They were all alone in the on-call room. Dr. Cox was still reeling from what JD had blurted out. It was only supposed to be a casual relationship, this wasn't supposed to happen, they'd been so careful. He couldn't handle this, not after what had happened with Jack.

"How did this happen?" he demanded.

"You should know Perry, this is your responsibility too. I didn't get this way on my own, you know." JD's voice was steely.

Dr. Cox clasped his hands behind his head. "I know that. I'm just not sure if I'm... ready. Or even able."

"Well, you'd better get sure, but I can't raise this baby on my own and I'm damn sure not giving him up." His gaze never once wavered at he stared into the other man's eyes.

"I'd never ask you to do that, JD." Clenched his hands tighter, until they started to hurt.

"What are we going to do?" JD murmured. Dr. Cox could see the what were the beginning of tears in his eyes.

"We'll raise our baby," he replied. Dr. Cox lowered his hands from behind his head and grasped the other man's hands in his, placing their interlaced fingers on the small bump that was JD's belly and which would one day be their baby. "I'll do my best." He was practically whispering. "I promise."

JD tightened his grasp on the other man's fingers. "You can do it. I know you can."

He squeezed back. "Now don't get all misty eyed on me Clarabelle." He gave a rakish grin which was quite a bit shakier than normal. "Have you told your other half yet?"

"No, not yet." JD shook his head. "He just thinks I'm getting fat from all the late night ice cream eating." He released his grip on Dr. Cox's hands and rubbed the bump. "I'm sure he'll be fine with it though, right?"

--

Even though it was one in the morning Dr. Cox wasn't asleep, hadn't come close to sleeping, not after the bomb JD had dropped on him earlier that day. He was going to be a father, again. Maybe he could actually be a father to this one. He hadn't seen Jack since Jordan ran off with him one day after a particular nasty fight, leaving him a note that gave no clue to their whereabouts and no hint that he would ever seen them again. He had frantically searched for them, called expensive private investigators to help hunt for them, but they never had any luck. The case had gone cold. It had been one year since he'd seen his little boy. He still thought about him every day. He hadn't told anybody else about what Jordan had done, didn't want anyone else to know. He told them that they'd broken up and Jordan and Jack were staying with her parents. It was easier that way. There was a knocking at his front door. He peered through the peephole. It was JD.

He opened the door, letting JD inside. "What are you doing out so late?" He closed the door behind him. He noticed JD was still in his scrubs.

"I couldn't go home." JD gave an awkward grin. "I couldn't figure out how to tell him and it doesn't feel right being there without him knowing. I feel like I'm lying to him. So I told him I hooked up with a girl and was staying at her place tonight. I've been riding my scooter around all night."

"Now Jessica, I so do hope you get the irony of covering up your guilt of feeling like a liar by actually being a liar, yes?" Dr. Cox steered JD to the couch and gently pushed him down onto it.

"Yeah, I know, but I just couldn't..." JD sighed. "How am I supposed to tell him? He's my best friend and I didn't even tell him about us hooking up."

"Well, yes, but then again I threatened to break every one of your bones if you did." Dr. Cox sat down beside him. He put an arm around the other man's shoulder. JD rested his head against it. "And where were you planning on sleeping tonight?"

"I was gonna get a hotel room for the night, maybe watch some Skinemax." JD's eyelids started to droop and he gave out a large yawn.

Dr. Cox shook his head. "Not in this condition you're not." He placed his other hand on JD's belly. "I'm not going to let you ride around on that overgrown hair dryer, half-asleep, carrying this around. You're sleeping here tonight."

JD's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Thanks, I just need a pillow and blanket and I can sleep on the couch."

"No way." Dr. Cox untangled his arms from around the younger man and stood up. "You're sleeping in the bed."

"I can't kick you out of bed in your own house, Dr. Cox," JD started to complain.

"Who said anything about that?" he smirked. JD blushed. Even though they'd had sex many times, they'd never actually slept in the same bad together, or even stayed it in longer than the sex did (not that the sex always occurred in bed). "You can wear one of my shirts to bed." He held out his hands to help JD up off the couch. Once JD was up, though, he didn't let go of them. Dr. Cox led him to the bedroom, only letting goes of his hands long enough to turn off the living room lights, and even then he only relinquished one of them. They stopped before the wardrobe and Dr. Cox picked out a long gray t-shirt for JD to wear. He didn't have to change because he was already in his pajamas.

JD started to strip. "What, are you going to watch?" he asked. There was another slight blush.

"It's not like I've never seen you naked before, newbie," Dr. Cox smirked.

JD quickly finished stripping and quickly pulled the t-shirt on. He looked at the bed, confused as to which side he should choose.

"Left side, Debra," Dr. Cox said with a smirk, turning off the light.