Patron Saint of Diagnostics
Chapter One
There were worse ways that someone could spend a sabbatical. A stress-induced sabbatical, at that.
Dr. Jack Morrison had been wary of Dr. Westphall's suggestion, Dr. Auschlander's urging… Westphall's reminder that when it came to Diagnostics, Dr. House was surpassed by no one in his field.
The fact was that Morrison knew there was no way he could bear to stay in Boston after what had happened. He had planned to go to Seattle to recuperate, but maybe Westphall had known him better than he knew himself when he had pointed out that if Morrison stayed out of medicine, he was much more unlikely to return… This way, he would not only return, but maybe return better, sharper.
He would return after learning from the best, instead of out of practice and still sloughing off fear and fatigue.
That didn't mean that he was ready, even as he walked through the double doors at the front of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. He couldn't shake the thought that any moment he'd feel a possessive hand on his shoulder, whirling him around to plunge him back into darkness that he had little hope of emerging from.
He felt safer, just slightly, when he found the office he had been sent to – Dr. Lisa Cuddy, Dean of Medicine. He wondered what a female Dean of Medicine would be like – he could picture Dr. Cavanero in the role without much trouble, or even Dr. Armstrong, but it still seemed a departure from what he was used to at St. Eligius. Then again, that was what he needed, wasn't it? A departure to Mars couldn't be different enough to satisfy the need to run, to hide desperately.
Morrison knocked on Dr. Cuddy's door, feeling eyes drawn to him like magnets and trying to fight the shiver that he couldn't quite shake from his spine.
"Come in." He heard a bright, professional, if a bit tired, female voice on the other side of the door, and after a short pause – last chance to run – Morrison pushed the doors open and stepped inside. "Dr. Morrison!" Cuddy exclaimed as she stood, allowing him a chance to look her over – she was beautiful and shapely, with long, curly black hair and twinkling brown eyes. Her smile was genuine, pleasant.
"Yes," Morrison stammered, stepping forward and shaking her hand as he tried desperately to keep his own still. He reminded himself that he really should actually say something. "I just wanted to say that I'm really so grateful for the opportunity to learn under Dr. House. I've heard so much about him."
"I guarantee you, it's all true," Cuddy replied wryly. "You can learn a lot from Dr. House, and I also believe that you'll lend a lot to his team as well. St. Eligius is a very good hospital, and I have been acquainted with Dr. Cavanero and Dr. Fiscus for a number of years." Despite the tension coursing through his veins, Morrison managed a smile.
"Oh, you know Fiscus?" he asked.
"Who could forget him?" Cuddy replied with a grin. "We've encountered each other at a few seminars over the years. But my point is – we're lucky to have you."
At that point, the door opened again, and before Morrison saw the man who'd entered the room, he saw the man's black, wooden cane spiking into the carpet like a flag planted by an explorer.
"Dr. House," Cuddy said in a diplomatic voice that belied more than a hint of pre-emptive irritation and exasperation. "I'd like you to meet Dr. Morrison from St. Eligius in Boston, who will be joining your team for a while."
"I thought you wanted me to hire a woman," House retorted, cocking his head to the side. "Unless there's something I should know." Cuddy took a step forward, giving an exasperated sigh.
"Yes, I wanted you to hire a woman, but you've rejected every single one I've sent to you. Dr. Morrison is a good doctor, and I think he could add a lot to your team. And thankfully for him, this is only temporary, during his sabbatical from St. Eligius."
House turned and looked at Morrison with curiosity.
"St. Eligius, huh?" he asked. "You mean St. Elsewhere?" Cuddy glared at him.
"House, behave. St. Eligius is a perfectly capable teaching hospital, and Dr. Morrison is a good doctor." She shot the diagnostician a warning look. "He can add a lot to your team – like, for instance, a conscience."
"So, you brought me a male Cameron?" House retorted.
"That's for you to find out. And if you accept him, I'll let you off of four weeks of clinic duty."
"Six."
"Four."
"Five." Cuddy looked annoyed, and Morrison watched the bickering with a raised eyebrow. It seemed more like flirting than negotiating.
"Four, House. Now go take him and, Dr. Morrison, if he makes you too miserable, let me know," Cuddy said with a smile at the resident.
"I'm sure we'll be fine, Dr. Cuddy," Morrison replied, though he didn't feel it. He was sure this had been some kind of horrible mistake.
Dr. House turned and began to walk towards the door, his cane spiking into the carpet as Morrison rushed to follow him. Without a word to his newly acquired team member, House made his way back to the conference room, where Foreman, Taub, and Chase were standing and looking impatiently at their boss.
"What are you all standing around for?" House barked at them.
"We don't have a case," Foreman replied. Morrison could hear his voice straddle the tightrope between irritation and exasperation. House ignored Foreman's protests and instead gestured to Morrison.
"This is Dr. Morrison. Cuddy has forced me to take him on. Now, go find me a case, or stand around playing icebreaker games, or hand me the remote – Prescription Passion is on in ten minutes."