Work Text:
Frank knew that she wasn’t his.
Mel King wasn’t his wife, she wasn’t even his girlfriend. She was his co-worker, his friend. That didn’t stop him from feeling white-hot pangs of jealousy every time a patient flirted with her at work. It happened more often than Mel herself even realized.
But Frank noticed every time.
Sometimes it was as obvious as a patient calling her pretty, or asking her out to dinner. Sometimes it was more subtle; a gaze that lasted a little too long, or eyes that wandered her body while she was doing sutures. It was all the same to Frank- unworthy men attempting to corrupt the purest person he’d ever met.
Since his first shift back on The Fourth of July their working relationship had grown seamless. Mel was the only one at work who had welcomed him back without judgement. Frank had thought back to that shift often. Her being pushed out of her chair by that jackass patient. Him helping evaluate her for injuries. Her earnest face and big brown eyes fixed on him as she said the words he desperately needed to hear.
“You never let me down.”
The affirmation had given him the confidence he needed to make it through that shift and all of the ones that came after. It had given him the confidence to reduce the cervical facet dislocation that evening. And it had given the confidence to go home, sit down with Abby, and ask her for a divorce.
It had been a long time coming. Abby had not taken it well when Frank came home and finally disclosed his addiction to her. She had made it clear she was staying for the kids, and Frank couldn’t blame her. If he was honest with himself, their relationship had been broken long before that point. The divorce conversation had felt like a relief for both of them. They were co-parenting now, and while it wasn’t perfect, Frank felt more at peace than he had in years.
Over the last 6 months, he and Mel had worked almost every single shift together. She was a phenomenal doctor. Her skill and knowledge were only exceeded by her empathy. She treated each and every patient with the utmost care and respect. Meticulous, thorough, and kind. Frank loved watching her work, and with time began to love working alongside her. They had fallen into a flow, a rhythm. Their treatment styles were different but compatible. Robby referred to them as the Dream Team, as both their productivity and patient satisfaction scores were high on cases they worked together.
They could communicate a treatment plan with merely a look across the gurney. Mel anticipated Frank’s questions and he anticipated her answers. And while he was technically her teacher as a senior resident, he learned just as much from her. They were a well-oiled machine, a dynamic duo in every sense. It wasn’t long before their working relationship evolved into a friendship.
It started innocently enough. An off hand remark he’d made about an exhibit coming to the Heinz History Center in September had piqued Mel’s interest, and before he knew it they’d spent a whole lunch break talking about the American Revolution.
“I know it’s nerdy, but I’ve always wanted to go to a reenactment in costume. I’ve been to Williamsburg and Boston but never in costume. We usually went in the summer so to be fair it was way too hot to be wearing multiple layers of skirts. But just once it would be so fun to get totally into character like that. Did you know that on the Fourth of July….” Mel had rambled for minutes about it, eyes lit up and her mouth quirked into a smile the entire time. Frank found himself happy to listen. The sight of her passionate and excited about something made his chest warm. He was growing quite fond of her, he thought.
He studied her face, the adorable way her eyes crinkled when she smiled. The way her blonde braid fell neatly over her shoulder. The faint blush that tinged her cheeks as she talked. The way that her lips-
Wait- her lips? Frank shook his head lightly at the thought. He was Mel’s superior, and more importantly he was starting to consider himself her friend. A person in the ER she could rely on to help her with anything. He should definitely not be thinking about her lips.
And yet, when Mel finally took a breath to say “oh my God, I’ve been talking about this for so long. I’m so sorry, I tend to get carried away when I’m excited and no one ever lets me go this long!” Frank didn’t miss a beat.
“Never apologize for talking to me Mel, I love it. I want to hear everything you have to say.” He said. An even deeper blush crossed Mel’s face at his words. She chuckled lightly and averted her gaze.
“Well thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” She said softly, briefly meeting his eyes. Before he could respond, Dana called out to them with an incoming trauma. The moment was over as soon as it had started, and they both sprinted to meet EMS at the door.
Frank thought about her the rest of the shift. On cases they worked together, he began to notice more than just her skills as a doctor. He noticed the way her scrub top hugged her figure in just the right way. He noticed the delicate, deft use of her hands with her assessments. He found himself wishing that those hands were on his body instead.
He tried to snap himself out of it. Mel was his colleague. His friend. And genuinely one of the most amazing people he’d ever met. Frank, on the other hand, was a hot fucking mess. Recovering addict, divorced father of two, and seeing his therapist multiple times a week. She didn’t deserve his baggage. No matter how intoxicating the thought of being with Mel was, he was determined to keep their relationship as friends. To keep her safe from the shit show that was his life. He’d managed to fuck everything else in his life up. It would kill him to lose Mel too.
So that was how they remained. Work friends. Work friends who occasionally gazed a little too long at each other. They had started carpooling to work each day, Frank picking her up and dropping her off daily. It was his favorite time of the day because he got to hear Mel’s unfiltered thoughts and opinions outside of the ER. She contained multitudes. She spoke as passionately about accessibility in healthcare as she did about who deserved the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
“I mean Schitt’s Creek is good, it is. But The Good Place is one of the most flawless pieces of television ever created!” She’d stated, and proceeded to prove it to him for the remainder of their ride. Frank smiled the entire time, nodding along even though he hadn’t seen either show. He could spend hours listening to her voice.
One evening in early September, he stopped in front of Mel's building as usual. Instead of getting out, Mel lingered for a moment and caught his eye.
“Do you want to come in?” She asked, voice even.
Frank’s heart skipped a beat. There was literally nothing he wanted to do more than join her inside. Despite his best efforts, walking into Mel’s apartment was basically all he thought about. He felt giddy at the prospect that Mel might be feeling the same way.
But his promise to himself. To her. To protect her from his chaos. He had to resist temptation. He opened his mouth to decline, but she spoke again before he could.
“Becca and I are planning on watching The Mummy tonight. Adam has been encouraging her to try more movies and I for one am elated to be watching anything other than Elf.” Mel laughed softly. “I know you said it’s one of your favorites so I thought you might want to stay and watch.”
Frank let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. She was inviting him in for movie night with her sister. Completely platonic. He should have felt relief, but all he felt was bitter disappointment. He had every excuse not to join. He could say he had the kids this weekend and needed to clean up his apartment. He could say he needed to get some research done for a project he was starting. Instead, he smiled at her and said “That would be great Mel. I’m happy to join.”
Against his better judgement, Frank had agreed to movie night. He desperately needed to see where Mel spent her time outside of the hospital. There was something so intimate about seeing the space she created for herself and Becca, free to express herself completely.
Her place was on the third floor. They made their way to the stairs. “The elevator has been out for weeks.” Mel stated, clearly irritated by the fact. “It’s an accessibility nightmare. I’ve emailed the landlord like 8 times about it.” Frank smiled to himself as they climbed the steps. That was his girl, always thinking about others.
No, not his girl. He swallowed hard and tried not to fixate on Mel’s ass as she walked ahead of him. They reached her front door. The inside of Mel’s apartment was just as he’d imagined. A humble 2 bed 2 bath with a kitchen and living room. Renter-friendly beige paint on every wall, but every available space filled with photos and art. Mostly photos of Mel and Becca, some of Becca and Adam, a few of Mel and some people he recognized as her med school friends. One childhood photo of the King sisters and who Frank assumed were her parents. His chest tightened at the sight. He couldn’t imagine what these girls had gone through without both parents. He knew Mel had set aside basically every need of her own to take care of Becca. Somehow seeing that photo had just made it a lot more real to him.
A few moments later, Mel excused herself to get Becca from downstairs where an employee from Middle Hill was dropping her off. When she reappeared with her sister in the doorway, Frank turned and smiled.
“I really like your place, Mel. And hello Becca. It’s nice to see you again.” Frank waved in her direction.
“Dr. Langdon!!!!” Becca exclaimed happily. “Are you staying for movie night? You definitely should.”
Mel smiled at him, clearly pleased with Becca’s excitement at his presence. “I wouldn’t miss it, this is one of my favorites.” He said, taking a seat in the arm chair adjacent to the couch. Both of the King girls were sensitive to physical touch, so he had developed the habit of putting space between himself and them unless invited otherwise.
And selfishly, he did it to resist the temptation to pull Mel into his arms and hold her. Tonight’s invite had solidified to him that she saw them as just friends. And that she trusted him enough to not only spend time in her home, but with her sister. Frank would die before he destroyed that trust.
And so that was how Friday movie nights began. After their shift every other Friday, the three of them would watch a movie together. Eventually it became every Friday. And later it evolved to Frank making dinner at their place as well. It was the highlight of his week, aside from when he got to spend the weekend with his kids. On occasion, he would think he saw Mel gazing at him during the movie out of the corner of his eye. Whenever he would turn to look, her eyes were fixed on the TV.
“She doesn’t want you, dumbass.” He chastised himself. It didn’t matter how many movie nights they would have, or that they carpooled every day now. Their friendship was sacred to him.
But that didn’t mean he would be okay with just anyone becoming romantic with Mel. Some time around the first movie night was when he began to notice just how often she was hit on at work. He counted three separate occasions on one shift. And that wasn’t even accounting for whatever happened when he wasn’t around. The thought made Frank sick. It’s not like he could blame any of these patients for shooting their shot. Mel was a pretty, young, friendly physician who had no engagement ring to be seen. As far as they knew, she was fair game.
Except she wasn’t. Not to him. Selfish, he knew, refusing to act on his own feelings for her but being unwilling to let anyone else have a chance. If that made him an evil person, then so be it. He took to joining her on any case that seemed slightly threatening; usually a man aged 20-50. He would stand a few paces behind her, never interfered with her work, but hoped that his presence alone would deter the patient from making a move.
Usually it did. On the rare occasion that someone still tried it, he would catch the patient’s eye and stare holes through his skull. It had the desired effect and Mel was none the wiser. She would finish her treatment, say goodbye to the patient, and take her leave. Frank would linger for a few extra moments, never breaking eye contact, to make sure his message had really sunk in.
Was this the healthiest thing he could be doing at work? Certainly not. Did it provide the slightest reprieve from his yearning for Mel? Absolutely, and that was enough for him. She stayed safe. She stayed his.
A Halloween shift in The Pitt was guaranteed to be memorable. Between the alcohol poisonings, drunk driving MVAs, and general foolish injuries, they were always slammed, which meant the day shift was usually staying late. Frank had never been one for Halloween, but Mel lived for it. She had talked all week about her costume for the party she was hoping to make it to after their shift. Santos and Whittaker had invited her. As tenuous as his relationship with Trinity was, he was glad to see her and Mel developing a friendship. Mel deserved to have someone besides him that she could consider a reliable friend.
“I’m going as Rapunzel from Tangled.” She’d told him, beaming. “I thrifted the perfect purple dress, and Becca and I sewed the details on last weekend.” She showed him a picture on her phone. She looked adorable. Of course she did. He swallowed hard when he noticed the small bit of cleavage the neckline was showing.
“Jesus. She’s trying to kill me at work.” Frank thought, forcing a polite smile in her direction.
“It looks great, Mel, you’ll make a perfect Rapunzel. I just hope we’re out of work in time for you to make the party.”
When the day came, they were even busier than expected. Halloween falling on a Saturday had only doubled the normal number of bad choices landing folks in the ER. This did nothing to tamper the excitement of Mel’s fellow Halloween-enjoyer on shift, Dana. Refusing to let anyone out of being in costume, but understanding the limitations of their job, she had a box of various headbands that she insisted everyone wear during their shift. Into it or not, no one dared cross their charge nurse, so everyone took a pair. Seeing his coworkers working serious cases with absurd head wear definitely made Frank chuckle. He and Mel were some of the last to choose.
“Pick a winner, kids.” Dana said as she set the box on the central desk. “No take backs.”
Frank observed the choices carefully. The best ones had already been chosen, it seemed. Mel reached in and pulled out a pair of white bunny ears. She placed them on her head carefully, ensuring she wouldn’t ruin her signature braid.
“How do I look?” She asked him, smiling. His breath caught in his throat as he tried to reply.
Adorable. Beautiful. So fucking sexy. He could feel his gaze darkening as he took her in. The ears were making his mind conjure visions of her in a much more revealing costume than Rapunzel. Fuck. He was going to hell.
“They look, uh, great on you Mel.” He forced out. A blush spread across her cheeks at the compliment. She held his gaze for a moment before lightly shaking her head and turning back to the box. She reached in and pulled out a black pair of cat ears.
“These are perfect for you Frank!” She exclaimed, handing the pair to him. “You have black cat energy in the best way.” He laughed at that. It was definitely true, and they weren’t the most obnoxious option left, so he took them gratefully.
