The shattered shaft

Title: The shattered shaft
Chapter: 2 / ?
Fandom: Scrubs
Pairing: Cox / JD
Rating: Chapter rating – T / R (NC-17 overall)
Setting: Post “My lunch” but before Kim. Probably partially AU, since Cox/JD are in established relationship.
Beta: Ryua
Summary: JD never really imagined what it would be to loose control over his body. Still, things change pretty drastically. Hurt / comfort theme. Please read author’s notes ;)
Author’s notes: Thanks for positive response regarding the first chapter. It’s hard to be objective towards yourself if you write something from the fandom for the first time. I live on comments; they help me to write next chapters ;)
This part will probably hold good amount of medical stuff, as well as next chapters. I've spent hours browsing the web for info about phalanges and metacarpals anatomy, the types of fractures, surgery and medication to follow and physical therapy. I even downloaded scans of x-rays of the most interesting cases. Yep, that’s weird, I know. Still, I like to keep my stories as truthful as possible. Please excuse me if anything is off in here when it comes to medicine.


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The shattered shaft
Chapter 2


One hour, three minutes and fifty-six seconds after JD left the operation room, Perry’s cell phone rang.

He was still seated on the cold floor of Newbie’s apartment, apparently dozing off right there on the spot. His neck cracked uncomfortably as he rotated his head around a little bit, trying to get rid of that annoying stiffness in his muscles. The incoming call was “Satan’s spawn”, so he sighed and rubbing a hand over his tired face, he pressed the acceptance button.

“What do you want, Jordan?”

Something about his voice made the Sullivan woman back out for a second – but only a second – before she chirped into her cell.

“Well, hello to you too, Per-Bear. Since you obviously don’t remember – but who would have blamed your weak memory, you are getting SO much older each and every single day – I would like to oh-so-kindly remind you it’s your turn to take Jack to the park while I get my extra massage session with Diego.”

He groaned sleepily, raising himself from the cold floor, careful not to step on the dried blood trail that marked the kitchen.

“Can’t do, Jordaroo, I’ve gotta go back to the hospital.”

“Stop that bull crap” Jordan huffed into the phone angrily. “I know you have your day off today, so shut it and come here by ten like the good little watch dog you are, hmm?”

“Can’t.” Perry winced again as his back stretched the muscles that were sore from staying in that uncomfortable position for two hours as he napped. “I’m not on call, but I’ve got to go back right now.” Hearing the astonished silence on the other side of line almost made him smirk. Jordan knew him for grater part of his life – coming back to hospital on his day off was not something Perry Cox did on every day basis. “Newbie got mugged in his own house. Last time I saw him they were trying to put his cracked skull together like a fucking jigsaw puzzle.”

There must have been a hint of hysteria in his voice – as much as he hated to admit it, because he did NOT just make a bad joke about JD’s life, did he?

“Is DJ going to be alright?” Perry knew she tried to keep her voice normal and on casual level. The key word being ‘tried’.

“I don’t know, Jordan. I simply don’t know.”

------

Three hours, twenty-two minutes and ten seconds after JD left the operation room, Nurse Carla Espinosa-Turk was trying to calm down a very pissed off Doctor Elliot Reid.

The current process went slowly and involved three cups of strong coffee for the blonde attendant and one cup of green tea for the Latino woman.

“I can’t believe he just walked out like that!” Elliot shrieked, taking a gulp of her drink. “He didn’t even wait till they roll him out of the OR, he just left! He hasn’t even seen him since!”

Carla watched her friend closely. Elliot looked tired – they all did – her makeup almost worn off, dark bags under her eyes, hair sticking out it every possible direction. She looked lost, line she needed someone to reassure her. Still, Carla was sure that she should not speak at loud about what happened just before the blonde doctor came into the ICU.

Because Perry had been here. Carla saw him entering Bambi’s room when he came back to Sacred Heart. She knew that Doctor Cox was aware of the fact she had been watching him. But it was ok, it was Carla after all, the only person in this damn hellhole that seemed to know him better then even he himself did.

The kid looked horrible. Perry winced as he glanced quickly over the damage. One side of his face was completely dark, the violet-black bruises in full bloom. Swelling was ominous as well; until it came down at least a little bit they were stuck with the recovery. Even though Perry couldn’t see it right now, he was sure there would be one, giant gap where some of the molar and premolar teeth were knocked out. It would be one hell of a smile that Newbie would be giving them all once he wakes up.

