elmo-doodle: Hiya! Yay, chapter six is up! I hope you guys are having as much fun reading it as I am writing it. I think this could be about 10-12 chapters altogether. Probably about 10, with an epilogue, maybe. Hmm, ^_^ This has been the most boring week of my life! I was off school Monday-Friday and I'm actually craving social interaction with my friends, who I haven't seen for almost 2 weeks =s Not good. I was actually so excited to get outside this morning that I was jumping up and down at the front door as mum unlocked it. I was acting more like I was 8, not 18, hehe. Okay, I've rambled enough. Another huge thankies for all you lovely reviewers! This chapter is for you!

Disclaimer: I actually laugh when I think about the fangirls owning [SCRUBS]. It is for that reason that we don't. Shame...

Chapter Six

Kevin Walker phoned three days after Turk and JD went to see him. He told them that he was making progress with the Youth Box, but at a slower pace than he had anticipated.

"It seems that it took an unusual amount of energy to change JD," he had said to Turk. "It's taking longer to get that energy built up again to even make JD age a few more years. We could be looking at possibly two to three weeks before I can even possibly attempt to return him to his right age."

JD had almost started crying at the unfairness of his situation, but Carla had scooped him up and soothed him by telling him that he is going to be changed back. JD was trying to focus on that part.

Besides, he thought, snuggling his face in to Carla's neck, I get to be carried about and cuddled when I'm like this.

When Carla had briefly talked to Kevin over the phone, she told him that JD was beginning to act even more like a baby than ever.

"It's nothing to worry about, I assure you," Kevin told her. "JD's just stopped putting up resistance against the one-year-old. It takes a lot of effort to fight those infant instincts and by giving in, he's making his situation less stressful. He'll still have his mind, don't doubt that. Just... make sure you keep him away from things that could injure him."

Carla didn't need to be told twice and within hours she had almost completely baby-proofed the apartment.

"I'm wesponsible, Carla," JD said, pouting. "I'm a dawctor." Still, this fact didn't stop him from him suddenly finding an extension cord the most interesting thing in the world a few hours later.

* *

A day after Kevin's phone call, JD found himself under the supervision of Perry again in the older man's apartment.

JD and Perry were in the den. Some of JD's toys were scattered about in the corner, and Perry was sitting on the couch the TV. Actually, they had been there for a while, and Perry was no longer watching the plasma screen. His eyes were following JD, who had given up playing with his toys and had started crawling. Perry wouldn't have found it so amusing if it wasn't for the look of intense concentration on JD's face or the fact that, for some reason, the boy was doing laps around the room.

After a few more minutes, Perry's curiosity got the better of him. "Whatcha doing there, NewbieBaby?"

JD didn't pause in his circuit. "'M trying to get walking," he replied. "Sick of crawling," he added. Perry raised his eyebrows but didn't question any further.

After another few minutes, JD crawled to the front of the couch, not too far away from where Perry was sitting. JD studied the furniture for a moment, wondering how on earth he was going to do this. He sighed, Well, I won't make any progress until I try.

JD kneeled on his hands and knees on the carpet, and shakily pushed himself up so that his feet were planted on the ground. Then, steadily so that he didn't lose his balance, he pushed his hands away from the floor. He wobbled slightly as he stood on his feet, but he grinned in success.

"I did it!" he cheered, but then he wobbled dangerously and fell back on to his bottom with an "Oof!". Perry laughed and JD blushed, but was happy to hear the sound of his mentor laughing without it being sarcastic.

"You might want to try holding on to the couch, Newbie," Perry said, still smiling slightly.

JD nodded, and another look of determination crossed his face as he stood up again, this time holding on to the couch for support. He took a few unsteady steps whilst holding on and after a while he let go, and began to toddle about the room. He couldn't help but giggle at his success.

Chuckling, Perry watched him for a bit, then lifted JD up whenever he scampered past him and set the giggling child on his lap. "Careful, Newbie," Perry said, noticing how flushed JD's face was, "if you fall and get another bruise, Carla will kill me."

JD giggled once more. "'Kay," he said.

"Speaking of Carla, the mother-hen will be here soon to pick you up," Perry said. "I don't think she'd be particularly happy if you weren't fed while you were here, so come on." Perry stood up and was adjusting his hold on JD when the boy protested.

"Wanna walk!" he exclaimed. "Pwease?" JD mentally chastised himself for acting so childish.

