Chapter Text
Closing the door softly, Jack took a long pause to breathe through his anger. It was easy to reach for, the technique taught to him years ago, but that didn’t mean he did not struggle through the exercise. The ER knew how to test a person and how they handle seeing the consequences of the worst of humanity.
When he felt like he was collected enough, Jack moved towards the central desks, catching Lena’s eye.
“What’s the problem, captain?” The night shift charge nurse asked, seeing his grim expression.
Leaning on the desk, Jack quietly requested, “Can you call pedes? I’ve got a delicate case that I think could use some…”
“Delicacy?” The woman offered when Jack struggled to find the right word.
Huffing a humourless laugh, he ran a harsh hand through his hair, “Yeah. Lemme fill you in…”
After leaving Lena to call up pediatrics, Jack moved onto another case as he waited. Checking over test results from a very drunk patient who had taken a fall, it confirmed what Jack had concluded: Fracture to knee due to imbalance. A lot of physical therapy will be needed, after the surgery they definitely need.
He saved explaining this to the patient until the man was more sober, which would likely be in the morning. So, chalking that down as a day shift problem, Jack moved on to do some charting, which was when Lena sidled back up to him. “They’re sending down someone.”
Arching a brow as he filled out the text box, Jack asked, “Anyone exciting?”
“Dana’s bloodhound.”
Jack was whipping his head up, “Whitaker?”
Amused, the charge nurse nodded, “He’s been working the night shift, apparently. So brace yourself, lover boy.”
Scoffing at her as she walked away, Jack ignored how hot his neck grew, frowning as he turned back to his typing. When Whitaker had finished up his rotation in the Pitt, Robby had been certain the young man would be back. Unfortunately, pediatrics had somehow snapped up that promising student, something Robby had spent weeks bemoaning. Granted, Whitaker ended up doing a weird bounce back and forth between the two wards, his desire specialise in emergency pediatric medicince making him a frequent visitor to the Pitt.
Jack could admire the gumption, the young doctor had a lot of promise and compassion. The kids would love him. However, he could admit to missing seeing his face more permanently around the Pitt, having complained to Lena one evening at around 4AM that Whitaker was very pretty to look at when things got dull.
Inevitably, word got around to the entirety of the night shift, and now whenever they needed a pedes doctor to come down the ER, if he was on shift, the charge nurse would wrangle Whitaker as the chosen one. Granted, from what he heard from Dana, the young man practically volunteers to be the one to throw into the Pitt. Obviously, Whitaker was missing the chaos, even when surrounded by all his tiny patients.
Now, going onto a year since Whitaker began his internship, Jack was finding himself always hoping for some case that would need the pedes doctor to come down to the ER, excited to see his face and hear his dry humour.
And lo and behold, here came the man he wanted to see. Dressed in pastel pink scrubs with a sticker of a star slapped to his left cheek, Jack could admit to swallowing thickly at the sight of him. Dennis Whitaker walked with confidence, hands loosely grasped on his bright blue and sticker covered stethoscope. It was a natural swagger of a man who knew what he was doing, a bag swung over one shoulder that made him effortlessly cool somehow. With the combination of doe-eyes and broad shoulders, Jack was a sucker within weeks of knowing the younger man. He wanted to put his hands all over Dennis. He felt like an idiot teenage boy seeing his crush walk through the hallways.
His hands twitched at the keyboard before he curled them into fists. Then, folding his arms as he stood up, he gave a nod in greeting, “Whitaker. Good to see you on the dark side.”
Smiling, the young doctor stopped next to him, “Dr Abbot. I was told I needed to rescue some poor kid from your clutches?” Reminded of the patient, Jack’s humour died. Spotting that, Dennis straightened up. “I was given a brief run down, but can you give me the larger picture?”
Releasing a heavy sigh, Jack motioned for him to follow as they stepped to the side for some privacy. “Female patient, nine, came in with her nineteen year old sister. Signs of sexual abuse via object insertion in both anal and vaginal canal.” Dennis sucked in a sharp breath as the older doctor forged on with grim determination, “There was bruising along the rib cage, but no further trauma. She’s obviously traumatised. And from what the sister had said, the abuse was not unusual, but it had never been sexual until tonight.”
