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Open Heart MC's Baseball Outfits but I genderswapped them because equality, edits by me
Deadass pissed me off the first time I saw that f!MC's version of this was a cropped jersey and short shorts while m!MC's is a regular jersey and jeans
Phone Call. Ethan x m!MC
+ Dolores, baby Ethan and Mrs Lee
My Open Heart Ethan Ramsey x m!MC series:
When Push Comes To Shove (p. 1 & p. 2)
He Wasn’t Meant to Hear
Confess (+ the crew at Donahue’s)
Likeable (+Dolores)
Thinking Straight (+Dolores)
The Right Kind of Therapy
Now You See Me (+Dr Banerji)
And Now You Don’t (+Jenner)
Somebody’s Crush (+Elijah, Landry)
Don’t Wake Me Up
this one goes here (+ Dolores, baby Ethan and Mrs Lee)
Summary: the moral of this is probably not to let Dolores pick up other people’s phones
m!MC : Dr Cheng Lee
“Is Dr Lee here?” Ethan called out the second he went through the sliding doors and into the waiting room. The nurse bustling behind the counter didn’t even raise her head. “Excuse me? Could you get Dr Lee for me?”
“Oh–“ The nurse jumped up, clearly startled, and gripped whatever patient files he was holding close to his chest. “Oh, evening, Dr Ramsey. Wait, do I– never mind, never mind.” He shook his head and hurried around the counter. “Dr Lee is with the patients. Everyone else is there too.” He paused for a second and glanced back. “I can’t ask you to come too, right? You no longer work here, but we could do with an extra pair of hands–“
“Danny!”
“Have to go,” blurted out the nurse and hurried down the corridor.
Ethan let out a sigh he didn’t even realise he was holding. At least rookie was with the patients. That must have meant he wasn’t hurt in the train crash, no, he was just too busy saving lives as everyone else was, and he… well, Ethan couldn’t. Not anymore.
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose and turned around. He’d better leave, he never knew how he managed to walk through those doors in the first place. It was pretty simple, really, now that he thought about it. He saw the news, got worried, phoned Edenbrook’s on-call room. No doctor picked up, the report came on the news again, Cheng’s phone was out of range, and the next moment he knew, Ethan was driving.
And now leaving. He calmed down a little knowing that Cheng was with the patients and not one of the patients. Ethan had no idea what he was going to say if he came across Cheng anyway. So he nodded to himself and decided it was all for the better.
“Ethan?”
Ethan froze as he was, a few steps into the parking lot. He turned around and cleared his throat. “Dolores?”
“Gu-ah!” laughed baby Ethan, strapped to his mother’s chest.
Ethan opened his mouth and gestured at the baby, but Dolores waved it off.
“Don’t worry. We took a taxi, didn’t we sweetie?” She cooed and offered baby Ethan her finger to grip. “Oh yes, we did.” They approached whereas Ethan wouldn’t move from his place. “Half of the city is in panic,” explained Dolores, “Cheng wasn’t answering his phone.”
“I know.”
Ethan realised he said something he shouldn’t. Only it was too late – Dolores grinned widely at him, and even baby Ethan giggled happily. Which was probably because he finally managed to reach for his mom’s piece of hair and now was tugging on it, but still.
“You do, huh?” drawled our Dolores as she stopped right in front of Ethan.
He looked around and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“So you do have his phone number.” Dolores winked. “Because I don’t.”
Ethan gave her the look. Wasn’t hoping for much, his look, which sent interns and nurses scattering, never quite worked on Dolores.
“For… administrative reasons,” Ethan admitted but still looked anywhere but at Dolores. “I am his boss–“
“Was his boss.” Dolores pointed her finger at his chest. “Which means you kept it– not the point! What were you even thinking?!”
“About what?” Ethan almost turned to leave for the parking lot, but Dolores grasped his arm and stirred him back towards Edenbrook instead.
“Don’t play dumb, Ethan! You quit.” She rocked baby Ethan a little as he was settling to sleep.
“I quit.” Ethan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. His eyes would keep wandering to Dolores and baby Ethan. Happy. They were blissfully happy only because Cheng happened to be there, and he, himself, was quite helpless for the matter. Hopeless.
“Why–“ Dolores lowered her voice and glanced at the baby.
Ethan shrugged and looked away. “Needed a career change,” he whispered, one cautious step to the side – but no, Dolores held him still. Ethan glared and cursed just how strong she turned out to be. He never would have guessed. "Midlife crisis. Whatever. How did you even know about that?”
Dolores smirked. “A little bird told me."
Ethan clenched his teeth and said as calm as possible, “You said you don’t have the little bird’s phone number.”
The sliding doors open. Ethan looked back but there was no way he could escape Edenbrook again.
“I do… happen to have their Facebook.” Dolores winked and pulled Ethan inside. Baby Ethan babbled happily in his sleep.
They stopped by the reception counter as Dolores looked around.
“So, is Cheng okay? You were leaving so he should be.” Dolores hummed and rocked the baby a little while she looked around. "Never seen it this empty”.
Ethan shrugged, she had finally let go of his arm so he considered making a run for it. “Haven’t seen him,” he admitted, his eyes locked on the sliding doors. He could actually dash for it, couldn’t he? "Everyone’s with the patients.”
