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Mel didn't know how long she'd been asleep by the time Frank woke her up with a squeeze of her hand and a whisper of her name, only knew that it couldn't possibly have been long enough. Some sort of protest must have left her mouth because he followed it up with a quiet apology.
"Why?" She mumbled drowsily, the word barely intelligible.
"Just want to check if that beautiful brain of yours is still working, sweetheart." Frank said, a little louder. "Can you open your eyes for a sec?"
Mel blinked them open, weak sunlight was spilling around the sides of the heavy curtains, and for a moment she was entirely confused as to why she was at Frank's and why her body felt like she'd taken a fall down the stairs. And then the memories of last night hit her. Right, she did fall, not down the stairs, but bad enough to leave an impression. The clock on Frank's bedside table read somewhere around 6 AM, though her vision was blurry and she wasn't entirely sure. Still, it was way too early to be awake after the night she'd had, that much was clear. She could only just make out Frank's face in the dimness of the room. He'd planted an elbow next to her head, leaning over her so he could look at the state of her face, his brows furrowed and his eyes worried.
Mel frowned up at him. "Who are you?"
Frank gaped at her, causing her to break her composure immediately as her lips twitched with a tired smile.
"That wasn't funny." Frank grumbled, swiping at her chin with his thumb.
"That was for waking me up."
"I-"
"And because you need to stop looking so serious," Mel continued, her voice clearing up as she broke through the fog of sleep. "I need you to realize I'm not actively dying here." She didn't want to see worry on his face when he looked at her, she just wanted him to look at her like he always did, like the very sight of her somehow brightened his day. "Frank, I had a CT, my brain's good. Trinity told you." She distinctly remembered it being mentioned somewhere in the catalog of her injuries.
"Well, I wasn't there, so just humor me? It'll make me worry less."
Mel sighed but nodded. If she could ease his mind, she would happily answer a few questions.
"Can you tell me your name?"
"Mel."
"Beautiful, but I'm gonna have to ask for your full one." He smiled at her, combing a stray hair away from her face. There was a twinkle in his eyes, a sight that filled her with equal amounts of relief and fondness, bringing an answering smile to her own face.
"Melissa King."
"No middle name?"
"Frank-"
"Sorry, got it, we don't mention the middle name. Do you know where you are?"
Mel hummed affirmatively and rattled off his address. "Your bed." She added, for clarity, the words catching in her throat a little. That sounded dirtier than she'd intended and the implication alone was enough to bring a slight warmth to her face.
Frank's eyes widened, which made her face feel even warmer. "Right," He said, voice breathy. "And today's date?"
Mel needed to think on that for a moment. Night shifts always sent her schedule into disorder, days bleeding together, making it harder to keep track.
"April 27?"
"That sounded like a guess, but I'll let it slide because you guessed right."
"I don't think it works like that."
"Yeah, but you said you had a CT-"
"I did, but if you really want to check my neurocognitive functions you'd have to make sure I wasn't just guessing."
Frank grinned at her. "Based on those words alone, I think you're doing okay."
"Should I say the months in a year backward just in case?"
"Go ahead, baby."
Mel blushed again. That petname hit harder now she wasn't high on morphine anymore and it'd hit plenty hard before. She dutifully recited the months backward, Frank's grin widening. His eyes were so full of warmth and affection it almost made her forget March. Fortunately, she remembered it just in time because she wasn't entirely sure Frank wouldn't drag her back to the hospital should she have skipped it. She wasn't about to worry him again after he'd finally lost that pained look from before.
"Perfect."
"Thank you."
"I'll get you some more painkillers so you can go back to sleep."
Mel reluctantly let him pull away so he could leave the bed and grab the Ibuprofen the hospital had prescribed her. Better be in front of the pain than one step behind it, that was a lesson all doctors learned early on. It was only then she noticed the ball of warmth near her feet, Doc spread out on his back like a king, dead to the world despite his humans being awake. Mel laughed slightly, Frank following her gaze as he perched on the edge of the mattress.
"That dog is living a better life than all of us, I swear to God."
"He deserves it, he's a good dog." Mel said. He'd played an instrumental role in Frank's recovery and she loved him for it.
Frank hummed in agreement, helping her sit up for a moment so she could swallow the Ibuprofen without choking, handing her some water to help it down, his hand warm and secure around hers as she lifted the glass to her mouth with her uninjured hand.
"See, I didn't wake you just to annoy you." He said as he returned the glass to the nightstand.
"You don't annoy me."
"I-" Frank cut himself off with a soft laugh. "I know I don't, or at least I hope I don't. But thank you for clarifying."
"You're my best friend so you can wake me anytime." She clarified even further. She knew he sometimes worried about being overbearing and while she hated the idea of him stressing about her injuries, she could appreciate the fact that he cared enough to be worried about a brain injury when the CT had already cleared her. Worry wasn't always logical when it came to your loved ones, she saw that every time she stepped foot in the pitt. The thought made her heart skip a beat because that was what they were to each other, loved ones. She knew that much, would never be able to forget the day Frank just randomly told her the words I love you and then went about his day as if she should've already known that. She knew he loved her, she just didn't know if he loved her.
"Anytime huh?" Frank broke her from her thoughts.
"Within reason." She corrected, because he would take it literally and wake her on a Sunday morning at eight to go jogging or something. He'd developed a love for running since he left rehab, using Doc as a running buddy, claimed it was a great outlet for all his energy. Mel loved him, but even she had her limits. "Don't wake me up for a run."
