#dr abbot x gn!reader

[trulybetty]

third time is a charm | part two

pairing: dr. jack abbot x gn!reader word count: 1,888 warnings: grumpy x sunshine, minor mentions of a laceration reader receives, talk of a minor medical procedure, very tame to what is shown on screen, competency kink continues to be itched estimated reading time: 8 minutes summary: it seems the universe is intent on throwing you in the path of dr. jack abbot ao3: linked

« part one | part three »

Third Time Is a Charm Part Two.

Jack was halfway down the hall of the ED, mentally counting how long was left in his shift, when Lena, the night shift charge nurse, flagged him down.

“Hey, I need you on four,” she said, tapping the corresponding file folder on the counter of the hub, the heart of the Emergency Department. “Been waiting over two hours, and I need that bed.”

Jack glanced at the assignment screen, where there weren’t any details assigned to the name and the bed number, then back at Lena. “Then throw it to one of the interns.”

“I would, but they’re all with Robby on that MVC overflow. It’s either you or we let triage back up even more, and we wait for Gloria to come down and complain—again.”

He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Anything I should know?”

“Nope,” she popped on the pronunciation, “Deep hand laceration. Bleeding had stopped by the time they brought them back.” Lena cocked an eyebrow at his exasperation, “You’ll survive.”

Jack muttered something that sounded like obscenities under his breath, but still turned towards bed four. Given the brief descriptor and the late hour, he was expecting some college kid or maybe a drunk idiot hurt in a bar fight. What he wasn’t expecting was you.

You were sitting up on the gurney, one hand wrapped in a polka-dot dish towel, which once upon a time had been mostly white, scrolling through your phone like you were in line at the DMV, not waiting on stitches.

His steps slowed.

While it had been a few weeks, he still recognized you instantly.

Looking up from your phone at the sound of the curtain being opened, you blinked, recognition dawning. Then smiled. “Oh, hey.”

Jack pulled back the curtain to close off the ward outside. “Please tell me this has nothing to do with your car.”

You shook your head, “In my defence,” you said brightly, “this wasn’t on purpose.”

He dropped onto the stool next to the bed and nodded at the dish towel around your hand, “Is that… from your kitchen?”

“It was the only clean thing I had,” you eyed it warily, “Well, clean-ish.”

Jack exhaled, heavy, “Of course it was.”

He rolled to the supply drawers, grabbing gloves and a suture pack. You tapped your outstretched feet together, watching him with a relaxed amusement that grated on him more than he’d like to admit.

“Let’s see it,” he says, nodding at your hand.

You peeled back the towel. The lack of pressure made you wince. Jack leaned in closer to examine the wound—a deep, jagged slice across your palm between your left thumb and forefinger. It’d stopped bleeding a while ago, but the edges were angry and starting to swell.

He huffed, “This could’ve used stitches hours ago,” he said, more to himself than you. “Any numbness? Tingling?”

“Nope. Just throbs.”

“You’re lucky. Could’ve cut something important.” He picked up the dishcloth as if it had offended him. He noticed the tomato sauce stains between the patches of blood, “This is not clean, by the way.”

You shrugged, “It was the best out of the bunch.”

He looked up from the suture kit he’d just pulled out, deadpan, “That’s not the win you think it is. Do you even have a first aid kit?”

You scrunched your nose, “I’ve got some band-aids somewhere.”

He gave you a pointed look: “Invest in a first aid kit.”

You grinned.

He sighed.

Straightening up, he prepared a shot of lidocaine. “This is going to sting,” he warned, and you hissed at the first injection of anesthetic. “Normally, I’d throw this to an intern, but the entire next generation of healthcare is on clean up from a multi-car pile-up.”

“I’m flattered.”

He didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, he started to clean the wound, his touch brisk but careful.

“Let me guess, kitchen accident?”

“It was an avocado.”

“It come at you with a knife?”

“I only came at it with a spoon at first. Had it for a week waiting for it to go ripe, guess it had other ideas.”

He irrigated the wound and checked your range of motion. You were quiet for a beat, watching him thread a needle with a practiced hand. Evident that he could do this in his sleep if needed.

“You ever done this before?” you asked, lips twitching.

“Stitches?” Jack asks, pausing to look at you like he should ask if you hit your head, too.

“Yeah.”

