Chapter Text
now playing: Heavy by The Marias
Rosemary King was eccentric, or so she had been told. She liked clunky jewelry that alerted a room when she entered; both gold and silver bangles, large stones on bands for rings, and layered necklaces each and everyday. Neutral kitten heels and sneakers in every color the earth had to offer- although she much preferred greens and reds that bordered on purple. She wore hand-knit hand warmers and fingerless gloves from her sister, Becca, and hand-me-down reading glasses from Mel. Skinny scarfs and colored tights. Even her personality was labeled as ‘loud,’ although she was an introvert at heart. Her laugh shook her bones, commanding attention, and her rambles went on for ages. She often got too excited about things too quickly, but she wore her emotions clear as day. Even if she were to hide it, it would still shine through.
The only plain thing Rosemary owned was her apron. Clean, ironed, white. Her name was embroidered in the left corner, right next to her title: Chef. Private chef, to anyone willing to listen to her long enough to make the distinction. She had a few wealthy families in Pittsburgh she worked for given the day or week, and they did pay well. However, she always tried to dial herself back when in presence of a client; she might not have considered herself eccentric, she liked the term whimsical if anything, but she knew others did.
It was never supposed to be viewed as ‘that deep,’ but to Rosemary, her mind wasn’t a shallow pond. It was an over worked, polluted ocean. Her waves weren’t just drowning material, but they hit the back of her eyelids until she held her skull between her palms, whispering that tomorrow she’d be different. She’d hold back, she’d wear the mask that everyone expected of her. She’d be normal. To Rosemary, it wasn’t an insult. It was a burden she was bestowed to carry
Coming from a family that all fell on the neurodivergent scale, Rosemary was accustomed to people not understanding why she was the way she was. She was even more so to the fact that people never stayed long enough to learn. Her twin sisters, Melissa and Becca, both fell on the autism spectrum, however with differing needs for care. Rosemary found herself on the opposite side of the scale; ADHD with a very high tendency to hyperfixate. Together, Rosemary and her sisters had learned each other's habits, how each girl communicated best, and how to take care of each other. The later was the most important, especially since Becca had been placed in a part-time care facility since both Rosemary and Mel worked most days and for long periods of time.
Taking care of each other was all they ever knew. Close by choice, extremely trauma bonded by fate. After the girls' mother died, their father followed soon after. Mel, being technically the oldest, took over care for Rosemary and Becca, and for years, they all managed.
They all had their roles in the family: Mel was the glue. She was Becca’s main caretaker, she stepped up as guardian for Rosemary until she was of age, but most importantly, she knew how to calm their everyday storms. Mel had always been good at taking back control when things slipped awry. Becca was the heart. She kept everyone tied together, making sure the girls always came back to each other. She was laughter trapped in a bottle. Becca paid more attention than most people gave her credit for, but her sisters knew better. They might as well classify her as the brain as well.
Rosemary was the substance. She kept Becca and Mel fed physically, keeping an eye on their health and diet. Yet, Rosemary also kept her sisters going mentally; she gave power, energy, advice. Even if she was running on a low battery herself, Rosemary would give until she died, until a charger couldn’t even fix her damage.
It hadn't always been that way, it was the present reality. There was no going back to the past, and no use in wishing on stars either. Although, secretly, Rosemary still prayed on every shooting star she saw.
Rosemary woke up to an empty apartment, and before her alarm rang. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, leftover purple liquid liner and glitter smudging onto her knuckles. The sun was on its slow rise, the sky a navy blue. She blinked a few times, smacking her lips before pulling herself out of bed. Her sock-covered feet dipped under the fold in her rug, tripping her on the way out of her bedroom. A soft giggle rose from her lips as she found balance. The oven clock read 6:42 am. With an arm thrown over her head in a stretch, Rosemary opened the fridge. Mid reach for her cold brew pitcher, her eyes fell onto a blue polka-dotted bento box.
“Mel,” Rosemary sighed under her breath. She lazily grabbed her cold brew and coffee creamer, slid them onto the kitchen counter, before reaching back into the fridge for the bento box. “Good thing you don’t start until seven…” She whispered, flicking her eyes back over to the oven’s time. Slowly her mind captured the numbers and processed them. Her eyes shot open. 17 minutes. “Oh shit—” the bento box fell onto the counter as Rosemary rushed down the hallway back to her room.
