A/N: Well gang, I'm going on a mini vacation tomorrow, so it's going to be a little while until I'm able to update. However, as I'm sure you've noticed by now, this chapter is my longest so far. I figured I'd give you guys something to mull over until I get back. lol

Oh! And just to clear something up real quick: Every chapter, including this one, has all taken place on a Friday. Next chapter will be the first one that starts on a Saturday.

Anyway, thank you guys so much for all the kind reviews and encouragement I've received for this story. It's very much appreciated and really motivates me, so thank you again. Hope you enjoy chapter 4!

Disclaimer: I own a very large nothing.

Chapter 4:

JD sat on the couch, fiddling with the rubix cube Dr. Cox had given him to keep him busy while simultaneously keeping him quiet. While the young doctor did his best to get the colors to work together, Perry was in the kitchen, cooking up food that both he and a five year old wouldn't mind eating.

"Newbie!"

JD turned his head, peering into the kitchen. "Yeah?"

"You like spaghetti?"

"Yup!"

"Good."

Huh, that wasn't too bad. If the conversations stayed that simple for the rest of the weekend, he might just get by.

It wasn't long until the food was ready. Normally, Perry would just eat his on the couch, but JD would undoubtedly follow, and well…he wasn't in the mood to explain to Jordan why there was a massive sauce stain on the furniture. He called him to the kitchen table and they sat down together, eating in comfortable silence.

At least until JD started slurping his pasta.

Dr. Cox looked up from his seat, eyebrows furrowed in frustration as JD inhaled another long, slurpy noodle. "Is that really necessary?"

"What?" he asked innocently, spots of sauce surrounding his lips.

Perry sighed. "Look here, Newbie." The older doctor stuck his fork into his pasta and twirled. He held it up for JD to examine before sticking it into his mouth. "You get more and it's less noisy. Now apply that little lesson to yourself."

JD went about twisting his fork in his spaghetti the way Dr. Cox had showed him. It took him several attempts, much to Perry's amusement (though he'd never admit he'd been paying attention) but finally the young doctor seemed to get it down to an art.

After the dishes were placed in the dishwasher and the table was clean (JD had made a bit of a mess with the sauce, as Perry had predicted) the two of them went to the couch and sat down; Dr. Cox flipping through channels while JD continued working on the rubix cube. However, said form of entertainment could only hold a child's attention for so long.

"I'm bored," JD muttered.

Perry continued to flip through the channels, not bothering to look at his protégé as he spoke. "You pretty much own 'Toys R Us' in that room of yours, Newbie. If you, let's say, left me alone to relax, I'm sure you could find something in there that'll capture your attention for a while."

JD frowned at this, but didn't say anything in response. He continued to stare at the screen in front of him until once again deciding to speak.

"Dr. Cox?"

The older man up-ed the volume. "Newbie, do you remember that rule about you being quiet while the TV's on?"

"I smell."

Dr. Cox looked at him, startled. "What?"

"I feel gross. …And I smell."

While it was admittedly a little weird for a "five year old boy" to care about feeling dirty, Dr. Cox had to admit that most kids didn't just come off of a sixteen hour shift, sweating and smelling of whatever it was their patients threw their way. That, added with the sauce that was splattered here and there on his scrubs, and well…the kid could probably use a bath.

With Jack still being three, either he or Jordan would sit in the bathroom with him while their son took a bath, but Perry wasn't sure if the two years to JD's age made any difference. He really hoped it did. Not that the human body was something he was unfamiliar with, what with being a doctor and all, but still…

"Can you take baths by yourself?" he asked casually, attention turned back to the TV screen.

JD furrowed his eyebrows. "Of course! I'm not a baby."

Dr. Cox could not ignore the irony behind his protégé's exclamation. You're not a five year old either, he thought quietly. "Okay then, Newbie. Go take a bath." He waited for JD to get up from his seat, but the young doctor only stared at the ground, looking slightly embarrassed. "Well, Newbie?"

"I-I can't…"

"What?"

"I can't turn it on by myself, or I might leave it on too long and the water will overflow, or I might burn myself from the hot water, or…" JD trailed off as Dr. Cox continued to stare at him, eyebrows raised in question. It took him a second to realize those were probably rules that were set down for him when he was younger. He was about to criticize until it occurred to him that he never once let Jack start the bath by himself either. He or Jordan always did it, so really… Damn, he thought with an almost undetectable sigh. "Okay, Newbie, follow me."

