just johnny and his bonnie nurse <3
"your favorite patient is back."
rolling your eyes, you lightly nudge your fellow nurse as she passes you a clipboard. an all too familiar medical file glares up at you, the photo taped in the corner seeming to smirk up at you from the page.
sergeant john mactavish. age 28. blood type o-positive.
you don't even bother looking it over anymore. it's in your hands far too often for the information not to be seared into your brain. (something tells you that's part of his plan.) in fact, this is the third time this week that johnny has ended up in medical, and you have a feeling that today's reason is going to be even more nonsensical than the last.
johnny is laying back leisurely on the exam table when you arrive. he pushes himself up quickly as you step through the doorway, his ever charming smile on full display. "evening doc." despite not being one, you stopped correcting him on that long time ago.
"sergeant."
his grin grows impossibly wider. "one day you'll drop the formalities, i just know it." you have to face away from him as you set down the clipboard on the counter, fighting the familiar upward tug of the corners of your lips. it's hard not to smile when you're talking to johnny. he’s got one of those impossibly likeable personalities, bright and endearing despite him constantly babbling off things that should’ve earned him a one way ticket to human resources, one with your signature boldly stamped on it.
“alright.” turning to face him, you let out a sigh and lean back against the counter top with your arms crossed over your chest. “let’s hear it. what’s today’s inconceivable tragedy that somehow left no mark on you?”
“well i was out on the mat this morning - ” johnny starts, not missing a beat. these little visits go the same way every time - you step into the room, johnny turns on the charm, winds you a pitiful story about him getting injured, and revels in the next 15 to 20 minutes of getting a once over from you. and once you’re finished, you kick him out of the room with sigh and a reminder that he’s an ass. it’s played out the same since the first time he’d discovered you hidden away in the medical wing, on a day when he’d actually needed attention.
it’s not the worst part of your day, but you’d never tell him that.
johnny tells you his woes, sighing dramatically as he gestures to his knee. blames it on simon, that he landed on it wrong while taking him down during their earlier sparring session. “dunno if he knows exactly how big of fucker he is.” that elicits a snort of laughter from you, because while johnny’s story has yet to be proven true, that statement definitely is. you’ve seen the proof firsthand.
“ - so i thought you could take a look at it.” he smiles at you, the picture of innocence. you meet that expression with one of suspicion, eyes narrowed in his direction. it’s quiet for a moment as you both hold your ground, a stalemate, until as always you break. “fine,” you say with a sigh, pushing off the counter to move towards him. for someone who’s so ‘injured’, johnny sure does smile a lot. “and before you ask, no, you can keep your pants on for this.”
“are you sure? you’d get a much closer look - ”
“don’t push it,” you snap. your tone is sharp, but not as much as it should be. a blade that’s been dulled by repetitive strikes, the edge smoothing steadily over time. a sword trying to slice stone. johnny leans back on his hands as you approach, stopping in front of his right knee. it’s currently bent slightly, his foot resting on the bottom step of the exam table. “extend your leg for me.”
johnny has put on some dramatic performances for you before, but the sharp hiss he lets out as he flexes his knee is unfortunately genuine. your eyebrows shoot up at his pained expression and you move closer, slipping into your clinical mindset now that you know his complaint is real. “okay, you can rest it down. on a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?”
johnny shrugs. “four. no, five.”
carefully, you wrap your fingers around the top of his knee, gently squeezing the area. this elicits another wince from him. eyebrows raised, you drop your hand. “well, congratulations soap. you actually have an injury this time. let's take a look."
he behaves for the most part as you examine his knee. you're able to roll his pant leg far enough up to look for bruising, but the injury is too recent for any color to have blossomed. johnny only slips in one more comment about taking his pants off before you're finished, tossing a pair of gloves in the trash can behind you. "it's just a slight sprain. not a huge deal - "
"so it's fine."