“Clothes…” she said under her breath. Rosemary threw open her closet door, only to be met with an overflowing laundry hamper. She groaned. “Clean clothes.” She repeated, sliding hangers aggressively until she yanked on a green, wool sweater. Next came a pair of semi clean, low waisted blue jeans. Rosemary jumped into the pants and threw the sweater over her sleeping tank top. Slamming her feet into her Bear Paw boots, Rosemary snatched her shoulder satchel bag; she tossed in a water bottle, the bento box, her phone, and keys.
She lingered by the cold brew, now sitting in a puddle of condensation. “Coffee now?” She asked in a soft, hopeful tone before taking another peak at the clock. 6:49. “Coffee later,” she whined, busting her way to the front door.
Rosemary ran down the apartment stairs to the parking garage, getting to her car— a 2004, pale blue, VW Bug— as quickly as she could. Jamming her keys into the ignition, she was on her way to The Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital.
—
“How can I help you?” The woman behind the glass in the waiting room asked.
Rosemary licked her lips, huffing in a breath. “My name is Rosemary King? M-my sister, she’s a doctor here. Well, it's her first day, but she’s still a doctor. Um, I have something for her, and I was wondering if it was at all possible for me to be let back to go see her? I promise I’ll be fast and I won’t be a distraction and—”
“You said you were family?” The woman asked, her eyebrow cocked.
“Oh um, yes ma’am.” Rosemary replied.
The woman nodded her head and pressed a button. “Go on in.” She said, gesturing to the now unlocked doors into the ER.
Rosemary nodded quickly and offered a crooked smile before running over to the door. She stepped one foot past the door and was hit with the smell of bleach. She scrunched up her nose and poked her head around. Rosemary chewed on the dried skin on her bottom lip, turning in small circles to be able to spot her sister. She chose a hallway and went down it, praying it would lead to Mel.
“Doctor Robinavitch?” Mel asked as she approached an older man. He turned and offered her his attention. “Melissa King. I’ll be joining you today. Just finished two months at the V.A.”
Robby nodded his head and smiled warmly. “Welcome to The Pitt.” He pointed a thumb to the man next to him. “This is Doctor Jack Abbot.”
“Nice to meet you” Mel grinned. She bounced between her feet as she laughed softly under her breath. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here.”
Jack nodded his head once as he walked around the desk and sat down at a computer, completing a chart. He pursed his lips. “Talk to me at the end of the day.”
Robby rolled his eyes with a soft smile. “Ignore him. He had a rough night…” Robby placed his hands on the desk’s counter and looked down at Jack. “And is having an ongoing existential crisis.
“Oh…” Mel looked between the two of them.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get there soon enough.” Jack teased as he continued to type.
“Hang on a sec, Doctor King. I’m going to go get the rest of our staff for Rounds.” Robby patted his hands on the counter before walking away.
Rosemary hit a dead end at her hallway, the only room to go into was an OR. She hummed under her breath, twisting on her heels and heading back down the hall. At every fork in the road, she stuck her head down both options. She read signs and strayed away from elevators. “Mel… Where are you?” She murmured to herself as she popped down another hallway. “I have your lunch… and I'll eat it if I can’t find the frickin’ right place to be.”
Rosemary took a deep breath as she fidgeted with her bag. She looked down, getting the bento box ready in her hands. Her shoulder collided with someone else’s. Her head snapped up right away, eyeing the man who she had run into. “I’m sorry!” She took an immediate side step. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“No issue.” He said back to her. He looked tired, with deep wine circles under his eyes and a hazy over his irises. He smelt like a mixture of hand-sanitizer and freshly brewed espresso. Yet, Rosemary knew there was more to it— a scent that stung her nose. Under the caffeine and sterilization was the smell of sweat and iron. He wore it like an aftershave.
His beard and hair were salt and peppered with an undertone of red, and skin pale from lack of sunlight. His posture was rigid, although perfectly aligned with his spine.
As the man turned to leave out the door at the end of the hallway, Rosemary gulped. She jogged a few feet. “Wait! Excuse me, sir?" Rosemary projected her voice for him. She shuffled a few more feet. He turned only half way, his eyes lingering over his shoulder. "I um, well..." Rosemary cleared her throat. “I’m looking for my sister. And I.. well.”
The man offered a tired chuckle. He rubbed his temple as he fully turned around. "Got yourself turned around, sweetheart?" He asked as he stepped closer to Rosemary. As he drew nearer, she let her eyes fall over him. He wore a military grade backpack with the name ‘Abbot’ etched into the strap, and he wasn’t leaving in scrubs. He wore a zip up jacket and black sweatpants.