Jack shook his head as he started the process of stitching your hand. “I’m an ER doctor.”

You tried not to squirm, even as you felt the ghost of the antiseptic burn a little at the edges and the tug of the first stitch pulled at your skin.

“You could be new, this is a teaching hospital, right?”

“I’m not, and it is.”

“Could be your first.”

He glances up, “You think I’d let you be my first?”

You shrugged with faux nonchalance, “Shame, could have been romantic.”

He worked in silence for a beat, “You’re lucky,” he says. “Could’ve hit a tendon.”

You hummed, watching him continue with the stitches, “Think I’ll get a cool scar?”

“Sure,” Jack muttered, “might want to come up with a better story for it though.”

“So, what name do I put down for my Yelp review?”

He paused slightly, needle midair—this was taking him twice as long.

He arched a brow, and you offered a smile in return.

“I just realized I’ve never gotten your name. Kinda rude. Since you know mine now.”

Jack huffed, “Actually, I don’t.”

You feigned offence. “Ouch. It’s in the file.”

“I didn’t read your file.”

“Well. That’s a little concerning.”

“I read what matters,” he offered by way of explanation.

“So, what name do I put down? Or do I just call you Dr. Jumper Cables?”

He finally glanced up, meeting your eyes.

“That thing still running?”

“Haven’t left the lights on since.”

“Doctor Jack Abbot,” he offered after a beat.

You nodded, letting it settle and running it over your tongue under your breath. “Okay, well, Dr. Abbot… you get four out of five stars.”

That earns you a stern look.

“What? It was a three-star—but you gained a bonus star for jump-starting my car the other week. Though maybe I shouldn’t mention that? You’ll have patients asking for oil changes with their stitches.”

He didn’t laugh. Not even remotely. But his mouth twitched, and you caught the way he ducked his head as a tiny smile fought its appearance.

Normally, he’d be calling in a nurse by now. Let them do the bandaging, offer advice on care and follow up. That’s what the protocols were for. What his time was technically supposed to be used for.

Instead, he rolled his chair over to the supply drawers and grabbed gauze, tape and a clean wrap. Gloves back on.

You watched him with a kind of relaxed amusement that does get under his skin, even if he wouldn’t admit it. Not because you’re mocking him—because you’re not bothered by him. Not in the way some people get with him. Even if some of it is mostly a result of his own doing.

He cleaned around the stitches, checking for residual bleeding, and wrapped it with careful, even pressure.

“Keep it dry,” he said, taping off the end. He held up a second unopened package of dressing, “and because I don’t want you using dishcloths again. Change this in twenty-four hours. Come back in five to seven days to get the stitches removed.”

“I’ll pencil it in.”

The moment was interrupted by a tannoy going off, ‘Abbott to trauma bay two’. He sighed. It was going to be a long night.

“You’re all set.” He said, standing and peeling off his gloves.

You glanced down at your hand, flexing your fingers. Then up at him as he scribbled something on your chart, and headed for the curtain.

“Someone’ll be by with your paperwork.”

“Thanks,” you said, no teasing in your voice this time.

Jack gave you a short nod, hand on the privacy curtain. But just before he was about to pull it aside, he paused.

A smile—not a full, but a real one—crossed his face for the first time.

“Don’t forget to turn your headlights off and get yourself a damn first aid kit,” he said.

And then he was gone.

A Week Later.

The sky was dark, and the sidewalk outside the hospital was wet and salty from an early morning flurry that the wind had blown in. You’d managed to get in early at the walk-in clinic to get your stitches removed. It was healing nicely, they’d said who’d ever done the stitches did good work and was saving you from a gnarly scar. You’d smiled at this. But now, you were scowling at your phone.

For a Saturday morning at seven am, Uber’s prices were rising like it was New Year’s Eve. You weren’t sure what circus was in town, but it didn’t look like prices were going to go down anytime soon.

You weren’t dressed for waiting or public transit—you’d figured you’d be in and out. Your winter coat was holding up just enough, but the cold was still making its way in and soaking into your bones.

You were debating on walking partway home—maybe enough to cut the fare, figure out the bus schedule—when the glass doors hissed open behind you.

Jack stepped out, hitching his backpack onto his shoulder and pulling his scarf tighter against the cold.

He was glad for the extra sweater he’d left in his locker, padding out his coat. His badge was clipped to his hip still, his truck keys in one hand. He spots you immediately.