Expression dark, Dennis asked next, “And the parent?”
“It was the mother.”
That was the thing that caught Dennis off guard, stunned for a moment before rapidly blinking. Running a hand over his neck, the younger doctor gave a nod, “Alright, good thing I brought my bag.” He jostled said backpack in emphasis.
“Fun stuff in there?” Jack inquired, glancing at it.
With a tight smile, Dennis replied, “Everything I could need to comfort a traumatised child.”
Taking that as the younger doctor being ready to meet the patient, Jack led him to the room. After knocking gently, he entered, tugging the curtain back to reveal the patient and her sister.
Short brown hair in curly disarray, large bruise forming on her tear stained cheeks, and wet brown eyes glanced quickly up at them. She was curled under a few layers of blankets, leaning in to where her distressed sister was sat close to the bed. Their hands were clutched tightly together. The child was heartbreakingly small where she reclined on the bed.
“Sophia, Katie,” Jack began, “This is Doctor Whitaker. He will be taking care of you tonight.”
Dennis took his cue, moving over to the stool to plop himself down to Sophia’s level. The little girl tracked his movement closely. With the gentlest voice that was saved for only children, the doctor smiled softly, “Hi Sophia, you can call me Dennis, if you want.”
The girl stared, glancing at all the adults in the room before landing back on Dennis, “...You’ve got a sticker on your cheek.”
“That I do! I’ve got more in my bag if you want one.”
No response.
Unperturbed by the silence, Dennis forged on, turning to the sister, “Alright, Katie, you were the one to bring her in?”
Wiping at her nose, the sister held similar features as Sophia as she bobbed her head, “Yeah.”
Tone careful and low, he inquired, “Can you tell me more about what led up to Sophia getting hurt?”
Pursing her lips to stop them from wobbling, Katie breathed hard through her nose a few times before speaking. Her words stumbled and halted as she tried to voice the abuse she witnessed, “Mom was- she uh, she gets angry a lot. When I was younger she wasn’t as bad, but dad leaving kinda just...changed her. Just got really mean. But she didn’t really take it out on me, mainly Soph. I uh, I tried my best to keep her safe, y’know? Direct her anger onto me. But- but something was different tonight. I sh-should’ve been there-!”
Jack tensed, prepared to jump in to help calm the building panic attack, but Dennis was already there. With a gentle hand placed onto the sister’s shoulder, the younger doctor soothed with an understanding expression, “Hey, Katie, it’s not your fault. None of this is your fault, okay? It wasn’t supposed to be your responsibility to keep your sister safe, that should have been your mother’s, and she failed you both. It’s not your fault, understand?” He pressed, catching Katie’s watery gaze, “No one here is going to blame you for this.”
The sister stared at Dennis, a mixture of disbelief and grief waging war in her eyes. And Dennis met that pain with perfect composure. Katie reached up and grabbed his hand; a lifeline to stop from sinking too deep. “I was out later than I had planned; work went over.” She continued on, “When I came back mom w-was just gone. A-and Soph I- I found her in the k-kitchen wi-ith a spatual sh-shoved-”
Dennis hushed her gently as she broke down once more, pushing the stool closer. Katie collapsed into a fit of tears, the doctor rubbing her back. Sophia just stared at her silently. There was a haze over the girl’s eyes, no doubt sinking into that place victims go to escape what they experienced. Having seen plenty of that with his fellow veterans, Jack asked Dennis quietly, “Hey, you got anything to distract Sophia with?”
The doctor looked to Sophia, immediately clocking the girl’s current state. Moving away from a sniffling Katie, Dennis reached for his bag. “Hey, Sophia,” He called softly, “I know everything is super scary right now, but I promise that we aren’t going to let anyone hurt you. Can you squeeze your sister’s hand if you hear me?”
There was a pause as the older sister slipped both hands around Sophia’s, Katie sharply sucking in a breath to quiet her sobs. After another long second, the sister nodded, “She squeezed.”
“Good,” Dennis breathed, facing them with his open bag on his lap, “Alright, Sophia, I’ve got some stuff toys for you to pick from. I made sure they were extra soft and I think they could use a cuddle right now.”
