A Matter of Opinion…

"Was I really asleep in a cubicle?" J.D asked as he, Turk, Carla and Elliot approached the hospital.

"Dude, you were hugging the cistern," Turk replied blankly and J.D looked a little embarrassed.

"I was just tired," he lied and pushed ahead of the others into the waiting room. He noticed Dr Cox leaning against the nurses station and strolled over. "Morning Dr Cox!"

"Listen Kylie I consumed enough alcohol last night to be pretty much embalmed right now. I've spent most of the morning feeling like my head is about to explode and cover everything in its path in tequila smelling grey matter and its taking all my strength not to puke on you as I speak," Dr Cox declared and J.D took a step back. "Furthermore, I've made myself look like a complete dumbass in front Gina, and before you say it and I know you will. We did not spend the night together. I wouldn't have remembered what to do anyway, although I would have given it a red hot go. I passed out in the spare room and woke to a tongue bath by her cat. Why am I telling you this anyway?" he added, narrowed his eyes and stalked off.

"Have a nice day!" J.D called after him and was about to sneak off for a coffee when his beeper started screaming. Dr Anderson has summoned him urgently to a third floor room and reluctantly J.D hurried off toward the elevator.

J.D burst into the third floor room to find only a patient who was propped up in bed and a tired looking nurse who was putting some flowers in a vase.

"Dr Dorian?" She asked smiling warmly as she did her best with the slowly wilting flowers.

"Yeah, hey where's Dr Anderson?" J.D asked looking around in case his Australian mentor was lurking behind a curtain.

"I'm not sure but he left me with instructions for you to take over his patient," the nurse perked and then paused. "Well, all his patients actually…"

J.D frowned, he had enough patients to deal with, without the added burden of more. "Wait right there," he declared and hurried out of the room again.

******************

Elliot felt proud of herself, she'd checked on nearly all her patients from the day before and she hadn't cried, freaked or had a breakdown yet. She smiled as she swaggered down the corridor toward her last patient's room, prepared herself for a magnanimous bedside manner and then paused. Someone was already dealing with her patient.

"Excuse me," she declared sucking in a deep breath. "But Mrs Harrison is my patient."

"You're Elliot?" asked the doctor looking up. Elliot felt a jolt run down her spine. He was very, very hot with tanned skin, deep blue eyes and messy blonde hair. She'd found the surfer she'd been looking for.

"Its Dr Reid actually," she said haughtily and crossed her arms ."And Mrs Harrison is my patient."

"I know," the doctor smiled, he had a gorgeous smile. "But I was asked to take a look at her when her temperature spiked because you weren't in yet. It's no biggie."

"No, no biggie at all," Elliot agreed looking stupidly blank and transfixed.

"I'm Dr Noll by the way," the doctor perked and extended his hand. "But you can call me Stu."

"Elliot, Elliot Reid," Elliot swallowed and shook his head.

"I know, you told me," Stu laughed and Elliot blushed and began to fluster. "Nevermind, I never forget a beautiful face," he added and headed toward the door. "See you at rounds."

"For sure," Elliot beamed and stood grinning inanely for a few moments before she managed to pull herself together and do her job.

******************

"So what really happened last night?" Carla asked as she pretended to search for a file as Dr Cox forced himself to drink coffee. "You can tell me."

"I couldn't tell you," Dr Cox grumbled.

"Please," Carla begged. "I won't tell the others."

Dr Cox sighed and studied his coffee for a moment. "We left the bar, she took me back to her place and we did things to dawn that'd just make your eyes water."

"Like what? Come on, don't be coy with me."

"Have you ever had candle wax dripped onto your bare flesh?"

"What?"

"And then she put on the monkey suit and…Jeez Carla, what I do with Gina has nothing to do with you, got that, nothing, zero, zip and besides I'm not even interested in her."

"So why the drinking game with her ex-husband huh?" Carla asked raising and eyebrow.

"It was a harmless bit of fun," Dr Cox frowned. "We were bonding."

"You were threatening each other with vodka enemas!"

"It would sterilise your colon."

"What do you think Jordan would say if she saw you carrying on like this?" Carla scorned now glaring at Dr Cox.

"What would you say if I said, 'I don't care?'" Dr Cox declared seriously. "She's over the other side of the Pacific and for the first time in a very, very long time Carla I feel like a weight is off my shoulders."

"You're unbelievable," Carla scowled and turned to storm off. "You disgust me."

