Primum Non Noceri

If there is one thing that strikes fear into the heart of Dr. Cox it's the possibility of having affection towards another human being. Even more so if said human is also his intern. Cox X OC AU.


"Primum Non Noceri."/ "First do no harm"

- Fundamental principle of medicine

She wasn't his problem.

He told himself that over and over, but the words refused to stick. In fact, he realized with frustration that chanting those words was just making the situation worse. The bespeckled brunette remained entrenched in his mind, no matter how much he wished her away.

She's not my intern, he restated. I don't have to see her ever again if I don't want to.

But he did. And therein lied his problem: no matter how much time he spent pacing in his office, he would eventually gravitate back to her. And for what? To verify a pointless crush? To feel a meaningful connection with a person that just happened to be female?

Perry shuddered at the thought. He'd been in love… if you could call that special kind of hateful chemistry love. Marriage didn't suit him, but he'd learned to cope with divorce just fine. There was just no point in ruining the hard-won equilibrium that his life had achieved.

But that day in the locker room. The chance conversations in the halls. The relentless, yet kind brown eyes that were reddened by tears during a night shift he wasn't going to forget anytime soon. She was a refreshing break from the unhinged dominatrixes he was used to dealing with, while still complementing his own less-than-gentlemanly demeanor.

But because of that, he'd cultivated a weed over the past few months. Or had it been longer?

He furrowed his brows and tried to pinpoint the exact timing of his downfall.

"Excuse me, Doctor Cox, but could you look at my central line placement? I want to make sure it's right."

He turned around gruffly, clipboard in hand, and replied, "Isn't Dr. Suarez in charge of your ward?"

"Yes, but he's not around." She retorted, coughing into her hand before more politely insisting, "I would really appreciate it. I know it's not your patient but – "

"Where is he?" he interrupted before following her down the hall.

Is that honestly how it started? It was a lackluster conversation at best… he hadn't even bothered to glance at the ID card strapped to her scrub pants that said her name was Gwen.

Revitalized by how unimpressive their first encounter was, he pushed open the door of his office and entered reality again after a long exhale.

"Not my problem," he repeated one more time, under his breath, as the corner of his eye spotted a familiar outline.

"Doctor Cox," greeted Carla, matching his gait as they walked down the hall. "Where were you hiding all this time? We're going to need you to cover for Dr. Suarez. He was in a car accident and is gonna be out for a couple days."

The white-coated man froze, much to the surprise of the nurse.

"Are you alright?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes at him. The weight of her suspicion made his snap out from his momentary lapse.

He nodded, of course, but he could sense that things were about to go wrong.

"Alright newbies, come with me and I'll try to mitigate whatever damage you cause while trying to 'help' these poor souls out." He announced as he entered the ward. He didn't see her for a while, and his heart jumped at the prospect that she may have transferred or somehow displaced herself from the universe. But then he saw her on a stool, sitting by window, just as she turned herself around to face him.

It was as the light seemed to hit her just right that he realized he'd miscalculated.

Things were about to go terribly wrong.


A/N: Thanks for reading! Just started to follow Scrubs and adored Dr. Cox off the bat. I just wanted to test how people like this sort of angle, so please R&R if you get a chance.