A/N: I want you guys to know that I tried really, really hard not to start a new story. For Valentine's Day, all I wanted was to write a cute little fic for Orphan Collective, but nooo. Instead, my muse got stuck on a Valentine's Day fic for this AU, which none of you have read (and which is only half written). Alas!

That being said, I really do like this AU. I wanted to unveil it at a less chaotic time, but, c'est la vie. I hope you guys enjoy the intro, and know that sooner or later, there's a killer Valentine's Day chapter for this coming at ya! Until then, thanks for sticking with me, you guys.

Disclaimer: If only love could make them mine.

Reviews: They are my lifeblood

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Josh swims to the surface of consciousness slowly, and hovers there for a moment before opening his eyes. There is a rustling sound near his head, and he smells something vaguely floral. It's a nice change from the antiseptic. Though his eyelids are heavy, he blinks a few times, and a blur of light swirls into view. He blinks a few more times, images starting to drift into focus. The overhead light is harsh, but silhouetted against it is an ethereal figure. Dressed in blue, the figure is bent over him, a radiant smile welcoming him to what he assumes is the afterlife. Blonde hair shrouds the face of his savior, and large blue eyes stare into his.

He attempts to lift his hand to try to touch her, just to see if it will pass through her otherworldly presence like through vapor, but his arm weighs tons. He frowns.

The figure says something, in a voice that sounds like tinkling church bells. He thinks absently, Mom would be so pissed if the Christians got this one right.

He realizes he wasn't listening to her. This is troubling, because she might've said something crucial to his journey into the afterlife. Attempting to clarify the situation, he asks, "Are you an angel?"

The angel, he's quite certain, giggles. "Sure. That's not what I usually get, but in a way, I have indeed been assigned to be your guardian angel, Mr. Lyman."

He says something utterly suave and sophisticated, like, "Cool."

"I'm just changing out your morhpine drip, okay? You can go back to sleep. You need your rest."

"Okay." She is his guardian angel, after all, so she must know what's best for him. He drifts back to sleep, feeling safe and at peace.

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Two days later, Josh is finally on some pain meds that cause less of a stupor, so he's quite alert when a team of doctors enters his hospital room one morning. Most look quite young, and they're following close behind a slightly older doctor, the only one in a lab coat. They all crowd into his room and stare at him, causing his guests (his mother and CJ) to stand and take their leave.

"Doctors," Ruth greets cordially.

"Sorry for the crowd, ladies, I'm leading rounds with my interns here. We'll be done in just a few moments."

"Take your time."

Josh is left alone with the cluster of scrubs-clad interns, all watching him eagerly. He gives them half a smile, uncertain of the procedure here. "Uh, hi."

"Good morning, Mr. Lyman. It's good to see you awake and alert. We did this a few times while you were unconscious, but it's always better to have an upright patient to interact with. My name is Dr. Jenkins, and I'm the resident presiding over your case. These are my interns, and we're conducting rounds this morning."

"Ah-Kay." Josh nods as if he knows more about this process then the little he'd gleaned from various medical TV shows he'd caught snatches of over the years. "Well, uh, do your thing, I guess."

One of the interns in the back stifles a chuckle, and Josh finds himself distracted. Standing partially obscured by her peers is a girl - woman, he supposes - who looks oddly familiar. He can't quite place her, but he's sure he's seen her somewhere. It bothers him, because she's definitely the type of person he'd remember - she's stunning. She's tall, blonde, and undeniably gorgeous, even in unflattering scrubs and no makeup.

"Thanks." Dr. Jenkins gives him a slight smile. The blonde girl sobers herself but her eyes continue to twinkle as she makes eye contact with Josh. She gives him a small wave, further confusing him. "Now, who's the intern assigned to Mr. Lyman?"

"Me, sir." The girl steps forward, and Josh's confusion dissipates. That must be where he'd seen her, even if he doesn't fully remember it.

"Alright, Dr. Moss." Dr. Jenkins acknowledges. Moss. I'll remember that this time, Josh tells himself. "What can you tell us about Mr. Lyman here?"

"Mr. Lyman arrived about three days ago with a gunshot wound to the chest. The bullet pierced his pulmonary artery and collapsed his left lung. He was in surgery for fourteen hours. The artery was repaired, internal bleeding was stopped, and he's on the path to a full recovery. We decreased his pain medication this morning, and he starts physical therapy to regain the full functionality of his left side on Thursday."

