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You had once believed there were limits to what Gloria would ask you to endure. That had been before she declared you, Robby and Jack were driving to Indianapolis to attend a medical conference. All protests about how understaffed that would leave the ED fell on deaf ears like most of your complaints. At least it was a trip with your two favorite coworkers. You drained the last of your coffee and groaned in annoyance. Caffeine was the only thing keeping you sane.
“Is it bad that I’d rather be at work right now?” you asked.
Jack glanced at you in the rearview mirror. “Gloria probably sent us all so she could prove she could run the place without us.”
“We could just keep driving. Never go back,” you suggested.
The corner of Robby’s mouth twitched. “We’d be bored within the week.”
Sometimes you were tempted to find out for sure, but you knew he was right. You thrived in the chaos. By the time you arrived at the hotel you were beyond ready to not see the car again for three days.
At the check-in desk, you were greeted by a young man with a fake smile. “Name?”
Robby leaned forward. “Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Three rooms. Not sure what name she put it under.”
He tapped, frowned, then tapped again. “I am showing one room under Robinavitch for three guests.”
Jack’s face settled into a ‘give me strength’ expression. “You have to be kidding. There are no other rooms available?”
“I’m sorry, sir. We’re completely booked up due to the conference. We can send extra bedding up,” he offered.
Robby snorted. “I’m sure that will be very helpful. Any possibility of a rollaway?”
“Regrettably that would be a violation of fire codes,” the clerk answered not appearing sorry in the least.
“It’s fine,” you interrupted, knowing you weren’t going to get anywhere with this conversation. You reached forward and snagged the keys from the counter. “Just let us know if something opens up, please.”
Robby opened the door when you arrived at the room and the three of you just stared at the room for a long moment. A queen bed wedged between two nightstands and a dresser with a TV encompassed the totality of the room’s furnishings.
“I’ll sleep on the floor,” Robby volunteered, voice resigned.
“No, you will not,” you and Jack said in unison.
He looked between the two of you, bemused. “What, one of you want the floor?”
“You two outrank me. If anyone is going to sleep on the floor it should be me,” you said.
Jack’s reply was immediate. “Honey, neither of us is going to let you sleep on the floor while we’re in the bed. And you already know you have the attending spot. That means we’re on equal footing.”
You’re pretty sure that’s not what that means at all. “So, we share?” you finally asked.
Jack shrugged. “We can make it work.”
Robby nodded. “We’re professionals.”
You emptied your bag into one of the drawers and eyed the bed again. This was going to be a long conference.
***
Night found the three of you laying in the dark pretending that sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder with your colleagues was the most normal thing in the world. Everyone laid stiffly, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible. Robby laid on his back, arms crossed over his chest while Jack laid on the edge, arm over his eyes. You turned so you were on your side facing Jack and taking up less room.
After the third time of one of them moving only to freeze up instantly you couldn’t help the laugh that escaped you. “This is not going to work without one of you two ending up on the floor anyway. Just give up being gentlemen and crowd me. I don’t mind. Seriously. I’m cold, anyway.”
For a few seconds, nobody said anything. Then Jack huffed. “Why the hell not?”
The repositioning was wordless but efficient. Robby tucked up behind you, the heat of his body instantly seeping into you. His arm hovered for a second, then settled carefully across your waist. Jack turned to face you and slid closer until you could smell his toothpaste and a lingering trace of aftershave. His hand rested lightly on your upper thigh.
“Okay?” he asked.
You settled into your pillow. “Perfect,” you assured, voice softer than you’d intended. You just breathed, letting the warmth and presence of these two men anchor you. Nobody moved for awhile but you gradually felt them relaxing as well. Robby’s hand laid flat against your belly, thumb moving back and forth while Jack’s did the same on your thigh. You counted their breaths until yours matched theirs and you drifted to sleep.
It was sunlight that woke you, glowing pale gold across the unfamiliar ceiling. For a second, you forgot where you were until the weight of the men on either side of you reminded you in the best way.
Robby had buried his face into the crook of your neck, beard prickling your skin. He was still sound asleep. His hold on middle was still firm. During the night, Jack had managed to tangle his body around your legs, an arm thrown carelessly over your knees and his head resting just below your collarbone. You could feel his slow breathing indicating he was still out, too.
Gods, you’d give up a thousand lonely nights in your bed for mornings just like this. You felt…cherished. And wasn’t that a stupid thought? You were just three bodies trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in the world’s smallest fucking queen bed. You could have stayed there for hours, but the bedside clock showed it was just before 6:30 and lectures started at 8:00.
