Hospitality (Rob)

[Mitchell Terrell]

It wasn't too often that Mitchell went to see Rob while he was at work. He knew his husband was pretty much constantly busy and Mitchell absolutely hated the feeling of being in the way, but he also knew that sometimes Rob liked the non-staff company and it was nice to be able to just sit with him and relax for half an hour or so. It helped break up the day, for both of them, and it was a pleasant feeling to be able to surprise him. He knew that Rob spoiled him and that their relationship tended to be very one-sided in that regard, so sometimes it was nice to be able to be the one doing the spoiling.

Besides, he always looked forward to the days when he got to see Rob in his lab coat.

After checking in with Tawney to make sure that Rob would be available for lunch (emergencies pending), Mitchell got to work. It wasn't a fancy lunch that he had made up, but he hoped it would be appreciated. Deli beef in soft tortillas with lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar and a little cream cheese. He'd made a little side of pinto bean, corn and avocado salad, and some sliced pickles and a bag of tortilla chips finished it off. He packed it all carefully into a bag before slipping into a jacket and pulling on his sneakers, giving Emma a hug and a fuss before he headed down to make his way to the hospital.

The cab ride didn't take too long in the quieter midday traffic, thankfully, and once inside the hospital Mitchell knew his way around effortlessly. He had spent so very long cooped up there that he had learned most of the place like the back of his hand, and his semi-frequent visits since then had kept it all very familiar. He made his way to the cafeteria, sending Tawney a quick message to let her know he was here and to please send Rob down whenever he was free from whatever he was doing.

Mitchell knew that Rob might be a little while if he was in the middle of something, so he went to the counter and bought them both cold drinks and made his way over to an empty table, getting lunch out of his bag but keeping it wrapped up for now. He had brought his DS along with him for something to do while he waited, and fired up Lego Batman to pass the time until Rob was free to join him.

[Dr. Robert Terrell]

When he'd left that morning, Rob hadn't expected any surprises, at least outside emergencies. As it always did, his day had started early with a quick run with Emma before showering, grabbing breakfast, and kissing both Mitch and Emma goodbye before driving to work. So far, things had been going smoothly. His recovering patients were all doing well, and the procedure he'd performed that morning had gone well.

Back in his office, paperwork seemed to be multiplying like rabbits. It was going to take more time than he liked, but there was nothing he could do about it other than get to work.

After an hour, he'd made a dent, but he was nowhere near done. Ideally, he wanted to keep going, but one of his lead nurses clearly had other ideas as she knocked and let herself in. Rob scowled slightly, ignoring the light frost that grew on his pen as his mood shifted. "I'm busy, Tawney. Unless it's an emergency, I have a mountain of files to do." Per usual, Tawney just gave him a knowing smile.

"Too busy for lunch?" It wasn't uncommon for Rob to work through his lunch, but today he didn't get that option.

"Right now, yes." Rob gave her a pointed look, but Tawney wasn't budging.

"That's a shame. I guess I'll just go have lunch with Mitch then, and you can keep on working and being a sourpuss." The second Mitch's name was spoken, Rob's expression softened.

"No, I'll go. And I'm not a sourpuss." Still. He couldn't help the good mood his husband put him in, regardless of what Tawney said. "Where is he?"

"Cafeteria," she answered with a smile and a wave before leaving the office. Rob took a moment to mark his place in his files before heading down. It didnt take him long to spot Mitch, and it was impossible to hide his smile. Slowing his pace, he approached his husband from behind before gently sliding his arms around his shoulders and pressing a light kiss to his neck. "Hi, Mitch. This is a nice surprise."

[Mitchell Terrell]

Lego Batman wasn't one of Mitchell's favourite games, not by a long shot, but it was one of the few that he'd had for a while and not completed even once, which irked him slightly. However, it not being one of his favourites meant it was also one that he really didn't mind switching off mid-game without saving, which made it perfect for this. He wasn't the sort of person to make someone else wait while he got to a save zone, especially not his husband, and he could turn it off without getting grumpy about loosing progress.

