Your smile, Your ghost (part 10)
Pairing: Brendon Park x femReader (nurse reader)
Warning: This is my interpretation of Park’s character, considering the 30 seconds of screen time he got. No medical knowledge from the writer (sorry :/ )
Summary: Brendon Park feels like he’s being haunted by a pretty girl in scrubs who seems to always show up when he needs her.
Chapter Summary: Dr. Park and you have lunch together again. And again. And again.
Previous chapter (part 9)
The rest of your meal with Dr. Park that day had been short. He ate the rest of his food in two big mouthfuls and walked out in less than a minute. You felt a little bad that he left so soon. You assumed it had to do with him having less food to eat than he usually did. So you promised yourself you’d bring lunch tomorrow.
Then tomorrow came around and you forgot to bring lunch again.
So, you were going to pay a visit to a vending machine. Go figure.
Surgery had just finished and you were at the coffee machine in the break room, making a cup. Just a quick coffee to sustain you on your walk to the vending machines.
Park just had to catch you counting coins right before you were able to leave the break room.
“Coffee?” He asked as he passed by holding his container.
“Um yeah…” You hid your wallet and grabbed your coffee cup. You were walking away slowly, putting your handful of coins in your pocket. Ready to bolt before you got another health lecture.
But just your luck, you miscalculated your pocket’s opening, and all the noisy coins fell right on the floor. Scattered throughout the break room floor. He stared at the coins and followed one as it rolled right in front of his feet. You started picking them up and he bent down to pick them up with you.
“No lunch?” He asked, probably knowing the answer already. You gathered all your coins and slowly got up. He dropped the other coins he picked up into your palm.
You shook your head. “No, but I’ll be right back!” You were starting to walk away when his deep sigh interrupted you. The biggest sigh from his soul like it was the worst nuisance possible.
Park put his hands on his hips and sighed.
“This is the last time.” He mumbled and turned towards the cabinets.
He warmed up the food in the container. While he waited, he did the same thing as last time: Grabbed a fork, a plate, then scooped half of his food onto the plate and slid it towards you.
You already felt bad last time that he gave up half his food. Technically, you didn’t even ask him to share. But also who were you to deny free food?
“Thanks, Dr. Park! You didn’t have to,” you said and started diving into the food. The same as yesterday, some mixture of meat with rice and vegetables.
“Just as good as yesterday’s, if not better!” You tried to sound super grateful to cope with your guilt.
He hummed and ate in silence. A surprisingly comfortable silence. The few times you tried to ask questions, you got short answers.
You tried to keep your thoughts to yourself, your way of saying thank you. He went through his container pretty quickly and walked out soon after.
You were determined to remember the next time.
Then the next time came around and you were going to make something more sustainable, you really were! But time escaped you. Got distracted with the news and talking to friends. If you took the time to make a meal, you’d be late. Then Dr. Park would really be mad at you.
“What is that?” Dr. Park eyed the ziploc bag in your hands as you sat down to eat lunch with him in the break room. He was already mixing the warm food in the container.
“Lunch” you smiled at him as you unwrapped your sandwich from the bag.
“That’s it.” He didn’t even ask. More like a sad realization.
“I made lunch. A bologna sandwich.” You said smiling at him. Taking a small bite out of the sandwich.
Yuck. This tasted so much better after swimming in the pool when you were a kid.
Dr. Park stared at your sandwich. Then got up and did the same thing as last time: Grabbed a plate, poured half of the food from the container onto the plate, and slid the plate and fork towards you.
“Wait, why?” You questioned mid bite into your sandwich.
“Bologna sandwich? That’s fake meat.”
“It’s lunch,” you countered.
He grabbed a napkin from his side of the table and put it in front of you. Well, if he insisted.
“Thank you…” You looked down at the plate and took a couple of bites. “Hmm.”
“What?” He looked up at you, putting his fork down.
“What if” you grabbed the sandwich that had been discarded. “I cut the bologna into small pieces and mix it with this.”
“So, it doesn’t go to waste!”
“Can’t go to waste if it’s already bad” He picked his fork back up and took another bite.
“Hey!” You laughed. “Fine. I’ll admit it…I don’t cook much”
“I tried to make lunch, though!” You tried to defend yourself.
“You were better off with hospital food.” Park looked up at you. His serious voice was a contrast to the smirk on his face.
“Ha ha. At least I didn’t get ‘vending machine junk’” you held up air quotes.“You know it’s funny ‘cause if i recall correctly, you were the one trying to get a snack from there when I met you.”
“You’re just judging ‘cause you don’t know how to use a vending machine.” You tried to fight back at him.
“I know how to use a vending machine.” He shrugged.
“Nope,” you shook your head. “You couldn’t even figure out that the vending machines don’t take credit cards.” You picked up your fork, “Thanks, Dr. Park.”
“Hmm.” He grabbed his fork and pushed through his food thoughtfully. Then he went quiet again, as he usually did. Ate his last bites of food quickly and walked out a few minutes later.
The day after, you came prepared.
