A/N: Hey, guys! Okay, I've had this thing planned out since the summer, but I definitely need to tell you where the inspiration came from beforehand. My friend, who's pretty obsessed with "The Dark Knight" (like the way I'm obsessed with Scrubs. lol) had a dream where she was in Sacred Heart, but when she saw Dr. Cox, he was wearing the Joker make up. When she told me this, we couldn't stop laughing, and then she said I should write something about it. Later on, we watched a TDK spoof on-line, and there was a part that never ceased to make us laugh (which I will share with you at the end of the story) so she said I should incorporate that into the story as well. After a bit of brainstorming, I had myself a plot line for a Halloween one-shot, but as I said earlier, this all happened during the summer, and I wanted to wait till it was around the actual holiday to share. Well, it's finally that time of year, so here it is guys. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own a very large nothing.
My Not So Spoiled Halloween
So many people here dress up for Halloween. I can't blame them though. When you work in a hospital, you'd do just about anything to lighten the mood or add a little spark to your day. I, on the other hand, have never showed up to work in a costume. I used to go out to bars wearing pig masks with Turk. That was fun, but I've never had the urge to pick out a costume when it came to the hospital myself. I don't know why, though I do think people are surprised when I come in looking like, well, me. But then again, I dress up on regular days as it is, like when Turk and I do "World's Most Giant Doctor." Hmm…I wonder if next time, we should get Elliot to join us. She has super strong thighs, but definitely not Lonnie again. He makes a horrible base and –
"Happy Halloween, Bambi!"
I jump a little, and Carla smiles, very much used to my day dreaming. Who isn't, after seven years of working here? "'Morning, Carla! Cat ears this time? You haven't worn those since my second year."
"Eventually, you run out of animal-ear head bands. So what about you? I always thought you and Turk would be the first to take advantage of this holiday and come to work all decked out, but you never have."
"We dress up on regular days though."
"JD, please tell me you're not referring to Multi-Ethnic Siamese Doctor…"
"Oh yeah! How could I forget that one? No though, I was referring to World's Most Giant Doctor."
"Ah, of course… Still, you guys could always do a duo costume. I'm sure Turk would be up for it."
"Turk and I already have our own tradition: Raiding bars in pig masks. Besides, if I was going to do a duo thing, I wouldn't want to do it with Turk…"
I watch Carla's face light up in surprise, but it's understandable. Even I know how weird that just said sounded. "I didn't mean I wouldn't want to do it because of Turk, but we already have our own Halloween ritual, so I'd want to start something with another person."
"Oh yeah? Who?"
"Well…what about Dr. Cox? We could do a mentor protégé type thing."
"Bambi, are you listening to yourself? Do you honestly think Dr. Cox, of all people, would ever dress up for Halloween? Or any holiday, for that matter..."
"I know, I know, but that just leads me back to your original question. The only way I'd dress up for work is if Dr. Cox would agree to do something like that, but I know he'd never." I shrug casually, because it really isn't a big deal. It was something I thought of when I was still an intern, and honestly haven't thought of since. But now that Carla's brought it up, I suddenly can't help but think how cool it would be if Dr. Cox and I really did do something like that.
You know what? Screw it! I'm asking! I know I'll get called Nancy or Grace or whatever girls name he has planned for me today, but it's nothing I'm not used to by now. I might as well go down swinging.
I run from the nurse's station before Carla's able to hand me my charts, all just to find Dr. Cox. Maybe if I sweeten the deal a little, he'll agree. A week with none of my stories or asking for a hug might actually work. Hmm…
I round the corner to come face to face with – Oh God, no. Not today.
"You were about to bump into me, weren't you?"
"Well I caught myself on time, didn't I?" I answer in what I know sounds like a mini tantrum. I can't help it though. He just gets me so…agh!
"Relax, Scooter, alright? No tricks today."
"Really? But usually you –"
"Nope! Takin' a break. Now what's up?"
Okay…so this is definitely not what I expected from the Janitor of all people. Still, this is a once in a life time opportunity! How could I not take advantage of his good mood? "I'm looking for Dr. Cox. Have you seen him?"
"Angry doctor is in the lounge. Last I saw, he was completely by himself too."
Score! "Thanks, Janitor. And see? Isn't this nice?"
"Settle, Scooter. It's not a big deal."
Whatever. The last thing I'm gonna do is test the waters. I shake my head and run off towards the doctor's lounge, happy enough that I actually got the Janitor to help me out a little.
When I finally find myself at the lounge, Dr. Cox really is alone. He's fixing himself a cup of coffee, back turned to where I'm currently watching him. This is working out perfectly! It would've been a lot harder to ask if people were surrounding the two of us, but now it's just me and him, so even if he does flip out and call me a bunch of girls' names, it won't be in front of a lot of people. Not that it would particularly surprise anyone enough to pay attention to the little scene, but still.
