ᴊᴀᴄᴋ ᴀʙʙᴏᴛ — ᴍʏ ᴏʟᴅ ᴍᴀɴ
Summary: You’re always teasing Jack about being older, but when the hospital faces a potential cyber attack and you’re the one who don't know how to use a fax machine, the tables turn.
There was a significant age gap between you and Jack, but it wasn't something either of you lost sleep over. Honestly, neither of you cared what anyone else had to say; all that mattered was that you were happy.
That said, it’s also true that you loved giving Jack a hard time about his age. Whether it was when his back ached (even if you always ended up giving him a massage), when he didn't quite grasp something on the internet, or the fine lines that crinkled around his eyes… nothing was off-limits.
To be fair, even though he’d play along and act annoyed, Jack actually found it hilarious when you poked fun at him. Especially when he’d fire back that no one your age had the "experience" required to treat you the way you truly deserved, a line that never failed to make you blush and leave you completely speechless.
But Jack had never really found the perfect moment to get you back for the age gap. Until today.
The entire hospital system had been shut down due to a cyber-attack threat, and an old-school fax machine had been hauled out to send paperwork to the upper floors.
Jack looked way too pleased when he saw the machine, and he certainly didn't miss the chance to smirk when he caught your bewildered expression.
"Something wrong, gorgeous?" he asked with a little grin, leaning in to whisper in your ear.
"Nothing’s wrong..."
"Then why are you looking at that machine like it personally offended you?" he chuckled, laughing quietly when you rolled your eyes and reached for a patient file. "Let me know if you need a hand. You know, since people my age know these machines better than you youngsters who’ve probably never even seen one before."
With that, Jack planted a kiss on your cheek and walked away with a victorious smile. He knew damn well that at some point today, you’d end up asking for his help… though he also knew you’d try every possible way to avoid proving him right first.
You really hoped Jack would leave soon. He was supposed to get some sleep before his night shift, but for some reason, he’d stuck around, helping out wherever he could.
An hour had passed since chaos erupted in the ER, and to your ultimate misfortune, you needed to send some files to Cardiology upstairs. Which meant using the fax machine.
"Do you know how to use that thing?" Whitaker asked, walking up to where you stood in front of the machine.
"No... do you?"
"Nope. Maybe someone here can help us?" he said, looking around. Everyone was slammed with their own tasks, until his eyes landed on Jack, who was outside one of the rooms talking to a nurse. "Can't you just ask Dr. Abbot?"
"Absolutely not" you snapped, scanning the room for literally anyone else.
If you asked Jack how to use that machine, he’d never let you live it down.
"Dana! Can you…" you tried to flag her down as she hurried past, but she cut you off.
"Sorry, honey, I'm swamped. Find someone else," she said, dropping one file and grabbing another at the nurses' station before vanishing.
"You've got to be kidding me..." you muttered, rubbing your face with both hands. Finally, you grabbed the papers and started trudging toward Jack.
He caught sight of you out of the corner of his eye, a small smile playing on his lips, but he waited for you to come to him.
"Dr. Abbot, do you have a second?" you asked as you reached him.
"Of course," he replied. The nurse said her goodbyes and headed off. "Is something up?"
"I need to send these," you said, holding the papers out to him.
"Oookay... then go ahead," he answered, his grin widening as he looked at the papers and then back at you.
"I can't."
"And why is that?"
"Because I don't know how..." you muttered under your breath, sounding thoroughly annoyed.
"You really don't know? I thought you 'tech-savvy' youths knew everything about technology," he teased, clearly savoring your misery.
"Jack, are you going to help me or not?" you complained, giving him an irritated look.
"It sounds like we might need to brush up on your manners, too, young lady," he shot back. You rolled your eyes, which only made him laugh as he took the papers from your hands. "Alright, alright... come on."
Jack led you to the fax machine where Whitaker was still trying to crack the code. In no time, Abbot had sent both your papers and the other doctor’s.
"See? Not that hard, was it?" he said with a smirk, turning back to you as Whitaker walked away.
"I seriously hate you."
"No 'thank you' for the help?"
"What, are you expecting a kiss?"
"Hmm... wouldn't be a bad start," Jack said, making you roll your eyes again. "Well, now that I’ve seen what I came to see, I’m headed out."
"Wait, are you serious?! Were you literally just waiting for me to ask for help with that stupid thing?" you asked, genuinely offended.
"I couldn't pass up such a beautiful opportunity. See you later," he said with a wink. He rested a hand on your hip to pull you close and kiss your cheek before breezing past you with a triumphant grin.
He definitely wasn't going to let you forget this moment for a loooong time.
