(Flashback)
"I can't believe you would take Alex's side over mine" Peckwell voiced to Jo what she had figured was just jealousy.
"It's not that I took his side. I just… with what all Alex had taught me before. And with what I knew about the case already…I really did think his approach for this one case was the best… and I..."
Jo didn't have time to say anything else because Peckwell then grabbed her by the arms and shoved her up against the wall.
"You're hurting me, Jason. Stop!" she begged.
"Are you saying Alex is a better Dr. than I am?" he demanded in a threatening tone.
"No I just…" Jo started but Peckwell started squeezing her arms tighter.
"Jason you're hurting. Please!" she pleaded again.
Peckwell didn't allow her to say anything else because he then forcefully swung her around and threw her to the ground.
"Good because don't forget, I am the best Dr." Peckwell then stated in a seemingly calm tone.
"I'll see you after work" he then said as if nothing had just happened and he turned to walk out the door leaving Jo sitting there in the floor, stunned!
Jo didn't know how many minutes had passed by before she even realized she was still sitting in there in the exact same spot. She was just so shocked. She never thought Peckwell would be that type of guy in a million years.
She swore to herself a long time ago that she would never be with that type of guy and she knew for sure that Peckwell wasn't the one for her anymore.
She knew how this stuff went. If a guy would treat her like that once especially over something so simple then she knew it would happen again and she wasn't about to let that happen.
So Jo picked herself up off the floor, dusted off, and headed back out into the filled hospital halls.
She only had about an hour of her shift left and she knew that Peckwell still had at least a couple.
Jo's plan was to get off, go get the few things she did have at Peckwell's place, and then she would break things off with him. She didn't want to be with a guy like that. And she knew it!
An hour had passed by and Jo and the other interns' were in the locker room all getting ready to leave for the night.
"Joe's is going to be so much fun tonight. It's always fun. But Oh Yeah..It's My Birthday" Stephanie sang out excitedly.
"Damn I forgot" Jo thought.
Although her own Birthdays' she could care less about, Stephanie was her best friend out of all the interns'. She knew she had to celebrate it with her and as much as she kind of didn't feel it, she now did because she knew Alex would be there.
(Present)
Alex, Jo, Stephanie, Avery, and Brooks along with the other interns were all sitting at Joe's enjoying the Stephanie's Birthday!
Everyone seemed to be laughing and having a good time and the interns were all boasting over which awesome surgery that they got to stand in on and Alex and Avery, of course, were mocking them all. Although, they could remember how it was back then too.
Jo, even though, she was doing her best to smile and engage in small conversation, everyone could tell she seemed as if she had a lot on her mind.
"Earth to Jo" Brooks said joking around.
"Yea, what gives" Stephanie asked?
Jo simply stated "Oh you guys, even with all the OH so amazing surgeries, it does not mean a person does not have the right to simply be tired every once in a while. But I'm still having lots of fun." She faked a big smile and reassured Stephanie.
Everyone seemed to leave it be knowing that they really did understand. Sometimes they all wanted to pull their own hair out, or the others, they all unknowingly thought at the same time.
Alex wanted to pull Jo to the side and talk to her, just the two of them. He thought that maybe he could get her to fess up about what was really bothering her. He had not got to spend as much time with her as he would like ever since she started dating that douche bag Chest Peckwell!
Alex hated him and he could not stand the idea of Jo being with a guy like that. Ever since Alex had admitted to Christina that he was in love with Jo, she was all he thought about morning, evening, night, before surgeries, after surgeries, even during surgeries.
Alex smirked as all these thoughts ran through his mind and he wondered,
"How come he could not just admit to Jo that he loved her? Right here! Right now! I am going to do it tonight, I cannot take it anymore. I love Jo, I l want her and I am telling her tonight!" Alex replayed it over and over again. He was still trying to convince himself because he knew he was scared.
But Avery spoke up "Earth to Alex!"
"Wow, what's with you guys?" Stephanie spoke up again too.
Alex looked over at Jo who made eye contact with him and both of their hearts skipped a beat.
Jo had the same feelings for Alex, of course. But she was sure he only thought of her as Princess or Ho-Bo Jo. The girl you are friends with but never date or in this case even hook up with.
Maybe she was the absolute farthest from Alex's type that he did not even want to sleep with her at all or maybe he was disturbed by her past and really did think of her as Ho-Bo Jo.
Either way she tried putting any feelings she thought she might have for Alex hidden away the best as she could because she knew positively he would never think of her like that.
But she couldn't help but keep from wondering now because he was just so damn sexy looking at right now… and well…all the time, and so she just couldn't control her thoughts.
He's hooked up with everyone else in the hospital, why has he never even tried with me, she wondered.
And not because she would just totally give in or at least she hoped she wouldn't anyway she thought as she then felt what her body was telling her. It knew she wanted him. She knew she wanted him. But she just knew he didn't want her. She would even be at his house with no pants on for sakes' and she never even caught him staring at her once.
But it wasn't about the chase or any of that.