“How do I look?” He asked Mel, grinning. She giggled.
“Cute enough to pet.” She replied, giving him a sweet pat on the head before she turned to put her things in her locker. Frank stood still, soaking in the feeling of Mel’s compliment. Had that been flirting? It was hard to tell with Mel because she was so damn earnest all the time. He could have just as easily seen that conversation playing out with Santos or Whittaker. But it had played out with him. Flirting or not, it deepened the ache in his heart for her tenfold.
“Frank, honey, is there something else you need?” Dana’s voice broke through his thoughts as he realized he had been standing still and staring after Mel for too long.
“Oh, no I’m good. Thanks Dana.” He replied hastily. She looked at him with a knowing stare.
“You sure?” She prodded. “Seems like something- or someone’s got you bothered.”
He felt his face redden. He knew he hadn’t been particularly subtle when it came to Mel at work, but no one had called him on it thus far.
“I’m fine.” He said, turning to the patient board and scanning for a case. He decided on a ten year old with a chin laceration that needed stitches. Mel loved working with kids, so he planned on bringing her in on it with him. When she emerged from the locker room, she was walking side by side with Santos, engaged in conversation. Mel’s bunny ears bounced lightly while she moved, while Santos’ bee antennae bobbled wildly with every step.
“Mel, want to join me on a pediatric chin lac?” He called out to her.
“Sorry Langdon, I got her first.” Santos called over her shoulder. Mel gave him an apologetic look and shrugged her shoulders as she was dragged into a patient’s room with her co-resident. Frank sighed, disappointed he couldn’t spend the morning with Mel when she looked so damn cute. He turned to head to the kid’s room and saw Dana looking at him, chuckling to herself.
“Nothing bothering you, huh?” She asked.
“Alright, Dana I get it.” He huffed. “You’re right, just please keep it to yourself, okay?”
Dana nodded and gave him a sympathetic smile. “Secret's safe with me, kid. But if you want it to stay that way, I’d suggest not pouting every time someone else needs her attention.” With that, she turned and joined Dr. Robby on the other side of the floor.
The shift sped on for the rest of the day. The patient flow refused to let up, and the entire team was trying to discharge patients as quickly as was safely possible to meet the continuous demand. Staring the day apart had functionally kept Mel and Frank from working on a single case together all shift. While his mind was plenty occupied with his patients, he longed for the familiar comfort of his girl working alongside him.
Around 5 PM, they finally caught a bit of a lull. His patients were discharged, stable, or waiting for imaging. He was leaned against the central desk sipping on his Red Bull when he saw Mel emerge from a room across the hall. The brief leap of his heart that he felt upon seeing her turned quickly to a pit in his stomach when he saw the look on her face.
Mel was pale, her forehead wrinkled and her brow furrowed. Her eyes lacked their usual sparkle and were instead glassy and unfocused. Her bunny ears were no longer on her head, but clutched in her fist, knuckles white. She walked quickly with her head down, making a clear beeline for the break room. Worry filled his chest. He had never seen Mel’s face look so stricken, even during the worst trauma cases they’d worked. Frank followed quickly behind her, determined to figure out what was going on. Inside the break room, Mel stood with her back to him, visibly shaking.
“Mel, what the hell, are you okay?” He asked, striding up to her. He kept his distance, but when she didn't answer him, he walked closer. “Mel? Please talk to me, you’re scaring me.”
She turned toward him slowly. Her eyes were red, tears welling and threatening to spill over. She wouldn’t fully meet his gaze.
“I’m alright, Frank. Don’t worry about it.” She said quietly, voice wavering. The sound of Mel on the verge of tears made him feel sick. He needed to know what was causing her this pain so that he could do whatever possible to fix it for her.
“You don’t have to lie to me Mel. You can trust me.” He stepped closer, closing the gap between them. “Please, sweetheart, let me help you.” She finally looked up at him, her big brown eyes meeting his. She took a deep, shaky breath before she spoke.
“The patient in 10, he just made me uncomfortable, that’s all.” She said. Frank’s stomach turned. He felt his fists begin to clench at his sides. He tried to keep his voice even for her sake.
“Uncomfortable how, Mel?” he asked. She shook her head, absentmindedly wringing her hands.
“He… he just said some vulgar things to me. Please, Frank, just drop it, okay?” Mel said, her voice betraying how upset she really was.
“Melissa. I need you to tell me what happened.” Frank said, deadly serious. “Please.” Mel sighed, rubbed the tears from her eyes, and told him the truth.
“The patient in 10 is here for alcohol poisoning. A 32 year old man, he’s doing fine, I was in his room to get his discharge started. He started to comment on my body, that he liked the way my scrubs fit. I ignored him and kept going over his discharge instructions. He started talking about the ears, then, and-” she paused, shutting her eyes. “He said he wanted to bend me over and fuck me like rabbits fuck.”
The pit in his stomach turned to red hot anger. The one fucking time he wasn’t there in a room with her, a man spoke to her like this. He brought his hands to the bridge of his nose and tried to pace his breathing to avoid a complete and total crash out. He looked back at Mel, who had full tears streaming down her face now. He hated seeing her like this, and hated himself for not being there to stop it. Frank couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else she hadn’t told him.
“Mel,” he began. “Did that fucker touch you?” He studied her face. Mel’s eyes subconsciously flicked down to her wrist before looking back up at him. Frank reached out, gently taking her arm and rolling up the long-sleeved top she wore under her scrubs. A bruise was beginning to form, clearly the markings of a harsh, large hand.
Frank saw red.
“Did he fucking do this to you? Did he put his fucking hands on you?” He was losing his control on his voice, the venomous anger he felt seeping into his words. Mel shut her eyes tight, trying to keep from crying. She nodded.
“He grabbed my wrist when he said it. It- it was pretty hard but I was able to pull away. It’s not as bad as it looks, I bruise easily.” she said, clearly trying to make him feel better about the situation. It wasn’t working. Leave it to Mel to try to soothe him in a situation where she had been hurt.
“I’ll kill him.” Frank said, preparing to head back into the Pitt and make good on his promise. Mel grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Frank, don’t. Please.” Mel begged, both of her hands wrapped around one of his arms. “Please don’t do anything that will get you in trouble. I won’t be able to stand it if you lose all of the progress you’ve made because of me.”
“You think I care about that?” Frank said. “Mel, this guy put his hands on you. It’s unacceptable. He needs to face consequences for this.” He shook his head, and reached his hands up to cup her face. “You can’t possibly believe that I would let anyone get away with hurting you.”
Fresh tears welled up in Mel’s eyes as she met his piercing blue ones. “I understand. But you can’t believe that you risking losing your job over me would make me feel any better.” She managed, a few tears escaping down her cheeks. Frank exhaled slowly, trying desperately to tamper the anger that continued to burn in his chest for Mel’s sake.
“Fine,” he started, moving his hands from her face to her shoulders. “But we are reporting this, and you are getting checked out. It’s protocol. Is that okay with you?”
Mel nodded. “Yes. I’ll tell Dana, she’ll know what to do.” She took off her glasses and wiped her eyes. “But someone still needs to discharge the patient, I didn’t finish it before I walked out.”
“I’ll do it, Mel. Don’t worry about it.” Frank said. She raised an eyebrow at him, obviously concerned about his intentions based on his earlier reaction. He understood her trepidation. Mel had been his main supporter through his return to work, and she had witnessed first hand the effort he put in to regain the trust of the team. It would hurt her even deeper if he lost his control on a patient and lost his job, even if the bastard did deserve it.
“I promise you, I will take care of it. I won’t hurt him, even though I definitely want to.” Frank said, reassuring her. “I’ll do the discharge, tell Ahmad to be on alert, and let security take care of him from there. I swear, Mel. I don’t want to cause you any more pain today.”
“Okay. Thank you, Frank. And I’m sorry for all of this, I shouldn’t be so sensitive. I know worse stuff has happened to other people here and I-”
Frank cut her off. “No, don’t do that. Don’t apologize. You were assaulted at work, Mel. Just because it wasn’t worse doesn’t mean you weren’t hurt.” He squeezed her hands. “I will always be here to take care of you, Melissa King.” He was rewarded with a small smile.
They made their way back into The Pitt to find Dana, Frank a pace behind Mel. They found her at the central desk, getting off of the phone. When she looked up and saw Mel’s red-rimmed eyes, Dana snapped to attention. Frank briefly explained that Mel needed to speak with her immediately, and without further question, the older woman took Mel under arm and led her to the break room to debrief. As they left, Mel caught his eye and mouthed “thank you” silently. He gave her a reassuring smile knowing she was in good hands with their charge nurse.
Frank took a deep breath before turning and heading toward room 10. He was fighting every primal urge to burst in and punch the guy’s lights out. He had made a promise to Mel and he intended to keep it, no matter how hard it was. He reached the room, pulling back the curtain to reveal the asshole in question.
“Mr. Thomas?” Frank began, feigning a friendly voice. “I’m Dr. Langdon, I’ll be completing your discharge today.” The man in the bed was sitting upright, leaned back with his eyes closed. It irritated Frank to no end that this man could act this relaxed when he had caused so much strife today. He was dark haired with a neat beard. He was probably about 6 feet tall with a broad build. Rage began to bubble up in Frank again at the thought of this man using his strength to hurt Mel.
Upon hearing his words, the patient opened his eyes and sat up. He eyed Frank skeptically. “What happened to the pretty doctor who was in here earlier? No offense, but I much preferred that view to this.” He said, a smug smile on his face. Frank dug his fingernails into his palm, forcing himself to contain his anger.
“She had more important things to do. So you’ll be dealing with me now.” Frank said flatly, staring daggers into the man’s eyes. The intensity of his voice clearly caught the patient off guard, as the expression on his face faltered slightly. Frank proceeded to give the patient his follow-up and discharge instructions, ensuring he kept his voice as emotionless as possible..
“Alright, so I’m free to go now?” Thomas asked, standing. “If I don’t get to see the slutty doctor again, I have no interest in staying.” He started to make his way to the exit, but was stopped by Frank’s arm, reaching out and placing his hand on the adjacent wall, blocking his exit.
“Actually, I’m gonna need you to stay put for a bit longer.” Frank said, staring the other man down. “You assaulted a doctor. You’ll be speaking with our security team so they can get a full report.” The patient’s eyes widened.
“You’re gonna stay here until they’re done asking questions.” Frank continued, still physically blocking the doorway. “And for your information, if it was up to me, you’d be getting far worse than a questioning.” The patient swallowed hard and backed away from Frank.
“Hey, listen man, I didn’t mean anything by it, okay? It was harmless flirting, it's not my fault she doesn’t have thick skin.” Thomas stammered. Frank closed the distance between them in two quick strides, leaving him an inch from the patient’s face.
“You bruised her wrist. You said things to her than no woman, much less a physician taking care of you, should ever have to hear. And let me be crystal clear on one thing- the only thing keeping me from beating the shit out of you is my deep and utter respect for that woman.” Frank spat. The patient backed away until he was sitting back on the edge of his bed. Frank stayed one moment longer to make sure that his point really sank in. A knock at the door broke the tension. Frank turned to see Ahmad at the door, ready with another employee from admin to take over. He nodded at them, and then left the room in their hands.
The rest of the shift was a blur. He took on patients, assisted with traumas, and took lead on several cases. Mel was nowhere to be found. Part of him was grateful, having her visible would make it impossible to focus on anything but taking care of her. On the other hand, not being able to see her only made his worry for her fester, keeping him on edge all evening. They finally had everything wrapped up and handed off to the night shift around 8 PM. Still no sign of Mel. He checked the break rooms, the lockers- no sign of her. Santos and Whittaker passed by him, heading for the exit.
“Hey,” Frank called after them, jogging to catch up. “Have you guys seen Mel?”
They stopped and turned toward him. Santos shook her head and gave him one of her signature eye rolls.
“I was about to ask you the same. We’re supposed to be going to a party together and I haven’t seen her in hours, not since you guys went into the break room together.” She said, eyeing him. “Did you say something to her? She was clearly upset and then disappeared the rest of the shift.” She crossed her arms. “If you hurt her, Langdon, I swear to god-”
“No, that’s not what happened Santos, I swear.” Frank said, holding up his hands in surrender. “There was an incident with a patient. She went with Dana to report it, and I haven’t seen her since.”
Trinity’s brow furrowed. “An incident? What the fuck happened?” She asked.
“It’s not really my place to share, Santos. Mel will tell you if she wants you to know. Right now, all my focus is on making sure she’s okay.” Frank replied. Santos seemed to relax a bit, but was still on guard.
“Could you check her location, Trin?” Whittaker offered. “She might have gone straight to our place.” Santos nodded, pulling out her phone. She frowned.