JD stood from his spot on the couch, following Perry into the bathroom. He watched, as if memorizing some grand technique, as Dr. Cox turned the knobs and tested the water till he deemed it fit. The older doctor tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the tub to fill. Finally he reached back down and twisted the faucets off. He turned to JD then, nodding towards the tub. "You good now?"

The younger doctor nodded as Perry left the bathroom, leaving him alone.

--

"Does he have anything to change into?"

Ten minutes after leaving JD to get himself cleaned up, Dr. Cox received a phone call from Carla. After letting the man rant and rave over the fact that neither she nor Turk had been able to track down the hypnotist yet, she asked how he and Bambi were holding up. When Perry told her where the "five year old" currently was, she brought up a very good point.

"Well?" she asked again.

Dr. Cox rubbed his free hand over his face in annoyance. God, he hadn't even thought of a change of clothes for the kid. Why did all of these new complications keep appearing? Wasn't the situation already troublesome enough? Letting out a tired growl, he answered the Latina nurse's impatient question. "Not anything of his, no, but I can lend him some of my clothes."

"You're bigger than him!"

"Why thank you," he responded with a cocky grin.

"Oh please – just because JD doesn't spend half the time as you do in the gym doesn't make you some sort of macho man. He's just a bit skinny, that's all. And you're, well…"

"Say iiiiit…"

Carla let out a frustrated sigh. "...You're built."

"I know!" he sing song-ed victoriously into the phone, "But it's just so good to hear every now and then."

"Can we get back to the point please? Bambi's smaller than you, so how is he going to fit into your clothes?"

"Please, Carla, he's not going to sink in them. If you really want to, you can stop by before the end of the weekend and bring some of the kid's clothes over, but please, please don't bring that turtle-headed husband of yours. I'm already baby-sitting one kid over here. I sure as hell don't need two."

Carla let out a small sigh before responding. "Fine. I'll bring some clothes. Oh, and Dr. Cox?"

"What?"

"Remember…he's only five."

"Well gosh-darn it if I wasn't already fully aware of that myself, but thank you so much for reminding me."

"Good bye, Dr. Cox." And just like that, the conversation was over.

Perry played with the cell phone in his hand absentmindedly. The truth was he really did need someone to remind him of Newbie's condition. Even now, it just wasn't sinking in.

"Dr. Cox?"

JD's voice penetrated his thinking, making him cringe. It wasn't that the kid's voice was irritating at this point, it was just that he wasn't completely used to the childish tone it seemed to have taken on since the…incident. "What do you want Newbie?" he shouted back at him.

"I'm done!"

"Then get out!"

"I can't!

"Why in the he – why not?"

"Because I have nothing to wear!"

Right. That little problem. "Hang on a sec there, Newbie." Dr. Cox stood from his spot on the couch and made his way over to the bedroom. After rummaging through his closet, he found a pair of old but comfortable sweat pants and a plain white t-shirt. Once at the bathroom door, he paused to knock, and almost laughed at the small squeak of surprise that came from inside. "Dr. Cox…?"

"Of course, Newbie! Who else would it be? I'm coming in, hear me?"

"Yup, yup."

The older doctor walked in to place JD's change of clothes on the counter, but stopped as he stared at the overflow of bubbles that made their foamy selves out of the tub and over the edge. "Where did you get bubbles!?"

"I found 'em!" JD looked up at him from his place in the bath; eyes alight with pleasure as the bubbles surrounded his face, imitating something similar to a lion's mane. "Wanna hear my growl?"

Dr. Cox shut his eyes and grit his teeth. Maybe he should have stayed with his protégé after all. "No Newbie, I do not want to hear your growl. Change, get out of the tub, and just…just go play or something."

JD instantly slouched back down into the water, the bubbles hiding most of his face as he turned his eyes away from his mentor. "Okay…" he murmured.

