I'm sorry this took so long. My net's been out for days, and I was just now able to get this from my beta.
Chapter Five will most likely take a much longer time, since the next two weeks are considered vacation week for my family, but I will try to get it done. I'm about half way through, so it shouldn't be too long...
Warnings: slash, OC's, injuries, panic attack
We were all in the cafeteria for a late night game of Rummy. It was boring and stupid, but what else could we do? We had a record low in the number of patients and none were really serious cases. The ICU was practically empty. We haven't had a code since the night shift started, and all were sleeping peacefully. Still, with the numerous codes we had had in the afternoon, I had kept many doctors, mostly interns, on call. What a bright move, Bob. Now I have to pay them extra for doing absolutely nothing.
I gazed around the room and noticed some missing faces. Some interns, Perry, Turkleton, Dr. Reid, Dr. Dorian, and Nurse Espinosa had disappeared. I hadn't seen the latter five since that matter in my office. The memory made me involuntarily shudder. That was quite the awkward moment. I wonder where they all are now, and why those interns are with them. What if...
As if on cue, my pager went off. It was Nurse Espinosa. Now I know something is up. I stood and looked to see who I wanted to come with me. "Ted, come! You, security guard, you too. And does anyone have a cell phone?" Everyone just stared and I growled. "Just come!" I turned and stalked out, followed by a groaning Ted. We walked to the front of the hospital and I briefly wondered where to go next. I noticed someone coming down a corridor. "Ted, who is that?"
"The janitor, sir. It looks like he's carrying Dr. Dorian," he said, ending with a curious tone.
My stomach dropped. So it was true. I can't let him leave the hospital. "Ted, call the police. We have a kidnapping in process and the man is very dangerous." He gaped at me and stumbled towards the pay phones. Minutes later, I was face to face with Lurch.
"Evening, sir," he said smugly.
"What have you got there, Lurch?" I have to stall. Where is that damn security guard? I am definitely docking his pay tomorrow.
"Oh, nothing, sir."
"Look, we both know that's a load of crap, so cut it and tell me what you're doing with Dr. Dorian."
He glared menacingly at me. I attempted to show no emotion. "Well, sir, I was going to have a little fun with him, that's all."
I snorted. "I doubt that being buried alive is Dr. Dorian's idea of fun."
His eyes widened. "You know? They knew...?"
"They? Who's they?" I asked, alarmed. "What have you done with them?"
"Dr. Kelso, stop him!"
I jumped at Nurse Espinosa's voice. Lurch, however, did not. Before I could react, he swung a fist at me, hitting my jaw hard. I yelled out in pain and fell backwards. I crashed into Ted, who had just returned from making the call.
"Are you okay, sir?" he gasped, confused by the situation.
"Yes, Ted, now stop him!" I shouted, praying he would grow a pair for once.
"But sir!"
"God damn it, Ted, he's a killer!" Ted stared wide eyed at me. Idiot!
"Dr. Kelso, are you okay?" Nurse Espinosa leaned over me, worried. Groaning, I sat up and looked around. "I'm fine, sweetheart. Where'd he go?"
She bowed her head. "He got away," she mumbled, sadness dripping from every word. She started to sob, covering her pale, abnormally pale, face. I sighed and stood up shakily. I put an arm around her. "Don't worry, dear, he'll be okay. Knowing Dr. Cox, he'll be dead by morning," I chuckled, hoping she would too. Suddenly, her head shot up.
"Oh God, sir, you have to come with me!" She grabbed my arm and led Ted and I through to the back of the hospital. An intern also followed, for reasons I didn't yet understand."Julie!" Nurse Espinosa cried, running to a cute female intern. "How is he?"
"He's gonna be okay, and Ms. Sullivan woke up for a minute. I told her to get some rest. She was very confused."
Ms. Sullivan? Jordan? Who's 'he'? My God, what happened here? Before I asked, we were off again, Julie-the-intern in tow.
