The Dance
JD meets his old flame and for the last time.
This story was inspired by the Garth Brooks song "The Dance"
I do not own Scrubs or any of the characters.
Old girlfriends are like illnesses. They always give you some time off to think, but come with consequences. At this point of my life I was with Elliot, and we were happy. Working at Sacred Heart got a little easier every passing day. Yet a part of me was waiting for the downfall, that moment when lightning would strike bringing blares of reality. And it came, all too soon.
It was Tuesday. Slow day, only about 12 patients, two of them mine. Most of my time was spent in the lounge, reluctantly watching Soaps with Dr. Cox. I was thinking a lot about relationships how they start, how they end. And one girl came to mind...Emily Morris. Emily was my first everything. She held my heart in the palm of her hand. And I liked it. There was never a day that went by that she didn't call me, which bugged the hell out of Turk. Yep, we were a pair, but all good things can't last forever. We broke up in the fall of '92. Needed space, time, differences.
I guess my major memory influence was Dr. Cox's patient Emily Turner. He spoke of her quite a bit, which made me curious. It was like he knew who I was thinking about. He soon answered my question.
"Her maiden name is Morris. She's a real pretty girl, long brown hair, hazel eyes, cute smile. Look Margaret take the hints. The janitor reads your journal to us, she was your girl...I just think it'd be nice to stop in and see her. She's got no one. Husband divorced her after a miscarriage, parents both dead. Brother Billy is in Kansas and refuses to come down. She's dying JD. I give her two days maximum. Cancer of the liver, ate her body up. Please, as a favor to me. She's probably my favorite patient...uh...ever. It'll mean a lot."
So what can a guy say to that? I told him ok, but wasn't positive if that was a lie or not. If she was going to die, I really wanted to see her again. But how did she feel about me? So, I took a chance, just in case.
I had finally gotten off shift. It was midnight, and I was kinda afraid to go to Emily's room. Didn't want to wake her. But Carla stepped out, a pitiful smile on her face.
"She's expecting you Bambi, Cox told her."
Somehow that didn't shock me. I had always planned to see her again, and knew exactly what I was gonna say. But even now those words are distant. All I can remember is the bright look in her pale face. The way she smiled and reached out for me. I fell in love with her all over again.
"JD, my God it's been years. Look at you, all professional and what not. I bet the ladies fall for you." Say something man, anything, was all I could think.
"H-hey Em, wow you're beautiful." she smiled. God, I would've given up anything to keep her smile. So conversation was small. She was tired and so was I. But something told me to keep talking, hold on.
"Emily, I gotta ask you something...did you...do you ever think about me?" She stared at me, with her love filled and hopeful eyes.
"Yes, JD. Yes I do. You were the love of my life. Sometimes, during my marriage, I'd get so mad at you. Leaving me with such fond and bright memories was hard, cause I knew that it'd never be that good with me and Greg. I wished we had never met. But, I'd always start to laugh, you know why? I remembered the dance, our dance. It was our 5th date, you took me camping. And that night, pitch black sky dotted with stars, you randomly pulled me into an embrace and we just swayed back and forth to music in our heads. Felt like hours we stood there. But that's when I knew you were the one for me, I felt it. JD, sometimes I still wish we had stayed together. Because, deep down I know that if we had never met, I wouldn't be as strong as I am now. I need your memory to stay alive. JD, you're my life support."
And there it was, all laid out. My tears and hers combined. Laying in that hospital bed was the one person God created for me. It was all hitting so fast...so I said it.
"I love you Emily." And then we kissed. It was long, slow, beautiful. For the first time since she left, I felt peace.
The next morning there was an extra spring in my step. I wanted to see Emily again. Her room was 514, the very end of the hallway. I reached the door, gently knocking. When I turned the knob a chill ran though my body. All that was in the room was an empty bed and a sorrowful Dr. Cox. My mentor, the tough guy, had been waiting for me to enter, ready to explain it all. My face went white. For a moment I wanted to die, but Emily had beat me to it.
"W-what happened? Dammit Perry tell me!" Using his first name wasn't the smartest thing I could've done, but it caught his attention.
"She slipped JD, last night. It was peaceful. Never had any pain, just kept smiling. Look, I know this must be hard, but she didn't have a chance. I told you that from day one."
"Where is she now?"
"The morgue. Brother caught an early flight. He'll take her home...I can't allow you to see her...do you...uh...need to talk?"
My legs went numb causing me to hit the cold linoleum floor. Dr. Cox left me to cry. That's one good thing about him, he understands personal space. I must've stayed there an hour or more before Elliot came to get me. An argument over Emily would eventually lead to our 3rd breakup. Dr. Cox refused to talk about that day, says it wasn't his problem. Yet I could tell by his somewhat worried glances that he cared. As for me, well, I thought a lot about death after that. You see, it's gotta hit close to home before you ever wonder. For all I know tomorrow could be my day. I could get shot, have a seizure, or the janitor could kill me. Whatever for my end comes I know I'm gonna go out happy, like Em. Because I will always have the memories of her dance, my dance, our dance, the dance.
Dr. Cox wiped a stray tear from his eye. His assigned job was to clean out newbie's locker. JD Dorian was killed in a car wreck. Severe head trauma and internal bleeding. The journal entry that had just been read was marked tow years ago. Perry let out a small chuckle.
"Damn you Ginger, here you go getting the best of me...you always made me proud JD, never once let me down. I'll miss you." He carefully laid the man's journal aside. He had one more thing to add of his own.
Dr. "JD" Dorian
Friend, Partner, Brother...
And girly-girl all around.
Who said he wasn't getting the last stab?
The Dance
Garth Brooks
Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared beneath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known you'd ever say goodbye
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of have to miss the dance
Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I the king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all. And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but I'd of had to miss the dance
Thanks to all the readers, this is my first Scrubs fan fiction. Reviews are welcomed and expected!