Phew...I finally got chapter two/ part two up. My updates will be starting to come slowly because of school (which is going to start soon) and because I'm also currently working on a House, M.D. fic called "Call Me When Your Sober". Anyways...on to the fic!
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---- Ashelin found herself standing at the lobby's circulation desk sorting through papers about clinic patient complaints. The stack was mainly of verbal abuse complaints that were directed towards a certain Dr. Gregory House. 'Cuddy can deal with all of this.' Ashelin thought as she gathered the multitude of complaint forms. Ashelin stopped when she saw a very different, yet very small stack, of forms from the clinic. They were actually compliment (these don't come from the clinic very often)forms. 'Now that's an oddity.' She picked them up and took a quick look at them before adding them to the work load she had to present to Cuddy. They were labeled for...
"Wow, Keira is doing great." Cuddy said with a smile as Ashelin handed her the forms in her office. "Five patient compliments in one day. That beats Cameron's record of four. But still, this is impressive." Cuddy just sighed complacently. "I guess hiring her was a good idea and she has brought such a fresh aura to the diagnostic team and hospital in general."
Ashelin nodded in agreement as she took a seat across from Cuddy's desk. "True, she is doing very well. Where is House? I haven't seen him check in yet."
Cuddy looked slightly shocked as she stared at the clock hanging on the wall. "One in the afternoon is a bit late for him..." She looked down at yesterday's complaint forms. Cuddy shook her head and sarcastically said, "Wow, a new personal record for House. Twelve complaints in one day. Wonderful. A new record for the rudest doctor in the hospital. Ashelin, could you throw these in the trash for me?"
Ashelin took them and gave Cuddy a confused look, "You're not going to do anything about this?"
Cuddy laughed, "No. Trust me, at least he is working in the clinic. Better to have him be a complete ass to the patients than not to be in the clinic at all. You'll get used to it, believe me." Cuddy stood. "Well, I guess I'll wait for him in the lobby so I can force him into the clinic...yet again."
Ashelin nidded and stodd as well after Cuddy and left. Ashelin, too, had a lot of business to attend to.
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"House is an ass. A complete and total ass. How can he leave us here, when he knows that we have a dying patient that we need to save." Foreman was, once more, complaining about House. Cameron had just finished sorting House's mail, Chase was staring off into nowhere, and Keira was downing her third cup of coffee in the last fifteen minutes.
"Well, we could try to move on without House." Keira suggested. "We can do our own diffarential diagnosis while we wait for House, that way when he does get here, we'll already have an idea about what to do that way we can give our patient the treatment that he needs faster."
"Good thinking." Cameron complimented Keira.
"I still can't believe that he left us here though." Foreman had been going on and on about House for that past half an hour. "Bet you he's getting to caught up with Stacy, again. And---"
Chase was rubbing the temples of his head, "Will you shut up already. Let's just move on with the diffarential. We know that it isn't Aplastic Anemia, but there is still a small chance that it is. So, any other guesses?"
--ring--- ---ring---
"I got it." Keira said as she grabbed the phone. "Keira." She said as she answered it.
"Keira, it's House. Put me on speakerphone."
Keira hit a button and it went into speaker phone. "Where are you?" Keira asked. "Dying patient you know. Latest symptom is internal bleeding and paralysis starting at the ankles."
"Foreman, any sign of neurological problems?"
"No, House. And are you coming in today?" Foreman was rolling his eyes.
"I'll be there in five minutes, mommy. The internal bleeding could be caused by damage to the blood vessels. Until I get there, order an angiogram, that way we can get a clear look to see if any vessel damage has been done and keep him on the Aplastic treatment."
"But House," Keira said. "He isn't responding to the...Aplastic...treatment. He hung up. You're right, Foreman. He is such an ass."
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---- It was 1:15 when House decided to stroll into the hospital. But he didn't come in alone, Stacy was closely walking by his side. She gave him a hug, that lasted a bit longer than expected, before she departed. Cuddy, who had been waiting for House like a cat stalking it's prey, jumped in front of him and stopped him in his tracks. She grabbed his arm and began to drag him forcibly to the clinic.
Cuddy glared at him, "You are extremely late. What's the excuse this time?" Cuddy was still dragging him through the clinic doors.
"No excuse." House said peachily. "Stacy and I were---"
"Don't want to know." She stopped him from completing his statement, knowing where this would go. Cuddy looked at the clinic nurse, "1:20, Dr. House checks in. Write that down please. And House, exam room one, now."
House wasn't going to let this go on without a fight. House limped over to the front of the packed clinic waiting room and he called for all of the patients attention, "Good afternoon! I'm Dr. Gregory House. I'm one of three clinic doctors on duty today. I'm also the only one being held here against their will, isn't that right Dr. Cuddy?"
Cuddy just stared at House. She shook her head as she prepared a file for him.
House still stood in front of all the patients. He reached into his pocket and puled out his Vicoden pills and he took one. The clinic patients seemed to just stare at what he was doing. House cleared his throat. "Anyone wondering what this is?" He gestured to the pill bottle. "This is highly addictive Vicoden. You'll see me popping these yummy pills every now and then. I can still treat you, but I may be too stoned to tell." The patients looked warily at each other. "So, who would like to be my first victim...er...patient?" Not a soul stood. "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be in exam room one."
