AN: Hello, all! How are we today? I'm fairly well, considering I slept all day after yet another night shift -- my fourth this week, and not my last. Ugh. But anyway, I'm so glad you guys have taken an interest in this fic. Your reviews are amazing! Thanks so much, Kats and Kittens. I'm sorry this chapter is so late, but like I said, night shifts and whatnot. Not my ideal of fun, but at least they help me get some chapters written. I wrote three separate chapters for three different fics last night, including this one, so if this chapter seems a little wonky, please don't maul me. It's the night shift! Augh! Well, enjoy, nonetheless. :)

Chapter Two:

Perry couldn't see a God damn thing. He slipped and slid on the ice until his hands were numb and his jeans were nearly soaked through, calling JD's name over and over at the top of his lungs in the most panicked voice he had ever heard himself use. It had been nearly two minutes since he had heard the initial cry for help, and not a single sound had come from the lake since . . . which meant that JD hadn't come up for air.

"JD!" He yelled desperately, his voice hoarse. He stood in the center of the lake, his fingers strung through his hair as he turned slowly in a circle to take in the whole expanse. "Damn it, Newbie, don't do this to me! Where are you?"

Suddenly, a dark spot on the ice caught his eye, and as he squinted into the darkness, he found it to be the hole that he was hopefully looking for. Sliding in that general direction, he slowly but surely made his way towards the gaping opening, cautiously lowering himself to his stomach as he came within a few feet of it to avoid any more cracking.

As he came to the edge of the hole, the stillness of the water sent him into a full-on panic attack.

"Shit, JD," he muttered as he thrust his arms into the freezing water, wincing as they went numb almost immediately, "you'd better be here." He moved his arms desperately, his fingers grazing nothing but water as he grunted from the exertion. The cold was already slowing him down, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably as his breath expelled in thick, shuddering gusts of mist.

And then his fingers brushed something solid, his lungs ceasing to function as he grasped it without thinking and pulled it to the surface with all the strength he could muster. It was some sort of cloth, heavy and obviously attached to something heavier. His other hand was able to grab a good chunk of the material as well and assist in pulling the object upward.

Slick, dark hair breached the surface of the water first, followed by a very white face and parted, blue lips. No breath escaped JD's mouth, and Perry cursed as he strained his numb muscles to pull the younger man out of the hole and onto the ice -- an impressive feat, considering both men were weighted down with water-soaked clothing. As soon as Perry had slid the younger man quite a ways from the offending opening, he shakily checked for a pulse, releasing an exasperated cry of relief when he found a weak but steady beat beneath his fingers.

"Come on, JD," he whispered, pressing on the prone man's chest to force the water from his lungs. "Come on, buddy. Breathe." He tilted JD's head back, pinching his nose and releasing two quick breaths into the younger doctor's mouth before beginning to press on his rib cage again. "Damn it, Newbie! Breathe. For God's sake, don't do this to me!" His words were desperate, laced with tears and frustration. If JD didn't make it, what would he do? How would he survive without someone to constantly torture and manipulate? Who would make him admit that, yes, he did indeed have a heart and sometimes even dusted it off and used it?

JD was everything that the older never wanted to be but thanked God that he had, wrapped in one big, geeky package -- because without all that geeky goodness, there was no JD. And without JD . . . there was no Perry.

"Fuck," the man sobbed, stringing his fingers through his wet curls and pulling frantically. "JD, don't . . . please, just don't." He stared at the motionless figure before him and coughed once or twice, choking on his own tears as he slowly reached forward to check the younger man's pulse again. He doubted there would be one -- not after so much time in the water.

Suddenly, JD's Adam's apple moved up and down. Perry froze, his eyes wide and hopeful as he prayed it hadn't been a trick of his blurry vision. As the lump on the young man's throat bobbed a second and third time, Perry shot forward, his face only inches from his lover's.

"Come on, Newbie, fight it," he whispered encouragingly as JD's eyebrows furrowed and his head moved from side to side. "Fight, damn it!" A spray of water expelled from the younger man's lips as he coughed and choked on the lake water being drained from his lungs. Perry carefully guided JD to his side so that the water could flow freely from his mouth as it came up.

When the young man seemed to be finished, Perry pulled him up against his chest, reveling in the feeling of JD's short, shallow breaths against his neck.

"Okay, "he said quietly, the doctor side of his brain kicking in. "Let's get you up, JD." The younger man's only response was to curl into Perry further, shivering and coughing with every breath. "Come on, Newbie, I have to get you to the car. Can you stand?" The man's words slowly slipped through the haze of JD's consciousness, and he was able to shake his head, his teeth chattering viciously. Perry let out an exasperated breath before nodding and mentally preparing himself for the next step.

"All right," he said roughly, "Newbie, I'm going to lift you up and carry you to the car. Do you understand?" He stated the words as slowly and clearly as he could, watching the young man closely for a reaction. He did not want to give the younger man a shock by jostling him around before he was ready -- the water had done its part on that end, thank you very much.

