a hand grab your shoulder and manhandle you to face him,
"Please, look at me, listen i know it's not ideal, and I'm sorry for being impulsive, but we need. this you're not crazy, and you're a grown 27-year-old woman who can make her own choices, but you know I wouldn't get involved unless it was bad, and I'm not leaving you here alone to pick yourself up again like last time," he ends quickly and out of breath while staring at your panicked face.
"I-" you start, but before you can even get a word out, the door bursts open and a day shift nurse rushes into the room "Dr Cruz, Dr L/N, we need you Ambulance’s five minutes out, car crash, high-speed collision, male, mid-30s, unconscious, GCS seven, massive chest and leg trauma, hypotensive, tachycardic, suspected pneumothorax and internal bleeding. EMS says vitals are unstable, trauma team’s prepping.”
You turn quickly to Carlos, "Well, talk about this later," you say out of breath before speed walking out of the room, past the nurse you think is called sarah and into the locker room at breakneck speed and change into your black scrubs. and rush out of the room to head towards the EMS bay.
You grab a gown and are about to tie it on when you feel hands grab it for you. You glance back a bit to see Carlos.
"Carlos, i dont care. We can talk about it later, alright?" you say in an annoyed tone. You can hear him let out a sigh and feel a little guilty, but quickly push that feeling away. You hear the ambulance before you see it, and start to get butterflies in your stomach. The one thing about the ER that never stops is the bursts of adrenaline you get right before a trauma.
You feel Carlos come to stand right beside you; it feels reassuring even when you hate his guts right now. The ambulance skids to a stop right in front of you and Carlos, tires squealing slightly on the wet pavement. Doors slam. EMTs leap out, a stretcher in tow, shouting vitals as they wheel the patient toward the ER doors.
“Male, mid-30s, MVC, GCS seven, hypotensive, tachycardic, massive chest and leg trauma, suspected pneumothorax and internal bleeding!” the EMT calls over the chaos.
You and Carlos met them halfway, eyes snapping to the gurney as the patient’s blood smeared the stretcher sheets. The team had already started moving: four nurses, two med students, a respiratory tech, all converging in Trauma room 3.
“Bed clear!” one nurse yelled.
You counted down, voice steady. “On three-one, two, three!” The patient was lifted and shifted onto the trauma bed with a jolt. Blood soaked the sheet beneath him, and a faint metallic scent hung in the air.
“Airway?” Carlos barked, hands moving to check tubes.
“ET tube in place,” you responded, glancing over the monitors.
“BP eighty over forty, pulse 140, massive external hemorrhage left leg and chest!” a nurse shouted.
“Two large-bore IVs running, fluids started,” you called back.
One of the med students squinted at the cardiac monitor. “Uh…is that…maybe a third-degree AV block? I mean, the rhythm looks-”
"You crouched slightly, calm but precise. “Close. It’s a sinus tach with frequent PVCs. Keep watching-we don’t treat it like a block right now. Good eye, though, notice the irregularity.”
Carlos smirked faintly. “Who knew you were such a good teacher?"
“Shut up...” you muttered, turning back to the patient. “FAST scan shows free fluid in the abdomen-likely internal bleeding.”
“GCS seven, pupils unequal,” the other med student called out.
“Right,” you said, nodding. “Unequal pupils could indicate rising intracranial pressure, but nothing we intervene on surgically just yet. Keep your eyes on vitals and bleeding.”
Alarms blared, monitors beeped frantically. Blood streaked the bed, the patient’s chest rising in shallow gasps. You moved quickly, coordinating lines, fluids, and airway while Carlos assessed wounds and instructed the nurses.
“Vitals holding for transfer,” Carlos said. “General Surgery paged, OR is free. He’s going up.”
The team readied the stretcher, nurses, and med students, helping to secure the patient for transport. IVs and monitors followed. You glanced at Carlos, expecting him to go with the team, but he stayed put, arms crossed, watching as the trauma room cleared.
“Carlos…?” you muttered under your breath, a mix of confusion and curiosity, as the last nurses wheeled the patient toward the OR.
"We need to talk," he says, looking at me seriously.
"We." I say, pointing back and forth from him and me, "We are not doing this right now." You're about to walk out, but Carlos blocks the door.
"No we are talking about this right now, because if not it'll take all day for us to talk and by then our shift will be over and you'll be too burnout and numb that you'll just go home without giving me a second glance, so yeah where talking right now," he says shoulder staright and feet planted firm a determined look on his face.
You can feel the fight leave your body, "Fine, but this doesn't mean I'm saying yes," you say quickly, wanting to get this conversation over with. When you meet his eyes, you can see them soften at you, and that breaks your resolve just a little, but you would never admit it.
Carlos smirks, like he’s won a small battle. “You don’t have to say yes yet. Just…consider it. Think about it like…a weird, slightly insane adventure.”
You raise an eyebrow. “Adventure, huh? Right. Moving my entire life to a freezing city because you can’t resist a pay raise, just great."
He steps closer, soft but firm. “I don’t need a yes yet. Just…hear me out. Think about it, not as us leaving everything behind, or leaving our mess that we call lives, think of it as a chance. For both of us.”
You huff, crossing your arms, trying to hold onto every bit of stubbornness left. “A chance? You mean freezing my ass off in a city I didn’t even want to live in, for how many years?”
He shrugs, eyes warm. “Yeah. That. But also…a chance to work together, to make things…better. And I want you there. With me.”
Something twists in your chest. You hate admitting it, but he’s right. Part of you does want this, a fresh start, a new ER, the chaos, the adrenaline. And the thought of doing it with him makes it…slightly easier.
You take a deep breath, finally letting some of the fight go. “Okay,” you mutter, voice tight but resigned. “I’ll…consider it.”
Carlos smiles, just a small, quiet smile. “That’s all I need for now.”
You look away, biting your lip, letting the tension ease just a fraction. The thought of Pittsburgh still terrifies you, but the idea of facing it with him doesn’t seem impossible anymore.
Carlos steps closer, lowering his voice just enough for only you to hear. "Remember… cuna a la tumba, I’m right there with you.”
You blink, staring at him for a second. The phrase lands-familiar, warm, a little funny in his serious tone. His hand brushes yours briefly, and somehow it steadies everything spinning in your head.
The rest of the day drags by. Patients come and go, monitors beep, lines run, consults call, one thing barely finished before the next begins. The ER isn’t chaotic, not in that explosive way, but it’s exhausting in that relentless, teeth-grinding way that leaves your muscles sore, your brain foggy, your chest heavy. You patch wounds, stabilize vitals, run labs, and at every step, Carlos is right there-quietly checking, coordinating, catching the things that almost slip through the cracks.
Finally, the last patient before the end of your shift is wheeled into the OR. You drag yourself and Carlos into the locker room, scrubs sticking to your skin, gloves tossed somewhere, sweat and fatigue clinging to every inch. He leans against the lockers, calm, steady, watching you with that look that makes it impossible to lie.
You drop your bag with a thud and exhale as if it might never stop. “Yeah…sure. Why not, dude?” The words feel heavy, tired, almost sarcastic, but there’s a spark buried in there, a tiny, reluctant relief that maybe this move isn’t as impossible as you thought.
Carlos’s smile is quiet, small, and proud. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
You lean back against the lockers, close your eyes for a second, letting yourself feel it-exhaustion, relief, uncertainty-and for once, it doesn’t feel terrifying.