You are asking for prompt?
I love a protective Mel standing up for Langdon to either Robby or someone undermining him at the hospital please?
Okay. This was SO MUCH FUN!
Warning to Robby likers - he doesn't come off well.
And Whitaker is a little... kiss arsy.
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‘You’re nothing more than a fucking addict Langdon – don’t you ever forget that.’
It took a moment for Mel to recognise the owner of the voice. So filled with hate and pain. Robby. Barely an inch away from Dr Langdon. Dark eyes on fire with the depths of his rage. No one in the Pitt moved. Barely a breath taken as everyone stared at the two men. Dr Langdon didn’t react, at least not overtly. His jaw tensed and his bright blue eyes shimmered sadly. The snap of the band around his wrist caused Mel to flinch. Feeling the sympathy sensation in her own wrist.
She didn’t know Dr Langdon all that well. At this point in time she had only known him for maybe 14 hours? But she recognised that the voice he responded with wasn’t his. ‘Noted. I’ll get out of your way Doctor Robinavitch. If you want my letter of resignation please let me know.’
It was admirable how Dr Langdon managed to walk away from the interaction with his head held high. Mel knew that she’d have started humming as she bolted. Like she had with Robby and Dr. Al earlier. Doctor Al was glaring at Robby. ‘Yes, you really don’t have a lot of space for empathy here. Pity.’ It wasn’t often someone rebuked Robby. Mel frowned thinking about it. She didn’t think anyone really called him out. Abbot would gently chide him. Dana would make jokes or what Mel thought were sarcastic asides. But nothing quite so direct. ‘I’m going to check on him. Make sure he knows at least one of his attending’s can act in a professional and understanding manner. With a scrap of humanity.’
Robby glared at the unflinching Dr Al. ‘Back to work everyone!’ He snapped loudly. The words ripping through the room like a bomb. Santos trying to hide her upset reaction, avoiding everyone’s eyes. Hiding behind her screen. As though she was catching up on her charting. But her fingers were too still. Dr Al followed Dr Langdons path, Cassie close behind.
Mel didn’t move. Feet frozen, facing Robby.
Robby, turned to Mel. Apparently the only one unmoved by his command. ‘Yes Mel?’ His voice overly calm and polite.
Be careful.
Mel knew her limitations. Sarcasm and some types of humour and mood floating right over her head. But Robby who’s eyes were still sparking angrily screaming of a bull waiting for the red flag. Sense dictated she run. But something else told her to stand her ground. Something awful had just occurred. Public shaming. A type that was designed to do nothing but punish and humiliate someone. Someone Mel happened to like. The only person in this room, Robby included, who seemed to actually like her. Understand her.
‘That was fucked up.’ Robby’s eyes narrowed, but his shoulders loosened a little. ‘Just for clarity: I meant you Robby.’ Mel felt the weirdest sensation. A feeling of power. Right now as she faced her senior attending, standing tall. She held the room. But not phased by knowing all eyes were on her. Unlike before, her hands were steady. Her emotions fully in control. ‘Dr Al is right. Incredibly unprofessional.’ She’d gotten through her deposition. Apparently the adrenaline crash out taking her sense of career preservation with it. There was a risk of her loosing her medical licence hovering over her head.
In for a penny...
‘In fact it makes me question if I should be learning from you. This wasn’t the residency programme I signed up for.’
Robby leaned down in that way he often did. Crouching, really. And he only did it to the women. There weren’t many men who stood at his height. Doctor Langdon was the only match to it. Mel lifted her chin. Resisting the urge to grind her teeth. It pissed her off when he did it.
‘Mel you have no idea what you are talking about.’ Robby really was hovering on the knifes edge. Of his sanity. Of his unrecognised biases.
‘Really? You just outed Dr Langdon to the entire department. What exactly did I miss?’
That seemed to stump him. Eyebrows twisting and contorting. Struck dumb by her reply. Whitaker who was hovering behind Robby actually shot her a look. Mel glared at him. She had no use or interest in Robby’s lackey right now. Though knowing what she knew now about what had happened. And ten months working with Dr Robby...
He’d taken Dr Langdon’s struggles as a personal assault. As though perceived failings were a fuck you directed at him. But yes he was perfectly fine. And in response to this “betrayal” Robby had tried to replace Dr Langdon with Whitaker.
Replacing a full grown guard dog with a puppy.
Whitaker wasn’t ready for the expectations or responsibilities that came with being a senior resident. He didn’t have the experience of knowledge. Everyone had turned a blind eye to Robby’s blatant favouritism. Dr Mohan should have been given the space by all rights. But those biases.
‘Besides you can hardly judge. Everyone knows this motorcycle trip of yours is just masking running away from your problems. Dr Langdon has had the courage to face his. And come back to face you.’ Mel caught Whitaker’s eye with a disappointed shake of the head. Followed by a more sympathetic shot to Santos. ‘All of you. That tells me more about him than I have learned about anyone here over the past ten months.’
