2. Down Hill
Some peoples lives were like roller coasters.
They had ups and downs. His life had never been up and down. It was more like a straight run with the occasional drop. After the drop, he never got back up again, just carried onwards, on the straight road waiting for the next drop.
Everyone knew they were really over now. When Perry had told his friends that he and Jordan were getting a divorce, it had seemed like it was pretty much over then. He still had feelings for her then which made everything much harder. Now, the feelings were all subsiding, and just the loneliness was there and no of them were there for him. The guys who had cheered the Red Sox on with him to win and had enjoyed his wide screen TV and drank his beer and ate his food could suddenly not be found.
That's when the anger had started. At first he was just a little mad that his friends couldn't be bothered to support him through a tough spot. And as time went on, the feelings grew. He resented the ones that were busy with their married lives and he hated the single ones even more because they were probably having a great time going out and never inviting him.
He didn't really have friends at work, the closest thing was Carla and even that was a stretch to call her an actual friend. Colleague was closer as they did occasionally go out but not enough to class her as a friend.
He was invited to Carla's birthday party at the bar, by Carla herself, not Turk who was arranging it, which he went to, if only to get himself out of the apartment for one night.
He wished he hadn't gone as it just made him realise what he didn't have- girlfriend or friends. So he just got drunk alone. He stayed out of everyone else's way and just drank.
And when he'd eventually had enough, he staggered out of the bar and made his way home.
No one missed him. No one even noticed he'd gone.
"I've always thought he was a jerk, but at least I thought it was just because he didn't like me." Elliot said, talking to Carla outside the bar.
Her party was still going inside, but Elliot had seen the look on Carla's face as she watched Dr Cox leave in a drunken mess. He'd not wished her a happy birthday at any point that day, and there was definitely no card or present. If JD or Turk weren't as drunk as they were, Elliot was sure one of them would have noticed Carla's upset as well. "The guys a first class jerk. You should just forget about him." Elliot said, wanting her friend to enjoy her day.
"That's the thing, Elliot. He's not a jerk. I know he has his moments, but what guy doesn't? Normally, he's a nice guy. I see it all the time with him. But lately... I don't know. It's since he split with Jordan. He hates being alone but all he does is make himself more and more alienated to the people who care about him."
"There's not a lot you can do if doesn't want to know you." Elliot sympathised.
"Maybe I should go talk to him." Carla said.
"I don't think any good will come of it, but I know you, you'll do what you think you have to." Elliot shrugged and turned to return to the bar.
"Elliot. I have to do this, he's my friend."
Elliot hesitated for a moment, between going in and talking to Carla. "I know." she said, simply.
He opened the door. He looked wrecked.
"Why did you leave?" Carla demanded from him. She'd worked herself up on her way over here. He was supposed to be her friend. Even with all he'd been through recently, he'd been through harder times before and that had just made them closer.
He didn't answer her. A strange look crossed his features. "Why don't you love me?" He asked, the alcohol making him more direct than usual.
"What?" She replied, shocked by his question.
"What's Ghandi got that I don't?" He looked genuinly puzzled by this.
"This is just the drink talking. I'm going." Carla said. He reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving.
"Just tell me." He said.
"You don't want to get into this, you know you don't really." Carla said.
Almost shaking her, he tried again to get the answers he wanted. "Tell me." His voice grew in volume and aggression.
Carla used her other arm to pry Perry's fingers off her arm. He let her go still waiting for the answer. "He'd never have done this." Carla said, angry. "You leave my party early, you only really care about yourself and you want everything to revolve around you. That's why you're here alone tonight. It's all your fault." Carla couldn't stop her voice sounding full of emotion. She hated that he'd frightened her even though she knew he'd never hurt her, he'd still scared her.
He didn't see the tears in her eyes that gently ran down her face.
He saw nothing. He didn't even see her leave.
"I'll kill him. I swear to God JD, when I see him, I'll kill him." Turk said as he walked towards the hospital.
JD glanced nervously at Turk. He felt a showdown was on the cards. He didn't know what to say. He'd seen Carla when she came back and she was obviously upset. She didn't want to talk about what had happened at first but later on, at home, she'd told Turk everything, who in turn had told JD everything and since then had repeatedly threatened to hurt Dr Cox in some way. JD thought there must have been something more to this whole thing than just a petty argument. They all knew Cox had been drunk when he left the bar and JD had noticed an almost subdued version of the man had been walking these halls recently. Not that he wasn't still threatening everyone, but just he was a lot quieter about everything else. He had hardly berated JD in the last few weeks.
JD knew he couldn't say anything right in this situation so decided that the best thing to do was say nothing at all.
Walking into the hospital, one of the first people they saw was Dr Kelso. Usually, they wouldn't talk to him out of choice. Today was different.
"Dr Kelso, have you seen Dr Cox, I need to talk to him." Turk said, his voice showing his confidence in what he thought of as a fight for Carla.
Dr Kelso seamlessly glossed over the fact that Turk shouldn't really be needing to see Dr Cox, seeing as one was in medicine the other in surgery and went straight to the facts. "Last time I saw him was in my office, but he shouldn't be there any more."
"Okay, thank you sir." Turk said, about to walk off.
"Turkleton, if it's really important I'd try to find him fast." Kelso said.
"Is his shift about finished?" Turk said looking at his watch to gage how long he had left.
"Nope. He just quit. Oh, and while your here Dr Dorian, I might have a few shifts that you can work to help us out."
JD heard nothing after the word 'quit'.