Beverly Hopwood lay in a bed in the psych ward staring up at the ceiling, forehead beaded with sweat as intern, Matthew Clarington sat next to her with a clipboard, nervously scribbling down as much as he could of what Beverly was saying...or not saying.
"Where is Addison's father?" He asked, running his hand through his hair with fake confidence. Beverly continued to look at the ceiling with deep focus as if counting all of the dots on it.
"Beverly, can you please answer the question?" The intern adjusted himself in his seat making the only sound in the room the creak of the chair. There was a much longer pause. Beverly's chest rose and fell, causing her to exhale a raspy breathe. The beads of sweat rolled off of her forehead onto the pillow.
"Beverly? Are you alright?" Clarington rose from his chair and leaned in to look closer. He placed his hand on the bed and removed his pen light from his pocket. Suddenly her hand shot from the bed and grasped his wrist, digging her nails into his skin making him wince. Her eyes were on fire now, blazing with pupils fully dilated. The intern jerked his arm, trying his hardest to pull free, her nails simply digging in deeper. Her eyes lit into him coldly as she began to spit out at him,
"I was sent to this earth in a blaze of fire and storm on the night of March 16th 1955 as an arch angel from God. I was sent to rid mankind of the evil force that has winnowed away so many of his spirit children to the depths of Hell. If I die before I have fulfilled my purpose mankind will be doomed to the renting of clothes and gnashing of teeth such as were seen in Sodom and Gomorra. If you do not release me, you will be held accountable in the here after." The intern had stopped pulling. He was staring into Beverly's eyes, transfixed. There were moments of odd silence in the room as Beverly continued to blaze into the intern's eyes like a snake hypnotizing its prey, suddenly the door burst open and two nurses rushed in, immediately yanking Beverly from the rigid man and tightening her restraints. Beverly sunk back down into her saturated pillow and a small smile crept across her face. Clarington stood in the doorway watching the nurses finish their work, although he knew the woman was severely disturbed, he couldn't shake the fire in the woman's eyes and the bone chilling words that had been spat from her mouth.
Addison Hopwood had been at the hospital for a week now and was slowly beginning to get used to the staff and atmosphere around her. Although continually weary of anyone around her, the staff began to see her relax more around the people who would see her the most. Dr. Stone was becoming a permanent fixture in the room, as was Cuddy who knew the first place to look when House was missing from clinic duty. She would open the door to the room and find both he and Addison glued to the television set.
She rounded the corner for the third time that week and entered Addison's room. House sat in the chair next to her bed, drinking a soda watching the television intently, every once and a while reaching into a large bag of chips and stuffing one into his mouth. Addison's eyes were also focused on the TV, watching what looked like an episode of COPS. But the moment Cuddy entered the room, she grew distracted and turned to see her, a small smile spread across her face. Cuddy smiled back, crossed the room and switched the television set off, making the crack dealer getting tazed fade and disappear.
"You were due in clinic twenty minutes ago." She stood firm in front of House, arms folded across her chest.
"The girl needs to be taught a valuable lesson Cuddy." House tossed the now empty soda cup in the trash and stood gripping his cane.
"And that would be?"
"Never hide crack up your anus, because most likely the cop that finds it's not going to look like Jodie Foster." House limped his way over to Addison's bedside, Addison's eyes following him the entire time with wonderment. Cuddy held the bridge of her nose in her fingers and shook her head.
"I was also thinking," House undid one of Addison's restraints, "that Addy's going to start axing her way through bathroom doors if we don't let her out of here for a couple hours."
"Is Stone okay with this?" Cuddy moved next the bed watching as Addison looked questioningly up to her face and back down at the other restraint House was undoing.
"Stone's all work and no play, which makes Addy a dull girl. Besides it's not her signature on Addison's chart, it's mine." Addison continued to watch as House pulled the side rail down on the bed and stayed perfectly still.
"House, I..." Cuddy began.
