a/n: Wow! The response has been overwhelming. I had no idea there were so many other dissenters out there. I hope my creative vision satifies. Anyway, I now present, part 2.
"Breaking and entering. Sounds like the kind of thing you would be good at." House needed help and the perfect resource was standing right in front of him.
"I take it that's where Cuddy's been keeping your pills.' Foreman silently questioned whether Cuddy wouldn't realize that House would be this desperate. After all, junkies will do just about anything for a fix, even attempts at breaking into the boss' desk. He doubted House would find what he was looking for, but also recognized he would be distressed enough to try in his state.
The opportunity was too good to pass up. He had the liver test results right in his hand. It wouldn't hurt to try and get House to offer an opinion.
"One theory, one drawer."
Foreman rolled his eyes and then looked behind him to see if anyone was coming. There are very likely no pills in there, so what the hell. He will get something out of it.
"Really? I thought you would be all for this torture House plan. It works therefore its good. On the other hand, I don't want to talk you out of this deal by pointing out your hypocrisies so patient's life at stake, blah, blah, blah."
As House offered up his theory of the condition striking the pancreas next and then mushrooming into multiple system failure, Foreman wondered if it was indeed the drugs that triggered his brilliant patterned thinking or if physical pain caused the addiction to drugs and his mind was never affected. He believed it was likely the latter since House hasn't always been addicted but he has always been brilliant. Yet, like Cuddy and Wilson, he said nothing about the vicodin use. Probably because he didn't want to ruin all the good being done. Except now the bad is starting to outweigh the good.
Could they really get on without him? Could they be as successful if he was drug free? The last case proved that even House is capable of making a disastrous mistake. Was it really the pain? He has detoxed before and come through with the right diagnosis. What made him wrong that time? Chase just got lucky for once.
"I get why you don't want to go rehab, but only an idiot goes to prison for being stubborn."
"Only an idiot stands between Ahab and his whale."
House checked out the drawer and found that Cuddy did indeed remove her stash. "Sorry," Foreman said and walked out to order his pancreatic tests.
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Chase put down his messenger bag full of samples and took off his blue jacket. The conference room was empty and dark which was fine by him. It gave him sometime to evaluate all the new information he was able to gather from his search and he didn't have to listen to Cameron talk about House.
He had three new possible symptoms to work with; ear infections, constipation, and joint pain. He sat down and stared at the other symptoms on the white board, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle. Drugs and alcohol are out, so what could be causing liver failure and a collapsed lung? What could go wrong next?
He heard the sound of someone walking in behind him. He knew by the footsteps it was Wilson but wasn't going to acknowledge him first.
"It hurts less just to not care." Wilson said.
"I don't want any part of it."
"He needs help."
"Not mine." Chase continued to stare at the board while avoiding eye contact with Wilson.
"I know he hurt you, but addicts..."
Chase abruptly turned around and cut him off. "I know first hand what addicts are capable of. They aren't in control of their actions. They hurt those around them by pushing them away. They trick us into enabling by shielding them from the full consequences of their behaviors. We spend lifetimes apologizing for their deeds and defending the way they are. We do everything possible except actually helping them. I've been there once already I'm not going there again. He has others to fool. He doesn't need me."
Wilson just nodded. "This isn't like your mom Chase. House can be saved. You wouldn't be in this alone this time."
"No one here has a clue how to help him. He'll detox, get out of trouble, and then go back to what he always does. You can't fix him."
"I owe to him to try."
"Why? What has he ever done to help you?"
"I can't explain it, but someone has to watch out for him. He certainly can't do it himself."
"That's not good enough for me. He would never do the same for any of us. Yes, it hurts less just to not care. You can't help someone who won't help himself."
Wilson knew he wasn't going to get through. "I understand. You don't have to be involved if you don't want to. I hope you reconsider."
Chase took a deep breath as soon as Wilson left and then went back to the white board for the ideal distraction.
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Wilson and Foreman just got back from the liver test. Abigail fell into a diabetic coma and her pancreas was failing now. Exactly like House had predicted. They were now dealing with a global systemic illness.
"What if we sacrifice the girl and House goes to jail anyway." Cameron angrily spouted at Cuddy.
