Hospital Walk

Before you start reading I just have to say that Imogen was suspended not expelled. Thank you for pointing that out Anne :)

As they were driving along the road Imogen had got her book out again. House glanced over and spotted the cover.

"Pride and Prejudice?" he asked her.

"Don't you go saying that I'm too young to read it."

"I wasn't going to."

Imogen returned to reading.

"So how long have these comments been going on?"

"A while." Imogen shrugged as she turned over the page. "I mean I don't get it as bad as some of the girls, but we all get it."

"That's not right." House sighed as he turned into his road.

"Well that's the attitude you get from rich chauvinists."

"Won't Anna take you out?"

"I've complained before to her but she won't take me out of "the best school in the county", and Richard says to me that he's paid for me so I'm staying unless I can pay him back for all the years I've been attending."

"Nice to see they're taking your opinions into account." House smiled.

"You're the only one who seems to care." Imogen sighed as they parked. She rested her head against House's shoulder.

"Not just me." He reminded her.

"Ok Lisa and Uncle James as well."

"That's better. C'mon I've got a Ruben in the fridge." House smiled lifting her chin with his forefinger.

Imogen had her blonde hair tied up into a ponytail and the tip of her hair reached above her bra strap. She was just two inches shorter than her father and had inherited his eyes, wit and personality; they also had the same interests which was why they got on so well.

Everything else physically she had inherited from her mother, much to Imogen's displeasure. Most of the time people mistook them for sisters not mother and daughter, but Imogen knew the only reason her mother stayed so young looking was because she got botox injections every month to iron out the wrinkles on her face.

"Am I gonna have to take out the pickles?" Imogen asked him as they reached the front door to apartment 221b.

"You're not five anymore, you're capable of taking out your own pickles."

They entered the apartment and Imogen held her nose.

"What died in here?" she asked him.

"What are you complaining about? It's the smell of a man's home."

"Did you forget to flush again Dad?" she raised her eyebrows.

"No. Well at least I think I flushed." He said hobbling towards the toilet.

Imogen threw her schoolbag into the corner of the front room and grabbed the remote. As she leant forward she found a Chinese container lying on its side on the coffee table. She brought it to her nose and sniffed.

"Ew!" she screamed out "do you not have a bin?"

House emerged from the toilet and looked at Imogen.

"Well at least it wasn't the smell of my crap right?" he said.

"Now I wish it was." Imogen replied picking up the container again and heading towards the bin in the kitchen. She then knelt down and opened the fridge door.

"It's not in here!" she yelled over to him.

"What's not in there?"

"The Ruben you got for me."

"Oh. Must've eaten it." House chuckled.

"Greedy…"

"Don't you swear in front of me Emo."

Imogen slowly closed the fridge door and walked over to him.

"If you called me Emo again I will throw something at you. I've already had some practice today." She said in a soft yet menacing voice.

"Ohhh. Scary Emo."

"Dad!"

She was about to punch his arm when the phone started ringing.

"I'll get it." She smiled.

House raised an eyebrow knowing that she'd be getting him back very soon.

"Hello. House's house of porn." She said down the receiver grinning evilly.

"Is House there?" asked the called uncertainly.

"He's just out back pleasuring himself. Can I take a message?"

"Is that you Imogen?"

"Who'd like to know?"

"It's Cameron."

"Oh hi Al." Imogen said as if what she said before hadn't happened.

"So is he really pleasuring himself or is he glaring at you right now?"

"Glaring." Imogen said looking over at her father's scowling face.

"Could I have a word with him? It's about a new case."

"Sure. Just give me a sec." she held the receiver out to him and raised her voice. "Dad, Al is on the phone. She'd like to order some gay porn."

"I bet she does." He replied snatching the phone from her grasp. "Go back to reading your book."

"I will do." Imogen smiled as she crossed over to her bag and started searching for her book again.

House placed the receiver to his ear and started to talk.

"Imogen's here and I'm not coming in till tomorrow morning. Remember the rules? No calling, no paging…"

"But we didn't know Imogen was coming over today. It's not a weekend for starters, it's a Tuesday and this kid really needs your help."

"What's wrong with it?"

"He's called Noah Drake, eighteen years old and has been experiencing palpitations, shortness of breath and fainting. He describes the palpitations as skips."

House stood in thought whilst Imogen looked up from her book.

"Right I'll come in. Just keep an eye on the heart rhythm and write the symptoms on the board."

"See you soon House."

House put the phone down and grabbed his keys to go back out.

"Can I come with you?" Imogen asked.

"Not right now. It could be a long evening. I'll leave you some money on the side and you can order something in." he said taking money out his wallet and leaving it next to the phone.

"Dad please let me come. I'll just sit in your office and read; I won't say anything I promise."

"You can do that here. Why do you want to come?"

"The whole reason I opted to come with you today is because I'm sick of seeing you once every two weeks and the odd occasion when I come to see you at the hospital. You're the only one in this family that I get on with and I hate being alone. Please let me come daddy?"

"Fine. Come on then." He said weakening at the face she was pulling.

She would always be his little girl no matter how old she was.

------------------

They'd been there an hour and House was still in the conference room discussing possible theories for their patient.

"I think we should perform an EKG to see what's going on within the heart." Foreman suggested to House.

"We've been here and hour and now you decide to suggest it." House said feeling like he wanted to beat his head against one of the glass walls.

"If you hadn't shot down every theory we suggested then I could've suggested it earlier."