Mitchell hadn't been waiting very long and so wasn't very engrossed in the game, but the sudden appearance of arms still made him startle slightly. Thankfully the arms were very familiar and Mitchell smiled and flicked off the console, placing it on the table and giving a small shiver of pleasure at the lips on his neck. “Hey Rob. I just thought it might make a nice change, break up the routine a bit.”

Leaning back slightly in the chair so his head could roll back against Rob's torso, Mitchell looked up at him through his lashes and gently stroked his fingertips on the areas of Rob's forearms that he could get to without the coat being in the way. “Besides, Tawney hasn't had to message me yet today saying you've been naughty, so I figured you deserve it.”

Mitchell gently lifted one of Rob's hands with his own, feeling the coolness that had come to feel so comforting to him, and placed a gentle kiss onto the back of it. He then let it go before leaning forward again so he could start to unpack their lunch. “Hope you're in the mood for tortillas.”

[Dr. Robert Terrell]

Rob didn't mind when Mitch got wrapped up in his games. They made him happy, and if Mitch was happy, Rob was content. He also didn't blame him for bringing the device along, either. Any number of things could derail him, so he was glad Mitch had a way to cope with any delays. At least today he hadn't gotten delayed on the way down.

"A break is exactly what I needed," he admitted. "I swear my files are breeding." Despite a slight head shake, he was still smiling. Mitch had that effect on him. Most of his coworkers didn't see this side of him, and he was okay with that. Tawney was the only one that came close, but that had only come with years of working together, and a lot of stubbornness on both their parts.

He snorted a little over the idea he'd been good today. "No, none of the interns have gotten in the way today, so I've had no reason to be bad." A tiny smirk took over. "At least, not until now."

Relaxing into Mitch's warmer touch, Rob smiled at the kiss and once he was let go of, he made his way around and settled across from him. "Tortillas, huh?" Mitch really had put a lot of effort into it. Rob glanced at him affectionately and reached across from his hand. "That's perfect."

[Mitchell Terrell]

Mitchell chuckled lightly and gave a small roll of his eyes. “Well, that’s what you get for letting the boy files get too close to the girl files. You need to train them to stay away from each other better, or build a wall or something.” It was lovely having some real company in the middle of the day. Mitchell went out into town some days and there was of course always Emma, but sometimes it did get rather lonely and too quiet, so he absolutely savoured every moment of this social time. The fact it was with his husband just made it all the better.

Rob’s small smirk coupled with the suggestive remark went straight to the ‘yes please’ part of Mitchell’s mind and he flushed scarlet. He had always been the sort to blush easily and no-one seemed to produce that reaction as quickly or easily as Rob did. Mitchell tried to be smooth, but the effect was entirely ruined by the shy shake in his voice. “Well, I… I can’t send you back all hot and bothered. Save that badness for tonight.”

Despite the shyness and slight embarrassment that he felt, Mitchell couldn’t help but let his eyes roam over his husband for a moment. Mmmm, he did look so very good in his lab-wear. He could feel the blush rising furiously in his cheeks again, so he busied himself with unpacking their lunch.

Mitchell reached forward when Rob did, letting the fingers of his left hand lightly twine with Rob’s while his right brought out the wrapped tortillas, the chips, and the tupperware tubs containing the salad and pickles. “Ahhh, I forgot forks. I’ll just go grab some from the dispenser.”

[Dr. Robert Terrell]

Mitchell's simple logic made Rob smile in a way he rarely did at work. It was so easy to relax around him, and let his guard down. Any of his coworkers that saw him now would likely wonder if he'd been abducted by aliens and given a lobotomy, or perhaps that he was being influenced by a meta power like empathy. Not that he really cared what they thought. When he was with Mitch, he had his full attention. "A wall is a perfect idea. That, or I'll just have to pony up and spay and neuter them all. Know any good vets?" It was Mitch's particular sense of humor he never seemed to get enough of, and one of the first things that had attracted him when they were teenagers. After being so serious for so long, it had been a refreshing change.