“Such a tragedy…”
“Yeah…” Ethan sighed and decided against the escape. It didn’t seem like anyone was coming their way to see him anyway. Not that he was afraid of running into anyone, he simply didn’t want to stay at Edenbrook. Or see anyone who knew him, anyone who believed in him… Everyone who he let down.
And then the phone rang. Both Ethan and Dolores glanced at it, Dolores hurrying to lull baby Ethan in her arms whereas Ethan looked around for any nurses. No-one was coming. Ethan walked to the side a little so that he could see down the corridor – but still, there was nobody.
The phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Ethan was sure it was no emergency line, he looked over the counter to make sure it was the no-urgent calls one. Or for when there was an equipment or medicine delivery, or anything trivial.
“Ugh, why don’t you give up already,” Ethan muttered when the ring started over for the third time.
“Let’s just pick up,” Dolores nudged him and moved around the counter.
“You don’t work here.”
But Dolores has already picked up the phone. And shoved it at Ethan.
“I don’t work here eith–“ he whispered and cut himself off.
“Is Dr Lee there?” asked the stern voice on the other side. “Get Dr Lee on the line for me, please.”
Oh, Ethan knew that voice. Accidentally heard it to be exact when Cheng was staying at his place on a Friday and left to call his grandmother. They were still working on Naveen’s case at that time and–
“Hello?” insisted Mrs Lee, and Ethan snapped out of his thoughts. “Is anyone there?”
Right. From what he's gathered Mrs Lee was not a woman to be messed around with. Or ignored.
“Hello?” Ethan cleared his throat because he didn’t expect his voice to sound like that. Nowhere near the stifled gasp. "Ah, no, he's with the patients now.”
Dolores snorted. She looked rather amused as she cradled baby Ethan and hummed a lullaby.
“No, I’m afraid I can’t call for him,” Ethan answered calmer. "Yes, the train crash, no, roo– Dr Lee is unharmed. Yes, a lot of work.”
Ethan scowled, Dolores grinned and showed him thumbs up. Baby Ethan woke up and giggled as grabbed his mom’s raised thumb.
“No, he’ll phone you as soon as he gets free, Mrs Lee–” Ethan froze but the mistake was made… He glanced at Dolores, at the phone clutched in his hand, back at Dolores again, and tugged at the collar of his shirt. "How do I know? How do I know… Mine? M-m, it's Ethan. Ethan Ramsey.” Ethan coughed but tried to keep a straight face, he shot Dolores a warning look before answering, "No, I am not his boyfriend.”
It took Dolores but a second. For Ethan to register what was happening that required two.
“His not-yet-boyfriend,” she exclaimed into the phone and snatched it from Ethan. "Or his trying-to-be-boyfriend–”
“Dolores!"
"Gu-ah,” babbled baby Ethan.
And Mrs Lee? Mrs Lee did the most sensible thing.
She contently sighed and hang up.
Ranking the male characters' special underwear options and how awful they each are.
We all know Choices is just incredibly lazy when it comes to making sexy outfits for male LIs and male MCs. Especially underwear and swimsuit, aren't we all tired of nothing but boxer briefs and trunks? And how their female counterparts clearly have more effort put into them? Even when it's underwear that is supposed to be "sexy underwear", PB still manages to fuck it up.
I wouldn't mind it as much if PB gave us a variety of options like It Lives Within does, or made the female versions equally unflattering... but no. In PB logic, the only parts of the male form that can be sexualized are dicks and upper body muscles (to be fair, though, I think we have to blame the entirety of male gaze and male power fantasies for this).
So let's do a fun little list. We'll take all existing male MC/LI special underwear outfits (AKA the ones that are meant to be "sexier" than the average default underwear– AME MC's sexy underwear, the TRR LI's sexy underwear, OH MC's BDSM gear, Reagan's BDSM gear, Sam's sexy underwear) and rank them to see which is the worst.
This list is only for important characters like MCs and LIs where their outfits are intended for us to find sexy. I will not be including characters like Pat Ransic where we're not really meant to care about them or their underwear.
Unfortunately I will have to include pictures of each of these abominations in order to demonstrate my point, so apologies in advance for that. Additionally I will also include pictures of their female MC/LI counterparts to also demonstrate my point about how unflattering the male versions are in comparison.
Just a disclaimer that although I do genuinely despise all of these underwears, this is partly for fun and laughs. I want to be able to at least make it fun to criticize these abominations so that I suffer less.
Also keep in mind (and I should have added this when I first posted this), but I will be regularly updating this list as per any new additions of "sexy underwear" in future books.
* UPDATE 1: Added TPA MC's Underwear. Only change was a ranking adjustment, and some of the wording in the AME portion. * UPDATE 2: Added Alpha MC's Underwear. No extraneous changes from the new addition have been made. * UPDATE 3: Added Unbridled MC's Underwear and Cai Kennedy (ACT)'s BDSM Gear. Only change is that Reagan's BDSM gear has now surrendered (ehehe) its long-held title of "least intolerable" and so that altered the wording of a few lines as well as my intro to Reagan's underwear ranking.
So without further ado, here we go.
