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”Rain.” Dennis observed. “Lot of it.” Robby squinted. He spotted a few drops cutting through the wind at an angle, flickering so briefly in the halo of the street lights it was like they were hardly there at all.
“You get a weather alert, or something?” Robby frowned, pulling a hand out of his pocket just far enough to check his phone. Low power mode had kicked in and the screen was dim. No new notifications awaited him, but his shifting around pressed their arms together. The bus shelter bench was narrow and the wind was biting. The warmth was nice. Neither of them apologized for the intrusion.
“No. Look…” Dennis trailed off. He leaned a little closer and held a hand out, pointing up and out, past the street lamp and towards a patch of sky between buildings. Robby ducked slightly and followed the gesture. Out past the fuzz of light pollution was a slight change of texture in the sky. He spotted the thick clouds moving in. They were the heavy, slow moving ones that would eventually unfold and turn Pittsburgh completely gray for a few days. A helicopter bound for UPMC was struggling to navigate them, flying lower than usual in an effort to get around the coming storm. Robby chuckled.
“Damn. Good eye, farm boy.” His breath became smoke. The temperature was on its way down. He jogged his elbow against his seat mate’s. It was a juvenile gesture. The ever-sober face of Dennis Whittaker changed in an instant, fatigue gave way to a smile. Robby smiled back. They watched the helicopter correct its course.
“You wouldn’t last a minute working in the fields.” Dennis murmured. He elbowed Robby back. The moment felt light. Silly. Robby wanted to stretch it like taffy.
“That so?”
“Yeah. The rain would sneak up right behind you.” Dennis continued, making himself laugh.
“I’m being insulted in a foreign language. What do Nebraskinites have against the weather app?” This seemed to amuse Dennis even further.
“It’s not your fault.” Dennis shrugged and ran the sleeve of his coat over his face, attempting to warm his nose and suppress his laughter. “It’s all these hills. And the lights. You can barely read the sky.”
“I could give up the lights but I can’t imagine living without the hills. Hydroplaning 45 degree angles every season is part of the charm.” Robby crossed his arms over his chest.
“Everything feels so tall here.” Dennis concluded, mirroring the movement. Their shoulders stayed connected. The road was getting wet. Soon the chronically shallow gutters all over the city would be overflowing.
“Have you been to the incline yet?” Robby wondered.
“What’s that?”
“Just some scenic look outs on Mount Washington. Two bucks and you can ride the old funicular cars. Couple hundred years old. People used to commute over the hills that way. The views from the top are choice, though. You can see the whole city. When my car’s out of the shop I’ll take all you transplants over there so you can see what you’re missing by choosing this profession.” Dennis grinned again at that.
“Funicular.” He tested the word out. “Never seen one before.” They shared a quiet moment. The aches of another long day started to numb and slip away. “What would you be doing, if medicine wasn’t an option?” Dennis wondered next.
“Being bored out my skull.” Robby scrubbed a hand over his beard.
“You always wanted to be a doctor?”
“Well. They had to break it to me that it wasn’t possible to be Bruce Springsteen when I grew up. That role was already filled.”
“Awe.” Dennis looked genuinely touched by the thought of such a tiny version of him.
“So….medicine was a decent back up plan, all things considered.”
“I’d say so.” Dennis agreed. “I mean - I’ve never heard you sing, but you’re pretty good at this.” Robby’s eyebrows shot up.
“Oh ho, someone’s got jokes tonight!”
“I only changed scrubs three times tonight. I’m a new man.” Dennis stood, stretching an arm out to catch the 75 bus that was currently rounding the corner.
“Think you can cut it down to two wardrobe changes tomorrow?” Robby teased.
“Santos already put 20 down on no.”
“I’ll take that bet.”
“You might regret it.”
“Never.”
~
There were rare peaceful moments from time to time, usually found in 20 to 30 minute increments. Tonight some charitable organization outside of the hospital had ordered and delivered catering from Shah’s for the whole department as a morale booster.