In an almost childish way, he was pleased at the reaction he managed to elicit from Mitch. He looked a touch proud of himself as he watched him fluster his way through a response. "I'll try to save it, if it makes you so hot and bothered," he teased right back. Really, as long as none of the current interns did anything particularly dumb today, it was shaping up to be okay. He might even get home on time, barring an emergency.

He was so content with touching Mitch that the comment almost slipped by him. It was times like this he always struggled internally with how to deal with Mitch. On one hand, it was in his nature to be overbearing and protective, while on the other it was important to let Mitch be independent. He bit his lip for a moment before letting his hand go. "Okay, go get the forks. I promise not to touch anything until you come back." He loved it when Mitch could be independent, but there was still a large part of him that wanted to look after him.

[Mitchell Terrell]

Mitchell knew all too well that Rob was often not a cuddly fluffy bunny to work with. He knew that the interns often had the roughest time of it, but that the rest of the staff sometimes got the short end of the stick too. He liked to think that these surprise lunches helped the rest of the staff by giving them a little break, but more than anything he always hoped that they helped make Rob's day a little brighter too. It wasn't good for him, being so stressed out and worked up all the time, and Mitch wanted to help alleviate that in any way he could. “I don't know any vets that'll spay paperwork, but I'm sure you'd enjoy venting your frustration with them via scalpel for a little while. I think that'd do the trick, just about.”

Even before his life had been so drastically changed Mitchell had always been fairly easily flustered, but around Rob that easily flustered always seemed to change into the anxious excitement of a teenager getting to meet their music idol crush. His eyes involuntarily roamed over Rob again but he made himself take a few deep breaths, trying to calm the flush in his cheeks. “I suppose you can't really save it... Everything about you does that to me.” Even though that was completely true, it was still a definite effort for Mitchell to be able to say it. It had been a few years now and he was still in a way struggling to come to terms with the fact that it was okay to admit things like that because Rob really did think about him that way too. He was getting a little better at believing all those wonderful things Rob said to him, and at initiating certain things himself, but it was still a long road ahead.

Mitchell could see the slight hesitation on Rob's features when he mentioned going to get the forks, and he had a rough idea of what could be causing it. When Rob agreed to him going, Mitch stood slowly and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on Rob's temple and murmur a quiet “thank you” against his ear. It wasn't far to the dispensers, and Mitchell retrieved a couple of forks and a small handful of napkins before returning to the table and sliding back onto his seat. “Dig in.”

[Dr. Robert Terrell]

A cuddly, fluffy bunny was hardly the greatest descriptor of Rob at work. Truthfully, depending on his mood, robot or wolverine much better summed him up. He just found it easiest to switch off around his coworkers, and let someone really know when they had screwed something up. In medicine, sometimes what seemed like a small mistake could turn into a very, very big problem. Everyone had done it. Hell, he'd screwed up during his own internship, not to mention his residency. He just needed them to know that if mistakes were made, they needed correcting as quickly as possible. Some of them just... didn't get it. Or maybe they were just scared if him, if what Tawney said was true. "Mmm, don't tempt me. I really could go to town on some of them." Mostly the complicated, long ones. They were the biggest headaches. Well, those, and the ones belonging to patients or parents who knew everything ever about medicine because they'd read it on the Internet. It was a toss up.

Rob remembered even from Hammel that Mitchell was incredibly easy to tease. More than once he had passed him a dirty note in class, just to see his reaction. Even now, when he knew his husband was so hard on himself over how he looked, Rob just worked harder at making him see past the physical scars. Most of the time, it was easy for him. No matter what had happened, Mitch was still Mitch. The sexy, if slightly endearingly nerdy, man he'd always known. But when guilt got the better part of him, especially when Mitch was having a bad day or struggling, well... he could see just how easy it was for Mitch to focus on the physical. It just made him work twice as hard to make Mitch feel good about himself. He loved him, and he never wanted him to feel down about anything. "You know, that's funny, because you have the exact same effect on me." Scars or no scars, leg or no leg, it was true, and it always would be.