I open the door, ignoring the fact that I'm practically skipping in excitement – it's a manly stride, damn it! – and tap my mentor on the shoulder. "Hey, Dr. Cox! So I was talking to Carla before, and we came up with a really good idea. See, what if we –"
I don't have time to finish my sentence, because suddenly I'm screaming – screaming, not shrieking – in surprise. I feel my butt hit the floor of the lounge as I stare up at what just scared me so hard that I actually lost my balance.
Dr. Cox is wearing his usual attire for work, but his face…his face is completely covered in the Joker make-up! Not that I don't love that movie. In fact, me and Turk were on the edge of our seats through out the whole entire film, but the Joker is undeniably a scary guy, and I did not – did not – expect that face!
Dr. Cox is hysterical now. In fact, I've never seen him laugh this hard in my life. Tears are actually escaping from the corner of his eyes, ruining the make up job. Wait a second though…he wouldn't be laughing like this if he had just decided to come in dressed up for Halloween, no matter whether I ran into him or not. Then that means - !
"I am see-hoe happy I agreed to do this, Lurch. That was absolutely priceless."
Still sprawled on the floor, I turn my head sharply towards the entrance of the lounge, where the Janitor is leaning casually on his mop, grinning at me like the Cheshire cat. No, scratch that. He's grinning at me like the freaking Joker!
They set me up, damn it!
"You said no tricks!" I finally managed, still staring at the Janitor in disbelief. Though really, why am I so surprised?
"That was the trick. The fact that I said there'd be no tricks. Really, Scooter, after seven years, I think you'd start seeing how this usually goes down."
I turn back to Dr. Cox, a mixture of surprise and anger clear in my expression. He's finally done laughing, but he's still grinning down at me, broadly. "That was the best reaction I could've asked for, Rachel. Really, bravo!" He claps and whistles sarcastically until I finally get up from my position on the floor. I cross my arms and furrow my eyebrows, but I can't pull off an angry glare like he can, and he knows it.
"Oh, stop pouting, Harley. If it was your black girlfriend who did this, you'd be over it by now."
"That doesn't matter! I came in here to ask you a question and –" All of the sudden, it hits me. I don't have to ask him for permission, not any more. If he's already dressed up like the Joker, then all I have to do is dress up like Batman! Sure, they're not exactly a duo, but people will automatically think that we planned it together. Even our patients! And he won't be able to complain either, in since he's the one that decided to go ahead and trick me. "Never mind, but I gotta go. Bye!"
I turn quickly, but not before seeing the confused look on Perry's face. I move past the Janitor before he has time to mop me and sprint towards the nurse's station.
"Bambi! Looking for these?"
She holds up my charts, waving them a little for me to notice. Crap, how could I forget those? But I know what patients I have today already, and all of them are currently sleeping or just watching TV. "Carla, can you get someone to cover for me? Please? I really want to take my break early today."
"What? But you just got here!"
"Carla, please! Dr. Cox just pranked me and I really need to go out and buy something. Please…?"
I can tell she's thinking it through, so I pull out my ultimate weapon: Pout plus puppy eyes equals immediate win.
She sighs, a look of defeat crossing her face as she takes in my expression. "Fine, but you better hurry up, you hear me?"
I nod excitedly, turning again for the exit. "Thanks, Carla. I owe you one! And if Chocolate Bear asks where I went, tell him to the party store, but whatever you do, don't tell Dr. Cox!"
She nods, and I'm off.
--
The party store is pretty crowded. I didn't think it would be, in since it's the day of, but lucky for me, everything is on sale because of that very same reason. I run over to the entertainment section, where they keep all the costumes based off of movies or TV shows.
The only Batman costume they have with everything all together is the one for little kids, so that's out of the question. But after just a bit more searching, I find the cape, belt, pants and even the chest plate. The mask is a little harder to find though. I mean, there's a bunch of them here, but some of them look like they're ready to fall apart. Others are amazingly detailed, but there's no way I'm spending that much money on a Batman mask.
After about ten more minutes of searching, I come across one that's pretty decent while still managing to stay in my price range. I put it on and stand in front of the store's mirror. Wow, I make an awesome Batman! Too bad this wasn't planned earlier on in the year. We could've set it up so that the whole hospital staff was dressed as heroes and villains. I could've swung in through the entrance on a rope, singing the Batman theme song, and then –
"Sir? Are you going to buy that or are you just here to try it on, because if it's the latter, we're going to have to ask you to leave."
"What? No! I'm buying it, don't worry."
She gives me a suspicious look before leading me to the register. I guess I can understand why. You don't see a lot of people my age coming into the party store on Halloween day to buy a Batman costume, but – Oh.My.God!
We're at the register when I see them sitting there; a large box of glow in the dark vampire fangs. I lost my last pair, and haven't been able to film any of Dr. Acula since. "How much are those?" I ask, still staring at them.
"A dollar fifty. What, you want a pair?"
I nod, and she grabs the closest one to her and throws it into the bag with the rest of the costume.
"Uh, sir? You're still wearing the mask, and I sort of need to ring it up."
"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry about that."
She gives me a look as I hand it to her, but my excitement over the situation makes it easy to ignore. Once I'm back at the hospital, I'm going to sneak into the locker room and change, and then? Dr. Cox and I will be an unstoppable Halloween duo!
