CHAPTER 8
When Leah and 13 appeared in the doorway of Jaymie's room a half an hour later, Leah had hastily dressed in a pair of tan capris and a red fitted t-shirt. Her long hair hung down her back, combed back and partly wet from the shower. She'd barely had time to put her makeup on.
They found two male doctors, Cuddy and Billy in the room with Jaymie. The older male doctor was holding a clipboard and talking to Jaymie and the other was drawing blood while talking to Billy. Jaymie was the first to see Leah and her eyes lit up. If she hadn't been stuck to a needle she'd have flown across the room to her godmother's arms. "Mom!"
The doctors turned around and Leah smiled, walking further into the room. She sat on the side of the hospital bed and pulled Jaymie in her arms. "Oh Jay, are you ok?"
She nodded. "Yeah. They're asking me all kinds of questions and taking blood samples. They won't tell me anything."
"Are you her mother?" The handsome younger doctor asked as he pulled out the needle, apparently done taking the blood he needed.
"Yes. My husband and I adopted her after her mother died."
The other male doctor went to a phone in the room and made a call.
Leah pointed to him. "What was that about?"
The man finished his call then smiled at Leah. "You're Doctor Leah Rogan, right?" She nodded, bewildered. "THE Doctor Leah Rogan?"
She smiled tightly. "The only one I know of. Why??"
"You're probably the best, and most successful, Nephrologist in the Northwest." He turned to the other male doctor. "She has the biggest clinic in Wyoming and has written many articles on the lack of proper medical care to rural communities. Her work is fascinating."
13 looked at him with curiosity. "Taub, you were a plastic surgeon before coming here. What do you care about rural farming communities?" Leah looked at her with a raised eyebrow. 13 at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "No, that's not what I meant."
"No, I know what you meant…" Leah nodded, her face stoic. Only her eyes gave away the negative impact of the girl's question. "…you meant why would a plastic surgeon be needed with the Hillbillies?" Leah looked at Taub. "Dr…Taub, is it?" He nodded. "Dr. Taub, I do appreciate your kind words. My clinic has 15 doctors of all specialties, and at least 30 beds with plans to expand. We treat anything from bee stings to gallstones to heart transplants. We even have a part-time plastic surgeon that comes once every two weeks, more if needed. He travels from clinic to clinic." Leah looked at the girl. "Dr. Hadley, our plastic surgeon doesn't implant fake boobs or give tummy tucks; he repairs cheeks that have been gorged by bull horns or legs trampled on by stampeding cattle. Our patients are hardworking folks who get their hands dirty, and their jobs are rough and stressful. My clinic is highly respected. We don't turn anyone away and they deserve the same quality of medical care that big city folks get."
"Well, look who just walked in with her large soapbox: Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." House announced from where he leaned against the doorway. "She came to the big city to prove how little potatoes can stand up to the big spuds."
"But I'm a city girl, born and raised in Chicago."
The younger male doctor looked confused. "Then how'd you end up in the…"
"In the middle of nowhere you mean?" He looked sheepish. "What's your name?"
"Dr. Kutner."
"Are you from around here?"
"No."
"We all have our reasons." Leah looked at House who was even more intrigued. "We aren't here about me; we're here about Jaymie. What's going on?"
House studied her, his eyes following the long, smooth waves of her still-drying hair. He tried to ignore the tingling in his fingers to touch them. "Your hair is wet."
"It happens when you rush from the shower because your daughter is in the hospital. Will somebody PLEASE tell me what's going on?!?"
House's eyebrow winged up. "Oh…did 13 see you naked?"
"No. Lisa's call interrupted my morning routine, much to the chagrin of the male escort I hired to keep me company. We didn't need that interruption."
"Male escort?"
"Oh yeah; you missed the sex romp at Lisa's house last night. It was wild. Look, I was dragged out here because something is wrong with Jaymie. I'm here now. Just tell me what's going on." It was clear she was getting more upset each time she repeated the words.
Of course, House couldn't let it go. "Why didn't you let it ring?"
"Why do you care so much?"
"Because he's upset he missed seeing you naked," Cuddy said. "House, just tell her what's going on."
"Why won't you answer Kutner's question?"
"Are we back to that again?" House didn't answer Leah. "Then why didn't you answer my question?"
"What was your question?"
"What's going on?"
"Not until you answer my question."
Cuddy had had enough. "That's it. Leah does not need to answer your question House; the reason for Jaymie's illness has nothing to do with why Leah left Chicago to live in Wyoming. But you do need to answer her."
"They're getting a family history and taking blood. The child stated she has no immediate, or even intermediate, family history of genetic disorders or illnesses except cancer."
"But Lisa said it was purpura. Cancer doesn't explain purpura." Leah said. "Will you have to biopsy the skin?"
"What? A biopsy? What's that?" Jaymie was looking more and more concerned as the conversation went on. "Why would I need a biopsy?"
House ignored her as he limped around to Taub, taking her chart from him. "Wow Rogaine, you sound like a real, honest-to-God doctor! Since she's my patient I'm calling the shots."
"Are we biopsying the rash?" Kutner asked, his eyebrow raised and a stifled smile on his lips.
