Disclaimer: House and all respective characters do not belong to me. I am only borrowing them for personal enjoyment.
Also I am not a doctor so I have decided to borrow cases used earlier in the show for medical accuracy. My creativity comes in with building and developing character relationships as well as introducing original characters. Criticism and reviews are most welcome. Hope you enjoy
A/N: Here is the sequel to Changes. When last we left everyone at PPTH, House had crashed his car through Cuddy's house. An action that will send shock waves through the entire team. How will everyone pick up the pieces of the work that House smashed? My intention is to tie everything in with where Season 8 starts, with minimal changes to David Shore's continuity. Enjoy, and as always please read and review.
Steve and his friend Jake are jogging in the park
"So now the plan is either find ourselves a new counselor, stick it out with the old one but go more often, or resign ourselves to the fact that she's never gonna be happy no matter what I do, so let's just take the money we're wasting and put it towards a membership at Lakeview, you know," Jake says.
"I'm guessing the last option has yet to be formally presented," Steve says.
"Yeah…Jeez what's with you," Jake asks. "It usually takes about half speed to stay with me."
"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night," Steve says.
"How are things with Brittany," Jake asks.
"Great," Steve says.
"Great," Jake asks.
"Yeah," Steve replies.
"Simple answers," Jake says. "You're either out of breath or you're lying to me."
"Yeah…we have our moments, but they usually work out," Steve says. "Can I get some water?"
"Yeah…" Jake says handing Steve a water bottle he was carrying. "How do you work things out?"
"Talk, someone apologizes," Steve says. "Man I shouldn't have drank last night."
"You mean you apologize," Jake says.
"Yeah, I guess," Steve replies between gulps of water.
"How often do you guys have sex," Jake asks.
"Enough…" Steve answers.
"You do it this morning," Jake asks. Steve smirks and shakes his head. "You did, you did it this morning, maybe that's why you can't stand up. Come on!"
They finish their run and then part ways. Steve runs past Jake's house and continues all the way to his house. Steve enters his house and walks into the kitchen. "Brittany! Honey, I'm dehydrated." He opens fridge. "We have anything with electrolytes? He walks upstairs to the bedroom. "Sleeping beauty, wake up, this is an emergency. The fridge is empty. Come on, it's almost four! Brittany, sweetie…"
"Call Jacques, tell him I'm not feeling well," Brittany says.
"It's Saturday," Steve says. "You haven't been to work in three days, remember?"
"Just let me sleep," Brittany says.
"Come on. You haven't been out of bed since Wednesday," Steve complains.
"Leave me alone…" Brittany says sleepily.
"Come on, let's go," Steve says lying down on the bed and shaking her slightly.
"No, leave me alone," Brittany whines.
"Honey…" Steve starts shaking Brittany harder.
Brittany turns around and smacks Steve hard. "I SAID LEVE ME ALONE!" She suddenly comes back to herself, wearing a horrified look on her face. "I think there's something wrong with me."
At the hospital, the team is gathered in the Diagnostics Office except for Trzaska and House. Foreman is sitting at the end of the table working on discharge summaries, Thirteen is doing a crossword puzzle, Taub is pouring a cup of coffee, and Chase is surfing the internet on the computer. The door to the office opens and Trzaska limps in with a solemn look on his face. He hangs up his leather jacket.
Foreman looks at his watch and then at Trzaska. "It's almost noon, heard anything from House," Foreman asks Trzaska.
The other team members turn their attention to Trzaska, hoping he knows something about House's whereabouts and therefore a possible case. Trzaska chews on the side of his lip and shakes his head. He pulls out the chair in front of him at the other end of the table and sits down. His head is down and he silently bounces his cane off the floor.
Chase leans back in the chair he's sitting in and turns his head trying to look at Trzaska's face. "You all right Adam?"
Trzaska is still silent. He looks as if he's searching for words.
"What's wrong," Thirteen asks concerned.
Trzaska is still quiet. After a moment, he opens his mouth. Finding it dry, he closes it again and swallows before speaking. "Last night…House…"
Foreman leans forward in his chair, as does Thirteen. Taub nearly spills the coffee he was pouring, and Chase spins in the chair he was sitting in to look straight at Trzaska.
"He drove his car through Lisa's house," Trzaska finally spits out.
Taub drops his coffee cup spilling it on the floor. He stands there dumb stricken as Trzaska remains quiet. Foreman leans back with a thoughtful expression. Thirteen is the first to break the silence. "Is everyone okay," she asks.
Trzaska shakes his head once. "Wilson has a hairline fracture in his carpus. Lisa, Julia, and her husband are fine."
"Is Rachel okay," Thirteen asks.
"She was at Lisa's mom's," Trzaska replies.
"What about House," Chase asks.
"He's missing," Trzaska answers. "I don't think anyone we will be seeing him for a while." Trzaska finally looks up at everyone, making eye contact with each of them. They can see his eyes are bloodshot from exhaustion. Trzaska looks across the table at Foreman. "This is your department now," Trzaska says.
Taub bends down with a wet towel to clean the coffee he spilled.
Foreman looks over at Taub and then at Trzaska. "So what now?"
"Lisa said for you to see her in her office," Trzaska replies. She got here just before I did so she should be there now."
Foreman nods solemnly and gets up from his chair leaving the office.
Chase sits motionless in his chair still dumbfounded. Taub leaves to get another towel and Thirteen looks at Trzaska. "Are you okay," she asks. Trzaska doesn't say anything. Thirteen looks at Chase who makes eye contact with her. After a few seconds, he nods and Thirteen gets up and sits in a chair right next to Trzaska. "Let's get a drink tonight after work. You, me, and Chase." Trzaska doesn't reply. Thirteen puts her hand on his. "Okay?"
