Survivor: Chapter 7
4 July 2008 07:58![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
randomweavingTitle: Survivor
Characters: JD/Perry, JD/Jordan, Jordan/Perry, JD/Perry/Jordan
Series Rating: NC-17 (eventually)
Description: A terrible accident requires JD use all his skill to save the mentor he idolizes. But times of crisis can bring people together in unusual ways...
Author's Note: Beta by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
yutamiyu who rocks all! Thanks again, you are totally awesome.
Warnings: Eventual OT3. Het content.
"You know, Tiffany, watching your doctor drool on himself doesn't inspire as much confidence as you'd think..."
JD started awake, flailing as he felt his ass slip off the edge of the chair, depositing him on the floor in a heap.
"Neither does that."
JD scrambled to his feet. "D-Dr. Cox!" he stammered, trying to wake himself up, and trying to ignore the rather uncomfortable ache in his back, the result of spending the night in a chair. "How're you feeling?"
Perry made a face. "Not fantastic, but not as bad as last night," he said, after pausing for a moment to do a physical inventory of himself. He shrugged, his upper lip quirking wryly. "Guess after what happened, I can't expect to feel any better."
"Suppose not," JD replied, yawning hugely before shaking his head and wiping the sleep from his eyes. He blinked a time or to. Jordan was still asleep in her chair, looking softer than she ever did awake. He felt his own expression soften, looking at her, before turning back to Perry. "I know Elliot looked in on you a few times yesterday when I was asleep...did she or anyone else go over everything with you?" At least Perry seemed awake and aware enough to take it all in now. Not that JD was looking forward to giving him the list...
Perry shook his head. "No," he said, and to JD's surprise, he looked a little nervous. "I got the impression it wasn't good, though...guess they were leaving the dirty work for you." He gave JD what passed for a smile, and nodded. "Hit me."
JD sat down carefully on the edge of the bed. "It's not great," he agreed. "You've got cuts and bruises, of course. A couple of those may scar. Your right shoulder was dislocated, so you'll be using that arm again pretty soon." He went on, mentioning the concussion, the fractured metacarpals, the cracked ribs, the removed spleen. "There was a piece of shrapnel in your abdomen, so they had to do a partial lower intestinal resection. Everything went well in the surgery, though, and we have every reason to believe it will heal just fine. You'll be on a limited diet for awhile, but...well, you know that already." He paused, unable to help himself, gaze flicking to the huge cast on Perry's leg.
Perry's mouth tightened into a thin line when he caught the direction of JD's glance. "Best for last, huh?" he murmured. "Come on, Newbie. Tell me."
"Your ankle was dislocated, as well, and both tibia and fibula were broken, in two places and three, respectively. And your knee...your patella was shattered, and there was extensive damage to the ligaments. You'll walk again, if you work hard enough, but you'll probably limp and may need a cane." JD'd have softened the words if he'd thought it would help, but with Perry...anything less than the unvarnished truth wouldn't be appreciated.
It still hurt to watch the information sink in, though. Perry blinked at him for a moment, then looked down at his leg, then closed his eyes, releasing a sigh and looking away. "Great," he muttered. "Sounds like fun."
"You can hit the interns with it," JD offered, wanting to reach over and squeeze Perry's hand, say something especially comforting...but the ease he'd felt the night before had vanished. "They did what they could, before, but you'll need more surgery later. To remove the pins in your leg and hand, and for a knee replacement. And...that's it."
Perry released a bark of what might've been laughter. "Well, as long as it isn't serious," he said, lifting an eyebrow and meeting JD's gaze. There was something about the way he did it--some strange level of camaraderie--that made JD shiver a little.
"I'd say you were lucky, but I think you'd find a way to hit me if I did," JD replied, smiling a little wryly. "Same for 'it could've been worse'. So I'll stick with just saying you've got a bunch of people ready to give you all the help you need."
"What about you?"
"I'm not going anywhere until you ask me to, and Jordan backs you up," JD replied with a shrug, knowing it was true. "Except maybe home to get a fresh set of scrubs every few days. I didn't get a start on putting you back together to let you fall apart."
"Sweet of you, Bernadette, but I meant what about you?" Perry said, voice softer than JD was used to hearing it. "You look like hell. Haven't you been eating?"
"Oh! Um. Yeah..." JD frowned, trying to remember the last time he'd actually had food and not just coffee.
Perry lifted his eyebrows, eyes traveling down the length of JD's body then back to his face. "Not enough, I'm thinking," he said. "Why don't you go get yourself something? I imagine I'll be right about here when you get back."
"If you're sure..." JD hesitated, but his stomach growled loudly, given an opportunity to voice its protest at its emptiness, and he giggled. "Okay, I think I've been overruled. Thanks, Dr. Cox."
Perry snorted. "For telling you to stop starving yourself? No problem. Twenty years in the medical profession, I was bound to make a useful suggestion at some point. Now get out of here, Jill. Oh--and bring something for the Queen of the Darkness, would you? I don't think she's been eating much either."
"I've been bringing her food already, actually," JD replied, slipping off the bed. "But she might've missed last night, so I'll grab her something."
Perry nodded. "Okay. And JD?"
JD paused, eyebrows going up at the use of his name. "Yeah?"
After a momentary hesitation, a genuine smile appeared slowly on Perry's face, and his eyes softened. "Thank you."
JD smiled back, the same soft, real smile he'd given Perry the night before. "You're welcome. Perry. See you in a bit."
* * *
The next week had JD thoroughly confused.
He grabbed sleep when he could, mostly napping when Perry did during the day, ready to be awake in the night if the older doctor once again worried himself into muscle spasms. JD didn't know why he could bring Perry out of it, when Jordan couldn't, but she'd merely shrugged and told him he was welcome to it, and it wasn't really her thing to hang over Perry stroking his hair and whispering sweet nothings to him.
