someone at the pitt catches frank and mel having an affair—how bad is the fallout?
It was weird how quickly it happened and later she'd lie in bed marveling at herself, but the moment they all realized the situation they were very suddenly in - Mel, curled up in the booth, boxed in by his body; Frank, happily doing the boxing; and Trinity, standing by the pickup counter with a dumbstruck look on her face - a sense of calm fell over her like a damp fog. Her body loosened, became weightless. Everything else in the world suddenly fell away, meaningless.
"Frank," she said calmly. "Let me out."
Frank was doing his best to seem unaffected by Santos's presence, looking fixedly out the window - and seeing nothing, Mel was sure - his arm a rigid bar of iron on the seat behind Mel's neck.
"Honey," he said quietly, tensely, and then nothing else. His eyes were a little panicky, face pale.
Mel nudged him with her knee, and he blew out a tense breath and slid out, letting her crawl out. Over by the register, Trinity stood stock still and blatantly staring, her mouth wide open, like a cartoon. It was almost funny.
"Hi, Dr. Santos," Mel said, walking up to her. The diner was mostly empty this early apart from Mel's favorite waitress, Teresita, who was pouring coffee for a bald man down at the other end, smiling perfunctorily at something he was saying.
"Melanoid," Trinity said hoarsely. Her hair was messy and unbrushed and there was eyeliner smeared beneath both eyes. She was wearing ripped jeans and a hoodie that looked too big for her. Mel was so taken aback by the fact that she was wearing makeup that she didn't even flinch at the latest disease-related nickname, which all things considered was the least of her problems right now. "What are you..." her eyes darted over Mel's shoulder to Frank. "What are you doing?"
"Let's talk outside," Mel said, in her doctor voice.
"I'm waiting for my food," Trinity said, her jaw hardening into stubbornness. Mel could visibly see the shock fading, transforming into whatever complex emotions that were tangling up inside of her and then being translated into anger.
"She'll bring it out to you," Mel said firmly, grabbing her arm and pulling. "Let's talk outside."
"Mel," Trinity said, her voice hardening. Mel felt her bicep clench, as if she wanted to pull away, but she let Mel pull her towards the door regardless. "Jesus fuck, Mel - "
"Stop. Just stop," Mel hissed, surging ahead and keeping hold of Trinity's forearm, pulling her as forcefully as she dared around the corner, by the empty, battered newspaper dispensers, out of sight of the windows. "Stop. This is none of your business."
"Mel, he's married," Trinity said, staggering back a step or two when Mel finally let her go, looking somewhat gobsmacked by her own incredulous reaction. "What are you doing?" She laughed incredulously, like she couldn't believe this was happening. "Of all people. Oh my God - "
"This is none of your business," Mel said again fiercely, hoping the force of it would cover up the slight tremble in her voice. "We're friends outside of work, I walk his dog, you already know this - "
"He was kissing your fucking neck!" Trinity screeched, then shut her mouth abruptly, as if shocked by her own volume.
Mel took a shaky breath, clamped down on the inside of her cheek, and looked her in the eye. "Like I said," she said, proud of herself for not letting the tremble out again, "it's none of your business."
For a moment, Trinity looked stricken, and then her eyes widened and her mouth curled into a sneer. "Mel, he's a dirtbag, okay? He's scum of the earth. Whatever he's promising you, you have to know he doesn't fuckin' mean it - "
"Stop it," Mel said.
" - I can't believe I didn't notice - he's been hanging all over you at work for weeks! I thought it was weird but I let fuckin' Whitaker talk me out of saying something, but Mel, oh my God. Is he - is this why he's been putting you on all those heart patients at work? Like, is he giving you all those cases because you're fucking him - "
Mel didn't even register her own movement until it had already happened: her palm was stinging, Trinity was gaping at her, having staggered back on her right heel. In the ringing silence, she reached one stunned hand up to her cheek and blew out a breath through her teeth.
"Goddamn, Mel," Trinity said, sounding almost impressed.
Mel shoved her shaking hand beneath her armpit. Her voice shook this time for a different reason. "I believe you deserved that," she said.
"Okay, I kinda did," Trinity said, flexing her jaw. Her eyes flashed, and she shot a look over Mel's shoulder, resentfully. "I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry. That was low."
"Thank you," Mel said, brittle. "Now go away. And mind your own business, please."
Trinity laughed, a little incredulously, and - perplexingly - sort of genuinely, like she was charmed by this. "Mel, come on. What the fuck is this. He's married, he has kids." She stepped forward and let her hand drop, looking tentative and hovering her other palm over Mel's shoulder, like she knew an emotionally regulated person would reach out for a hug or something in this moment. "What are you doing?"