Perry nearly cursed himself. He was doing it again, turning everything into joke, while he didn’t even feel like it. Sitting down on the side of Newbie’s bed, he inspected his right hand. It was toughly bandaged and cradled to immobilize the crushed bones. The older man frowned at the thought of JD being crippled like that. There had to be something... his recovery will go fine and even if he didn’t make it to one hundred percent of mobility, there was no way in the world Newbie would be forced to leave the ICU job for the sake of something so… minor. He could not, simply could not imagine JD doing a desk job, consulting or anything other then real doctor’s job.

He also feared of the complications the concussion might bring. Picking up Newbie’s chart, Doctor Cox scanned the paper down, stopping at the neatly written lines about head injury. Taking few second to read it, Perry nodded to himself. There had been fractures on the skull, but the bones were fairly intact. Glancing up from the chart to JD’s face, he tried to put together the scattered information. The pieces sometimes matched, sometimes not, falling into place at random. Newbie was alone in his flat when he got attacked. Why him? Was it a random choice? Crushed wounds – not shot, not cut, hence the possibility of concussion rose up. An amateur; people who knew what they were doing usually picked firearms or blades. It must have been strong hit, to make his skull crack and knock out teeth. Was he attacked with some item from his own apartment? No, there were signs of the fight, but no blood anywhere but the kitchen floor. Where newbie had crawled for his phone, head heavy and bleeding, hand protesting with agonizing pain and--

Perry snapped out of his thoughts and put back the chart quite violently, hanging it back on the bed frame. Rubbing his tired face he gave Newbie one more inspecting look. The kid was doped on painkillers and sedatives; he wouldn’t be waking up for at least a few more hours.
He sighed. He never was the type to sit by someone’s bed and just squeeze hands. Perry snorted angrily. Like that had ever helped anyone.
Still, he ran his hand gently over JD’s forehead, pushing back the dark strands of hair that made him look even paler right now, ghosting over white bandages wrapped around his wounds. He took his hand back after few seconds, as if the simple touch burned him.

JD was always the type to touch and cuddle. Perry was not. It was said that opposites attract each other, so maybe their relationship wasn’t that weird. It started simple, really. Kisses stolen once or twice out of frustration and drunken state of unawareness. Hands brushing against sweaty skin at the lockers, after hours on call. A few quick make out sessions when no patients needed them and supply room looked comfortable enough for the two tired out doctors. Then came sex, and gods, it was divine, so why would they stop if it was benefiting them both that much?
From the beginning it was a secret, something they shared only between themselves, although JD had literally ached inside to confess to Turk, but he somehow held on. It was Perry’s choice, to keep the low profile. The kid had been hurt by it, of course. But then Doctor Cox decided he didn’t care anymore, if this whole thing got out, if the whole fucking world knew. He had confirmed and strengthened his hold on Newbie when he had kissed him in cafeteria, out of the blue, not paying attention to rest of the world except for the hot, squirmy tongue in his mouth.

It was as sappy as it could get, really. ‘The kiss’ as Elliot sometimes dreamily referred to it (Doctor Cox had to admit, Barbie was the worst sucker for romance he had ever seen, even more then Newbie) happened more then year ago and they still managed not to claw each other’s eyes out. At work, it was still Scary Doctor Cox and Random-girl’s-name. At home, Perry tended to change a bit, but not as much as Newbie probably hoped. Yet the kid never complained, much to Perry’s surprise.

He needed another coffee. Or maybe sleep, to soothe out that annoying ache in his neck that formed hours ago at Newbie’s apartment. He wouldn’t be here when JD woke up; Perry was not sure he even wanted to. Amnesia. He knew he forgot to add something to his worries list. Amnesia was also one of the possible dangers from heavy concussion.

Deciding that the kid should have at least small hint of his presence, Perry’s thoughts trailed off for a second, then with a loud sigh he put a small item into JD’s left hand and closed the fingers gently over it. Giving Carla one last, annoyed look he left the room and wandered back to the on-call room, to catch at least hour or two of sleep.

------

Five hours, fifteen minutes and thirty-three seconds after JD left the operation room, Officer Nico Adorsky and Officer Brian Ballatyne came to Sacred Heart.

Carla nudged the door to on-call room slowly open, peeking inside. It was flooded in dark, only lit by the strip of light she was now allowing inside. The figure hunched on one of the highly uncomfortable beds seemed to be asleep and Carla’s heart clenched at the thought of waking him up.

