@leastproblematic | robby's apology tour 2k26
robby has tried to slip in as quietly as possible today. if he had things his way, no one would have to mention his absence or ask about his trip– or god-fucking-forbid, his wellbeing– but there's no way around it: his return is a shake-up to the routine. so he does his best to keep his head down where he can and just... do the job. it's a relief, at least, to find that it comes back naturally enough. he still exists without the hospital, sure. but it will always be more important to him to be able to exist within it.
it does tug at his heart a little to see how things have changed without him there, especially with the younger residents. he'd been so focused back in the summer on tying up loose ends– scrabbling for perfect solutions to his seemingly unending list of worries. but in doing so, he'd left a few people in the lurch. mel, especially, had been on his mind quite a bit during his sabbatical.
knowing she'd likely be on her way to pick up becca as soon as she could, robby had, admittedly, rushed through hand-off. in fact, he's mid-sentence with jack when he spots her, so he offers his fellow attending a friendly smack on the arm in lieu of a goodbye and jogs off after her.
"hey," he says, "dr. king. i don't mean to hold you up, but i wanted to check in before you left." eyes dart around– this is probably a conversation best had in private, but he also knows he's catching her at the last minute. "i, uh–" he reaches without thinking, to scratch at the nape of his neck. "i didn't exactly leave things with you the way i should have. i guess i'm hoping to make up for that, a little."