Perry sighed but set JD on the floor. "Okay, kid, just take it slow." He made sure JD was steady on his feet before letting go of him. JD either ignored him or he had no control over how fast he went, but he began to toddle out of the room and towards the kitchen pretty quickly. Perry rolled his eyes, and hurriedly followed the boy before he could hurt himself.

When Perry entered the kitchen, JD was clinging to the one of the legs of the table, a proud smile on his face.

"NewbieBaby, you walk way too fast for a one-year-old," Perry said as he walked up to JD and lifted him on to one of the chairs beside the table. "I'm serious- I don't want you getting hurt."

"Sowwy," JD said, but he was still grinning, mostly from the fact that Perry had pretty much said that he cared for the boy. Maybe this change hasn't been a curse after all, he thought, laughing happily as Perry handed him a small, peeled banana. He popped the fruit into his mouth, still smiling. Perry gave him a crooked smile and ruffled JD's hair slightly, eliciting a giggle from the younger boy.

Perry set about the task of making himself some coffee, and JD watched him while eating the banana. He seems so at-ease around me, he thought in confusion. I've never seen him like this... but it's nice. And he's nice.

A few minutes later there was knocking at the front door. Perry left the kitchen to go and answer it, and JD, feeling a little put-out at being left alone, decided to get down off the kitchen chair. He successfully slid over the edge and landed on his feet. Phew, he thought, it's a good thing I didn't fall again.

Perry didn't see any of this, and, as he was opening the apartment door, he began to wonder whether JD would attempt to get himself on to the floor. When he opened the door, Carla was standing on the other side.

"Hey," she said, smiling.

"Hey," Perry replied, stepping aside. "Come on in."

Carla entered the apartment and looked around. "Is Bambi sleeping?" she asked.

Before Perry could answer, JD came toddling in to the room, a look of absolute joy on his face. "Carla!" he exclaimed happily.

"Bambi!" Carla replied in shock and amusement. "Look at you!" She crouched down so that JD could run in to her arms and she scooped in him and hugged him. "Aw, I missed you taking your second set of first steps!" she cooed to the giggling child. "Thanks for watching him again, Doctor Cox."

"It's no problem, really," Perry replied, smiling at her.

"Actually, I have a favour to ask you..."

"Uh-oh."

Carla gave him a Look and continued. "Turk, Elliot and I are all working the night shift tomorrow, and none of us can get it swapped, and I saw that you were working in the morning..."

"I can take Newbie tomorrow night," Perry told her.

Carla smiled at him gratefully. "Thank-you," she said. "I'll drop him off around seven tomorrow evening, then."

"No problem," Perry assured her.

Carla nodded and looked at JD who was beginning to fall asleep against her shoulder. "I should get him home," she said, and Perry nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Perry followed her to the door and held it open for her as she left. He just about caught JD mumbling a sleepy "Thank-you, Doctor Cox" as Carla left the apartment. Perry found himself smiling as he shut the door.

* *

"So, JD, what do you want to do today?" Elliot asked the next morning as JD toddled/stumbled in to the living room, rubbing his eyes.

"Mmf," he mumbled, yawning widely. "Not much..."

Elliot frowned and she picked JD up in to her arms. "JD, are you feeling okay?" she asked, and she rested the palm of her hand against his forehead. He was a little warm.

"Tha' feels nice..." he said, eyes dropping closed.

"You've got a slight temperature..." Elliot murmured. "Do you feel hungry?"

JD scrunched up his face in disgust. "No food..." he said.

"Nauseous?"

He nodded.

Elliot frowned. "JD... when was the last time you got a flu vaccine?"

JD cringed at the question. "Ages ago," he muttered.

"I think you may be catching it," Elliot said. "But it just appeared so suddenly... it won't hurt to get the vaccine now." JD didn't say anything. He just buried his head against Elliot's neck and groaned softly.

Elliot held on to him as she walked over to the house phone and picked it up, dialling the hospital's number.

After a few rings somebody picked up. "Hello?"

Elliot's eyes went wide. "Doctor Cox?"

"Ah, Barbie," Perry said. "And here I thought I was going to manage a whole day without neither hearing nor seeing you."

"Yeah, whatever," Elliot said. "Is Carla or Turk around?"

"No," Perry said. "They're both extremely busy but I'd like to remind you that I too am a doctor, and a really, really, really, re-he-healey good one at that."

"Frick," Elliot muttered, and JD moaned as he suddenly began to feel dizzy.

"Was that Newbie?" Perry asked.

