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His Different Stages

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by: J-Scrubs

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Author's Note: Hey, all! This is my first Scrubs fanfiction. I've pretty much written a lot of it in my head. It took me like half an hour to decide whether or not to call Dr. Cox Perry or Dr. Cox. And I still haven't decided... Damn it. Maybe I'll call him Dr. Cox when he's at the hospital, and Perry when he's not. But Perry seems to fit more in the context in most of the paragraphs... Hmmm. This story is probably a bit cliche, but I had fun writing it, and I hope that you'll have fun reading it even it isn't the best writing. =P

Warnings: Relationships of the slashy form. If you don't like it, don't read it. Rated T.

Disclaimer: I don't own Scrubs, or any of the characters. Le Sob.

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Chapter One; His Denial

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Perry Cox stormed through the hallways of Sacred Heart Hospital, holding his stethoscope around his neck to keep it from falling off in his speedy state. Where was that idiot? Despite the fact that Dr. Cox had told him to only address him as "Doc," "Doctor," "Caesar," or "The Big Cheese" in front of patients, JD still let his patients know what his mentor was called - intentionally or unintentionally, it didn't matter. So JD had either gone momentarily deaf during Dr. Cox's "Do not refer to me as 'Dr. Cox'" rant, or he had a death wish. Either way, when Dr. Cox found JD he was going to have his ass handed to him. But what made Dr. Cox even angrier was that he hadn't even been angry when one of the kid's patients had him paged - there was only a small pang of annoyance in the back of his mind. Of course, even a small annoyance was enough for him to rant at "Newbie" for at least a solid minute.

But no, it wasn't just that "small annoyance" that had Dr. Cox stomping his way over to where JD stood at the nurse's station chatting with Carla and his blacker half, his eyes blazing. The main reason for Dr. Cox's anger was something that had occurred a few minutes before, when he'd been searching for JD in the hospital lobby. Apparently he had accidentally stumbled into Hell, though, as Satan herself had smiled mischievously and started to talk at him. He had just begun to tune out her voice and replace it with the sounds of waves and seagulls when she said something that nearly had him gagging at the though. Or at least, something that made him feel like he should be gagging:

"Now, PerPer, I have no idea as to why you are looking around like some puppy dog who just had his testicals removed and has to wear one of those cone things around his head, but I can only assume that you are looking for your little boy toy," Dr. Cox glared at Jordan. Damn, but the woman could rant nearly as well as him when she was up to it and on those rare occasions when she was actually able to move her face. Then, Jordan continued, "But eventually you're going to have to either give up on your disturbing little man-crush or make a damn move. Honestly, I don't care. You two can run off to Vegas and have a little gay marriage, if you want. All I ask is that you get back from the land of casinos, gambling and cheap wedding services by tomorrow. Jack is very adamant, for a two-year-old, about going to the zoo, and I have a Botox appointment."

Dr. Cox glared a moment longer before saying, "I so-ho do not have a "man-crush," as you so eloquently put it, on Carol."

Jordan just smirked and replied, "Interesting how you knew I was talking about Sally Sensitive, Per. I don't recall ever mentioning a name. Anyway, I'll need you to take Jack to the zoo by 12:00 tomorrow."

Damn it, she always wins the arguments! He was slightly confused by one of Jordan's comments - she must have used "DJ" or something else she called JD in her little speech before - so before he could react to her request (or command) about Jack and the zoo, Jordan was already walking away.

"Come on, Jordan! I never get any time off!" He'd been geared up to rant at her, but she was already gone. Besides, it wasn't like Dr. Cox had any real objection to spending time with his son. He just didn't want to give Satan what she wanted.

He was still slightly bothered by what she'd said to him, though. How had he known that she was talking about Newbie when she spoke of his "man-crush?"

It could be that among my other God-like abilities, I am psychic. Yes. I'm sure that's it. But even his self-reassurance of super powers could not stop the strange feeling that was bubbling up inside of him. Now, Dr. Cox had a gift - he could convert any emotion he felt, and transform it into anger. Yes, he was very talented when it came to feeling-converting.

That was how he found himself angry-walking his way over to where JD was chit-chatting with Carla and Turk.

"Rebecca!" he shouted. "Now, I'm not sure if you realized this in the midst of gossiping about your new crush and how his girlfriend's darling 'do is really a wig, but I'm guessing you did realize that I would eventually kill you for once again telling one of your patients my name. For the last time, I don't care if they are flinging tomatoes at you and demanding to know what the names of your superiors are, it's "The Big Cheese," damn it!" He slammed a chart down on the counter.

