Chapter Text
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You are everyone's favorite barista. The 24-hour coffee shop attached to Pittsburg general hospital was really only there for the patient's family members waiting a long periods to hear good or bad news. But one day after Shen's go to Dunkin had been closed down to do a small rat infestation, he had no choice but to get coffee from you, and he thanks god every day for it.
“What happened to your dunkin?” Ellis asked him as he stepped into the PITT with a smile on his face.
“Decided to switch things up and I got to say, I think this might be the best coffee I’ve ever had” From there Shen not only had the best coffee of his life, but also the best shift of his life. Not a single code happened and everything worked like a smooth oiled machine. The next shift he got another coffee from you, calling you the “lucky charm” of the PITT.
Since then it was known that the days you were working at the coffee shop were the days things ran smoothly for the doctors who got a coffee from you. Eventually most of the night shift would grab a coffee from you and it became a ritual. You’d clock in at 6pm, Shen would stop by getting about three iced coffees with cream and sugar, then one of the nurses would stop by an hour later grabbing six drips, and it’d repeat again halfway through their shift around 3am. You can’t help but look forward to these shifts when you know you’ll be making coffee for the PITTs best.
Jack wasn’t a man for superstitions but after two shit shifts in a row he decided to try Shen’s “lucky charm” barista. What he realized right away was that Shen failed to mention how gorgeous the barista was. Hell the coffee could be shit and he would walk away feeling uplifted by just talking to you. He made a note to ask Shen about it, knowing he definitely has your schedule memorized.
You had memorized his order right away, blushing heavily whenever you saw a flash of those silver curls coming around the corner. You had misheard his name the first time he ordered and called him Rabbit, but he took it with pride, a small smile lifting on his cheeks. Since then every night you work, you both share a small laugh about the incident calling him rabbit every time. He refuses to acknowledge how much that small inside joke makes his heart swell.
Three months into this job and everyone in the PITT emergency room knew your name. They sometimes would stop by just to joke around with you for a break while grabbing a second coffee of the night. You were more than happy for the company on the long boring nights, sometimes going as far as bringing the nurses leftover pastries and drip coffee you were technically supposed to dump after 2 hours. Sometimes you would hang around the nurses station during your break if it was slow.
Really you just wanted a chance to see your favorite piece of eye candy. About a month ago when you were hanging out with Lena you both watched as he was arms deep into a patient, commanding the room with instructions, everyone listening and following. You were staring at him and locked eyes a few times but that didn’t stop you from admiring how good he looked when he was in control.
“Take a picture it’ll last longer,” Shen had broken you out of your Abbott induced spell eyes wide as your silly crush was pointed out.
“Can I ask you something off the record?” You leaned over the nurses station to whisper as he leaned forward a cheeky smile on his lips.
“Yes he is single and ready to mingle,” He slaps his hands down on the counter leading a few eyes to look over. You hide your hands in embarrassment as he sips on the coffee you had made an hour ago.
“Okay conversation over,” You say into your hands as he pats the top of your head before walking away.
Despite not being part of the crew you felt like one of them. You have bonded over sleepiness and long hours. Your heart couldn’t help but feel drawn back to the emergency room, but there was a reason why you had left. Or at least tried to leave… you were still technically working in a hospital.
Then the worst thing happened to you.
One second you were restocking the front fridge of the shop and the next, a shelf fell on top of you and your hands. You were telling your manager it was loose for over a week now but as typical hospital coffee shops go, he brushed it off and told you to keep using the shelf. Really you should have not put anything on that shelf, especially not glass lemonade bottles.
Heads turn as your coworker rushes towards you eyes wide at the site. You were frozen in place as blood immediately started to pool in your palms.
“Holy shit, you need a doctor” Your coworker stands right by your side watching the blood drop into the spilt lemonade. You can't help but let out a laugh at her words. Needing a doctor in a hospital, how ironic. You already know what needs to happen next as you look at your hands. None of the shards look deep enough for stitches but then again better safe than sorry.
“I’m going to go downstairs, can you text our manager and let him know what happened?” You asked already thinking through how this is going to affect your next paycheck.
Yes you may be bleeding out but there goes your hands which means you won't be able to work which means your bills won’t be paid. Your coworker nods running to the back and returning with a rag to put wrap around your hands mildly containing the bleeding as you take a deep breath. You start walking down the back staircase steadying your breathing. The initial shock and fear muted some of the pain but it still stings like a bitch.
You used your back to push open the door to the PITT immediately on the hunt for someone you recognized. Is it patient protocol to walk into the ER and skip the line, probably not? But you know the doctors here are your friends and they will help you.
“Lena, do you guys have space for um, whatever this needs?” You raise your hands in the air showing the now blood soaked towel.
