Dr. Cox wasn't some kid on a play ground. I wasn't a little girl getting pushed on the swings. He was my mentor who tormented me. I knew he still cared about me…even if it wasn't in that way. Not that I would want him to care about me in that way. Things went back to normal. As the time went by, we remained the same. Turk and Carla got married, I was with Elliot, and then not, and then with Kylie…and then not, Dr. Cox got back together with Jordan, I started teaching interns, Mrs. Wilks passed, and then Dr. Cox accidentally killed three patients and I had to go bring him out of the stupors. And then Jordan and Dr. Cox broke up again, and Dr. Cox was being extra mean to me. I couldn't handle it. We'd gone through so much over the years and he still has to treat me that way? I guess some things never change.
"Newbie! Get out of your head and back in the real world, Ariel. We have work to do," Dr. Cox whistled at me, hitting my shoulder as he brushed passed me. I stopped. He turned to look at me, with crazy angry eyes because I hadn't started following him. "What's your problem?" I yelled. He neared me quickly. "My problem is that you're not doing your job!" he exclaimed, crossing his arms. "Why have you been so mean to me lately?" I asked, feeling hurt and dejected. He just glared. "Forget it. See ya, Dr. Cox," I said, briskly walking off.
Dr. Cox's POV
The rest of that damn day, Newbie successfully avoided me, up until one of my patients asked to speak with him. I hunted him down and found him with the Janitor, next to the gift shop. I walked slower as I neared him, listening in on the craziness that was their relationship and also because I didn't want him to storm off again because I was headed toward him so quickly. "…I'll give you a hint, it's blue and now it doesn't work," the Janitor said, grinning at Newbie, who had his head tilted in lala land after his comment. Then something seemed to dawn on him and he turned his scowl at the stiff in the jumper.
"Sasha? You have me so g-darn pissed right now!" he exclaimed. His lips pouted and his chest expanded and retracted quicker by the second. I raised my eyebrows at my observation and grimaced to myself. The Janitor just smiled smugly, "I thought you'd like that. My little treat for you ignoring my greeting today. Oh what, just because I'm a janitor I don't deserve a hello?" Newbie squeezed his eyes closed. "Are you really telling me that you messed with my scooter again? I've had a bad enough day, will you let off?!" and he stormed off from the Janitor, right towards me. He was so blindly angry that he didn't see me for a second. And then he did. "What?" he spat. I rested my hands in my pockets. "Your patient with the head trauma requested a Dr. Dorian, so I decided to hunt you down all over the hospital…to find you running away from your number one bully," I told him, rolling my lips together. Newbie's lips hesitated to move before they stopped altogether. I once again had a visceral reaction to me taking note of her heiress' lips and shook my head.
The Janitor had walked up to our little conversation, smugly looking at me. "Hey man, its Friday, what do you say, the bar at 9?" I looked at him disgustedly, and then started to give my best pleading look to Newbie. He was looking off, and then huffed. "You sure you guys aren't just tag teaming me?" he asked, looking at me differently. It wasn't anger…it was hurt. I felt a twinge of guilt pang in my chest as I looked to the carpet. He didn't wait for me to respond. And left. Again. I groaned and placed my hands on my head. The Janitor had the audacity to laugh at me, which was nawt a good idea.
"I will end you," I assured him, nodding ferociously. "You do realize that I just helped you?" he responded simply. I didn't think I could scowl any harder, but I could, "What?" The Janitor smiled warmly at me and put a hand on my shoulder. I gradually turned to look at it and then glowered at him. "I made you realize that you don't want him to be bullied or even have him think of you as a bully because you, good sir, care about him," he explained. I stared at him in confusion, "How is that helping him?" The Janitor lifted his hand from my shoulder.
And then he said something completely out of the blue that had me staring at him for longer than usual. "You're not his dad," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets. I snapped out of it, "What's your angle, big guy? I have made that very clear to Newbie that I am not, nor will ever be his father." The Janitor half smiled at me and tilted his head. Anger seethed through my whole body, making me hot all over. "He doesn't think of you as his father, you know that don't you?" he said. I gave him a dumb look. "Of course he does. Sally Sensitive shoves it in my face whenever she gets the chance and dangles it in front of me like candy…as if I would actually enjoy the candy that she eats. The girl eats candy bracelets for Christ's sake," I explained, trying to remain calm.
"He literally follows you around, tugging at your arm to get a hug. Every time he has a problem, he comes to you. You're his go-to. You could get him to stop, but you don't. You try and fail because that's not what you actually want. It's not normal to text your dad 'I miss you' at three in the morning. And a son certainly wouldn't imagine him and you as a Catwoman and Batman, who are a couple…by the way. I think he claims to think of you as a father-figure because he doesn't want to freak you out. I don't think he even realizes it. But I know that he's scared of not having you around." My face grew hotter from something else now. I think that's the most I'd ever heard the guy say in one sitting. I wanted to speak but the words weren't even there.
"I read his diary he keeps in his locker and find out ways to torture him. Ha, he's such a girl. And c'mon, why would I help him? I take pride in humiliating him, that's my thing. And man diary is full of your guys' interactions…from day one, I'm tellin' ya. Oh and uh…don't think I didn't notice you avoiding my statement by asking about him instead but it did just serve to prove my point. Also, I have plans tonight so no buddy bar time," he said. After gathering myself, I crossed my arms and laughed, "Ohh ho ho ho, listen here, buddy boy, if you keep bothering Newbie, I will personally put an end to your little game and boy, wouldn't you just like to know how. Buuuutt, I'm not going to tell ya, though I will tell you this: Stay out of our business or I'll haunt you for the rest of your natural born pathetic excuse for a life." I grunted and flicked my hand at him. The Janitor wasn't fazed, which only infuriated me more and I spun, briskly walking away from him. "Happy to help!" he called after me.