Now You See Me. Ethan x m!MC
Summary: a bunch of one-shots featuring: MC wearing glasses, the start of the competition, a crumpled X-ray for patient X, an embarrassed Ethan and a slyly smirking Dr Banerji.
m!MC : Dr Cheng Lee
“Jackie?” Cheng called out and whirled his head around. “Have you seen my lenses’ box?”
“No,” came out from the bathroom, and Jackie stepped out. “Did you lose it?” She crossed her arms across her chest, a smirk touching the corner of her lips.
“No–“ Cheng fell silent. “Okay, no idea actually. I just thought I left it here before the party– oh never mind.”
“Could be anywhere now,” Jackie shrugged but patted Cheng on the shoulder as she passed by. “It was one wild party. You do have another pair, right?”
Cheng grimaced and pointed at his watch. “Not near enough to get them out and make it to my shift on time. Dr Ramsey’ll chew me out.” He sighed. “Have to be this then.” He adjusted the big round glasses on his nose. It was an old pair from med school, with a loose left earpiece.
“Ne-e-rd,” drawled our Jackie and winked.
— - - -
The competition announcement and the news of Dr Banerji stepping down overtook Edenbrook like a storm. Interns chatted, residents were explaining something, Jackie talked to a very excited Elijah, Bryce came round to see what was it all about, and somewhere in the corner there even was a friendly brawl...
Cheng stared. Just stared at Dr Ramsey standing in front of the crowd, right next to the board where next week there will be rankings.
Dr Ramsey looked worse to wear. It wasn’t that obvious, and Cheng cursed under his breath that, for some reason, he could tell. It was the way Dr Ramsey slightly hunched just one shoulder, or that he kept stuffing his hands into the white coat’s pockets.
Cheng squinted, He was expecting to see dark lines under Dr Ramsey’s eyes, and ... oh. The other caught him looking. Cheng gulped but held the intense gaze. First second a scowl, and then surprise pass Dr Ramsey’s features as if he just realised who was staring at him. He corked his eyebrow, and Cheng flushed and looked away.
“At least that explains the shouting,” Cheng muttered to himself as he eyed his shoes. “I wonder why Dr Banerji would–“
“You’re okay?” Sienna whispered as she touched his arm.
Cheng jumped but muffled the yelp. “Y-yeah. Just, erm, lost in thought?”
“Oh.” She might have followed his glance back at Dr Ramsey. Sienna smiled, and instead, “Are you worried about the competition too?”
Cheng looked to the side of the crowd one final time. It was just in time to notice Dr Ramsey leaving.
“Yeah. Sure.” Cheng shook his head, his glasses slipped so he pushed them up his nose again.
It calmed down from that. They gushed over the competition for some time before hurrying off to their patients.
— - - - -
“Where is it…” Cheng muttered under his breath and went on looking around the nurses' station. It happened to be empty, and Cheng needed his patient file right away so he resorted to searching without the nurses. “Where could it… aha? Oh, no. Ugh.”
His glasses slipped down his nose, and Cheng cursed. With the loose earpiece, those wouldn’t keep in place every time he bent down or looked around the shelves. It wasn’t annoying itself, rather Cheng had no time to look for the missing page. He had no excuse for the delay, Zaid was expecting him by the patient’s side some minutes ago! And it’s not like the whole file went missing, no, the most unnerving part of it all was that it was only the latest page with the tests results. It could have unclipped, or slipped out, or got misplaced for what it was worth!
“Dr Mirani wouldn’t believe I had it clipped, right?” Cheng grumbled but this time in Mandarin. It was the utmost point of his frustration. “Because I did! I did! I had it, I read it and wrote my notes over it, and now it’s just… just gone! Ugh.”
“Dr Lee?”
“Huh?!” Cheng jumped at the voice and knocked his head straight into the table. “Ouch!”
“Sorry– you okay?!” Catherine, a nurse, rushed around the station and squatted by his side. She took his face in her hands and looked over, as Cheng tried to fend her off. Rather weakly, he was seeing stars and not in a good way.
“Have you seen any of Mrs Ronalds pages?” Cheng chocked out.
“Oh, I’ve left the files for you–“
“Yeah, thanks.” Cheng rubbed the back of his head, and Catherine let go with a sigh. "I found the folder. But maybe you’ve seen some loose pages around?”
“Is something missing?” Catherine knit her eyebrows together.
“Ye– no. Never mind.” Cheng scrambled to his feet, then offered Catherine his hand so that she can stand up as well. The last thing he wanted was to get someone else in trouble because of his carelessness. He could have forgotten the page in the waiting room, right? Or it slipped out around the cafeteria…!
Catherine opened her mouth to add something but Cheng cut her off.
“What’s that?” He pointed at the jammed X-ray file in her hand.
“Ah, this? Some of Dr Ramsey’s files, he was testing the machine just this morning–“
Cheng snatched it. “Patient X, huh?”
Catherine shrugged. “Yeah, like I said. The X-ray is pretty old so Dr Ramsey went in to check how’s it working. Guess he needed to call it something. But it does prove his point, the file got all crumpled.” She leaned in closer to Cheng, her eyes darting to see if anyone else could hear, and whispered, “Dr Ramsey must’ve managed to wrestle the other one, I did see him leave with an X-ray. He cursed rather loudly. Might have missed he made two.”
“I’ll take it to him,” Cheng suggested before he had time to think.