“It says she’s still in the building.” Santos said, shaking her head. “I didn't see her anywhere though.”
“Alright, thanks, guys. I’ll keep looking.” Frank replied, running and hand through his hair. “I’ll make sure she texts you guys her plans for the evening. Head home, you both have had a long day.” He turned to head back into The Pitt, having an idea of where Mel might be.
The cool October air pricked his skin as he walked into the ambulance bay. As suspected Mel was sitting against the brick wall, knees pulled into her chest. Her lava lamp app was open on her phone, resting on her legs. He strode up to her, leaned against the wall, and slid down to sit next to her. She kept her eyes on her phone for a few seconds before turning to look at Frank.
“Hey, sweetheart. How are you holding up?” He asked gently. She sighed, locking her phone and putting it away.
“Robby gave me the rest of the day off. I was going to leave, but I couldn’t get my nerves under control. I came out here to get away from the lights and the noise. Time got away from me, it got too dark for me to walk home.” Mel said. “I feel better now, I want to go home.”
“I got you, Mel.” Frank replied, getting to his feet. He reached his hands out to help Mel up. She took his hands and let him help her to her feet. “I’ll drive you home.”
“Thank you for everything today, Frank.” Mel said as they walked to the parking garage. “I’m not sure I would have told anyone what happened today without you there.”
“You don’t have to thank me Mel,” he replied. “I will always be there when you need me.” He smiled down at her. She smiled back.
The drive back to her place was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. It was a big change from their usual drive, the car typically filled with Mel’s excited chatter. She was looking out the passenger side, her head resting on the window. Frank glanced at her intermittently, checking to make sure she wasn’t crying. When they pulled up to her apartment, Mel finally turned to look at him.
“Thanks again, Frank. I know you told me you don’t need the gratitude, but I’m giving it anyway. I feel better knowing you have my back.” Mel said sincerely. “You definitely grounded me today.” He gave her a smile.
“Are you gonna be okay by yourself?” He asked her, knowing Becca was staying with Adam tonight. “I can call Santos and see if she can come over. Or I….” he trailed off, thinking better of his offer. The last thing he wanted to do was make Mel any more uncomfortable than she already was today, and he would never take advantage of her emotional state like that.
“I’ll be okay,” Mel said, smiling at him warmly. “Really, don’t worry about me.” She patted his arm gently and got out of the car. Frank stayed parked until he saw that she safely entered her building. Every part of him had wanted to stay with her. He longed to comfort her, to pull her into his arms, to stroke her head as she rested on his chest. But he couldn’t do that. Not without risking the friendship he cherished so much. So he drove home alone.
It was mid November when things finally felt back to normal. The light returned to Mel’s face at work. Their conversations picked back up in the car. And most importantly, Friday night movies started back up again. She didn’t talk much about Halloween, and Frank didn’t press her on it. She was acting normal; her demeanor with patients hadn’t changed, she was as cheerful and empathetic as ever. Frank remained extra vigilant, making sure to accompany her on every case he thought had any chance of posing a threat. If Mel noticed, she didn’t say anything to him about it. She simply let him join her, content with him hanging by the door, out of her way but present enough.
They finished up their Friday shift and headed to the parking garage together. They planned to watch Pride and Prejudice from 2005. Mel loved the book but had never seen the movie. Frank had never read the book but the movie had been a favorite of his sister, so he had seen it a hundred times. They were halfway to Mel’s place when her phone rang.
“Becca? Everything okay?” Mel asked upon answering. Frank studied her face out of the corner of his eye. She looked mildly disappointed. “Alright, well have Adam’s parents text me if they need anything. And call me if you need anything, okay?” She sighed and hung up the phone.
“Everything alright?” Frank asked her.
“Yeah, Becca’s fine, she’s just bailing on movie night.” Mel said, exasperated. “She’s staying the night at Adam’s again. That’s the third night in a row.”
Frank nodded sympathetically. “I’m sorry Mel, I know that’s hard on you.” She had confided in him about how Becca’s relationship with Adam had affected her. The whole thing had made Mel realize how much she prioritized caregiving for Becca over her own needs. It had also made her realize that Becca was capable of more independence than Mel had thought. Mel had told Frank that while she liked Adam and his family well enough, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat left behind.
“I’m happy for her, I am,” Mel said. “I just wish she would tell me these things earlier. We’ve had this planned for weeks”
“I get it, Mel, but don’t worry about it on my account.” Frank said as they pulled up to her apartment. “We can always reschedule.”
“Or we could still have our movie night, the two of us.” Mel said, turning to face him fully. Frank blinked, surprised. Out of all of their movie nights, it had always been at least the three of them, occasionally four with Adam. But it had never been just the two of them.
“You sure?” he managed to ask, “I really don’t mind waiting if you want.”
“I’d like to keep my plans tonight, if you’re okay with staying.” she said, resolute. “I promised myself I would stop letting my life revolve around Becca when she’s shown me time and time again that it doesn’t need to.”
Frank felt a bit of pride at that. He had been encouraging Mel to do things for herself for months. He was in a tough position now. Frank wanted to encourage her newfound independence, but he was anxious about agreeing to a one-on-one with Mel. If he said no, he worried it would discourage Mel from putting herself out there socially in the future. But if he said yes, he worried he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from confessing his true feelings. He resisted the urge to tell her when they were surrounded by coworkers and patients, when Becca was there, and even in the car. But Frank feared that the intimacy of her apartment, just the two of them, would make telling her impossible to resist.
Despite his better judgement, he found himself saying “Sure, Mel, I’d love to.” Before he knew it, they were climbing the familiar stairwell to her apartment. They settled into their normal spots, Mel on the couch and Frank in the chair. She was getting the movie pulled up when she looked over at him.
“You can sit over here, if you want.” She said, gesturing to the open spot on the couch. “It’s a lot more comfortable than that chair, there’s no sense in making your back sore when Becca’s not here to claim her favorite spot.”
Frank swallowed hard. She looked so cute sitting cross legged, wearing a big tee shirt and pajama shorts. Her hair was down, wavy from being tied back in her braid all day. If he sat next to her, the proximity would be intoxicating. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to stand it. But he also wasn’t sure he’d survive not being next to her for another moment. He wordlessly stood from his chair and transferred onto the couch. She wasn’t lying, it was much more comfortable than the armchair. They sat about a foot apart, Mel on the right and Frank on the left.
They watched the movie quietly, both engaged in the story. Once it was over, Mel was smiling, looking pleased with her movie choice. He had enjoyed it too, more this time than on any of his previous viewings.
“So what did you think, Mel?” Frank asked, breaking the silence as the credits rolled. “Did it compare to the book?”
“Well there’s nothing quite as good as Jane Austen, but this was as faithful an adaptation as I could imagine.” Mel replied, smiling. She turned her body to face him. “Did you like it? I know you said you’d seen it before.”
“I liked it better this time than any of the times my sister made me watch it,” he said, chuckling. “Mostly because I didn’t have to listen to her go on and on about how hot Mr. Bingley is this time.”
“What?! Your sister liked Mr. Bingley?!” Mel exclaimed, giggling. “I don’t understand how anyone could watch that and not be into Mr. Darcy.”
Frank laughed with her. “I don’t know, but she was staunch about it. Personally I’m not sure I see the appeal of either of those guys, but what do I know.” He said.
Mel looked at him sheepishly. “You know, you sort of remind me of Mr. Darcy a bit.” She slid closer to him, closing the gap between them on the couch. Frank felt the blood rush from his face. He could smell the lavender scent of her shampoo. Her thigh was about an inch from touching his. He swallowed, finding it difficult to make eye contact with her but doing it anyway.
“How so?” he managed, feeling the heat rise in his chest at the sight of her so close to him. Mel’s face was flushed, her lips parted slightly. She was showing every sign of wanting to be kissed, but Frank didn’t dare cross that line.
“Well, you’re kind of brooding and can come off a little arrogant sometimes,” she began, tucking her hair behind both ears. “But under the surface you’re passionate, loyal, and generous. You deserve an Elizabeth in your life, Frank.” She blushed, and placed her hand on his knee. Frank couldn’t breathe. Mel continued to close the distance between them until she was a centimeter from his face.
And then her lips were on his.
Mel wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself toward him. He met her intensity with enthusiasm, deepening the kiss, reaching both of his hands up to the sides of her face. Frank pulled her onto his lap, breaking the kiss momentarily to shift his weight underneath her. He looked up at her face, seeing her flushed face and wide eyes, hungry for more.
“Are you okay with this?” Frank asked her, out of breath. She nodded, equally breathless. He met her lips again, his hands sliding down the sides of her torso to rest on her hips. Their tongues stroked each other as her hips grinded into his. He slid his hands underneath her shirt, feeling the bare, smooth skin of her back on his fingers. She moaned into his mouth at the touch. Fuck. He was getting harder by the second. Mel’s hands found their way into his hair, the gentle tug driving him crazy. She kissed with a ferocity that surprised him; desperate, greedy. Like she’d been waiting for this as long as he had.
But had she? Or was she simply feeling lonely without her sister and he was taking advantage of that? She certainly seemed enthusiastic to be kissing him, but he couldn’t push away the feeling that he was ruining everything. As much as it pained him to do it, he broke their contact and gently shifted her off of his lap. He stood quickly, gathering his things.
“Frank, what’s going on?” Mel asked, standing up as well. “Did- did I do something wrong?”
Frank turned toward her, almost at her front door.
“No, no of course not Mel.” he said, shaking his head. “It’s me, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lose control like that. I think it's best if I leave.”
“Frank, what are you talking about?” Mel asked, crossing her arms. “I initiated that. You didn’t lose control over anything.” Embarrassment crossed her face. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I really am.”
Frank felt like the scum of the Earth. He wanted nothing more than to walk back into her apartment, pick her up, and take her into her bedroom to finish what they’d started. But he cared about Mel King far too much to do that. Frank knew how sensitive she was, how deeply she cared. He also knew how unbelievably down bad he was for her. If he allowed this to go further, it would not be casual. It would lead to more, a relationship.
Which Frank would inevitably manage to fuck up.
He couldn’t let that happen.
“Mel, you did nothing wrong, okay? Let’s just forget this happened.” His words sounded forced, even to him. Mel’s face fell. His stomach twisted. In his effort not to hurt her, Frank was still causing her pain. He couldn’t stand to look at her disappointed face any longer. He took one last look at her before he turned to leave, shutting her apartment door behind him.
That night he couldn’t sleep. His mind raced with the events of the evening, replaying them in his mind. Their kiss had been so good. Their bodies fit together perfectly, in sync and rhythmic in their movements. It felt right. But now he had ruined everything. The friendship they had built over months was now jeopardized because of his carelessness.
Frank was, at his core, bad. He knew that. Which is why he had tried to keep Mel at a distance. Not because he didn’t want her, but because he wanted her too much. Everything he touched eventually got ruined. If he allowed himself happiness with Mel, it would only be a matter of time until he did something to screw it all up. If he was the reason for her pain, he would never forgive himself.
But he was the reason for her pain now. She had sent him three texts, asking if he was okay. He couldn’t bring himself to respond, fearing making things worse than they already were. Around 1 AM, she sent one last text.
“Don’t worry about picking me up tomorrow, I’m riding with Santos.”
Fuck. With everything else happening, he had forgotten they were both working the next morning. Now not only would he be working on little sleep, he would also be trying to maneuver a shift with the woman whose heart he had just broken.
The next morning, he drove in silence to the hospital. The emptiness of his passenger seat haunted him, mocked him. Instead of Mel’s cheerful, chipper voice filling his ears, he was met with nothing but the sound of his tires on the asphalt.
Walking into The Pitt, he kept his head down and moved in and out of the locker hallway as quickly as possible. He skipped his normal morning catch up with Dana and jumped right into night shift handoffs, taking as many patients as he could. Luckily for him they had a busy morning. It wasn’t until lunch time that he even saw Mel for the first time. She looked tired, bags under her eyes. She was charting at the central work station when Frank walked up to check the patient board.
Their eyes met briefly before she averted her gaze back to the computer. She finished typing her note, badged out, and stood up to leave. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but she passed him before he could get the words out, bumping his shoulder as she left. Frank wanted to follow her, but thought better of it. It would probably be best to give her space for the time being.
“You alright, kid?” Dana asked him, peering at him over her glasses. Frank both appreciated and cursed her perceptiveness.
“Yeah, fine.” he said, waving her off. “Just didn’t sleep well last night"
Dana raised an eyebrow at that, but left it alone. Frank picked up a new patient and moved on. Their shift went relatively smooth for a Saturday. No major traumas, mass casualty events, or tech hiccups to prolong their hours. He was able to transfer his patients to the night shift and clock out by a reasonable 5 PM. On his way to the garage, he saw Mel’s golden braid leaving ahead of him. He started jogging to catch up with her.
