I don't know what's happening now. This is getting more medical. If you know for a fact I've got something wrong, please tell me- I'm going on what Google told me, which is rarely a good idea. I promise I'll try and update more regularly now. I'm stressing the 'try' there. Oh, and this is a big chapter- sorry! Anyway, as always, hope you enjoy!

Dr Cox was not easily startled. And when he wasshocked by something, the adrenaline would turn into anger. He would drive away, drink his own weight in scotch and punch a stranger in a bar somewhere. That was the way it had always had been, and the way it was probably always going to be. At least, he assumed so.

But finding Newbie curled up next to a pool table at midnight definitely shocked him. Nobody else in the dark, dingy bar seemed bothered. He nudged the comatose-looking man with his foot, and JD stirred, then sat up.

"What time is it?" He yawned.

"It's midnight, princess." He said gruffly. "Time to wake up before that scooter of yours turns back into a pumpkin."

"Dr Cox? Thought you weren't talkin' to me." JD mumbled, trying to pick himself up. Dr Cox ignored him.

"For God's sake, how much did you drink?"

"I dunno. But I had some green stuff and some fizzy stuff and some pink stuff. Ooh, and lots of gold stuff. Then some-"

"Woah, hold on there Katie." Dr Cox reached out and steadied JD as he tripped over on thin air.

"I'm okay!" JD insisted. "Gotta get away." He pushed himself up, clinging onto the pool table.

"Get away from what?" Dr Cox frowned.

"You." JD, one hand against the wall, dragged his feet along the floor.

"Me?" Dr Cox knew he should leave it, but couldn't help himself from wrapping an arm around JD's shoulders to keep him upright.

"Yesh" JD slurred.

"Why?"

"Left you a note. Can't be 'round for you to see it." JD's foot hit an uneven floorboard, and Dr Cox gripped him as he stumbled.

"A note? Where?"

"The 5 things thing. Hehe! Things thing. Thassfunny."

"You got me for Bobbo's 5 things… well, thing?"

"Yesh, I did." JD suddenly ran the hand not on the wall down Dr Cox's arm, stroking his wrists.

"Um, Audrey? What are you-"

"Sorry." JD giggled. "I get handsy."

"How are you getting home, Shirley?"

"On my scooter." Dr Cox looked at him.

"You are not driving."

"I can!"

"No. No, you cannot."

"How else can I go home?" JD looked confused.

"I'll give you a lift." JD stared in awe.

"In the Porsche?" Dr Cox winced.

"If I have to, then yes. In the Porsche."

"Okay." JD submitted. "But then I have to get away from you, so you have to go home, okay?"

"Yes, Newbie." Dr Cox had taken to just agreeing with whatever the man said, whilst steering him towards the car. He opened the passenger door and pushed JD gently in.

"This car feels nice." JD commented randomly as Perry slid in and closed his door.

"Yes. It does. So if you do anything to damage it, I may have to kill you." JD nodded. Dr Cox looked at him and laughed.

"God, you are going to have on hell of a hangover tomorrow. Good luck working."

"Won't be working." JD mumbled, slumping against the car window.

"Won't you?" Dr Cox glanced over as he pulled out of the car park.

"No, I go to another hospital tomorrow."

"Do you? Why?" A thought occurred to Dr Cox. "You're not moving hospitals, are you?" JD shook his head.

"No, Kee-mo." He sounded out.

"Clarice, I'm gonna need you to speak English."

"Kee-mo!" JD said angrily. "Ya-know, keemo. Like therapy."

"Kee-" Dr Cox stared blankly at the road in front of him. "Chemotherapy?" JD nodded enthusiastically.

"Thasswhat I said!"

"But what do you need it for?" When Dr Cox got no answer, he turned to face JD and saw the man curled up in his seat, fast asleep.

JD knew from the second he woke up he had made a mistake. It felt like an explosion had gone off in his head. He blinked, and groaned, clutching for his pillow. A different scent hit him as he pushed his head against the fabric. It was a nice smell, and JD took a minute to appreciate it. It took a minute for it to occur to him that that was not his pillow, and that this was not his bed.

He forced his eyes to open properly, and realised he had no idea who's room this was. He looked down, and saw he was wearing only his underwear. No idea where he was, in a complete stranger's apartment, JD smiled.

Damn, somebody got some last night!

"You have an hour before you need to be at the hospital." A gruff voice said. Eh? Gruff? No, this was supposed to be the bit where a blonde wandered in, peeling her bra off as she spoke.

"Wha now?" A thought struck JD.

Shit, this is her boyfriend. He's going to kill me. I am going to need to be in a hospital in an hour because he is going to beat the shit out of me for an hour.

"Didn't know she was taken!" JD said, each word sounding like a shout to him. He had no idea if he had, in fact, known if said girl was taken. He didn't remember the girl.

"I said, an hour for you to get over your hangover and get your girly ass out of my bed, Hazel."

…. Hazel? Girly? My bed? Oh- Oh. Shit.

"Dr Cox?" JD looked up, wincing at the light.

"The one and only. Now clothes on, ass out."

Shit, shit, shitttt.

"Why am I here?" JD asked desperately.

"You got your ass trashed in a bar somewhere and I dragged you out."

"Why didn't you take me back to my apartment?" Dr Cox laughed.

"What, and let you kill yourself? As tempting as it sounds compared to having to sleep on the sofa, I figured Carla'd attack me if I did."

JD smiled wanly. Dr Cox left, and JD got to getting dressed as quickly as he could.

