Chapter 2

I scrub my hand down my face. Twenty minutes into my shift—my not thinking about Barbie shift—and I catch myself looking at her, arguing with J.D. Usually my eye twitches and I'm forced to growl out an angry response to their immature bickering, but the words are caught in my throat as my eyes fall on her mouth. For the second time today I shake myself and force my gaze back down to the patient chart in my hand.

I hear a frustrated huff in front of me and glance incrementally above the clipboard. Barbie is leaning against the same counter as me with her head in her arms. "Dr. Cox," I hear her whine from between her arms. She lifts her head and looks at me. "Does it ever get hard to work with an ex? I mean, you work with Jordan right? Does she ever just—"

"I'm gonna cut ya off right there, Barbareenie. I am not your confidante. I am not your friend. And by golly, I certainly am not your sweet dolly Jackie who just listens to every small complaint you have about your girlfriend Vivian over there treating you like you just don't exist." I break off my mini-rant with a grimace and push past her, ignoring the look of hurt indignation settling on her face.

Must. Get. Away. I kick myself internally. Why do I have to be such an ass to her? I mean, sure, she's insufferable, but just about everyone in this dump is; if not more-so. I know what it is; I just don't want to admit it. She's gotten to you… Nags away in my head; whispering in my ear as I storm down the hallway. Newbie stands facing me, arms stretched out.

"Come here, big guy. You look like you could use a hug!" His goofy grin spreads across his features. Sighing angrily, I speed up my walk so that when I bump into him, the force knocks him onto his goofy ass. "Okay…maybe later then…" J.D. gurgles from his place on the floor. I press on.

"Oh sure, Elliot. Just step over me as if I'm not even here! Is this payback for me ignoring you this morning?!" I hear Jessica yell behind me, deducing he is still on the ground and, oh God, Barbie is heading my way. I speed up even more. If I could just find a closet, anything. I am not one to hide, but this is one conversation I do not want to have.

"Dr. Cox!" Her shrill voice sends a spark down to my feet and I'm nearing a jog at this point. I dash into an open door and slam it behind me.

"Hey! Occupado, pal!" I look at the Janitor, lazing in his boxers and uniform top on an empty patient bed, flipping through the channels. "I feel I get my best work done after a couple of hours of relaxing and watching T.V." He says in my direction in explanation.

I growl and regard him with narrowed eyes, "Ahh, get out, will ya?" For once someone listens to me today and he gets up, pulls on his pants, and stalks to the door.

"Think you can take my room without paying for it? Mind you, buddy, this isn't the end." The Janitor menacingly points his finger as he opens the door and backs slowly through it, the door inching closed. He doesn't pull his finger out in time and the door is blocked. He throws the door back open, smiling jovially. "Well that just threw off the whole menacing exit, doesn't it? Mind if I try that again?" I shrug my shoulders in acquiescence and his face slips back into a glare, exiting in the same fashion as before. This time the door shuts with a click, sans finger.

I sigh, turning my back on the door. I hear it start to open. "Ah come on, Janitor! That exit was perfect! Just leave me alone, hm?" I swivel back around to be faced with Barbie. I mutter under my breath. "Perfect indeed."

"You know, Dr. Cox, you can't just talk to me any way you want! You may hate me and may not like to talk to me, much like most of my ex-boyfriends--but that's a different story for another time—" I stare at her expectantly and she rambles back to her main point, "But I just don't understand what it is I've done to make you hate me so much." Her voice breaks at the end and she closes her eyes fast, seeming to hold her tears at bay.

I soften a little on the inside, remembering the supply closet, but on the outside I bristle. "What can I say, Barbie? Ya just rub me the wrong way." I flinch at the sexual innuendo that pops into my head. I'm surprised The Todd hasn't heard this comment and jumped in the room to tell us his dirty joke unwarranted.

She walks closer to me and I catch the sweet, tangy scent of her perfume as it wafts up to my nose. My eyelids flutter a little at the intoxication of the smell. Jesus she smells good. And her short hair is bobbing slightly; I notice for the first time she's shaking in front of me.

"You just don't give a shit about anyone in this place but yourself, do you? You're such a selfish bastard, damn if I know what it is J.D. sees in you." She puffs out a breath of air and her bangs flutter feebly to the side of her forehead. Try as she might those damn bangs won't stray far from her eyes. Her eyes; they're flashing in anger and I'm instantly transported back to my dream.

I blame it on my sleep-deprived stage. I blame it on the bump I sustained to my head earlier; it knocked any sense I had right out of me. I blame it on the trail of her perfume, beckoning me forward with an invisible finger. I lunge toward Barbie and kiss her, my hands roughly landing on the side of her face, my fingers curling at the back of her neck, pulling her into the kiss.

I feel her body stiffen; rigid with shock. As the seconds tick by, she softens under my fingertips and I feel her lips moving ever so slightly. I groan slightly and push her up against a wall. She squeaks and giggles a little against my lips. I pull away from her and look at her questioningly.

"I'm sorry, I giggle when I'm nervous…Dr. Cox, what are you—" I cut her off with another kiss, determined to ride this moment through. She responds with equal enthusiasm, her nerves forgotten. She nips at my lower lip, asking permission for her tongue to enter my mouth and swirl around my own.

Wait. What am I doing? What was all this about forgetting about her, and trying to make it through this shift without thinking of her anymore? But her lips are so soft…and she's kissing me like she did in my dream. Snap out of it! I growl and push away from the wall, leaving her gasping for air, her eyes glazed slightly.

"What…um, what's wrong, Dr. Cox?" Elliot walks up to me but I flinch away from her touch. I won't let these stupid feelings control me. I'm a grown man for Christ's sake! I can keep away from her, as long as she doesn't back me into a room again…

"Mention this to anyone, and I'll end you." I scowl at her as I walk heavily to the door. Opening it, I feel a whoosh of air hit my face and I can breathe again, the scent of her perfume left in the room with her. I close the door behind me and lean back against it for a moment. God I'm such an idiot. But I don't care what feelings are cropping up, I won't go down that road. It's Dr. Barbie for crying out loud! I push away from the door with a huff and walk toward the locker rooms. Cold shower for you, Perry.