You offered him a small wave, “Oh, hi.”

He stopped in front of you, taking in your ungloved hand that was wrapped in a fresh dressing, and frowned. “Tell me you’re not driving.”

“Nope. Waiting for a ride.”

“Uber?”

“Kind of,” you flashed your phone screen, “surge pricing. I’m hoping that if I wait it out, it’ll drop.”

He grunted, “What happened to the hatchback?”

You hesitated, wrinkling your nose, “It… died.”

Jack narrowed his eyes. “Battery again?”

“No, not this time. Transmission, maybe? There were a lot of words and car parts mentioned that I still don’t understand. It made a noise, then coasted to a sad little death in front of a bakery.”

His brow lifted, “That tracks.”

“But hey, I got a good pastry and an amazing coffee out of it while I waited for the tow truck.”

Jack didn’t say anything at first. Just glanced down the road, then back to you.

“You’re over on 48th, right?”

You nod. “Yeah.”

He knew it probably wasn’t going to do him any favours with what he was about to say next, “Want a ride?”

You hesitated, “Seriously?”

“It’s the festival today, Uber isn’t going to go down anytime soon, and half the roads are closed, so the buses are being rerouted.”

He started walking towards the employee lot, but looked back when he realized you weren’t following, “Come on,” he said, not breaking his stride.

You smiled and jogged to catch up with him.

[allllium]

Just a Bit of Fun

[ Jack Abbot x Reader ]

~ Fluff, WC: 3749

~ Mostly gender neutral but there is a section using female pronouns, pls let me know if you want another version with other pronouns

-------------- banner coming soon -------------

- Reader is keeping a big secret from Dana, accidentally.

Fortunately, the ER today has been pretty slow. Not that you'll say out loud but only a couple people are left out in chairs. You're struggling to get a snack out of the vending machine. Everyone knows this one is a money thief but it's the only one with your favorite snack.

While you're distracted, Dana uses it as an opportunity to talk to Robby about her newest issue within the ER. It's not a real issue at all, but no one dares to say it to her face.

"Call me old school, but I don't understand it." She says, just directly out of your earshot.

"Well-" He begins, but obviously Dana cuts him off quick.

"Don't you call me anything with the word old in it."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it." Robby chuckles. "I don't get it either but it's not any of our business." He knows exactly what she's talking about. It's the only thing he's heard from her in a couple days now.

"Of course it is. This is my ER, all of its my business." He doesn't contridict that it's her ER, but he can't stop his grin at her dramatics.

"Stop being a gossip." He lectures her as usual. Of course it's not her fault, she gets bored.

"Hey, you want to know too. Don't even deny it."

"Obviously I want to know but I'm not gonna sneak around behind their backs." That and he knows more than he'll let Dana see. She'll have his head on a silver platter if she finds out you told him before her.

"What are we gossiping about?" You whisper from behind them. Not meaning to sneak up on them but they were standing right in your path.

"You're just as bad as Dana." Robby rolls his eyes at you. He does that a lot.

"Don't be talking shit out in the open if you don't want me to be curious." You tell him in a lecturing tone. "That's on you, Buddy."

"We were not talking shit." He hates when you call him buddy, that's why you do it. Robby isn't usually one to talk shit but on a few occasions you've caught it happening.

"Uh huh, quick defense there." You smile at his dramatic huff. Once you get to him, he's not nearly as intimidating. Now you can poke fun at him all you want.

He doesn't grace with you a verbal response before giving up and walking away.

"He's no fun." Dana mutters under her breath. You look over in her direction, forgetting she was there for a moment. You should know better, she's always there.

"That's okay, we're fun enough for him too." You walk around the counter to sit down and take a breath for a moment, while you can.

"What are you doing here, kid? I barely ever see you in the daylight." She takes a seat in the chair next to you.

"Filling in for Collins. Robby asked me to while she's on vacation. Night shift will do without me for a bit." You fidget by moving back and forth in the chair. You and Collins have bonded a lot through the years. The nature of her vacation isn't a happy one.

"I don't know." She immediately disagrees. "Abbot might fall apart without you by his side."

You can see the mischievous smile forming.

"What's that supposed to mean?" You turn quickly to face her head on.

"You know what I mean, I never see one of you without the other."

"He's not here right now is he? Besides we work different days a lot."

