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Baltimore Medical Gala - Elliot and Ayana’s First Meeting

Elliot Landry and Ayana Brooks first met at a December holiday party for Baltimore medical staff around 2038–2039. Logan introduced Ayana to a group that included Charlie, Jacob, and Elliot. Ayana and Elliot continued talking after the group dispersed, exchanged contact information in the parking deck, and began the correspondence that led to their first date and later marriage.

The gala occurred roughly a decade before Elliot’s 2049 glioma diagnosis. Late that evening, he experienced fatigue and lower-back discomfort after the long formal event.

Group Introduction

Logan was speaking with a group of doctors about an upcoming panel when Ayana approached. He greeted her with a hug and introduced her to the group as one of the best OB/GYNs he had worked with. Ayana answered that he only said that because she let him steal muffins from the break room. Charlie’s AAC tablet added that Charlie was still waiting for his muffin.

Ayana then noticed Elliot standing just outside the center of the group. He had been quiet and observant, tracking the room and the people around him. When their eyes met, his posture softened and he gave her a small, genuine smile.

Elliot introduced himself by name. Ayana offered her hand, and he took it carefully. When she asked whether he worked with Logan, Elliot explained that he worked for Jacob and therefore saw Logan and Charlie regularly. He described his role as handling the calendar, travel, damage control, and whatever the others forgot. Ayana answered that he kept the machine running.

Conversation at the Gala

As the group separated into smaller conversations, Elliot and Ayana remained together at a high-top table near the quieter edge of the ballroom. Jacob watched Elliot’s shoulders loosen and heard his Southern Black cadence become more pronounced as he relaxed.

Elliot teased Ayana about Northern variations on greens, including turkey necks and maple syrup. Ayana defended turnips with brown butter and shallots; Elliot told her that her grandmother had raised her better and that he was helping. When she asked about his own mother, Elliot said Jazmine had cared for him most of his life and that it was his turn to care for her. He added that Jazmine expected him to bring pie home.

Ayana asked about Elliot’s work. He described the practical parts of coordinating Jacob’s life and joked that his medical role consisted largely of wrestling Jacob into remembering lunch. Their conversation continued from shortly after 9:00 p.m. until the gala ended. Jacob noticed Elliot’s ease, laughter, and attention without interrupting them.

The Parking Deck

At approximately 11:42 p.m., Elliot walked Ayana to her car. The long day had begun to show in his slower steps, tighter posture, and lower-back discomfort. Ayana asked whether he was all right, and Elliot answered that it had been a long day.

Ayana offered him her number on a card. When Elliot hesitated, she told him, “It’s just a number, Elliot. Not a promise. Not a commitment. Just… a start.” Elliot accepted and repeated, “A start.”

Ayana noticed that his right hand was clenched and asked whether he was safe to drive. Elliot said he needed to stretch and perhaps stop for coffee. She gave him a small bottle of water for the road, and he again called her Dr. Brooks. She reminded him to call her Ayana before leaving.

Jacob’s Back-Seat Ambush

Elliot returned to his car at approximately 11:51 p.m. and found Jacob waiting in the back seat. Jacob had left the ballroom around 10:30 when the music became too much and had texted Elliot, whose attention was elsewhere.

Jacob greeted him with a rare mischievous grin. He noted that Elliot had stayed, laughed, and allowed Ayana to touch his arm. Elliot accused him of spying; Jacob answered that he observed. When Elliot became defensive, Jacob told him that he had looked comfortable and good.

Jacob slept during most of the drive. At approximately 12:24 a.m., as Elliot pulled into Logan and Charlie’s Baltimore driveway, Jacob woke long enough to tell him to text Ayana before his brain convinced him that she had not meant the invitation. He stumbled up the driveway half asleep, then called back that Ayana liked him.

Elliot sent Ayana a message from the car: “Hey. It was good talking to you tonight. Thanks for staying.” She replied within minutes that she had hoped he would text, asked whether he had made it home safely, and resumed their turnip argument.

Cocoa and the Sticky Note

Logan was still awake because winter pain had kept him from bed. He gave Elliot cocoa while they sat at the kitchen island and waited for his medication to work. Elliot asked what Logan had meant when he called Ayana the best OB/GYN he had worked with.

Logan said Ayana knew when to stop talking, listened to patients, noticed what others missed, and tended to people rather than treating only their charts. He told Elliot that she had genuinely seen him and that she valued steadiness.

Before going to bed, Logan slid a sticky note across the counter. It read:

FAVORITE PIE: PEACH BLACKBERRY.

(Warm. Homemade crust. No store crap.)

“You’ll know it’s working if she closes her eyes on the first bite.”

Logan stood, winced, yawned, and said, “Going to bed while I can still sleep. Night, man.” He left Elliot alone with the cocoa and note.

From Messages to a First Date

Elliot and Ayana texted for several weeks. Their messages moved from the gala’s food argument to Ayana’s long shifts, Jacob’s work, Jazmine, tea, pie, travel, and ordinary check-ins. When Elliot expected to return to Baltimore for a weekend while Jacob worked with Charlie, he asked Ayana whether they could go out together. She accepted immediately.

Their first date took place at a small bayfront restaurant in Baltimore. Their relationship developed slowly over the following years, and they married around 2043–2044.

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