….. A nurse stuck her head in the doorway. "Dr House, you have a phone call."

House turned toward her. "I'm busy. Tell them to call later."

The nurse nodded and withdrew her head. No sooner had she stepped out of the room, a police officer strolled in.

"Dr. House, as you requested…"

Chapter 10:

The officer, a thin but muscular man with jet black hair and brown eyes, his holster attached to his side with the gun visible, stepped aside from the way of the door.

Robert Chase entered. Clad in a full orange jumpsuit, his hair untidy, with peach fuzz starting to darken on his face, especially underneath his chin, Chase stared down at the carpeted floor, with his hands handcuffed in front of his body.

Foreman and Cameron stared up at their colleague, both in shock.

Another officer, slightly heavyset and a little taller than the first officer, had one hand tightly gripping Chase's upper arm; the other hand was latched onto Chase's shoulder; his dirty fingernails digging into the soft material of the jumpsuit.

House limped closer to Chase, his eyes narrowing. Chase brought his head up and stared at his boss.

"Take the handcuffs off," House spat.

The thinner of the two officers withdrew a tiny key from his shirt pocket, and went over to Chase. He roughly grabbed Chase's hands, and unlocked the handcuffs, taking them off. He then clipped them onto his belt, and stepped back.

Chase rubbed his wrists where the cuffs had embedded two red marks into his skin just moments before.

House kicked a chair out from underneath the table and placed it far enough away so that a person could get between it and the table.

Sit," he said coldly.

Chase sat.

House didn't speak for a few seconds. He fixed Chase with a piercing stare; Chase looked right back at him.

"Do you remember what happened Friday night, Chase?"

Chase swallowed and didn't answer; instead he sneaked a sideways glance at Foreman, who did not look his way.

House snapped his fingers in front of Chase's face.

"Answer me!"

Chase turned his head back towards his boss.

"The police told me…I hit someone," he finished, somewhat lamely.

House stared right into Chases eyes as he said coolly "You hit Lisa Cuddy."

Chase's mouth opened in astonishment. "I -"

House thrust the front page of the newspaper at him. "Shut up and read."

Chase stared at the man looming over him for a moment and then lowered his eyes to the paper that he now held in front of him. A few seconds later, he looked up again.

"You and Cuddy?"

"Yes. Shut the hell up and read."

Chase lowered his eyes once more, and started to read the article, while House stared at him through narrowed eyes.

When he was done reading, Chase looked up.

"House, I didn't know-"

"Shut up, Chase." House cut him off.

Chase fell silent and stared up at his boss.

"Don't use that as an excuse. No one did," House told him, stressing the first two words of the last sentence.

"Now, let's take a trip down memory lane," he continued, "shall we?" He started to circle the chair that Chase sat on, in a similar way to what wolves do when they are ready to strike their target for their evening meal. He still stared at Chase with cold and narrowed eyes.

"Friday night I seem to remember watching you get forced out of your car. When you saw me, you called out my name and waved like some fucking idiot." House stopped pacing, and stood directly behind Chase. "Do you recall that, Chase?"

Chase didn't answer. House whacked the back of his head. On pure instinct, he recoiled slightly. Cameron rose halfway out of her seat, but House shot her a warning look.

"Don't." She sat back down.

House turned his attention back to Chase. "Answer me, god dammit!" he roared.

Chase hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second. "N-No."

House limped around so that he was now face to face with Chase once more. "You know why you didn't remember it, Chase? Because you were so fucking drunk, that you got behind the wheel of a fucking car and hit—"

He suddenly stopped talking and looked away, trying to keep his emotions in check. Limping towards the window, he stared out into the parking lot below as he tried to calm his mind down.

There was silence all throughout the room. All eyes were focused on House, who suddenly turned around again.

"Let's take a field trip, shall we?"

Cameron stood up at once and grabbed House's arm as he limped past on his way to the door.

"House," she began in a low tone, "don't do this. I know what you are about to do. Don't do this."