"Don't worry Doctor Cuddy, she's had all her shots. But if she bites someone or tries to drink anti-freeze, I'll bring her to the vet and have her fitted for a muzzle." House stood next to Cuddy, looked at Addison and pulled his car keys out of his pocket, jingling them in the air. "Wanna' go for a ride girl? Huh? Do yah?" Addison's eyebrows farrowed as she tried to make sense of what was going on. Cuddy sighed exasperated and slapped House's hand down.
"House, stop it." She bit, yanking the keys from him and stuffing them in her labcoat.
"I don't see how that's any different then the way you and Stone are treating her, like some caged circus freak who you're trying to teach a new trick. You're no different then her mother. Having a white coat and a clipboard doesn't make it anymore justified, in fact it makes it even more appalling." House looked sternly at Cuddy, defying her to make an argument. When she didn't he turned back to Addison who hadn't moved, but was sitting up looking out the window next to her bed. House clapped his hands, instantly getting her attention.
"Come on Addy, let's go annoy some people." Addison stayed where she was for a moment, not understanding. But to House's surprise it was Cuddy who walked up to the bed and took hold of Addy's IV pole and then her hand.
"It's okay, Addy." Addy looked up at the woman and then back at House and slowly moved to the end of the bed and stood up for the first time since entering the hospital. Cuddy began to walk forward slowly wondering if Addison would follow. "It's okay." She said gently when she noticed the girl's hesitation. She held out her hand and to her surprise after a while Addison took it and they began to walk towards the door, House took the IV pole and limped next to Addison. Cuddy opened the door and walked through it slowly, at the door frame Addison hesitated, looking out into the hallway and then up at Cuddy, Cuddy gave her a reassuring smile and Addison crossed over the threshold.
Once the door was opened, Addison's ears were filled with all kinds of new sounds. Suddenly there was the sound of gurneys and nurses, of patients and family members and she found it hard to focus on one thing at a time. Her eyes moved from object to object, trying to take in as much as she could, trying to assess any dangers. Cuddy started to walk slowly towards the nurses station at the end of the hallway, feeling Addison's fingers grip tighter around hers and the girl inch closer to her side. For a moment, she felt happy that this girl, who didn't trust a soul a week ago was beginning to trust her, if only slightly. House continued to pull the IV pole next to Addison watching as the staff and others began to look up and stare in awe as the "Wild Child" emerged from her room.
"And you were worried about her feeling like a circus freak." Cuddy whispered as she eyed the staff and felt a pang of guilt.
"My God Dr. Cuddy, no wonder you always have that stick up your ass about this place. Look at all these people not doing their work." House called out loudly as he began to hear the faintest hiccup coming from Addison's direction. Embarrassed they had been caught gawking, most of the nursing staff and doctors turned back to their paper work and patients and at least pretended to be attending to them, yet House continued to catch them trying to sneak a peak every so often. Addison was almost hugged completely next to Cuddy's arm, hiccuping softly and keeping her eyes every where.
"Maybe this was too soon." Cuddy breathed as they continued down towards the nurses station.
"No, she'll be okay, keep going." Just then Wilson came out of his office at the end of the hallway near the nurses station and followed everyones glare up the hallway to Addison coming closer. He was shocked to finally see the girl leave her room and smiled when he saw her. That was when House noticed that Addison had locked onto Wilson and was slightly returning his smile, although she was still hiccuping, it seemed as though she was more willing to go down the hallway.
"Wilson stay where you are." He called down. Wilson stood almost perfectly still, continuing to smile at Addison. They were about six feet from him now.
"Well, look who's out and about." He started not taking his eyes from the girl. "Does Stone know about this?"
"Sure" House returned quickly.
"What did I even ask?" Wilson sighed and looked down the hallway to his right. There was a small alcove at the end that was glassed where patients family could sit and wait. "Want to sit down Addy?" Cuddy smirked that Wilson had also started to use the pet name and the three of them began to slowly follow Wilson towards the waiting room where only two people sat, a man who reading the morning newspaper and a woman in a large hat who had fallen asleep with her head down.
