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Chapter 21.
When House returned to Wilson's room, his friend wasn't there. Jessica sat next to the empty bed reading a magazine.
"They take him for tests?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes. The scans you suggested." She closed the magazine with her finger in her place. "Edwards was just here to tell me it wouldn't be much longer."
"Good. I knew he'd come through."
"So, what did you tell your old team?" Her head tilted toward the door.
"That they should stay the hell out of my playground."
She laughed. "I guess they're wondering what will happen to them now that the hospital is gone."
"They have contracts, but I don't remember what it says about disasters." House walked to the window and looked out. The hospital grounds consisted of concrete paths winding between a few trees. Quite a change from the park-like setting of PPTH.
Two orderlies wheeled Wilson in and transferred him to his bed before Edwards breezed in. "The initial scans confirm there's damage."
Jessica's hand over her mouth stifled her sob.
"We expect it will heal without long term effects, but we can't be sure. Time will tell." He edged closer to Wilson. "Has he woken at all?"
"His eyes flickered periodically before they took him for his scans, but he hasn't been back long." House frowned. "It's not a good sign."
"No it isn't." Edwards pulled up one of Wilson's lids and shone a light. "Pupil's reactive." He checked the other one. "I'd hate to use stimulants of any kind to wake him."
"Give it another hour."
"House, what's going on?" Jessica's lip quivered.
House found it hard to be matter-of-fact. "Wilson should have awoken by now. The anesthetic has worn off and he should have recovered from his unconscious state. On the other hand, his responsive eyes confirms that the damage is minor."
"But that's a lot of 'should-have's'." She sighed. "I'll hold on to the last."
###
The initial results for the team's patient were inconclusive. They sat in the conference room.
"Gotta be something to do with her kidney function." Jacobs shook her head.
"But the indicators are within normal range even if the creatinine level is at the high end," Simpson argued.
Magnani turned a few pages. "What about the liver?"
"Normal. Nothing there."
"And why would either of those cause tingling in her fingers?" Jacobs looked from the reports to her teammates. "I can see the swollen ankles from water retention if her kidneys aren't working normally. If it's not her heart or her liver causing the edema."
"But where does the back pain come in?" Simpson pointed to that on the board. "Or the cramps?"
"Yeah. Kidney disease can cause body cramps but not in the groin."
"No, but kidney stones can." Magnani dropped the pages on the table. "And those might account for the back pain, too, depending on where the pain is."
"We'll have to wait for the scans of her kidneys, liver and spleen to see if she has stones. And we're still left with tingling fingers."
Jacobs rubbed her eyes. "I wish House was here. He might hint whether we're going in the right direction or not."
"What's the latest from Jessica?" Magnani asked.
"They're doing scans because he still hasn't woken up."
###
Even with Langley and his cohorts in jail, Cameron continued to wonder why he went after the people he did. Maybe they'd never know, especially if Langley continued his silence.
She'd examined Seth's injuries, finding that they'd healed well. "When do you expect to go to work for your brother?"
"They've started working again on your house. It shouldn't be long before they'll need my painting skills. Meanwhile, I'll go out and see whether he needs me for anything else. The guy who fell from the scaffold will be returning to work next week."
"That's good news." She smiled. "Guess all of Langley's plans have come to nothing. Maybe delayed some things, caused you some pain, but in the end he didn't achieve his goal, whatever it was."
"So you and Will are going ahead with your campaigns?"
"Of course."
"I'm glad. Maybe I can work on my brothers bid for mayor."
"He'd like that." She sent him on his way. "I hope next time I see you, you'll be painting the walls of my house."
"You bet."
Rusty had just stood by as Cameron examined Seth, but he helped her with the rest of her patients until it was time for him to go to school. Before he left he said, "Dr. Cameron, can my friends and I help with your campaign? None of us have ever been involved in politics, but we'd all love to help you. And Rachel's dad, too."
She smiled at the offer. "Sure Rusty. I'm sure there are ways you can help."
"My parents are going to vote for you, and not just because you're letting me learn from you." He hefted his backpack and headed out the door.
Cameron still had a few patients before lunchtime, but Rusty's words stayed with her until she closed the clinic and had a late lunch at the diner. Then she called House and her good mood evaporated.
"Wilson is still unconscious," he reported. "His pupils are responsive but he's not waking up. The fever's gone, so that's good. I'm afraid I'm going to have to stay here for a few more days at least."
"I can drive up tomorrow." Wilson was her friend, too.
"You don't have to do that. I'm staying at Wilson's place. I found some of my stuff still there, and there's food in the fridge."
Cameron didn't know what to say other than, "Keep me updated. I...how's Jessica?"
"Hanging in there, trying to understand what's happening. Cameron, I haven't told her, but I'm...I'm worried."
If House could admit that, then the situation must be even worse than she thought.
"Ran into Taub, your ex, and Thirteen a little while ago. They're worried about what will happen to their jobs with the hospital demolished."
"Don't they have contracts?"
He nodded although she could see him. "I reminded them of that. Meanwhile, they're helping out here."
"Still no sign of Cuddy?"
"I haven't looked."
Cameron chuckled. "No, I didn't expect you to."
"What's happening there?"
"Carol and Seth positively identified Ricky as their assailant. Langley still isn't talking, so we can only guess at his motives. Haven't seen your team yet today, so I know nothing of their new patient or how Simpson's doing now that Jacobs and Magnani are a couple."
"There's Edwards, my cooperative doctor. Gotta go." He ended the call.
Cameron was left feeling the urge to get in her car and drive to New Jersey, but knew she shouldn't. She finished her iced tea and returned to the clinic.
###
House and Jessica waited for Edwards to speak.
"Since the scans showed damage and he still hasn't come out of his coma, I'm afraid we'll have to operate."