Frank chuckled quietly. "No promises." He said, standing up.
"Frank-"
"What?" He asked innocently.
She glared at him as he walked back around the bed. "I changed my mind, you are an-."
"Nope, too late, I'm your best friend, I could never annoy you." He grinned as he crawled back under the sheets. "When you're whole again, we're going on a morning run right when the sun comes up."
His grin was infectious and Mel couldn't help but return it, the bruised skin around her eye smarting a little as it crinkled from her wide smile. "You're ridiculous."
"Ridiculously handsome, you mean."
"Yeah, that too." She sighed.
Frank rolled onto his back with a groan. "Jesus, Mel."
"What?" He was handsome, not like it was a secret. On the contrary, it was a widely known fact. The 90's heartthrob hair, the dimple in his chin, the blue eyes, like come on. It wasn't even remotely fair.
"Nothing," He breathed out with a laugh, turning his head to look at her. "Just, come here?"
He stretched out his arm in a clear invitation, and Mel didn't need to be asked twice. She was already rolling on her side so she could shuffle up to him, Frank curling his arm around her as she plastered herself against his chest. She rested her head on the firm swell of his pec and twisted her fingers in the hem of his shirt, her knuckles brushing against his stomach, feeling the muscle twitch at the touch. Frank tightened his grip until Mel was firmly squeezed between his arm and his chest. Exactly how she liked it. She tucked her bandaged hand in between them and closed her eyes, the steady thump of his heart a comforting sound that slowly lulled her to sleep, though it was a bit too elevated to be considered normal in his resting state, so she made a mental note to force him to check it out, just to be sure.
"Do you want a new ice pack?" Frank whispered softly near her ear. "I forgot."
"Nuh-uh, m'not moving." She murmured, already halfway back to sleep.
He huffed out an amused breath against the top of her head and pressed a kiss there. "Sweet dreams."
She fell asleep before she could answer, but she knew her dreams would be sweet indeed.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The second time she woke, she needed to pee and the bed was disappointingly empty, no Frank-shaped pillow and heater, only a regular pillow underneath her head and the duvet to keep her warm. The smell of him was present still, a small consolation. Her body was sore when she sat up and as she slowly eased her way out the bed she could hear the, by now familiar, sounds of Frank making Sunday breakfast accompanied by the kids' boisterous playing noises, coming through the cracked-open door of the bedroom. She could easily picture it in her head, Frank at the stove in his pj's, tousled hair and eyes soft with sleep, the kids sitting around the table playing with their evergrowing collection of toy cars. She figured - hoped - that was what they were doing as a clear Lily ran me over! drifted upstairs. The sounds draped over her like a warm blanket, a sense of innate comfort making her feel strangely at home.
She limped inside the ensuite with a smile, careful to keep the pressure of her bad ankle. The sounds were more muffled inside and she quietly sat on the toilet to empty her bladder. On her way back out she was confronted with the blurry image of herself in the mirror, so she leaned closer to inspect the damage. The bandage on her forehead was the most noticeable, as was the bruising around her eye, though it was less severe than she'd expected. The cut across the bridge of her nose was neatly held close by the butterfly bandage. The bottom of her face had fortunately been spared from any damage. Her hand was bandaged too but she was able to move her fingers and use it pretty much normally. Not too bad, all in all. Her mouth tasted foul, so she used the spare toothbrush Frank kept for her to clean her teeth, before washing the unbandaged parts of her face as best as she could with one hand.
She'd just crawled back into bed when there was a soft tapping of knuckles on the door. Frank must have heard her use the bathroom. He eased open the door, his face appearing through the crack, smiling gently when he saw she was awake.
"Good morning, sweetheart, you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, needed to pee."
"You need anything else?" Frank asked as he walked into the room, again perching on the side of the mattress, looking just as she'd imagined, hair tousled and sleep still clinging to his eyes. The morning version of Frank when he didn't have to go the work was one of her favorites. "Painkillers, water, breakfast?"
The Ibuprofen from earlier was still doing its job and Mel knew she could wait a few more hours before taking another one. There was a fresh glass of water on the nightstand and the thought of eating made her feel queasy.
"M'just gonna sleep a bit more." Mel said with a yawn. "But I should call the center first."
She hated to cancel on Becca, it made her feel like the worst sister ever, but she wasn't in any state to go pick her up. Hopefully, she'd understand.
"Oh, that's not necessary, I called Becs this morning to fill her in. She said you'd normally be picking her up around twelve, so I'll pick her up then. I asked her if she wanted to come over for breakfast, but they were having waffles at the center so she wanted to stay."
Mel just stared at him.
"I mean I can't blame her," Frank continued. "I wanted to make some, but I ran out of milk again. And my scrambled eggs are good, but they'll obviously never win in a contest against the waffles from the center. So yeah, twelve it is. The kids are looking forward to it, you know they love Becs. Also, I'll stop by your place to get you some clothes and your other glasses. The ones from last night were beyond repair, I fear, I hope you weren't too attached to them?"
She couldn't answer him, astonished into absolute silence because the care he showed her and her sister was so beyond anything she'd ever expected from another person that it didn't compute in her brain.
"Oh, you were?" Frank asked at her continued silence, eyes growing slightly distressed at the idea that Mel might mourn her favorite pair of glasses, which she did but he had no business feeling distressed about it, that was ridiculous.
