#Thena has an obligation to treat him like any other patient

[softquietsteadylove]

How about protective Gil in the Doctor AU? 👀

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaby will you come pick us up peas?

Gil smiles at the text again as he parks and walks up to the bar. Thena agreed to go out with Ajak and some of the other nurses from the ER for someone's birthday. Usually she's too tired and cranky to really keep up with the voracity of the nursing staff, but she really gave it a try tonight.

He walks into the bar, giving the bartender a wave and pointing towards the back. At this point, it's mostly the hardcore crowd left, the young ones having left for trendier or cheaper locations.

"Gil!"

"Hi ladies," he chuckles as the gaggle of nurses celebrates his mere arrival. "I got the distress call."

"It's so sweet of you to pick us up," Ajak stands and flits over to him. She's obviously buzzed, but everyone else seems borderline blackout. It's really a testament to her tolerance. She hiccups and pats his arm, "we said 'let's get an uber' and Thena said no, I have someone better."

Gil blushes.

"She said Gil'll come riiiiiiight over," Ajak continues to coo at him, "her knight in shining harmour."

"That's me," he smiles obligingly, letting Ajak giggle over it. He looks at the two other nurses who lasted this long, lying on the table and ready for bed. "Where's Thena?"

Ajak furrows her brows, physically counting the other two at the table. She looks at Gil with a pout.

"I'll find her."

Gil walks briskly, looking for any spot of blonde in the bar he can see. If Ajak is buzzed then it's likely Thena is as drunk as the other two. She doesn't really have a tolerance anymore, and usually she would have called it quits long ago.

He turns a corner and risks hanging around the bathrooms, listening for her. He pulls out his phone.

"Lookin' for someone, handsome?"

"Girlfriend," he says point blank, sending the woman off. He holds his phone away from his ear so he can hear Thena's ringing. He sighs, rolling his eyes, switching tactics.

The familiar beep of her buzzer is much easier to hear.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's my pager," a voice growls/slurs from off in the corner. "S'for the hosp'al."

"Right, you're like a nurse, right?"

Gil follows the fractured conversation to probably the deepest, darkest corner of the bar. Thena is trying to walk back into the more lit end of the corridor, but the guy next to her keeps pulling her back into the shadows with him.

"Hey!"

The guy looks back at Gil, not too concerned with his very concerning behaviour. He's done this before. "Hey man, I'm just takin' the lady home."

"Oh really?" Gil glares at him.

"Yeah, she's had one too many, so," he shrugs.

"So," Gil comes right up to him, "you were just gonna...take advantage of her when she's too drunk to consent--is that it?"

The guy rolls his eyes at Gil (the fucking nerve). "Come on, dude, don't be that prick."

"Baby!"

The guy turns a comical shade of white as Thena finally gives up on trying to read what was paged to her and throws her arms around Gil's neck. She snuggles into him gleefully. "Uh-"

"Hey hon," Gil speaks softly against her temple. She really is drunk, although at least she's more conscious than the two nurses in Ajak's care. He wraps his arm around her waist, "sorry I'm late."

Thena giggles, looking up at him with glassy eyes. "I knew you'd come and get us."

"Shit," the stranger curses. He tries to move but Gil is in his way. "Look, she didn't mention a boyfriend."

"Did so," Thena whines, "I said my husb'n is pickin' ussup."

"Sweetie, stay right here, okay?" Gil kisses her cheek and helps her lean against the counter outside the bathrooms. Once she's stable he grabs the guy by the shirt and pushes them backwards into bathroom. "We're gonna chat."

"Look, this is-"

Gil winds up and punches the guy full force. "You don't say a fuckin' word."

He can't anymore, his lip is cut and he's barely conscious after one punch.

Gil marches him all the way to the back wall, throwing him against it. "Y'know what I should do with scum like you?"

The guy sputters and coughs on the blood in his mouth. His tooth tumbles out, "y-you can't-"

"Oh, I can," Gil snarls at him, shaking him by the shirt to knock his head against the back of the wall. "I'm not doctor, so as far as I'm concerned, I don't have any reason not to beat you to death in here."

The guy pisses.

Gil huffs, tossing him down and stepping away. He likes these shoes. "I'm gonna let the staff know you're in here. And if you ever show your face around my wife ever again, I'll finish what I started in here."

Thena is still leaning outside, waiting for him. She looks up with the same enthusiasm, as if registering he's here for the first time. "Baby!"

Gil smiles, pulling her into his arms and inhaling the scent of her hair. "You're too beautiful for your own good, sweetheart. I'm gonna have to keep a better eye on you."

"Okay," she sighs, happy to agree to it while she snuggled into the front of his hoodie. "Can we go home?"

"Of course, baby," he kisses her forehead and lets her lean heavily on him as he walks back into the main bar. He waves to Ajak, "I got her!"

"Let's move out, team!" Ajak declares, although she has to pinch the other two nurses to rouse them. That being said, once they're awake, they do shoot to their feet with frightening speed and stability.

"Hey," Gil waves to the bartender again. "There's a guy in the bathroom, someone beat him up pretty badly. I heard he spiked someone's drink, though. You should probably keep an eye out if he tries to come in again."

The bartender accepts it at face value. Gil has been in here enough as a medic for other barflies that he doesn't get questioned about it. That asshole will never be allowed in here again.

Thena looks at Gil, all of her brain power going into putting two and two together, "did...did you beat him up?"

Gil laughs; she's cute when she's tipsy. "Don't tell anyone."

She sighs and slumps against him again, "I won't."

They hit the open air and immediately a few of them are walking straighter. Gil unlocks the car from a distance, "doors are open, ladies. Back's free, but-"

"Don't worry," Ajak laughs, herding the other two across the street, "we'll leave the front for your lady love!"

Gil shakes his head; they're really not as out and official as Ajak makes it seem. He looks at Thena beside him, though, "you okay, honey?"

Thena really thinks about the answer. "Hm...missed you."

Gil smiles, kissing her forehead again, "I missed you too, love. Did you have a good time, at least?"

Thena nods, her steps getting smaller and slower, "it was nice. But they're tooooooooo much for me."

"I think they're too much for me too," he concedes. He loops Thena's arm around his neck and sweeps her up into his hold, carrying her the rest of the way. "It's okay. We'll get you home and in bed and I'll make you a nice hangover cure tomorrow."

"'Kay," Thena happily presses her face into his shoulder. "You're good at bein' a husb'n."

Gil kisses her forehead again, "I've been your husband for a while now--I hope I'm good at it."