Dr. Cox held a fistful of his protégé's shirt, his face a mass of red fury as he looked from JD to Dan.. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Why don't you ask 'Dr. Dorian' ?" Dan mocked, wiping the blood from his nose.
"Why don't you shut your mouth?" JD snapped back.
"Both of you knock it off!" The brothers flinched as Dr. Cox shook JD by his shirt collar.
"Ow."
"It serves you right, Nancy. Now you come with me and you," he said pointing to Dan, "go home."
The crowd dispersed as JD followed Dr. Cox back into the hospital and into an empty patient's room.
Dr. Cox crossed his arms and stared at him for a moment. JD kept his eyes on the floor, but was startled into looking up at the older man's sharp whistle.
"Look at you, you pansy." Dr. Cox looked over his face with a critical eye but his voice was unusually soft.
A thin line of blood started at the young resident's lip and ended at his chin. A large blue and purple bruise was forming on his right cheekbone.
JD winced as his mentor grabbed him by the chin and shined a light into his eyes. "Don't blink, stupid."
He stared into the small flashlight until Dr. Cox let him go.
"Unfortunately, you don't have a concussion."
"Gee, thanks."
"You're lucky I came out there when I did, Newbie. You were getting your butt handed to you."
JD rolled his eyes, "I was beating him and you know it." He turned to go but paused in the doorway.
"Do you…Do you think my dad knew I loved him?"
There was a long stretch of silence before Dr. Cox stepped up beside him and leaned against the door frame.
"Newbie, whether you like it or not, when you care about someone, you make it painfully obvious. And annoying. Ask anybody in this hospital. Now go home."
He felt a pat on his shoulder before the older man exited the room and walked down the hall.