He was still struggling slightly as to whether or not he'd made the right decision when Mitch surprised him with the kiss. Relaxing a little, Rob watched him go, feeling a little more like he had chosen right. He had to remember that being overbearing forever would do Mitchell no good, but it was hard. He let that slip from his mind though when Mitch came back. "It looks perfect Mitch, really. Thank you." After reaching for a tortilla, he smirked a little. "So Tawney called me a sourpuss today." Which was admittedly a thousand times better than when his little sister called him Elsa, but he was sure Mitch would get a kick out of it. "I should really think of a good one for her later. Want to help?" Mitch and Tawney may have made friends over the years, but Rob was confident that Mitch would be on his side.

[Mitchell Terrell]

Mitchell knew that Rob's work sometimes demanded a firmer hand; he'd seen it himself when he'd been a patient here for so long. Missing a vein when taking a blood sample wasn't the end of the world, but an air bubble in a syringe about to be injected into someone could very well be for that person. It had been the same when he'd been training with the fire department. One small simple mistake could easily be the difference between life and death. Hell, he was walking proof of that. So Mitchell could understand why sometimes Rob got so frustrated and snappy with his charges... but that didn't mean he liked it. It was never, ever fun seeing Rob in that state. “If you want, I can print out some Web MD pages for you to hack at when you get home, if it'll make you feel better?”

Mitchell had always disliked just how easily flustered he was in situations like this, and he had always been slightly jealous of Rob and his ability to brush it aside with a mischievous smirk that somehow always just managed to send Mitchell even farther down Squirming Avenue. It seemed sometimes that just one knowing glance from his husband was enough to turn even his prosthetic leg to jello. The blush was still hot on Mitchell's cheeks, and he fidgeted slightly as he responded. “I guess I should stop visiting you at work, then. We're clearly bad influences on each other.”

The truth was that Mitchell probably could have done with a bit more of a rest now. Between going to the store for the meat, doing some chores in the house, making lunch and then getting here he was starting to tire, and his thigh was aching. However he knew that if he didn't push it sometimes he'd end up living on the couch forever, and he could always have a nap this afternoon once he got back home. Besides, Rob worked hard and Mitchell figured that Rob probably needed the sit-down more than he did. As he settled back in the seat he opened the bag of chips, chuckling at Rob's statement. “What did you do to deserve that? Growl at a patient's parent again?” Mitchell gave him an affectionate smile as he picked up one of the tortillas and took a bite. Nodding, he swallowed before answering. “You could always 'accidentally' call her Tiny instead of Tawney. She might hit you for that, though.”

[Dr. Robert Terrell]

While Rob did keep a bit of a firm hand and a bite to his tone most of the time, a lot of the staff that had been around longer, like Tawney, knew how to work with him. Interns, on the other hand, or transfers from another hospital or division... did not. They were usually the ones Rob was barking at, and often the ones most surprised by his bedside manner with patients. The same man staring someone down and correcting them one moment could be sitting beside a young patient the next, invested in a card game or stories. For Rob, it was easy to switch gears, but no one seemed able to keep up with him. He preferred it that way. “Actually, if you found some asinine forum about how doctors are secretly infecting patients intentionally to make money and print those out...” He shook his head. “On second thought, no, because they I’d have to read them to determine the best places to hack at.” He smiled at Mitch. “You’re not supposed to encourage that kind of behaviour, you know. Next thing you know I’ll be doing surgery on the couch, or something. Better not risk it.” Granted, he could hand sew something like a pro, but that was beside the point.

It had once been Mitch who was able to make Rob blush like a champion. Before he’d really embraced who he was, and had turned the tables on his then-boyfriend, Mitch had been the one to fluster him. He still could, when he wasn’t expecting it, but most of the time he was the one to cause Mitch to fluster and flail. “Not necessarily. You forget I know where all the empty, quiet places are in here. Maybe you need to visit more often.” No, he wasn’t actually suggesting they find one, but it was fun to poke at Mitchell’s blush, just to see how dark he could make it go.