Josh is impressed with all of the information she's able to rattle off about him. She'd probably spent more time with him than he realized.

"And what are his primary risk factors?"

"Infection, naturally, and embolism, particularly because he presents with high blood pressure."

"Very good, Doctor. Since Mr. Lyman is awake now, why don't you go over his treatment plan with him while the rest of us move on?"

"Of course, sir." Dr. Moss nods, and Dr. Jenkins files out with the rest of the interns. Dr. Moss approaches his bed with a bright smile, and begins checking his vitals. "Good to see you up and at 'em, Mr. Lyman. How are you managing the pain today?"

"It's not so bad." He says quickly. He clears his throat. "It's Dr. Moss, right?"

"Right. I'm the intern assigned to you for the duration of your stay with us, which means you'll be seeing a lot of me as you recover. Though Dr. Jenkins has final authority over most of the cases on this floor, I'll be doing most of the work day in and day out."

"Okay." He says slowly. "And have we, uh... Met?"

She moves on to scribbling something down on her chart. "You've only been semi-conscious once when I came in to check on you."

"Oh."

She grins at his lost expression. "You were flying pretty high on morphine, and you asked me if I was an angel."

"Oh." He fights down a blush. "I, uh, I did?"

"You did."

He chances half a smile. "I'm quite the charmer."

She laughs, that sound like church bells that he likes so much. "Would seem so."

He catches a faint whiff of a familiar floral scent as she leans in to check his IV placement. "So, my treatment plan?"

"Right. Well, right now there's not much we can do but keep you here under monitoring as your organs slowly start to mend. Within a few days time, you'll be ready to start light physical therapy, and after you've regained some mobility and we're sure you're on the right path, we can discharge you."

"Okay." He allows. "That's great and all, but when can I get back to work?" That's the question that's really been on his mind, ever since he fully regained consciousness.

"Work?" She quirks an eyebrow at him.

"I can't be out too long, you know. I'm missing a lot." He gives her his best charming smile. "I'm a pretty important guy."

"Oh, I'm aware, Mr. Lyman." Her voice is laced with amusement.

"Josh." He interrupts. "Call me Josh."

"Okay, Josh." She gives him a look. "You may be an important guy, but while you're here, you answer to me, you got that? I've got the final say."

"All I asked was-"

"You were shot, Josh. You need time to heal. You can't rush this process. You'll be out of work for some time, and that's just the way it is."

He inadvertently bangs his head back against his headboard in his petulant display of irritation.

She frowns. "Don't do that."

"Look, I need to work." He realizes that he's starting to whine, so he clears his throat again and presses on. "Working from here is a good start, and from home will be okay for a while, but what I need is to be back there. If you're not in the building, you're missing it. I work for the President, Dr. Moss, and he needs me there, in the middle of it, you understand?"

She folds her arms over her clipboard and stares him down. "Listen, Josh, there's something you've got to understand. This is the kind of thing you cannot rush, which believe me, I know, is a pain to a lot of DC big wigs like yourself. You're not going to be working, from anywhere, until I give you the all clear. Now, I'm going to do everything I can to get you back on the job as soon as possible. You trust me, don't you?"

Josh gives her a reproachful look. "I don't know. I guess you're well-trained, right?"

She straightens up primly. "Very. I was the top of my class at Harvard Med School."

He raises his eyebrows, surprised and impressed. "Hey, I went to Harvard."

"I was also accepted into the very competitive trauma program here at GW. You know why? Because I'm good at this."

"You seem pretty full of yourself."

"So do you." She claps back easily. "And, you asked."

He gives her the once over. "You seem very young."

She rolls her eyes. "Josh. I promise you're in good hands. Now, are you with me on this?"

"I guess I don't have a choice."

A small smile tugs at her lips. "I am, after all, your guardian angel."

His eyes widen. "Now you're just being cruel."

She grins fully. "I'll be back to change your bandages in a couple hours, okay, pumpkin patch?"

"I'll be here, Dr. Moss. Don't you worry."

"You can call me Donna." She says as she breezes out of the room. "It's only fair."

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Gah I love this. I've got some really cute things in store for them, just you wait! Of course, I've got other stories to attend to, but I couldn't help myself with this. I hope you guys like it!

**Disclaimer: I have zero medical knowledge, and frankly I don't even know where to begin with research. As such, I'm using what little I've got from Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs to get by. Please forgive me any mistakes!

Happy Valentine's Day, guys! I love you all!