Or what you’ve bothered to learn about me.
If she was going to go out. Wasn’t it good she was going down swinging?
‘We make a solemn oath to do no harm. Tell me Robby? How much harm did you just inflict?’
Not just on Doctor Langdon. But Cassie, who never once hid her own struggles with addiction. Not to mention any number of patients who had their own issues of addiction. Louie just a few rooms down. Her bulimic patient. Santos and all her deep layers of trauma.
Robby had just displayed a cruel willingness to not only use people’s struggles against them but do it to the masses.
He didn’t have an answer. Mel pursed her lips at the now mute man. ‘Hm. Thought so.’
She marched out of the Pitt without another word. Following the same path as Doctor’s Langdon, Al and McKay. It didn’t take long to find them. Out by the lockers. Dr Langdon on the verge of a panic attack by the looks of things. Crouching down on the ground, flinging what few items were in there into a tatty back pack.
‘Langdon- don’t let Robby beat you down.’ Cassie was crouching down next to him. Her voice soft as though trying to settle a wounded animal.
‘There’s no point Cassie. Look at what he just did. Do I have any hope of building back any sort of respect here???’
‘You have ours.’ Those arresting blue eyes snapped up at Mel. Dr Al was further back, subtly blocking the exit door with her body. Not stopping anyone so much as making it harder to leave. Mel had always like Dr Al. She never made Mel feel weird or bad about her additional needs. In fact, was encouraging of her for exactly those attributes. Like Dr Langdon had 10 months ago. Both Doctors said they needed people like her. Her smile was soft and knowing. Nodding just enough to bolster Mel.
Doctor Langdon took a shaky breath, bag falling to the ground. Cassie not one to miss a chance scrambled to gather it up and shove it back in his locker. ‘Did Robby give a guy with a back injury a bottom locker? He’s two for two on being a dick today?’ She slammed the locker with an irritated flourish. Mel flinched. Cassie winced and mouthed a silent sorry from behind Doctor Langdon. Who was still staring up at her with the most inexplicable expression on his face.
‘I’ll get that fixed Doctor Langdon. By tomorrow at the latest.’ Dr Al jerked her head at Cassie. Some sort of silent communication passing between both women. Mel tilted her head. There was something significant in it that she couldn’t quite pick up. ‘Best we get back out on the floor Doctor McKay.’
Cassie squeezed Dr Langdon’s shoulder. In fact pulling a little. Trying to get him to straighten up. His crouching couldn’t be good for a chronic back injury after all. ‘Mel’s right. And there’s more of us on your side than you think. One day at a time remember?’ Cassie winked at Mel. Respect. Mel felt respected. Maybe even a little understood.
Mel suddenly felt at a loss for words as she was left alone with Doctor Langdon. Who was taking far too long to blink again. She had forgotten about that too. The continual but not demanding stare that Mel found reassuring. ‘You should stand up straight Dr Langdon.’ She was tempted to reach out for him again.
Like she had that morning. Echoes of the warmth of his skin flickered over her hands for a moment.
He did straighten up. But his movements looked jerky and uncontrolled. As though he couldn’t quite process the signals from his brain properly. ‘I just hoped that somehow he’d...’ Langdon rested back against the wall. His voice choked up with emotion. A few tears slipped down his cheeks. Left unchecked. ‘Somehow not be Robby about it.’ Mel leaned against the wall next to him.
Felt familiar but the mirror version of familiarity.
‘He was out of line.’
‘Mel. He has his reasons for being angry at me. Good fair reasons.’ Mel raised her eyebrows. There was a lot he wasn’t saying. He was filling in the edges of the jigsaw puzzle but not filling in the centre quite so much. She’d put two and two together. Knowing the impacts of the opioid and reckless pain management in America. And his position as a Doctor. His admission he’d tried to treat himself.
Mel knew how the pieces fit together in the end. The equation of the events of Pittfest. Robby’s attitude. Santos. The rumour mill Mel refused to play into. She’d seen addiction. She understood what it took to stay sober. At least intellectually. Hurdles that only he could overcome himself.
Doctor Langdon huffed out a breath of air. A little like a laugh. ‘I didn’t forget how good you were.’ She tried to clamp down the glow of the praise. That he bothered to remember her. Especially after knowing the truth of his sabbatical. Mel had made an impact. ‘Rather different being on this side of it. But you’re right... I diverted meds. I stole. I violated my oath as a doctor and I’m a fucking criminal Mel. Robby covered my useless ass.’
‘Your ass is not useless!’ She protested. Her stomach dropped in horror as the other implication of her words settled over her. He was a senior resident and she accidentally commented on his-
His snort echoed in the room. His left hand clamping over his mouth. ‘Sorry! I’m not laughing at you I swear but you just look so horrified! Sorry sorry!’ He tried to stifle the laughter but soon they were both laughing. Crying with laughter against the wall.
Mel swiped at the tears coming from her eyes.
It was nice.
Having a friend.
Being a friend.