Rob did do a hell of a lot of moving and standing around during the day, with minimal breaks in his office to look after paperwork and files. It was just part of the reason he tried to keep fit with running. It wouldn’t do him any good to need to catch his breath in the middle of rounds, or sit down in the middle of surgery. Yes, his back and knees were starting to ache a little, especially during long surgeries, but he pushed through. Especially when he thought of Mitch, and everything he’d been through. He had no right to complain about a little aching when Mitch had been through so much worse. At least today seemed to be a good day. “Nothing,” he said with a shrug. “She was pestering me about lunch without telling me you were here, and eventually told me I could sit alone in my office and keep being a sourpuss, and she’d come down and see you instead.” He shook his head and took a chip from the bag. “I’m going to call her that, though. It’s perfect. I don’t even care if she smacks me over it. It’ll be worth it, for all the abuse she gives me.” Of course, most of the time he deserved the so-called ‘abuse’, but he wasn’t going to admit that.

[Mitchell Terrell]

Mitchell could easily remember that Rob had always been kind of like that. Always strict and firm, always stubborn and no-nonsense and unrelenting. While Mitchell did sometimes feel sorry for whoever ended up on the wrong side of it, it was also a quality that he admired, in a way. Mitchell wished that Rob found it easier to relax and unwind, but at the same time he knew that it was one of the things that made Rob so very good at his job. That stubborn and strict efficiency was what had saved his life, despite all the odds, and regardless of the occasional un-fun side effect that came along with it, it was one of the things that made Mitchell most proud to be able to call Rob his soulmate. “Like that one I found the other week, with the mom complaining about discovering the dreaded toxin known as 'glycerine' in her cough syrup?” He gave a quiet, slightly humourless chuckle. “Some of them would be hilarious if they weren't so terrifying.” Mitchell returned Rob's smile, nodding in agreement when told it wasn't worth the risk. “Of course, Doctor. I'll behave and not mention it again.”

Before the accident Mitchell hadn't been quite so easily flustered as he was now. He'd always blushed easily and the right word or expression had always had the power to reduce him to a mumbling mess, but he'd had enough confidence and boldness to easily hold his own. It had been how he'd won Rob over in the first place, after all. The accident had stripped all that away, had left him embarrassed, self-conscious and too nervous of other people's potential reactions, but it was ever so slowly coming back. Inch by inch, he was finding himself again. Of course Rob's comment had the desired effect and left Mitchell fidgeting slightly in his seat and his face and neck turning beet-red, but when he met Rob's gaze again there was a look of challenge in his eyes. “Maybe one day you'll have to show me where these places are. I'm sure Tawney wont mind if I borrow you for an hour or two.”

Mitchell didn't believe for a moment that Rob hadn't done anything to cause Tawney to call him that, but he smiled and nodded at the explanation anyway. “You do need to listen to her pestering sometimes, though. Especially about lunch, because I know you forget sometimes... I can't always be here to look after you, y'know.” Mitchell smiled warmly at his husband, letting his gaze linger on his face for a long moment before turning back to the tortilla. “If she does smack you, I'd like to see the security footage of it. I wonder how she'd be able to reach without jumping or something.” He took another bite of the tortilla, and as he chewed he made a napkin flip-flop its way over to him so he could wipe off a bit of the cream cheese that had escaped out onto his finger. “This beef is wicked awesome. I might pick up some more on the way home.”