--
Back at the hospital, I make my way into the locker room, very happy that I'm currently its only occupant. I pull the costume out of the bag and put it on. I spin around in front of the mirror, watching my cape swoosh with a broad grin. I can't help it though! Dr. Cox and I are going to be an epic duo and he won't be able to do anything about it. Ha!
I'm about to leave when I remember the fangs. Hmm…I know they don't go with the costume at all, but maybe I can incorporate them in somehow. Like…Oh, I know! Maybe they can be haunted fangs! Fangs that Batman needs to use in order to scare, um, ghosts…? Okay, so it's going to be a huge stretch, but I can't help it. I have to put them on.
Once they're in place, I take another look in the mirror and grin. I am a licensed bad ass!
--
While the fangs have caused a bit of confusion, everyone seems to really like my costume. Some of the kids from pediatrics even asked for my autograph! The brand new nurse I've been eyeballing throws me a slight grin, and Carla laughed when she first saw me – in the good way! I think Chocolate Bear was a little bummed that I didn't invite him along, but it wasn't on purpose. I was just in a rush! But after the initial disappointment, he told me how awesome I looked, fangs and all.
The only thing I don't get is why everybody looks so confused when I tell them why I chose Batman. So far, I've told everyone what I planned too: That Dr. Cox and I dressed up this way on purpose to be an awesome mentor, protégé Halloween team. They've all just quirked an eyebrow, gave me a puzzled look, and told me to have fun. I guess it could be that none of them have seen Dr. Cox yet, though how could they have missed him? The man has a very demanding presence on normal days, but with Joker make up? How could anyone not notice that? I shrug, deciding that the next time I see Dr. Cox, I'll drag him to the nurse's station for people to see us together, and then everyone will get it.
A familiar voice from behind me booms through my current planning. "Selina! What in God's name are you wearing?"
It's him! Perfect! I turn around sharply, grinning all the while, but my smile falls short when I see Dr. Cox looking perfectly and utterly normal. "What happened to your Joker make up!?" I yell.
His eyes widen slightly, probably surprised by my tone of voice more than the get up itself. I can see him taking me in though, a slow and steady smirk reaching his features. "Thought you were more of a Cat Woman there, Newbie…"
"What happened to your make up?" I ask again.
"I cla-hearly took it off. Dear God, Ivy, you didn't expect me to go walking around all day like that, did you? I have patients to see, and so do you as a matter of fact. Honestly, what possessed you to dress like that? And what's with the fangs?"
"Do you like them? They're haunted."
"Newbie!"
"Okay, okay! I wanted to be some sort of duo for Halloween, which is why I was trying to find you before, to ask if we could, but then I figured in since you were already in the Joker make up, I'd just go out and get the Batman one and then everybody would think we planned it. But I needed a new pair of fangs anyway for filming Dr. Acula, so I got them while I was at the store."
He stares at me for a long moment, and I can almost feel myself shrinking into the suit. God, this was a stupid idea…
"That was a stupid idea," he says evenly.
I avert my eyes, not up for taking the embarrassment. We're alone and I should be used to it, but I feel like such an idiot. "I know…"
"You seriously used your only break today to go out and buy that moronic costume just so we could be, and I quote, 'Some sort of duo?'"
"Yeah…"
"You're an idiot, Newbie…"
I look up at him abruptly, surprised. Not because of what he said, but the tone in which it was said in. It didn't sound mad or even degrading; nothing like what I expected. His voice was almost too even, and I see something flicker as he takes one last look at my attire. After a very short moment – or maybe a long moment, I can't tell – he's back in Dr. Cox mode, a stern looking crossing over his features. "Put on your scrubs and get back to work, Newbie. Oh, and if you and scalpel jockey plan on trick-or-treating tonight, make sure to not visit me. You will be getting neither trick or treat, but a door slammed in your face, understand?"
I nod as he turns to go, lab coat flailing behind him. For some reason, I'm smiling. I don't know why either. I mean, my plan didn't work out at all, and I just spent a bunch of money on something that I'll probably never wear again, but somehow, I don't feel like it was a total waste. For one reason or another, I'm happy.
I turn to go to the locker room, ignoring the Janitor's quizzical stare as I pass. I don't feel like I lost to him, not today anyway. And like I said earlier: I make an awesome Batman.
Happy Halloween!
A/N: Pretty crazy, I know, but I had a lot of fun writing this one. And if you didn't catch it, all the girls' names were from Batman. Rachel, Harley, and Ivy were probably pretty obvious, but the name Selina is Cat Woman's real name, so I thought I'd throw that one in there too. Oh, right! I still need to tell you guys where to find that Batman spoof I mentioned earlier. Okay, go to YouTube and type in the search bar, "Is it Time for Batman to Tone it Down?" You'll probably catch what part it is I incorporated into the one-shot the minute it happens. I have no idea why, but it gets me and my friend every time. XD Well, that's it for me. I hope you guys liked it, and have a Happy Halloween! :)