A/N: Honest to God, I was just going to do one Halloween related one-shot, but this idea came to me and would not leave me alone once it did, so here it is. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own a very large nothing.
His Trick, My Treat
JD's seven when his dad leaves.
It's October and the weather is already beginning to feel like winter, but this is normal for Ohio, so he doesn't think much of it. The thing he really can't stop thinking of is the pumpkin he and his dad had carved before he took off. Well, Sam Dorian did most of the carving, but JD drew on the face and was even allowed to pick out the pumpkin himself. It had been a special activity, just for them. Dan hadn't put up much of a protest, and looking back, JD wonders if his older sibling knew before he did that their dad was going to leave. Maybe he'd been trying to give the two this one moment together, seeing as both Dan and dad were already pretty close.
But JD never got that much time with his father, so the carving of the pumpkin had been huge. He treasured the moment dearly, and found himself treasuring it even more when exactly one week later, his father picked up and left.
--
Halloween came around and Dan was the one who took him out for trick-or-treating. Mom was already busy with her "new friends," and was unable to accompany him… At least Mrs. Dorian had enough sense to remind the older sibling that JD should be back inside before it got too dark.
After stopping at just about every house in the neighborhood, Dan brought him back home. JD had been waiting for his brother's annual scare the whole time they were out, holding his breath every five minutes or so, anticipating the fright. But this year Dan did nothing, and JD wondered if he simply forgot to. Or maybe, just maybe, he was giving him a break due to recent events. He'll never know for sure, but he likes to think that Dan was cutting him some slack.
--
Its eight-o-clock at night and Dan is out doing his own trick-or-treating. Mom is gone, though with who, JD's doesn't know. He does know, however, that the pumpkin he and his dad worked so hard on is still sitting on their table, undisturbed. He wonders if he puts a candle inside, that maybe, somehow, his dad will see it and come home.
JD's a clumsy kid, but he's very careful as he removes the carved out lid and places the small candle gently inside. He watches the face come to life as it glows in the dimly lit room. He can't help but smile at their – his and his father's – creation. The last thing they were able to do together before his departure.
He will never forget how amazing it looked on their doorstep, or how cool the flame looked dancing inside the hollowed out smile. He will never forget how proud he was of what they'd done together – how proud he was of his idea to bring dad home. He will never forget how high he jumped at the sudden stomping of several pairs of feet, nor will he ever forget the roars of laughter as he heard the older kids completely and utterly destroy the one thing he had left of his father.
--
"Chocolate Bear!"
"Vanilla Bear!"
Surgeon and Doctor do their best to embrace one another, though it's kind of hard when both are simultaneously hiding a pumpkin behind their backs.
Because they'd broken their tradition of raiding bars in pigs' masks, they wanted to make up for it by doing something else. So last night, the night before Halloween, the two had gone out pumpkin picking. They'd each bought one, deciding that they'd both go home, carve something of their own creation, and bring it to work the next day to show off to one another. Then, when all was said and done, they'd put them on the nurses' station counter. Sacred Heart was decked out anyway, and the pumpkins would fit in nicely.
"So what'd you do with yours?" JD asks excitedly as they brake away from the hug.
Turk holds it up casually; the large, orange vegetable looking cool and slick as it rests on his out stretched palm.
The carving's cool, no doubt. It's a pretty nice imitation of Rowdy, except this dog has make believe bat wings strapped to his back. JD giggles. "Nice! Okay, okay, now check this out."
JD's proud, and he can tell Turk is too. It's a traditional face, but it's detailed and carved extraordinarily well. You can't tell if the carving's ready to laugh or scream, which adds to the complete creativity of the thing.
"Dude, if you ever get sick of being a doctor, you could totally do something art related."
JD grins. He doesn't need to be told how awful he is at sports, but a lot of things art related he's quite good at, though it's a hobby he doesn't often find time to dabble in. Hearing his best friend's compliment makes him glad that being a doctor hasn't made his other abilities rusty, so it's with a great amount of optimism that he sets his pumpkin on the nurses' station next to Turks.
--
He had heard the kids in pediatrics were dressing up for Halloween, and that the nurses were going by later to give them candy. Curious and excited, he stops by to see them, complimenting them all on their new looks when he gets there.
After another five minutes or so, JD decides it's best to head back to the nurses' station. He knows there are more patients to see, and in turn, more charts to pick up.
He rounds the corner just in time to see the Janitor casually knock his pumpkin off of the counter, whistling as he does so.
JD stops in his tracks. When he catches the taller man's eye, Janitor simply smirks. "Oops," he manages through his grin, and leaves the shattered pumpkin to be mopped by another.
JD turns quickly, praying to God no one caught the beginning of his tears.
--
Dr. Cox has no idea where the pumpkins came from. He figures one of the nurses put them there to add to the rest of the hospital. He rolls his eyes at the holiday in general, but admits quietly to himself that the traditional looking one is kind of interesting.
But they're just random pumpkins, so he doesn't give them more thought than that.