"Operate? On his head?" Jessica's frown deepened. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"It's more dangerous to just wait for him to heal." House wanted to convince himself as well as Jessica.
Edwards nodded. "We don't know whether he'd be left with permanent damage if we don't take action now."
"Now?" She closed her eyes to keep in the tears.
"If Dr. Edwards agrees, I'd like to assist him."
"Dr. House, I've never had to do anything like this before. If you have any experience..."
House smiled slightly. "Of course I have. But as Dr. Fielding was quick to point out, I don't have privileges in this hospital. Not even sure I can practice in New Jersey any more."
"You've been called in to treat patients from other states, haven't you?"
"Yes, but the patients came to me." House tapped his cane.
Jessica dared to put a hand on his arm. "House, you have to do this. For me. For Jim."
"Don't you think I want to? That I'd jump at the chance? But I've become more careful about what I do to defy medical authorities."
Edwards crossed his arms and smirked. "I didn't see any evidence of that when you stood up to Fielding."
"He's far from an authority here." House remembered that the hospital was run by a man named Granger. Not a doctor, but an administrator. From what House knew he allowed his senior doctors free reign, but was Fielding really a department head? "Who runs the neurology department?"
Dr. Edwards smiled. "Dr. Peters. He's..."
House grinned. "Dr. Peters owes me a couple. Guess I'll have a word with him." He headed to the elevator with Edwards staring at his back.
House checked the hospital directory and found that Peters office was on a corridor off the reception desk. He hoped the doctor was in as he strolled toward the office, but it was empty and the door was locked. House wiggled the knob, then studied the lock. He could open it, but he needed Peters' help so he refrained. Instead, he found a relatively clean piece of paper in his pocket and wrote a note that he slipped under the door. Then he returned to Wilson's room.
Jessica talked in hushed tones with Thirteen. Wilson was back in his bed, still unconscious.
"Where'd you go?" Thirteen's tone was accusatory.
"Went to see a man about a patient."
Just then Edwards spoiled his fun. "What did Peters say?"
"You went to talk to Peters?" Chase's eyes went wide. "The same Peters you proved didn't know what he was talking about? Twice?"
"I solved two cases for him. He owes me." House shrugged. "Anyway, he wasn't there."
"That's good. Wilson can do without a confrontation between the great Gregory House and the head of Neurology here." Chase had learned the look of exasperation from Cameron, or maybe Cuddy.
"Well, since Foreman's under the weather, I needed another neurologist consulting on the case."
Chase poked a finger in House's chest. "You're not the doctor in charge of this case."
"Neither are you." House smiled.
"Isn't the important thing here that Dr. Wilson receives the best care?" Edwards said. "I've already told Dr. House he can consult on the case. We're trying to by-pass Fielding, who's good enough at treating trauma from accidents and such but not knowledgeable about brain damage."
"And I suppose House convinced you he is." Chase shook his head. "That's why he's trying to enlist help from Peters."
As they argued, Jessica sat at the side of Wilson's bed, stroking his hand. "Doctors, I think he's waking up finally." Her hand moved to Wilson's cheek. "Jim, I'm here and so is House."
Wilson's lips parted. "J...Jess?"
"There was an explosion at PPTH and you were injured," she said.
His eyes flickered as they had a few times before, but this time they opened further. "Wh...where…?"
House moved closer. "You're at Princeton General. Do you remember any of what happened?"
Wilson looked at him with a furrowed brow. "H...happened?" He closed his eyes again. "Pain."
Edwards burst into action. He checked Wilson's eyes as he'd done before. "Where's the pain?"
As if he couldn't deal with the pain, with the people crowded around him, with the bright light in the room, whatever, Wilson retreated into the coma-like state he'd been in since the accident.
"Should we let him sleep?" Jessica remained sitting at his side.
"There should be someone here all the time, watching to see when he wakes again." Edwards glanced at the monitors. "Blood pressure's better and so is the oxygen saturation."
"I'll stay." Jessica smoothed the blanket.
House hesitated. "I'll check in later, see if you want to take a break."
"Thanks, House."
House left with Chase and Edwards.
"Do you still want to talk to Peters?" Chase asked.
"Why not?" House countered. "I have two phone calls to make and then I'll check to see whether he's back in his office."
Chase smirked. "Give my love to Cameron." He strode off.
"I'll find out whether any more of Dr. Wilson's results came in." Edwards left him too.
House found a not very comfortable chair in the waiting room and called his team. "Anything?"
"Nothing worth considering," Jacobs replied. "They haven't done most of the scans yet. Those should show a lot more of what's going on."
"Well, call when you get the results." House watched Taub and Thirteen walk by, stop, but seeing him on the phone, continued on. They'd be back.
"How's Dr. Wilson?" Magnani broke through his thoughts.
"Yeah, Jess hasn't called for a while."
"She hasn't left his side. I might have to pry her away." House didn't know how, though. "Wilson woke briefly. We'll still have to do exploratory surgery on his brain. I'll get the head of neurology here to do it." House hoped that was true. "Call me."
A chorus of 'will dos' and the connection was closed. Next House called Cameron with basically the same information. He debated about telling her what Chase said, though.
"So, you're determined to get Dr. Peters to do the surgery? What about Foreman?" she asked.
Just her voice lifted his spirits. "I have no idea what shape Foreman's in. Besides, like me, he may not have operating privileges at Princeton General."
"True. So you're sticking to protocols for once?" She sounded skeptical.
"More or less. Especially if I want Peters to operate."
"How's Jessica holding up? I expect she felt a momentary relief when he woke."
"She smiled for the first time since we've been here. And she has no intention of leaving Wilson's room."
"Yeah, probably hoping he'll wake again, this time for good."