“Really?” Catherine beamed and clutched his hand in between hers. “Thank you! But mind it, he was angry. Like, very angry.” She glanced around again. "Furious."
Cheng smiled sheepishly and waved it off. “I kinda… would pass his office anyway? Don’t worry. I think I can handle it.”
Cheng wasn’t sure about it himself but took the files and left before Catherine got a chance to say anything.
“See ya,” he waved some distance away and stepped into the elevator.
- - - -
Cheng sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way to the administrative floor. On second thought, it could have gone way worse with Mrs Ronalds. Dr Mirani wasn’t impressed by Cheng being late, sure, but it saved the day since Cheng could remember the exact diagnosis he wrote. He just no longer had the test results to support it.
“Now, why did I…?” Cheng sighed again and traced off. He glanced at the crumpled X-ray file in his hand, then pushed up his glasses. “To help Catherine, yeah, it’s the only reason. Dr Ramsey’s pretty scary when he’s mad. And scowling.” Cheng looked at his shoes and groaned. “Just what the hell is wrong with me.” He decided he definitely didn’t need an excuse to stop by Dr Ramsey’s office. And he, certainly, didn’t need one to check how was the other doing. Never mind the morning. Forget how lost and tired Dr Ramsey looked.
Cheng breathed in and out sharply and reached out for the door in front of him. His heartbeat drumming in his ears wasn’t helping much. He knocked.
Then again. And once more but louder. “Dr Ramsey?” Cheng tried the handle, yet the office was locked. “Hm. That’s weird.” He glanced at his watch. “He’s usually around here at this time of– wait. How do I remember– why do I even know that?!” Cheng muttered to himself some more and stormed down the corridor.
He was about to check on his patients, the crumpled X-ray still under his arm, when a familiar figure flashed round the corner. Cheng only caught a glimpse, Dr Ramsey hurried off and disappeared into another corridor. Cheng darted after him. He considered calling out but that meant alerting everyone in the waiting room and the hall full of patients. So he decided against it and just dashed forward.
To Cheng’s surprise, Dr Ramsey was rather fast. He never expected the other to nearly run about Edenbrook! A flight of stairs, then a turn, and another– Cheng was panting.
“Wait, isn’t this…?” He stopped and whirled his head around. Surely, Cheng stood by the end where the new wing was starting. It was still under construction: workers, materials, plastic sheeting all around and machines buzzing. “Why is he…?”
“Rookie.” The stern gaze and the usual scowl snapped Cheng out of his thoughts. “Why were you–“
“Oh, Dr Ramsey,” Cheng blurted out, “hey, I–“ in a few steps he reached the man and abruptly stopped right in front of him. Perhaps, a little too late because Cheng ended up close, really close to Dr Ramsey. As in he accidentally chipped his shoe nose against the other.
Cheng jerked his head up, and Dr Ramsey nearly missed it slamming into his chin. But didn’t step back, no, just tilted his head to the side and grasped Cheng’s forearm to steady him. Cheng found his own eyes tracing from those fingers, clasped around his arm, and up to the tense shoulders.
“Sorry,” Cheng muttered. “I–“ The crumpled X-ray slipped from under his arm. “Oh.”
They dived after it together, fingers brushing as both picked the X-ray up.
“There you go.” Dr Ramsey let go first and quickly stood up. He cleared his throat and looked away.
Still standing that close. One of their shoes touching. Cheng shut his eyes and slowly raised up to his feet.
“Erm.”
“Why were you following me?” Dr Ramsey asked sternly.
“…"
“Rookie,” he insisted.
“I–“ Cheng shoved the X-ray back under his arm. It was an impulse, really. “I wanted to see if you are, well, that is how you’re doing?”
Dr Ramsey gave him a look. It wasn’t that scary when you get used to it, just intense and felt like he was trying to see through Cheng and get under his skin. Finally, he asked quietly, “Why?” The sound got almost drowned out by the construction buzz.
Cheng shrugged. “You looked tired.”
Some workers passed around them.
“I am.” And with that, for no apparent reason, Dr Ramsey turned around and strode off.
Cheng blinked. Then again. He watched Dr Ramsey leave but not to the main wing, instead, he went down the corridor still under construction! Cheng glanced down, his eyes lingering on the X-ray, and suddenly remembered.
“Dr Ramsey, wait! You’ve forgotten this!” He shouted and ran after him. They caught up some further distance in – Cheng snatched Dr Ramsey’s hand to stop him. He clutched it, then intertwined their fingers together to be absolutely sure Dr Ramsey wouldn’t just yank it free. “Well, not forgotten, you didn’t notice this jammed up the X-ray so I was looking for you to drop it by.”
Dr Ramsey froze, and Cheng slowly lowered his eyes to see what got the other so worked up. Dr Ramsey didn’t spare the X-ray file a glance, no, his full attention was on their hands, fingers clasped together. Cheng pushed his glasses up.
There was some movement just behind Dr Ramsey’s back. Cheng noted it with the corner of his eye. And gawked.
"Dr Banerji?!”
In a hospital gown. With a walking cane.
Dr Ramsey whirred around as well. “Naveen.”
“Ethan.” Dr Banerji smiled wider, amusement written all over his face. And wider. But most importantly slyer.