That was the other thing that had him confused. The teasing, the light jabs, the behavior he still would've thought was flirting, if it'd come from anyone else. But it was Jordan. Perry joined in, but understandably had other things on his mind, so mostly left the bulk of it up to Jordan.
And JD found himself responding more than once, fielding Jordan's barbs with his own sarcastic or smart-assed answers, finding it did give him a little thrill to see her eyebrows go up and her grin widen at a particularly well crafted retort. It seemed to entertain Perry, too, and he was willing to do a lot to get the other man to smile.
But always, hanging over his head, was the knowledge that Perry'd be leaving the hospital, and sooner than JD would've let him if he'd really had a choice. And then...well. He'd see him for check-ups, probably, though he'd be working more and more with the orthopedist as he healed. So JD wouldn't see him regularly until he came back to work. If he came back.
It made JD cherish the moments they had now all the more. And kept him grateful to wake at the smallest noise in the night, spending the dark just talking to Perry. Not about anything important, but they did talk. JD wasn't sure if Perry had nightmares in the dark, or if it was just that the pain was harder to manage when the sun went down, but either way they spent long hours simply chatting. He learned more about his mentor in those few nights than he'd found out in the past four years, and the box in his head marked "Perry" grew with trivia, facts, and stories.
Perry learned plenty about him in return, but seemed less willing to ridicule him for it. JD actually searched for embarrassing anecdotes about himself just to see the smile on Perry's face, and to hear the girls' names and the teasing when he'd finished.
And all of it, all of it, just made his crush worse. Before, he'd liked the potential of the man, admired him, treasured the few moments they'd had that he hoped would occur more often if he worked his way in. And now, thanks to their odd circumstances, he'd seemed to.
And he was only falling harder and harder.
Not just for Perry, either. His admiration of and attraction to Jordan had only been growing as well, and he actually caught himself wondering which of them he was more jealous of, when he walked in on them kissing softly.
"I'm an idiot," he murmured to his coffee cup, draining it and tossing it aside, heading back to Perry's room. Crushes on the last two people in the world who'd return them--desperate partner-almost-dying sex aside--and he couldn't seem to stop either of them from growing. Least he wasn't sleeping deeply enough to dream most of the time...He really didn't want to start talking in his sleep with both of them in the room and listening. God only knew what he'd say just now...
A time or two he wondered if he'd been talking without realizing it, though, because he'd drift out of sleep to find them both watching him, and in the split second before he was completely awake, he'd see something in their expressions he couldn't identify. It would fade too quickly for him to sort it out in his half-asleep state, and they'd smile and tease him about drooling, and Jordan would offer him coffee or food or whatever she happened to have, or Perry would send him to the on-call room for real sleep, and things would go on as normal. But a part of JD's mind would drift back to those expressions, trying to call them up, and puzzle them out.
He never could, though. And three weeks after the crash, Kelso blustered in and told Perry he was being released to go home.
JD protested, following Kelso out of the room and grabbing his arm, not caring if it got him in trouble later. "Sir, I really don't know if he's ready," he said, voice low. "He's just barely out of the sling, and he'll still have to have surgery on the knee and his hand, and you know Jordan can't handle all his care on her own..."
"Well, sport," Kelso said, giving his arm a significant look, and JD released it, embarrassed. "I'd say you'll have to take this up with them, as they're the ones who've been pushing to get him released."
JD gaped after him, then hurried back into the room. "Okay, what's going on, here?" he demanded, hands flying to his hips as he glared from Perry to Jordan then back to Perry again. "You want to tell me why you decided you're good to go?"
Perry lifted his eyebrows at him. "Well, Ashley, despite the quality service and luxurious accommodations, we decided the honeymoon had to end eventually."
"If all he's going to do is lie in bed and whine, he might as well do it where I can put something on TV and tune him out when he gets tedious," Jordan added, and Perry glowered at her for a moment before returning his attention to JD.
"But...you still need surgery," he protested, frowning. "You'll have to be right back here in a week or so."
"Still a week I'd rather spend in my own bed, if it's all the same to you," Perry retorted. "It's a California-king-sized Denver mattress, and will actually be easier on my leg than this piece of Styrofoam-over-plywood." His eyes softened. "Look, I already talked to the orthopedic surgeon," he said. "He's released me from his service, and they're arranging an ambulance to get me home, and orderlies to get me into the apartment. It's all taken care of, Newbie."
"No, it's not," JD said. "As your primary care physician, you're not free to go until I release you." He folded his arms, trying for stern, but knowing he wasn't doing a very good job of it.
Jordan smirked at him. "And you're not going to, is that so?"
"Maybe I won't," JD said weakly. "I don't think it's a good idea to move him around that much before we get that knee repaired, and he's had at least some preliminary physical therapy..."
"I'm being moved by professionals," Perry said. "I'm being parked on my ass in front of my flat-screen plasma TV, and I'm being waited on hand and foot by my lovely ex here," he nodded at Jordan, "and by the wonderful assistant girl we're hiring. Then I'm being brought back by professionals, and voila. All will be well. Now come on, JD..." his voice lowered, and he looked up at JD persuasively. "Let me go."
JD drew a sharp breath through his nose, barely swallowing the odd choking noise that wanted to escape him. Let him go. Yeah, that was the real problem, wasn't it? And he couldn't help but wonder if Perry knew that.
He sighed, slumping a little and shaking his head, but he lowered his arms. "All right," he said, his voice a little dull. "If you honestly think it's for the best...I'll release you. But"--he looked up again, waggling his finger and attempting (and failing) to look stern--"I want it noted I'm opposed to this."
