Dr. Cox POV
As soon as Newbie fell asleep, he slumped closer to me. I couldn't help but examine his face since it was inches from me. The kid tries so hard to please me most of the time. Newbie's fluffy hair tickled my arm, which only frustrated me because I didn't want to push him away. Not then and not…really at all. Goddamn it, why are you so soft? I thought, staring at his mouth that was left hanging open a little. His chest rose and sunk as he fell into a deeper state of sleep, clearly very comfortable. I furrowed my eyebrows at my own comfort and looked back down at him. I almost let him walk home in a sneezing in a storm after he had been ignoring me all week. I dropped my arm around his shoulders and let his face fall onto my chest. I closed my eyes, insisting that I fall asleep as an excuse in case Sleeping Beauty wakes up. Drifting towards sleep, I felt his arm circle around me. I squinted down at him, seeing that he appeared to still be sleeping. Lazily, my hand dropped to his waist, my face settled against his head and very quickly, I fell asleep.
JD POV
My nose tingles. I crack my eyes open and they immediately go wide as my heart began racing. Dr. Cox's lap? I thought wildly, slowly realizing what we were doing. My ear was pressed against his belly, my arm laying across his lap, dangerously close to…him. But more importantly…his left arm was wound around me, with his hand touching the bare skin that my shirt had exposed, and...his other hand held on my arm that was strewn across him. I couldn't help it. A big cheesy grin slid across my face, but I forced myself to drop it. How did this happen? I don't remember cuddling up against him. Does that mean he initiated it? I was so curious that I couldn't stand it. But, a big part of me really didn't want to move and ruin the moment.
After a couple of minutes, I sat up, causing both of his hands to fall off of me as his eyelids lifted slowly. Once he realized he was awake and that I was staring at him, he frowned. "Hillary, you're not pretty when you stare," he mumbled. "Dr. Cox, I'm a man. And you were cuddling me," I said, realizing I didn't want to poke the bear only after my sentence came out. I gave him my crazy eyes even more so when he responded the last way I would've expected him to….he laughed.
"Now that is stretching it Newbie, do I need to remind you of all of the man cards you lost?" I just stared, unable to speak. He didn't deny that he was cuddling with me, which must've meant he knew he was doing it. Chill out heart, if you pump any faster, I'll implode! Dr. Cox looked at me with a calm face, unmoving. I needed to calm down or he was going to push me away, so I stiffly moved to sit next to him. But, I couldn't find any more words. I just stared sideways at him as he returned the stare. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, he stood up.
"Well, I'm going to bed, Aurora. Doooon't stay up too late worshipping me because we have to get up bright and early," he said, grabbing a blanket from hall closet and throwing it at me. Right after I caught it, I sneezed three times in a row and grabbed my neck in pain. Jeez the wheeze my neck is going to fall off of my body…so that's how I'll become floating head doctor…I tilted my head, imagining. Dr. Cox was suddenly walking briskly to me and whistled, snapping me out of my daydream. "Heuh-alright, Anna, go take my bed. You're not going to sleep your pasty sicky self better on a couch. God knows how many patients you'll kill with that cold," he told me, sitting back down. Frozen, I gawked. He…he's offering me his bed! "But I don't want to get you sick," I protested. He raised his eyebrows, "Hate to break it to ya there, Newbie, but it's a little late for that. Now get." I felt my face flush. Slowly, I started standing. "Go, go, go, go," he urged, causing me to do a little run to his bedroom.
I crawled into his bed after turning off the light and snuggled up under the covers. Mmmm…smells like him. While snuggling his pillow, I realized something. I feel something…An overwhelming feeling. I can't pretend to not know what it is anymore. I rolled back onto my back and looked to the empty side of the bed. He's already done so much for me. If I keep expecting more from him, I'm always going to be disappointed. Realizing that though, didn't stop me from wishing he was lying next to me. Disappointed, I slammed my eyes close and willed myself to sleep.
Dr. Cox POV
The ceiling really wasn't that interesting. But my eyes were locked on it like target. My arms started aching from being behind my head so long and I sighed. I could picture what Newbie was doing in there…probably rolling all over my spacious bed with it all to himself, snuggling my pillows and sniffing them with his dirty snotty nose. Groaning, I tried closing my eyes. Instead of falling asleep, Newbie crowded up my mind space too. He seemed shocked when he woke up on me, like he didn't know he was doing it. Hell, maybe he didn't. But I did. Am I so lonely since Jordan left that I'd cuddle Newbie? That's not it. Jordan leaving was…a relief…except the fact that she took my son, who is currently probably being forced to participate in bathing in the blood of the innocents as a sacrifice to please his devil-mother. I did love her, but those feelings had passed a while ago.
I rolled to my side, breathing deeper in an attempt to distract myself from any more unwanted thoughts. The Janitors ridonculous speech replayed in my head. As much as it pains me to admit it, the guy made a lot of sense there. There's no question in me being the kid's go-to. But he writes about me in his diary? I mean that's just…too much. The ceiling and my eyes made reluctant friends again as I ran my hand over my face.
I recalled my actions with Danni and him a few years ago and groaned at myself. Just a pile of bad moves on my part. Neena, who used him as a boy toy, made me want to slug the stupid lawyer in the face. And then bimbo Barboo, who is far too selfish for someone like Newbie…became interested in someone who was nawt JD and I practically shoved them together. But I'm just looking out for Newbie, these nasty women are just going to hurt the poor kid.
The Janitors' speech wouldn't leave me be, "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." Newbie does all but ask me to sign adoption papers. Like that time when the word had got out to the interns that I was some loving, supportive mentor and Newbie walked in on my sarcastic affirmation with one of them. He got insanely jealous. He flipped. I frowned. He'd kept a pencil I'd given to him on his first day.
"….You handed it off to me like a tiny yellow baton, like you were trying to say to me, JD, you are the new me, you are my mentee, you…are my son," he said. But then he tackled one of the interns because he thought I had nicknamed them with a girl's name. I mean, hell, it's not like the kid is some jealous crazy nutjob though. Whenever Ben was around, he seemed happy for me that I had someone to buddy around with, but he definitely wanted to be involved. I furrowed my eyes and sighed sadly at where my thoughts were taking me. And then…when Ben died, Newbie was there for me whenever I needed him the most. What am I saying? Need Newbie? I just stared at the couch. Newbie stared at Ben and I during our cancer conversation and the kid butts in with, "You are such a stud." I raised my eyebrows. I'd forgotten that. God, not to mention, that time when he came up to me staring at my crotch. Had to whistle at him just to get him to look at me in the eyes. Knowing that kid though, he could have been thinking anything. I gave a big huff, sitting up. My back was killing me. I stretched a little and turned around to look at my bedroom door. Refusing to let Newbie's psychotic behavior keep me from my precious shut eye, I laid back down.