"No, no, my spare ones are fine, but Frank, you don't have to-"
"Don't have to what, sweetheart?" He interjected, grabbing her hand. "Don't have to make sure Becs is okay and you can spend the day without blurry vision? Come on, Mel. Of course I have to. I want to."
"But the kids-"
"I'll take the kids with me, they'll love it." Frank squeezed her hand. "Now, how about you just rest and let me take care of everything else for a change, huh?"
Mel nodded, struck silent again because wow, Frank Langdon KNEW her, all caps.
"Thank you." She breathed out. "I kinda love you for that." She hadn't said those words to him yet, not like Frank had that one day, but God did he earn them.
Frank grinned at her, eyes bright with delight. "I love you too, baby." He said, pressing a kiss to her forehead, casual as ever. He drove her crazy sometimes.
"Go back to sleep okay, don't worry, I've got this."
Mel had no doubt that he did.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
When she woke a third time it was to the sound of whispering children. Although to call it whispering was an exaggeration. Frank's kids, like most kids, had trouble controlling their volume, which meant the whispers were interspersed with loud exclamations, followed by Frank shushing them. She smiled into the pillow.
"Why asleep?" Lily asked, her tiny voice doing the best imitation of a whisper she could pull off.
"Mel's a little sick, honey." Frank murmured to his daughter. "She needs to sleep to get better."
"Why?"
"Because when you sleep, your body heals itself."
"Why?" Lily was why-ing all over the place lately, it was adorable and very amusing to see Frank's face when he tried to come up with another answer.
"Well, your brain, that's in here," Mel imagined him tapping a finger to Lily's forehead. "does its best healing when you're asleep."
"Do I too have a brain, Daddy?" Tanner asked, not whispering in the slightest.
"Only whispers, Tan, but yes, you also have a brain."
"Why?" Lily piped up again.
Frank laughed and Mel tried hiding her snort into the pillow, to no avail.
"She's awake!" Tanner yelled while Lily just called out her name.
Frank sighed. "Yeah, probably because you didn't whisper, buddy."
"Sorry." The boy now whispered, though still loud enough for Mel to hear.
"It's okay, sweetie." She said softly.
"Come on, let's go back downstairs and see if Becs picked out a movie already."
"Wait Frank, you can stay, it's just- my face?" She wasn't planning on going back to sleep, feeling well-rested enough to get up. And by now she was a little hungry, the queasiness from before mostly gone. But the last thing she wanted to do, was scare the kids with her bruised face.
"Don't worry, sweetheart, I already warned them you have some boo-boos."
"It's okay, Mel." Tanner said, voice nearer than before, she could feel the sheets shift from where the boy was presumably crawling onto the bed. "I hurt my finger yesterday."
"Me too!" Lily yelled, also closer.
Adorable. "You both hurt your finger? Oh no." Mel said as she slowly lifted herself up.
The kids started talking over each other, offering detailed explanations that contained accusations like Tan sits on me and Lily bit me. By the time Mel was upright and leaning against the headboard, the kids fell silent. Mel grimaced, hoping none of them would be too upset at the sight of her face. They were both kneeling on the mattress, Frank sitting on the edge near them because they tended to lean back and forget there was no infinite amount of bed behind them.
"Whoa." Tanner exclaimed. Lily just stared at her in silence.
"I know it looks bad, but I promise I'm perfectly fine."
"Did you fight?" Tanner asked, eyes wide.
"No- I mean, uh yes," Mel figured this could serve as a life lesson or something. "See kids, this is why you don't fight, because your face can get really hurt."
"That's so cool!" The boy yelled in amazement. "I wanna fight, Daddy!" Or maybe not then.
"Never mind, it wasn't a fight. Please don't fight."
She glanced at Frank for help, but he was laughing hard enough that the kids joined in just because they found it funny. Lily got up on wobbly feet and tottered closer, Frank's hand hovering behind her back. The girl fell into Mel's lap, offering up her bandaged finger.
"Kiss?"
"Of course, honey." Mel smiled at her, pulling her outstretched hand closer to press a soft kiss to the colorful bandaid.
"Mine too!" Tanner pressed up against her side and offered up another bandaged finger, which Mel kissed just as softly.
To her surprise, she then received two wet kisses, one on each of her cheeks, the kids smushing her head between their little faces. She wrapped her arms around them, eyes crinkling with delight as she beamed widely. She glanced up to meet Frank's gaze and promptly found she couldn't breathe with the way he was looking at her, utterly soft and almost in disbelief, his eyes glistening with emotions she didn't dare to name, because it couldn't possibly be what she wanted it to be, could it?
"Frank-"
He cleared his throat with a cough, blinking rapidly to regain his composure, and Mel's focus was forced back to the kids as they clamored for her attention.
"Mel, come watch Becs' movie!" Tanner said excitedly, followed by a whole bunch of pleases coming from both of them.
"Okay, okay," She laughed, still a little out of breath, petting their heads as they cheered. "Just give me some time to clean up. I might stink."
The kids wrinkled their noses and Mel saw Frank huff out a laugh from the corner of her eye.
"You don't stink, but why don't you take a bath, huh?" He said.
Mel loved baths, and Frank knew this of course. What didn't he know at this point?
"That makes it sound like I do stink."
"Come here so I can smell you then."
"Ew." Mel deadpanned. Frank chortled with laughter, which got the kids giggling again. The sound was music to her ears.
"Come on, kiddos," Frank stood up and reached out to his kids. "Let's go downstairs. I'm sure Becs won't mind coloring with you until Mel's done."
