Chapter Text
"Well, that was a fucking shitshow." Dana snorted.
Cassie laughed, tangling their fingers together. "Could've been worse." They were walking through the parking lot after the fireworks show on the roof. Cassie could feel the exhaustion dragging on her limbs, but at least the day had ended on an alright note.
"You and your endless optimism." Dana shook her head, but Cassie could tell the gesture was affectionate. "I don't even wanna know how you think this coulda gone worse."
"Hey, at least Robby didn't kill himself." Cassie pointed out, unable to keep the amusement— or the relief— out of her voice. The bar was on the floor, it seemed.
"If you just jinxed it, I'm breaking up with you." Dana grumbled.
"Wow." Cassie laughed. "Come on, have a little faith. I think it'll be okay."
"For now." Dana dug through her pockets as they approached the car. She pulled out the key. "If he decides to go on that godforsaken sabbatical, I'll chase him down myself. And if he dies, I'll kill him."
"Hardcore." Cassie teased.
"Fuck you." Dana finally laughed. She ran a hand through her hair, then paused. "Shit. I was gonna take that hoodie home today. Every time I'm here I forget to grab it."
"I'll grab it." Cassie squeezed her hand. "It's in your locker?"
Dana nodded. "Thanks, love."
"Get the AC going and I might even kiss you!" Cassie tossed over her shoulder as she hurried away. She headed back inside, snagging Dana's hoodie. She only paused to wave to Doctor Ellis, not wanting to get caught up in anything. She walked out again, tossing the garment back and forth in her hands. Fireworks still popped overhead every few minutes, but nothing like the show they'd seen earlier. Cassie slipped between the rows of cars, stopping once to avoid being flattened by someone who clearly didn't check their blindspots properly. She glanced left to right in preparation to cross, then froze. In the car to her right, she could see the driver slumped over at the wheel. It was too dark to make out who it was or what they were doing. Cassie rapped on the window, just to check if they were alive.
Luckily, they were. The person raised their head, and Cassie's eyes widened with surprise. It was Doctor Al-Hashimi, the new attending who'd started that very day. Between the flashes of light from the fireworks and the parking lot's streetlamps, Cassie could see that she looked frazzled. Her curly hair was pulled every which way, almost like it'd been in a hurricane. The deep shadows underscoring her eyes startled Cassie; this didn't look anything like the put-together attending she'd met that morning.
Doctor Al-Hashimi rolled her window down. "Doctor McKay?" she sounded just as surprised as Cassie felt. "Can I help you?"
"Sorry, I couldn't tell it was you. I was worried you were dead." Cassie explained, hearing as she spoke how silly it sounded. "I thought you left earlier."
A half-hearted smile cracked the attending's lips. "I was going to." The expression turned bitter, then shuttered entirely.
Cassie stood there, staring. "What does that mean?" she asked finally, maybe a little dumbly. It was a long day, okay? Her brain wasn't working anymore.
The attending eyed her for a moment. Her shoulders sank ever so slightly. "I'm not supposed to drive right now."
"Oh." Cassie's eyebrows shot up. Curiosity itched in the back of her mind, but she knew better than to ask. "Do you need a lift?"
Doctor Al-Hashimi hesitated. Then she nodded. "If you're willing."
"Absolutely." Cassie stepped back as she opened the door, a bag slung over one shoulder. Together, they made their way to where Dana was waiting in her car. Cassie hopped in the passenger side as Doctor Al-Hashimi slid into the back.
"I see you've picked up a stray." Dana peered at the attending in the rearview. "How are you, Doctor Al?"
"We're off shift, please call me Baran." The other woman responded tiredly. She neglected to answer the nurse's question.
Dana cast a frown toward Cassie, who shrugged. "Baran it is," the redhead answered for both of them, twisting a bit in her seat so she could address Baran. "Call me Cassie."
Baran smiled faintly and turned to stare out the window as Dana pulled out.
"You got plans for tonight?" Cassie asked after a few minutes of quiet.
"No. Just a date with my bed." Baran said wearily. "I'm not a fan of fireworks anyway." Her gaze drifted toward Cassie and Dana. "You?"
"A date with my bed sounds fan-fuckin'-tastic to me." Dana hummed. Her hand found Cassie's knee and gave it a tiny squeeze. "I could sleep for a week after this shift from hell."
"Wherever she goes, I go." Cassie gestured with her chin to Dana, unable to keep the smile from her lips. So she was a softie for her girlfriend. Sue her. "If she wants to sleep for a week, I'm doing that too."
Baran gave a feeble laugh. "So you two are together, I take it?" she asked lightly.
"Yep." Dana popped the p. Her tone was guarded, though Cassie could tell she was pretending not to sound defensive. "Approved by everyone who knows. In case you were wondering."
"Dana." Cassie admonished quietly. No need to start a fight now. They were all exhausted.
"That's good to hear." Baran responded. She either didn't pick up on Dana's hosility or just didn't comment. She turned back toward the window again. "Glad that at least someone in that hellhole has a support system."
Cassie blinked in surprise. She hadn't heard Baran swear all shift.
"We're not all like Robby." Dana pointed out frostily. "Some of us actually know how to take care of ourselves."
Baran glanced at her, cringing. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"No, you're fine." Cassie jumped in smoothly. It was like trying to herd cats with these two, which would've been funny under any other circumstances. Now, it was just irritating. "It was a rough shift for all of us. And Robby certainly didn't help."
"So he's not always like that?" Baran rubbed the spot between her eyebrows with the knuckle of her middle finger.
"God, no." Cassie shook her head. "Today was an off day. But maybe one we should've seen coming."
"Get your fuckin' saviour complex outta my face." Dana grumbled. "He needs to accept the fact that he's fucked up— hell, most of us are. It's not an excuse, and he needs to get some real help. He is a grown ass man, for fuck's sake, and it's about damn time he starts actin' like it."
To everyone's surprise, Baran let out a short laugh at that. Her ears turned pink immediately after. "Um, sorry." She cleared her throat.
Dana grinned. "At least someone 'round here still has a sense of humor." She shot a look over at Cassie, who pulled a face. "Baran, you wanna come for dinner? We got this fancy ready-made steak dinner that Cassie wanted to try, but it's gonna be way too much for the two of us."
"Wow, she laughs at one of your jokes and you invite her to dinner?" Cassie sent her an exaggerated glare. She couldn't deny that she was surprised by Dana's suggestion. They'd barely known Baran for twelve hours, after all. She didn't object, though. "I had to pine after you for months!"
Dana shrugged, a cheeky little grin pulling at her lips. She directed her gaze to the rearview again. "Well?"
Cassie, too, looked back at Baran. She kind of hoped the attending would accept, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Usually, all she wanted after a shift like today was a long shower and an even longer cuddle session with Dana.
Baran chewed on her lip. She looked a bit perplexed by the offer, then nodded slowly. "That's very kind."