Perry often found himself in the on-call room. Not to sleep, but to let the tears roll. His job was hard and the deaths really got to him. This morning he lost a 5 year old. He had to tell the parents and he spent 30 minutes consoling them. He cleared the on-call room before locking the door and falling into his favorite corner to cry. It wasn't a sobbing cry, it was just quiet harmless tears that he let roll down his face. They were the tears that he couldn't hold back any longer.
He quickly wiped the tears away when the door swung open. Hadn't he locked that door? J.D. stepped in and closed the door. "Dr. Cox?" J.D. called out "I need you for a consult and one of the nurses said you were in here." Perry stood up "I'm over here" the light flicked on at that moment. He had tried to sound okay, but his voice had cracked anyway. "Are you okay?" J.D. asked softly. Perry laughed "I'm a doctor. What is it you need?" It was clear he didn't want to talk about it, but J.D. wasn't going to let go of it. For now he would, but he had a good memory.
When Dr. Cox least expected it J.D. popped up. He trapped him in the elevator. "Talk to me or we don't move until you force me out of the way." "Okay there Newbie… I hate my life, my job is nothing but death and I live all alone, so most nights I drink myself asleep. Will you move now?" Dr. Cox pushed the button to go and left J.D. there to think about his words. What he didn't know was what those words would do to J.D. They absolutely broke his heart and he wasn't even sure if they were true. That night he turned up at Perry's house. He answered the door in nothing but boxers and a cup of scotch in his hand. J.D. walked in before Perry could say anything. "I didn't think you should be alone tonight."
Perry didn't say anything to J.D. as he downed the rest of his drink and handed him blankets for the couch. J.D. didn't try to get any words out of him either. He was laying on the couch when he heard it; the slightest noise that sounded like a person crying. J.D. shot up and listened for a minute. He was sure Perry was crying. He got up and made his way to the bedroom. Perry had his head in his hands and his blanket was wrapped around him. J.D. made his way into Perry's bed and wrapped his arms around the older man. Neither said a word, but eventually Perry stopped crying and the two fell asleep together.
When J.D. woke up he was holding onto Perry who was warm and shirtless. He stayed that way for a long while just listening to his breathing before getting up and leaving. He was sure Perry would pretend this had never happened. J.D. goes home and gets ready for work. As he walks in he sees Dr. Cox at the nurse's station. When he walks by he joins him. "Morning." Perry says in a low voice. This was beyond odd for the two. They board the elevator and as soon as the doors close Perry speaks louder "Thank you." J.D. is completely stunned for a few minutes "Any time." He wasn't sure if he actually meant any time, but it was just something people said. The doors open and Perry says "tonight then" as he walks out. J.D. had the whole day to think about it, but truth was he had slept better than he had since he started this job. When he showed up neither talked except to say "night". J.D. had started out on the couch, but both men knew he wouldn't wake up there.