So, everyone, one more chapter. I actually have the next one finished, remind me to upload it so you won't have to wait as long as last time - need to catch a train now! As always, I'm open to suggestions on what you'd like to happen, I may need some prompting soo anyway as I'm not too sure about everything yet. Thanks for the reviews and all the Author Alerts, people, keep them coming please! :)
Outside, Foreman shook his head. "Did you hide his Vicodin or something?" he asked his colleague. Chase shot him an irritated glance. "All
I did was not jump up the second he asked me to make coffee. Told him to do it himself." Foreman grinned. "Well, I'm not surprised that
didn't go down well." Chase snorted. "Thanks, helpful." Cameron sighed. "Guys, come on. You know House. Let's try to find him a case,
maybe that will make him calm down."
Four hours of noise and demanding patients later, Chase was finally free to go to lunch. House hadn't paged him back to the office, so it
seemed as if his co-workers hadn't had any luck finding a case either. The young man made his way to the cafeteria apprehensively. He
had arranged to meet Janie there and was not looking forward to explaining himself.
Janie meanwhile was sitting quietly, waiting for Chase to join her at a table near the back. People where milling around, but she seemed
lost in thought, not paying attention to any of them. When the intensivist came up to her, she nodded, unsmiling. Inwardly, Chase sighed.
This wasn't going to be easy. Nervously, he lifted a hand in greeting. "Hi." She blinked once, indicating that she'd heard him. "Um...thanks
for meeting up with me. Can I get you anything?" She shook her head, "I'm fine." The Australian ran his tongue across his lower lip and,
because he couldn't think of anything else to do, finally sat down. He studied the tabletop and sighed. "Janie...listen. House – he's not
your typical boss. I'm really sorry I made you wait, but I need you to understand that there honestly wasn't anything I could have done
about it." Janie scoffed. "So how is this gonna work, you'll ignore me every time you get the chance to earn a gold star from your boss?"
Chase snorted. "Yeah...he doesn't exactly work with gold stars." "Whatever. You could have called, at least." "I know. I tried. House
actually took away my phone, and – " Janie was getting angry. "Robert, will you stop blaming your boss? Unless he tied you down and
locked the door, how could he have stopped you from coming or at least telling me you weren't? This is ridiculous." Chase shrugged
helplessly. "The fellowship here is the most prestigious in the country, that's not something you just give up." "You do know you can't get
fired for not working overtime whenever it suits your supervisor, though? I mean, if you guys had had a patient, sure – but Foreman
and...what's her name, Cameron?" Chase confirmed with a look. "Yeah, they said House was making you do busy-work. Hell, they even
left themselves." The intensivist ran a hand through his hair. "One of House's previous fellows got canned for whistling a tune he was
annoyed by. That's how it works with him. I don't know why, but he constantly gets away with stuff like that. And...Cameron and Foreman
left because House was screwing with me, he told them to leave. He's got me doing all the files at the moment." "Well, maybe you need to
learn not to let him walk all over you. Foreman said he wouldn't put up with how you're being treated." Chase mentally made a note to
get back at his colleague somehow. Way to make him look weak. "Foreman doesn't get it. House hired us all for a different reason. He's
got Foreman to stand up to him on medical stuff. Cameron's his conscience, I guess. And me...I'm supposed to do what he says. I didn't
realise at first, but whenever I stand up to him, he...well, he lets me know that's not what he wants. I tried a few times, but he always
made me regret it." Chase bit his lip, thinking of countless hours of work House had assigned him as punishment and incentive to keep his
mouth shut in the future. "I think he needs to feel assured there's someone who will be his substitute should he be unavailable, he wants
me to do what he would have done." "He wants a flunky." Chase sighed. "Yeah, actually. That's a big part of it, he does like ordering me
around. But I don't really mind. Cameron and Foreman do what he says as well, he just doesn't let them feel it as much. But if I'm gonna
be following instructions, they may as well be blunt. Who cares?" Janie didn't answer right away, studying the doctor. At last, she said,
"You've got some issues to work through, I think. But...you do seem to have tried contacting me, and I suppose it's possible you're being
measured against different standards than your colleagues..." Chase looked at her expectantly. "Does that mean we can – reschedule?"
Janie sighed. "I guess." She smiled, and Chase grinned, relieved. Silently, he reached across the table and stroked her hand.
Chase and Janie had been talking contentedly, both happy to grant themselves another chance. When an hour was up, though, the
intensivist started fidgeting and glanced at his pager frequently. Which was noticed. "You need to go, don't you?" Chase shrugged, intent
on not seeming too worried. But Janie saw through that. "It's fine, I understand. And I have to get back to work, too. Come on, you can
walk me out." She slipped her hand into his, and the two ambled out of the cafeteria. Turning the corner, though, Chase suddenly went
white as a sheet. He grabbed Janie harder and briskly started walking in the direction they had come, practically pulling her with him.
"Hey!" she protested, and Chase quickly shushed her. "It's House!" Before they had managed to get lost in the crowds, though, Chase
felt a dull pain in his back. Caused by the tip of a cane. "Wombat." The Australian grimaced, turning around. He let go of Janie and quickly
said, "House, this is Janie. She needs to go, I think." House just raised an eyebrow, watching his employee desperately try to
communicate that his little friend should leave right now. "I'll call you!" Chase promised. Finally, to his relief, Janie gave in. She touched the
intensivist lightly on the shoulder before walking away.
Chase stood still, trying not to look at his boss. "Ssst!" House hissed, and the Australian reluctantly gazed up at him. "Come on." The
department head walked off, his employee following nervously. House not mocking right away was never a good sign, he had to be
planning something. Before Chase could dwell on that, though, Cuddy appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. She planted herself in front of
House, making him skid to a stop. The diagnostician rolled his eyes. "What now?" Cuddy glared. "You seem to have been planning not to
attend the law event." House turned to his employee, a murderous look on his face which made Chase back away. "Relax," Cuddy
admonished, "...it wasn't him. None of your other underlings, either, so don't start torturing them. Wilson told me. And you are going."
House narrowed his eyes like a petulant child. He waved his hand in the general direction of his duckling. "Get lost." he ordered. Chase
was happy to comply, hurrying off back towards the clinic, but he never got there. "My office." he heard House call after him instead.
Sighing, the intensivist made his way to the elevators.