"Not if it's up to the two of you." She shrugs with a laugh.

"We work well together." You deflect in disbelief. What is she getting at right now?

"I bet you'd be good at a lot of other things together too." She keeps her head down as she says it, you know she's struggling to get the words out through her laugh.

"Dana it is way too early in the morning for you to be saying stuff like that." You tell her in astonishment. "Have you no shame?"

It takes her a full moment to stop laughing at her own words. You get the urge to walk away but you know she'd chase you down.

"I'm just saying, you two would be good together."

"Dana. You can't be encouraging me to have sex with my boss."

"Why not? It's never hurt nobody."

"I am walking away from this conversation right now."

"C'mon, hon, just live a little." She calls after you.

You shake your head harshly as you walk away and her laugh echos through the hall.

You know neither you nor Jack have actually told anyone other than Robby that your together, but you didn't think she would still be this oblivious.

You can't explain why you played along instead of coming out with the truth. At this point, you might as well have fun with it.

The next day, Dana seems to be just as determined to get answers as the last. Your reactions to her teasing certainly didn't help.

"I don't see what the big deal is." You and Dana are sitting in the lounge, trying to eat lunch while there's not too much work to be done. Knock on wood this next couple days will follow a similar pattern. "We work together so what? You and Robby work together all the time and I'm not pushing you two into each other." She immediately gives you a look of disgust.

"Don't even try that, it's different and you know that. Robby and I don't look at each other the way you guys do."

"We don't look at each other like anything other than good coworkers." You tell her confidently, perhaps taking the joke too far. Honestly if she hasn't figured it out by now, that's on her.

"You are so full of shit."

"I think the older you get, the crazier you get too."

"Did you seriously just call me old and crazy in the same sentence?"

"Hey I just call it like I see it." You raise your hands in a joking defense.

"Abbot's a good looking guy, I know you see that." She wiggles her eyebrows at you.

"Well I'm not gonna deny that."

"So why not take the chance? It doesn't have to be anything serious."

"I like things how they are." You shrug and pay more attention to your food than necessary.

Whatever she's about to say next is cut off by McKay running in.

You're not paying attention to anything they're saying but Dana rushes out quickly and leaves McKay standing in the doorway. Robby probably needed her help with something.

"Are you fucking with her?" Mckay laughs as she looks at you curiously.

"So I'm guessing you know?"

"You guys are very obvious. Has she not gotten it yet?" You get up to throw away your lunch trash while she talks.

"Apparently not. I guess she figured I was single and Robby didn't tell her otherwise." You shrug and walk with McKay through the hall.

"Strange considering he's such a gossip."

"That's what I'm saying!"

"Oh that's a really pretty ring." You're standing by your locker when Dana appears. It's day three of her pushing for answers and one of those rare times where you get off on time.

"Huh." You look down and see the ring Dana is referring to. It's on a chain around your neck that must've come out while leaning over so much throughout the day. "Oh thanks, I didn't realize it was out." You quickly tuck it back into your shirt, before Dana asks too many questions.

"What kind of stone is that? It doesn't look like diamond." Of course she's gonna ask a lot of questions.

"Oh it's not, I can never remember the exact name of this one but I'm not a huge fan of diamonds." You explain while grabbing your other clothes out so you can get home as quick as possible.

"Why do you wear it on a necklace?" She asks in a knowing manner.

"Cause' knowing this place it would get lost or ruined otherwise. I'd do it with my other ones too but I wear a million of them." No lie in that statement.

"So why wear it instead of keeping it with the rest?"

"It's my favorite. I just like having it so close to me." Also not a lie.

"That makes sense, it is really pretty." She turns to pull stuff out of her own locker.

"Thanks. Uh, you have any plans after this?" You try to change the topic as casual as possible.

"Lots of sleep hopefully."

"I think that's all we can hope for at this point." You also want to go home and sleep. Especially because the house will be empty all night.

"Sleep well kid."

"See you bright and early." As soon as you're changed, you walk out and leave Dana to herself.

You give a quick goodbye to Robby, who of course hasn't even gotten close to finishing up yet. And then make your way outside when you're greeted with a familiar face.

"How was it today?" He asks from his position leaning against the wall.

"Not to bad. I think you should have okay night." You smile at him which shows off just how tired you are.

"I hope so."

"Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning." You say with a saddened tone.