"Trinity," Mel said, voice shaking but firm, "I am setting a boundary here. Please listen to me."
"Mel," Trinity tried again, softening her voice even further. It kind of made Mel want to scream. "Mel, I'm just worried, that's all. This is serious shit, okay? Getting involved with a guy like him - I mean this is the kind of thing that fucks up a woman's career before she even gets it started - "
"I am a successful fourth-year resident with two separate fellowship programs currently competing for my presence," Mel snapped. "My career is well underway, thank you."
"You know what I mean," Trinity said, looking irritated. "He's your superior. And he's married! Can we circle back to that? Jesus - "
"He's going to leave her," Mel blurted, then cringed at how it sounded. Trinity just laughed, loudly and meanly.
"Come on, Melittin," she said, her voice turning mean, the way it did at work sometimes when she was embarrassed, or felt cornered. "Don't be a cliche. You're better than that."
"Thank you," Mel snapped. "That's very kind of you to say."
"Hey, you're the one talking like a bleached-out sidepiece in a soap opera. Letting him maul you in public, I mean - "
"Dr. Santos," Mel said sharply, and Trinity finally fell silent, eyes narrowed, shoulders heaving slightly. "I've asked you multiple times to keep your comments to yourself. Let me be as clear as I can be: I am not interested in your opinion."
Both of them were silent for a moment, staring at each other, as that last sentiment rang in the air between them. Slowly, Trinity crossed her arms, and blew out a long, frustrated breath.
"Fine," she said shortly. "Fine. It's your funeral."
"Do you know that you are not a kind person?" Mel asked, feeling a bit unhinged. "Like, are you aware of that?"
Trinity flinched. "Hey now - "
"And what's so frustrating about it, is that I know you have the capability to be. I've seen you with certain patients, I've noticed how you go out of your way to make sure Dr. Whitaker doesn't have to work with Kim, or how careful you are around Dr. Mohan when she's having a bad day. I know you're a thoughtful, generous person underneath all of - " Mel gestured, hand shaking. "This. What I don't understand is why you're so embarrassed about it."
"Don't strain yourself, okay," Trinity snapped. "I'll keep my mouth shut if that's what you really want. Enjoy your affair, okay? Hell, have fun with it. You only live once, et cetera."
"Sometimes I think I'm getting somewhere with you, and then you call me a mean name or roll your eyes at me and it's like we're back to square one again. And right now, you're telling me you're worried about me, but all you're doing is scolding me. And you're not listening. Why don't you ever listen to me?" To her horror, Mel found herself on the verge of tears. "Is it just that I annoy you? Because I understand that. I annoy a lot of people. But you won't leave me alone, either. So I don't know what to think anymore. You confuse me."
Trinity blinked slowly, her face scrunched up like she was in pain. She clenched her fists and said nothing.
Mel took a deep breath, biting back the tears. "It's none of your business," she said again, "but for the sake of our friendship, I'll tell you that Frank and I have been talking about this extensively, and I trust him when he says his marriage is over. He and his wife have been having problems since well before rehab and the reasons why he hasn't initiated proceedings yet is both complicated and really none of your business. And I would appreciate your discretion, if not your support. I understand if you have moral qualms that would prevent the latter."
Trinity's expression flickered. "Mel," she said, softer, sounding regretful.
"He listens to me," Mel said quietly, intensely. She saw that hit home, smack dab in the center of Trinity's chest. "He loves me. And I don't care what you think." Even as she said it, she knew it was true. She firmed her jaw. "His wife knows about me, by the way. And that's the last thing I'm going to tell you."
Trinity swallowed several times, processing this, then said - almost cautiously - "and if he doesn't ever really leave her?"
"Then I suppose I'll deal with it," Mel said shakily. "And if I need a shoulder to cry on, I'll make sure it's not yours."
Trinity flinched at that. She took a long, deep breath, looking down at her shoes. For a second, Mel thought she might even see tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said roughly, after a long, tense second. "I'm sorry I'm..." she gestured vaguely, and Mel wasn't sure what she meant. "I can't help it. Really, I can't." She gave a bitter laugh. "Very expensive therapists have tried and failed."
"I don't know what you mean," Mel said bluntly. "I'm going back inside now. I'll tell Teresita to bring out your order."
"It's breakfast," Trinity blurted. Mel paused stiffly, still staring at her in confusion. "For me and this girl I met last night. I met her at The You Hall."
"The You Hall," Mel repeated blankly.
"You know, the lesbian bar down on Fifth? I took you there once," Trinity said lightly, like this was a normal conversation.
"The night you tried to convince me to try bourbon?" Mel asked tentatively, squinting.
"Yeah! Remember, you liked the red lip lights?"