We turned around another corner and were greeted by three more interns. They all began babbling incessantly and I couldn't make out a single word. I opened my mouth to yell when something behind them caught my eye. I shoved them all out of my way and took a few steps. "My God..." I breathed.
Perry was lying in an uncomfortable looking position, pale as a sheet. You had to look hard to see his shallow breathing. He looked dead.
Turkleton was slumped against the wall. His shirt has been ripped off, probably by one of the interns, and scratches decorated his chest. A bloody needle was on the floor near him. I can put two and two together. But still, it was an odd choice for a weapon. It's unbelievable that it caused that much damage.
The worst sight of all, in my opinion, was Dr. Reid. Her eyes were rolled back in her head, her shockingly pale body unmoving. Bruised, red blotches covered her delicate neck. A small flow of blood oozed out from under her head. Her breathing was light and laboured. I walked over and bent down to take a pulse. It was there, barely. The shape of the bruises on her neck suggest strangulation, and the blood says she had been dropped. Horrible... after a particularly rough strangulation like this one, it would take assistance and great willpower to bring the pulse and breath rate back up to normalcy, and with her being unconscious, willpower was nil. Those interns must have been working hard to keep her alive.
Nurse Espinosa came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see her eyes filled with even more tears. This must be extremely hard on her. Now that I think about it, all of these people, including the now-missing Dr. Dorian, are close to her. Yes, it must be really hard. Time to be reassuring, Bob. I stood up and clasped her hand in both of mine. "He won't get away with this. I swear it."
She nodded gratefully and went over to help the interns load Dr. Cox up on to a gurney. I looked down at Dr. Reid again.
"That bastard," I whispered softly.
I was in a bed.
I was in a bed, and my head pounded fiercely. My body protested any small movement.
So, naturally, I tried to sit up. My chest burned its disapproval.
"Dr. Cox!" A hand swatted my head, causing me to groan. I fell back against the sheets and quickly turned my head to see the source of the hand and voice. It was Carla. She was grinning broadly. "Welcome back." She held her arms out for a hug and I wrapped mine around her tightly, pulling her to my chest. We sat like that for a moment, and I had a feeling we both needed it.
"How long was I out?" I asked, releasing her reluctantly. I looked around the room and saw several other beds, most of the occupied.
"Only a day," she said. Noticing my curious glances, she helped me to sit up. My entire body screamed in protest but I gritted my teeth through the pain. Then I suddenly remembered everything. My jaw went slack in horror as it all flashed over me, the sensation gone just as fast as it had come. This must be what amnesia patients feel like. I quickly gazed over every bed. There was Gandhi, Barbie, Jordan, and an intern. His face seemed familiar, but I couldn't place him. Not that I was really focused on that. I was more concerned with the lack of a certain resident. I swung my head around and switched my gaze over to Carla. She was looking at the floor intently. It was all written on her face.
"He got away," she whispered, losing the battle against the sadness that crept into her words.
I couldn't breathe. All at once, I couldn't breathe. My heart skipped several beats. My brain told me I was having a panic attack, but I couldn't really hear it or Carla's worried voice. He got away. Lurch took him. JD is gone. JD. I started gasping for breath, hands clawing at Carla's arm. "Carla," I said, voice ragged. "p-panic attack..." I clenched my eyes shut as my head began to pound heavily. I reopened my eyes to see if Carla was doing anything or frozen, only to find I couldn't see. 'You're okay, Perry. Temporary blindness can occur' the little voice in my head told me. Like I was listening. And then my chest caught fire. Or so it felt. "Carla!" I screamed, using my last bit of strength to stay breathing. "Carla, help me!"
I barely registered her scared voice before I felt a sharp pain in my side. Gradually, the pain subsided. I regained the ability to breathe and dared to open my eyes. Carla swam into view, pale faced and shaken. "Sedative," she said, sounding small. I nodded and smiled lazily at her.