“Mel, wait up.” he called out. Mel didn’t turn or stop. Frank reached her just as they exited into the lot. “Mel, come on.” he said as he positioned himself in front of her. “Please talk to me.”
Mel gazed up at him, lips pressed into a thin line. “Fine,” she began.”I’ll talk and you’ll listen. Last night was a mistake. I thought we were on the same page, but clearly you don’t feel that way about me. I misread the situation, which I chalk up to my subpar social skills. It won’t happen again, I promise. I’ll be riding with Trinity from now on, so you don’t need to worry about me.” She stepped past him to leave.
“Wait, Mel, that’s not-”
“Good night, Dr. Langdon. I’ll see you on Monday.” She cut him off, leaving him standing like an idiot in the middle of the garage as she walked toward Santos, who was leaning up against her car. He watched as they got in and pulled away, Mel looking his direction for a second before looking away.
Maybe it was better this way, he thought. If they kept their distance, maybe not being together wouldn’t hurt so much. It was worth a try, and in reality was all Frank could do at this point. Mel had set a boundary. He’d stay on his side of it, even if it meant burying his feelings for her deeper than they had ever been.
Two weeks was enough for him to realize that keeping his distance wasn’t doing shit to ease his pain. All it did was make his yearning for her that much more intense. It was affecting his mood, his work. Nothing felt as easy without her next to him. Frank struggled through cases with Cassie, Samira, Whittaker; all of whom were excellent doctors, but didn’t have the connection with him that Mel had. People had definitely started to notice the two of them avoiding each other. After one particularly awkward run in by the patient board, Cassie pulled Frank aside.
“What in the world is going on with you two, Frank?” she asked, concerned. “You used to be inseparable, and now you can’t even be in the same vicinity without it being weird."
He and Cassie had developed a friendship after she shared her history of addiction with him on his first shift back. They had attended some meetings together, and Cassie was always a supportive ear when Frank had something to work through.
Frank sighed. “I really fucked things up, Cass.” He said, rubbing his face. “Mel and I kissed, and I self-sabotaged us into not even being friends anymore.”
Cassie’s eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting such an honest answer from him. “Oh, okay, wow. Do you still have feelings for her?” she asked.
“Of course I do, but I can’t do that to her,” he replied. “You know as well as anyone that loving an addict is hard, no matter how long they’ve been sober.”
“Frank, did it ever occur to you that Mel might want to make that decision for herself? And that by making it for her, you’re not giving either of you a fair chance at this?” Cassie was a wise woman. She was right, of course. He hadn’t given Mel a choice in this. In trying to protect her, he had made her powerless in the situation.
“You’re right, Cass. Thanks, I needed to hear that.” Frank said earnestly.
She smiled at him and squeezed his arm. “Give her some credit, Frank. I can tell she cares about you, she’ll come around.” Cassie excused herself to take care of her patients. Frank took her words to heart. Mel did care about him, that much was obvious. He decided he would talk to her today, after their shift, and lay all of his cards on the table. He would be honest and vulnerable and beg her to give him another chance.
Their shift ended at 7. He plucked up the courage and waited by the exit, pacing until she appeared in the doorway. She was walking with Santos and Whittaker, engaged in conversation. She stopped short when she saw him standing there.
“Mel, can I have a minute? It’s important.”
Santos shot a protective eyebrow-raise toward Mel, and a skeptical glare his way.
“Sure,” Mel replied. Turning to Santos, she said “I’m fine, Trin. I’ll meet you guys at the car.” At her reassurance, the other two doctors walked away, Santos still staring him down as she passed him. “What do you want, Frank?” Mel asked once they were alone.
“Mel, I want to apologize for everything that’s happened in the last few weeks,” he began. “I have only ever wanted to keep you from getting hurt, and instead I caused you all of this pain. For that I am so, so sorry Mel.”
Her gaze softened a bit at that, but her expression was still unreadable. He continued on, “I never wanted to ruin our friendship. You mean the world to me, Mel, and the time we’ve been avoiding each other has been hell. I miss you. I miss us.”
Mel smiled lightly. “I miss us too, Frank. I really want things to go back to the way they were.” She said, reaching a hand out to touch his arm. “I’m sorry that I misinterpreted your signals, it won’t happen again.”
“No, Mel, that’s not-” he started to say, but Mel continued.
“I’m seeing someone now anyway, so you don’t have to worry about me crossing the line again.”
Frank froze. She’s seeing someone? What the fuck?
He knew he had no right to be pissed, As far as Mel understood, he had rejected her advances. She was free to move on to whomever she pleased. But the words were like a knife in his side, sharply painful and making it hard to breathe.
“You’re seeing someone?” he asked, trying desperately to sound casual. “Who is he?”
“His name is James, he’s a pharmacist at Presby,” Mel said. “I met him a week ago when I was out with Trinity. He asked me to dinner and we have a second date planned for tomorrow..”
Frank felt his world crumbling around him. The girl he was in love with was moving on with someone else and it was entirely his fault. If he had been honest with her from the beginning, it would be him taking Mel out tomorrow, not some stranger.
“Good for you Mel,” he forced out. “Be safe and have a good time.”
Mel looked at him silently for a moment, as if she was daring him to say something else. When he was quiet, she waved and said “Have a good weekend, Frank, I’m glad we’re friends again.” She left him standing by the door, crushed. Once their car pulled away, Frank shuffled slowly toward his own. He sat in his driver's seat and threw his backpack roughly into the passenger side.
“FUCK.” He shouted, slamming both of his palms against his steering wheel. The guilt and despair that had haunted him for the last few weeks had been replaced by a searing, burning jealousy. Someone else was going to be spending a Saturday night with the girl he loved. His poor fucking communication skills, ruining his life once again.
Frank sat at his kitchen counter for hours that night, getting up intermittently to pace his apartment floor. He tried desperately to put everything out of his mind, but no matter what he did his thoughts returned to Mel. His brain tortured him with visions of her with a faceless man. He saw her laughing at a joke he made. Reaching across a dinner table to hold his hand. Kissing him. Letting him touch her skin. Taking him home and-
He was going to be sick.
A night of restless sleep later, Frank woke around 6. He caught a view of himself in his bathroom mirror. He looked like shit, eyes bleary and hair unkempt. He splashed cold water on his face in a fruitless effort to calm his already shot nervous system.
In the brief moments he did manage to fall asleep last night, he dreamt only of Mel. Of her hair, her skin, her scent. He dreamt that she was here with him, but each time he woke he was met with the blistering memory that he was alone. And Mel had a date.
Frank’s only hope for sanity was to stay busy. He spent hours manically cleaning his apartment, down to dusting the baseboards and scrubbing the inside of his microwave. He went to the gym, spending over two hours there between lifting and running on the treadmill. He ran errands, called his kids, and did some research work he’d been putting off. He tried out a somewhat elaborate recipe for dinner. It took up most of the day.
But once he was done, he was once again left with only his thoughts. It was late, and Frank was certain that Mel was on her date by now. He sat on his couch, TV on but not watching it, playing out scenarios in his head. He could call Santos, badger her until she told him where the date was, and crash it himself. He could swoop in, confess his true feelings, and take her home leaving her date alone.
It was a nice thought, but he couldn’t do that to Mel. Frank loved her, and part of loving her was letting her be happy, even if it was with someone else. He tried to watch the Ken Burns American Revolution miniseries he’d been looking forward to catching up on. It was no use, he couldn’t focus on anything else when he was feeling like this.
Frank’s phone buzzing broke him out of his spiral. He frowned, checking the clock for the time before picking up. It was almost 1 AM. Who would be calling him this late? He reached to his coffee table to answer, checking the caller ID. His heart stopped.
Mel?
What could she be calling him about? Did she want to talk about her date now that they were friends again? Or had she realized that they should be together instead and couldn’t wait to tell him. All of the possible options raised his heart rate and made his hands shake.
“Mel? Everything okay?” He answered.
“Frank, I- I feel really strange.” Mel’s voice said on the other end. Frank’s blood ran cold. She sounded drowsy, and a little scared. What the fuck was going on?
“Strange how, Mel? Have you been drinking?” He asked. Mel wasn’t a big drinker, so if she’d had more than her usual she might be feeling it big time.
“I had a glass of wine at dinner, but that was hours ago.” She said, slurring a bit. “I’m dizzy, I have a headache, I keep losing my balance.”
Frank was on his feet, putting on his shoes and grabbing his keys before she was even done talking. If Mel hadn’t had too much to drink, she was exhibiting the classic symptoms of being roofied. Even if she was just coming down with an illness, he would rather be safe than sorry.
“Mel, listen to me. Where are you? I’m coming to get you.” Frank said, failing to keep his emotions from creeping into his voice.
“Sullivan’s Pub.” She answered. “Frank, I’m scared he did something to me.” Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
The bar was a five minute drive from his place, thank God. He kept Mel on the line as he sprinted to his car.
“I’m coming to help, baby, don’t be scared” he reassured her. “Are you somewhere safe right now? Stay where you are until I get there.”
“I’m in the bathroom but…” she trailed off.
“Mel? MEL!?” Frank shouted into his phone, speeding out of his parking lot and down the street. “Talk to me sweetheart, are you okay?”
No answer. Fuck. Panic was rising in his chest. He pressed the gas and raced to the bar. He absolutely violated every speed limit on his way, shaving a full minute off of the normal drive. As he pulled up, he could see that the parking lot was nearly full. There was mercifully one spot left near the entrance. Frank whipped into the spot and jumped out his car, not bothering to lock it.
Sprinting into Sullivan’s, he pushed past the patrons lingering by the entrance. The bar was extremely crowded, loud with the roar of people’s voices and the speakers blaring music. Frank scanned the crowd, looking for any sight of Mel. His heart sank when he couldn’t find her signature blonde among the masses. Every second that he couldn’t find her was a second she could be in danger. He shuddered at the thought of what that fucker could be doing to Mel right now. He stormed down the bar hallway, checking in both of the unisex bathrooms for her. No sign of her in either.
His heart was hammering in his chest. If Frank didn’t find them soon, there was a chance that whoever had done this to Mel would be able to leave with her. If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to find her until it was too late. The scumbag would have already had her alone and altered. He checked the bar again before exiting the back door.
Sullivan’s rear exit opened into an alley, with not much more than a few dumpsters. The dark, fall night and the lack of any outdoor lights were making it difficult to see more than a few feet in front of him. The sound of feet shuffling broke the dead silence. Frank’s head whipped in its direction, making out the outline of some figures to his left. He approached cautiously, not wanting to alert them to his presence.
They came into full view as he got closer. A man, about 6’ 2’’, sandy hair with a muscular build, probably early 30s. On his right side was a woman, shorter, blonde hair worn down, wearing a pair of jeans and a white blouse. Frank would know her silhouette anywhere. Mel. Her arm was around his shoulders, but her hand was hanging limp. They weren’t walking arm in arm- he was dragging her body along.
Frank saw red. He strode up to the man, covering the distance in seconds. “Hey, asshole.” he said firmly. “Get your hands off of her now.”
The man stopped in his tracks, spinning around to face him. Frank could see them both in clear view now. Mel was either unconscious or nearly so, her face pale and eyes half closed. The sight of her like this filled Frank with a rage more intense than he had ever felt in his life. He needed more than anything to get her out of this man’s arms and to somewhere safe.
“Who the hell are you?” The man asked him, tightening his grip on Mel.
“Let her go, now.” Frank said “I won’t ask you again.”
The other man stared at him, then looked down at Mel. “She had too much to drink, so I'm taking her home.” He said to Frank. “Don’t worry bro, she’s in good hands.” A sick smile crossed his face as he reached his arm further around Mel’s torso and groped her breast.
That was the final fucking straw. Frank lunged forward, shoving the man backward with one hand while reaching for Mel’s arm with the other. The man stumbled back, tripping over a crack in the asphalt and falling on his ass. Mel pitched forward, completely dead weight, and Frank dropped to one knee to catch her.
He peered down at her face, brushing loose strands of hair out of her eyes. He felt her carotid pulse; it was present but thready. Thank god. She moaned lightly at the contact, eyes unfocused but slightly open. Frank cupped her cheek.
“Mel, baby, are you with me?” he asked her, lightly stroking her face.
