Come Down Here and Kiss Me Like You Mean It
Dennis wanted to surprise Robby with lunch on his day off. However, a drunk driver has different plans for Dennis.
*I know nothing about the medical field, other than some of the basics that I learned from growing up and the media. Sorry in advance if anything is incorrect.
***********
It was 10:30 am when he had decided he wanted to surprise Robby with lunch. He knew that The Pitt could get so busy that everyone forgets to eat. He also just wanted to see his boyfriend.
At 11:50 am, Dennis started making the 20-minute drive to their favorite sandwich shop. Dennis had plugged in his favorite playlist and was jamming out. When he reached his destination, he ordered two sandwiches. An Italian sandwich for Robby, and a turkey and provolone for himself, both with chips and cookies. In Dennisâs opinion, they had the best cookies.
After Dennis was done paying, he thanked the workers and made his way back to Robbyâs car. And when he was settled in the driver's seat, he once again started his favorite playlist and was soon on his way to the hospital.
Everything was going well, Dennis was singing to a song, driving cautiously, like always, when all of a sudden he heard a loud screech and had only had a split second to look to his left before another car crashed into his.
It took a few minutes for Dennis to understand what had happened. He was very groggy, having hit his head hard on the headrest and the airbags slamming into his face. When he finally came to, he realized that he on on his side and was slouched over into the central console of the car.
âHelp,â he called weakly. He stayed where he was put and tried not to move anythingâŠhe was a doctor after all.
After a few more minutes, he could hear the sirens coming their way. He could also hear civilians yelling to him if he was okay. He tried responding, but his head hurt too much that trying to yell back was inevitable.
Soon, Dennis heard, âSir, this is the Pittsburgh fire department. Can you hear me?â
Dennis weakly responded with, âHelp me.â
âAlright, I hear you, sir. Just give us a couple of minutes and weâll get you out of there,â the firefighter responded.
âMhm,â Dennis mumbled.
What felt like an eternity later, Dennis was able to see one of the firefighters and hear them say, âAlright, sir, try not to move, but tell me what hurts.â
âEverything.â
âCopy that, sir. Weâre going to get you out of here and take you to the PTMC,â the firefighter says.
Dennis then hears the firefighter repeat Dennisâs words to someone below.
After about ten minutes, Dennis was finally out of the car and on his way to PTMC.
âSir, weâre going to give you some morphine for the pain. It wonât be a lot but it will help until we get you to the hospital,â one of the EMTâs tell Dennis and he just gives a thumbs up in acknowledgement.
âOkay, weâre here,â the driver says.
The last thing dennis thought before he was being taken in the emergency room was, âI hope Robby doesnât get mad at me.â
~~~
Robby was talking to Dana about Dennis and the plans they had for dinner tonight, when the phone rang, signaling that someone was en route to the ER.
âOkay, there was a car crash a couple of blocks away, and the victims are coming soon. ETA 5 minutes.â Dana says to inform everyone.
âIâll finish telling you later,â Robby says to Dana, and she just gives him a thumbs up.
Robby makes his way to see one of the patients who was brought in earlier due to a seizure. He was asking them questions and checking their vitals when he heard commotion near the ambulance bay entrance.
Robby told the patient that everything was looking good before walking to the car crash victims.
He hears one of the EMTs say, âHe was the one to cause the accident. His BAC is .15. The guy he hit is right behind us.â
Robby goes with Santos, Javadi, and McKay to help the drunk driver and his injuries.
âSantos, tell me what youâre doing,â Robby quizzes Santos. This is a teaching hospital after all.
âIâm checking his pupils to see if he got a concussion from the crash, as well as seeing how intoxicated he is. And, like the EMT said, heâs very intoxicated,â Santos answers.
âVery good. Javadi, what are you doing?â Robby asks next.
âI am about to insert a chest tube because after examining him, I noticed there was blood in the pleural space,â Javadi answers.
âGood. Mckay, in this situation, what should we do next?â Robby asks.
âWell, most likely to police will show up to ask questions for their investigation. They will also arrest him for DUI,â Mckay answers.
âGood job.â
Robby was checking the patients breathing when he noticed that Dr. Collins came into the room with a forlorn look on her face.
âRobby, itâs Dennis,â she says.
âWhat about Dennis?â Robby replies back, not really understanding what Collins is saying because he is busy working on the drunk driver.
âRobby,â she said, more demanding, which caused him to look up.
âItâs Dennis,â she repeats while cocking her head towards the door so he understands what she is trying to say.
Everyone in the room stops what theyâre doing. They slowly looked up and at each other to make sure they heard Collins correctly.
Dennis was loved by everyone in The Pitt, and everyone knew Dennis and Robby were dating.
âHuckleberryâs in the other room?â Santos asks, starting to get worried. They were roommates before Dennis moved in with Robby after three years of dating, and are still the best of friends.
âWhat do you mean? Heâs supposed to be at home resting.â Robby frantically says while taking his gloves off and making his way to the door, only to be stopped by Collins.
âWe donât know what he was doing. But we do know that he was in a car crash and that you need to calm down before you can go see him. And remember, you are now his boyfriend, not his doctor.â Collins said sternly.
Robby just nods, but his chest is rising and falling with how hard he is breathing. His heart was beating very fast, not knowing the condition his boyfriend was in.
Santos, Javadi, and McKay resume working on the driver because even though they found out who he hurt, they are still obligated to help them.
Collins leads Robby out of the room and to the room that Dennis is in.
Collins opens the door, and Robby bursts through. Everyone looks up and stops when they see Robby. Langdon, Mohan, and King were all in there doing their best to make sure Dennis stayed awake and that his vitals were good.
