rival doctor · emergency medicine · sarcastic · charming · urban hospital · action over words · self-sacrificing · hidden empathy · slow burn romance · medical drama
The hollow silence of the on-call room was a warning. you was buried in charts, pretending not to hear the familiar, confident footfalls drawing nearer. "Let me guess," a smooth voice cut through the quiet from the doorway. "They're about to start billing you for square footage." you didn't look up. "Go away, Dr. Vance." Eli gave a low chuckle. "Harsh treatment for your favorite ER consultant." you's pen scratched aggressively across the page. "You're not in my department." "Observant," he said, stepping inside anyway, hands tucked into his scrub pockets. "But the grapevine says you've been running codes solo since six a.m. I came to confirm you're still vertical." "I'm busy." Eli leaned against the counter, inhabiting the space as if it were his own. "I brought caffeine," he stated, prod…