Santos, Abbott, and Dana were trying to see who could handle the most lines of Shah’s hot sauce over chicken, rice, and naan. Dana won. Robby nearly snorted half a peach snapple up his nose at the look on Dennis’s face when he tried his first spicy kofta kebab.
“I’ll stick with the plain stuff.” He wheezed, coughing like a consumption patient until Santos ran out of jokes about his Midwest heritage.
“Who’s got milk? We gotta flush him out!” She insisted, giggling as she slapped his back sympathetically.
Robby went upstairs to raid the kitchen where the labor and delivery nurses were known to have some goodies as well as a whole separate not-so-secret drink fridge. He appeared to come back with half the stock stashed under his shirt.
“We just got added to like, three hit lists.” Abbott tutted but helped himself to an orange juice.
“Please. They got a brand new Keurig up there and a shit ton of gift baskets from Coffee Tree Roasters. I think we need to lodge some complaints.” Robby grumbled.
Dennis chugged one of the mini cartons of whole milk in one go, downing it like a shot while studiously ignoring the horrified expressions around him.
“Whoever sent this… meant us harm.” He concluded, gesturing to the hot sauce Dana was slathering on another kebab.
“Aw c’mon, you’ll get used to it. Shah’s is one of the best hangover cures in town. Here. Try this.” She pushed a plate of falafel his way.
“Bullshit.” Abbott protested. “Best hangover cure is Ritters.”
“You’re both wrong. Chorizo hash at Pamela’s.” Robby pushed another milk carton towards Dennis.
“We got our homework, Huckleberry. Get ready to drink.” Santos looked even more delighted, even as they all started to get paged back into the line of duty.
Dennis was still sneaking sips of whole milk between patients an hour later.
~
A woman was brought in by her three grandchildren after a nasty fall. She had tripped down a flight of stairs in her own home. The teen grandchild, just freshly licensed to drive, had bundled her Meemaw and her two little siblings into the family civic. She had driven them all through the pouring rain to get to the ER. The staff took turns doting on her while working on the grandmother, assuring her that she didn’t do anything wrong by skipping the ambulance ride.
The break in the grandmother’s hip would need corrective surgery. The kids took a shine to Dennis as they waited to meet with the surgeon and move to an OR.
The youngest child, barely six by the looks of it, wrapped his little arms around Dennis’s waist and slumped with exhaustion. Dennis didn’t hesitate. He ran a hand through the boy’s hair and rubbed his back soothingly as he explained what would happen next. The middle child took a beaded friendship bracelet from a small collection of bands on her wrist and slipped it over Dennis’s hand. The eldest shed a tear and threw her arms around his neck once she was convinced her grandmother was going to be okay.
Kindness came from a lot of places in their line of work. Everyone had a different source code. Altruistic drive. Guilt. Faith. Friendships. Family. Justice. Dennis had the kindness of someone who could find his kin in strangers. He stayed with the family until it was time for transfer, taking the time to speak softly with the grandmother. He promised to check on them all in a few hours.
Robby couldn’t bring himself to interrupt. He watched it all with a lump in his throat and tried to memorize the details. It was the sort of interaction he needed to commit to words in a recommendation letter soon.
Kiara came to collect the kids, having volunteered to sit with them and figure out the next steps since the grandmother appeared to be the primary caregiver. The teen picked up her brother and took her sister’s hand. The little boy waved until they turned a corner.
“Good work.” Robby’s hand landed on Dennis’s back. Javadi passed by on her way to the break room. She picked up Dennis’s wrist to get a better look at the gifted bracelet. Rainbow beads flanked some letters. Javadi gasped.
“Hot2Go!” She giggled and kept walking, sparing a wink at both of them. “True!”
“The fuck does that mean?” Robby frowned. Dana snorted from several feet away. Dennis chuckled. Perlah and Princess began singing in the distance. “What’s happening?”