You bought one of those small to-go salads that had sides and a dressing. You’d left that in the break room refrigerator in the morning. Super healthy stuff in your opinion.
And you brought a surprise for Park. Well two surprises, if you counted the fact that you actually brought lunch today. You just knew he would be so happy he got to eat his full lunch today since you brought a salad. He wouldn’t have to grumble and sigh about your poor choices in meals.
You walked into the break room to Park already at the cabinets, his back was facing you. You had stopped by your locker before and had brought the surprise tray in your hands.
“I’ve got something!” You said over your shoulder to him. You started grabbing at the container lid to open it but stopped. Maybe you should show him the salad from the fridge first, actually.
“Well first, I brought…” the word ‘lunch’ dying on the tip of your tongue as you turned around to see Park standing there. Two full plates and forks in his hands already.
His face was sporting a deep frown. He almost looked disappointed.
“You brought?” His voice sounded a little more harsh than usual.
“Dessert!” You exclaimed holding up the tray.
“Dessert.” His frown eased up a little. Park nodded. “Hmm.” He set the plate down in front of the seat you usually took, then he took his own seat.
“Ta da!” You uncovered the lid. Showing off the banana bread you had worked on the night before. “Thoughts? Opinions? Come on, say something.” You asked too excitedly.
He leaned over to look at it. “Smells good.” He said a little softer than the voice from earlier.
“Right?” You explained “I know you’re not big on sugar, so I thought banana bread wouldn’t be too bad.”
“It looks good.” He nodded at you.
“Don’t lecture me, but I got so busy with baking that I forgot to bring lunch.” You lied to him as you finally took a seat in front of the plate of food.
Park cleared his throat. “I figured”
“I was gonna get something from downstairs but…” you hinted, pointing at the door.
He gestured with his hand towards the plate in front of you.
You stared at the plate in front of you and slowly picked up your fork. Technically you had brought lunch this time. You didn’t like that he felt compelled to give up his lunch. The guilt was kind of killing you.
“Not hungry?” Park asked.
“Dr. Park, I - ” He looked up at you as you tried to find the words. “I’ve felt bad this whole week ‘cause I leave you with less food than you usually eat.”
He nodded towards the plate “I happened to have extra. I will be on a calorie deficit for the next few weeks.” He scrunched his nose, "I’ll be eating less.”
You had noticed your plate looked a little fuller, today at least. Maybe he was planning on eating less today. You were still unconvinced as you slowly pushed through the food.
“The portions in the meat trays are large and I’d be throwing away what I don’t use. So,” he shrugged.
Yeah that made sense. You’d be helping him technically.
“Fine, but you have to try the dessert,” you said sternly.
“Hmm,” he hummed thoughtfully.
“Since we’re making it a thing now.”
“Well, you have to bring your leftovers and I like baking.” You pointed to him then yourself. “You bring lunch. I bring dessert” You extended your hand, towards him. “Right?”
“When you shake on it, it’s official,” you explained with an eye roll.
His hand felt cold against your warm hand when he shook it.
“Deal!” You shook his hand back.
“Deal.” He dropped his hand. Then stretched out his fingers once, then picked up his fork again. He was gripping it a little aggressively. Knuckles a little white at his grip.
You tried to give him peace, you really did. But then him holding his fork a specific way reminded you of something.
“You know what the fork reminds me of?” You held up your fork.
“Eating” He kept his gaze down.
“Did I tell you about the time I got stabbed with a fork in the second grade?”
He dropped his own fork and squeezed his eyes shut.
“No,” he answered. Already annoyed.
“Well, the day started like any other…”
So you told him that story, while he stayed quiet. The salad you had left in the fridge completely forgotten.
Dr. Park was doing his weekly grocery shopping. He pulled out his shopping list to plan for the rest of the week. Always the planner, of course.
He went down the aisles grabbing the various items he needed for the week. His weekly portion of vegetables, cartons of eggs, bags of rice, gallon of milk. Checking off every item as he grabbed all the necessities. He looked down at the last item:
Park stopped at the cold meat section. Looking through each carefully for fat percentages. He grabbed one tray and started walking away, before he stopped himself again.
His eye caught the tray of chicken breasts close by. You guys had been eating ground beef the whole week. He could also change it up a little this week, chicken did have different benefits. You were also probably getting bored from eating the same thing everyday, unlike him. It was also more protein and nutrients than you’ve had in your whole time working here, he argued with himself mentally.
It wasn’t a bother, really. He just had to add a bit of extra ingredients to his typical cooking. It was better than watching you eat all that junk you called a meal. A healthy man like him can only stand by and watch your terrible habits for so long. Your sugar and caffeine intake was so concerning, he was worried he’d end up without a nurse by next week. It was a strictly professional intervention. Just him looking out for his staff. Of course.
Plus, you guys shook on it, which made it official.
He brings lunch, you bring dessert.
Park stopped again and thought it over. He looked back over his shoulder and went to grab a second tray.
He was cooking for two now, after all.
A/N: talk about DENIAL. This chapter was supposed to be two separate ones but it made more sense to put them together. So, it ended up being 2k words. My eyes hurt.
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