"Duly noted," Perry said, casting a glance at Jordan and reaching out with his good hand to squeeze her fingers.
JD sighed again, turning away under the pretense of checking Perry's IV pump, but in reality he simply didn't want them to see the way his face had fallen, or the way his eyes were now probably shiny with the tears he was desperately trying to blink away.
It was silly. He knew it was silly. After all, Perry couldn't stay forever. And honestly, JD wouldn't want him to stay forever--he knew how miserable the older doctor had to be, stuck at work, of all places. But a part of him, a large part, had come to wish there was a way for things to stay the way they were, with he and Perry acting like friends, and he and Jordan flirting a little, and all three of them working together in a camaraderie that JD knew would vanish, once Perry left the hospital. As long as Perry was here, JD had a reason to be at his side. But as soon as Perry went home...he'd be expected to go back to work, to stop fussing over him, to get on with his life. And he really wasn't sure he could.
But there was no stopping them, apparently; the next morning, he woke early to find a group of paramedics at the door, stretcher between them. And after some very careful maneuvering, Perry was on the stretcher, being wheeled toward the elevators.
JD had offered to help Jordan carry her things to her car--it had been long enough that she'd accumulated quite a few of them--and as they walked, he felt the dull pain that had settled heavily into his limbs grow heavier still. This was it.
He hoisted the last bag into the trunk of the Porsche, closing it, and brushing his hands on his scrubs pants. He glanced up at Jordan, who was arranging the last of the potted plants they'd been sent in the back seat, wondering if he should give her a hug, or just smile and nod. He settled on extending a hand, proud to see it only trembled a little, and doing his best to fix a grin on his face.
"Well, take care," he said, hoping he sounded cheerful enough.
Jordan lifted her eyebrow at him, looking at his hand then back at his face. "You waiting for a tip or something?"
He sighed, slumping and lowered his hand. "No," he mumbled, not even bothering to keep the grin on his face. "Sorry. Guess I'll...see you around." He turned away and shoved his hands into his pockets, face flaming with shame and embarrassment that he'd ever thought their overtures toward friendship were anything other than the indulgent friendliness patients extended toward doctors.
Fuck, I'm such a moron...way to go, Dorian, way to stay detached...idiot, idiot, idiot!
"Uh, DJ?"
He spun on his heels, turning to find Jordan leaning against the Porsche, ankles crossed and arms folded over her chest. She had an amused look on her face.
"Yeah?" he asked, when several moments passed and she still hadn't spoken again.
"Where do you think you're going?"
He frowned. "Uh...back to work," he said slowly. "At least, that was the plan..."
"And I'm supposed to get all this into the apartment by myself, is that it?"
Oh. He flushed brighter. "Sorry," he said, moving forward again and climbing into the Porsche at her nod. He pulled the seatbelt over his shoulder, drumming his fingers on the door and thinking at least this way he'd get to make sure Perry was settled before he'd have to leave again.
Jordan climbed in beside him and started the car, and the short drive to the apartment was conducted in silence. JD stared blankly out the window, watching the cars pass, trying not to think. The last thing he needed was to break down again in front of them--but honestly, it would be so much more difficult to keep his cool when he had to say goodbye at the door of the apartment instead of the door of the hospital. At least the hospital tended to foster the detachment he'd worked so hard to build. But Perry's apartment...
They unloaded in silence, waiting for the call that would tell them the ambulance was on its way. Perry had to be loaded under the supervision of the orthopedist, so they were waiting for him to arrive before they got going.
As Jordan and JD were settling the last of the plants into the corner of the den, Jordan's phone rang, and they hurried downstairs to hold doors and direct and generally oversee Perry's transportation into the apartment and onto his bed. The older doctor's face was very pale by the time they'd gotten him settled, despite the extra dose of pain medication he'd been given, and JD had to bite his lip very hard against an urge to say "I told you so."
Still, as the paramedics filed out, he had to admit Perry looked a good deal more comfortable in the large bed, legs propped up on pillows. Jordan moved into the room, moving around to offer Perry a glass of ice water, which he took, looking grateful. As she leaned forward to prop him up and help him drink, JD shifted awkwardly in the doorway, wondering if they even remembered he was there. "Well, I...I guess I'll see you around," he said eventually.
They both looked up at him, mildly surprised, and he cringed. Or not, he thought bitterly. "Feel better, Dr. Cox," he said, reverting to the old formality in hopes that it would make this easier.
"DJ," Jordan said, sliding off the bed and moving forward, "I've got something for you."
"Oh, you didn't have to..." JD started, as she reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope, pushing it into his hands. He frowned, looking down, and opened it, eyebrows going up when he realized the envelope contained a key. "What's this?"
"I don't want to have to play butler all the time," she informed him. "That's your key. Don't lose it. Now come here, and I'll show you where your room is."
"My key? My room?" JD blinked at her, knowing his mouth was hanging open stupidly.
"You don't want to be running over from your apartment every time Perry needs something, do you?"
"I...uh..." JD shook his head, looking back and forth between them. "Why would he be asking me if he did? I thought you'd hired someone..." And hearing it was an adorable little assistant girl hadn't made him feel any better about letting Perry out of the hospital.
"You're really dense sometimes, DJ," Jordan observed, cocking her head at him. "How did you get through medical school, when you can't see what's right in front of your face?"
"On my good looks and charm," JD shot back, frowning at her. "You're saying you hired me? One of you could've said something."
"And missed this?" Perry chuckled. "Not likely."
"What makes you so sure I'll say yes?"
Perry looked up at him, face unreadable. "Are you saying no?"
"No," JD replied, crossing his arms. "But I'm not saying yes, yet, either. What, exactly, do you want me to do? And I should've known Kelso caved too easily..."