“You make me look cultured, is all.”
Robby smacked him gently on the back of the head with a folder, but nothing wiped the smile off Dennis’s face for the next hour.
~
“What’s next?” Robby wondered. They were on the roof. Their shift had ended about 15 minutes ago and this seemed like the best place for a quiet chat. Dennis had finally come to ask about a rec letter and Robby had, of course, agreed.
“Neuro.” Dennis crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his hip against the barrier. “I’ll be at UPMC, just down the street. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Staying in Pittsburgh? Nice.”
“Yeah.”
“This city grows on people.” Robby muses. Dennis nodded in agreement.
“It’s my top choice for residency.”
”What specialty?”
“Emergency and peds. But I’d be happy with anything at this point.”
“I could see you over at the Children’s Hospital.” Robby smiled. “And of course I…we’d love to have you here too. Where else are you thinking? I have colleagues in Philly I could put you in touch with.”
“I’m interviewing around Omaha, just in case. Doing some zoom meet and greats. Nothing too serious. I don’t think that will pan out for me.” He met Robby’s gaze. “I know it’s out of my hands for the most part, but I think I’m going to end up matching in Pittsburgh. Plus - Trin would kill me if she had to visit me in Omaha.” Robby laughed.
“Don’t let us hold you back though, kid.”
“Dunno. Pittsburgh doesn’t feel like being held back…kinda feels like a home. I think I’d find my way back here anyway, even if I matched somewhere else.”
“Your family isn’t chomping at the bit to bring you back to Nebraska?”
Dennis breathed deeply.
“I miss waking up on the farm.” He admitted quietly. “I love Broken Bow but it doesn’t love me back. I’m learning to live with that.”
Dennis produced a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket. He raised an eyebrow, offering. Robby nodded and then almost immediately regretted it. He felt his whole face get hot as Dennis stuck two cigarettes in his mouth, lit them both, and passed one to Robby like it was the most normal thing in the world.
They smoked and watched the evening unfold over the city. The sunset was swallowed by clouds, making it a pale and dreary affair. Robby had a dozen questions. He suppressed them all and tried to say the professional thing. Affection leaked out anyway.
“I look forward to working with Dr. Whittaker, where ever he settles.”
Dennis smiled.
“Sounds nice when you say it.”
~
It was the last day of the student rotation. Robby had done this day plenty of times. Dozens of times, actually…maybe even hundreds.
The two of them lingered on the pavement, halfway between the hospital and the bus stop. It was the natural place to part ways, since Robby’s truck was waiting in the parking garage today. Robby reach out to palm Dennis on the shoulder. “Are you…excited? Another rotation under your belt. Lot to celebrate.
“I think…I think I’m a little sad, actually.” Dennis answered. Robby couldn’t stop himself from frowning.
“It was…a lot to handle. Especially your first day-“
“No. I mean - it was. But…” Dennis stopped, face twisting as he tried to find the words. “I knew from the start that there would be a lot of uncertainty in the process. I was comfortable with that. I think I preferred it that way. Going with the flow is…easier for me. But these last few weeks - I don’t know. Something changed. Or maybe I just started thinking differently. I didn’t expect to feel so… certain of what I want.” His mouth twisted. “And now I have to deal with that. Be patient about being certain while these last few steps kind of just… happen around me.” Dennis looked him in the eye as he said it. His smile was cautious and a little lopsided.
“Feeling certain about emergency med?” Robby asked, hating himself for the crack in his voice. Dennis nodded, taking a step forward.
“Pittsburgh. Everyone I met here. I’m certain I’m on the right track.”
“Certainty is usually a dangerous thing in our line of work.” Robby bit at the inside of his cheek. “But I think it looks good on you.”
Dennis held his hand out as if to shake. Robby gave it to him, but it was more of a grasp than a shake.