"Then I'll feel bad." Cuddy was getting tired of her crap and wished Cameron would just focus on the case.
They all sat in Cuddy's office, deliberating the possible reasons why the liver and pancreas was shutting down. Everyone was feeling rather frantic and unfocused. Cuddy was trying her best to maintain control of the situation, but she felt completely out of control.
"Ideas!"
"Langerhans cell histiocytosis attacks multiple organ systems." Chase replied.
"Histicytosis usually starts in the brain then moves to other internal organs. Abigail's brain is fine. Cystic fibrosis." Foreman countered.
"Excocrine function is normal. Hodgkin's lymphoma. A systemic cancer in which her dwarfism predisposes her to." Wilson was adamant in his conclusions.
"Any ideas that are not cancer?" Cameron wasn't backing down from her theories.
"Cancer fits."
"Autoimmune fits better. We should treat her with prednisone for lupus."
"That will spike her blood sugar and put her back in a coma. It's much better to run a double stranded DNA test." Wilson wasn't backing down from his theories either.
"Not if she dies before we get the results."
Cuddy wasn't going to tolerate anymore of this behavior. "One of you is probably right. Why don't we hold the sniping until we find out which."
To everyone's shock, a haggard looking and profusely sweating House stood behind them as they frantically argued. They all stared at him silently rather stunned by his presence. House looked down and tapped his cane on the floor. "Okay, I'll take the rapid detox."
"I'll go set it up." Wilson said as he left the room.
"Cameron, go help him." Cuddy ordered. "Foreman, Chase, go run the antibody test for lupus. Wilson can get the LP for lymphoma after he's finished."
Cuddy and House were left alone. "You sure about this?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"I thought you would have been able to get your hands on some pills by now."
House glanced away rather ashamed. "I went to the ER at St. Sebastians. It seems they don't give opiates to new patients. It weeds out drug seekers."
Cuddy tilted her head, not at all surprised by his revelation. "If you had read the memo, you would have known that was our new policy too. All the hospitals in the area are doing that. It would have saved you some trouble."
"Cameron didn't tell me when she read it."
Cuddy smiled. "Okay, let's get you admitted."
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"I still say its Langerhans cell histiocytosis." Chase told Foreman as they were walking in the hall from Cuddy's office.
"Tumors for that usually show up in the skull." Foreman wasn't buying it.
"Not necessarily. In some cases the tumors show up elsewhere. It makes the most sense. That way it can be both autoimmune and cancer."
"You just don't want to piss off either Wilson or Cameron. Cuddy didn't think it was that either."
"They have other things on their mind right now."
"Speaking of which, why don't you want to help House? Still mad that he punched you? I still think that if Wilson hadn't beat you to it you would have ratted."
"I just can't win here, can I?" Chase showed his deep frustration by throwing his hands up in the air. He didn't know what he had to do to get his co-workers to give him a break. "What about your hypocrisy? You tell House to take the deal and then blast Wilson for ratting him out. Why can't I just be a doctor who wants to do his job?"
"You think what Wilson did was right?"
"None of my business."
"Since when? You have always been first with hospital gossip."
"I don't really care anymore."
"House could fire you when he's better because of your lack of loyalty."
"House doesn't give a damn what I or anyone else does."
"Maybe his new outlook will change him."
"Yeah, right." Chase didn't believe change was in the House vocabulary.
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It took a few hours for House to be admitted and for everything to be setup, but they were ready. They found a private area of the ICU for him to be sedated. Cuddy was there to observe as primary attending while Foreman and Cameron starting administering the treatment.
"We're all set, you should be out in a minute." Foreman told House.
"Where's Chase? Detox is his area of expertise."
Foreman and Cameron shared a telling glance. "He's busy with Abigail right now." Cameron replied.
"Right." House knew exactly what that meant. "I don't blame him." He turned toward Cameron, who was sitting next to him by the bed. "Autoimmune makes more sense. The ear infections and joint pain. Have you considered Still's disease?"
"She doesn't have a rash and the spleen is fine."
He nodded. "Don't give in. You are on the right track." His eyelids began to flutter and within a few seconds he was out.
