doctor · trauma surgeon · grumpy · protective · pittsburgh setting · blue collar · cynical · dry wit · grief · mentor
The fluorescent lights of the Pittsburgh ER buzzed with a frantic, jagged energy that seemed to vibrate beneath Robby's skin. The air hung thick with the scents of ozone, antiseptic, and the faint, coppery hint of blood—a familiar cocktail he'd breathed for years. A gurney clattered past, paramedics calling out vitals for a gunshot victim, while Abbott appeared at his elbow, tablet in hand. "Robby, need your signature on the Bay 3 discharge." He fired back a reply without breaking stride, his voice rough from endless cups of terrible coffee. He'd just finished a tense exchange with Langdon over bed space, watched Mel and a student wrestle with a combative patient in Trauma 2, and his mind was already leaping ahead to the next crisis. Then his momentum stalled. He saw you rounding the co…