Dennis wakes up to an empty apartment. It's quiet, calm even. The sunrise peaks through floating curtains. He knows what today is, knows that he will feel off all day. That sickly dropping sensation deep in your stomach you experience after being on too many roller coasters. Can't get away from it and can't be fixed quickly with some paracetamol and water.
Trin had gone to her mom's last night to celebrate. She didn't want to go after a long shift tonight.
Dennis gets ready methodological, he tidys quickly. He has half a breakfast sandwich, himself and trin meal prepped for the week, wrapping the rest to save for lunchtime. Drinks a quick coffee, not really feeling how it burns to finish.
As he is walking up to the hospital, he notices a small collection of daisy's in a crack on the pavement.
His heart clenches. He stops mid step, making him stumble a little.
Before he has fully realised, he is picking them. Fingertips gently brushing over the center.
Glancing in front of him, he sees some bushes with a whole flourish of daisy's at the bottom.
Automatically, he has sat on the brick wall just next to the bushes and is reaching down to pick the daisy's and starts making an intricate chain with them.
He hasn't made a daisy chain in almost twenty years. And hasn't picked them to give to someone in over seven years.
His thoughts drift to broken bow without his control.
Mothers Day wasn't celebrated in full in the Whitaker house. Yes, his mother got tea bought to her in bed, and her boys were all extra good and nice to her that day. Sometimes dennis' father would go out and buy her a necklace or bracelet from the boys.
Once dennis realised this was a day for her, he would go onto their farm and pick all the daisy's that grew along the fences and make her a chain, a crown if you will.
It was cute and touching when he was young. He would get better at the chain as the years went on, but it was when he was seven he made his last one.
His father had looked at the chain and took it from his hands, sternly telling him he shouldn't be doing things like that, that it's frowned upon as a boy.
His father told him this infront of his brothers, who looked on with understanding.
But dennis didn't understand. His mother loved when dennis took his time to choose the prettiest daisy's and took the time to make the chain sit on her head perfectly.
But his father said no more.
The following year, dennis could feel his father watching him, making sure he wasn't getting up to any 'poncey flower business'.
When he did sneak away, he picked some daisy's. There were only a few hiding in his pocket, but he took them up stairs and placed them on his moms vanity.
Later that evening, his mom gave him an extra kiss on the forehead with a quiet 'thank you' on her breath.
Every year following, he would sneakily give his mom some daisy's on her vanity.
Even when he got to his teens and young adult years when things within the family and dennis had started to get complicated; opinions had, feelings hurt.
He still gave her the daisy's on Mother's Day.
The last time he did was just before leaving nebraska for college.
He has the chain made next to him and four daisy's in his pen pocket when trinity sees him.
"Dennis maria is that what I think it is?" Pointing to the chain, "oh, you absolute huckleberry!"
But she's smiling, something soft in her eyes, knowing how today affects him.
With no words and a small smile of his own, dennis is up and placing two of the daisy's from his pocket behind each ear of trin.
Her eyes are wide, and she pulls back a little, but doesn't stop him. Doesn't go to take them out, either.
He nods and starts to head in when
"Hold on huckle" she's placing her hand on his chest to stop his motion. She took one of the daisy's from his pocket and tucking behind his own ear.
"Come on then" trin says while linking arms with dennis and walking them in.
They pass the waiting room, already full so early in the morning. Buzzing in and walking into the ed.
People see the daisy's in their hair, but trinity is adamantly not looking anyone in the eyes, whereas dennis is almost sheepish. When they pass the nurses desk, with dana leaning on the counter, dennis pauses.
Trin and himself are doing their eye contact conversation. It lasts about ten seconds before she nods and heads into the locker room.
"You doin alright hun?" dana is asking, as dennis hovers. He places the daisy chain on the counter between the two of them.
"I know it sucks you have to be here today, like you have super mom mother's day plans later, that I'm sure you wanted the whole day off for.
Anyway- when I was younger, I used to make a daisy chain for my own mother, and I made one by accident?" He is talking a little too fast, a little too overshearing
"And obviously, we here at the pitt appreciate you so much, I thought you should have it.
You can just throw it if you want, or give it to your kid or just er yeah..."
Dana's looking at the chain in thought.
Dennis so badly wants to keep mumbling or just pick the chain up and throw across the ed. But he knows how dana thinks, she takes time, and she contemplates.
"Alright, kid. Thank you." She's picking up the chain and placing on the corner of her computer.
"I'm not spreading any allergies around though, so it's staying here. But it means a lot, honey."
She's looking at him with a complicated look on her face, thankful for the present but sad for his watery eyes that are deep in sad nostalgia.
"Alright darling, now go get ready, we gotta save some lives so I can get outta here before two"
Dennis is smiling as he joins trin in the lockeroom. She makes no comment on how he is no longer holding the daisy chain.
And if later on, trinity has one less daisy in her hair, and mel has gained one in her pen pocket,
and dennis no longer has any in his pen pocket, and robby has one tucked behind his own ear.
The ptmc doesn't say anything.
So it was recently Mothers day (in America?? I always get the snapchat for it but I'm British, mothers day is in march) but made me think of a little something for dennis. Like yes I think collectively a lot of people headcanon him with daddy issues but what about mummy issues yall!
