So I haven't updated in a while… hope you all like this chapter. Review, please?

Disclaimer: I don't own House MD. Wishful thinking.

11 – I'll never understand him

"No, uncle, I told you I can't make it. I'm stuck in the Princetonian office and I'm only halfway through what needs to be done, I can't come over for dinner! Not even after that, I'll be kinda dead after I'm finished here. No. No way. Don't you dare call Robert!"

I was arguing with my uncle over the phone. He had called me, after basically ignoring me for a couple of weeks, and wanted me to have dinner with him, but I was too busy. Chaos reigned in the office of the school paper and I was supposed to sort out things. "I-can't-come! Bye, uncle Greg!"

I sighed as I placed my phone on the desk and went back to read an article that had just been submitted.

"You'd think nineteen year olds would know the difference between the word excited and exited…" I muttered under my breath. I was starting to feel drained. I'd been there for two hours, checking articles, helping people who needed help, trying to finish my own editorial. All after a long day of classes.

I wasn't in a great mood, I only wanted to go home and have dinner. So I wasn't being my usual calm, polite self.

After a while Kate entered the room. "Liv, you forgot your keys!"

"Oh, thanks so much. I'm going crazy today, I can't wait to come home!" I sighed. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, it's six, you know? I want to go have a nice bath and relax. Then I'll probably see Walt, if he cares." She added bitterly.

I smiled sympathetically. Things weren't going well for the two of them.

I said goodbye to her and went back to work, until, much later, a voice shook me out of my thoughts: "So you weren't lying. I thought you'd lied and were somewhere with Chase."

I looked up. "Uncle Greg… why are you here?"

"Just to check on you. I wouldn't want you to lose your mind because of too much work. Oh, wait, you already have, you like the Aussie boy."

I frowned. "Why do you have to be so sarcastic? Just so you know, Robert's a great guy. I really mean it."

"You meant it with Christopher as well but he wasn't that great." He sat on the nearest chair. The few people in the room looked at him curiously.

"Will you stop bringing up Chris? We broke up almost a year ago." I replied as calmly as I could. Which wasn't much.

He picked up a copy of the Princetonian of the previous day and started reading. I stared at him. "What are you gonna do, stay here until I'm done and I leave?"

"That's the plan."

"Fine. Have it your way." I went back to my computer and started typing. Uncle Greg just sat there, receiving a few glances every now and then from the other people in the room.

I didn't want to give in to him. He couldn't always get things his way.

"You're stubborn but I'm more stubborn than you, I'll win and you'll eventually give up." He muttered.

"No way." I replied.

He then faked a cheerful voice: "Why, I didn't know you were a writer."

I looked up. Robert had just entered the room and was looking at my uncle quite awkwardly. "I, hum…"

"Robert, hi!" I got up and went to stand between him and uncle Greg. "How come you're here?"

"I thought I'd surprise you and pick you up…"

"Just ignore me." Uncle remarked.

"Excuse us for a second." I told him and left the room with Robert. "So, I don't know why we're acting like this exactly, but my uncle and I are having a competition about the most stubborn, or something. He wanted to have dinner together, I told him I'm busy, he…" I paused. "I'm just so tired. I wanna go home with you." I hugged him. "Not that we have a home, I meant, I want to leave here and be with you." I corrected myself.

He smiled. "Hey, I want to be with you, too. Liv, you look tired..."

I nodded. "I am."

"I'm leaving." Uncle Greg walked by us. "Don't get too close to my niece while I'm around or I'm gonna throw up. Liver, I'll see you next week for your mom's birthday."

I'd forgotten about that. "But-"

"No buts. Chase, let her sleep, she's worn out. Bye."

I looked at Robert. "I'll never understand him."

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"Ow! That hurt…"

"This is the first time you donate blood?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I wasn't looking at the needle in my arm and I was trying to think about something else. But it was difficult.

"You may feel light-headed, it's important that you drink plenty of liquids to replace lost fluids, and avoid strenuous activity for the remainder of the day." The nurse told me. She then handed me some juice after removing the needle.

I glanced at the blood I'd just donated. I don't think I'll ever get used to this.

Robert had convinced me to donate blood. I had never done it before because needles scared me to death, but he'd made me change my mind. He'd told me he didn't like donating blood when he started, but after a while he'd gotten used to it. I thought he was lying and he really didn't mind the needle because… he was a doctor… and he'd probably just told me that to make me feel better. Anyway, it had worked.

"Was it painful?" Robert was waiting for me outside the room.

"Don't make fun of me!" I replied as I threw away the juice.

"I'm not." He smiled. "Do you feel proud of yourself now?"

"I don't know… I don't really think I did much." I shrugged.

"Every effort counts." He took my hand and squeezed it. "Do you wanna have lunch together?"