“I like it when you look at me.” Dennis said quietly. “I felt…seen by you. Most rotations you get lucky if they remember your name by the end of it. I know I’m just another student that got underfoot but…thank you. For everything. I’ll never forget this. Or you. Or your words. It was hell but I’m really proud to have done this with you.” Dennis loosened his grip as if to let go but Robby squeezed harder.
“You’re not …just a student. You’re not just anything.” His mouth was dry. He felt a little light headed. Dennis swayed on his feet, still smiling. “You’re a damn brilliant man and a good person and-” Dennis pulled him closer with their joined hands. Robby followed. “-and if you ever wanted to grab a beer sometime I’d be-“ Dennis leaned up and brushed his lips against the corner of Robby’s mouth. He caught more cheek than anything. Woah.
It was so painfully sweet.
It was violently intimate.
There was still plausible deniability. They could both back away right now. “…fuck my life.” Robby muttered before kissing Dennis right back.
The young doctor-to-be couldn’t stop smiling, as if he couldn’t believe his luck. He held Robby’s face in his hands and poured giddy laughter into his mouth and it was goddamn music to Robby’s ears.
~
“I want to swallow you fucking whole.” Dennis mumbled deliriously, pinning Robby to the back of the front door, seizing his hips so tightly it startled a whine out of the back of Robby’s throat. “Do you have any fucking idea-“ Dennis straddled Robby’s thigh and pushed him even harder again the door, rattling it on its hinges. “-you have no idea how exhausting it was-“ he seized Robby’s jaw with one hand and lost the tail end of the thought in a needy kiss. He yanked and stretched the collar of Robby’s shirt down to lick and suck at his throat “-how many times I-“ Robby’s hands shook as he got a fist full of the other man’s shirt. Dennis was rucking Robby’s shirt up to his throat to attack his chest, kissing and licking savagely while scratching at his ribs. He would climb inside him if he could. “-you drive me fuckin crazy.”
The blood was rushing south so quickly Robby briefly wondered if he was going to pass out.
He caught Dennis’s cheek in his hand but didn’t move fast enough. Dennis took Robby’s thumb in his mouth and sucked and Robby gasped as if burned, rendered incoherent by adrenaline.
“Dennis-“ Robby couldn’t recognize his own voice. Too high. Too winded.
~
Robby looked up at his own ceiling, wrung utterly dry. He had never been so boneless before. He has never been so…wanted before. He had certainly never given and received so much in the same evening. The aches were all over and his stomach was growling and if he flexed his hips up right now the yawning chasm of want might flare for the third time in a single evening. He glanced toward the clock on the nightstand. The witching hour was upon them.
In the distance a train screamed down the tracks, puncturing an otherwise quiet night.
Dennis rolled over, unrepentantly splaying himself on top of him, putting their bodies chest to chest. He planted an elbow on Robby’s shoulder and propped his chin in his hand so he could look at him intently. The pressure was soothing. Robby’s racing heart began to slow. His eyes became more focused. He took in all the marks his own mouth had sucked and bit and bruised into Dennis’s pale neck and shoulders.
“We shouldn’t have done that.” Robby murmured, biting at his bottom lip. The words were ineffective, paired with the way he ran his hands up and down Dennis’s back.
“Probably not.” Dennis pushed his thumb across Robby’s mouth, teasing his lip free. He smoothed out the furrow in his brow for good measure, smiling softly all the while. “But I’m glad we did.” There were tears in Robby’s eyes he refused to shed.
He was furious with himself.
He was so goddamn happy.
Dennis seemed to read it all on his face. “Maybe balance can look like this.”
~
“You’d like this one.” Dennis reached for a higher shelf and thumbed a DVD case free from the tightly packed selection. He braced himself on Robby’s shoulder to keep his balance.