They both wanted uppies so Frank hoisted them in his arms. Not the best for his back, but Mel trusted him to know his own limits, so she just enjoyed the sight that was him grinning down at his chattering kids. He was handsome all the time, but when he was in dad mode, goddamn.
"I'm just gonna drop them off with Becs, okay?" His voice was filled with laughter as Tanner accidentally dug his finger into a ticklish spot Mel knew well.
She could only nod silently, words stuck in her throat, and she let out a whoosh of breath when he left the room, falling back onto the mattress. She was so fucked, it wasn't even funny. She took a moment to feel sorry for herself at being just friends with Frank Langdon, who she'd actually rather climb like a tree, and then climbed out of the bed, limping to Frank's closet for a change of clothes, some sweats and a new shirt would do fine. She leaned over to rummage around in the bottom drawer while encouraging herself with words of affirmation. Come on Mel, she thought, you're a savage, classy, bougie, ratchet - you can get through this day without kissing his face off, you-.
"Mel, I- fuck."
Mel yelped in surprise, straightening as she looked over her shoulder to see Frank frozen in the doorway, eyes lifted to the ceiling, a blush reddening his cheeks. And Mel realized at once that she'd definitely been flashing her panties while leaning over. She hated the feeling of constricting underwear, so they were a tiny bit skimpy.
"I'm sorry."
"No no," Frank said, voice tight. "I'm sorry, I thought you'd still be in bed."
"That's okay, uhm, you can look, I'm decent."
Frank nodded, swallowing heavily, and lowered his gaze from the ceiling, his eyes zapping to her bare legs, quick as a lightning strike, before meeting her eyes.
"Decent, right."
Mel flushed this time, fidgeting with the hem of her- his shirt.
"I brought your glasses." He said, closing the distance between them so he could hand them over.
She thanked him and put them on, seeing Frank's face in HD again for the first time in two days, so she took a moment to enjoy the view.
"How do I look?" Frank smiled, looking amused.
Mel made a so-so hand gesture, and he gasped in outrage. She bit her lip to keep from laughing and took the glasses off, using the hem of her shirt to wipe them.
"O-okay!" Frank spoke loudly and as she looked up, his eyes were pointed to the ceiling again. She groaned internally because oh my god, she'd just pulled up the hem of her shirt like she'd been wearing more than her fucking skimpy underwear. She was apparently doomed to be a human disaster today.
"I'm just gonna run the bath." Frank pointed to the ensuite and he hurried inside, nearly braining himself on the doorjamb as his eyes were drawn to Mel again. "Take whatever clothes you want by the way!" He called from the other room.
So Mel went back to rummaging around the bottom drawer, kneeling this time, so she was fully covered. She picked out some sweats she remembered wearing before and another shirt, before hobbling inside the ensuite.
"Oh Jesus," Frank said as he saw her struggle, hurrying to her side from where he was adjusting the temperature of the running water. "Sorry, I forgot about your ankle, I was-," He paused. "distracted."
"It's fine," Mel's smile was bashful as she let him wrap an arm around her waist to guide her to the edge of the bathtub, his touch branding her skin like it could leave an actual mark. "I'm sorry again for uh- distracting you."
"God, Mel." He huffed out a laugh. "To be honest, you could distract me any day and I'd thank you for it."
"Oh-" She breathed, struck silent as her heart skipped a beat.
"Sorry, that was- sorry." Frank smiled sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "I'll just get you a fresh towel." He added and left the ensuite, leaving Mel to sit there contemplating her life choices while her brain rewired itself to live in a world where she could flash Frank Langdon and he'd thank her for it. He remained absent for suspiciously longer than it should take to find the linen closet, and Mel had already closed the tap by the time he returned with a couple of fluffy towels.
Frank glanced at the filled bathtub and back at Mel. "Do you need help?" His voice cracked on the last word, which she would tease him for if the implications of his question weren't currently wrecking her insides.
"No." She said quickly, feeling her face redden again, at this rate her brain was going to burst with all that blood flowing to her head. "I'll be fine, promise, maybe keep the door cracked just to be sure?" She wasn't cocky enough to think she couldn't slip and break something.
"Good, yeah, that's good." Frank nodded. "Yell if you need me." He urged her, before walking out, leaving the door cracked open like she asked. Mel could swear she heard a muffled Jesus Christ coming from the other side of the door.
She waited until his footsteps echoed down the hallway before taking off her clothes and easing into the water, feeling strangely giddy, butterflies squirming in her stomach. Her friendship with Frank had been growing steadily for months, but this was the first time he'd taken care of her like this, the first time she'd really let him, and last night especially had broken through some kind of barrier that Mel had never even noticed the existence of. His touches carried extra weight, his eyes on her burned brighter, and now she was truly considering Trinity's words from last night, that maybe really close best friends wasn't the right word to describe what they had. The thought was too exhilarating to be had on a Sunday with kids in the house and she toed the tap to add some cold water before she got carried away. She had a movie to catch.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
By the time she called Frank to help her down the stairs she was fully clothed in sweats and a shirt, leaving no room for tension because honestly, she wasn't sure she could handle any more, she might die. Frank was all smiles as he came up to help her.
"Something funny?"
"Your sister." He laughed. "She's really something, could've had a career in stand-up comedy."
Mel chuckled with him. "Don't let her hear you say that, because she might just do it."
They bypassed the living room when they came down, which was filled with the lovely sound of squabbling children and Becca's laughter, and entered the kitchen instead. As if on cue her stomach growled.