“Fr-Frank?” she managed weakly. Her voice was barely audible. Before he could reply, he saw movement coming from behind them as the man was getting to his feet. Frank instinctively lifted Mel, his bad back be damned, and leaned her against the wall behind him. He turned to face the man, positioning his body between Mel and the other man. Standing, he braced himself for whatever would happen next. Frank could feel his heart hammering in his chest; a mix of adrenaline, panic, and fury. Every feral instinct in his body wanted to rip this man to pieces, to make him hurt more than he had hurt Mel. The small, but still present, rational part of his brain reminded him that if he did that, he’d be spending the night at a police station instead of by Mel’s side. So he didn’t move; he stood firm in front of her as the man approached.
The other man limped up to him, stopping about a foot from Frank. “Who the fuck do you think you are, man?” He spat, “she’s my girl and I’m owed a good fucking night with her.”
Bile rose in Frank’s throat at that. A good fucking night?
Owed? If he wasn’t sure already, that confirmed things for him. This motherfucker had slipped Mel a drug and was planning on doing something unforgivable. Frank's hands started shaking, the animal part of his brain getting harder and harder to suppress. He couldn’t let Mel come to any more harm tonight, he had to try deescalating the situation so he could get her to safety.
“Listen, man. I’m not letting you anywhere near her. Walk away, go home, so I can get her some help.” Frank said, voice barely containing the rage bubbling underneath.
The other man scoffed. In a flash, he lunged forward at Frank, drawing his fist back to swing. Frank ducked at the last second, the man’s fist barely missing his head and instead crashing into the brick wall. The man shouted in pain, recoiling back and cradling his arm. Frank took the opportunity, scooping Mel up in his arms and carrying her bridal style back into the bar.
He moved as quickly as the crowded room and the extra weight in his arms would allow. He pushed past people, earning him a few irritated looks- as if he gave a fuck. Just before reached the front door, he stopped at the bar to speak to one of the bartenders.
“There’s a man out back, he tried to assault this woman.” He said, shouting a bit to be heard over the noise. “He’s going to come back in here with a bloody fist. Do not let him buy drinks for himself or anyone else. If I were you, I’d throw him out.”
The bartender nodded, eyes a bit wide in surprise at what he was hearing. “Is she alright? Should I call 911?” He asked.
Frank shook his head. “I’m an ER physician. I’ll take her myself.” Without wasting another second, he walked out the door. Once he reached his car, he gently placed Mel in his front seat and began performing a quick assessment.
“Mel, sweetheart, can you hear me?” He asked, gently shaking her shoulders. No response, her head lolling to the right. Frank swallowed hard. She was fully unconscious now. He rechecked her pulse and respiratory rate. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding when both were present and normal.
Frank scanned the rest of her for injuries. She looked fine enough from what he could see. He moved her hair out of the way so that he could observe her neck. He froze- a dark red bruise was blossoming on the skin just above her collarbone. It was without a doubt the outline of a hand. He squeezed his eyes shut in a desperate effort to stay measured, objective. He exhaled slowly, focusing back in on Mel. The bruise was only on the right side. Frank prayed that meant Mel had never struggled to breathe. The bruise didn’t seem to descend any lower, another fact he was grateful for. If it had, no law or man alive would have been able to stop him from storming back into Sullivan’s to give that asshole what he deserved.
Frank moved his hands to the back of her head, checking for anything hidden by her hair. He felt a small bump just below her occiput. When he pulled his band back out, he was greeted with the sight of fresh red blood. He tried to tamper his panic. Head wounds tended to bleed a lot regardless of severity, but he’d have no way of knowing how bad it was until Mel could be assessed. Now that there was a potential head injury, her unconscious state was doubly concerning. He wiped the blood from his hand onto his shirt.
Frank buckled her in and pressed a quick kiss into the back of her hand before hopping into the drivers seat. “You’re gonna be okay, Mel, I promise.” He wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself. Frank reversed out of the parking lot and headed for The Pitt.
Presby was technically closer, but Mel had said her date worked there. And while Frank couldn’t be 100% sure that the man they’d escaped was her date, he had a pretty damn good feeling that he was. He couldn’t take her there knowing that her attacker would have near full access to her if he wanted to.
Mel wouldn’t be happy to have her co-workers treating her, he knew that. She had fought it enough on Halloween when all she needed was an Xray and an ace wrap. Now she needed real help. And there was no one else in the world Frank would trust to take care of her more than the doctors at the Pitt.
He sped toward the ER, thankfully not passing at cops that would have certainly pulled him over at the rate he was moving. Frank screeched into the ambulance bay, jammed his gear to park, and had Mel back in his arms in record time. No one was out in the bay at this hour, nearing 2 AM by this point. Frank burst through the doors.
“I NEED HELP HERE, PLEAEE!” He shouted, drawing the attention of several nurses who got to work immediately bringing a gurney over. He placed Mel down gently, keeping a hold on her hand as he let the nurses start placing leads and sensors. Not a minute later, the night shift doctors were sprinting toward them. Dr. Abbott was out front, followed closely Dr. Ellis and Dr. Shen, all with concern written across their faces.
“Langdon, what the hell’s going on man?” Abbott asked him as he approached. He turned to shout over his shoulder, “clear Trauma 2, now!”
“Mel- Dr. King was on a date tonight,” Frank began, “she called me around 1, she sounded off, told me she felt dizzy and unbalanced. Only one glass of wine hours earlier at dinner. She was… she was worried someone had spiked her drink. I live close to the bar she was at, so I went to pick her up.” He took a deep breath before continuing.
“I found her in the back alley with a man who I assume was her date. She was barely conscious and he was trying to drag her out of there. I was able to get her away from him, but by the time I had her in my car she wasn’t responding anymore. Pulse and breathing were both present. One visible bruise around her neck, looks like from a hand. There’s an injury to the back of her head that's bleeding.” He finished, feeling on the verge of tears.
“Jesus.” Ellis said as they reached trauma 2. The team transferred Mel to the table easily. She looked so fucking small under the bright lights of the room. Frank wasted no time gloving up as the rest of the night shift began their assessment. He strode up to the table to jump in when a firm hand met his chest stopping him in his tracks.
“No way, Langdon, you are way too close to this.” Abbot said sternly. “We’ll take care of her, you know we will.”
“Abbott, please let me help. I have to help.” Frank begged, desperation tinging his voice.
“You already have, Frank. She’s safe in here instead of God knows where because of you.” Abbot said firmly, but empathetically. “I’m not sure the nature of your relationship, but I know that your personal feelings here will not let you act objectively.”
Frank knew he was right, but all he could feel was helplessness and guilt.
“What if it was Samira on the table, Jack. What would you do then?” Frank asked, hoping he could get the older doctor to concede. Dr. Mohan and Dr. Abbott had recently disclosed their relationship to HR. It had given Frank a glimmer of hope that he and Mel may not be doomed after all.
Abbott sighed. “I’d probably be acting the same way you are now,” he replied honestly, “but I would step aside and let these extremely capable doctors do their jobs.” He placed his hands on Frank's shoulders, and gently but authoritatively backed him out of the room. Frank knew it was worthless to fight back. Dr. Abbott was one of the very best physicians he’d ever worked with. He wanted him in the room with Mel.
“We’ve got her, Frank. Trust us.” With that, he pulled the curtain and shut the door.
He was left standing in the hallway, sweaty, breathing heavily. Mel’s blood staining his white tee shirt. Alone. Frank raised his hands to rest behind his head, trying to pace his breathing. All it did was make him start to hyperventilate. As his adrenaline faded, his panic was surging again. His heart hammered in his chest. The worry was all-consuming.
“Frank?”
A familiar voice broke his spiral. He turned to see Cassie walking in from chairs. He forgot she was covering tonight for Cruz.
“What are you doing here, are you okay?” She asked him as she jogged over, eyes wide at the sight of the blood smeared across his chest.
“I’m fine. It’s… it’s Mel,” was all he could get out before he finally broke down in tears. They were ugly, wracking sobs that came from deep within him.
“Oh god, Frank. Let’s go to the family room, you need to sit down” Cassie said, leading him down the hall to the private space.
Cassie sat with him for the next 20 minutes as he cried, hunched over with his head in his hands. Once he had enough control over his voice to speak, he told her everything.
“Jesus. I’m so sorry Frank. I can’t imagine how scary that was.” She said. “Mel’s tough, she’ll pull through this.”
“I know she’s tough, but she shouldn’t have to be.” He snapped. “I’m supposed to keep her safe, and I’ve failed twice now. I kept her at a distance to protect her, and all it did was put her right into the hands of someone who wanted to hurt her. If I had just been honest with her, none of this would have ever happened. She’s in here because of me.”
“Frank, this is not your fault.” Cassie replied. “You had no way of knowing that this would happen. The only person at fault here is the fucker who did this. You kept her safe, Frank, you did your job. You were there to help her when she needed it. When she comes to, she’s going to be fucking scared and she’s going to need you even more. You can’t help her through this if you’re too busy beating yourself up over it.”
Silence hung in the air as he absorbed her words. Frank laid his head back to rest on the wall and closed his eyes. He still felt crippling guilt, but Cassie had a point. Mel would need him to be strong when she woke up.
“You really have a way of saying the right thing, you know that?” He asked her, opening his eyes and turning to look at her.
Cassie laughed. “It’s a mom thing. And a years of therapy thing.” She stood up to leave. “Stay here as long as you need to. I’ll make sure they come find you when they know more.” Frank nodded at her in silent thanks. With that, he was alone again. A few hours passed before there was a knock at the door. Dr. Abbott let himself in. Frank was on his feet immediately.
“How is she? Is she gonna be okay?” He asked anxiously.
“She’s going to be fine, Frank. Sit down so we can talk.” Abbott said, taking one of the seats and gesturing for Frank to join him. Frank obliged.
“Dr. King has you listed as her emergency contact, so I’m going to share the details of her care with you right now. But I need you to stay calm as best you can while I do, okay?” Abbot started. Frank nodded.
“Mel’s heart rate and respiration rates were low when she got here. Blood pressure remained stable throughout. Vitals perked up with an IV. We assessed her for injuries. She has a sizable bruise consistent with attempted asphyxiation. With the presence of the head lac, we did a CT scan to be safe. There’s no evidence on the scan of any brain injury or that she was ever without oxygen. She might have a mild concussion at most. We had the lab run a toxicology test on her blood.” Abbott hesitated momentarily, looking at the floor. “Mel tested positive for ketamine.”
The words hit Frank like a truck, even if it was the answer he’d been expecting. The reality was sinking in that someone had planned to take advantage of Mel tonight. He could feel the anger brewing in his bones again, but forced it down so that he could hear what else Abbott had to say.
“It appears that this was an attempted assault. When Mel wakes up, she’ll need to make a statement to the police, as will you. She’ll decide if she wants to press charges. Thanks to your quick action, it’s unlikely that the assailant had enough time to act on his intentions, but it’s not impossible. I would recommend that Mel have a sexual assault screen performed as well, but that will also be her choice to make when she’s awake.” Abbott finished, standing.
Frank stood to join him. “Thank you, Jack.” He said sincerely, shaking his hand.
Abbott nodded. “She’s in central 5 now, if you’d like to see her.” He said.
Frank didn’t need to be told twice. He sprinted down the hall to her room, dodging nurses and gurneys along the way. When he reached room 5 he took a deep, steadying breath before pulling back the curtain. Mel was lying in the bed, eyes closed, her golden hair fanned out around her face. Her glasses were off, lying on the table next to her. She was hooked up to an IV and the heart monitor. Frank assessed her vitals himself and let out a sigh of relief that she was stable.
Pulling up a chair next to her bed, Frank sat to her right and held her hand. The sight of her like this gutted him. His perfect girl, sunshine personified. How could anyone think of harming her? Fresh tears welled up in Frank’s eyes, the emotion of seeing her was too much.
“Hey Mel, I’m here baby. I don’t know if you can hear me, but I need you to know I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” Frank spoke quietly. No response from Mel, as expected. He wanted her to rest. As much as he wanted to hear her voice. The next steps of this process would be painful for her, and he hoped she could have a few more hours of peace until then.
Frank remained by her side for the next hour and a half, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, intermittently monitoring her vitals. He was interrupted then by a knock at the door. Looking up, he saw two police officers standing there.
“Frank Langdon?” The taller of the two asked him. Frank nodded in response. “We’re here to take your statement. Could we go somewhere more private to talk?”
Frank hesitated, unwilling to leave Mel alone. Cassie appeared behind the cops, politely moving past them. “I’ll stay with her, Frank.” she said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Frank stood, offering Cassie his chair. He shot her a look of gratitude and then followed the officers to the family room.
Frank recounted the whole story for a third time that night. The pit in his stomach grew with each retelling. Describing the state he found Mel in was enough to make him feel like he was going to throw up.
“Thank you for your help on this Dr. Langdon,” the officer said when he finished. “Could you give us a detailed description of the man you saw?”