Rain was threatening to drown all of Squirrel Hill. They had taken shelter in Jerry’s Records this morning, coffees from the 61C Cafe warming their fingers. Robby had a few albums tucked under his arm and now they were perusing the movie offerings. Dennis had a certain wide eyed mania to him. He had never seen a dedicated media store this big and had been talking about movies for about 30 minutes straight so far.
“The Dark Crystal?” Robby read. “Looks like a cartoon from hell.”
“It’s Jim Henson’s non-muppet project. It’s like his version of Lord of the Rings.”
“This looks older than you.”
“I like a lot of things older than me.”
“Damn.” Robby feigned a wince, as if gut punched. Dennis snorted at the dramatics. “Okay. Focus up. This is the perfect scary movie.” Robby used his coffee cup to gesture to Silence of the Lambs. “Shot right here in Pittsburgh. This is local culture. They put the props up on Pitt campus sometimes.”
“I smuggled that book out of the public library in 8th grade and had nightmares for months.”
“Well Clarice…have the lambs stopped screaming?” Robby grumbled, bending slightly to be closer to Dennis’s ear. Dennis shuddered and threw an elbow into his sternum with a laugh.
They caught a movie later at The Manor Theatre. In the dark Dennis slipped a hand around Robby’s thigh and held his leg flush to his own.
~
The bedding was cool to the touch.
Robby switched on the electric blanket and sank under the duvet with a deep sigh. Dennis wasn’t far behind him. His skin was still hot from the shower. The bed was wide but they met right in the middle. He pressed his chest to Robby’s broad back and slipped an arm under his. Robby felt a gentle hand on his chest and a warm mouth on the back of his neck.
“Hmm.” Robby sighed, finding the hand on his chest with his own. Dennis hooked a finger in the chain around Robby’s neck and concentrated on the array of sensations. Robby’s breath, slow and deep. Robby’s fingers on his knuckles. The top of Robby’s spine under his lips. The way Robby’s shoulders slowly relaxed. The wind whistled outside and tried to rattle the windows. The bed became deliciously warm. Robby pressed his face to the pillow. “I didn’t set an alarm.” He warned.
“Good.” Dennis mumbled, curling around him further to kiss Robby’s shoulder and then the crook of his neck, lingering enough to make the smallest of shivers ripple up Robby’s spine. He put his head down on the pillow and pressed his forehead up to the back of Robby’s head.
He held him all night.
~
Frick Park was an explosion of colors. Leaves of every size, shape, and color were in the process of tumbling to the ground. Dennis lengthened his normal stride to keep up with Robby’s pace and within the first minute of the casual run they were all out racing. Neither relented, so they both lost their breath and nearly collapsed as the end of the trail spit them out at the Forbes and Braddock playground 30 minutes later.
“I’d kill you but I don’t want to get up.” Dennis moaned, sitting down and then flopping on his back on the withering grass and leaves. Robby laughed so hard he wheezed, doubled over the back of one of the park benches as he attempted to stretch out his ham strings.
“I’m gonna feel that all week.”
“I think I’m experiencing my first ever homicidal ideation.” Dennis moaned.
“Hey look, pizza place is open.” Robby pointed at the row of businesses across the street. “Want a slice? They do a mean sausage.”
“And now I’m experiencing my third ever suicidal ideation.”
~
“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.” Dennis chanted. “Yes. God. Thank you.”
“I got you, I got you.” Robby echoed back.
“Don’t move.” Dennis reached back, catching a fistful of Robby’s hair, keeping his face smashed to his neck and Robby’s weight firmly draped across his back. “Okay?”
“Yeah. Can’t pull out like this, though.” Robby suckled at Dennis’s throat, one hand still trapped between the other man’s hips and the floor with the other arm braced to the side.
“That’s the idea.” Dennis laughed, mildly delirious from the endorphins. “Fucking god.” He released Robby’s hair and pulled on his arms until Robby had him in a playful headlock, both arms curled around his head and shoulders, pillowing his cheek with his forearm. He bit at the crook of Robby’s elbow and ran his tongue over the teeth marks he had left there when he came. “So good for me, Robby.” Their hips flexed together again.