"Panic attacks are unpleasant," I said weakly, trying to make her smile before I blacked out completely. I was already seeing spots. I succeeded. Sort of. She plastered on a fake smile and kissed my forehead. I tried in vain to speak again and she shushed me, watching as I slowly drifted out of consciousness.
I didn't sleep much. It was mostly just that I couldn't keep my eyes open as I lay there, waiting for the sedative to wear off. When it finally did, I opened my eyes to see that the now dark room was empty, aside from the filled patients' beds. I turned my head to the side, ignoring the dull pain that little movement brought, and saw Jordan staring at me. She was sitting up in her bed, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger absentmindedly as she watched me.
"Jordan?" She jumped, as if she hadn't noticed I was awake.
"Whoa, Per, don't do that." She reached over and flicked on the lamp on the table by her bed.
My eyes narrowed against the bright light. "Jesus, Jordan, are you trying to blind me?"
She smirked. "That would be fun..."
I rolled my eyes. "How are you doin'? You looked pretty awful when we found you."
"Eh, I'm okay. How about you? When they brought you in, you looked like shit."
"Thank you."
"Seriously, Per. I heard about your little episode. How are you?"
The softness of her voice surprised me a little. "I'm okay." The exhaustion and defeat in my own voice surprised me even more. She nodded and looked away, deep in thought. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to figure out what to say next.
"Perry?" I opened my eyes. She was looking at me again. Her eyes were sharp, alert.
"What?"
"Where's DJ?"
My throat constricted and I paled. "J-Jordan... you don't know?"
"Know what?" Her eyes sharpened even more. "What happened to him?"
I swallowed. "Jordan... he's gone..." She froze, staring at me.
"He's... gone? He got him?" Terror added a slight edge to her voice.
I could only nod and turn away, ignoring the lump in my throat. We were quiet for some time. After what felt like forever, I heard her move in her bed. I turned back over and watched her walk over and slide into bed with me. She laid her head on my shoulder and I put my arm around her.
"We'll find him, you know."
"I know, Jordan." I forced myself to believe it.
"And when we do, we can take turns kicking Scrub-brush in the crotch." I laughed quietly and kissed her head.
Watching Dr. Cox and Jordan talk helped calm me down. I was worried that Dr. Cox may have had brain damage or something after his episode earlier. I shuddered at the memory. I had been so scared. He's never broken down like that. I mean, I know he cares for JD more than he even knows, but I didn't realize it ran that deep. I don't even think he realizes that it runs that deep. Well, he needs to realize it soon. Lord knows JD has.
"Carla?" The gentle voice came from the darkness and I sat up groggily, flicking on the lamp.
"What is it, JD?" His eyes flickered to Turk's sleeping form.
"Can we talk in my room?" His voice was begging me. Something was wrong.
"Sure, Bambi," I said, opting for a softer tone than before. I quietly slid out of bed and followed JD to his room. We sat on his bed awkwardly for a few moments before JD cracked.
"I think I love Dr. Cox!" he blurted out. I gasped and he took it the wrong way. Red faced, he looked down at the floor like a wounded puppy. I quickly shut my mouth and hugged him tightly. He relaxed against me and hugged back, clearly relieved.
"Oh, silly Bambi," I cooed, rubbing his back. He laughed and pulled back, grinning goofily.
"What should I do? I mean, I really, really like him." Uncertainty replaced his smile. Sympathy ate at me.
"I don't know, JD. I honestly don't know," I admitted, heart aching at the look of dismay he gave me. "I'm here if you need me though, Bambi." I held his hands and silently praying that this would blow over.
"Thanks, Carla. Could you... could you not tell Turk?" Fear made his voice crack childishly.
I resisted a smile and nodded. "Of course, Bambi. I won't tell anyone."