At the young man's nod, Perry took a deep breath, hooking one arm around JD's back and the other underneath his knees. He braced his legs, lifting himself and his extra passenger up only slightly to test their strength. They held -- albeit fairly weakly -- and he stood fully, carefully making the dangerous trek across the ice. Unfortunately, they were still closer to the center of the large lake then the edge, and it took several minutes for Perry's feet to finally shuffle to solid, snow-covered ground. He released the breath he had been holding nearly the whole time and glanced down at the young man in his arms.

JD's shivering was violent, bordering on that of a seizure. Now that Perry was on steadier ground, he quickened his pace, nearly at running speed by the time he reached the car and quickly made his way around to the passenger side. He carefully dropped JD's legs to the ground, still holding the young man up with one arm wound tightly around his torso while his free hand opened the back door. Seating JD just inside the vehicle, he hurried to the trunk, unlocking it and roughly pulling a fleece blanket from it.

"JD," he said as calmly as he could with his heart racing a mile a minute, "I'm going to have to strip you down, okay?"

"T-T-Too c-c-c-"

"Yea, I know you're cold, buddy, but those wet clothes aren't helping any," Perry explained, leaning down onto his knees and beginning to peel away the young man's clothing -- starting with his socks.

JD's toes were curled tightly in on themselves, and the older doctor winced as he had to place them back down in the snow in order to get the rest of the soaking garments from the pale, severely trembling man. Next was JD's hooded sweatshirt -- Perry's, actually, but the young man had insisted he let him have it as an early Christmas present -- which he roughly tugged off along with the long-sleeved shirt beneath it. JD immediately hunched back in on himself, his shaking arms wrapping around his chest and his fingernails desperately digging into his numb skin.

"Still with me, Newbie?" Perry placed a trembling, wet hand against the younger man's cheek, feeling him lean into it and nod twice. Reluctantly, Perry pulled away, his fingers finding the waistband of JD's jeans and fumbling with the button and the zipper.

"Y-You really th-th-think th-this-s-s is the t-time, Per?" JD choked, offering a shaky smile. Perry forced one of his own, noticing that the younger man's lips were still alarmingly blue -- both from the cold and lack of oxygen.

"Come on, JD," he said softly, hooking his fingers into the sides of the jeans waistband. With great effort, the young man uncurled his arms from his torso, placing his palms flat against the seat and grinding his teeth painfully as he lifted his hips up slightly. Perry slid the jeans and boxers down as quickly and carefully as possible, pulling them off and tossing them -- along with the rest of the clothing -- onto the floor of the car.

Pulling the blanket down from the roof of the car, Perry swiftly cocooned the younger man within and heaved him to his feet, moving him to the front seat and saying, "Sorry, I've only got the one blanket," he whipped off his soaking winter coat and threw it in the back as well, "but the sooner we get you to a hospital, the better." He stood from his crouched position and closed both doors, jogging around the car and seating himself on the driver's side before turning up the heat to full blast.

His hand reached down to shift the Porsche into gear, but before he could, cold fingers snaked along the back of his hand. He looked up into JD's dark eyes questioningly, offering him a meager smile.

"It's going to be all right, Newbie," he said softly.

"I d-don't w-w-want to go t-to the hospit-t-tal," JD stated, his chin still trembling. "Can w-we just-t go b-b-back to the c-cabin?"

"JD, you're hypothermic," Perry pointed out incredulously. "You were without oxygen for almost four minutes. I had to perform mouth-to-mouth. You need a doctor."

"You're a d-doctor-r-r," the young man countered, pressing his hands against the heater and sinking further into the blanket. "B-Besides . . . If I d-don't get-t s-s-some heat s-soon, I'm-m n-n-not going t-to make it-t-t. Th-The cabin's-s c-closer." Perry ground his teeth as his brain debated the matter. If Newbie was right, there was no way they would reach a hospital in time, and all his efforts would have been in vain. If Newbie was wrong and they attempted the drive to a hospital, there was still no guarantee that he would come out of this alive. Either way, there was only one solution.

"Fine," Perry relented, wringing the steering wheel as tightly as possible, "but come morning, I'm taking you to a hospital to get checked out." He waved a warning finger in JD's face, who nodded vigorously and winced at the sharp pain it caused in his head. Perry placed his palm flat against JD's chest, pushing him back against the seat and reaching over to fasten his seatbelt.

"Stay put," he said slowly, as if talking to a child -- for, really, he was. During the drive back to the cabin, JD slid across the seat, laying his head on Perry's shoulder, and the older man slung an arm around the younger, pulling him in tighter. Between the sniffles, the coughing, and the small tremors that still wracked him, JD knew it was going to be a long night . . . but a someone would make it bearable.

AN: Questions? Comments? Vague disregard for any or all words written and established in the mind of one who has no sanity?

All right, how was it? Damage report, people! Have no fear, there will be one more chapter in this fine trilogy of mine, in which JD is comforted and taken care of by our dearest Per-Bear. :) Later, Gators! Catch you on the flip side.