"Good thing I cooked." Frank said, sitting her down on a stool at the counter. He presented her with a plate of grilled cheese and a bowl of tomato soup, alongside another round of Ibuprofen and a glass of water.
"I don't know if I'd call grilled cheese and soup from a can 'cooking'."
"Hey-" Frank pointed a finger at her in accusation. "You try cooking a whole meal with those three in the living room. Anything more complicated and it would've burned, believe me."
Mel smiled amusedly as she bit into her grilled cheese.
"How's Becca doing? Have you told her about my face?"
"Becca's good, she was excited to come because the kids were with me, and she brought another plant for her room."
Becca's room was actually the spare room that Frank had given her free rein over to decorate and use however she liked.
"I told her you were a little banged up but she just showed me a picture of you asleep with a nose brace and a black eye, asked me if you looked like that. Which you kind of do."
"Right, I broke my nose like five years ago, I guess that helps." She didn't know Becca had taken a picture of her though, that devious little-
"You broke your nose?"
"Mm-hmm." She nodded as she swallowed a spoonful of soup.
"Why?"
She huffed out a laugh. "You're starting to sound like your daughter."
"Mel-"
"I got in a minor car accident."
"A minor car accident?"
"Yeah, busted my nose on the steering wheel. I had a shitty car and the airbag didn't work."
"I really do need to cover you in bubble wrap, don't I?" Frank said, stealing a bite from her grilled cheese for which she slapped him on the hand.
"It was five years ago. Statistically, I'm doing great in the injuries department."
"Yeah, you look great."
"Oh," Mel crinkled her nose. "Sarcasm?"
Frank smiled at her. "Nah, you always look great to me."
Mel blushed, again. "Aww, that's sweet. But definitely a lie."
"What?" Frank grabbed his chest in mock outrage. "When would I ever lie to you?"
"Let's see, you once told me Becca hadn't messed up your phone by downloading a hundred game apps that day her iPad broke, and then I caught you asking Cassie if it was possible for a phone to crash from too many apps. And then you bought a new phone."
Frank eyed her. "You spied on me."
"It's not spying if you're having the conversation in a public hospital, Frank."
"Well, it doesn't count anyway, it was a little white lie, and Becs didn't mess it up per se, that phone was old."
Mel ignored him. "Also, you've seen me covered in blood and vomit at the same time. I didn't look great then."
Frank hummed as if deep in thought. "Agree to disagree?"
"No."
He just grinned at her, amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes. "You're a stubborn one, Melissa King."
"Learned from the best, Francis Langdon."
He groaned. "I hate that my mom told you that."
She grinned with delight. "She didn't tell me, she just used your name in my presence."
"That was definitely planned by her, she's devious like that."
Mel had had her very first conversation with Deborah - call me Deb - Langdon on the phone, a few days before Christmas. She'd found her number in Frank's phone during Thanksgiving when he'd left it unattended, which had made Mel laugh. Apparently Frank had mentioned her enough times that Deb found it high time Mel met the rest of the family and that, if she didn't have other plans, she and her sister should come over for dinner on Christmas Eve. Mel's parents had died when she was eighteen and she had lost contact with most of her extended family, so her only Christmas plans had been the same as all the years before, watching Elf with Becca.
Still, she'd tried politely declining at first, not sure if Frank would even want her there, but Deb insisted. The kids were going to be at Abby's for their first Christmas since the divorce, and Deb was convinced Frank was going to be a lot less depressed if Mel and Becca came to fill up the table. Mel could hardly refuse then, though she did want to check in with Frank first, just in case, and Becca too since she wasn't always keen on strangers. In the end, Frank had been just as excited and couldn't even be mad at his mom for stealing Mel's number. Becca had been more hesitant, but she genuinely liked Frank and was won over by promises of his mother's famous shoofly pie.
So Mel and Becca had ended up at the Langdon's for Christmas Eve. It had turned out to be a great night. Deb hated being called Mrs. Langdon and quickly had Mel calling her by her abbreviated first name. She was warm and kind but had kept Frank on his toes all night. Mel hadn't been able to stop smiling. Mr. Langdon, who also insisted on being called Peter, was quiet and calm, a perfect opposite to his wife who'd fluttered around the house the entire night, never sitting still for more than five minutes. Frank's sister Morgan was a lot like Frank and as Mel had watched them snipe at each other playfully across the table, she'd suddenly understood why he got along with Garcia so well. Becca had been quiet at first, but Frank was excellent at getting her out of her shell, and to Mel's delight, her sister had kept up well with Frank and Morgan, even catching them so off guard with a well-placed insult that it'd made the siblings laugh with actual tears.
It was on that night she'd learned Frank was actually called Francis, when his mom had chastised him with his full government name for calling his sister dumb. And Mel had learned lots of other things since then, courtesy of Morgan who'd put her and Becca in a group chat with her and Deb. Frank knew of its existence and though he sometimes tried stealing her phone to read the messages, he smiled every time she mentioned something new about him that he definitely hadn't told her. His mom often sent baby or childhood pictures which Mel saved to a specific folder and Morgan mostly sent memes that she tried her very best to understand, which led to Know Your Meme being bookmarked on her phone.
"Speaking of my mom." Frank snapped her out of her thoughts. "She might come by later."
"Really?"
"Yeah, she called me earlier to ask if she could come by to see the kids. I hope you don't mind?"
"Of course not, I love your mom."
Frank's smile was fond. "The feeling's mutual, trust me. I can't have a conversation with her without Mel this and Mel that." Funny, because Deb said the same of him.
