“Shit!” Trinity immediately cursed, wrapping her arms around herself and gritting her teeth. “It’s fucking freezing up here!”
Dennis laughed loudly but didn’t refute her, already shivering himself as they huddled together. “It’s a pretty sight, though. I can see why Dr Robby and Dr Abbot are always coming up here.”
The two walked closer to the railing, taking in the sounds of the city, which was a lot quieter than the constant rowdiness and chaos of the ER.
“What are you doing?” Dennis raised an eyebrow as Trinity climbed over the safety railing and walked closer to the edge, sitting down and letting her legs hang.
“Cmon, Huckleberry, it’s what the cool kids do.”
Dennis contemplated turning around and going to the back of the hospital like he usually did when he needed a moment alone, before shrugging and making his way over to have a seat next to his roommate.
He rifled through his pockets and pulled out a half-empty pack of cigarettes, cheap ones from the corner store two blocks away from their apartment, but they do the job.
“Want?” He asked, his voice slightly muffled as he placed one between his lips and searched for his lighter.
“No way.” Trinity wrinkled her nose, pulling out her vape instead. “I’m healthier than you.”
“Fuck off.” He chuckled, fighting against the wind and finally lighting the end of his cig. He took a long drag, letting the familiar burn settle in his lungs, before exhaling into a smoke circle. “This shift was ass.”
“All our shifts are ass.”
Dennis kicked the air and looked down at the vertiginous drop. “Yeah, but I feel like Dr Robby was being…”
“He was avoiding you.” Dennis turned to her. “What? Literally everyone could see it. It was weird considering he’s always up your ass. And he was whispering all secretly with Dr Abbot while looking at you.”
“It’s not an insult, you’ve got an amazing ass. Just tell me if you and your geriatric boyfriends have a fight so I don’t have to witness another game of cat and mouse.”
“They’re not geriatric!” Dennis protested, then scrunched his nose. “Wait, no, they’re not my boyfriends.”
Trinity grinned and playfully shoved his shoulder. “But you want them to be.” She singsonged, making Dennis have a hard time keeping the smile off his face.
“Old men love having controversially young thirds. It’s, like, written in the books.”
“The books of old men who like have controversial young thirds in their relationships? Duh.”
Dennis gave Trinity a flat look before focusing on his cigarette. If the conversation went on any longer, he’d need a second one.
The two were startled from their companionable silence by the door to the roof swinging open with a loud creak.
“Holy fuck, someone needs to oil that,” Dennis swore, holding a hand to his chest to stop his beating heart. Trinity might have nodded at his words, but Dennis was focused on watching Dr Abbot and Dr Robby walk out.
It was almost comical, the twin looks of shock on their attendants’ faces when they spotted the two of them sitting on the very edge of the roof, feet dangling over the edge.
“What the hell are you two doing?!” Jack’s eyes were wide as he moved fast to the safety railing, reaching over and holding out a hand to them. “Get over here. Now.”
Dennis was taken aback by the harsh voice he was using, and as he glanced over at Trin, he could tell she was as well.
“Jeez, no need to yell…” she muttered, pocketing her vape and standing up, giving a bewildered look as Abbot made a choked noise.
“Uh, yeah, I’m coming…” Dennis snubbed out his cigarette, standing up as quickly as he could. He wobbled slightly, making Robby take in a sharp breath, and his eyes go wide.
Dennis and Trinity shrugged. They were as okay as they could be after a 12-hour shift at the ER.
“I only had to change my scrubs once today.”
“I didn’t have to change them at all.”
“Not what we’re talking about.” Jack snapped, cutting off their playful banter and making the two look at them with wide eyes.
“How often do the two of you sit on the edge of buildings?” Robby asked, his voice low as he walked forward and placed his hands on Dennis’s shoulders.
Trinity tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Pretty often. Why?”
“Any reason you two were so close to the edge?” Abbot ignored Trinity’s question.
Dennis turned over what was going on in his head, taking a second to process before finally understanding why his attendings were freaking out. “Well, it wasn’t for a joint suicide, I can assure you.” He tried to joke.
Trinity snorted, but it mostly fell flat with the glaring daggers pointed at him by the two older men.
“We’re not gonna jump at our place of work. Imagine being ghosts and being stuck here.” Trinity nudged Dennis’s ribs, almost making him smile, but the air was still too thick with worry and thinly veiled anger.
“We’re fine… we were just sitting and enjoying the view,” Dennis reassured, placing a hand over Robby’s on his shoulder and reaching over to hold Abbot’s. “Promise.”
“It’s a 12-story building… please don’t sit on the edge.” Robby pleaded, closing his eyes and leaning his head against Dennis’s, seeming to sag with relief and exhaustion from a long day.
“Yeah, sorry, guys. Huckleberry and I will stick to the back of the hospital to talk shit.”
That made Jack give a huff of laughter, making everyone relax.
“Alright, time to go home.” Robby sighed, removing his hands and clapping them together. “You two need sleep, and someone has a shift to work in a few minutes.”
"Ah ah ah, not so fast, Whitaker. You'll be coming with me. I feel like I need to keep an eye on you." Robby stopped Dennis from walking over to Trinity with a stern look on his face, leaving no room for arguments as Dennis floundered.
"You're not off the hook either, Santos. I'm asking King to take you home."
"Wha-" Trinity's jaw dropped.
“Let’s go!” Abbot cut Trinity off with a grin, pushing the two of them through the doors and into the hospital again.
Dennis fell back from Trinity and Abbot, who were obviously having a good time being rough with each other, to walk beside Robby quietly. “I’m going with you…?” Dennis asked, unsure if Robby actually meant it.
“Yeah… I wanna apologize for today.” Robby rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and played with his lanyard. “I’ve been processing my emotions. Emotions that are directed at you.”
Dennis’s stomach flipped. “Is that… is that a good thing or…?”
“Yeah, really good.” Robby smiled down at him, making Dennis flush. “It was just a little jarring. I haven’t felt this way since Jack. Guess I got… scared.”
“Oh.” Dennis pursed his lips, stopping the wide grin from taking over his face. “Cool, cool, cool.”
“Soo, are we dating now?”
“Let’s talk about it more at home, alright? Preferably, when Jack gets off, so he can save me from putting my foot in my mouth.” Robby chuckled, a faint blush on his cheeks.
“Yeah, I can wait for that.”