"Goodnight Dr. Abbot." He pulls you in for a swift hug.

"Goodnight- or goodmorning, Dr. Abbot. Whatever it is to you right now."

"Go home and sleep, you need it."

"Sounds good to me." You pull away from him and both go your separate ways.

"I can't believe it." Dana exclaims just moments after you left. She immediately found Robby to talk to about what she just saw.

"What are you on about now?" He sighs as he always does when putting up with the gossips in the ER, especially Dana's.

"She was wearing an engagement ring, oh how did we miss this?" She seems personally offended by this piece of information.

Robby tries as hard as he can to hide his grin. He didn't miss anything, but again, Dana would have his head if she knew.

"That's why she's been so put off by the idea of going out with Abbot."

"Maybe she's just not interested in him. She wears a lot of rings that could pass as engagement rings. You probably just saw it wrong." He tries to offer a reasonable solution. One that doesn't make her even more invested in your romance life.

"No, it was different than the other ones. And she was wearing all day under her shirt. People don't do that with any old ring." She follows behind him as he walks around trying to finish off his work for the night.

"Why didn't you just ask her about it? She has no reason to lie." He comes to your defense.

"I did! Discreetly but the point still stood. She just said it was her favorite." She comes off even more exasperated than before.

"And you don't believe her because?"

"She is not good at coming up with excuses, I can always tell when she's trying to come up with something on the spot."

"Dana, please take this advice I'm about to give you seriously. Calm down a little bit. If she's hiding something it's for a good reason."

"What reason would be good enough to not tell me?"

"Ask her." He practically begs.

She gasps suddenly, "Maybe Abbot knows."

For the ten millionth time that day, Robby rolls his eyes.

"She knows." You resign as he walks in the door.

"Who knows what?" You hear him move around the living room as he puts everything down from the night.

"Dana. I don't know what she knows but it's something."

"Okay? And this is an issue because?" He walks into the kitchen to greet you as he talks.

"You're the one that insisted on hiding this." You lean into him as he puts his arms around your waist.

"At first. If you want to tell Dana go ahead."

"I can't! It would be weird now. It's been years at this point." He chuckles from behind you.

"I don't think it's a big deal."

"So says you. You work the night shift, you don't deal with Dana's craziness like I do."

"You'll be back on night shift soon enough."

"Oh honey, it's funny you think that'll stop her."

He let's go of you to grab something to eat.

"I know it won't. But I'm not the one dealing with it."

"Be nice to me, Jack. I'm struggling here." You're being totally dramatic about it but oh well at this point.

"How dare she care about your life outside of work." He says blankly as he focuses on finding food.

"You're not gonna find anything in there, we need to go shopping."

He shuts the cupboard and focuses more on you. "I think I'll bring you lunch later."

"Honey, you need to sleep longer than a couple hours."

He rolls his eyes, "No I don't."

You head to the living room to grab the rest of your stuff for your shift.

"You don't need to bring me lunch, I'll get something." He follows you into the room and sits down on the couch.

"It might help with your Dana issue."

"Shes gonna hurt me, isn't she? She's a lot stronger than she looks "

"Most likely."

"Good to see how concerned you are."

"I try my best." You laugh at his words and finish grabbing your stuff before pausing for a moment.

"Wait a minute, why are you here so early. You're shift isn't over yet?"

He glances up at you for a second before looking back at the TV.

"Did you clock out early so you wouldn't overlap with Dana coming in?"

"Of course not."

You burst out laughing. He gives you an unimpressed stare.

"Okay sweetie, whatever you say." It's hard to believe this is the most intimidating guy in the ER. "If she wants to get you, she will."

You let out an embarrassing yelp as Dana quickly grabs your arm and pulls you into the empty on call room.

"Was that really necessary?" You exclaim while she shuts the door behind you both.

"Yes, I want the truth." She crosses her arms over her chest and stares at you pointedly.

"Don't we all." You sigh dramatically.

"Seriously, kid. Who gave you that ring? I know it's an engagement ring. I looked it up." You roll your eyes at her. Of course she's still on this.

"I didn't know you knew how to do that." You mumble under your breath and throw your arms across your chest.

"Don't sass me or I'll tell everyone."

"Tell them what? You don't know anything." She squints her eyes as she thinks of what to say next.

"I'm going figure it out. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Dana, I'm not scared of you."