“He was about 6’ 2’’ and muscular, looked to be in his early 30s. He had dark blond hair, no facial hair. I think his eyes were brown.” Frank recalled. “I can’t be certain, but I think he was the guy Mel was going on a date with.”
“Do you know anything about him? Her date?” the other cop asked.
Frank nodded, swallowing. “She told me his name was James. Didn’t get a last name. She met him a week ago at a bar. He’s a pharmacist at Presby…” Frank trailed off, a horrible realization washing over him. “Which would give him easy access to the drugs he used on her.” He put his head in his hands.
“Is there anyone in her life who might have a picture of him for you to identify? We’ll try to get the security footage from Sullivan’s but it won’t be until morning when they open again.” The taller cop asked.
“I met him a week ago when I was out with Trinity.”
“Yes,” Frank answered. “Dr. Trinity Santos. She works here as well, she and Mel are friends. Santos was with her when she met the guy that night.”
“Could you call her? It would be helpful if we could speak to her.”
Frank agreed. He would try his best, but Santos answering a call from him at 4 in the morning was unlikely. He tried her number anyway, hoping.
Three rings later and he was met with a groggy “What the fuck do you want, Langdon.”
“Santos, I need you to send me a picture of the guy that Mel went on a date with tonight.” Frank pleaded, trying to stress the importance of the situation.
“Langdon, you gotta let her go dude. You blew it, she moved on. Get over yourself.” Santos replied, clearly annoyed.
“It’s not about that, Santos. Mel was hurt tonight, I need to know if he was the one to do it.”
“Mel was hurt? Is she okay?” Santos asked, immediately sounding more awake.
“She’s stable. Please tell me you have a photo, Trinity.” Frank said.
“Yeah, I do, one sec. I stalked him on instagram that night, I’ll send you a screenshot.” she said. Relief poured over Frank. His phone vibrated against his ear as the text was delivered.
“Thank you, Trinity. Seriously.” he said earnestly. The two had their differences, but they were united in caring deeply about Mel King.
“I hope it helps. Are you guys at PTMC? I have a shift this morning.” Santos said. Frank confirmed that they were. “Alright. Do you need anything?” she asked.
“Uh, a fresh tee shirt would be nice. And some clothes for Mel to change into as well, if you have anything.” Frank replied. Santos agreed to bring both.
“I’ll see you soon,” she said. “And Frank… thank you for taking care of her tonight.”
Frank knew that took a lot for her to say. He appreciated hearing it more than he could verbalize in the moment. “Of course. I’ll see you soon.” he answered, hanging up the phone. He opened up his texts to see the photo Santos had sent. Pulling it up, his blood turned to ice as his suspicions were confirmed. James was the guy in the alley. He showed the picture to the cops and confirmed he was the man Frank saw. His last name was Klein according to the username of his profile.
“We’ll get working on finding this guy. In the meantime, the two of us would like to stay until Dr. King wakes up. Any idea when that might be?” one of the officers asked.
Frank shrugged. “Hard to say. She may have suffered a concussion, in combination with the drugs it could still be hours.”
They thanked him for his help and excused him from the room. He headed back to Mel’s room where he found her still sleeping. He switched spots with Cassie and took up his post at her side once again. The adrenaline crash and lack of sleep were catching up with him, and for the first time this evening he felt tired. He rested his head on the edge of the bed next to her while he held her hand in his. He dozed off, awakened an indeterminate time later to the sound of a woman’s voice.
“Frank? What’s going on?”
Frank’s head snapped up. Mel’s eyes were opened, her chest rising and falling rapidly as her breathing picked up. Her face was stricken with panic, eyes darting around the room to take in her surroundings.
“You’re okay, Mel, shhhh. You’re at PTMC, you’re safe.” Frank soothed, squeezing her hand. Her breathing slowed a bit, but the frightened look on her face remained.
“Why am I here? My head is pounding. The last I remember I was at the bar and then…” she trailed off, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Her expression changed after a moment, memory clearly catching up with her. Tears welled up in her eyes. She looked at Frank. “The last thing I remember is being in the bathroom.” she said, tears starting to fall.
“The important thing is that you’re alright, Mel. You’ll make a full recovery. Let me get your doctor in here, give me one second.” Frank said. It killed him to let go of her hand, but he wanted Abbott in here to complete his assessment as soon as possible. Frank shouted down the hall for him, and Abbott was there in a snap.
They both reentered Mel’s room, Dr. Abbott taking up the spot to her left and Frank returning to his seat at her right. Mel immediately reached out for his hand. Frank completed her request and Dr. Abbott started his exam.
“Mel, are you okay with Dr. Langdon staying here while we talk?” Abbott asked. Mel nodded. Abbott continued. “You were brought to us around 2 AM, unconscious. You had a small laceration to the back of your head and a bruise to the right side of your neck. Your vitals remained stable through your time with us. Your scans cleared you of any serious head or brain injuries. We need to do some more testing now that you’re awake to determine whether or not you have a concussion.”
Frank looked at Mel’s face as she listened. She was beginning to look even paler than she had before. Her free hand was flexed into a tight fist. She couldn’t meet Abbott’s eyes, her gaze instead fixed on the floor.
“The most concerning finding on your exam was your toxicology screening.” Abbott said soberly. “Unfortunately it was positive for ketamine.”
Mel’s grip on his hand tightened at that. He squeezed it back, trying to communicate his support. The tears were rolling more regularly down her face now, threatening to become full sobs any minute.
“I’m sorry, Mel. I know how scary this is. I don’t want to add to your anxieties, but it’s important that you are completely informed. Based on the situation you were found in, it seems like this was a case of attempted assault. When you’re ready, you’ll need to give your statement to the police.” Abbott said. “And if you choose to, we will do a screen for sexual assault.”
Mel’s eyes widened at the at, looking up at Frank, panicked.
“What? Did something happen?” Her breath quickened, chest rising and falling rapidly. “I don’t remember anything happening, I don’t, I…”
“‘Mel, breathe sweetheart. In through your nose and out through your mouth.” Frank said, never letting up his grip on her hand. “We don’t think it’s likely based on the timing but we can’t know for sure.” Mel’s breath slowed a bit at his reassurance.
“We kept your clothes already in case you decide you want to go through with the screen. Dana’s shift starts in an hour and she’s a certified examiner, if you’d be comfortable with her.” Abbott said. “Again, it’s your choice Mel. No pressure. I’ll want to do a few quick concussion tests while I’m here and then I’ll alert the officers that you’re awake so they can take your statement.”
Dr. Abbott completed a few concussion screens at Mel’s bedside. Once he was finished, he informed them that Mel’s concussion was mild. They all agreed that she should stay for another few hours for monitoring and that she could go home after that. Abbott took his leave, giving Frank and Mel an empathetic smile as we walked out.
They were alone for the first time since Mel had woken up. Mel had her head lying back in her bed, eyes closed, silent tears still tracking down her face. It was killing him to watch. All he wanted was to take this pain away from her.
“I want you to know I’m here, Mel. We don’t have to talk about it, but we can if you want to.” Frank said softly.
Mel sniffled and slowly opened her eyes to look at him. She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a knock at the door. The two officers from earlier entered and introduced themselves to Mel.
“We’re here to take your statement Dr. King. Dr. Langdon, if you’ll please give us the room.” Frank stood up to oblige but was yanked back down by the hand.
“No.” Mel said firmly. “Please don’t make him leave.” Frank sat down slowly, shooting a questioning gaze toward the officers. They hesitated before agreeing, clearly realizing that it was the only way Mel would talk. Frank felt warmth in his chest, honored by Mel’s trust in him.
“Dr. King, we’d like you to take us through the events of the evening as best you can remember.” The taller cop began. Mel glanced at Frank who nodded in encouragement. She took a deep, shaky breath before she started.
“I had a date with a man tonight. His name is James Klein, he’s 32. We met at a bar a week ago when I was out with friends. We went on a first date to dinner a few days ago. Everything seemed normal, I didn’t sense anything weird so I agreed to a second date. He picked me up at my place and we drove to Valentina’s for dinner. It was pleasant, I had one glass of wine. He asked if I wanted to go to a bar for a drink afterward.” Mel took a second to steady herself before continuing. She looked at Frank again. The pain in her eyes was evident and Frank felt his heart sink knowing that the next part of her story was going to be hard to hear.
“He drove us to Sullivan’s.” Mel continued, voice wavering already. “We went to the bar, I asked for water. I was worried about someone being sober enough to drive home so I decided not to drink any more. We made conversation for a while, but I planned on asking to leave soon since I was tired. All of a sudden I started to feel really off. I felt drowsy, dizzy, and had a headache. I got up to go to the bathroom and kept stumbling while I walked, like my balance and coordination were affected. I started to worry about taking something but I wasn’t totally sure.” Mel pulled her knees into her chest and put her head down onto them. “I don’t know if I can talk about this next part,” she said quietly.
“We really need to know everything that happened.” The cop implored, a slight irritation in his voice.
Frank shot them a warning look. “Give her a second. She’ll talk when she’s ready to.” He said authoritatively in their direction. He turned his attention back to Mel. “Take your time sweetheart. There’s no rush.” He was rewarded by a small smile as Mel lifted her head back up.
“I can do this.” She said, exhaling. “I went to the bathroom. My symptoms got way worse. I called Frank. I told him I felt weird and that I was worried about being drugged. The next thing I knew my phone was yanked out of my hand. James had followed me in there. He- he grabbed my neck and pushed me into the wall. I think I hit my head then. It started to get blurry from there. I’m sorry, that’s all I can remember.”
“You did great, Mel.” Frank reassured her. He forced a supportive smile even though his insides were boiling from rage. He couldn’t stop picturing it in his mind, the violent grab, the crack of her beautiful head against the cinder block. He couldn’t let her see his fury, he needed to be strong for her.
The officers thanked Mel and left. They sat in silence for a moment.
“Frank,” Mel started timidly. “Can you help me fill in the blanks?”
“Uh, yeah Mel, of course. Are you sure you’re ready to hear it right now?” He asked, worried that more details would only upset her further.
“I’d rather know than sit here spiraling about what might have happened.” She said, “I can take it. Please.”
“Alright,” Frank began. “After I got your call I sped to Sullivan’s as fast as I could. There were probably only 4 minutes between the last time I heard your voice and when I got to the bar. I found you in the back alley. James was dragging your body along, you were half conscious. I pushed him over to get you away from him. He tried to come back at us, tried to punch me, but he hit the brick wall instead. I got you to the car and brought you here as soon as I could.”
Mel looked horrified. Fuck. He’d said too much, he knew she wasn’t ready to hear it. He should have insisted she wait. He started to apologize but Mel beat him to it.
“Frank, I’m so sorry you almost got hurt because of me. I never wanted that to happen.” She said, looking painfully apologetic.
“Oh god, Mel, you have no reason to apologize to me.” Frank said. “I would put myself in harm's way a million more times if it meant you would be safe. Whether you asked me to or not.” He meant it. There wasn’t a weapon on Earth that he wouldn’t step in front of for Melissa King.
The look on Mel’s face made Frank want to cry. She looked genuinely surprised and touched by his admission. How could she not know that he would die for her?
“Thank you, Frank. For being there.” Mel said. “I can’t think about what might have happened if you hadn’t answered the phone.” Frank hated to think about it too, but the vision was torturing him every time he lingered on the thought too long.
“This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have trusted him. He’s a pharmacist, of course he’d have access to drugs. I barely know him and I went to a bar with him.” Mel continued, letting go of Frank’s hand to bury her head in hers.
“Melissa.” Frank said, his tone deadly serious. “This is in no way your fault. You had no way of knowing this would happen. A bad person took advantage of you. The only person at fault is him.” Mel still sat with her hands over her eyes. Frank moved to sit at the side of her bed and gently pulled her hands from her face. Her brown eyes looked up at him sadly. Fresh rage boiled in him at the thought of anyone wanting to hurt this face.
“If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me.” Frank said, averting his eyes. “If I hadn’t made things weird between us, you wouldn’t have been on that date in the first place.”
It was Mel’s turn to shoot him a disbelieving look. “Don’t do that, Frank. You just said the only one at fault is James. You saved me.” She put both of her hands on either side of his face and leaned her forehead to rest on his.
Frank couldn’t hold his emotions back any longer. Fresh tears started to fall down his face. He felt a crushing weight release from his body at Mel’s touch. The feel of her skin on his was enough to finally convince his brain that she was safe. He heard her start to cry as well, and pulled her into his chest. They stayed in their embrace until both of their tears subsided. Mel broke away first.
“Frank. I think I want to go through with the assault screening when Dana gets here.” Mel said, her voice tinged with anxiety. “I don’t think anything happened, but I don’t think I’ll ever heal from this unless I know for sure.”