"Well, our conversations are all about you, don't worry." She smiled innocently, finishing the remainder of her soup by sopping it up with the last piece of grilled cheese.
"Oh god," Frank said, grabbing her empty dishes to put them in the dishwasher, and as always, Mel grimaced at his non-existent organization system. "I don't really wanna know what she's telling you all the time."
"I wouldn't worry too much, I'm still here, aren't I? Not running for the hills just yet." Though the messy dishwasher might do it.
"That's extremely good to know." Frank said, closing the offending dishwasher before rejoining her side. He eyed her face for a moment, reaching out to swipe a thumb along her eyebrow. "I think it's time we changed that bandage."
Mel hummed in agreement, taking her Ibuprofen while Frank got the antiseptic and bandages ready, setting them on the counter. He snapped on a pair of gloves before stepping in closer, Mel spreading her legs so he could fit in between. She watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed, clenching her hands in her sweats to keep from touching. Frank removed her glasses first, setting them down on the counter, before gently removing her old bandage, one hand cupping her jaw to keep her head steady while the other did the removal. All the while Mell did her best to keep still and to not press into his touch.
"You okay?" He asked, meeting her eyes with a smile. He was in full doctor mode and it was cute to see it focused on her. She just nodded, not trusting her voice enough to speak right now.
The antiseptic stung slightly and he whispered an apology when she flinched. "Just a little more." He said softly, before discarding the cotton pad moments later.
The new bandage went on smoothly, courtesy of Frank's expert hands, and he gave her hand the same treatment. She didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved when he stepped away to bin the old bandages and cotton swabs. She appreciated being able to breathe again, so that was something.
"Ready for the movie?" Frank asked. "Don't worry, I've heard it's not Elf."
Mel laughed. "Now I'm curious."
Frank helped her to the living room where the kids were quietly coloring at the coffee table. Becca sat on the couch behind them, engrossed in her iPad with Doc's head in her lap, though she looked up when she saw them entering.
"Finally!" She exclaimed, making the kids look up as well. "You took forever."
"Sorry," Frank grinned. "You know I need my Mel-time."
"Yes, I know, it's very annoying." Though she was smiling as she said it, Mel loved to see it. "Hi, Mel! Your face is really busted up, did you actually get in a fight?"
"Hi, Becca," Mel smiled at her sister, thoroughly regretting the life lesson she'd tried teaching the kids earlier. "No, I didn't get in a fight, I just fell."
"Hmm, Tanner told me you fought. You shouldn't fight people. You're too short."
"I'm taller than you." Mel pointed out on instinct before sighing deeply. "Not that it matters, because I didn't fight anyone, promise."
Becca just eyed her suspiciously.
"Okay," Frank cut in, looking way too close to bursting out in laughter for Mel's liking. "Let's just sit down and watch the movie you picked, huh? Now that we're finally here."
"Yeah!" Tanner exclaimed, jumping up to sit next to Becca. "I wanna see Robin Hood."
"Me too!" Lily piped up, getting her tiny legs under her and doing her best to crawl onto the couch. Frank chuckled, helping her up and sitting next to her, boxing her in between him and the armrest. He then gestured for Mel to join him.
"You should lie down, baby, you're still concussed." He said, patting his thigh. Mel didn't have the energy nor will to refuse, especially after being called baby of all things, so she stretched out onto the couch, her head pillowed on Frank's thigh and her feet touching Becca's thigh, Doc curled up in the space behind her knees. Thank God Frank had a big couch.
It turned out Becca's chosen movie was the Robin Hood movie with Kevin Costner, a childhood favorite of hers. It'd been a while since they watched this one so Mel was pleasantly surprised. Becca skipped over the opening scene, because she'd never liked it, which was good because that scene definitely wasn't meant for kids.
Mel just closed her eyes as she listened to the movie, having left her glasses on the coffee table. She was to avoid screentime for 48 hours after her concussion, Frank had stated firmly before Becca had started the movie, to which she'd replied thank you, Dr. Langdon, which had made him blush for a change. She opened them here and there though, to catch the blurry version of her favorite scenes. She too had grown up with this movie, as she had with all of Becca's favorites.
A warm hand was laid over her eyes, cutting off her view. "No peeking." Frank said.
Mel pouted. "But it's Kevin Costner bathing under a waterfall." As a kid, that scene had been a real awakening for her, once she'd understood what she was looking at.
Frank just pinched her side, laughing as she squawked in surprise. Becca shushed her from the other side of the couch, Tanner joining her.
"Naked Kevin Costner, this movie really isn't appropriate for kids. Who let you watch this?"
"Our mom was a hippie, I told you this. Besides, it's just his butt."
Frank huffed out a laugh and Mel wrestled away his hand so she could look up at him. "We can turn it off?" She offered.
He looked over at Tanner who was raptured, looking at the screen. Lily was conked out next to Frank, her face pressed into his side while her tiny hands held onto the arm that was wrapped around her.
"No, it's fine." He smiled down at her. "When Tanner's older and asking me why he was allowed to watch this, I'll just point him to you."
He spoke it so confidently, as if it was a given that Mel would be there as the kids grew older. And maybe it was. The thought warmed her heart.
"That's fair." She said, before turning back to the screen, Frank's hand again coming down to cover her eyes. She was already planning on keeping them closed, but she liked the dry warmth of his hand on her face, so she kept quiet. Somewhere between the middle and the end, she fell asleep.