Even though, she didn't really know, she could already imagine what his hands felt like touching her body. And she knew she would never stop wanting him to.
She then started thinking about all the nights that she stayed with Alex. She used to always be there, only when she wasn't at the hospital, of course. But since her and Peckwell had started getting closer she hadn't stayed over there in a while.
Those nights with Alex, she wouldn't replace for anything though. They laughed, joked, and simply talked about everything. She trusted him with everything from the very beginning and she never cared to ask herself why. It just felt right.
After what seemed like an eternity of staring into the others eyes, both trying to figure out what the other was thinking but at the same time it was as if they could read each other like an open book…they both just weren't any good about the being open part.
They both knew what they felt about the other. But they both couldn't help from being scared.
"Um, Jo" Alex finally started to speak.
And just as he was about to ask her if they could talk privately, none other than Chest freaking Peckwell walked into the bar.
Stephanie pointed him out as soon as he made his entrance. She thought he was absolutely dreamy and perfect for Jo. Stephanie did not see a reason at all for Alex to call him a douche all the time. And although, she knew how Jo and Alex didn't know how they felt about each other. She knew Jo was with Peckwell now so,
"Over here" Stephanie shouted across the bar to Peckwell. No one was bothered by the fact that Stephanie was the one calling Peckwell over to their table besides Alex and Jo, of course.
Obviously Alex knew why he didn't want Peckwell there but he had been assuming that Jo was totally in love with him considering she had told him she was going to move in with him. So he could not make sense of the look on her face when she saw Peckwell headed their way.
Alex and Jo looked at one another with an anxious but disappointed look on their face. Jo was anxious to know what Alex wanted to talk to her about and Alex was obviously dying in anticipation to tell her.
But Jo tried to hide the look of disappointment on her face because it was from none other than the very person now standing beside Jo at her seat, Peckwell.
Peckwell had a look on his face that no one had ever seen before, except for Jo, but no one else knew that. Stephanie even made a mental note in her head to never get on Peckwell's bad side because damn he looked pissed. Everyone was taking notice of Peckwell's demeanor and started wondering if something had happened at the hospital.
They all had had such wonderful days at work, which was the real reason they all were all so happy and getting along, so they each wondered what might have happened to have Peckwell all in a bunch.
"Jo, I need to speak to you now" Peckwell looked directly at her.
Peckwell did not say or look at anyone else, especially Alex.
Jo knew that Alex was the reason he came in with his face all looking sideways in the first place.
But Jo lost track of time just simply being in Alex's presence in the bar and totally forgot about Peckwell getting off.
Peckwell had still assumed she was going to meet him in the lobby. She usually did when they spent the nights together but what after what happened earlier she knew that she would never wait on him for anything.
But she didn't plan on him showing up at the bar. She was going to get her things from Peckwell's place and then probably wind up asking Alex if she could crash on her…well his…in a way…their couch tonight.
But Peckwell was here now and she didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone, especially on Stephanie's Birthday, and especially in front of Alex so she just tried to simply tell Peckwell,
"It's Stephanie's Birthday and we're all having fun. And I want to have a few more drinks."
She knew Peckwell would be pissed but she didn't care. She knew she had to stand up and well break up with him eventually.
She didn't plan on any of it happening here though so she hoped Peckwell would just leave and she could officially do it the next time she saw him.
But Peckwell hadn't left like she hoped and not only that he wasn't trying to take no for an answer.
"Jo you've been here for a couple of hours and you have probably had too much to drink." He told her nicely and so he hoped that no one would say anything but…
"She hasn't hardly anything to drink at all that's probably why she said she wanted to stay and drink some more" Alex spoke up for a reason. He didn't know if she wanted him to but he was just trying to stand up for her really. She had already said she wanted to stay and well because he hoped more than anything she wouldn't leave. He hated watching her walk away, especially with Peckwell. And he loved just simply being around her.
Peckwell shot him a daring glare and Alex returned it with an even more daring one.
No one at the table was oblivious as to what was going on but they knew since Alex had already spoke up that he made it personal and made it a situation that was between him, Jo, and Peckwell only.
They knew Jo's love triangle she had going on. They all knew how Alex felt about Jo and they all knew how Jo felt about Alex.
If only Jo and Alex knew how they felt about each other so she could kick Peckwell the curve. There nights at Joe's would be way more fun if they were having fun hanging all over each other instead of just thinking about it, they each thought.
But at the same time they knew that Peckwell and Jo were together so yep…they knew they should stay out of this now.
"Jo, you're ready?!" Peckwell although he made it sound like a question he meant it more like a demand.
Jo sat there almost trapped in her own thoughts for a moment. Alex spoke up for her so obviously he didn't want her to leave. And he was giving her an opportunity to stay at that because she knew she could tell Peckwell No and that there was No way in hell that Alex would let him hurt her.