[Dr. Robert Terrell]

It had been that real sense of stubbornness and being unrelenting that had often got Rob into trouble when he was younger. Too often he’d been stuck with his nose in a book and refusing to give into teasing, only to wind up having to defend himself too little, too late. Oddly enough, that had been the catalyst for him to very first meet Mitch. At the time, he hadn’t been prepared to appreciate the help. At least not until he’d actually looked at Mitch and temporarily short-circuited his brain. At least with his help he’d learned to defend himself a little better. It helped that his teacher had been good looking, and tended to reward with physical things. It may not have helped much with his stubborn streak, but at least he was a little safer when exercising it. Now he was stubborn in a different manner, and while it tended to send some of his co-workers scattering, he had a few that knew how to deal with him. Like Tawney, who more than once had declared herself his babysitter. “Yeah, like that one. People just... scare me, sometimes.” It was even less fun when they were in front of him, arguing every possible angle against what he was trying to say because of the internet. As Mitch deferred to him and called him Doctor, he just raised an eyebrow. Was Mitch really going to play that game? “Call me that again, and we are definitely going to find one of those quiet spaces. And I’ll shut my pager off, so we have it all to ourselves.”

Really, Tawney would probably get fed up of looking for him and paging him in a situation like that, and probably resort to paging him over the intercom. She’d probably also have her suspicions, and he’d likely not hear the end of it for the rest of the day, if not the whole week. Still, it could be worth it. Especially when he saw the challenge in Mitch’s eyes. “I can keep her tied up for an hour or two.” Mitch could take that whichever way he wanted.

Rob would forever maintain that he didn’t do anything to deserve Tawney’s abuse, ever. Of course, everyone he knew, especially Tawney, would beg to differ, and he’d be stuck in the middle of an argument he didn’t want to be in. Still, deep down he knew that Mitch was right. “I know. But sometimes I get busy and I can’t sit down for ten minutes, let alone for lunch.” He didn’t like admitting it to Mitch, but it was true. At least they could move on to much more fun topics. Hiding a smile behind his tortilla, Rob shook his head. “I’ll make sure to do it right in front of a security camera then. It’ll probably involve jumping. Or a stool. ... Or she’ll just throw something at me. That’s not uncommon.” Usually when he was being told to smarten up, or something along those lines. She really was a sitter sometimes. “You should see her some days, and the abuse she doles out. It’s criminal.”

This really was a nice surprise. In all honesty, Rob likely would have spent most of his lunch break in his office doing paperwork or research. “It really is good. I could handle this twice in one day.” He knew it made Mitch feel good to be able to take care of dinner without him helping, and this seemed easy enough. “Just watch Emma doesn’t steal it off the counter when you aren’t looking. Because she would.” Such an odd dog. She’d collect and hoard rocks and sticks from walks, bringing them home with her and lounging with them like a weirdo, but she could also stealthily swipe things from the counter with what looked like an immense amount of planning. Rob loved her, but God was she strange.

[Mitchell Terrell]

Mitchell could easily remember how Rob had been as a teenager, and in a strange way he looked back on it fondly. Rob's stubbornness had been an obstacle, but Mitchell had been able to match it with a determination all his own and, against all the odds of their completely clashing personalities and backgrounds, it had worked well. Even after so many years apart and after so many major changes to both their lives, Rob's stubbornness was still there, and Mitchell believed that in a weird way it had helped with his own recovery. Seeing all that temperamental pig-headedness fuelled by such an intensely burning desire to do the best he possibly could, still there in Rob after all those years, had been like coming home. “Yeah, it's bad enough when it's them, but it's even worse when it's their kids. If they wanna be a moron and ignore what they're being told then whatever, but it's so much worse when they are forcing that mindset when it's their kids life being dealt with.” Mitchell frowned and gave a small shake of his head, as though the motion could whisk away the uncomfortable conversation. He hadn't come here to discuss sad things. Rob's comment certainly helped with shifting away from that mood, and Mitchell's lip twitched into a small smirk. “It's all your fault, y'know. You came waltzing down here in your lab coat, and you know my thoughts on that.”

If Rob's intentions for this little encounter were to make Mitchell blush so much that his face and neck would blend in with the bowl of cherries on the counter at home, he was certainly succeeding. The comment he made forced Mitchell to have to take a moment, taking a long swig of his soda in a feint of thirst while he recomposed himself. Why were these cafeterias always too warm? He put the soda back down, coughing slightly before being able to reply. “See, now you're just making me jealous of her.”

