This is my first Scrubs fanfiction and it is set from episode 521, "My Fallen Idol", onwards. Dr Cox and Jordan have recently split up and Elliot's relationship with Keith is on the rocks. The pairing is Elliot/Dr Cox.
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"I can't believe that you thought that The Todd was gay." Keith shook his head, a knowing smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. There had been a time when Elliot had found this expression attractive, but now it set her on edge; she felt foolish enough without her boyfriend rubbing it in, and the atmosphere in Sacred Heart had been subdued since the deaths of the transplant patients. Death itself was a frequent occurance at the hospital, but it was rare to see Dr Cox so obviously distressed by anything.
"Well he isn't not gay, Keith, and now really isn't the time!" As she lifted her charts from the counter and walked around the corridor, Elliot felt calmed by her outburst. She took a deep breath and focussed on the first of her patients; a forty-one year old woman who been suffering from sickness, causes unknown.
Walking in a manner that she hoped exuded confidence, Elliot continued down the corridor until she reached the room. On the bed sat a cheerful looking woman with dark hair, engrossed in a beauty magazine. The patient looked up expectantly as Elliot entered the room.
"Mrs Black? I'm Dr Elliot Reid and I'm going to be overseeing your tests." She stepped to the side of the bed.
"Oh please, call me Karen." At this Elliot couldn't help smile- having a friendly patient always put her in a good mood because it was always especially rewarding to help someone that was nice.
"Alright, I just need to ask some routine questions as an indication of what tests we should run first, okay Karen?" The patient nodded and adjusted the blankets as Elliot flicked through the file. Beyond a broken arm, there was no history of illness. "You passed out at work this morning. Can you remember how you felt before that?"
"I was too hot, and I kept thinking that I needed some fresh air. Then I felt like I was going to be sick, and I tried to sit down, but then I just..." She shrugged and Elliot looked at her sympathetically.
"And has anything like this happened before, at home?"
"Yeah, but I never thought much of it because it hasn't affected me this badly. It's not serious, is it?" Despite her kneejerk urge to comfort Karen, Elliot refrained from promising anything.
"We'll do some tests- strictly routine- and hopefully the results will be conclusive." She wrote about her findings on the clipboard to give Karen a moment to calm down, and just as Elliot opened her mouth to ask another question, her pager sounded. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Thank you Dr Reid." Karen's words barely registered with Elliot as she saw the room number- one of Dr Cox's patients who was in for observation, nothing complicated. As she ran towards her destination, Elliot dodged a questioning intern and nearly collided with JD as she arrived. JD remained still in the doorway, and Elliot placed a hand on his back in order to steady herself.
"Keep going, JD. What are you doing?" When her friend still did not move, Elliot peered around him. Dr Cox swayed dangerously, fiddling with an IV in a way that showed none of the wealth of his medical experience. At first she didn't understand what it was that caused his strange behaviour, but as soon as Dr Cox spoke, the truth became clear.
"Newbie, will you give me a little trouble? I'm having some help here." The fluids spilled from the tubing, and for a moment the only sound in the room was the splatter as they hit the linoleum flooring. Elliot was the first to recover. Slipping around JD, she connected the IV tube and set about convincing the patient that nothing was amiss.
"Sorry about that, Mr Mathews; there was a fault with your IV." She nodded briskly, and when Dr Cox made to speak she continued. "It's been fixed. I'll have someone clean this up."
With that, Elliot linked her arm through Dr Cox's and gestured for JD to follow as she frogmarched their boss into what had once been her favourite supply closet. It was crowded, but the three of them made it into Elliot's old hiding place. She doubted very much that hiding in here would make Dr Cox feel any better about himself. Professionally there was no way she could ever condone coming to work whilst drunk, yet Elliot found herself sympathising and gave his arm a gentle squeeze.
"What do we do now?" JD looked petrified, and even in the poor lighting Elliot could see that he was pale. It must be hard for him seeing his role model making such a colossal mistake, but she would comfort him later.
"By any chance Barbie, is there- do you keep- have scotch in here?" The words were horribly slurred, and Elliot winced as she smelled the alcohol on his breath.
"No, Dr Cox, we don't, and that's because this is a hospital." Inwardly Elliot was panicking as she had no clue how to handle this situation. Medical emergencies? Dr Reid could be relied upon. A personal crisis? Elliot, who had arrived from Connecticut with more emotional baggage than she could afford a shrink to handle, was uncertain about how to proceed. What if she did the wrong thing? But they couldn't remain here indefinitely. "We can't let anyone see him like this. Go to the nurses' station and get Carla to call a cab."
JD's relief at being allowed to leave the crowded little room was evident. As the door closed behind him, Elliot wondered what she would do with Dr Cox until the taxi arrived. He was no steadier on his feet, and so she wrapped an arm round his waist to prevent him from falling. If he fell and hit his head then the whole of Sacred Heart would find out about his misdemeanour.
"Barbie.... what are you doing?" Dr Cox shook his head in either confusion or revulsion. "And where are we?"