" - but i want you to stay out of that gym for two weeks, minimum. no sparring." the look you receive is one you'd expect from a kid who just earned himself detention. johnny's shoulders droop, genuine disappointment on his face. a little part of you almost feels for him. "are you sure? maybe a brace would do the job, i could just stay off it for a couple days."
you've been here before, but never with johnny. it's hard to tell someone that they're injured whether they like it or not, doubly so when it's someone who has fitness as part of their daily life. and not only that, but johnny enjoys it. you don't have much cause to go into the gym when you head over pick up supplies from their storage, but you've caught glimpses of him working out before. he's strong. proud. you want to call him cocky, but johnny knows exactly what a finely tuned machine he is and how hard he's worked for it. he's just not afraid of showing it off.
which is why you're...kind of feeling bad.
"two weeks. it's a medical order." there's an odd little ache in your chest when johnny lets out a sigh and scratches the back of his neck. "aye, an order," he mumbles dejectedly. you watch him for a moment from your spot against the counter, arms crossed over your chest. before you know it, you're moving forward, stopping next to him. "listen," you start, a sigh escaping your lips. "i wouldn't say it for no reason. i don't want this to become a bigger problem for you, and it could. just...take it easy for a bit. i think your body needs to heal itself without worrying about some monster truck of a lieutenant body slamming you to the ground again."
johnny chuckles, and it's slightly alarming how quickly you find yourself smiling in return. "besides, you come see me so often that it's about time that i actually get you give you a real piece of medical advice. i do get paid for that, you know."
"not just for being a breath of fresh air? bit unfair, if you ask me." if he was down about his injury, he's tucked that away now. bright and shiny johnny is back on full display. you roll your eyes as you retrieve your clipboard, filling out an injury form for him to give to his captain. as your pen scratches his information across the paper, you glance up at him. he's distracted, gazing around your office and leaning back on his hands. his uninjured leg swings back and forth under the table slightly, as if keeping completely still is just out of his capability. johnny regards your space with genuine interest every time he enters, despite having been in the room countless times. it's almost as if he's taking inventory of all the little details that make this space yours, checking in for any changes or updates. he'd especially been a fan of the glittery "please don't die!" sticker you'd inconspicuously put up on the inside of your cabinet door last month.
it's almost like he's truly interested in you.
dropping your gaze back down to the paperwork before he can catch you, you continue to fill out your recommendations for his rest period. "so. two weeks of light weight bearing, knee brace, no gym," you say, forcing indifference into your tone. "how are you going to spend all that free time?" johnny shrugs, swinging his leg a bit faster. "dunno. kyle's got a few wins over my head in poker, maybe i'll try and win my honor back."
"lost cause."
"you're something, you know that?" the earnestness in his tone is striking. he sounds almost in wonderment of you. it takes everything in you not to look up, and even more not to let yourself smile the way you really want to right now. fighting that losing battle for the second time today, you turn to face the wall, allowing the corner of your mouth to fully lift as you get his papers into order. after a quick staple - and regaining of composure - you turn to present johnny with his forms. "give these two to captain price, he'll know what to do with them. this bottom one is for the front office. it's for your file." you point to the bottom section of the front page. "and those are my recommendations. try to enjoy the break."
johnny lets out a huff, rolling the packet into a tube. "i'll try, i'll try. thanks, doc." as pouty as he is over your orders, you know he means it. this time, you allow him to see the smile that grows on your face. "no problem." with that, you turn on your heel to head towards the door. "oh, by the way, i left a little sticky note on the back page, but that one is not for the front office."
the space between his eyebrows crinkles together in confusion and you have the sudden urge to walk back over rub your thumb across the spot to soothe it. a braver you would, but you're taking your opportunity to make this movie and beat a quick retreat. "what's it for?"
you cast one last look over your shoulder as you pull open the office door. "it's my number. you know, for all that free time you're going to be enjoying." the last glimpse you get of him as the door swings shut behind you is his face, staring after you as if you'd just told him he was holding a golden ticket. your nails dig into the palms of your hands as you speed walk down the hall, heart hammering in your chest.
when your coworkers inevitably ask, you'll say it was to get him to stop interrupting your work time so often. but you'll know. johnny really is your favorite patient.
a/n: yes hello! im back is anyone still out there please enjoy <3 this has been in my drafts for almost two years it should be able to walk by now
