Disclaimer: I do not own House.
A/N: I'm back! I usually don't do these notes until the end, but in this case I feel it is necessary to begin with it. This story takes place soon after the finale. It starts somewhat in the middle of that final montage of shots of everyone's lives. SPOILER ALERT! I definitely recommend watching the ending of House before reading this story. You have been warned…Enjoy! :)
He had only been gone for a few weeks when he got the call that would bring him back to Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. House had died.
It was a sad day for anyone who had worked with him, past or present, or anyone who loved him. Without a body the funeral was more like a memorial service and it was beautiful as all the members who had been part of House's diagnostics team had said a few words about him. It was very sad to see his mother and ex-wife talk about him. When it came to Wilson everyone felt a sense of dread for the dying man. Of course, then he started going on about all of House's faults. The cell phone interruption during his rant was a godsend.
Now here he was, back at PPTH. It was after the memorial service that Dr. Eric Foreman had come up to him and told him that he would need a new Head for the Diagnostics Department. After thinking it over for a couple of days, he accepted. He walked down the hallway to his knew office and noted that they had already changed the name on the door; it now read "Dr. Robert Chase, M.D." with the sub caption "Department of Diagnostics." It felt surreal to see that name on the glass door, and it would feel that way for awhile. Chase knew he was ready for this position but it would take some time for him to get used to being "the boss." After all, he would be working with his old team; they would be working for him.
He walked over to his new/old desk and placed his briefcase on the floor next to it. The office still contained books and other object that House had brought into it, but his computer and other personal belongings had been packed away and given to his mother. She would be the one to choose what would be donated and what she wanted to keep. Chase saw that House's oversized tennis ball was still sitting on top of the desk.
"It almost seems empty without him in here."
Chase turned around to see Dr. Jessica Adams and Dr. Chi Park standing at the door. Dr. Adams had spoken.
"I really think I'm going to miss him, no matter how annoyingly pessimistic he was," she added.
Chase smiled along with the two women remembering the man that they all loved to hate. He had left an enormous hole in all of their lives whether they wanted to admit it or not.
Park broke into Chase's thoughts, "So I guess you're our boss now." He nodded. "What do you prefer being called, 'Bossman,' 'Master,' or perhaps 'Your Majesty'?"
Chase looked at her in shock at first before realizing she was joking. He laughed, "Are you really planning on treating me any different because I'm your boss?"
"Well, not really," Park answered. "You're still the arrogant Aussie that we've all come to love right?"
"That I am," Chase said with a chuckle.
"So Boss," Adams started, "Got any cases yet?"
"Yes I do actually. I just got a couple from Foreman that we can choose from. We'll see which one is more…interesting."
"Please tell me you aren't 'filling House's shoes' in every way," Park commented.
Chase smiled, "I'm only kidding…slightly. I really would rather have an interesting case that no one else can solve. After all, isn't that why this team exists; to take on the rare cases that no one else can figure out?"
"Yeah, yeah," Park commented sarcastically, "You're such an elitist."
Chase couldn't keep the smile off his face as he handed out the files to each of the women. "Let's go to the table." As Chase followed the two women he though about how grateful he was that he would be working with his old team. He already knew them well enough to know that he could trust them with a patient's life. He had worked with Taub longer than the two women, but still trusted them all equally. They had each proved themselves while working for House.
Taub was also part of the team and would eventually be joining them, but he had taken a couple of vacation days to spend some much needed time with his daughters. They had all had a reality check when House died. Wilson was next since he had terminal cancer and only had five months to live. He had decided to retire from the hospital and live the rest of his life out on the road. It's what was best for him especially after losing his best friend, no matter what he had said at the service.
They had all had a reality check and realized life was too short. Taub wanted to spend as much time with his kids as possible; to make as many memories as possible. Knowing Wilson lived a healthy lifestyle only to be snubbed by life in the end made everyone more cautious about the way they lived their own lives.
Sometimes Chase wished that he had had a child with Alison so that he would be able to watch his child grow and teach him or her all about life. There were times when he longed for a family even if it wasn't with Alison Cameron, who had made her own family by now. Chase was happy for her and proud that she had made such a good life for herself. He didn't know if he would ever find someone to marry again one day, but he definitely dreamed about having the kind of life that Alison had found, or even Taub.