Cheng followed to what both doctors were looking at. Dr Ramsey paled, his face fell. Dr Banerji smirked. Cheng glanced from their clasped hands to Dr Banerji, to Dr Ramsey and their hands again. And yet when Cheng shifted his hand a little, Dr Ramsey gripped it firmed.
Cheng looked back at Dr Banerji and over his outfit. It dawned on him that they were, in fact, in the new Edenbrook wing, still under construction, and there was a clearly hospitalised Dr Banerji who retired without a word but that morning. Actually, Dr Banerji didn’t make an appearance at all, and Cheng didn’t see him around last week. It all fitted together nicely, but Cheng couldn’t tie it tougher just yet.
Oh. And Dr Banerji certainly did see him holding Dr Ramsey’s hand. While being admitted to the closed for construction hospital wing? Cheng’s thought darted back and forth and he couldn’t choose which one alarmed him more.
Dr Ramsey stared at Dr Banerji smirking at the fact they were holding hands. While still grasping onto Cheng’s hand as if he couldn’t let go of it.
So Cheng reacted to both – he snapped his head up, stared at Dr Banerji and cried out, “Wait, wha-a-at?!"
- - -
My Open Heart Ethan Ramsey x m!MC series:
When Push Comes To Shove (p. 1 & p. 2)
He Wasn’t Meant to Hear
Confess (+ the crew at Donahue’s)
Likeable (+Dolores)
Thinking Straight (+Dolores)
The Right Kind of Therapy
this one goes here
And Now You Don’t (+Jenner)
Somebody’s Crush. Ethan x m!MC
My Open Heart Ethan Ramsey x m!MC series:
When Push Comes To Shove (p. 1 & p. 2)
He Wasn’t Meant to Hear
Confess (+ the crew at Donahue’s)
Likeable (+Dolores)
Thinking Straight (+Dolores)
The Right Kind of Therapy
Now You See Me (+Dr Banerji)
And Now You Don’t (+Jenner)
this one goes here
Summary: MC, Elijah and Landry have a chat. Ethan might walk on that chat in the most ambiguous moment.
m!MC : Dr Cheng Lee
“Ugh,” Cheng grunted and looked around the nurses' station one final time. He was crawling behind the counter, looking under some drawers. “Not here either... I’m sure I left them here, must have fallen behind something else...” he kept muttering to himself, and didn’t hear others approach.
“Hi, Cheng.”
“Hi.”
“A? Ouch!” Cheng jerked up at the voices and slammed his head into the counter. Rubbing the spot, he glared up. Elijah’s smile faltered while Landry just looked away and fidgeted. “Uh... sorry, rough morning.”
“Oh.” Elijah took some files from the pile on the corner. “What happened?”
“Where do I even start,” muttered Cheng and pulled himself up to his feet. “Stuff missing,” he winced since it’s been like that for a few weeks now, “I’ve got the most annoying racist patient?”
Cheng turned to Elijah since Landry was to busy sorting the test results for his patient. Cheng would glance his way though, the unknown patient’s files looked a mess to him.
“You know, it’s a really long time somebody made fun of my complexion?” Cheng sighed. “To makes matters worse, it was Dr Ramsey who specifically requested that one ended up with me. Can you believe it?!”
“Tough,” agreed Elijah and patted his arm.
“Uh-huh,” Landry let out any sound at all only after the other two looked at his back for too long.
“Maybe he’s trying to teach me a lesson. Like, we cure every jerk no matter how much of a jerk?” Cheng shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck.
Elijah smirked. “You really don’t hate him anymore, huh?”
“Wha–“ Cheng fell silent, he had no idea else to say.
“Well,” Elijah grinned even wider, a sly sort of triumph tugging on the corners of his lips. “You’d have never said something even close before.” And he lightly nudged Cheng.
“Come on...!” Cheng exclaimed... and looked away.
He might not be ready to admit it, but Elijah’s words did make him think. Rethink stuff rather. What were Dr Ramsey and him, really? Accomplices? Partners– hell, not that kind of partners, more like partners in crime. Surely, for secretly admitting a man to the hospital wing under construction.
“I don’t hate him, I said that before,” Cheng mumbled and didn’t add the rest. Friends? He from sevens years before would definitely strangle him from the present with his bare arms for that thought. Why would he even want to be friends with Dr Ramsey? Or more.
Damn. Cheng blamed everything on that day he woke up on Dr Ramsey’s lap. His strong arms gently wrapped around his form, his firm chest and the steady heartbeat right under his ear– fuck.
Cheng shook his head to get rid of the image once and for all. He was lucky Dr Ramsey was fast asleep, and that he could slip away from that grip without the other noticing. Otherwise, it would have been the most embarrassing morning for them both. Surely, they just somehow ended up like that: both too tired, both had too much wine... Shit happened to all.
“You’re blushing.”
“Huh?” Cheng jerked his head to his left, and Elijah grinned.
“You’re blushing,” Elijah repeated, this time drawing out every syllable. “Spill.”
“I am not!”
“Yes, you are!”
“I am not!”
———-
Ethan stopped in his tracks when he heard the familiar intern’s voice. It rang across the hall, all the way from the nurses' station but Ethan was absolutely sure who it belongs to.
