Heroes…
"Oh man, look at those guys," J.D gasped as he stared out at the surfers showing off as they glided over the wave on their boards. The beach was awash with sunbathing locals and tourists, surfers and a lone journalist talking into her camera about water pollution.
"Is Dr Noll out there?" Carla asked and looked teasingly at Elliot who pouted.
"Want a closer look?" Turk grinned and dropped his towel onto the sand. He grabbed Carla and jogged toward the water as she screamed, giggled and feebly tried to escape.
"Surfing doesn't look all that hard you know," J.D declared confidently and looked at Dr Cox.
"You know, you're right, all those professionals who nearly get killed in typhoons off Hawaii do it because it's just so damn easy," Dr Cox groused and crossed his arms.
J.D slumped and then asked coyly. "So are you gonna have a go?"
"Sure pumpkin," Dr Cox mused. "If only to see you flail about in the waves."
"I do not flail!" J.D huffed as they headed toward a stand of boards for hire. I'll show him, I'll get out there and act like a pro and then we'll see who's flailing.
Elliot peeked out from under her wide brimmed hat as she fumbled with a beach umbrella. After several unsuccessful attempts she managed to get it to stand up in the sand. Pleased with the result she spread out her towel on the sand and sat down in the shade. The second her bottom touched the towel the umbrella keeled over and closed.
"Poopies," Elliot whined and shoved her hand into her bag to fish out her sun cream which she started to rub into her skin in extraneous amounts. She watched Turk and Carla playing about it the surf. Turk splashed Carla, who let out a shriek, and then as he laughed a large wave knocked him over, causing Carla to giggle until she was thrust under the water by a wave.
Elliot let out a long sigh once her cream was rubbed in and glanced over at the surfers, Dr Noll wasn't there and she was annoyed she was disappointed. Elliot distracted herself by watching Dr Cox and J.D paddling out on their boards, well Dr Cox was paddling out but J.D kept sliding off into the water.
The Todd arrived back at the tiny apartment after spending the best part of the afternoon stalking a well endowed nurse around the hospital. He was mildly disappointed to find none of his friends waiting eagerly for his arrival. He noticed a note on the table, grabbed it and read aloud.
Todd,
Something came up and well all had to go out. However, there's a coupon for pizza and a copy of 'My Life as she-male in the FBI' to keep you occupied.
J.D
Todd snatched up the video and grinned lasciviously. "It's just you and me Busty Betty, just you and me.".
"Dr Cox," J.D panted as he pulled himself back on his board for the eighth time and he hadn't even attempted surfing yet.
"Yes Fiona?" Dr Cox mused, sitting unfazed on his board and watching the waves as he waited for a decent one.
"Has anyone ever died surfing?"
"Sure Newbie, or they get attacked by sharks or end up breaking their necks," Dr Cox replied. "But usually it's the shark thing."
"Oh, that's good to know," J.D swallowed, trying desperately to forget Jaws. He was imagining a fin circling his board when the right wave came along and he watched as Dr Cox caught it and surfed with ease back toward the beach.
HE CAN SURF! Great, now I'm going to look like a total…
J.D paused his thinking as he felt his board catch the wave.
Oh crap!
**************
"What the hell is he doing?" Turk gasped as he looked baffled at his friend who was, as Dr Cox predicted, flailing about on his board.
"Poor Bambi," Carla mused as she dried her hair with a towel. Dr Cox, who has sprinted up the beach to watch, started sniggering.
"That's the best thing I've seen since being here," he remarked as J.D washed up in the shallows.
"WOOHOO, I DIDN'T DIE!" he cried and was looked at strangely by the other surfers who were generally just ashamed that someone so incompetent could be associated with them. Proudly J.D got to his feet and then remembered his board, he'd barely moved a step when he tripped over it and went face first into the sand.
"Are you ok?" Elliot asked when he finally dragged himself up the beach to where his friends were.
"I'm just fine," J.D declared, puffing his chest out and digging his board into the sand, it toppled over almost immediately, causing Dr Cox to crack up again.
"God bless ya Newbie," he mused. "At least you're getting into the spirit unlike Barbie here."
"Just because I'm not swimming doesn't mean I'm not having fun," Elliot said defensively.
Turk and J.D looked at each other and grinned mischievously. Before Elliot could say another word they both leapt forward. Turk grabbed her arms and J.D grabbed her feet.
"NONONONONONONO!" Elliot wailed as they walked kneed deep into the water and began to swing her.
"One," J.D grinned.
"Two," Turk laughed.
"THREE!" they yelled together and let her go. Elliot screamed until she was muffled by the water. Turk and J.D looked at each other again and ran off laughing.
"See, isn't this fun," Carla perked, smiling at Dr Cox as she got herself comfortable on the sand.
"Sure," Dr Cox agreed. "And seeing as how I don't have any friends any more I'm guess I'm gonna have to get used to it."
"What do you mean?" Carla asked cautiously as she watched Turk and J.D laughing at Elliot who had seaweed stuck in her hair.
"You know what I mean," Dr Cox said coolly. "You warned Gina off."
"No I didn't," Carla said defensively. "Have you called Jordan since we've been here?"
Dr Cox laughed. "You couldn't be any more subtle."