"Go do it then!" House shouted as Foreman and Cameron scurried away.

House saw Chase still sitting at the table.

"And why aren't you going to do anything?"

"Because I just wanted to say hi to Imogen."

"Listen here. I know you get turned on by kissing ten year olds but my daughter is out of bounds."

"I have a wife and kids House."

"So you keep saying."

Chase shrugged his comment off and pushed the office door open.

"Hey stranger." He smiled.

"Robbie!" Imogen smiled back as she instantaneously put her book down and hugged him. "How are you?"

"Wondering why I'm still working for your dad."

"You know you love him really."

"I better get going. I already got a telling off because I came to see you instead of doing my job."

"Ok." She said letting him go "good luck with the patient."

"Thanks." Chase called back as he left the room.

House then entered with a knowing look in his eyes.

"He's like twice your age and then some." He warned her.

"What are you suggesting Dad?" she asked him raising an eyebrow.

"I know you've had the biggest crush on him since you turned thirteen."

"No I haven't" Imogen denied as her cheeks shone pink.

"Yeah you have. I see how doe-eyed you get around him."

"Shut up, no I don't." Imogen's insides were squirming. How did her dad know so much? "Well why haven't you got it together with Lisa?" she retaliated.

"I don't like Cuddy." He replied as made Imogen move out of his chair.

"Hmm. I vaguely remember when I was five that some shop assistant assumed that you and Lisa were an item and I didn't hear you complain." It was Imogen's turn to make him squirm.

"You just get back to your book." He told her "Otherwise I'm dumping you in paediatrics with the other little brats."

"You love me really." She replied flashing her sweetest smile.

"Sometimes I wonder why." He said back.

"Whilst you're in moody mode I'm gonna walk about."

"Don't get lost."

"I know this hospital better than you." Imogen smirked.

"No following Chase like a lost puppy, he's supposed to be working."

"Chill padre. I'm only going to the cafeteria" she lied.

"Want some money?" he asked her getting his wallet out knowing the answer was going to be 'yes'. He handed her ten dollars and she took it and slid it into her back jean pocket.

"Thank you Daddy." Imogen kissed him on the cheek and walked towards the door.

"Get me a Ruben whilst you're down there."

"What's the magic word?"

"Now."

"Close enough." She replied as she ran away before he demanded his money back. "I'll try not to eat it on the way back!" she shouted back to him.

"Brat." House said rolling his eyes and turning on his iPod.

Imogen slowed her run into a walk; she went looking for the Ducklings to watch how they handled the patient and how they worked as doctors.

She finally found a room with a boy roughly her age. He looked pale and his heart monitor was bleeping at an abnormally fast rate. He caught her eye and he gave a weak smile.

Blushing, Imogen looked to the floor and looked back up at him. His smile was wider now. He gestured for her to come in; Imogen took a deep breath and entered the room.

"Hey." He greeted in a deep voice.

"Hi." She replied shyly.

"Please tell me you're a patient."

"Sadly no." she said giggling. "I'm here with my dad."

"Is he sick?"

"No. He's a doctor."

"Is he dealing with me?" the boy asked as he sat up in slight discomfort.

"I think so."

"He's not the Australian doctor is he?"

"No." Imogen said looking at the floor. She was glad Chase wasn't her dad.

"It's not the black guy is it?"

"No, it's not him either."

"You telling me the chick doctor was a dude once?"

Imogen burst out laughing, the thought of Cameron being her father was the funniest of all. She'd be allowed to get away with anything. After she wiped the tears from her eyes she told him who her father was.

"Have you met doctor House yet?"

"Nah, is he also trying to find out what's up with me."

"Yeah. He kinda sucks with the whole meeting new people thing." She paused realising he was on his own. "Where are your parents?"

"On holiday in Canada. They've gone to see my grandparents."

"You got any other family?"

"Nah. It's just us." They remained in silence once again. "So doc's daughter, what's your name."

"Imogen. How about you?"

"Noah."

"Where's your ark?" he gave her a disdainful look "Sorry. Couldn't resist." She apologised.

They were disrupted by Foreman.

"Imogen." He said "You're not allowed in here."

"I invited her in here." Noah cut in.

"I'm afraid you can't have anyone in here except for your doctors right now."

"Sorry Foreman." Imogen apologised. "I didn't know." She went to leave the room. "I can visit him later right?" she asked Foreman.

"I don't know Imogen."

She looked back at Noah and then to Foreman.

"See ya." She said haughtily as she walked off to the elevator.

'Hospital rules are stupid.' She thought to herself. 'It's not like I was gonna do anything to him.'

Imogen came out on the second floor to Oncology but she was too caught up in her thoughts to notice, as she walked along she bumped into someone who was reading patient files.

"Oh sorry." She apologised as she picked up the paperwork from the floor.

"No, it's no problem." Said a voice she recognised as well as he father's.

"Uncle James?" Imogen said looking up and handing him the paper.

"Imogen! I thought I wasn't going to see you for another week or so."

"I'm with dad for a week." Imogen smiled as she hugged Wilson.

"How comes?"

"I've been suspended for a week for getting into fights with boys."

"Ah. Well I've got no one to see for an hour or so. Do you wanna come down to the cafeteria and we can talk about stuff?"

"Yeah ok. I was going down there anyway."

"Let's go." Wilson said putting an arm around her shoulders and leading her back to the elevator.

Thank you to my lovely reviewers from the first chapter, I hope you continue reviewing for this chapter :)

Review Please :)