patience, and patients.
pairing: jack abbot x fem!reader.
synopsis: you and dr. jack abbot keep missing the moment to admit your feelings, until one emotional day at work finally brings everything out in the open, and you both realize it was never one-sided.
warnings: cuss words ig? and a kiss on the end buttttt after that not really anything..
word count: 1250
a/n: EATTTT CHILDRENN, here is ur well awaited jack abbot x reader fanfic!! i think,, i have a cavity from how sweet this is omg.
the first time you notice it, you’re almost certain you’re imagining things.
because this is jack abbot.
dr. jack abbot.
smart, capable, annoyingly handsome jack abbot.
and you? you’re just you.
which is why when he starts lingering beside your workstation after conversations should have already ended, you convince yourself it means nothing.
“anything else?” you’d ask after handing him a chart.
he’d glance down at it.
“no.”
but then he’d stay there. for a second.
then another. sometimes asking a completely unnecessary question.
sometimes making an observation about a patient that didn’t need discussing.
sometimes just standing there long enough for your heart to start acting stupid.
you noticed it most during night shifts. the hospital got quieter then. not quiet exactly, but softer.
the chaos dulled around the edges and somehow jack always ended up near you.
“you’re here late.”
you looked up from your computer.
“so are you.”
“i work here.”
you stared. he stared back.
then the corner of his mouth twitched.
“you work here too.”
“glad we’ve established that.”
his laugh came out unexpectedly.
it lingered with you longer than it should have.
later, when he finally walked away, trinity slid into the chair beside you.
“oh.”
you frowned.
“what?”
“nothing.”
“trinity.”
“nothing.”
you narrowed your eyes.
she grinned.
“uh-huh, sure. if you say so.”
you hated when people did that, especially when they were right.
⋆˚꩜｡
the second time is entirely different.
because this time it’s jack who notices. it starts with coffee. not in a romantic way.
not at first.
he’s having a particularly awful morning. three admissions before seven.
one difficult family.
a trauma case that refuses to cooperate with every treatment option available.
he’s exhausted. frustrated.running entirely on caffeine and spite.
then he walks into the break room.
and there it is. a coffee sitting on the counter. his coffee. exactly how he takes it.
he stares at it.
“you gonna drink that or interrogate it?”
he turns. you’re standing in the doorway. holding your own cup. looking amused.
“you got me coffee?”
you shrug.
“you looked like you were about five minutes away from fighting a wall.”
he snorts “yeah, whatever.”
you smile.
and something in his chest does a strange little flip. he tries ignoring it, he’s pushing 50, so why’s he acting like this lovestruck high-school girl?
and of course, he fails.
because after that he starts noticing everything. the way your face lights up when someone makes you laugh. the way you remember details about everyone. the way you always seem to know exactly when he’s had a rough shift. the way you look for him in crowded rooms.
and maybe he shouldn’t notice those things. but he does.
he notices all of them.
he notices you.
all the time.
which becomes a problem.
⋆˚꩜｡
the third time happens because of dennis.
and jack hates that it’s because of whitaker.
he likes dennis. everyone likes dennis. that’s the issue. you do too, apparently.
jack rounds the corner one evening and finds you laughing so hard you’re nearly doubled over.
dennis is beside you. telling some ridiculous story.
your hand lands briefly on his arm.
and that’s it. that’s all it takes.
something ugly twists in jack’s stomach. he immediately hates himself for it.
because you’re allowed to have friends. you’re allowed to laugh. you’re allowed to touch someone’s arm without it meaning anything.
still. he can’t stop looking. can’t stop wondering. can’t stop noticing how close dennis is standing.
later that night, ellis finds him glaring at a chart.
“you’re doing it again.”
jack doesn’t look up.
“doing what?”
“the thing where you pretend you’re reading.”
“i am reading.”
“the chart is upside down.” jack slowly lowers it.
ellis snorts.
“right.”
“don’t.”
“i didn’t say anything.”
“you were about to.”
“okay, yes.”
he sighs. deeply.
“don’t.”
ellis says in that certain tone,
“you know you could just tell her.”
“tell her what?”
“jack.”
“tell her what.”
“that you’re in love with her.”
the silence that comes after is deafening.
then— “i have patients.”
and he walks away. which is not a denial. ellis notices. everyone notices.
everyone except you. or maybe not.
because the next morning, when your eyes meet across the nurses’ station, you immediately look away.
and jack suddenly isn’t sure who’s fooling who anymore.
⋆˚꩜｡
the fourth time happens after one too many drinks, which is impressive considering you almost never drink.
but somehow the night before turned into dinner with dennis, trinity, mel, and javadi.
which turned into drinks.
which turned into everyone deciding they were tired of watching two grown adults pine after each other.
“he likes you.”
“he doesn’t.”
“he literally stares at you.”
“everyone stares at me.”
“not like that.”
you groaned.
trinity pointed her fork at you.
“if you don’t tell him, i might.”
“you wouldn’t.”
“try me.”
you hated that she sounded serious. and maybe that’s why you couldn’t stop thinking about it.
all night.
all morning.
all the way through your shift.
because now you’re standing at work with a hangover and enough anxiety to power the entire hospital.
you barely make it three hours before jack corners you near an empty supply room.
“hey.”
your stomach immediately flips.
“hey.”
his expression softens.
“you okay?”
“m’ fine.”
“you’re lying.”
you hum, trying not to let the fucking hospital lights get to you.
“you look exhausted.”
you chuckle softly.
“thanks.”
“you know what i mean.”
and unfortunately you do. you look away. jack waits, that’s what he always does.
he waits patiently. carefully.
like he’s afraid pushing too hard will make you disappear.
“rough night, huh?” he asks quietly.
you nod. “something like that.”
“want to talk about it?”
you should say no, you really should.
instead your eyes suddenly start burning and for some reason that’s worse.
because you’re not sobbing, you’re not breaking down, it’s just tears.
silent ones.
the kind you’ve been holding onto for months.
jack’s entire face changes.
“hey.”
his voice becomes softer immediately.
“hey, what’s wrong?”
you laugh through a shaky breath.
“nothing.”
“that’s definitely not nothing.”
you wipe at your eyes.
“i’m sorry.”
“don’t apologize.”
another tear slips down.
and suddenly all the words you’ve been swallowing come rushing out.
“i’m just tired.”
“okay.”
“and confused.”
he nods.
“okay.”
“and i really wish i could stop liking someone who clearly doesn’t feel the same way.”
the silence that follows is horrifying, absolutely horrifying.
you want the floor to open up and swallow you whole.
your eyes squeeze shut.
“nevermind, forget i said that.”
nothing.
“please forget i said that.”
still nothing.
“that’s gonna be difficult.”
you blink slowly.
jack is staring at you looking almost as nervous as you feel.
which should be impossible.
“why?” you whisper.
his laugh comes out disbelieving.
“because i’ve been trying not to tell you the exact same thing for months.”
your brain completely stops working. “what?”
“i like you.”
another step closer, “more than i should.”
another, “have for a while.”
the tears are still there but now you’re smiling through them.
and jack smiles too, like he’s finally allowed to.
“you really had no idea?” he asks.
you shake your head. “i thought i was imagining it.”
“you weren’t.”
“oh.”
“yeah.”
“oh.”
he laughs.
and before either of you can overthink it, his hand gently brushes your cheek. wiping away the last tear. his thumb lingers.
your breath catches.
so does his.
then finally,
he kisses you.
soft.
careful.
like something precious.
like something he’d been wanting to do for a very long time.