“Rookie,” he whispered silently.
The infamous Dr Cheng Lee who just happened to haunt his every dream now. And loiter around half of the day, not to mention their evenings together– those were for Naveen– Naveen, actually, was not helping the matter either. Some days Ethan really felt like strangling him for all the half-suggestive comments and the looks he gave them.
At least rookie has somehow managed to miss all of those. Which was surprising, by all degrees Naveen was nowhere near subtle, but Ethan never was happier he miscalculated somebody’s perceptiveness. Even if he priced himself on being good at reading characters, well, he made a mistake with Cheng before, didn’t he?
Ethan sighed and leaned against the wall. Perhaps, it would be better if Cheng still hated him after all. Easier anyway.
“I am not!” The very same intern kept insisting.
Ethan peaked around the corner. They might be talking loudly and all, but he would never admit why he was listening to the conversation in the first place.
There were Dr Greene, Cheng and that other intern, what was his name again? Dr Olson, yes, the one that was so utterly terrified of him, that would either stutter or run off whenever he saw Ethan. Ethan didn’t care much to question what has inspired such a fear. He was intimidating, sure, but never when uncalled for. Dr Olson erred too much.
“Oow, somebody’s got a little crush on Dr Ramsey?” taunted Dr Greene.
Ethan froze. And stared. He wouldn’t dare blink, all sort of thoughts whirling in his head: there was a fear, horror even, a hint of embarrassment and... hope? Did he even– that would be a scandal. Unethical. Forbidden.
And then he heard it.
“So he does,” agreed Cheng.
Ethan felt his stomach churn only because he would never admit that his heart could fall. Or stop.
And Cheng had no idea, he just chuckled. Maybe, a bit too strained, maybe his smile felt too forced, or maybe Ethan was imagining it all to make himself feel better.
“Landry?” Cheng called out. “Oh, please, we’re sorry!”
But the other intern has already stormed off. Dr Greene said something more, but this time not loud enough for Ethan to hear. They were not talking about Cheng, it was sinking in too slowly for his liking. Ethan watched Dr Greene and rookie, definitely not his rookie, pick up their files and scatter.
They were talking about Dr bloody whatever his first name was Olsen. Ethan shoved his hands into his coat’s pockets, turned around and strode off into a completely different direction.
But why, oh why, wasn’t he relieved to hear that at all?
—————
Next part: Don’t Wake Me Up aka Miami
Likeable. Ethan x m!MC
+Dolores
Summary: MC happens to be there when Dolores has the seizure, thus, calling help in time to save both her and the baby. If they make it till morning, but Ethan and MC would see to that...
m!MC: Dr Cheng Lee
“So…” Cheng traced off and glanced at Dr Ramsey by the window.
The other wouldn’t move for the past few minutes, his back towards Cheng and palms pressed to the windowsill. Dr Ramsey was supposed to be simply looking outside, yet Cheng doubted that. His shoulders tense and hunched up, the overall body rigid, and the situation they found themselves in…
Cheng cleared his throat, “You’ve known her for… what?”
Dr Ramsey sighed and, bitterly, shook his head.“Seven years, yes.”
“Oh.” Cheng didn’t know what else to say. He fiddled his fingers, then leaned back into the sofa but nothing seemed to ease the tension. He could almost hear the air crack. Fear. Anxiety. Cheng turned to the other side and reached out. And hope.
The gentle woosh of the ventilator was soothing. Cheng bit his lip.
“Rookie?”
Cheng didn’t look up, he was looking only at the tiny baby cradled in the incubator. So when the sofa sagged next to him–
“Thank you,” Dr Ramsey whispered, and Cheng jerked his head to his left. To find the doctor sitting by his side.
“I didn’t do anything.” Cheng looked away and back at the baby. He felt a lump form in his throat.
“If you weren’t there… well, let us not talk about it, should we?”
Cheng glanced at Dr Ramsey with the corner of his eye. He was… different. Odd, to put it lightly. Still, Cheng couldn’t find the words to describe what was so unnerving about the other doctor sitting next to him. In the intensive care room. At night, both of their shifts finished long ago.
“Why were you there, by the way?”
Ah. A shadow of the usual scowl tugging at the corner of his lips, and Cheng felt a little better. Something about Dr Ramsey remained constant after all.
“Dolores seemed like a nice person to talk to,” Cheng shrugged. He tried to pull it off as casual as possible, and yet his voice betrayed him. “A-and I had nothing else to do so I stayed behind. Didn’t plan it to be more than half an hour, then Sienna’s shift would be over, and we’d head back to the apartment.”
“Dr Trinh, huh?”
Cheng didn’t even hear it, lost in his thoughts and eyes on the tiny baby. “We were talking, and then Dolores started coughing. And the seizure, I called the blue code the second I recognised the symptoms… They can both make it, right?”
“If they make it through the night, yes.” But Dr Ramsey shifted uncomfortably and leaned further away, his arm now resting on the arm of the sofa. “She’s a fighter, and so would her baby be.”
Cheng smiled and rubbed his forehead. He muffled a chuckle just as it was about to slip his lips and masked that with an awkward cough. “Dolores wanted to name him after you, you know?” Cheng blurted and still wouldn’t look to his left. “She was telling me, among other stuff about you– never mind.” He pointed at the name tag instead. “She made sure I would tell the nurses that if she– well. It was the last thing she said to me as they rolled her out to the OR.”
