The staff lounge was supposed to be a quiet space away from the relentless chaos of The Pitt. But right now, as Dr. Frank Langdon leaned against the countertop waiting for his coffee to brew, it felt suffocating. You could almost see the walls closing in on him, the weight of everything he was desperately trying to keep buried pressing down on his shoulders.

His fingers moved almost without thought as they slipped inside the pocket of his white coat to retrieve the small plastic bag he'd taken from his locker about an hour ago. "Just in case," he had told himself, "if I really need them."

He always really needed them.

He opened the baggy and shook one pill out into his palm. It was librium, which he was using to treat his withdrawals from the other benzodiazepines and opioids he had been given after a back injury. The problem was that these pills belonged to a patient. The problem was also that somehow, Frank had become an addict.

Not that he would ever admit it. He had it all under control. At least that's what he believed.

He brought the pill up to his mouth and swallowed it quickly, not even bothering to help it down with water. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a small sigh of relief. The pill hadn't taken effect yet, but there was already comfort from the knowledge that it would soon.

He closed the bag and started to place it back into his pocket when he heard someone clear their throat. He looked up to see you standing there in the doorway with your eyes trained on the small bag of pills.

He quickly shoved the pills into his pocket and met your gaze. Something in the way you were looking at him made his heart beat faster and his breath catch in his throat as if he knew the fragile control he'd maintained was suddenly slipping through his fingers. He wouldn't be able to hide this from you. Not from you. You knew him too well for him to hide from you.

"Listen, I can explain, okay?" He said, pulling you into the doctor's lounge and carefully closing the door behind them, "You remember when I hurt my back, right? When I was helping my parents move? I saw one of the doctors here and he prescribed me some pain meds and muscle relaxers. I'm just weaning myself off, okay?"