She walked silently to the bed, placing her hand on the man’s shoulder and pressed it lightly, trying to wake him up as gently as possible.

“What?” Perry grumbled as his eyes opened; it sure felt like someone had put sand behind his eyelids, since they burned like he was in seventh level of hell. Jordan might have been able to clarify it, he thought sleepily, not sure of surroundings.

“It’s me.” Carla whispered, so he wouldn’t cringe at a loud voice. “Sorry, but you’ve got to get up.”

The first thought that hit him then was ‘God, please no’. His eyes snapped open violently, back to full awareness and his breath came out in desperate gasp. Carla saw the reaction, her own eyes widening in surprise, then she understood.

“No, Perry, Bambi’s fine, he’s fine.”

The images swarming through his head slowed down. Newbie crawling down the bloody floor, his life escaping him with every second. Newbie crashing as his vitals dropped, the screeching of the life support monitors immobilizing Perry, not allowing him to run in and help. A vision of Kelso unplugging the machines that helped Newbie breathe, even though he was doing fine on his own...

“Fuck.” He gasped out, calming down his nerves. “I’m too old for that, Carla.”

“I’m sorry.” She said softly, her hand still placed on his arm. “But I had to wake you up. Some police officers came to talk to Bambi but because he’s still unconscious they want to talk to next of kin. I doubt Dan knows what’s going on, so that leaves you.”

He looked at her for a moment, staring as if she suddenly grew a pair of horns.

“Next of kin? What I am supposed to tell them, that I’m Newbie’s husband? You’re as much his relative as I am.”

“I thought that you don’t care about that anymore.” Carla frowned at him. “You admitted it yourself by staying with him for past year. You’re his partner.” She smirked when he winced at her choice of words. “Just talk to them, ok? They’re in conference room where board meetings always go.”

Perry grumbled out something vague, but she took it for confirmation. As she made it back to the door, a sudden thought hit her and she turned briefly, to give him another worried look.

“Just try not to eat them alive, would you?”

“Sure.” Perry’s mouth twitched in ghostly smile. “That’s Jordan’s job anyway. Oh, can you call that disaster of a brother of his? Someone should probably inform him.”

She nodded briefly and then left the on-call room. Perry muttered few curses to himself, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to get rid of the remains of sleep that still clung to them. Newbie was fine, so why did his heart race so much?

Perry blinked few times, then rose from the uncomfortable bunk. Whatever the boys in blue wanted from him, he didn’t have to like the interrogation. Barking a few commands to interns slacking off in the hallway, he grabbed a cup of the lousy coffee from nurse’s station (Carla gave him an amused look) and made his way to the conference room.

The two cops that waited for him inside were young; Doctor Cox nearly groaned at the thought of the fate of Newbie’s case in their hands. They looked just like his interns, but in different uniforms; had the same look, like they were fresh from the school and still unsure what to do without looking into the instruction books.

“Doctor Cox?” The blonde one – looking disturbingly like Keith and surely as cocky as him – raised from his seat and extended his hand in greeting, but Perry merely glared and grunted something in response. The other officer – with short, black curly hair - remained in his seat, only nodding towards the grumpy doctor. Good, the less annoying talking the better. He took a place in Bob’s usual seat and glared expectantly at the pair.

“My name is Officer Brian Ballatyne and this is Officer Nico Adorsky. As you have been informed we are here regarding the attack on Doctor Dorian that happened few hours ago.”

‘Tell me something I don’t know’ Perry almost groaned out, but somehow managed to keep himself in check. After all, he promised Carla to at least try talking to the two idiots. Officer Idiot and Officer Curly did not impress him so far.

“We have inspected the apartment, but found nothing but the signs of fight, spatters of blood – but they were only Doctor Dorian’s – and some fingerprints. Unfortunately, nothing more then that. Some eye witnesses claim that they have seen a man running out of Doctor Dorian’s flat while holding a baseball bat, but that is still unconfirmed.”

Baseball bat? Perry frowned lightly, pieces of puzzle clicking together some more.

“That would fit.” He interrupted the cop’s monologue, taking a sip of the coffee.

“Excuse me?” The other officer finally spoke up, Perry had been wondering if he was mute.

“The baseball bat. It fits. His injuries were made by a blunt object swung at him with force.”