Cuddy just stood with her hands on her hips as she watched him limp off to exam room one. "Very funny, House." Cuddy turned to the patients. "Don't listen to him, he's an idiot. Euridice Thomas? Exam room one."
The woman slowly stood and in a soft voice said, "Could I wait for a different doctor?"
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Keira, Chase, Cameron, and Foreman were in the isolation room with their patient. They had to wear anti-bacterial gloves and clothing before entering. Because of Razer's low blood cell count he had to be put in a "clean room" or isolation room to prevent further infections. Keira was giving Razer the information on his current condition, "We also need to do an angioplasty. That will allow us to go inside of the blood vessels and repair as much damage as possible. We need your consent for the procedure."
Razer wasn't the star combat racer anymore. Once strong, powerful and fearless was now pale as a ghost and extremely weak. "Will this fix the problem?"
Chase spoke up this time. "Not really. Right now, whatever this disease is, is killing you. But it will buy us more time to diagnose you."
"How dangerous is this?" For once, Razer sounded worried. And maybe, just maybe, a little bit scared.
Cameron lowered her eyes to the ground. "I'm sorry. But because of your severe internal bleeding, the procedure is very dangerous. There is a very slight chance that you will die on the table, but it is still highly unlikely. Espicially with the doctors that will be handeling the procedure. They are experts and they know what to do." Cameron nodded towards Keira and Chase. They were the only two of House's team that were qualified to assist and perform certain surgeries and procedures.
Razer still looked as if he was going to decline the angioplasty, but Keira quick wittedly came up with a last resort to persuade him. "Look, there is a good chance that you wil die, with or without the angioplasty. We are just trying to buy ourselves more time to save your life and if you choose not to do it, we will run out of time to save you. I'm a hematologist, you can trust me, I specialize in these procedures. Just give us this chance to do our job, and save your life."
Razer let out a heavy sigh as he listened to the end of Keira's speech. "Fine."
Keira nodded and smiled, "We'll get a nurse to prep you, while we get an OR."
The team filed out of the room and Foreman ran up to Keira's side. "I can't believe it. House must be getting to you."
Keira looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Foreman chuckled slightly, "That was a speech that only House would give. If only you said it with a bit more heartlessness, it would have been perfect."
"Very funny."
---ring--- ---ring---
Keira looked at her phone while the rest of the team stood around her as she answered it. "House, where are you? We are prepping our patient for the angioplasty now."
"I've been kidnapped by the wicked witch of the hospital and I'm being forced to work in the clinic." There was a tinge of humor in his voice.
Keira sighed and rolled her eyes, "We'll sent you a consult." Keira closed her phone and looked at the rest of the team. "So, who's turn is it to save House from Cuddy?"
Cameron raised her hand, "I'll go. Continue the plans for the angioplasty while go rescue House."
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--- Daxter was excited about his first out-of-city mission. He was called by House, who told him to investigate the combat racing scene and to, more importantly, get a pair of Razer's cigarettes from his usual spot the "Ready to Race Inn".
Daxter had taken a long trip to the very small, yet modest city called Kras City (remember, this story takes place before it is a huge city). He had wandered the nice clean city and found the Inn without much trouble. Daxter entered the Inn and looked around. It had clean wood floors and paneling with a beautiful antique fireplace in the left wall. And the lobby was filled with comfortable looking, beige cushioned chairs. Daxter looked around at the very nice Inn And finally spotted the little market stand on the far corner of the room. Daxter hopped up on the counter and spoke to the clerk, "Hey, there umm...pal. I need to buy some cigarettes for my...um...friend, Razer. "
The old man gave Daxter a twisted look when he mentioned Razer's name. He gave Daxter a strange smile, "You must be his pet or something. Damn ugly thing if I must say so." Daxter made a face at this comment, but tried to keep his cool. "I'll get you Razer's special blend." The clerk disappeared into the back of the store. Out of curisoity, Daxter followed. He peeked into the back and saw that the clerk had a gas mask on and was spraying something on the cigarettes. Daxter gasped at the scene and fled back to the counter before the clerk could spot him.
The clerk came back to the counter and handed Daxter the cigarettes. "Here you go. Now have a nice day."
Daxter took them and exited the Inn. He thought he'd give House a call and let him know what he found instead of waiting until he got back to Haven City. He took out his sleek, thin, and very small cell that had the words "Orange Lightning" written on the front. He used the speed dial to call House.
On the other end, he answered, "House."
Daxter said, "Found the cigarettes. I snuck into the back and saw the clerk do something to them."
House took a sudden interest in the situation, "What did you see?"
"He was spraying some gas or something on them."
"Poisen. Good work." House hung up.
Daxter just stood there, "Why does everyone hang up on or ignore me?" Daxter looked down at the ground. "Well, I guess I'll head back to Haven City." Daxter looked around and saw that no one was there. "I really have to stop talking to myself."
