Drew doesn't generally give two shits about anything having to do with Cole's family. They have a history of money, which generally means that they're complete and utter dicks. So he wasn't surprised when he's passing Cole's room and he hears yelling coming from it.

"Don't drag the Aaronson name through the mud, son. I don't know what you're pretending to do while we pay for this, but we're sure as hell not paying for you to diddle some blondie chick and smart off to everyone around because you're my son."

"Dad, I've been cracking down more lately; ask Dr. Mahoney!"

"The blond that's sleeping with your keynote speaker?"

Drew turns red a bit, but stops at the door to hear the rest of the conversation.

"It's not like that," Cole mutters stubbornly. "Dr. Mahoney and Dr. Cox say I'm improving a lot since I started, and—"

"I don't care, son." There was a loud smack and thud that followed next, and Drew was in the room before he could stop it.

Cole was rubbing his face and glaring at his dad before turning to Drew in surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Drew struggles to be quick, and succeeds. "Dr. Mahoney's showing some of the students a plasmapheresis. It'd be really beneficial of you to observe."

Cole nods, looking slightly grateful to get out of the room. "You coming?" he asks Drew.

Drew shakes his head, eyes glinting a bit as he stares at Dr. Aaronson. "That's cool, man. I caught one my first time through."

Cole nods quietly again, grabbing his labcoat and backpack as he heads off to just sit on the quad and think.

"You really think beating him up is gonna make him listen any better?" Drew asks when he's sure Cole's out of earshot.

"I hardly think it's any of your business," Dr. Aaronson replies coldly, sweeping towards the door as he grabs his coat. "You're lucky you got into this medical school to begin with; ex-cons don't usually make good doctors."

Drew snorts at that. "You'd know. How'd you jump your prostitution charge anyway?"

"You're messing with the wrong man, son."

"I could give a shit about who I'm messing with. Cole's been doing a lot better. His grades are up, his IV placement is perfect and he quit adding "izzle" to everyone's names," Drew rattles off. "I'm the leader of the med student pack, and he's doing great."

Cole's standing off to the side of the room, having thought that the conversation would've been over by now. He rolls his eyes, because seriously, his dad isn't the easiest person to deal with.

Dr. Aaronson narrows his eyes at Drew. "Why do you give a shit so much about Cole then?"

"He's my bud. Back off of him, or you'll answer to me."

Dr. Aaronson snorts at this and gets in Drew's face. "You take care of your own ass or I'll see it expelled faster than you can fuck your next conquest just so you can get somewhere." There's something knowing on his face, and the smirk that slides on his face when Drew clenches his teeth makes the med student's skin crawl. "Go ahead and hit me if you like; it'll make this process so much quicker."

Before Drew can really reply or go ahead and hit the bastard because he fucking deserves it, Dr. Aaronson's left the room. Drew's still standing there when Cole trudges back in, dropping his backpack to the floor and giving him a wary look.

"Aaronson name, dawg," Cole says almost apologetically in that old, cocky drawl that had been dropping from his voice as his grades improved.

Drew snorts. "You can't be a complete moron; you had to get into this school somehow." He drops his backpack to the floor next and stares at Cole witheringly. "Diddle some blondie chick?"

"Appearances, dawg; it's not like Dr. Mahoney's complaining."

Drew shrugs his shoulders at this without much to say. "Next time your dad's in town, tell him to go drinking so I can kick his ass outside of a bar and he won't remember it."

"He was drunk now." Cole sits on the bed and leans back, crossing his arms over his face. He feels the bed dip when Drew sits beside of him. "Least he didn't bring Mom; the dudes are safe and the chicks won't go all catty."

"It is bad when Dr. Cox's ex-wife is calling your mom a slut," Drew concedes, and finds a hand drifting over Cole's stomach and chest, eliciting a forced chuckle from him. "Don't let your old man get you down; he's a dick."

Cole snorts. "They're all dicks."

"Just so long as you don't turn into them."

"Fat chance, homie," Cole says and sits up, shoulders hung. "Med school's like boot camp; that kind of shit doesn't fly the way it did with the good ole boys."

"Does at Harvard; this isn't your typical medical school," Drew points out, and leans back on the bed this time, exhausted from a long day and just wanting to sleep now that the adrenaline was over. "Fuck, this is like boot camp."

"Yeah, Cox doesn't seem like a good ole boy type."

"He eats it for breakfast." Drew tugs on Cole's shirt, pulling him down to the bed. "Sleep time. We're both covering tonight."

"Oh, come on, dude…help a brother out," Cole half-whines, turning on his stomach to face Drew. "Bacterial pathology essay's due in like…two days."

"Better get some sleep now then."

Cole sighs, and drops his head on the pillow. "Thanks."

Drew opens his eyes reluctantly and irritably. "For what?"

"The whole telling my dad to fuck off thing."

"Someone needed to." A smirk falls on Drew's face, though he's still worried about how much Dr. Aaronson knows. "Besides, that kind of shit doesn't fly at this med school."

"Does if we're throwing it at him."

"Later. Sleep now."

xxxxFINxxxx