When she woke up she found Becca leaning over her, phone camera fixed on her face.
"Becca-" Click.
Mel sighed.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Deb came over around five, laden with grocery bags, because Frank had complained on the phone about his lack of milk, so his mom had translated that to I'm out of food and promptly fixed it. She was truly great. She'd taken one look at Mel and immediately went into caretaker mode, fussing about her injuries and berating Frank for not telling her what had happened. It was endlessly amusing and Mel just smirked at Frank from her seat on the couch as he tried defending himself to his mom. She stepped in eventually, telling Deb that Frank had taken excellent care of her so far. It seemed to pacify her a little and Frank collapsed next to her on the couch, saying thank you for saving me, sweetheart, and fuck- don't get her started on the amount of times she'd blushed today, fucking hell.
Becca had excused herself for some alone time before dinner, taking refuge in the spare room that was practically her room, and Deb had herded the kids to the kitchen, enlisting their help for dinner, Doc following them because he knew there would be scraps. Mel was left with strict instructions not to leave the couch and Frank with the order to do whatever Mel asked. He'd been doing that anyway, but Mel just loved to see him being bossed around by his mom.
"Don't think I don't notice you smiling every time she has a go at me, you menace." Frank poked her side.
Mel couldn't hold in her giggle. "It's too good, I can't help it."
"Honestly, you just love to see me suffer."
She only giggled harder, clutching her stomach. She couldn't explain why it got to her so. It was something about knowing Frank as Dr. Langdon, future attending at PTMC, and then seeing him being all whiny with his mom when she ordered him around, it tickled her funny bone in the best possible way.
"Unbelievable." Frank grinned at her and Mel took a deep breath to keep from laughing further.
"Come on, it's just the same as you laughing when Becca makes one of her comments." She defended herself.
"That girl does keep you humble." Frank agreed. "But she does it to me too, so that doesn't count."
Mel rolled her eyes but didn't disagree, because he did catch a lot of flack from Becca, always with love though, which he obviously knew based on his eyes lighting up every time she got going about his hair or his taste in music.
They grew quiet, Mel listing sideways to rest her head on Frank's shoulder, closing her eyes.
"You doing okay?" He asked.
"'I'm a little tired."
"Why don't you lie down for a minute, huh? Have another nap?"
Mel nodded sleepily, a nap before dinner sounded nice. She felt the world shift as Frank let himself drop down the length of the couch and pulled Mel to rest alongside him, well, more like half on top of him.
"Your back." Mel protested.
"My back is fine, this is a great couch."
They shifted a little, finding the best position for their arms and intertwined legs, until Mel could finally bury her face into his neck. His smell was stronger there, none of his regular Old Spice - which she also loved. Right now, he just smelled like Frank.
Frank wrapped his arm around her back, fingers stroking through her hair. She loved it when he did that, but for now, she craved his touch a little closer.
"Can you rub my back?"
"Of course." Frank spoke against the top of her head, starting a slow drag up and down her back.
"Can you-" She paused and grabbed his hand, sliding it down until it dipped beneath the hem of her shirt. "Like this?"
There was no verbal agreement this time, only Frank's hand edging up her back, his callouses creating friction that caused Mel to shiver from head to toe as she melted even more against him. She wasn't wearing a bra and felt him realize it as he reached the base of her neck without encountering the band, he shifted a little beneath her, exhaling heavily. And Mel wondered, if she'd press her leg a little closer, whether she might feel something else she was craving. She didn't though, because one, she could hear the kids and Deb in the kitchen, and two, as far she knew, they still only were really close best friends. So she took a breath and just let the warmth of Frank's hand lull her to sleep.
She woke up an indefinite amount of time later, to the smell of Deb's lasagna and Frank's hand curved around her ribs. Based on the steady breathing beneath her, he'd fallen asleep with her. She lifted her head to look at him, which was a stupid thing to do because he was just too beautiful and she'd been tormented enough today. Still, she couldn't help but look at him, ignoring the urge to touch the dimple in his chin and to stroke away the strands of hair that fell messily over his forehead. Footsteps entered the living room and Mel canted her head to see who it was. There was a wistful smile on Deb's face as she looked at the pair of them, growing brighter as she noticed Mel looking.
"Dinner's ready, hon, if you feel up to it."
Mel nodded. "We'll be there."
Deb turned to leave, but glanced back for a moment, eyes full of warmth. "I'm so very happy he met you, Mel."
"Oh," She breathed, the words hitting her square in the chest. "Me too."
Deb gave her another, almost thankful smile, and left the room, leaving Mel to catch her breath. So now Frank's mom was complicit in driving her even more crazy than she already was about the man slumbering beneath her, just great. She sighed and thought about the least sexy way to wake Frank up because she was done with breaking her brain over their strange little relationship today. She just wanted to eat Deb's lasagna and go back to sleep. She dug her fingers into his midriff and he woke with a jolt, leaning up on his elbows, his wide eyes looking around the room before landing on her.
"What the fuck, Mel?" He said.
"Sorry," She grinned unapologetically. "Dinner's ready."
"You couldn't just shake my shoulder like a normal person?"
"Nope."
Now, time to get off the couch and into safer territory. She crawled over him, and that was a true miscalculation on her part, because for a hot second, she ended up hovering over him, their faces only inches apart. Frank's eyes dropped to her mouth and okay, Mel needed to get off this couch before she did something stupid. She jumped the rest of the way off, Frank's hand catching her side as she stumbled.