"Oh get off your pedestal and join the real world," Dr Cox retorted. "You've never condoned my relationship with Jordan, in fact you've made it quite clear that you don't think we're right for each other. So, maybe you're right, maybe she's not the right person, maybe I can do better. If I do find someone else and it turns into the best thing that's ever happened to me than by Jesus I'm gonna go for it. It doesn't make me a bad person, it doesn't, it just makes me human. Some of us don't live in some faux state of perfection like you," he finished his speech, turned and stalked off down the corridor.

Carla stood stunned for a moment and then quietly went back to her work.

******************

J.D stormed into the 'On Call' room, flipped the light switched and saw Dr Anderson curled up asleep on the bed.

Its times like these you have to take matters into your own hands.

He scurried back out of the room and returned a second later with a vase of flowers. He ripped the flowers out and proceeded to empty to liquid contents of the vase onto Dr Anderson's sleeping form.

Dr Anderson's eyes sprung open and he screamed loudly. "What the hell did you do ya stupid Yank!"

"We're in a hospital Dr Anderson, in fact we're doctors if you haven't noticed," J.D snapped. "We're supposed to be helping sick people but all you seem to do is sleep off hangovers. If you have a drinking problem then go to AA if you don't than live with it and do your god damn job!"

"All right, keep yer knickers on," Dr Anderson mumbled shocked at being yelled at by a resident.

"Just get dry and do your job you dumbass Aussie," J.D hissed and stormed out still holding the flowers in one hand.

"Well that kid has more balls than I thought," Dr Anderson breathed trying to squeeze the water from his scrubs.

******************

"Hey Carla have you seen…" Gina began as she ran into Carla in the corridor.

"No I haven't," Carla said shortly.

"You didn't even let me…"

"I'm busy doing my job, I'm not your messenger."

"Carla?"

"Just stay away from me and my friends ok?"

"Excuse me?" Gina half laughed. "Who are you to tell me who I can and can't talk to?"

"I'm just warning you," Carla retorted. "We don't need you babysitting us ok?"

"I'm only doing my job…"

"So having sex with Dr Cox is part of your job description? Must be between the parts that say you must be blonde and flirty."

"I don't know what's crawled up your arse and died but I've never slept with Perry. In fact even if I had wanted to he couldn't have even made a coherent sentence last night, let alone pleasure me in any way, shape or form," Gina spat. "Why do you care so much anyway, you're married aren't you?"

"Dr Cox is my friend," Carla hissed. "I've known him a lot longer than you."

"Congratulations do you want a certificate," Gina smiled much to Carla's annoyance.

Carla snapped something in Spanish and then stormed off. Gina shook her head and continued down the corridor until she ran into Dr Cox coming out of a ward.

"How you feeling?" Gina asked as Dr Cox stopped to rub his temples.

"Oh just dandy," Dr Cox chided. "Hey, thanks again for not leaving me in the gutter last night."

"No worries," Gina smiled and then frowned. "Would you believe Carla just had a go at me?"

"Yes actually," Dr Cox nodded. "What did she say?"

"I've be warned to stay away from you all, well you in particular," Gina declared. "Does she always tell people what to do?"

"Yes," Dr Cox replied. "Carla, while being one of the few people I can tolerate on this earth does have a nasty habit of sharing her opinions with everyone."

"So, do you want me to stay away from you?" Gina asked cocking her head to the side. "Because if it's going to cause problems I'll…"

"It doesn't cause me any problems," Dr Cox smiled crossing his arms. "Actually, I'd kinda like it if you stayed around but then its totally up to you and I don't want to put pressure on you in anyway, actually maybe you should stay away, yes, that'd be best. Solves all problems, not that there were any problems to begin with but…"

"OK now you've lost me…"

"I'm not very, I'm a bit…women so don't get me."

"Then we'll make this simple," Gina perked. "Do you want to continue to get to know each other?"

Dr Cox opened his mouth to reply when his beeper went off and he forgot everything and had to rush off to a patient who was having a cardiac arrest.

******************

"Why are you wet?" Elliot asked looking at the wet splotches on J.D's scrubs as they prepared for rounds.

"Dr Anderson and I were bonding," J.D replied. "How's your morning been so far?"

"Oh my god, I met another resident Dr Noll, Stu," Elliot babbled. "He was so cute, I think he's a surfer, well he's got blonde hair which I know is stereotypical but I just feel it in my waters. He said he'd see me at rounds," she added looking around excitedly.

"Okie dokie everyone," a voice piped up. "For you who don't know me I'm Dr Noll, call me Stu, and I'll be taking you for rounds today."

"Oh!" Elliot gasped as Stu winked at her.

"Nice going Elliot," J.D teased. "An attending!"

"Poopy," Elliot whined and tried to hide behind the rest of the residents.