“Oh my god sweety, how’d this happen,” she leans over the counter examining the glass embedded shards in your palms. Shen spots you across the PITT immediately giddy at the thought that you had brought coffee to them.
“You didn’t have to bring us extra juice y/n that’s too nice- oh shit” is all he says as he approaches the nurses station.
“There’s a bed in triage you can set her up in,” Lena nods to the hallway as Shen immediately pulls the towel away to get a better look at your hands.
“I can still run up and make another batch, just might have some blood… and maybe glass in it,” You try to joke, wincing as he moves your hand to examine the back of them. Thankful there was no glass there, just a lot of blood. He gives Lena a nod while leading you to a room and pulling back the curtain.
He motions to the bed as you sit down on it looking around. You’d never actually been in the emergency room at this hospital as a patient. It feels strange talking to Shen in this setting, seeing him in “doctor mode”.
“Look, I have to catch up on a shit ton of charting so Dr. Abbot will come in to stitch you up, I hope that's okay? I will be back to hear how this happened though,” You body can’t help but react at the thought of being in the same room as your favorite regular.
What you didn’t know is that Shen didn’t have any charting to catch up. In fact this may have been one of his slowest shifts in his career. What he did need was some workplace gossip, and you were the perfect girl to cause some drama. Especially when he knows about Jack’s small crush on you.
The man never bought coffee until Shen mentioned your name to him, since then he always has a coffee from you when he steps through the doors of the PITT. Some of his cups have little hearts, some a rabbit drawing. Shen had it upon himself to set up a bet for how long it would take for one of you to make a move, and now was the perfect set up.
He sends you a quick wink before leaving the room. You don’t even have time to process it before one of the nurses comes in with a kit to get you sterilized.
After a bit of stinging and sharing what happened to the nurse, Jack enters not saying a word.
“Hey Rabbit!” You give a closed lip smile as he enters the room. He looks down at you, his gaze on your eyes is firm and stoic. Your smile falters a little bit feeling less like your normal happy self when he’s looking at you like this. You’re used to being somewhat eye level with him, not fully looking up at his broad shoulders.
“You should sue the hospital,” he finally breaks, speaking into the silence as he grabs a pair of gloves and pulls a rolling chair up to you. His chest is almost touching your shoulder and you try to ignore the sudden body heat you can feel radiating off of him.
“Yeah right and where would I afford the lawyer to do that off of minimum wage,” You scoff looking down. You haven’t been able to look him in the eye. Instead you’ve opted to look at your hands, finally no longer bleeding, the glass wet from the alcohol poured on it earlier.
“I’ll pay for it,” He mumbles slowly as if he was offering to pay for a coffee. This finally makes you look him in the eyes, his already on yours. You laugh out loud, harder than you meant to as he squints at you, confusion on his face.
“Wouldn’t that be an infringement on your duties as a doctor at this very hospital?” You continue to laugh as he shakes his head looking down at the tools on the tray in front of both of you. You can see his lips lift ever so slightly at the sides. Your contagious laugh is music to his ears and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t hide it.
“My duties are to keep people like you from bleeding out due to negligent bosses,” He moves his hands to the tweezers lifting them up. You’re not sure if he found out how this happened from one of the nurses or if you happened to tell him about the loose shelf a while ago and he remembered like he always does. No matter the smallest things you tell him, it’s imprinted in his head, always following up on conversations you had days ago, always asking more details, always knowing things about you that you didn’t even remember sharing.
You still remember the day you told him that you used to be a nurse. He looked confused and had asked you why you left. You couldn’t really think of a response and he dropped the subject but since then it’s like you were a rubix cube to him, every question carefully asked, just trying to figure you out.
“Rest your hands on here,” His fingers ghost over your wrist as he guides your hands to the tray in between you and him. The latex gloves being nothing but a barrier to the two of you as his fingers linger a beat longer than they would with any other patient. You hold your breath as you look at the tweezers he’s picked up and the suture kit next to your hands.
“Breathe sweetheart, It’ll be fast,” You take a breath as requested despite the air being knocked out of your lungs to him calling you a pet name. He looks away at your hands and begins using the tweezer to pull out the first shard. You winced a pinching feeling erupting in your palm. He looks up, pausing at the sound of you in pain.
“What are your plans this weekend, going on another hike or staying home and watching Jury Duty?” He tries to distract you as he continues his work. The meds can only do so much when it comes to embedded glass and this is the best bet to make you comfortable. He knows you could talk for hours, often forgetting about other customers in line when he arrives at the coffee shop. He looks back up to see you looking at the ceiling, glassy eyes forming.
“Um, well, I was going to work the weekend but now I’m not sure I can so I guess watch TV, fuck,” you whisper the last word as a tear slips out.