Jordan sighed. "We want you to be here," she said quietly. "Live-in help, basically. We weren't joking when we said 'hired,' either--we're willing to compensate you for the time you'll have to take off work."
"We can find someone else, if you'd rather not," Perry added. "But we'd rather it be you."
JD nodded again, thinking about it. He knew he should be jumping at the chance...get to live in Perry's apartment, see him all the time, do the best he could to make sure the older man didn't do something incredibly stupid that Jordan wasn't strong enough to stop him trying...But could he handle it? Watching them together in their home, being cut off even from his co-workers, who he'd had to ease the pressure the past three weeks?
But if he said no...this was it. He was sure of it. And he knew he couldn't handle that.
"All right," JD said slowly. "I'll see about getting a leave of absence. After all...I'd rather it was me, too," he added, smiling.
"Don't worry about getting leave," Jordan said, a small smile on her face. "I've already taken care of it. It's paid leave, too--only half pay, but it's better than nothing. And like I said--we're willing to compensate you."
JD shook his head, laughing softly. "Should've guessed. All right. On behalf of my student loans, I'll take you up on that. But if something like this comes up again? Ask me first. I would've said yes, but I would've liked to have known ahead of time, okay?"
"Newbie, I solemnly swear that next time I survive a plane crash and need some live-in care, I will ask you before assuming you'll do it," Perry said, looking very serious.
JD nodded, his own expression similar. "That's all I ask, Dr. Cox."
Jordan rolled her eyes at them. "All right, you two, I'm making food," she said. They'd long ago stopped naming their meals--their sleep schedules had gotten so absurd that the names stopped having any meaning. They ate when they were hungry, which was fortunately usually around the same time. "Perry, chicken broth for you."
Perry cringed, giving JD a long suffering glance, and JD bit back a smile, feeling a small thrill of excitement at the inclusion. "Sounds perfect," Perry intoned.
Jordan lifted her eyebrows at him. "Well, maybe you'll think about it first, next time you decide to get a piece of commercial airliner embedded in your guts," she said. Then, turning to JD, she said, "What sounds good to you? I think we have a couple frozen pizzas in the fridge. Or I can order out."
"Either way, it's not hospital cafeteria food, so I'm happy," JD replied, grinning. "But Chinese would be wonderful..."
"Mmm, it would. I'll go make a call and get one of everything."
JD smiled, watching her leave the room, before adding the key she'd given him to his keyring. "I'll have to go home in a bit, get some real clothes and stuff," he observed, looking around the room. No chairs, just the huge bed, with its padded headboard. He'd been in the apartment fairly often, when he was seeing Danni, but never in here...
He glanced back at Perry, and shrugged a little. "So, I've ridden in your Porsche and I'm staying in your apartment...Want me to examine your head again? Just in case?"
Perry chuckled. "Falling out of the sky can make you re-evaluate a few things," he said rather cryptically, shrugging.
"I'd imagine so..." JD shivered internally, making a face as the remembered smell of the crash site rose unbidden in his mind. He wondered if Perry knew he'd been there. He hadn't told him, but Jordan probably had...
Perry tilted his head, studying JD carefully. "You all right there, Newbie?"
"Yeah. Just...you know my imagination. Runs away on me sometimes." JD shrugged again, pushing the images and sense memories away again, closing the door on them. Later, he'd deal with all of that. Not yet.
Perry didn't say anything, but kept watching him, and JD felt himself blush, beginning to fidget. "So...how long do you guys want me here?" he finally asked, not knowing what else to say.
"At least until I'm able to move around on crutches," Perry said. "If that's okay. So probably a couple months. Oh, and we're covering room and board, by the way," he added. "So that's one less thing you have to worry about."
"Might be nice for Turk and Carla, anyway, being all newly-wed and everything..." JD nodded, wishing he dared sit on the bed, but not wanting to risk bouncing Perry, even if he'd known it was okay. "How much of my stuff can I bring over? I mean...is it my room, or am I just crashing here between trips back to my apartment to do laundry?"
"We've got a washer-dryer unit here," Jordan said, coming in behind him with a tray, upon which balanced a mug of broth and a glass of what looked like apple juice. "So bring as much as you want."
"I draw the line at that creepy dead dog, though," Perry added, giving JD a stern look. "It'd scare Jack."
"Speaking of, I'm going to need to go pick him up from my mom's later," Jordan said, turning to Perry. "Is there anything I can get for you, while I'm out?"
Perry shook his head. "Just ask Jana here what she wants from the grocery store, but no, I'm fine."
Jordan nodded, glancing up at JD. "Want to go look through cabinets with me?" she said. "I don't know what all we have at the moment, but we can start making a list."
JD had smiled at that idea of getting to see Jack, though he wasn't sure he trusted Carla not to throw Rowdy out in his absence. But he nodded at Jordan, stretching and yawning suddenly. "Okay. I can help cook, by the way. I'm pretty good at it..."
"Good," Perry grumbled. "Maybe you can spice up the broth."
"Oh, quit whining," Jordan said, reaching out to lightly smack his uninjured hand. "Remember, as soon as you're on real food, you'll have to start pooing in a bedpan."
Perry cringed. "Thanks for that," he muttered, giving JD another look, and JD suppressed a giggle.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
* * *
Next Chapter
* * *
Characters: JD/Perry, JD/Jordan, Jordan/Perry, JD/Perry/Jordan
Series Rating: NC-17 (eventually)
Description: A terrible accident requires JD use all his skill to save the mentor he idolizes. But times of crisis can bring people together in unusual ways...
Author's Note: Beta by
yutamiyu who rocks all! Thanks again, you are totally awesome. Warnings: Eventual OT3. Het content.