JD, though he had been prepared, still jumped when the chart made contact with the counter of the nurse's station, but after he got over the shock, a thoughtful look crossed over his face for a few seconds. When he finally snapped out of it, he giggled wildly before saying, "You totally just sounded like Dr. Beardface!"

Just then, Seymour, who had been standing a few feet away speaking with Colonel Doctor, yelled "It's Beardfaçè, damnit!"

JD struggled to calm his laughter as Dr. Cox's eyes got even wider and crazy-animal-about-to-attack-er than before and he said, "Excuse me there, Charlotte?"

JD was unable to hold in a laugh then, and he and Turk both burst out in a fit of giggles. "You said, "It's 'The Big Cheese,' damn it!" That's what Dr. Beardface always sounds like," JD turned to his best friend, who was still giggling. "Right, Choco?"

Turk managed to control his laughter long enough to say, "Totally, J-Dawg." After backing up his friend, the black surgeon turned to his wife (as of that month), gave her a quick kiss, high-fived JD, and left for his next surgery.

"See, even Turk agree-"

"Kayla, it is so very important to your future here on Earth that you do not finish that sentence," Dr. Cox continued glaring at the young doctor before him. Jordan thinks I have a man-crush (and I use the term 'man' loosely) on this? Good Lord, did Dr. Bernsfield inject heroine into her face at her last appointment?

"Anyway, about my patient. I never told her your name. Jenny must have just overheard me and Turk talking about you outside her room." JD had a look of innocence on his face that could not be feigned.

At hearing JD's words, the thought "What were they saying about me?" flashed through Dr. Cox's mind, quickly followed by "Why do I care?" and "I don't."

Carla watched the interaction between the two men, noticing things that, being the mother hen she was, no one else would notice, like how when JD spoke, Dr. Cox's eyes lingered on his lips for just a millisecond longer than they should have. She also noticed how Dr. Cox wouldn't even be frantic or embarrassed when he looked away. It was like he didn't even realize he was doing it. JD was, of course, oblivious to both that and how Carla was watching them both intently.

"How, where, and when that little girl found out are irrelevant. The fact is, she found out from you, so you are officially the one at fault. Congratulations. Sadly, I don't have a prize for you." Dr. Cox clenched his jaw.

"Come on, Dr. Cox. She's an eleven year old girl in a hospital." JD tried reasoning with Dr. Cox.

"That girl has had me paged six times in the past hour, Jazmen. I re-healy don't care how old she is at the moment. Or at any moment, for that matter."

JD surprised everyone with that he did next. "She has leukemia, Dr. Cox, so let me apologize for her if her attempt at having some fun and taking her mind off of that fact by pranking you interrupted your daily mirror-gaze-flexathon. God, Perry, you don't have to be such a hard-ass all the time." With that, JD turned and stormed (fled) from the area.

Dr. Cox, as well as anyone who had overheard, stood still and shocked for a moment, before finding some excuse to leave and avoid the angry hurricane that was Dr. Cox after being ranted at by his protègé. At least, all except Carla ran for their lives.

Luckily for Carla, at the moment she seemed to be in the eye of the storm, as Dr. Cox still stood there, shocked. What was with people throwing his signature rants back at him today? Dr. Cox had a lot of signature things (nose-flick, blinkie-warning-light), but he was most attached to his rants. For other people to be doing them . . . well, he did not like that one bit. He leaned onto the nurse's station counter and stared as JD stepped into the slowest elevator in history down the hall.

"I can't believe this . . ." Dr. Cox muttered bitterly, glancing up to see the smug and smirking face of the one nearly tolerable person in the hospital, Nurse Carla Espinosa-Turk.

"Can't believe what, Dr. Cox? " she asked, still staring at him with that look, like she knew something he didn't, but should. "The fact that Bambi just beat you at your own game, or the fact that I just watched you watching him leave. Take your pick, because both are very unbelievable, but both are very, very true."

" I was so-ho not- "Dr. Cox began incredulously, but was interrupted by Carla.

"Now, have you ever noticed how Bambi kind of sways his tooshie in this cute and alluring way when he walks?"