Life seemed to flicker back into the girl’s eyes, body twitching as she focused on Dennis. Having her attention now, the younger doctor began to pull out the stuff toys from his bag. There was a cat, a duck, a fox-
“Frog.” Sophia rasped, wiggling to sit up straighter. Her entire body was trembling, and she looked fit to collapse into a deep sleep with the exhaustion written across her face. She reminded Jack of his own face when he came back from Afghanistan; how haggard and world-weary he had become from the violence. Jack could only guess how long this child had been suffering abuse, and was could only be grateful that they could stop it completely tonight. There would be no quick recovery, but if there was one thing Jack had learnt, was that children were depressingly resilient if given the opportunity to heal.
Grinning, relief mixed with triumph at gaining a response from the girl, Dennis handed over the frog, “Good choice! You like frogs?”
Nodding tentatively, Sophia accepted the toy. Her hands squeezed and released the soft object, gaze drifting to it as she mumbled, “They’re really cute.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” Then he turned to Katie, “Would you like one too?”
Surprised by the offer, the sister hesitated before picking up the duck. It was placed in her lap, where the hand that wasn’t now stroking Sophia’s hair began to grip the toy like a stress ball. Jack – if he was being honest – wouldn’t have thought to even suggest that as a way to comfort the older sister. She was nineteen; most would consider that too old to want a toy to hold.
But Dennis thought of it. Jack would have been more focused on the patient, and here Dennis was, dividing his attention to both traumatised children.
The doctor sent Katie a small, reassuring smile before looking back to Sophia, “So, I’ve got some serious stuff to talk to you about, Sophia. It’s not going to be fun, but I promise that it will help your body feel better.”
Holding the toy closer, the girl asked in that tiny voice she’s had the entire time, uncertainty drenched in her voice, “What stuff?”
“Well,” Dennis began delicately, as Jack knew he would be, “I’m going to have to look at where you’re hurt. And I’m going to have to touch certain parts to check to see how badly you’ve been hurt.”
Sophia pulled her legs up tight to her chest, already looking like she was about to cry fresh tears. Katie scooted closer, wrapping an arm around her little shoulders, “Hey, Soph, it’ll be okay.” The sister quickly soothed her, “Nothing like what...what happened. It’s like when you scrape your knees, you gotta clean it before it can start to feel better.”
The sister spoke like she was swallowing back any incertitude in order to give Sophia confidence to consent. It worked only a little, her releasing a shaky exhale that caught on a sob at the end.
“How about this,” Dennis began, nodding to Jack, “Doctor Abbot will sit next to you, and you can tell him all about the cool frog facts I absolutely know you know.” He shot Sophia a knowing smile, to which the girl gave back her own shy one. Once he got that response, Dennis continued on, “While you two are having an amazing conversation, I’m going to have to look between your legs. It shouldn’t take me more than a few minutes to inspect and clean you up. And when I’m done,”
He reached into his bag once more, pulling out a tin to pop it open and reveal a stash of candy, “Tah-dah!” He cheered, “You will get candy for being the bravest girl in the whole world.”
Sophia’s eyes sparked with a moment of elation, “How many?”
“How many’, she asks,” Dennis teased, blue eyes sparkling, “Well, as I am terrified of dentists, I can only allow you two pieces.”
“Only two!?” Sophia exclaimed, unhappy with that amount. Jack couldn’t stop his chuckle from where he was standing.
“Do you want the dentists to track me down?” Dennis gasped with faux-offense, “They’ll sniff out cavities and know exactly who gave them to you. I’m too young to die!”
Sophia scoffed, smile playing on her lips as she pointed out matter-of-factly, “People don’t have that good of a sense of smell. No way would they know it was you.”
“Alright,” Dennis sighed heavily, giving in, “I suppose I can offer you three pieces. But no more! Gotta save this stash for other special kids like you.”
Her nose scrunched, “I’m not special.”