“M’sorry baby,” Jack mumbles again, continuing to pull another piece out, landing with a soft clatter into the bowl next to him.
“No, it’s not you, you're being really gently, I just don’t know how long I will be out of work and I just, fuck I should’ve been putting more to my emergency funds because I don’t know how I am going to be able to afford this visit and everything without a job,” More tears start falling, landing on your lap as Jack’s heart breaks for you. He pauses his movements, setting down his tweezers to hold the back of your hands with his.
“Look at me,” You roll your eyes, eventually looking at him after a beat of silence. Your eyes are already puffy and your lips are swollen from biting them. Jack admires your face for a second, how scared and frustrated yet beautiful you look even when it seems like your world is falling apart.
“This visit can be off the record if anyone asks, and you have people who will do anything to support you, hell half the people here would let you crash at their place if you needed to,” he whispers, not saying what he really means, that he would do anything for you. He slips off his glove to wipe some of the tears falling down your face. You can’t even process it before you're leaning into his touch, closing your eyes to still your breathing. He’s right, and you know that.
“Thank you” You whisper barely audible knowing exactly what he meant to say. Your tears stop falling as you break into a small giggle.
“Sorry, god today has been insane. I think this was my breaking point,” His hands pulled away despite neither of you wanting it to. He gives you a side eye, grabbing a new pair of gloves to continue what he should be doing.
“oh yeah, what else happened?” He goes back to work, eyes on your hands as you watch him. The way his muscles flex under his scrubs as he moves his hands to squeeze the tweezers around the glass. The way his brows furrow as he concentrates trying to cause as little pain as possible.
“I just put down a deposit to retake the nclex” Abbott's movements pause just for a second before you resume speaking. “ It was three hundred dollars and had I began picking up extra night shifts to cover the cost so I can take review classes in the day but now that plan is screwed and I don’t know if I’ll even be able to pass the exam so it might’ve been a waste,” You haven’t told anyone besides Abbott that you had used to be a nurse. You quit a year in, feeling overworked and unpaid. You missed the hospital hence why you took up the barista job and since then you have felt inspired by the night staff. You’re reminded through them why you wanted to be a nurse in the first place.
“I can help you study,” He doesn’t miss a beat. His gaze looks up to you as you bite your lip thinking of a response.
“You’d tutor me for free?” is all you can come up with as his eyes bore into your soul.
“Yes, but I wouldn't mind something else in return,” The side of his face lifts into a mischievous smile. You can feel your face blushing from the implication. This wasn’t the first time he flirted with you, of course you always flirted with him first. But it was the first time he was flirting with you, while offering to help you outside the hospital, and while sitting so close to you and holding your hand in his. You stutter for a second before he cuts you off
“A free coffee maybe…”
“Oh duh right,” You laugh to yourself, failing at not looking flustered.
“What did you think I meant?” He questions with that same stupid smirk on his face. You keep your mouth closed, shrugging in response. He shakes his head while his shoulders shake a little, a chuckle escaping his body.
“You know…I thought maybe you were trying to prostitute me for a second,” You can’t help but laugh with him as he pulls out the last piece of glass from your hand. Your mind is fully gone from the previous stressors, only focused on how comfortable it feels talking to Jack.
“I just said words you were the one picturing us having sex,” He tilts his head to the side, his smile widening. He sets down his tools and pushes the table back to stand up. You were almost at a loss for words, almost.
“Like I’m not the only one who pictures it,” You one up him, turning the tables on him. You can see a small blush rising to his cheeks as his gaze shifts from your eyes to your lips. He sucks in a breath, you follow suit, both just waiting for the other to make a move. The moment is cut off by the curtain wiping open.
“Interuppting something here?” Shen wears a mischievous smirk as the two of you look at him like deer caught in headlights. Jack sets his tools down as you look at your hands realizing he had wrapped them in gauze at some point and finished pulling the glass out.
“I was just heading out,” You hop off the table, Jack not moving from where he stands causing you to bump shoulders with him ever so slightly. He doesn't say a word as you walk out, but maintains eye contact with you the whole time. Shen follows you as you make your way to the staircase.
“What did I just walk into y/n” He pokes your side as you hide your face in your wrapped up hands.
“God, shut up, we are never speaking of this” You manage a semi normal laugh as you try your best to get upstairs not saying another word to him. You can hear a few whoops as you open the staircase refusing to look back.
Once you finally make it upstairs you take a deep breath. You pull out your phone ready to call an uber home just to see a new message from an unknown sender.
I am off tomorrow, we can meet and start studying.
….
Also you will need to come back in three days to check if there is an infection and change the dressing gauze.
And another message
Jack Abbott has zelled you 300$ with a message “to cover your Nclex cost so you can join us downstairs :)”
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