Bad Day

Rated: G-PG13. Honestly, I'm not sure where this falls at all. Definitely not bad. Just mentions something those under the age of 13 don't typically deal with.

Spoilers: none

Season: none in particular. Pick your favourite.

Summary: Elliot's having a bad day. Elliot and Dr. Cox friendship fic. You can read more into it as you'd like :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Scrubs. Not even cloth scrubs. How sad is that?

A/N: Hey Everybody! Just a little ElliotCox ditty that came to mind today. Hope you enjoy.

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There are times when a friend is having a bad day, and it helps to try and make them laugh.

"Hey, Elliot," I smirk because I know she's going to love this one. "What do you get when-"

"Can it, JD," she slams the stack of files she was carrying onto the nurse's station and storms off.

And then there are times when a friend is having a bad day, and it helps just to shut up.

"Whoa, Barbo, lose the 'tude, why don't ya? Hospitals are supposed to be happy places," Dr. Cox turns to the side as Elliot shoulders him out of her way. "What's her problem?" he asks me.

"I don't know. She's been in a crabby mood all day. She won't even listen to my jokes. She keeps trying to go off by herself."

"I hope you haven't been letting her do that," Dr. Cox is looking at me wide-eyed, eyebrows raised – definitely sarcastic. "Because when a person keeps walking away from you in annoyance, it really cheers them up to have you chasing after them all day."

"Oh come on, Elliot doesn't really want to be alone. She never wants to be alone. Does she? Maybe it's my breath." I put my hand to my mouth to do a quick breath check.

"I'll let you ponder that one by yourself, Newbie. Meanwhile, I actually work for a living, so if you need me, Princess, I'll be with a patient – you know, someone who actually wants me near them."

Well that hurt. Ooh, I wonder if Elliot's heard the one about the elephant and the marshmallows...

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Elliot closed the door to the on-call room with a sigh. Ten hours of dodging JD had left her with too many unfinished bad jokes and a headache the size of her Aunt Justine. She held her cool fingers against her temple, but it didn't help much. She felt like crap, and she was going down fast. She just wanted to get this stupid day over with.

"Barbie, come here."

Elliot winced when she raised her head too fast and a wave of light-headedness washed over her.

"Dr. Cox?" She saw him sitting on one of the bottom bunks, his back against the wall. "I didn't know you were in here, I just... Um... I'm gonna go," she pointed to the door. Maybe the supply closet was empty. All she wanted was a couple minutes to herself.

"Elliot, come here," he said again. He was holding out a cup of coffee towards her, his other hand holding a cup of his own. The fact that he'd used her real name caught her attention.

She walked carefully towards him and took the cup. Her hand shook, but the sip she took did ease her headache a little. This was no cafeteria coffee. He'd actually gone to the nearby cafe. She eased herself down to sit beside Dr. Cox. They drank their coffee together in silence. When she was finished, she set her cup down but didn't move. She tried not to look surprised when Dr. Cox started rubbing a hand over her shoulders.

"Just take deep breaths. Try to relax. It'll help the nausea pass."

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Well, it is my business to notice these things. Besides, when you're upset or angry about something, you usually tell everyone and anyone that crosses your path whether they want to hear about it or not. Believe me, I know. But you've been avoiding people all day. So that leaves me to believe it's something physical. And Barbie, I swear, if you throw up that six dollar cup of coffee, I will cry." He leaned forward to get a better look at her face. "What other symptoms?"

Elliot shook her head. "You don't need to diagnose me. I already know what the problem is. It'll pass soon."

"I hate to quote your annoying little phrase, but here goes, ahem: Talk to me... Taaalk to me."

Elliot couldn't stop the small smile on her lips.

Dr. Cox nudged her. "Taaaaaaaaalk to me."

Elliot nudged him back. "You'll just think I'm being too girly at work if I tell you."

"Um, Barbie... I call you Barbie all the time. I don't think you telling me why you feel like the walking dead is going to change matters much."

Elliot sighed in defeat. Might as well get it over with. "I forgot to take my birth control pill yesterday, so I had to take two today."

"Was it just the one day you forgot or more?"

"Just one day."

"Okay. You stay here and get some sleep," Dr. Cox stood up. "I'll make sure the nurses and your personal court jester don't disturb you."

"I can't. I've got patients that need me. Mr. Henderson-"

"Elliot... I'll cover for you. You should feel better in a couple hours. I'll check up on you then. Now sleep, okay?"

Elliot finally gave in. "Okay." She stopped him when he reached the door. "Dr. Cox? Thank you."

Dr. Cox just nodded and closed the door behind him.

Sometimes you need a friend to tell you the elephant and the marshmallow joke... and sometimes you just need a friend.

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The End

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Why was the elephant walking on the marshmallows?

Because he didn't want to fall into the hot chocolate...

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