Officer Idiot scribbled something in his notepad. Perry almost laughed at how stereotypical he looked right then. Good cop with good grades in school and too damn eager to show what he is worth. It didn’t matter if they were interns, officers or anyone else. Rookies all over the globe all looked the same.

“We’ve been informed that Doctor Dorian is still unconscious. Any ideas when he might wake up?” He looked at Doctor Cox expectantly, but got only a lazy shrug in response. “We will return in few hours, maybe he will be up by then.”

“There is still the matter of fingerprints.” Officer Curly tapped his fingers against the table impatiently, earning himself a glare from the scruffy doctor. “We have found three types of fresh fingerprints at Doctor Dorian’s apartment. One that belongs to him, one still unidentified and not figuring in our database and third one is yours.”

“What about it?” Perry raised his eyebrows in question. Thanks to those few unfortunate episodes of drunken bar fights his own prints were now on record with the police.

“We have double checked the information and considering the circumstances and past we would like to know why exactly your fingerprints were found on the scene.”

He didn’t like where they were going, not a one bit. Perry squeezed the ugly mug of coffee harder and stared at the pair of cops.

“Since when I became a suspect?” He huffed.

“I’m sorry” Officer Idiot spoke once again, sounding completely insincere. “But considering your background info about home abuse and reports on acts of violence under the influence of alcohol we have to ask.”

Perry set down his mug on the table quite gently, then flicked his nose and crossed arms on his chest. Classic ‘Doctor-Cox-is-about-to-rant’ pose, as JD sometimes called it.

“Well listen closely princesses, for I am not about to repeat myself.” He watched as the two officers tensed at the mild insult. Oh, they were so not ready for what was coming down on them. “Just because I had the luck to be daddy’s boy – and no, I mean the non-stereotypical kind of love, where signs of affection are bottles hurled at you and a slap that knocked you out unconscious – that does not mean I go assaulting everyone around. Now, if one of you peaches even bothered to notice, I was the first person referred to you when it came to talking to relatives. If I were in your place – and god forbid it, because who would like to work with idiots like you – I would at least try to put the pieces together. My fingerprints are all over Doctor Dorian’s place because I had been in his apartment this very morning, since I live with him.” He sneered at the surprised expressions of the officers. “That’s right, sometimes we screw at his place, sometimes at mine, depends from the mood and circumstances. But noooo – instead of bothering to gather real background information, you just jumped to conclusions that since I am such an obvious suspect with all the rage and anger underneath, then I must have been the one to crack that little skull of his. Now if you excuse me, ladies, this conversation is over.”

Without saying anything else, Perry left the two astonished and angry officers alone in the conference room, wondering what the hell had just happened.

------

Eight hours, forty-three minutes and nineteen seconds after he was brought to OR, Doctor John Dorian regained his consciousness.

The first sensation he had was, obviously, pain in every possible inch of his body, both on the outside and on the inside. Then came back the sense of smell – the sharp scent of antiseptic making him cringe a little, despite the past five years of working in the hospital. Things were perceived a little bit differently when one was not a doctor, but a patient.

After that came hearing. First it was low, soft buzz of the surroundings and doctors and nurses talking in the hallway. The rhythmic beeping of machines and monitors was unusually soothing, something he could focus on, counting every sound, slowly coming back to land of living.

Opening his eyes was hard, as if the eyelids were glued together, but after few moments of rapid blinking his vision cleared a bit. It was still blurred, but JD’s medical education told him it was caused by sedative and painkillers he must surely be on – even though the latter seemed not to be working at that very moment.

The next thing that made through the haze of confusion and pain made the corner of his mouth twitch a little in faint imitation of smile, as much as he could manage without putting himself into more suffering. He basked in the slightly overwhelming feelings and sensations. The fingers of his left hand squeezed the item that was placed in his protective grasp. Lifting his hand slowly closer to his face to see clearly, JD smiled as his assumptions were confirmed. Tangled in his fingers was the blue and yellow rubber bracelet of Down Syndrome awareness* that Doctor Cox always wore on his right wrist.

It seemed that he hasn’t woken up alone after all.


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* 'Scrubs' fans surely know this fact, but still: That’s not exactly a Down syndrome awareness wristband but one for ‘Buddy walk’ – the National Down Syndrome Society's program for kids with Down Syndrome. John C. McGinley is a spokesman of the Buddy Walk.