The baby stretched, his tiny hands opening and closing. The quiet woosh of the ventilator filled the room. Finally, Cheng glanced left. He heard Dr Ramsey swallow, then the other stood up and walked to the incubator. His finger traced the nametag: Ethan T. Hudson.
“Careful–“ Cheng reached out before he could think. It was too late, he realised what exactly he’s done when his fingers tightened around Dr Ramsey’s arm. Steading the other, surely, but the way both shuddered through the touch– “You– you look very pale, Dr Ramsey,” he managed to say and shifted to the other side of the sofa, then tugged Dr Ramsey to sit back down. Only now the other sat closer to the baby, and Cheng nearly hurled himself to the other side to make more space in between them.
What he’s completely forgotten about was how tight his fingers were on Dr Ramsey’s forearm. Or that they were still there in the first place.
“Erm, Dr Lee?”
That did the trick.
“Uh, sorry I–“
Cheng expected everything but for Dr Ramsey to clasp his hand midair and yank it back towards him. So Cheng tumbled to the side as well. Halfway across Dr Ramsey’s lap.
“Sorry–“
“Huh?”
“Erm–“
Awkward didn’t describe the scene as Cheng jerked to sit up. Dr Ramsey hurriedly let go of his hand, then either tried helping Cheng up or else– Their hands brushed. Cheng yelped and thrust his head up, and the back of his head slammed into Dr Ramsey chin. Several times.
“Sorry, I–“
“Rookie–“ it sounded closer to a growl.
They both froze as the pinging shifted. One beat. The second. Third– and the soothing woosh returned. Cheng sighed loudly, and he was almost sure he heard Dr Ramsey mutter something under his breath in relief.
“I’ll… go check on Dolores?” Cheng wobbled up to his feet and stumbled towards the door before Dr Ramsey could say anything. “I mean, it doesn’t make much sense that we are both in one place, when two people we care about are fighting for their lives, right?” And with that Cheng ran off.
It felt weird. He clasped and unclasped his hand several times as he walked through the dark corridors. Edenbrook was quiet. Peaceful. But Cheng just couldn’t wrap his mind around why putting care and Dr Ramsey in one sentence unnerved him so.
“I’m not blaming it on you only because you’re unwell,” Cheng whispered and sneaked inside Dolores’s ward. “You made him look so… human?” He sat down next to her bed and watched the machines ping. It wasn’t the word Cheng was looking for, yet the one that came to his mind first was too much to stomach.
Likeable.
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p.s. stay tuned ;) I have one more Dolores-related piece brewing. Highly likely for tomorrow. Highly likely includes an even more confused MC and awkward Ethan.
UPDATE: HERE IT IS
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p.p.s. write me who wants in or out the taglist, huns 😘
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Taglist: @flower-child-54 @msjpuddleduck @warning-fangirlapproaching @x-kyne-x @lilyofchoices @rookie-ramsey @lapisreviewsstuff @perriewinklenerdie @fuckingelfstolemyliver @lauren-choices @givemeoneethan @potbam @trashyandco @commander-rahrah @furiouscloddonutpeanut @journeesblog @snivellusim @archieandrewsbf @huckitcrab @edgiestwinter @pixieinboots @untealyoutellmewhy @tallulahshh @drstrange46ers
He Wasn’t Meant to Hear
📍Dr Ethan Ramsey x m!MC fic. feat Sienna Trinh
📍Part of series. Check out my masterlist
📍MC is Dr Cheng Lee
“I’ve decided to look on the brighter side,” pointed out Cheng as he leaned at the side of nurses’ station. He glanced behind the counter but both nurses seemed to be busy looking for the files for him and Sienna. So Cheng leaned in and whispered, “I mean, he also did say he believes in me. Which was like, wo-ow out of the blue but turns out you can never know what that the man is thinking, huh?”
Sienna just smiled. She might have considered saying something yet only tilted her head a little, her smile growing even warmer.
“That was huge!” Cheng drummed his fingers on the counter. “First half of everything I believed in the past seven years to crash down on me, I was helpless, there was nothing I could do to– well, you already know.” He winced then quickly shook his head and went on, “It hurts, I won’t lie. What happened to Mr Collins, what is to happen rather–
“There you go,” Cheng yelped at the soft voice by his side, “Dr Lee, Dr Trinh.” Danny handed them the files.
“Oh, thank you– I spaced out, sorry.” Cheng smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, as the two nurses hid their smiles, and Sienna chuckled. “Thank you. See you later.”
With that Cheng started walking down the corridor, and soon Sienna followed.
“Then the other half of everything I believed in came down on my head too,” whispered Cheng and sighed. “I thought Dr Rasmey was the bad guy, I basically got so far to prove him wrong and, damn… He still remembers Cassie, he didn’t let her die, oh, and he still remembers me too. Although he didn’t know it was me until last week.”
Cheng shoved the files under his arm and stuffed his hands into his coat’s pockets. “So you know what I have decided?” He grinned and suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Sienna looked back, she was now a few steps ahead of Cheng and stopped walking too.