“Yeah.” Rosemary answered with a short nod of her head.
“What’s her name?” He muttered, some of his words getting trapped and muffled.
“Hmm?”
“Your sister,” He repeated. “Or her department, where is she supposed to be in the hospital? So I can help you find her.”
Rosemary nodded quickly. Her lips quirked up a tad as she thought about Mel. “Oh, she's supposed to be in the ER.”
Another laugh came from him, this one a bit louder and genuine. “I don’t know how you walked past the ER, kid.” He said before raising his hand and pointing. “Go back out that door and turn left. You’ll be there. I guarantee you can’t miss it twice.”
Rosemary’s eyes brightened. She brought her hand to her heart as she bounced on her toes. “Thank you!” She exclaimed before twisting on her heels and scurrying away.
“Be quick,” the man called out for her, “they’re about to start Rounds.”
“I will!” Rosemary answered. Her feet stammered. She looked over her shoulder. “What are rounds—” she started to ask but the man was gone. Rosemary shrugged her shoulders and quickened her pace back down the hallway.
Doctor Robby clapped his hands loudly as the circle for morning Round formed and everyone settled. “Good morning, day crew.” He started. Robby vaguely gestured toward the interns. “As you see, we have some new faces this morning. Starting with second-year resident, Doctor Melissa King. Fresh from the V.A.”
Mel stepped forward with a small wave. “Everybody calls me Mel. I'm super happy to be here.”
Robby carried his attention to the other three new members. “And we have three new interns—”
“Mel Bel!” Rosemary’s voice left from her tongue at a volume too loud for the early morning meeting.
Melissa’s head whipped around, a soft rosy hue dusting her cheeks. “Rabbit?” She asked in a hushed whisper. Mel turned to look at Doctor Robby and slightly bowed her head. She cleared her throat, stepping out of the circle and rushing over to her younger sister.“Rosie, what are you doing here? Is everything okay? I mean, it’s your day off. I really didn’t expect to see you here.”
Rosemary lightly shook the container in her hands. “You forgot your lunch in the fridge.”
Mel exhaled heavily as she closed her eyes for a moment.“You woke up early to make sure I grabbed my lunch?” Mel asked, a small dib in her brows.
Rosemary shrugged, her sweater falling off her shoulder. “I was awake, and I saw it sittin' in the fridge so... I brought it.”
“I appreciate that, a lot, Rabbit. ER workers don’t really get eating breaks, but thank you for bringing it to me.” Mel said.
“Oh— I know. I remember you telling me that. That’s why it’s not um.. lunch lunch. Nothing special, just a handful of different snacks. And I wanted to make sure you were getting all of your food groups so there are fruits and veggies, some nuts and crackers, and low fat cheese and… Oh! A protein bar.” Rosemary rambled softly as she blew some of her bangs out of her eyes. She shoved the container into Mel’s hands; the attention that was on the two siblings wasn’t unwarranted, but acutely unwanted. Rosemary could feel their eyes on her. She swallowed. “Eat when you can, Mel. It’s your first 12… and ya’know, I worry.” Rosemary then dug into her satchel and dug out the water bottle and a small hydration pack. “This is for you too.”
“You shouldn’t worry,” Mel said, sticking the bottle under her arm and the packet in her pocket. “I’m sure today will be just fine, okay? A little anxious, and stressful, but it’ll be good.”
Rosemary nodded with a soft smile. She scrunched her nose at Mel, who did the same back. “I’ll take that as a promise.”
“Of course, Rabbit. Now, I do have to get um, back to work.” Mel nudged her head to the group that was waiting for her. “But have fun at Pitt Fest. Take lots of pictures for Becca and me.”
“Oh— yeah. Yes, of course. Yes.” Rosemary nodded her head, starting to walk backwards. She held up both of her hands and gave her sister a double thumbs up with a large smile. “Go get ‘em Melly.”
Mel lifted her hand into a small wave as her sister stumbled out of the ER. She set her things on the desk counter and made her way back into the Rounds circle. “I apologize,” Mel muttered under her breath. “I wasn’t expecting… a visitor. She’s my sister.”
“No worries, Doctor King.” Dr. Robby said. “Let’s just try to not make interrupting debrief a habit.”
“Yes, sir.”
Trinity snorted under her breath. “Rabbit?”
“Rabbit?” Dennis whispered the word under his breath at the same time.
Mel offered the two of them a side glance. “It’s um, a family nickname.”