Dr Cox wasn't sure if he had made a mistake in not believing Newbie's claim about chemotherapy. Sure, the man was completely out of it, but maybe there was a grain of truth to it? Dr Cox swore out loud, gripping the wheel of the Porsche.

He probably meant one of his patients gets chemo tomorrow. A voice in the back of his mind reassured him.

Then why would he say he was leaving?

How the hell should I know? Arguing with himself was nothing more than a waste of time, and he decided he'd worry only when JD didn't show up. If JD didn't show up.

Why do you even care? He wondered.

He didn't even like the overly feminine, clingy, childish idiot.

But even as he thought the words he knew they were a lie.

"This is gonna make you feel pretty rough for a while." Dr Roberts chuckled. JD glared.

"Tell me something I don't know." Seeing a flash of hurt on her face, he hurriedly changed his track.

"Sorry, sorry. I've just seen how chemotherapy like this makes patients at Sacred Heart feel, and-"

"Oh yes, how is Sacred Heart?" JD blinked a little at the sudden change of topic.

"I wouldn't know." He confessed to her.

"Oh, and why not?" She frowned.

"I don't work there anymore."

"Really?"

"Yup. Handed everything in, talked to Kelso. Didn't tell him why I was leaving, just that I was."

"What are you going to do for money?" She asked, concerned.

"I don't know. I've got some saved up, and there's my parents... I think I'll be okay for a little while."

"Couldn't you ask your friends?" JD looked to the floor guiltily. "Wait a minute- you didn't tell your friends?"

"I don't want to!" He snapped. "For years I was pretty much a needy child that whined about everything. I need to show them I can stand by myself!"

"Yes, but this isn't a break up, this is cancer." Dr Roberts shot back.

"I don't care." JD sighed. He ran his hands through his hair. "I'll make something up, or something like that. To be honest, I don't want to think about it right now."

JD was at home the next day, watching some pointless sitcom, when there was a hard knock at the door.

His first thought was of Carla, or Elliot. He'd unplugged his phone after the tenth call yesterday. He'd ended up switching off his mobile to. And at last check, he had 19 new email messages that he wasn't going to bother reading. He opened the door a little, and peered out.

But instead of the blonde head of Elliot, or the dark curly hair of Carla, he saw someone completely different. He grimaced, then put on a smile.

"Hi, Dr Cox."

He shut the door before Dr Cox could open his mouth, and so missed most of the curse words. But he got the gist of it.

"How did you even get up here? Go away." JD hissed, all fake politeness gone.

"Let me in." Dr Cox said, loudly and clearly.

"No."

"Let me in now." JD was silent, but didn't move.

"Let me in or I'll break my way in." Dr Cox threatened.

"And I'll have you arrested for it."

"You could do, but we both know you won't."

There was another moment of silence, and then a sigh and a click as JD opened his door.

"You look awful." Dr Cox greeted JD.

"Thanks."

"I mean it." JD knew he looked bad. He was pale, with bags under his eyes from not having slept. He was still wearing pyjamas and he hadn't bothered styling his hair.

"And so, princess, how come I didn't see you in Sacred Heart this morning? Take a day off for the hangover?" Dr Cox wandered in, and jumped onto JD's couch.

"Make yourself at home then." JD muttered under his breath. He then spoke normally. "No, it wasn't because I have a hangover."

"Well then, what's-"

"Have you read that 5 things about you note?"

"What? Why?"

"Have you?" JD stared at Dr Cox, who shook his head.

"No, I haven't."

"Go and read it. But if I were you I wouldn't come back here afterwards."

"Okay, what the hell's-"

"Just do it." JD was irritable already, and Dr Cox's impatience wasn't helping. "Now, can you please just go?"

Dr Cox silently got up, and walked towards the door. Just before JD could close the door, Dr Cox spoke again.

"So, what should I tell Bobbo as to why you're not at work?"

"I don't need you to tell him. I've already told him. I've quit." JD said, tiredness evident in his voice. This time he closed and double locked the door, ignoring the yells of his name and the bangs at the wood.

It was the end of the next day, and JD pretty much figured Dr Cox had given up. Had he read the note and spread the gossip around the whole hospital? Painted JD as the pathetic little boy? Whatever, JD decided. He didn't care anymore. He didn't think he had the energy to care. The chemotherapy was wiping everything out of him.

It wasn't like no one had tried to get in contact with him. He'd unplugged his phone again. The same people kept calling- "Carla, Elliot, Turk, Elliot, Turk, Carla, Elliot, Turk…". On one occasion, Carla and Elliot had actually come round. They gave up after half an hour of yelling his name, and begging for him to let them in.

He knew he was treating his friends like shit, and he knew it wouldn't work forever. But he didn't care- he wanted to be alone for once.

He was sitting on the sofa- again- watching some shitty sitcom rerun- again- when his door opened.

JD blinked. Then realised. He'd gone out to buy something, forgotten to lock his door on his return. Mentally hitting himself for being such an idiot, he looked towards the door, waiting for Carla to come in and berate him.

By now, he really should've learnt to expect the unexpected. But it still shocked the hell out of him when it was Dr Cox closing the door neatly behind him, Dr Cox walking towards him…

… and Dr Cox kissing him.

Wait, what?

Dr Cox- no, he supposed it was Perry now, if he was kissing the guy- had wrapped his arms around JD's shoulders and JD happily pulled him closer. JD was very happy to just stay there kissing Perry, and he was not impressed when the other man pulled away, no doubt to say something romantic and life changing.

"You're such a fucking drama queen, Britney."

Well, some things never change.