House found Julia outside the emergency room, smoking. He touched her shoulder and she jumped and almost punched him.
"I'm sorry. I hate feeling this way," she said.
"What way?"
"Like I have to wait for something to happen. I'm tired of this crap, I'm tired of looking over my shoulder for him, I'm tired of running away."
"You're going to hate this, but I want you to stay at my apartment for a while. Free sex, good TiVo, and no Romeo On Acid." Julia glared at him and shook her head.
"What the hell makes you think that I'm going to move in with you?" she snapped, throwing her cigarette down and stamping it out viciously.
"You're not moving in, you're just staying there. Trust me, I've lived with a woman; staying with, and moving in are two different things. I learned a tiny bit of woman-speak in that time," House said. She was quiet for a moment, before rummaging through her bag for her keys.
"No, House. I'm going home, like I always do. I'm not letting him disrupt my life anymore," she said. He used his cane to bar her way.
"I had Wilson disable your car," he explained, holding out a handful of car fuses. In truth, he'd gone through Wilson's car and grabbed the spare fuses his always-prepared friend kept in the glove compartment. But Julia didn't need to know that. She gaped at him.
"A lot of bad things can happen in parking garages where no one can see," he said sweetly.
"You had the audacity to…"
"Yes, I did. Because I care about you and I don't want you to get hurt!" House shouted. To his surprise, Julia burst into tears.
"What? Am I suppose to stop now because you cry? I've seen many people cry, sweet-heart and no one has gotten to me," House said, although he didn't really mean the remark. When she didn't stop, he corralled her over to a nearby bench and sat down with her.
"I'm sorry, alright? Do you know how hard it is for me to ever apologize? Now stop crying!" he ordered. She didn't. With a sigh, he looked around to make sure no one he knew was looking, and put his arms around her. He held her close, laid her head on his shoulder. He could feel her heart hammering in her chest and feel her breath sobbing. She stopped abruptly, as if she were noticing exactly what was happening.
"I can be human sometimes," he said. She gave a shaky laugh.
"I hate being weak. I hate being at the mercy of all the men in my life!" she muttered.
"Wilson and Cuddy and the other nurses and I will all be here. He can't get you here," he told her. He felt like a romantic idiot, but he wanted to make sure she knew she was safe. With him.
"I hate being scared," she muttered.
"I know." He held her for several minutes. He could have held her for hours. He realized he didn't need a Vicodin right now, and his leg didn't hurt. She took that away and to his surprise, he'd let her.
"I want you to know I really enjoyed this little match of ours. I'm sorry if I kind of attacked you with this relationship and I know you hate it, but I really had fun. I actually care about men again and I don't know if I should love you or hate you for that," she said, standing. She walked into the hospital, leaving House outside. He sat there, thinking. This girl had been the most fun at the hospital he'd ever had. He would have gladly even given up Vicodin to make her safe. She really did make him happy, even for the short time she'd been in his life. And he wanted to ask if she could take the first choice.
Julia didn't reappear for several hours. Chase came in to deliver the news that the patient, bitchy as she was, would be fine and carry the remaining baby to term. Julia still didn't reappear. Grumbling, House went to look for her.
"Wilson! Did you see Slave-Nurse?" he asked. Wilson rolled his eyes.
"Around two hours ago. She says she's not moving in with you, you're all mine, and she hates me," Wilson replied. House frowned.
"Did she say where she was going? You didn't tell her about her car, did you?" House hissed.
"No, I didn't tell her about her car, no, she didn't say where she was going. Why, should she have?"
"Has anyone seen her in hours?" House asked, banging his cane against the nursing station.
"No offense, House, but we all thought she was with you slacking off," one of the nurses said. House never panics, but an ugly feeling started crawling up the base of his neck.
"No! She's not with me! We're not screwing in a supply closet! You people work with her, now find her!" he shouted. Cuddy darted around a corner.
"House? What the hell?" she cried.
"Julia's gone MIA. Have you seen her, oh, almighty one?" House replied, nastily, his uneasiness at Julia's sudden vanishing act stoking his temper. Cuddy looked horrified, her huge eyes getting bigger.
"She quit on me two hours ago. I told her that you told me to have her stay at your apartment and she quit on me and ran out. I thought she'd have gone home with you," Cuddy answered. House shook his head.
"You didn't check? How much paperwork does it take before you notice a nurse is missing? Someone find her for me, I don't care who does it, but find her now!" House bellowed, storming through the door. Wilson trotted behind him.
"What has got you so upset? So Julia went home! And what's this about her moving in with you, you guys have known each other 4 days!" Wilson sputtered.
"She's got a psycho ex somewhere out here. He showed up at the hospital and tried to hurt her once. I'm pretty sure he's coming back for seconds," House answered. Wilson looked at him in horror.
"And she ran out of the hospital? While she was there, she was protected! Why would she run out alone?" Wilson asked.
"Julia doesn't like being weak. That much should be certain. If this guy was scaring her, she'd have gone looking for him. I hope she was more successful than he was this afternoon," House answered. He walked to the parking garage. Julia's car was still there. A lot of bad things can happen in parking garages where no one can see. As House neared the car, his heart dropped, thudding into his stomach. There was blood on the passenger door handle and it was ajar. He and Wilson exchanged glances. Wilson immediately darted off to check around the car and in the area, which was almost completely deserted. House, ignoring his screaming leg, jerked the car open and leaned inside. There was blood all over the backseat and all the stuff she usually kept in the car was gone. As he reached in the back to search the floor, a hand, bloody and bruised, grabbed his wrist. He recoiled in shock, almost knocking himself out of the car. His leg flared, but he ignored it. Julia lay, covered in a black blanket, on the floor of the backseat. House popped the seat, yelling for Wilson. Julia was trying to sit up weakly.
"What happened?" House asked. Julia made a sound like a sick kitten and reached out to him. He gently pulled her from the car. As he did, the blanket fell aside and he could see bruises, upon bruises. Worst of all, she was barely clothed, her scrubs in bloody tatters and House could see blood was smeared on the insides of her thighs. Her eyes were blank, staring, and her eyelids fluttered. Where she touched him, she was cold. She was shocky, delirious, and obviously in pain.
"Richard…he caught up to me in the parking lot…" she whispered. House wrapped her in the blanket and pulled her into his lap. Wilson appeared behind him.
"Oh God! What happened?" Wilson gasped.
"What do you think happened? That bastard ex of hers raped her and tried to kill her because security isn't worth a damn!" House snapped. He tried to lift her and stumbled. She yelped in pain. Suddenly, she gagged and aspirated blood down the front of House's tshirt.
"Wilson, take her, I can't lift her," House said, defeated. He wanted Richard dead, hell, now he wanted Stacy dead. Because of her, he couldn't lift his girlfriend when she was hurt and that hurt him almost as much as seeing the shape she was in. Wilson gently took Julia from House and lifted her easily. Julia's hand emerged weakly from the blanket and reached for House.
"House?" she whispered.
"It's ok. I'm still here," he told her.
Julia had a broken rib and she'd been strangled and raped. She'd also been beaten brutally, although Richard had spared her face. Most abusive men did these days, House thought detachedly as he sat by her hospital bed. The stupid girl had actually told him she only needed something for the pain and tried to leave the emergency room. What was worse was that she mentioned Richard had done the same thing, with almost the same amount of damage in the past. And Richard had not been caught yet.
House stayed by her bed, watching the seemingly endless parade of well-wishers walked by her room. He was silent the whole time.