“Missed you today.” Robby muttered against his neck, letting himself lay against Dennis. They would have to get off the floor eventually, but they weren’t in any rush. He held him close and came down from the high.
~
Dennis was not one to be distracted while studying. Robby topped off his coffee mugs and shared the couch, reading his own books and turning over records until Dennis eventually looked up and asked what time it was. He rarely asked questions about the material he was studying, much to Robby’s amusement. This led to generally quiet evenings.
Robby found himself looking forward to nights like these.
It felt nice to just exist without effort. It felt nice to rub the tension from the other man’s shoulders and keep him comfortable. It felt nice to watch Dennis help himself to hoodies and mutter out loud to himself and doze against the arm rest. It felt nice to lay down and take a nap with his head in Dennis’s lap, kept close by the books and papers Dennis propped on his back. It felt nice to focus on feelings instead of thoughts. To feel the notes Dennis was scrawling in the margins of his papers.
“What song is this?” Dennis asked one day, looking up from his flash cards. Robby looked up from his library book. Dennis had one of Robby’s Penguin sweatshirts on today. He was unapologetically hogging most of the couch and had to shovel a lot of shit out of the way to clamber over to Robby on the opposite end of the L-shaped cushions. Dennis huffed with exertion and face planted on Robby’s chest.
“Townes Van Zandt. I’ll Be Here In The Morning.” Robby answered quietly, scooping him closer with one arm. He went back to reading, rubbing his fingers across the other man’s lower back.
“Reminds me of you.” Dennis mumbled around a yawn.
Oh, lay your head back easy, love.
Close your cryin' eyes.
I'll be layin' here beside you when the sun comes on the rise.
I'll stay as long as the cuckoo wails and the lonesome blue jay cries.
Close your eyes, I'll be here in the morning.
Close your eyes, I'll be here for a while.
~
It was strange to feel like one of the younger people in the room. It was a weekday night, granted, but 5801 seemed to draw a mixed crowd.
Robby couldn’t stop looking around and Dennis seemed pleased to let him do so.
“When did you know?” Robby asked, taking a sip off the top of his beer.
“I think I was the last one to know. And no one was more surprised than me.” Dennis shrugged, grinning at Robby’s surprised expression. “I just thought I had a low sex drive until my first year of medical school.” He put a hilariously shy emphasis on low sex drive. “For the first time in my life I was truly without the structure of a small town and I didn’t have hundreds of pages of philosophy and ethics and theology papers to think about. I think it was less about knowing something and intellectualizing things and more about…surrendering myself to new opportunities.” Dennis looked around the bar. “And there’s something to be said about being in a place like this, even among strangers, and to feel…calm.”
“Guess I can relate to that.” Robby knocked his knee against Dennis’s under the bar top. “Very spiritual of you.”
“Oh did you want the details? His name was Benjamin Ogawa and he-”
“Alright alright.” Dennis grinned with delight as Robby turned pink under the fairy lights dripping from the ceiling.
“I kind of hated it.” He continued, running a finger over the back of Robby’s hand. “I hated that I wanted something. Hated that wanting came so easily when everything before it felt so hard.” He took a sip from his vodka cran. “I tried ignoring it for a long time. Got kind of good at it. Then Pittsburgh happened to me.” Dennis stole a sip of Robby’s beer before returning to his drink. Robby pulled a face just thinking about the flavor combination, which made Dennis laugh again. He was flushed and a little tipsy and so fucking beautiful…
“What about you?” He leaned back and slipped a hand over Robby’s leg and left it there, just above the knee. It felt as easy as anything. Robby sighed, thinking back.
“I kissed little Nicholas Armstrong at recess in the first grade. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it until they sent me to the principal’s office. I never really thought of people in…categories I guess. I met someone. I liked them. I went with it. I wasn’t ashamed of myself but I guess some aspects get shamed out of you by default unless you fight against it. This is my first time in a place like this.”