Dr. Cox waited for JD to emerge from the bathroom before going back inside to clean up the mess, but when he did finally come out, well…

Perry had to try extremely hard not to laugh at the sight before him. The kid actually looked younger in his clothes, what with the way they hung so loosely around his frame. Every five seconds, JD would have to pull up his pants to prevent them from falling on the floor, though the t-shirt, while it did lie awkwardly on his shoulders, seemed comfortable enough for him. "Okay there, Newbie?" the older doctor finally managed.

JD nodded. "I'm sorry about –"

Dr. Cox just grunted as he waved his hand dismissively. He passed JD into the bathroom, almost forgetting not to shoulder bump him on the way, as he went to clean up the foamy water.

--

It was 8:00 at night when the dishwasher beeped, indicating its cycle was done. Perry stood up and stretched as JD watched him curiously from his place on the floor. He had brought out a puzzle, and after a warning look from Dr. Cox, was doing his best to only take out the pieces he needed…

JD continued to stare as he watched his mentor pile up the dishes and carry them to their respective location. Still not very sure if he had been forgiven for the bubble incident, he wanted to do something that would make the older man pleased with him. Deciding on what he hoped was a good idea, JD stood up and walked happily to where Dr. Cox was cleaning. "I can help!" he shouted enthusiastically, reaching for a stack of clean plates to put away.

Perry looked over at him, wondering vaguely why the kid sounded so cheery about doing what most kids would consider a chore. Even so…five-year-old JD and glass? No thank you. "No, Newbie, you can't."

"No! Let me help!" The young doctor picked up the plates, clearly having trouble balancing them all as he made his way towards the cabinet.

"Seriously, Newbie, give them here…"

"But I can help you! Really!"

"No. I'm serious, now hand them over."

"But –!"

JD froze as he stumbled, just ever so slightly, causing the five glass plates he had been balancing to cascade and shatter all over the linoleum floor. Very, very slowly, he managed to look up at Dr. Cox who stood across the room from him. His face was bright red, and his eyes were just about ready to pop out of his skull. The older man brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose, pinching hard. He swallowed a couple of times before speaking, breaking the silence that lasted way too long for the now very nervous JD. "Go to your room," he whispered, still pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry…" JD murmured, voice full of apology.

"Go to your room," he repeated between clenched teeth, eyes also closed very tightly.

"I was just trying to help –"

"GO TO YOUR ROOM NOW!"

It was then that Dr. Cox decided to open his eyes, and oh God, did he regret it.

He looked straight into JD's; bright and blue and filled to the brim with unshed tears. He watched him openly tremble before him, and that's when everything that happened at the hospital up to that point finally smacked Dr. Cox right in the face: JD truly and honestly believed himself a five year old. The young doctor before him was indeed a "young" doctor, and oh God…what did he just do?

"JD…"

The older man watched, horrified, as the brunette in front of him swallowed a sob and ran off to his room, not looking back.

He had never meant for this to happen. Never. Why did it take him so long for the whole situation to sink in? Why did it hit him after he yelled the kid into tears? He didn't mean it, he didn't. He never, ever wanted this.

He stared at the shattered glass for a long moment before actually making a move to clean it up. Like he really cared about broken dishes anyway. It's not like they were some expensive, irreplaceable treasure. The most he would get for broken glass was maybe a lecture from Jordan about his carelessness, but that's not what he was thinking about as he threw the shards into the trashcan. He could only think of JD accidentally stepping on a piece and hurting himself; how it was very important to get every one of them up so that, that never happened. And he could only think of JD in his room, curled up and – oh God, what did he do!?

After he was sure all the pieces were safely thrown away, he made his way over to the kid's room, standing hesitantly by the door. He stayed like that for a good five minutes before tentatively knocking.

No answer.

"Newbie…?"

He opened the door, just a little, and could instantly feel the knot that was his guilt tighten up in the pit of his stomach.

JD sat on the floor in the corner, legs folded up to his stomach, arms wrapped around him tightly. His face was buried in his knees, and while he couldn't hear the crying, the shaking of his shoulders definitely implied that he was.

Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Dr. Cox could feel his face soften as he stepped fully into the room, now able to hear the very soft noises that escaped his young protégé as he continued to sob, completely turned away from him.

"JD…?"