From then on, all JD has done is try to please Dr. Cox. It killed me to see him do it, but there was nothing I could say that he would listen to. The day I figured out that Dr. Cox cared for him more than he himself thought was one of the happiest days of my life. I wanted to tell JD so badly, but Elliot had warned against it. JD had finally told her too, and she knew that telling him would end up pushing Dr. Cox too far. We agreed to keep quiet and just gently push them in the right directions.
"Nurse Espinosa?" Dr. Kelso's voice brought me out of my thoughts. I turned and found him looking through the window at Jordan and Dr. Cox as well. He glanced over at me. "How are they?"
"Everyone's stable, but no one else has woken up yet." I didn't bother to hide the fear in my voice. Turk was still in there, and so was Elliot.
He nodded and turned back to the window. After a few minutes, he asked, "How's Perry taking it? I mean, after that display earlier."
"He's okay. Still hasn't figured out why JD being gone affected him so much." I said the last part under my breath.
"I may be old, Nurse Espinosa, but I'm not deaf. And I'm not stupid either." He turned to me. "You need to keep pushing him. He better figure it out soon, sweetheart, or else he could end up throwing himself into denial like an alcoholic. Of course, Perry is an alcoholic, so he will probably do it faster."
I didn't understand a word of that, and I don't think I was meant to. Either that, or damn near everyone but JD and Dr. Cox have figured out how they feel.
"Oh, and Nurse Espinosa, I know everyone will want to catch Lurch themselves, so if you can get them all up and well by this time tomorrow, I will give you all leave to have your shot at it. Now, mind you, you will not be paid a single cent while you are gone, none of you. I will not let the budget suffer for Dr. Dorian's sake. And remember that the police are on the job too, so you may not get to do anything."
I started at him in disbelief. "T-thank you, sir!" I sputtered.
He smiled. "You're welcome. Now, why don't you go talk to Perry. It looks like he needs it." I nodded and he walked away, leaving me to stare after him in amazement. I shook my head and turned, peering into the room.
"Dr. Cox?" He swivelled his head to look at me and smiled.
"Hey Carla," he breathed. He looked weak, tired. I walked over and stood at the edge of his bed, beside Jordan's now-sleeping form.
"You want me to move her?"
"If you can. Without waking her though." His voice tugged at my heart. I quietly slid Jordan's bed over to Dr. Cox's and pulled her over carefully. He smiled his thanks and I returned the favour. I pushed her bed back into place and after a few silent moments, he turned to gaze at Elliot and Turk. Sadness replaced his smile almost immediately. I reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. He moved his gaze downward and stared at the floor, and uncanny replica of JD. I tugged on his arm and he scooted closer to me but didn't look up. I wrapped my arms around him and held on tight.
He sighed. "Carla, I'm not a child. You don't have to keep treating me like this. I'm a big boy now."
I resisted the urge to strangle him and replied, "You sure seemed like a child with that tantrum earlier."
"Carla, that was a panic attack. You can't make fun of panic attacks. That's just cruel."
I rolled my eyes. "Perry, you had a panic attack over JD. I think I have proper grounds to make fun of that."
He looked up at me, eyes still sorrowful. "Since when am I Perry to you?"
"I figured, hey, we've been friends forever. You call me Carla. Why can't I call you Perry?"
He snorted and looked back down. "Because I prefer Dr. Cox."
"Well, Dr. Cox, I have some news for you."
"Yeah? And what's that?"
I whispered, hoping to get that sad look to disappear, "Kelso said that he'll give unpaid leave to whoever's awake tomorrow. To find Lurch."
His eyes shot up to meet mine. Where there had been hopelessness, there was now a fiery determination.
I grinned.
I think I'm going to stop replying. It takes a long time, and I have to hurry to get stuff posted. Sorry.
And sorry about how this looks, I copied and pasted and forgot to edit it. I'll try to fix it sometime, and not let it happen again.
Edit I fixed the spacing and such. It looks tons better, so it should be easier to read.