Somehow, Chase always ends up hurt in my stories. Sorry for that.
Foreman rushed from his office to the ER.
''Eric? Do you have a minute?'' One of the nurses from the clinic stopped in front of him.
''Do I look like I have minute?'' He yelled at here, gesturing her to move aside. Robert Chase was brought in at the ER and the chance was big that he had fewer minutes than the nurse needed. He wasn't sure if he had to call Emily, yes he should. But did he really want her to come through this bad weather? If even Robert couldn't keep his car on the road, he couldn't imagine small Emily steering her big Chevy. ''Robert Chase? Where is he?'' Foreman pulled a young male nurse passing by towards him by his arm. ''Robert Chase?''
''I don't know!'' He said, pushing himself away from Foreman. ''If he crashed in the storm, I'd look somewhere over there.'' He waved a little vaguely in another direction. Foreman walked in the direction he pointed, to find a lot of stretchers and beds, but none of them were used by Robert Chase.
''I am looking for Robert Chase, slim, blonde –''
''Doctor Chase is brought to Princeton General.''
''Why?''
''Look around you, we are overloaded. Mr. Foreman, you can help or better get out of the way.''
He grabbed the clipboard from the doctors hands, pulled the paper out of it and threw the papers back in his hand. He started to run over the parking lot, holding the clipboard above his head, trying to stay a little safe from the snow cutting through the air. He was only on the half of the parking lot of the teaching hospital when his phone went off.
''Stop running Foreman, he is brought to Trenton by helicopter.'' House voice sounded. ''They weren't even aware here that he was hardly breathing, idiots. He is on his way to Trenton.''
''House? How did you even get them to fly him to Trenton, they wouldn't do that without permission from Emily.''
''I waved with my Visa, threatened them that I was going to bring him to Trenton personally.''
A car honked. ''This might be your car.'' House yelled with his Head out of the window, sitting in Foreman's car. ''You couldn't change it in five years, could you?''
House moved to the passenger seat while Foreman jumped in. ''Drive a little bit careful please, we want to arrive in Trenton. Not the way Chase did.''
Foreman didn't say anything, drove away from the parking lot, avoiding the highway where a large traffic jam had formed because of the snow. ''I drop you off at the hospital, care for Chase! If the road is good enough, I drive back for Emily.'' He said, not taking his eyes of the road.
''Sounds like a plan. But shouldn't you call her first?''
''Not before we know how he is doing.''
''Fine, I can call her if you like. So you can drive. Funny that I was the one stealing your car now.''
''If you call her now, she will drive there on her own. I think it is better we will pick up her up when we know how the roads are. ''
''Fine, whatever you wish, Blackbeard.''
Foreman drove harder than she should when he saw the road was clear, but needed to get in Trenton, he needed to know how Robert was. After the stabbing he promised himself he would never let anything happen to him again, as in some brotherly love.
''Usually I am not really scared of breaking the rules, but don't you think you are driving a bit to hard?'' House said, frowning at him.
''like you care. ''
''I care about my life enough that I want to life it. Plus Chase is not going to have any help on us if we are going to enter the hospital at the ER room too.''
''Fine.'' He slowed down a little, happy to see the Trenton skyline.
At the ER room, House stepped out of the car, limping in. Foreman turned around, with an desperate feeling, but he at least was sure that the roads back to Princeton would be good enough. House pretended he didn't care about anyone, but he cared about Robert even more than he did himself.
Halfway back his phone started to shake and he moved it to the dock in. ''House, please talk.''
''I don't know exactly, but he is hypothermic, both his lungs are contused, one pierced. They just rushed him into surgery, the hypothermia might actually be a good thing then.''
''Please call me again if you hear something.'' He pressed the call away, focusing on the road again.
….
He knew he shouldn't waste time, but it took him a second to press the doorbell.
''Robert, why are you lat-'' Emily said, when she swung the door open.
''Eric, is there something wrong?'' She said, her face worried.
''I am afraid there is.'' He nodded.
''Come in, please.''
He leaned against the kitchen table. ''Robert was in an accident in the storm, he is in Trenton General now.'' She pressed her hand against her mouth. ''How is he?''
''Nobody knows yet. Gregory House is with him.'' Before Foreman even realized what he just said, Emily frowned. ''You mean Gregory Chase?''
Foreman nodded. ''Sorry, my head is a little bit of a blur. Yes, his uncle got him a flight to Trenton after Princeton was overloaded.''
Emily looked surprised. ''I will get my keys, bring Jensen to the neighbors.''
''I will drive, Emily. I don't think it is a good idea if you drive now.''
With shaking hands, she lifted Jensen up. ''What is wrong mommy?''
''Nothing sweetheart. Do you mind sleeping at Mike and Sharon's house tonight?'' He shook his head. ''They have Spongebob!'' While he smiled to Foreman. Emily smiled but after a two seconds her laugh changed in a cry and she put Jensen on the ground. Foreman lifted him up.
''It is going to be alright.'' He whispered, carefully stroking Emily on her back, who was on her knees, sobbing. She grabbed his hand and pulled herself up. ''Let's bring him to the neighbors.''
…
''Mom, dad?'' Emily asked with a shaking voice. ''I am on my way to Trenton, Robert was in an accident. Can you please come to the hospital?'' She nearly started to sob again. Before her parents could answer, she put the phone away.