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--- House slammed the Operating Room door open. The lights were dimmed all around except for on the patient that lay unconscious on the table, which happened to be Razer. There were several moniters and tables filled with surgical equipment and a small team that seemed ready to go with surgical masks and aprons on. "Stop the Angio!" House yelled.
Keira took her mask off. Since she was a hematologist, she was leading the procedure. she tried to stay calm, "House, I haven't even started it yet. And you aren't sterile, you need to get out."
House defiently stood there, "If you do the angioplasty, he'll die."
"Where did you come up with this?" Keira said in disbelief.
"He's been poisened. If you do the angoi, it'll counteract the poisen and send it on a wild rampage through his body. Destroying the blood vessels and causing him to bleed to death. His organ will shut down, it'll destroy his brain...you get the point, right?"
Keira rubbed her forehead, "You have no proof. Without the angio he has two hours left to live."
"With it he has two minutes!" House argued back.
Keira sighed heavily. She turned to the nurses behind her, "Cancel the angioplasty." she turned back around to House. "You'd better be right, or you just killed our patient."
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--- "So...are we just going to wait for our patient to die?" Cameron asked as the rest of the team watched House bounce a ball back and forth against the wall.
"No, we are waiting for test results." House replied.
"What test results?" Chase asked.
"Yeah, we stopped the angio and we haven't done any tests since." Keira added.
"You are waiting for me." Daxter said with a heroic stride as he entered the conference room. "I tested those cigarettes they tested positive for---" Daxter tried to sound the word out. "Are-scene-ic."
Keira shook her head and laughed, "That's arsenic, Daxter."
"Exactly." House said. "It's known to mask itself as Aplastic Anemia and that's why so many die from it. Congrats team."
Foreman gave House a look, "You're telling us congradulations? Are you feeling ok?"
House thought about it, "No. I think I took too much Vicoden today. I must be high. But if it makes you feel any better instead of congradulations how's you all suck and are horrible doctors."
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--- With the diagnosis complete and their patient starting to get better, it was finally time to go home. For Keira, this was one hell of a test. She had really proved herself and now she truly felt as if she was ready to take on any patient and any case. But it was 10:15 and the only thing currently on Keira's mind was sleep. After all, she still had to go in tomorrow at seven in the morning.
Chase ran up to Keira as she approached her zoomer. He grabbed her shoulder and stopped her, "Hey Keira."
"Yeah, what's up, Chase?"
"I was just wondering...would you be interested in going out to dinner with me at some point?" Chase asked, obviously a bit nervous.
Keira smiled a tired smile, "Sure, if we are not too busy saving a life, tomorrow would be fine."
"Ok, great." Chase happily replied. "See you tomorrow."
Keira hopped on her zoomer, "Bye." As she sped off, not her nor anyone else had a grip on what would happen tomorrow.
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--- It was late and all Jak wanted to do was go home. He was sitting in the scenic courtyard of Haven City Teaching Hospital at night. He watched the lightning bugs glow as they floated across the field. They were nice and calming to watch as Jak closed his eyes for just one second. He was seated at a table and had just finished downing his fifth double shot of espresso.
Yeah, another double shot of espresso. It wasn't easy being a paramedic. Espicially when you had to spring into action at any given moment to run off and save a life. So coffee was needed to propel himself through the day and today wasn't an easy day and it wasn't going to get easier. He had to go again in another fifteen minutes. It was too late for this.
Today, Jak and his paramedic team found themselves taking several trips to a local high school that had about 1,300 students. Many students were just passing out for no reason at all. They were nausious at first, then they just collapsed. Now, because so many have fallen ill through the day, that paramedic teams had to transport the entire school to HCTH in just less that fifteen minutes. And this only meant one thing...it was an epidemic.
It was late and Cuddy found Jak sitting outside. She speed walked over to him and sat down next to him. "Thanks for the heads up, Jak. I've alerted as many doctors as I could to come in tonight and stay until necessary. I really do appreciate you staying to help us out with this."
Jak yawned, "It's ok. I really don't mind." Jak gave Cuddy a worried look, "I just hope our hospital is ready for an epidemic."
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Keira, M.D. medical guide
1. aplastic anemia: potentially deadly bone marrow disease
2. Angiogram: x-ray of blood vessels
3. angioplasty: any variation of surgical techniques for repairing blood vessels.
4. arsenic poisening: exposure to arsenic which can end in death. Symptoms include: nausea, vomiting, abnormal heart rythem, anemia, blood vessel damage, and the pins and needles.
Coming up in Chapter 3:
It's panic at Haven City Teaching Hospital as an epidemic takes hold of the hospital. Cuddy requests the help of all of the doctors, including House's team. But House has taken a kee interest in one person who is showing similiar, yet slightly different symptoms, from the other epidemic patients. Even Ashelin and Stacy are working together... for the moment. But even though the virus isn't contagious through human contact, someone is infecting the doctors, and House thinks it may be his patient. Special guest patient: Allie, from the fanfic "Me Against the World" written by COme as yOu are.
NOTE: If you would like to see your OC star as one of House patients in a chapter let me know by any means necessary. I'd be glad to have them in the story. All creation rights will be given to the creators at the beginning of each chapter. Anyhow, thanks for reading and please R and R!