House wrenched his arm out of her grip. "He has to know," he said in a cold emotionless voice.

"Do it another way," Cameron hissed at him.

House maintained his gaze with her. "No."

He broke eye contact with her, and instead looked over at the officers.

"ICU. Follow me."

The officer who had the handcuffs attached to his belt went to put the cuffs back on, but House stopped him.

"He needs his hands."

The officer shrugged.

Satisfied, House limped out of the room. The two officers followed, leading Chase out. Cameron and Foreman followed, trailing behind the officers.

No one spoke a word as they walked down the hallway. People stared at House as he went by; some gasped when they saw Chase.

House paid no attention. He kept his gaze fixated straight ahead. Behind him, Chase stared at House's back; he was flanked on either side by the two officers. One on each side, gripping his upper arms.

Cameron tried to catch up to her boss, but was stopped by Foreman.

"Don't," he said in a low but commanding strong voice.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but merely just minutes, they reached the door to Cuddy's room in the ICU.

"We'll be out here," the heavyset officer said.

House nodded. "Fair enough."

Very quietly, he slid the door open, and went inside. Chase, Foreman, and Cameron followed.

Chase stopped when he saw Cuddy lying on the bed. He stared down at her, unable to speak.

"Yea, this is what you did, Chase," House said coldly, his voice just above a whisper.

Foreman also stared. This too was the first time he was seeing the damage.

House moved over so that he was next to the bed. He looked down at Cuddy, who was sleeping peacefully as Cameron checked the monitors. House leaned his cane on the edge of the bed and moved to wheel the ultrasound machine closer to the bed, but he couldn't: Cameron was blocking his path.

Don't do this," she said.

"Move Cameron."

Cameron didn't budge. "No. As her attending, I am not going to let you do this." She was staring right into House's eyes. Foreman and Chase were either staring at House or Cameron. House narrowed his eyes.

"As her boyfriend, I think I overpower you. Now move!"

Foreman's eyes widened.

"You did NOT," Cameron started, "just play the 'boyfriend card'."

House gave a look of warning towards the bed, and then he focused his gaze back on Cameron.

"I think I just did," he said coldly. "Now get out of the way."

Cameron stared at House for a few seconds, and then moved aside.

House wheeled the ultrasound machine closer to the bed

"Chase, come here," he said, his tone icy.

Chase moved silently over to the bed next to his boss.

"You," House began, as he squirted goo on the transducer, "are going on a little scavenger hunt for me. " He flipped on the screen.

"You like scavenger hunts, right Chase?"

Without waiting for a reply, House handed the transducer to Chase, who took it.

"I want you to find two fetuses, "House said, as he unbuttoned the buttons on the front half of Cuddy's gown. Foreman realized what House was doing; he just stared.

Chase's eyes were focused on the screen; House, who was standing directly behind him, was staring at Cuddy. Foreman was watching the screen as Cameron was watching Cuddy.

"I found one," Chase said, turning his head around to look at House.

"Good," House said, never taking his eyes off Cuddy. "Now find the other one."

Chase faced the screen again and started looking for the second fetus (the one that wasn't there).

Cameron was staring from the other side of the bed. House looked up and locked onto her gaze.

'I can't believe you,' Cameron mouthed silently to him. He didn't say anything and narrowed his eyes.

With his gaze still on Cameron, he said, "Find it yet, Chase?"

Chase, who was still focused on he screen, said, "N-No."

House moved in front of him and turned the screen off. He then grabbed the wand from Chase's hand.

"All of you go outside while I clean up," he said, in a low commanding voice.

The three doctors' excited the room. House wiped the goo off Cuddy's abdomen, and then buttoned her gown back up. He then put his hand on her abdomen and rubbed it gently with his fingers. Moving his hand up to caress her cheek, he kissed her on the lips.

"I love you, Lisa," he whispered to the empty room.

He moved the cart with the ultrasound machine back to its original spot, grabbed his cane, and limped out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.