"Whoa, babe, take it easy. You okay?" He asked, bemused.
"Perfectly fine, just very hungry."
"Apparently, I mean, mom's lasagna is good but not worth breaking your ankle over."
"That's blasphemy."
Frank snorted, but got up and helped her limp into the kitchen. She noticed he kept his hands strictly on her upper back and arm. And the thing was, it didn't even help, because Mel still burned beneath him, but now she was also wondering whether she'd offended him by jumping away from him, because yes, he drove her out of her mind most of the time, but she definitely didn't want him to think he couldn't touch her, didn't want him to think he was lumped in with all the others whose touches she mostly shied away from. There were others she sometimes enjoyed, a hug from Dana or a shoulder bump from Trinity, but it was the people in this house whose close presence never felt unwelcome, and it was Frank's touch specifically that she never flinched from and only ever melted into.
Dinner was a loud affair, which, between Deb, Becca and the kids, was to be expected. A few bites into her meal Mel said fuck it and reached out with her bandaged hand to hold Frank's which was curled loosely on his thigh. Fuck overthinking, she just wanted to hold his hand. His smile was surprised, and he intertwined their fingers, stroking a thumb over the pulse point on her wrist. Deb caught her eye with a knowing smile and Mel ignored it in favor of watching Lily stuff her face with lasagna noodles, because no, she wasn't overthinking this.
Mel was banned from the kitchen when it came to clean-up and she took the time to call Trinity like she'd promised, since she'd already received a message asking if Frank had locked her up in his basement. No Trinity, Frank hadn't locked her up in the basement, he didn't even have a basement. Yes Trinity, Frank changed her bandage, yes he did a good job. No Trinity, they weren't secretly married. She hissed that last one as silently as possible, looking around for anyone listening in, and hung up on her, receiving ten laughing emojis in return, followed by a sincere glad you're doing okay, Mellie.
Then it was time for the ever so amusing bedtime routine Frank ran through with his kids. Mel had been present for it a couple of times by now and it was always chaotic.
"Oh my, what happened to your shirts?" She exclaimed as the kids ran inside the living room with bright ink stains covering both of their shirts.
"We colored each other!" Tanner grinned.
Mel looked up to find Frank walking in after them, rolling his eyes. "They wanted to finish their drawings, I looked away for two seconds, I swear. Can't trust these kids." He said, playfully reaching out to ruffle their hair, eliciting happy laughter from both of them.
She laughed with them. "Your fault for giving them markers instead of crayons or pencils."
"Mel, sweetheart, I can't handle your judgment right now," He sighed, collapsing next to her on the couch. "Abby's going to kill me."
Mel just patted his head. "You'll survive."
"Thank you for your confidence, honey."
Bedtime truly kicked off then. The kids were ushered to the downstairs bathroom for their bath and Mel could hear the water sloshing between the kids' happy shrieks, Doc's barks and Frank's kid-friendly curses as he was no doubt being bombarded with water.
"He shouldn't be surprised," Deb said as she joined Mel and Becca in the living room. "He and his sister were just as bad. Peter always came out of the bathroom as if he'd fallen in the bathtub himself."
Mel laughed at the image.
"Mel used to try and drown me in the bathtub." Becca piped up. She was such a traitor. It left Deb cackling with laughter though, so Mel couldn't even be mad. It wasn't even a complete lie, they'd been rambunctious kids too, sisters, you know.
By the time Frank returned to the living room with the kids wrapped in dinosaur towels he did indeed look like he'd taken a dunk himself. His hair was wet and dripping water down the contours of his face while his shirt clung to the ridges of his body. Mel gulped and averted her eyes only to be met with Deb's amused ones. She could not escape this woman tonight, it seemed. The kids were adorable with the dinosaur hoods on their heads and proved a good distraction as they clambered onto the couch, if only to make sure they didn't fall off.
"Okay," Frank said, hands on his hips in what Mel affectionally called his dad-pose. "Time for pj's."
"No!" The kids cried in unison.
"What?" Frank exclaimed wide-eyed, the surprise was fake of course, if there was one thing Mel had learned in the past months, it was that pajama negotiations were a real thing. These kids never wanted to put on their pj's, because that meant it was time to go to sleep and was there anything worse on earth than that? Not according to Tanner and Lily.
"Aren't you guys tired?" Frank added.
"No!"
Lily yawned right after she screamed the word, making Mel laugh. Frank sighed, though it was filled with affection, and plopped down on the couch, holding out both his arms. The kids fell into them easily, plastering themselves against him.
"My babies." Frank smiled, pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads.
"M'not a baby!" Tanner protested.
"Yes, you are," Frank grinned. "You're both my babies, forever."
And that, that was really something. Mel had never truly thought about having kids, but even her ovaries were doing weird things right now. Deb had left to get her an ice pack because she'd noticed Mel's ankle was a little swollen, thank God, or she'd have undoubtedly clocked Mel's internal panic and sent her another of those knowing smiles that would eventually make Mel lose her mind. Luckily the pj saga continued and at one point ended with the two kids running around the living room half-naked, giving Mel's ovaries a break - mostly at least.
So yes, it was chaos at its finest, an environment that should maybe feel entirely too overstimulating for her and especially for Becca, but somehow didn't. Because as Mel sat there, her ankle resting on Deb's leg as she iced it, the kids running circles around the coffee table, pj's only half on, Frank chasing after them while Becca was learning Doc how to high five, she realised this was home. And it was perfect.