Um... hello slowly creepes out from behind metal door It's been a long time and I'm so sorry to all my reviewers and fans... I got lazy and I had no intention of leaving this story for so long, but I am back and I do intend on finishing this story.

So thank you all so much for the encouraging reviews and I hope this story hasn't lost all of its fans...

But seriously, you guys rock!

Enjoy:


"Dammit," Cameron muttered as she continued chest compressions. Chase had been down for almost three minutes, and at five was when the brain would start to show its lack of air. Brain damage could be a major factor in his near future.

They had to intubate Chase to get his airway open. Wilson had taken the lead and forced the tube down the Dr.'s mouth, the up-and-down motion of Chase's chest signaled that the machine was doing its job.

"Move," House spoke with his normal cockiness absent at the moment. The dark haired man had his hands wrapped around two paddles that undoubtedly belonged to the portable defibrillator.

House had willingly joined the fray when he had set his eyes upon the situation. One could only wonder what the hell had happened in the time Chase had been missing, and as soon as he was done saving Chase's ass, he would be getting some answers.

"Clear," he chanted. To the people of the room it sounded odd and almost wrong in the way the one word spilled from House's mouth. Elements that were usually in the mans voice were now gone, leaving a professional doctor behind; a doctor who was trying to save a colleagues life.

Chase's body jerked upwards, the current coursing through his body like his blood was supposed to be doing. Everyone's eyes quickly trailed over to the heart monitor, watching the green line that was supposed to be moving up and down in constant rhythm. It remained a disheartening flat-line.

"After all the damn fights and bitching you're going to let me win now Chase?" House asked the unconscious man. The cockiness was back as House told the nurse to charge the paddles again. "I had no idea that you British guys were keen on giving up so easily," House spoke again, fully aware that Chase was Australian, and not British. "Or maybe it's just because you're blond," he muttered.

"Clear," was the demand again.

Chase's body moved up again then fell limply back onto the bed he had been transferred to upon arrival to the room.

"We've got a rhythm," a nurse informed the group. Multiple sighs emanated through the air.

"What are you so happy about? He was dead, and none of you know why," House told them as if he were scolding three year olds. When no one spoke House's eyebrows shot up. "Are you deaf? Start speaking."

"I told him there was a patient waiting for him… a Mrs. Goldfarb. He went into the lobby to speak with her and then they moved into exam room three," the nurse from before spoke up. "I assumed that Dr. Chase was just doing a checkup…"

"You assumed?" House questioned, his voice taking on a sarcastic lilt that made the group wince. "Weren't you nurses taught to accompany the doctors when with a patient to avoid any lawsuits for malpractice and all of that fun stuff when you were in school?"

"Uh…"

"I found him unconscious and… undressed in exam three when you told me to go get him. Shortly after I got there he began seizing," Cameron supplied.

Wilson stepped forward and frowned. "We don't know what happened so we'll just treat this like any other case."

"Hey that's my line!" House said in mock accusation.

"I'll start with a blood test and see if anything is in his system. Then I'll take him down for a CT," Foreman told them, leaning over the bed to Chase who the nurses were situating on the bed. They added the necessary items, just starting with a saline because of how little they knew about the situation.

House rolled his eyes and decided to non-too gently voice what other test they had to perform. "You'll have to test for STD's. Take samples since he was obviously sexually assaulted."

"We don't know that it wasn't consensual," a particularly overconfident nurse pointed out.

House raised and eyebrow at her and rolled his eyes in mocking gesture. "Oh yeah, because there are naked, unconscious, and seizing doctors just lying around all the time… well, besides me of course," House spat sarcastically.

The nurse glared at House but said nothing as her cheeks and nose reddened a little.

The look on Cameron's face was way beyond a Kodak moment. "I'll do it," she offered. She'd seen him at his most vulnerable state; it seemed like the sensitive thing to do for the Aussie.

"Sure you will," House drawled. "Anything to see his unmentionables huh?"

If House had been standing closer Cameron probably would have pummeled him.

"How dare you," she admonished. She turned to look down at her colleague's lax features.

"Check for track marks when you're collecting samples Cameron," Foreman advised. "He would have fought whoever it was off; he must have been given something."

Cameron nodded, trying not to let her emotions take control of the situation. "The police…"

"Have already been contacted, they're sending over an SVU detective to assist Doctor Cameron," a nurse supplied for them as she walked over from her position beside the door to stand beside Chase's legs.

House rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance when everyone just kind of stood around the unconscious doctor who had just moments before on a one way track to the big man upstairs. "Are you all waiting around here for a weather report?"

House's outburst shook the people from their thoughts and movement began once again, orders being shouted and followed with speed. "That's better," House tutted as he watched nurses wheel Dr. Chase from the room.

"Dr. House, Cuddy wants to see you ASAP," a male nurse poked his head into the room and informed the lead doctor.

"Great," House mumbled.


"What the hell is going on House," Cuddy barked as soon as the Doctor had entered her office.

"Good morning to you too Cuddy," House grinned in the repulsive way only he could pull off.

The woman set her teeth at him and placed her hands on her hips as House took a comfortable seat in front of her empty desk. "Cut the crap Greg."

"I didn't know we were on a first name basis Lisa," House shot back and watched mildly amused as the woman sucked in a deep breath and continued pacing behind him.

The woman chose to ignore the House-isms and sought out questioning him. "Doctor Chase?"

"Almost died," House confirmed with a shake of his head. "Poor kid was sexually assaulted by one of his own patients."

"… and you're sure?"

"Is anyone ever really sure about anything…"

"House!" Cuddy shouted, clearly unhappy about the fact House was being so heartless about his colleague.

House swallowed and sobered for a moment. "Nobody knows, nobody here ever knows. No one was watching and you know the best part? A nurse wasn't even in the exam to oversee anything."

Cuddy exhaled heavily and rubbed her aching forehead.

"He was a sitting duck… until he got shot by one of his patients."

"So?"

Cuddy stared at the back of his head and fought the urge to rip a fistful of hair from his scalp. Sometimes the man drove her bonkers… actually he did it on a daily basis. "What is your team doing about it?"

House smiled to himself and rested the metal ball on the top of his can against his cheek. "Solving the case," he replied smartly.

"We're going to hold off telling the press about this House," Cuddy informed him. She finally walked around the desk and sat in her chair. "Understand?"

"Passing up free publicity? Now that's unlike you."

"House," Cuddy warned with narrowed eyes.

"Chase is in capable hands. Foreman and Cameron will come get me when they know more about… what's inside Chase… and who was inside him."

Cuddy was not amused.

House ignored the anger emanating from Cuddy and slowly pulled himself to his feet. His hand gripped the metal ball on his cane and he limped purposefully over to the door.

"Where are you going?" Cuddy asked with raised eyebrows.

With a cocky smile House turned back to his boss. "I'm going to go visit Mrs. Goldfarb."

With that, House was out the door.

"Who the hell is Mrs. Goldfarb?" Cuddy asked the empty room before picking up the phone and dialing Cameron to check up on the mysteriously ill Robert Chase.


TBC...