"Hello, Dr. Chase," a nurse greeted the blonde as he hurried passed the counter. He didn't even take the time to politely respond to her greeting. So far he'd been having the worst morning ever and he was afraid it might bleed into the day if he stopped to be nice and let it catch up with him.
He'd awoke this moring to a cold bed, the spot next to him totally empty save a pillow that still held the faintest imprint from the head that had occupied it during the night. Chase's hand flitted over to the right side of the bed and he noticed the emptiness, startling him to lifting his head off his own pillow. A month ago, the empty side of the bed wouldn't have bothered him, but he found out just then that he'd changed and waking up alone made him feel particularly vulnerable.
He pushed himself up from the bed, shivering as the blankets fell and his naked body was exposed to the cool air. He trudged to the shower and turned it on, jumping with a startled yelp when drops of freezing rain pelted him. He plastered his body to the wall of the shower until the hot water kicked in and he relaxed into the warm wetness. He lifted the bottle of shampoo and squeezed into his palm. Nothing came out, no soap in a dollop. With a small sigh, he held the bottle under the shower and let water get into it. He shook the bottle, hoping to loosen some soap from the sides of the bottle. Nothing.
Wet and frustrated from not being able to wash his hair, Chase got out of the shower and dressed himself. He reached for the yellow tie that he felt went well with his purple and blue striped shirt, but when he got it tied around his neck he saw that there were little bite marks at the bottom. The tie was ruined and so he threw it in the garbage, deciding he would have to go to work without a tie that day.
He walked into the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat for breakfast. He couldn't find anything in the cupboards except for an old box of Chex (which he hated) and a bread bag with only the two crusted ends left in it. He checked the fridge and found enough milk for a shot glass and a jar of mayonnaise. It had been his turn to go grocery shopping last weekend and he'd forgotten when the latest patient at the hospital had taken a turn for the worse. He sighed, knowing he'd have to forego breakfast that morning.
His stomache was empty and his heart was heavy. He was tempted to just climb back into bed and start again tomorrow. But as he glanced back toward the bedroom, he knew he wouldn't be able to lie down in that bed without the other person who was supposed to be there.
With a great and defeated sigh, he grabbed his keys from their usual spot on the counter and headed out the door. He pulled open the car door and let himself fall into the driver's seat, soon realizing that it must have rained during the night. He glanced to his left and found that he'd left his window open just a little bit and enough to soak the seat. His head hit the steering wheel in frustration. His butt was wet and there was nothing he could do about it until he got to work. so he slid the key into the ignition and turned... but no sound accompanied it.
"Nononono... c'mon." He muttered, following that up with a "Bloody hell!"
Car troubles on their own were bad enough, but combined with everything that had been going wrong plus the strange fragile feeling he felt was almost enough to make him cry. Instead, he took a big breath and let it out slowly. He checked his watch and then exited the vehicle with a loud slam of the door. If he ran, he could make it to the bus stop in time for the next bus.
He ignored the funny stares he got from people when he passed them and they saw his wet bum. He raced for the blue sign at the corner of the block. He saw the bus pulling up next to it and he pushed himself harder. He made it just barely and then realized that he didn't have exact change.
"Please, can I just once pay with a twenty dollar bill. It's all I have," he pleaded.
"Sorry, bud. Don't got any change to give back." The driver shrugged.
"I... I don't need change. I just need to get to work. Keep the money." Chase signed. The driver nodded and Chase gave him the bill an squeezed through the bunches of people squished into their seats. There was only one seat left and it was next to a creepy old man with long stringy hair and several gold teeth. Chase was pretty sure he was being leered at by the man and tried to ignore him as much as possible.
"Hey, boyo... whattaya say we wait until the very last stop and then have some fun." The man suddenly breathed into Chase's neck, startling the young man into standing from his seat.
"Siddown!" came the yell from the driver and Chase gingerly sat on the edge of the seat until he was abel to get off of the bus.
That's now he got where he was now, hurrying through the hospital hallways to get to where he needed to be and get his day over with.
"Hello, Dr. Chase," he ignored another greeting from another nurse, knowing with a red face where their eyes drifted to as soon as he passed by them. He could still feel the dampness from the car seat.
"Hey Chase," a snicker from a co-worker, "have an accident?"
"Bugger off... just bugger off." He muttered, pushing through a small crowd and passing by the elevators to race up the stairs.
Soon, as he raced through the halls again, he could see his destination. Goal in sight, he was encouraged and he ignored any other greetings from everyone until he slid into the glass-walled office.
"Hello."
Chase looked up, tense muscles relaxing at the welcome voice.
"House." The name was a breathy sigh on Chase's lips.
The older man limped toward the young blonde, concern flashing briefly in his blue eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing... just... strange morning." Chase sighed. House nodded, not completely believing.
"Cuddy made me come in early... I figured you could use the extra sleep today." House said, explaining the reason behind the cold and empty side of the bed. "I noticed last week that the shampoo was getting low, so I bought your favorite kind on my way in." He went back to his desk and pulled a bottle from his bag, tossing it to a surprised Chase.
"I... thanks."
"Um... Steve McQueen got into your tie collection last time he was let out to play. I stole a tie from Wilson for you."
Chase laughed softly at House's grin, catching a silk tie that was tossed at him.
"Also I noticed that your car window was open, so I left the keys to my car... I took the bike. I assume from the way your coat is pulled down over your ass, that you didn't notice the little note next to the key hook." House tilted his head, trying to see around Chase at his backside.
"What's that?" Chase pointed to a large white bag on the floor.
"We have no food at home. I bought breakfast for us to eat together. They didn't have your favorite doughnut... so I bought one of every kind they had." House grinned and held the bag open for Chase to peer into. He was overcome with a warmth that he'd never felt before. This showing of love and affection through baked goods hit Chase hard in the chest and he gave into it, pulling the older man into a tight embrace and claiming his mouth with a desperate kiss. He faintly heard the bag of doughnuts hit the ground as House brought his arms up around Chase to join in.
They parted with panting breaths.
"You're welcome. I'll make sure to go to the bakery more often." House smiled quickly and then ran his thumb across Chase's bottom lip. "So what's really wrong?"
"I woke up alone. This morning sucked... but the day's getting better."
The End