"Yes you are."

"I spend every night working with Abbot. You are not on his level of intimidation." You shake your head with a smile at her reaction to this whole situation.

You're not entirely sure why this is something she's so determined to figure out but it fills your day with a tiny bit of entertainment.

"Just tell me." She demands, staring into your soul.

"Okay fine, I'm married alright. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Her face shows a mixture of confusion and happiness. Clearly she's glad to finally have a good answer.

"To who??"

"I have already given you more than enough." You brush her off and begin to leave the room she pulled you into.

"You're seriously not gonna tell me?

"I am seriously not gonna tell you."

"Wait, how long have you been hiding this?" She opens her mouth in shock.

"I haven't been hiding anything, you never asked. But it's been about three years now."

"You've only been here for two years. No wonder you've been so weird about Jack." She mutters to herself like she's finally putting the pieces together.

"Next time you won't assume I'm single will you?"

"No I will not." She laughs.

You walk off assuming that's the end of this particular conversation. You're not that lucky.

"So how does your husband feel about your relationship with Abbot?" She sounds very concerned. How the fuck is she not getting it right now?

"Well honestly he's not super fond of him." Why do you continue to make things harder for yourself. This would all be over if you didn't listen to Jack in the first place.

You know he was right to suggest it at first. Coming to work in a new place is hard enough without people knowing you're married to your new boss.

You really thought people would figure it out by now. But of course people never wanted to accuse either of you of anything, so they keep conversations quiet and didn't ask any questions loud enough for you to hear.

"I wonder why?" She asks sarcastically. She clearly sees something between you and Jack. What will it take for her to see what that something is?

"You are officially on my shit list!" Dana yells from down the hall.

"Oh yay." You whisper sarcastically. "What'd I do now?" You call back down to her.

"Someone is here to see you." She smiles scarily and pulls you by the arm for the second time today.

"Oh is my food here?" You're excited to finally eat and see Jack during the day. Although he's gonna get a very big earful about the importance of enough sleep, especially with a job as grueling as this.

"Yeah and you'll never believe who brought it to you." Sarcasm drips from her voice.

"The magic food fairy?" She's not impressed. You think it sums him up pretty well.

"Abbot. Dr. Jack Abbot. The man who worked all night and should be sleeping all day is instead here bringing you food. Why is that?"

"Do you need to sit for a minute? You seem a little worked up."

"I do not need to sit, I need to hear the explanation you two have been hiding from me." You accidentally let out a small chuckle at her antics. You don't know why this means so much to her.

"Why do you need an explanation for me to get my lunch?"

"First you hide your marriage-" You interrupt her quickly.

"I didn't hide anything."

"Then you admit your husband isn't real fond of Jack."

"Oh honey, you're getting so close." Will this be the moment she finally puts all the pieces together?

You look up to see Jack standing at the nurses station, smiling softly at you as you walk up. It's not big enough for most people to notice. Dana clearly, is not most people.

She stops walking, causing you to slightly bump into her back.

She turns around slowly to face you.

"Surprise?" You reveal, hoping she's finally figured out what's going on.

While she stands in her surprise, you walk over to your husband.

"I told you not to do this." You immediately reprimand him.

"Dana's glaring daggers at the back of your head." Is his simple response.

"Oh let her. She's having some big feelings and you don't get to change the subject that easily." You grab your food out of his hands.

"We haven't seen each other as much lately. Can't I do something nice?" He asks innocently.

"Don't act like you didn't want to see Dana's reaction." You place the food on the counter next to you so you can cross your arms over your chest. It's your power stance.

"What can I say? Karma for being a gossip."

You laugh aloud. "Says you! You listen to everything the nurses talk about and ask me about it later."

"That's not the same." You scoff at his denial.

"Uh huh, whatever you have to tell yourself sweetie." You smile widely at him. Suddenly feelings just how much you've missed him over these last couple days. "Go home and sleep. It's my last day on day shift for now."

"Good. Night shift goes a lot smoother when you're there."

"Aww are you saying you missed me?" You take a step closer to him and his awkwardness.

"No." What a motherfucker.

"Oh I see how it is." You feel Dana's presence come up beside you. "Get some good sleep so we can spend time together without you being such a grump."

"I am never a grump." He defends, his lip curling up just a smudge.