"Yes, if you aren't busy." I looked around. It felt weird to be holding his hand in the hospital, where everyone, uncle Greg, James, Dr. Cuddy… could see us. Not that they didn't know already, but still…

"I don't know why, but my uncle seems to be avoiding me lately." I suddenly exclaimed.

Robert frowned: "What do you mean?"

"It's a feeling, but everytime I call him, or I show up to say hello, he seems to be busy or uninterested so I always end up leaving him alone. Maybe it's just me."

"Maybe he still hasn't get used to the idea of us going out together." Robert slowly said, giving voice to my thoughts. "He called me 'dingo' the other day. He said we look alike."

That made me laugh and Robert pretended to feel offended. "Is that funny to you?"

"A lot! And you can't really complain, at least he didn't call you 'frilled necked lizard'." He looked at me confused, so I added: "I saw a documentary on TV one day and they mentioned this animal. It's ugly." We got on the elevator. "Are you going home for the holidays? For Christmas, I mean? I know it's only October, I just wanted to know…"

"I don't think so." He shook his head and pressed a button. "I'm not looking forward to seeing my father and he's about the only relative I have there. Not counting my aunt and uncle, but I've never really got to know them."

I felt bad for him. Not having a family, or having a completely messed up one, wasn't pretty. Besides, if he didn't want to go back, he really had to have a complicated relationship with his father. If it were me, I'd want to go back to the place I'd grown up in, at least for some time.

But I couldn't complain. That meant I'd be spending time with him even during the holidays.

We sat together and started eating, when uncle Greg and James entered the room. James waved at us but my uncle ignored me completely. "Excuse me for a second." I told Robert. I got up and reached my uncle. "I'm pale but I'm not invisible yet." I told him.

"Don't waste your time with me. Robbie's waiting." He replied.

I showed him my arm. "I came to donate blood and Robert asked me to have lunch together because he wasn't busy. I didn't come here just to see him, I would have come by to your office and said hello afterwards." I paused. "I'm not ignoring you. Why are you ignoring me?"

"Because I'm hungry and I want to eat. Move."

I did. James smiled apologetically at me and I went back to Robert. "I'll never understand him."

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"Kate, come on. You can't stay inside all day just because you don't wanna see Walt."

"I can and I will."

Kate and Walt had broken up the previous week. She wasn't as miserable as I thought she'd be, but she absolutely didn't want to see him anymore. Considering the amount of students in Princeton and his major which was different than hers, I'd told her there weren't many chances of seeing him if she avoided the places where they used to go together. She didn't listen though.

"Look, I have to go to dinner with my mom, but you can come too if you want." I said. It was my mother's birthday.

"No, thanks. You go and have fun. And if you see Walt please run him over with your car."

I ignored that comment. "I won't be late. Bye."

I was crossing the road to get to my car, when someone honked at me. "Liv!"

It was Christopher's brother, Joshua. "Hi…" I was a bit surprised to see him because he lived almost an hour away. I got closer to his car to speak to him and noticed Christopher lying in the back seat. "What… is he okay?"

"I'm fine." Christopher muttered, still not moving nor opening his eyes. "Who is this?"

I couldn't believe he hadn't recognized my voice. "It's me… Liv…" I opened the door and examined his face closely. "Josh… what stuff did he do?"

Josh looked embarrassed for a second but immediately replied: "I'm not sure. We came in town yesterday to hang for the weekend with some guys and then about an hour ago he started not feeling well, so I was taking him back to our place now."

I had seen Chris in similar conditions before, but he'd never looked this bad to me. He was sweating a lot despite the chilly weather, his breath was shallow and he was so… still. "Josh, we have to take him to the hospital." I sounded so calm, I had no idea why.

"But Liv, I don't know if-"

"If you won't take him I will." I cut him off. Josh nodded resignedly. I sat in the back and made Christopher's head rest in my lap. "Chris, what drug did you take?" I asked him. "Christopher, it's important!"

"I don't know…" he whispered.

"You're not that dumb, you wouldn't take something randomly… tell me. Please…" I was practically begging him by now.

"I don't… remember…"

I didn't know what to do. I tried to keep him awake till we got to the hospital. Then, once they carried him inside, I went to look for my uncle, even if it was seven and I knew the chances of him being there were slim to none.

But I guess it was my lucky day because I found him in his office. He was speaking with James.

I entered the room and almost started yelling. "I need you to see Christopher and tell me he's going to be alright, because if he isn't, it will be all my fault and I don't know what-"

My uncle interrupted me. "Shut your mouth! You're not gonna help if you lose your mind. What's happened?"

I quickly told him everything and then I followed him and James to wherever they were headed. I wasn't focusing on anything. I was scared. And I wished I could be a little girl again so someone would hold me and tell me everything was going to be okay.

I wish Robert were here. I thought, as I bit my lip to not start crying.