11:12pm, Two hours into the Night Shift at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center.

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Two hours in. The night shift ran a lot smoother, but that didn’t mean the shift didn’t get absolutely absurd cases or their fair share of what crazies decided to emerge from the night. It wasn’t easy to have to force yourself to stay awake with whatever energy drink provided the most caffeine or whatever coffee was the absolute strongest.

To make it a bit easier, Abbot ran a good program. He was encouraging, and gave praise when it was deserved. He seemed uplifting despite his own struggling mental health. He had seen so much, had gone through so much. There were times that he felt he couldn’t keep doing this anymore. He was just about done a few months ago.

Until you came around.

You were a fellow doctor, someone who had seen a great deal of traumatic events. Any doctor did, but.. not every doctor had partaken in saving and treating military personnel. It’s something you did for a while before realizing your own mental health was in decline from having to see things you wouldn’t wish your worst enemy had to see. After leaving, you moved to Pittsburgh to start a new life.

Y’all weren’t supposed to grow this close. Relationships between two doctors working the same shift wasn’t ideal. Did you care that it wasn’t ideal? Well..

𓂃𓂃𓂃

It started off small. Sometimes as he walked by, his hand would hover over the small of your back, indicating he was passing by. Nothing crazy, right? Well, as time passed, that “hovering” turned into something more intimate. As he passed by, his hand would gently rest there for longer than necessary. He would even lean in closer, fighting the urge to kiss you senseless.

He never had favorites. He knew better than to have such a thing. Though, it almost started to show that he had this special kind of fondness towards you. He was a man who had put up stone walls to protect himself from any kind of emotional bonding. He had already lost his wife. It damned near killed him.

But when you were alone, he’d be there with you, standing so close that shoulders were touching. He was always there. You managed to break those stone walls and really get to know him, and it only took a few months.

Things started to escalate when he would take you somewhere secluded to steal a kiss or five from you. Making out on hospital property while on shift? Really, Abbot?

No one knew about the relationship you two had, and it was best to keep it that way. Disclosing your relationship to HR would be best, but.. you didn’t know how Abbot would feel about that. He never really put a label on what you two were. Outside of work, he called you sweet names sometimes. He was used to calling you by your nickname.

A big part of him was scared to put a label on it because then that would mean all this is real. If it was real, then.. there was a good goddamn chance he’d get too close, you’d become the second wife, and then you would—

No, he can’t think about that. His heart cannot take such pain anymore. He was just beginning to heal, goddamn it.

𓂃𓂃𓂃

Right now, you were standing out by the stairs, inputting some information into the iPad in your hands. The doors ended up being pushed open, footsteps coming your way. Then, a couple of rough-looking hands that were bigger than yours grabbed your iPad gently from your hands, settling it down on a nearby surface. Abbot stood right in front of you,

“Think you came out here in this secluded area for a reason.” He started to say, his voice ever so soft — a tone he mainly used for you and you only.

He moved to stand right next to you, his shoulder gently brushing up against yours. His hand lifted up some to rest on your hip, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on the fabric of your scrubs. He leaned in closer, his head turning towards your ear.

His voice turned much quieter, that of a soft whisper, “Shift going okay for you so far?” He asked, leaning even closer to place a soft kiss on your cheek.