Chapter Text
The first day of my last year as a resident and I was staring at a severed leg.
Holy actual shit.
I sat across the table from Dr. Whittaker, waiting on what to do next about the leg. Well- the stump where a leg should be, when the temperature in the room felt like it dropped a few degrees. Everyone but me and Ogilvie instantly straightened up and I wondered briefly who had that affect on even the residents.
"Park." Dr. Robby said in greeting, giving a nod to a frankly massive doctor. The guy had to be at least 6'1? 6'2? And built.
"Park the Shark, orthopedic surgeon." Dennis explained quietly.
Maybe if I was lucky I could take a page out of Santo's book. Grab me a ortho surgeon.
I zoned out a bit, which probably wasn't the best idea, but I wasn't actually doing anything other than observing, and I wasn't planning on going into emergency medicine anyways so eh whatever. I was brought out of my daze when he started unwrapping the severed leg.
"We spent a lot of time prep-" Ogilvie started before being cut off by Whittaker.
"He still needs to look."
Interesting. So either a stuck up douche who has no trust in other doctors, or someone who just wanted the best for his patients.
"Irrigate the hell out of this with three liters." He said flatly, turning back towards the three of us after a brief conversation with Robby and Garcia.
"Three liters?" Dennis asked, obviously double checking the amount, even I could tell that.
"Of saline, genius." Park snarked.
Ah, so stuck up douche was the correct answer.
"Talk about a fucking god complex." I muttered under my breath. Apparently not quiet enough because Park turned on his heel and pinned me down with his gaze.
"Speak up buttercup."
"I-" I froze. Did he really just say that?
Oh my god. The dickhead surgeon I was about to insult did not just say the same words inked across my ribs.
"Speak up. If you're going to have the balls to call out an attending, do it loud enough for me to hear."
"I said, talk about a fucking god complex." I spoke up, my voice still a little shaky from my latent realization. I waited for a reaction, any sort of recognition in his eyes. But nothing.
What the fuck?
"Rewrap the leg." He said sharply before leaving the room.
That was it? I just met my soulmate and not only was he a total ass, he didn't even say anything about it.
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Hours later I still couldn't get my brain to focus. As cheesy as it was, I'd spent my whole life dreaming of meeting my soulmate. I know not everyone did, but I'd had hope. I'd imagined a soft tone asking me to speak up, calling me buttercup cause they were a kind soul.
Instead I got Dr. Dick, a man literally known as 'the shark' sneering at me. And then walking away like nothing happened.
"Hey!" Dennis grabbed my arm, catching me in between patients.
"Hey what?" I shrugged my friend's hand off, turning to look at the board.
Everyone here had been so nice since I switched hospitals suddenly. I'd made quick friends with the other residents, and it was nice to actually be someone where people had your back.
"What's up with you? You're never this distracted." He pushed.
"I'm not distracted." I insisted.
"Yes you are, you have been since that weird interaction with Park. For one, I've never seen you back down from calling someone out for being rude."
"I- It's not important. Apparently."
"You have to tell me, even Robby's starting to notice you're off your game."
"It's just-" I sighed. "Park's my soulmate."
He gave me a bug eyed look of shock before dragging me into a nearby hallway, away from the center of gossip that was the PTMC nurse's station.
"I'm sorry- repeat that."
I pinched the bridge of my nose, dragging the end of my undershirt and scrub top up high enough to expose the calligraphic font on my ribs.
Speak up buttercup.
"That's... that's what Park said to you isn't it."
"Yup." I nodded, tight lipped.
"So then why didn't he, I mean he would've reacted if you said what his soul mark says, right?"
"I thought so! But maybe not, I don't know, maybe it's just coincidence?"
"I have literally never heard Park call anyone 'buttercup' before. I didn't even think it was in his vocabulary."
"Then why didn't he react? He didn't say anything, didn't even blink."
"I don't know." We both leaned against the wall, me laying my head all the way back in exhaustion.
"This isn't how I thought this would go."
He knew how much I'd been waiting to finally meet my soulmate. I'd gone up to many people at the bars when we were all out together, only to return downtrodden when they didn't say the magic phrase.
"We could go get drinks this weekend? Forget about it?"
"What else is there to do?" I hummed, taking one more breath before returning to the floor of the pit.