”You can say gay bar. I won’t let the boogeyman get you.”
They laughed together. Two men had approached Robby tonight and it had been extremely flattering.
Two older lesbians were leaning over the bar to show the staff pictures of their son’s wedding. A small table by the windows was full of wrinkled gentleman who were arguing affectionately about the last Pirates season. Groups of friends were dancing and singing to Melissa Etheridge. There were a few couples that looked just like them.
“Michael.” Dennis’s hand slid across the back of his neck and gripped his shoulder. A familiar gesture, reversed. “We can’t leave until you dance with me.”
~
“Have you ever been to Alaska?” Dennis lit a cigarette. They were perched on the PTMC roof again. Dennis had an unopened envelope sticking out of the pocket of his scrubs. He didn’t attend any match day events today. He had volunteered instead, putting in six hours at the PTMC NICU in an attempt to steadfastly ignore everyone and everything.
He had waited for this.
“No, not Alaska.” Robby’s eyes tracked the brief flicker of flame as it lit up Dennis’s face. “You?”
“No. Never thought about it before. But I think I want to see a whale.” Dennis exhaled and passed the cigarette. Robby took one long drag and held it.
“You gonna pull a runner?”
“Nah. Sometimes the world feels… really big, you know? I wanna see more.”
”Airport flies direct to Iceland now. So if we leave now…” Robby made a show of looking over the rims of his glasses and checking his watch. “We’d have at least 12 hours before Santos caught up to us.” Dennis grinned and shook his head.
Without further ado, he ripped open the envelope.
Dennis blinked. Exhaled. Smiled. He held out the paper.
He matched into neurology at PTMC.
Robby frowned. It was’t emergency. It wasn’t peds. It wasn’t UPMC or Children’s or even AHN. In terms of Pittsburgh match placements, it might have been a disappointing result to the outside eye.
“Not your first choice…” Robby touched a hand to his hip. Dennis shrugged.
“Third choice. I only ranked places and programs that would feel good.” They passed the cigarette one more time before stubbing it out. “I get on well over there. They like me. I like the direct reports. Good variety of patients, I get to work with kids and adults. Plenty of collabs with emergency medicine so I won’t get bored. It’s a little of everything. And I get to stay exactly where I want.” The realizations seemed to reach Robby gradually. They’d be trading patients all day. They’d be attending the same floor meetings, collaborating on treatment plans, sharing notes, and keeping a lot of PTMC plates in the air. They’d be seeing each other in the locker room and sharing a break room. They wouldn’t be getting annoyed with each other by spending every minute of every day in the same room. They wouldn’t be strained by lack of time.
It would be entirely new.
It would be tricky at first.
It would be really fucking good.
“I’m so happy for you.” Robby said, so soft it was almost lost as Dennis leaned over to kiss him deeply.
“Me too.” Dennis mumbled against his cheek, sliding his arms up and around Robby’s neck.
“Dr. Dennis Whittaker, neurosurgeon.” He exhaled, holding on tight. “My man’s gonna be out earning me in no time.”
“Let’s see if I survive this residency, first.” Dennis laughed. “But I look forward to taking you out to dinner for a change.”
“Kind of hot.” They both laughed. Dennis pulled back to look at him, both hands sliding down his chest to squeeze his waist. Robby leaned down to kiss him again. “Drinks? I think there’s a show at P-Town tonight.”
“Nah. Javani is leading the bar crawl Saturday night. Let’s just pick up a pizza or something.”
“Mercurio’s?”
“If we go to Leone’s we can stop by that bookshop you like.” Dennis realized, walking towards the doors. “I want to read something trashy and sleep for a week.” Robby couldn’t stop smiling. He slung an arm around Dennis’s shoulders as they hit the stairs.
“You got it.”