Chase shook all thoughts of family and life out of his head so that he could discuss each case with his colleagues and choose which case would best suit their expertise.
Chase sat in his office looking through files while Adams and Park were doing tests on their current patient to see if he had a blood disease. Chase was currently looking through his medical history as well as some of his achievements; the 17 year old boy was an athlete set to graduate high school and go to an ivy league school next fall.
A knock at Chase's door pulled him away from his work. Standing before him was a tall, slender woman that looked every bit the professional that she probably was. She wore a maroon suit with a white blouse, her hair was pinned tightly to her head, and her face bore very little make-up. Her face was very stern and the crows feet around her eyes didn't seem like they were from years of smiling. Chase felt a chill go down his spine.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"Are you Dr. Robert Chase?"
"Yes I am."
"My name is Dianne Greenwood, I work with the Department of Social Services."
"And how can I help you today Miss Greenwood?"
The woman came closer to his desk and sat in one of the chairs set in front of it. "Dr. Chase, do you remember a woman named Kelly Lamb?"
"The name sounds familiar, but I can't remember her. Who is she?"
"Kelly Lamb claimed to have had an affair with you during the month of January in 2011. She said you were intimate a few times throughout the course of that month."
"Okay…," he trailed off. "Is there a reason you are talking to me about her?"
"Well, it turns out that Ms. Lamb had gotten pregnant soon after your affair."
Chase gaped at the woman standing in front of him. Could this woman, Kelly Lamb, who he couldn't even remember be asking for child support after she didn't even contact him about being pregnant. There had to be something wrong with this situation, in the legal sense.
"Don't worry. Ms. Lamb didn't tell you because she was going to raise the baby on her own. She was perfectly capable of doing so."
"Was?" The word wasn't lost on Chase's ears and he noticed how this made the woman shift her weight in the chair.
"About two weeks ago Ms. Lamb was driving home from work when she was hit by a drunk driver. She died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Her baby was at home with a baby sitter at the time of the accident."
Chase felt like he had taken a blow to his gut. A woman he had once been involved with had been killed leaving a baby without a mother to care for it. He was speechless so Miss Greenwood continued.
"The baby had been put into our care immediately because the only family Ms. Greenwood had was her mother, but she lives in California. According to New Jersey law if the child has two parents listed on its birth certificate and one dies, the other parent gets full custody unless he/she decides to give the baby up for adoption, in which case it may be put under the care of a relative. According to Samuel's birth certificate you are his father, therefore full custody has been granted to you."
Chase felt like he was listening to a lecture in college, getting lost in the middle of it and finding his way back toward the end. He couldn't completely comprehend what this woman was telling him. The shock of knowing that he may have gotten someone pregnant and that that someone had been killed was too much for him. His mind was swimming with thoughts. "I-I don't understand," he stammered. "What does all of this mean?"
"Dr. Chase, congratulations. You have a son."
A/N: I really hoped you liked this chapter. I always find the first chapter to be the hardest to write because this idea is just starting to develop so you have to get used to it. I planned on writing this story from both Chase and Adams' POVs, but I kind of like Chase's POV better. Let me know what you think I should do.
I know House is actually alive in the end but the only people that know that are House, Wilson, and maybe Foreman so everyone else still thinks he's dead. Don't get annoyed with me because of it, "I just calls it like I sees it" lol. I wasn't feeling inspired enough to write a Chase/Adams fic when this idea came out of the blue one day and I had to try it. I really hope you all like it, I tried to make the idea as original as possible.
Thank you for the support. I mentioned before how I never planned on writing another House fic after One Drunken Night and then all you Chase/Adams shippers just sucked me in. Haha. This story is mainly for the people who pressured me into doing more of these fics, but newcomers are welcome as well. I can't guarantee my usual weekly updates though, because I have another fic for another show that I have been committed to, along with my internship, part-time job, and my book. Busy, busy, busy. But I'll do my best. That's all for now.
Peace, love, and all of the above,
~Renthead015
P.S. I promise not to make my A/Ns too long in the future. ;