You slid an arm free and both men made noises of protest at the movement. Robby tightened his grip and Jack only snuggled closer. You huffed a laugh and impulsively ran your fingers through Jack’s hair. It was softer than you expected and he made a sound somewhere between a purr and a groan.
“Don’t stop,” he mumbled, cracking open a single sleepy eye.
“Morning,” you whispered.
He arched into your touch, then opened both eyes. “This is the best wakeup call I’ve ever gotten.
You smiled and ran your nails lightly over his scalp. He practically melted into you, only to frown when you paused. “Hey. Why’d you stop?”
“Because we have to get up, unless you want to show up to the conference in pjs.”
Jack considered. “I mean, it might be worth it.” When you didn’t continue, he sighed and kissed your forehead. “Alright, I’m moving, gorgeous.” He rolled away, stretching like a cat and sat on the edge of the bed to put his prothesis on, while you just blinked at his back. What the fuck just happened? “You want the bathroom first?” he asked.
You glanced down at your midsection, where Robby was still molded to you. “I need to extricate myself first. Go ahead.”
Jack grinned. “Poor thing. I’ll bring coffee if you’re still stuck when I get out.”
The second the bathroom door latched behind Jack, Robby shifted. Not the tired fidget of a man trying to cling to sleep, but a deliberate pull of his arm, moving you impossibly closer into him, like he’d just been waiting for privacy to do it.
He nuzzled deeper into your neck, inhaling deeply. The sensation tickled and you squirmed. “Robby,” you said, uncertain if you should actually wake him or let him sleep a couple of moments longer. “Wake up.”
“Who says I’m asleep?” His voice was a low rumble against your skin.
You froze. “Oh.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Oh.”
And then he started trailing lazy kisses up the side of your neck, soft and careful and unhurried. It was completely unexpected and melted every nerve ending you possessed. His hand flattened against your stomach keeping you anchored. “We’ve been so good,” he muttered, words low and not quite steady. “Me and Jack. So patient, waiting for you to not be our resident anymore.”
Your heart hammered in your chest.
“Three more weeks.” He shifted to rest his chin on your shoulder. “Three weeks and an HR nightmare becomes a minor inconvenience. Think you can keep a secret for three weeks?”
It took you a second to find your voice. To process what he was saying to you. “A secret?”
He hesitated, and you felt it. “I know it’s…complicated. Maybe you never thought of us that way.” He stopped, exhaled and rolled his head against your back. You could have spoken, but part of you wanted to hear him finish. To hear him admit you weren’t alone in these horrible, inconvenient feelings. He loosened his hold and put some space between you, the warmth gone all at once. “I’m sorry if we—if I read this wrong,” he said and for the first time since you’d met him, he sounded unsure.
You turned to face him, knees bumping against his leg, and cupped his face in both hands. His beard was soft and you resisted the urge to run your fingers through it. Not the time. “I have been crazy about both of you for most of my residency. The fact that you’re uncertain of that says I can keep a secret for much longer than three weeks. Maybe even four, if you make it worth my while.”
The surprise on his face made you laugh. He blinked once, twice, then grinned. “You have no idea what you’ve just signed up for.”
“I think I can manage,” you said.
He kissed you. Not chaste, not hurried. Just a slow, careful press of lips to yours. It felt like a promise. When he broke away, he pulled you closer and pressed his forehead to yours.
The three of you were ready to head out by 7:15 which gave you just enough time to eat breakfast and get to the first panel. Before you could leave the room, the phone rang. You answered it.
“Yes, this is the font desk. I was calling to let you know we’ve had another room open up,” the voice said.
“Oh, just a minute.” You covered the receiver with your hand. “They have another room available.”
“You should take it,” Jack said instantly.
Robby nodded. “He’s right. You’d have your own space.”
You considered the two of them. Both trying to do the right thing, neither looking away from you. You looked between them, then back to the phone. “Thank you for the offer,” you said. “But we won’t be needing it. We’re fine as we are.”
The clerk hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” you said. “We’re all set.” You hung up and the room went quiet.
Jack grinned at you, wide and bright. “Well, that’s settled.”
Robby walked up to you, dark eyes studying you. “You didn’t have to do that, you know?”
You shrugged. “I wanted to.”
He smiled, softer now and the last of his tension seemed to slip away. “Let’s get this over with so we can get back to the important stuff.”
You followed them out. The conference was whatever. The rest of the weekend was unforgettable.