They reached the waiting room and Cuddy and Wilson took seats, Addison looked at the windows longingly, making Cuddy release her hand. House took Addy's freehand and lifted it to the pole.
"Don't let go of this, okay?" He pushed hard on the closed hand to indicate this. She gripped the pole and wheeled it over to the window slowly. Her eyes squinted against the piercing light glinting off the snow outside as she looked down onto the parking lot watching in awe at the cars coming and going. The doctors watched her for a moment, it was amazing to see the world through this girl's eyes, like a child, everything was new and incredible.
"Any word about her mom?" Wilson began.
"They've got her in the psych ward, apparently she attacked an intern." Cuddy sighed leaning back in her chair and continuing to watch Addison look intently out the window.
"Tough case." Wilson could also not take his eyes off the girl.
"I've seen hundreds of kids come through here with broken jaws and legs, even burns from abuse. We can set the jaw, cast the leg, give them antibiotics. Even though these kids will probably never fully recover mentally, we can help them, or at least feel like we did. Addison came in here without any broken bones, no bruises and yet this is the worst case of abuse I've seen and..."Cuddy broke away, "I have no clue how to help her, I don't know if there's a way we can."
They sat for about an hour talking about Addison's case and her mother, about hospital politics and about Stone's idea about how to treat her. It was right when they were just finishing discussing her, in fact, when she appeared in the doorway of the waiting room.
"Doctor House, Addison was due for therapy, as in in her ROOM a ten minutes ago. I did not okay this." Stone held her clip board hard to her chest and pursed her lips.
Doctor Stone it is my feeling that a little time out of the room would do the patient some good." Cuddy leapt in before House could open his mouth.
"I'm sorry Doctor Cuddy, I was unaware that defying my orders was your idea." Stone didn't budge.
"When it comes to this patient Doctor Stone, you will be following my and Doctor House's orders, is that understood?" Cuddy shot back taking a step forward. House smiled, enjoying watching the female pissing match unraveling in front of him. Stone stood rigid and then at once turned on her heel and clicked out of the waiting area.
"Nicely done Doctor Cuddy, wearing our black vinyl panties today I assume?" House stood and limped over to Addison.
"Well, I haven't talked to the hospital heads in a while, I've got the afternoon free." Cuddy ran a hand over her face knowing that this outburst would not come without consequences.
"Come on Addy, let's throw you back to the head shrinking wolf." He moved towards Addison who hadn't moved from her position in front of the window in over forty minutes. He placed his hand on hers, but when he tried to get her to come with him, she gripped the sill of the window hard, her knuckles turning white.
"Hey Addy, come on, it's okay." House tried taking her hand again. She continued to pull away, not wanting to leave the window and the sudden freedom she had felt.
"Oh yeah, I can see how Stone's therapy is really making her adjust." House breathed as Wilson joined in trying to ease Addy away from the window as well.
"Shhhhh, we'll come back Addy, we'll come back." The struggling ripped Addison's IV out of her arm, sending saline and medicine flying everywhere.
"Damn it." House sighed and picked the squirming tube from the floor as Cuddy walked up and slowly put her arms around Addison. She struggled for a few moments, tears coming streaming from her eyes.
"Shhhhh, it's okay. I promise you won't be stuck in that room again, I promise." House and Wilson stood amazed that Addison had let her touch her and how quickly she was beginning to calm down. In a ten minutes she began to walk slowly back down the hallway with Cuddy, occasionally looking back over her shoulder at the window that was disappearing behind her.
The waiting room became empty as the doctors filed out, one with a cane and the other pulling an IV pole. The man with the paper, although stunned from everything that had just happened in front of him returned to his paper. But the woman who had been sleeping, the woman with the big hat, lifted her head, having heard everything that had occurred, smiled and rose. Wendy Baites knew where her friend was now and where the girl was. The final step to Beverly's task would be completed and there would be a place for her soul in heaven for helping Beverly carry it out.