"You know, Tiffany, watching your doctor drool on himself doesn't inspire as much confidence as you'd think..."
JD started awake, flailing as he felt his ass slip off the edge of the chair, depositing him on the floor in a heap.
"Neither does that."
JD scrambled to his feet. "D-Dr. Cox!" he stammered, trying to wake himself up, and trying to ignore the rather uncomfortable ache in his back, the result of spending the night in a chair. "How're you feeling?"
Perry made a face. "Not fantastic, but not as bad as last night," he said, after pausing for a moment to do a physical inventory of himself. He shrugged, his upper lip quirking wryly. "Guess after what happened, I can't expect to feel any better."
"Suppose not," JD replied, yawning hugely before shaking his head and wiping the sleep from his eyes. He blinked a time or to. Jordan was still asleep in her chair, looking softer than she ever did awake. He felt his own expression soften, looking at her, before turning back to Perry. "I know Elliot looked in on you a few times yesterday when I was asleep...did she or anyone else go over everything with you?" At least Perry seemed awake and aware enough to take it all in now. Not that JD was looking forward to giving him the list...
Perry shook his head. "No," he said, and to JD's surprise, he looked a little nervous. "I got the impression it wasn't good, though...guess they were leaving the dirty work for you." He gave JD what passed for a smile, and nodded. "Hit me."
JD sat down carefully on the edge of the bed. "It's not great," he agreed. "You've got cuts and bruises, of course. A couple of those may scar. Your right shoulder was dislocated, so you'll be using that arm again pretty soon." He went on, mentioning the concussion, the fractured metacarpals, the cracked ribs, the removed spleen. "There was a piece of shrapnel in your abdomen, so they had to do a partial lower intestinal resection. Everything went well in the surgery, though, and we have every reason to believe it will heal just fine. You'll be on a limited diet for awhile, but...well, you know that already." He paused, unable to help himself, gaze flicking to the huge cast on Perry's leg.
Perry's mouth tightened into a thin line when he caught the direction of JD's glance. "Best for last, huh?" he murmured. "Come on, Newbie. Tell me."
"Your ankle was dislocated, as well, and both tibia and fibula were broken, in two places and three, respectively. And your knee...your patella was shattered, and there was extensive damage to the ligaments. You'll walk again, if you work hard enough, but you'll probably limp and may need a cane." JD'd have softened the words if he'd thought it would help, but with Perry...anything less than the unvarnished truth wouldn't be appreciated.
It still hurt to watch the information sink in, though. Perry blinked at him for a moment, then looked down at his leg, then closed his eyes, releasing a sigh and looking away. "Great," he muttered. "Sounds like fun."
"You can hit the interns with it," JD offered, wanting to reach over and squeeze Perry's hand, say something especially comforting...but the ease he'd felt the night before had vanished. "They did what they could, before, but you'll need more surgery later. To remove the pins in your leg and hand, and for a knee replacement. And...that's it."
Perry released a bark of what might've been laughter. "Well, as long as it isn't serious," he said, lifting an eyebrow and meeting JD's gaze. There was something about the way he did it--some strange level of camaraderie--that made JD shiver a little.
"I'd say you were lucky, but I think you'd find a way to hit me if I did," JD replied, smiling a little wryly. "Same for 'it could've been worse'. So I'll stick with just saying you've got a bunch of people ready to give you all the help you need."
"What about you?"
"I'm not going anywhere until you ask me to, and Jordan backs you up," JD replied with a shrug, knowing it was true. "Except maybe home to get a fresh set of scrubs every few days. I didn't get a start on putting you back together to let you fall apart."
"Sweet of you, Bernadette, but I meant what about you?" Perry said, voice softer than JD was used to hearing it. "You look like hell. Haven't you been eating?"
"Oh! Um. Yeah..." JD frowned, trying to remember the last time he'd actually had food and not just coffee.
Perry lifted his eyebrows, eyes traveling down the length of JD's body then back to his face. "Not enough, I'm thinking," he said. "Why don't you go get yourself something? I imagine I'll be right about here when you get back."
"If you're sure..." JD hesitated, but his stomach growled loudly, given an opportunity to voice its protest at its emptiness, and he giggled. "Okay, I think I've been overruled. Thanks, Dr. Cox."
Perry snorted. "For telling you to stop starving yourself? No problem. Twenty years in the medical profession, I was bound to make a useful suggestion at some point. Now get out of here, Jill. Oh--and bring something for the Queen of the Darkness, would you? I don't think she's been eating much either."
"I've been bringing her food already, actually," JD replied, slipping off the bed. "But she might've missed last night, so I'll grab her something."
Perry nodded. "Okay. And JD?"
JD paused, eyebrows going up at the use of his name. "Yeah?"
After a momentary hesitation, a genuine smile appeared slowly on Perry's face, and his eyes softened. "Thank you."
JD smiled back, the same soft, real smile he'd given Perry the night before. "You're welcome. Perry. See you in a bit."
* * *
The next week had JD thoroughly confused.
He grabbed sleep when he could, mostly napping when Perry did during the day, ready to be awake in the night if the older doctor once again worried himself into muscle spasms. JD didn't know why he could bring Perry out of it, when Jordan couldn't, but she'd merely shrugged and told him he was welcome to it, and it wasn't really her thing to hang over Perry stroking his hair and whispering sweet nothings to him.
That was the other thing that had him confused. The teasing, the light jabs, the behavior he still would've thought was flirting, if it'd come from anyone else. But it was Jordan. Perry joined in, but understandably had other things on his mind, so mostly left the bulk of it up to Jordan.
