A/N: Well here is the long awaited chapter...please put on your raincaps and rain coats. (Author not responsible for fecal matter accidently flying off computer screen onto reader). And for all of you who have been begging for longer chapters…this one is over 1700 words!
Chapter 21: Surprise Differential Diagnosis
At 10 a.m. later that morning, House walked into his office, laid his backpack on the sofa and shrugged his jacket off. The first thing he noticed was the pile of unopened mail still sitting on his desk where Cameron had obviously not gone thru it yet.
Did she stay home because of what happened yesterday? wondered House. He hoped not because he really wanted to talk to her.
House limped in to the conference room to check with Foreman and Chase but they were gone as well. As he was getting ready to turn around and go back to his office, he noticed the whiteboard was full of medical symptoms.
"What the hell is going on," he mumbled to himself.
Just then he heard the door slam and lock shut. Turning, he saw his buddy James Wilson standing before him, his hand still on the lock of the door.
"Morning Jimmy," House said tentatively, "What can I do for you?"
Wilson didn't say a word as he went over and locked the other door leading into House's office.
"Gee Jimmy, if I had known you wanted to be alone this bad, you could have just stopped by my place this morning before work and we could have had real privacy!" House teased, raising his eyebrows several times for good measure.
"Cut the shit House!" Wilson yelled at his friend.
House was dumbfounded.
He knew there was a good chance Jimmy was still mad at him, but he didn't expect the vehemence he just received from him.
"O.K. Jimmy," House said, taking a seat at the conference table, "What's on your mind?"
"Well House, I need you to help on a 'Differential Diagnosis'," answered Wilson with a humorless smile.
"Is this a joke?" House teased, "that's my line."
A look of what House could only describe as being close to hatred crossed his friend's face for a split second before he said, "No House, I assure you THIS is no joke."
O.K., well, at least we've established Jimmy is still definitely pissed at me! House thought to himself.
"All right Jimmy, I'll play along," House relented as he twirled his cane between his fingers, "let's run your differential diagnosis. Do I get to see that folder you are holding on to?"
"No. Not yet. Just look at the board for now," answered Wilson.
"Well then let's get a move on. I have to call Cameron and make sure she is OK," House said impatiently.
Wilson didn't bat an eye or give anything away…he just started to give House the medical facts off the board:
"All right we had a female patient brought in thru ER from an apparent overdose…."
House scanned the list on the board as Wilson rattled them off:
Took roughly 8000 mg of vicodin
Washed it down with approximately ½ liter of scotch
Never aspirated
Had seizures before getting to the hospital
Flat lined and intubated
Given progressively higher shocks to heart - no result
Was Flat line for approx 11 minutes
Just about to call TOD (time of death) when she just
came to on her own
House interrupted and asked, "She was down for 11 minutes?"
"That's right," Jimmy answered.
"Well what is it you want to know? I hate to tell you this Jimmy but your patient will most likely have considerable brain damage," House nonchalantly informed his friend.
Jimmy was now pacing back and forth seething with anger. There was more to this story than he was letting on and House intended to figure out what.
"Why are you working a simple OD case from ER anyway?" House asked.
He received no reply.
"What's her status now?" House asked.
House was not prepared for what came next.
Wilson leaned on the table, got in House's face and slammed his fist against the glass inches from his chest, and yelled, "She's in a coma House!
She's in a fucking coma!"
House was taken aback. He had never seen Jimmy act this way. He yelled back, "Jimmy, what the hell is the matter with you? You CAN'T save the world! Some woman comes into the ER after trying to end her own life and you're this upset because you can't save her? Christ Jimmy! How many times have you told me that I can't save everybody!"
That was it. Wilson could not contain himself anymore.
He screamed back at House, "So that's it, huh? She's just another OD? So what if she lives or dies?"
House was definitely growing more uncomfortable under this personal attack.
He was beginning to wonder if Jimmy had lost his mind, when the attack continued.
Wilson got right in House's face (making House back up a little) and yelled, "She's just another statistic, is that it? YOU MAKE ME SICK!"
House visibly flinched on that insult. My God, what have I done to incur Jimmy's wrath like this? House wondered, racking his brain.
In the mean time, his mouth opened and blurted out words without thought.