It was hard to hear, but Frank nodded in agreement. “I support you, Mel. Obviously I can’t be with you but I swear to you I will not leave this hospital until you’re cleared to leave.”
She smiled. “I know you won’t, Frank. Thank you.”
“Mel? Mel, are you okay?” A voice from the hallway interrupted. Santos appeared a moment later, looking frazzled. Mel gave her a weak wave.
“Fuck, Mel, I’m so sorry this happened.” Santos said as she walked to Mel’s other side. “I can’t believe I encouraged you to go on this date. I’m so fucking sorry.”
Mel shook her head at her friend. “It’s not your fault, Trin. We just had a conversation about not blaming ourselves a few minutes ago.” She said, gesturing to herself and Frank. “Join the club.”
Santos nodded. “Yeah, you’re right Melancholia. It’s that motherfucker’s fault. He’s lucky I wasn’t with you, I would have killed him.” She said in her signature deadpan voice. Frank knew she was exaggerating, but part of him believed that Santos could genuinely do it. She was certainly angry enough. Santos handed Frank the bag she was holding. “I have to go start my shift. I brought you some clothes. I’ll come check in later.” She squeezed Mel’s arm and left, flicking the bright lights off on her way out. Frank smiled to himself. Santos put on a tough exterior, but it was acts like that which revealed how much she cared about her people.
A while later, Dana came by. She helped get Mel unhooked from her IV and monitors. She offered Mel some words of encouragement before letting her know they could start the screening. Mel gave Frank one last hug before he left the room.
“You’re the bravest person I know, Mel.” he said as they embraced. She squeezed him tighter at that, then let him go. Frank left her room and headed to the family room to wait. He changed into the fresh shirt Santos had brought for him, which turned out to be a beat up old Penguins shirt. He didn’t have Santos or Whittaker pegged as hockey fans; he’d have to ask them about it later. Frank waited in the familiar room for another hour with Santos and Cassie checking on him periodically. Finally, Dana found him to let him know Mel’s test was done and that she was cleared to leave.
“How’s she doing?” Frank asked, standing to greet her.
“All things considered, she’s doing pretty good. Tough kid, she’ll be alright.” Dana said. “We fast tracked her test results in the lab. There was no evidence of sexual contact. The police will still take her kit into evidence for DNA, but Mel’s in the clear.”
Relief washed over him like a tidal wave. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Mel had been through enough, he was instantly grateful that she wouldn't have to grapple with any more trauma than she already was.
“Dana, thank you.” Frank said as they walked back to Mel’s room.
Mel was waiting for him, perched at the edge of the hospital bed in her new clothes from Santos. She was wearing a baggy blue tee shirt and leggings. Her glasses were back on her face and her hair was pulled back into a loose bun. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. She flashed him a warm smile as he entered.
“Okay kids, listen up. Mel, you’re discharged, but you need to keep an eye on your head. Monitor for worsening symptoms and come back if needed. No driving, no screens. And don’t even think about coming in for your shifts this week. They’ll be covered. Langdon, you’re driving her home?” Dana asked.
“Of course,” Frank answered.
“Good. Mel, you got anybody who can stay with you these next few days to make sure you’re alright?” Dana asked the younger woman. Mel shifted uncomfortably, looking at the floor.
“Um, not really.” she answered. “Santos is working this week. Becca is-.”
“I can stay with her.” Frank cut her off. Mel shot him a surprised look.
“Are you sure? You’ve already done so much, I can’t ask you to take up more of your time.”
“There’s nothing else I’d rather do.” Frank said earnestly. Mel blushed slightly.
“Alright, thank you Dr. Langdon,” Dana said as she handed him Mel’s discharge paper work. “I’ll let Robby know not to expect either of you on shift this week. Now go get some sleep, it’s damn near sunrise out there. Their charge nurse gave Mel one last supportive smile before disappearing to run the floor.
Frank and Mel started to make their way out of the Pitt. They were stopped a few times by various nurses and doctors checking in on them. It was kind of them to care, but Frank could tell that all of the attention was overstimulating Mel. She was basically nonverbal, only responding to people with nods and head shakes, not making eye contact. Frank reached a hand backward toward her. She hesitated for a moment, probably because they were technically at work and others would see. She seemed to decide that she didn’t care and took his hand anyway.
He led her through the increasing crowd of the Pitt, getting busier now that it was approaching 8 AM. They were getting close to their exit when he felt Mel stop dead in her tracks behind him. Turning to face her, Frank was met with Mel’s sickly white face wearing an expression of pure fear. Her whole body was trembling. Frank snapped to attention. Was she having a drug induced reaction? A vitals crisis? He put his hands on her shoulders.
“Mel, what’s wrong baby. Tell me what hurts.” Frank said in desperation. Mel’s eyes weren’t focused on him, they were fixed on something straight ahead of her, behind him. Frank turned to see what she was looking at. His blood ran cold.
Walking into the Pitt, accompanied by Dr. Mohan, was James Klein. He had an ice pack on his fist. Samira was leading him toward an exam room. His body was moving before his brain could think twice. This man would not get away with hurting Mel. And he couldn’t let Samira in a room alone with him either. He was dangerous, and Abbott would kill Frank if he ever let that happen.
Frank could faintly hear Mel shouting behind him but the blood rushing to his head drowned her out. He reached James in a few strides.
“Hey asshole. Remember me?” Frank said, blocking their path. He was met with a simultaneous confused expression from Samira and a look of recognition from James.
“Langdon, what the fuck, I’m with a patient.” Mohan said through gritted teeth, obviously embarrassed at his outburst.
“Move away from him Dr. Mohan. He’s not safe to be around.” Frank said seriously, eyes never breaking contact with James. Samira must have sensed that he wasn’t messing around because she slowly stepped off to the side. Frank stepped closer to James. Frank could detect a crowd starting to form behind him, staring at the confrontation in front of them.
James didn’t cower. He instead flashed him a smug grin. “Good to see you again, buddy.” He said sarcastically. James gazed over Frank’s right shoulder, in the direction of where he knew Mel was standing. “Enjoying my sloppy seconds?”
“You motherfucker, never speak about her again, you got that?” Frank spat venomously. “You will never do as much as think about touching her again.”
Frank turned around to look for Ahmad or the police officers but didn’t see them anywhere. He opened his mouth to call for assistance when his shoulder was shoved from behind. James had pushed past him and was making a beeline forward.
A beeline toward Mel.
The panic on her face was evident as she stood in place, frozen with fear. Frank saw red. He wasted no time catching up to James, grabbing him by the collar just before he reached Mel. Frank pushed the other man against the wall, firm enough to keep him pinned in place but not enough to cause real harm. As much as he fucking wanted to, he couldn’t spend the evening in a jail cell when he needed to be taking care of Mel.
He could hear someone shouting for security behind him, but this time he didn’t look away. “You hurt the girl I love, you meet the consequences.” Frank said in a low, stern voice. “If you ever try to touch her again, I’ll kill you.”
“Back down, Langdon, we got it from here.” Ahmad’s voice sounded behind him. Frank let go of James, backing away without breaking his stare. Ahmad and one of the cops stepped in to cuff him. Seeing James apprehended helped bring Frank back down to Earth. He turned back to find Mel, who was now standing with Samira and Santos who were both trying to comfort her. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly and her eyes were squeezed shut.
Frank strode over to her. “Hey, Mel, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I can’t believe he’d come here.” He said. Mel opened her eyes to look at him, still breathing quickly. “Let’s go home, I got you sweetheart.” Frank reached his hand out. Mel took it eagerly. He wasted no more time leading her out of the Pitt and into his car, away from the lights, the noise- and most importantly away from him.
They reached his car and he opened the passenger door for her. Once they pulled out of the parking lot, he exhaled for what felt like the first time in hours. Mel was sitting with her knees bent up, her head resting on the window sill. Frank wished he could read her mind. He wanted more than anything to soothe her but he didn’t want to push her to talk if she wasn’t ready. Mel was taking long, intentional breaths, clearly trying to calm herself down. Frank hated that she had to in the first place. They drove in silence until they pulled up to Mel’s apartment. She was unbuckled and walking up the sidewalk the minute the car was in park, leaving Frank to scramble after her. Reaching her door, Mel’s hand shook as she keyed into her apartment.
“Mel,” Frank said quietly, following her. “What can I do? Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?”
Mel shook her head. “I want to shower. I want to- need to get him off of me.” she said.
“Of course. I’ll wait out here.” Frank said, stepping out of her way. She gave him a small smile and disappeared into her bathroom. As he heard the sound of her shower turning on, Frank decided to make himself useful. He got to work in the kitchen boiling water for pasta. Even if Mel said she wasn’t hungry, he knew she hadn’t eaten since dinner hours ago. She and Becca were both picky eaters, but buttered noodles were always a safe food for both of them. He grabbed some dry spaghetti noodles from the cabinet and some butter from her fridge. He had just finished making Mel’s bowl when she reappeared in the living room.
She was wearing pajama pants and a crew neck hoodie from Virginia Tech, her undergrad alma mater. Her wet hair was up in a towel. She joined him in the kitchen, taking a seat at one of the barstools. Frank wordlessly placed the noodles in front of her along with a glass of water. Mel looked up at him, expression tired but grateful. Frank sat next to her as she ate, determined to be close without being overbearing.
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” Mel said once she finished. “Thanks for making these, Frank.”
“Of course, Mel. Don’t mention it.” He said, smiling at her. Mel’s face remained serious.
“And thank you for… for everything today. I completely froze when I saw him in the ER. You kept him from getting to me, and I appreciate it more than I can say.” Mel said.
“I will always do everything in my power to keep you from harm, Mel.” Frank replied.
Mel smiled at him. “You might be the only person in the world who I would believe when they say that.” she said softly. Frank’s heart sank. It was unfair that a woman as kind and gentle as Mel had so few people in her life to rely on. He was honored to have her trust. Frank resolved to live up to it for the rest of his days. They sat together for a moment, silence only broken by an eventual yawn from Mel.
“I think I’m gonna go lay down,” Mel said standing from her chair. “You should too, you’ve slept even less than I have.” She wasn’t wrong. He’d dozed off briefly by her hospital bed but hadn’t had any meaningful sleep.
“That’s a good idea, Mel,” Frank said, standing as well. “I’ll be out here on the couch if you need anything.”
Mel nodded in response and turned to head into her bedroom. Frank had just started to settle onto the couch when she reappeared in the doorway.
“Frank?” she asked sheepishly. “Would you mind actually sleeping in here with me? I don’t… I don’t really want to be alone.”
“Oh, uh, sure Mel. Of course I will, I’ll be right in.” Frank said, caught off guard. He followed her into her room. Mel had taken her spot on the right side of her bed, leaving the left side of her queen size for him. He took a deep breath before joining her. He had dreamt of sharing Mel’s bed many times, but certainly not under these circumstances. The last thing he would want to do in this situation would be to make her feel anything but safe.
Frank took up his spot in the bed, lying as far away from Mel’s body as he could. Her pillow smelled like her. Her weighted blanket was endlessly comforting. Sleep came for him instantly. When he next woke, he was lying on his left side. He was aware of a warmth present near his chest. Opening his eyes fully, he saw Mel’s body curled into his own. She was still sleeping, face looking more peaceful than it had all day. Frank couldn’t justify waking her up just to move. And selfishly, he was feeling more comfortable than he had in years in their current position. He settled back in and let sleep take over again.
Frank didn’t wake again for a few hours. When he did, he was aware of the distinct lack of Mel next to him. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. The alarm clock on Mel’s night stand read 5:05 PM. It was pitch black outside, a fun side effect of the winter in Pittsburgh. Frank stood up, stretched, and walked into the kitchen to find Mel.
He found her sitting cross legged on the couch, a cup of tea in her hands. She turned to look at him as he entered the room and gave him a sleepy smile. He returned the smile and took up the spot opposite her.
“How’s your head? Are you feeling okay?” Frank asked her as he settled in.
“Better than yesterday, just a little headache.” Mel said. “Did you sleep okay? I know my mattress is a little firm for some people.”
Frank chuckled softly at that. She was always trying to make sure everyone else was okay. “I slept great Mel, don’t worry about me.” He was reminded of their sleeping position and felt himself blush a bit. He wanted to tell her it was the best sleep he’d ever had but he didn’t want to embarrass her. He wasn’t even sure if Mel had snuggled up to him purposefully or if her sleep-self had done it unconsciously.
Mel glanced tentatively over at him, looking like she was trying to decide whether or not to say something. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.
“What is it Mel?” Frank said, concerned. “You can tell me anything.”
