Put a ring on it.
Dr. Jack Abbot x Nurse! Reader
Summary: the fear of losing him on a mission and a simple comment that changes everything. (1.2k)
Tags/warnings: established relationship, slight canon divergence, medical inaccuracies, no use of names or physical descriptions, no use of y/n, Dr Robby and Dr Santos mention, impulsive marriage proposal, cursing, mentions of gunshot wound, brief mention of anxiety.
note: English is not my first language, and this is my first fic so excuse me for any errors I might had, just enjoy my nightly scenario with my current obsession, dr jack abbot. I tried to make it gender neutral so anyone can read it and feel comfortable but it´s under my female perspective so I’m sorry for any trouble.
btw the pictures were from pinterest.
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“I’ve always liked your hands” jack blurred out of nowhere.
You were both in bed, legs interwined, a mess between the sheets and pillows that felt like the most comfortable place on earth. Your fingers caressing his salt and pepper hair, tracing the pattern of the curls.
It was a rare night. Neither of you was on call, a miracle for a nurse and an attending physician. Even if you spend most of your time together, there was something else about having all day to be with each other, enjoying the quiet stilness of the apartment. It was just perfect.
“Yeah?” you replied, watching how relaxed he looked. The night shifts took a toll on him, carving exhaustion into his features, but right now you could tell his peacefulness. He often complemented you, but always managed to catch you off guard. Feeling a bit shy, you joked. “Well, if you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it”
You quoted the song without thinking much of it, just a simple tease to fill the silence
until he answered.
“Maybe I should” he responded, without skipping a beat or changing his tone. After a few moments of silence, you realized he had fallen asleep. Soon, you followed him into the dark.
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Hours turned into days, and days into weeks. That conversation seemed to have vanished into thin air, buried under the relentless pace of the Emergency Deparment.
It was the Fourth of July weekend, and you had been called in as a backup to handle the holiday rush. You arrived early, eager to meet the new attending and planning to gossip about it with Jack during the night shift. You had everything mapped out; when to eat lunch, exactly when to nap to be rested for the night, and which clothes to change into under your scrubs after a quick hospital shower.
What you didn´t plan for was to see you boyfriend in his SWAT uniform, bagging a member of his team as they rushed through the doors.
“Intubated neck wound, stats not great. We were diverted here, is there a trauma room open?” Jack´s voice resonated over the sudden chaos. He was followed by a few uniformed men and paramedics.
“Trauma One!” Princess yelled.
You moved instinctively, jumping into and joining the team as you listen to Jack´s report.
“One, Two, Three” You counted, and the team synchronized to shift the officer onto the bay bed.
“You guys wait here. We’ll take care of him, I promise.” Jack told his team, guiding them towards the viewing area. You stole a quick glance at him, trying to suppress and ignore the anxiety in your chest. You forced yourself to focus on the man on the table, your hands moved with the muscle memory of a thousand procedures, hanging saline and starting IV fluids while the doctors worked.
You tried to concentrate on, but the conversation around you was impossible to ignore
“Are you serious?” Santos´ voice made you look up.
“I go in with the team in case there’s an injury” Abbot responded.
“Just for the record, I don’t approve” you muttered. You heard him give a small and dry chuckle. He knew you hated it, you´d had countless arguments about how dangerous it was but he was always too stubborn to listen, claiming he was ´too tough to die.´
“That’s badass” The response of the resident made you shake your head in negation as you swapped positions with her to take over the manual ventilation.
“That’s a Mid-life crisis, if you ask me” You responded. Those were the last words spoken before Robby’s voice pulled everyone ´s focus back to the patient.
The room became coordinated as they followed instructions. After Dr. Al-Hashimi arrived, the team managed to stabilize the officer and send him up to surgery. Jack noticed the way you practically ran out of the trauma room. He tried to follow, but the new attending held him up for a brief chat.
Minutes later, Jack (now in a fresh black t-shirt) found you out by the ambulance bay, staring blankly at Robby´s motorcycle.
“Hey there”
You turned around at the sound of that familiar voice. Your face was flushed mix of the July heat and the adrenaline crashing. “You okay?” he asked softly.
“I just…I hate thinking that could be you someday...that stupid hobby of yours” Your voice trembled, all your fear you´d been pushing down since he walked in came pouring out.
He stepped towards yo, wrapping his arms around you and pulling your head to his chest “It scares me so much, Jack...thinking you could get shot, that I could lose you just because some idiots decided to rob a place.” Tears finally spilled over, hot agains your cheeks.
“I know, sweetheart, I’m so sorry” He caressed your back, his touch grounding you. He held you until your breathing slowed, creating a save space in the middle of an already chaotic shift. “Everything is fine. I’m right here.”
He pulled you back just enough to look at you. “But I want to give you something.”
You looked up, confused. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet box. Your breath hitched. He didn't waste any time. He flipped it open, revealing a beautiful engagement ring.
“Jack, wha-”
“First, excuse me for not getting down on one knee. I practiced but my leg is a little fucked up” he said with a wry smile as you laugh as your hand found his, giving him a little squeeze before continuing.
Then, his expression turned serious. ”What happened today made me realize something. There’s never going to be a right time or ´perfect´ moment. We live on the edge every day, with new cases, patients, accidents, fuck, everything.”
He paused, catching up his breath as his gaze locked onto yours. “We don’t know how much time we have left in this place, but i want to spend every second of it with the person I’m so deeply in love with. Will you marry me?”
“Of course I’ll marry you, Jack”
You threw your arms around his neck, holding on tight. He was right. You saw how fragile life was every single day in the ER. If things could go wrong in a heartbeat, then you wanted him by your side for every beat you had left.
When you finally walked back into the pitt, the staff didn´t just notice the realesed tension. They noticed the bright smile you couldn´t hide and the even brighter ring on your finger that you didn´t want to hide.