“Uh, yeah, you are,” Dennis retorted, like Sophia had said something ridiculous, “I’ve never met anyone as brave as you. You like frogs, too, which is like, top-tier amazing choice for a favourite animal. Plus, you managed to con me into giving you an extra piece of candy. That’s a sign of a very smart girl. Promise.”
Sophia huffed, like she knew the doctor was exaggerating, but there was still that spark of energy running through her that had Katie staring at Dennis like he was a miracle worker. Jack couldn’t help it himself, impressed by how quickly the younger doctor managed to improve the girl’s mood. And maybe there was something burning in his chest from watching how wonderful Dennis was with kids. They may miss him in the Pitt, but his calling was definitely with children.
“...Fine,” Sophia mumbled, fidgeting as she waited for what was to happen next. Spotting her nerves building again, Dennis held out his pinky finger.
“I’ve never broken a pinky promise.” He stated solemnly, “You can ask all the other kids I’ve worked with. I’ll give you the choice of five stickers too, if you want.”
Pursing her lips, Sophia linked her tiny finger with Dennis’ longer one, “Deal.”
Smiling, he turned to Katie to nudge his head at her little sister, “You’ve got a master manipulator in the making over here.”
Laughing wryly, the sister shook her head, “She can swindle anyone, I swear.”
Officially having lightened the mood and brought Sophia back to the present, they began the assessment. Jack briefly popped out to ask Lena not to be bothered in the room unless it was an emergency, not wanting the check-up to be interrupted and have the girl flee back inside herself out of terror.
When he returned, Sophia was laying back with her knees up and legs spread, body rupturing into short, tremor fits. The blanket was still settled over for modesty. Katie was stroking her hair softly as Dennis prepped the supplies. It wasn’t the grim scene Jack had initially walked into, but it wasn’t the brighter one he had just left.
After snapping on his gloves, Dennis began to explain in that same gentle voice that wouldn’t even startle a fly, “Here’s the process. I’m going to look at all the hurting parts on the outside, and then I’m going to have to have a little look at where it hurts inside. I’m going to take a few swipes with these,” He held up some swabs in their packaging, “To make sure there aren’t any germs to get rid of. Then, I’m going to give everything a clean. It will hurt a little, which I am very sorry for. But like when you have to clean out scraped knees like your sister said, it’s all to make you feel better. Then, I’ll put on some cream which will help with any cuts. Okay?”
Sophia let out a shuddering, hiccuping breath before giving a little nod.
Jack and Dennis’ eyes met, and under the joviality Dennis had kept up, there was a tired anger flaring in his blue eyes. Jack pressed his hand to the man’s shoulder, offering a short moment of comfort before he took his spot in the chair on the other side of the bed, sending Sophia a smile when she glanced his way. “Did I mention I’ve seen the coolest frog in the world?”
Sophia turned to him with wet eyes, voice wavering but jaw clenching as she tried to stay strong, “How cool?”
Jack did what he did best, and began to yap. He kept his attention solely devoted on Sophia, noticing the flinches and hitches in her breath – reactions from Dennis’ inspection – and doing everything he could to keep her focus on him. Katie would join, reminding her of different stories that got Sophia smiling tremulously in response. The tears that dripped out were gently brushed aside by the sister, quiet with her own eyes glistening.
The duck in Katie’s lap was held in a death grip. The frog was hugged tightly to a heavily breathing chest that was too small to be carrying all that panic and pain. The shared anguish between the pair had Jack wishing he could hit something or drag them both back to his house to tuck them into bed after feeding them a warm meal. However, Jack could do neither, so he could only try to stay being distracting enough for the little girl.
But as Dennis promised, he was done quickly, always the swift and competent doctor. The first thing he did upon pulling back was drawing the blankets back down, declaring, “All done! Ready for your prizes for being super brave?”
The immediate deflection from the examination did it’s job. Even as Sophia pulled her legs close to her again, sniffling, she still held out a demanding hand. Dennis chuckled at that, peeling off his gloves to throw away. When he came back with the open tin of candy, the girl dragged herself up on shaky arms. Katie was there to guide her into a proper sitting position.
Taking her time to pick what she wanted, Dennis added to the older sister, “You can have a few if you want. You’ve been really brave too.”