Mel sighed, then turned to face him fully. “I want to say that I’m sorry for sleeping so close to you last night. It’s just that every time I tried to close my eyes, I was right back in the bar bathroom reliving the whole night. But when I… when I leaned into you, I felt so much better. I could sleep comfortably. And I’m so sorry that I did it and especially if I made you uncomfortable.”
Frank held her hands. “Mel, you did not make me uncomfortable. I slept better that way too.” he said.
Mel nodded quickly. “Okay, good, great. I just- I know the last time I made a physical move it was the wrong thing to do, and you left, and then it messed up our friendship. I really can’t lose you like that again, Frank.”
Frank stared at her, mouth agape. After everything they’d been through in the last 24 hours, did Mel seriously not know how he felt about her? The only thing that had stopped him from explicitly confessing his feelings while they were still at the hospital was fear of overwhelming her, or taking advantage of her emotional state. But here she was, beating herself up over doing something that he was not upset about. Quite the opposite, in fact. Frank couldn’t sit by and let Mel add “agonizing about ruining their relationship” to the list of things causing her stress.
It was now or never.
Frank swallowed hard before beginning. “Mel, that night that we kissed… It was the happiest I’d been in years. The only reason I stopped it and left was to try to protect you from me.”
It was Mel’s turn to stare at him in surprise. “Frank, I-” she started, but stopped when Frank held up his hand.
“Let me finish Mel, I have to get this out. I’ve been trying to say this for so long.” He said gently. He exhaled before starting again. “I have been in love with you for months. Since we started working together in July I have found myself thinking about you constantly. I love your mind, your heart, your quirks. And of course you are insanely beautiful. I have been going crazy trying to keep it to myself. And when you kissed me that night I- I wanted so badly to stay. But the voice in my mind told me that you were only doing it because you were lonely. And I convinced myself that I would be bad for you, that you deserve better than me. And part of me still thinks that’s true, I don’t think there’s a man on Earth who is truly worthy of you Mel. So I left. I thought I was protecting you. But I know now that I wasn’t being fair, making that decision for you.”
Mel’s eyes were starting to fill with tears. Frank feared he had said too much, had maybe misread her feelings. But he was in too far now, he had to finish confessing or he would spend the rest of his life regretting it.
“Melissa, I am in love with you. I want nothing more in this life than to be with you. I cherish our friendship deeply, and I was scared that if I was honest with you, I might lose you completely. But if you feel the same… Mel, if any part of you might feel the same as I do, please tell me.”
He waited with baited breath for her response, still holding both of her hands in his. Mel let go of one of his hands and brought it to the side of his face.
“Frank… I love you too. Every day we’ve spent together I have fallen for you more and more. When you look at me, I feel like I’m on fire. I want to be with you, Frank. I want to be yours.”
Frank felt like he might cry. He had never felt more relief in his life. He reached up to lay his hand on top of hers where it still rested on his face. He pulled it to his mouth and lightly pressed his lips to her palm.
“Being with me comes with baggage, Mel. I’m a recovering addict, I’m a divorced dad of two. My life is not exactly smooth sailing.” Frank said, staring into Mel’s beautiful brown eyes. “I need to know that you understand that. Because I will not drag you into this with me unless you’re ready to be in it 100%.”
“I want you exactly the way you are. I want to be part of your life, Frank. All of it. And I want you to be part of mine. My life isn’t exactly a walk in the park either. I’m a caregiver for Becca, and I’m trying to figure out what my life looks like outside of that. But I am absolutely sure that I want you with me while I do.” Mel said, smiling at him. Frank felt something inside him start to melt. Mel felt the same as he did. She loved him back. He was half expecting himself to wake up from a dream at any moment.
Mel slid closer to him, tentative. She slowly crept up into his lap, sliding her legs around either side of his waist. The contact was intoxicating. Frank wanted nothing more than to bury his face in her chest, her neck. But Mel had been through a lot today, and he needed to make sure her boundaries were respected.
“Mel, are you sure you’re ready for this?” Frank managed, looking up at her.
The look on Mel’s face was one of pure desire. Her eyes were wild, lips parted. It was so fucking hot. She brought her face close to his, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I don’t think I can wait another second, Frank. Please, touch me.” She breathed out.
Frank didn’t need to be told twice. He enclosed her hips in his hands and pulled her into him. Their lips met in a fervent, desperate kiss. Their tongues caressed each other deliciously. Mel started to grind her hips into his, earning a deep moan from Frank as his erection grew. He traced kisses down her jaw until he reached the soft skin of her neck. He sucked on her skin gently as he squeezed her ass tightly. It was Mel’s turn to moan in pleasure. Mel broke their contact briefly, sitting back to look at him.
“Frank,” she said breathlessly, “if you don’t take your shirt off now I think I’ll die.”
Frank smirked and wasted no time completing her request. Mel took him in as if she’d never seen something like him before. It felt good to be the object of her stare.
“Can I ask you to join me?” Frank asked her, trying to keep his voice nonchalant but secretly desperate to get her out of her clothes.
Mel blushed deeply and nodded. She slowly pulled her sweatshirt up over her head, her breasts falling free.
“You are beautiful Melissa.” Frank said before leaning in to kiss her again, this time starting with her neck and running his hands along the bare skin of her back. He wanted to touch her more, but didn’t want to push her if she wasn’t ready. Mel must have sensed his hesitancy. She grabbed both of his hands and placed them on her breasts.
“I won’t break, Frank.” She said, her tone serious. “I want you to touch me everywhere.”
Frank unraveled, her words unleashing him. He kissed her while he firmly squeezed her breasts. Mel in turn ground her hips into him even harder than before. Frank, now empowered to take charge, pulled her into him and stood up, holding her with her legs still wrapped around him. They backed up into Mel’s room, never breaking their kiss. Frank dropped her gently on the edge of her bed and knelt down to his knees.
“Lie back, Mel.” He groaned as he pulled at the waistband of her pajama pants. She gasped slightly as he pulled them off of her, leaving her in only a pair of pink panties. Fuck. Now that he’d seen her in these, he was going to have a hard time imagining her in anything else.
Despite how much Frank liked them, he was severely in need of what came next. He pulled her panties down, Mel lifting her legs slightly to help him. He raised his eyes to look at Mel’s face. She was flushed, biting her bottom lip. So fucking sexy. He raised his eyebrows, silently asking her permission to continue. As soon as she nodded enthusiastically he dove in.
Frank licked her center, nipping at it lightly, eliciting delicious moans from Mel. Her fingers were entwined in his hair, pulling with every stroke. The sounds she made were almost too much for him to handle. His cock was straining against his boxers, begging to be released. He willed himself to hang on, entirely focused on Mel’s pleasure. She tasted so good, he could have stayed there for hours.
Mel pushed his head off of her, gently. Frank stopped immediately, head snapping up to make sure she was okay. She was propped up on her elbows, even more flushed than before.
“You okay, sweetheart?” Frank asked her.
“Yes, god, it’s amazing,” Mel said, voice strained. “I just… I just need all of you, now.”
Frank’s cock ached at the words. He needed more than anything to be inside of her. He nodded wordlessly and undid his pants, sliding his boxers down to reveal his erection to her. Mel’s eyes widened as he did it. Frank knew he was larger than average, and seeing Mel’s reaction gave him a deep sense of satisfaction. He unwrapped the condom from his wallet and slid it on eagerly.
She was driving him crazy. His inhibitions were long gone. He crawled onto the bed with her, pinning her small frame against his body. He brought a hand up to her jaw, angling her pretty face up to look at him.
“Are you going to be a good girl and take me, Mel?” He growled. Mel nodded quickly.
“Please. Please, give it to me.”
Frank grinned at her as he slid himself inside of her. They both moaned immediately. She was unbelievably tight and so wet for him. He thrust slowly into her, letting her adjust to the size of him. Mel’s mouth was open, eyes widening with every thrust.
“God, baby” he said as he moved into her.
“Frank,” Mel moaned. “Don’t- don’t hold back. I can take it.”
Would she ever stop surprising him? Sweet, caring Mel was a secret freak? Begging him to give it to her harder?
“Are you sure?” Frank asked, gradually increasing his speed.
“Please, fuck me hard Frank.” Mel managed to get out between whimpers.
Any sense of decorum he had been holding on to was gone. He adjusted his position to be more on top of her, supporting his body weight with his right hand on the bed while the left caressed her face. He thrust into her in a quick, rhythmic pattern, allowing her to take the entire length of him. Frank was 100% certain he had never felt anything this good in his life. It was getting hard to handle her; the look on her face, the feel of her legs wrapped around him, the mesmerizing bounce of her tits in response to her movement. He was grateful that he could tell Mel was as close as he was.
“That’s it, Mel. Good girl, you’re doing so good. Come for me, baby.” He coached her. He was rewarded by a loud cry of his name, followed by Mel’s O face. Something Frank had imagined a thousand times but nothing lived up to the real thing. He could feel her walls tightening around him as she came and he was done for.
“Fuck, Mel, you’re amazing” he said, panting, as he finished. He rolled to the side of her as they both caught their breath. Frank pulled Mel to his torso and pressed kisses into the top of her head as he held her.
“That was unbelievable Mel.” He said between kisses. “I’ve dreamt of that for so long and I can’t believe it finally happened.”
“Me too, Frank.” Mel said, sounding slightly dazed. “I didn’t know sex could feel that good.”
“If you’ll have me, I’ll make sure your sex is that good and better for the rest of my life.” Frank said.
They showered together, changed, and ordered sandwiches for dinner. They spent the rest of the night talking, cuddled together on the couch.
“Tell me about the day you fell for me.” Mel said, smiling up at him from where her head rested on his chest.
Frank pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s so stupid, really. I had been growing fonder of you with every shift we shared since July. I started to have feelings for you after we had that conversation about the museum exhibit you were excited about.”
Mel turned to look at him in surprise. “What? After I rambled on about wanting to go to a reenactment in costume?” She said, incredulous.
Frank laughed. “Yes! You just looked so cute all excited about it, and for the rest of the shift I couldn’t get you out of my head. I loved your passion, I guess.”
“You’re a nerd, Frank Langdon.” Mel said, laughing. “I can’t believe you liked me all the way back then.”
“Of course I did, Mel, how couldn’t I?” He replied.
“Well, I had a crush on you on my very first day.” Mel confessed, face reddening slightly. “It’s so embarrassing. But you were so kind to me. And hot, obviously. I didn’t stand a chance.” She adjusted to lie completely flat with her head in his lap. “When you left, it was pretty tough. You were the one person I had bonded with that day and without you I felt a little alone. As much as the fourth shift was a shit show, you coming back was the best thing that could have happened to me that day.”
Frank had started to play with Mel’s hair absentmindedly as she talked, lightly running his fingers over her scalp and through her blonde waves.
“I’m never leaving you again, Mel. You have my word. I’m here for-“ he stopped short as his hand reached the back of Mel’s head.
Mel looked at him, confused. “Frank, what is it? You look freaked out, what’s wrong?”
His hand had run right over the sizable bump on Mel’s head from where it had made contact with the bathroom wall. The delirious bliss he’d felt in the last few hours was immediately replaced with dread as the events of the previous day flashed in his mind again.
Frank had been so close to losing her forever. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t stop the image of her skull cracking against the cement from flooding his thoughts.
As if sensing his panic, Mel sat up and put her hands on his shoulders to steady him. “Frank,” She said, commanding but gentle. “Talk to me.”
Frank allowed his bright blues to meet her dark brown eyes. “I almost lost you last night, Mel.” He choked out. “I can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if you hadn’t called me and it’s… it’s killing me. If anything happened to you, I would never recover. I can’t- I won’t risk losing you ever again.” He felt himself starting to spiral into panic, unable to conquer the horrifying thought of Mel lying somewhere, bleeding or dead.
“Oh, Frank,” Mel soothed. “I’m safe. Hey, I’m safe.” She took one of his hands and pressed it to her chest, right where she knew he could feel the steady beat of her heart. The rhythmic thump did calm him a bit, tactile proof that Mel was alive and well in front of him. He took some steadying breaths, in time with hers, and felt his anxiety start to come down.
“I’m right here. I’m fine. And I know we have a lot of craziness ahead of us. I’ll have to press charges, there will be a court case, and we’ll eventually have to disclose this relationship to HR at work. But I’m not scared of any of it because I know you’ll be with me through it all.” Mel said, her voice sincere. “I can’t predict the future. I can’t say that we’ll never face hard stuff again. But what I can assure you is that we will face them together.”
Frank pulled her into his chest, hugging her body against him. She wrapped her arms around him in response.
“I love you, Melissa King.” He said as they embraced.
“I love you, Frank Langdon.” Mel responded.