So Jo went with what she wanted to do. With what Alex wanted her to do, and said "I'll talk to you about it later Jason. I'm enjoying my night with my friends"
But Peckwell still wasn't giving up yet and started talking nicer hoping that no one would and that especially Alex would just stay out of it and so he told Jo,
"Well give me two minutes in the hall so I can tell you something, please? I get you want to spend your friend's Birthday with her. I just didn't know about it and so I had something planned for us. And a surprise for you, I found your watch," Peckwell spat out immediately hoping that what he said would grab her attention.
"You found my watc.." Jo was going to ask it as a question but then she realized what Peckwell was trying to get at. He didn't find her watch. He just had it. She knew she had forgotten to put it on this morning and so did he because she had told him on the way to work that her wrist felt funny without it.
So Jo knew that she had to talk to him now but at least he was only asking for two minutes and at least he wasn't asking her to leave. She knew in his mind he may have just wanted to what he thought was to apologize and that she'd forgive him.
But she wasn't taking that shit and well Alex spoke up for her she reminded herself so she knew where she wanted to be the rest of forever.
"Two minutes" Jo then told him getting up from her chair so she could make her way to the hall with Peckwell.
And as much as Alex hated the thought of her in Peckwell's presence at all, at least he knew she was coming back. He just didn't want Peckwell to try forcing her to do something that she clearly didn't want to.
Alex was more than thrilled though and he loved the feeling of it. He didn't know why Jo didn't want to go with Peckwell. He tried telling himself it was because it was Stephanie's Birthday and that she was having fun but he hoped that it was because she wanted to hear what he wanted to tell her and maybe because she just wanted to hang out with him tonight instead.
Alex could tell she wasn't in the greatest of moods' but he could also see the look they were trapped in just moments before. And he couldn't help but smile at the fact that he spoke up for her and she decided to stay there with him/them instead of leaving with Peckwell.
"Peckwell" he thought. The thought disgusted him. The thought of his hands touching her body disgusted him even more. He wanted to love Jo. He wanted to be her man and so he couldn't help but ask himself why she was the only girl that he had never even attempted to sleep with. Maybe that's why she had started dating Peckwell in the first place. Just so that she could have that romantic relationship with someone.
Everyone wants to be in love to be loved he told himself. He knew without a doubt he and Jo were best friends. She told him all the time. So he hoped in a weird way that they didn't have that kind of closeness at all and that she just simply was a girl wanting to be wooed for a while.
Every girl wants to feel special and while he was Jo's best friend, he knew he didn't give her that romantic kind of attention a woman wanted/needed.
But that's because they were just friends and well he had never tried sleeping with her because he loved them being friends and well he didn't really know why now that he thought about it.
He had never really seen her body out of scrubs besides the times he would come downstairs for water in the mornings before they were both dressed and ready for work.
And well, after only seeing her like that one time he started coming down for water every morning as soon as he woke up without admitting to himself why.
He just didn't allow himself to think. But he knew he liked looking at her long beautiful legs that seemed to always look so perfectly smooth. He just pretended not to. And so he would make stupid jokes without even realizing it just so they could stand there and laugh longer.
He knew Jo never knew he was looking. He made sure of that because he didn't know if it would make her start putting pants on. But he always knew he was looking and he loved them and he already knew that it was just a little part of the sexiest whole body he would ever see.
She was just too sexy in just scrubs alone he told himself. Damn she was so sexy he thought again…and again. So how come even being friends how come he had never told her that. He didn't really give her compliments at all.
They teased and joked around a lot. And well, he enjoyed what they had then but it was driving him more and more crazy by the day now about how he just wanted to be with her, respect her, love her, and become one with her.
Maybe that's why he had never tried. He respected her and he respected their friendship. And he always figured she didn't feel the same way back but really he didn't know why…he decided he wasn't going to think about why anymore.
He just wanted to think about what he was going to say when she came back and then hopefully he wouldn't have to know why anymore because he would take her home and show her what it was like for a man to love a woman whether they had sex or not. But he wanted both options so damn bad right now.
He wanted to love her and nobody else.
He wanted to be all hers. He wanted her to be all his.
He wanted to see every inch of her body.
He wanted to touch every inch of her body.
He wanted to lick every inch of her body.
He want to devour…
Alex came out of thought.
"Hasn't it been two minutes?" Alex asked his friends who seemed to know what he was thinking. About Jo…and Jo only. Alex just hoped his face didn't express what he had actually been thinking about her.
"It's been about 30 seconds" laughed Stephanie who was now getting a little tipsy.
Damn this was the longest most torturous two minutes of his life Alex thought.
And then finally he saw Peckwell with an intent stride of getting across the bar and out that door. He could tell he was pissed.
Would he really be pissed at her for wanting to stay at her friend's party Alex wondered as he was making his way to the hall already where he knew Jo still was.
He had never realized he had even gotten out of his chair until he was rounding the corner to already where he saw Jo who had looked as if she had been crying.
He hated to see her cry and he had enough common sense to know that she and Peckwell had just had a fight.
And as much as he hated to see her cry he couldn't help but be happy in a way that he was about to get to be the one who comforted her.