Author's note: A one-shot I thought of out of the blue. I didn't have a story that would make sense to fit it in with, but I wanted to post it anyway. Very cliched, possibly over dramatic. Reviews welcome!
He knew she'd follow him.
He'd seen the anger on her face when he made his call, and they'd all just stayed sitting, because if they weren't gonna try it, then they had nothing to do but wait till the patient died.
But it was too risky. And they'd be liable, when the patient, there wasn't really an if about it, inevitably died.
He trusted her judgement. Usually without a second thought. But he was the head of the department. And he was not going to let his staff kill their patient. They were just a kid, after all, a very sick kid.
So he'd made the decision, and Taub had let out his breath, and Adams resignedly laid back in her seat, and Park clenched her jaw tight and pursued him into the office with his name on the door.
"You're not serious!" She very nearly exploded, shooting daggers at him as he let the file fall onto his desk. "We're just gonna sit there and not try anything?"
"You know the minute we cut into his skin he's going to bleed to death. Unless you can think of some way to fix him without cutting him open, then there's nothing we can do." He replied evenly.
"We can do it if we're careful! We have a lot of good surgeons at this hospital. You're one of them." It was hardly a compliment, the way she said it.
"We cannot be responsible for his death. Do you think his parents are gonna submit to some invasive procedure in what are probably gonna be the last few minutes of his life?" He could feel his own anger rising now, rising to match hers. She was in scrubs, soft pink ones. Her hair was mussed on one side.
"They will if you spin it right." She lowered her voice, ever so slightly. "We have to try, Robert."
He shook his head. "There's no point. He might not even survive through the prep, at this rate."
"But we have nothing to lose!" The pleading was gone, she was back to anger.
"Look, Park, I am not going to do this. End of discussion. And neither are you." Taub and Adams had come to watch, standing on the other side of the glass, in the conference room. They made no effort to hide their interest in the fight unfolding.
Losing the argument, she pulled the last weapon in her arsenal. It was cruel, and she knew it, bringing up such a touchy subject. But she was mad, not in the mood to pull punches, even for him.
"House would've done it." She muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.
She might as well have stabbed him in the heart. He snapped. "Well I'm not House!" His face was contorted in rage, venom dripped from every word. "None of us are. And if you don't like the way I'm running this department, you can get the hell out!"
He had injured her, just as she had injured him, moments before. She took an involuntary step back, her composure lost, her face unguarded. He regretted what he said. He didn't say anything to mend it.
"You're gonna kill him." She said, very quietly. "That kid's gonna die, and if he's not on operating table, then it's your fault anyway. Because you didn't try."
He said nothing, just looked at her, standing there with her arms crossed over her chest.
"I'll talk to the parents. I won't lie. They'll see that a chance, no matter how slim it may be, will be better than nothing. I'll do the surgery myself if I have to. But I'm not gonna sit around and let him die." Her jaw was set. He knew she'd do it, too.
They had reached an ultimatum. Both stood completely still, eye contact unbroken. They were unreadable to the two onlookers.
It was Chase who broke the gaze first. He turned his eyes down on his desk. He took the fall because he knew what would happen next if he didn't. Park's resignation would be on his desk by the next morning, he was sure.
Taking House's place was proving to be a constant headache.
House may have been, at times, a crazy son of a bitch. But he did most things for a reason. Chase didn't want to be like House. He didn't want to be a miserable jackass with only one true friend. But House had done some things right, and Park was not wrong in what he would've done now.
"Fine." Chase relented quietly. Park visibly relaxed.
"If this turns out to be a mistake," She said, "I'll make sure I get all the blame."
"That's nice of you, but it won't matter." He replied sullenly. "It was still my decision, or at least that's how the board's gonna see it."
He motioned to Adams and Taub and they entered his office.
"Adams, call OR four and tell them we're on our way. Taub, brief the parents. Make sure they know all the risks, and then get the patient over there as fast as possible."
"And me?" Park asked.
"You're coming with me to get cleaned up. You're gonna be in there with me when we do this surgery."
Taub and Adams rushed out to fulfill Chase's orders. Chase looked over the file one more time before heading for the door too. Park stopped him.
"Everything'll be fine." She tried to reassure.
"No," he replied. "it won't." But it must be done anyway.
He brushed by her as he left. There was an unmistakable spark of electricity as their skin touched. Chase usually relished that feeling of connection with a woman. With Park, it just made him confused. He'd have to figure that out eventually, but for now he was preoccupied.
Park felt it too. She had a similar opinion. With no time to dwell on the last few minutes of raw words, she followed him in the direction of the OR, her usual scurrying run in competition with his graceful strides.