"Ye- " Dr. Cox stopped. Where the hell had that come from? He did not notice that. As the smug look crossed Carla's face again, he shouted, "No!" This loud correction startled Carla, he noted proudly.

"O-okay then. Anyway, I heard about your little fun-filled conversation with Jordan earlier." And the annoying smirk was back.

Dr. Cox glared at her. "Who the hell told you?"

Gossip traveled fast in this hospital, but not that fast. What she was talking about had happened less than ten minutes before. How had Carla found out already? His question was answered as Carla pointed to Laverne, who had apparently come back to the nurse's station after realizing that Dr. Cox wasn't going to explode.

Dr. Cox's throat was rumbling with the beginnings of a growl when Carla said, "I agree with Jordan." Dr. Cox looked at her, not believing what he was hearing. Seeing Dr. Cox's incredulous expression, Carla continued. "Yeah. Why else would you let him follow you around every day? Why else would you always make it such a point to call him girl's names all the time? You have to admit, he's the only one you consistently do that to."

Laverne jumped in to add a very effective contribution to the conversation. "Mmhmm."

"It's exactly like the first grade boy pulling his little crush's pigtails on the playground, except with more hair-styling products!"

This last part of Carla's speech caused Dr. Cox to snort. "Did you ever consider the fact that maybe, just maybe, I let him follow me around so that his clumsy self won't trip over and disconnect every heart monitor in this god-forsaken hospital? And that maybe, there was just even the slightest possibility that I call him girl's names because he is, in fact, the girliest straight man alive? No, scratch that. He is the girliest of any man alive, period. Even non-straight men, who can get pretty girly." With that, Dr. Cox stormed away, leaving Carla and LaVerne to share a knowing glance.

"Girlfriend, I don't even think that man realizes it yet," said Laverne.

"He definitely doesn't. But I'm going to make him, eventually," the Latina nurse replied.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't try to force him to recognize."

"Sometimes with Perry, you just gotta give him a push. Damn, that man and his denial."

Because that's what it was. His denial. Laverne was organizing all of this juiciness in her head, when something else that seemed like good gossip came to her. "What was up Q-Tip's butt earlier? I've never seen him go off like that before."

Carla had only once, and that was the time when he had yelled at her, Turk, Dr. Cox and Elliot for being so stupid in their relationships. Out loud, she said, "You know that patient Dr. Cox was talking about, Jenny Carlton?"

Laverne nodded eagerly, her hand already inching towards the phone.

"Well, Bambi has become really attached to her. He's really worried about how her surgery in two days is going to go, because she's never had one before. He told Turk that she is one of his favorite patients. Says she's really brave."

"I've seen that girl. Very cute and sweet. What's she having surgery for, though? Leukemia patients don't normally, do they?"

Carla sighed. "She's not here for her leukemia, obviously, since JD's not an oncologist. She was in a car crash, so they need to perform surgery to check for internal damage."

"Why wouldn't they just do an MRI or CT?"

"She has a metal pin in her neck. It would be ripped out of her so fast she wouldn't even have time to say "turn this damn thing off!""

"Well, anything that happens is all just part of God's grand scheme of things."

Carla nodded. She wasn't a very religious person, but she respected Laverne's opinion. After all, her husband also believed that everything was set up for them. She sighed, then said, "Well, I'm going to go check on how my baby is doing in surgery."

Laverne smiled, nearly trembling with excitement. As soon as Carla was out of sight, she lunged for the phone and dialed for home. "Yeah, sweetie. You'll never believe what's been going on today. Mmhmm."

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End Chapter One!

Author's Note II: Hope you liked it! I hope everyone was in character, I like to think they were. But give me some feedback in your reviews! I'm not really sure if I liked the ending, but I had to explain why JD was acting that way, so that he didn't seem too OOC. I think it's a possibility in the show for him to get angry at Dr. Cox for being so uncaring about a patient that he really likes. I hope you all feel the same, but if not, feel free to put it in a review. Anyway, I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible.

Author's Note III: Just FYI, if anyone reviews to complain about the slash-ness of this story, I will personally hunt you down. Well, not really. But I will berate you in the next chapter. Wheee, fun, fun!

Author's note IIII: Sorry if my medical knowledge sucks, but the only things I really know are the ABSOLUTE basics, and everything I remember on House. In Jenny Carlton's case, there was nothing in either basics or House to go by, because usually the only car crashes on House MD are caused by the plague, or something. Which I lurve. =]

- Jess