Katie gave him a pained smile as she picked a tootsie-pop. Jack couldn’t help his hum of approval, “Blue is always the right choice.”
“I like cherry,” Sophia mumbled, picking said candy alongside two other lollypops, likely her favourite candy.
When done, Dennis went back to his bag of magical treats to bring out a whole stack of stickers next. “Unfortunately, I have no frogs. I’ll do better for next time. However, I’ve got some really neat bug ones!”
“Bugs don’t scare me.” Sophia declared proudly, even as she wiped away at her tacky cheeks, “I take all the spiders out of the house.”
Jack let out an impressed whistle, crossing his arms as he leant back in his chair, “Damn, kid. I still struggle to get rid of the bigger ones.”
“I think they’re really cute!” She said, a bit defensive but still pleased with herself. Katie shook her head fondly. Jack couldn’t imagine thinking spiders cute, but hey, as long as Sophia was happy, that was all that mattered.
Watching as the girl mull seriously over which sticker would go on her hand, Dennis peeled two off from one. He handed one to Katie, who accepted it with a sniffle. It went on her phone case, where Jack could see it read: You’re Fin-tastic! It had a little picture of a shark.
The other, he stuck to Sophia’s forehead, the girl jerking back in surprise. Her eyes went crossed as she reached up to peel it off. It was a gold star.
“Golden star for my golden patient.” Dennis said. It hit Jack right in the heart.
Bottom lip wobbling, Sophia stuck it back to her forehead, “...Thank you.”
Holding his hand up, the younger man asked, “High five?”
She slapped her hand against his, lips pulling into a smile. And just like that, the examination was complete and the chance of a negative response smoothed away with Dennis’ excellent beside manner and stash of goodies.
Standing up, Dennis said, “Right, I need to talk to Katie for a few minutes. How about Doctor Abbot shows off his juggling skills while we’re out.”
Jack shot him an amused glance. He had mentioned his juggling skills months ago as an off-handed humorous remark, not having expected the younger doctor to recall. Dennis flashed him a quick wink, the cheeky bastard.
The girl hesitated, eyes darting between Jack and Katie. Dennis added, “We’ll have the curtain open, so you can see us right through the door, how’s that sound?”
Sophia gave a small nod, “Okay…”
Katie gave her sister a kiss to the head, which settled the girl down further. As Dennis so kindly suggested, Jack found some items that he could juggle with and began to dust off that old skill for the sake of a hurting child. It was worth it for her gasps of awe and peels of laughter when he purposefully fumbled a few rounds.
It took time, what Dennis was explaining to Katie. But both him and Sophia caught the sight of the older sister crumbling into the other doctor once again, who held her close as she cried. However, the reassuring look Dennis sent Jack meant that things were going to be okay for the sisters.
Sequestered in the chief attending’s office that Robby rarely liked to use, the two doctors began to discuss the case. Out of sight of the sisters, Dennis allowed the weight of it show as he slumped in his chair, rubbing at his face.
“What’s the extent of her injures?” Jack softly asked.
Taking a few deep breaths, Dennis lifted his head from his hands, and Jack felt his stomach drop at the redness rimming his expressive eyes. He forewent professionalism to move over to Dennis’ chair and tug him up into a hug. This time, Dennis was the one that needed the comfort.
Feeling the man fall to pieces against his shoulder reminded that no matter how amazing he was at his job, Dennis was still an intern. He had seen the worst in humanity, but there was still more shit to dig through, and he hadn’t learnt how to compartmentalise it well enough yet.
As he shook in Jack’s arms, a damp patch forming on his scrubs, Dennis rasped wetly, “I-I just- who could-!”
“I know, Dennis, I know.” Jack murmured gently, rubbing at the younger man’s back. After a few moments, he began to calm down. Breaths hitching in that way that told Jack he was swallowing back the sobs that just wanted to keep coming.
“Y-you’d think,” Dennis sniffled, pulling away to hastily wipe at his face. “With my own history I’d have a better grip on my emotions.”
It took Jack a second to understand, frowning at Dennis as he continued to gather himself. And then a weight hit his gut. “You were sexually abused?”