"Wow you're just full of jokes tonight, I see." He gives you a kiss on your head to hide his smile in your hair.

"Have a good shift." He tells you and gives a small nod to Dana before walking out the door.

"So? Figure it out yet?"

"How in the hell did I not know this?" She exclaims softly almost like she's saying it to herself.

"You never asked. No one did." You shrug with a chuckle.

"How long have you been together? He never mentioned anything." She plops down in a chair to continue the conversation.

"He's protective. He thought it would make things harder if people knew I was married to my new boss." You sit in chair next to her. You look around and see all the other doctors currently occupied.

"So as long as you've been here?" She chuckles quietly realizing all she missed over the years.

"Married for three years, together for six. We met at a bar when he was drinking in his sorrows." You remember the memory fondly. "I was gonna tell you when I realized you didn't know, but for some reason it didn't come out."

She laughs loudly at that. Loud enough that a patient to the left gave her a weird look.

"That makes sense. I'm just glad you're not having some weird affair with Jack."

"It's not an affair but it's definitely weird."

"Ha! Eat your lunch kid. I'm gonna hound you for details later." She stands up and gives you a pat on the shoulder.

"Wouldn't expect anything less."

~ low-key wanna write about how they met 🤔

[trulybetty]

third time is a charm | part one

pairing: dr. jack abbot x gn!reader word count: 1,346 warnings: grumpy x sunshine, waiting on roadside assistance, competency kink is itched, this is pretty tame considering my resume estimated reading time: 6 minutes summary: it seems the universe is intent on throwing you in the path of dr. jack abbot ao3: linked

« masterlist | part two »

Third Time Is a Charm Part One.

You’d officially hit every checkbox on the ‘bad decisions in winter’ bingo card. The sun was down, the temperature was offensively cold, and you were leaning against the trunk of your car—that was just far enough out from the spot you’d originally been parked in—that you were blocking anyone from passing, forcing them into the second lane. You were thankful, at least that the side street was quiet. Only one car had been by since your engine had stalled.

Your winter coat—a fifty percent off “thermal-lined” special, you were starting to suspect was an elaborate lie and you’d been ripped off on the whole ‘winter proof’ part—was wrapped tightly around you, and you were gripping your phone like it was going to magically fix things.

It wasn’t.

You’d already called roadside assistance and been told—cheerfully in a false tone that suggested what they were saying wasn’t remotely true and they just wanted you off the phone—that someone would be with you “within the next 90 minutes… or so.”

You’d tried jumping the battery yourself. At least that’s what you think you did. You’d Googled diagrams. The car’s manual. You even watched a video narrated by a man named “Jeff the Mechanic” who kept winking at the camera, distracting you from whatever it was he was saying.

None of it had helped.

So now you were there waiting. And freezing.

Jack was supposed to be asleep by now.

That was the deal. Day shift had screwed him over with a last minute schedule change, and in exchange he was supposed to be done by five. Home by five-thirty. Asleep by six. A solid twelve hours to reset before he went back to his normal night shift rotation. That was the plan.

He was not asleep.

All he wanted was his spot. The one that was a third car length out from the fire hydrant. The only one that didn’t get buried when the snowplows rolls through at night. It’s habit now—come down Liberty, take a right on 48th, ease in, and then he’s five steps from his apartment.

Only that night, the spot is taken. There was a navy blue hatchback that was parked half-assed, like it was trying to attempt to parallel park and thought, ‘eh, good enough’. The hazards were on, and that’s when he noticed someone leaning against the back with the kind of detachment Jack associated with people who don’t realize just how in the way they are.

Jack let the truck idle behind the car for a few seconds. Then he tapped the horn once. Not aggressively. Just a hey. A nudge. Move it.

You looked up.

He could already tell from your expression that this was about to be a conversation, not a resolution. You looked up in surprise, blinking like you’d forgotten that there was a chance of another car turning up. Then you waved, and Jack breathed in a long breath as he muttered under his breath as he put the truck into park.

It was cold. Colder than it had been forecast. Sharp enough to aggravate old bones. His leg ached. The air bit his jawline and he already was regretting giving a shit about whatever was happening there.

“Hi!” you called out, voice muffled by the scarf around your neck, “Sorry, my car’s dead. Battery, at least I think it is. That’s what Google and YouTube seem to agree on.” Jack narrowed his gaze at you like he was debating getting back into his truck and finding somewhere else to park, “But someone is coming!” you quickly added, “should be maybe thirty minutes top… I think?”