"Yeah," Elliot sighed, thinking that she should tell Perry, since he was in on it too. "I think he may have caught something when Turk brought him to the hospital."

"Shit," Perry muttered. "What are his symptoms?"

"Tiredness, weakness, loss of appetite and nausea," Elliot listed off.

"Flu vaccine?"

"A long time ago."

"Okay," Perry said. "Do you think you could bring him in?"

"Yeah," Elliot said. "I'll be there soon." Perry didn't bother to reply and just hung up the phone.

"Wha's happenin'?" JD mumbled.

"I'm taking you to the hospital," Elliot replied, going in to JD's room to make sure that he was well-wrapped up before Elliot took him out.

* *

An hour later, Elliot was sitting in an empty patient's room with a drowsy JD on her lap. Carla had been in to see JD before she was paged away to tend to a patient, and Turk was caught up in surgery.

"Okay, Newbie," Perry said as he entered the room. He had some surgical gloves on and a needle in one of his hands. "I'm not gonna lie to you- this will be painful," JD almost managed to scowl at him, "but I'll try and do it as quickly as possible."

JD just nodded. Perry pushed the sleeve of his sweatshirt up far enough so that he could access JD's arm. He didn't give JD any warning before he made the needle pierce through the boy's skin.

JD didn't want to cry, but the one-year-old was horrified at the injustice of being hurt by someone he trusted. JD couldn't stop the tears from falling, or the helpless sobs that escaped him.

Perry inserted the vaccine as quickly as he could and retracted the needle. He stuck a plaster over the spot and tried not to cringe at how JD's cries almost broke his heart.

"Aw, sweetie," Elliot said, cuddling the boy and rubbing his back. "It's over now, shush, it's all done."

Perry watched them as he took off the gloves, and he was surprised when he felt a pang of jealousy at how he wanted to be the one comforting JD.

As if reading Perry's mind, JD pulled away slightly from Elliot's shoulder and reached out to Perry with one arm. Elliot noticed the movement and quickly hid her shock at JD's silent request. She shifted JD and gently held him out to Perry.

"Come on," she said to him, shrugging, "he wants you."

Perry didn't need to be told twice. He quickly, probably a little faster than was acceptable in Elliot's presence, reached towards JD and lifted him from Elliot's grasp. JD snuggled deep in to Perry's chest, a sort of unspoken forgiveness for the older man inflicting the brief pain on the small boy.

Elliot didn't feel put-out at what happened. A few years ago she would have felt more than rejected if JD had turned to somebody else for comfort. But now, she understood that JD needed Perry, and it was obvious from what she had just seen that Perry needed JD in exactly the same way.

"I'm just gonna... check up on a patient," Elliot said, quickly leaving them alone in the room. Perry frowned when he remembered that Elliot wasn't working today and therefore wasn't needed to attend to her patients.

Perry sighed and went to sit down on the bed. JD pulled away from Perry's chest and settled himself on his lap, rubbing his eyes with balled-up fists. "How do you feel, Newbie?" Perry asked.

"Mmf," JD replied. "'Same."

"If it is the flu then the vaccine should kick in, in about twelve hours," Perry said, before remembering that JD was still a doctor and he would know that.

But JD nodded and sighed. "Sleepy," he mumbled, and he yawned.

Perry smiled softly at him. "Barbie will take you home when she gets back, and you can sleep all you want," he said. "And I'll see you tonight- I'm on Newbie Duty." JD managed a weak giggle.

Elliot entered the room a moment later, and she began stuttering an excuse for her sudden absence.

"Finally remembered that you're off today, Barbaroo?" Perry asked, and he was pleased to see Elliot flush in embarrassment.

"Yeah... well... shut up," Elliot responded. "Is he okay?" She nodded towards JD, who had begun to fall asleep against Perry.

"He's tired," Perry replied. "Make sure he gets plenty of sleep and keep feeding him liquids."

"Right," Elliot said, stepping over to take JD from Perry's hold. JD mewled a little at the movement but he quickly settled himself against Elliot. "Carla won't have time to come back home, so I'll be leaving JD off at your house tonight."

"Haah, I can hardly wait," Perry told her. Elliot scowled, blew the bangs out of her face and stalked out of the room.

elmo-doodle: Uwah! Baby!JD. I'm falling in love with him. I'm so tempted just to keep him as a baby forever, but that would completely mess up whatever plan I have for this, hehe. Review and you get cookies! I would offer you the apple cider that I still have in my fridge, but I'm actually going to drink it tonight. Hurray-- 7 days after I bought it! =)