"You left me there after an hour when your friend from college called to invite you to a house party," Mel said flatly. "I took an Uber home."
Trinity deflated. "Okay, fine, I get it, I'm an asshole. I get it!"
"I'm going back inside."
"Wait - wait," Trinity said, reaching out to stop her, then pausing right before she touched Mel, as if realizing belatedly that it wouldn't be welcomed. "Just wait for a second, okay? I suck at this, that's all. I'm sorry." She sighed in frustration, rubbing her forehead. "I just... I hooked up with her last night."
Mel stared at her, blank faced.
"And I snuck out to get breakfast before she woke up, but I was stalling which is why I drove out of the way to this place, which I only know about because you told me they have good pancakes, remember? But really it's because I'm sort of hoping she'll be gone when I get back. Like a lot of times if they wake up and I'm not there, they'll just leave and I won't have to deal with it." Trinity blew her bangs off her face and threw up her hands, a bleak look on her face. "And yes, I'm a coward, and yes, I'm an asshole, and yes, I'm bad at making friends. I am moderately self-aware, you know."
"I really don't know why you're telling me all of this," Mel said bluntly.
"Because I'm trying to - to be fucking vulnerable, okay?" Trinity spat out, like it tasted bad. "Like - I caught you in a vulnerable position. And I made you feel defensive. I get it. I'm trying to humble myself." She grinned a little, waving her hands like a Vegas showman. "See? I'm building our relationship."
"Now you choose to do this?" Mel asked. "Now?"
"Yeah, I don't know. I just - " she sighed. "Mel, I don't trust him."
"You have an existing bias that skews your opinion of him quite significantly," Mel said pointedly. "I know Dr. al-Hashimi has talked to you about it several times."
"Well, if he would just cooperate and turn back into the jerk he was that first day, it would be a lot easier!" Trinity said, sort of half-joking. At Mel's face, her smile went flat. "Fine. Okay. Yes. I'm an unprofessional idiot, too."
"I never called you an idiot," Mel said calmly. "And he doesn't hate you, you know. He thinks you're a good doctor, and he's given me advice several times on how to approach you so we can be friends. He tries to leave you alone because he knows it's what you want, but he can't just disappear. You work together."
"And," Trinity said pointedly, "he's married. With kids."
Mel took a deep breath. "I can make my own choices, Dr. Santos," she said. "And I think this conversation is over."
Trinity opened her mouth as if to speak again, but Mel turned on her heel and strode away, determined not to let her. The last glimpse of Trinity's face was through the panes of the glass door as she went back inside, and something about her figure standing there - deflated, frustrated, a little pissed off - made Mel's heart twist.
Inside, Frank was sitting rigidly with his hands around his coffee cup. It wasn't Abby that was the risk, Mel knew, it was Robby and al-Hashimi. Trinity had been right to jump right to the consequence they were both terrified of - this was the sort of thing that could torpedo a career. But it would be Frank who'd suffer most from it, not Mel, and they both knew it. Trinity's reaction proved it. Deep down, everyone thought Mel King was a helpless child. Even when they tried not to think that, that's still what their guts told them.
"So?" he said rigidly.
"She won't say anything," Mel said, sliding in across from him this time. She reached over and took his hand, and his shoulders loosened slightly. "At least not for a little bit." She sighed, blinking back tears. "Frank."
"Time's up, I know," Frank said lowly. He squeezed her fingers. "I was kind of hoping... I don't know." His face twisted. "I shouldn't have put you in this position."
"I wanted to be in it," Mel said quietly. "I put myself in it."
He nodded sadly, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. Then he leaned forward and gestured at Teresita for the check, smiling politely, falsely.
"I won't ask you to wait for me," he said lowly, avoiding her eyes and rummaging in his pocket for his wallet. "I'm not that much of an asshole."
"I'll wait anyway," she said lightly.
"Mel - "
"I think this conversation is over," Mel said, significantly more gently than she'd said it outside. Frank looked up at her, a little startled, then his face melted into a smile at the playful note to her voice. "It's... it's none of their business, Frank."
He was quiet for a second, tapping his worn leather wallet against the formica table rhythmically. She could feel his leg jiggling too, underneath.
"We'll have to talk about it later," he said. He nodded and smiled at Teresita, walking over with her pad in one hand. "I love you," he said quietly, so no one else could hear.
"I love you too," Mel said, not caring who heard. Not caring, she realized, about any of it - what Trinity was going to say, who she'd tell. What Robby would do, what everyone else would think. How long it would take to work out details with Abby, how long they'd have to wait before they could be honest, out in the open. The look on his face was worth it.
If they were in it, where she was, they'd get it. She knew they would. How could they not?
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