What a Pain

(Summary: Chase hurts his ankle. Hell pursues. One-shot. Slight, SLIGHT ChaseCameron.)

(A/N: I wrote this after falling down my stairs and having to walk on a sprained ankle at school. Felt like Hell. So, I thought I'd put Chase through Hell. House's humor helped me feel much better.)

"Ow!" Chase yelled as his bottom made contact with the floor. He'd missed that last step.

A string of curses made themselves apparent in his mind, but his polite nature shoved the words down into his throat, resulting in a low groan. He could feel a sharp pain in his ankle, throbbing down into his foot. How annoying. And how very inconvenient. Chase gritted his teeth and pulled himself up.

"You alright?"

He turned, seeing Wilson descend the steps, without falling.

"Yeah, my ankle hurts pretty bad, but I figure I just twisted it."

"Better take the elevator for awhile. Might wanna get it looked at in the clinic too."

"Yeah, but I have to get some paperwork for House first. Gotta take it to his office."

"He should BE in the clinic right now though, shouldn't he?"

"He should," Chase drawled, grinning, then limped over to the front desk. "House needs some paperwork. Said you'd know what he was talking about?" For some reason, that statement felt like a drug-deal, not that that wouldn't be odd for House either.

The receptionist handed him a comic book. "Tell him I said thanks for letting me borrow it."

Chase put on a fake smile and nodded. When he turned, however, he scowled and muttered to himself about House getting his own damn comic book. Then he limped off toward the elevator and pressed the button.

"I got it," Chase said with gritted teeth, standing in the doorway of House's office.

"Good. I've been needing a good read," His sarcasm was blunt as usual.

Chase limped over to House's desk and dropped the comic book by House's kicked up feet.

"What's this?" House said in faux astonishment. "You're crippled too? How funny is that!"

"I fell down." Chase headed across the room.

"I know Foreman wanted to be like me but, wow, Chase. You've upped the ante. Took it to a whole new level," House said in his usual tone. "You were willing you injure yourself to be like me! I'm flattered."

Chase sat down with a weighted sigh. "Could you just look at my ankle?"

"No. I can't JUST do that. I'm a doctor. I make you wait. You should wait in the clinic just like everybody else."

"What?"

"Well, I limp down there every day-"

"EVERY day?" Chase was obviously dubious, with good reason.

House pondered it for a moment, then shrugged. "Good point."

Chase put his foot up in another chair and House lumbered over. "Sure you don't just want a cane. Mine's pretty cool. Major chick magnet."

Chase rolled his eyes, deciding a verbal response wasn't needed.

"Fair enough. Swollen… looks like a sprain… Could be a small fracture."

"What would you suggest, Doctor House?" Chase asked, humoring him.

"Chopping it off!" House exclaimed. "Course they say I'm crazy."

"Ah."

"Go to the clinic. Dr. Cuddy will take care of it."

"It's your job!"

"Yes, but I don't have her rack either. Might as well get some sight-seeing done while you're being healed. That is, if you'd rather a woman heal you than me. I mean, if you want me to heal you, I will, but don't expect me to keep quiet about it."

"What happened to confidentiality?"

"I don't have to use names to pass around a rumor." He looked amused with himself. He patted Chase on the shoulder slightly hard. "Go see Cuddy."

"I'd rather," Chase assured flatly, making his way out the door. "She won't beat around the bush."

"Better hope you don't have cancer then!" House called after him.

Ah, House. Always a trip.

"Why didn't Dr. House look at this?" Cuddy asked with that huffy look. "He could have easily fixed it."

"Well, actually, he kinda did-"

"I can't believe him!"

Chase then remembered that Cuddy didn't beat around the bush… except when it came to House.

"And he probably knew that too," Chase thought bitterly.

He said, however, "Um… Cuddy? I really have work to do so could you finish this up?"

"Not many of her male clients say that. Course they get paid…" Chase turned to see House in the doorway. "You sure you're not gay?"

Chase rubbed his temples. He didn't NEED THIS! "Why'd you have to start a fight with Cuddy?" he groaned.

"It was too perfect an opportunity to use that line," he explained as if it were elementary. "Besides, I like to make my entrances dramatic."

"Oh, there's gonna be drama alright!" Cuddy yelled.

"Was that drama or trauma, cause if it's the latter, then Wilson did it."

And in a flash, they were gone, bickering down the hallway. (Well, Cuddy did most of the bickering.)

"…Okay… fine. I'll ask someone else!" Chase growled.

"Hey, Foreman, could you help me?" Chase asked, a bit short-winded. Foreman was all the way down in the lab.

"Sorry, Chase, can't. House sent me down here to do some tests and stuff. Then I'm off."

"Off?"

"Yeah, House said I could have the day off after these tests. Something about… going and getting injured or something. I don't get it."

"Should've listened to Wilson," Chase thought, sighing and leaving, limping painfully down the hall. His ankle was beginning to hurt more and he was starting to wonder how he could possibly managed to not get ANY help whatsoever in a hospital full of doctors and specialists.

The clinic was busy as it usually was. And loud. Annoyingly loud. Crying kids, sneezes, coughs, and complaints filled Chase's ears. He'd finally decided that the only way to fix his sore, steadily swelling ankle was to wait in the clinic. He lay his head against the wall, trying to tune it out. He didn't want a headache on top of the ankle pain.

"Make it go awaaaaay…" he moaned softly to himself.

"You want me to take a look at that?"

He looked up, snapped from his pain-masked daze. "Cameron?"

She smiled. "Let me fix that up real quick."

He controlled his impulse to jump her in a hug, which was awkward even to think about. He nodded.

"Dear God!" Cameron exclaimed. "That's quite a break! Did you walk on a sprain?"

"Um…" Chase's voice vanished. "…yes…"

"Well, I tried to get House to fix it, but he sent me to Cuddy who left bickering with the very same House who just happened to give Foreman the day off!" He breathed after the length of the sentence.

"Strange how he runs this place," Cameron mused, wrapping up the splint. "This should take care of it."

"Yeah," Chase said, answering both statements.

She glanced at him again with another smile. He was beginning to see why her patients enjoyed her company.

"You're an angel," he said, relieved.

"Just stay off it for awhile. Stick to the office. How about I help you there?"

And finally, FINALLY, things were going right.

.End.