Mitchell was not at all surprised when Rob admitted that sometimes he just didn't have the time to spare to take lunch, and he gave him a small smile and gently brushed his fingers over the back of Rob's hand for a moment. “I know, and I know the work you do is often more important. I just worry about you, is all.” At least the conversation was staying mostly upbeat, and Mitchell chuckled and gave a teasing smile as Rob spoke about Tawney's reign of terror. “Wow, sounds like she's quite the tyrant. Maybe I should start having lunch with her instead; she's clearly the boss in your relationship, and you know I dig power.”

It was true that Mitchell enjoyed being able to take care of the meals, but it was also true that he was incredibly limited with what he could do. Once upon a time he was a fairly decent cook; he'd never be a threat to Gordon Ramsay, but he could fend for himself well enough. Nowadays, however, simply using the toaster was strong enough nightmare fuel that Mitchell could only attempt it when he was having a particularly good day. He hadn't so much as opened an oven since the accident and he believed, despite the fact Rob never said as much, that they were both tiring of salads and sandwiches and cold-process soups. In a way Mitchell enjoyed the days when Rob cooked because it meant they would both get a decent, hot meal, but they also fed deeper into the inadequacies that he felt. “Hmm... I could get some thicker cut beef. If I do the prep before you get home and if you don't mind frying some onions and peppers when you get in, we could have cheesesteaks, if you wanted? I'll make sure to keep Emma busy with the pig while I'm working.”

[Dr. Robert Terrell]

Rob didn’t often look back fondly on his teenage years. For ages he had been awkward, more interested in reading and studying than making friends. Mitch had changed that, and while he’d remained stubborn and determined in his own right, Mitch had also helped him for the better. He was just glad that his sheer will to do his best and his drive to succeed had put him in the position he’d been in when Mitch had come back into his life. Yes, he may have gone a little... crazy, the night after the surgery, and had been out of sorts for the next few, but it had all been for the best in the end. He had Mitch, and he couldn’t be happier if he tried. “Yeah, that’s the hardest part. It’s not like the kids can actually make the decisions for themselves, as much as they might want to, and it’s hard.” It was one of the reasons having his own kids tended to terrify him. What if he ruined them like he’d seen so often at work? What if he snapped at them? Or they resented him for his work schedule? It made him feel terrible, and the subject was often left unexplored for those reasons. At least he could turn his thoughts to something nicer. “I’m well aware of your thoughts on that,” he admitted. “Maybe I need to invest in one just for home. Play a little doctor.” There was a wicked spark to his expression, and he knew very well they’d both be squirming a little this afternoon.

Making Mitch blush was a game, albeit an easy one. The color of his face made Rob smile a little in triumph, and he waited patiently for Mitch to recompose. Honestly, he hadn’t initially meant it like that, but... this was too much fun. “Well, I meant distract her, but if you want to think I have some sort of bondage fetish, go right ahead.” Mitch was probably going to kill him when he got home, but it would be worth it.

Of course Mitch worried about him. He worried about Mitch too, in more ways than one. Smiling and bumping his hand up slightly to meet Mitch’s fingers, he shook his head. “You shouldn’t worry so much. I’m okay, I promise.” Still, if he could pin some of the worry on Tawney, he would, even if only in teasing. It seemed to make Mitch feel better. “She’s a tyrant, and it’s terrible, but I’m still her boss, and yours, Mitchell.” He took another bite, letting that sink in before he continued. “Besides, all she would do is gossip with you, and I don’t need her to have any more ammunition against me, or she will be the boss.” He could really do without that, thanks.