“Which company?” he asked, already skeptical.

You squinted. “Huh?”

He points to your phone, “Who’d you call?”

“Oh—uh, roadside assistance,” Jack fought rolling his eyes, “it’s through my insurance. Not AAA, the other one.”

He didn’t need to ask. He knew the other one. The one that never shows up. The one that gets stuck in traffic for two hours and then calls to say they cancelled the request because the technician couldn’t find you where you said you were.

Jack sighed. Long and tired.

He muttered, mostly to himself, “Any idea what killed it?”

You shrug, “I went to go pick up my dry cleaning on my way home—I’m just a block over, they were backed up—maybe I left my lights on?”

He let out a breath that fogged the air as he looked at you with disbelief. He took in how your car was angled behind you—just enough to block the spot, not enough for anyone else to squeeze in behind. He rubbed a hand over his jaw, he needed to shave, the stubble rough on his hands.

This was not his problem. You are not his responsibility. This is not the ED.

Still, he said, “You got jumper cables?”

You looked at him wide-eyed, “Mayyybe? In my trunk somewhere, I think.”

“You want to start looking?” he said, stepping closer, boots crunching through the salt and dirty snow, “you’re parked like shit. And I’ve been up since three. I need you to get this car moving.”

You blinked at him, “So… what? You want me to push it out of the way?”

He didn’t laugh. Just stared. “Pop the hood and find those cables.”

Your brow furrowed, “Wait—are you actually going to help me?”

“No. I’m gonna jump it just enough so I can park and get on with my night.”

Despite the irritation in his voice, you gave him a smile, not offended in the slightest, and turned to dig through your trunk.

After angling his truck in the right position, he popped his hood as you fumbled with your own. The cold was already numbing his fingers through the gloves he didn’t think he’d need today, but he was too tired and too far in on this to complain about it. He looked over your shoulder at your battery and cursed under his breath. It looked like it’d never been touched, corrosion blooming around the terminals.

Despite his better judgement, he connected the clamps and stepped back. “Try it.”

He hoped to god that it was going to work.

You climbed behind the wheel and turned the key. The engine sputtered once. Then again. Then—by some infinite miracle—catches. It sounded awful. A sick, rattling idle like the car was smoking a pack a day.

Jack didn’t look impressed and wondered if it sounded this bad before then.

You leant out of the window you’d rolled down, “It lives!”

“Barely,” he said from behind your hood. He unhooked the cables and shut the hood with more force than necessary. “Get it checked out. Seriously.”

You were out of the car and taking the cables from his hands. “Thank you.”

He was already turning back toward his truck when you add, “Really, I know you didn’t have to stop.”

“I’m aware.”

“I mean, most people wouldn’t.”

“I wanted to park.”

You smile like that explanation was funnier than it was. “Right. So technically, this was a selfish act of charity?”

Jack looked to the late-night sky and exhaled. Long. “You always talk this much, or are you waiting for your car to die out again?”

You shrug with a grin as you rounded to the driver’s door of your car once again, “Only when the audience is this thoroughly engaging.”

That earnt you the barest flicker of something on his face—possibly amusement, maybe exhaustion seeping through.

“Well. Thanks again,” you said before climbing back into your car.

He was back in his truck with the heat turned on up full blast as he watched your hazards switch off and you angled out of the street and disappeared in the direction he’d just come from. He maneuvered into the now vacant spot that should have been his over half an hour ago.

Before he switched off the ignition, he looked at the clock on his dashboard.

6:17

He was supposed to be asleep.

[allllium]

❀ Fanfic Recommendations : The Pitt ❀

⋮ Jack Abbot ⋮

No Mans Land ⋮ @butyoudidthis4what

On the Line ⋮ @millers-girl

Edge of the Dark ⋮ @thepencilnerd

Pregnant ⋮ @abbotjack

Strip Her ⋮ @quickestgold

Wrong Name ⋮ @randompiecesofwriting

⋮ Micheal Robinavitch ⋮

Stitched Together [Fluff] ⋮ @hauntedhowlett-writes

[allllium]

I have a jack Abbot fix in the works and it's currently at 1.8k words with quite a bit more to go. Should I keep going and post it as one or split it into two?