@kingdonmicrofic | 498 words | Rated G? | Read on ao3 | Previous installments here | CW: references to past drug addiction. The OCs were introduced in Day 18: Parade
“Have you seen Dr. Langdon?”
Dana looked at him over her glasses. “He was in the lounge last I checked. Need me to page him for you, hun?”
“No, that’s okay, thanks Dana.”
He found Dr. Langdon in the lounge with Dr. King, looking at something on his phone.
“Sorry to interrupt, Dr. King. Could I borrow Dr. Langdon for a moment?”
She looked up. “Sure! I should check in with Nellie about Ms. Thomas’ CT results.” She turned to Langdon. “We’ll continue this later?”
Langdon smiled softly at her. “Absolutely.”
As the door closed behind her, Langdon gestured for him to sit. “Alright, what can I do for you, Dr. Logan?”
“Well, um, it’s personal.”
Wes admired Dr. Langdon immensely, his sharp skills becoming well-known to him these last three years. Langdon’s his mentor- they’d developed a good rapport but the man still intimidated him.
He held his voice steady as he began. “Remember that patient from the MVC six weeks ago? 6’4, 450lbs?”
“During the transfer, I tweaked my back.”
Langdon doesn’t broadcast his addiction, but Wes had worked with him long enough to learn about it. He chose his next words carefully.
“I got an eval. They prescribed opioids and muscle relaxers, but I’m…struggling.”
“I definitely need physical therapy. But I don’t have time for the appointments. I can’t exactly leave shifts in the middle of the day.”
“I’d feel guilty putting extra work on other residents. I’m a senior resident, I should step up—”
Langdon firmly cuts him off. “Okay, lemme stop you right there. There will always be more patients, more work, more bullshit. This is your health. You cannot pour from an empty cup, Wes. Trust me, I would know.
“Look, if you don’t address this before it gets worse, you’ll end up in here. Or somewhere worse. This place will take everything from you if you let it. You can’t let it. Matter of fact, I won’t let it.” Langdon regroups. “Now, are you taking medication only as prescribed?”
“Anything else I should be concerned about?”
At that, Langdon visibly relaxed.
“Thank you for coming to me, Wes. I’m glad you felt comfortable asking for help. Helping residents when they’re struggling’s part of the job.”
“As department chief, he’ll help with scheduling. If he gives you any grief, come to me and I’ll talk to him. However, I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
They both stood. “Book the appointment and we’ll see what we can do.”
Langdon clapped him firmly on the back.
“Oh, by the way, how are things going with Dr. Crane? You two seem to be hitting it off.”
Wes ducked his head, failing to hide his smile. “Oh yeah, she’s great. She, uh, she really made a great first impression.”
Langdon grinned as they headed back onto the floor. “The best ones usually do.”