And JD found himself responding more than once, fielding Jordan's barbs with his own sarcastic or smart-assed answers, finding it did give him a little thrill to see her eyebrows go up and her grin widen at a particularly well crafted retort. It seemed to entertain Perry, too, and he was willing to do a lot to get the other man to smile.
But always, hanging over his head, was the knowledge that Perry'd be leaving the hospital, and sooner than JD would've let him if he'd really had a choice. And then...well. He'd see him for check-ups, probably, though he'd be working more and more with the orthopedist as he healed. So JD wouldn't see him regularly until he came back to work. If he came back.
It made JD cherish the moments they had now all the more. And kept him grateful to wake at the smallest noise in the night, spending the dark just talking to Perry. Not about anything important, but they did talk. JD wasn't sure if Perry had nightmares in the dark, or if it was just that the pain was harder to manage when the sun went down, but either way they spent long hours simply chatting. He learned more about his mentor in those few nights than he'd found out in the past four years, and the box in his head marked "Perry" grew with trivia, facts, and stories.
Perry learned plenty about him in return, but seemed less willing to ridicule him for it. JD actually searched for embarrassing anecdotes about himself just to see the smile on Perry's face, and to hear the girls' names and the teasing when he'd finished.
And all of it, all of it, just made his crush worse. Before, he'd liked the potential of the man, admired him, treasured the few moments they'd had that he hoped would occur more often if he worked his way in. And now, thanks to their odd circumstances, he'd seemed to.
And he was only falling harder and harder.
Not just for Perry, either. His admiration of and attraction to Jordan had only been growing as well, and he actually caught himself wondering which of them he was more jealous of, when he walked in on them kissing softly.
"I'm an idiot," he murmured to his coffee cup, draining it and tossing it aside, heading back to Perry's room. Crushes on the last two people in the world who'd return them--desperate partner-almost-dying sex aside--and he couldn't seem to stop either of them from growing. Least he wasn't sleeping deeply enough to dream most of the time...He really didn't want to start talking in his sleep with both of them in the room and listening. God only knew what he'd say just now...
A time or two he wondered if he'd been talking without realizing it, though, because he'd drift out of sleep to find them both watching him, and in the split second before he was completely awake, he'd see something in their expressions he couldn't identify. It would fade too quickly for him to sort it out in his half-asleep state, and they'd smile and tease him about drooling, and Jordan would offer him coffee or food or whatever she happened to have, or Perry would send him to the on-call room for real sleep, and things would go on as normal. But a part of JD's mind would drift back to those expressions, trying to call them up, and puzzle them out.
He never could, though. And three weeks after the crash, Kelso blustered in and told Perry he was being released to go home.
JD protested, following Kelso out of the room and grabbing his arm, not caring if it got him in trouble later. "Sir, I really don't know if he's ready," he said, voice low. "He's just barely out of the sling, and he'll still have to have surgery on the knee and his hand, and you know Jordan can't handle all his care on her own..."
"Well, sport," Kelso said, giving his arm a significant look, and JD released it, embarrassed. "I'd say you'll have to take this up with them, as they're the ones who've been pushing to get him released."
JD gaped after him, then hurried back into the room. "Okay, what's going on, here?" he demanded, hands flying to his hips as he glared from Perry to Jordan then back to Perry again. "You want to tell me why you decided you're good to go?"
Perry lifted his eyebrows at him. "Well, Ashley, despite the quality service and luxurious accommodations, we decided the honeymoon had to end eventually."
"If all he's going to do is lie in bed and whine, he might as well do it where I can put something on TV and tune him out when he gets tedious," Jordan added, and Perry glowered at her for a moment before returning his attention to JD.
"But...you still need surgery," he protested, frowning. "You'll have to be right back here in a week or so."
"Still a week I'd rather spend in my own bed, if it's all the same to you," Perry retorted. "It's a California-king-sized Denver mattress, and will actually be easier on my leg than this piece of Styrofoam-over-plywood." His eyes softened. "Look, I already talked to the orthopedic surgeon," he said. "He's released me from his service, and they're arranging an ambulance to get me home, and orderlies to get me into the apartment. It's all taken care of, Newbie."
"No, it's not," JD said. "As your primary care physician, you're not free to go until I release you." He folded his arms, trying for stern, but knowing he wasn't doing a very good job of it.
Jordan smirked at him. "And you're not going to, is that so?"
"Maybe I won't," JD said weakly. "I don't think it's a good idea to move him around that much before we get that knee repaired, and he's had at least some preliminary physical therapy..."
"I'm being moved by professionals," Perry said. "I'm being parked on my ass in front of my flat-screen plasma TV, and I'm being waited on hand and foot by my lovely ex here," he nodded at Jordan, "and by the wonderful assistant girl we're hiring. Then I'm being brought back by professionals, and voila. All will be well. Now come on, JD..." his voice lowered, and he looked up at JD persuasively. "Let me go."
JD drew a sharp breath through his nose, barely swallowing the odd choking noise that wanted to escape him. Let him go. Yeah, that was the real problem, wasn't it? And he couldn't help but wonder if Perry knew that.
He sighed, slumping a little and shaking his head, but he lowered his arms. "All right," he said, his voice a little dull. "If you honestly think it's for the best...I'll release you. But"--he looked up again, waggling his finger and attempting (and failing) to look stern--"I want it noted I'm opposed to this."
"Duly noted," Perry said, casting a glance at Jordan and reaching out with his good hand to squeeze her fingers.
JD sighed again, turning away under the pretense of checking Perry's IV pump, but in reality he simply didn't want them to see the way his face had fallen, or the way his eyes were now probably shiny with the tears he was desperately trying to blink away.