Blue eyes snapped up, widening at realising what he’d just revealed. Groaning, Dennis collapsed back in the chair, “God, I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“No, of course, man.” Jack was quick to agree, even as something screamed in him to ask for more information. Who was it. How long? How old was Dennis? Was this person still in Dennis’ life or did Jack need to kill them?
“Let’s just,” Dennis took in a deep breath, releasing it slow before continuing on, “Let’s just focus on the case. Please?”
Softening, Jack nodded, “Okay, Dennis. Tell me the results.”
Taking a few seconds longer to slip back into professional mode, Dennis reported, “As expected, anal fissures. No more than a couple centimeters in, so no damage to the rectum. First-degree, thankfully, in both vaginal and anal canals. No stitches needed, but there will be some bleeding. Just in case, I’ve done a swab for any possible bacteria or infection. Katie mentioned the use of a spatula, so I want to make sure there wasn’t anything on it that could worsen Sophia’s conditioning. I’ve cleaned and treated the location, but she will have to be on a fluid diet for a day or two so as not irritate the lacerations too much. We’ll get her moved up to pedes soon so she can heal somewhere quieter and for closer monitoring. Beyond the physical damage…” Dennis trailed off as he sighed so deeply that Jack felt similar weariness in his soul.
Rubbing at his face, Dennis continued, “We need to get the social worker down here. Katie is nineteen, so she could file for guardianship. She mentioned having a job, so there is proof of ability to support. If they have any family members that would be safe for them to live with, then that’s an option too.”
“CPS and police will get involved.” Jack pointed out, “We should have taken pictures first for evidence-”
“Already done,” Dennis cut in, “Katie said she had done so before I came into the room. She showed me when we were talking outside.” He let out a humourless huff of laughter, shaking his head, “Smart girl, knew that proof was needed to support their case.”
There was a lull in the discussion, the grimness of the topic weighing on them both. Jack could see that the moment Dennis got off shift and returned home, he was going to be breaking down fully. Knowing that Santos was on shift later, Jack couldn’t bear the thought of Dennis being left alone to cope with the heaviness of this case.
“Wanna get breakfast at the end of the shift?”
Dennis looked at him surprised. “Really?”
Scrubbing at the bristles on his cheek, Jack gave a halting nod, “Sure. Been wanting to ask you out for awhile.” And that slipped out before he realised, freezing where he sat. He watched the other doctor closely as understanding clicked into place.
“Oh,” Dennis breathed out, eyes widening, “Y-yeah, um, yeah! I would love to.” And the tiny, pleased smile he sent had Jack’s stomach fluttering nervously.
“Great,” The older man smiled back, “Shift’s nearly over, so let’s get Sophia moved up to pedes and the social worker on task for the case. Nice work, by the way,” Jack added as they stood up, leaving the room. “You worked some magic on that girl.”
“Learnt a lot with my own nieces and nephews, and you gotta know all the tricks when working in pedes.” Dennis explained, a proud air to him as he fiddled with his sticker covered stethoscope. There were a smattering of stars joined by cute depictions of farm animals. It was Dennis encapsulated into a single item and Jack wanted to use it to tug him close in order to kiss the man.
Reaching out, Jack allowed his hand to touch and linger on Dennis’ upper arm. It had the younger man’s breath hitching as he stilled in his tracks. He looked up at Jack with that earnest and hope filled gaze, and Jack really had to swallow back that urge to kiss him. Instead, he murmured, “Good job, Dennis. I’ll see you at seven?”
“Yeah,” Dennis replied breathless and cheeks pink, “Outside the ambulance doors?”
“See you then.” Jack couldn’t help tugging on one of the curls sticking out from the nape of Dennis’ neck.
The pediatric doctor batted his hand away with a shy grin, heading towards central in order to contact pedes and get the girls up. The skin of Jack’s finger tingled from the simple touch of Dennis’ hair. Biting into that finger for a moment, he pictured everything he wanted to do with the other doctor – both sexual and not – and then shoved it all back down, releasing his finger.
About an hour left of his shift and handover, and then Dennis and Jack would be able to escape. And, if Jack was lucky, he might be able to sneak that kiss he had been yearning for, for months.