"Hiding in a supply closet. I'm holding you up because you're too drunk to stand up straight." Her tone was flat- Elliot was suddenly too tired to even consider rebuking Dr Cox for his actions. Seeing him brought so low was incredibly sad; he was proud, talented and not so long ago she had thought of him as invincible. JD still did. Maybe not living up to their expectations had made him feel worse.
"Hmm." It seemed that Dr Cox's liquor addled mind could think of any arguments, as he ceased resisting her efforts and wrapped his own arm around her shoulders.
"Everything's going to be fine. We'll get you home really soon, and you can take a nap, have a shower, eat a nice hot dinner and tomorrow you can come back to work and there won't be a problem." There was no reply, and Elliot wondered who it was that she was trying to reassure. "Everything's going to be fine."
The door swung open, and JD looked completely nervous about what it was that he would see.
"Taxi's here." Elliot sighed in relief, but apprehension coloured her thoughts as she realised there was still the problem of how to get Dr Cox out of the hospital without anyone noticing how drunk he was. Before JD could argue, she moved out into the corridor and positioned herself so that Dr Cox was sandwiched between them. Holding her chart in front of them, Elliot forced herself to think positively.
"Dr Cox, two of our patients are displaying similar symptoms, but we don't know what it could be. Do you have any ideas?" She continued the conversation, wishing that JD would interject more often to make their ploy more convincing.
At first she was thankful when Dr Cox remained silent- the last thing they needed was his drunken rambling if this was to work- but it dawned on Elliot that perhaps it would be better if the older man showed some signs of life, or at least tried to mimic normalcy. Turk was waiting in the elevator, holding the doors open. Like JD, he looked shocked by the revelation that Dr Cox was drunk.
"How's he doing?" The descent began and Elliot prayed that nobody else would get in the lift. She didn't know how to answer Turk's question.
"JD, will you cover my shift? I don't think we should leave him to get home alone." Elliot refrained from adding that he would probably take a taxi to the nearest bar instead of his apartment.
"Uh... sure." The answer was lacklustre at best. Turk watched the exchange incredulously, turning to his best friend.
"You're not going with him? JD, you can go to Dr Cox's apartment now."
"I think Elliot's pretty much got it covered." There was an underlying note of aggression in his voice, and JD looked like an animal backed into a corner. She quashed the urge to cry out 'I have no fricking clue what to do with him!' in the squeaky voice that Dr Cox had always found irritating, instead wondering how being abandoned by JD would make him feel. She frowned at her friend, holding Dr Cox a little more tightly. However, if he had registered the conversation, then Dr Cox made no acknowledgement.
They reached the ground floor, and once more Elliot began the routine of asking him questions about a patient with a rash. The doors were just ahead of them. Her heart hammered in her chest as Elliot increased their pace. Dr Cox wobbled precariously as the trio made their way down the stairs, and Elliot all but pushed him into the taxi. She turned to face JD.
"Here, take this. If you can't look after Dr Cox then look after Karen Black for me instead." Pressing the clipboard into his arms, Elliot ignored the look of hurt on JD's features as she climbed into the yellow cab after Dr Cox. He stared ahead seeing nothing. Giving the address, Elliot arranged herself limply in the seat, watching as Sacred Heart disappeared from view. It was going to be a long day.
When the driver pulled in beside the apartment block, Elliot handed over the fare and helped Dr Cox out of the cab. She felt as though she was alone as the taxi merged with the traffic, leaving her and Dr Cox standing on the sidewalk. Hesitantly, she started walking up to the door of his home, but when Elliot realised that she wasn't being followed, she stopped.
"Dr Cox?" She bounded back down the stairs and linked their arms once more. "Perry?"
He frowned slightly, looking down at her. Elliot smiled, hoping that her uncertainty didn't show too noticeably.
"Come on, Perry." This time he responded to the light tug on his arm and followed Elliot up the stairs. She keyed in the code to get into the apartment block, thankful that some of JD's more stalker-like outbursts had proven unforgettable, and they got into the elevator. By the time they were outside his apartment, Elliot's shoulders were aching from supporting his weight.
When it became clear that Dr Cox had no interest in opening his front door, Elliot reached into the deep pockets of his white coat and withdrew the front door key. She pushed it open and watched, helpless, as he made a beeline for the drink cabinet.
"Why not have some water instead?" His back was to her, and no response was given save for the sigh of pleasure as he swallowed the scotch. "Or juice? Or not..."
Elliot closed the door behind her and headed for the kitchen. The cupboards were unfamiliar, and so progress was slow, but she made him a sandwich, salad and a drink of orange juice for with it. She carried the tray to the coffee table and set it down before him.
"Perry, I have to get back to the hospital now." He didn't even look at her. Would JD have been able to do anything she hadn't? "If you need anything then give me a call- you have my pager number. Get some rest, okay?"
Elliot squeezed his shoulder before leaving the apartment. She didn't know what else to do.
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Thanks for reading. Please review.