--
Twenty minutes later and he's back at the nurses' station, though he is surprised to find Lurch there as well, glaring at something in a mischievous sort of manner. Dr. Cox immediately searches for Newbie, knowing the kid is the man's favorite target. Soon though, he realizes that JD is no where to be seen, and the person the Janitor is glaring at – no – the thing that Janitor is glaring at, is the traditional looking pumpkin that he noticed earlier on. He doesn't understand why, but everyone knows the Janitor's sort of crazy. Okay, maybe not crazy the way Hooch is crazy, but crazy enough where there's no real explanation for anything the guy says or does.
He grabs his patient's chart and is almost out of sight when he hears the crash, and the small, startled gasps of a few on-looking nurses. He turns to look at what caused the commotion, and isn't terribly surprised when he sees that very same pumpkin smashed into bits on the floor. He's about to roll his eyes and walk away completely, but he catches the smirk on Janitor's face and follows his line of vision. There, standing stone still and looking mortified, is Newbie.
"Oops," he hears the Janitor mock, and then, just like that, Jumpsuit turns and walks away, laughing quietly to himself.
It doesn't take an idiot to piece two and two together. Clearly, the pumpkin had been Newbie's. He turns back to the kid, probably to say something degrading, but then he catches it: JD's eyes; wet with unshed tears. He watches, confused and rather stunned, as the brunet hastily walks in the opposite direction.
--
It's an hour later and Dr. Cox is more than annoyed. He doesn't know if the anger's toward Lurch or JD, but mostly, he's angry at himself. He's angry because no matter how hard he tries, he can not get the kid's crushed expression out of his head. It's just a stupid pumpkin, he thinks bitterly. Why in the hell did he look so damned upset? But that just adds to the mystery – the fact that JD would look so hurt over a smashed pumpkin, even if it had been his, because as much as he teases the kid for being so sensitive, he knows how often the doe eyed doctor deals with death and manages not to cry.
If he can deal with all that, then why is he so upset about a stupid vegetable?
--
He'd gone to the doctor's lounge, grateful for the break and eager to catch his soap, when he spots JD and Carla sitting on the couch, not another doctor in sight. He pauses at the door frame, wondering vaguely why he cares what it is they're discussing, or why he's not just barging in like he would normally. But JD's shoulders are slumped and he's still wearing that look like he wants nothing more than to break down and cry. Carla's eyes are filled with that motherly sort of love as she rubs small circles into the kid's back.
"I'm being stupid," he hears him say quietly. "It was years ago. I haven't thought about it in such a long time, but when Janitor did that I just – God, I'm being so stupid."
"JD," he hears Carla answer softly. "It's not stupid. You were little and upset and your dad had just left. Of course your mind is instantly going to go back to that memory, you know? It doesn't make you weak. It's perfectly normal."
Dr. Cox watches JD nod his head, though he can tell he doesn't quite believe it himself. And for some reason, the only thing he can think as he takes the scene in is, "Oh."
--
Its eight-o-clock at night and JD is flipping casually through the various channels on TV. He's alone, and he can't help wishing he wasn't. He overreacted today, and he feels incredibly childish for it. It was so long ago and he doesn't know why such a thing should bother him. It was just the Janitor being the Janitor.
But he knows that's bull, because he hadn't been thinking of the Janitor's prank when he first felt himself tear up.
Finally stumbling across a movie that wasn't too scary, JD goes to settle back into the couch, but a sudden thud by his apartment door keeps him from doing so. It sounds like someone dropped something, or at least put something down with more force than necessary. So he waits for the knock to follow the strange occurrence, thinking maybe it's just a small group of kids in search of candy. But that'd be weird, he realizes suddenly, because it's getting pretty late, and even the older kids would normally be done by now.
Cautiously, he stands up from his place on the couch and heads for the door. He peeks through the peep hole, only to find no one. Slowly, carefully, he opens the door, still wondering what could've made that sound.
It takes him a second, but when he finally notices it sitting there, he can feel his eyes widen in surprise. Gingerly, JD picks up the pumpkin. He can't help but be a little in awe of the thing, and not just because of its unannounced presence, but because of how perfect it is. He's never seen a pumpkin so huge and so round; so wonderfully orange that he actually questions whether or not it's real. But it definitely is, and he suddenly has about three million ideas when it comes to carving.
It's not until he's completely inside does he notice the post-it note stuck to the large vegetable. Curious, he peels it off, and if he thought he was surprised before, than he was greatly mistaken in comparison to how surprised he's feeling now.
Priscilla –
It's just a pumpkin. Get over it.
It's very plain and very simple, and despite the tone in which it's written, JD can't help but grin from ear to ear. Dr. Cox can say or write whatever it is he wants, but the undeniable fact is that he had gone out and bought him a pumpkin; a really nice one too. He has no idea how he found out, or what would even possess him to do such a, well…Un-Coxish thing, but he knows how he's carving the pumpkin now. He just has to find a decent picture of his mentor, and then he'll get right on it.
-End-
A/N: Hope you liked it, and Happy Halloween! :)