It was silly. He knew it was silly. After all, Perry couldn't stay forever. And honestly, JD wouldn't want him to stay forever--he knew how miserable the older doctor had to be, stuck at work, of all places. But a part of him, a large part, had come to wish there was a way for things to stay the way they were, with he and Perry acting like friends, and he and Jordan flirting a little, and all three of them working together in a camaraderie that JD knew would vanish, once Perry left the hospital. As long as Perry was here, JD had a reason to be at his side. But as soon as Perry went home...he'd be expected to go back to work, to stop fussing over him, to get on with his life. And he really wasn't sure he could.
But there was no stopping them, apparently; the next morning, he woke early to find a group of paramedics at the door, stretcher between them. And after some very careful maneuvering, Perry was on the stretcher, being wheeled toward the elevators.
JD had offered to help Jordan carry her things to her car--it had been long enough that she'd accumulated quite a few of them--and as they walked, he felt the dull pain that had settled heavily into his limbs grow heavier still. This was it.
He hoisted the last bag into the trunk of the Porsche, closing it, and brushing his hands on his scrubs pants. He glanced up at Jordan, who was arranging the last of the potted plants they'd been sent in the back seat, wondering if he should give her a hug, or just smile and nod. He settled on extending a hand, proud to see it only trembled a little, and doing his best to fix a grin on his face.
"Well, take care," he said, hoping he sounded cheerful enough.
Jordan lifted her eyebrow at him, looking at his hand then back at his face. "You waiting for a tip or something?"
He sighed, slumping and lowered his hand. "No," he mumbled, not even bothering to keep the grin on his face. "Sorry. Guess I'll...see you around." He turned away and shoved his hands into his pockets, face flaming with shame and embarrassment that he'd ever thought their overtures toward friendship were anything other than the indulgent friendliness patients extended toward doctors.
Fuck, I'm such a moron...way to go, Dorian, way to stay detached...idiot, idiot, idiot!
"Uh, DJ?"
He spun on his heels, turning to find Jordan leaning against the Porsche, ankles crossed and arms folded over her chest. She had an amused look on her face.
"Yeah?" he asked, when several moments passed and she still hadn't spoken again.
"Where do you think you're going?"
He frowned. "Uh...back to work," he said slowly. "At least, that was the plan..."
"And I'm supposed to get all this into the apartment by myself, is that it?"
Oh. He flushed brighter. "Sorry," he said, moving forward again and climbing into the Porsche at her nod. He pulled the seatbelt over his shoulder, drumming his fingers on the door and thinking at least this way he'd get to make sure Perry was settled before he'd have to leave again.
Jordan climbed in beside him and started the car, and the short drive to the apartment was conducted in silence. JD stared blankly out the window, watching the cars pass, trying not to think. The last thing he needed was to break down again in front of them--but honestly, it would be so much more difficult to keep his cool when he had to say goodbye at the door of the apartment instead of the door of the hospital. At least the hospital tended to foster the detachment he'd worked so hard to build. But Perry's apartment...
They unloaded in silence, waiting for the call that would tell them the ambulance was on its way. Perry had to be loaded under the supervision of the orthopedist, so they were waiting for him to arrive before they got going.
As Jordan and JD were settling the last of the plants into the corner of the den, Jordan's phone rang, and they hurried downstairs to hold doors and direct and generally oversee Perry's transportation into the apartment and onto his bed. The older doctor's face was very pale by the time they'd gotten him settled, despite the extra dose of pain medication he'd been given, and JD had to bite his lip very hard against an urge to say "I told you so."
Still, as the paramedics filed out, he had to admit Perry looked a good deal more comfortable in the large bed, legs propped up on pillows. Jordan moved into the room, moving around to offer Perry a glass of ice water, which he took, looking grateful. As she leaned forward to prop him up and help him drink, JD shifted awkwardly in the doorway, wondering if they even remembered he was there. "Well, I...I guess I'll see you around," he said eventually.
They both looked up at him, mildly surprised, and he cringed. Or not, he thought bitterly. "Feel better, Dr. Cox," he said, reverting to the old formality in hopes that it would make this easier.
"DJ," Jordan said, sliding off the bed and moving forward, "I've got something for you."
"Oh, you didn't have to..." JD started, as she reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope, pushing it into his hands. He frowned, looking down, and opened it, eyebrows going up when he realized the envelope contained a key. "What's this?"
"I don't want to have to play butler all the time," she informed him. "That's your key. Don't lose it. Now come here, and I'll show you where your room is."
"My key? My room?" JD blinked at her, knowing his mouth was hanging open stupidly.
"You don't want to be running over from your apartment every time Perry needs something, do you?"
"I...uh..." JD shook his head, looking back and forth between them. "Why would he be asking me if he did? I thought you'd hired someone..." And hearing it was an adorable little assistant girl hadn't made him feel any better about letting Perry out of the hospital.
"You're really dense sometimes, DJ," Jordan observed, cocking her head at him. "How did you get through medical school, when you can't see what's right in front of your face?"
"On my good looks and charm," JD shot back, frowning at her. "You're saying you hired me? One of you could've said something."
"And missed this?" Perry chuckled. "Not likely."
"What makes you so sure I'll say yes?"
Perry looked up at him, face unreadable. "Are you saying no?"
"No," JD replied, crossing his arms. "But I'm not saying yes, yet, either. What, exactly, do you want me to do? And I should've known Kelso caved too easily..."
Jordan sighed. "We want you to be here," she said quietly. "Live-in help, basically. We weren't joking when we said 'hired,' either--we're willing to compensate you for the time you'll have to take off work."
"We can find someone else, if you'd rather not," Perry added. "But we'd rather it be you."