“I’ve decided I still have a reason to be here. I’d be the best doctor I could ever be so that Cassie would have been proud of me. Plus, I still don’t very much like Dr Ramsey treating patient’s like test material, even for the greater good. I’m bringing a change into that attitude of his.” Cheng gestured, which made the files slip, and he darted to catch them. “And, yeah, I remember you said I need to quit my emotionally unhealthy pattern where I keep pushing myself too hard to prove somebody else wrong because I really hate their guts but… old habits die hard?”
Sienna nudged him.
“Hey!”
She smiled and stepped closer to Cheng’s side. She was a head shorter so placed her hands against Cheng’s shoulder and rose on her tiptoes to reach his ear.
“You don’t sound like you still hate him now.”
Cheng groaned. There were back to that topic. Again!
“You don’t go from hating somebody’s guts to liking then over a week!” he shouted in a carefully hushed whisper.
Sienna just laughed and nudged him again.
“Alright!” Cheng whirled his head around but they were alone in the corridor. “I don’t appreciate his attitude or methods, yet can’t deny he’s smart and, huh, apparently, clearly knows what’s he is doing.” He strode off with Sienna following on his heels. “So I might be rethinking my he-the-worst-doc-ever but not to the Landry’s fanatics?” Cheng looked away to hide his face. Or not to see Sienna’s grin. “Don’t tell the others.”
“Your secret’s safe with me,” she whispered back.
“Thanks.” Cheng paused and glanced her way. Something in Sienna’s smile was clearly unnerving him, but Cheng couldn’t place it. “I am also to continue my research so my improvised lab stays in the living room.”
“Oh, I think it really nice–“
“Jackie hates it,” noticed Cheng.
Sienna’s smile faltered for a moment. “Jackie hates it,” she did admit, a mischievous smile touching the corner of her lips. “Do you hate him?”
Cheng stopped just as he was about to call the elevator. “Who?”
“Dr Ramsey,” persisted Sienna and pushed the button herself.
Cheng grimaced and gave her an odd look. Or was that supposed to be a glare? Cheng felt too confused to know. “Where did that even come from?” He sighed and watched the numbers change on the screen. “I kinda… don’t hate him now? Ugh. I don’t like him but I don’t hate him anymore. Not by choice, it was more of I can’t hate somebody who believes in me more than I do? Something. ”
“Ooow, I believe in you too,” Sienna cooed and hugged him.
Cheng grinned and leaned into the embrace. Those always felt so warm, so comfy. As if he was back home with his gran and had nothing to care about.
“We got your back,” said Sienna and lightly patted his arm.
“I don’t mind getting used to it,” Cheng mumbled into her shoulder. “Your hugs are the best.” Then came a ping! and the elevator doors finally slid open.
The two doctors stepped in and went on with their shifts. What, or rather who they didn’t notice was…
Dr Ethan Ramsey was on his way from his office. Some patient files in his hands, as Ethan was leafing through them, he was not exactly looking where he was going.
“Dr Ramsey.”
The usual scowl tugged on the corner of his lips. There went the tolerably good mood after the cup of coffee he just had.
Ethan glanced up – to notice that nobody was calling out for him. Now, he almost relaxed again when he saw them. Or better to say, first, heard him. Rookie.
“Where did that even come from?” grumbled the intern.
Ethan stopped. His eyes easily found the two interns waiting by the elevators. From where he stood by the corridor turn, they probably wouldn’t notice him unless they turned around. Ethan, however, could see both quite well, his gaze lingering on the taller figure just a little longer than he would care to admit.
Were they talking about him? It seemed that way.
“I kinda… don’t hate him now?” muttered Dr Lee. “Ugh, I don’t like him… ” his voice grew too quiet for Ethan to hear.
Ethan might have craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the intern's expression, and yet all he could see was the back of the said intern’s head. Dr Lee was telling the other intern something more. Dr Sienna Trinh was her name as Ethan remembered. Before, he didn’t realise those two were that close.
“Ooow, I believe in you too,” cooed Dr Trinh.
“Of course, you should,” thought Ethan, and his fingers tightened on the files he held just a little bit. “He’s brilliant. Wait–”
Dr Trinh giggled, threw her arms up and pulled rookie into a hug. And rookie smiled, grinned so happily and leaned into that embrace.
Then came a ping! and the elevator doors slid open, the two interns leaving the next moment.
Ethan didn’t move for some time.
“Ugh, I don’t like him… ”
It was for the better. Was it? They are an intern and an attendant, it’s more normal to dislike one’s boss, right?
Ethan shook his head and stepped out in the corridor. He had work to do, patients waiting for him.
“Why am I even remembering what rookie has said about me?” His lips tightened into a thin line at the thought.
Ethan grabbed the files slipping from under his arm and strode towards the elevators. Several steps away, he suddenly winced and stormed off to the left. For a reason he couldn’t explain, he took the stairs instead.
“Dr Lee, wasn’t it? Shouldn’t it be Dr Lee? As if it could slip Naveen’s attention that I only have a nickname for one of the interns. There is no purpose behind it. It stuck the first day I saw him, that’s all…”
And Ethan decided he definitely was not wondering just how close was Dr Lee with Dr Trinh.
“…don't hate him now?” Yet why did that sound so comforting?
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to these series belong:
• When Push Comes to Shove
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