"Y'know perhaps Gina finally grew a brain in that cotton wool head of hers and realised that you have a wife and child at home."
"Ex-wife," Dr Cox corrected. "And what I do is still none of you business."
"Fine, if you want to ruin everything you've worked so hard for with Jordan than don't let me stop you."
"Y'know if I didn't know better I'd almost think you were jealous," Dr Cox mused as Carla glared at him.
Carla was about to retaliate with a scathing remark when a cry went up from a group of surfers. Both she and Dr Cox looked over to see one of the surfers being laid on the beach, blood pouring from a wound on his head. Without a second though Dr Cox raced over with Carla not far behind, Turk, J.D and Elliot reached the unconscious surfer at the same time.
"Stand back, we're doctors," Dr Cox said with an air of authority that made people listen.
"He's not breathing," J.D declared, already on his knees.
"The wound doesn't look good," Turk added as he looked over the large laceration on the surfer's head.
"Newbie, commence CPR," Dr Cox declared. "You stop that bleeding," he added, looking at Turk. "Carla call an ambulance, go, go, go." Carla dashed off in the direction of a phone box.
"His pulse is dropping," Elliot piped up as Turk used his towel to wrap around the surfer's head.
"Dammit!" Dr Cox snapped as he and J.D continued with the CPR.
"What's happening?" a voice piped up and they briefly looked up to see the journalist, complete with her camera crew.
"We're trying to stop a human being dying pumpkin," Dr Cox groused.
"What happened to him?" the journalist asked, moving closer.
Dr Cox got to his feet. "BACK OFF," he snapped, causing the journalist and crew to look like startled bunnies and shuffle back. "Give the damn man his dignity for Christ's sake."
"Ambulance should be here ASAP," Carla announced, reappearing. "How's he doing?" The surfer spluttered and coughed up some water, J.D rolled him onto his side.
"We won't know until we know how bad that head injury is," Dr Cox sighed as they heard the ambulance siren.
"Thanks so much man," one of the surfers announced, stepping forward and extending his hand.
"We're just doing our jobs," Dr Cox replied, shaking the surfer's hand. "You gonna go with him?"
"Yeah," the shaken surfer nodded as the paramedics raced down the beach with a stretcher. The lifeguards keeping people back from the scene guided them through. "See you at the hospital."
"Right," Dr Cox nodded and then looked at the others.
The group arrived back at the hospital, still damp and smelling of beach. It turned out the surfer needed stitches which Turk was enlisted to do and was lucky to have escaped any serious damage to his head that wasn't cosmetic.
"Hey guy, you're on the news," Carla perked, poking her head around the door of the surfers room. J.D and Dr Cox looked at each other and then followed Carla into the doctors' lounge where Turk and Elliot were turning up the television.
….the surfer had received a nasty laceration to his head after his surfboard had struck him. Pulled from the water unconscious, a group of doctors visiting from the United States were luckily on hand to save his life…
"It looks just like ER," J.D mused, deciding this was far more heroic than saving the cameraman's life outside a strip club.
"I look like a skank," Elliot whined, noticing there was still seaweed in her hair as she was timing the man's pulse.
"I think I look more heroic when I'm shirtless," Dr Cox piped up as he stood behind the couch with his arms folded.
"I agree," a voice mused and they all looked to see Gina watching the news report as well.
"Thanks Blondie," Dr Cox smiled wryly.
"Yeah, anyway I wanted to warn you lot that you will be hounded by the press because everyone likes stories about heroes. You are not, under any circumstances to talk to them without me being present ok?" There was unanimous agreement before J.D just had to ask.
"Why?"
"Because all meetings with the media need to be monitored in case something is said that could make the hospital look bad."
"Like telling them the place is run by something spawned from the loins of Satan," Dr Cox explained with mock seriousness.
"Something like that," Gina agreed. "But anyway, great job guys I couldn't be more proud of you all," she added. "Now go home before Bruce thinks you're taking up room in his precious hospital."
The group departed eagerly, apart from Dr Cox who waited for them all to be out of earshot, especially Carla. "So you really think I look more heroic shirtless?" he asked as Gina switched off the television.
"Well, in a He-Man wearing furry panties kinda way, sure," Gina agreed. They looked at each other uncomfortably a minute. "Anyway, I've got paperwork to attend to."
"Wait!" Dr Cox demanded, scurrying over and blocking the door. "Are you avoiding me because of what Carla said?"
"Does it matter?" she asked, crossing her arms and cocking her head to the side.
"Yes it matters!"
"Why?"
Dr Cox flustered for a reason that wasn't "you're very hot" and instead went for, "Because I'd rather do paperwork with you than be stuck watching porn with the Todd."
"Ah, right," Gina nodded. "Well, if it's any consolation your act of heroism at the beach has increased the amount paperwork I have to do."
"I'm not apologising," Dr Cox said blankly and shook his head.
"I wouldn't expect you to," Gina smiled coyly. "By the way, yelling at that journo to 'back off,' nice work stud," she added, brushing past him on her way out of the doctor's lounge.
Dr Cox let out a whimper and looked over his shoulder to watch her walk away. "Why did you wait until now to make a guest appearance in my life huh?"