House scanned the chart then stopped, his head tilting and his jaw relaxing. It was clear he found something. He tilted his head back down and looked around from underneath his brows, his baby blues stopping at Leah. He studied her a moment then turned to Cuddy. "You suck."
Cuddy narrowed her eyes. "I am your boss; it's not a good idea to tell your boss they suck to their face."
"I could've told you your ss is looking like it belongs in a Hot-Air Balloon Race but I didn't."
"You just did. Why do I suck?"
"Because you could've invited friends with more interesting ailments. A five-year-old could've diagnosed this."
"Sorry…" Cuddy dryly answered. "…all my five-year-old diagnostians are at recess at the moment. Your team will have to do."
House sighed. "Damn it." Leah rolled her eyes; this was getting ridiculous. He was causing nothing but problems. House turned to the other doctors but kept his eyes on Leah. "Get a full blood work-up…" he pointed to Kutner, who was labeling the vials of blood he'd just taken. "…and fluid tests. While you're at it get rheumatoid factors, antinuclear antibodies, a chest x-ray, a sed rate and biochemical organ tests. Test for hepatitis and cryoglobulins. When you get all that done then biopsy the rash." He pulled his eyes from Leah and started to the door.
"Will somebody please answer me??" Jaymie looked scared as she looked at House walking away then at Leah then the other doctors. "Why do I need a biopsy??"
"We need to get a tiny sample of your skin to learn more about the tiny vessels in your skin. If we know how the vessels functioned then we'd know what this purpura was and why it manifested." Kutner said.
"Those are a lot of tests for a simple case of purpura." Taub said to House, ignoring the melodrama with the patient.
House stopped and turned around. "There's nothing simple about purpura." He turned around again to leave but stopped when Leah spoke up. "Wait a minute. Do you know what's wrong with Jaymie?"
He didn't turn around. "Yep."
"If you know what's wrong with her, why do you need all those tests?"
"To prove I'm right."
Leah paused, waiting for more information. When she didn't get it she asked, "Well? Aren't you going to tell us what it is?"
He turned around and smiled. "Now, if I were to tell you that it wouldn't be no fun no mo'. She won't die and it's a lot more fun to watch you worry your sses off than it is watching my team run a bunch of overpriced and time-consuming tests. Besides, you might get so worried you'll become vulnerable and need some immoral comfort to get you through the night. Would you like my phone number?"
Leah worked her jaw then turned to Cuddy. "Can I slug him and make it look like an accident??"
"Be my guest. It wouldn't be the first time."
House's own jaw worked as he looked from Leah to the door and back. "Look, I know what it is but this is a teaching hospital and I want the kiddies to learn from my teachin'. It's nothing life-threatening, damn it."
"Damn it?!?! You want her to die??"
"I didn't say that Rogaine, but the terminal cases are much more interesting."
Leah looked like she'd commit capital murder, right there in that room, in front of her friend and all those witnesses. She stomped up to House and glared at him, the force of that glare making him step back in fright. "Just. Tell. Me. What. Is. Going. On."
"Later my pretty."
"I am NOT your pretty."
"You will be, all in good time baby." House eyed her then, with a short wink and a firm thump of his cane, he turned and walked out. Holding the door open, he looked to his left and shouted, "Hey Wilson! Come meet my plaything!"
Cuddy placed a hand on Leah's arm, holding her in place. "Let him go. It's not worth it; he's not worth it." Cuddy looked at the other doctors who were staring at the situation in horror. "Don't you have a job to do? Let's go people." They didn't move right away. "Do you people remember that I'm House's boss and I sign your paychecks?"
"I thought a committee signed them?" Kutner asked innocently enough.
"You are not brilliant enough to make comments like that. Just shut up and do what House says."
The doctors filed out, leaving Leah and Lisa watching their departure. Leah looked at her friend. "You mean I have to listen to this??" She started gesturing wildly. "Can't you just…stop him…or something?"
"If I could I would've a long time ago. Look, you want him to cure Jaymie. Besides, he does this with everyone."
"I have a feeling he's being worse with me because of our history."
"You'll have to be tough. Don't let him get to you. The thicker skin you are, the more he'll like you."
"But you don't understand…" Leah paused, not sure how to phrase what she had to say. "…there is…I mean there WAS…more between us."
Cuddy's eyes widened and she looked at Jaymie, who was studying Leah intently. "You're right. I don't understand. What do you mean by more??"
Leah opened her mouth to answer her but stopped as she watched Jaymie. "Lise, I think I should tell you this in private."
"No. If this affects how my wife is going to be treated, then you'd better tell all of us." Billy, normally the strong silent type, spoke up. This surprised everyone in the room.
"If there was more, why didn't you ever say something??" Cuddy asked, almost hurt that Leah had kept whatever this was to herself. When Leah didn't answer Cuddy's eyes widened. "Just how much more was there?"
Leah opened her mouth then closed it, as if she were getting ready to say something but decided against it. She rubbed her eyes and plopped down in the nearest chair. "Just how much more would you guess?"
Cuddy's mouth opened then closed. She was almost afraid to say but that didn't stop her from doing it… "You didn't have sex with him…" Leah fidgeted. "…did you?"
Jaymie's eyes widened. "Oh my Gaaahh…you DID?!?" The lack of an immediate rebuttal from Leah was all the confirmation they needed.
*****