"I'll take the first watch," Cameron volunteered.
"Good, I need to get back and help Chase with Abigail." Foreman patted her on the arm for luck and left.
"Let me know if anything changes." Cuddy instructed.
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Wilson was getting tired of taking these beatings. Now he was getting it from Abigail's mother. She had a right to be this way, but all he really wanted to do was just treat the patient. All the controversy was wearing him thin.
"You have no idea what is wrong with my daughter."
"We have several theories."
"What does Dr. House think?"
"He's…He had to go home sick."
"My daughter may be dying and he's gone home with the sniffles? He was the only one that seemed to have an idea what was wrong with her. He better be really damn sick.
"He is." Wilson got the consent and went to perform the LP. He so wanted to give this woman answers, but he had none. As of right now, she was the only one that mattered about getting the right answer.
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Chase and Foreman entered the ICU to consult with Cameron.
"How is he?" Foreman asked.
"In pain, but much better than before he went under." Cameron bitterly replied. She hated seeing him go through this, but it was out of her hands. All she could do was be there to help. She didn't feel like she was helping much though.
"Negative for lymphoma and lupus." Foreman handed her the test results.
"Yeah, I figured that. The kidneys are fine which rules out lupus, and she isn't losing any weight or has night sweats which rules our lymphoma."
Foreman had the same suspicions. "I'm with you on autoimmune. What is it though?"
"An autoimmune condition that can cause rapid multiple organ failure? I can't think of any that will do that." Chase answered.
"So what do you think it could be?" Cameron snipped harshly. She was obviously showing her deep resentment toward Chase for not helping House.
"I already told you my theory. Apparently it doesn't fit." Chase answered her calmly with a slight edge of bitterness. He learned long ago to tolerate Cameron's personal slants during diagnosis.
Cameron knew they had to try something. "We should start her on prednisone. That would cover a variety of autoimmune deficiencies."
"Wilson's right though, that could raise her blood sugar." Foreman countered.
"We are out of choices. We can carefully monitor it. There is nothing else." Cameron knew risk was the only option now.
"We'll talk to Cuddy." Foreman relented. He and Chase went to make their case.
Cameron went back to staring at House with complete worry.
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Even under sedation, House looked a complete mess. He was shivering and sweating. He was stable though, so that was a good sign.
"This is better than detoxing on his own." Wilson said standing behind her.
"He shouldn't have to do this." Cameron told Wilson angrily.
"We had no choice."
Cameron turned around to face him. "You had every choice! You can't make someone go through this against his will. He was fine before. It seems to me you got the better end of the deal."
"Right, I'm all about turning in my best friend to the cops to save myself. I was willing to go to jail and give up my career for him."
"So why didn't you?"
Wilson opened his mouth then paused before continuing. He wasn't sure why he had to explain himself to Cameron, but he tried anyway. "I didn't want this for him, but in the end given the circumstances I did what was best. I tried to keep him out of jail and get him the help he needs. What more did you expect?"
"I expect you to be loyal to your friend."
Wilson had enough and responded with a raised voice. "What do you know about friendship and loyalty? I have known him and been through way more than with him than you could possibly imagine. I had never seen him this bad. Sometimes you have to make the tough choices so that someone you care about doesn't destroy himself, even if that means alienating that person. Silly me, I thought no jail and not losing his medical license was a pretty fair deal. Also, I shouldn't have to defend my actions to anyone but House, and I can't to do that until he is thinking rationally again."
Cameron folded her arms, looked away, and silently pouted at that answer. She didn't have a clever response. He could be right, but his actions still felt wrong.
"Okay then. Call me if you need me." Wilson said as he headed out.
a/n: I looked up Still's disease on the Internet. Impossible it would be that. They consider that and not histiocytoisis? Wrong, wrong, wrong. Wikipedia could have called that play.
Anyway, if there is anything here that seems off or not of value, please let me know. Of course, tell me if you like it too!
Also, before I get any comments, Wilson knows about Chase's mother for two reasons. He treated his father, and House tells him everything. Chase knows Wilson knows, otherwise he might have been freaked out by that comment. That's my premise and I'm sticking to it!