jack abbot + everyone trying to convince reader that he has a thing for them but reader is in denial because of his wedding ring
santos is the first person to put the idea into your head. on a rare occasion where jack’s path crosses with the day shift, when he comes in wearing that SWAT uniform that makes your body run hot, he sends you a casual wink as he follows the SWAT team further into the chaos of the ED. santos shakes her head with a chuckle, and when you ask her what’s so funny her smile simply widens as she says, “you really are clueless, huh? abbot is crushing on you and he isn’t getting any younger, so i think you need to make your move soon.”
a couple weeks later, you’re working the night shift with ellis. shen and abbot swap places around one in the morning, so abbot is on your rotation this time. after a particularly close call with a patient that you manage to save at the last second with a discovery that not even abbot figured out, he squeezes your hip with a “good girl” and leaves you with ellis. she watches her attending leave, and asks you how long you’ve been seeing him. you look at her in confusion, still feeling the cold metal of his wedding ring on your skin.
for the next few months, comments are made by langdon, mckay, whitaker, javadi, and even garcia calls you jack’s girlfriend when he defends you against her. at this point, you feel like your coworkers are making fun of you. isn’t it obvious that the night shift attending is married?
“oh, you don’t know?” jesse retorts when you deny yet again that abbot has feelings for you on the basis that he’s married. “his wife died a few years ago.”
you frown at the new information, “i didn’t. that’s awful.”
jesse nods, “he was really messed up about it. he wears the ring as a tribute to her.”
you convince yourself that jack abbot is off limits, and you try your best to ignore the comments from your coworkers. it isn’t until the two of you are put on shift together in a severely understaffed ED on a cold december night that you realise how wrong you were.
“i need coffee.” he tells you.
“me too.” you say, rubbing your eyes to try to evade the tiredness.
“let’s go get coffee then.”
“i don’t think i can put myself through the burnt coffee in the staff lounge.” you grimace at the thought.
“i was more thinking coffee from upstairs. my treat.”
“oh, that’s okay. i got paid today.” you reply.
“(y/n), you’re making it really hard for me to ask you on a date.” jack chuckles, eyes shining with amusement.
“i know coffee in the middle of our shift isn’t really first date material, but i was hoping we could then work our way up to pancakes for breakfast after our shift and if things go really well, eventually breakfast in my apartment.”
you gape at him and his smirk grows.
“jesse told me about your wife,” you admit softly and jack nods in understanding, as if he had been expecting this. “everyone’s been telling me that you like me, but i noticed you were still wearing your ring so i wasn’t sure.”
“i’ll never take it off,” he admits, looking down at the jewellery on his finger. “and if that bothers you, then i can’t go through with this. but i do like you, and i want to get to know you outside of these walls if you’ll give me the chance.”
you visibly soften at his words. this emotionally mature man is standing in front of you with his heart on his sleeve, and you would be an absolute fool not to entertain the possibility of something good in your life.
“all of it sounds great,” you confirm. “the coffee, the breakfast, especially the one in your apartment.”
that gets a laugh out of him and you decide it’s your favourite sound.
“come on,” he guides you towards the elevator with a hand at the small of your back. “before lena comes looking for us.”
stormborns
kaledo-art
titsay
blakekathryn
turnnoffyourmind