Cooking had always been something Rob had enjoyed, but he also respected Mitch’s feelings. Hell, he didn’t even own a grill for the balcony of the apartment anymore, because he didn’t want to set off his husband’s PTSD with the smell of the burning or the smoke. It was an adaptation, but not a difficult one to handle. They could deal with anything. Hell, they already had. Anything that came now would be significantly easier than anything they’d already faced together. “Yeah, that should be easy. We have all of that at home, and frying onions and peppers won’t take long.” Emma just made him shake his head most days. On walks rocks were the best toys, but her favorite of anything was a bedraggled plush pig that had been stitched up and through the washer more times than he could count. But when Mitch animated it for her, she seemed to just light up and chase it for ages. “Emma’ll like that. At the very least, it will keep her ADD under control long enough for you to deal with dinner.” Sometimes he wondered if another companion would help to keep both Mitch and Emma company while he was at work, but their apartment was only so big. Maybe it was soon time to look for a house. It wasn’t like they were hurting for money, and it would give them some more space... maybe he’d propose it to Mitch over dinner.

[Mitchell Terrell]

Mitchell was well aware that, despite all evidence to the contrary, he was actually incredibly lucky. Rob might not have been able to save his leg, but a lesser doctor lacking that determined stubbornness might not have been able to save his life. Even though Rob's temperament was sometimes tiring (or worse) for other people, Mitchell never complained about it. It was part of what made Rob who he was, and Mitchell would not change who he was even if doing so would magically give him his leg back. To him, Rob was worth all the limbs that he possessed. “I'm glad you're in surgery, not primary care. I know you still have to deal with all that, but at least it isn't as much.” Since the accident, any and all thought of kids had been completely wiped from Mitchell's mind. He knew that he could never look after a kid when he couldn't even look after himself properly. He was more than happy with it just being him and Rob (and the daft dog), especially when Rob had such a talent for brushing away the shadows hanging over him. “Maybe you should. Bring a stethoscope home too and we'll see just how fast you can get my heart racing.”

Perhaps it was a little strange, Mitchell knew, how that particular scenario flicked so many switches with him. After all he had been through he knew there should probably be a part of him that detested the sight of anything medical, but he couldn't help it. He'd always had a bit of a thing for doctors, and when it was Rob being like that, all powerful and assertive and authoritative, it just... worked. “It's a fun thought,” Mitchell admitted, a faint smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “I could get out of it too easy, though. Might have to be you struggling and squirming.” With that Mitchell managed to embarrass himself, and he dropped his gaze for a moment and gave a small shake of his head. That old cheekiness was coming back, slowly but surely, but he still had a long way to go and lately he'd developed a bit of a habit of trying to push it too far too quickly and spooking himself. “Sorry.”

The little bump against his hand made Mitchell smile, and he gently ghosted his fingers over the back of Rob's hand, stroking the soft skin around his wrist. “I know you are; big strong man like you, of course you're okay.” He brought his hand back, giving Rob's fingers a loving squeeze. “I'll always worry, though... but I promise I'll try not to so much.” Mitchell was deeply glad that Rob had Tawney to keep an eye on him. Sure they butted heads often enough, but Mitchell knew she would never let anything bad happen to Rob if she could help it. She was Mitchell's eyes and ears when he could not be there. Rob's comment about being the boss brought a shy smile to Mitchell's lips, and he bowed his head slightly, looking up at Rob through his lashes. “Aye aye, Robert.”

With each little sacrifice that Rob had to make for Mitch's sake, it furthered the inadequacies and helplessness that Mitchell felt. Even Rob getting rid of the grill had made him feel guilty, but Rob had done it of his own accord without being asked because he thought it was the right thing to do, and Mitchell knew that he could not be more lucky and knew that he could not love another person more. Rob had given up so very much for him, and in return Mitchell had given him his heart entirely. “Sorry. I know you don't like cooking when you get in.” Mitchell knew Rob would brush the apology off, as he always did, but Mitchell always said it regardless because it was true. “I'll take Emma to the park this afternoon, tire her out with the frisbee so you wont have to run her when you get in.” In truth Mitchell was already sore and tiring and the thought of going out to the park today was not a pleasant one, but Rob wasn't the only one prepared to make sacrifices to make the other happy. “I promise I'll make it up to ya.”