Pick Up and Delivery: The Story of Baby Chase
Disclaimer: don't own, don't care, don't sue
Chapter One
House slammed his cane against the glass of James Wilson's office door while shouting vehemently for him. "Wilson! Wilson, I know you're in there. And I know what you're rolling in the—," he was cut off abruptly when the door went flying open and he stumbled through.
"God, House, are you trying to get me fired? Cause if you are then I hate to break it to you, but without me, Cuddy will probably kill you in a week." Wilson finished with a sigh and settled on the corner of his desk watching as his disgruntled friend started to pout. When however House remained silent for a full minute he started to become concerned. "Okay, what's wrong, you're too much of a whiner for this to be about you. Spill."
"I think I have a mutiny on my hands. After everything we've been through together, the hard times, the struggles and successes, the—,"House looked at Wilson's incredulous face and stopped dramatizing. "Oh, alright. Chase has finally snapped. He still hasn't told me what the NICU/vacation debacle was about, he's been more closed off than usual and he's probably got a brain tumor from all the time spent on his cell. Which he won't let me answer!"
Oddly, rather than Wilson becoming less skeptical, his eyes only widened as he listened to House's rambling. "Of course he won't let you answer his phone," and with a brief pause, he concluded, "You must be high, go back to your conference room and badger your staff. I'm busy."
"I would, but Foreman is in the clinic, Cameron has been weepy all this week, and, oh, yeah, I'M MISSING MY WOMBAT!"
"You're missing Chase? He's probably in the clinic or he might have gone home early, give it a rest."
"I did give it a rest. I thought he was just putting in time in the NICU again, and then Cameron showed me a vacation requisition form, WITH MY SIGNATURE ON IT! Goldilocks somehow snaked my signature and he's on vacation God-knows-where for the next two weeks."
SCENE
"Chase, we've been over this, I'll sign the damn papers, you'll panic for 6 months and then I'll have my money and you'll have the baby. I'm not interested in the baby and you've got the money. After the cesarean tomorrow you'll never have to see me again." The statuesque blonde leaned back against her chair and sighed, glaring angrily at her bulging abdomen.
"You'll have to forgive me if I don't completely trust you, but I do have the money and you won't get a penny until I'm sure you'll leave us alone. So I suppose if we can just finish up this medical history…"
"I don't even see why you need any of this, it's all ridiculously unimportant."
"It's important if my child ever gets sick. I don't want to have to track you down for information that was easy enough to get now." Chase couldn't believe this was happening. When first heard from Clarice he'd been pleased she was in Jersey for a conference and called for a good time. The second time he'd heard from her had been a little more traumatic. It's was 5 weeks later and though she had no desire to go through with her unexpected pregnancy, she did know enough about Chase's finances to know she might be able to make a tidy profit if he wanted the baby. And he did.
"I think the only person you haven't grilled my about is my cousin Ronnie, but he's 42 and running marathons, so no problems there. Now, unless you want me to start sending you copies of the family Christmas letters I think you can leave me alone."
Chase sighed and nodded, "I'll be here for the Caesarian tomorrow, I know you'd rather not see me at the nursery, so if you decide that you want to see the baby, I'll expect for you to notify the nurses so I can make myself scarce. Your severance of parental rights will be sealed and you'll receive a cashier's check as soon as the six month waiting period is up- your name won't be on the birth certificate as requested, and that will be the end of it." Chase left the room slightly disgusted, but finally grateful for his father's reputation. Without the pull he was able to get at the hospital, spiriting his child away would have been impossible, or at least there would have been no way to fully escape this woman.
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"Have you figured out why I'm so irresistible yet? Cause I'd love to hear what your version is. I've heard so many." The sarcastic bite of House's broke through Cameron's reverie and caused her to blush. "Yup, feel embarrassed, staring is bad manners. Now, have you been staring at Chase lately?"
"Why would I be staring at Chase? Especially since he's been on vacation this whole week." She hadn't meant to stare, but House hadn't been paying attention and she had been going over options as to what might be the reason.
"Yes, yes, I know, he's not as dashing as I am, but still you must have noticed something going on with him. Foreman, c'mon, boys, lockers, he must have said something! What kind of doctor's are you, really, if you don't care to notice these things. Chase could be dying somewhere!"
"You mean, why aren't we spies like you. This only reason you want to know anything is because you want to know everything, and I'm sure Chase is just enjoying his money on a beach." Foreman didn't care much if Chase was dying or on a beach, the pretty boy would only land on a padded money cushion, so it wasn't really worth his time. He had, however, stolen Chase's personnel file with the intention of scoping out the Australian's place while he was gone. Eventually, House would find out too, but Foreman hadn't decided if he liked the idea of knowing something House didn't, or if shocking House with the news would be more fun. A hint wouldn't hurt though. "Since you can't let this go, have you tried calling him at home? Some people leave there vacation information on an answering machine."
"Aww, Foreman," House jumped at the idea. "Skating right to the head of the class. Keep this up and I might just let you be the first runner up for the marker instead of Cameron.
SCENE
Wilson, shook his head, "House, no field trips, I have appointments and you have a patient. I'm not going anywhere with today."
"But, Jiiiimmy," whined House. "It's says his phone is disconnected, I wanna know!"
"If you'll buy dinner, then I'll going with you after we eat. That's the best I'll do, but not before you do some work."
"I'm waiting for test results, doesn't that mean I've worked?" House peeked up ruining an almost convincing look of shame only to find Wilson implacable, "Oh, alright, after dinner."
SCENE
Chase stood clear of all the activity. The incision had been made, and his first born was about to make an appearance, but if the woman about to give birth saw him, there would be hell to pay. Regardless, Chase had insisted that he would be the first person to hold his child, and so there he was waiting for the signal to come forward and cut the umbilical cord and claim this offspring that he already adored.
As the surgeon continued to work, Chase thought of all the things he had done to prepare for this little one. In a moment of spite (brought on, he was sure by his controlling demands during her pregnancy) she had refused to disclose the gender of the baby, or even allow ultrasound photos to be sent to him before she made it impossible to determine for himself. That meant Chase had a couple of decisions to make. First, he could buy gender neutral things, and leave off decorating his new nursery until he brought the baby home, or he could buy temporary necessities once the baby was born and buy everything when they got home.
At first his intention had been the latter, because he didn't want to buy things he didn't need when he was probably going to buy lots of blue or purple as soon as he knew, but after a couple of months baby catalogues had become irresistible. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to prepare for this little one. His father had never seemed to care about him, let the nanny dress him, sent the driver to his rugby games, and had the maid buy his birthday present on more than one occasion.
Chase in a desperate move to feel connected to his baby thousands of miles away, began to purchase things for a boy and a girl. Nearly everything was left in the box. It could either be returned or donated to the hospital once he knew what he needed, but until then he wanted, it seemed, to nest.He had a painter on stand by who knew what Chase wanted depending on either outcome and things would be perfect when he and the baby got home. As of now, he was soon going to be holding his child, and that was quite enough
SCENE
House limped determinedly toward the door to Chase's apartment building and looked for the buzzer to 4B. It didn't have a name next too it, but House didn't blink and raised his cane to depress the button.
After almost a full minute, Wilson knocked House's cane off the button. "What are you doing? He's on vacation. The building is real even if the phone number isn't, but he's not going to answer you."
House gave a long-suffering sigh and brought his cane up to the buzzer for 4C. When the buzz was answered but put on an angel face for Wilson and said, "Excuse me, but I'm looking for Robert Chase, he's not answering his buzzer, do you know where I might reach him?"
There was a pause and then, "I'm sorry, but Robert moved out a week ago."
tbc...harrassment helps