Trzaska nods and the three of them sit in the office in silence.
Meanwhile Foreman walks into Cuddy's office. He shuts the door behind him and finds Cuddy sitting on the couch in her office. She's looking at her desk and scanning the room. She doesn't say anything. She's wearing a black top and white skirt. Her legs are crossed and she's just staring.
"You wanted to see me," Foreman says not mentioning the incident from the night before.
Cuddy awakes to the fact that someone else is in the room. "Oh…yeah." After lingering in her seat for a moment, she uncrosses her legs, gets up, and navigates the room to her desk. She picks up a file and hands it to him. "Case was referred from the E.R. It's all yours. You're in charge now. For good."
Foreman takes the file and looks at Cuddy skeptically. "What about when House comes back?"
"There's no coming back for House," Cuddy responds. "Not this time."
Foreman nods and opens the file scanning over it. "I'll have my team get right on it." He turns to leave and then stops. He turns back around and looks at Cuddy who is now sitting behind her desk with her head in her hands. "I'm sorry."
She looks up at Foreman and smiles unconvincingly. "Me too."
Foreman nods and leaves her office.
Back upstairs in the diagnostics office, Trzaska pulls a bottle of pills from his pocket. He dumps one into his hand and pops it to the back of his throat, following it with coffee. Thirteen's eyes go wide. "Is that vicodin," she asks.
Trzaska nods.
"How is the leg by the way," Chase asks looking over from the computer he had gone back to.
"Better thanks for asking," Trzaska replies. He looks at Thirteen who looks disappointed. "Pain was getting worse, so Chase examined me and gave me a script for hydrocodone."
Thirteen looks behind Trzaska at Chase who isn't looking at her.
"Don't worry," Trzaska says smiling. "I'm not looking to replace House, I promise. I didn't coerce Robert and I'm not forging scripts. I just needed something a little stronger, and it's working. I'm only taking three a day."
"Is that the vicodin working or Heather," Chase asks.
Trzaska grins. "Maybe both."
Foreman walks in suddenly and passes out a file to each of the team members. Taub walks in behind him, with a file already in hand. "Twenty-six year old female who's been averaging eighteen hours of sleep a day since her admission," Foreman says.
"Clinical depression," Chase throws out. "What's the big mystery there?"
"It's not clinical depression," Foreman says. "Three ER doctors, two neurologists and a radiologist have all figured out what it's not, we need to figure out what it IS."
"The blood work showed no signs of inflammation, and no one can figure out what's actually the cause of…" Taub starts.
"Huh," Trzaska says.
"What," Thirteen questions.
"Husband described her as being unusually irritable recently," Trzaska states.
"And," Taub replies.
"She's irritable and sleeping eighteen hours a day," Trzaska says.
"What's interesting about that," Chase asks. "Hypersomnia is usually accompanied by irritability in depressed patients."
"True, but not relevant," Trzaska says. "She's not depressed."
"She's sleeping eighteen hours a day," Chase says again. "How is that not depression?"
"Fever," Thirteen says looking up from the file she had been reading. "Clinical depression doesn't cause fever."
"She could be sick and depressed," Chase says.
"Elevated SED rate indicates inflammation," Taub says.
"Hypersomnia and personality changes point toward the brain," Foreman says.
"No other systemic signs of inflammation, probably not vasculitis," Thirteen says.
"What about parasites," Trzaska suggests. "Malaria, chagas?"
"Patient's never been outside the United States, especially the tropics," Foreman says.
"You mean she claims she's never been outside the U.S.," Chase says.
Trzaska points at Chase and nods as if saying 'Exactly.'
"Doesn't matter, blood and c-sub smears show no sign of parasites," Foreman says.
"Then what about a tumor," Trzaska asks.
"A tumor sitting directly on top of the brain stem," Foreman says unconvinced. "That three ER doctors, two neurologists, and a radiologist missed?"
"Exactly, a tumor that everyone else missed," Trzaska says. "Isn't that why we get these cases, because everyone else missed something? We should redo the blood work and get a new MRI."
Everyone looks at Foreman.
Foreman thinks for a moment then nods. "Go get new tests. This time get 2 millimeter cuts through the mesodiencephalic."
Trzaska and Thirteen go down to Brittany's room to get consent.
"A tumor," Steve asks.
"We don't know, we're checking just to be safe," Trzaska says.
"They already checked for that," Steve says.
"The previous MRI had a broader view," Trzaska says.
Steve looks confused.
"Some tumors are almost impossible to see unless we know exactly where to look," Thirteen says stepping in.
"That means it would be small, right," Brittany asks.
"Yes," Thirteen says nodding.
"So you'd be able to operate? Take it out," Steve asks.
"If it is a tumor, there are a variety of treatment options, but there are variables other than just size," Trzaska says while bouncing his cane.
Steve looks at Brittany. "Don't worry…"
"Too late," she says.
Steve signs the consent form and then leans over to hold Brittany's hand.
A half hour later, Chase and Trzaska take Brittany down to radiology. Trzaska steps in the control room while Chase helps Brittany into the MRI. After a minute, Chase walks into the control room as well. He presses the button on the intercom to talk to Brittany. "Try to remain as still as possible. The less distortion there is, the more we'll be able to see." Chase sits down next to Trzaska and begins to watch the monitor. "So how'd dinner with Heather go Friday," he asks not looking away from the monitor.
"Good," Trzaska says. "Hit out a single down the sideline."
"Nice," Chase replies clicking some keys on the computer. "Second date lined up."
"Yeah, dinner at my place tomorrow," Trzaska replies.