''I don't think they will come, to them, it is just Robert.'' She confessed.
''But you want them to be there and you are their daughter, it is their son-in-law, I am sure they will come.''
''They won't, they never have been there. I just wanted to try. They don't even like Robert, just because he took me away from them. At least, that is their vision.''
She looked out of the window. Her brown hair, which was always shinning and beautiful, hung in her face and her bright blue eyes had turned red from the crying. Her hand was on her belly, which didn't really show anything yet, although she had always been very slim since he had met her.
''I am sure everything will be all right.'' He whispered, not only to Emily, but also to himself.
None of them spoke again until they arrived at Trenton General, parking the car fast as they could. Somehow, the road had been tougher than it has been when he drove there with House, that they had spent double as long in the car. Emily ran to the entrance immediately, where House was waiting for them. ''What took you so long?'' He asked, in an Aussie accent, carefully pointing at Emily.
''The road was worse than on the way here?''
''You didn't pick me up straight away?'' Emily frowned.
''Sorry, we just wanted to make sure the helicopter really flew him to this hospital.'' House lied.
''Thank you for getting him on that flight. Must be really bad if Princeton is overloaded'' Emily said then, her arms still crossed, a little like she still didn't trust him.
''So, what now?'' She whispered, looking to the ground.
''Let's go back to the waiting room. They will call us when he is out of surgery. Might take another hour before they inform us again, they said an hour ago.''
It took more than an hour. After she had fallen asleep against Foreman's shoulder in exhaustion she was made awake in the middle of the night. ''You can see Robert if you like. Surgery went well.''
She looked around, tired, exhausted. Gregory seemed to be gone and a clock on the wall showed is was past 5 in the morning.
She nodded, apathetic. ''Do they know what caused the accident, what happened to him?''
Foreman nodded. '' He was probably distracted from driving; somehow he slipped an icy part on the bridge, ramming the rail. He is very lucky to be alive, he wasn't wearing his seatbelt.''
''But he always wears his seatbelt?''
Foreman shrugged. ''I don't know, maybe he just forgot about it. Anyway, his chest hit the steering wheel pretty hard, causing most of his ribs to crack, one lung is punctured and the other is contused. Other than that he was pretty lucky, if you can even say the word lucky about him now. He didn't break any other bones.''
''Is he awake?''
Foreman shook his head. ''They are keeping him in a coma until his lungs and ribs have healed, he won't be able to breathe on his own right now-''
''and his ribs are cracked, nobody wants to see him in that pain.'' She shook her head. Somehow her emotions seemed to come back with the thought of Robert in extreme pain.
''Do you want to see him?'' Biting her nail she nodded and followed him. A little afraid of what she was going to see she listened to the sound of her own feet shuffling over the floor. Foreman looked at the signs, stopping at the ICU. ''In here.'' He opened a door. The hospital was older than Princeton and instead of a glass wall; there was a tiny room with two beds. One was empty and the other one seemed to be filled with cables tubes and surrounded by monitors. Only after a few seconds she saw the person under the cables and tubes, fragile and broken. She walked up to the bed, searching for his hand and grabbing it tight, as if it was her last lifeline, as if she was laying there instead of him.
Foreman kept standing in the doorway.
''It is sad when you are a nurse, you know that the movie miracles are not going to happen.'' She said, without any emotion.
''I should go back to Princeton. I will make sure they will give you furlough. Just call me if you need anything. ''
She didn't turn around, just nodded.
…
At his desk, Foreman was in extreme doubt. He knew that if he did do what he needed do, he was going to lose Chase. But the team couldn't do it on his own. After everything he went through to get this job, he didn't want to endanger it by a team running around without a leader. Adams, she sure wouldn't be able to lead Park and Taub, she wouldn't be able to make important and stressful decision. Park would never be an option. Taub…no. he couldn't even lead himself, resulting in very young kid on each arm with different moms.
After the hardest decision he had ever made he grabbed his phone from his desk and started to call Gregory House.
Robert wouldn't have lasted a year as the head of diagnostics. Not without a divorce, or a burn-out. He could hardly keep up now and with the second baby on the way and the stress that also was brought by that, he wouldn't be able to keep it up longer. He didn't even eat when there was a stressful case and when he had tried to talk about it to his friend Robert had just denied it.
His former friend now, he just ruined it by returning to be his boss.
That might have been the problem of their friendship; it never should have been there in the first place.
''House, Can I interest you in a job as head of diagnostics?''
…
Note: Foreman's motives will be explored more in the upcoming chapters. I know, this chapter was pretty boring, not a lot of Chase, but the next chapter will A) be a lot longer, B) won't bore you, I promise! Please don't leave me! This was a kind of a bridge that I had to make between chapter 3 and 5. I think the next chapter will be up tomorrow!
Also, it will be Roberts point of view again…..sorry for all the Emily in this chapter. When I write a character I always picture an actress or actor in my head which they should resemble and it has been non-stop Carice van Houten this chapter.
And I want to add, I am not a medical genius. I try to keep as close to the facts as I can, but the problem is that my English is not always good enough to understand the English articles and it doesn't make more sense with a dictionary. I can find the articles in German but I have the same problem as with English. But why don't read it in Dutch then? Because most of the info isn't available in Dutch. L So if you have any remarks on the medical facts, please tell me, it will help me improve!
Please keep reviewing! It really encourages me and I am really grateful for it!