He had hoped the use of his real name would trigger in the young doctor how serious he was, but why would it? The JD before him probably thought it was much stranger that he was being called "Newbie" so often. He wouldn't be able to realize that Dr. Cox using his real name was actually a rather grand gesture.

Dr. Cox walked towards him carefully. When he finally made his way to the shaking form on the floor, he reached out a hand to pat his shoulder, only to have said form jerk away from him, a louder sob escaping in the process. Perry inwardly flinched. Did he…did he think he was going to hit him!? Even at his angriest, Dr. Cox never even considered that. Anyone with an inkling of knowledge about Perry's childhood could understand why, besides the fact that he disagreed with hitting as a form of punishment anyway. Well, at least when it came to women and children…

He bent down to JD's level, keeping a good three feet away from him so that his protégé wouldn't feel threatened. "JD…?" he tried again.

Finally he looked up at him, just not all the way. His blue eyes, now puffy and red, peered at him over his knees. His cheeks were flushed and tear stained, and his shoulders still trembled.

It took a lot of effort for Dr. Cox not to openly deflate. God, did he feel awful. It was hard for him to keep so calm. "JD," he began again. "I'm sorry."

He watched, sadly, as JD buried his head back in his knees, continuing on with his silent crying.

"It was an accident, really. I didn't mean to yell at you. Sometimes…adults loose their temper, but… I'm sorry. I know you just wanted to help."

Dr. Cox's eyes were wide with surprise as JD's arms were suddenly around his waist, head buried in his shoulder; a sign of quiet forgiveness. The crying, however, was much louder. The older man could feel JD's tears soaking through his shirt. It seemed to be the final thing that kicked the man's parenting mode into full gear. Almost instinctively, his hand was rubbing circles onto the younger doctor's back.

Dr. Cox's methods may not have always been conventional, as he learned with his own son, but all in all, the man was a good parent.

"I – didn't – mean – to – break – them…" JD managed to say in between sobs.

"I know," he whispered back. "It was an accident. It's okay though, it's all cleaned up."

But JD's crying only grew more persistent, even after Perry's very sincere confirmation that it was indeed okay. Was something else bothering him? "What's the matter, Newbie?" he asked calmly.

JD let out another sob before ranting frantically into Dr. Cox's shoulder. "I don't know what's going on! What's going on…!? Why were we at a hospital? Am I sick? Why are we here now? Where's my house? Where's my family? I'm confused, and I-I'm scared…"

Perry's eyes were wide with disbelief, mainly at himself. He had never even thought of all that… Of course JD's five year old self would be wondering where he was and for what purpose. This wasn't exactly normal circumstances, but he couldn't reveal the truth behind what really happened without completely freaking the kid out. For about the tenth time in the last half hour, Dr. Cox mentally kicked himself for having taken so long for JD's current condition to really sink in. "It's just for this weekend," he finally responded, voice tranquil and low. He continued to rub circles into JD's back as his other hand made its way into the kid's hair, his fingers combing through it in time to his own breathing. "You don't have to worry about any of that, Newbie. It's going to be okay..."

JD's breathing finally calmed as his crying came to a slow but steady halt. He loosened his grip around his mentor just enough to look up at him, eyes still puffy but much more at ease. Dr. Cox looked down at him and allowed himself to smile. He ruffled the kid's hair, making sure to get the loose strands that stuck to his tear soaked skin out of his eyes in the process. "Feeling better?"

JD sniffled, but gave a little nod as he put his head back onto Dr. Cox's shoulder. They stayed like that for a while until Perry felt the body wrapped around him relax with a great sigh, the breathing suddenly becoming deep and even.

Poor kid had cried himself out so hard he fell asleep.

Dr. Cox hoisted him up carefully, being very sure not to wake him in the process. Slowly, he made his way over to the bed and laid him down. His face was still flushed, but completely relaxed into a sound state of sleep. Dr. Cox pulled the covers up to his chin and left the room in a very determined state of mind.

He would make sure JD never cried like that again.

A/N: So the situation finally dawned on Dr.Cox. Never fear though – Perry is not going to suddenly turn into a huge pile of sentimental goo. (Though there will be cuteness, I assure you. lol) He's just going to have a better grasp now and be a little less…cold with JD.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks again for all your reviews. They really do help. : ) See you with another update in about a week. Until then!