Chapter Text
Everyone growing up in life gets all kinds of nicknames. Sometimes it’s just a shortened version of their name, sometimes it’s from something that happened to them. They can be cute, funny, or sometimes mean. Given by friends, family, and co-workers. All different facets can come into play.
Working in The Pitt, you can hear some, interesting, names being called out. Here they are.
Dr. King.
Her name is Melissa. She prefers to be called Mel by friends, Dr. King by patients. Sometimes, Sissy by Becca, when Becca is overwhelmed. But one day, she was called a name that somehow got stuck, and she couldn’t get rid of it.
“Excuse me, Dr. Norma, can I get you help with a patient?” A nurse called out. Mel looked up from her tablet, trying to find the doctor who was being called for. It was a new name, and she wanted to introduce herself to the doctor. She looked around and made eye contact with a newer nurse, one who was recently transferred downstairs. Mel looked around one more time before pointing to herself.
“Yes, Dr. Norma, help please,” The nurse waved her hand over. Mel felt a little overwhelmed but hurried over, pulling some gloves from a wall dispenser. It didn’t take long to get the patient situated and labs ordered. Both Mel and the new nurse walked out, both depositing dirty gloves and reaching for the hand sanitizer.
“Hi, we didn’t introduce ourselves. I’m Dr. Melissa King, but you can call me Mel,” Mel said, holding her hand out to shake. She watched as the nurse stared at her hand in confusion.
“But I thought,” She looked at Mel. She just smiled and shook her head.
“Sorry, no. Not sure how you got the name of Norma,” The nurse pointed a thumb over her shoulder to the charge station.
“Dr. Santos pointed you out to me when I came down. She said if I needed help to grab you, and when I asked your name, she said Dr. Norma.” It was at that moment that Dr. Whitaker was walking by and let out a loud laugh at the name. Mel just looked over at him in exasperation.
“Really?” She sighed. Dennis raised his hands in a placating manner.
“Sorry, sorry.” He said, walking over to the two.
“More than likely, Dr. Santos was saying a nickname that she gave Dr. King here, and you misheard,” Dennis said, giving one of his boyish, Midwest grins. It was one that Mel had seen him give to many patients to reassure them, or when he was flirting with certain Senior attendants.
“I am so sorry.” The nurse said, raising her hands. Dennis beat her to calming the nurse down.
“It’s okay. You learn here in The Pitt, you will hear all kinds of names get called. If you stick around long enough, you might even earn one of your own. Like Mel here sometimes gets called Melanoma, which is probably how you heard Norma.” The nurse made a face and apologized again before walking off to check on a different patient while Mel turned to Dennis.
“Really? She had to call me Melanoma to a nurse?” Mel whined. Dennis just let out a chuckle before throwing his arm over her shoulders as they walked back to the charge station, where the person who started this mess happened to be.
“What’s wrong with you?” Trinity nodded towards Mel. Langdon, whose back was towards the floor, looking at the board, glanced over his shoulder before turning fully when he saw the upset look on Mel’s face.
“You told a nurse your nickname for her, but the nurse heard wrong,” Dennis said, lowering his arm to her back and giving it a gentle rub. Both Langdon and Trinity raised an eyebrow. Mel just shook her head, not wanting to say it. Dennis gave another chuckle that turned to a groan when her elbow went to his side.
“The nurse didn’t hear you call her Melanoma, but Norma,” Trinity started laughing, laying her head at the desk from how hard it was, while Frank fought not to laugh.
“Guys,” Mel whined.
“Sorry, Mel, sorry,” Frank said, crossing an arm over his chest and using the other one to hide his mouth that couldn’t stop smiling from the name.
“I’m not! Oh, that is great, I am so making that your contact name now,” Trinity breathed out from laughing.
“You’re a bitch!” Mel exclaimed. It wasn’t said in malice, though; she was starting to see the humor in it. It just happened that both Dr. Robby and Charge Nurse Dana were walking by and heard that.
“Whoa! What happened here?” Dana asked, thinking there was an argument going on.
“Mel earned herself a new nickname!” Trinity said before anyone could say anything.
“Really?” Robby looked towards her.
“Yeah, Dr. Norma,” Trinity giggled out. Everyone watched as Robby and Dana made faces, the ones that show they are trying not to laugh, lips pulled in and obvious mirth in their eyes, but obviously failing.
“Go ahead, laugh. Everyone else has.” Robby shook his head but took on a similar position as Frank to hide the smile on his face. Dana did give a few chuckles before placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Do we want to know how that name came to be?” She asked.
“Trinity over there can’t call anyone by their name, and a nurse heard wrong.”
“Melanoma?” Robby asked. Trinity just shook her head quickly, taking too much pleasure in the chaos she created. Robby did let out a chuckle at that.
“Really, Dr. Robby? Really showing the favoritism and nepotism there,” Mel said before grabbing a tablet and walking off. She heard the laugh that everyone gave and the squeak that Trinity let out with her comment. She couldn’t help chuckling as she knocked on the door and introduced herself to her next patient.