"Yes, she's just another stupid junkie. Can't even finish herself off right!
At this Wilson looked as though he was about to dive across the table and strangle the life from him.
But somewhere in Wilson's mind there was a switch and it clicked; he wasn't about to lose it, instead an eerie calm crept over him, his eyes glowing mirthlessly.
If House was honest, it was far more chilling than his anger had ever been.
"What if I told you it was your fault?" Wilson asked in a voice devoid of emotion.
My fault?
House thought back to Moriarty, the man responsible for two scars on his abdomen and neck.
Was she another patient that couldn't handle his cutting truths?
"Listen," House said in a fighting tone, "I just fix people and send them back out into the world. Aftercare isn't my thing. In case you haven't noticed I'm head of Diagnostics not the head of Psychiatrics."
The anger returned with a vengeance.
"You didn't fix her! You never fixed her. You broke her. Over and over, time and time again!"
No. thought House.
There was only one person he could think of.
No. It can't be her, he thought as he turned and looked again at the unopened pile of mail on his desk.
All of a sudden Wilson threw the file on the table towards House and said, "Here. You let me know if THIS changes your mind you son of a bitch! THIS is who OD'd yesterday! THIS is who couldn't finish herself off right!"
House was still in shock from Jimmy's outburst as he picked up the case file.
He was almost reluctant to open it.
But open it he did.
It read Allison Cameron.
House stopped breathing.
He swore he could feel his heart stop beating.
He felt nauseated and dizzy.
Not MY Allison. Surely someone would have called me. Couldn't be. Not my sweet, beautiful, Allison. House thought. He was in denial.
He looked up to his friend, pleading with him, "Not my Allison?"
"Yes, House. Your Allison." Jimmy confirmed.
Wilson noticed the immediate change in demeanor come over his friend. In fact, it looked like he was going into shock.
House asked, "I don't….I don't understand. Why didn't someone call me as soon as she came in?"
"I made that decision House. I'd figured you'd done enough damage earlier when she walked in on you and Cuddy," proclaimed Wilson.
House lowered his head for just a moment and then looked up directly at Wilson, blinking away tears that threatened to fall. He spoke in a hurt tone, "YOU made the decision. Since when are you GOD?! You know how I feel about her Jimmy."
"House, I…."
"You should have called me dammit!" yelled House. "My God, she could have d….."
House slowly rose from the table with the case file in hand. Talking more to himself than to Jimmy he said, "I've got to go see her - tell her I'm sorry - make her understand. Tell her how I feel about her."
House still had tears rolling down his face which frankly surprised Wilson. Wilson called out, "House! You can't see her."
He stopped dead in his tracks. "Why the hell not?" questioned House.
"Because I'm HER doctor and I don't think you're exactly a positive influence on her right now….besides which she's still in a coma," answered Wilson.
House suddenly limped/ran as fast as he could to the nearest trash can and fell to his knees with a grunt. He barely made it in time before breakfast came purging up racking his stomach with pain.
He broke down, lost control, and let the tears fall in shaking sobs.
Wilson just watched in disbelief.
At this point, Wilson actually felt sorry for his friend.
He knew House really did love Cameron. Perhaps he was being too hard on him.
Whatever had happened yesterday, this man was dearly paying for it today, and maybe the rest of his life. He went over and laid his hand on his friend's shoulder as House continued to sob. Sobs only interrupted with hollow wretches and grunts.
When he was finally done, Wilson handed him some Kleenex and said, "Look House, I'll let you see her on one condition. If her stats looks like they are rising or that she is upset at all - you're out of there. Do we have a deal?"
House stood up with the help of his friend, wiped his tears and his mouth and responded, "Deal."
They started to make their way down to ER, stopping just once at the restroom so House could clean up and rinse out his mouth.
When they reached Cameron's room, Wilson put a hand on House's arm to stop him.
Jimmy warned, "House, I know you're a doctor, but it's different seeing someone hooked up to all these machines when you're in love with them. You had better prepare yourself. Cameron might not make it."
House stiffened at these words but tried to put on a face like he wasn't worried. In reality, he was scared shitless.
He didn't know if he could handle what he would see behind the closed door or to see the one he loved hooked up to multiple life saving machines.
And to know he was at fault.
Tbc…..