JD nodded again, thinking about it. He knew he should be jumping at the chance...get to live in Perry's apartment, see him all the time, do the best he could to make sure the older man didn't do something incredibly stupid that Jordan wasn't strong enough to stop him trying...But could he handle it? Watching them together in their home, being cut off even from his co-workers, who he'd had to ease the pressure the past three weeks?
But if he said no...this was it. He was sure of it. And he knew he couldn't handle that.
"All right," JD said slowly. "I'll see about getting a leave of absence. After all...I'd rather it was me, too," he added, smiling.
"Don't worry about getting leave," Jordan said, a small smile on her face. "I've already taken care of it. It's paid leave, too--only half pay, but it's better than nothing. And like I said--we're willing to compensate you."
JD shook his head, laughing softly. "Should've guessed. All right. On behalf of my student loans, I'll take you up on that. But if something like this comes up again? Ask me first. I would've said yes, but I would've liked to have known ahead of time, okay?"
"Newbie, I solemnly swear that next time I survive a plane crash and need some live-in care, I will ask you before assuming you'll do it," Perry said, looking very serious.
JD nodded, his own expression similar. "That's all I ask, Dr. Cox."
Jordan rolled her eyes at them. "All right, you two, I'm making food," she said. They'd long ago stopped naming their meals--their sleep schedules had gotten so absurd that the names stopped having any meaning. They ate when they were hungry, which was fortunately usually around the same time. "Perry, chicken broth for you."
Perry cringed, giving JD a long suffering glance, and JD bit back a smile, feeling a small thrill of excitement at the inclusion. "Sounds perfect," Perry intoned.
Jordan lifted her eyebrows at him. "Well, maybe you'll think about it first, next time you decide to get a piece of commercial airliner embedded in your guts," she said. Then, turning to JD, she said, "What sounds good to you? I think we have a couple frozen pizzas in the fridge. Or I can order out."
"Either way, it's not hospital cafeteria food, so I'm happy," JD replied, grinning. "But Chinese would be wonderful..."
"Mmm, it would. I'll go make a call and get one of everything."
JD smiled, watching her leave the room, before adding the key she'd given him to his keyring. "I'll have to go home in a bit, get some real clothes and stuff," he observed, looking around the room. No chairs, just the huge bed, with its padded headboard. He'd been in the apartment fairly often, when he was seeing Danni, but never in here...
He glanced back at Perry, and shrugged a little. "So, I've ridden in your Porsche and I'm staying in your apartment...Want me to examine your head again? Just in case?"
Perry chuckled. "Falling out of the sky can make you re-evaluate a few things," he said rather cryptically, shrugging.
"I'd imagine so..." JD shivered internally, making a face as the remembered smell of the crash site rose unbidden in his mind. He wondered if Perry knew he'd been there. He hadn't told him, but Jordan probably had...
Perry tilted his head, studying JD carefully. "You all right there, Newbie?"
"Yeah. Just...you know my imagination. Runs away on me sometimes." JD shrugged again, pushing the images and sense memories away again, closing the door on them. Later, he'd deal with all of that. Not yet.
Perry didn't say anything, but kept watching him, and JD felt himself blush, beginning to fidget. "So...how long do you guys want me here?" he finally asked, not knowing what else to say.
"At least until I'm able to move around on crutches," Perry said. "If that's okay. So probably a couple months. Oh, and we're covering room and board, by the way," he added. "So that's one less thing you have to worry about."
"Might be nice for Turk and Carla, anyway, being all newly-wed and everything..." JD nodded, wishing he dared sit on the bed, but not wanting to risk bouncing Perry, even if he'd known it was okay. "How much of my stuff can I bring over? I mean...is it my room, or am I just crashing here between trips back to my apartment to do laundry?"
"We've got a washer-dryer unit here," Jordan said, coming in behind him with a tray, upon which balanced a mug of broth and a glass of what looked like apple juice. "So bring as much as you want."
"I draw the line at that creepy dead dog, though," Perry added, giving JD a stern look. "It'd scare Jack."
"Speaking of, I'm going to need to go pick him up from my mom's later," Jordan said, turning to Perry. "Is there anything I can get for you, while I'm out?"
Perry shook his head. "Just ask Jana here what she wants from the grocery store, but no, I'm fine."
Jordan nodded, glancing up at JD. "Want to go look through cabinets with me?" she said. "I don't know what all we have at the moment, but we can start making a list."
JD had smiled at that idea of getting to see Jack, though he wasn't sure he trusted Carla not to throw Rowdy out in his absence. But he nodded at Jordan, stretching and yawning suddenly. "Okay. I can help cook, by the way. I'm pretty good at it..."
"Good," Perry grumbled. "Maybe you can spice up the broth."
"Oh, quit whining," Jordan said, reaching out to lightly smack his uninjured hand. "Remember, as soon as you're on real food, you'll have to start pooing in a bedpan."
Perry cringed. "Thanks for that," he muttered, giving JD another look, and JD suppressed a giggle.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
* * *
Next Chapter
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Date: 4 Jul 2008 16:26 (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 Jul 2008 16:40 (UTC)A tad confused on JD's crush on Jordan, but I trust you guys so I'm not too concerned.
Awesome, as always.
Date: 4 Jul 2008 17:29 (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 Jul 2008 19:36 (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 Jul 2008 20:27 (UTC)You're doing an amazing job with this, both of you... :3
!!!!!
Date: 5 Jul 2008 00:29 (UTC)By the way, Perry/Jordan/JD is way underdone.
Can't wait to see how deep this rabbit hole goes!
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Date: 5 Jul 2008 04:46 (UTC)no subject
Date: 6 Jul 2008 05:12 (UTC)My new website
Date: 30 Sep 2016 18:00 (UTC)http://sunni.muslim.purplesphere.in/?entry-jolie
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