It had been a long shift, but it was finally over. Or at least Bilbo was finally on a two-hour break where he can get a bath and some food and maybe even a nap.

Sometimes Bilbo thought that medical school wasn't worth it.

As he approached his apartment door, he could smell food cooking. Eggs and bacon maybe. He wasn't sure but whenever his boyfriend was the one cooking, it would usually be those and toast. Bilbo heard the ding of the toaster and chuckled, it was definitely bacon and eggs with toast.

Bilbo slid in his key and opened the door.

"I'm home," he called out. "Wake me when breakfast is ready."

"Rough night?" Thorin asked, his head peeking through the kitchen door.

He didn't really need to be up at five am making breakfast. Thorin had normal work hours. Well, regular hours at the law firm, time spent prepping for cases tended to vary depending on the case.

"Ugh," Bilbo groaned, flopping down on the couch. He was too filthy to even consider the bed. "Too many cases. So much blood. And screaming children. There was an accident."

Thorin waited for Bilbo to continue. He knew that the other man hated it when children were involved in accidents, or when those involved in accidents were the sole caretaker for a child. Bilbo had a soft spot for children.

"And Drogo and Prim were involved," Bilbo shook his head. He sniffed the air. "Your bacons burning?"

"What?" Thorin glanced over at the frying pan. "Oh!"

While his boyfriend went off to save breakfast, Bilbo closed his eyes and thought about the accident. Drogo and Prim were his cousins. No relation at all to each other, but they were both related to him. They got married a few years back and had a wonderful little boy, Frodo, who was, thankfully enough, sleeping over at a friend's house when the accident happened.

Given that they were hit while on a motorcycle, Bilbo wondered at their chances of recovery. It wasn't really his case, he was just called in. He was doing his rotation in the anaesthesiology department, and the two were being managed by the surgery department.

Bilbo hoped they would be alright. Frodo had nobody else.

"Breakfast?" Thorin asked, bringing a plate over.

"Thanks," Bilbo sat up and took the plate.

Whatever was going to happen could wait. He was no good to anyone if he was hungry, sleepy, and dead tired.

I know it sounds inhumane that people coming off 24-hour shifts would be expected to report back in after only two hours, but it's a reality where I'm from. Sometimes people don't even get the two-hour break, they just continue on to complete 36-hour shifts. So please, be nice to your medical team, especially those still in-training because they spend so much time tending to patients that they don't have time for their own basic needs.