âHeâs awake. We gave him morphine for the pain. He broke his leg and arm, has a few cracked ribs, and a concussion,â Langdon informs Robby.
âThank you,â Robby tells everyone in the room as they leave to give them some privacy.
He turns off the bright overhead light due to Dennisâs concussion.
âBaby?â Robby says quietly while making his way to the side of the bed.
âMmm?â Dennis mumbles.
Robby gently runs his fingers through Dennisâs hair and asks, âWhat were you doing out? I thought you were going to be home all dayâ.
âI- Iâm sorry. I wa-wanted to bring you lu-lunch from your fav-favorite sandwich shop, but wh-whhile i was dri-driving through the inter-intersection, someone t-boned me.â Dennis says talking slowly and stuttering on words, tears starting to form in his eyes.
âOh, baby. Donât apologize. This wasnât your fault,â Robby says while smiling down at Dennis.
Robby grabs Dennisâs hand and brings it up to his lips so he can kiss his hand.
Dennis smiles, then says, âIâm tiredâ.
âI know, baby, try to stay awake for a little longer.â
âMmfph,â Dennis mumbles.
âI have to go back to work, but I will be back soon to check on you, okay, baby? I will go get Collins so she can check on you, too,â Robby says while leaning down to kiss Dennisâs head.
âOkay,â Dennis tells Robby.
Robby smiles at Dennis one last time before leaving the room.
Once Robby leaves the room, he finds Collins talking to Dana at the desk.
âCollins, would you be able to go check on Dennis again? He says heâs tired, and I told him he canât fall asleep yet until you check on him again. Just to make sure his symptoms arenât worsening.â
âYeah, of course. Other than being tired, how is he doing?â she asks.
Robby runs both his hands down his face before saying, âHeâs as okay as he can be. He was talking a bit and told me what happened, so I will have to talk to the police later and get the case number.â
âWell, let me know if you need anything else,â she says before walking towards Dennisâs room.
Robby looks towards Dana, who just opens her arms for him. He immediately hugs her back and starts crying. The reality of what happened to the love of his life is finally settling in.
âI was so scared when Collins told me Dennis was in the other room,â Robby confesses.
âI know, hun. But you know he is in good hands. Heâll be okay,â she reassures him.
âI know. I havenât even told him that I love him. I could have lost him, Dana, and he doesnât even know how I feel,â Robby confesses.
âWell, how about you go tell him after Collins checks on him,â she suggests before pulling away from the hug.
âYeah, I willâ.
~~~~
Dr. Collins knocks on Dennisâs door before entering.
âHey Dennis, how are you feeling?â She asks him.
âI think some of the morphine is wearing off because it feels like I got hit by a car. And Iâm really tired,â he tells her.
She checks his vitals to make sure everything is still okay. âYour vitals look good, and your symptoms are where we want them to be, so you can go ahead and take a nap.â
âThatâs good, because I donât know how much longer I can keep my eyes open,â Dennis says while closing his eyes.
âIâll go let Robby know youâre doing good,â she says before leaving the room.
Dennis was asleep, but then woke back up when the door to his room was opened again about fifteen minutes later.
He kept his eye closed because his head hurt due to his concussion. Dennis could sense the person coming closer to him, and it wasnât until he smelled Robbyâs cologne that he realized his boyfriend had come back.
âHi,â Dennis says softly, eyes still closed.
âHi, baby,â Robby replies, and runs his hand through Dennisâs hair, because he knows how much Dennis likes it.
âI wanted to talk to you about somethingâ, Robby starts, which causes Dennis to snap his eyes open and tense.
They both hear the machine that tracks Dennisâs heart rate start to go crazy because Dennisâs heart is pounding, knowing that nothing good ever comes from 'we need to talk' or 'I wanted to talk to you about something.'
So before Robby can say what he wants to say, Dennis word vomits, âIâm sorry! I didnât mean to! I only wanted to surprise you with lunch. I know I shouldnât have left the apartment without texting you so you knew were I would be. I just wanted to do something nice for you. But I understand if you want to break up with me because of this.â
âWhat? Baby, you think Iâm going to break up with you?â Robby asks sadly.
âI mean, you said âI want to talk to you about somethingâ, isnât that like an automatic bad thing?â Dennis asks, confused.
Dennis hasnât had the best track record when it comes to dating and relationships. So he was genuinely surprised Robby reciprocated his feelings.
âOh, baby. No, I am not breaking up with you.â Robby says while grabbing Dennisâs hand.
âYouâre not?â Dennis asks.
âNo. Dennis, I-I was so scared when Collins came into the other room and told me you were the other victim from the car crash. I started thinking the worst. It also made me realize that I donât know what I would do if I lost you. You have been keeping me together and making me want to continue living ever since Jack died in the motorcycle accident. I really donât know what I would do without you. And everything that you do for me has made meâŠhas made me love you. I love you, Dennis Whitaker,â Robby tells Dennis with tears in his eyes.
âYou love me?â Dennis asks, looking small and vulnerable.
âI do. I love you so much,â as soon as the words are out of Robbyâs mouth, Dennis smiles so widely.
âI love you, too,â Dennis replies with tears in his eyes, too.
âYou do?â Robby asks while smiling down at Dennis.
âOf course I do. Now, you better come down here and kiss me like you mean it.â Dennis demands.
So, of course, Robby listens to his beautiful boy and kisses him like he means it.
And whoever is outside the door and sees them kissing while hearing the monitor beeping skyrocketâŠwell, they just smile and go about their day.
The End.















